You will be completely inspired by today's God story. College student Mathapelo (Thapi) Tabele was called by God to leave her native country of South Africa to come to the USA. Hear about the struggles and lessons this young woman endured as she learned what surrendering her life meant. She walks completely by faith with the love of her life, Jesus Christ. (This podcast originally aired in November 2020.)   ********   Kimberly Hobbs   Welcome to empowering lives with purpose. And I'm your host, Kimberly Hobbs. I am the founder of Women world leaders. And we are so happy that you joined us today. And today I have our guest Tapi from South Africa. And in Lisa Morrison who is returning from last week to say hi. Hi, ladies. Hi. Nice to have both of you. Thank you so much for being on. Ladies, God is working in you giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. That's Philippians 213. And we believe that women were leaders by women sharing stories with each other that are inspiring and encouraging and empowering. It will help you the listener to just maybe spark something in you that God is birthing or calling you to. And we are just hoping that we can help you in this journey. It's a journey of, of Jesus and living our life for him. So this is such an amazing South African young story of Tapi. And we are just so excited to share it with you today. The God calling on her life. God did something amazing. And this young woman's life he spoke to her. And she answered saying I will go wherever you send me. And so this is part of part two of an interview that took place last week with Lisa Morrison, and who is tabbies adopted mom here in America. And it is a guide journey of a mother from the United States and a South African daughter, and how they came together in God's calling for their life. So Thapi, can you share how you pronounce your South African name? Thapi Table   My real name is Mathapelo. Kimberly Hobbs   Mathapelo? Yes. Amen. And what is the meaning of your name? Thapi Table   Oh, it means women have prayer. Kimberly Hobbs   Awesome. And Thapi is a woman of prayer to be where she is today. We know that took an amazing amount of prayer. Thapi is an ambassador of Christ and completely sold out to him. And she was born and raised in South Africa. And as I said, she now resides here in America with her God given mother, Lisa Morrison. So we just wanted to say hi to Lisa again today. And you can hear Lisa's part of the story. If you go back a week in a podcast and you can hear Lisa's story today is going to be Tapi story. So thank you ladies for saying hi. So Thapi is currently earning her master's in theological studies at the Nazarene Theological Seminary. And she is also an author and you can hear her story are read her story and courageous steps of faith, which I'll share a little bit more about that at the end of this podcast. But Thapi's greatest desire is to serve the Lord by being a witness to his people in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and carry out his purpose to the ends of the world. So to happy, let's talk to our our audience today and just talk about your calling before you even came into your calling. You grew up in South Africa and you had a grandmother that really spoke into your life growing up, do you want to share a little bit about her? Thapi Table   Yes, I'd love to. So I was brought up in a Christian home Christian family. And I was brought up by this phenomenal, amazing woman of God, my grandmother because my dad passed away when I was three years old. So we lived with my grandmother and she's the one that brought us up. And it was through her obedience honestly to God and her faithfulness to God that she trained us up in a godly way. And we followed it and I personally followed it and it made a huge difference. And in a way it was like God us Seeing her to shape and mold what he has put in my life. So that's how I look at it. And so I'm grateful that she was obedient to actually carry that out, carry her purpose out in training us in a way that we should go. Yeah, Kimberly Hobbs   Yes. And some of our older audience if you're a grandmother, Johnson, that your life is significant in that the lives of your grandchildren. The impact is so important, right, Thapi, you will love that she poured into your life as a young as a young woman, I mean, filed as a child. And they were, you said it like age 10, you felt the calling on your life. I was like, wow. And I was reading your story. courageous steps of faith. I was like, blown away. But that was at age 10. You knew there was a calling on your life and you carry that through. But later in your teen years, you spoke of how you audibly heard from God. Wow, can you talk about that extraordinary moment where you heard God's voice, and how you had to exercise obedience and what you heard. Thapi Table   Right? So that actually that moment, that experience where I heard God is tied back to when I was 10 years old. So I knew, or I didn't fully know what was going on. All I knew was I just had this burning desire to serve God, I just wanted to work for him. Sometimes I would wake up and just feel like I want to climb the highest mountain and just share with people about this loving and caring God. And so you know, when you grow up, the desires that you have the love that you have for God, it starts fading away, and you want to do your own thing, right. So I wanted to become a geologist, I wanted to become a journalist. And you know, that desire slowly but surely, faded away. It was not as strong as when I was 10 years old. And one day when I was 18 years old. We had a college promotion, Nazarene Theological College, came to my church to do a college promotion. And it was in their moment, and they were talking about God's call in one's life. And before the preacher finished preaching his sermon, I knew that God was doing something in my heart. And I was fighting. I was fighting it. I remember sitting down and telling him in my mind, I'm like, God, I cannot do this. I will be anything you want me to be not a preacher. Because you know how preachers have that stigma of, you know, they don't get paid, they're poor, and all those things. And so in my mind was like what I can do, I will be anything, anything you want me to be, but I don't want to be a pastor. I don't want to be a preacher. And I remember when the pastor was done preaching. You know, he said, if you feel that God is calling you, come forward. I just couldn't, I couldn't sit still. I found myself forward, crying, crying so deeply. I was weeping. And I was begging God, I'm like, why now? Why me? And God being God being the faithful God that he is. He actually took me back at that moment. It was like a film playing right in front of my eyes. He took me back to when I was 10 years old. And he reminded me he said, Remember, remember when you had that burning desire to serve me? Remember, when you wanted to preach my word to the whole world? Remember, when you wanted to serve me? And he said, now's the time that I am calling you to go into ministry. So it was just an amazing, and yet scary experience for me at that time, because God had to take me back to when he gave me that desire. It did not come from Me. It was his. Yeah. For him. Yeah, definitely. Wow. Yeah. Kimberly Hobbs   Well, I know that you loved your country very much. And the Bible says that By faith Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land Hebrews 11, eight. Well, you left a country that you loved so much, a family that loved you and you love them. And a grandmother you so deeply love. Your Yes. was huge to God, your yes to leave all that and go to another land. You laid your life down Thapi to serve God in a calling that he had placed on your life. So can you talk about that, that calling where you had to let go of everything you knew in South Africa at a young age? You are you are 2021 Right, I called you out of that of your homeland to go to a far away land. Explain how he called you to America. Thapi Table   So I'll just try and cut it short. So what happened is, I always knew that God would call me to a foreign country for in place. But it did not cross my mind that that place would be America, I thought it would be somewhere in Africa. Because my heart's desire, or the desire that God had put in my heart is kind of like some mission work. So I knew I was going to be outside Africa, but not necessarily America. So how I came, how it came for me to be here in America was through my mom, who you met earlier on how God has put us together, how God has put this amazing love in her heart for me. And so that's how God had called us together to come into ministry. Now, did I know how it was gonna look like did I know why God had to do it that way. I had no idea why God had called me to come to America way. We also have a lot of, you know, seminaries, we have a lot of colleges and universities in South Africa. But he specifically made it clear for me to come here and to live with my American vanilla mom. And it was really hard because I lived, I left South Africa, I didn't want to come to America. I have a loving family that is very supportive. And it was also hard for them. And I'm the last one. So my mum was really worried for me to come here. But I had to obey God, even though I did not know the end, or why he had asked me to come here, I had to obey, leave everything behind and just follow him.  Kimberly Hobbs   Yes, and you did that honey, and you came over. And you called her your vanilla mom, Thapi Table   My vanilla mom Kimberly Hobbs   I love that. We have eboin, ivory, chocolate and vanilla - it's beautiful and you two make the most amazing couple together. Clearly just a God ordained union. I've tried this so beautiful. But But Thapi. Again, you while you were in America, going to seminary, and all of the struggles that you you two are facing. And now you know, Lisa had to take care of a 21 year old when she lived a single life serving God, just being in charge of herself. Now all the sudden God gives her a daughter, you know, the day before you were to, you know, make that decision to come. It's like what God did in that moment. But while you were here, you had some some issues going on. And you were pulled back home, you had some significant losses in your life that brought you back to South Africa. And you could have ended up staying there. I know you've made several trips back to South Africa since you've been here in a mirror. But it was truly obedience to God that led you back here again. Can you talk about that back and forth and that struggle? Because it's something you wrote in your book, and courageous steps of faith is that God asked you Will you still go wherever I send you tapping? Because you struggled. You got back home and you did not necessarily want to come back to America? For a moment. Thapi Table   Oh, Miss Kimberly, there was a struggle. The going back and forth was a struggle for me. Because once I landed in South Africa, and I had to come back to America, everything in me. Everything in me shouted, screamed. No, I didn't want to come back. I honestly I didn't want to come back. I had I had to fight. I had my family. You know, they had to say okay, fine, you only left with two months or three months or so. But it was really difficult for me honestly, to actually come back when I went home to visit. And because I don't want to be here. I'm gonna be honest, I didn't want to be here. Not that my mom is a bad person or that Americans are bad people. It's just that I wanted to be home and safeguard at home. And obviously you have the cultural differences as well. But one significant travel for me was when my grandmother passed away, which you know, when you serve God, you don't know what you're gonna get. And you serve him fully trusting and believing that he's got He, you don't put terms and conditions when you follow God. You don't say God, if I follow you, you must do 12345 For me, no, you just do it because you love him. And you are being obedient to Him. And one of the things that I knew that I was going to face was, Okay, what if somebody pass passes away back at home? Right? Like, what if my grandmother dies, or somebody close to me dies. And unfortunately, it happened, she passed away. And it was the most painful thing. It was on the Fourth of July. And she was doing some a ministry. It was, it felt like a dream. To me, it was the most painful thing ever, in knowing that, you know, she was the love of my life, I looked forward to going back home to her. Right, she was the reason why. And so when I lost her, it was really painful. But there were a lot of lessons learned, where God had to say, I am your God. I am your provider, I am your support, I am you everything you should be. You should only love me I should come first in life, not your grandmother, not anyone. So there were a lot of lessons learned even when my grandmother passed away. Because I know headship in alive, I would not be in America today, I would still be home because I would want I told God straightforward that I want to take care of my grandmother, I want to be with my grandmother. So passing away was a word of God saying that I still have a lot of things for you to do. You cannot be held up by you know, loving your grandmother so much. So Kimberly Hobbs   That's right. And I'm sure we can all listen, learn from this lesson. Like I had goosebumps when you said that, because sometimes we hold on to things are so tight in our life, that they can almost become like an idle, idle. Just, you just love so desperately, you know, and sometimes, you know, it's not that it's a bad thing. But God gently removes those things. Because he knows it could eventually be a stumbling block holding you from your purpose. So you know, if there's anybody listening in, it's like, when you see God's hand move in a story such as yours. Thapi, you know that God has gently been moving you forward, you know, when faith and you see doors opening, and you see Doors closing? Because ladies, when you answer the call, when God has a call on your life, you see you clearly see doors open, you clearly are as close as well as Thapi. Dead, something's happy that you said in your book, I, again, where he leads, I will follow because home is wherever he is. That was like powerful. And I wrote that down because I wanted to share that with the ladies that home is wherever he is. And that's huge. Because you developed a love relationship with Jesus and you knew to me that he became your all in all, he became your first love. And so now you were free to serve Him with all your heart, all your mind, all your body, everything that's in you, can you share with the women? Because I know we're gonna close it up, but just share with them some encouragement, if they are on that road going forward. They may have hit a roadblock of you know, God, I'm afraid to serve you Lord. I don't know what that looks like, you know, this is crashing down all around me. How do I move forward? Can you share? Because you were at that point? You didn't want to move forward to your calling. Thapi Table   Yeah. Actually, the wherever you are, wherever God is. Home is where wherever God is, was actually inspired after my grandmother passed away. Because then when I went home, it did not feel the same anymore, right? Because my grandmother was not there. And I realized that actually, God has been everywhere I've been. And I cannot define home by a place. A certain place I can define home by a certain country. Home is where God is where God is. That's where I'm gonna build my home, right? Because he is there. And so my encouragement to women out there would be another scripture verse for me is tonight pick up the cross, deny yourself to Capri cross and follow Him. And He says that if you're not worth it, if you don't, if you're not willing to let go of your mother, your father, your brothers and sisters, then you're not worth it to be caught his disciple, right. He's not saying God is not saying that To be mean and spiteful for to us, but he knows that when we let go of what we are holding on to his going to take care of it, right, I let go of my family, I let go of myself, my interests, my everything. And I focused on him and I held on to him. The thing is, when you hold on to God, then He takes care of everything. When you let go, he takes care of it, he takes care of your family, whatever it is that you love, he knows that he's going to take, you cannot take care of it on your own. So that's why he says we should cling to him, let go of all these things, because he know, he knows that he's got it. He's got it. He's got you in your budget, and your worries. And so with that, I have this like special song that I would like to share. And seeing it basically says that, you know, God has made a way he has made a way where there seemed to be no way for me. God had has opened up the doors, not only for me, but for me and my mom, I mean, please buy the book, you will read our story. Everything is in the book, because we have a limited time. And so God has made tons and tons of like ways for us when we thought okay, this is it. We you know, what do we do next? God he just has come through for us all the time You made a way Oh, you You made a way. When our backs were against the wall and it looked as if it was so far, you made a way. Lord, you, you made a way. And we're standing here humbly because you made a way. Amen. Kimberly Hobbs   Oh sweetheart, that is just beautiful. And you you sing to the Lord from your heart, which is beautiful in itself. And he surely made a way and he's still making a way for you. And ladies, we just feel that God is making a way for you to know he is because he doesn't he won't leave you where you are. And he wants you to come and that verse Luke, it's Luke 9:23 that Thapi shared that if any man will come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross. And follow me. And ladies, we just pray that over your life right now, if you you are feeling led into a calling, don't doubt that calling. Don't let the enemy put things into your mind that shouldn't be there. Take up your cross and be obedient and follow him. He wants you He loves you. And boy, again, Thapi, thank you for sharing your story of obedience, and the calling that you had on your life. And as we spoke about Tapi stories and courageous steps of faith, as is Lisa Morrison story. They're side by side in this book. And this book is put out by Women World Leaders and will be available in November of 2020. Through womenworldleaders.com or on Amazon, I believe it comes out on ebook on November 12. And then it'll be available paperback on November 26. But we do a prefer if you would go through womenworldleaders.com To get your copy of Courageous Steps of Faith. And we're just so excited about this book and the fact that we know it is going to inspire and give hope for those of you out there that just need that courage. And all of these gods stories of how these amazing women like Tapi herself at such a young age, took a courageous step of faith to go into her God calling on her life. And now look at her She's almost done with seminary and we just can't wait to see what God is going to do. He is going to change the world through you Thapi. Thank you honey for answering that call. And we will continue to pray for you Thapi so please, ladies, pray for Thapi, pray for Lisa as this as a journey of faith and trust. We all know what it's like to be in those positions. So we will pray for you, hon. So ladies, if you enjoyed what you heard, we're asking you to please share the podcast with those of you with those that you love. And just invite them to hear more about God's extravagant love and your courageous purpose. Again, you can visit our website at women world leaders.com. It's there, you can register for Upcoming Events, you can submit a prayer request because we have a whole team of prayer warriors that are willing to pray for you. And then also, we have a Facebook group, women, world leaders, it's private, we would love to invite you in. And it's there that you can interact with other women in the comment sections after you read a daily devotional and interesting. So please request us for the women world leaders private group and we'll let you in and we would love to meet you and know how God has touched your life and his walking in your life. So from his heart to yours, we are women world leaders. All content is copyrighted by women world leaders and cannot be used without written expressed written consent. Ladies, I also want to share that we do have these podcasts available for you to tune into every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. So listen for walking in Lord on Wednesdays and journey into joy every Friday. God bless you have a great day.

Join host Janet Berrong as she shares about being renewed and living out your God-given purpose. ***** Welcome to Celebrating God's Grace, a Women World Leaders podcast. I'm your host, Janet Berrong. It's an honor for me to be back with you today sharing health, beauty and Jesus. Thank you for joining as we celebrate God's grace in our lives, in this ministry, and in the world. Please join us every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for our podcast, Monday with Empowering Lives with Purpose. Wednesday's the biblical teaching arm of Walking in the Word, and Friday with Celebrating God's Grace. As we here at Women World Leaders gear up for our in person event titled Renew. Just the word renew makes me happy. I think of it as a fresh start. So today I want to talk about being renewed and living out our God given purpose. When we say renew, it means to replace. So renewing our mind means replacing the old way of thinking with a new way. So when you hear renew your mind with the Word of God, it means to replace the old way of thinking with that the Bible says in Romans 12:2 says, "Don't copy the behavior and the customs of this world. But let God transform you into a new person. By changing the way you think. Then you can learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect." I feel this is a great topic and timing for me. It's my birthday month. And it's always a good time for me to evaluate and reflect on life. It might be a good time for you to if you needed to be renewed. I or encourage you today to spend quality time with Jesus. Let Him renew your hearts and minds with his word. A dear loved one reminded me that we will never be as young as we are right now. That time is a valuable commodity that you'll never get back. And to spend it wisely. Wow, how true that is. When you think of it that way. It really makes us think about our purpose and what really matters in life. Every single one of us has a purpose to fulfill in life, something unique that we can only we can accomplish. Sometimes that we if we use our talents and God given gifts to fulfill it will make this world a better place. It is our mark to leave upon this earth in our legacy to live by leave behind for those who follow us. And it is up to us to figure out what the purpose is. The Bible tells us in Psalms 139:13 through 16 that God created in innermost being he knit us together in our mother's womb. We are fearfully and wonderfully made. His works are wonderful. And all the days ordained for us were written in his book before one of them came to be also in Ephesians 2:10 tells us we are God's handiwork created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. The fact that we are breathing and living on this planet tells us that we have a purpose. The Lord has prepared us in advance to do good works. He is not done with you yet if you're still alive. We have been made with a purpose and each one of us have a reason for living. It is our ultimate purpose to bring Him glory with various aspects of our life. Following Christ is the greatest adventure that each one of us will ever have in it's an adventure of life's purpose. The question is, in what way and through what location? Will you live your purpose? Let us pray. Father, we thank you for your love, grace and mercy that you called us to live a full and purposeful life. I pray for everyone listening, that they will have the peace that only you give me your Holy Spirit fall on them today in a special way. In Jesus name I pray, amen. God bless you. Until next time, dear sisters

We each have ultimate control of our destiny. God has given us that gift through His son Jesus Christ. So how do we seize control and end up on the right path? Listen as Julie Jenkins unfolds this important teaching from Matthew 15:1-20 and Mark 7:1-23. ***** Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders’ podcast. I’m you host, Julie Jenkins. I’m so happy you have joined us today as we study scripture together. If you are new to our podcast, besides this, our Wednesday Bible teaching, we have two other weekly offerings for you. On Mondays, Kimberly Hobbs hosts Empowering Lives with Purpose – a 30-minute interview with a different woman of faith who boldly shares her story with the hope of empowering you to live as God has called you.  And on Fridays, we have a team of leaders who share their wisdom and joy from a life spent in pursuit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in Celebrating God’s Grace. If you are new to Women World Leaders’ ministry, our podcast is just a small part of what we do. We also offer prayer for the ups and downs of life, support through social media, fellowship through events, growth through daily devotions, empowerment through leadership development, encouragement through Voice of Truth – our free quarterly magazine, and creative growth and healing through coaching and writing. At Women World Leaders we offer a place to be served and to serve others. We believe that all Christians make up the body of Christ, and together, we can do what God has called us to today. We walk in faith knowing that God will guide us into projects of His creating and bring us the people He has called to grow together as we take on those projects. If you would like to join us, we would love to have you – and we know that God has a place waiting just for you. We are a 501c3 ministry, and as such we are sustained by donations from all over the world. If you would like to find out more about Women World Leaders or to help support the ministry financially, please visit womenworldleaders.com But, before you do, you have something more important to do than going to a website. God has called you to this podcast for a purpose. There is something He wants to teach you – so please don’t put Him off. Allow me to pray before we begin that He will guide our learning… Dear Most Holy God…we give you this time and we thank you for walking with us as we open the Bible together. Father, we know that every time we open the Bible you have something more to reveal to us, and today is no exception. You have called us together for this time because there is something you want us to know – so I ask that you allow our hearts to be teachable. Holy Spirit, cleanse us of any sin and of any strongholds or beliefs that are not from you, shine a light on YOUR meaning, and let us each leave this teaching with the clarity that we have heard directly from you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.   We are currently walking through the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John chronologically. As we view Jesus’ words, actions, and life, we are asking God to show us what He wants us to learn today. Today’s teaching comes from Matthew chapter 15, verses 1-20 and Mark, chapter 7, verses 1-23. When we see Jesus in today’s passage, He is in the throes of ministry. He has gathered His disciples, and as they travel together, He teaches the crowds, the twelve disciples themselves, and groups or individuals that He encounters. We’ve seen people amazed and awed by His teaching, and we’ve seen them turn away. In today’s passage, we see the Pharisees and the teachers of the law band together to come against Jesus as they travel to Him from their home base in Jerusalem. They are on a mission to discredit Jesus. But what they accuse Him of this time, might make us scratch our heads. Let’s begin with Matthew 15:1 from the New Living Translation. 15 Some Pharisees and teachers of religious law now arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They asked him, 2 “Why do your disciples disobey our age-old tradition? For they ignore our tradition of ceremonial hand washing before they eat.” Unlike during covid times – the lack of handwashing that they were complaining about had nothing to do with hygiene. Mark chapter 7 verses 3 and 4 explains a little more in depth… 3 (The Jews, especially the Pharisees, do not eat until they have poured water over their cupped hands,[a] as required by their ancient traditions. 4 Similarly, they don’t eat anything from the market until they immerse their hands[b] in water. This is but one of many traditions they have clung to—such as their ceremonial washing of cups, pitchers, and kettles.[c]) To give you some background, the Israelites were God’s holy people, and were set apart for purity. The problem was, they couldn’t be pure of their own volition any more than you and I can. So they set about making rules, or traditions, and these ideas became more and more entrenched in society. In Exodus, we can read God’s law, which included water purification for the priests before they offered a sacrifice in the temple. It is VERY clearly laid out. But the religious rulers extended these teachings saying that any time any Jew ate, they needed to follow the ritualistic hand washing that was, by God’s law, given for only the priest to follow. This was just one of MANY man-created rules that the religious leaders enforced, and, for the most part, the Jews followed without question. In that time, it was considered the teacher’s responsibility to make sure his disciples were doing the right thing, so the Pharisees accused Jesus on account of the disciples’ actions – or inactions in this case. They didn’t pour water over their hands before they ate. But Jesus KNEW the law. And what’s more, He knew the difference between God’s law and man-made law, and He knew which one was more important. So He used this as a teaching moment for all those listening, saying in Matthew 15:3 “And why do you, by your traditions, violate the DIRECT commandments of GOD? That question must have caused a stir. Jesus called out the leaders for violating God’s commandments. And before there was an uprising, He explained further…  4 For instance, GOD says, ‘Honor your father and mother,’[a] and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’[b] 5 But YOU say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’ 6 In this way, YOU say they don’t NEED to honor their parents.[c] And so you cancel the word of God for the sake of your own tradition. Jesus was referring to a well-know practice of formally vowing one’s wealth for spiritual purposes alone. When an individual made this vow, his money would be dedicated to the temple, and he would no longer be bound by the fifth commandment – Honor your father and mother – which carried with it the responsibility to care for one’s aging parents. So the individual could neglect God’s commandment in lieu of a man-made vow, and in fact, would be, according to the religious leaders, bound to that man-made vow OVER God’s commandment. This is an example of living life by the standards of the world instead of by God’s standards. Of mindlessly bowing to human authority over godly authority. Of crying innocence due to ignorance of the law. I can remember studying for my drivers test MANY years ago, and asking my mom, what if I get stopped for breaking a law and just say I didn’t know it was a law? She quickly and forcefully responded that if I was going to drive, it was my responsibility to know the law. You cannot claim innocence due to ignorance of the law when it comes to driving, or when it comes to God’s laws. It is OUR responsibility to know God’s laws. We do that by reading the Bible for OURSELVES and asking God to reveal His teaching to us. Going to a Bible-teaching church is important, listening to sermons and podcasts is helpful, but we each must control our own destiny by going to God ourselves. By going to the Bible ourselves. And by not taking someone else’s word about what God teaches. Our God is personal! He wants to speak directly to YOU. He made sure that the Bible was written in YOUR language. He gave you wisdom and the ability to think, reason, understand, and choose which path you will follow. God wants YOU to choose YOUR destiny. Oh, He has a path for you to follow. One that’s better than you or I could dream up. But He wants us to choose the path that HE has for us, not the path that any pastor, teacher, mentor, or best-selling author tells you to take. Many of the Jews were obediently washing their hands, and many were obediently pledging their money to the temple while neglecting God’s TRUE law of taking care of their parents. Our job is to know and follow God’s true law. Jesus continues emphatically in verse 7, evoking the law and the prophets…  7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, 8 ‘These people honor me with their lips,     but their hearts are far from me. 9 Their worship is a farce,     for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’[d]”   Mark 7:8-9 puts it bluntly… 8 For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.” …“You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition.  This was such an important point, that Jesus moves from speaking to the pharisees and addresses the crowd, Matthew 15:10… 10 Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “Listen,” he said, “and try to understand. 11 It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.” Those man-made laws that required handwashing also regulated what could and could not be eaten. Jesus was teaching that God’s ways overrule man’s ways…and He was teaching the people to think for themselves. He wanted them to understand that what we say and how we act, the attitude of our hearts, is far more important than following the regulations of eating given to us by someone who is not even following God’s leading. I think this was a pointed attack at the religious leaders as nothing but nonsense was coming out of their mouths and their allegiance was clearly to their own self-made rules and regulations and not to God. I’m thinking the Pharisees must have reacted visibly, because next we see the disciples caution Jesus. But Jesus was fully aware of the Pharisee’s response, and He did not shy away from speaking truth to them…verse 12… 12 Then the disciples came to him and asked, “Do you realize you offended the Pharisees by what you just said?” 13 Jesus replied, “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted, 14 so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch.” Jesus wants us to open our eyes, and to be careful to not allow ourselves to be led by those whose eyes are closed. Next, PETER asks for further explanation, and Jesus turns to Peter…to the one…because Jesus will ALWAYS answer every individual directly…and responds…  “Anything you eat passes through the stomach and then goes into the sewer. This is about as direct as I’ve ever heard Jesus speak! Even so-called holy food becomes waste. God has more important fish to fry. He cares that our hearts are pure! Not that we follow some man-made law…especially not one that goes AGAINST God’s own law and desire! …verse 18…  18 But the words you speak come from the heart—that’s what defiles you. 19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. 20 These are what defile you. Eating with unwashed hands will never defile you.” First, the pharisees approached Jesus about hand washing. Jesus discussed honoring your parents, and now He is talking about what we eat verses what comes out of our heart. The common thread is that Jesus is extoling the fact that God’s laws, God’s desires, will always trump man-made laws. We, as Christians, are always to put God first. And to put God first, we have to know what He says. The Jewish leaders had made laws about washing, and working, and giving, and eating…there isn’t much they didn’t make laws about. They were trying to build their staircase to heaven – one law at a time. And should an individual miss a single step, they would fall headfirst into the abyss. But Jesus is teaching that ONLY God can show us the way to the kingdom. God’s way is to have our hearts right. And how do we have our hearts right? By entering into a relationship with Jesus Himself. When we do, we will feel the pull of the Holy Spirit and we will understand where He is calling us to walk and what He is calling us to do. We CAN control our own destiny, by giving God the reins of our life instead of blindly following someone else, who may be leading us in the complete wrong direction. Dear Most Holy God – YOU know the way. Open our eyes that we might follow you. Give us a will to open your Word daily so that we will never be ignorant of what you want us to know. Give us the desire to meet with you individually. Give us the wisdom to listen for your voice in all that we do. Help us always remember that Your heart is for the one, and that you love us each as if no one else exists in the world. God, we claim control of our destiny by giving the reins of our life to only you, and never placing them in the hands of a someone who may be leading us blindly. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Today's guest, Mary Smit, is not only a Women World Leader, she is a professional film industry Make-Up Artist, Set Designer, and an Actress in many well-known films. Her work is displayed in films such as "Mom's Night Out," "War Room," "Fireproof," and "Courageous" to name a few. She has worked with the Erwin Brothers and Kendrick brothers for many years in the Christian faith-based film industry. Join us as Mary shares encouragement for YOU! Please don't miss this interview. (Originally aired in January 2021)   ******   Kimberly Hobbs    Welcome to empowering lives with purpose. And I'm your host, Kimberly Hobbs. I'm the founder of Women world leaders. And we are so glad you decided to join us today, I would love to welcome our guest speaker today, which is Mary Smith. Mary is from Daphne, Alabama. Hi, Mary. Mary Smit   Hi, ladies. I'm so happy and just blessed to be here with you guys.  Kimberly Hobbs   Yay! And we're blessed to have you. So today, ladies on this podcast interview, it's our desire to share with you encouragement, stories, and empowerment that will help you to walk into your God given purpose, and dream and think about the things that God has planned for you. He says in Ephesians 210, that we are God's masterpiece. We are created in new and Christ Jesus to do the things that he planned for us long ago. And Philippians 213 says God is working in you. And he's giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. We are just so excited about that, because it's something to be excited about that the God of the universe wants to use us to do the work that he has called us to do. And that's a privilege and honor, and it's a privilege and honor to be here with you. Ladies, I also want to share that every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Women world leaders brings podcast interviews, not interviews, but we have walking in the word on Wednesday with Julie Jenkins. And we also have journey into joy every Friday with Carrie Christopher. So please join us on those days as well and be blessed. So today a little bit about Mary. Mary is a professional makeup artist. She's a hair stylist wardrobe and set designer as well. And she has worked in over 30 feature films, including mom's night out the War Room, like arrows, and even over calmer. She has been in faith based industry for 15 years. And she believes in helping raise up the next generation to further the gospel. I think that's awesome. And we get to see the end result of movies. But Mary gets to live through the making of these movies, and being on location and working with actors and actresses and these faith based films. Mary, I know you've seen a lot of things. So you've seen spiritual battles. You've seen miracles take place, and many astounding things that are happening on the set of these movies. So let's start here with possibly maybe sharing a story about some of the astounding things that have taken place, maybe one that sticks out in your mind. And you are sharing with me about beauty and brokenness and how that just draws you to to talk about some of these things. Maybe can you share that mixed in this god story that you're going to share with us today? Mary Smit   Yes, I think it's very appropriate, especially today. I mean, 2020 has just been so hard on so many people. And I think there's a lot of brokenness out in the world. And I was sharing with you earlier that it's something that's kind of been on my mind more than just this year, but this year has been exceptionally hard for me. There's been a lot of brokenness in my life, which I'm sure a lot of ladies can relate to that. There is a beauty and brokenness. I've always kind of been gravitated toward the broken things in this world, whether it's photography and pictures of things that are not perfect, that are broken. Just stories from people that I gravitate toward that are doing, you know great things for God that have these ministries and different things that I you know, I'm interested in, when you get to talk to those people. There is usually some brokenness that has occurred in their life that has brought them to that place of ministry. It's it's all scripture, how God uses broken people. You don't read Scripture and see these perfect lives, you see broken people. And even Jesus was broken on the cross for us, God's most precious, perfect son was broken. And he was broken so that we could have lived. So I think God has a value that he places in brokenness. And just as something that I read recently, and maybe even popped up on some of you guys, Facebook feeds and things, but there's a Japanese art form, and I don't dare try to pronounce it and just blow that. But it takes broken pottery, it's been around for centuries. And the way that they do, they don't throw away this brokenness, God doesn't throw us away in our brokenness. But they take the pieces, and they take gold. And they put these pieces back together. And it forms this beautiful, beautiful piece of art, where it's more beautiful than it was before it was broken. And just like the Scripture, you read, where we are God's masterpiece, that's what he's doing in our lives. He's taking our broken pieces, and he's putting them back together. And he's delicately lovingly doing that, because he's the potter and we're the clay. And we are getting those, those pieces put back together so that we're usable in his kingdom. And we come out on the other side more beautiful than we started. And I think that attracts people to his people are not attracted to somebody who's perfect. People are not attracted to those, hey, I'm great and wonderful and all things is that, you know, what are people attracted to? They're attracted to authenticity, they're attracted to you. They're attracted to transparency. You know, we live in a hurting in a broken world, and they are looking saying, Hey, I'm hurting, I'm broken. How do you do this? Well, we do this through Jesus, Jesus, He is our resource he is our mentor. A repair of the breach is what one scripture says that I read this morning, he is the one that we look to. He is the one that lifts us up. So that is, that's what has been on my mind lately. And I think a lot of people too, but just 2020 and moving forward into 2021. With our brokenness, I think we need to look to Jesus, and we need to move forward. Take that with us and use that for the Kingdom. Kimberly Hobbs   Amen. Amen. Mary, and God says, Behold, I will make all things new. And that when you have a broken life, you know, praise God, that he's there for you. And he will take you from that brokenness and make all things new. Mary Smit   Yes, so never leaves us he never forsake. And you'd ask me for just an example of some cool things I've seen on set there. There are numerous, numerous, but I know we're short on time, I've tried to just like make little blurbs. But I can't really say the country that I was working in, because the gospel is not allowed in that country. Okay. And we were there. And basically teaching believers under the radar how to do film how to do the craft, so that they in turn, could turn around and share the gospel within their own countries, whether it be with their iPhones, they make film or whatever they do, but they could do what we cannot, they can share the gospel there where we cannot go. And so I was in country doing this. And we were threatened with rain on multiple days. We didn't know it when we got there. But it was the rainy season. And every day, you could see walls of rain around us. And we would pray and ask God to hold back the rain. And it was like we had these pockets of sunshine little like, like if you took a circle and just kind of cut it out. And when we film, and literally the moment, we would get all the gear on the buses and we'd load everything in, then the rain would start. And it was like this daily thing. And then we had one day where we were praying to hold the rain. And God didn't hold the rain. And we're like, what is up with this? God, you felt the rain the whole time. And all of a sudden, we cannot film this day. We have to make an entire day of filming up which, you know, we can't stay later in country. There's no way to do these things. It presented a problem because it made the only day we could film on Sunday. So that's an issue because in that country, you know, you can't really explain sometimes with language barriers and things of why the necessity would be there. And this is the day for church. This is the day that you have all of that. So we came up with a plan that we would have church on site. We invited several churches, it was a day that we had to have extras, and we would do church right there. And we would film and they would be our extras but we would hold services right there on set. So that's what we did. And in the process of doing that because we did that we had had some extras that came that weren't parts of those local churches. One of those ladies had we not done what we did have we filmed the original day would not have been there. This lady got saved. Oh, wow, that's it never been in a church. So for her to then it was like this perfect orchestration to get her there to hear the gospel, that and I was like, Lord, now we know now we know why you didn't hold the rain. Because one person is so important. It's just so important to Jesus. You know, we have the stories of, you know, the lost lamb, you know, and like, leaving the nine for the one. And obviously, it just really illustrated to me how God loves each and every one of us, He sees us, we're not forgotten. He, He loves us, and he searches for each person. And he did that for that one beautiful lady. Kimberly Hobbs   That is so precious. And thank you for sharing that story. And that is our God. That is how much he loves. Each of you, ladies, no matter who you are, no matter where you are, no matter what you have done. God loves you, and He will seek you out and find you. And he that same story. I mean, that can happen to any one of us. Yeah, that, that God of our galaxies loves us. Mary Smit   Yeah, so one names is the God who sees that is one of his names he sees you never think you're forgotten. Never think that you're alone. He sees you. He knows right where you are. And he loves you, just as you are. Kimberly Hobbs   Yes, that is so important, too. Amen. Thank you, Mary, for sharing that. And, and as you're sharing this, you know what God saw you right where you were in your life. And he singled you out and chose you to do what you are doing now working in faith based films, working on the sets with all of these amazing people around the world? How did he lead you into this industry? Can you share that with us? Mary Smit   Well, it's kind of an interesting, interesting story there. To start with that preface it with this, I felt a calling in my young married life to be a missionary that my husband did not. So I'm like, Okay, God, how does this work? Because normally you call both. So it was it did not make sense to me. And I really just kind of, you know, had that hovering within me for quite a while I would do short term missions, things like that. But I couldn't quite grasp, you know how how this calling would work itself out? Well, then I was living in Albany, Georgia, a lot of people are familiar with the Kendrick Brothers that Did you know, overcome or war room fireproof courageous Facing the Giants, all of those. Alright, maybe I was going to go into that church when they started. And I didn't even know about the first one. It kind of went under the radar flywheel. Nobody really knew about that one. But once Facing the Giants kind of hit, I volunteered just to help out. So I was helping out in the makeup area, I apprenticed under a professional makeup artist, curry Bushnell, who was there. And by the time fireproof rolled around, he thought I was pretty good and said, Hey, you're gonna be killing this. And I was like, what does that mean? I didn't even know what the term meant, which meant I was him until he could get on set. I was in charge, basically, you know, had no clue even what I was even doing. But God trained me through all of this. And every it just doors kept opening doors kept opening, I kept stepping through doors, and I kind of ended up here. So it's kind of funny in a way, but I was going to a church after we moved to Alabama, and the pastor that was there. I told him, Hey, I'm fixing to be gone for you know, about six weeks didn't want you to think I'd quit the church. But you know, I'm going to a movie set and he goes, Godspeed missionary. And I said, Wait, what? I said, You're a missionary. And I was like, that is very interesting that you tell me why you're saying that. And he said, Well, you're going out and you're telling the gospel through film, aren't you? And I said, Yes, I am. And all of a sudden my brain was click, click, click, you know, because I felt that call to missions, didn't understand how that panned out. And I thought, wow, okay, I am a missionary, you know, and that's what I'm doing. So he literally said this, what you're doing, you're sharing the gospel through what you do. You're a missionary. Kimberly Hobbs   One of the questions I was going to ask you is how did you hear God's voice and kind of you just revealed That is, you know, because ladies, we can go through our life every day wondering, oh, how is going to God gonna use me? And you know, what is it going to say? Is it going to drop something just right on top of my head so I can notice that he's calling me. And so I wanted you to expound on that a little bit about how did you hear God's voice so that you knew he specifically called you to this role? I mean, because it's a calling what you are doing? Mary Smit   Yeah, it is a calling. And I think too, that we make callings out to be something almost elusive at times, like we I just want to know what my calling is. I just want to know, what the will of God is for my life. I think sometimes we overcomplicate it. I think if we simply do the next thing, you know, where's God opening doors? Where is God working? How can we join him in what he is already doing? Or maybe something is in your world that you're seeing God's moving in this? Well? How can you join him in that? How can you you know, assist him in that, you know, just it's the little steps. And I think if you're seeking God, and you're praying, and you're asking, God, Hey, show me, and you're doing those things, doors open, and all of a sudden, you realize, hey, this is this is it? You know, look what God is doing? Look where he is placed me, There's a scripture, everybody wants to ask a lot, because I get asked a lot. You know, what is your life first? What is your life? And I don't really know so much that I have a life verse. But there's one that I've always kind of gone back to when I'm asked that, because it just makes sense for me. And it is Second Samuel 718. It's who who am I, oh, Sovereign Lord. And what is my family that you have brought me this far? And I think that pretty much sums it up. Because if I had to say, How did I get here, I really don't know. Other thing is literally little doors, little doors, little doors, little doors, and I just keep going through the little doors. However that may be, and I ended up here. So I just think we make it harder than what it truly is. And that if we're just obedient in the little things, if we just take those little baby steps, that, you know, God takes you where he wants to take you. And I don't think you have to even get stuck in like, this is my specific itty bitty calling here. Because God can branch that out and move that he controls it. We don't. So don't even get stuck in this little bitty whatever. Because I started out makeup, I got thrown into doing a little hair, I went into wardrobe. It's like this moving of things, you know, and I do some acting too. So it's, it's like this ever evolving thing at every part of it is still furthering the gospel, every part of it even. I recently worked on a set that was not faith based. And I really pray over everything I do. So God told me to do this particular one, and I could not for the life of me understand why I was feeling go do this. Because I'm like, I don't know about this. But then I got on that set. And I ran across other believers and some young ones that just they needed some support. They needed some guidance, they needed some help as to how to even get into doing what we do and faith based world. And I expressed to them I didn't know how I ended up in this thing, you know, and stuff and he and they said, You're here for us. I know why you're here. You're here for us. And God can use you wherever he places you need to pray and you need to be obedient and those other things kind of shake out on their own. Kimberly Hobbs   You said two key words there right there which is praying, ladies pray pray every day you know God, how are you going to use me in whatever situation you are in your life right now ladies you and like Mary just said you're walking in obedience. If you're walking in obedience with a prayerful heart, God is going to lead you right into what he will have you to do in that moment of promise. He will and you will, you will start to see it because you're going to have that prayerful heart and you're going to be focused on it. You're going to be walking in obedience to what His Word says and you're going to know it. It's so amazing. So I want to lead in into a verse that I felt very strongly to share that this world is fading away along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. That's first on to 17 and ladies, we need to dream with God in another verses Ecclesiastes six nine. Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don't have. Just dreaming about nice things. beans is meaningless, like chasing the wind. That's what the Bible says. So do what you're doing right now, just like Mary said, and dream with God go after the dream that God put in your heart. And if you don't feel like you know what that dream is, ask God about it. And I've asked Mary, if she could just share some words of encouragement, empowerment, about listening to that voice of God to find what your purpose is. And because we know that God has one just for you, so Mary, let's encourage these women that are listening, how they can just right where they are, start doing what God has called them to do. Mary Smit   Well, I just said, it popped into my head while you were talking. And I was thinking, you know, it's the little things we as women, sometimes we try to think, you know, oh, I need to do these big world changer kind of deals. When, you know, sometimes the world changing things are little, they're tiny. Maybe you're a mom right now, and you've got littles? Well, you're not going to go out and do what I do every day, because you've got those littles. But think about it this way. What about Billy Graham's mom? What was she doing? You know? Yeah, she was pouring into him, she was pouring into the other kids never take the little what we consider as women sometimes as being little, never take it that way. Because you don't know the impact for the kingdom that you're having. While you're washing those dishes, while you're assisting your husband, while you're, you know, taking care of those babies and changing those diapers. Whether you're single, and you're serving in a ministry at the church, whether you're in a secular type job and the people around you, you know, that you're interacting with. You don't know what those God moments are in the impact that those little tiny events happen to have those ripple effects. So that is my encouragement to you is to live every moment, seek God's face by praying, ask him to feel you ask him to give you opportunities to share with others every day, he will honor that prayer because that is his will. So ask for those opportunities. And when they come, you know, you don't have to know all the answers just speak from your heart. And sometimes just telling somebody and listening to them. So you know, what, can I pray for you? Or I'm going to pray for it? What if they won't let you pray for them? Then pray for them on your own. Either way, you know, but I'm just saying, it's those little things and you see God and you do and a little and you'd be surprised what those little things turn into. Kimberly Hobbs   Right. Amen. Wow, that is such a great word. Oh my goodness. Ask and you will find and seek and you will find knock and the door will be open to you. It God is there for us ladies, he is all around us. He is He never leaves or forsakes us. So whenever you have that thought, you know just go to him and say Lord, what am I supposed to be doing in this moment? Like Mary said, when you're feeling like you're you're worthless, you know that my life can't be like her life can be God doesn't want want it to be. He has your life planned out for you, precious woman of God, exactly. For you. And so just ask him what is that Lord? And what can you do in that moment, praying with God to find joy in that moment in serving Him, be obedient to what He has called you to do now, and before you know it, if you are obedient, step by step you're gonna walk right into your beautiful purpose. God will lead you right there. Oh, Mary, I am so thrilled just to share this time with you and just develop this new friendship that we have Mary is part of women world leaders, and we are so excited that she is going to be in and out and helping and working in different areas upcoming so Mary Is there any way that women can follow you? Do you have a Mary Smit   I'm on Facebook Instagram, but my name is spelled Mary like Merry Christmas on Instagram because apparently someone had my name. So you know, I'm out there and you can track me down and find me I'm not that difficult to find. But yeah, they can follow me on those and I guess eventually I probably need to set up something official. It's one of those things that I'm just like, you know, it hasn't been on my radar. I'm just just me. But yeah, they can track me and follow me there. Kimberly Hobbs   Awesome. Thank you. I didn't mean to put you on the spot there but again, are just You're such a delight and so interesting, and we're just so grateful to have you and women were a leaders as well. out and grateful that God brought our paths together to connect. And thank you so much for sharing with the women, your heart. And ladies, I hope this encouraged you and inspired you and just gave you that, those little nuggets, whatever it is that God was speaking right to your heart during Mary talking. So thank you, Mary. So in closing, Lindsay, yes, thank you so much. In closing, I would just like to remind you that you can tune in each Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the podcast. Also, starting in January of 2021. Women world leaders has a new magazine that's coming out, and it is free. And we are so excited because this is for women. And we believe in our hearts that this magazine is just going to pour even more into your lives, about stories that could impact your life. It's going to contain the gospel of Jesus, it is going to be for women of all ages, from the teen, the young mom all the way into the career woman, the married woman, all the way to the end of Age woman who can pour wisdom into us, This magazine is going to have it all. And we would love for you to receive this magazine. And the way you can do that is go to our website at women world leaders.com. And go to contact us. And you can leave your name, your address and your email address. And if you are out of the country of the United States, which a lot of our women listen from around the world, then you can leave us your email address and you'll receive the magazine digitally. We are so excited about this. And again, it's free. And we just ask that you share it with everybody that you can think and let's just spread the gospel of Jesus into the whole world. And we also would love to invite you to get our new book which is has become a number one bestseller. It's available on Amazon and through our women world leaders website. And that is courageous steps of faith with God all things are possible. And you talk about inspiration, ladies, these stories in this book will inspire you to again walk into that purpose that God has just for you. So I am so grateful that you've been here today listening and sharing with us. We invite you to come into our private Facebook group. You're all invited, where we share daily devotions in the morning and you can interact with us there or visit our website and leave a prayer request. We want to be here for you ladies. So however we can help you please reach out to us all love to hear from you, from his heart to yours. We are women world leaders. All content is copyrighted and cannot be used without expressed written consent. God bless you and have a beautiful day.

