Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Thank you so much.
[00:00:02] Hey everybody. Welcome to Midweek. How you doing?
[00:00:05] Good.
[00:00:07] The guardians took it home today. Let's go.
[00:00:13] Anyone get to watch it?
[00:00:15] Okay, let's go, let's go. The office said they had it on so loud you couldn't miss it. So let me pray.
[00:00:22] Dear heavenly Father, you are a mighty God. And there is, I just believe with all my heart, a true desire for us to know you better.
[00:00:32] A desire for us to follow your will for our lives and for us to understand it.
[00:00:39] So today I pray with all my heart that you take what your word has spoken to me, Father, and you use it.
[00:00:48] I pray less of me and more of you. Will your name be glorified?
[00:00:53] In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
[00:00:57] I was 19 years old.
[00:01:00] I was looking for a new job because my gorgeous fiance was in college and we wanted to get married.
[00:01:10] And so he got a full ride scholarship as an engineer. So that meant one thing and one thing only. If we wanted to get married, Mama had to kind of provide while he did the full ride scholarship.
[00:01:22] So I had the opportunity to interview with a cell phone company and like double my pay.
[00:01:29] And I took the interview and it was with kind of a close friend.
[00:01:37] And interview went great.
[00:01:39] And then I had to go on to phase two.
[00:01:42] And phase two was like big, big boss interview.
[00:01:47] And he told me I had to go do this interview with the big big boss. But he said, I want to warn you what's going to happen in this interview. Your interview is going to stop. Start from the second you walk in the door.
[00:01:58] And I was like, okay, what do you mean?
[00:02:01] He's like, there's a two way mirror in the store and he's going to be watching you and it's part of the interview, so prepare yourself. And I was like, okay, well what do I have to do? Like, what do you mean he's going to be watching me?
[00:02:17] And he's like, I want you to talk to customers, I want you to get brochures, I want you to look interested. I want you to be looking at the cell phones like you're learning something. So I was like, okay, got it. So mama looked good for the interview. Okay. At the time I was wearing, I remember it was a purple sweater and it was a dress shirt underneath, but it wasn't an actual dress shirt. It was like buttoned sleeves underneath and a button collar. You know what I'm saying?
[00:02:47] I was looking good. Okay? Dress pants. I looked the part.
[00:02:51] I walked in scared sick because I knew I was gonna be being watched and so I was like, okay, here we go. And so, like, I acted the part. When I got in that store, I noticed exactly where that two way mirror was.
[00:03:06] This is weird, right?
[00:03:08] Like odd behavior weird. Yeah. So I saw the mirror. I was in the store. I went up to the cell phones, customers came up and talked to me. Like I knew what I was doing. It was awesome. So I'm like, he's gonna see that someone's talking to me and I'll just tell you, I got the job, folks. I got the job. Yes, yes, that all tell job provided well for us for the time being.
[00:03:34] But when I thought about this story, I was literally on a walk this week and it just came, like flooding back to me because I totally forgot about it. I was thinking about in our spiritual lives, how sometimes it can feel like this with God, that He is watching and we can't really see him, but he can see us. And if I'm not careful, I can try to dress the part, I can try to put the show on, but on the inside, something totally different is happening in my heart.
[00:04:12] And we started this series on the will of God. And I think we all desire honestly to know, okay, if God is real, what is his will for my life?
[00:04:25] Like, what does he truly, truly want for my life?
[00:04:29] And when we, when we're pursuing this idea, what I think happens is we focus more on the do and less the who.
[00:04:42] So let me. Let me tell you what I mean in no marker.
[00:04:51] Thank you.
[00:04:52] You guys are so smart.
[00:04:55] I think when we are thinking, I like what Lexi was saying earlier.
[00:05:03] We look at behavior modification.
[00:05:10] So we look at, okay, I want to figure out what the will of God is in my life. And so I have to figure out what I have to do. And so it's almost like this. It's almost like, okay, there's three doors in front of us, and I have to decide which one is the will of God. Hi. I've missed you. So good to see you.
[00:05:33] Add which one is the will of God for our life? Which door am I gonna walk through? And so we're trying to say, okay, there's only one right decision. This is the will of God. Which door do I go through? Who do I marry? What job do I take? Where do I move?
