girls gone Bible hi guys hi guys what's up one day we'll get I know I said to Angela I said how can we come on today and not just be cheesy yeah we we promised ourselves that we would come on and be normal and just be ourselves but we're not there yet hi guys girls gone Bible what's up bar how's your week been where were you I've been with you all week no I went to Florida yeah that's right I visited my family in Florida how was your week it was good it was really fun I just took it I knew we were going to be really busy this month so I was like I gotta get out there and see my family for a couple of days and see the kids my nieces and nephews um before I can't go out there anymore what'd you do wait for me to get back yeah you guys I don't know what's going on I have such a phobia of spiders all right no it's it's no it's bad to the point where now I feel like I'm being tested they're everywhere like there I was at dinner and I looked and there was one hanging by my head at the restaurant I yeah and are you joking you are being tested so we listen to this real quick so I um I'm in my house it's 11 30 at night I look in my shoe I see this big thing I have a panic attack I'm hyperventilating and crying no one's at my house Angela always comes to my house and kills the spiders in the middle of the night she wasn't there she was in Florida so I call my neighbor who just moved in and I call her I go hi I'm so sorry I don't mean to bother you this is so embarrassing but do you think your husband can come kill this spider this is why I need a husband she goes no problem she comes over she gets the spider she goes it's a leaf wait she called me first though you called me before you called your neighbor she all every time that I'm in Florida she calls me screaming about a spider and I'm I'm sitting on the phone being like I don't know what you want to put me on mute and you laugh it's funny she's crying tell me that it's not funny and I'm like what does she want me to do like to go get the 409 spray I have to 409 spray the spider's death what about the first time it ever happened in front of me and you she no it was really bad she's gotten better since that time but the first time it ever happened she was screaming bloody Mary at the top of her lungs and I'm sitting there as soon as everything comes down I look at her and I go you need help babe no I said you gotta pray about it she goes pray about it I was like you gotta take it to the Lord but look at you you've gotten so much better oh yeah I really have gone so yeah anyway so what are we reading today okay guys today we are so excited because well I'm really excited at least because we're reading one of my favorite stories in the Bible and it's Matthew chapter four when Satan tempts Jesus in the wilderness he's uh 40 days and 40 nights without food and he's fasting and basically today's episode is about the Wilderness season and everything that that encompasses and entails and how to get through it we have questions and yeah let's get into a deep deep episode right yeah um anything you want to say before we start no I'm just laughing because I'm thinking about because it really is hard to read the Bible and those kid videos that really describe it and they have the pictures it's so helpful I can't even tell you that's my new thing that I Do by the way I have always said if you before you if you're not familiar with the Bible watch either read a kid's Bible or watch those little things what what were they on it was on YouTube I don't know we're gonna write it in the description I'll get it but it's so helpful yeah it basically like summarizes everything and then it gives you like an outline for when you do go in you could be like ah this and that and whatever yeah so let's get into it so we're Matthew chapter four Satan tempts Jesus then Jesus was led up by the spirit Into the Wilderness to be tempted by the devil notice that he was led into the Wilderness by the Holy Spirit and not the devil and when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights afterward he was hungry now when the tempter came to him he said if you are the Son of God command that these Stones become bread by the way when he says if you are the Son of God he means since because he knows that he's the son of God but he answered and said it is written man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God then the devil took him up into the holy city set him on the Pinnacle of the temple and said to him if you are the Son of God throw yourself down for it is written he shall give his angels charge over you and in their hands they shall bear you up lest you dash your foot against a stone note here that Satan is reciting scripture Jesus said to him it is written again you shall not tempt the Lord your God again the devil took him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their glory and he said to him all these things I will give you if you will fall down and worship me then Jesus said to him away with you Satan for it is written you shall Worship the Lord your God and him Only You Shall Serve then the devil left him and behold Angels Came and ministered to him so let's break this down I love that story it's one of my favorites so when so the holy spirit is the one that led Jesus to the Wilderness so we have to understand that the Wilderness season which is could be described as a time of suffering or lack or um like an absence of God just a bad time and it feels like God's not present God is absolutely present and he's probably the one who led you there so we we have to be careful not blaming everything on the devil because God needs us in the wilderness that's where we grow that's where our character is developed um and when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights he was hungry so we have to remember too that the devil will always go to our weaknesses he's going to find those little you could be the most righteous um the least sinning person of all time but he's gonna hit you where you're weak and what you need like he hadn't eaten in a long time and he was hungry and that's the first thing he says command that these Stones be made of bread and remember when we're weak that's an opening