This podcast by Cindy Jacob Southworth, an AACC Certified Relationship Coach and part of the Women World Leaders Leadership team, teaches us about why boundaries are important and the symptoms we may suffer when we don’t set and keep boundaries in our relationships. ******** Welcome to Celebrating God’s Grace, a Women World Leaders Podcast. I am your host Cindy Jacob Southworth, an AACC certified relationship coach with Breakwater Ministries and part of the Women World Leaders leadership team, and I am coming to you from Cindy’s Porch. Today I want to talk to you about why boundaries are so important, but first, let’s go to God in prayer. Father God, you are a good good Father. Speak to our hearts today about identifying our gifts and talents and using them in a way that is pleasing to you dear Lord. Help us to overcome the roadblocks that keep us from setting boundaries in our relaitonships. Show us your way today Father, in Jesus’ name, Amen.     On my previous podcast I talked about setting and keeping Boundaries in Relationships. I want to continue that conversation today to help you understand why boundaries are so important. I want to help you identify symptoms you may be having because you are not setting and keeping healthy boundaries.   “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”  Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)   God will set us on a path according to our gifts and talents. When we know what those gifts and talents are, we don’t have to conform to the pressures around us. We can say “No” to the things that aren’t utilizing our gifts and talents and say “Yes” to the things that do.   When we have boundary problems, it conflicts with the path God has for us for our gifts and talents. A God-given desire becomes our passion.   “In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.”  Romans 12:6-8 (NLT)     Functional Symptoms when Boundaries are not kept (check all that apply):   We will often see the following symptoms in a person who is not utilizing their gifts appropriately or setting boundaries so that they can operate in their gifts:   _____   The inability of someone to complete a goal, or task. I lack follow-through.   _____   Extreme disorganization. Boundaries have to do with internal structure. If I don’t have good limits in my life, then I will become very unstructured.   _____   Low energy. This leads to burnout. I’m doing what I’m compelled to do, and not doing what I feel called to do.   _____  Problems of concentration.  An intrusion in my mind – I start to focus, and I just can’t stay there. So many things are taking up space on the inside. There’s no mental space to work.   Perhaps you are doing too many things; this limits your ability to do a few things well. We have to say “no” to the busy so we can say “yes” to our passions.   “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. ‘For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.’”  2 Corinthians 9:7 (NLT)   You have to say “no” to the good things, so you can do the best things.               Clinical Symptoms of Boundary Problems (check all that apply):   _____   Depression. Hope deferred makes the heart sick. _____   A state of loss. We lose a sense of self and we actually feel grief. _____   A feeling of resentment. We experience toxic physical symptoms.       _____   Feelings of rage.  We explode because we feel cornered. _____   Obsessive-compulsive problems. _____   Compulsive behaviors (over-eating, drinking, etc).   “A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.”  Proverbs 25:28 (NLT)   What does a boundary do?   Boundaries keep good things in, and bad things out. Boundaries keep the love of God in and keeps out what people may want to take away from you.   Boundaries help us to withdraw. In some situations, you may be overwhelmed. Boundaries help us to know when something is wrong or evil.   Boundaries function as a protection of freedom. The person who feels controlled by others feels like a slave. They don’t make the choices that are right for them for fear of letting someone else down.       What does a boundary look like?   There are different kinds of boundaries.    Personal boundaries. These boundaries focus on your personal space, and physical safety. It includes your preferences for touch, like who gets to hold your hand, or hug you, who gets to be physically intimate with you and how much. It includes how much time we will spend with others vs. with ourselves, taking care of ourselves.   Emotional boundaries. This is your ability to empathize with others without being consumed. It requires us to have boundaries with our time. It’s ok to walk in another person’s shoes, but we must know when to step out of their shoes. We can’t allow their emotional stuff to affect our emotions, so we have to learn how to detach. Also included here are topics that you decide you don’t want to talk about regarding your own personal relationships. Some things that are talked about between husband and wife need to remain between husband and wife.   Cognitive boundaries. This is your ability to hold on to your own beliefs and thoughts, without changing them for other people. As Christians, this means that we don’t compromise what we know the word of God is telling us about maintaining our principles. Included here are conversational boundaries – we get to decide what topics we will discuss with others and which ones we won’t. Hot topics are those that center around religion, politics, and sexuality. It is ok to refrain from topics that you don’t feel comfortable talking about.   Environmental boundaries. This is our ability to share our physical space with others. We determine who gets to go into our drawers, use our hairbrush, get something from our purse, or use our cell phone. We decide who we might share our passwords with or have access to our personal information.     ------------------------------------------------------------------ Why is a boundary important?   If you want to accomplish the BIG MISSION in your life, you are going to have to say NO to people.   We need to say NO to protect the stewardship of our time, talents, and resources. People who have good boundaries say NO when they need to say NO. Sometimes we have to say NO to the good so we can say YES to what’s best.   “I’m so busy” is heard frequently by those who do not keep boundaries. They are giving themselves away to “empty calorie” people. In the meantime, they are not reaching their personal or professional goals. They often can’t define their mission… but they are BUSY.     What are the obstacles that keep us from having boundaries?   The fear of loss of relationship. If I set limits or disappoint you, then I will lose the relationship. “As long as you stay around, I’ll never tell you no.”   The fear of conflict. We engage in “conflict avoidance.” We fear their anger. We are people pleasers. We want people to be happy with us, so we choose their happiness over our own. We allow them to guilt-trip us and manipulate us so we don’t have to fear their disappointment or rejection.   Guilt is the gift that keeps on giving. We don’t set boundaries because we don’t want to feel the guilt. “I’m afraid I will damage you if I say no”. “I’ll discourage you if I say No.” “If I say no, they will get depressed.”     “A person without self-control is like a city with broken-down walls.”  Proverbs 25:28 (NLT)   The most essential tool that you have is the ability to say Yes and No. Remember that when you are saying YES to something, you are saying NO to something else.  Make sure that you aren’t always saying NO to your own personal needs in favor of other people.   People will get disappointed and even angry when you don’t do what they want you to do. That’s because they have their own agenda. You can’t allow their anger to control you.   Boundaries are designed to take care of you. They are designed for you to exercise self-care. When we think of self-care, the first thing that comes to mind is our eating habits and exercise, but self-care is much more than that. Self-care is how you treat yourself. It includes balance in your life, rest, relaxation, and companionship.   Self-care can be really hard, and often we don’t exercise healthy self-care until something pushes our limits to the breaking point.  Our inner compass will keep saying NO so we can say YES to ourselves. We just need to listen to our inner compass - The Holy Spirit. We discover that other people can take care of the things that we thought only we could take care of, but there is only one person who can take care of me – and that is me.   Focus on choosing your responsibilities and limit your time. Ask yourself:  Is this really my responsibility? Can someone else do this? Am I about to say Yes to something that the person is fully capable of doing themselves?   Do you do something you love each day? Make a list of the things you love to do, and make sure you are making time to do those things. We all have things that we must do, things we want to do, and then things we love to do. Make sure you keep a balance of the three.   Reach out and build a web of resources.  Find people who will support you.   I would love to hear from you, so drop me an email at [email protected]   Send me your ideas for relationship advice.   Thank you so much for joining us today—as we celebrate God’s grace in our lives, in this ministry, and the world! Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God’s extravagant love and your courageous purpose. Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request,  and support the ministry. Don’t forget to sign up for a free subscription to our Voice Of Truth Magazine. Check out upcoming events in June 2022 in south Florida. From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders. All content is copyrighted by Women World Leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.

The crowds had gathered - because the show that Jesus offered was exciting! But with the explanation, the crowd began to thin. You, too, have a choice. How will you respond? (John 6:60-71, Matthew 16:13-20, Mark 8:27-30, Luke 9:18-21) ****** Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders’ Podcast. My name is Julie Jenkins, and I’m thrilled that you have joined me for our systematic walk through the Bible. If you are signed up to receive our Voice of Truth magazine, you should have received the 2nd quarter edition this past week! Although I work on the magazine nearly every day, it is always such a sweet surprise to open my mailbox and see it! A Voice of Truth subscription is free within the continental United States…and we also offer a free digital version for those of you who are not in the United States of for those who prefer to read on your digital device. If you don’t yet receive the magazine, visit our website at womenworldleaders.com where you can subscribe and download this issue or any back issues. There are so many articles I love in Voice of Truth, but one that is near and dear to my heart is Holy Hush by Deborah Watson. Holy Hush is an allegorical story that actually began in the January 2021 edition of Voice of Truth. There are only 3 more installments of this story of young Rebeka…and let me tell you, it is hitting the good part! If you need to catch up, you can “binge read” the story by downloading each edition of the magazine. Trust me, it will be worth it. And as the managing editor of Voice of Truth, I already know the end of the story…and I can tell you that you won’t want to miss it! Well…back to the podcast! On this, our Wednesday edition of the Women World Leaders Podcast, we are currently walking through the gospels chronologically as we ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us what He wants us to know today. Today we will be looking at John 6:60-71, Matthew 16:13-20, Mark 8:27-30, and Luke 9:18-21. Before we begin, let’s pray… Dear Most Holy God…we thank you as always for meeting us where we are. God, we know that you see each of us and you love each of us with a pure love that we can’t begin to comprehend. But God…we are here to say that we love you back, and we want to grow and learn from you. Please open our minds and hearts today that we can understand what you have to teach us. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.   When we left off with our last teaching from the gospels, Jesus taught the difficult to understand truth that He is the Bread of Life – sent from heaven. You may recall that the crowds gathering around Jesus had been growing bigger and bigger – that was primarily because of what Jesus did – He healed the sick and He fed the masses. He drove out demons. But now He has begun to not just do, but to tell who He is – and His revelation, as we will see, begins to drive people away. Suddenly being a follower of Jesus is not just all fun and games, but it requires something. If you are familiar with the Christian faith, you know that what Jesus offers us – life eternal with God – is a FREE gift. That is, it is not something we can earn. But eternal life with God doesn’t just float down on us like rain in a storm. To receive our free gift, we are required to choose to receive it. Jesus said He was the Bread of Life – but that bread must be chosen from the world’s smorgasbord that is on laid out in front of us. We must choose the Bread of Life and ingest it into our lives in order to reap its benefits. That seems simple. It seems like we would be ridiculous to not accept the stipulation that God requires. Here…you can have this house…but you need to take these keys and unlock the door…oh gosh, no, that’s too much work. Here…you can have this car…but you have to get in and drive it. … oh, I don’t think so, my foot kind of hurts. HERE is your perfect husband…but you have to show up at the altar. … You know…I have something more important to do today. I think I need to clean my house. Jesus has done all the hard work and He is offering us all the rewards. Jesus came down from heaven to live with us – but we have to listen to His teaching. Jesus gave Himself up that we might live, but we have to choose to believe. Jesus promises to guide and lead and love us – but we have to let Him. We have to choose Jesus as Lord to receive the gift of eternal life. The people had flocked to Jesus, to receive what He had to offer, but when it came to them trusting that He was the bread from heaven, following His teaching, and relying on Him for their very eternity – they were out. John 6:60 begins… 60 Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?” 61 Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, “Does this offend you? 62 Then what will you think if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again? 63 The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But some of you do not believe me.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning which ones didn’t believe, and he knew who would betray him.) 65 Then he said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me.” 66 At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. 67 Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?” 68 Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. 69 We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.[a]” Many say that Peter was impetuous – he acted without thought or care. But I would argue that Peter was true to himself. Peter had a heart that was as deep as a well – he loved, he cared, and he strived to do right, but one thing was sure, he was always true to himself. He said what was on his mind and he learned and he grew. Peter answered Jesus’ question of whether they were going to leave by saying “Lord, to whom would we go?” Have you ever felt like that? I have had ups and downs in life, like we all have. There are times I’ve felt so beat up by life that I just drive or walk, simply not knowing what else to do. Without fail, God reminds me that He is there. I think of the words of Psalm 139:7-12, which say… I can never escape from your Spirit!     I can never get away from your presence! 8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;     if I go down to the grave,[a] you are there. 9 If I ride the wings of the morning,     if I dwell by the farthest oceans, 10 even there your hand will guide me,     and your strength will support me. 11 I could ask the darkness to hide me     and the light around me to become night— 12     but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. The truth is, that Jesus’ teachings CAN be difficult. His is a free gift, for certain, but it is still a gift we must choose. We must choose to believe that Jesus is Lord, we must put our own selves aside as we surrender to His glory, we must fall with trust into His arms. And if we let the world and the devil’s thoughts infiltrate our minds, we will allow those simple choices to morph into what looks like an insurmountable mountain. But it is an illusion! What looks like an insurmountable mountain is really a mirage that, by simply holding Jesus’ hand, we can walk right through. In Matthew 16:15, Jesus asks the disciples…  “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah,[b] the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John,[c] because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.  God the Father has YOU in His sights – He is waiting to reveal Himself to you. He has something to teach you that no human being could ever teach you. Jesus continued speaking to Peter… 18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’),[d] and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell[e] will not conquer it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid[f] on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit[g] on earth will be permitted in heaven.” Jesus continued speaking to Peter…and Peter CHOSE to listen! Jesus called Peter the rock…and gave him a mission to build the church. But Peter had to follow in faith. Jesus offers Himself to each of us. And He offers each of us a mission on earth. And WE have the choice – to turn away, like the crowd, or to listen and obey in faith. Jesus isn’t a rainstorm – His blessings don’t automatically soak whoever happens to be around. We, even as God’s children, have to choose to hold out our hands and catch the raindrops. Jesus drew the crowd in…but when it came their turn hold their hands out to receive the Bread of Life, they turned and walked away. Perhaps they figured that ANY price was too high of a price to pay. Perhaps they were blinded by the mirage of the seemingly insurmountable mountain ahead of them. Or perhaps they just didn’t’ want to be bothered. Only the twelve stuck around…and Jesus then warns that even one of them, Judas, would betray Jesus…choosing the world and himself over the God who created him, pursued him, and would die in order to spend eternity with him. If you are having trouble choosing God today, ask yourself the question, where else could I possibly go? Who else could ever love you as much as Jesus? Who else has the power to give you eternal life and to lead you, guide you, strengthen you, and protect you today? Who else can bring you unbridled joy? Who else will hold you as you weep and then promises to dry your tears? Who else has a mission for your life and will walk with you through any mountain as you fulfill that mission? Jesus Himself is our gift. But we must choose that gift and give up ourselves to follow Him. Trust me. Every step is worth it! Dear Most Holy God…we cannot run from your presence…and for that we thank you! Thank you for pursuing us to the ends of the earth. And for goodness sake, help us stop running! God, you yearn to hold our hands and walk with us, to guide us, to lead us, giving us your wisdom, protection, strength, and joy. Today we look to you. We trust you. And we give you our lives. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Guest speaker Erin Jeffreys, marriage coach, fitness coach, and successful entrepreneur, shares her story of grace, restoration, and God's love.   Erin boldly shares about her young marriage in Bible college with two babies, which ended in divorce because of sin. Through eight years of wandering, Erin found God's beautiful path leading her back to restoration to reunite with the husband of her youth who forgave her. They now have a powerful Christ-centered family and minister together.   *******   Kimberly Hobbs   Welcome to empowering lives with purpose. Ladies, we are so glad you are here today. I'm your host, Kimberly Hobbs. I'm the founder of Women world leaders. And I am so happy to have our guests with us today. Erin Jefferys, Erin is from North Carolina. Welcome, Erin. Erin Jeffreys   Hey, Kimberly, I'm so excited to be here and just share a little bit of my heart and my story. I'm so glad that God connected us just a few weeks ago, I think it's been recent and so honored to be here. Yeah, Kimberly Hobbs   We're honored to have you and just the ladies her story. It's incredible what God has done in this woman's life. So we're talking about restoration today, and God's grace and His love. So we are super, super excited to share this with you today. Our hope ladies through these podcasts is that we are able to strengthen you and encourage you on your walk as you seek out Jesus every day of your life. And Ephesians 2:10 says that we are all a masterpiece we are God's masterpiece created anew in Christ Jesus, to do the very good things that he planned for us long ago. And we believe ladies that each and every one of you have a beautiful purpose. And it's our hope that through listening to these podcasts, that something inside of it is going to touch your heart deeply. And just allow you to act upon what you heard and find out that truth and purpose of what God has for your life. So I want to share a little bit about Erin before we get started. Erin is a world leader. And she helps others to pursue better health physically, spiritually, and relationally. Like she's very successful, and entrepreneurship and she holds certifications as a health coach, as a marriage coach and a former personal trainer. She's getting healthy in every area of her life. And she calls it her jam. Erin and her husband are the founders of family fit ministries, and they're highly requested speakers in the area of marriage, which you're going to hear about today a little about, she's going to bring you into her life a little bit. Aaron speaks boldly regarding the choices that she made to leave her marriage and the church in pursuit of the world. Can any of you relate to that? I know I can't in my life. Yeah, some of us make choices, not always the right choices. But eight years later, God would begin to write a different story in Aaron's life, one of forgiveness and restoration praise him for that. And Aaron is an inspiration to 1000s through her speaking and social media platforms. And we are so happy to have her here today to share what God has done in his grace, restoration in his love for Aaron. So many of us can relate to straying from that steadfast life of obedience, which we once lived. As I said, I, I can relate to that too. I was on the path and feeling like I was that great Christian person until I veered away. And when we talk about restoration, which we're going to talk about today, in God's word, it's synonymous with healing, and repairing or returning to a previous state of being. Psalm 5112 says, Restore to me the joy of my salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Aaron, you wandered far from God and your young life at Bible College and as a wife and mom of two sweet little girls who I know you love so much. So can you take us back to those college years when you were that young wife and young mom, what was going on?  Erin Jeffreys   Yeah, so back it up even a little bit further. I was raised in a wonderful home Christian home. I had great values around me. And so I just expected that's how my life would be. I went to Bible college, I met my husband as a lot of my friends were doing and we got married in the midst of college. And a couple years after that, we started a family we started ministry that was our desire. That was our heartbeat. And so it wasn't like this was a surprise is something we had prayed for. We knew God wanted us in essence, we started ministry together. And then shortly after we had two little girls and everything great, wonderful. You know, I was not at the time was not serving as heavily in the ministry with him, I was more at home. And so it was during that season, that I began to feel a little bit alone. He was here ministering and and I was just at home, I did not see my children as my ministry at that time. And when you're alone, and you're not in the Word, and you're not in prayer, Satan begins to come in. And he began to come into my life and into my heart, and say things that weren't true about my husband, that he doesn't love you. He's not paying enough attention to you, you know, and I will look for nitpicky things around the home that all of us are not perfect in, but I would look for and those things will began to fester. And Satan will say, we'll see he's not doing this. And he's not doing these things. And so he really doesn't love you. And so this anger, and this bitterness began to fester in my heart before anything else ever started or became an issue. It started within my own heart. And I didn't, you know, I didn't communicate those things to my husband, like, we weren't communicating. And so it's, that's where the breakdown started to happen. So if you're listening, the and communication with you with your husband or your spouse. And so that's where it started. bitterness and anger. And within that time, Satan brought someone that looks so much better than my husband, because he had all these wonderful qualities. So I stepped out of my marriage, I had an affair. And when my husband found out, he found out without me telling him I did not leave for the other person, I we just decided to end it, I figured I was done. Again, Satan feeding you lies within your heart in your mind that there's got to be something better than what is here right now. And so I did, I, I left my marriage looking for that thing, that thing that would make me feel good inside that the the, the Christian world that I was in the Bible, I just felt like was not offering me. So I'd be seven years. I was apart from my husband. And during that first half of those seven to eight years, I was seeking whatever the world could give to me in all different avenues. And it was, you know, you hear those things. Well, why did you do that Satan presents it as a fun time. And it was I, you know, you look back at those things, and it appeared fun, and I was enjoying that moment. But then after you have that guilt, and that shame, especially me stepping into those things, being a believer, I knew that's not what God had for me. And so we did we separated, then we finally divorced. And I just decided that, okay, we're apart, we're divorced, this is my life now, and I've got to gotta figure it out. And that's kind of where I just, I didn't even during that time, I even questioned whether God was real. You know, I grew up believing that and knowing that, but in this season, I thought, Is God even real? How is he real? If all of this is happening to me? And all these bad things are going on now? Like, how is God even real? Why did he allow me to even get married? Or? And I just began to question so I, you know, just decided that maybe God wasn't real, and that I would just have to figure life out on my own. So I, that's where I started. I said, Well, I'm getting divorced, final, and I'm just going to move forward and figure it out. And that's kind of where, where I started after that. About three and a half years of just, you know, Satan really taking his toll on my life, my mind and my heart. Kimberly Hobbs   Right, and you open that door to the devil having that rain in your life. And you soured against things of the Lord, because of the lies that you believed. And so you started into that prison, the of just being trapped into where the enemy wanted you to be trapped. And that's a scary place to be ladies, I'm sure you can relate to it. When are you just you fall into temptation? You know, you shouldn't be going there. And then the next thing you do is you wake up and you're in this this misery you're in that pit that you seem like you can't get out of and that's where Aaron was, I mean, she just started she was just so wandered so far. But God, when you belong to him, he is not going to let you wander far from him. He'll he'll let you go to a certain point but he's going to bring you back and Aaron He brought you back through people that did not judge you. They loved you. They wrap their arms around you, they showed you God's love, without judgment. And think about this, ladies, if you're in that place where you know somebody that's wandered away from, you know where they're supposed to be, and you know that you can condemn them all day long. They know what they're doing God's convicting them, but it takes a special person that can show the love of God, and the forgiveness to bring them back. So God softens your heart to come back to even step foot in a church again, and I want to share this verse. Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. That's Galatians six, one. Can you talk about how important that was to you, Erin, that people loved you back in? Erin Jeffreys   Yeah, that was really pivotal. And a key time in my life. I had really sworn off the church, like, I'm not going to church anymore. I felt like it. It felt like the church destroyed my life at that time. That was what I was blaming it on. And so I really wanted nothing to do with it. But God began to use people in my life. And they initially came to where I was, it wasn't like they were pulling me in their direction of where they were with God, they came and met me at my place. With love and without judgment. And just invited me would invite me to church not beating me over the head, or maybe just send me an encouraging word or a text or, Hey, look at this IRA. This is pretty cool. Or sometimes not even always about a Bible verse just loving me as a friend, because a lot of these people were my friends before. And so he continued to love me, in spite of what I knew was wrong, what they knew was wrong. And then God soften my heart enough. Someone asked me one day, just come, come and sit, come and sit with me. Come late, leave early. Just Just come with me. I want you to come in. And I mean, and so that's what I did. And God began, I just remember that service, God began to say, like, what are you doing? What are you doing with your life now? Didn't change in an instant. But that's where I remember God, just saying, like, what's going on? Who are you? At Did you for a purpose and a plan and you're not listening to me, and I'm not but why like what is going on. So God began to use that even in that moment, on that very first service that I stepped back, and it can happen outside of a service. So anybody listening, don't feel like you have to be in church to, to forgot to speak to you. But that's where... Kimberly Hobbs   And praise God for that friend that just loved you enough to love you to come back to church with her and offer that. And then God did the rest. Right? He did. And in just like urine said, ladies, he can reach us all in different ways. Whatever we're going through, it could be a person that reaches out to you, you might step foot in somewhere and see a sign. And that speaks to you. God's going to get your attention in ways that he will. And you're going to know it. You're going to if you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ, he's not going to let you wander far. You're going to know it, and he's going to bring you back to the fold. And he did that with Aaron, praise God for that. And ladies, remember, again, you might be that person or that one that God's going to say he's going to use you in someone else's life to bring them back to him. We don't want to have judging spirits. We want to embrace them with love, just like our father does so beautifully for us. So Aaron, as you got stronger, things became very clear to you and God began and pressing things on your heart. I want to share another scripture because as we know there is power in the Word. And this Scripture has come. Let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us. He has injured us but He will bind up our wounds. You learned a lot through those years. Aaron, when you were by yourself and you were in that prison. That's what was he a six one Aeron chair about David coming back into your thoughts how when you started to seek God out again, for your life. God started putting David back into your thoughts and your children. Were asking you pivotal questions at that time that got your attention. focus back on David. Can you bring nose up and share with us? Erin Jeffreys   Yeah. You know, initially, it wasn't David, when I began to really seek out God and get in alignment with his word. I said, I want to be married again, like, I want to have a husband, I want to have a good father for my I have to I had two young daughters at the time. And so that's what I began praying about. I began seeking that out praying for that. And during that time, towards the end of that season, as I was praying, I would receive text messages from David Orr. In reaching out, he was the one honestly in pursuit of me. And I remember oftentimes, like pushing that aside, and then saying, God, I'm praying for a husband like, why is he messaging me wise? I could feel him in pursuit of me. And then God said, it's David. And that's how Oh, no, it can't be like that's, that's over. That's done. There's too much past there's too much history that's not restorable. And at that point, and not bathe, and that could even be possible. But he, David stayed in constant pursuit. And he used him. And then he also use my children. We share this a lot that we don't know. I mean, God can do great things. But they were a pivotal piece and David and mines restoration, they would constantly ask questions like, What is it like to be in a house with with a mom and a dad because they were little like, my no one when we not even one when we separated. And so they didn't know that. And then you know, they would, later on, we would find out notes that they had written of where they had been praying for us to get back together this something that they gave us after things were restored. So God used them. And it also kept me in alignment with with him. He said, If you're going to be the mom that I want you to be, then you've got to do these things, Aaron, whether you're single, or whether you're restore your marriage. And so I didn't, when we began to pursue I still didn't know was God's going to restore. But that in the end, that necessarily didn't matter. It was about my relationship with God pursuing him being where I was the best at that moment. How was created in that moment in that season as a single mom, having the faith that he would restore, but But what if God chose something different? Would I be okay with that I'm really learning to understand, Okay, I'm going to be satisfied and pleased with what God what God's plan is for, for my life. So, Kimberly Hobbs   Wow, wow, wow, you had to really reunite with God again, you had to get that relationship with Him solidified. And then he can do the work and restore what the locusts have stolen. And oh, my goodness, you have this life together now with your husband, Aaron, after so many years, you were divorced for eight years. And God began showing you as a couple now many ways, which the enemy meant for harm, you guys were able to see that and see how God turned it around to restore to restore it. And now you're this power couple. And God restored. Also the shame and guilt because I know Aaron, you are here to sharing with me that you experience extreme shame and guilt when you were first re united with David, can you talk about that shame and guilt? Because I know others could probably really relate to this part. Erin Jeffreys   Yeah. Yeah. You know, you said, God can restore what the locust has eaten. And those were key verses that David and I claimed for our marriage when we got remarried on day one. And if you look at that, that those verses is actually Joel 225 through 32. And it talks about God restoring the years, which we had eight years of when it was taken away. But then it goes into if you read that whole passage, he talks about at the end, how you will be able to eat plenty you will be satisfied and about how your life can be abundant in Christ. And so that we claim those verses Amen. Me an easy road. And, you know, I was the one who stepped out. So for me, I was dealing with a lot more shame and guilt. And my husband was, he said, from day one, God is going to use this we have a ministry like, you know, we got back from our honeymoon. He's like, let's go. And I brought in a lot of shame and a lot of guilt. For so many years, I was able to almost set that aside because I wasn't with the person who I had offended. And so then when we were reunited it just came back full right in front of my face. Like I was with David. I woke up to him every day. And, you know, the devil would say, Look, you know, you did this to him. So, yeah, God restored our marriage. But then God said, Well, if I've restored our marriage, and she, this is reunited, I'm gonna work in the way that I can keep her defeated. And so it was with shame, and guilt. Wow. Yeah. And so it took me probably, I would say, about a year and a half to really, really let that go and let Christ take dominion over that in my life. It was through, you know, prayer scripture, I, I did counseling as well. I worked at it. It wasn't like it just automatically poof went away. God gave me the tools and I applied those tools to my life. Kimberly Hobbs   Amen. Amen. I have to share this verse. Because this is like so cool. Ladies, if you're listening in and you are feeling that shame and guilt in a situation because of your past sin, Okay, God, God doesn't want you trapped there and that shame and guilt, and Aaron can identify with you because she was waking up to that man, and she felt horrible about what she was doing to him, you know, and also God, so shame and guilt is real. But the Bible says, instead of your shame, you will receive a double portion and instead of disgrace, you will receive your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land and everlasting joy will be yours, Isaiah 61. Seven, how beautiful is that scripture about restoration, God will take away that that shame and that guilt, he's going to give you a double portion for keep looking to him when you're feeling those pings of shame and guilt, because they still come over all of us, they still come over me like God, how did I hurt you so bad in my life? I mean, it makes me want to vomit. You know, when I think about what I did, to God and others, you know, that love to me, but it's like, Oh, my goodness, the through His scriptures, there's healing it, just like I know, you feel that healing to Aaron. So now God's placed both of you, in a way to minister to the world as a beautiful restored couple. The Scripture says, for everyone born of God overcomes the world, that sin that enticed you, you were able to overcome it, because you had the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, Aaron. And then he says, this is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. First John five, four. So God gave both of you and David restoration and your faith was restored back in, in the Lord. So how did he bring you back into a new way as a married couple to serve him together again? Erin Jeffreys   Yeah, so like I said, David had a vision from the very beginning. He he knew he's, he is a visionary, I will just say that. And so he sees things. And I said, Well, you know, I was at that time, I was dealing with the shame and the guilt, and Satan was using that. But even during that time, David was praying because he knew God didn't create, bring us back together and go through all that just to, here we are, we're married again. He knew God had a purpose for us. And as a married woman, I thought, you know, the first time I was married, I thought I was just to be a wife. Not that that's a bad thing that has a purpose, we're called to. But we're also an individual, God created us, each woman for a purpose. And so when I let go of that shame and guilt, and knew that Christ accepted me as I was, in that moment, no matter what I had done in my past, I was able to really love David, the way a wife should. And then we began to unite, I was able to let that shame and guilt go and we began to share our story publicly. And God has began to use that so mightily, in ways that I just never even thought thought were possible. Kimberly Hobbs   Amen, amen. And now, the two of you have come together as not only you know, physical coaches because you are coaching in in faith fit which Aaron's going to share with you her website, but spiritually as marriage coaches Now God has called you to this position in our world where you are able to help coach and direct other marriages that may be struggling. And God says He works things all together for Are his purpose to those who are called according to His purpose. And you both had a calling on your life, when you were in Bible college, God knew that. And you accepted Him as your Lord and Savior. Now look at what he's doing, you went through all of that learning, and you are able to pour into others about what you went through what to share, not to do, but what to share restored you and that's so beautiful. And that's God's grace, and his love for each and every one of us. He's gonna give us the tools. And Aaron and her husband are beautiful marriage coaches, and that's the beauty and women world leaders as God has given us. Such beautiful women that could coach and counsel and things that we need here. So we encourage you definitely to utilize some of these women that are powerful in the Word of God. And so Aaron, what advice can you leave with the listeners who may be in a broken relationship, or a broken marriage, or the hurting woman who might be divorced already and think there's no hope for her? What? What advice can you give, I want to share one more verse, Because the Scripture says, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. And the old has gone and the new is here. That's Second Corinthians 517. So as this new creation, Erin, speak to the woman that's hurting right now. Erin Jeffreys   So first of all, do not listen to the world, that will be my first piece of advice. If you are hurting, you can get exactly what you need from your unsaved friends from the world from you can get the advice you need to make a decision that you can feel comfortable with in your own self. That's what I did. And that's why one of the reasons why I divorced David, because everyone said that I was listening to this is what people do. This is what the world does. So don't listen to the world get alone with God. What is he telling me to do? What is he telling you to pray for? That's first second, don't lose hope. First Peter, one, three and four says in his great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. So if you're a believer, you have that hope that he's given you. He's created you a new creature, you're going to be in Heaven with Him one day. But what about the hope for your marriage? Are you praying for that hope that restored marriage do you have hope that God can restore that, so pray for that. And then love, like God tells you to love and Colossians 312 And Ephesians 432 Love with a tender heart or forgiving spirit? That's hard to do if you've been hurt or offended. But that only comes from the Spirit of God. Through prayer, reading His word, I, when I was going through those periods of shame and guilt, I would say scripture out loud, letting my ears hear it, letting Satan hear it, claiming those over my life. That that is there's power there. And so many times As believers, we have that initial, you know, we become a believer, we're excited. And then we lose hope and faith in the things that we need for God to restore in our lives specifically, right now we're talking about marriage, but he can, he can do mighty things, and I've seen him do it in my life. So don't and don't listen to the world. Listen to what what what's God telling you to do? Kimberly Hobbs   Amen. And you know, on the other side of this, that was a good word, Aaron, hope and restoration and the power of the Word of God. The other side of it is you know, David, David forgave, he forgave you, you know, that's hard to do. Ladies, when you think about that, you know, she was she had an affair in her relationship. And those of you out there that are listening that can relate to being wounded. From something so devastating as an affair, David forgave and he continued to love her. For all those years that she was wandering in the wilderness, they were already divorced. But he remained faithful and true to the Lord. And he prayed and he just, he continued with what God was calling him to do. And wow, you know, think about that. I don't know what side of the fence you are on ladies that are listening. You could be the wounded one or you could be the one that offended but think about the forgiving heart that it takes to have the restoration. And because we have a forgiving God who forgives us, ladies, we have to forgive as well. It's all about forgiveness. If We can't forgive how do we expect God to forgive us when we mess up? So think about that. And thank God, thank God for this power couple that has been restored through the power of forgiveness. You know God's grace and love the love of others that didn't judge that welcomed Aaron back into the family of God and loved her back into the family of God there. There's so much in this whole podcast ladies of forgiveness, love restoration on all sides, all of us who are listening can learn from this. So thank you, Aaron, you are restored, you have been given grace by God and loved so much by him. And I am so grateful that you took the time to share with our listeners, can you tell them if they want to reach out to you as a marriage coach now with your husband? You're doing coaching all over the United States? Thank the Lord for zoom and, and also some other things with your fitness and how do they reach you? Erin Jeffreys   Yeah, so if you want to reach me, you can go to family fit ministries.com. Or you can find family fit ministries on Facebook, or you can search me out personally, Erin Jeffries on Facebook. So, yeah. Kimberly Hobbs   Amen. Thank you. Thank you. And so again, we just love having guests on ladies. And we just pray that if you have been touched by this podcast that you will share it that you will tell others about it. Hey, listen in, it's not gonna hurt to listen in, right. So as we close, I just want you to know that these powerful podcasts are available to you every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We have teaching through the word of God on Wednesdays with one of our teaching leaders, Julie Jenkins. And we also have celebrating God's grace every Friday. And we have different women in the ministry that share their gifts and talents to encourage you into the weekend. And then of course, every Monday we have the interviews that we do with different women from around the world that that God brings in with their stories, and you might have a story. Reach out to us if you do, you can reach out to me personally at Kimberly at women world leaders.com If you feel God prompting you to share your story on these podcasts, because women can relate when they hear other women share about stories. And this is a safe place. And God has given us this ability to speak to the world through these podcasts. So please reach out to us if you feel God prompting you to share your story. We'd love to hear from you. And one other thing I want to share with you is our voice of Truth magazine. Ladies, you can reach this honor. And and through our website anywhere around the world, it's available digitally. And if you're in the United States, it's available free. We just need your name, address and email address and that you can sign up through our website at women world leaders.com. So we would love you to have this amazing tool of voice of Truth magazine. It's beautiful, filled with Scripture and inspiration. And we're sure that this will touch your hearts ladies to amazing heights because it contains the power of the Word of God and that scripture throughout the ladies as we close from his heart to yours. We are women world leaders all content is copyrighted by women world leaders and cannot be used without expressed written consent. God bless you all. Thank you again Aaron Jeffries for joining us and hopefully ladies you'll join us on Wednesday for our teaching podcast have a beautiful and blessed day.     

Cindy Jacob Southworth, an AACC Certified Relationship coach with Breakwater Ministries and part of our women’s leadership team, talks to us about the benefits of setting and keeping healthy boundaries in relationships.  It is important to guard our hearts. ****** Welcome to Celebrating God’s Grace, a Women World Leaders Podcast. I am your host Cindy Jacob Southworth, an AACC certified relationship coach with Breakwater Ministries, and part of the Women World Leaders leadership team, and I am coming to you from Cindy’s Porch. Today I want to talk to you about spiritual blindness, but first let’s go to God in prayer. Father God, you are a good good Father. Speak to our hearts today about how to set and keep healthy boundaries so we can stay healthy, giving us more time and energy to serve you in your kingdom with the gifts that you have given to us. Show us your way today Father, in Jesus’ name, Amen. I’m going to begin today’s podcast by telling you a story.   It was a beautiful Saturday morning. Sherry woke up excited because it was her first free day in… well she really couldn’t  remember when. Sherry was a school teacher and she had planned to spend some time at the beach with her kids. Sherry loves the beach – that’s where she goes to connect with God and enjoy His creation. The kids were all packed and looking forward to the day. Just as they were preparing to leave, the phone rang. It was her sister. She was crying because  she and her husband had been fighting. She was distraught and needed someone to talk to. This wasn’t anything new – he battled alcoholism, and these conflicts were predictable, but she really needed Sherry to lean on. The kids went back into the house, and Sherry stayed on the phone with her for over an hour – listening to every detail of their dysfunctional relationship. She asked Sherry to take her daughter for the day so she could put herself back together. Her daughter needed a ride to soccer practice. Sherry got off the phone and now the kids were fighting because they got bored waiting. Sherry told them to find some things to do while she took care of her niece. Next, Sherry’s girlfriend called and pleaded with her to take her two kids for the afternoon because she couldn’t find a sitter. Sherry spent the afternoon entertaining six kids, while looking at the mound of laundry that still needed to be done and the stack of papers that would need to be graded before Monday morning. Sherry fixed dinner for her sister. The church music director called, and they had someone call in sick, so would Sherry please fill in at the piano tomorrow. Sherry said Yes, knowing she would need to practice the hymns before she went to bed. It was now evening, and the house was a disaster from the six kids playing throughout the day. Maybe next week Sherry would make it to the beach.   Sherry would have received a gold medal for having no boundaries! She was frequently doing for people, and constantly feeling taken advantage of until she enrolled in a codependency group and discovered that she was teaching people how to treat her. It was Sherry that needed to learn healthy boundaries. Once she learned how to set and keep boundaries, Sherry no longer had to feel the resentment that one feels when they overextend themselves. When she first started setting boundaries, she was told by a few family members that she was being selfish, and that would hurt Sherry’s feelings. Sherry came to understand that when her response doesn’t fit their agenda, they will often try to guilt trip her into saying Yes. However, making and keeping boundaries,  gained self-respect, her health was restored, and she had peace of mind. When you can be generous with your time, energy, and resources, it is appreciated by the people who really do love you.     Ladies, Your story is being shaped by what you are saying Yes to and what you are saying No to.   Remember this: Someone else’s crisis is not YOUR crisis, it is THEIR crisis. Sometimes God calls you to help others through their crisis, but he’s not calling you to help every crisis. You have to put boundaries on your own time and resources because they are limited, and you have to know that God has chosen you at this place, at this time, to know when to help and when to let go.   People who exercise healthy boundaries can think more clearly, experience better health, have a good immune system, are less anxious or depressed, feel safe, and have the energy and desire to engage with other people, and nurture relationships.   So, what is a boundary? A boundary is something we set to guard our heart.   “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)   What do we need to guard?   Heart means our inner self. There are seven things to guard.  As I list these precious gifts that you are to guard, list any that you know you need help in setting boundaries with:   Your core values. There are hundreds of core values, but they center around trust, honesty, loyalty, reliability, responsibility, ethics, respect, and integrity. This constitutes our belief system and these should never be compromised.   Your thoughts. Our thoughts determine our actions, and our actions determine our feelings, so we need to guard our thoughts. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Your heart is extremely valuable.     Your emotions. Emotional boundaries involve separating your feelings from another's feelings. Violations include, taking responsibility for another's feelings, letting another's feelings dictate your own, sacrificing your own needs to please another, blaming others for your problems, and accepting responsibility for theirs.   Your passions. Your passions lead to living out your mission, and if you don’t protect your passions, you will likely not fulfill your mission. This requires us to “stay in our lane” and not let ourselves using our time with activities that are outside our lane.   Your sins and weaknesses. If we don’t set boundaries, we might repeat our mistakes.   Your history. If nothing changes, history will repeat itself. How many times have we tried to “save” someone from their addiction? Did it ever work? A boundary might look like, “I will not post bail for you.” I will not give you cash. I will not lie for you. You can bet that if nothing changes, nothing changes. So protect your history.   Your strengths, gifts. These were given to you by God to be used for His glory. Don’t give them away to “empty calorie” people. Don’t spend time volunteering for things that are outside your area of strengths. For example: If you don’t like kids, don’t take on a Sunday school class to make the pastor happy. Instead, talk to the pastor about volunteering in a space in which your gifts are used wisely.   For those of us who are generous with our time, talents, and resources, this may seem selfish, but think that you are being a steward of all these gifts that God has bestowed upon you.   I would love to hear from you, so drop me an email at [email protected]   Send me your ideas for relationship advice. What would you like to hear about on this podcast that has to do with marriage? Send me your questions.   Thank you so much for joining us today—as we celebrate God’s grace in our lives, in this ministry, and the world! Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God’s extravagant love and your courageous purpose. Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request,  and support the ministry. Don’t forget to sign up for a free subscription to our Voice Of Truth Magazine. Check out upcoming events in June 2022 in south Florida. From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders. All content is copyrighted by Women World Leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.