[00:05:49] How many kids should I have? Who should I date, whatever it might be? And we say, only, there's only one kind of right way, and that is the will of God. And so we stand in front of these choices and we're like, okay, I'm gonna go through this door. And. And then you're like, well, what if that wasn't the will of God? What if I married the wrong person? Or what if I took the wrong job? Or what if I'm going to the wrong school? And so it's all about these choices that we have to make.
[00:06:20] But if we back up a second, what if the will of God could be all three doors?
[00:06:28] What if. What if it didn't matter so much on the do, on the choices you made? And it mattered way more on who you were becoming in those choices?
[00:06:41] You see, I don't think that as we look at this, and I know it's not romantic, but I don't think there really is one set person for you out of 8 billion people in the world. I don't really believe that there's just one except for me and my gorgeous husband. Okay?
[00:07:03] But I believe the one you choose is the one. You hear me? I believe that there could be multiple people except for me and him.
[00:07:16] But what we decide and who we are in that marriage produces the outcome that we get.
[00:07:28] Okay, so what job I'm gonna take? This was. I worked at Altel for a really long time, and then I hated it. I just simply hated it. Cause I felt the call of God on my life and I wanted something more. And so I started seeking God in it. But I didn't just quit. I decided, okay, I don't like this job very much, but who can I be at this job? What can God accomplish through me in the work that I'm doing?
[00:07:57] And it was crazy when I switched my attitude. I started having all kinds of different conversations with people that were so healthy. And I actually did better in sales because people wanted to come back to me because I cared more about them than what my quota was. I ended up hitting my quota because I was taking care of people.
[00:08:16] Do you see what I'm saying?
[00:08:18] So I think what happens in our life is we try to focus on all these do's and all these lists and all this stuff. But at the end of the day, Scripture is incredibly clear about what God wants for our life, what he truly desires. And what I believe we're gonna get to the heart of today is that God does not desire the list of. Of dues, but instead he desires our heart.
[00:08:46] He desires us fully. He desires surrender and devotion to Him.
[00:08:55] And this was a sermon that I was excited to preach because it so radically has changed my life for so many years. I so just believed what people said of me when I was younger.
[00:09:16] I remember asking all kinds of questions when I was younger and just getting so made fun of for being dumb. And can I tell you, that stigma is still in my head to this day, that I am dumb.
[00:09:28] And it takes work to overcome some of the deep rooted thoughts of who you think you are.
[00:09:35] And the work isn't just by behavior modification. It's not just by like, okay, read some books, girl.
[00:09:42] Prove to everyone you're smart. Give them the statistics. You know what I mean? The behavior modification is not going to work because at the end of the day, motivation will only get you so far. Okay, quitting smoking, we can have all the right motivation in the world. Okay, I'm going to quit.
[00:10:03] I'm gonna quit and I'm gonna quit. And then what happens is the motivation lasts until you have a stressful day and you pick up the cigarette. Do you know what I'm saying?
[00:10:14] Motivation, determination, it only gets you so far.
[00:10:19] So if we wanna make true, lasting change in our life and follow the will of God, it starts with our heart.
[00:10:28] I want to show you some of the verses in scripture that makes this incredibly clear.
[00:10:34] We're going to start in proverbs, because in Proverbs he says it the best.
[00:10:41] Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
[00:10:49] What happens is, if I'm just trying to do the behavior modification, whatever I really believe or really am thinking on the inside, it will come back out.
[00:11:00] She will peak her real head, okay? No matter how dressed we get or how masked we get, it will eventually come out.
[00:11:09] In Isaiah 29, Isaiah is a prophet of God. And the people have gotten so far from God. And this is what God says to them. And the Lord says, because his people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips. But. But while their hearts are far from me and their fear as of me is a commandment taught by man.
[00:11:31] These people were trying to do the lip service and the religiosity, but they weren't really, truly connected to God. They had lost their first love.
[00:11:42] They had lost their first love for Jesus Christ.
[00:11:46] Hosea says it like this, this is God speaking, for I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice the knowledge of God. Rather than burnt offerings.
[00:11:58] In the Old Testament era, it was the Old Covenant, the old promise. And the way you followed God was by sacrifices, by burnt offerings, by what you do.
[00:12:12] And God is saying, I don't desire that. What I truly, truly desire is, is your steadfast love. And for you to know me.
[00:12:23] In Ephesians 6. It says it like this. Do I have any people pleasers in the house? Okay, here's what it says. Not by the way of eye service as people pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart.
[00:12:39] You see, in scripture, the heart represents more than just the vessel.
[00:12:45] The heart represents like the central core of who we are.
