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This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever find yourself playing the budgeting game? Well, with the name your price tool from Progressive, you can find options that fit your budget and potentially lower your bills. Try it@progressive.com Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates Price and coverage match limited by state law. Not available in all states. Goldbelly's asking, what's the one food you'd fly across the country for? Maine's famous lobster roll? Maybe Chicago's iconic deep dish? Or te Texas's legendary barbecue? Well, you can skip the flight. Gold belly ships America's most iconic foods straight to your door nationwide. And here's the best part. Right now, they're celebrating national restaurant month with $50 off your first order. That's 50 bucks. It won't last forever. Order now on goldbelly.com.
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hello, everybody. Welcome to another episode of Christ with Coffee on Ice. I am your host, Ellie Yost. It is a joy and honor to be here with you guys today. Happy Friday. Is it Friday? I'm losing track of time. No, it's not. It's Wednesday. Guys. What day is it? Is it Wednesday? Blink twice if it's okay. I think it's Wednesday. Happy day. Happy day. You know what? It doesn't even matter what day it is. It's just the day. The Lord, every day is the day of the Lord's thank you, Jesus. Thank you, God, that we woke up this morning. Okay? Maybe something has already gone wrong for you today. Maybe you've only been awake for 30 minutes and you spilled your coffee or you stubbed your toe, or you got a notice on your front door that you missed your FedEx package because apparently it needed a signature, which you didn't know when you ordered it. Had you known that, you would have signed it digitally ahead of time, but you didn't. And so I get it. Was that personal, Ally? Actually, that didn't happen to me today. But I do know the pain, okay? I know the pain of missing a package that you didn't know you had to sign for. And then they don't. They don't even give you enough time to get to the door. They're already gone. What is that about? They're already gone. Most recently, though, there was a delivery man. Shout out to him, bless him in the name of Jesus. God bless this man. He knocked twice. Because the first time I didn't hear him. Or like, I thought I had heard somebody knocking at my door, but I was like, nah. And then I checked my ring camera and I Was like, oh. Oh, my gosh. Ran sprinting downstairs and he was already knocking again. And I looked at him and I said, sir, thank you so much for knocking twice. You have no idea how many times I have missed. They put that sticky note on your door and they're like, sorry we missed you. I'm like, okay, I'll just go to the post office tomorrow. It's fine. You know, and then it's this, like, wild goose chase of trying to find your package and then you gotta go and get it, and it's okay. First world problems, really, though, it's not that deep. But anyway, I'm saying that because it's okay. It's okay if today has already been hard. But if it hasn't been, praise God. But also, praise God regardless, because we do have breath in our lungs and we are alive today. And I'm grateful for that. And I'm grateful that you are alive with me and we're all alive together. And we get to talk about Jesus today. We get to talk about Jesus today. We get to learn more about how we can surrender even more of our lives to him. Yes, because surrender, actually, is that what leads us to freedom? Believe it or not. I know in our silly little human brains, I don't know why, but our instinct is to do the opposite because we think that's where freedom is. We gotta wake up and realize that that's not where freedom is. Freedom is in surrender to God because he knows better than we ever will. So today we are putting away whatever pride we may still have that's lingering. We repent of it. And we say, God, please forgive us. Let's surrender more of our lives to Jesus today. I love the sound of that. Because it leads to what? Freedom. It leads to more freedom. Thank you, Jesus. We can only get true freedom through Christ. Christ. And Christ crucified is where we received our freedom, our opportunity for freedom. And we get to experience more and more freedom through Jesus every day. The process is not always easy peasy. Beautiful cover girl, though. That's for sure. Guys, my hoodie today. Look at my hoodie. He loved us first. Right? Right. He did. Of course he did. What do you mean? He loved me before I even knew who the heck he was. So God loved us first. God loved us before the foundation of the earth was laid. That's biblical. That's the truth. It's in the Bible. God loved you. Specifically you. I'm talking to you, okay? I'm not talking to the rest of the audience. I'm not Talking to. I'm talking to you. He loved you first. Right there. Right there. He loved you. You. Can you believe that? No. No, try. You won't be able to because I can't either. Try to fathom the fact that God actually loved you and knew your name. What? You didn't even know your own name yet. You didn't even know you existed yet. You weren't existing yet. You were just a loving, sweet thought in God's head. And he said he knew your name. He knew exactly how you were gonna look. He knew the sound of your voice already. He already knew all of the really cute, little sweet, quirky parts of your personality. He already knew your likes and your dislikes. He even knew if you snored in your sleep or not. He knew if you were a mouth breather and you drool on your pillow every night. He knew it because he loves you and he created you. And he knew all of that. He knew all of that before he even laid the foundation of the earth. He loved you first. He loved us first. I created this hoodie. I did. It's an extra large. Can you tell? It's massive. If I were to stand up right now, it would be a dress on me. It, like, literally comes to, like, my mid thigh. But I love it. If my hoodies don't feel like a Snuggie, where it, like, borderline. Could also probably be like a blanket with sleeves. I don't want it. So I got it in an extra large. And for reference, since I'm saying mid thigh, so you know my height, I'm 5 6. It's very big. If I were to actually just have like, a normal oversized hoodie, I'd probably get a medium, which I do. I've gotten various sizes to just kind of feel it out, you know? But this one, I did get an extra large. And we're going to put on the screen what the back of it looks like, because the back is actually the best. It's Jesus. And it's similar to the graphic that we have here on our glass tumblers. That's our ASMR for the day. My ice is barely ice anymore. It's the best. I will say. Listen, this actually, believe it or not, is not the most popular piece. The most popular piece, which we can put this on the screen is the brown T shirt that says, I love you, but Jesus loves you more on the back. That is our bestseller. She's a fave, though, like, genuinely, for, like, every day. It is summertime, so I don't know if anyone needs hoodies right now, but I will say that is one of my faves for sure. But hoodie wise, out of the hoodies and crew necks that we have, this one is my favorite. I love the brown and black combo. I think it looks so good. And then, I don't know, the blue kind of rocks too. Katie, go ahead and just keep. Keep throwing them up here. The blue rocks, but the red and the white. Yeah, the red and the white. Actually, this one rocks too. So I don't know. It's hard to decide what actually is my favorite. But