You were dead in your sins, but God has raised you up to life! Let's celebrate our new life together as we revisit Ephesians 2:1-10. (Originally aired in 2020) ***** Most holy God – we come to you today seeking your wisdom, your guidance, and your blessing on our lives. Father, I pray that as we open your Word together, that you would pour out understanding and enlightenment on each of us. Open our eyes to see what you would have us see today – allow us to be teachable – allow us to grow closer to you. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.   Ephesians, chapter 2, verses 1-10 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world.[a] He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. 4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. In this passage we see our own transition, as children of God, from defeat, to victory, to exaltation. Have you ever had one of those days when it just feels like you can’t get anything right? Even though you try desperately to ‘right the ship’ so-to-speak? One day I was running a mom-errand - driving 40 minutes off my usual route to pick up a special-ordered, dearly desired items for one of my young children. A noble cause – I was being a good mom. As I drove with my three young children, it began pouring down rain – one of those relentless Florida afternoon downpours. All of the sudden, as I was driving, one of my windshield wipers stuck straight up in the air – I’ve never seen anything like it. The kids thought it was hysterical. I pulled over, got out on the side of road, in the pouring down rain, and fixed the wiper. We eventually got to where we were going – I got all three kids in through the rain (which is no small feat in and of itself – still being the good mom), only to find out that our special-ordered, very expensive, HAD-to-have TODAY purchase – wasn’t going to be ready until the following week. I know that you have your own version of what seemed at the time to be my ‘Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day’ … because the fact of the matter is – due to our sinful nature, our disobedience, and the devil’s constant battle against our hearts -  in THIS world we WILL have trouble. We will feel defeat in many ways. The first 4 words Paul writes in this chapter are “Once, you were dead.” That’s not a phrase we hear every day – the regular connotation of death indicates an ending – finality. Once we are dead, there is NOTHING we can do of our own accord to wake up. A deaf person cannot hear a beautiful symphony, no matter how hard he tries. A blind person cannot see the majestic view from a mountaintop, no matter how wide she opens her eyes … a dead person, simply can’t get up… And a spiritually dead person cannot see the glory of God’s goodness and love no matter how she tries to look on the bright side. See Paul isn’t talking about death as we normally think of it – the death of flesh, but he is talking about the death of the spirit. He says, at one time, you were spiritually dead. Imagine – a world without hope. Darkness without any pinprick of light. Misery without comfort. Because of our sin … THAT is the world that we were born into. We as, humans, drove our holy and perfect God away with our propensity to sin – causing us to be in a spiritual state of death – separated from all that is good and right. Separated from God. And there was nothing we could do of our own accord to bring Him back, or to make things better. Then the transition. Verse 4 begins ‘BUT GOD.” As you read carefully through the Bible, you will begin to notice that the Biblical writers never shy away from teaching about our Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad existence. However, the two words that often follow these descriptions can change our very life trajectory, taking us from defeat to victory. BUT…GOD! The verse continues… “But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead.” Our God is merciful. Mercy is that quality that only comes from God and means compassion, kindness, pity. Because of God’s mercy, and through His power, He took what once was dead and without hope – our very spiritual lives – and gave us life in Him. God did this amazing act in tandem with another amazing act – He resurrected Jesus Christ from physical death so that we could be resurrected from our spiritual death. Only God’s mercy, and His power enacted through that mercy, could allow us as the deaf to hear that beautiful symphony, could open our blind eyes to see the majestic view, and could enable us, the dead, to get up. But as the infomercial says…But wait…there’s more! God loves us so much that taking us from defeat to victory wasn’t enough. No – as only God can, He takes it a step further, and exalts us! In verse 6, we are reminded “For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms!” We’ve all likely seen video of a survivor pulled from the rubble of an earthquake, carried on a stretcher through a crowd of cheering first responders. WE are the survivors! GOD is our first rescuer! And all the saints and angels are cheering YOUR revival. God is SO EXCITED by YOUR spiritual awakening that it is no longer enough to return you to the Garden of Paradise – no, He is going to keep His eye on you by exalting you and keeping you RIGHT BESIDE HIM in the heavenly realms! Our merciful God has taken us from defeat, to victory, to exaltation! Verse 8 gives us a bit of the background – first telling us WHEN this transition occurred in the life of the Christian: “God saved you by his grace WHEN you believed.” This is a WHEN statement, not a BECAUSE statement – Paul quickly underlines this fact by stating “YOU can’t take credit for this; it is a GIFT from God…not a REWARD…therefore, you can’t BOAST!” Like the survivor pulled from the rubble, we are completely dependent on our rescuer – all glory to our merciful God! And finally, verse 10 – one of my favorites – gives us the why: “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” You are God’s MASTERPIECE!! His treasured possession. His work of art! Throughout the years, I have received many homemade gifts that I treasure. My mom made me a quilt when I left for college. That quilt was made for a purpose - to keep me warm, to help me rest, to comfort me, and to remind me of home when I was navigating the world on my own. That quilt was my mom’s work of art – and while it brightened my college dorm room, it still had a practical purpose. Ladies – you are beautiful! And what’s more, you were created ON purpose FOR a purpose. The devil had his way and left us for dead because of our sin. But God, in His mercy, pulled you from the rubble, seated you in the heavenly realms, and all creation cheered! So now you can live like the masterpiece that you were created to be! Not to be set aside in a museum, shielded from the light or from handprints; but you are a GIFT that has been given to the world, from God. Like my mom gave me my quilt, God has shared you, His masterpiece, with a world that He loves – to brighten their day by your beauty, to comfort and protect others, and to remind others of THEIR rightful home in heaven! When others see you, do they see God? Do they see THEIR Creator and THEIR first responder as a light in you? Are you reaching into the rubble with God to help the helpless out of their darkness? You were created anew in Christ Jesus, in order to do the good things GOD planned for you long ago. So no matter how Terrible, Horrible, No Good, and Very Bad today may feel, know that God has reached through the rubble to save you, has exalted you in the heavenly realms, and He wants you to LIVE LIKE THE MASTERPIECE THAT HE CREATED YOU TO BE! Dear Heavenly Father – thank you for your mercy, for reaching down into the rubble of our lives and for saving us. Thank you for bringing us from defeat to victory to exaltation. Empower us today to live like the masterpiece that you created us to be – to live life ON PURPOSE. Open our ears to hear what you want us to know, our eyes to see where you want us to go, and our hearts to respond to others with the power that only you can provide. We claim our place in the heavenly realms today, and we praise you for counting us worthy as your children. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Best-selling author of "Hope Rising" and "Encountering Your Wild God," international speaker Kim Meeder shares her personal story of how her dad murdered her mom and then killed himself. Orphaned at a young age, Kim found Jesus through pain and tragedy. She is now helping thousands of children and others each year to find Jesus through their pain and troubled life.    *****   Kimberly Hobbs   Hi, ladies, welcome everybody to empowering lives with purpose brought to you by women world leaders. And I'm your host, Kimberly Hobbes, I'm the founder of Women, world leaders. And we are so happy that you decided to join us today. And our desire through this podcast series is to strengthen you, and courage you and just build you up in the name of Jesus. And we are just ordinary women, doing extraordinary things for our Lord and Savior. And we're hoping that through sharing some of the stories and the interviews that we bring to you that your life can be touched in the way that God wants it to that you will hear that special word from him through this interview series. So we hope that this will also spark you into finding your beautiful purpose that God has just for you. So we are God's masterpiece. He's created us a new in Christ Jesus to do the things that he planned for us long ago. He says that in Ephesians, 210. So we are all here for a reason or purpose, God has given us the whole world at our fingertips. So we just have to know how to use that power within us that he's given to us. So we have had different guests that have been willing to come and share with you. And today, I'm so excited, because God has given us a special woman. Her name is Kim meter. And she's brought her to this podcast for such a time as this, I have had just the last hour of just interacting with her and enjoying her. And I am just so excited about our interview today. And we're gonna just see how God leads us today. And, you know, I had Kim send me her bio, and I was going to read it and but we were just like, let's just see how the Holy Spirit leads today. Because it's so important to be just led by the Spirit. And it's not our words, it's God's words. And that's what our hearts are. both Kim and I, we want God's words to come out today. So actually, I'm gonna let her say a little bit about herself and welcome Kim meter, we are just so happy to have you here. Kim Meeder   You can really it's so awesome to have an opportunity to meet a like minded woman who, when we know who we are in Jesus. And when we know who Jesus is in us. Everything changes. Everything changes. Everyone comes from somewhere, every woman has been through something. And Jesus Christ will use every minute of what you and I have endured for His glory, when we give it to him. You are so right and fusions 210 is true that we were created to do do do you work for him that if you're a woman, and you have breath in your lungs, you are created to do right, what you're doing look alike will be unique to you. There's no other you in all the world, there's only one you and you were strategically placed in history, and in this nation and abroad for his Kimberly Hobbs   moment of time, right? For such a time as this. He's used your life ladies to create you for such a time as this. So Kim Meeder   and oftentimes women think that the focus bends inward in that Oh, but you don't know me you don't know my circumstances you don't know my past. You don't know where I'm from. You don't know, the pain that I've endured. And the bottom line is, that is true. But I serve the one who does and if you call yourself by Jesus beautiful name, he does know. All of our journeys are so unique and separate. And Jesus will heal and redeem and fill and lead every day of what you have endured and survived. Some journeys look like this. I came to know the truth of Jesus Christ at a very young age. I was nine years old and at nine years of age, I would look at my mom and think, oh my goodness, I want to grow up and be just like her and my dad was this wild child of the wilderness and he was a downhill ski instructor on a VA Okay, no and the Pacific Northwest and in in my mind, there was nothing that he couldn't do and in the poor cape and flew, and, and I grew up in the castle of their combined love. And it was during that season of time that my dad's best friend came to my little grade school and picked me up and put me in the backseat of his car. And he gathered my two older sisters, I'm the youngest of three girls. And he wouldn't speak to us. And I just had that choking feeling that something terrible has happened, and no one will tell me what it is, no one will speak. And we just started to drive in silence this very familiar road out to my grandparents house and, and I felt like I was choking. And I looked at my oldest sister who was sitting next to me. And without words, she was just streaming silent tears. And she knew too. And we drove down the long driveway to my grandparents home, and there were cars parked all over. And, and for the first time in my young life, I did not want to go into a home where I only ever felt love. Because I was afraid. And I'm taken by my shoulders and just pushed into this home. And it was full of all these breathing, wailing people and, and just to hear grief, rising and mixing in this room. And I was pushed into the arms of a woman that I recognized. I didn't know her name, and she was crying so hard. She could almost not speak. And she just kept going around and around and this nauseating cycle of I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I don't know what to say. I don't know what to say. I don't know how to tell you this. I'm so sorry. And I'm just leaning away from her thinking whatever you're about to say, I don't want to hear it. And finally she said, I don't know how to tell you that your dad has just murdered your mother. And he's taking his own life. And I'm sorry. I know. You're thinking you're a liar. My dad loves my mom, and he loves me, he would never do that lie er. And I just pushed off her chest and ran out the back door in this nine year olds effort to outrun the unthinkable and just ran and ran and ran until there was nothing left and and it wasn't even a far distance. And I remember I had been running through an orchard and the ground had been plowed. And I just fell down in the dirt. And I was inhaling dirt and gagging and choking and retching and screaming. And then I could hear what I thought were animal sounds. And I didn't even recognize the sound of my own voice. And I could hear myself saying, Jesus helped me. Jesus helped me I need you now. And Kimberly, I didn't even know who Jesus was. In the church, I think I'd been to church twice in my life. And all I knew about Jesus is I think he might be the guy on the cross. And wow, I didn't know the power of God's word were in Romans chapter one, it declares that every one intuitively knows God through what he's made. It doesn't matter who you are, how you were raised to believe what culture you're from what religion you were taught, when your heart is being crushed by pain, we know intuitively to turn to the one who made that heart, because we know on some level that he is the only one who can heal and redeem it. I did not know the power of verses like Romans 1013 that say, every one, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved in that moment, is that there was a poem in my heart of hope. And a little flame of hope ignited the moment that I said His name.. Kimberly Hobbs   His name, the power in the name of Jesus Kim Meeder   Yes..Jesus, will you help me and all I knew is in that moment, I knew that I was not alone anymore. And something had started in this heart that said, everything's gonna be alright. You will survive, you will survive. Beginning of knowing and coming face to face with Jesus Christ in the midst of unspeakable violence and tragedy. And in Jesus His Word is true in in Psalms 23, he calls us to walk through that valley of the shadow of darkness. He doesn't tell us to camp out and live there. Right Galatians five one declares it is for freedom, freedom that Jesus Christ has set us free, that when Jesus Christ left heaven, he came to this earth, He lived a perfect life, he laid that life down in my place. And when he rose again, he broke the lock on the prison door of suffering and sin and that door can never be locked again. And it's a fact that we're all going to spend time in that place of suffering and pain. And men listening today are there right now. And sisters, I'm telling you right now that that prison that you think you're locked in, it only has three doors, that door can never be shut again. That's right need to do is reach for the hand of hope that has always been reaching for you and step out into the freedom that already purchased for you. Boom, Jesus love wins every time! Kimberly Hobbs   Yes, every time. And ladies, I just want to say this excitement and enthusiasm and Kim's voice right now. Oh, my goodness bless is because Jesus reached in at that moment, and he saw her in her place of need, he will see you in your place of yes, all in the power of the name of Jesus, he comes, ladies, it doesn't matter what you're going through or what you've done. You call on the name of the Lord Jesus, and He will be there. And ladies, this is probably we didn't know how this interview was going to open up. We just said, Lord, you're going to take over. And you know, to start off with something so tragic and painful. As cam I can't even I can't even imagine somebody that was your world, your parents, you loved your mom, you talked about how your mom taught you, you how to do things, to make blankets and amazing things. And you talk about how your dad was that influence and taught you things about the wilderness. You know, all of a sudden, they're gone. They're gone out of your life. And it's such you're an orphan at such a young age, but God, but God, and from the moment, the moment that you were conceived, he knew you he knew what you what your life was going to become. And I haven't even started into this interview yet to tell you how God is using this life that called upon his name and a moment of weakness and a moment of pain and a moment of tragedy in her life. She called out to the one and only person that could save her that could rescue her from what she was going through. And boy he did. And boy, does she have a voice in this world now and what she is using that pain and tragedy from that has now just I just have to tell you what this woman is doing. She has authored now, I think seven books is that right? Kim? Six, almost seven, six, almost seven, She's halfway through her seventh book. She is an author that speaks that speaks God has led her to speak around the world. She is she's opened up a ranch, I'm gonna let her tell you about this, but where she can share these stories about her life and identify with broken hurting children who have no hope in their life. And she can bring them hope now because she was rescued by the one and only that could help change her life forever. So we have a woman here that is going to judge to share from her heart. What she does best. I tell you this book that she read, wrote, I don't know let me see. Encountering our wild God is sharing stories from her heart life stories that will impact the reader of how to encounter our wild God from things she has experienced in her life. And ladies, I'm telling you this book is incredible. And if if I can recommend any book that it's this one right here, I couldn't put it down when I started reading. I seriously read this book and three days and I don't have a lot of time, but I just couldn't put it down. So Kim, we need to talk about some of these things that God has done in your life how he has opened your life to do now ministering to broken hurting children on a ranch that you live in Oregon Bend Oregon. And she has opened up 200 ranches all over the world. Right because of the one ranch that you guys are running right now for our Lord Jesus Christ. Yeah, Kim Meeder   This is what Jesus can do with pain that is given to him. And here's what I want women to hear today is that Jesus Christ, your journey, your unique journey is unique to you. And He will heal and transform every day of what you have walked through and use it for His glory. He'll do that Genesis 5020, what the enemy meant to destroy you by Jesus pours His love over in and through, and allows that to be the very thing that gives us life and not only us. But everyone we give it to second Corinthians one three and four is true where God says, don't, you know, paraphrase, that I'm going to comfort you and your time of need. So when others around you go through something similar, you can give them the comfort that I've given you that God's comfort is so powerful, that it not only heals us, it heals everyone we give it to, and in a nutshell, to finish the the encounter. I moved in with my grandparents on that day, they had the wisdom to buy a little horse for me, through the friendship of a little horse and the love of Jesus Christ, this wild child's life was redeemed, and oh of all those years of working through my grief in the presence of a horse, that Jesus was at work, and he was doing something beautiful and powerful. And he was creating that masterpiece. I didn't know any of that. I didn't know that every day of that he was fashioning into what he was calling this life toward. And that was to, to open a ranch that that rescues horses in need, and then combines those horses with children in need for free. Because what Jesus Christ did on the gospel, what he offers, the world is free, how dare we charge anybody for what Jesus Christ gives freely, everyone can afford free. So now this ranch has rescued over 300 horses and counting, and we visit to see about maybe around 5000 visitors a year because everyone can afford free. And we've helped to shoulder into existence, about 220 similar ranch ministries in the United States and Canada and it doesn't inform ladies, that's what God can tell with pain given to him, yes, here there's one pain let me say this quickly. And then I have something I feel strongly that I need to share. There is one pain, one that God cannot heal and redeem and use for His glory. One. And that is the pain you will not release to him. And Fred that is just pain that kills in that in that prison of pain and suffering and guilt and depression and bitterness and fear and unforgiveness, you want to be in hell on earth. Just don't forgive someone you'll get there like that. Absolutely prison place of suffering. If you are there, and any of those things exist in your life, guess who's holding on to the bars and holding the door shut. That would be you and me. Because what Jesus Christ did on the cross was complete. We have his freedom, every minute of every day. And if we're not free, it's because we're focused more on what hurts than more on the one who feels that that works. Right now, you can open your fingers on that prison door of suffering in sin and step out into the freedom and the the ministry that he's calling you toward and it doesn't have to be a big thing. That's right. Every single human being needs hope. Here's what the Lord is teaching me and this is what I want to speak over every single person who's listening today. In Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior. His Spirit lives in you. Spirit of Jesus said about the Holy Spirit in John 1613. He's the one who leads into all truth. He does. You want to know all truth. You want to know what you should do with your life. Follow Him, follow Him, follow Him. He's the one who knows the way and in every single situation. Every shoe can lay. Your life is too broken. You're too messed up, you're too wounded, you can't be healed. You are unsaved you are and valuable. All of that is a lie from the enemy. All of its ally, Asians one if you want to know who you are actually read the whole book of Ephesians that six chapters that will change your life. Right? He is Ephesians one says that you have already been blessed with every spiritual blessing. You are loved. and loaded for the King of kings, and he's put His Spirit in you. So here's what I'm learning. And here's what I what I want to speak over women today. I'm so excited. Kimberly Hobbs   I'm so excited, you are amazing.  Kim Meeder   So, we serve an amazing God, since we carry His Spirit, we are these vessels of flesh, that carry the living spirit of heaven, we carry the Holy Spirit. And here's what I'm learning that because we carry his spirit, every human interaction that we have, is an opportunity to release everything that He is love, hope, peace, joy, his patience, his kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control, every single one of those things we can release all day long. And so I'm learning ladies to simply say, Holy Spirit, lead me. Spirit lead me, and then He does... Kimberly Hobbs   That verse...whether you turn to the left or to the right, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying this is the way walk in it, he will lead you. That's an Isaiah. Kim Meeder   Right, John 10 is work that Jesus calls us His sheep and my sheep don't listen to anybody else. They know my voice, and they follow Me. Amen. So I'm learning how to follow his voice. And recently, I'm learning to invite him the Holy Spirit has an opinion on everything, everything. And I've lived so much of my life on autopilot. I know how to do this. I know how to do that. I know how to run a ministry, I know how to go grocery shopping. I know how to be a wife and to be a leader and to be a counselor a little Oh, wait, your spiritual partner better pray about that. And the Lord and His kindness is letting me know, honey, every moment that you're breathing. That's the spiritual part. That's the part that I want you to invite me into. And so I've been asking him, I need to go buy picture frames today. Where do you want me to go? Seriously, you're gonna ask the the Holy Spirit that and I'm learning Yes. Because he has an opinion. And so on this particular day, he said quickly, Goodwill was like, sweet, I love goodwill. It's like a giant yard sale, and I can afford this stuff. And instantly, I'm shopping the affordable aisles of the Goodwill store in that little tiny town in Central Oregon. And so I have my little blue basket and I find some picture frames, and I start to go to the one checkout counter that was open. And I sensed the Holy Spirit say, No, not yet. So I backed up. And I said, What else and I was redirected. I was getting ready to go do a big speaking tour in a really hot climate. And I was redirected to go buy some things for that climates, like board shorts and flip flops, and Oh, sweet. They're expensive random things, random things. So I go to the checkout counter a second time, and again, felt no, not yet. backed up. And I'm creeping around the Goodwill store. And I feel led to go back, I find one more frame I put it in. So now I'm creeping up to the counter. Like, Kimberly Hobbs   Ladies, there's a purpose for this. So please listen carefully. There's a reason God prompted her to go back into the store again. Kim Meeder   ...and to wait for his timing for his timing. So the third time, I felt nothing but release. So I step in line. And I hear the one little checkout counter woman say to the man, she was serving, I'm sorry, I don't know how to do this. I need to call for help. She calls for help. And another employee comes to help. And she cuts in front of me, she hits my basket, she almost knocks it out of my hands. And she's mad. And she opens up this cash register and she's just fuming. And she doesn't look at me. She said, Did you find everything you need? And I said, Yes, I did. And actually I found things I didn't even know I needed and, and I told her about the things that I was getting ready to do a speaking tour. And I didn't even know I needed those things. And she's like, Oh, that's great. So what do you speak on, and I shared just a little vignette of crystal peaks youth ranch and this ranch that rescues horses and serves kids and, and creates an environment where all can find the healing hope of Jesus Christ. And I get to speak about hope. And she's like, Oh, that's great. And she hasn't even looked at me. And finally she rocks back on her heels. And she leans forward and she starts to yell in my face. I'm so glad that you talk to people about hope, because I'm sick and tired. Nobody takes responsibility for anything anymore. And I'm sick of it. I'm just shouting in my face. And I'm looking at this little woman and thinking Lord Jesus, what do I do with that? And she's shouting in my face and like a bell on a clear more Morning, I heard the Holy Spirit's say, I want you to point blank her with what I've done for you. And my first thought, I gotta be honest, was a board a board. She's mad. The guy behind me is mad. Everybody's mad Lord, she's not gonna listen to that time. Jesus, it's really bad time. She's not going to hear it, God. Okay, I'm going in Lord and Lord Kimberly Hobbs   She's got her armor on. She's on a mission. Kim Meeder   Holy Spirit lead me. And so I look at her little blue smock, and I look at her little name tag, and I kid you not it said, Angel. And I said, Angel, honey, you're right. I'm glad that I get a chance to talk to people about hope. Hope is so vitally important to the human heart that I remember, not only the day, but the moment that genuine hope came into my heart. And that was the day that my dad murdered my mom. It was the day that my dad took his life. And that was the day that genuine hope came into my heart. And that was the day that Jesus Christ came in. And he's never left. Not then not now. Not ever. But God. This girl, she looked like I had shot her with an arrow. She just went, Oh. She didn't move. She didn't breathe. She stood like a statue of stone staring at the floor. After what felt like a day. She finally exhales and this beautiful laser blue eyes red hair, this little biscuit who just yelled in my face. exhales and as her eyes start to raise to meet mine. She streaking with giant tears. And in this teeny tiny little girl voice. I hear her squeak. I've never told this to anybody. When I was 12, my mom killed herself right in front of me. Oh my gosh. And Kim, really all I did was just open my arms in this gesture that Oh baby, this hug is for you. And that life ring of Hope was so vital. She didn't even go around the counter. Her knees came up on the counter, and she buried her face in the neck of a total stranger. And in a goodwill line in a little mountain town in Central Oregon. One orphan was met by a former orphan and she was adopted into the kingdom of Jesus Christ because of love. Ladies, if you don't think you have a purpose, you as the one who knows the way. James one five says that you need wisdom. Ask God he'll be glad to tell you follow the Holy Spirit. There's only one of you in all the world needs you now more than ever, ever follow the Holy Spirit in only the ways that you can and release the love and the hope and the salvation that this world is desperate and dying for. Ladies, it's time to stand up for the King of kings. mission in a job to do. You are his masterpiece. God's Word is true. Ephesians 210 You are his masterpiece Kim shows to do the good works that he chose for you you long ago. Come on ladies. Kimberly Hobbs   That's right. That's right. And ladies, what you're going through now you may not may not be Kim story. But let let us both tell you as somebody who has backgrounds who has stories of pain and tragedy, that God can turn anything around right him God can take you right where you are. It just takes faith that faith that God talks about in his word that's as small as a little mustard seed that mustard seed faith, that he can take you where you are, he will rescue you and he will do exceedingly, abundantly above all you can ask or imagine according to the power that's at work within you. When you accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. You have the Holy Spirit that comes to live inside of you. He will never leave you He will never forsake you never promises that God's word is truth. God is truth. He cannot go back on what he says ladies. So why don't you call upon the name of the Lord Jesus. He says whoever calls upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be saved. So once you call on his name, just like Kim did, she didn't know him. She had heard little things about a person on the cross. But there's power in the name she Hold on the name of the Lord Jesus, Jesus came and rescued her where she was, he will rescue you right where you are. And he will take this story that he is building in your life right now. And ladies, you are going to be used for a magnificent purpose, there will be a person behind the counter that needs you one day that needs to hear your story and you are boldly going to speak that story of life into that person, you will be walking down the street and you are going to see something that is going to happen and you are boldly going to move in that direction. Because as God calls you to His purpose, he's going to use you and you are going to move as he calls you. And you will be used for great and mighty things that you have no idea yet. But you have to do the first step which is call on the name of the Lord Jesus. Let him rescue you from your pain and your hurt. Right, Kim, I'm going on a rant. Kim Meeder   We're paying ladies has a purpose. It has a purpose, and he will heal and redeem every ounce of what you give him. And revelations 1210 and 11 is true. Satan is defeated by two things, two things what Jesus Christ did on the cross, it's already happened. It's already done, Satan's already defeated and the spoken word of your testimony... Kimberly Hobbs   Your testimony. Kim Meeder   ...deteats the power of the enemy, when you speak out what Jesus Christ has done for you. The enemy is absolutely defeated. Why do you think he attacks your words so much? He wants you to remain silent, who are you to share anything, just be silent. They don't listen to that lie. You have been deemed that you have an every time you speak out what Jesus Christ has done for you. The enemy is completely defeated. And you've released the love and the hope, the joy, the peace, and everything that you have in Jesus Christ into the heart of another person. It's like throwing a life ring to someone who's drowning. Don't walk by again, if Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior so undid that for you, and I know who did it for me, and I will live 1000 lifetimes of gratitude that they stood in that gap and said, Kimmy, do you know how much Jesus loves you. And now I know. And now that baton of faith has been handed to me. If you could call yourself a Christian, it's handed to you. And now it is your time to run it forward, sister. The day it begins today. ipcn. With you, as you run for the King of Kings read Hebrews 112, one through three, it's true. It's time for us to run this race with our eyes focused on Him, not what hurts that's already been dealt with. Focus on him and what he's done and the healing and the redemption in the salvation. You already have. Now, run that forward for His glory. Sisters, it's time. Kimberly Hobbs   That's it your time is now the time is now. Obviously, Kim meter, we are so grateful. Just so grateful this this time has gone by in a flash, I can't even believe it. But Kim has promised that she would come back again, ladies. And we are going to talk to her in more depth and what God has shared and what God has done with this life of just just incredible what she's doing to encourage people. So ladies, we are so grateful that you stepped in today to listen to this podcast, we just want to tell you that yes, God is doing exceedingly abundantly beyond what we can ask or imagine. And you know, we are just so grateful for this group of women that's come together to encourage each other. In the body of Christ, we are encouraging one another to press on through all the difficulties like that love that life throws at us, and to just reach for Jesus because that's where all the answers are ladies, it's in the name of Jesus. Yes. And so know that your life has purpose and plan and here at women were leaders you can use that in just ways. There's so many doors that God is opening up through this ministry. That ladies if you believe with all your heart that God has called you to a purpose and a plan and you just don't know where to use it call us. You come here and we'll we'll use your testimony women need to hear from other women. This encourages them they can identify with you what you've been through, you can have compassion. So we just encourage you both ladies to get involved and women were leaders and we also would like to announce to you that we have the podcast theories Monday, Wednesday and Friday that you can join us each week. And we'd also encourage you to visit our website at women world leaders dot Calm, that's women world leaders.com. And leave us a message there. Or if you need prayer, you can reach out to us there and we would be happy to have one of our prayer warriors contact you, they will pray with you. They will walk you through the word of God, whatever you need, we do not want you to sit there with no help and no place to go. We are here for you, we love you. And we're reaching out to you and by podcast is one of the ways we can do this. We encourage you to please share this podcast with those that may need some hope and some healing and feel like they need to be inspired. So we just thank you for listening to us. And again, join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God's extravagant love, and your create courageous purpose. Ladies, if if you want to contact us on Facebook as well, we have a private group on Facebook where we share daily devotions. We'd also like to encourage you to come on facebook and join us there for some of the devotions, you can enter, connect with the comment section. So there's always a place for you to be used to be heard, and from his heart to yours. We are women, world leaders, all content is copyrighted. And women, by women were leaders and cannot be used without express written consent. So we just say goodbye, good night, and we hope you'll tune in again. God bless you    

Today's podcast, "Taking Control Of Our Emotions," delves into what God says about our emotions. Many of us may say, "I'm just so emotional! I can't help it!". Yet we were created in the image of God and have the power of choice. We have been given authority over our emotions through Jesus Christ, and it is time to walk in that authority and take control of our feelings to live the abundant life God desires for each of us. ******* Today we are going to discuss Taking Control of Our Emotions and Living an Emotionally Stable Life.   What does God’s Word say about our emotions? Many of us will say, “I’m just so emotional. I can’t help it!” Yet we were created in the image of God who have the power of choice. and we have been given authority over our emotions through Jesus Christ, and it is time to walk in that authority and take control of our feelings. We walk by faith not by sight. (2 Cor 5:7)     Emotions can get the best of us. And how reliable are they really? I know myself, they can be like a roller coaster – up and down throughout a day or even the hour sometimes. Life can throw curve balls and sometimes we can hit a home run and other times we feel we just can’t get off the bench.   We won’t get into a discussion about if women are more emotionally than men, but I do believe whether we show it or not that we all have emotions and feeling them is healthy - controlling them is another matter & is something we can do! If we can “harness” them rather than be led by them it is a healthy way to live the abundant life God desires for us.   God created us with emotions and it’s wrong to become emotionless, to withdraw to a place that we believe nothing can bother us or we work hard at not showing our emotions. The Bible tells us God has emotions. Scripture shows God displaying a wide range of emotions. Our emotions and feelings are normal and natural because they come from God. They are meant for enjoyment, created to be good and they can be controlled by each individual.   One of my favourite Scriptures is Ecclesiastes 3 where God’s Word tells us there is a time and a season for every activity under the heavens, including verse 4 which says there is:   4A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.   God laughed, mourned, hated, loved, rejoiced. (Psalm 37:13, John 11:35, Proverbs 6:6-19, John 3:16, Ps 104:31). He felt pleased and displeased. He felt anger. He felt jealous. And multiple places in Scripture show us His outward illustration of compassion.   God has emotions and feelings. He understands our tears and our joy. We should not be ashamed of our emotions. We can go to Him in prayer when we feel led by our emotions rather than relying on His truth and promises.   The difference between the Lord and ourselves is our emotions can lead us to sin while God’s emotions/feelings are righteous and come from a place of love for His people.   We can easily be led by our emotions, whether good or bad but especially when life is not as we would like it to be. Earlier I mentioned harnessing our emotions. The word “harness” according to the American Heritage Dictionary means “to bring under control and direct force of.”  May I suggest that this is what our Lord desires of us. That we have control of our emotions and continually bring them into alignment with the WORD of God.   Every emotion begins with a thought. It is easy to feel defeated when our emotional baskets are continually filled and overflowing.   Two Scriptures come to mind: Isaiah 26:3 (NLT) You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! We must over & over again fix our thoughts on God and what He says, not what this world tells us.   God has created an amazing relationship between our mind and our bodies, so that the renewal of the mind strengthens our relationship with God but it also improves our emotional sense of well-being. It strengthens our brains and bodies for his service.   Romans 12:2 teaches us to let God transform us into a new person. How does this happen? By changing the way we think! Thinking in alignment with God’s WORD and PROMISES. This is easy when things in life are going well. It is more challenging and difficult – some may say nearly impossible when things are really bad! But God’s Word also tells us All things are possible with God. They aren’t possible in our own strength but they are possible with Him. This is where we call out to God. He hears us and He WILL help us. HIS WAY! HIS TIMING! Our job is to trust.   As we mature spiritually, we’ll also see a maturing take place in the natural. One of the most obvious areas will be in the area of our emotions and the ability to control them. Galatians 5 tells us one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is self-control. The Holy Spirit will help us to maintain this control over our emotions when we seek His help.   I remember as a little girl my favourite animal was a horse. I would often try to draw them or picture in my imagination ~  me riding one, a beautiful horse. Different times I would picture a different coloured horse, but they were always strong, always fast, always beautiful, and always able to jump over anything in their way.  There would be me and my horse riding through this bit field with the strong wind blowing my long brown hair back and me riding full throttle – just me and my horse alone against the terrain.   I don’t know a great deal about horses and I did get thrown a couple of times growing up in Louisiana. I have since learned a bit about them and know they are a very powerful force. They’ve even played a very important part in history and in the development of civilization. They’ve enabled armies to win battles. They have given people more power, more mobility, and more strength than they could have had on their own. And even with their strength and power they can be managed. A horse out of control can cause a great deal of destruction – so can emotions that are out of control. So like a horse, emotions are powerful. They can be so beneficial, or they can be very destructive, even deadly. That is why they must be bridled. James 3:3 says: Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.   In the physical, I can’t control a horse with my strength, but I can control it through my knowledge. I can lead the horse by placing a bit in his mouth which will turn his whole body. This is the way God make a horse. If a horse is lying down, you can sit on its head and hold a two-thousand-pound animal on the ground. A horse cannot get up unless it throws its head up first. If you can hold a horse’s head down, you can hold it’s whole body down. Um, what does that say about where our head and thoughts need to be? God’s Word is the bit, bridle and reins that give us control over our emotions. It takes time and practice, but it is possible when we live by God’s WORD, faith comes, and it grows with passing experiences where we lean on and trust on and in HIM. FAITH (Knowing GOD) will override and neutralise any negative emotions. Controlling emotions will be the result of spiritual maturity. We can learn to manage and harness our emotions, with knowledge, with spiritual growth and with practice and time.   Let us pray: Father, we are made with emotions and there is a time to feel them. Help us when our emotions get out of control, and they are leading us away from Your truth and the best life you have designed for us. Yes, there are seasons that are tough, and we can fall into a trap of “What if’s? or “Why this, why me or my family?” It is a lie of the enemy’s that our emotions are in control. We are in control, and we thank you that YOU have given us authority over our thinking. Give us the desire to study Your WORD, Your truths, Your promises and share it with others. Let our life be a witness to Your Power that comes to live in us when we BELIEVE in YOU Lord. Amen

Jesus said in John 6:41-59 “I am the bread of life.” The crowd murmured in disagreement. But that didn’t stop Jesus from teaching truth. What did this statement mean to the Jewish people and what does it mean for us today? Let’s unpack this together. ****** Last week we focused on the blessing after the miracle – that is, Jesus using the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 to point to the glory of God. Now Jesus moves from the area of Genessaret to teach in Capernaum, his home base and a prosperous town of about 1000 people. The lesson He shared is difficult for us to understand TODAY, but if we put ourselves in the shoes of the Jewish people who were contemporaries of Jesus, we can barely begin to imagine the difficulty they would have had with His words. Which is why John states in chapter 6 verse 41 as written in the New Living Translation… 41 Then the people[a] began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” I can hear it now…What was that He said? Some translations say that the people “grumbled” which can give us a different picture…my dad would have called that “belly aching” … and that can make us think that the crowd may have even been speaking belligerently; but the correct interpretation, I believe, is that they were all kind of whispering to each other, a bit shocked and in unbelief, not knowing what to make of this statement that was said openly in the synagogue. “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” To give you some background, after the Israelites left Egypt, and as they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, God provided them manna every single day. The actual word manna means “what is it?” – because the people didn’t know what it was! They quickly learned that manna was bread from heaven that would keep them alive if eaten daily but would only last for a single day. They were to gather what would sustain them for the upcoming 24 hours – or 48 hours if it was the day prior to the Sabbath. If they collected more than that, it would rot in a disgusting way. So they had to trust that God would provide more for them every single day. Later, the Jews were taught that when the Messiah came, He would also bring manna, or bread, that was capable of giving them life. So now Jesus said, not “I BRING the bread of life,” – which is what they would have been expecting from the Messiah… but “I AM the bread of life – sent down FROM heaven.” What could this mean? Instead of trying to understand Jesus’ words, however, they simply dismissed Him by attacking His character. Verse 42…  42 They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven’?” They didn’t understand what Jesus said, so their response was to dismiss His authority. As WE study the Bible and apply it to our lives, there are certainly going to be things we don’t understand. Our job is to keep seeking God’s answer and to trust Him AS the authority even when we don’t understand. Have you ever heard a word from God, and then questioned whether you heard it at all? Any relationship counselor will tell you that the key to a good relationship is listening. If something confuses you about God or the Bible, keep seeking…keep listening…keep asking questions. Our God is not a God of confusion, and He knows better than we do how we learn and grow. We can always trust His timing and revelation to us. Jesus didn’t answer their murmurs that dismissed His authority. Instead, He told them to focus in…He wasn’t done explaining. Verse 43… 43 But Jesus replied, “Stop complaining about what I said. 44 For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. Anyone who hears about Jesus or feels the pull of faith in Jesus, does so because God has had them in His sight since the beginning of time. We cannot draw ourselves to God – that is one of the reasons we marvel at how gracious and loving He is! Just like the Israelites could do NOTHING to make the manna that would sustain them fall from the sky, we cannot bring God closer to us. On the contrary, God has positioned HIMSELF in our lives – He has OFFERED Himself – our job is to say yes. To accept the manna and ingest it…to receive Jesus, THE bread of life, into our very lives. But unlike manna, which lasted only 24-48 hours, the one who openly receives Jesus, receives life eternal. Jesus is THE bread that will sustain us for ETERNITY. Jesus backs up this bombshell with the news that He is now their direct access to God the Father. Isaiah and Jeremiah both had prophesied that a time would come when the people would have a direct connection with God  … something they had always had to rely on the high priest for…and Jesus is saying that HE is now that direct contact…verse 45  45 As it is written in the Scriptures,[b] ‘They will ALL be taught BY God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.  And Jesus gives them further revelation, saying… 46 (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.) This was huge! The process of meeting with God prior to Jesus was extreme. God is so holy that a strict prescribed protocol had to be followed for the high priest to enter the holy of holies, where the ark of the covenant was kept and God resided. And that could only happen one time a year. And yet Jesus states that not only is He the Bread of Life sent from God, but He has actually seen God. I imagine the murmuring was hushed as He underscored this revelation…vs 47 47 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. 48 Yes, I am the bread of life! 49 Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. 50 Anyone who eats the bread from heaven, however, will never die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I will offer so the world may live, is my flesh.” 52 Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked. 53 So Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you cannot have eternal life within you. 54 But anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise that person at the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. There is little doubt in my mind that the Jewish people did not understand these puzzling statements. I say that because it is difficult for us to understand, and we’ve had 2000 years to digest and analyze them. In hindsight and in view of history and the rest of the Bible, it is evident that Jesus was referencing His upcoming death and crucifixion as an offering of His body and blood. Life was considered to be in the blood, and flesh represented humanity. Jesus, as a human, died, giving up His flesh and His blood. We assume that death is a part of life – what’s that saying…the only sure things in life are death and taxes, right? But death is only a given because of sin. When God created humankind, His purpose was that we would spend eternity with Him. Life was perfect. The earth was perfect. But then man sinned, and the effects of sin ushered in not only death, but disease, corrosion, pain, suffering, rain … I could go on and on. The penalty for our sin is our death. We sin. So our death IS sure. But JESUS lived a perfect, sinless life, and should have never died. He gave up HIS life, in payment for ours. And He rose again, that we might be resurrected if we accept the gift of salvation that He offers us. Remember that I said that like manna that fell from the sky through no effort of the Israelites, God comes to us through no effort of our own? God CHOOSES to come to us. Jesus CHOSE to come to us. Though no effort of ours, Jesus died for us. Our role is to believe – to accept the gift of His body and blood as a sin offering. Jesus’ body is our true food, that can bring us eternal life. Jesus’ blood is our true drink that will keep us from thirsting for eternity. Jesus reiterates beginning in verse 56…  56 Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. 57 I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. 58 I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but will live forever.” We must receive Jesus to live. As complicated as it seems, it really is that simple. There have been theologians throughout the years who use this passage to say that to receive salvation, Christians must literally eat the flesh and drink the blood of Jesus via communion where the bread and wine miraculously become the flesh and blood of Jesus. There are others who also believe that salvation hinges on communion, but consider communion as a symbolic ingesting of the flesh and blood of Jesus. But there are many, and I am in this camp, who believe that this teaching is separate from the teaching of communion. At the last Passover supper, Jesus told His disciples to eat and drink in remembrance of Him, but nowhere linked the physical eating and drinking to attaining salvation. Instead, receiving communion is an act of worship and praise as we remember all that Jesus has done for us. In this passage, however, Jesus was teaching that to receive the true bread of life, we must repent and surrender our lives to Jesus. We must live by faith, believing that Jesus died for our sins. To eat the bread of life is to accept Jesus into your life and to live with the Holy Spirit inside – guiding you, directing you and sustaining you. We live in a sinful world, and our bodies will die. But when we yes to Jesus, we begin living a life that will last forever – just as God originally intended. Our commitment seals us to Him as wedding vows seal a bride to her groom. And Jesus will walk us into God’s presence on His arm – from now until eternity. Jesus is the Bread of Life. The only sustenance our souls will ever need. Will you pray with me… Dear Most Holy Jesus…we come to you today repenting of our sins and giving our life to you. You are the Bread of Life – your promise to sustain us into eternity is sure – we just need to hold out our hands to you. God help us to surrender. Help us to listen in faith when we don’t understand. Help us to trust your perfect timing when we think we know the best way. Help us to always cling to you. Quiet our murmurs and help whatever unbelief we still hold in our hearts. We give you our lives and trust in your ways. In Jesus mighty name, I pray. Amen.  

From the ashes of fire, a new hope has emerged. Please join us as burn-victim, best-selling author, actress, and speaker Justina Page shares her story of hope.   "Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow."  Psalm 25:4    So much recovery can be produced with a spirit of hope.    ***** Kimberly Hobbs   Welcome to empowering lives with purpose. And I'm your host Kimberly Hobbs. I'm the founder of Women world leaders. Ladies, we are so blessed that you decide to join us today. Thank you and I would love to welcome our guest today which is Justino page she is from Richmond, Texas. Welcome Justina. Justina Page   It is my delight to be here. Kimberly. Thank you. Kimberly Hobbs   Wow. Well, we are truly honored to have you here. You are an amazing woman of God. And ladies, you are in for a treat today just to talk and hear about hope from this woman is wow, what she's been through. Just wait till you hear the story. And again, we are just honored to be able to share today Justina. So God's word says they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb. When by the word of their testimony, that's revelation 1211. Ladies, it's so important that when God gives us these stories of our lives, that we share them with the world, there is so much power in these testimonies, God's word says so inside and we are just grateful to be able to share these times and on empowering lives with purpose. That is what we do. So God says that we are His masterpiece that we are created a new in Christ Jesus to do the very good things that he planned for us long ago. Ladies, each of our lives has meaning each of our lives has purpose. God planned good things for you very long ago. And despite some of the things that can happen in our lives, there's purpose and we cannot give up hope in the midst of the storms that we're going through. And so we are going to talk about that a little bit today and I'm going to share about Justine on who she is before we get started on talking about hope. Justina Paige, is an international speaker and a national storyteller who speaks with boldness and refreshing honesty and touches the hearts of her audiences. Just Dina is a woman of faith whose faith was tested by fire seriously tested by fire. She now inspires audiences with a powerful message of hope and triumph. She is the author of the award winning book the circle of fire, which tells the story of how Justine this life was changed forever. She is the author of 17 other literary works. And from the ashes of fire, A New Hope has emerged and Justine this life. She is the founder and executive director of the Amis house of faith, a nonprofit organization established to provide provide post burn support to children as well as families that are affected by burn trauma. She's a podcaster, a lyricist, and a supporting actress in the award winning faith based movie. We are stronger. And also the TV series Breaking strongholds. Wow. You are a superstar for Christ Justyna you are also a survivor honey. And today's story is about hope. It's a story of survival. And Justina it's your heartbeat of survival. Many of us can relate ladies to tragedies in our lives, and how sometimes our hope is squashed in those tragedies. But we don't have hope. If we don't have hope we don't have anything right. Nothing to hold on to. So just Steena share with us a little bit about your story and how your hope was squashed. Justina Page   I'll be glad to share. Kimberly, first of all, I came to the Lord on the college campus, met my husband, who was the Bible study teacher, he became my friend. He became my teacher. He asked me to marry him. And then we moved to Houston, Texas, and we started getting busy. We had six months. Life was good. I was over the children's ministry. He was a deacon in the church. And I remember going to a big window in my home because everyone said I was such a woman of faith. And I asked God a question and I will like, Lord, if something happened in my life, would I be able to stand? And I wanted to know what I was made up. I advise, don't ask God, those kinds of questions. Just believe you can do that. Anyway. I asked that question. It was two weeks later, I woke up to explosions. TVs, Poppins, complete darkness, not the stuff you hear in Hollywood see on TV in Hollywood, you can't see a thing in the heat. My skin just melting off of me. And my husband just threw me out just a natural reaction. And my boys were homeschooled. So they knew to go to the window. We had the point inside the house, we had the point outside of the house. Anyway, the whole house in full flourishing, I tried to go back in and save the children. And I could not I got trapped, the longest story. And up it was I personally was burned over 55% of my body. My other twin son was burned severely. We lost amis, tragically at the very end, and we lost everything we had. Kimberly Hobbs   Oh, my goodness, I can't even imagine. I mean, your whole house went up in flames. And you watched it. And tragically, you lost your son through that time. I just can't imagine. So. At that moment, your hope was shattered. You saw everything disappear before your eyes, not to mention the pain and trauma that you are in. You are in. That's right. When we feel hopeless, ladies, God, God's word tells us why. Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God, I will praise him again, my Savior and my god, Psalm 4211. Justina God stepped in, he stepped inside of your life at that time. And you told me on our conversations, before that, you started to learn that it wasn't about you. through all that pain, which is understandable, your focus is on all of your grief, all of what you're going through. That's all you can see. And I'm sure there's ladies out there that are real relating to this right now. Because when you're going through something so tragic, and I can't even I can't even fathom what the loss of your son the pain on your body, the pain of your children that you're taking care of. Because of the burns. You're focused on you. But you told me you learned something through that time, which was life revolved around God's world, and not your will. And it all hinges on his will for our lives. Just you know what gave you hope and brought you from pain to that point, because it's kind of difficult to even understand or wrap your head around how you can even get from saying that life doesn't revolve around you. Can you share with us about that? Justina Page   Absolutely. I'll never forget it. I was in a car in front of my best friend's house for my first fellowship. After a year of recovery. I saw women walking in with their little children, who happened to be at the age where I lost my son, Amos went into a complete temper tantrum with God, why me? Why me? Oh, God, why me? Why they have their children. Why don't I have mine? And I'll never forget what he spoke to me. And he told me this, this is not about you. And I was like, Well, it sure involved a lot of me for it not to be about me. Could you please expand on that, please? And he let me know that. We mistakenly feel like Jesus revolves around on nothing. But it doesn't work that way. We revolve around and all things work together for good, ugly things, bad things, tragic things. He's working them for our booth in his for his glory. And the one thing that I learned that is powerful, and it guides me to this day, is that instead of asking God, why He gave me a better question to ask, and that's what now because even if you know why, it's not going to change a thing, but if you know what now you can make a step out of grief, out of disturbance, and you can step toward that hope in that peace that you so need Kimberly Hobbs   Thats right. And that's maybe that's you ladies maybe right now you're going through something so tragic that you can't even talk about it. But what will get you through that? And we're gonna go into that a little bit right now because on God's Word says, show me the right path Oh Lord, point out the road for me to follow, lead me by your truth and teach me for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you that Psalm 25, four through five ladies, we need to put our hope in God, we can't look around us and think that the world is going to solve our problems where we are. We need to look to God who gives us the hope that we need to sustain us to get us through. So let's talk right now about the fruit of hope. Justyna you said to me in our conversations, you were talking about this fruit of hope, Justina recovered hope, ladies, so much can be produced from a spirit of hope. All we need is just that glimmer of hope. And it gives us something to hold on to right? So just can you be transparent with the ladies about what you did in your life from the ashes of tragedy to where he has brought you now. And hopefully you can bring some of these other ladies that are listening. That mean may need some help at this moment? Justina Page   Sure. First of all I want to start off with hope is the heartbeat of survival. When any medical emergency happens, if you call the paramedics, the first thing they're going to do is check for a pulse. And we have to have some kind of spiritual pulse. They don't you when the medic show up, it doesn't mean that you're totally well. They just want to make sure you're alive. Or check out challenge is to keep our communication lines open with God to not shut down to not and I did that I got depressed. I got discouraged. I got even angry. But Kimberly Hobbs   Rightfully so, you went through a lot. Oh my goodness. Justina Page   Yeah. But, um unrightfully because God's character doesn't change with our tragedies. He's the same today. Yesterday, it'll be the same tomorrow. He's still a Good Good Father, even when we're having a tragic bad day. So we just need a pulse. We just need an ember of hope, just a flicker, something to hold on to anything you can grab on, that you know about your God. Hold on to that. And then you'll get better and better and better and better. Kimberly Hobbs   Amen. Look for that glimmer of hope, ladies, and you can find it and you could find it. In the Lord Jesus Christ. You could find it in His Word, you know, turn to his word when you are hurting so bad and nothing around you seems to be satisfying your soul. That hope will come when you open up God's word and let that pour into your life. I love all the time to just share scripture and the place you're in now Justina didn't just happen, you didn't go from I mean, I'm I'm looking at your arms and the burns. Visually ladies, if you can see Justine is covered with scarring from burns. And where you were then in all of that time and pain and suffering, we can't even imagine. But God brought you to a place it didn't just happened. But you were reassured that eternity is real through Jesus Christ, right? That's right. It didn't just poof you know, it happened and all of a sudden, oh, God is here and he's gonna solve all my problems. He brought you to a place the Bible says, Listen, ladies, this is a great verse. When you're in the midst of pain and you can't think about anything else except dwell on your pain, you don't have hope. You have nothing and you're just wallowing in that pity and that depression that you get into this is what the Bible says. Think clearly. Exercise self control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world First Peter 113. Ladies there is hope in Jesus Christ there is hope he gives us something to hold on to and God gave gave you hope, just Steena. And now you're serving Him. This is years later, as you have moved through all of the pain that you had to deal with day after day after day, month after month, year after year, he moved you to a place that he is now using you to reveal hope to the world. You're the author of 18 books, the big one circle of fire that you have written has impacted lives because of its content. But God gave you something to hold on to. He gave you that hope. He knew that he was going to use this story. And you were going to write about it and share with the world that glimmer of hope that he gave you. So can you talk about these books that you're writing and circle of fear? Or of circle of fire? Yes, sure. Justina Page   And I want to say first that God cares. He's touched with the feeling of our infirmities, he is our comfort. And then in Ecclesiastes, this says God makes everything beautiful in his time. And in time, God walked me right up to the book. Personally, I wasn't thinking about writing books, I had started a nonprofit, that was my work, I was excited, I was going all over the states, trying to prevent tragedies like mine, and then on the backside, help those who experienced the tragedies. But people begin to say you need to share your wisdom. I'm like, I don't have time to share my wisdom. There's like, well, if you write the book, the proceeds can go to your nonprofit. And guess what, Kim? I found time, I'm like, That's a great idea. And so I wrote that first book. And I think the reason why the book did well, first of all, it was transparent. And it was honest, I didn't just share my glory side of the story. I shared the trouble, and just showed how God can get you through it. And after that books kept coming, of course, I've always written but it was a season to publish. So that's what transpired with the books. Kimberly Hobbs   Wow, so then you just started writing for the Lord. And he used you in such a powerful way, ladies, as the Bible said that God is working in you giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. I love sharing this verse Philippians 213, God is working in all of us, right? And he started working in Justina she didn't think she was a writer. She was like, why me God, you know, but he gave her that desire and that power to do what pleases him just like that scripture says Philippians 213. And ladies, he could do the same for you. And now she is able to use what the devil meant for harm. And that tragic fire. God, as she said, in her scripture that she uses, had works everything together for good for those who love him and are called according to His purpose, right? We know Justine, that he called you, with your life, and we are so grateful. And now you speak all over, you share your story. And we are so thankful that you decided to come on today and share your story with us, ladies, it's our hope that by listening that God touches your heart two, we all just, you know, we need those glimmers of hope, when we have tragedy or storms that hit our life. And sometimes it's hard to come out of that world that we get stuck in, when we can get depressed or when we are, you know, just weary from the storm that has hit us. And I just want to encourage you that we have many tools that women were leaders because we want to encourage you. We want to encourage you in your walk with Jesus, to look up to look to His scriptures follow after Him because that's where your hope lies. Your hope lies in Jesus Christ. One of the books that we had put out a few years ago by women world leaders, it's tears to triumph. It's releasing pain to receive God's restoration. Ladies, there are so many stories of hope in here. This is an amazing tool that you can use to give you some glimmers of hope through other women's stories of sharing what they have overcome tears to triumph. It's available through our website at women world leaders.com And you can also get it on Amazon this book I went to number one best seller and also international best seller so we are So grateful for the lives that it's impacting. And ladies, I also want to share about our voice of Truth magazine. This magazine comes out quarterly now. It's beautiful. It's done with excellence. There are authors, writers from all over the world that God has gathered together and put into one magazine with their writings. And these writings are inspirational, they do give you hope. They're full of scriptures full of inspirational stories, all just for you, and it's for free. The way that you can receive voice of truth in the mail is if you are a US resident, you just go to our website, women world leaders.com. And look up the voice of Truth magazine. And if you scroll down, there's a place for you to subscribe for free. And then if you are outside of the United States, this is available digitally, ladies. So we would encourage you to go to our website. Again, I keep saying that, women world leaders.com. And look up voice of truth. And you can read it online digitally as well. It is filled with beautiful pictures, lots of photography, but amazing God stories that are sure to uplift you. So I would like to ask you, just Steena as we are getting ready to close out, can you please share with the ladies? Just something from your heart to encourage them think about the lady right now that is tuned in that is going through a horrific tragedy in her life right now. Can you give her that hope to cling to? Justina Page   Absolutely. So here's the thing. We mistakenly think that bad things happen to bad people, and only good things will happen to good people and that we're good. Well, here's the thing. It's a thing called life. And it just happens. And what our challenge is, is to deal with it with our Lord and Savior. As it happens. He's for us. He's with us. He never leaves us. And he knows what he's doing. trust his character. Don't worry about a situation. Don't let the enemy make your situation. The Lord Jesus is Lord. Kimberly Hobbs   Amen. Jesus is Lord. Thank you so much and Justina again, we are just so, so grateful to have you with us maybe share a little bit about your movie that they can tune into. I thought that was so interesting. And Justine is an actress and share a little bit about that. Justina Page   Absolutely. Sure, so there's a movie that my first movie that was in, it's called we are stronger. It was through reflective media production. And it is a faith based film that deals with PTSD and hope that's in Christ. So how you can find hope. And it was any PTSD, not just military, but it was the story of a bit that it came home and how it affected his family and all. It's powerful. You can find it on Pure Flix, you can find it on Amazon Prime. You can also now find it on YouTube. And it got picked up about by 26. Array big countries. Yes, wow is translated over there. So we thought that was just the power of God, God just having to wait in that area, because the message is about Jesus. So on April 30, we are super excited. The TV series Breaking strongholds will launch and it will launch first on YouTube TV. So if you go to reflective media.org, you can learn all that information. You can maybe even host a watch party, which is free. Just gather a bunch of friends. So we have people watching it together all over the world. So super excited about that. And that deals with this first season is dealing with teenage suicide. And yeah, it's some powerful stuff. And it's just a great TV series. I mean, I know I'm in it, but just standing back and looking. Whoa, this is really good. Yeah. Kimberly Hobbs   Wow. Wow. And that just makes me so happy just knowing that we have some content for some of our teen viewers that is faith based. Exactly. Justina Page   Wow. And that's why we chose YouTube TV, because that's where that that demographic is right there in the millions. So we want to put it where everyone can get Get to it. Free. Kimberly Hobbs   Amen, so that's April of 2022. And what is the title of it? Justina Page   Breaking Strongholds Kimberly Hobbs   Breaking strongholds - what content. Oh, my goodness. Yes. We know we know there are strongholds that need to be broken, right? Oh, my goodness. And so Justina also share with us how, if any of our viewers would like to reach out to you with questions or you know, further information, how can they reach you Justina? Justina Page   The easiest way to reach me is simply my email. [email protected]. Or my website, www.Justinapage.com. Kimberly Hobbs   Wow. Well, you are a treasure and I am so grateful that God turned this whole mess into a message and you are beautiful inside and out just Cena. You wear those beautiful scars with Jesus all over. I mean, your smile is contagious. It just shines. And I am just so proud of you just going beyond and sharing your story. And we are all blessed to be able to hear and listen and ladies, we just asked you if these podcasts have impressed on your heart anything or made an impact that you would share them, share them with those that you know are going through something and they just really need some encouragement and uplifting content. And we would love for you to share these podcasts. Also every Monday, Wednesday and Fridays women world leaders brings these podcasts to you we have teaching podcasts on Wednesday by Julie Jenkins and they are powerful. She's going through the Gospels and the teaching that comes through the Gospels, ladies is just every one is broken down and it's just beautiful. Every Friday we have celebrating God's grace by women of the ministry and the teaching and the encouragement that you receive through celebrating God's grace is phenomenal. So please tune in every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to these podcasts. Ladies, we are so grateful that you turned in tuned in today and from his heart to yours. We are women world leaders we want to welcome you back every time we're here. All content is copyrighted by women real leaders and cannot be used without expressed written consent. Thank you Justina page. We are so happy to have you. Justina Page   Oh God, it was my honor. Kimberly Hobbs   Ah, amen. Amen. God bless you all and till next week, have a blessed week.  