[00:12:54] Matthew 23. Jesus is talking to religious leaders, to the Pharisees and the scribes.
[00:13:01] He's saying, woe to you scribes and Pharisees, your hypocrites, for you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but the inside, they are full of greed and self indulgence.
[00:13:12] You blind Pharisees. First clean the inside of the cup and the plate that the outside might also be clean.
[00:13:23] The will of God is for our heart, Church.
[00:13:29] It's for our heart.
[00:13:32] And as men and women of God, then we have to say, okay, then how do I really get down to this? How do I really change my heart?
[00:13:39] How do I really not just focus on behavior modification, but how do I focus on like true life altering dedication to God?
[00:13:51] How do I focus on who I am becoming?
[00:13:57] And so I believe it's going to start with a question.
[00:14:01] Who do you want to be?
[00:14:05] And this sermon is not going to be a one and done. This sermon is like a foundational aspect that we go back to time and time and time again. If you have your phone, if you have notes, write it down. Who am I becoming?
[00:14:21] One of the ideas that you can do, who am I becoming? Is who do you really truly want to be?
[00:14:29] A good practice is to say, I'm going to write down three I am statements.
[00:14:37] So you do what you do because what you believe of you. We say, I did that bad.
[00:14:49] This is Craig Groeschel's idea from this book. Highly recommend it.
[00:14:54] The Power to Change. Awesome book.
[00:14:57] You do what you do because of what you believe about you.
[00:15:02] You do what you do because what you believe about you.
[00:15:07] So what do you believe?
[00:15:10] See, one of my feelings was I was dumb.
[00:15:13] I believed it.
[00:15:15] They call it the Looking glass theory.
[00:15:19] We see ourselves through the people that have influence in our life.
[00:15:25] So you had a coach who believed in you.
[00:15:29] You often will tend to believe in yourself in hard situations.
[00:15:32] You had a father who did not believe in you and called you names and a loser or worthless. And that is the voice that you hear continuously.
[00:15:43] And so what happens is we have these things, okay, so I was dumb.
[00:15:50] And a big one was I was never enough.
[00:15:53] I would play sports badly like, had the heart for it. Do you know what I'm saying? It's like singing. I. I wish I could sing, people. I would belt it for the name of Jesus. But you know what I do? I lip sing now because I have. I don't want anyone to hear me, but I want my soul to feel it. So I just, like, I do. You'll catch me all the time. And honestly, one time my mic was left on and the people watching heard my voice. And so that is just never gonna happen again.
[00:16:27] So it scarred me a little.
[00:16:29] Okay, but here's the deal.
[00:16:31] I have the looking glass lens.
[00:16:35] What have people said about me that I have believed and I have made it a reality in my life?
[00:16:41] What happens is our brain gets roots. It gets grooves rather. And when we do or believe a certain behavior over and over and over and over again, your neurological pathways, you actually get these grooves, grooves. And it becomes second nature. It becomes like, this is just what I think. This is just how I show up. This is just what it is.
[00:17:02] And it's gonna be extra hard for you to make the switch, to not believe something because it's been so deeply rooted.
[00:17:12] And so you have to decide, okay, I am no longer gonna believe the lies because that is the tool of the enemy. He is an accuser.
[00:17:24] It's exactly what he wants to do. He wants to take you and stop you from living the full potential that Jesus Christ has set out for you. He wants to stop you and make you little and make you small. Because what happens is there's a God sized purpose in each and every one of us.
[00:17:40] But we let those voices and we let him work and we believe it. And so we stay small. And that God sized purpose that is meant to be shared with the world and is now locked up tight because of what you think you are.
[00:17:58] So these three I am statements, I had to take some truth and say, okay, first and foremost, like when I think I'm not enough, I wanna say, no, no, no, I am his.
[00:18:11] And so one of my statements I have said most of my entire life is, it's you and me. You, you are mine and I am yours.
[00:18:19] When I think about the purpose of my life, there's not real clear, like this is what I'm gonna do. But I tell you what my purpose is. I am his.
[00:18:27] And so now my life becomes I am his.
[00:18:32] And when I start making decisions, a Harvard study showed that when you make decisions, you subconsciously ask yourself three questions. You ask yourself, who am I?
[00:18:44] What is the situation that's going on.
[00:18:47] And then the third question you ask is, because of who I am, how do I act in this situation?