anyway, this is the new merch that we launched. I don't know how long ago, month and a half ago. Very proud of it, very excited about it. And yeah, so shop it. See. See all the other stuff that we've launched. There's more and there's more to come. I don't know if anyone is still hanging on to the hope that I had given when I talked about pajamas coming soon. And also journals. They are still on the. We're still working some things out, but they're coming. Honestly, dare I say that these journals and the pajamas are gonna be even better quality than the pieces we've launched. Now, the quality of these rock. I've been using that word a lot. I don't care. These rock. But, like, there's definitely been a lot more TLC that have gone into these pieces. They've needed a little bit more care specifications, which is great and fun. But with that, I'm like, well, now that while we're taking all this time, might as well make sure they're like, literally perfect. So, yeah, I'm very excited. I'm gonna be getting the sample soon, and if I like it, how it feels, looks, whatever, then they should be launching soon. But anyway, that is to come. Is to come. Guys, let's get into today's episode. I am so grateful for my job. So sorry. Huge wave of gratitude just hit me. I love this job. Also. How f. Okay. How fun is it that we've been able to hang out more consistently lately? Let's keep doing it. It's been so fun. Okay. Anyway, sorry. I love my job. Thank you, Jesus. This is so fun to me. Let's get into today's episode. Today's episode is going to be killer. I know it's going to be killer because I didn't come up with it. God did 30 minutes ago. So I am not a perfect vessel. I'm gonna try my best. I never really get complaints from you guys. About me being a Yo yo on this show. If anything, I feel like a lot of you guys are like, ali, I understand your brain, because my brain be braining the same way as your brain be braining. But I really do feel like a Yo yo sometimes where I'm like, or slinky. Something that just goes, well, that's me. And I. I just feel like I kind of hop around. And so if you've been able to follow me as I hop around, as I talk about topics and stuff, as my brain goes over here and then it goes over here, and then it goes over here, I do feel like everything eventually kind of connects. But you do got to stick around to the end. You got to stick around to the end of the episode because unfortunately, sometimes I feel like the dots don't fully connect until the last, like, five to 10 minutes of the episode. And then it's like, oh, okay, I see what her brain was trying to do this whole time anyway. So bear with me as I am a very imperfect vessel trying to deliver what our perfect God wants to tell you guys today. But I'm very excited about what he has planned. And listen, today's topic for some of you guys might not be a new concept, and that's okay. But I do still believe that there is conviction and correction, loving correction from the Holy Spirit that is available to all of us. But I think God's goal in this episode, and I'm excited to partner with him in that, thank you for using me, Lord, is he wants to give us more freedom today. And so, as we were kind of saying in the beginning of this episode, is like, today is an opportunity for us to surrender even more to God. Because I do believe that even if we believe that we are fully surrendered to God, there's probably still little parts of us that are not totally surrendered. There might be little pockets or blind spots where we are still trying to have control or we still trust ourselves a little bit more than we do God. So we can still be in deny ni. We can totally still be in denial. And yeah, it's a beautiful day to receive more freedom through Christ, through the truth of his word and the conviction of His Holy Spirit. And. And so, yeah, I'm very excited. But ultimately, what I want to talk about today, and we could put it in the simplest, most like Christianese language right now and say, who is your God? Who do you put your trust in? Who holds your future? But that's what we're going to talk about. We're going to talk about the truth of what it really looks like to believe that God has our future and that he is the one who has control. And no matter how much we try to have control, it actually like, deteriorates us and we end up traumatizing ourselves and we end up burning out, putting a lot of pressure on ourselves, falling into pits of shame and self condemnation and feeling like we are the ultimate fate. Failures, scum of the earth. That's the truth. I just. When we put all of our faith in ourselves and our own works, we feel like the biggest failures. And the truth is, is that we, we can never avoid disappointment. We can never avoid it doesn't matter which side you want to be on, if you want to be on the side of. No, I got this. I don't need God. I don't even believe there is a God. So like, like whatever it is, right, if you're like, I don't believe there's a God, I don't need God. It's me. Survival of the fittest. It's all on me. Like, I am my own everything. I am my own provider. I am the one that, that holds the, the source and, and the fate of my future. Maybe there's people that are like, I believe. I just believe in fate itself. I believe in the universe, and I believe that everything, you know, sorts out the way it's supposed to. And even that just feels like a really avoidant way of saying that there is a higher power without acknowledging that the higher power is God. Whatever. That's a whole nother topic. That's a whole nother episode. But no matter what that is, it doesn't matter. Their life is disappointing. Life is disappointing. Things don't go our way. We don't always get everything we want. People are so disappointing. And so are you. You also have been a part of that equation in other people's lives and their stories, right? So, like, people are disappointing. Life is disappointing. Grief is inevitable. Pain is inevitable. There is never a version of us that could ever successfully figure out how to live this life in a way where we get everything we want, we avoid pain at all costs. And if we just work really hard and we focus and we manifest and we journal enough and, and we light enough candles and we charge our crystals in our windows long enough, whatever it could get, I mean, the options really are endless. It could get very dark, into witchcraft, or it could just be as simple as being like, no, I'm just hyper independent and I am the boss of my life. And if I want, that could be Taught to you in childhood, growing up. If you want to get what you want to get, you got to go get it. And here's the thing, we're going to touch on all of it. Guys, this is going to be such a rich episode. I'm so excited. Okay, I'm going to stop there because I was going to say there is a partial truth to, like, if you want it, you got to go get it. There is. So when we, when we say we trust in God, it don't mean that we're just idle and we're not doing anything. We're going to talk about that too. What does it mean to trust in God, but then also part. It's a partnership with God where it doesn't mean that you just sit around, you go, well, if God wanted it for my life, it would just happen. Yeah, we're going to talk about that. But disappointment is inevitable. And so I think what the Lord wants to relieve us of is the weight of disappointment. Because it's going to come. Trials are going to come. You're not always going to get exactly what you want. And scenarios and situations and things are not going to play out the way that you had preferred they played out. You had the movie, the