Hope-Filled Christian
Hope-Filled Christian
Leaving the Past Behind for Growth and Communion with God
As the calendar turns, the heart yearns for guidance through the unknown; my soul finds solace in a song that speaks of divine comfort and the eager anticipation for what lies ahead. In a candid sharing of my own journey, I invite you to contemplate the intimate dance between spirituality and the commencement of a new year. This episode is an unfolding reflection on personal challenges, a thirst for significance as we approach momentous times, and the profound peace that wraps around us through a melody emblematic of our aspirations for celestial guidance and renewal.
Venturing deeper, we draw parallels from the biblical story of Lot's wife, unearthing its stark implications for our lives today, especially at the juncture of new beginnings. The wisdom drawn from Luke 17:32-33 serves as a compelling reminder of the high stakes of clinging to the past at the expense of the future. Through this narrative, I aim to stir thought on the true nature of sin—not merely the reluctance to depart from a flawed place but the failure to heed divine direction. As we stand poised to step into the new year, this conversation beckons you to embrace, not just resolutions, but also the transformative shifts that may uproot us from the known and propel us toward growth and a closer communion with the divine.
As the spirit was moving over the waters. The spirit come over us, come, rest on us, come, rest on us. As the spirit was moving over the waters. The spirit come over us, come, rest on us, come, rest on us.
Speaker 1:So, calm down spirit when you move. You make my heart pound when you fill the room. You're here and I know you're moving. I'm here and I know you'll fill me. Calm down Spirit when you move. You make my heart pound when you fill the room. You're here and I know you're moving. I'm here and I know you'll fill me.
Speaker 2:Sorry, I just really like that song and I was kind of not struggling so much but struggling, let's be honest I'm struggling To think of something to talk about. I don't know, whenever we get close to like holidays and things that are important, it's always like I feel like I can't figure out what to talk about and I don't know. That song popped into my head and, yeah, just as this beginning of the year comes over us, that's the feeling I want. You know that I want God to come, rest on us as we begin to imagine what this new year can bring and begin to think about what this new year could offer. Sorry, I'm like really stuffed up and I feel clogged, like thinking lies is a lie. That's a horrible way to describe it.
Speaker 2:But then I realized two things that I've read or heard in the past day have been about the same person and it had nothing to do with being new years. One was from a book and the other one was from a YouTube video that randomly popped up and there's literally been tons of this person offered or like that's it been popping up on my YouTube like recommended or whatever you want to call it, and I was like God, just as we, as we tend to do, god, whatever video I see next, let me just watch it and listen and hear something from you. And I'll be honest, I haven't been watching any YouTube videos like I think that in a while. I was just like God, just you know, do your thing.
Speaker 2:And, lo and behold, it was the same kind of message. And what were these two things? Talking about different forms of media, mind you, one in a book and one in a video, but about Lot's wife, and I guess. I guess the thing is, I'm drawn to Luke 17, where Jesus felt the need, when he's telling the disciples about the coming of the kingdom of God, the reminder of Lot's wife, and Luke 17, verse 32 through 33. Remember Lot's wife whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. She was so concerned with, you know, keeping the life that she had that she lost her life. She was so concerned with, you know, the pleasures and things that she had enjoyed in the stuff that she was used to her I don't know the word for it her usual, her habitual, her regular. She was comfortable, and not only that, but she was comfortable in sin.
Speaker 2:But I think I've mentioned this, this idea that Lots wife could have been put into any situation just because she was in sin. I mean, that is the sin, but we can all be put into situations where we have to remember lots wife. It could have been a beautiful place that she was living. It could have been a terrible place. It could have been any kind of place. The issue of sin is not necessarily the fact that we are leaving some disgusting, dirty, no good, rotten kind of place. The issue of sin is not listening or obeying God, doing something that brings you or takes you further away from God or prevents you from moving forward with God.
Speaker 2:And I guess, as the New Year is coming up and creating New Year resolutions and we are, you know, expecting all these things that the New Year has to offer, we have to remember it is sometimes the New Year and God is going to bring us into situations that take us out of other opportunities or what we considered an opportunity. That move us out of something that we believe was good for us, that move us out of something that we believe was made for us, move us out of something that we may have prayed for or wished for or begged for, move us out of something that we can't see the purpose of. But, god, why am I, you know, being taken out of that job? That I think is amazing, like God. Why am I, you know, losing the car that I had forever? Or God, why am I being forced to move? Why am I losing my house? Why am I? Why are you telling me to stop talking to that friend? Why are you telling me to stop going there? I've gone to that church forever. You know I don't necessarily know the situation, because God only knows the things that he's going to have us move out of.
Speaker 2:But we have to remember that not every New Year's resolution, not every year, is going to bring stuff that we're moving into. Sometimes it's going to be things that we're moving out of. Sometimes a positive isn't necessarily, you know, getting something, but instead it could be ridding ourselves of something, it could be moving away from something that was keeping us or preventing us from having a better relationship with God. Or, in this case, god just has something else planned for us and we need to get rid of that first thing first before we move into the second thing. And it's these situations where, oh, but it's not bad, it's not sinful, you know they're not. You know dwelling in sexual sin and doing all these horrible things like Sodom and Gomorrah were. But it's still sin when we're being disobedient to God. It's still sin when we're, you know, not moving forward, and it's not even necessarily sin, but we have talked about how even if it's not necessarily sin like, but God I'm praising and worshiping like God, but I love that church. I, you know, I give and I tithe every single day. We're thinking about that master who invited those people to dinner that we talked about a week or two ago and sorry, not a week or two, three weeks, but a couple episodes ago is what I mean? An episode time where he was upset and so he said you know what? You're not going to come to dinner, I'm going to offer it to someone else. And so these situations where we're asking for new things and God is like I'm going to give you new things, but in a lot of these cases we're going to have to give up something of the old and we have their mind of selves. Not everything is going to be a joyous, momentous thing. It is going to be like that, like that verse to be free. Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it.