[00:18:54] That's all subconsciously happening in your mind. A pastor told it like this. He said he was working. It was him and another guy. And they just got this new office building that they were working at for their church.
[00:19:09] And it was in, like, a warehouse. And what they didn't know was that there was a school close by. And when there were fights, the fights would end up in that parking lot. So what happened is there'd be, like, words exchanged at school. And then all the kids would come circle up and there'd be a fight.
[00:19:29] And so this pastor is like a guy's guy, and he does jujitsu, and he. He is with his buddy. And they see all these cars pull up, and they're like, fight, fight, fight, fight. So the pastors are like, fight.
[00:19:42] So they, like, go run outside to, like, watch the fight.
[00:19:47] He's like, such a guy. I'd be throwing up. I'd be. Once I passed this fight, and I didn't know what to do, and I just started honking my horn and laying on my horn.
[00:19:58] Nobody stopped. And I was in the middle of the road, and it was ridiculous. But so they. They go out to, like, watch the fight. And they looked at each other after, like, a minute. And like, we are pastors.
[00:20:10] We're gods. We got to break this up.
[00:20:13] And so. So who you are, what the situation is, and what does someone like you do in this situation?
[00:20:22] So when I say, I am his, I have to be honest with myself.
[00:20:28] Cause there are situations that I didn't want to follow.
[00:20:34] There were situations where I was like, I am his, but this is way what I want to do.
[00:20:39] I am his, but the desire in my heart is screaming something different.
[00:20:47] And we're going to get to. If you are in that situation, what are some things you can do? But I want you to think, what are your I am statements?
[00:20:56] My I'm not enough. No, I am his. I got a tattoo of a Bible verse. Cause it says, I am more than a conqueror through Christ who loves me. Because I always felt less than and I felt weak. And so one of my I ams now is, I am courageous.
[00:21:15] I am gonna show up when I am afraid.
[00:21:18] I am courageous. I'm gonna try to do the right thing. I'm gonna be bold for Jesus Christ. I'm not gonna keep myself small anymore. Because for so long, I just kept myself enough in the background.
[00:21:35] And my belief started to Form. No. This is who I wanna be. I am courageous. I am courageous. I am courageous. If this staff needs anything, I want them to know that I am there and they don't have to worry if my kids are broke or lost or whatever it might be. I want them to know that they have a mom who is courageous. Courageous. Who will surround them in prayer and faith and be all that I can be for them because I am courageous.
[00:22:01] Amen.
[00:22:04] What are your I am statements? Because you do what you do because of how you think of you.
[00:22:12] So it's time to start replacing some of the lies with truth.
[00:22:17] And this is. I've changed my statements because I was, like, when my kids were younger, I wanted to say what kind of mom I was, and I wanted to be present. So I was bad at it, and I wanted to be better at it. And I wanted to put my phone down when I had the time with the kids, and I wanted to be present. So I am present.
[00:22:35] I would say things like this over and over because this is who I wanted to become and I had to start getting it out on paper.
[00:22:44] You do what you do because what you think of you.
[00:22:49] So what do you honestly, in your heart of hearts, think?
[00:22:56] What needs some rewiring?
[00:23:00] What needs some attention?
[00:23:06] I listened to a book, and it was called the Compound Effect.
[00:23:10] And it was.
[00:23:15] I loved it. Jake. I told my kids to read it. I told Jake to read it.
[00:23:21] It's this idea that if you can be consistent with some really small good habits, over time, you'll have radical change in your life.
[00:23:36] And it was nothing new. I'd heard this all the time.
[00:23:40] You know, the idea of, like, we take for granted that small good things will change your life. So, like, if I choose a salad over a Big Mac, we take for granted that those small decisions really have an impact because nothing happens. Day one.
[00:23:59] I don't gain weight.
[00:24:01] I don't have a heart attack.
[00:24:03] Nothing happens. So. So you take for granted that small decisions could have big impact because it takes time, and so then you flop it, too. And so, like, the big decisions and, like, we go all in on doing something, like, I'm gonna work out for two hours every day, and you last, like, three days. You know what I'm saying? Like, we overdo it and we end up dropping out because we've made ridiculous things or we've not really.
[00:24:36] We've just. We're not being honest with ourselves.
[00:24:40] And so one of the things that Craig Groeschel says in this book, the Power to Change, is when we are when we're really wrapped up in this idea of who we think we are.
[00:25:03] He has this idea.
[00:25:08] He says you are who God says you are.