plot, everything sorted out in your mind of how it was supposed to go, and it didn't go that way. Now what? There's a weight to that, right? There's a weight to that disappointment. Where does the weight go? Two options. One, on your own shoulders. Two, cast it to God. Surrender it to God. Trust in the Lord. When Jesus talks about taking on his yoke and his burden because it is, it is light and easy, that is his way of saying, hey, let me carry the burdens of disappointment in your life. Let me carry the very things that you were, you were so excited about and it didn't happen that way. Can I carry that? And all I'm asking for you from you in exchange is your trust. I'm not asking for you to like, sacrifice or do any weird burnt offerings or like charge crystals or, you know, spend all this money on fancy candles that are going to manifest, like fortunes. I'm not asking you to do. That's too. That's a lot of work. And that's the truth also about like the new age and witchcraft and stuff. We were talking a little bit about that last week. It's exhausting. It's still all on you. It's on you to do the rituals. It's on you to make sure that you're doing this, that and the next. And you're box checking. And a lot of people could argue, okay, well, isn't that the same with God? No. Obedience to God and faithfulness to God is a lot different than box checking and striving and carrying the weight of the fate of your existence. Talk about a heavy responsibility. Oh, my gosh. All of that is on you. And if you don't light the right candles or if you don't burn enough sage in your home, you're not gonna get the peace that you like. What? Or you could just call on to the name of Jesus and say, lord, help. Just as Matthew did in Chap. Or not Matthew, Just as Peter did in the book of Matthew, chapter 14, when he walked out on the water, Jesus encouraged him. I told you, I will never stop talking about this story. Because this was the story that literally changed my life. As I started my journey with Jesus. That. That was the moment that I actually met the spirit of God. I was encountered with the love of Christ. I was on the floor weeping, couldn't understand what was happening to me. I had no language for it. But that was the story that wrecked me, was Jesus. All of the disciples, the followers of Jesus at that time were in a boat, and there was a massive storm coming. And Peter, who was one of the disciples, they all saw this man walking out on water. They're like. At first they thought it was a ghost. It was Jesus. Jesus talks specifically to Peter and says, peter, come out here on the water and meet me here. Jesus is walking on water. They were not imagining this. This was real. And Peter goes, okay, you sure? Because I'm pretty sure. If anyone were to. First off, I don't even know how you're doing that. How you doing that now? You think, okay, I'm just gonna start walking on water. That's never happened in the history of mankind, ever. Two plus two equals. You usually just sink. What do you mean? So Peter walks out on the water, and he's walking on it. He's walking on it. But what is he? He looks to his left and his right. If you don't know the story, that's okay. I'm giving you a sparksnote version right now. He sees this. He's reminded of the fact that they're in the midst of a storm, and he starts to freak out, and he sinks. And what does he do? He calls out to Jesus and he says, help, Jesus. Oh, my gosh. Wait, Lord, help. I'm sinking. And in that story, what Jesus does, which he still does, if you trust Jesus, if you surrender your life to him and you say, God, Jesus, you are Lord of my life. I surrender my life to you. I repent. I want to follow you. I want peace. I don't want to feel the weight of life on my shoulders like it's all on me anymore. We're gonna feel the weight of life. That weight is something we can't outrun, right? But the weight does have to go somewhere. So if you say, I don't want to carry the weight of life anymore, I'm exhausted, I'm tired. There is a limit to how much weight we can carry, and it does take from our quality of our life. What are we ultimately looking for? We're looking for peace. We're looking for relief. We're looking for satisfaction, all of those things. Lasting emphasis. Key word is lasting. Peace, fulfillment, satisfaction and rest is only capable through Jesus Christ and his spirit. Okay? If you put your trust in Jesus, he immediately, Peter said God immediately came and lifted him out of the water. Sorry, guys. I had to take a little bit of an intermission because I actually, genuinely had forgotten why I was telling that story about Peter in the boat. But I told that story about Peter in the boat because it was an example of how when you call onto the name of Jesus and you say, God, I need you, he comes. And I was comparing it to, you know, having to do all this crazy stuff with, like, you know, okay, you got it. You were there, you were there. It's more so for me. I'm trying to get back on track. Anyway, we're going to talk about that contrast. We're going to talk about that contrast, because the reality, I think that we can all agree on is that life is disappointing. And so who do we trust? Who's going to carry the burden when life is disappointing? And also the question is, are you exhausted of carrying the burdens of disappointment, betrayal, hurt, whatever that looks like? Are you tired of carrying those? And if you are, then I have really, really good news for you. And here's the thing is, it's okay to be skeptical. It's okay to be like, ah, but I don't know. It sounds too good to be true. What, Jesus is just going to take all my problems away? He's not going to take all your problems away, but he is going to give you a piece that surpasses all understanding. And the reason it surpasses all understanding is because there's nothing else like it. And so there is a part of you that just has to be okay with the fact that you're not gonna fully understand how he does it, but it works. It works. He works because he is the way. Truth and life. There's a reason that Christians, especially, like, people who are born again, that, like, didn't have faith and now they are, are, like, like, oddly obsessed with Jesus. You know, where it's like, okay, we get it. Like, he saved your life. Whatever that means. Like me. Oh, my gosh. I was a wackadoo, but in the best way. I could not stop talking about Jesus. And the reason I couldn't stop talking about Jesus is because what I had received a relief that I'd never experienced in my life. And nothing else worked. There was a version of me that was burning sage in my home because I just wanted relief. Oh, my gosh. I was stressed out. I was anxious. I was worried. I wanted peace. I wanted relief. My God, I'm so tired of feeling like this. Alcohol wasn't working. Relationships around me were stressing me out. I had no idea what my purpose was. I was so empty. And I just wanted peace. And I think the reason why we all want peace, we all want answers, is because God has planted eternity in the hearts of every human being. What does that mean? He has created us with a purpose to know him and to be fulfilled through him. That peace that you're searching for, that relief exists and it's in Jesus. And if it sounds too good to be true, I get it. But he is. He is too good to be true, but he's true and he's good. Okay, let's move on. Anyway, I'm very excited for today's episode. First and foremost, guys, we do have our Christ. Hallelujah. He lives inside of us. He's right here. He's right here. He's all around us. Holy Spirit, I pray that you fill every single room right now. In the