right yeah it's an opening because we're not ourselves when we're weak exactly that's the time when you're most vulnerable right and you need to pray the most and you need to rely on him yes um so when he says to him to make the Stones become bread he's tempting Jesus to do a miracle outside of God's Will and Jesus replies to him by the way three times he's tempted three times he responds with scripture and that's why they say we don't wrestle against flesh and blood we we wrestle with powers and principalities and the way we fight is through the word yeah um and then the devil took him up into the holy city and said throw yourself down for it is written he shall give his angels charge over you so I say this all the time if Satan knows scripture we've got to know scripture there's no way he can know it better than us it's really like serious one of the most valuable things I've learned this year yeah he relied on scripture your Temptation yeah that's how I always and this one um man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God something personal is I had been struggling with something um for a while a couple of years ago and after I read this story and I heard this man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God every time I had this thought this this thing every time it came up in my mind I would say out loud man shall not live by bread alone but every word that proceeds from the mouth of God I fought it that's how I fought it I asked whenever I heard this I was like that's my ticket that's how I'm gonna fight these thoughts to like you know what I mean and how did that make you feel when you would do that would it completely change everything yeah it would sometimes I was weaker than others and sometimes it was like I was right there and it was good you know what I mean um and then Jesus said to him you shall not tempt the Lord your God don't ever test God you know what I mean that's like Satan of course he wants us to test and doubt him and be like did he really say that to Eve to Eve he said did he really say that you shouldn't eat the fruit off the tree remember when everything comes in doubt it's not from God it's so true what what did you say when it comes with confusion it's from the enemy and yeah when it comes with peace it comes from God and Jesus ugh exactly um and then the devil took him up on a high mountain and said all these things I will give you if you'll foul Down and Worship me you know how they say the devil usually doesn't come with red horns in a in a thing he comes as everything you've ever wanted that's right and he's telling Jesus I I'll give you everything you'll ever you'll want and he's basically offering him the a crown without the cross and that is a lie and he offers that to us all the time and it's a lie yeah um and then Jesus for the last times he goes away with you Saiyan for it is written that you shall Worship the Lord your God in him Only You Shall Serve and then the devil left him and behold Angels Came and ministered to him you know what I love so much about this story there's nothing it just reminds me like there's nothing more powerful than getting in control of your life and being like I rebuke you in the name of Jesus you cannot have my mind you cannot have my spirit you cannot have my heart you know like there's nothing more powerful than that than knowing than when that Temptation comes in you know because you have your armor on and being like the way with you Satan I love that away with you Satan that's one of my favorite we should start saying that every time every time we're anxious away with you Satan I know that's funny but like seriously true the greatest it's so true um so a lot of this was about you know Temptation and and but like the Wilderness season is can be hard and it and it happens you know I know for me I feel like I'm in a Wilderness season like every couple of years of my life um but we I mean through answering questions we'll talk about everything but I really I believe that the Wilderness season is so crucial to our character development and in the wilderness season is like when God breaks things off of us you know it's like he that's where he does the refining he and it and it's painful but like you know what is there's a scripture that's like he refines us like golden like silver like it's it's really painful it's it's like iron sharpening iron that doesn't that's painful it sounds painful because that's what it is like you have to experience a little pain to have that growth yeah you know it's funny because I always would be like why me like Why did why did these things happen to me you know like all my trials that I went through as a kid and my hardships and I was always so ashamed of it too like growing up in a rough City and not having Christian married parents and all this stuff but now it's like I'm so proud because I have empathy I've experienced so much loss I've experienced heartbreak I know what it's like to have nothing so it's like I have the empathy to be able to help others and to relate and to have compassion so whenever you you know if you grew up not in the best family or you know you're going through something really rough it's going to be something so great to your testimony that you'll be able to stand tall and help others I'm glad we went through some stuff absolutely I am so great we say this all the time we're so grateful for every trial we've ever been through because it's made us who we are I wouldn't have the things about myself that I'm proud of had I not gone through the hard times in my life and I just think it's really important to know too that whenever God is elevating you and whenever you know good things big things are going to happen in your life like it's gonna be followed by being tested yeah you think so yeah I remember being in church and I was on my hands and knees I'll never forget this moment it was when I was in the darkest place and with tears coming down my face I was like please help me sister in Sister Anne she came and sat next to me she held my hand and I just said why why is this happening and she looked at me and she goes get excited I'll never forget that she said get excited because you're about