[00:25:12] God offers affirmations, not accusations.
[00:25:18] One good way to check yourself is, what is this voice saying to me?
[00:25:24] Is it accusing me of something and keeping me small? Or is it affirming me in something that God has planned for me?
[00:25:35] He said, God knows you at your worst and your best.
[00:25:39] The one who knows your worst loves you best.
[00:25:43] God defines your true you.
[00:25:46] So who does God say you are?
[00:25:49] God says that you are sought after, that you are precious in his sight, that you are not condemned, that you are forgiven, that you are loved, that you are accepted, that you are a friend.
[00:26:03] He says you are treasured possession, that you are chosen. You are called, you are an ambassador. You are God's masterpiece. You are able to do all things through Christ who gives you strength. You are more than a conqueror through Jesus who loves you.
[00:26:21] True and lasting change does not come from self driven, do your best behavior modification.
[00:26:28] You change by God empowered spiritual transformation which happens when you embrace your true God given identity.
[00:26:41] It's time to start embracing who God says we are.
[00:26:46] It's time to start embracing who he says we are.
[00:26:50] And when I believe who he says, then what happens is, okay, I'm gonna do these small, smart everyday choices.
[00:27:05] Plus here's where we gotta lean in. A little consistency plus time equals radical change.
[00:27:26] What are the small choices that you can make today that will start affecting who you're becoming?
[00:27:39] I saw this cool Instagram and it was a young guy and he hadn't found his wife yet. He wasn't even dating.
[00:27:48] And one of his heartbeats was whoever she was, he wanted to get ready for her and he wanted to become the man that God wanted him to be for his future wife.
[00:28:01] And he talked about like how he wanted to provide for her and how he wanted to love God and. And I just, I looked at that young man, I was like, good for you.
[00:28:13] So every day, although he hadn't even met her yet, he was making small choices consistently. And over time when he meets her, I was like, good for you, girl. Wherever you are, he's getting ready, you know.
[00:28:27] And it inspired my heart because I want us to be the same way. I want us to prepare for the things of who God wants us to become.
[00:28:38] I'm doing this right now is I've made some changes in my life for like a month in, so it's not very far. But what I decided was I wanted to start just moving my body more.
[00:28:50] I study a lot when I'm in the office. It's literally one meeting to the next all day.
[00:28:59] And so I don't move a lot anymore. And so one thing I want to do is, in this big change in the last 30 days, is I wanted to just move more. Because in the compound effect, the book I'm talking about, he said, if you just make these small changes, what happens is, like, in three to six months, if you just taking, let's say, 1,000 more steps, you're going to notice a difference.
[00:29:20] It doesn't happen overnight. Even though I would love it to, you know, six pack, mama. I would love it to. Okay, can you get a six pack from walking? Asking for a friend.
[00:29:36] Okay. So I just started walking, and what happens is I throw on a book. So I actually listen to this book as I walk. And I loved it so much, I bought the book and I listened to the Compound Effect. And now instead of like one more TV show, I'm walking and learning.
[00:29:57] And I was like, what's the effect of that over six months?
[00:30:02] You know, what's the effect of that over a year now? Now I've traded in dead time. Although I'm not gonna lie, I have a major crush on tv. You know what I'm saying? I have a crush on tv. I love to watch me some tv, but it's doing me no good. It's doing me no good. It's kind of mine and Jacob's time, but we don't really talk.
[00:30:25] Sometimes we'll watch a show that we're excited about and we'll talk about it during the day. So that's fun. Fun, but. But what I'm realizing is the more I can stay in this rhythm, the healthier I'm going to be, the wiser I'm going to be.
[00:30:44] I was looking back at my life, and I was thinking how God has worked and. And I saw this rhythm in my life without even knowing it.
[00:31:04] See, I'm at the point of my life right now where, like, I love him so much.
[00:31:13] I just, like, literally want to be with him. I want to spend time with him.
[00:31:17] I'll turn everything off. I'll just sit. Oftentimes I'll kneel. And I just, like, I'm not asking you for anything. I just want to be in your presence right now. Like, I just want to be with you.
[00:31:28] Like, I love him.
[00:31:31] But it wasn't always like that.
[00:31:34] My parents started this church, like, the year I was born.
[00:31:39] And so I Always believed in God, but it just. It was never really my faith. It was theirs.