name of Jesus. God, I thank you for every listener on the other side of this episode. Lord, I bless them in the mighty name of Christ. I plead the the blood of Jesus over them from the top of their heads to the bottom of their feet. I rebuke every tactic of the enemy in the name of Jesus. God. I rebuke every scheme of the enemy and I send it back to the pits of hell. God, I thank you that they have are it's stamped on their foreheads, Lord, that they are yours. Property of Jesus. And so, God, I pray that for the ones who are meant to hear this. God, let the ones who can hear have the ears to hear it. Thank you. Jesus for today, Lord, I thank you. For their lives. I ask protection over them, protection over this time. In Jesus name, amen. We have our Christ. Holy Spirit, fill every room in the name of Jesus, fill every room with your Holy Spirit. God, I pray a peace that surpasses all understanding. Any anxiousness leaves in the name of God. We have our Word of God here. Hosanna Revival. I love this Bible, My butter yellow one. It's nlt, the new living translation. I always look at it like I forget. I just want to make sure I'm gonna say it right. Nlt Beautiful Bible. One of my favorites. If you don't have a Bible, get one. It's gonna change your life. I promise. It changed mine. It changed my life. And if you're gonna start reading the Bible for the first time, like, just don't. Just don't put a lot of pressure on yourself. Just let it happen. Just read it. Just read it and do some research too. But it'll change your life. So a Bible? Yes, if. So, if you're on the market for a new one, or if you're. If you're looking to get a first one ever. I think NIV or NLT are great translations. The Bible is very intimidating, so I understand that. I've been there. It wasn't that long ago that I was there too. But I do believe that these translations are very manageable, and I do have a code with Hosanna Revival as well. So if you guys ever want to shop them, they have beautiful Bibles and journals and Planners. They're gorgeous. It's just my first and last name. Aliost. It's always available. You can always save. We have our Christ. And then, of course, we have our coffee on ice. Let's get into it, guys. Okay? Let's get into this episode. I mean, we've been in it, but we're gonna get. We're gonna get even more in it. So I was taking some notes literally 30 minutes prior to us doing this, but I do have a lot of notes, and I'm excited. Okay, So I think a really great way to start this conversation is by asking a simple question of. And I. You know, I kind of said this already, but, like, who is it that you trust? Where. Where do you put your trust in if you've been putting your trust in yourself?
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I'm gonna tell you why. You're gonna burn out and literally hate yourself if you don't already. It's awful. I've been there. Okay, guys, we're all in the Same boat. We're all just trying to figure it out here on Earth. But if it's in yourself, I'm gonna tell you why. You shouldn't be doing that anymore. But if it's in God, you're already doing it. Great. We should put our trust in God. I'm gonna tell you why. But I think the contrast of the idea of self reliant manifestation. So, you know, if we're gonna use an example of manifesting your own future that says that you can shape reality by sheer will or by like rituals versus. We're also going to talk about the biblical perspective of trusting in God's sovereignty. At the beginning of my journey, I did not know what sovereign or sovereignty meant, but it means that God ultimately can do whatever he wants and he is the one who is in control. He is the one that, that is the most powerful. He is sovereign over everything because he's created everything. He's the Creator. So he kind of can call the shots. So I think it's important to recognize different ways of which we can quote, manifest or create our own futures of what that even looks like in our generation. And here's the thing, I want to balance this out because there's always an extreme to everything. So just bear with me until the end of this episode. And we're gonna cover all of it because I understand there could be some questions or gray areas where you're like, okay, but like, are some things okay? And not like, we'll just hang in there, we're gonna cover all of it. But on a more worldly side, okay, if we're not talking what's biblical and what God and how God tells us we're supposed to live our lives, the more worldly side, people often lean into vision boards, affirmations like, I am successful, I am enough, I am this, I am that. Journaling exactly what they want to attract, or even rituals like scripting out their future. Some even tied into like law of Attraction, believing they can raise their vibration to align with what they desire. And yes, some new age practices blend elements of witchcraft, like crystals, tarot or energy work framed as tools to manifest outcomes. Okay, so obviously there's a bunch of different ways and tools of how you could manifest your own future. Not everyone is out here using crystals and casting spells. But there are other ways. Law of Attraction, you know, raising your vibration, whatever, all sorts of stuff. Now if we were to look on the Christ centered side, it's more about seeking God's will. So you'd pray not for your own wish list. But for alignment with God's purpose, you would declare his promises from Scripture. An example is your will be done or I trust in youn plans. It's not about forcing a certain outcome, but but about believing God's timing and provision will shape your future in a way you may not see yet. I'm really excited to touch on that part because I think a lot of people listening to something like that would be like, okay, so like, I'm not allowed to have anything that I want. I'm just supposed to like, I mean, you're telling me that apparently there's no freedom in doing things. Like, you know, I have to do all these, this checkboxing and rituals and stuff, but like, where's the freedom and in just submitting to God and apparently doing his will, like, is what freedom is in that if I can't even have the things that I want. And I want to talk about that because the truth is, is like, we've already misunderstood what a relationship with God is. It's not him being, you know, a dictator and then we are his slaves. It's about a relationship between a father and a child. And if we are believe that we are a child of God and He is our Heavenly Father, we also have to believe that he is a Father who wants to give his children good gifts. That's biblical. That's also written in Scripture. And so it's also stated that God does want to give us the desires of our hearts. So it's not that we aren't allowed to want things. It's not that we aren't allowed to want to have certain futures. You know, like, if there's a career that you really desire, if there's success that you really desire, if there is a relationship that you really desire, if there are things that you desire, like being a mom or a dad or whatever that looks like. Like, if you want to change the world, change the freaking world. But the difference is like submitting those dreams, those aspirations, those hopes, those goals to God and partnering. It's a partnership, It's a relationship. And so we're going to dive more into that in a little bit. But I just, I have to disclaim that now of like, there actually is so much more freedom in having a relationship with God, bringing our desires to him. And then he is the one that says, okay, yeah, I think honestly, I would love to make this happen, but are you okay