to be elevated and the best part of your life and were you absolutely yeah yeah he's I know I'm telling you I was the same way of being like why me why me and it's a completely like victim mentality is the worst thing you can ever do to yourself but I will say I understand because when you don't know the truth of the word and and about who God is and why he does the things he does and lets us go through this stuff you will say why me if you don't have that experience I know now for example the most recent Wilderness seasony type of thing that happened I was in a situation just recently where my living situation was being disrupted and it was a really hard time and it was like you know weeks to months of of a hardship and and awkwardness and I it was really weighing down on me a lot and I had to like get up I had to move I had to do all this stuff but throughout it all as painful as it was and as much anxiety as I was having because so much it was just very chaotic I knew I kept saying to myself during it like this is necessary right now I don't know what God is doing exactly but I know he's doing something because nothing changes if nothing changes he needs me to move and if he didn't do all this or create all this or none of this happened I probably wouldn't have moved because I had no reason to I don't mean just move like living situation wise I mean even in general like just move out of position out of what you're doing go ahead no I was going to tell you how well you handled that whole situation because most people would have absolutely I mean she's just telling you a little bit of it but she really did go through a big battle with that and because you have God on your side and you know you the way you handled it and then look at what happened because you carried everything with such Grace you remained so calm everything came to you so effortlessly the place everything yeah I mean it was it was such a good testimony to have faith I thank you I will say that like that was probably one of the most graceful Wilderness Seasons I've ever had because just again like don't be discouraged if you're early in your walk and things you hear us talking about how how it it's easy with Jesus it's graceful with Jesus like it's not always like that but with experience with time with um a constant surrendering to God you start to like have an awareness that he is working and it is going to be okay and you you get stronger and you're able to handle things better like I know for the for this situation I was able to just really stay calm through a lot of hard stuff and be like and it did work out like I just listened to him and I was like all right God this is weird what's happening but like where do you want me to go what do you need from me and yes everything came just the way I was supposed to and I'm in a much better situation because of it yeah and I could have eaten in that situation but like why is the devil working like this why is he doing this to me but really I stayed calm and I said all right God I don't know what you need from me or what you're trying to teach me or what you're trying to get out of me but like I'm here with you and we'll do it together it's just crazy how when you your state of mind when you really trust him how different things are you know I truly believe that is why I went through the biggest storm in my life this past year absolutely the way I handle things I can't even imagine living the way I used to like with my mindset I was someone who most of my life I lived with a sick feeling that sat right here I don't know if you know if you guys know what that feels like but it's that constant anxiety worry feeling like all day I don't know how I live like that and you want to know why I lived like that because I was dependent upon myself I thought I could do it and when you depend on yourself and not God it's a really scary bad Road you cannot rely on yourself so I spent yeah I spent my whole life just depending upon myself I can do it I got this no you don't got this oh you don't and and I swear and it's funny I really feel like I don't know if you agree with me on this but I feel like God's already pre-seen everything so he takes you through tests yeah sometimes you feel the task if you feel the test it's okay he's going to retest you until he you win it you know and I now that I look at my life I can see he kept testing me and I kept feeling and falling I get back up and I'd keep trying and I think this year I finally pass my girl I know you did I am like when you tell me about the time we're used to um like what you just described about how you struggle to handle things you are so like you really just take things on the chin and you handle them so well and you're so like you're just a rock for yourself and for everybody around you and it's through the grace of God it's by having Jesus in your life it is and I'll tell you you when I went through such a bad time I was just like I'm not gonna lie I was like I don't know what I don't know what I'm gonna do I don't know I can't see my way out of this but I know that that you would not put me through such a storm if you didn't have a purpose for me if this wasn't for a reason so I'm gonna hang on I'm gonna be so relentless in my prayer and in you and so I like we always say like I ran to God like my life depended upon it depend upon it depend upon it depended on it come on I ran to God like my life depended on it yeah and I kept seeing small little victories that he would do for me during my storm and I was like okay I gotta keep going so through that pain and through the tears and through that paralyzing just oh agonizing pain that you're in when you are in that that is the time to run to him the most and he is there through the broken heart I'll tell you that's when he's really you will feel his presence when you are so broken-hearted I love that so much that that's when you're clear you said when you're closest to him is when you're so broken-hearted I know through my own life I remember one time I was going through a really hard situation and I was in so much pain and I had been so far from God for a long time and I entered back into his presence because I needed him I was