Cindy Jacob Southworth, an AACC Certified Relationship Coach, is sharing what the Word says about spiritual blindness in our relationships, and what the Word says about overcoming that spiritual blindness. Spiritual blindness keeps us from the abundance that God has for us. The next time you are feeling criticized, ask yourself if this perceived criticism can be helpful in removing your own spiritual blindness. ***** Welcome to Celebrating God’s Grace, a Women World Leaders Podcast. I am your host Cindy Jacob Southworth, an AACC certified relationship coach with Breakwater Ministries, and part of the Women World Leaders leadership team, and I am coming to you from Cindy’s Porch. Today I want to talk to you about spiritual blindness, but first let’s go to God in prayer. Father I am so grateful that you sent your son Jesus, and because of your humanity. You suffered in being tempted. Through that, you understand my suffering and your holy spirit gives me immediate assistance when I am being tempted and exposed to that same kind of suffering. Thank you for your counsel over me Father, In Jesus’ name, Amen. Is it Criticism, or am I spiritually blind?   One of the common complaints that I hear among husbands and wives is “he’s always criticizing me” or “she doesn’t listen; she just wants to mother me.” It’s easier to look at someone else’s flaws instead of our own, and if it isn’t delivered in the right tone, it comes across as criticism. However, we have much to learn from Jesus’ teachings and apply them to our present relationships. In Hebrews 2:18 we are reminded that 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Even though Jesus himself did not sin, he knew what the temptation of sin can do to an individual as he himself experienced the suffering that comes from that temptation. He then showed us loving ways to help others steer away from temptation. In Hebrews 3:12-13 we read:12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. So, let’s take a second look at what our spouse is trying to say to us. When we hear something that sounds like a criticism, take a step back. Instead of getting defensive, ask yourself: Is he possibly revealing a blind spot I might have in this situation? Is she trying to keep me from the suffering that will come if I act on what I believe to be true? Am I hearing criticism, or a plea to look at my behavior and see if it is possibly causing damage to myself or others? Let’s look at some real-life situations:  Brad and Emily are married. Emily complains that Brad criticizes the amount of time that she spends with her extended family. He describes her family as “being all up in each other’s business” and Emily is often irritable and frustrated that certain family members are making bad choices. She thinks Brad is being critical of her, and is “jealous” of the time she is with her family. However, coaching reveals that Emily sees herself as the family hero – what would they do without her? Coaching reveals that Emily is spending her time trying to help people who don’t want to be helped. Brad isn’t in fact being critical, he is trying to spare her from the angst that comes from being in a codependent relationship. Emily decides to believe that her husband wants the best for her, and she starts focusing her energy on relationships that are healthier for her, including her own marriage. Bob and Sandy are also married and Bob complains that Sandy is always nagging him about his drinking. He feels attacked and judged because he just wants to relax in the evenings and have a couple drinks, even though he admits it is habitual and becoming excessive. Bob has a blind spot about the effects that his habitual drinking has on ther marriage, and when he decides to stop drinking, he discovers that he can have a stronger emotional connection with his wife. She wasn’t being critical – she was pointing out a roadblock that was leading him down a path of suffering. These are just two examples of Hebrews 3:12-13 in action: we are to encourage one another that we not get caught up in sin’s deceitfulness. The temptation of sin blinds me to me, and as long as sin is in me, it will blind me to my view of myself.  Spiritual blindness keeps us from the abundance that God has for us. As husbands and wives, as best friends, as loving parents, the most loving thing we can do is help each other see our own roadblocks, those things that are preventing us from being all that God has called us to be. So the next time you are feeling criticized by your spouse, or your best friend, or your parent, take a step back and ask yourself, “are they criticizing me, or are they revealing a roadblock in my life?” Maybe they are being critical, but if there is one element of truth in that criticism, it can help set you free from your own spiritual blindness. Jesus was brilliant at showing us how these relationships can work. We are called to be salt and light to each other – so we can live out the divine calling that God has on our lives. I would love to hear from you, so drop me an email at [email protected]   Send me your ideas for relationship advice. What would you like to hear about on this podcast that has to do with marriage? Send me your questions.   Thank you so much for joining us today—as we celebrate God’s grace in our lives, in this ministry, and the world! Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God’s extravagant love and your courageous purpose. Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request,  and support the ministry. Don’t forget to sign up for a free subscription to our Voice Of Truth Magazine. Check out upcoming events in June 2022 in south Florida. From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders. All content is copyrighted by Women World Leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.

Miracles happen every day in our world, just as they did in the Bible. But even as we recognize the miracles in our lives, God wants us to look for the blessing beyond! Join Julie Jenkins as she teaches from Matthew 14:34-36, Mark 6:53-56, and John 6:21-40. ******* Welcome to Walking in the Word – the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders podcast. My name is Julie Jenkins, and I am so pleased that you have joined us. As I record this, it is April of 2022 – we just celebrated Easter – as  my daughter likes to call it, the Christian’s Super Bowl, and we are marching quickly toward May. For us at Women World Leaders, that means a few things. First, the May edition of Voice of Truth magazine will soon be printed! So remember to go to our website – womenworldleaders.com – to register for your free printed version if you live in the United States, and for your free digital version if you live outside of the United States or you’d prefer to read the magazine on your digital device! Second, our 2022 books are coming to life! We have teams of coaches and editors who are guiding both new and seasoned writers who are courageously stepping forward to share their God-story with the world. If God is calling you to share your story, please contact us at [email protected], we’d love for you to join us. And third – our next live event is just around the corner! Our team is planning an amazing gathering called Renew, that will springboard us into our post-pandemic world! If you are or plan to be in South Florida, be sure to register to join us in person on June 4th, OR you can join us virtually. All information can be found on our website: womenworldleaders.com But now…we want to quiet our minds for the next few minutes as we focus on the Word of God. Each Wednesday, we intentionally take time to study the Bible together, asking God what He wants us to learn today. We are currently walking chronologically through the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Today, our teaching comes from Matthew 14:34-36, Mark 6:53-56, and John 6:21-40. Before we begin, will you pray with me? Dear Most Holy God! We are honored to come to you today as we open your Holy Scripture together. Thank you for meeting with us and for guiding us into your truth. We ask you to speak clearly to us and give us a deeper understanding of who you are and who you are calling us to be. God, thank you for knowing and supplying what we each need today. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.   As we study the Bible, it is so important to understand the context of the scripture we are reading. That means, in part, seeking to understand the full story – asking, what led us to where we are? So let’s quickly look back at where we have come from. Jesus had been teaching the disciples when a crowd of over 5000 gathered. As evening drew near, not wanting to send the people away hungry, Jesus performed a miracle by multiplying the food that was available – 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish – into more than enough food to feed the hungry crowd. The people were grateful and, in response, wanted to make Jesus their earthly king. Jesus reacted to this temptation by first, removing the disciples from the situation by sending them, by boat, to cross the Sea of Galilee; next, by sending the crowds away; and finally, retreating by Himself to pray. As Jesus prayed, a storm formed over the water, threatening the lives of the disciples. Jesus lovingly took a stroll across the water to remind the disciples of His presence. John 6:21 from the New Living Translation reports, that the disciples were eager to let him in the boat, and immediately they arrived at their destination! I always feel like I kind of missed something when I read that verse. It seems that one minute they were in a storm, and the next, they were at their destination. Fearing that I misinterpreted this, I looked up the word ‘immediately,’ wondering if this was like a magician’s act. Did Jesus suddenly transport them from one location to another? Well…what I found was that the word translated as ‘immediately,’ means immediately, directly, at once, or soon. That being said, if you compare the 80 times it is used in the Bible, it almost always seems to mean ‘instantaneously.’ That’s crazy to imagine, right? There are a lot of questions I’m going to ask God when I get to heaven, and that is going to be one! But regardless of the timing of the trip…the boat lands exactly WHERE it is supposed to. It is interesting, however, that it doesn’t land where the disciples THOUGHT they were going! They were trying to get to Capernaum, but they ended up at Gennesaret. (geh-NEH-sir-eht) I think that most of us can attest to the fact that sometimes things don’t look exactly like we think they should when we come out of a storm. We probably have all, at one time or another, ended up in a different place than we were expecting. But when we invite Jesus into the boat with us, we can always trust that we will end up exactly where we are supposed to be! As we read on, we see clearly that Jesus WAS where He was supposed to be. He had work to do. Matthew 14:35 states…. 35 When the people recognized Jesus, the news of his arrival spread quickly throughout the whole area, and soon people were bringing all their sick to be healed. And Mark 6:55-56 records that the people 55 ran throughout the whole area, carrying sick people on mats to wherever they heard (Jesus) was. 56 Wherever he went—in villages, cities, or the countryside—they brought the sick out to the marketplaces. They begged him to let the sick touch at least the fringe of his robe, and all who touched him were healed Wherever He went, Jesus continued to showcase His glory and His dominion over sickness, disease, and physical needs. Today, Jesus no longer walks around the earth in bodily form…if He did, can you just imagine the crowds that would flock to Him? Instead, we are blessed to live in a time when God is everywhere via the Holy Spirit, who knows no physical or spatial barriers. And we can be assured that just as Jesus touched people everywhere He went, God, who is the same yesterday, today and forever, continues doing miraculous works via the Holy Spirit… only now those miracles happen everywhere, every single day! And if God is working everywhere, every day, you can be assured that He is constantly working in YOUR life. Sometimes we have to open our eyes and ask God to show us His work to recognize those miracles. But God’s miracles are not the endgame…they always have a purpose beyond the obvious. When God works in our lives, He wants us to look BEYOND the miraculous circumstance, because He has something greater to show or teach us…and if we spend time with Him and ask Him what He wants us to know or learn, He WILL tell us! John 6:22-25 reintroduces us to the crowd who saw Jesus’ glory the day before – remember the crowd of over 5000 from the other side of the lake who got the free meal. They were back, and Jesus had something for them to learn! The night had passed, and, having traveled across the lake in search of Jesus, the people were hungry… again. It was time for breakfast, and they wanted Jesus to provide another meal for them! But Jesus had something far more valuable for them than breakfast. He offered them the lesson beyond the miracle. John 6:26… 26 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. 27 But don’t be so concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that the Son of Man[a] can give you. For God the Father has given me the seal of his approval.” They were in danger of seeing Jesus as a vending machine. Put a quarter in and hit the right button, receive healing. Put another quarter in and hit the other button, receive food. And although Jesus CAN supply our every need, the glory of Jesus is who He is, not what He can do. Jesus is the King of kings, the Lord of lords. He is the beginning and the end, the Almighty. He is LOVE, JOY, and PEACE. Jesus is more than we can ask or imagine. Simply being in His presence is life-changing and life-fulfilling. And when we look beyond the miracle, we will get a glimpse of His glory. The people loved God and appreciated His goodness. But instead of recognizing the blessing of Jesus Himself, they decided that they wanted to be able to do what Jesus did. The people said… “We want to perform God’s works, too. What should we do?” To which Jesus replied with a verse all should commit to memory…John 6:29… 29 Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.” Did you catch that? All God wants from us is for us to believe in Jesus! One of the devil’s greatest tricks is to instill pride in our spirits. We may start out in humble service TO Jesus, but when it goes well, and WE get the kudos, the devil tries to tempt us into believing that OUR WORKS make us worthy of being God’s children. We are just a few days past Easter, as I record this. My kids are 22, 20, and 16. So, we are far removed from Easter egg hunts and chocolate bunnies. With one daughter away at school and the other working for a church, waking up on Easter morning is not what it used to be in our house. But taking my eyes off those “things” that a mom must “do” to celebrate a holiday, allowed me to simply rest in our risen Savior’s presence. And it was glorious! Doing what we are called to do for God’s glory – mom duties, work duties, or even ministry duties – are not wrong. They are worthy. But we must always remember that we can never replace the glory of being with Jesus with anything we do for Jesus – no matter how worthy the calling. John 6:29 – The only work God wants from you is to believe in the one he has sent. The people still weren’t quite getting it…verse 30… 30 They answered, “Show us a miraculous sign if you want us to believe in you. What can you do? 31 After all, our ancestors ate manna while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.’[b]” 32 Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you the true bread from heaven. 33 The true bread of God is the one who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” The people were still thinking of their bread from the day before. In their minds, THAT was miraculous! And Jewish teaching had instilled in them that the TRUE Messiah would offer them bread every day, just as the Israelites had received manna every day. It was a new day…and they were hungry. So they asked again for the miracle, instead of looking beyond the miracle and recognizing that Jesus Himself embodied something even greater than the miracle…Verse 34… 34 “Sir…give us that bread every day.” And being as clear as human language would allow, Jesus replied… “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.  36 But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me.  And even though the people had not fully turned their hearts to Jesus, and they still couldn’t quite understand what He was saying, Jesus then gave some of His most encouraging teaching ever. Continuing on in verse 37… 37 However, those the Father has given me WILL come to me, and I will NEVER reject them. 38 For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. 39 And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. 40 For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.” Every miracle of Jesus points to the glory of God Himself. And in His glory, we are promised that when we submit to Him, He will never leave us nor forsake us. THAT is what Jesus wants us to see. Jesus offers us Himself. Not only did He give His life on a cross to overcome death for each of us so that we would not die, but He offers us Himself every single day that we may live exceedingly and abundantly beyond our very imaginations. So look for the miracles of Jesus…they are all around you! Expect the unexpected. Rejoice in the impossible. But always remember to look beyond the miracle to the true teaching. The Creator is greater than the created, the Giver is greater than the gift, the Miracle Worker is greater than the miracle…and He has chosen YOU to spend eternity with Him. Dear Most Holy and Righteous God! Thank you for the miracles that you surround us with every day: for allowing us to land exactly where we are supposed to be after the storm, healing us, feeding us, and supplying our every need. But most importantly, thank you for being you and for choosing us. Jesus, you never give up on us and you never leave us. We do give you all the praise and glory as we seek YOU…the blessing beyond the miracle. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Our guest today, Shelia Erwin, raised two amazing children. You may know them as the Erwin Brothers who went on to produce box office films such as I Can Only Imagine and Mom's Night Out.   Shelia speaks to moms and grandmothers about what it is like to parent two dreamers and raise them up God's way.    ******** Kimberly Hobbs   Welcome to empowering lives with purpose. And I'm your host, Kimberly Hobbs, and I am the founder of Women world leaders. We are so grateful to have you here today, ladies, and I'm just thrilled to talk with our guests today. Miss Mrs. Sheila Erwin. Shelia Erwin   Well, thank you. It's great to be here. Kimberly Hobbs   Oh, it's great to have you. Ladies, you're going to hear about this woman and who she is. I'm really excited about today's podcast, we're going to be talking to moms and grandmothers. Proverbs 22. Six says, Train up a child in the way they should go. And when they are old, they will not depart from it. We're gonna talk more about that and her two special boys that she raised up. So today, ladies, podcast is for you. We're here to inspire you encourage you to walk after Jesus to run after Jesus with all of your heart. And if we could be there to put smiles on your faces while doing it, we want to do that. Ephesians 210 says that we are God's masterpiece we are created anew in Christ Jesus to do the very good things that he planned for us long ago. And we believe that you have a beautiful purpose, ladies. And if you are moms and grandmothers today. Just be prepared to be blessed to hear from this special woman of God. We are just so honored to have her. Sheila Irwin, who is she? Well, she's from Alabama. And Sheila is passionate about pointing other women to Jesus, especially moms and grandmothers. And she served in the women women's ministry as a director. She speaks at retreats, and she leads Bible study groups across the country. Sheila manages a successful travel company, but her greatest joy is being a wife, a mother, a mother in law and grandmother. And that's so beautiful to hear that you cherish that Sheila she loves the mother to well known filmmakers Andy and John Irwin of the Irwin brothers and kingdom story company, you may know of some of their movies like I can only imagine. And moms night out. Sheila Irwin is also the author of the book raising up dreamers find and grow your children's God given talents. We'll talk about that later and how you can get her book. She heads up a women's ministry, which is called Raising dreamer ministry at WWW dot raising Dreamers ministry.org And today we get to hear more from her about being a mom and a grandmother and raising up these children. But God ladies, right? How do we raise children in today's society, but God? So again, I shared that scripture starting out of Proverbs 22 Six that says Train up a child in the way they should go. And when they are old, they will not depart from it. The Bible is so full of truths, especially in Proverbs and training of children is so important. Sheila, you raised up two very special boys who have become world changers in what they do. But they had to begin somewhere. And they had to be taught right? So parenting is such an important tool ladies at home, you know that. And if you have children running around how important it is to teach and train them instead of leaving them to their own. You say in your book, Sheila that the pressure doesn't need to be on us though. We need to follow the leading of the Lord. So how did you raise two boys to be dreamers in their reach and give us a glimpse of life inside the Erwin household? Shelia Erwin   Well, to start with my husband is a dreamer. He's been in radio and television for a long, long time, had a talk show for many many years over 25 years. And and then was a state senator for eight years but so he started he was just he was the dreamer in the household and the creative one I was an art major. And so that combination, I guess was kind of good for our boys as well but to know our family, we followed heart after God as a family. We taught our children that Jesus Christ could be there all in all that he could do anything, and that. And so when they were 12 and 16, that came to their daddy. And they said that we really believe that God wants us to make Christian movies. And heighten did not discourage that at all. He said, Well, that's great guys. But there's some things you need to know. The first thing is, it's going to take 20 years to build a company, where you can really make good movies. So you know, you got some time. The other thing is, is you're going to have to do the wow factor. If somebody looks at your work, and they say, that's good. You say, I'm not done yet. Go back to the drawing board. And you work more until they look at your work and go, Wow, you're doing everything with excellence. And so at that point, our boys were already, Hank was already letting them be a hit on live TV show, but that time, and they were he was allowing them to, to run a camera, each of them run on one of the cameras at 12 and 16. They were running in camera. And then they started working around the studio, they're doing some football games and working in this in it, they just kind of like ducks to water, we just that it was just there we homeschool. So they have plenty of time to pursue this. And plus they're four years apart. And they had time to develop their relationship. I don't think there would be Irwin brothers, if it had not been for the fact that we did homeschool. And they had time to develop those relationships and those things. And so, um, so that was kind of what our home like I, I homeschool them, you know, so I was having input that way as well. We homeschooled. Our John is add. And so homes, he says homeschool and saved his life in school and, and he was doing okay. He wasn't doing poorly, by any stretch of the imagination is extremely high key both of my boys do. But he was really struggling in the classroom. So after we came home to homeschool, he will actually in second grade from reading he was reading second grade fifth month, which is on you know, that's okay, average. But by the end of the second grade just by homeschooling he's then really eighth grade eighth month. He just needed the stability of being where there weren't a lot of people and a lot of things going on so he could really learn. So we didn't we had our challenges that way. But they began to create and slowly but surely Andy went off to to Bible college. And while he was gone, John turned his room into a studio, Hank bought him his own camera. He had another homeschool guy that worked for free, or at least John said it was for free. He ate me at a house and home. And they began to do commercials and missionary videos and just learning the craft learning what to do and how to do it. And slowly but surely, it came time where John asked me if he wanted to come home and join him in he did. He came home and joined. That's quite a story there. You can read that in the book. But he came home and joined his brother. They started doing they started doing music videos. By that time Michael W. Smith gave them their big break your ask them to do a video for him. And after that it was just smooth sailing as far as others asking them to do it. And then their big break came when Casting Crowns asked them to do their video. And they won their first double award. They won many double awards after that time for Best Video of the Year. And then eventually made the first movie which was on top of baby so that's kind of in a nutshell. Mainly we followed after God we did not set out to make movie makers. That was not our dream and it wasn't our dream in the first place. It was their dream. And so we supported them in that and tell them but God could do anything. Kimberly Hobbs   But he can That's right. Yeah. Same man. Amen. So that's that's so interesting how you are sharing that you saw a need and in one of your children to hone in because he had that what they labeled as add it but through homeschooling you said you were able to really nurture him in that area so that he could pay attention and I love that that you were very in tune to what was going on within his person. So let's narrow this down a little bit and talk about cultivating their gifts your their specific gifts. Sheila and so what did that look like when they were really young? How did you cultivate them? You had to have little indications of what they were moving to. And I'm sure you wanted them to follow after God while they were young. How did you cultivate the gifts that they had as human beings? Shelia Erwin   My boys wrote the foreword to my book, okay. Andy wrote about a something that happened in our home, that that I was just doing for fun. Like I said, I'm an art major. So I was just doing for fun, but it changed the trajectory of his life. But they love Star Wars. And the Christmas before we had been able, even though we were the ministry, God had provided Star Wars stuff for 80% off, so we bought everything they had. And so the boys had all the Star Wars things. And I decided that would be fun, because we had a garage we couldn't use because our driveway was straight down, I mean, straight down. And so we didn't really, you know, go up and down that driveway very much. So we didn't use the garage except for storage. And so I thought, wouldn't it be fun to make a set of Star Wars. So we also I got sawhorses. And I got plywood, and we went out there. And we, we started working, I think it was an old ping pong table, maybe even. But anyway, we started working on an ester working on it. And then the boys joined in, and we made a Star Wars set. And, and Andrew said that that changed his life. Because it was his first first adventure, he was sick, he was six years old. His first venture into telling stories, and he would play at the hinge on will play out there forever, and changing the characters around and telling stories together. And he said that, and I said, Well, what was so special about that, as an adult, I asked him that, and he said, you entered into my world. I think sometimes we don't do that. Or maybe we have a dream. And we want a doctor or lawyer or an Indian chief, whatever it is that you want. And we set out to develop that I didn't do that. I set out to know my children, and to help them be who they were, and who they are. And they're totally different, totally, totally different. And so I helped to help them learn and to nurture that another story would be with John. He was about three or four, maybe four, I don't know. And I had somebody over. And so I said, I need to get John busy. Because it's not good at John's not Dan's not busy while we're talking. So I'll win and I got a shoebox and some all kinds of just art supplies. And I put him over in the corner and said, make me something, make me something. Well, about an hour later, he comes back with a robot, that that these arms and legs go up and down. You know, not bad for five girls. But that was it his own creativity, gave them the tools to be able to cultivate and the time I gave them time to be able to cultivate that thing that they loved. And to nurture that as the as we went along. I didn't set out to conform them to the image. I thought they aren't debate. I set out to discover them. I think we make mistakes as Mom's doing that, to discover my children was just so amazing to me, because they had such incredible things going on in their their little brains that if we take the time, we can it's transformative. Kimberly Hobbs   Amen. Wow, that is just That's powerful. Because again, you know, we can be selfish as parents, because you know, we wouldn't be proud of these kids. And then everybody gravitates toward their, you know, dream job or something, and they point their kids, but that's not necessarily the gifts that God has given them. We need to look ladies for those special gifts that God has planted in your child and your grandchildren and honing in on those. And just like Sheila said, you know, she got into their world, what made them happy, where were they excelling? And then she developed with them, where they were doing their best thing because we can push our agenda on them. But they're not necessarily going to be happy children when they're not comfortable in that agenda. But when we can get into their world and what makes them happy, then we're going to be able to have their ear as we go through their life with them because we know they're in their happy place. They know that they're comfortable with mom because she's moving with them and she gets it what makes them happy. So really be a good listener to your child and ask God to show you what What those gifts are in your children. And that's beautiful. That was great advice. Thank you, Sheila. Shelia Erwin   One more little story. Because you mentioned grandson's, I have seven grandchildren. They're the most amazing people. But anyway, and of course, of course they are. That's what they call them, Grant. But my Isaac, he's 13, almost 14 right now. But when he was about six or seven, I was writing my book. I was starting to write my book. And he knew Nene was a writer. And, and so he came to, he came to me and and he said, Maybe I want to write a book. And I've written a book. I said, you have he said, Yes, ma'am. He said, it can I bring it in short to you. So he had taken animals. He's very creative as well. He can you take an animal's and he told something that had a picture of that animal tell something about those animals. And I said, let's put it into a book form. So I had an app, we put it into a format, edit it down, I got it all ready. I sent it to the person that could I got a, I had a person that can make it into a book. I had, I think it was 10 copies made. There were probably $20 apiece, I don't know it's ridiculous. But but he got he had one for all the grandparents in the parents. And he actually took one to his school. And he took it to his teacher. And she they put it in the library at the school. Kimberly Hobbs   Oh, my goodness, wow. Look in the library at school. And he's a published author. And a beautiful, I love it. I love it. Oh, my goodness. And those are just like, you had to share that. Because those are those proud memories, those moments that you know that you invested well, right? Like you can still say to this day that that memory of investing into the happiness of your child by cultivating those gifts. And you did so well with that, Sheila. So I want to share a scripture. Right now, Isaiah 815, which says, Many will stumble over the stone in the rock and will fall and be seriously injured and be ensnared and captured. Today's world, we know it's easy to get ensnared. And the enemy is all about his schemes, ladies, right for our children, he wants our kids he is after our children. And it's a scary thing. So Sheila, how did you guide your children to chase those God given dreams and channel their talents to glorify God and not be gripped by the world not feel like they were doing things to impress the world? How did you bring them back? to channel those gifts? And do it for God? Shelia Erwin   Oh, wow, that's a great question. That's a fantastic question. A lifetime it takes the lifetime of the child. I mean, you know, you start very young, you don't start at 13 or 16, to try to do those things you're talking to me, you know, I always tell moms, your battle with your child is not one at 16. It's one to two. And so realizing that and cultivating, you know those things, but we cultivated our home. And what I mean by that our our house was the fun house. Everybody knew there was restrict, and if you went over to their house, you had to obey the rules. You know, we were fortunate to have a swimming pool. So we were the place everybody wanted to be but but we cultivated our home. And we brought children into our home more than our children went out into other homes. Okay. There were very few homes they were allowed to actually go out into. But we would bring the children into our home and we would, you know, our neighborhood children have actually been known to knock on the door and say Can Can Mr. r1 come in and play? You know, and so that's my husband just came in, and our Mr. Hunt was what they were calling. And so we cultivated a home of joy and fun and activity and all those things. We did a lot of things together as families, we met other families. And so we cultivated that where they they really had a refuge. Your children need for home to be the safest place on the face of this earth. That they know that world's going crazy and that mom and dad are going to give me a safe refuge. And because peer pressure is the most damning thing on the face of this loss, appear dependencies what it is nowadays, and so Okay, so we use the book of Daniel, one of the things I tell my boys was the Book of Enoch. And in the book of Daniel, we say that that some young man from Israel were taken captive. These were the cream of the crop the best of the best. They were the prince of Egypt, appearance of Israel, they were they were the smartest and most handsome they were, you know, they're good looking. They were He accomplished all of it, all of it. And out of that group, there were four young men that would stand alone. And then there was one and his name was standing. And so we teach our boys that we taught our boys that we are to set the standard not be pulled by the standard, we need in the group, we need to be that one that Daniel, dare to be a Daniel. And so, you know, so that helped our boys to know, you know, we talked to them about peer pressure, we talked to them about what to do, we talked to the fact that they get in a sticky wicket that they can call and we'll come get them right away, no condemnation, and no judgment will get them and bring them home. You know, so we were there for them, I think there for them would be the thing. And now you think you've got all these years and years and years, and you're gonna be a parent, it's hard, and you know, all this kind of stuff. But I'm going to tell you something, it goes by in a heartbeat. It does. The enemy does want our children. Now my children went to a very, that they worked for ESPN for a long time, they were the top two cameraman they travel all over the US that was their paying job while they develop their, their movie studios. And, and, and as my boys say, you know, the movie crew, or they're all pirates. And my boys love those guys, and they love them. But at night, when everybody would maybe go to the bar, the boys stayed, you know, in their hotel room together, you know, alone. There were things that they had to do to stand alone, but you teach them to stand alone, they teach them that, that Jesus Christ really will stand with them. They don't stand alone belong. But there are things that you have to you just have to teach them those things that I think a lot of parents think that kids are just getting get it. Right, somehow I don't know where they think they're gonna get it. They don't, they don't take time to teach and to talk. And it's such a joy to watch my boys now with their own children and, and listening to them instruct and teach. And especially now, you know, they both have a teenager, almost 14 years old, both John has a girl in me as a boy and watching them, cultivate those relationships has been a joy as well. So it's, it's, it's that thing that you're going to let them know that they are going to struggle at times, but you're there for them. Kimberly Hobbs   Amen. Amen. And I love that I love that you taught out of the book of Daniel on the Bible, and, and you taught them to stand alone. And I just remember a song that I was taught as a young child. And it was dared to be a Daniel, be a Daniel dare to stand alone. Dare to have a purpose truth there to make it known. So that that you teach them in standing alone, that are standing alone for a purpose. They have a truth, a truth that they need to hold on too tightly. And make that truth known of why they're being alone. And in you parents are the ones that need to pour into your child to teach them that to have that confidence that they can stand alone because they're standing on truth, not what the world is trying to, to trap them in. Right. So we want to I love that you brought up Daniel, that's so cool, and see how God just brings those things to mind when they're instilled in you as a child. Absolutely, yes, amen. So in closing, dear Sheila, it's not always easy to raise our children with circumstances in this world that have worn us down. And we need an attitude adjustments sometimes. And when those attitude adjustments need to be made, they're not just for our children, right? They're for ourselves. Because things happen in raising our children. We can get really just pulling our hair out sometimes and our attitude can turn sour really quick. But the Bible tells us be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged for the Lord. God is with you. That's first Corinth Chronicles 2820 God will never fail you or forsake you as a mom. And Sheila knows that. But God she said, I said Sheila, what's a good title for this? And she's like, how about but God and I said, Yeah, so but God when he's never gonna leave you alone. So God will see to it that all the work is finished correctly. All his work that he started is finished correctly. So again, remember that verse first Chronicles 2820. Ladies, you can go back to that. Sheila's reclosing out, please weigh into that scripture of how God never leaves us alone during the difficult moments, and especially your difficult moments of raising two dreamers, because I'm sure there were plenty of those. Shelia Erwin   Absolutely. You know, somebody asked me one time, would you have done anything different? I said, Oh, only two things. And I said, only two. And I said, Yeah, I want to be the perfect mother. And they would have been the perfect children. That didn't happen. And so there's no such thing. There's only one perfect, perfect person, and that's the Lord Jesus Christ. But when my when my Andy was about nine months old, I remember he was sleeping in the crib. And, and I hadn't, I am an only child. I had been, I had been a principal of school, but I had never had little children. I mean, around except for a cousin that lived next door, and I kind of have raised her. But I remember going to the Lord that day. And because I heard my mentor did say that she'd done the same thing. But as I looked at him laying in the crib, I said, Lord, would you protect my child from my flesh? Would you parent, my child through me, I make available to you, my mouth, my ears, my eyes, my heart, my hands, my feet, you parent, and he had been faithful to that cry of that little 29, almost 30 year old woman. Kimberly Hobbs   Oh my goodness, repeat those again, Shelia. Those are beautiful. Wow. Shelia Erwin   I just said, would you protect these babies from my flesh? You know, the first thing. And then the second thing was, would you parent, my child through me, and here's my, here's my mouth, my hands, my eyes, my heart, my feet, everything I give it aren't yours. I give it all to you. And you show me what to do. And he has been faithful. I'm teaching the book of James right now. You know, and it says, Let him who lacks wisdom, asking he gives it... Kimberly Hobbs   James 1:5! Shelia Erwin   ...he gives it an abundance, but he also gives it without reproach. He doesn't say Do you not know that yet? I can't believe you're asking me that. No, is without reproach. So he will he is always ever there for us. And remembering this, God didn't give you the wrong children. And he didn't give them the wrong mother, either. And so I think sometimes we begin to feel like you know, we're not doing it right. Satan loves to whisper that in their ear. And if I just had children, like that lady over there, look at her children, you know, then I could do whatever. But he's asked you to parent the ones he's given you. And He will teach you. I think parenting is probably the biggest sanctification tool that God has in his arsenal for we moms and dads do. But he uses it uses it to sanctify us. Then sanctified means to make us holy. And it's progressive. And he's doing that, as he's teaching us what real love looks like, what real sacrifice looks like, what going the extra mile looks like? What, whatever that thing is that you need for that moment. He is Ever, ever there and ever teaching us those wonderful truths that we're going to need not only for our children, but for our own lives as well. And so seeing this process of parenting is God's tool for sanctification for me, and at the same time, hopefully the children will be enslaved by it as well. But God never leaves us nor forsake says he's always always there for us. And he's always available to us. If we if we've come to Christ, if we've understood the sin payment, if we've understood that we're sinners, and this is Easter weekend, isn't going to Easter, if we've understood that he died on the cross, and it was raised from the grave, and we accept that sin payment as our very own. The Holy Spirit comes in to dwell in us permanently. And He will never leave you nor forsake you. And he's the instructor. He's our counselor. He's our teacher. And he's everything that we need for godliness and holiness. And he's everything we need to be godly moms and grandmothers, as well. Amen. Kimberly Hobbs   Amen. That is so beautiful, and how just beautiful advice to these ladies and grandmothers moms and grandmothers alike. And Sheila, I just can't thank you enough and just how beautiful the way you said it. I just That's why I asked you to repeat it about praying to God and not allowing our flesh to get in the way as moms and grandmothers. What a prayer I know I will be praying that especially and I love that prayer. So, and go through all of your all of your senses, like Sheila did pray over them specifically because some of us, you know, can let our mouths get in the way some of us can let our tempers flare up in our extremities get in the way, you know, we have to be very careful. So it's important to pray for our flesh and all from head to toe. I love, love. Love that, Sheila, thank you. Thank you, you have been a treasure to have on this empowering lives with purpose podcast, I am so grateful. And Sheila, before I share about our women, world leaders voice of truth magazine, I would like you to share about your book that you have out and how our ladies could get that book. Shelia Erwin   Oh, absolutely. It is. It's a book that's easy to read. It's broken down into small segments. And you can have women who use it even for their devotional time as well. But, but it's our journey, but it's the things that God taught me along the way, about parenting my children. And, you know, please don't read it thinking if I do this, I'll have my sons will be movie directors, or my daughters will be actresses or you know, remember, it's their dream, if that's what God calls them to. Absolutely. But I think I think it's a book of encouragement. To follow heart after God to know him and make him known is what it is you can get it on Amazon, you can get it you can get it it Focus on the Family, they're my they're my distributor, the the actual, the answer, you can get it on their, their website as well. Most places, sell books, Barnes and Nobles, you know, all of those, but it's raising up dreamers, especially when or when, and I would love for you to get a copy and read it. And then we've talked a lot about grandmother's and I haven't been I didn't think about it. But I've got a little Tin Tin. I mean, it's a little handwritten pages is, but it's it's actually a prayer guide for grand moms and moms and grandmothers to pray together 30 days of prayer, and you can kind of sit it up somewhere. And you'll just go in and it tells you about different ways to pray for your your grandchildren and your children. You can do it together. I've got moms and grandmothers that are actually doing the 30 days together. You can you can email me, and I'll tell you how to get a copy. But it's just raising dreamers ministries, it's plural [email protected] and ask for a copy and I'll tell you how you can get it and I'll mail it out to you that way. But yeah, we got a website. Our website is raising dreamers ministries, plural.org. We're on Facebook or on YouTube. So come see us. Kimberly Hobbs   Wow, lots of ways that they can reach out to you Sheila and we are just so again, honored to have the privilege to interview you today and just talk and, and just get to know you, Sheila these last conversations I've had with you you have been nothing but a blessing. And I am so grateful again that you came to be part of women world leaders. And ladies, we are happy that you joined us today. I just want to say again, remember, we have our voice of truth magazine that is available to you for free. If you're in the United States, you can get the printed version and it's gorgeous. Just like Sheila said it's like coffee table quality. So there you are going to want to put it out on your coffee table for everybody to pick up and read because it is filled with scriptures encouragement and empowerment. And of course the gospel message of Jesus in every edition. Ladies, if you want your free copy, all you need to do is go to women world leaders.com And just request your copy. You can read it online digitally as well. Outside of the country. It's available every time we put out in addition it is available through our website again women world leaders.com. Ladies again, we are so grateful that you tuned in today and hope that you gleaned some good nuggets here because I know I have and ladies we are here every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with podcasts and we have our teaching podcasts on Wednesday and celebrating God's grace on Friday. So please ladies and of course every Monday are the interviews. We are grateful Sheila Erwin, thank you once again for being Our guest today, ladies, all content is copyrighted and cannot be used without expressed written consent from his heart to yours. We are women, world leaders and we love you. God bless you and have a great day.  

Let God heal the innermost parts of your heart as you keep your eyes on Him.  ****** Welcome to celebrating God's grace, a Women World Leaders podcast. I'm your host, Janet Berrong. Thank you for joining me today as we celebrate God's grace in our lives, in this ministry, and in the world. It's an honor for me to be back with you today sharing health, beauty, and Jesus. I want to talk about heart healing as we keep our eyes on Jesus. Recently, I've been doing some heart healing to be the best version of myself. While doing this, it requires me to keep my eyes on Jesus to be intentional and focused allowing him to heal my inner parts of my heart. The Bible says in Proverbs 4:23, "Above all else, guard your heart for everything you do flows from it." Scientists have recently discovered some interesting facts about your physical heart. For example, they now believe that the heart has its own way of thinking and feeling. They have also found that the thoughts and feelings of your physical heart exert tremendous and measurable control over how you interpret life's experiences. In other words, they have discovered what you believe in your heart determines the course of your life. Wounded hearts cause blind spots that keep people from walking in the fullness of who God created them to be. You can help people connect with Jesus, receiving healing from emotional pain and trauma and make space for God to uncover the lies that keep them from living from what the whole heart that he paid for on the cross. Psalm 76:23 reads, "My flesh and my heart may fail. But God is my strength of my heart and my portion forever." What does it mean to keep your eyes on Jesus, we surely know that the world is filled with so many temptations. Oftentimes, these appear to be brilliant enough trying to lure us to keep our focus on them. But as Christians, our loyalty must belong to Jesus alone. As what the Bible has taught us, we have a jealous God. And this we have to give him only our attention. Also, as we are traveling on the road of uncertainties, and too many distractions, keeping our eyes on Jesus would safely lead us to our right destination. Otherwise, we'd be lost wandering in the wilderness. fixing your eyes on Jesus is not a form of denial or abstract belief. Keeping your eyes on Jesus doesn't require us ignoring the problem, or pretending it does not exist. Just the opposite. leaning on God empowers us right within the battle. What is distracting you today from keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus? Can you identify what it is this distracting you call it out and go to battle against the lie. But when you are tempted to look down at the storm around you, look up. Keep your eyes and heart focused on Jesus, the author and perfecter of your faith, who set the joy before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12, one through two, friend, there's joy coming. Don't focus on the storm. Keep your eyes on Jesus. He is there in the storm. Matthew 14:25 through 31 reads, shortly before dawn, Jesus went out to them walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake. They were terrified. It's a ghost they said and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them, Take courage. It is I don't be afraid, Lord, if it's up to replied, tell me to come to you on the water. Come, he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came towards Jesus. But when he saw the winds, he was afraid and began to sink cried out, Lord, save me. Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. You have little faith. He said, Why did you doubt? Lord, thank you for your saving grace. Thank you for loving us so much that you gave your only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have ever lasting life. I pray right now for anyone needing a heart healing today that you will meet them where they are. Speak to them now Lord, give them ears. to hear and eyes to see what you are revealing. Let no other voice speak to them but you Lord Jesus, and you alone. Help them to keep their eyes on you and receive your healing. In the name of Jesus. Amen. Be blessed