with me maybe not making this happen the way that you had hoped, or I see your heart in this But I don't believe that's actually what's best for you. Do you trust me enough that if I don't let this happen, you will believe and see that I actually have something way more fitting for you? Because the truth is, this is one of the amazing benefits of being in a relationship with God, is now you are in a relationship with somebody who knows you better than you know yourself. That's just the truth. Whether you want to accept or not, this goes right back to what we were leading with where he loved you first, he created you. So whether you want to, you want to believe it or not, there is nobody here on Earth, not even yourself, that knows you better than God does. And so there's another part of that journey where it's like, if God says no, it's not because he doesn't want you to be happy. It's not because he doesn't want you to have the desires of your heart. But there could be some things that we think we really, really, really, really want. But God sees so much more that he's like, hey, I know you really want this. I love you. And he speaks so gently about it. That is his tone. He's never gonna be like, no. Sorry, you're not. No. Because I said no. If you have had a bad example of a father in your life, it's easy for us to attach that same kind of experience with our earthly father to our heavenly Father. And so if you had a dad, that would just tell you no, and it would just be like, it's because I said no. Because I don't care. I don't care. I don't care what you say. I don't care how much you wanted it. I don't care. No. The answer is no. Don't argue with me. I'm not going to give you a reason why. I just. I actually just don't want to do that for you. Or I don't want to give that to you. I don't know. Right. But that is not God's heart. That is not God's heart for you. That has never been God's heart. That's not his character. So if he's ever going to tell us a no, it's gentle and it's with love, and it's with protection and redirection. And it's because he actually knows better. And so he may not always tell us why. Actually, I think more times than not, he doesn't tell us why. He just says no. He's very loving about it and he Says no, honey, but I. It's because I have better. Do you trust me? I love you. And I know this is gonna hurt you. I know it's gonna hurt you that I'm not saying yes to this. But actually, I also, I'm okay with sitting with you if you just want to sit. Even in the pain of what we might feel like is rejection from God, he's still willing to sit with us in that, even though it's not rejection, it's just him redirecting us. He has better. So, anyway, I had to disclaim that. Sorry, that was long. But that's the truth about submitting our hopes and dreams to God is, yes, God wants to answer our prayers. Of course he does. But having trust in him is also knowing that, like, we may not see it unfold the way we had hoped it would unfold, but it is coming. Or maybe that doesn't align with God's will for your life. Maybe you thought that was the best thing for you, and it's not. Are you okay with accepting that and trusting that it means that God has a better plan? And so the truth is, the one angle, like, the more worldly version of everything being on us, the fate of our lives, our future, our hopes, our dreams, is all on us to make it happen. The truth about that angle is that that version of worldly manifestation can lead to a sense of control that is so fragile. And why is it fragile? Because, like we were saying in the beginning of this episode, life is disappointing no matter what. And we can't avoid disappointment, we can't avoid pain, we can't avoid rejection, we can't avoid disappointment. Like, we can't avoid any of that. And so the reason that kind of control is so fragile is because it's just the other shoe will drop when we believe we alone shape our destiny. It can cause anxiety, burnout, and disappointment because life is not fully in our hands. Life is not fully in our hands. Whether I keep saying this, whether you want to believe it or not. Well, I mean, we all know that though, right? We know that life is not fully in our hands. We know that there's a lot of things that just happened to us that we didn't sign up for, we were not prepared for. We didn't think whatever happened to us, life is out of our control. And so when we are carrying those burdens of our fate and future and life being on our shoulders, that is a very tight rope that we are walking. And it actually ends up giving us so much more anxiety. Burnout and disappointment, bondage. There's no freedom in that. There's so much pressure, honestly, it just takes away from the quality of our life so much to carry all of that. It can also drift towards self idolatry, where we elevate our will above any higher purpose. In contrast, though, trusting God acknowledges that we're not the center. It frees us from the pressure of having to control every outcome. And I just want to touch on that for a second and say. Cause even myself, I am the kind of person where sometimes I still want to control things. Sue me. I know I want to get better at that. But yes, sometimes I still want to control things. Sometimes I still want things to go my way. And it has to go this way. And so to do that, I have to make sure I do this. And then I got to make sure I do enough of this. And guess what I start to feel. It starts with a T and it ends with ired. I get so tired. I'm exhausted from what feels like the inside out. That is what it feels like to try to control your own life, to try to control situations. It is exhausting. I believe, like, your spirit, like, even just spiritually, like, emotionally, you're like. You're like, I can't breathe anymore. I am so exhausted. And so that is like my. My ding, ding, ding. Like, the light bulb goes off for me whenever I feel that way. It's an indicator of. Ali, are you trying to control. Are you trying to control the outcome of this? Are you trying to make things better? Like, this is all on you? Yeah, I probably am. Because when I feel like this, it's because I'm trying to control my own life. And there is nothing more exhausting than trying to control your own life and not just giving the control to God and partnering with him and saying, okay, I'm gonna do what I can do, God, and the rest, I surrender to you. I gotta let it go. That is at the altar. And honestly, even as a believer, that is a daily surrender where we have to wake up every day just because we received our salvation through Jesus and we've surrendered our life to God and we've been baptized and we read our Bible and we go to church and we love Jesus with our whole heart. I, Jesus with my whole heart. But that does not mean that all of a sudden we got it figured out and we don't have to surrender every single day, the situations of our lives. Because the truth is, is there are new situations every day, sometimes every minute, every week, every hour. Every month, every day, there is a new obstacle and a new thing that happens where we go, okay, God, I gotta give that to you. So, yes, it is a daily practice of saying, okay, I'm gonna do what I can do today. And I know for a fact that all I can do is this much and everything else. God, like the result. Like, typically for me, it's like the result. I want to control the outcome, the results, the end part of it. And that we can't because that's, that's again, that's life. Like, you can't control results, you can't control how things progress, play out. But what we can control is what we are actually responsible for. And from there, it's