Speaker 2:I remember reading this thing on Instagram and I think I kept it. Let me. I know I sent it to someone and I thought it was. I thought it was such a. Let me read it so it said this isn't verse, but it's verse inspired.
Speaker 2:It talks about the fact, excuse me, talks about Mary, because a lot of people tend to think of Mary as a favorite one and there are favorite ones in the Bible that had to lose something first before they gain something, that went through sufferings before they gain that blessing and that renewment, that changing we focus so many times. I'm pretty sure someone's heard it behold, the Lord is doing new thing. But while the Lord is making me new, he's making rivers in my deserts. But we have to sometimes, maybe all the times, move out of something that we were previously seeing. It's not going to happen because we're standing still, because we're doing the exact same thing. We have to change, we have to grow.
Speaker 2:Anyway, the verse says Mary was a favored one but her husband almost left her. Mayvard was a favored one, but the impossible happened to her and many saw her as crazy. Mary was a favored one and she delivered her baby in a stable. Mary was a favored one and had to endure seeing her son be persecuted in the worst way. Being a favored one of the Lord doesn't mean you'll have an easy life full of many material blessings. Having favored with the Lord is being seen as faithful and obedient to whatever the Lord calls you to, regardless of what it means for your worldly status, for your quote unquote life, because you know that your seat in heaven is secure and that in itself is enough for you. We don't need to chase favor, we need to choose faithfulness.
Speaker 2:And then it shares a verse, luke 1.45,. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord. But, just like Mary, I bet she remembered Lot's wife. She remembered that whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. And so, with this upcoming new year and all these new resolutions and these things that we're asking God for, we have to keep in mind that, not just with the things that we're asking us, asking God for, but just you know, being in a relationship with God, he's going to have us move out of things. And so, yeah, there's going to be tons of claiming it Good things that come this year, but there are going to be some bad, some quote unquote bad things, some things that we don't necessarily see as preserving our life but in actuality are giving us life. That may be quote unquote taking our life, but preserving us spiritually, preserving us in a way that we right now, or even in the future or short term future, cannot see it. Just remember that as time is going on.
Speaker 2:To be faithful, to be obedient, to respect God, to fear God regardless of the situation, to not just fear God when things are good, to fear God regardless, to be faithful, not seeking out favor or seeking out blessings. And that's what it means to be a Christian. I'm only having a good relationship with my parents, or giving me everything I want, and saying yes, yes, yes to everything I need. Now, a good and healthy relationship is having boundaries and being respectful and loving my parents, regardless of whether or not they're giving me things. I'm not going to respect them only because you know they decided to give me money today. I'm going to respect them because they're my parents. And so same thing with God. I'm going to respect him because he's my father. I'm going to respect him because he is God. I'm going to respect him regardless of the situation and regardless of whether or not it makes sense.
Speaker 2:Anyways, as always, let's go ahead and end with prayer. Dear God, first off, thank you for bringing us into another year. That in itself is something to thank you for, and I feel like you're already giving us many blessings with that in itself For giving us the time to listen to this message, for giving us the time to wake up and to even have the opportunity to listen to something like this or, in my case, to record something like this. Lord, I thank you for the blessings that I know that you have for us, whether we know that they're blessings yet, or whether we find out their blessings later, next day, next week, in the future. Lord, I just ask you to open our eyes. Help us to see past what we believe to be a blessing, past our understanding and more into your understanding. As things begin to fall upon us, as things begin to move into our lives, as we begin to shift. Help us to remember Lot's wife, to be respectful, to not try to keep our life and end up losing everything that we wanted and everything that we needed. Lord, I just pray that you help us to step into a new place of obedience and a new place of faithfulness and a new understanding of what it means to be faithful and obedient, to help us continue to grow with you and to bless us with a better relationship with you, no matter what direction that takes, because ultimately that is our goal. I pray that you forgive us of our sins. Lead us not into temptation. In the name of Jesus, amen. Hi, thanks for listening to this week's episode of HFC.
Speaker 2:I'm not necessarily entirely sure of what direction this podcast is going to go. As I previously mentioned, classes may be beginning soon and I'm not really sure how that's going to affect me. I'm not really sure if that means I'm going to keep doing podcasts or if I'm going to spend more time on my private relationship with God. I'm not really sure whether this will which way, because I'm going to trust God that this is going to help me strengthen my relationship with him, but I'm not sure in which way that's going to go. So I just ask that you pray for me as I pray that he helps me to understand what to do. But either way, I would continue trying to do this. I just don't know in what way, whether these things would become shorter or whether I'd only be doing one once a month. I would still want to do them. I just, with my time being 8 up. I don't want to feel like I'm just pulling things out of a hat. I'd rather spend more time meaningfully with my relationship and then still offer something to you guys that I discovered in my own timing, than trying to discover something or hear God at the same time while I'm recording. Ultimately, god can do amazing things and if he wants me to do one every week still, then I'm going to trust that he's going to give me insight and understanding in the time that I have now between work and classes and everything else.
Speaker 2:Anyway, like I said, I pray that everybody has a great New Year's. Yeah, other thing I think I'm going to start taking holidays off just as a precaution. I think it's just going to be a given now. That way, if there is something for holidays, it's like a nice surprise, because I find myself getting kind of overwhelmed but I relax too much and I kind of forget everything because I'm like, oh, time off and I just kind of sleep. I spent time with God. It's just like I kind of lose track of the days. Not going to lie. Like I said, everything else kind of up in the air right now. It's just going to move in faith and obedience and it's scary. But yeah, have a great week and a great year and yeah.
Speaker 1:Bye.