Jesus sent His disciples into a storm. Really! There was a storm coming, Jesus knew it, and He told His disciples to get in the boat and go without Him. Do you ever feel like you are in a storm and Jesus has abandoned you? He didn’t abandon His disciples, and He will never abandon you! If you let Him, He will use the storm to open your eyes to His glory and wonder – just like He did for the disciples! (Matthew 14:22-33, Mark, 6:45-52, John 6:16-21) ****** Welcome to Walking in the Word…the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders podcast. My name is Julie Jenkins, and I’m so happy that you have committed the next few minutes to focusing your mind on the teaching that God has for us today. God wants to meet you where you are and longs to empower you to work together with Him and His people to showcase His glory. That is our goal at Women World Leaders, to use our gifting to share Jesus with the world, and to help empower you to do the same as you walk in your God-given calling. Wherever you are in your walk, we are glad that you have joined us. When I came to this ministry, I felt called to simply put my toe in the water. I wanted to find out what Women World Leaders was all about and spend some time in prayer with God, asking Him to lead me in only as deep as He wanted me to go. And that’s what we want for you! Think of Women World Leaders as a stream of God’s love that you can access in an as big or small way as God calls. We are thrilled that you are listening to our podcasts – and maybe that is exactly where you are supposed to be right now. But don’t ever discount God’s movement for you as He calls you deeper – to grow, to serve, to give, and to experience His love in community. When you are ready, check us out at womenworldleaders.com and ask God where and when He wants you to step deeper into the stream. On this, our Wednesday edition of the Women World Leaders podcast, we have the joy of studying Scripture together as we ask God what He wants us to learn from Him today. We are currently walking through the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John chronologically. Before we jump into our scripture today from Matthew 14:22-33, Mark 6:45-52, and John 6:16-21, let’s pray… Dear Most Holy and Ever-Present God! We thank you for meeting us where we are today and always being ready to share your heart with us as we open your Word. God, your Word is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, and as we study today, we ask that you not spare us the blade. God, prune us as you teach us, that we may develop a deeper relationship with you. Open our hearts and our minds that we might truly grow and learn from you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.   Last week we learned about Jesus turning five loaves of bread and two fish into a satisfying meal for well over 5000 hungry people. There is no doubt that that miracle amazed all who were present, and John 6:15 tells us that, as a result, the people were ready to make Jesus their king by force. King Jesus…sounds pretty appropriate. But, not to Jesus, not at that time or for that reason. Jesus knew the hearts of the people, and they weren’t looking for an eternal King who would forgive their sins and lead them to life everlasting with God…they were looking for a worldly king. Their offer of kingship was akin to Satan’s offer to Jesus to rule all the kingdoms of the world when he tempted Him in the desert. Jesus understood this temptation, and He separated Himself from the tempter…and He separated His disciples from the tempter as well. Matthew 14:22 in the New Living translation states… Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. 23 After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. Jesus knew that the devil was up to his tricks, and He knew that the temptation to turn away from all that God had planned for Him was going to get increasingly more difficult with each step. So He retreated to pray – to spend time alone with His Father. In fact, He probably spent about six hours alone with God, while the disciples did what He told them to do. They got into the boat, only to encounter a dangerous storm. What the disciples didn’t know was that even by sending them into the storm, Jesus was protecting them. We often note that Jesus was fully human, well, the disciples were fully flawed humans. Like us. If they had gotten wind of the fact that the people wanted JESUS to become KING…there’s no telling where their imaginations would have gone. They were, after all, Jesus’ right-hand men. Surely, if Jesus was to become king, their own positions would be elevated as they became members of the King’s court! There is no telling how pride could have crept in and stolen their allegiance to God. Jesus knew exactly what He was doing when He sent His disciples by boat into a literal storm…He was protecting them from a storm of pride and greed that could have permanently sunk and destroyed them. How often do we nay-say the position we are in…wondering why our finances, position, or even relationships aren’t all we wished they could be? Perhaps by placing us where we are, even placing us in the middle of a storm, God is protecting US from a danger that we don’t even recognize. So…Jesus was with God, praying…and the disciples were boating into a storm. Did I mention that Jesus was WITH God? As the disciples were sailing into a storm, it likely crossed their minds…where is Jesus when we need Him? He knows how to calm the storm! But Jesus was with God…and He knew EXACTLY what the disciples were up against…and He knew EXACTLY what they needed. See…the disciples, whether they knew it or not, were in an intense learning period. First, they participated in one of the biggest miracles ever, then, maybe feeling a bit prideful, they got on a boat with their 12 baskets of leftovers…and steered right into a vicious storm. John 6:18 says…18 Soon a gale swept down upon them, and the sea grew very rough.  Mark writes…they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and waves And Matthew records…a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves.  Jesus knew. Matthew 14:25… 25 About three o’clock in the morning[a] Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, “It’s a ghost!” The disciples did not recognize Jesus, likely because they weren’t looking for Him. In their minds, He was on the shore praying. But Jesus was there…because Jesus is ALWAYS there for His children. And the fact that Jesus was walking on water was a clear demonstration of His deity. Job is recorded as extolling the virtues and attributes of God, and says in Job chapter 9, verse 8, “He alone has spread out the heavens and marches on the waves of the sea.” The word the disciples used for ghost demonstrated that instead of looking for Jesus, they were most likely thinking that an evil spirit was coming toward them. Mark records in chapter 6 verse 48 that Jesus intended to walk BY the boat…He was simply reminding them of His deity and control, as when God appeared in many instances throughout the Old Testament…but when Jesus recognized the disciples’ utter terror…He spoke.. “Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Take courage. I am here![b]” Jesus’ presence should have been enough! But the disciples were still learning! And Jesus was SO gracious! Matthew, 14:28 continues… 28 Then Peter called to him, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.” 29 “Yes, come,” Jesus said. This is remarkable to me… Jesus’ intent was to walk BY the boat…but when Peter called to Him, Jesus didn’t HESITATE to stop and respond. We’ve read over and over about Jesus’ compassion for the people – healing them, freeing them from demons, even feeding them. In this case, Jesus was there to comfort the disciples. And Peter wanted nothing more than to be close to Jesus, so he asked Jesus to call him. And Jesus didn’t hesitate. Jesus is always near us. He is always aware of what we need, and He certainly has the power to handle anything that is going on in our lives. But we must be aware, ask Him for His instruction, and then bravely follow His voice. Verse 29 continues… So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.  The lesson could end there. Jesus called to Peter to come, walk through a storm, across the water, defying logic and circumstance. And Peter obeyed. When has Jesus called you to get out of the boat? To draw near to Him? To trust the sound of His voice? Did you follow? Did you obey? Or are you still sitting in the boat? Peter followed. He stepped out. That could have been the end of an amazing story of faith. BUT…we are human…and in our humanity, even strong faith wavers when the world comes against us… Verse 30… 30 But when he saw the strong[c] wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. Again…THAT could have been the end of the story! Peter got out of the boat with his gaze fixed on Jesus, got distracted, and sank. The end. But it isn’t the end! Because God DOES NOT give up on us…or on our wavering faith! Instead, Peter looked back at Jesus and managed to grasp that wavering faith inside and shouted…  “Save me, Lord!” and 31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” So few words from Jesus, when He could have, by all rights, given Peter a complete lecture. Every time I hear this verse, I picture my children when they were tiny. I picture them coming to me with tears and big eyes…seeking forgiveness and feeling bad…I picture hugging them and kissing their head…and saying…its okay…but why did you doubt me? Jesus’ reaction to Peter is one of pure and utter love and devotion. It is compassion for Peter’s hurting, and wet, heart. Peter was gung ho…none of the other disciples asked if THEY could come to Jesus in the middle of the storm…but Peter asked! And Peter stepped out! And Peter wavered … and he sank. But then he called out to Jesus, who IMMEDIATELY reached out and grabbed him, and I like to imagine, kissed Him on the head in reassurance. Matthew 14:32 continues… 32 When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped. 33 Then the disciples worshiped him. “You really are the Son of God!” they exclaimed. This was the first time the Bible records that the disciples worshipped Jesus as the Son of God. And do you see why they did? Because they were in a storm, and Jesus calmed it. Jesus will always protect us…when we let Him. Because God who was passing by in a display of His sovereignty and peace, didn’t hesitate to invite Peter to come to Him and then He stuck around and saved Peter even through his wavering faith. Jesus will always honor our faith in Him…even when it is flawed. Because Jesus, who had sent them out in a boat to encounter a storm, used that same storm to meet them where they were and to guide them into the knowledge that He is God. Jesus will always show us who He is…and His works will always point us to God. Our lives on this earth will not always go as we would like them to…but God is in control and God will always show up! When we call to Him, He will use every storm for His glory. If you are in a storm, or have been brought out of a storm, perhaps God is now calling you to share your story…so that others will see His glory and will worship Jesus as Lord and Savior. Call to Him. Obediently step out of the boat. And then shout His praise! He will never let you down. I promise! Dear Most Holy God…Thank you for bearing with us despite our wavering faith. We know you have a purpose and a plan for us and you are calling us to get out of the boat. Help us keep our eyes on you even as we walk on the water through the storms of this life. With you, we can. With you, we will. We put all our trust in you as we step bravely, for the purpose of your glory alone. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Faith and Business. Today's guest, Tina Rains from Masterpiece Women, is a successful businesswoman who has combined her success as an entrepreneurial woman of faith with her business leadership skills and ministry in an Ephesians 2:10 way.   Be encouraged today to share your faith within the business world.   ****** Kimberly Hobbs  0:06   Welcome to empowering lives with purpose. And I'm your host, Kimberly Hobbs. I am the founder of Women world leaders. And I am so happy to introduce to you our guest today, who is Tina rains. And she also runs a ministry called masterpiece women. And today we get to talk about faith in business. Welcome, Tina. Tina Rains  0:30   Thank you, Kimberly, for having me. I'm so excited to be here with you. Kimberly Hobbs  0:35   We are so excited to have you. And ladies, we're hoping today that it is our prayer to strengthen you, encourage you, and empower you to share stories with others about how God has moved within your life. And we're going to hear today from Tina a little bit about how God has empowered her to move forward into ministry but also incorporate business into that. So we're hoping that by her sharing her story, this will encourage you to share your sometime as you just see what Tina is doing within her business. Ephesians 210 says we are God's masterpiece, we are created anew in Christ Jesus to do the very good things that he has planned for us long ago. And as those of you that follow empowering lives with purpose podcast, know that I use that scripture. Often when I open up, and I just am giggling because that is actually Tina and masterpiece women's verse for the ministry. And I love that. So you're gonna hear more about that in just a little bit. And I want to introduce to you Tina, and read a little bit about who Tina is. Tina is an RN. She's the founder of masterpiece women driven to help women know that they are a masterpiece based on Ephesians 210. The verse that I just read. She has a driving passion to help women understand who they are in Christ, build authentic community and give them tools to succeed in business. And in ministry. Tina is married to Monty and together they have seven children. And she's now a meanie to seven grandbabies. And Tina and Monty serve as couple chose for bi annual J H Outback marriage retreats. And I've heard about those retreats and they're supposed to be phenomenal. Tina started her career as an entrepreneur at the age of 25 and started her first healthcare staffing office. And in 1995, she was operating out of her garage. Within a few short years, she had eight offices around the country and was making millions of dollars per year. Yet, she still had a void in her heart. So her done, identity was not completely in Christ. She didn't except when a masterpiece woman she was. And Tina came from a childhood of poverty and abuse. And so now we're going to talk about some of Tina's story which led her into our topic today, which is faith in business. So Tina from a childhood, you came from a childhood of sexual and physical abuse, but you had to get healthy again in many ways, and you were sharing that with me. God took you on a journey to complete surrender and prepares you for the area of ministry He's called you to which is faith in business with masterpiece women. So knowing the old way of living left you feeling solid and spiritually dial into that inside, you rebuilt the brokenness of your life by climbing a mountain ladies, this woman has climbed a mountain in India and not just any mountain. So I'm going to ask her to share about this. But as I read this verse, Hebrews 611, and then 12 promises us, then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God's promises because of their faith and endurance. And God called you to go climb a mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro and India. How in the world did you get there? Tina Rains  4:36   Oh, my goodness. Yes, it was quite the it was quite the climb, to say the least. But I do. I do correlate it many times to my spiritual climb because as a woman, young woman, I was still very broken. And I put a lot of energy and a lot of my passions into building business because that made me feel good put on quote about myself. And I realized that there was still something missing. And I knew that and I had made some choices because I was still broken in my younger days of relationships that weren't healthy for me things in my life that weren't healthy for me. And I realized, something has to change. And the patterns that I'm making in my personal life, are just not working from a spiritual perspective. And so I went on a journey of really seeking the Lord, I went through a divorce, and I was devastated and went through a very difficult time in my life. And so I just said, Okay, Lord, it's you and me the next couple of years, I'm just gonna dig in deep and I surrendered. I went through some, some programs, including, you know, inner healing and broke some strongholds, just really navigating with the Lord going, what do I need to do to be completely intimate with you and surrender to you? What what are those strongholds that are still holding me back. And I recognize that I still had many that I had to work through, even though I'd gone to, you know, counseling, etc. And I believe in counseling, but I believe that when you really surrender your life to the Lord, and you say, and here I am, us, me, he just transforms your life completely. And so, in that season, I did that. And I went on my first mission trip to India, where he spoke to me very clearly, I was to come back, and I was to do something, but I had no idea what that meant. And so I had transitioned that already sold a large portion of my business, I had a small portion left, I was on all kinds of Board of Directors for many people, you know, many great organizations, but he said, I want to use your gifts and talents for me. And I said, Okay, so I thought, Okay, I'll get on Christian boards, instead of, instead of, you know, business boards and other, you know, Board of Directors, I just get on some Christian boards. He's like, no, no, that's not what I mean. Well, fast forward, I was invited to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, which is the largest freestanding mountain in Africa won the world, but, and so I'm, like, climb me, I've never climbed a day in my life. Like, literally, that was not my passion. And so I said, Yes, after asking him for days to show me for sure. Very similar to this mission trip to India, because I didn't really want to go on the mission trip to India. But I believed he told me to do it. So I did and all came together. And one thing led to another, I'd met this amazing woman there that I loved. And we ended up going as tentmakers to climb Mount Kilimanjaro together. And in that journey, he showed me that I was to come back and lead that movement. And so then I went on to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, a second time base, camp, Everest, the Alps, all these climbs. And what I saw all over the world, as I spoke, though, is so many women were just like me, they were still held back by bondage, and brokenness, and there's so much abuse. And what's beautiful about that, though, Kimberly, is that even though the enemy meant it for our destruction, God then was able to use it, to bring glory to Him to help others. And so I could look back and reflect on all that pain and all that suffering. And know that as I was dealing with these women who to or dealing with these issues, gave me such a compassion for him. It gave me such a passion to help them. And so as we built that ministry wasn't just about climbing on behalf of the women, children, we were being voices for it was also very intentional to provide retreat type training at all of our climbs where they could just get real and raw with the Lord and break some of those strongholds themselves. And so it was both for the women coming, and the women that we were serving, and it was just such a powerful opportunity to watch God redeem what the enemy meant for destruction. So it was a very, I Kimberly Hobbs  9:04   love that. I love that Tina, and you were sharing with me that just the impact that you were having, when you were able to get raw and transparent. Lady sometimes that's difficult for us to do as expose our own our own weaknesses in front of others. But sometimes when we do that, we can allow others inside and let them know that it's okay. You're a safe place because you've been through some things. And just because you're in leadership, it doesn't mean that you have to hide everything. I mean, women need to know they need to trust you, and before that they can learn from you. So talk about how, Tina how you climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, but God took You on other climbs now. And you were getting raw and transparent with others? And can you talk about some of those moments of getting raw and transparent with some of the women? Tina Rains  10:09   Absolutely. So one of the most powerful things for me in our community specifically was in when you climb these mountains, there was a fundraising aspect to it. So you're doing these events. And I shared my vulnerability and my childhood with hundreds of people that I had invited to a fundraiser. And it transformed not only my life, but the so many people's lives that were at that event, because they had this picture of this business woman who had it all together, I think some of them thought that I had been spoon fed. I don't know what they thought exactly. But they'd been in my home. And they had just, you know, they thought of me in one perspective. And when I was real and transparent with them, it's a no, look, this is what I suffered. And this is what I still have to do on a daily basis, oftentimes, when the enemy tries to use a trigger and deal with it. And that's what these victims of human trafficking and repression also experienced, and I correlated it, they were able to then be raw, authentic and transparent themselves. And I think as leaders on a daily basis, whether it's in business or ministry, as being real, with our weaknesses, gives permission to those around us to be real and raw and authentic. And that's one of our key pillars and masterpiece women, because I see such great value, and as being real and transparent, because it brings freedom, and then others are free to do it as well, because oftentimes, leaders are isolated, they feel like they can't be real and authentic and transparent, because it shows them as being weak. And I don't believe vulnerability and authenticity shows you to be weak. I think it actually shows you to be a great leader, when you're willing to do that. Kimberly Hobbs  11:57   Amen. Amen. And I know one of the things we talked about was when you're in a key role like this, and you're an example in leadership, you give permission to the women to when you are vulnerable, right permission for them to open up and share. And Galatians 522 expresses how, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. And the absolute best type of leadership is a type where someone demonstrates these nine traits listed in the Scriptures. And I know you Tina, putting ministry and business together as God has called you to do you have to show your example in leadership and in share these nine traits. And how do you do that if you're not open and vulnerable with somebody if you're not allowing them to see into your own life, and those things that you have learned from? So being raw and exposing your past? Sometimes it's so helpful in leadership. And we're hoping that you understand that ladies, the Bible is a great business guide to us. So these fruits of the spirit that I read through God called you teen into the ministry, to be authentic with others, so that they can hear and have breakthrough also. So can you share how the power of the Holy Spirit worked in and through you to deliver some of these fruits of the Spirit to others. Tina Rains  13:46   I love that. And it's so key when you talk about the Bible being it's like the best book for leadership you can ever find. If you don't know what to do go to Proverbs, like its leadership has written the wisdom in there, I always tell him, it's really your very best leadership book. You can spend all day long reading leadership books, but if you don't get in that word, and really delve into it, so he can lead you, you're kind of wasting your time. So I tell I really start there every morning. That's where your wisdom comes from. But, you know, I would say that joy, one of the greatest things was when I've been through the most difficult times, and this is something that you know, I've shared with many women in the past is how I led many people to Christ that were in my circle of influence. When I went through this difficult time wasn't on my successes. It was actually the fact that I was going through a divorce. And I was struggling in other areas of my life, even you know, there was the recession in 2008, with the economy and all that went with it. And I was having some of the most difficult times in my life personally, but yet I had more joy than I'd ever had because I had finally surrendered. In my life to Christ, and so being them, seeing that not me preaching at them, not me hitting them over the head with the Bible, or like some people like want to do, but just them seeing that. And seeing that I still had the joy, and was still able to serve others and love others, was actually how a few of my friends that I was had the privilege actually lead to Christ moving forward, that were business women in my community that I was very close to you, but they weren't Christians at the time. But they were a great human beings. And so it was a real privilege to watch that. And as I, you know, climb these mountains. And as we, we worked with the women all over the world, I would say, the love and in our ministry, I think that's really what it all amounts to is the love of Christ coming out and being exposed to the women that came to give you an example, my greatest memory, of climbing all these mountains was when I had the privilege of sharing Christ with one of the women that came, we knew she wasn't a Christian, she climbed on behalf of the women and children. And I said, How are you doing? Because I knew she wasn't a Christian. And here we are all these Christians around her were worshipping we're doing all these things, right? She was I've never felt I said, Are you feeling comfortable on she goes, I've never felt more comfortable than this ever. And I thought, that's the love. And so one thing, you know, so we had a conversation about what that meant. And we were able to actually, as a team of women on the side of a mountain leader to Christ, like, that's my favorite memory, not all the other things that we can sit, that's my, my top memory. And then we came off of Mount Kilimanjaro, we have the same experience with the guy that was our head guide, I was having a conversation with the mascot. And Murphy knew Jesus. And you know, we'd built a relationship during that week. And he didn't know who Jesus was. And so we as a team had the privilege of leading him to Christ on the way back from the mountain, like, those are my two favorite memories of the whole all those years. And it's because the people around him, showed him love. And in return, he wanted what they had. And that's really why we're here, right? Kimberly Hobbs  17:16   That's exactly why we're here and our number one commandment to love one another. And you did you you showed that love, and you took that time for those that didn't know Jesus that saw that difference in your life, which is so beautiful. So So transitioning into now you are a boss in your business. And there are a lot of bad bosses in the world today. And no one ever wants to be one of those bad bosses, or the ones that are talked about, you know, on on the quiet amongst the employees. So how would you encourage the listener today to be a leader for Jesus in their work environment. Tina Rains  18:05   I think most importantly, it goes back to abiding in him, you have to spend the time to buy it in him to really have that intimate relationship with him. So that every step of every day is really Holy Spirit lead the prayer time during the day even you know, as as we make decisions on an email, for instance, if we pray before an email that most of those emails won't even get sent. Right, think about it. Right? Kimberly Hobbs  18:39   I, I agree. I pray before I send anything out. And there's so many times delete, delete, or rewrite, rewrite? Yes. Tina Rains  18:47   It's you know, it's so important because as people work with us, and as they see how we behave, I remember you, I told so when I said, I'm like a bipolar person, if I don't have Jesus in the morning. Kimberly Hobbs  19:03   Exactly. Right. Yeah. I know, ladies, we need to start our day early. Because when we do when we open our eyes, if that's the first thing that is on our heart is Jesus and you talking to him and you're giving him the whole day to take control? Right, take it out of our hands, but give it to him first thing in the morning. He's going to take us through those days. Do you agree? Absolutely. Tina Rains  19:29   100%. I mean, the when you talk to most teams, and as I've done consulting for businesses, and even for ministries, and you go in you, you listen to the staff, if they're having difficulties with the team 90% of what I've experienced in the workplace has been I don't feel heard. I don't feel valued. And so as a leader is It's imperative that we listen that we'd be good listeners that we know who our employees are, what are they going through in their lives, and really show them compassion, because it's really difficult for an employee to see someone says, Oh, I'm a godly leader, and I'm donating to all these things. I'm doing all these good works. But yet, you don't even know who I am. And the fact that my husband is suffering from cancer, and my teenage son is run away, because you haven't taken the time to know me. And those are the kinds of things that matter to employees and to people that work for you, as a leader. They want to be known, they want to be heard. So I believe we can do our greatest value in the workplace in the marketplace, of just loving others well, and having compassion for them, and being generous, having spirits of generosity, and seeing how we can affect them. Kimberly Hobbs  21:00   Wow. So true. Good advice. Good advice, being a good listener, right? That's what you're just talking about. Because, you know, if you just overlook, and you just are pushing your agenda constantly and telling people what to do, they're not gonna listen to you. They want to know that you're engaged. And you know, they're, they're on the same level with you. So, ladies, be a good listener, be a good listener, to be that good leader. Tina Rains  21:30   And John Maxwell says, People don't care what you know, unless they know how much you care. Kimberly Hobbs  21:36   Right. Amen. That is great. Yeah, that's a great word, John, thank you. Yeah, speaking Oh, I have another scripture. John 1715 says, My prayer is not that you take them out of the world, but that you protect them from the evil one. So ladies, we don't want to take you out of that work environment, we want to keep you in that work environment, so that you can be that light that's shining light, and God wants to protect you while you're doing that. Tina is going to close out and just share something from her heart, like a word of encouragement to the business woman out there, that has a heart for ministry, that sometimes keeps a mouth closed in the workplace. And it's sometimes it's so hard, because you might be one of those shy people or people that aren't easily ready to open your mouth and say something. But Tina, what's your word of encouragement to that person who keeps her mouth closed? In the workplace? Tina Rains  22:43   You know what I would say, be bold, not necessarily bold with, you know, hitting people over the head with Jesus, because they don't really want that they want it and actions. But I would say if you, you just share little tidbits where there's something small of you know, what you learned at church or whatever, just just share the wisdom, if you're adding value to others, they see it, it reflects beautifully of who God is, because Christ is always adding value to us. And I would say just add value to others. And the more you do that, the more you love others, while the more you listen, you know, they're, they're gonna see Jesus in you, and they're gonna ask you questions, and that's when you have the opportunity to be more bold, and share who he is to you and what it means to you. And, you know, the best thing we can do is live our lives, emulating him. Kimberly Hobbs  23:38   So I was just gonna say that. I mean, that's just what what Tina is saying, you know, living out like the fruits of the spirit that we talked about, right? And so ladies, if you don't open your mouth, necessarily, just remember, live it out, live out your life, having the fruits of the Spirit, which I can read them again, love. Do you display love, where you are working? Think about yourself in that work environment. Are you displaying love to those that you don't even like working with? It's difficult to do? Do you have joy about it? Do you have joy about you, ladies? Our prayer is that we all know Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior. And when we do we have something to be joyful about Apsos Do you agree to you know, like we don't want to walk into the workforce. We want to share our faith in business and we want to be joyful about our faith because we have a God that died for our sins and we don't have to stay bound to that that sin anymore that drag us down that goddess into trouble, right? We have Tina Rains  24:50   a really, and we fall. Exactly. And you know what, there's nothing worse to us than to see a miserable Christian. Oh, well, if you're what a Christian is, and I'm really, I'm okay, because I'm happier than you are. And I do, I do encourage everyone as well is, if you have struggles, which we all do, right? Get to a place where you are free. And what does that mean? Just spend more time with Jesus praising him learning his word, letting him speak to you. Because when you're free, then you have those fruits of the Spirit bubbling out from you. And if you're not, and you find yourself grumpy ALL the time at work, and you're frustrated, you're this and you're that step back and take a little, you know, self evaluation, what in me, is still in bondage? And how do I need to allow the Lord to cleanse it to heal it and let go of the past and move forward? Because we can't be good replications of the Lord, if we have all this stuff going on, that is then spewing out to the people that we work with, because we're not doing the Lord. Any. We're not doing justice to you know who God called Mercy. Kimberly Hobbs  26:12   Exact Exactly. That's right. Right. And we're called to serve wherever we are ladies. And that includes the workplace if you're you're working for the Lord, but you know, even if you don't have a full time job, or part time job, and you are in your home, or your environment in the neighborhood, or whatever you're doing, we have to remember to put this into our everyday life that we are in positions where people are looking at us because we do call ourselves Christians and and I just love just hearing some of the nuggets that you learned along the way, Tina, because you know, now you've incorporated ministry into the business world. That's what you do, and masterpiece women. And I just wanted to finish some of these, again, fruits of the Spirit, patience, kindness or again, remember, as you're in your day to day life, ladies, and this may seem Elementary, but it's not. It's again, this is what God's called us to do as believers to just carry this within our person. patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self control, that is huge ladies, we constantly have to have ourselves in check of all of our emotions. If people frustrate us to no end, we need to have that self control. Right, Tina? Tina Rains  27:34   Absolutely. That can be one of the toughest ones honestly, especially if you have a justice person you want to you want to see justice and someone's in the workplace not doing what you think is right. Having self control and reacting in love is so valuable. Kimberly Hobbs  27:55   So valuable, so valuable. Tina has so many good nuggets and what she does is amazing and masterpiece women can you share with the women your website in case they want to look you up and look up the ministry and and I just know that in the future women were leaders and masterpiece women may be doing some things together which I'm really excited about because I love love what Tina is doing for the Lord. So please Tina, share your your website. Absolutely. Tina Rains  28:28   It's masterpiece women dot O R G. And I am super excited Kimberly about this relationship because I know that God is doing something great. And we have monthly luncheons in South Florida and those are for all women. Because every woman is a leader you do not have to be in business to come to our luncheons. And then we have a program where we actually empower women who are interested in building business or online businesses. We have tools and a whole membership platform to help them actually do that as well. So check out our website. It's masterpiece women, dot o RG and you know we're here to serve you. So that's what the Lord has called us to do is help women everywhere know they're a masterpiece, and renewed him in him, and then help them with the plans that God has given them. So thanks for having us again. I love what you're doing your ministry. Kimberly Hobbs  29:28   Thank you Well, and that's what's so beautiful is together. We are empowering women, ladies out there. We love you. And we have a passion because God has called us and this is what Tina and I do together and all of those that are in our ministry serving. We have passion to empower one another and point them to Jesus to be the best leader that you could be wherever you are. Tina happens to specialize in taking those business women and bringing them to another level and incorporating ministry. together with it. And I love that. And that's why I want to continue this relationship. And ladies and women, we're leaders, we have tools for you. And I just want to be certain to remind you, one of the most amazing tools that God has given us to share with the world is voice of truth. It is a publication that comes out every quarter now, and it is free, and it's beautiful. Inside the United States, you can get your color copy of voice of truth magazine, it's like table top quality magazine. And it's 100 pages, full color, all color, all beautiful, but filled with scripture, filled with encouraging you wherever you are in your walk. Whatever struggles you may encounter, it's inside of this. And we are just so happy. Oh, are you you're holding your background. Yeah. For those of you watching on YouTube, Tina is holding up a her color copy of voice of Truth magazine. And we are just so excited. Unknown Speaker  31:08   I love it Kimberly Hobbs  31:09   you with a yes, he's doing so much in and through this. Also, ladies, if you would like your to receive your free copy, if you're not getting it yet, and you are inside the United States, you can email us for your free copy at women world leaders.com. And there's a place in there where you can click on voice of truth and give us your name, address an email address that will not be shared ladies, it is just for women world leaders. And, and then again, we will send it to you and outside the US. You can look up on our website voice of truth and you can read it online as well. As well as all of the past copies of voice of truth. There is so much information in there to help you and encourage you on your daily walk with Jesus. And that's what we're all about ladies. So we'd like to thank you for your time today. I'd love to thank you again Tina Raines for being with us. God bless you in what you do at masterpiece women. God bless you the listener ladies and please join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday for our different podcasts that we have available through women world leaders, we're here to help you encourage you reach out to us at women world leaders.com And in ways that we might be able to help you further. God bless you all, just remember that it is from his heart to yours that we are here. All content is copyrighted and cannot be used without expressed written consent. God bless you and have a beautiful week. Thank you. Thank you, Tina.  

Cindy Jacob Southworth, an AACC Certified Relationship coach, and part of our Women World Leaders leadership team, shares with us ten secrets from couples who have successfully navigated through marriage and are still happy after 25 years or more. How do they do it? Listen to what matters most in these marriages. ********** Welcome to Celebrating God’s Grace, a Women World Leaders Podcast. I am your host Cindy Jacob Southworth, an AACC certified relationship coach with Breakwater Ministries, and part of the Women World Leaders leadership team, and I am coming to you from Cindy’s Porch. Today I want to talk to you about the secrets I have learned from Happy Couples, but first let’s go to God in prayer.   Father, you created marriage, and you desire for us to live in harmony with one another. Help us to learn from your word today, how to maintain a harmonious relationship. We thank you and praise you, in Jesus name, Amen.     As a marriage coach, I am frequently searching the internet for information on marriages. In my most recent search, I found so many blogs, and most of them were negative. “Five Symptoms of a Failing Marriage.” “How to tell if you marriage is going south,” and even worse, “How to survive an intimacy-free marriage.”      What??  Really??  What about the positive side of marriage??   A couple years ago my husband and I bought a car.  That is a stressor that can test your relationship!  By the way, we survived it quite well. The sales rep that sold us the car shared with us that he has been happily married for 32 years!  Amazing!  He started telling us some things that they have done that “keep their marriage happy,” and they are worth passing on ....... along with some other nuggets we have heard from other “happy marriages.”  See how many fit into your relationship.   Happy couples have a date night once a month (some once a week ..... but the key is that it is a regular commitment!) Now even this commitment can cause some conflict, but this is what happy couples do: they commit to the same night each week (or month), they take turns deciding what they are going to do on the date, and some even put their favorite ideas in a jar, and pull one out when they are planning their next date. The most creative couples steer away from dinner and a movie, and use their creative ideas to keep it fun and fresh.   Happy couples learned early on how to resolve conflict in the relationship.  This is vitally important as many couples tell us they don’t know how to solve conflicts. As if they are magically going to go away! There is actually a conflict resolution tool that you can learn so that when conflicts arise, they can be settled amicably and avoid building resentment between you. Happy couples have learned how to use their conflict resolution tool wisely.   Happy couples value each other’s careers and became each other’s cheerleaders at reaching our potential. This is so important as each person has equal value in the relationship, and both husband and wife need to know that their partner is as invested in their career as they are. One doesn’t have more or less value because of the amount of money they provide. This is true even if one spouse stays home to take care of the children or home-school. That is a career that doesn’t bring in income, but invests time in the family unit. It is important to have conversations to find out what your partner might need from you as they continue on the career path they have chosen. Work towards solutions that are best for the entire family.   Happy couples worship together on a regular basis at an agreed upon place of worship, and invited God into their relationship. Ecc. 4:12 says, “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. It is so important to seek God first in your relationship. Happy couples worship together. Many couples who have come to us for help in the past admitted that either one did not go to church, or they went to separate churches, and eventually this caused a problem in their relationship. Find a place that you can worship together, and spend some time cultivating a spiritual connection with one another through prayer and devotional times.   Happy couples partner together to raise the children, and show a united front with them. A happy home has parents who are on the same team, and the children know they cannot pit one parent against the other. Take some time away from the children and develop a parenting plan that both of you can agree on. Children get great security knowing that their parents love each other and are working together harmoniously.   Happy couples got assistance for setting financial goals and were able to set boundaries in our finances. In today’s world, it is not difficult to find a financial coach, and they can be very valuable in helping you to make choices for your future. Planning when you are young will help you have great stability and security in the future. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help.   In the relationship, She said, “My husband knows he is respected.” And He said, “My wife knows she is loved.” This is straight out of Ephesians 5 that commands husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church and commands wives to respect their husbands.” Since we know that both men and women seek to be both loved and respected, why was this command given in this way? Well, according to Dr. Eggerich, the author of Love and Respect, men naturally know how to respect, but they have to focus effort on learning how to love their wife well. Likewise, women know how to love naturally, but they have to focus their effort at showing respect. So there you have it. Happy spouses focus their efforts where they know their spouse needs it the most, both in love and respect.   Happy couples occasionally participate in a “marriage check-up,” whether it is a marriage retreat, encounter, or small group accountability.  We ask ourselves, “How are we doing?” Happy couples attend weekend workshops where they can put their complete focus on their marriage. They have crucial conversations with each other that they normally don’t have at home, and they focus on the areas that need attention to make their marriage stronger.   10 Happy couples learned how to laugh at the small stuff.  And most of it is small stuff. The more time passes, the more you come to realize that even in the most stressful situations, “this too shall pass.” God will see you through the most difficult of times, and Happy Spouses tough it out together. They know that God is sovereign and He will give them the strength and endurance to love and to cherish until death us do part!   I would love to hear from you, so drop me an email at [email protected]   Send me your ideas for relationship advice. What would you like to hear about on this podcast that has to do with marriage? Send me your questions about marriage.   Thank you so much for joining us today—as we celebrate God’s grace in our lives, in this ministry, and the world!     Thanks for listening to Women World Leaders podcast! Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God’s extravagant love and your courageous purpose. Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry. Don’t forget to sign up for a free subscription to our Voice Of Truth Magazine. From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders. All content is copyrighted by Women World Leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.

What began as five loaves of bread and two fish from a boy’s lunch fed well over 5000 people – with leftovers to spare! We’ve all heard this story. Let’s look at this passage with fresh eyes as we study Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, and John 6:1-15. ******** Dear Most Holy God…we are indeed privileged to come before you and to sit at your feet. Thank you for meeting us each where we are and for guiding us as we study your Word. God, I pray that you would forgive me of all my sins so that I may be a clean vessel to hear your voice clearly. We know that there is something specific that you want us each to learn and know today, and we humbly ask you to open our ears and hearts to receive your teaching. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.   If you’ve been around the Christian faith for very long, you likely know the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand that is chronicled in Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, and John 6:1-15. Maybe that is even how you happened upon today’s podcast! But even if you know the story by heart, we should go back to the Bible and look at it with fresh eyes. Have you ever noticed how easy it is to turn our brains off when we “know something so well”? That is precisely why we need to remind ourselves that God’s Word is living and active…meaning that there is something new for us to discover EVERY time we read it. God’s news is never old news. We will never, on this earth, come to understand EVERYTHING God has to teach us, even from a single passage. So let me encourage you today to engage your mind and imagination as I read this story…especially if it is familiar to you. I know I often tout this podcast as one you can listen to as you are driving or walking or doing chores…but…if it is possible, I encourage you to stop for a moment and really concentrate and imagine the scene as I read Mark 6:30-44 from the New Living Translation.   Mark 6:30-44 30 The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and taught. 31 Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. 32 So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone. 33 But many people recognized them and saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them. 34 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. 35 Late in the afternoon his disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. 36 Send the crowds away so they can go to the nearby farms and villages and buy something to eat.” 37 But Jesus said, “You feed them.” “With what?” they asked. “We’d have to work for months to earn enough money[a] to buy food for all these people!” 38 “How much bread do you have?” he asked. “Go and find out.” They came back and reported, “We have five loaves of bread and two fish.” 39 Then Jesus told the disciples to have the people sit down in groups on the green grass. 40 So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred. 41 Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. He also divided the fish for everyone to share. 42 They all ate as much as they wanted, 43 and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftover bread and fish. 44 A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed.[b]   I’ve heard so many teachings on this passage. I’ve learned how God used this day to grow the faith of the disciples as they were given the opportunity to actually hand out the food as it was multiplied. And then walk away with a basket full of leftovers each. I’ve learned how the people must have viewed the event as they realized that Jesus would always have time for them and would never send them away hungry. And I’ve looked at this story from the little boy’s viewpoint – imagining how he felt as he gave his lunch away, only to see a crowd of people filled by his own unselfish act. But today, I couldn’t help but read this story from the viewpoint of Jesus himself. The disciples had returned from their mission and were telling Jesus of their adventures, but there was so much more happening. Matthew 14:13 begins this passage with As soon as Jesus heard the news, he left in a boat to a remote area to be alone. Other translations make it clear that the news that Jesus heard that sent him to seek solace was the death of His friend, cousin, and ministry co-worker, John the Baptist - who had been disgustingly beheaded by a crazed ruler. King Jesus had stepped down from heaven…forsaking His glory and riches and reign….into a world riddled with sin and evil. He was born in a stable, grew up in a poor family in a country that was persecuted by Roman rule, and had his life on the line several times. But He had John. John and Jesus met while they were both still in the womb. The Bible is silent on the days of their youth, but we know that, culturally, families stuck together. And we know that John was there to prepare the way for Jesus. He taught of Him, and then stepped out of the way when Jesus was ready to step into His ministry. And Jesus LOVED John…He said there was no one born who was greater than John. Jesus was surely heartbroken at John’s death. And He needed to be alone. We’ve all been there…when ALL we need is for God to take care of us. And God did take care of Jesus…by way of a boat. Our God is so creative. We can trust that when we walk in God’s will, He will always give us exactly what we need. Jesus…the Son of God…had a moment in His humanity where He needed to be alone with God…and God made sure He had that moment … by giving Him a boat. God will always give us what we need.   The crowd didn’t know Jesus needed to alone though, and they found out where He was going and they followed Him. When Jesus saw the crowd, He had compassion on them. Luke says in chapter 9 verse 11 He welcomed them and taught them about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who were sick. The text says that Jesus had compassion on the people and He taught them and healed them…but looking from Jesus’ perspective, I can see how God was AGAIN taking care of Jesus by giving Him exactly what He needed – the opportunity to operate in His ordained purpose. Have you ever stepped into your calling? Really stepped into it? I can remember when our dear worship leader lost her mother. After handling and attending the funeral, she made her way back home to Florida, where she proceeded to lead worship for one of our gatherings. As she led, she told us that leading worship is what she was put on this earth to do. When we step into our calling, we certainly bless others, but God blesses the one who is obedient even more! When we step into our calling, we may think we are being obedient to God…and we are…but it is really God who is taking care of us, giving us exactly what WE need. A writer who writes, a healthcare worker who cares for the sick, and a mother who cheers on her child all have one thing in common. They all get energized and fulfilled when they are doing what they are called to do. God knows that operating in our God-given gifting propels us forward like nothing else can – and He gives us the opportunity to use the gifts He has given us, because He knows that is what we need. Jesus’ gift was to love. His purpose that day was to teach and to heal. And God gave Jesus what He needed.   Jesus’ further calling was to showcase God’s power and to teach others to do the same. And God gave Him THAT opportunity. The disciples noticed that the crowd was hungry. The disciples thought that good leadership would be to allow the people to go eat. But Jesus taught them that true leadership hinges on a dependence of God’s power. So Jesus harnessed that power…and God faithfully provided what Jesus needed. Jesus took the five small loaves and the two fish and offered them to God, who miraculously multiplied them – giving them the power to nourish the bodies of well over 5000 people.   We can trust that God will always give us what we need … Jesus needed to be alone in a time of grief…and God provided the boat. Jesus needed to serve…and God gave Him the opportunity to heal and teach. Jesus needed to showcase God’s power, so He lifted His hands to heaven in total dependence on God…and God provided a multiplication of His power.   Do you ever wonder if walking in the flesh was difficult for Jesus? We tend to dismiss that thought – because Jesus is God. But Jesus was also fully human. And what He was asked to do was a lot! But He went to God…in solitude…in His calling…and in total dependence on His power. And God never let Him down. God gave Jesus exactly what He needed to do what He was called to do. And when we go to Him and walk in OUR calling, He will give US what we need. Even when Jesus was tired and what was ahead of Him looked impossible, He thrived, because He relied on God. And God provided exceedingly and abundantly beyond. Let’s pray… Father God…thank you for this new perspective on the feeding of the 5000. Thank you for teaching us that YOU are enough, and that you will always provide us with what we need. God, I thank you for always being there and for allowing us to meet you in the one-on-one. I thank you for giving us each a ministry – a calling – a job to do for you, and for reminding us that when we step into that calling, you bless us and those we minister to. And I thank you for always being willing to send your power. God, Women World Leaders would not be in existence if not for your power. Nor would we each be walking individually without the strength that you so graciously give us on a daily basis. We thank you, and we recognize that you have called us, you are walking with us, and you will continue to empower us. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.  

From misplaced to placed in the hands of God. Our guest today comes to us from Australia. Danielle Gibbons speaks out about what led her to become an atheist - feeling she was misplaced in life and God was nowhere to be found.   Hear how God reached Danielle and loved her when she needed Him most. This story is powerful and will touch your heart.   ******* Kimberly Hobbs   Thank you Welcome to empowering lives with purpose. And I'm your host, Kimberly Hobbs. I am the founder of Women world leaders. We are so happy that you have decided to tune in today and listen to this podcast with our special guest today. Danielle Gibbons welcome, Danielle. Danielle Gibbons   Yes, thank you for having me. Thank you. Thank you. Kimberly Hobbs   We're so glad to have you sweetie. So our our purpose in being here and empowering lives with purpose is to do just what it says to empower you the listener to help strengthen you inspire you encourage you through some of the stories of some of the guests that we have on and Danielle has a very interesting story and it's going to be powerful at the end. And the title that we chose for it is misplaced to placed in the hands of God. Ladies, we feel that each and every one of us are a masterpiece because God's Word says that we are Ephesians 210 says For we are God's masterpiece created a new and Christ Jesus to do the very good things that he planned for us long ago. He has a plan for each and every one of our lives. We believe that wholeheartedly. And through hearing Danielle's story today, we're going to hear a little bit even though she felt misplaced. She was placed in the hands of God because he had a plan for her life. So I want to tell you a little bit about Danielle before we get started. Danielle is the owner of cherished and found which is an online mentoring practice that helps women overcome the negative beliefs that they tell themselves in order to take action on a god prompting in their life. With her background and customer service and film, and Assistant work. She's able to provide Christ like care for her following on social media and having her own past struggles of life chaos, and her hope found in Christ. It has shaped her passion for helping women that have been in broken situations to know that their identity is rooted in Christ alone and not their past or present circumstances. I love that Danielle. Danielle is an American and married to her wonderful husband Luke who is an Aussie and for five wonderful years. They currently both reside on the Gold Coast of Australia. And she is active in her local church. She enjoys bike rides to the beach and to catch sunrise. I love sunrises and I love God's creation so we share that commonality they're so misplaced to placed in the hands of God. What does that look like? Well, Danielle had a rough childhood and at the age of three, her parents were divorced. They are two completely different parents, a mom who struggled while her father drove fast cars and had access to money and both had influence on her life by Danielle felt felt misplaced because of such differences in their lives. Danielle, can you share a little bit about your story which led up to where you actually denounced Christ and became an atheist. Danielle Gibbons   Sure, thank you for letting me share. So when I was when I was three years old, my parents got divorced on the youngest of four and we moved to Michigan and into a trailer park. And growing up we were the Christian kids to the trailer park kids and the Christian church we were the trailer park kids in the church kids and I never felt I never felt connected to either so I had different personas different personalities for each the church kid and the trailer park kid and we had a movie theater nearby our home and back then I don't know if it's still the same now but back then you can go and collect bottles for 10 cents in Michigan and collect those and return them to get money so anytime life got hard and life did get hard i for any eviction notice that we got any power shut off because my mom couldn't keep up with a bill she was doing three or four jobs trying to take care of for kids. And we it seemed like we're always struggling always asking for the handout. Always that charity case. And I remember anytime things got rough Another eviction notice. Family disruptions, we would go my brother and I, my older brother than I would go around, collect bottles, go get money and go to the movies. Because that was our escape. We, I wanted so much to be in Fantasyland. Anytime things got tough, I needed an escape, I needed to be in someone else's story, because I didn't like mine. So I just remember, in my teens in my early teens, 13, is when I started experimenting with drugs and alcohol. And that really separated me more and more more from my church, friends from church and making me feel more of an outcast, because I practiced in a lot of sin. And I remember, I remember age 16, just, you know, from 13, to 16, my, my drinking got worse, the partying got worse, my older sister, she was in college. So I go to college parties with her as being a freshman in high school, I was going to college parties at age 14. And so I started to really hang around people that didn't believe in Christ. And I started to wonder if he's real, why do bad things happen? Why are we living the way we're living? Because I see my mother and her faith and her walk with Jesus. And yet she is tore down every single turn. She can't catch a break it just and as a child, I didn't know any different. That's that's the witness I saw. That's, I didn't see anything different. So I remember we're driving down the road, going 70 miles an hour, on the highway, my sister's driving and a friend of mine in the back who was an atheist and questioning my god, at the time. And her point seems so valid, why why do these? Why do bad things happen? If if we really were living for Christ? Wouldn't our situation be different? So at that moment, I said, you know, I don't believe in God. He doesn't exist, because if he did, he would bring me out of the situation. And I remember so well, because at that moment, one of our tires blew. And we had to pull over and from age 16 to 22. Did everything so Oh, oh, Kimberly Hobbs   that is I actually had chills when you said that. You know, it is such a scary time. But we know, so many young people face that, you know, they put there's questions constantly as they look around this world of Is God real? Is he really there? I mean, that movie they put out God's Not Dead. Oh, my goodness, you know, because so many struggle with this. So you denounce Christ. I mean, as shocking as that is, you know, you you said I'm going to become an atheist and you, you started walking down that road and things got worse. And, ladies, maybe you can relate to this. Maybe you were there at one point in your life. But the Bible tells us about whoever denies Me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. This is a serious situation here. But God was getting your attention even through that. Danielle you are his from the time you were born. Ladies, we are all we belong to God from the time we are born. And but we have choices to make, right? So you started to smoke, you started to drink. You tried to escape from movies, and you were living that masquerade life. You told me like in our private conversations, you you were all about the Masquerade. And then one day, you go to church in LA, and you start searching for God again. Can you talk about now like what that looked like? Because you were misplaced? You still weren't back but you started searching for God. And so let's talk about being misplaced and searching for God. Danielle Gibbons   Sure, so at this part of my story, I have to fast or rewind a bit. I had placed my hope and becoming big in Hollywood. I wanted to become a famous movie star. So I had the opportunity to move out to LA and do the starving artists life. I'd sold everything real big hippie, but my roommate. He was gonna do hair. I was gonna do makeup. He was highly against drugs. So I had to quit my drugs for a season. And in that season, coming off of drugs, moving and having nothing and starting over. That's a lot So I did whatever anyone growing up in church would do to go back to church. And so I, my roommate would take me to reality LA and I think it was Pastor Tim chaddock At the time, and he was preaching on a class, Ecclesiastes 217. And it says this. So I hated life. Because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless a chasing after the wind. And I just remember sitting there and worship started and I just sat there is, is my hope in becoming a makeup artists and making it big in Hollywood, Hollywood, is that chasing after the wind? Is this really meaningless? So really start to wonder, is this what I meant to be doing? And yeah, what a it's not very much hope in that passage. Is it chasing after the wind? But what it led me to was starting to question and starting to research starting to ask my mother who had been praying for me this whole time. Wow. And she was so excited anytime I called and said, I need prayer or because my mother's prayers worked. I didn't know how to pray myself. Yeah, I asked my mother to pray for me. And she would point me to Scripture, even though we're hard pressed on all the sides, you know, just all of the scripture that really spoke to me because it was I was in this I had finally gotten my dream. And it wasn't what I thought it was, because the hope was misplaced. Kimberly Hobbs   Wow. Wow. Ladies, those of you that are moms with maybe teen kids, or even young adults are those that have children wandering that are wayward? Did you hear Danielle's voice? I mean, she almost got choked up because she remembers the prayers of a mother's heart. And she knew that her mom was just so excited when she would call her back saying, you know, please pray for me, mom. So there's hope for your kids. If you're praying, God is not gonna let go of them. And even though Danielle again was denouncing the Lord, he was trying to get her attention. And your hope became restore Danielle, Romans 829, ladies and 30 says, For we, for those whom he for new, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son so that the firstborn among many brothers and sisters, and these whom He predestined, he also called he also justified and these whom He justified, he also glorified. God had you Danielle, from the beginning. ladies who are listening that are wandering God has you from the beginning before you even born and ladies, listen to this verse. As I described, God has you Jeremiah one five says, I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb, before you were born, I set you apart, I appointed you as a prophet to the nation's Danielle, here you are speaking sharing your testimony God appointed you. And hope is the most practical power in the world, and to be placed in the hands of Jesus through seeking Him gave you hope, Danielle? So you went from that misplace child back and forth from two different types of parents wondering where do I go? What am I running after? am I chasing the wind? God gave you hope. And knowing he forgives ladies, when we know the God of the universe will forgive you for everything. It gives us hope. And hope is found in true forgiveness. And you can overcome anything discouragement and depression and erodibility. And all the things that Danielle was facing, she was able to overcome with with that hope. So, Danielle, when you were alone and misplaced, and you were full of grief, let's go back to that moment. Okay, you felt oppression? And can you describe leaving the desert that you were wandering in for so long to the faith in Jesus that you now have as your Savior? Can you talk about that? Danielle Gibbons   Sure. So I immediately as soon as I went to LA it seemed like I immediately left LA and I moved back to Florida. And my hope was crushed because that is what I truly put my hope in was the the thought of of being making it big the big artist and in house Would, silly as it is, but that was the hope. So because I was shattered, I had moved in to a friend's house who she was helping her mother at the time. So I was completely alone. I was in a different part of the area, so I wasn't around any family. And it seemed like, I had taken five steps forward when I moved out to LA, and 20 steps backwards when I moved back to Florida. So I started picking up drugs again. And I'm going over the cycle and I, I'm feeling a lot of shame and grief, why can't I break this cycle? It seemed like everyone had their lives figured out. And here I am age 22. And I'm ready, I'm ready to, I'm ready to give up. The thought of going through another day seemed too hard. I was still paying rent in LA and trying to rebuild a life in Florida and I needed money. So I don't you probably don't know this. But a lot of times, it's courtesy to smoke out with your drug dealer as they deal to you. So the drug dealers over at my place, and we get high and I start just unloading all of my problems to him, like any good girl would. And I'm telling him how I just need money. And so he had a solution. He said, You know what, Daniel, I have a lot of girls working for me, you can be one of my girls, you can start dealing for me. And I said, That's a great idea. I need extra cash, I'm still paying rent in LA, I'm trying to, because I had sold everything. I went did the hippie thing. And I sold everything and I moved out there. And it was shattered. And so the drug dealer left, Unknown Speaker   and I just broke. I was broke. I remember going to the kitchen floor, Danielle Gibbons   in fetal position and just crying, the big, biggest ugliest cry, you can imagine I just start crying. I said God, I said God, or Jesus, I think as a Jesus, I obviously don't know what I'm doing with my life. Word obviously, I remember I obviously don't know what I'm doing with my life. So I surrender it. I give it all to you, whatever you want me to do, I will do it. And after I said those words, and I've heard this because I grew up in church, I've heard the testimony before I've heard it just clicked. Never, ever had it just click than it did in that moment. As soon as I said those words, it was like a head to toe piece of feeling a sensation. And that's when I truly felt like I was filled with the Holy Spirit. Because I stopped crying in that moment I got up I dusted myself off. And that's it was like a new purpose. A new mission was placed on mine heart, A New Hope. I no longer needed hope in what the world had to offer. I had the hope and Christ that no matter what I'm doing what he wants me to do. Kimberly Hobbs   Amen. Amen. And, and that is when you bowed your knee to the Lord Jesus Christ, and accepted him as your personal Lord and Savior. And wow, what a story and again, he knew you before you were born, and he was not letting go of you. And that moment, I mean, that gave me chills when it got so close to almost selling yourself to that drug dealer and just, you know, accepting that, but God said no. And at that moment, something happened that you cried out to Him praise God. And ladies out there listening, you may be reliving something in your life right now because you're identifying with Danielle and you know that again, is that purpose that we want to share and empower you don't give up. You know, God is getting your attention whether it be even listening to this podcast right now. He's getting your attention. Danielle, you are now healed and restored and renewed in Jesus Christ. And that is like the best news ever. And ladies out there, he wants you healed in his name. He wants you renewed in the name of Jesus. God is not going to let go of you ladies. And he tells us when we need help to come back to him. He is the only way. And Danielle you knew that from a praying mother's heart. And one that was taking you to church and Proverbs. What is it 22 Six that says Train up a child and the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it. So those of you that have those children that are floundering guys It says train them up. Young women out there train your child up right now because he's gonna face she's gonna face things in this world. We don't know what, but God will bring them back just like he brought Danielle back. And he says come back to the place of safety, all you who still have hope. I promise this very day I pay two blessings for each of your troubles that Zechariah 912. He lifts you out of the pit of despair that Psalm 42 He lifted you out of that pit that you were in Danielle, Psalm 40 Verse two ladies as a good one. He set your feet on solid ground and studies at you as you walk along. And that's what Danielle is going through. Now he studies her she's surrendered her life to Jesus and He is studying her feet as she walks along. Does God say it's always going to be easy? No, we all face struggles. As we go through life, even those of us that know Jesus, because there's things in our path constantly that the devil is trying to trip us up with. But God is the source of your hope. Danielle, God is the source of your hope to your listener and will fill you with joy and peace as you complete. He will fill you with joy and peace completely as you trust in Him. That's Romans 1513. So Danielle, all these ladies that are listening right now they need hope they need that hope restored. So can you please leave these women with a word of encouragement when they're feeling misplaced? How they can be placed back in the hands of Jesus. Danielle Gibbons   Feeling very grateful right now. My encouragement to you is to continue to pray. Just continue to pray. He hears you. You are not too far from him. He hears you in your room crying at night, he hears you in the empty parking lot. The empty church parking lot. He hears you. He hears you every moment. Jeremiah 2920 13 says, then you will call on me and come and pray to Me and I will listen to you. You will see. Find me when you seek me with all your heart. John 1027 through 28 says, My sheep, My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow Me. Verse 28 says, I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. He was for 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time in time of need. He hears you. i If you're wondering right now, if you're praying empty prayers, if you're wondering right now will Will I ever see the fruit of my toil? What is this? Why am I feeling like this is meaningless. It's not meaning he hears you. And what you're going through right now, if it's a season of wandering, if it's dry, like the desert, he hears you, he's preparing you he's sending you out, you are called and he's sending you out. But you need that time of preparation. So I just want to encourage you continue to see Kim and continue to pray. Kimberly Hobbs   Amen. Oh, beautifully said Danielle and those scriptures that you chose to share. God says, When you seek me, with all your heart, you will find me. God is there. And he wants you to seek him out. And those scriptures again, I pray that if those touched your heart where you were listening, that you will replay this podcast again, listen to those scriptures and write them down. Put them up around your house so that you don't lose sight of what God's speaking to you right now. Because he won't let you go. If you're feeling misplaced. He will place you back in his arms of love. And he will hold you there. He's not going to let you go ladies. So oh my goodness, Danielle, that's powerful. And your story again, Praise God. Praise God that he took you where you were. And he brought you to where you are now and look at this lovely young woman that loves the Lord with all of her heart is sold out to serving Him. We are just so grateful that you would come and share your testimony with the world Danielle and I am just so thrilled that this young woman down in faith to write and share her story with the world and she is going to be writing in the book this year by women world leaders which is called surrendered, yielded with purpose and We are so grateful we are so grateful for testimonies like this. And ladies, God may you may be listening and you may be have gone through something like Danielle or something completely different. And you are sitting there just chomping at the bit to share your God's story. We want to hear from you. We need these stories to encourage others that are listening. Do you realize that women are listening to these podcasts around the world we are in over 60 countries we are listened to by over 55 platforms around the world. These podcasts are far reaching, and God may be tugging at your heart right now saying share my story with the world because, ladies, it isn't your story. It's a story God has given you. And He wants you to share it. So please pray about that. And reach out to us at women world leaders.com. Or info at women world leaders.com. And leave us your name and address and email address. And we'll get back to you for sure. We want to hear your story. We want you to be a part of what God is doing here. And again, I want to just say thank you to Danielle for sharing what God put on your heart today. And is there any final word you'd like to say to the ladies before we close out? Danielle Gibbons   Just approach. Write down everything that he's done for you thus far, and go back to the heroes of faith. And know you can be comforted that fellow Christians around the world are feeling or maybe feeling the same way you feel in this moment. And then we can look to the heroes of faith. So just continue, continue to have the faith and write down what he's done for you and just be gracious and have that heart of gratitude. Because that's how I feel almost every day. I'm just so grateful. Kimberly Hobbs   Amen, amen. And I want to just confirm that that is something that I do every day to even when I get tired and I start to grumble about things. I turn it into praise and gratitude. And God turns my day around, I thank him and think of all the things that you're thankful for. It will turn your day around your heart around. And just remember those words, have a grateful heart, praise him in the storm. Praise Him in the storm of your life. Ladies, one more thing I'd love to share with you is that those that may be watching or listening for the first time to this podcast. Women world leaders put out event a magazine every quarter called the voice of truth outside of the United States, it goes digitally but inside of the USA, you can get your printed copy. And it is beautiful. It's over 100 pages of encouragement to you written from other women around the world. There is scripture in here there are stories in here there is enough to read that will take you a quarter to read each. Each article that's in here, it's beautiful, but it is for free. If you want to go to our website, you can read it digitally at women world leaders.com voice of truth is the magazine. And then if you want to sign up if you're inside the United States, and you would like to receive this in your mailbox, we will send you the free copies by you leaving us your address, your email address, and your name. We do not share it with anybody. This is strictly for you and for us to send this to you. So ladies, we want to help you in whatever ways we can women, world leaders to come alongside you and encourage you and just walk with you. So there are many ways that you can get involved within this ministry please just reach out to us and we are grateful to have this time together and we're gonna close it out and I just again want to thank our guests Danielle Gibbons, and Danielle Do you want to share your Facebook group that people could find you? Danielle Gibbons   Sure sure. So you can find me at cherished and found on Instagram and Facebook. I mainly use my platform by Instagram and that ch e r i s h e d a n d f o u n d cherished and found because you are so cherished and you were found by him. Kimberly Hobbs   He man there you go. Thank you so much Danielle and we are so grateful that you are now part of women world leaders that you are joining the journey with us and look for her ladies. She is going to be in the next edition the second quarter of voice of truth. And we're excited about that and then look for the upcoming books around yielded yielded with purpose. God bless you all. Thank you for joining us. And just remember that women world leaders, podcasts are copyrighted. All the content is copyrighted by women, world leaders and cannot be used without expressed written consent. Have a nice day. God bless you and we will see you next Monday.    