like surrender. So, yes, that's a daily thing that we still have to do. Even as Christians, the Bible teaches that God's plans are for our good, even when we don't fully understand that surrender gives genuine peace because we know we're held by someone bigger than ourselves. In other words, freedom comes when we stop trying to be our own God and let the real God lead us. And another thing I want to say about this is, even when we don't fully understand, I think that's a thing that's inevitable. So it's like, pick your. I don't understand, like, either. You just don't understand why things happen the way that they do. And then you look at yourself and you say, you freaking idiot. Why didn't you see this coming? Why couldn't you fix this? Why couldn't you prevent this? If you had just worked harder, if you had just gone to more therapy, if you had just reflected more and journaled more, if you had just done more of this, you would have been in such a better place. Right? Whatever that icky, self condemning, nasty voice is telling you, it's a gross voice. That's a hard roommate to live with in your own mind. Either you have that kind of I don't understand, or you pick the I don't understand why you let that happen, God, but I trust you. We will never be able to fully understand why things happen the way that they do. Whether you want to shake hands with God and say, yeah, I don't understand, but I trust you. Or you can go, I don't understand. And I'm such a freaking loser. This feels so much heavier. I don't understand, but I got to figure it out. I'm gonna understand. No, you're not. You're never gonna understand why things happen the way that they do. That's Just the truth. There's like. There's like, a level of pride also that we have to be willing to let go as humans. Otherwise, you will always be angry, hate yourself, confused. You'll always be confused. You're never. You're not. You're not going to have peace. You got, like, it's pride. It's got to go. We have to come to the realization and the truth that we are who we are. And. And there is a limit to, like, human awareness. It doesn't matter if you're the smartest person on earth. Like, there is a level of understanding that we will never get to, of why things happen the way that they do. The only person who understands that is God. And so personally, I think the advantage is being an ally of God and being a friend of God and being in a relationship with God. I think that's the advantage of being like, all right, I don't have it figured out. It looks like I'm never going to have it figured out, so I might as well cling on to the one who does. I'm just like, if there's a battle to fight, I would rather fight that one. I'd rather fight the battle of life with. With the one who at least understands and has control and is sovereign and. And has the power. God. He's the only one that has power. There's a lot of counterfeit Gods. Jesus Christ, God the Father, he's the only one. But, like, I'd rather pick that than to try to do all this. You're just going to lose. You're going to lose. And now I want to go back to that disclaimer that I was talking about with, you know, like, what it means to submit your life to God and that it's not just, like, he's not this big ruler where now you got to follow all these rules and do whatever he says and be a robot. Beep, boop, bop. Okay, God, whatever you say. Okay, your will be done, not mine. Like, let's talk about that. It is a perspective change of, like, it's not that he is a dictator. It is a. It is a loving relationship between a father and a child. I think the truth is, is that this really does come down to recognizing that God cares about relationship, not just rules. Like, that is actually what God wants from every single one of us is relationship, just as we have relationships with people. Like, it shouldn't be any different with God for the most part, but, like, he wants a relationship with you. There's a scripture in Psalm I'm gonna read it to you guys. It's very short, but It's Psalm chapter 37, verse 4, which says, Take delight in the Lord and He will give you your heart's desires. So right there it says in scripture that God actually really does want to give you your desire, the desires of your heart. He wants to give you that. He's acknowledging that you do have desires, you have hopes, dreams, aspirations, things that you want to, that you want to achieve in your life, impact that you want to make in the world. And can we just also break down the word delight? Because that's the word that's used in this is take delight in the Lord. Well, what does that even mean? Like, realistically, what does that look like on a daily basis? The Hebrew word for delight carries the idea of finding your deepest joy, pleasure, satisfaction and fulfillment in someone. So it's asking what brings your soul the most joy. So delighting in the Lord means enjoying being with him, wanting to know him more than simply wanting what he can give you, finding your security in him rather than in circumstances, loving him for who he is and not just for what he can do for you. Like, I love this so much. Like, if somebody were to ask you, why do you love your best friend? Like, if you want to think about a person in your life that you just love and adore, love them. Think of that person right now. It could be your mom, it could be your sister, it could be anybody. You probably wouldn't answer. Oh, because they can. They, they buy me gifts and they give me these connections and they introduce me to these kinds of people. And whenever I'm with them, they always buy me a coffee. And I really love having free rides in their car so I don't have to use my own gas. Ew. You're a really cruddy friend. You're weird for that. That's weird behavior. No, of course you're not gonna say that because you're a good person and you love your friend or your mom. You're never gonna say that about them. No, you love them because you genuinely enjoy being with them. Right? You're gonna call out things about them that you're like. Cuz they make me laugh because they're a lot of fun to be around. I don't know, because they just always make me feel really good. I have a lot of fun with them. We have really deep conversations every time we hang out. I just feel like I get more clarity about things, you know? Like when I'm with them, I just feel peace all my anxiety goes away and I genuinely feel, I don't know, I just, I just love being around them. And even if we're doing nothing, like, even if that means I'm just like laying on the floor listening to music with them, like I love it, that can absolutely be your relationship with God that actually is available to you. And so that is what it means to delight in God. And God desires that kind of relationship with us. And I think if you are listening to that and you're like, okay, why doesn't it feel like that when I'm with God? Probably because you're still striving. I feel like if there is any time that I'm sitting with God and it doesn't feel fun. Okay, granted. Time with God, listen, hear me out. Like I don't, it doesn't feel like I'm delighting in him. Let's say that sometimes I'm like, like, okay, so sometimes it's not always fun. But like I do, I do still love being in his presence in those moments. But like if there's any time where I'm like not really delighting and enjoying and I'm like, I don't know this feel. I don't know, you're just not feeling it. I'm probably striving, I'm trying to perform for him. I'm trying to get a result, I'm trying to get a feeling. We don't base our experiences with God just off of feelings or like that shouldn't be the