[00:31:46] And I, like, there was no negotiating. You came to church? I went to more church than Jesus did. Church, okay? We did Sunday morning, Sunday nights, midweek. We actually lived right next to the church. So, like, we would have dinner at the church, meetings at the church. Like, we were churched. Okay.
[00:32:08] And so, like, there came a point in high school when, like. Like, my desire was not for him.
[00:32:20] I knew him and I did love him, but it was just, like, over here, it wasn't mine.
[00:32:32] And so none of my choices were, I'm his.
[00:32:37] None of my choices were, what does a girl like me do in this situation because I'm his.
[00:32:46] It was God over here and me over here and through life. And most of you know my story. I was a young teen mom, Jacob, and I got pregnant.
[00:33:04] And as sophomores, like, everything in me desired to know him better.
[00:33:16] And so I just started small.
[00:33:20] And I just picked up my Bible and I started reading it.
[00:33:25] And I'll be so real with you. It didn't make any sense. Most of it, anyone, but I was consistent.
[00:33:36] Day after day, I would seek God.
[00:33:41] Day after day, I would try to talk to him.
[00:33:45] What happened was when life hurt so bad and people were not kind and cruel, I found a safe place in a Savior.
[00:33:58] I found a God who loved me.
[00:34:02] I found a God who was not cruel, but a God who was for me.
[00:34:09] And so it made me want to go back more.
[00:34:14] And when life wasn't going as planned and I was confused and hurt and, I don't know, looking for ways out, I saw the faithfulness of God.
[00:34:28] I saw him change circumstances that I thought would never, ever, ever be changed.
[00:34:35] When Jake and I got married and we were young and dumb and just doing dumb things to each other, and I just honestly believed divorce was the only option. I was consistent, and I showed up and I felt God's call of God, be persistent. And every time I went to scripture, I would be over and over again, be persistent. Persistent, persistent. But I didn't want to. I wanted to quit.
[00:35:01] I wanted to be done.
[00:35:04] But I heard the voice of God day in and day out, be persistent. And I felt him calling me to this and calling me to this. And now I sit with my best friend at night, and I'm just like, I had no idea life could be this good.
[00:35:18] I had no idea love could feel like this.
[00:35:25] We have a God who wants our heart.
[00:35:30] We have a God who. It's not about the list of do's and don'ts. But we have a God who wants us to be captivated with Him.
[00:35:39] And what happens is you have to start somewhere. You have to start and you have to be consistent.
[00:35:45] And over time, you're gonna see God move. And then when you see him move, it's like everything starts to change. And you long for him more, and then you just long for him more and more and more because you feel his love. You know he's with you. You know he's for you. And now I just believe with all my heart that he is honestly for me, that he delights in me, that he loves me, and that I'm not living in this brokenness of who I was, but I'm living in the victory of who he made me to be.
[00:36:16] And so what happens is every day I want to say, okay, who do you want to be?
[00:36:23] Because I don't want to stay.
[00:36:25] I don't want to be this girl forever, although she's fine. I want to keep growing and keep knowing him more and knowing him more and loving him more and letting him work in my heart to change it, to help me to become more like Him.
[00:36:42] It's not behavior modification. The will of God is for us to, above all else, guard your heart, for from it flows our life.
[00:36:54] Let's pray.
[00:36:57] Dear Heavenly Father, I pray with all that I am that you will start to work in our lives in the kind of way where we long for you above all else.
[00:37:12] I pray for those who are trying to do it all or please people, that you will speak to them, that you will be their God and you will be for them, Father, and they will know it and believe it.
[00:37:30] I pray for those who have been robbed by the voice of others and they have let it shape them and mold them and hinder them. I pray, Father, that your voice will be louder, that your voice will say, you are loved. You are more than a conqueror. There is nothing you can't do without me.
[00:37:52] And I pray that they will lean into your voice and believe the truth.
[00:38:00] I pray for those of us who just desperately love you, who want to be better. I pray that you can show us the small little things we can do day in and day out to start connecting, start healing, to start doing more. Maybe it's serving you, Father, so that we can see just a radical change over time.
[00:38:26] Father, this church is not the building. This church is us. So I pray that you create deep, deep roots that nothing can steal us away or burn us out, but we will be on fire in our hearts and in our souls. For you and this one life you've given us.
[00:38:47] I trust in you because you are faithful. I trust in you because you gave everything. I trust in you because your name is the name above all names.
[00:38:58] Fill us with who you are and who you want us to become.
[00:39:03] In your mighty son's name we pray. Amen.