God's Word tells us we are fearfully and wonderfully made. But what does that really mean? Learning that our identity and self-worth are in Him is a life-long lesson and journey. And what we are going through is exactly that, what we are going through. We are children of God, loved and adored by HIm. No matter what we are going through in life, God is ever-present and aware of our problems and needs even when we can't "feel" it. The world needs you to be who you were meant to be!

John the Baptist was beheaded. Does that mean that Herod won? This scripture is full of evil plots, sin, and power-hungry moves. Let’s walk through this and unravel it step by step as we seek to uncover the lesson that God has for us. (Matthew 14:1-12, Mark 6:14-29, Luke 3:19-20) ********** Welcome to Walking in the Word, a Women World Leaders’ Podcast. My name is Julie Jenkins, and I am so happy you have joined us! Women World Leaders is a worldwide ministry whose mission is to empower YOU to walk in your God-given purpose. Kimberly Hobbs started this ministry as a Bible Study in her home, but God had bigger plans! As the number of women involved in the ministry increased, God continued to empower us to reach even more for Him. Besides this three-tiered podcast, which focuses on teaching, inspiration, and encouragement, we also offer an array of tools to help you grow. Please visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com or our Facebook page under the name Women World Leaders to find out more about how God may be calling you to be empowered and to use the gifts He has given you to empower others. We have leaders from around the world and offer opportunities to grow as a writer, artist, musician, speaker, event-coordinator, prayer-warrior, financial consultant, … the list goes on and on. Our biggest endeavor, however, is growing together as followers of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Today, you have landed on Walking in the Word. This is our 15-20 minute Bible Study podcast. Each Wednesday, we take a deep dive into a few Scripture verses, and we take a deep breath as we ask God to guide us through and teach us what He wants us to know today from His Word. We are currently walking through the gospels chronologically. Please know that once we put up a podcast, your donations allow us to keep it available to you. So no matter what platform you are listening on, you can always go back and relisten to a particular teaching that God may be calling you to. These podcasts can be a great tool to help you start your own Bible study! Some of the best discussions I have been involved in throughout my life have centered around Scripture. We would LOVE to hear how you are using the podcast! Drop me a note at [email protected] and let me know. Today’s scripture reads much like a soap opera. There are steamy characters, betrayal, thwarted love, and even murder. Who ever said that the Bible is boring has simply never read it. Today we are talking about John the Baptist’s death as we study Matthew 14:1-12, Mark 6:14-29, and Luke 3:19-20. Before we begin, let’s pray… Dear Most Holy God…thank you for giving us your Word to study together. God, we know that the Bible is living and active, meaning that though it was written years ago, it’s teachings are relevant to us today, and will always be relevant to those who read and study it. We acknowledge that the words we are reading today were breathed by You and that, as we read, you will unveil the lessons that you want us to learn. God, I pray that you take my own thoughts out of this teaching and allow me to present only Your thoughts. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.   Matthew 14 in the New Living Translation begins… 14 When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee,[a] heard about Jesus, 2 he said to his advisers, “This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead! That is why he can do such miracles.” We just finished reading about Jesus sending out His disciples, giving them His power to preach as well as to heal and cast out evil. As they traveled, we can surmise that news of Jesus and His followers reached Herod Antipas, who was the ruler over the area where Jesus ministered. And this news scared Herod – sending him into a guilt-induced speculation that Jesus was actually John the Baptist resurrected. This kind of makes no sense…because Herod was a Sadducee, so he didn’t even believe in resurrection…and WE know that John the Baptist and Jesus were born nearly at the same time, that John foretold of Jesus’ ministry, and even had baptized Him. But truly…there isn’t much about Herod Antipas that makes sense. Herod Antipas was a son of Herod the Great, who had 10 wives and many sons…all named Herod! Herod the Great was notoriously evil and had no problem killing his wives or children. You may remember Herod the Great as the Herod who, fearing he would lose his power, ordered all the babies in Bethlehem to be killed after he learned that the new King of the Jews had been born. God protected baby Jesus by sending an angel to Jesus’ earthly father, Joseph, and telling him to flee with Mary and Jesus to Egypt. So Herod Antipas, who we are reading about today, had clearly come from a long line of evil and power-hungry egotism. When Herod the Great had died, his kingdom was divided among three of his sons. Herod Antipas, being one of them, became a “tetrarch”- which meant a ruler over a fourth of the kingdom, at the age of 17. Throughout his reign of 30 years, Herod Antipas craved more and more power. As part of that craving, he married his first wife, the daughter of an Arabian King, to gain a political advantage. But fifteen years later, while visiting his brother Herod Philip, a civilian in Rome, Herod Antipas fell in love with Herod Philip’s wife, his own sister-in-law who also happened be his half-niece and was named…wait for it…Herodias! Herodias, who was also power-hungry and conniving, was game for the new marriage with her brother-in-law, but on the condition that Herod Antipas divorce his current wife. So now we have a NEW power-couple, so-to-speak…Herod Antipas and Herodias. And their conniving and evil ways fed into each other. Remembering that our scripture began with Herod Antipas succumbing to a guilt-induced speculation that Jesus is the resurrected John the Baptist? As we read on, we see where that guilt comes from. What is recorded next is a flashback…and it had been festering in Herod Antipas’ conscience. Matthew 14:3… 3 For Herod had arrested and imprisoned John as a favor to his wife Herodias (the former wife of Herod’s brother Philip). 4 John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry her.”  Mark 6:19-20 fill in some of the details for us… Herodias bore a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But without Herod’s approval she was powerless, 20 for Herod respected John; and knowing that he was a good and holy man, he protected him. Herod was greatly disturbed whenever he talked with John, but even so, he liked to listen to him This is fascinating to me! We just uncovered the evil and confusion that existed in this family, and yet, Mark writes that Herod Antipas RESPECTED John the Baptist and he protected him because he knew that he was a GOOD and HOLY man. And even though what John had to say disturbed Herod…He still LIKED to listen to him! Luke tells us that John publicly warned the people of Herod’s sin of marrying his brother’s wife, which displayed John’s own loyalty as a prophet of God. But John also courageously spoke truth directly to Herod AFTER he was imprisoned for speaking truth PUBLICLY. John advised Herod that marrying his brother’s wife was against scripture. Herod WAS a Jew, so it should have mattered. And he listened. God was working on Herod. Despite Herod’s evil ancestry and his worldly sins, God did not give up on him. And our God, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, hasn’t given up on you either. Herod listened, but he turned away without response. It isn’t enough to listen to God, and then turn away. God calls us each to respond. What is God trying to tell you today? How is He asking YOU to respond? Matthew continues in 14:5… 5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of a riot, because all the people believed John was a prophet. So Herod CONTINUED to listen to John…who was speaking for God…but he also continued living his life as usual. Herod had built a royal palace meant for lavish entertaining, and then he proceeded to use it for a lavish pagan celebration – his own birthday party. Mark tells us this party was full of high government officials, army officers, and the leading citizens of Galilee. This was no doubt a raucous event with plenty of alcohol to go around. It was normal, at a party such as this, to put slave girls on display as they danced sensually for the pleasure of the men. But as we have seen, the Herodian family was not quite normal, and they certainly lacked family values. And as Herodias was seeking power…she sent her daughter out to be the entertainment. Her likely pre-teen daughter. And the men were indeed entertained. And Herod gave her great praise. Matthew 14:6 continues… 6 But at a birthday party for Herod, Herodias’s daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased him, 7 so he promised with a vow to give her anything she wanted. Mark records that Herod said to the young girl…“Ask me for anything you like, and I will give it to you.” 23 He even vowed, “I will give you whatever you ask, up to half my kingdom!” 24 She went out and asked her mother, “What should I ask for?” Her mother told her, “Ask for the head of John the Baptist!” 25 So the girl hurried back to the king and told him, “I want the head of John the Baptist, right now, on a tray!” Herodias was seeking power herself. She saw the relationship building between John the Baptist and Herod. John had actually been imprisoned for two years by this time. Herod had plenty of time to listen to John’s teaching and respond. He listened. But he didn’t respond. And then, through a string of bad decisions, Herod’s path was determined. Herod gave into his desire for power and control and married his first wife for political reasons. Then he gave into his lust and married his brother’s wife. Next, Herod heard John’s public warning, and, as a favor to his wife, had John imprisoned. He then sat and listened to John, a man he respected as good and holy – but Herod refused to respond and, instead, allowed his heart to continue to harden. Then Herod threw a raucous pagan party, and promised the young, promiscuous dancer, who was also his wife’s daughter, anything she wanted. And she asked for John’s head. In front of the government officials, army officers, and the leading men of Galilee. From the depths of his hard heart, he now had no choice. Mark continues in 6:26… 26 Then the king deeply regretted what he had said; but because of the vows he had made in front of his guests, he couldn’t refuse her. 27 So he immediately sent an executioner to the prison to cut off John’s head and bring it to him. The soldier beheaded John in the prison, 28 brought his head on a tray, and gave it to the girl, who took it to her mother. 29 When John’s disciples heard what had happened, they came to get his body and buried it in a tomb. Matthew ends this section with… Then they went and told Jesus what had happened. John was a good, upstanding man. A righteous prophet who was courageous and faithful. And he was beheaded. Herod Antipas was a wicked, weak, and confused man who had every opportunity to listen and respond to John’s teaching. He did listen. But he refused to respond and enjoyed his fun in the sun. Who won? History tells us that Herod Antipas’ divorce from his first wife led to a border war and serious military losses. And Herodias continued to cajole him into attempting to gain more power; but instead of becoming king, in the end he was removed from power and banished to Gaul, where he died. But more importantly than that, we saw Herod’s heart harden. It is never up to us to say that someone is with or without an eternity in heaven. But we don’t have any record that Herod did turn to Jesus. And that is the biggest loss of all. God gave Herod EVERY opportunity, and he turned away again and again. God DOES pursue each of us. But it is up to each individual to not only listen, but to respond. And make no doubt about it, although our God is patient, there will be a time when it will be too late to respond. If you refuse to listen to God, your heart will grow harder day by day, until you can no longer hear His call. AND the fact is that God can simply close the door at any moment – because the end times are coming and none of us know when our last breath on this earth will be. And then, no matter how ready you are, if you haven’t already responded, it will be too late. So in this twisted drama, who won? John was beheaded – but he is spending his eternity with God in heaven. Herod Antipas enjoyed the party and the power – but he died alone, and to our knowledge without turning to God. Are you on the winning track? Have YOU listened and responded to Jesus’ call? If not…will you now? Before it is too late? Oh most gracious Lord and Savior…we come to you today with humble hearts asking you to break the strongholds in our lives. Asking you to allow us to hear You and giving us the courage to respond. God, we confess that we are sinners in a broken world. We confess that without you, we are alone and our lives are empty. Jesus, enter our hearts. Forgive our sins. And set us on a path of resolution with you. We thank you for your guidance and for giving each of us the next steps to respond to your grace with courage. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

From self-centered to more of a self-less life through God's direction, our guest Stacy Thomas has learned to be bold and courageous in sharing her faith.    Step out of your comfort zone and step into an ability to share your faith as Joshua 1:9 commands. Be bold and courageous.    ***** Kimberly Hobbs   Welcome to empowering lives with purpose. And I'm your host, Kimberly Hobbs. I am the founder of Women world leaders. Ladies, we are so grateful that you have decided to join us today. And we would love to welcome our guests today. Who is Stacy Thomas from? Where are you from stays in my city Beach, Florida Animos city, I knew it was Florida. I just forgot this the city. So welcome, Stacy. Stacy Thomas   Thank you for inviting me. I'm really appreciative. Kimberly Hobbs   Oh, you're appreciative that you're here. So, ladies, it's all about sharing our stories to encourage each other what God has done in and through our lives. That is who we are at women, world leaders, we want to come beside you encourage you empower you, strengthen, strengthen you through the power of the Word of God. We believe that he is working in you giving you the desire and power to do what pleases Him. That's actually a scripture from Philippians 213. And what does God say in Revelations 1211, he says that they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. And we believe that by sharing our testimonies that we can overcome him which is the enemy of our lives, and we share our testimonies and oh my goodness, what comes out of it is just amazing. And others can relate and, and help you know draw their relationship closer to the Lord as well. So, so ladies, we are so happy to have you and I just want to share a little bit about Stacey before. She shares a little bit about her story with you because today we're going to talk about being bold and courageous. And Stacey is a wife and a mother of three and she's been a pediatric occupational therapist for 27 years and is currently serving in the level three NICU unit. Stacy served as the ministry leader at her local Celebrate Recovery for seven years. She has assisted with establishing community based nonprofit ministries such as backport blessings and protect our preemies. Stacy has multiple publications in a local Christian magazine ad and has co published in the APTA professional research journal. Stacey enjoys spending time traveling with her husband visiting her children hiking and outdoor activities. And one of her scripture verses that is special to her is Psalm 91 Two, which says He is my refuge, my fortress, my God in him will I trust. So as I was sharing, ladies, today, we're going to talk about being bold and courageous. And if you're anything like me, I had a difficult time because I have always felt unworthy and worthy to talk out and share about my faith. Because of my past. And I know in speaking with Stacey, her and I shared some of the same past and that just lacking confidence. But Joshua one nine says, Have I not commanded you be strong and courageous, be bold, do not be afraid. And Tracy was an only child growing up. So she was in this kind of self absorbed place. But after growing in the Lord in him intervening in her life, he has taken her from this self centered place to now being more selfless. It's this growth process that we all need to go through. And she is learning how to be a selfless human being. And today Stacey is going to share a little bit about in her story about how God has drawn her closer to him. Stacey, can you share about that a little bit? Stacy Thomas   Thank you, Kimberly. Yeah, just to give you a little background, I, like Kimberly said was born and only child to very young parents who were on their way to college and life changed quickly for them because of that decision. And through a difficult delivery. Long story short, I ended up having some difficulties and was later diagnosed with cerebral palsy. So mild case but still have some challenges with my physical abilities. I always did well in school, and really learn to overcompensate there with my grades trying to meet the demands of fitting in. So over the years of being an only child and my parents were working and going to school, I learned to become more self sufficient. And I never really had to be challenged in any way with confrontation because there were no siblings to have confrontation with. And I guess I could say I was probably a fairly easy child, I didn't have much conflict with my parents growing up. So I grew up believing that I was in control, and that I was independent, and that I could do whatever needed to be done. And I carried that into my adulthood. I knew who Jesus was, but I did not have a relationship with him growing up in high school friends, who went to church would invite me I would go, but honestly speaking, it was more for the socialization, and just being able to fit in somewhere than it truly was about making myself a relationship with Jesus. went away to college, five hours away, no cell phones, and I was large and in charge of my own life and not doing it very well. Really kind of let go of some morals that my parents had instilled in me and being a number one party school, University of Florida, tended to hang up those morals and just do everything I could to fit in with the people around me. So over time, after marriage, and having kids and my children really were the gifts that God gave me, that made me want to have a closer relationship with God, because I wanted them to. And that's what really kind of led me to start going to church and pursuing God a little bit more. But even on the Wednesdays, and Sundays that I was there and serving, I still kept a Unknown Speaker   wall up Stacy Thomas   between me and had a lot of expectation on others had a fairly critical spirit on me and, and didn't give a lot of grace at that time. And so God began talking to me about that in my late 30s. So that's kind of in a nutshell. And Kimberly Hobbs   and I know through our conversation, Stacy and talking to you, you are sharing about that time where God started speaking to you and listening to podcasts, which we know are very helpful. Ladies, these podcasts are so helpful to us, aren't they, and I am just so grateful for them. Please pray for us as we do these podcasts. But you were listening to podcasts in your life, Stacy, and God was speaking to you. And then you are also sharing how you did a study in the zekiel. And one of the words that was jumping out at you as the word telling. And Ezekiel was talking about that in his book about being telling to be bold, and stand up and speak up, instead of being full of pride and talking from a self centered place. How did you do that? Stacy? How did he do this through you? Stacy Thomas   Well, God led me to a ministry called Celebrate Recovery about 10 years ago, and my church had started it. I was one of those people that said, I'm not one of those people. And finally, God just led me there really, truly with a desire to fix my marriage and fix my husband. But God showed me that that was not my job. And hey, let's look at these things in your heart a little bit. So after some time doing the steps there and realizing that I had some hurts that I needed to deal with, and some anger to deal with. The Lord led me through that and to a much healthier place. And since then, my studies have included podcasts have included small groups. And recently, last year, he said, I want you to study zekiel And I said, God, what? And so I kind of pushed back in my old Stacy way of pushing back from things and sat on it for a bit. And then this past month podcast that I listened to started a lit study on a zekiel. And I realized, Okay, God, you put me up this put this before me again. So I was obedient and began to study on the podcast. And yes, I had no idea what Ezekiel looked like for my life, but he has opened my eyes to realizing that he's not putting me out into the world to fix people, like I have done in my job that's been a requirement as an occupational therapist is to fix the injury, fix the development of the child, whatever it may be, but that my role as a Christian is not to fix people, but to tell people who he is and the love that He has for others. And for me And so I'm learning a new habit of just being able to go out and share and not have to be a scholar in the word not have to be a Theo theology, but use my testimony, use my story, use my experiences, to show people how much God loves us, and how much his purpose for us is for good, but also for the kingdom and helping others come to know who he is. Kimberly Hobbs   That's so true, so true. And thank you, I am so grateful that God impressed upon your heart, that you needed to turn things around and to start to speak truth into people in the place that God has brought you. And you are now doing that inside the NICU unit. And God brings you to women that are there. There's reasons why some of these babies are born. So premature, and there are problems associated with those children. And sometimes the the pregnancies and it gives you the ability to speak truth into their lives. And I'm just very grateful for that. So out of your place of rejection and different things that you've had to deal with in your life of fear that you can now speak truth into these women who are rejected and afraid. And God gives you these opportunities. So the Bible says when fear a mobilizes us, ladies, like when you are afraid to do something, just as I believe Stacey, in hearing her testimony, was afraid to step out in that faith and to be bold. And to be courageous. The Bible says when fear a mobilizes you to do something, ladies, don't be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you and He will be with you. And he will neither fail you nor abandon you. And that's Deuteronomy 31. Eight. Stacy, can you give us some examples how God embolden you in your career? Like maybe in the NICU? Like do you have a story you could share with us about God giving you that boldness at a certain moment to step out and share about him? Stacy Thomas   Oh, wow, there's so many opportunities. First, I want to share a scripture. Second Corinthians one four is kind of the scripture that I stand on now for my work. And it says, who comforts us in all our tribulations so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. And to me that says that he's calling us to use our testimony to help people understand and have hope that they are not alone. In the NICU, I come across mothers who, you know, most women, you know, have an expectation of I'm going to get pregnant, I'm going to carry this baby for 40 weeks, and there's going to be a baby shower, and there's going to be a now there's these baby reveals, and you know, all these fun things that are supposed to happen along the way and pictures and whatnot. And when that baby comes, we're going to spend a couple of days in the hospital, we're going to take them home to the nursery and things are going to be grand, our moms, whether it be because of prematurity or some other medical issue with the babies tend to have to have go to the NICU and have a different experience. And it's an experience where they absolutely have no control over the circumstances that they're facing this little human being that, that we that we take gratefully from God, and in some ways own in our own minds, is has to be at the mercy of the people who were taking care of it at that point. And so we have to bring to them a place of knowing that they can trust us. And how many women and men dads that I've talked to have trust issues. And so it's a very difficult time. So I've been able to use in so many ways, my experience of having cerebral palsy myself and having a developmental delay in my physical ability, being able to tell parents who are facing those worst case scenarios and say, hey, my parents face this too. And they were told I'd never walk. Or I might never walk. But look at me now. And so I'm able to use my visually use and show them that though this looks really grim right now, God took what happened to me, and he turned that into something good. So a perfect example was we had a baby who was born extremely premature. 24 weeks, her biological mother signed her rights away and she became a word of the state who was adopted. She was not doing well. She had a lot of difficulties. She was at the age where she was able to start learning to eat by mouth. And she just had no desire, she really didn't wake up much. And adoptive family was assigned to her, they came up and they immediately wanted to hold her. within 24 hours, we saw that baby turn around. Within eight hours, we saw that babies start to eat. And we were able to talk about how the love and affection that that family gave her. And the trust that they had for the process allowed them to be able to turn that baby around. And isn't that just the way that Jesus does with us? Kimberly Hobbs   Oh, yes, yes, that his arms Stacy Thomas   and he loves us. And all of the circumstances that we are in all of the tribulations that we are facing, just melt away. And we're able to surrender it all to him. And he turns it around in our life. Kimberly Hobbs   He does. He does. It's all about love. It is all about love. And I just I was flooded with goosebumps when you said that. And I can just imagine that scenario, because that's how God created us, we need to be loved. And we need to show love. And that little baby felt that love that human touch that genuine love for it. And look at what God did in that situation. Wow. Wow, that's beautiful. And to take it Stacy Thomas   further that is to have moderate to severe cerebral palsy based on the medical findings of her brain that we had seen on scans. And before she left, all evidence of brain damage was gone. Wow. And those parents embrace that as a miracle from God. And, and you know, and so not only do we have the opportunity to talk about God and His love for us and connect those dots, but then there's, you know, people that come to us that have the same ability to minister into our lives. And that's what I love about the kingdom is that we have opportunities outside where people who may not know Jesus, we have opportunities, to boldly bring it to them, but also within our own community of Christians, we need to be encouraging each other and loving on one another and accepting one another right where we are, instead of expecting another to be somewhere or doing something a certain way. Kimberly Hobbs   It's so true, we cannot have a judgmental attitude or anything, it's all about loving one another and having that boldness, again, encouraged to step out and just embrace another with love, speak the truth into their life. It's so important. You know, we see it from the moment we're born, obviously, with what you see Stacy in your career and, and you see it all through life, you see it through the mothers lives who are giving birth, you know, that maybe feel so broken, you know, delivering this child and, and rejected and whoever, you know, who knows what that woman is going through, but you have the ability, Stacy to love on them, God has put you in a place where he is using you and all of your past things in your life. To now speak love and truth into other women. And ladies, that's what we need to look for is in our own life. What are you doing? Where are you right now in your life, that God can allow you to open your mouth and speak love and truth from his word into others lives, that's what will change their lives. That's what will impact them and turn their situations around. It's his love. It's the power through his word that will do that. And we are just so grateful, Stacy for you doing that? And do you have any other examples maybe that you want to share? Because these examples again, just give such a profound? Ah, you know, like, wow, you know, I get it. I see it. I see what God's doing in that situation. About speaking boldness and to somebody. Stacy Thomas   Yeah. So one of the scriptures that I really have held on to for a long time, as James 122 says, Don't just be hearers of the word but be doers of the word. And just like an zekiel zekiel was tasked not with going in and fixing the broken nation, but he was tasked with going in and telling about God and what God's promises were and and God muted him for that purpose. He was only allowed to speak when he was sharing what God wanted share. And for me that that stood very tall for me because I've always you know, my profession requires me to People, whether it be their injury or whatever, are these babies. And so, I take that seriously, because now my new habit is to go and tell, go tell it up upon the mountain, right. So, but you know, one of the things we have to remember is that we are loved and he forgives us. And he gives a second chances. He shows us mercy and compassion and his heart is softened towards us. And that's something that we have to remember to do as well. You know, there are women that come through the unit, who have been doing drugs, and for a long time in their life, they may have been shunned, and they may have been judged and, and when they come to the unit, we have to know that they didn't, they weren't little girls that grew up thinking, Oh, when I grow up, I want to be a drug addict. They something happened in their life that created this for them. And we have an opportunity to help them become the women that God has purposed them to be. And that baby might be the reason why they are there to hear from us that they are loved, and that they are accepted, and they are forgiven. We can empower these women to have a purpose beyond that drug that they're addicted to. And we can help them. And so that's that's a big part of my heart after being involved in Celebrate Recovery as a ministry leader is that just letting people know whether it be a man or a woman that they have such great value in this world, beyond the circumstances are in the moment. And so that asked us to be those people who come alongside others who are downtrodden, and who are hurting. And they let them know that they are loved spite what has happened in their past. Kimberly Hobbs   As ladies, I believe, that's a calling on all of us, that we need to step out in prayer. And if you're not a bold person, if you're tend to be quiet, and you let others just, you know, no step out and ask God to help you be bold and courageous. And that you would step out of that comfort zone for Jesus cuz it is our it's our job, I guess you'd say, you know, as believers as those in relationships with Jesus, that we talk to somebody that we normally may not talk to, you know, our pray with a family member, a friend or a co worker such as Stacey does, she's bold, and she steps out where God has her right now, in that Nick unit and with boldness, she's praying with others, she is loving them and loving them to Jesus. And true boldness, ladies is centered in Christ, not ourselves. And sometimes we're so focused on ourselves, or what are people gonna think of us are, you know, I'm not a speaker, or I don't know, a whole lot of Scripture what, but just take that first step and just ask God to go with you, and speak out about him. And you're going to watch how he's going to be right there with you. He's going to give you our triggers something in your mind that you're going to say, because you prayed about it, and you asked him for that boldness. So the CC Can you just give us a give these ladies an encouraging word from your heart, how they can step out in that boldness just like you are you are in a place where you were, you were afraid to do that, because all the focus was on yourself. You grew up that way. But God turned it around. So how can you encourage our listening audience to step out in that boldness? Stacy Thomas   Um, I think the main thing that we have to remember is that God is never going to lead us into anything that is for to hurt us. So start feeling afraid, I realized that is from the enemy, and the enemy loves to distract us with fear. Yeah, yes. So if you know if God is calling if the Holy Spirit is putting it on my heart to talk to somebody or to say something in particular, the first thing I do is I pray about it. Because I want to be sure that my words are helpful and not hurtful, and that they come across with the right motives. And so I checked my heart, and I asked God to show me the way that would be a way to, to enlighten him in this person's life. And then I have to take that step. And, and that step is is sometimes very hard, and sometimes it's very easy, and I will be honest, sometimes it's the people that I'm the closest with that I have the hardest time being bold with. I come from a place of not wanting to disrupt the applecart, you know, and I come from a place of wanting that accepted And, and needing to know that people are happy with me. But God is really leading me out of that. And, and And ladies, if you if you wonder how I got here, it's been through just really listening to God and learning how to be obedient. And sometimes I thought, am I even hearing him. But there was always a time that he would come alongside me and make it clear in some way, even through telling me to read the book of Ezekiel, which I did not understand whole lot of before the surgery, and I still don't, but being able to just say, You know what, I'm going to take a chance on God, because what else do I what do I have to lose there? Because he's always for me, he's never against me, always. And I spent too many years living in fear and living afraid of what might happen. And now knowing that that fear comes from the enemy. It's just a matter of taking a deep breath, thanking God, loving God and saying, God, my life is surrendered for you and your will test and that word, and those 100 Steps come in baby steps. He's not going to require us to jump off the cliff into some sort of ministry or jump off the cliff into some sort of evangelism. He's just asking us to have conversations and share our story. Kimberly Hobbs   Amen. Amen. Yes, ladies, and thank you. Thank you so much, Stacy for sharing that and encouraging and it does, it requires humility, again, ladies rather than pride. And realize that you can be bold in your faith, be bold in your faith, and I just have a couple scriptures I wanted to share as we close here, the wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion. And that's proverbs 28. One, be bold, as a lion, ladies, God will give you that confidence, you can do it, you just need to step out and be courageous. Acts for 31 reminds us that after they pray, they were shaken, they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God boldly. So one thing that Stacy and I were both sharing was pray, pray about it, as she is there in the NICU, and things are right in front of her situations that she doesn't have any control over, she goes to God and prayer and ask God to how is he going to use me here? What am I going to say, Lord, and then God speaks through her, he will do that for you too, if you ask him to. So remember that ladies, that's our duty, we need to be bold and courageous, and share our faith wherever we are, where ever we are in this world. And this is a tool that I hope might help you. Two years ago, we women world leaders put put out a book called courageous steps of faith. And these women, there's many women in this book that have shared their stories of being bold, and courageous and stepping out in faith and doing something amazing for the Lord. And we believe that all of us, all of us have that ability to do it. If you would like to get this book to encourage you and inspire you. It is available through our website at women, world leaders calm and it and we ask that you get it through our website, it is available on Amazon as well. But it has become a number one bestseller. And we are very grateful for that. But that's because God has shown favor and this book has been prayed over and we believe it will be a very useful tool tool to you if you need that little encouragement to step out and be bold, courageous steps of faith. And that's with God. All things are possible. We do believe that with all of our heart, ladies. And one other thing that we have for you that would be a great inspiration. And again, full of Scripture full of encouragement is our magazine that comes out once a quarter now. And it is called voice of truth. It is available digitally outside of the United States around the world, through women world leaders.com. And you can get your free copy if you are within the United States. And that is by going to women world leaders.com voice of truth and then there's a place where you can sign up leave us your name, address and email address which we do not share. But please ladies also if you receive Voice of Truth last year, this year, we need to have you re submit your name and address and email to continue receiving it. And our next edition is coming out in May. So please ladies, make sure that you get yourself Rhys re signed up for Voice of Truth or if you want it Please go to our website at women world leaders calm. So in closing again, thank you so much Stacy Thomas for joining us. And Stacy is going to be one of the authors and the upcoming book for this year which is called surrendered, yielded with purpose. So we are so excited that chair, Stacey is going to share her story. So thank you, Stacey, for your willingness to say yes to Jesus and to serve. Lady desires a place for you to serve here within this ministry and we invite each and every one of you to join us at women world leaders.com Or join us in our Facebook group. And just look for women world leaders on Facebook and asked to come into the group and we will gladly let you in. Ladies, we are so happy to have you and again from his heart to yours. We are women world leaders. All content is copyrighted and cannot be used without expressed written consent. God bless you each Thank you for listening. And please don't forget we have our teaching podcasts every Wednesday by Julie Jenkins. And we also have encouraging podcasts every Friday and Celebrating God's Grace. So ladies, please we have podcasts for you Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays please be sure to join us at Women World Leaders podcast. Thank you and God bless you  

Cindy Jacob Southworth, an AACC Certified Relationship Coach, shares about the impact that betrayal has on your life personally and relationally, and how understanding forgiveness can set you free from the consequences of betrayal. ******* Welcome to Celebrating God’s Grace, a Women World Leaders Podcast.   I am your host Cindy Jacob Southworth, an AACC certified relationship coach with Breakwater Ministries, and part of the Women World Leaders leadership team, and today I am coming to you from Cindy’s Porch.  I want to talk to you about the consequences of betrayal and it’s antidote, but first, let’s go to God in prayer.   Father God, betrayal is a heavy topic, and it is one we know you know a lot about. Help us today to trust in your word and understand the impact that forgiveness can have on our lives and on the lives of the people who are part of our every day life. We praise you and thank you, in Jesus’ name, Amen.     Trust is at the heart of every relationship. It forms a solid foundation for the relationship to grow. However, when trust is broken, a person feels betrayed. They become vulnerable and feel the need to protect themselves.   Psalm 55:12-14 says: “If an enemy were insulting me,     I could endure it; if a foe were rising against me,     I could hide. But it is you, a man like myself,     my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship     at the house of God, as we walked about     among the worshipers.”     It’s difficult enough to be hurt by someone, but when it is someone you have trusted your heart with in some way, it leaves a feeling of betrayal. We believe that those we love are in our lives to nourish our soul, and when they do something that defies the intimacy we thought we shared with them, the result is betrayal.   I had a series of betrayals from childhood into my early thirties. I was raised in a dysfunctional home. My mother suffered with mental illness, and my father traveled for several months at a time in his career, so I was left behind at an early age to care for my mom without any skills to know how to dodge her constant contempt towards me. In hindsight, she wasn’t mad at me; she was angry at her inability to cope with life, but I was the easy target.   I left home as soon as I was able, into the arms of a man who physically abused me. With spiritual counsel, I left that relationship, and within a short period of time, I was married to my high school sweetheart and raising a family. Thirteen years later, he ended the marriage and left me a single mother with three children. Desperate, I remarried quickly only to discover I married a man with multiple addictions and mental illness. Our relationship was like a roller coaster.   With each breakup, another layer of mistrust was added to my broken heart. The price of betrayal is high: it left me feeling anxious, insecure, and unsure about my ability to discern who to let into my inner circle – which relationships would be safe for me?   What happens when we experience betrayal?   One of the things that can happen is HYPERVIGILANCE. We are on the alert for anyone who might stab us in the back, we become self-conscious of what others think of us, and we doubt our ability to discern relationships.   A second thing that happens is we become SUSPICIOUSNESS OF GOD, OURSELF, AND OTHERS.   We mistrust others when they give us compliments, even feeling vulnerable when they do. We don’t trust others, and we especially don’t trust ourselves. Sometimes we even have difficulty trusting God.   A third thing that can happen is we have a lot of DISTORTON AND DENIAL.  We lack the ability to read other people. We do not trust our own intuition, and we allow others to tell us what we are feeling instead of adequately verbalizing our own feelings. We excuse other people’s behaviors, even protect them when they are wrong, and often are very judgmental about our own.   Another consequence of betrayal is that we have LOST HOPE FOR INTIMACY.   WE conclude that relationships cannot really be trusted or enjoyed, and we expect them to be temporary. WE might have many friends, but that doesn’t mean we let them know our true feelings. We may keep relationships on a surface level because we are afraid if we get close again, we will be betrayed again. We may struggle with having a deep intimate relationship with God.   The fifth consequence of betrayal is a LOST HOPE FOR STRENGTH AND JUSTICE. We sometimes think because of what happened to us that God is unjust. We beat ourselves up for trusting the person who turned out to be untrustworthy. We protect ourselves instead of depending on someone else to help protect us.   When we have been deeply betrayed, we are in danger of any of these until we exercise the antidote to betrayal.   Does God understand betrayal?   God has experienced rejection and betrayal since time began. Starting with Genesis, He was first betrayed in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve chose to disobey him in favor of the serpent.  They didn’t disobey God because they didn’t like God – they disobeyed God because they believed a lie.   In Hosea, God asks Hosea to marry an unfaithful woman. She leaves him and becomes a prostitute, but because of his redeeming love for her, he buys her back. The unfaithful wife didn’t have anything against Hosea – she didn’t know her worth and so she went back to the only life she thought she deserved.   God did not pour out His wrath on us when we were disobedient. Instead, he sent his Son – God came down in human form to heal, forgive, and embrace humanity. While he was here, there were twelve disciples who became his intimate friends, but one would surely betray him. Jesus himself understands betrayal – and what was his response:  Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.   What is the antidote: The antidote is FORGIVENESS.   One of the things to remember when you are betrayed is that while it was done to YOU, it was never about YOU. The person did what they did because they were thinking more about themselves than they were about you. They had a need to operate in their own sin of self-protective behaviors, greed, threats, physical or emotional harmful behaviors, instead of choosing you. This often leaves you feeling worthless, helpless, and unlovable.   It is really difficult, almost impossible, to forgive the person for their actions. Forgiving my father, for example, doesn’t change the fact that he left me over and over again in one of the most vulnerable times of my childhood. Forgiving my mother for being mentally ill doesn’t change the fact that she suffered from schizophrenia. And forgiving my husband who beat me mentally and physically doesn’t change his actions towards me.   You see forgiveness is not about their actions. Forgiveness never changes the story. Forgiveness does not let them off the hook for what they did to you. AND forgiveness does not mean you have to reconcile the relationship. That is a different topic for another day.   In order to exercise forgiveness, it’s important that you understand what forgiveness really is, and what you are forgiving.   Matthew 6:14 (NAS) 14 For if you forgive other people for their [a]offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.   Ephesians 4:32 (NAS) 32 Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven [a]you.   Forgiveness is a command by our Heavenly Father to forgive others because He has forgiven us. The first thing that walking in forgiveness does is it keeps us in right relationship with God. Having a forgiving heart opens the channels of God’s mercy and grace to flow through us to others.   When you forgive someone, you are not forgiving them for their action. Forgiving them doesn’t change what they did. You are forgiving them for the consequences that you experienced because of their action. I forgave my dad for the abandonment I felt because of his constant departure from his family responsibilities. I forgave my mother for the anxiety and insecurity I experienced because of her wrath towards me. I forgave my ex-husband for the trauma I experienced and distrust I was about to carry into my next relationship. I also had to forgive myself for acting codependently, feeling responsible for other people’s choices, and lacking boundaries that healthy relationships possess.   You see, forgiveness is more for you than the other person. It changes your heart and mind. When I forgave my dad for the abandonment I felt, I didn’t carry feelings of abandonment into my next relationship. When I forgave my mom, I was able to have trusting, intimate relationships with other women.  When I forgave my ex for the lack of trust it caused me to experience, I began to trust again.   I learned that forgiveness is for me – not them. Forgiveness breaks the chain that binds me to the individual that hurt me, and they stop living rent free in my head. Forgiveness allows me to set them free to find their own relationship with God and allow Him to change their heart and mind. I’m not responsible for what happens in their lives; that’s between them and God. Their judgment will come from Him – not me.   In order to properly forgive, you have to take the time to assess what happened to you because of their actions, and then you can step through the forgiveness process, knowing what you are forgiving.   Unforgiveness weaved a tangled web in our lives and relationships. Forgiveness was designed by God to set us free us from those entanglements. Forgiveness releases you from the desire to get revenge on the person who hurt you.   Releasing betrayal and embracing forgiveness changed my life. It helped me to live authentically, free from condemnation of the past, free to embrace vulnerability in new relationships. Releasing betrayal and embracing forgiveness allowed me to love again. My husband of 22 years has been the light of my life, and we have been on a journey of letting Jesus be the constant thread in our marriage. The result has been a life of love, and a life of serving others in ministry. It’s amazing what God can do when you surrender your will to His.   If you have experienced any kind of betrayal in your past, take the time to assess the damage, and take the steps of forgiveness to keep your heart and mind free.  Take the time to receive the free gift that God has given you – the gift of forgiveness. I would love to hear from you – drop me an email at [email protected] and let me know your ideas for future podcasts.   Thanks for listening to Celebrating God’s Grace. Join us for podcasts each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God’s extravagant love and your courageous purpose. Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry. From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders. All content is copyrighted by Women World Leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.