motivator of why we get into his presence. And I've done that. There have been times when I'll have to realize I'm like, oh, that's why I feel so disconnected and weird. That's why it doesn't feel light. That's why it feels like, you know, I don't know, it doesn't feel like he wants to be with me. It's like because you're probably striving, that also is a whole nother topic to talk about. But anyway, we do have to move on. So moving on, I think another really cool perspective of knowing that God wants to give you the desires of your heart is I'll use myself as an example. I love putting myself on a chopping board. It's fine, I love it. But there was a version of me that had some serious desires, things that I wanted in my life. And I'm thinking back to a version of me when I first moved to la. And my motivation to moving to LA was very, very self centered. I was Going viral on social media. I didn't know Jesus yet I was going viral on social media. I, you know, I. I just did what every influencer does and I moved to LA for the reasons you think. You know, it's like, you just want more success. Lights, camera, cameras, red carpets, opportunities. Like, that's why you move to la and that's why the culture is so gross, because it's all about, like, what can you give me? What can I get from this? What can I get here? How can I exalt myself? And so, yeah, those were the desires of my heart at the time. The really cool thing that you are going to notice about yourself, if you haven't already about spending time with Jesus, is that Jesus does actually slowly rub off on us. And he changes the desires of our hearts. Not out of a place of manipulation. He's not like, I'm gonna change you. Like, his goodness, his holiness. He's a very, very, very good. He's the best influence we could ever have in our lives. His influence is going to rub off on you. I mean, you think about it, like, anyone that you spend a lot of time with, their influence is gonna rub off on you. You start spending a lot of time with your best friend. And now you guys kind of like, have similar mannerisms. And everyone's like, mistaking you guys as sisters now or brothers because you've been hanging out a lot more. And you guys are kind of. You have the same quirks now all of a sudden. Or like, you kind of say the same things now. You got the same slang, you know, like, you're starting to wear the same things, you're starting to have similar styles. Like, that's just what happens, right when you start to hang out and spend a lot of time with somebody. And so it's that same thing that happens with Jesus where if you are spending a lot of your time with him, he's going to influence you in a really, really good way. And so there might even be things that you once had desired that you thought were best for you. And now that you've been spending a lot of time with Jesus, you don't really want those things anymore. And that's what happened to me. That's why I bring up the example of, like, my original motive of moving to LA is like, my heart completely changed. I was no longer the one being exalted. It was like, oh, no, no, no. I want to exalt that guy. He is so much more deserving. I love him. I want to be just like Him. And so my motive of being in a place like this was less about myself and more about, oh, Jesus, how can I help bring more of you into this place? It actually makes sense that you'd let me move here thinking it was gonna be all about me, because it's. Actually, now that I'm here, I wanna make it all about you. And so my heart changed radically after spending more time with Jesus. The desires of my heart changed radically and I realized how many things I wanted that were actually just so selfish. So surface level. The other thing about Jesus is he is a man of depth. That man is the deepest well you will ever meet and you will never get to the bottom of it because he is infinite. There is no bottom. He is the infinite well of depth. You could go on and on and on and on and on and go deeper and deeper and deeper with Jesus for your whole life, and you still won't hit the bottom of it because he is the man of depth. And he will bring you much deeper, much deeper than where you thought. I didn't realize how surface level a lot of my thinking was and how I had seen myself and life. And, girl, I had a lot of learning to do. But he'll. He will. He will influence you and shape you and show you the ways that you've actually been lacking in the desires that you had. And it doesn't even have to be an example of, like, you know, like mine, where I was, like, in the world. And like, even if you've been a believer your whole life, there could be desires of your heart that God's like, actually, that's. That's not enough. I actually want way more for you. You're capping yourself off. Like, believe it or not, that's like bare minimum in my eyes. Because I want more for you. Like, it could go the other way where you think that you're actually like, wait, no, I feel like this is like, the best of what God would want from me. And he's like, honey, you're not even close. You're not even close. Do you trust me? Because I know that you think that this is the best of the best of the best, but I'm telling you there's better. And so do you trust me that I know what that better is and where it is and when it's going to come into your life and how it's going to come into your life and. And I'll guide you. That's the thing, too. We're going to talk about that is like, it's not about just being idle and saying, okay, God, you're just going to bring it into my life. Like he will also guide you because he's our shepherd. So if there's anything that you need to be doing, he'll show you, don't worry about it. He'll guide you. He'll show you where you need to be. So you're in the perfect position, timing situation. And here's the thing, it's okay if you don't hear his voice perfectly. I think there's also a lot of pressure that we will put on ourselves where again it's like sneakier if this is a sneakier, like control or like it's all on me. But that, that perspective as a believer where you're like, okay, but like, what if I hear God wrong? Then I'll miss it. No, you believe he's sovereign, right? You think he's sovereign over your boo boos too? If you didn't say yes, I need you to read the Bible again. Of course he is. Look at how many boo boos hap Abraham, I love the man, but that guy, he was faithful and listen and he listened to God. But he had more than once he made him and his wife lie, saying that his wife was his sister because he was afraid that everyone was gonna kill him if they found out that he was the husband. Because she was so beautiful and amazing. And he did it more than once. Even after the first time where God was like, hey, you don't have to do that. I'm gonna protect you. You don't have to worry about people killing you. No one's gonna kill you. I got your back. You don't have to lie. He did it again into the next village or where I can't remember the whole story, but like he did it again, so it's okay. But. But look, God pivots cuz he's sovereign. And it's not that he's. It's not that. There's just only like four different ways of how he could fix it. And if you mess up every time, he's like, I'm out of sorry, I'm out of ways to make it way. It looks like you missed your chance, bud. No, like if you, if your faith is in Jesus, you make some boo boos along the way. But at the end of the day you're like, God, I want your will. He will make a way for you. It's okay. You will not miss your chance because you like misheard God. Or maybe you kind of took things Back into your control, into your own