Do you ever feel like you are up against a brick wall and nobody knows? That nobody sees or cares what you are going through? Jesus knows, and Jesus cares! He sent you on a mission and gave you a purpose. And He knew it wouldn’t be easy. That’s why He assured us of His presence and told us not to be afraid! (Matthew 10:16-42) ********** Dear Heavenly Father. Thank you for loving us and for guiding us through this study today. Father, we confess that we are flawed and sinful, and we ask you now to cleanse us of any sin, that there may not be a barrier between us as you teach and guide us. Lord, we want to hear from you! And we thank you for always meeting us where we are. I ask you to take over this teaching and allow us to hear directly from you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. If you were with us last week, you might remember that we saw Jesus entrust His disciples with His authority as He sent them out into the world to cast out evil spirits, heal diseases and illness, and tell the world of the Kingdom of God. We learned that Jesus had a plan – for His disciples then and for us today. And although His disciples might have walked away sure-footed and ready to bless the world, Jesus knew that they would have days when that feeling of empowerment waned, and the world came against them. And He wanted to prepare them for those rough times…the times they were tired…weary even…and for those times when they wondered if they were, indeed, doing the right thing. Who of us hasn’t asked, even if not out loud, “If I’m doing what God wants me to, why is this so hard? And why do all the cards seem stacked against me?” If you have been walking with Jesus for more than a single season, you have, no doubt, had ups and downs in your faith life. There are days when I feel like I can conquer the world in Jesus’ name, and there are days when it feels like no matter how hard I work, the world seems to crash against me, and no one seems to notice. I bet you can relate. If you are in one of those rough times – then today’s scripture lesson is for you! And if you happen to be standing on the mountaintop today…listen anyway. And as you listen, I encourage you to think about those people in your life who may be battling and need an encouraging word. If God puts someone on your heart, perhaps you are being called to send them a link to this podcast or to womenworldleaders.com where they can find this podcast. You might just be the answer to someone’s prayer today. So, Jesus gave instructions for his disciples to go into the world, but even as He did, He knew what was ahead for them. Jesus knows that when we step out to follow Him, we will have troubles…BUT He also knows there is a light at the end brighter than we can imagine. Jesus knows the going will be rough, BUT he knows that glimmers of bright light will shine through along the way… He knows that there is wickedness in the world, BUT He also knows that God’s glory will outshine the darkness. So Jesus warned His disciples, gave them instructions, and reminded them to look for the roses, even when there was an abundance of thorns. Today’s teaching comes from Matthew chapter 10, verses 16-42…let’s begin with verse 16 from the New Living Translation…Jesus said… 16 “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. …there’s the warning…Jesus knew what His disciples would be up against…and He makes no apologies…but He does give instruction as to how to take those wolves head on…He says…  So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.  …but even when we follow His instructions, Jesus warns us… 17 But beware! For you WILL be handed over to the courts and WILL be flogged with whips in the synagogues. 18 You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. It’s not starting off so good is it? Jesus says go…but be prepared…because you ARE going to be among wolves and you will be persecuted by the government and even by established religion. That’s NOT good news. Enter a ray of sunshine…Jesus’ first “but” for us…verse 18… But THIS will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me.[a] 19 When you are arrested, don’t worry about how to respond or what to say. God will give you the right words at the right time. 20 For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. When we become followers of God and have a relationship with Jesus Christ, we WILL be persecuted…in all walks of life. Now…this teaching and guidance was given directly to the disciples, but like many of Jesus’ teachings, it can be extrapolated to us today, and even to the end times. The disciples didn’t step into their calling and immediately become persecuted by the government and the religious establishment. And neither will we necessarily. But over the course of history, true followers of Christ have been and WILL be persecuted for speaking the name of Jesus … they have been and will be persecuted by the government AND by established religion. So we need to be prepared by ALWAYS seeking that PERSONAL one-on-one relationship with Jesus. We can NOT depend on even preachers and teachers to be dialed into the heart of Jesus, but we must test everything we learn by being dialed into Jesus ourselves. And when we ARE dialed into Jesus, even though we may be persecuted, WE will have the opportunity to tell and teach truth. To those in our government, and even to those in our churches. But, Jesus says it is not just the government and established religion that will turn against truth…it is also our own families… verse 21… 21 “A brother will betray his brother to death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against their parents and cause them to be killed. 22 And all nations will hate you because you are my followers.[b] But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.  Another ray of hope…another rose among the thorns…When we stay strongly connected to Jesus…He will give us the strength to endure in relationship with Him to the end. And it is that relationship with Jesus that will save us and outlast any earthly relationship. So, Jesus instructs… 23 When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next. I tell you the truth, the Son of Man[c] will return before you have reached all the towns of Israel. In other words…the light will come, even while the followers of Jesus are still battling persecution to shout His name. The fight will go on…and Jesus will win! Jesus goes on to teach that He knows and understands our persecution, our exhaustion, our just plain bad days. Because He Himself has gone through them…verse 24… 24 “Students[d] are not greater than their teacher, and slaves are not greater than their master. 25 Students are to be like their teacher, and slaves are to be like their master. And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons,[e] the members of my household will be called by even worse names! Yet another warning… but also another ray of light… 26 “But don’t be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything that is covered will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all.  Jesus instructs us to NOT be afraid, but to take the “secret” of who He is and what a relationship with Him means, and share it with the world… 27 What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear! 28 “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell WE have the privilege and honor of sharing what a relationship with Jesus means, and we can do so in total confidence that nothing can ever harm our eternal life and relationship with the God of the Universe. Jesus then encourages us by sharing how very important WE are to GOD…He has numbered every hair on our heads…and when we acknowledge Jesus on earth, HE will acknowledge us in heaven. Jesus loves US more than anything! And He wants us to love HIM more than anything…more than our own father and mother, more than our own sons and daughters, and CERTAINLY more than ourselves and our own comforts…saying in verse 38…  38 If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. 39 If you cling to your life, you will lose it; BUT if you give up your life for me, you will find it. There are many “buts” to being a Christian! We will walk as sheep among wolves and we will stand trial before kings and governors…BUT as we do, the Holy Spirit will be with us and will give us the words to speak on behalf of Jesus. We will be betrayed by family and hated by nations, BUT God will be with us and will give us the strength to endure, and He will save us. We will be called names and threatened, BUT God will be with us and will give us the secret that enables us to walk through the darkness. We will be forced to choose between those we love and God…BUT, God will be with us, and when we acknowledge God, He will acknowledge us. There IS going to be a fight and there will be struggles, whether we stand for ourselves or we stand with God. BUT…if we stand with God, in the end HE will overcome our struggles. HE will fight ahead of us. And HE will win. If we are going to have to be in a battle anyway, we might as well be on the winning team and allow God to fight for us. Beginning in verse 40, Jesus leaves behind the “buts” and switches to the “ands”…   40 “Anyone who receives you receives me, and anyone who receives me receives the Father who sent me. 41 If you receive a prophet as one who speaks for God,[i] you will be given the same reward as a prophet. And if you receive righteous people because of their righteousness, you will be given a reward like theirs. 42 And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.” As followers of Christ, we WILL have troubles. But EVERYONE has troubles! The difference we have when we are obedient to Christ is that we are GUARRANTEED to be shown the right path. We are GUARRANTEED that the battles we fight will be WORTHWHILE. We are GUARRANTEED that God is fighting for us. And we are GUARRANTEED to win. Because God wins. There will be thorns…but when we follow Christ…we are guaranteed the roses. There will be darkness…but when we follow Christ…we are guaranteed the light! Let’s pray… Dear God…thank you for choosing us to be on your team. Thank you for your warnings, your wisdom, your guidance, and your protection. And thank you for giving us the HONOR to fight alongside you. God, I am sorry for those times when I have complained that MY load is too heavy and that I am tired. Thank you for always giving me another chance to serve you with all my heart, mind, and soul. I DO give you this day – lead me where you will. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.  

Women World Leaders' Candace Kirkpatrick is a faith-based actress in television and film, but her career wasn't always focused on faith-based films.   Candace shares her story of surrendering her career choices and receiving God's provision of a lifetime dream. This podcast interview will inspire you and encourage you in your own journey of faith to always do what is right. (Originally aired Feb. 2021)   ******** Kimberly Hobbs   Welcome to empowering lives with purpose. And I'm your host, Kimberly Hobbs. I'm the founder of Women world leaders. And we are just so happy that you are here today and I'd love to welcome our guest, Candace Kirkpatrick. Welcome, Candace. Candace Kirkpatrick   Hello there. Thanks for having me, Kimberly, I'm happy to be here. Kimberly Hobbs   And we are so happy that you've joined us. And ladies, we are happy to all come together and for a greater purpose. Our purpose here with these podcast series is to encourage you, strengthen you and empower you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. So a verse that I always love to open up with is Ephesians 210, talking about us being God's masterpiece, because each one of us are his masterpiece. But today I want to open with our verse from women, world leaders, which is right there. Ephesians 320, unto him, who's able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all we can ask or imagine, according to the power that's at work within us. And we truly believe ladies that when you allow that power of the Holy Spirit to work within each and every one of you, God is going to do exceedingly, abundantly above what you can imagine in your life. So to start off, today, I want to share a little bit about our guest, Candace, she is first and foremost a Christ follower. And she is a wife, a mom, she loves to serve Jesus in her calling, which is acting, she's an actress. So as a well known actress in film, and television, Candice has a story behind it all, where she is now in what she is doing in her industry, and how she is here on this podcast to encourage each and every one of you. That's what we're all about is encouraging, right? And we do that by sharing our stories. And God has given us each a story. We believe that with all of our heart, so what is your story? And hopefully you'll be thinking about that today. As Candace shares a little bit about her story. Her parents were divorced at a young age, she was only like four. And they dropped her at nursery school where she began acting in the first grade. And she loved it so much. She continued acting all throughout school, and she graduated high school valedictorian of her whole class. Then she received a full ride on to college, where she studied the arts. And she got received a bachelor's and a master's while at college, and also graduated valedictorian of her college. And that's an achievement. Candace. That's amazing. We are so happy to have you. Man, she started attending top acting schools. She got an agent, she moved to New York, where she started doing different things with her career. She's done shows abroad in London. And she's really, she's received recurring acting parts on soap operas. And all of this, she's done as her faith and walk in Christ continued to grow. So in her love of this industry, some of her acting brought her to various parts. And I wanted to start here and let Candace open up about this. All of the sudden change that God was speaking to her in her life through receiving some of these parts that she was auditioning for. So Candace, please share with us a little bit about that. Candace Kirkpatrick   Hi, okay, great. Um, after I got my master's, I was at one program for my Bachelor's a different program for my master's, where I did years of Sanford Meisner training. Then I moved to New York got the agent, like you said, and I was doing a lot of work off Broadway and traveling around the world doing shows, including London, as you said, as well as Ukraine. And then I was getting small parts and TV and film these little bitty recurring roles, nothing substantial. But when I came back from my show in London, that is when I started getting more larger roles. And one of them my agent had set me up for a role that had come from Toronto. And it was a huge success in Toronto. And he said, you know, they'd like to see you do take over one of the roles, and I went and saw it. And it was offensive. And I can't say anything nice about it. And so I spoke with my agent and said, I'm sorry, I can't do that. And he's like, Oh, you need to it's very successful. It's very popular. And I said, Have you seen it? And he said, No, I haven't. And I said, please see it. And then he said, You need to separate your religion from your work, oh, boy hurt. And I said, What you go see it, and then we'll discuss it. But that didn't go over very well, then I was also getting some roles, and now in larger roles in TV, and film. And I didn't even know my character, I didn't have a problem with the the character I was portraying the message that the audience would take away what you know, I didn't agree with. And, again, I went to my agent, and he was like, Well, if you won't do it, we'll get somebody who will somebody else who will. So at one point, I honestly thought, oh, I should go ahead and do this. And then I can take that money and use it for something that would honor the Lord. And the Lord spoke to me very clearly, to obey is better than sacrifice and in your can, in your case, Candace, to obey is better than compromise. I don't want you to compromise. Obedience, which is interesting, that word obedience, because I hope I come back to it at the end. Because that's something you know, just radical obedience. So I just laid this script before the Lord and I was like, Lord, I want to honor you, I want my life to honor you. And so some of the things that I was looking at, in that I was reading that before I had just thought was brilliant writing. Now, it was, um, I'm causing this tension in my in my spirit. Because I saw this as even though you could say, I mean, there are a lot of incredible writers. But unless you know who you're grounded in, in the bore, what comes out May not be edifying, and will not be building up of anyone or giving you a message of hope. And so that is when I seriously, I met with pastors and others to say, Okay, I need Godly counsel right now. Because, as you said, I had I started acting when I was three before I even got into first grade. And then I had done that my entire life for, you know, through middle school, elementary school, high school, college graduates. So to say, Lord, are you calling me away from this? And that is when he surrounded me with some prayer warriors. Kimberly Hobbs   Wow. Well, that that's huge. Because you are at a point in your life where you are like, Okay, do I sacrifice, the love of my life, what I was doing, to walk away, like you said, and not compromise in this, you know, World of this career that I've built, and then follow after God's heart. And so I'm sure that struggle was there, and you needed women to surround you and pray for you and, and others. So, so you did you, you sacrificed, and you became a mom, you raised a family, you started doing some things through these this 20 year journey of moving away from your career at this point for just a little bit, although I think you're going to share with us some of the things that happened through those 20 years, which are pretty cool. So let's go there. Candace Kirkpatrick   All right. Well, I am sure much counsel, as I said, from pastors, as well, as I had, I was leading some women's prayer, prayer ministries and Bible studies. As I was praying about exiting this industry, and two women that I was very close with came over almost every day to pray with me that I would just delight myself in the Lord that I would love what he had for me, and then I would trust him. And so I was newly married at the time, so I invested in my marriage, we decided worried about having a family, I didn't want anyone raising my family as you stated, you know, I was four when my parents got divorced. And we went between back and forth between our parents. So I wanted to make sure that I was intentional in my children's lives that no one else was raising them. And so during that time, I just continued to pray, Lord, use me however you wish to use me. So I continue to teach. I think I have taught Bible for more than two decades, I was leading prayer ministries within their schools. And I was writing and directing place for searches, as well as like, I did this huge, musical, as well as play for churches. And I was also directing their vacation bible school during the summer and helping write scripts or rewrite scripts and direct for that God was Kimberly Hobbs   still giving you those, those desires of your heart to play them out. But it was just in a different role right now, because you were now a wife and a mom. And so you had the best of both worlds being able to do this, but doing it as a wife and a mom, but I think that's beautiful. Candace Kirkpatrick   Yeah. And, and also, I do think it's important. I mean, you know, when he says, Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he's old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22, six, Amen. Yes. And so I think, to get the word in the child is important. Mm hmm. And I, and I think to, for kids to have a love for the Lord. They can't be just do's and don'ts, Do this, don't do this, don't do this. But when you open up the world to them, like to me, when I read the Bible, it leaps off the page, I just invade everything. It is a live action adventure. And so when you are doing that, and you're presenting these writing scripts, or something where you're bringing the Bible to life, then you're opening up a world for them, to hopefully fall madly in love with the Lord and with His Word. And that was, My desire is that not just my own children, but children at their schools, because I was directing for their schools as well, and for the churches and stuff like that, that they have this love for God. So Kimberly Hobbs   I love that about you, Candace, you are passionate about pouring into others through what you do. And you found that way to do it while you were raising your children because of the importance of pouring in. And one of the ways I know you are very passionate about studying in the Word, and being a mom in teaching your children about this. But another area that you are passionate in, in why you are where you are today, walking with the Lord talking with the Lord, is because of the importance of prayer in your life, Candace. And because of that importance, I know that somebody's near and dear to you in the movie, the War Room, which, again, you had your ties in with that movie, but you, you developed your own prayer room, in your home. And I thought, wow, this is really neat, where you go to that prayer room on a regular basis, you communicate with the Lord, you have two sides of this closet set up. So I wanted you to share with the women right now the importance of prayer in our life and why it brings us on to what we can do for the Lord, how we can serve Him if we're in communication with him. Candace Kirkpatrick   Yes. My prayer closet is extremely important to me. And I need to I really want to clarify this. I have been a prayer warrior for as long as I can remember, it's it's breathing to me, I want to be in constant communion with the Lord. Because as Peter said, where else where we go, Lord, for you alone have the word of life. So there's nowhere else I can go. But a tragedy happened in my family in 2018. And it just sent me level on the floor before the Lord. And I mean, you know, I couldn't even draw breath it was and so I can't even describe it. And then I realized, you know, I was not just praying for exams and friendships and you know, for my kids and safety and protection, I was praying on a far deeper level. Okay. And when you mentioned the War Room, I was not a part of that film at all. But I have done. I'm doing a TV pilot with Karen Abercrombie, who is plays Miss Claire of the War Room. So she is an incredible, amazing woman. And I need to share that she is more fiery more passionate in real life than she is in that film. So that just gives you an idea what she is like she's phenomenal. And her passion for the Lord is line love it. Kimberly Hobbs   I love it. I just have to share this because now that you brought that up in women, world leaders, we in our Facebook group every day we write empowering words to encourage and strengthen the women. And I have shown Miss Karen Abercrombie, who what is her name and the move is Clara, this Clara. I have played that that stint in the kitchen over and over I put it on women world leaders, because when when I get riled up and I'm writing, you know, and I'm passionate about something I'm saying and I'm like we are going to prayer over this or we're doing this, I put that clip on the bottom. And it just inspires the lady. So I'm tickled just like Candace Kirkpatrick   you should know she's more passionate than that character. Oh my goodness. And so randomly, she just calls me to send me love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love. So anyway, I love that I'm blessed because of her. But anyway, because that movie prompted me with this tragedy to make a prayer closet. And that's what I did. So I shared I don't have a luxury have a very small closet. I didn't like take out all my clothes. I just moved everything over. And I have two walls. One is praying how God views work. And there are hundreds of scriptures hundreds of how important work is to God. You know, the he has created work in advance for us to do you know, he has already got it. And I don't want to miss what he's called me into. You know what I mean? Right? All these things lined up and he's already purposed for it. I want to be Lord, I'm here. I'm here. willing vessel use me use me right here. But then my other side is praying for loved ones. Last ones, unsaved ones, families with going through health issues, cancer, tragedies, death, rebellious children, divorces everything. And so I have each side, plastered with scriptures like almost from the floor to two thirds of the wall. That's beautiful. And then I have ticker tapes running. One is a prayer request and one is a praises. And then I've got about 10 or 15 books in there devotionals that I do along with my Bible. And I journal I want to promote this here. I'm promoting you see this. And in pew. This is a guided discipline in prayer. Because it helps you because a lot of people don't know, like, where do I start? I'm overwhelmed. You know? This is like, I'm just sharing it because it's the Lord's placed on me. What are the circumstances? It says, what are the circumstances? What just happened? And so this is, what are the lies the enemy is telling me? That's the second part. The third one is How am I feeling about this? There's an index with 200 500 I'm feeling this because a lot of times you may be feeling like 50 different ways. This is how I'm feeling. Okay. And then it says, And this is what Jesus says about it. And the Holy Spirit just download scripture. And I just like this is what Jesus says about it. This is what Jesus says about it. And this is what he says about it. And then on the other side is adoration, confession, thanksgiving supper, supplication, the axe prayer thing. Yep. Those are all important parts of prayer. And they are in my prayer closet with me. Because I cannot go operate in my flesh in a world that is broken. I so much want to be filled by His Spirit, armored up like in Ephesians six that I have on the full armor of God. So that when I go into a situation I am Lord, You are speaking through me you will use me and then I will just be an instrument for your glory. Because ladies about me, I gotta constantly remind myself remove myself. Get him and he cares About every single person I encounter, whether that person is walking with him or not. He cares. So how can I be his arms and feet and light and joy? And love? If I'm not staying? You know, he says, I am the vine, you are the branch Remain in me and you will bear much fruit but apart from me, you will do nothing. That's right. I want to be I want to be making a lot of fruit. Man, girl, am I gonna happen if I am tethered by him anchor in the vine. And so I spend a lot of time because there's so many things I can't fix them solve. And I'm like, Lord, alright, you got to take care of it. And I'm gonna rest in you, but I got to be prayed up. So Kimberly Hobbs   Amen. And that. That's my point. You know, communication with God is key ladies key. And we all need to have that place where we know that we're going to go to the Lord every day. It's not just when problems come that you go to Him in prayer. No, you develop that relationship, and you pray continuously. And if it means taking a designated area where you walk by in your house every day and say, I need to get in that room. I haven't been in there all day. Because we shouldn't let a day go by that we're not praying and communicating to our Heavenly Father. That is how he's going to speak to us. That is how he's going to change our life. That is how he's going to prepare us for the future for what he wants to do in and through you. So please, ladies, make it a point to get this prayer closet. Down. I go in my pantry every day. And I know it sounds funny, but I have a walk in pantry. And I can go in there and I can shut out the world. And because usually it's my kitchen being my domain, but the pantry is that place where I shut the door and block everything else out. And I just focus in there. And I go to the Lord in prayer. And I talked to him. I was in there three times already today. So it's corny ladies, right? It's important to be in our prayer closet. So though, Candace, so through all of this communication with the Lord in His 20 year journey, this is so exciting to say that God brought you to now a new acting place. Now you are in faith based only and you are a voice. God's given you a voice to help tell stories to help others share their stories, and you want to be His hands and His feet. And so like I said, God's been preparing you it doesn't happen overnight. Ladies, it's a constant daily walk with the Lord. And before you know it, you're walking right into your beautiful purpose that God has prepared just for you. So Candace share about that, you know, you're now you're in faith base. I know we have to be closing up in a minute. But it's like, here we are. So let's talk about now you're doing what God has called you to for him? Candace Kirkpatrick   Well, I pray that he's, I mean, he's still working on me, I you know, He who began a good work and us well carried on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus, that's Philippians, one, six, so he's still working on me. There's prayers that he hasn't answered yet. Or he's answering in some phenomenal way that I can't even fathom, which I'm excited about to see how he's going to work. And in 2018, he opened the door for me to go into faith based entertainment. And I said to him, Lord, if you ever call me back into this industry, may I honor you? And that's what, you know, there are people who do not do secular work, and God uses them to minister to people on those sets. Okay. So I look, I did look at the content, I tried to look at the message I tried to see what is the point that the writer is trying to get across what is the director's intent, and I read up on it, and he's opened some doors for me, that her clearly his, his not my doing, that had become directly from him. And I you know, there's a saying, sometimes I just smile and look up and go, Yeah, that was you. God knows you God. And that's it. You know, because I go, Yeah, that was you. And so he's to Kimberly Hobbs   do it. Psalm. Psalm 18, verse 30, says, God's way is perfect. Yeah. So maybe back 20 years ago, you were doing it the way of the world but God's way is perfect. And now you're in faith based Godwin's perfect. All the Lord's promises are true. Psalm 1830. Yes. Candace Kirkpatrick   Well, I he, you know, I'm working on the faith based crime drama, vindication. I have a recurring role on that, which is fun. It's not like the normal dramatic roles I play. It's a quirky OCD character. I love it. I got to do this TV pilot with Karen Abercrombie of the War Room, and Cameron Arnett of overcomer. Hopefully that'll get picked up. I'm supposed to be working on a film called Love one another about racism and how we deal with it in the church. So I'm thankful for that. But in the meantime, I mean, I'm not I'm not anxious, I'm not nervous. I'm just like, Lord, bring me to whatever you want to close doors, open doors. And in the meantime, I wouldn't go back to praying. That's what I pray. And I fled. I don't let the world in so much. If I'm not listening to uplifting Christian music, I'm listening to my Bible app on, you know, on my head, that I'm listening to women, faith based writers who are encouraging, you know, your identity in Christ, Kimberly Hobbs   and you're embracing everything that God has for you. And that's what we need to do women is embrace everything that God has for us keep our eyes fixed on the Lord, right? Yeah, it's a focus. It's fixed on the Lord. How do you do that? You're in His Word. You're talking to him. So yes, Candice. So we have to wrap it up. But I just want you to give that encouragement right now to the woman that's listening right now. What can you speak into her life, about moving into all the fullness that God has for her? Candace Kirkpatrick   Well, the first thing I would say, know that the Lord loves you, intimately. He is intimately acquainted with you, He knows every hair on your head, he has your name engraved on the palm of your hands. So seek him before you turn on the television or anything else. Go to his word before you call up a friend and want to complain about something, go to him and say, Lord, you know how that stung that hurt that bothered me. And just have him fill you up with how tremendously he loves you and wants a relationship with you. And then surround yourself with godly women who were chasing after Jesus, and have a prayer ministry this morning with a group of women. And I am in constant prayer. Like I have time phone calls throughout the day that I pray with different women around the world because we're in different time zones. People who are pursuing Christ, because we live in a broken world, but we are be the salt and light. And it's hard to be salt and light, if we're not being constantly filled up with him. So at the same saturate yourself in the world, pray, pour out your heart to Him, there's nothing he doesn't know. Just pour out your heart to Him, He will FILL you and give you tremendous joy in the midst of some very hard circumstances. And if you if you need a buddy, call it somebody you know, is a prayer warrior, who was following hard after Christ, to say I need your help to lock arms with me. And we will go to battle together. And that's what I want to encourage. Kimberly Hobbs   Amen. And thank you for that encouragement, Candace. And just as Candice connected with women, world leaders, we love that God brought her to this amazing group of women. And that's why we're here ladies is to be that help to you to reach out in all these different areas. There's women walking through what you're walking through, there's women that are here, just to be helped other women. We're here as a as a way to help each other and in Canada, so wonderfully, was led by the Lord to be here doing this podcast right now as an encouragement to you. Maybe God has a story in your life that you're going to share somehow, some way in, in our magazine in a book that we're putting out, or whatever it may be. But God has a way to use each and every one of you to do not doubt that. If your old way of living is leaving you feeling spiritually dull and dead inside, then it may be time for you to surrender everything to Jesus, just like Candace did. She knew that time that things were not going in this direction that her life was going with the world. God didn't want that for her. So she surrendered. And she changed her heart. And God gave her this passion to serve others, and now she's doing it for him. And we are so grateful that you shared. I wanted to share a scripture portion that I thought was so cool. And kind of goes right along with what we're talking about Canvas. It says our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true, then you will not become spiritually dull or indifferent. Instead, you We'll follow the example of those who are going to inherit God's promises because of their faith and endurance. That's Hebrews 611 and 12. So in your sphere of influence, ladies think about that. Candace is spheres of influence became her husband and family and then those that God connected her to at that time, and then he opened up her world. And now she's doing all of this faith based way of reaching the loss for Jesus. So whatever your gift that God has given you, it may not look like canvases, it's your own. A verse that I heard Candace share in a past podcast that I wanted to share too, is Colossians 317, which says, Whatever you do, in word or deed, do it for His glory. So we just want to share that with you as well and encourage you with whatever you're doing, just make sure you're doing it for the Lord Jesus Christ with the right heart and the right content. So in closing, I just want to share with you all that we have a magazine that just launched recently, it's a monthly magazine. And if you are looking for extra encouragement, and just a word from the Lord, there's scriptures in here, this is put out by women, it's called voice of truth, which comes out every month, and put out by women, all kinds of wonderful nuggets inside that will inspire you encourage you in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you can receive your free monthly copy by going to women world leaders.com. And there you can go to the Contact Us section, and put all your information in and we will be happy to start sending you your copy of voice of Truth magazine. Ladies, you can also join us on our Facebook group where we interact and comments. And it is a private group. So just ask to be invited in. Also we have the website, women world leaders.com, where if you need prayer, or if you need another woman to come along beside you, we can help you with that. So just put in a prayer request. And we have tools there ladies. So these are open and available to each and every one of you, wherever you are. We just love you. We want to help you and from his heart to yours. We are women moral leaders, Candace Kirkpatrick, I thank you so much for being here. And you can find Candice Kirkpatrick at what is your website?

Join host Janet Berrong as she shares the benefits of music and worship on good health. 

Jesus commissioned the twelve disciples. He empowered them, informed them of their duties, and gave them specific instructions on how to carry out their responsibilities. You can be assured that God has a job for you as well. If you allow Him, He will commission you, lay out your duties, and instruct every step you take from here forward. (Matthew 10:1-15, Mark 6:7-13, Luke 9:1-6) ******* Welcome to Walking in the Word, a Women World Leaders’ podcast. My name is Julie Jenkins, and I am your host as we walk through scripture together, asking God to guide us as we learn what He wants us to know today. If you are new to our podcast, we have three different offerings for you. On Mondays, Kimberly Hobbs hosts Empowering Lives with Purpose – a 30-minute interview with a different woman of faith who shares her story. These podcasts are incredible – and I’m telling you, you never know what you are going to get! Although the topics range from movie production to overcoming abuse to being a loving parent, these podcasts have one common thread. That is that each of the women who are interviewed has seen God’s glory and power at work in their lives. And as you listen, you can’t help but begin to understand more fully how God may be at work in YOUR life. On Fridays, our team of hosts catapults us into the weekend with Celebrating God’s Grace. This is a glorious time to celebrate and learn from all that God is doing not only in this ministry but in the world. And today…on Wednesdays, we open the Word of God as we walk systematically through scripture. We are currently walking through the gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – chronologically, as we strive to uncover what God wants us to know from each chapter of Jesus’ life here on earth. Last week we highlighted the fact that there is plenty in this world for us to do! And when we answer that call, there is also plenty of joy to go around. Because when we follow God’s call and do the work that He has commissioned us for, we will receive the ultimate satisfaction that only following God can give. So how do we know WHAT God calls us to do? I can’t tell you the what…that is between you and God. But as we study Matthew 10:1-15, Mark 6:7-13, and Luke 9:1-6 from the New Living Translation, I believe you will walk away with the HOW…HOW you can follow God’s commissioning for your life. God does have a job for you, one that He is just waiting to reveal. He wants to commission you, lay out your duties, and instruct your every step. Let’s look at HOW we can each allow Him to do just that. Before we begin, let’s pray… Dear Most Holy God…we are here because we want to follow you. We want that tangible connection with you. We want our lives to be worthwhile – and we know that doing what you have called us to is the key. But what is it that you have called us each to? Will you open our ears today to your instruction, open our minds so that we may understand your will, and open our hearts to be willing to go where you call? Help us, in these next few minutes, to hear and understand your scripture and to apply it to our lives in a way that is honoring to you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.   Matthew chapter 10 begins… 10 Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil[a] spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness. This must have been a surprise for the disciples! They had followed Jesus and had learned from Him…I imagine they still felt like they had SO MUCH to learn! And yet, here was Jesus, giving them HIS authority to do the work HE had been doing! I think we have all felt like this at one time or another – simply not qualified to do the work that was ahead of us. My oldest daughter is about to graduate from college. She has been well-prepared! She has taken her classes and leadership opportunities seriously, and she has a great job offer. And now it’s time to fly! But that can be a little scary! One friend I was speaking to recently said, “I remember when I began my first real job. A big problem came up. And I thought…I need to find an adult to help…and then I realized…I AM the adult!” Life has a cyclical upward spiral to it. … We are first taken care of, then we begin to watch others, are instructed, and then we practice…and suddenly it is our time to perform. Then WE become the ones in charge…and later, we are actually the ones to instruct and guide others. It all kind of sounds like a common-sense approach to life…until, perhaps, you are the one being handed the reins. Matthew goes on to remind us in the next verses WHO the disciples were that Jesus was granting this authority to…and the bottom line is that they were NOBODY SPECIAL! They were not super-educated, wealthy, or of royal blood. They were normal – your average Joe’s. Some would say they weren’t qualified to be doing what Jesus was telling them to do. And yet they were granted the authority of GOD…to cast out evil spirits and heal EVERY kind of disease! Jesus gave them HIS authority, and then, He gave them instructions. First, He told them WHERE to go “Don’t go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, 6 but only to the people of Israel—God’s lost sheep.  And then He told them WHAT to do… 7 Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near.[d] 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received! It was as if they had a playbook. Some steps may have seemed easy. They were to go to their own people – the Jews. The theological reasoning behind this instruction is that Jesus came first to the Jews and THEN to the Gentiles…and this was still the beginning, so the Gentiles weren’t intentionally brought in yet. This instruction could have been considered simple – the disciples understood the culture, and the Jews were WAITING for the Messiah – so this news of the kingdom should have been welcomed. In some places, it was…in others, not so much. But the kicker was, the disciples had no foreknowledge of how they would be received in each place. They did, however, know what they were to do. They were to announce that the kingdom of heaven had come and then show the power, care, and concern of the kingdom of heaven by healing the sick, raising the dead, and casting out demons. Surely this would make the welcome mat more accessible to the disciples as they followed Jesus’ instructions. BUT…they HAD seen what Jesus had gone through…the persecution by the Pharisees…even the accusations that He was accessing Satan’s powers. So while there was no doubt WHAT Jesus was instructing the disciples to do…and that the adventure He was offering them was exciting…it was also true that this adventure didn’t come without risk. As a result, there must have been quite the mix of feelings among the 12. SO… they knew WHERE they were to go, and WHAT they were to do, and their heads were likely swimming. But there were further instructions… Matthew 10:9 records Jesus’ words…   9 “Don’t take any money in your money belts—no gold, silver, or even copper coins. 10 Don’t carry a traveler’s bag with a change of clothes and sandals or even a walking stick. Mark 6 instructs them to bring “no food, no traveler’s bag, and no money”…but makes a note…9 He allowed them to wear sandals but not to take a change of clothes. Well, that was nice. I’m glad I wasn’t one of the 12…I just might have rolled my eyes…oh gee, thanks Jesus…I’m allowed to wear shoes!...Yay.. Jesus knows our shortcomings… Nevertheless, I bet the disciples were a bit confounded as to HOW this was all going to work...so, graciously, Jesus answered their questions BEFORE they could voice them…saying… Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve to be fed. So they were expected to work, and they WOULD be fed…if they accepted the help that God was prepared to send…and Jesus told them step by step how it would work…Matthew 10:11… 11 “Whenever you enter a city or village, search for a worthy person and stay in his home until you leave town. 12 When you enter the home, give it your blessing.  But Jesus also provided them with instructions should things go wrong…verse 13… 13 If it turns out to be a worthy home, let your blessing stand; if it is not, take back the blessing. 14 If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave. Mark says… 11 But if any place refuses to welcome you or listen to you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.” AND, Jesus reminds them that God’s protection is greater than ANYTHING they will encounter… 15 I tell you the truth, the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will be better off than such a town on the judgment day. Finally, Luke 9:6 tells us that the 12 obeyed… 6 So they began their circuit of the villages, preaching the Good News and healing the sick.   Wow! As I read this and take it apart, my thoughts begin to swim at the complexity of the situation! The disciples were FOLLOWING Jesus…learning from Him…HE was the teacher. And suddenly, they were being thrust into the drivers’ seat. The path seemed exciting…but the instructions were overwhelming! And following God’s call took faith and courage. Faith that they were truly entrusted with the power of Jesus to do what He had called them to do. Courage to step out and proclaim that the kingdom of heaven had come. Faith to believe in the kingdom of heaven despite human doubts that surely crept in. Courage to travel without any provisions and very little plan. Faith that God would provide for them and protect them along the way. We can see that, for the disciples at this juncture, it wasn’t knowing what they were called to that was the problem. Their biggest obstacle was having the faith to look to God in every situation and having the courage to step into the unknown as they followed that call. Remember at the beginning I asked the question …. HOW do we know what God calls us to do? The answer to that comes in the very first line of this section of scripture…”Jesus called his twelve disciples”… God has a different calling for each of us…a calling that we can only hear when we go to Him regularly. See…the disciples had gotten in the habit of following Jesus, of watching Him, and learning from Him. And one day…He called them to something HUGE. We read the instructions, and our minds spin. But they answered obediently – because they had spent so much time watching and learning from Jesus and taking small steps of obedience which allowed their faith and courage to grow. They were prepared. Each of us is going to have a different calling…and when you spend time with God, He will prepare you for that calling. He will build the faith and the courage you need, step by step, until He is ready to reveal His plan.   God is SMOOTH! Just like the loving parent or teacher who prepares you for adulthood until you are, undoubtedly ready to fly, God will prepare you with each step of obedience you take. The problem for most of us is not knowing WHAT we are called to, but having the courage and faith to step out WHEN we are called. We are called to take a step of obedience every day! The question is…do we have the faith and courage to respond even when the step seems trivial and we can’t see the point, or, on the contrary, when the leap seems daunting or the outcome looks exciting, but scary? We can trust that God’s timing is always perfect. His provision and protection are always perfect. And His preparation and leading are always perfect. The disciples were called to COME to Jesus before they were called to GO for Jesus. They were called to learn and walk in obedience …taking what may have felt like small steps, strengthening their legs for the leaps of faith God was yet to call them to. You too are called to give your yes in humble obedience as God places stepping stones in front of you. The path He is creating IS your calling! And it is more significant than you can BEGIN to imagine! Take the one step He is calling you to today – in faith and with courage. He WILL instruct you all along the way, and He will lead you to a lifetime full of exciting adventures and victories that will point, always, to His glory. Dear God…you know just how to meet each one of us. And we thank you, for letting us be a part of your plan, and for tailoring that plan for each of us. God, help us always trust your call on our lives. Give us the courage and the faith to step out in obedience! Thank you for always calling us TO YOU even as you ask us to go FOR you. We love you, and we give you this day. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Today's guest, Deborah Watson from Studio 222 Productions, shares encouragement to help you find your God-given purpose despite shattered or broken dreams. Deborah has written, produced, and directed movies focusing on young women who need direction, love, and a Savior. (Originally aired 11/23/2020)

This podcast featuring Cindy Jacob Southworth, an AACC Certified relationship coach, shares about the destructive aspects of approval-seeking behaviors and how God’s Word helps us overcome these behaviors. We have to stop believing the lie that we need others’ approval in order to feel good about ourselves and walk in His truth that tells us we are righteous because He is righteous. We are holy, flawless, and restored.   ***** Welcome to Celebrating God’s Grace, a Women World Leaders Podcast. I am your host Cindy Jacob Southworth, an AACC certified relationship coach with Breakwater Ministries, and part of the Women World Leaders leadership team, and I am coming to you from Cindy’s Porch. Today I want to talk to you about the destructive nature of approval seeking behaviors, but first, let’s go to God in prayer.   Father, you created us to be in relationship with one another. Your word clearly teaches us how you see us as your children and how you desire that we relate to others. You are Our Counselor, Redeemer, and Friend. May we glean from your word today.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.     How much time are you spending trying to get someone else’s approval?   I spent the first half of my life trying to get people’s approval. I spent a lot of time wondering and worrying about what people thought of me. Looking to gain other people’s approval can lead us to approval addiction, and the consequences can be costly.   A fear of disapproval can lead to a fear of rejection. In my younger years I just wanted to fit in. I wanted to fit into a certain group of people so badly that I started to compromise my standards to fit in with that group. I found myself engaging in activities that in the past I wouldn’t dream of doing. I was betraying myself in favor of their approval, and as a result, I started disliking myself. Changes would need to be made to start accepting myself again.   Sometimes we find ourselves praising other people just to get them to like us. This is another form of manipulation and will not get us the results we are looking for. Sometimes we can exaggerate the truth to get someone’s approval. We change our looks, our dress code, and a multitude of other things just to get people to like us. The result is we have betrayed ourselves in favor of the other person.     My friend Barbie called me in desperation one day. She said she felt like a soda bottle with six straws sucking out of her, all at the same time. Barbie was an approval addict. She looked like a suffering saint, meeting everyone’s needs and neglecting her own. Barbie’s motivation was to get people to like her, to be everyone’s hero. In the process, she lost herself and lost the ability to take care of her own needs. Barbie thought it was a sign of selfishness to take care of herself. She would need to learn that taking care of oneself is loving herself and it’s okay to love herself.     Love your neighbor as yourself. Often, we love our neighbor so much more than we love ourselves, but it’s because we are seeking their approval. We want and need them to like us so we can feel good about ourselves.   Not only do we do this to ourselves, but the world is full of those who demand our attention in exchange for their acceptance of us. Some have learned the art of manipulation and use it to their advantage. If we don’t learn how to set boundaries in relationships, we will begin to feel used and abused by those around us whose approval we have been seeking.   In my coaching practice I encounter people every day who struggle with loneliness. While we thought that engaging in social media would bring us closer together, the results show quite the opposite. Despite social media, people today experience more loneliness than ever before. People today struggle more than ever with feeling unloved and a fear of being unwanted or unaccepted. Can it be that they are feeling judged by their peers?   We are wanting people to fill a void that can only be filled by God. We are believing the lie that I must be approved by other people in order to feel good about myself.   Ask yourself these questions:   Do you avoid certain types of people?   Do certain types of people make you feel uncomfortable?   Do you become fearful and anxious if you think you might be rejected by someone?   Are you greatly bothered when someone is unfriendly to you?   Are you critical of other people?   Do you find yourself trying to impress people when you are with people you don’t know?   Do you pre-determine what people may think of you?   Do you find yourself not understanding what motivates others?   If you answered yes to more than one of these questions, you may be suffering from approval addiction. Our fear of rejection begins to affect our behavior, and we discover that we are not living our authentic calling. We are trying to “fit in” because of our insatiable need for others to like us.   We soon discover that the person we are betraying is ourselves. Our spouse, our children, our inner circle of friends are not getting the real “me,” they are getting the me that is adapting to my environment out of fear of being rejected.   We have to be willing to look at the root of this fear of rejection and allow God to pluck out this bitter root. If we don’t address the real issue, this fear can lead us to behaviors that will ultimately be destructive. We will find ourselves being easily manipulated, being defensive, reacting with hostility when others disagree with us, engaging only in superficial relationships, exaggerating the truth to impress others, becoming passive, and eventually having a nervous breakdown.     Ephesians 2:1-3 (NIV) “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.”         Romans 12:2 (TPT) “Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes.”   In order to change the way we feel about ourselves, we have to change our thinking. We must tell ourselves the truth of who we are.   Colossians 1:21-22 (TPT) “ Even though you were once distant from him, living in the shadows of your evil thoughts and actions, he reconnected you back to himself. He released his supernatural peace to you through the sacrifice of his own body as the sin-payment on your behalf so that you would dwell in his presence. And now there is nothing between you and Father God, for he sees you as holy, flawless, and restored.”   If God Himself sees me as holy, flawless, and restored, why do I need the approval of anyone else? His word tells me that I am His Child, that I have been redeemed, I am forever free from condemnation, there is nothing that can separate me from Christ, that all things work together for my good, I am the temple of the Holy Spirit, and I am His workmanship.   Knowing that all these things are true, I already have God’s approval. I don’t need anyone else to tell me I am significant. My significance lies in who God says I am, and He delights in me. He delights in you. He is everything you will ever need.     Romans 5:8-11 (TPT) “But Christ proved God’s passionate love for us by dying in our place while we were still lost and ungodly! And there is still much more to say of his unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, ‘You are now righteous in my sight.’  And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God.  So if while we were still enemies, God fully reconciled us to himself through the death of his Son, then something greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, and because we share in his resurrection life, how much more we will be rescued from sin’s dominion! And even more than that, we overflow with triumphant joy in our new relationship of living reconciled to God - all because of Jesus Christ!”   We have been granted this righteousness. Once we begin to see ourselves the way God sees us, we no longer need to feed that old seed of approval. We can make decisions that are right for us, and those who really love us will see us and encourage us to live authentically. We stop allowing others to manipulate us and we set boundaries that protect our health and well-being. Those who love you will respect your boundaries and your own limitations without judgment. There is great freedom in being able to live authentically without fear of rejection.   If you suffer from approval of others, ask God today to help you remove this bitter root that leads to a fear of rejection, and accept His love and acceptance of you.   I would love to hear from you, so drop me an email at [email protected]   Send me your ideas for relationship advice. What would you like to hear about on this podcast that has to do with marriage? Send me your questions about marriage.   Thank you so much for joining us today—as we celebrate God’s grace in our lives, in this ministry, and the world!     Thanks for listening to Women World Leaders podcast! Join us each Monday, Wednesday and Friday as we explore together God’s extravagant love and your courageous purpose. Visit our website at www.womenworldleaders.com to submit a prayer request, register for an upcoming event, and support the ministry. Don’t forget to sign up for a free subscription to our Voice Of Truth Magazine. From His heart to yours, we are Women World Leaders. All content is copyrighted by Women World Leaders and cannot be used without express written consent.

There is plenty – plenty of heartbreak, destruction, and death happening in our world today. But God’s plan is perfect, and when we answer His call, there is plenty of joy to go around! Mark 6:31-34, Matthew 9:36-38, Luke 8:1-3) ******* Today as we study, we will read about Jesus’ compassion and mission. What a focus, right? We will be reading from Mark 6:31-34, Matthew 9:36-38, and Luke 8:1-3   Let’s begin with Mark 6:31-34 from the New Living Translation which records Jesus speaking to His disciples… 31 Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. 32 So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone. 33 But many people recognized them and saw them leaving, and people from many towns ran ahead along the shore and got there ahead of them. 34 Jesus saw the huge crowd as he stepped from the boat, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things. When I read this, I thought of the masses of people I have seen in my life. Prior to Covid, it was not unusual for many of us to see “masses” of people. Sporting events, concerts, and amusement parks were full of people. Highways and even church parking lots abounded with people. Humanity. And then Covid hit. And we all got more accustomed to living in our smaller bubbles. We would remember back, nostalgically, to the days of community. For many of us, our only “window to the world” was news reports and Zoom meetings. I can remember, several months into covid, going to the grocery store and seeing a mom with her baby – and I couldn’t stop staring. Because I hadn’t seen a baby in months! I didn’t have any babies, or even young children, in my own bubble, so it was a novelty to see a child in the flesh. Then the world began opening up. My family has again been stepping out – attending concerts and events – but it's still a little odd. And the masses aren’t quite as big. But just because the masses aren’t grouped into one location, doesn’t mean they don’t exist. There are still babies in the world who are growing, learning to eat solid food, and use their own legs to walk – even though I may not see them. There are still people grieving because they have lost a loved one or themselves are battling illness or even depression – even though they are hidden in their homes. There are still those who are worrying about their finances, battling addictions, and celebrating life events – even though I can’t see them through my own window to the world. Maybe that is why this scripture so impacted me. Jesus was with His disciples. And He knew the value of one-on-one connection, of pouring into His disciples individually. Our God is personal and loves and cherishes His one-on-one time with EACH of us! So He took His disciples by boat to go to a quiet place so they could be alone. But the people, the others, the whole of humanity, was still there. And they came from many towns and ran ahead of Him … and He saw them… and He had compassion on them … and He taught them. He saw them as sheep without a shepherd, and He became a shepherd TO them. Because He is the God of the one AND the God of the many. When Jesus sees the many, He doesn’t see a mass, He sees every single individual. He sees into each soul. He knows the needs of each person, and He meets that need. But Jesus was one person – though a mighty and perfect person because He was God in the flesh. As a person, He must have been EXHAUSTED. He saw and fulfilled every need as God, but He was one man. But His plan was perfect…He told His disciples in John 16:17 that it was BEST for Him to go away…saying “…if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.” Jesus was talking about the Holy Spirit. For though Jesus walked the earth as a single human being who was limited in the flesh, unable to be everywhere at once, the Holy Spirit is unlimited. God the Holy Spirit came to dwell in each one of us – making that personal connection to every single individual more feasible. But the Holy Spirit doesn’t have a physical body. HIS glory is that He empowers those He indwells to do His work. He empowers us – you and me – to touch and aid people who need His help. He empowers us to use our voices to share about God Himself. He guides us into action and gives us each a plan – because it takes the masses to care for the masses! None of us can do it alone, but we are called and equipped, as a body, to each do our part – and there is Plenty of Work for All! In Matthew 9:36-38 we are told that when Jesus… … saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. And it goes on…37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” Jesus KNEW what a big job meeting the masses was – He knew what the needs were and He knew the scope of those needs was far too much for one person to handle. Jesus knew that it would take us all. And He told His disciples to begin in prayer. Today…we see a different “mass” of people than those who are happily attending a sporting event or a concert. We can’t turn on the news without seeing the masses of homeless and persecuted, fleeing for their lives from Ukraine. The sight is devastating. The young moms who are bravely holding their heads high for the sake of their children – not knowing where they are going to lay their head to rest or get their next meal. The kids who are struggling to walk long distances, wondering, with tears streaming down their faces, why their dog couldn’t come with them and when they will see their father again. The faces of the older men and women, knowing their bodies are too weak to fight a cause that they so deeply believe in for a country they dearly love. Masses of people. Too many for us to wrap our heads around. Too many for us each to help – to reach – to comfort. But it isn’t too many. Because God sees each and every one – and what’s more – He knows exactly who He is sending to help each individual! And you’d better believe that He has a mission for you in all this! Jesus said to his disciples, the harvest IS great, but the workers are few. Many teach on this verse and refer only to bringing people into the Christian faith – and that is appropriate. But Jesus always sees our whole need – and He knows that we can reach the spiritual needs of people by first taking care of their physical needs. And right now, the masses are in need. So we, first, must pray, that God will send more workers. But then we need to step out and do the work. God has a plan to heal this catastrophe! God has a plan to reach every single hurting person. And His plan is to use OUR hands and feet! His many workers. Whom He sent here on purpose, for a purpose, for such a time as this! We’ve all worked with people who don’t hold up their end of the bargain – people who don’t do the work they’ve been asked to do. It’s maddening, isn’t it? And what happens when someone neglects to do their job? Either someone else ends up doing the work, or the work doesn’t get done. Let’s look at these outcomes. If you don’t do the work you are called to do, the work may not get done. When we are talking about sweeping floors or cleaning bathrooms…it’s easy to say…oh well! Right? But THIS work…the work of bringing comfort and aid and yes, even the good news of Jesus Christ to these hurting masses…can you lay your head on your own comfortable pillow and rest peacefully knowing that the person that God created YOU to help is going without? If you are a child of God – if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, He has sent His Holy Spirit to live inside you and to guide and empower you to be His hands and feet! YOU have a job to do – YOU are one of His workers in the field. So the first outcome if we refuse to do God’s work is that it won’t get done. Well, that simply is not going to happen – because our God is faithful and will never let us down. So…guilt alleviated…we move on to the second outcome of not doing as we are called… Someone else picks up the slack. The thing about that is, the one who picks up the slack, is also the one who gets the joy in fulfilling the need they were created to fill! Because God will always honor and grow and teach the one who works for Him doing His work! This crisis – these masses that we see fleeing in desperation, all made up of individuals with needs – may be one of the greatest opportunities in our lifetime to be the hands and feet of Jesus! Our first step is to pray – God, send the workers! Our second step is to stop and ask – if I am your worker, God, what is my job? What do I have the honor of doing for the masses? What do I have the honor of doing for the one – in your name? Am I called to financially sponsor a refugee? Am I called to reach out to friends who are closer to the destruction and ask how I can assist them in helping? Am I called to contact my local church and see how I can support them as they reach out? Can I ask God to entrust me as I pray for an individual family? You don’t have to know their name or their exact situation – God will match up your prayers! We at Women World Leaders don’t know all the people who listen to our podcasts, or read devotions and free magazines that are distributed worldwide. But we faithfully walk on – knowing that we are doing as God calls, and He will do the rest. Maybe you are being called to donate towards these efforts. If you are, you can do so at our website – www.womenworldleaders.com    In Luke 8:1-3, we are given a peek into who some of the workers were that Jesus was grooming for the harvest… 8 Soon afterward Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, 2 along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons; 3 Joanna, the wife of Chuza (KOOza), Herod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples. The workers that Jesus called were not just men – they were women. And they weren’t just women, they were previously broken women whom Jesus had pulled close to Himself. Maybe you can relate! Are you a woman who was previously broken and is now held together by the superglue of God’s love? If you are, He has a purpose for your pain. He wants you to remember His grace and He wants you to see, not the masses, but the individuals. He wants you to join Him as He reaches every single individual, filling their needs and pulling them close to Him. And He wants you to get the joy and satisfaction that only comes when we do His will, for His glory alone. We can certainly see by the masses being broadcast into our homes, that the need is extreme. But God has put together an army of compassion and care for such a time as this. He has empowered us with the Holy Spirit and He has called us to be His hands and feet. We must all claim our position and prepare for the work. There IS Plenty for All – plenty of opportunities to give, to grow, and be part of His glory as it abounds through this hurting world. Let’s pray…Dear Most Holy, Gracious, and Compassionate Lord. Thank you for seeing us each individually. And thank you for giving us EACH the incredible opportunity to reach the masses by reaching the individual as we become your hands and feet. God – your provision for such a time as this is remarkable. We wonder at your plan, and we thank you for counting us worthy to serve in your name. Guide us into our calling, that we may canvass this world with your love, compassion, and practical provision for those in need. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Listen today to hear how tragedy birthed a ministry.   Kristy Furlow shares about the devastation that came to her young life as a wife and mom of 3. But because of her surrender to the POWER  of God, He brought a ministry for Kristy.    God is weaving a tapestry through the ministry of "Cloth and Clay." God brought beauty from ashes and now Kristy shares her story with you, showing evidence of a truly miraculous way of healing from the unthinkable.    www.womenworldleaders.com www.clothandclay.org  

Sometimes we walk through major storms in our life, and at times they present themselves "suddenly." God is the God of suddenly. As followers, we live in the hope and expectancy that God is near us and with us in any storm we face. And we are victorious in Him! Psalm 34:18 tells us, "The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit." God quickens and renews us by the Living Word, through and by Jesus Himself.