hands for a little bit. Like, he's got it. He's God. You're putting him in a box. You're putting him in a box by believing that you can miss your chance if you make a mistake or you mishear him or you decide to kind of take things into your own hands. It's all right. He's got grace for that. As long as you. As you go right back to his feet and say, oh, I did it again, God, I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I surrender my life. Like, please, I need you to just take control. He's got you. Oh, my gosh, guys, the psalms rocks. I look down right now. I still have Psalm 37 open, but this is verse 23. It says, the Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, Jesus, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. What in the world? That. That is what God says about you and what he says about himself and how much he loves you guys. The Lord directs your steps, and he delights. We just learned about the definition of delight. What does it mean? He finds joy. Joy, fulfillment. He finds happiness and delight in every detail of your life. He has not forgotten about you. He has not forgotten about you. He hasn't forgotten about that situation. He hasn't forgotten about that pain that you had to face. He hasn't forgotten about the rejection. He. He hasn't forgotten about the prayers. He hasn't forgotten about your desires. He finds delight in every detail of your life. It's written in stone. This is about you. He delights in every detail of your life. Thank you, Jesus. Though they stumble, it's also promised in scripture that you will stumble, but that's okay because they will never fall. This is what God says about you. You will stumble, but you're not gonna fall. Why? Because the Lord holds you by his hand. He holds them by the hand. He's holding your hand. He's your dad. He loves you so much. Ah, I love Jesus. That's beautiful. Holy Spirit, you are the best. Okay, I'm screaming on this episode. I'm sorry. You guys probably have had to turn down your volume like, five different times. Okay, now, one more thing that I want to touch on, okay, is obviously, like, we. I've kind of, like, hinted at a couple times in this episode is trusting God isn't passive, right? So again, this isn't about just being like, all right, Lord. Well, I'm just gonna sit back and like, if these are things that you say you want for my life, then I'm just gonna sit back and let you do your thing. Granted, yes, I do believe there are seasons of our life where, like, there are real scriptures that say, be still and know that I am God. The Lord will fight for you. You need only to be still. Like, those things are very true. I don't think that those scriptures mean, though, that you're not supposed to do a thing, lift a finger, be faithful. Like, be obedient, act out in faith. Right. Because even if we were to talk about the story of Abraham, God promised him descendants. Many, by the way. That's who we are. So God promises that. But Abraham had to step out of his comfort zone. And this can all be read in Genesis 12, if you're curious, and eventually trust God, even when he was asked to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. So Abraham and his wife Sarah, they finally, after years and years, and I think they were literally in their 90s or something, they were old. It was actually a miracle that they had gotten pregnant and had a child. And then at one point, God asks Abraham if he'd be willing to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, who he had waited so long for. Imagine how confusing that had to have been for Abraham 1 and 2. I don't know. I think any normal person would have kind of tried to, like, negotiate, gamble, like, be like, I don't know, God, can we compromise here? Because you told me you were gonna give me a son, but now you're just gonna ask me to take him away? No, but it was actually in his. He had to trust God in that moment. And then we do know that the story ends with Isaac didn't have to die. Trusting God is not a passive thing. Like, there are acts of faith that we have to step out in. Otherwise, faith. Faith is nothing. What's the scripture? Yes. Thank you. James 2:17 says, faith without works is dead. Faith is not faith without having to step out and trust. So trusting God isn't passive. It's relational. God's will often unfolds as we step out in faith. So trusting God is active. It's not being passive. It means seeking him in prayer, following his principles, and taking steps even when the outcome isn't fully clear. And I feel like that's actually more cases than not. Okay, so in other words, we trust his will, but we also walk in obedience, knowing he often leads us step by step. It's faith in action, man. I want to tattoo that psalm on my forehead. The Lord directs the Steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand. I want to stamp that on my freaking forehead. Thank you, Lord. I want to pray. I really want to pray right now. Jesus. Wow, God. Thank you, Lord. Thank you for showing up today, God. Thank you for giving us hope. Thank you for convicting us and redirecting us to the truth of the beauty that there is in surrender to you. Forgive us for the ways that we have tried to take matters into our own hands and control outcomes and situations. And in some ways, we've tried to be our own God, or we have been. So, God, we just repent. We ask for you to be Lord of our life again. Lord means that you. We. We trust you with everything in our life. Not just some things, but all things. And, Lord, I thank you that you have mercy for us in the times where maybe that feels hard or if we're still learning how to do that. Thank you, Lord, that you do have grace for that. That you aren't just this mean God who's wagging his finger and says, if you don't surrender, if you don't figure this out, like, thank you, God, that you actually have grace as we continue to learn how to fully trust you. Because it's not an overnight thing. It's not easy. But I thank you that today actually was another step closer to what that is. Thank you, God, that what happened today was an opportunity to actually trust you more. And I believe that that's actually what's gonna happen coming out of this episode is that we are all going to be refreshed with the truth that we can trust you. So thank you, Lord, for freedom. Thank you for sending your son as a sacrifice to cover our sins and to give us freedom through his blood. We love you, Lord. Thank you for today. Amen. Guys, I love you. I'm so proud of you. I loved today's episode. Like, I'm actually freaking out. I loved that. Thank you, Jesus. That was literally only the Holy Spirit. That was only God. I did nothing there. Thank you, God. Hey, guys, have the best day ever, okay? And before we go, can we do something really cool? Can we show somebody how cool Jesus is? Can we walk more like him, talk more like him, be more like Jesus today? I adore you guys. I love you. I'm so proud of you. Jesus is obsessed with you, okay? He is. Okay. I'll see you guys next time. Okay, bye. Love you. Instacart makes grocery shopping easier. And just because you're not doing the shopping yourself doesn't mean you don't care how it's done. With Instacart Shopper notes, you can get particular about what you want right in the app. Like rotisserie chicken that's extra crispy steak with marbling the Romans would have loved, and lettuce you'd actually pick yourself. Just leave a note for your shopper so they can get it right for you without having to ask. That way you can get groceries just how you like. Download the Instacart app and shop today
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