Jesus has stated that He is God – now hear the evidence and witnesses that support His claim! (John 5:31-47) *********** Let’s get into our study, shall we? We are currently walking through the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John…and in the last couple of weeks we have been focused on John chapter 5. At the beginning of the chapter, we saw Jesus bring healing to a disabled man who didn’t even think it was possible that he be healed. In this, Jesus showcased His grace and power – He is so much more than we deserve! And then, last week, we studied as Jesus followed up that healing by making a claim that set Him on the trajectory of His own crucifixion – Jesus stated His own deity in no uncertain terms. He claimed Himself equal with God, one with God, the giver of all life, the judge, and the one who can grant eternal life with God the Father. That’s a big claim! Remember, this was on the Sabbath, in the Temple. Talk about an enlightening sermon! But who was this Jesus – and why should anyone believe His claims? Today, as we study John 5:31-47, Jesus gives His closing arguments, telling His listeners, and us, WHY we should believe Him. Why He is the real deal. Why His teaching is not “fake news” – but something more real than anything any of us have ever experienced. And…if we read between the lines, we will begin to understand HOW we CAN believe, even when those doubts creep in. Before we begin…let’s do the REAL work of a Bible scholar, and pray… Dear Most Holy God…we come to you today in humble submission, asking you to enlighten our hearts as we read your Word. God, you knew when these words were written, inspired by your Spirit, that we would be reading them today – and in these words you have a purpose and truth that you want each of us to see. Open our eyes that we might see, open our ears that we might hear, and soften our Spirits in humble submission that we might grow. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. Jesus opens His closing arguments in John 5:31, where He states as recorded in the New Living Translation… 31 “If I were to testify on my own behalf, my testimony would not be valid.  As believers, this statement might throw us off…after all, if we can’t believe Jesus, who can we believe? But remember, Jesus is stating the arguments for the case that He is Lord and Savior .. .and He is likely addressing many who DON’T believe. So He had to ground His claims in logic and facts. The “why” of faith is REAL – it is not some ethereal, mystical reasoning. True faith is grounded in facts, science, logic, and sound reasoning. And because Jewish tradition said that “None may be believed when he testifies of himself” and “No individual can be deemed trustworthy in himself” (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Commentary, Vol. 2, p 60) – in order to make His case, Jesus stated that of His own accord, His testimony is not valid…BUT, He continued…the evidence is still clear…and he states an opening overview…verse 32… 32 But someone else is also testifying about me, and I assure you that everything he says about me is true.  This “someone” who was testifying about Jesus, was God. Jesus pulled out the big guns right off the bat…and then He backs up His statement, saying that God has testified to the deity of Christ by many means… verse 33… 33 In fact, you sent investigators to listen to John the Baptist, and his testimony about me was true. 34 Of course, I have no need of human witnesses, but I say these things so you might be saved. 35 John was like a burning and shining lamp, and you were excited for a while about his message.  John the Baptist was God’s witness to the world of Jesus’ deity. John had a great following. He was the lamp, sent by God to shine the light on the Messiah. John the Baptist said, as is recorded in John 3:23 “You yourselves know how plainly I told you, ‘I am not the Messiah. I am only here to prepare the way for him.’” This evidence of John’s testimony might have swayed some of Jesus’ listeners…but this was basic information…so Jesus builds His case in verse 36… 36 But I have a greater witness than John—my teachings and my miracles. The Father gave me these works to accomplish, and they prove that he sent me.  By now, many had seen the signs and miracles of Jesus…He had turned water into wine, showcasing His creative power and His care for His children as He brought joy to the wedding feast. He had calmed the sea, demonstrating His sovereignty over nature. He had healed many proving that He is the giver of life. He had driven out demons, proving that even evil listened to Him. You see, Jesus’ signs and miracles are meant for more than the face value of the individual miracle, their purpose is to point all to the glory of God. That is no different today! There are miracles happening every single day in our world that many of us degrade to coincidence or happenstance. Will you ask God today to open your eyes to the miracles around you? You see, the undertone of today’s lesson is letting go of our pride and strongholds so that we can experience, through consideration and wonder, the reality of Jesus Himself. It is SO easy to assume we know it all! It is in our nature to want to figure things out and, thereby, be able to control them. But the wonder of God is so much more than our human minds can comprehend. We just have to let go of our pride to see the wonder of the reality of Jesus. How many times have you prayed to get over an illness, and you do, and then you forget all about your prayer…and figure your body or the medicine was just doing its job? If we open our eyes, we WILL see God’s hand at work all around us! In Ukraine, Russian vehicles are running out of gas! THAT is a miracle! Every day, young children are being saved from human trafficking – THAT is a miracle! Get in the habit of noticing the wonder of God’s miracles. And get in the habit of thanking Him. Because THAT is what His miracles are all about…pointing us to God and bringing us into closer communication with Him! Jesus’ miracles testify to who He is and point us all to God…if we choose to notice. But not only did John the Baptist and Jesus’ own miracles substantiate Jesus’ claim as God…Verse 37… 37 And the Father who sent me has testified about me himself. Likely Jesus is talking about God’s audible voice claiming Jesus as His Son at Jesus’ baptism…but Jesus tells His listeners that they must listen and look for God’s voice…He continues… You have never heard his voice or seen him face to face, 38 and you do not have his message in your hearts, because you do not believe me—the one he sent to you. And this next one must have stung… 39 “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! 40 Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life. The Pharisees and the Jews prided themselves in knowing every word of scripture, yet they couldn’t see the forest for the trees…they couldn’t see that ALL scripture was meant to point us to Jesus as Lord and Savior. Simply put, their pride blinded them. They refused to read and study in humble submission, looking for the wonder of God. What about you? When you read scripture that stings, when God calls out a fault in you, do you turn away and dismiss His guidance? You, Bible scholar, are called to read and study scripture with an open and contrite heart, asking God to shine you up so you can more accurately reflect His glory and then YOU can point others to Him. Jesus tells His stubborn listeners, beginning in verse 41… 41 “Your approval means nothing to me, 42 because I know you don’t have God’s love within you. 43 For I have come to you in my Father’s name, and you have rejected me. Yet if others come in their own name, you gladly welcome them. 44 No wonder you can’t believe! For you gladly honor each other, but you don’t care about the honor that comes from the one who alone is God Let me ask you one of those hard questions…Where does your honor really lie? Do you truly honor Jesus as your LORD – the one to whom you bow? Or do you honor things of this world. It is easy to stand for good against evil …until evil tries to push you down, or offer you fame or fortune. Well, then Jesus puts a final exclamation mark on why they should believe that He is Lord by bringing another witness to the table…one that His direct listeners would have understood better in that day than we do today…Moses. See, many saw Moses as their pathway to God…HE was the one who had direct communication with God, and even after His death, many claimed Moses as their intercessor…but Jesus declares Moses as His witness…verse 45… 45 “Yet it isn’t I who will accuse you before the Father. Moses will accuse you! Yes, Moses, in whom you put your hopes. 46 If you really believed Moses, you would believe me, because he wrote about me. 47 But since you don’t believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?” We CAN believe that Jesus is God! Not just because He says so, but because we have concrete evidence. John the Baptist was sent to pave the path for the Messiah…and He paved the path to Jesus. We just have to logically connect the dots. Jesus’ teachings and miracles are infused with the power of God. We just have to take our blinders off and wonder at the miracles that are right in front of us. God Himself SPOKE audible words claiming Jesus as His Son. We just have to listen. Scripture testifies and points us to the deity of Christ. We just have to humble ourselves and consider the fact that God’s Word is truth. Moses and the prophets all give undeniable prophecies fulfilled only by Jesus Christ Himself. And yes…if we discipline ourselves to daily Bible study…we will begin to be amazed by those prophesies that turned to truth! When we seek to know God through prayer, He will always guide us into Jesus arms. But we have to be willing to be embraced. And there is more…this was all just a precursor to the big closing argument…Jesus’ resurrection and ascension into heaven, where He now sits at the Father’s right hand. History doesn’t deny that Jesus was killed, or that His tomb was empty. And hundreds saw the risen Christ and gave their testimony - many even lost their lives rather than changing the facts of their story. Our faith is not built on the ethereal, it is built on facts and logic and expert witnesses. Oh…the devil will always give us excuses and reasons NOT to believe…but the facts simply cannot be denied. And God will remind us of these facts as we return to Him again and again through prayer and Scripture. I rest my case. Dear Most Holy and Gracious God…thank you for never giving up on us -  for showing us again and again that you are Lord. Open our eyes so that we simply can’t deny your signs, miracles, wonders, prophecies, and blessings! We praise and bless your name. Thank you teaching us today that we may better reflect your glory – and give each of us today the opportunity to shine for and be a testimony to you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Imagine a mom's worst nightmare - discovering your child is missing. And yet, knowing God and leaning on Him can bring peace in the midst of this unthinkable storm. Jessica Morneault shares her story so that others who are going through a crisis situation can receive the hope that she experienced.

You are invited! Where? Listen and find out! (And don't forget to RSVP!)

Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath, setting Himself up for persecution. But It was all in His plan! The message He shared when He was given the stage is the most important message of all! (John 5:16-30) ********* TRANSCRIPT Dear Most Holy God, we come to you today in awe of who you are. You are the God who sees us and who knows every last detail of our lives – and yet you love us anyway. In fact, Jesus, you loved us enough to die for us. We often glibly say, “I would die for that” – but you said it and meant it. You were persecuted and killed, unjustly and unfairly. You allowed your life to be taken in a painful and inhumane way so that you could take death on for each of us, coming back to life three days later, and conquering death once for all time – that we ALL might have the opportunity to spend eternity with you. God, as we delve into today’s scripture, I ask that you be more real to us than ever. Help us see and understand your heart more than we have before. Guide my words and guide our understanding. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. I mentioned at the beginning that this is an important lesson, and I cannot state that strongly enough. It’s also deep…so I’m going to ask you to really focus as you listen. Last week, we saw Jesus heal a man who had been ill for 38 years. Jesus asked him if he wanted to get well…and he gave an excuse that getting well was not a possibility. But Jesus healed him anyway. Because Jesus has the power to heal and to choose whom He will heal. Today, as we continue our study into John 5:16-30, we hear Jesus, in His own words, proclaim the sheer magnificence of His healing power and explain where that power comes from. John 5:16 from the New Living Translation begins… 16 So the Jewish leaders began harassing[a] Jesus for breaking the Sabbath rules.  Ugh…Jesus!! You knew the Jewish leaders would come after you for healing on the Sabbath! Why couldn’t you have healed the man on a different day! I’ve gotta admit…sometimes I feel like Peter – questioning God! But c’mon…! In a Bible study recently we were exploring the question – would you rather have the resurrected Jesus who has gone to heaven and left the Holy Spirit to dwell in you – as we have now? Or would you rather walk with Jesus in the flesh on this earth – able to touch Him and have a one-on-one conversation with Him? That’s a hard question! I like the Holy Spirit…but how cool would it be to take a walk with Jesus? To call Him on the phone when you are having a hard day and ask Him to go for coffee? To be able to say – I’m going to spend the afternoon with Jesus – He always helps me through things. Did Jesus HAVE set the wheels in motion to lead to His death?? He was God…why didn’t He stick around for us! Hmmm…we will explore that later… But for right now, I want to recognize that by healing that man on the Sabbath, Jesus knew EXACTLY what He was doing! He WAS opening a can of worms, giving the Pharisees ammunition to take Him to His death. But He was also setting the stage for an incredible teaching opportunity…. Verse 17… 17 But Jesus replied, “My Father is always working, and so am I.” With that one statement, Jesus proclaimed HIMSELF equal with God! You see, Jesus didn’t say…my Father in Heaven…nor did He use the acceptable formal term “OUR” Father…no – Jesus claimed familiarity with God. One definition of the term ‘my Father’ that Jesus used states, “one who has infused his own spirit into others.” So Jesus claimed familiarity with God…And THEN He put Himself on equal footing with God saying…”He is always working, and so am I.” The Pharisees had added strict and ridiculous rules to what constituted prohibited-work on the Sabbath, BUT they also acknowledged that GOD works on the Sabbath – in fact He works constantly. And they reasoned that it was okay for God to work on the Sabbath. Instead of proclaiming that healing and caring for others is beyond the Sabbath rules of work, Jesus stated that since it was ok for GOD to work on the Sabbath, it was ok for Him as well. You can see how this was blaspheme in the eyes of the Pharisees. Jesus was first, proclaiming familiarity with God, and then, He was putting HIMSELF on equal footing with God… Verse 18…  18 So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill him. For he not only broke the Sabbath, he called God his Father, thereby making himself equal with God. Now that He had their attention, Jesus further explained His own identity…proclaiming that He and God are inseparable, and His power is greater than they could imagine. He continued in verse 19… … “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him everything he is doing. In fact, the Father will show him how to do even greater works than healing this man. Then you will truly be astonished. Building the tension or the excitement, depending on how you look at it… Jesus reveals that not only is He familiar with God, on equal footing with Him, and the two are inseparable…but He now proclaims Himself as the life-giver…verse 21…  21 For just as the Father gives life to those he raises from the dead, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants. Only God can give life. Jesus agrees and acknowledges this. But in the same breath, He states that He Himself has the power to give life to anyone He wants. This is where we begin to see that Jesus IS God. You see, our God is a Triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Three in one. A fact that is simply too much for our minds to comprehend – but is truth, nonetheless. For if God is the source of life, yet Jesus is also the life-giver who chooses who He gives life to, not only is Jesus familiar with, on equal footing with, and inseparable from God, Jesus IS God. And Jesus substantiates this fact further… not only is He the life-giver, but Jesus explains that He is also the judge…again…a role reserved for God alone. Verse 22…  22 In addition, the Father judges no one. Instead, he has given the Son absolute authority to judge, 23 so that everyone will honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent him. Let me repeat that… Anyone who does not honor the Son is certainly not honoring the Father who sent him. To honor God, we MUST honor Jesus … as the Son of God, and as God Himself. We must respect His power and authority…His power and authority that comes from God and IS God’s… And Jesus teaches, there are ramifications involved in choosing to honor Jesus as God… Verse 24… 24 “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. When we choose to honor Jesus, believing that He IS God, even though we sin – which we all inevitably do and will do – we will NOT be condemned – or sentenced to death –  but we will enter into eternal life WITH God. Because Jesus has chosen to give us life. Allow me to simplify this: When we believe in Jesus as God, Jesus, who has the power, will give us eternal life. That’s a pretty good deal! All we have to do is believe and honor Jesus as God! Jesus explains this power further…verse 25… 25 “And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live. 26 The Father has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to his Son. 27 And he has given him authority to judge everyone because he is the Son of Man.[b] 28 Don’t be so surprised! (I love that! I imagine Jesus was responding to the shocked look on their faces…) Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, 29 and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, But it IS an all-or-nothing proposition. Jesus continues, in verse 29..  and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment. 30 I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me. Therefore, my judgment is just, because I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will. Whew! Do you see why this is an important teaching? Jesus had set the scene… He had healed a man who didn’t even believe He could be healed. Jesus alone made the choice and gifted the man with healing. And He did it on the Sabbath…in front of the Pharisees…whom He knew would question and attack Him. He did it all so that He could share the truth of who He was. Jesus is God’s Son. Jesus is God. Jesus is the life-giver who not only offers eternal life, but who offers ABUNDANT eternal life to all those who proclaim Him as Lord. And Jesus is also the judge, who will NOT accept as holy those who do NOT come to Him in obedience and submission. So back to that Bible-study question…would I rather have Jesus beside me in the flesh or have the Holy Spirit always with me. Does it matter? Jesus and the Holy Spirit are both God! Even though Jesus is currently not available in the flesh for a phone call or a cup of coffee, He IS always available, via a whisper or a thought. We CAN have a discussion with Him in prayer and hear His voice as we read scripture. The Holy Spirit also empowers us to reach out to each other on God’s behalf – to comfort, guide, teach, and love. One day I WILL hug Jesus…my life-giver, my judge, my friend…my GOD! But until that time, I can hold onto His hands, close my eyes and gaze into His eyes, and listen for His voice, because I HAVE accepted Jesus as my God and He has welcomed me into eternal life. Let’s pray… Dear Most Precious Holy God…how can we say thank you enough? God I ask that you open the eyes and hearts of each individual listening so that we all may recognize and claim Jesus as our God, our Lord and Savior, our judge and life-giver. I thank you for this teaching today. I thank you for your life and your resurrection that brings us into your presence. Guide us and lead us as we walk through this day. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.  

Dealing with tragic pain and suffering involving our children is a heavy load for any parent to carry. In today's interview, Ann Marie Brezina shares faith over fear, and courage through the storm as she walked with God through multiple tragic experiences involving her children. Today, we conclude the 2-part podcast with encouragement for you, offering hope in crises from God's Word. (Originally aired February 2021)

Out of all types of love, God's love is the most amazing and sustaining. Celebrate with us as Janet Berrong extols the virtues of God's redeeming love.

Are you weary? Walking hopelessly through the mundane? Jesus has so much more for you and is calling you to get up and walk in obedience. Pick up your mat and let God, in His grace, supply the strength you need every step of the way. (John 5:1-15) ************* EPISODE TRANSCRIPT Thanks for listening to the Women World Leaders’ podcast! This is our Wednesday edition, Walking in the Word, where we take time out of our busy week to sink into God’s Word and ask Him to reveal His truth and teaching to us. My name is Julie Jenkins. I’m the teaching and curriculum leader for Women World Leaders, and I am pleased to be your host. We are currently walking through the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John together as we study the life of Jesus Christ. If you are enjoying our study, I’d like to ask you to take a moment to share it with someone else. My reasoning is simple. See…this podcast was started because a friend came to me in need of Biblical teaching. She is a nurse, and her team of associates had been gathering at lunch and listening to a limited Easter teaching. When they completed the series, she reached out to me looking for a podcast to empower them to stand strong together during the height of the covid pandemic. After searching and praying for an appropriate podcast for her, God spoke to me that He was calling Women World Leaders to begin this podcast series, and I thought, if He is calling, there must be a need. So we are asking you now, to help us fill that need. For us, it isn’t about download numbers, but about reaching those whom God intends to reach. Will you pray and ask Him who in your life would benefit from a weekly bible teaching that they can access anywhere at any time? And then will you share it with them? Your outreach will likely have a ripple effect that will extend further than you can now imagine. Sometimes we just have to respond obediently, even if we don’t fully understand. That thought leads us into our teaching today as we study John’s account of the healing of the disabled man at the pool of Bethesda from John 5:1-15. Before we begin, let’s pray… Dear Most Holy God, I thank you for each person who is listening, wherever they may be. Lord, I don’t know how you drew each individual to this podcast today, nor do I know what they are going through. But you do. You see each listener individually and there is something that you have called them to hear today. God, may the words that come from my mouth not be my words, but yours. Allow this teaching to come from you alone. We give you this time and ask you to infiltrate our thoughts, Holy Spirit, as we read and study your Word. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.   John 5 from the New Living Translation begins… 5 Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days We have seen Jesus heal many people as we have been walking through the gospels. We have seen Him step out time and again, but today we see Him intentionally step into the territory of the Jewish religious leaders whom He knew would seek His death. He traveled straight into Jerusalem. Scripture says He traveled there for a Jewish festival, although we don’t know which one. And it appears that He was alone as He visited the Temple area. Verse 2 continues… 2 Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda,[a] with five covered porches. 3 Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches.[b]  The Sheep Gate was not an obscure name of an entry into the temple, it was the actual opening in the Temple wall through which the sacrificial sheep were brought. From the Sheep Gate, the sheep would have been taken directly to the pool that John mentions, where they would have been washed before being taken into the sanctuary. Heading through the Sheep Gate, you could walk down a pathway to the pool of Bethesda, a set of twin pools that has now been identified by archeologists and is currently known as the pool of St. Anne. These twin pools were surrounded by four colonnades with an additional colonnade going between the two halves of the pool. I am far from being an expert in architecture, so to get a picture in my mind, I had to look up what a colonnade is. So now I can report that the pool was surrounded by an open hallway made of large columns and covered by a roof. This is where the sick people would lay…under the colonnade that both surrounded the pool and cut through the middle, separating the two parts of the pool. Many translations say that those who lay there were disabled, using the generic term for those who were too weak to help themselves. John further describes them as the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed. This must not have been a pretty sight…it was probably actually quite heart-wrenching, pathetic, or even disgusting – depending on your outlook. Perhaps needless to say, this was an area that the upper class and those considering themselves purified for worship, would avoid. But not Jesus. He walked right down the colonnade, among those who were hurting. Those who couldn’t see. Those who couldn’t walk. And those who, in fact, couldn’t move. He walked among those who were there because they didn’t know what else to do or where else to go. There was a superstition surrounding this pool that said that when the angels randomly caused the water to stir, the next person into the water would be cured. But in reality, the people were hopeless. The blind – they would not have been able to see the water stirring. The lame could see the water stirring, but they couldn’t get to it. And the paralyzed, they were unable to move altogether. And the Jewish officials surely looked down on the gathering as the belief of the powers of the water mirrored the belief bestowed upon many of the healing shrines and pagan cults of the area. It was an area full of disgrace. Those who gathered where the animals were cleansed were unable to get help themselves – and yet they waited. And their waiting was not in vain. Not because of the stirring of the water, but because Jesus, God in the flesh, stepped in among them. John narrows down our vision from a crowd of people to a single man who lay on his mat without a purpose, no different than the others. Verse 5… 5 One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. We don’t know anything about this man except that he had been afflicted for 38 years. That is nearly as long the average life expectancy at the time! And he had given up. He may have been lying beside a pool that was said to have healing powers, but it was a formality. Verse 6…  6 When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” 7 “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” I can understand the man’s state of hopelessness. He had been living with a debilitating illness for 38 years and was lying, day in and day out, among others who had no hope. We tend to get acclimated to where we are and to accept the situation we are in after a period of time. While that is a normal human defense mechanism, if you are stuck in a situation that feels hopeless, I want you to know that our God is a God of hope and renewal and restoration. God wants to light a fire in your soul and remind you that with Him, nothing is impossible. You may feel that you have nothing left to give and absolutely no way to make your bad situation better. And do know what? You may be right! You may have no power AT ALL to walk out of the situation you are in. But what God wants you to know is that you don’t need to rely on YOUR power or on YOUR plan. We were not created to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps, to use an American colloquialism. We were created to trust Jesus. We don’t know if this disabled man was blind or lame or paralyzed … or all three. What we do know is that he was beyond hope. And as Jesus, the Son of God, walked beside his mat, the man couldn’t see Jesus for who He was, he couldn’t walk to Jesus, and he couldn’t even reach out to him…and he didn’t have to. Because JESUS spoke into the life of the man and healed Him with His word … without even a drop of the stirring water hitting his skin. Verse 8… 8 Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” 9 Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! THAT is how God works! Remember our previous teachings on God’s sovereignty? Jesus’ power is above nature, demons, illness, and even death. But there is so much more. Jesus’ power is personal and will reach into your soul giving you hope where there is no hope, peace where there is despair, and salvation where there is sin. Nothing we can do in our lives can wipe the mud from our eyes so that we can see. Nothing we can do can empower our legs to run the race that God has for us. We can do nothing to move from a paralyzed life to one full of movement and purpose for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But with a single word, Jesus, who walks among our sick mats strewn about, can raise us to a life that we can only imagine. We need only believe and obey. Continuing in verse 9… But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, 10 so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!” 11 But he replied, “The man who healed me told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” 12 “Who said such a thing as that?” they demanded. 13 The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. 14 But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” 15 Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him. The man picked up his mat and walked without even realizing who had healed him. And he walked into a controversy…and all he knew to do was to say what had happened. And wait. And Jesus confirmed that He would not leave him alone in his newfound healing. Jesus was there. Jesus guided the newly healed man into his next steps. Jesus first healed the man, and then he walked with him. This man who had just a short time ago been without hope and without anyone to help him, through no action of his own, now had Jesus beside him. If you are listening to this, you need to know that JESUS is walking beside your mat. He is calling your name. Telling you to get up – He has a mission for you. You can trust His power, His strength, His love, guidance, and protection. You are His. And He will never leave you alone. It was the Sabbath…which turned the religious leaders against Jesus and against the man who was now carrying his mat. Jesus knew it would. Jesus knew the tide was turning against him, but that didn’t stop Him from loving and caring for the man on the mat. We don’t know what happened to that man, but I’d like to think that he became a stalwart follower of Jesus Christ. I’d like to think that he used the power in His legs to run after Jesus and the strength in his muscles to go wherever He was called to share the good news. And I’d like to think that I, too, will harness that power that Jesus infuses into my own cells daily to share who He is. I pray you will, too. Let’s get up and walk together in obedience. Wherever God calls. Dear Most Holy God…I simply can’t thank you enough for rescuing ME from beside the pool…for giving me eyes to see, feet to walk, and muscles to respond to your call. For infusing me with your power and strength to walk through this life. God, I confess there are days I am weary. There are days when I come up with excuses. Thank you for never giving up on me, and for never leaving my side. Thank you for calling to me and for commanding me to get up. Thank you giving your life for my weakness – that I may run in your presence forever. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

Pain is tragic when it comes to hurts of our children. This young mother of 5, Ann Marie Brezina, was hit with tragedy upon tragedy...but God. Despite all she endured, even her child being afflicted with cancer, she will encourage YOU through God's Word as she offers hope and healing even in the midst of pain and suffering. Join us for part one of a 2-part podcast. (Originally aired February 2021)

Don’t let contempt ruin your marriage. Explore the effect of contempt on your marriage and understand that empathy is the antidote.

In the Bible, many came to Jesus for healing. And today, we still need Jesus’ healing in our lives – physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. What can we learn from the biblical stories of those who were healed that we can put into practice in our lives? Julie Jenkins explores this question in today’s Walking in the Word as, together, we study Matthew 9:27-31 and 20:29-34, Mark 10:46-52, and Luke 18:35-43. *********** TRANSCRIPT As we walk through the Word together, we are currently studying the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John chronologically. Today’s episode is bit different as I want to focus on Jesus’ healing in the lives of those who were His physical contemporaries when he walked this earth as fully man. Many people need healing in their lives – whether that be physically, spiritually, mentally, or emotionally. In fact, we ALL need healing at some point, and we all often have many people on our prayer list who need healing. As I read through the scripture for today, it was so clear that through His many healings, Jesus gave us a blueprint for how WE can approach and receive God’s healing touch in our lives today. As we uncover this “guide,” we will be studying Matthew 9:27-31 and 20:29-34, Mark 10:46-52, and Luke 18:35:43. Before we begin, let’s pray… Dear Most Holy God – you are Jehovah Rapha – the God who heals all our diseases. God, you knit us together in our mother’s womb, knowing what each day of our lives held in store. You knew our ups and downs, our joys and trials to come. God, we thank you that you not only prepared us for each event but that you continually walk with us as we journey. You tell us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made – and God, we believe you! Teach us today, and help us remember this teaching as we walk through any valley craving your healing touch. If you have been with us for our recent episodes of this podcast, you will recall that we have learned of God’s sovereignty through Jesus’ control over nature, demons, disease, and even death. And yes, God is sovereign, but that means far more than we can even imagine as we walk this earth. We are each but a speck, a grain of sand in all of eternity, and we serve a God who is in control of it all! But not only is God sovereign beyond our imaginations, He is also personal beyond our imaginations. The God of the universe and all creation cares enough about you to number the hairs on your head! As we read about Jesus’ healing the multitudes in the Bible we should certainly be in awe, but we should also take it personally. Because just as Jesus saw each individual in the Bible and provided exactly what he or she needed, He also sees and provides for each of us individually. And while he heals and provides for us, His reasoning for this care goes far beyond the fact that He wants us to be comfortable in this life. Jesus healed many as He walked on this earth and made certain that the stories were recorded knowing that His actions would point many – you and me included – to the greatness of God. You see…God, who works all things together for the good of those who love Him, orchestrates everything perfectly so that we will end up in His arms for eternity. Our perfect God is able to use pain, illness, and strife to complete His perfect plan. So what does He want US to do? Our natural inclination when we are sick is to want to get better. And as Christians, our hearts yearn for the comfort, peace, and healing for those we see suffering. How can we follow God’s blueprint for us as we walk through difficult times in need of His healing touch? Let’s begin with Luke 18:35-37 from the New Living Translation… 35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind beggar was sitting beside the road. 36 When he heard the noise of a crowd going past, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him that Jesus the Nazarene[a] was going by. Did you notice that the man who was in need of healing and was hanging out on the side of the road couldn’t even see Jesus passing by? And yet, he was acutely aware that something was out of the ordinary. The first point is that God wants to be aware of His presence. If you are in need of healing, comfort, provision, guidance, or the loving touch of God, the first thing you must do is be aware that God is always with you. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, He ascended into heaven. Many were grief-stricken to see Him go, but Jesus forewarned of His departure and taught that it was not without purpose, for when He left, He would leave behind the Holy Spirit – fully God – who would come to indwell all those who follow Christ. As Jesus walked this earth, the crowds flocked to Him – they dug through roofs and pushed through crowds to be near Him. All you and I have to do is invite Him into our hearts – and then recognize His presence. If you have already prayed for Jesus to be in your life, you can trust that His presence is always with you – you simply need to be aware of Him. If you haven’t yet accepted Jesus into your life, it is as simple as breathing a prayer of invitation…”Jesus…I give my life to you…and I ask you to come into my heart.” That’s it! In order to receive Jesus’ healing, we must invite Him in, and then we have the privilege of being aware of His presence.   Step two, after being aware of Jesus’ presence, we must ask for His healing… Matthew tells us of two blind men shouting to Jesus as recorded in Matthew 20:32-33… 32 When Jesus heard them, he stopped and called, “What do you want me to do for you?” 33 “Lord,” they said, “we want to see!” Not only does Jesus want us to recognize His presence, He wants us to recognize His power. God wants us to name our need, and come to Him in humility, trusting in His power. See, when we pray for our own healing or the healing of someone else, and God heals, we get to be a part of the miracle! And we then have a testimony! Through our prayer and God’s response, we are given a story to share with others to point THEM to God! If you are seeking God’s healing power, remember His constant presence, and ask for His healing.   When you do this, however, scripture warns that the world will come against you…and God teaches us Point #3 to put ourselves in a posture for receiving God’s healing – Stand strong against the world. Mark gives us this teaching when he tells the story of blind Bartimeaus who called out for healing and was greeted with an unfriendly crowd…Mark 10:48 in the NIV records… 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Can I just say – Go Bartimeaus! As followers of Christ, we can be assured that the world WILL come against us when we reach for God. Because what people don’t understand, they write off as “weird.” But as Christ-followers, we can stand on the fact that God is with us and we can go to Him requesting healing despite what the world says, thinks, or does. The amazing thing is that as the world sees God working in tandem with your prayers, others WILL come to you and ask you to cry out for THEM. When that happens, do it! Because Jesus point in healing is always to point ALL to God.   Thankfully, even when the world comes against us, we don’t have to stand alone…which leads us to point 4 – When we seek God’s healing, we must recognize His presence, ask Him for that which we seek, tune out the nay-sayers of the world, and allow other Christians to hold us up. Just after Bartimeaus was chastised by some, Mark continues in verse 49… 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” We are all put on this earth together to support each other and lead each other to Jesus. We have the privilege and joy of standing together! If you do not have a prayer group in your life – I would encourage you to join one. It is an honor and privilege to seek God’s healing on behalf of others, and it is a gift to have others lift us up. If you don’t have a prayer group, reach out to us at [email protected] so we can connect you. Or, spend time daily on our prayer wall at www.womenworldleaders.com.   The fifth step in receiving God’s healing to believe that God can heal! Matthew records a conversation that Jesus had before healing two men…Matthew 9:28-30 from the New Living Translation… 28 They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them, “Do you believe I can make you see?” “Yes, Lord,” they told him, “we do.” 29 Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.” 30 Then their eyes were opened, and they could see!  To be healed by God, we must be aware of His presence, ask for His healing, tune out the world while relishing in the support of other Christians, and we must BELIEVE THAT GOD CAN HEAL US. Remember…Jesus’ purpose in healing is to point all to God the Father. Our belief, in this lifetime, generally grows bit by bit. God understands that we sometimes doubt, but He will take that belief we do have, and grow it by His faithfulness to us. One prayer I pray often is “Lord, help my unbelief.” And do you know what? He always does! Sometimes I have to be patient, and sometimes His answer comes in unexpected ways. Sometimes God will grow my belief by putting me through the whole process again… by giving me a need that only He can fill … perhaps a healing that can only be accomplished by Him … reminding me to be aware of His presence, to go to Him with my request, to tune out the world, to rely on other Christians and prayer partners, and to believe that He can meet my need. As you are healed in this life – physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually – remember there is a final step… Luke 18:43 from The Passion Translation tells of the aftermath of a blind man who regained his sight… Instantly he could see again. His eyes popped opened, and he saw Jesus. He shouted loud praises to God and he followed Jesus. And when the crowd saw what happened, they too erupted with shouts of praise to God. What a beautiful picture that is! We will all need healing…and God WILL heal us if we go to Him. Because He loves us SO much! We may not completely understand the healing process, but we CAN trust it. Sometimes, it will seem like the cancer or another disease has won as it takes the life of our loved one. But we can trust that God always wins…because there is an eternity beyond this life where we, as lovers of God, will rest forever in His presence. And THAT is ultimate healing. THAT, from the beginning, was Jesus’ whole point in healing the blind, the sick, and the lame. So we must never forget that after each healing, big or small, we are to give God the glory – we are given permission to erupt with shouts of praise to our God who is always present, who wants us to come to Him with our needs, who guards us from the nay-sayers of the world and surrounds us with those who will lift us up into his presence, and who gives us reason after reason to believe Him. We CAN believe for healing! We can stake our entire lives on the fact that our God will never leave us nor forsake us, and who, if we let Him, will usher us into an eternity where healing will never need to take place again. Let’s pray! Dear Most gracious and loving God! We thank you and praise you! We give you all the glory, knowing that you WILL heal us, right into eternity. Thank you for continually guiding us, even when that guidance hurts, thank you for giving us exactly what we need in this life that we may be a beacon of light for all, pointing the way to you. As your followers, that is our ultimate goal, because we know that it is your ultimate goal. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

Today's guest, Tina Kadolph, was sex trafficked at age 4 and lived her childhood life being a human slave to others which is indescribable in words.  BUT GOD...   God had a purpose and plan for Tina's life from her birth. Rescued and miraculously led to Jesus in her 20's, Tina now shares encouragement with others, showing that with God, all things are possible. Hear her interview today.    The ability to share her story publicly helps draw others afflicted with pain and tragedy to the healing arms of a Savior who loves them. (Originally aired December 2020)

God is with us in the times of celebration on the mountaintop as well as when we find ourselves in the deepest of valleys. The Sovereign Lord is our shelter and our ever presence in both life's hills and valleys. We can be aware and seek Him in all circumstances of our lives.

We have witnessed Jesus’ sovereignty over nature and evil, and now, as He heals two women, we see His sovereignty over illness and death. (Matthew 9:18-26 Mark 5:21-43, Luke 8:40-56) ******* Welcome to Walking in the Word, the biblical teaching arm of the Women World Leaders’ podcast. I’m your host Julie Jenkins. We are praying for you at Women World Leaders. Our mission is to empower you to walk in your God-given purpose – and part of that mission is to pray! We invite you to join with us in prayer by visiting our Prayer Wall at womenworldleaders.com where you can submit a prayer request or let others know that you are praying for them. We also have an amazing prayer team who bends their knees daily to God. I recently went through a tough season in my life, but I was able to walk through it peacefully covered by God’s presence thanks to my amazing sisters who lifted me up even when I didn’t have the words to say to God myself. If you would like to delve deeper into prayer, please email us at [email protected]. Let us know how we can meet you where you are – whether that be a one-on-one phone call, through email, or perhaps you are being called to join our prayer team. However God is leading you, I encourage you to connect with us – there is nothing like being surrounded by the family of God! Today we continue our systematic walk through the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as we together, delve into God’s Word and ask Him to show us what He wants us to learn. Today’s teaching comes from Matthew 9:18-26, Mark 5:21-43, and Luke 8:40-56. Before we begin, let’s pray… Dear Heavenly Father…thank you for meeting each of us where we are today. It never ceases to amaze me that you are ALWAYS there for us…waiting expectantly for us to decide to spend time with you. Thank you for your patience, your diligence, and your love! Guide us today as we study your Word. Help us understand more of you and to become more like you. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. In the last couple of weeks, we saw Jesus cross the Sea of Galilee where He encountered a storm through which He proved His sovereignty over nature, then He exorcised a multitude of demons from a Gentile man, proving His sovereignty over evil, and then Jesus and the disciples boarded the boat once again and sailed back across the Sea of Galilee after the townspeople ran Him off. As continue the scripture reading today, Jesus is again stepping off the boat, this time back in Jewish territory, when He is met with a crowd and is about to showcase His sovereignty over disease and death. I want to pause here to recognize that God’s plan is ALWAYS perfect! Jesus and the disciples had a LOT going on…and yet God gave them a solid opportunity to refresh themselves and reflect as they sailed across the water. How quick are you and I to dismiss all that God is giving us as we are on our way to somewhere WE have deemed important? Some of the best conversations I have had have been when I was in the car driving a long distance. And some of the most valuable lessons I have learned have happened when I was in a season of waiting and processing. Don’t ever begrudge those moments of silence. Always remember that God’s plan is PERFECT, He is ALWAYS working, and every moment is filled with His grace – we simply need to trust Him and open our eyes, expectantly asking to be receptive to all He has for us.    Let’s begin reading today in Mark 5:21 from the New Living Translation where we meet two important characters – Jairus and an unnamed ill woman. These two people are as polar opposite as we can imagine. One is a high-powered Jewish synagogue leader, the other is an unknown woman who hadn’t been able to worship in the synagogue for 12 years. But they are both in desperate need of Jesus – and they are both waiting on Him – with humility and faith. Mark 5:21… 21 Jesus got into the boat again and went back to the other side of the lake, where a large crowd gathered around him on the shore. 22 Then a leader of the local synagogue, whose name was Jairus, (JAI rus) arrived. When he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet, 23 pleading fervently with him. “My little daughter is dying,” he said. “Please come and lay your hands on her; heal her so she can live.” As a synagogue leader, Jairus would have been well respected, and as many Jewish leaders were turning their backs on Jesus, Jairus may have felt peer pressure to do the same. But Jairus had faith and humility. He was desperate. His only daughter was dying. And yet he had faith that this JESUS could save her. He reacted in pure humility, in the midst of a large crowd, claiming his own dependence on this not-well-esteemed Jesus, he threw himself at Jesus’ feet. And Jesus responded – because that’s who Jesus is…verse 24… 24 Jesus went with him, and all the people followed, crowding around him. But meanwhile, we see yet another soul reacting in pure faith and humility. A woman who had been sick for 12 years. For 12 years, while Jairus enjoyed the companionship of his now dying twelve-year-old daughter, this woman struggled with an illness that kept her continuously ceremonially unclean, therefore unable to worship in the synagogue. She saw Jesus’ respond to Jairus, the distinguished leader, and she could have turned away, but she pressed on in faith, knowing that Jesus alone could cure her. Verse 25…  25 A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding. 26 She had suffered a great deal from many doctors, and over the years she had spent everything she had to pay them, but she had gotten no better. In fact, she had gotten worse. 27 She had heard about Jesus, so she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his robe. 28 For she thought to herself, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.” This weary woman, who perhaps did not have the energy or confidence or strength to actually speak to Jesus, believed with her whole heart that if she could just touch the hem of His robe, she would be healed. And her faith was well-placed, verse 29 continues…  29 Immediately the bleeding stopped, and she could feel in her body that she had been healed of her terrible condition. Can you imagine her joy? Her elation? Have you ever had an encounter with Jesus where you just know that things were different from that moment on? I pray that you have – and if you can’t recollect one right now, I pray that you will give yourself FULLY and COMPLETELY over to Jesus right now. There have been times in my life when God’s presence has just been so palpable that it could not be denied, and I’m telling you, there is NOTHING like it! At one point I had been going through a season where I wanted to serve God SO BADLY, but no offer to serve Him was working out. I kept being denied the opportunity to serve God. I was dumbfounded. I wasn’t doing this for me after all, I was doing it for God! But as I searched my soul, I realized that maybe I WAS doing it for me…somewhere deep within I wanted to be important, to gain the notoriety that a position of service would bring. I will never forget the moment of my conviction, confession, and release. I was sitting at a red light of all places. And I released my service to God…saying “if you want me to clean toilets for you, that is what I will do. No job is too menial.” The light turned green, and I literally and figuratively put my foot on the gas as my trajectory changed and I drove into my future. Later that VERY day…in fact within an hour, I was offered a serving opportunity of a lifetime. I know what I felt like then – having my life completely changed by Jesus. So I can KIND of imagine how this woman felt – knowing that she had been healed by the power and grace of Jesus Christ. And as her trajectory changed, she was immediately asked to boldly come forward…verse 30… 30 Jesus realized at once that healing power had gone out from him, so he turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my robe?” No one understood this question, no one except Jesus and the woman, that is. Sometimes in life you WILL have encounters with Jesus that only you and He will fully understand. I encourage you to open your ears to hear what Jesus has to say to YOU! And open your heart to respond to Him. It won’t always be easy…but it will always be worth it! Verse 31… 31 His disciples said to him, “Look at this crowd pressing around you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’” 32 But he kept on looking around to see who had done it. 33 Then the frightened woman, trembling at the realization of what had happened to her, came and fell to her knees in front of him and told him what she had done. 34 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.” Jesus…busy Jesus…who had calmed the storm, driven out demons, and now was on His way to help the esteemed Jairus…was not too busy for this woman…and He will NEVER be too busy for you either… But things were probably not feeling as perfectly timed on Jairus end…who was likely fighting frustration at Jesus’ delay. And, in fact, verse 35 continues… 35 While he was still speaking to her, messengers arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. They told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.” 36 But Jesus overheard[a] them and said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith.” Jesus always is intentional with every minute. He has a purpose and a plan that is often far beyond our understanding, but we need never worry. Our job is to continue to come to Him in faith and humility, trusting His goodness. Verse 37… 37 Then Jesus stopped the crowd and wouldn’t let anyone go with him except Peter, James, and John (the brother of James). 38 When they came to the home of the synagogue leader, Jesus saw much commotion and weeping and wailing. 39 He went inside and asked, “Why all this commotion and weeping? The child isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” 40 The crowd laughed at him. But he made them all leave, and he took the girl’s father and mother and his three disciples into the room where the girl was lying. 41 Holding her hand, he said to her, “Talitha koum,”(TAHlly tah KUUM) which means “Little girl, get up!” 42 And the girl, who was twelve years old, immediately stood up and walked around! They were overwhelmed and totally amazed. 43 Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone what had happened, and then he told them to give her something to eat. Faith and humility. Trusting in God’s perfect timing. Jairus and the woman certainly didn’t have a lot in common, but they did have faith and humility in common. They both exercised faith and humility in the face of what the world would deem as hopeless and despairing situations. They both exercised faith and humility and did the one thing they knew to do…and that was to seek out Jesus. And Jesus was all they needed. Jesus had demonstrated His sovereignty over nature, demons, and now He demonstrated His sovereignty over illness and even death. We don’t have to know what to say or what to do…we only have to know who to trust. Step with humility and put your faith in Jesus, the true Sovereign King. He will never let you down. Dear Most Holy God – we DO come to you with faith and humility. We confess that you are all we need, that your plan is perfect, and we vow to trust your perfect timing. Help us to allow YOU to plan the trajectory of our life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.