desperate for him when everything is good and peachy like and I'm sorry to say but you feel like you don't need God when everything is perfect you know what I mean that I think the worst thing for your spiritual life is contentment to like be content to end like idle and like lazy in your spiritual life because I I don't have to pray nothing bad is happening you know what I mean so sometimes God will shake things up and disrupt it to be like hey hey don't don't forget who's like you know in charge of all this you need me and in the my Mo I remember when I went through something so painful I was crying to God and being like anything that brings me back to you like this is worth going through yes like just to feel your presence just to be reliant on God like you would think that it would feel almost like uh we week but his strength is made perfect in our weakness so we should rejoice in our weakness because he's able to come and like make up what we don't have and I just know for me like it feels so good the times that I go through something hard that brings me back to him like that I know sorry I I know it's it's so true he really does he has you in his righteous right hand amen true he sure does God all right um should we do you want to read a question and and we just talk about it yeah oh I saw a question that was like what how do you wait how do you wait for god um in the wilderness season and I wanted to make a couple of points about that first I wanted people to know that the in the Bible there's a story about how the Israelites we're supposed to take a two-week trip and it took them 40 years because they were not relying on God they were not waiting for his word and for his go and for for his voice and so we can prolong our Wilderness season by a lie if we're not submitting to God um another thing is we're big on waiting on God like I don't want anything before it's my time I don't want I don't care if it's the shiniest most beautiful thing of all time if it's not what God wants from me I don't want it if I'm not if he doesn't want it from me it's because I'm not ready why would I want something that I'm gonna fumble as soon as I get it and that's you know and that's some please listen to her when she says that that's because that's a hard one like understand that if he takes something away it's because he has something better or he's going to bring it back alive right and he would never withhold something from you that is meant to be yours or that would make you happy like he's such a good god he's such a sweet God that like he wants us to be so happy and have everything we've he wants that for us but it's not possible because we must grow we must change we must evolve and you can't just get everything you want and so he would never withhold something or take something away that was meant to be yours you know and yeah and you have to understand he really does he sees things we can't see oh things we can't hear some you know so yeah um and another another thing is like here in Matthew 4 when Satan says to Jesus um if you're the Son of God throw yourself down he was basically like urging because Jesus was gonna die for Humanity right eventually on the cross Satan wanted him so badly to speed up the process and do it right there so like if he did it right there we wouldn't have the cross so it's just an example of why we wait for God we wait for his for his word and for his going and what he wants for us because we don't want to do things prematurely it's not a good idea his plan is perfect his timing is perfect and I know we hear it all the time but just try to understand that he really doesn't mess up like if anyone knows what's up it's God if anyone knows what to do come on somebody come on so we go to one Potter's House in our pastor Toure so much he's like our he's a maker incredible but he's always like come on somebody and whenever we say anything at home we're like come on somebody that's funny anyways no we listen at the end of the day the Bible is real it's live and it doesn't let it does not lie and we have to believe everything it says I am fearfully and wonderfully made no weapon formed against me shall prosper for I know the plans I have for you not to harm you plans to give you hope and a future for a walk by faith not by sight trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding the Lord will fight for you he oh I said that wrong the Lord will fight for you and you shall hold your peace and Jesus in Jesus name I love that I'm telling you guys right everything she just said maybe we'll put on the screen like you have to write that down and if you say that over yourself constantly that is your weapon that is the armor that's all you need you don't need Sage you don't need a you need Palo Santo it smells good it's like energy clearing I don't know you don't need any you certainly don't need evil eye bracelets let me tell you I grew up in a family where the evil eye thing like it's in our culture it's very prevalent I felt convicted by God I was wearing a necklace with like 15 evil eyes on it and one day I had the strongest conviction from God I was wearing it and I was on my niece praying and all I heard was take the necklace and throw it away where does the evil eye come from I think it's like a European or like Eastern um it's like the evil eye for protection I truly believe that it lets in goofy spirit it's like I don't think it's it's I know it's not good if nothing can protect you except Jesus it's all it's a wit it's witchcraft it's a lie to divert our attention from the true protector and the true provider and that's only Jesus so we don't want any of that stuff Bible all right you want to read a question um oh somebody asked how do we have faith in our decision making well like we said we have scripture we have prayer and we have wise people around us and then we'll have a peace in our hearts remember we went through this recently we we had a meeting and and it came with such peace we knew it was from God yeah so then with all that with praying with reading scripture with speaking to people that are like the closest people around you you then have that peace in your heart and then you leave it to God because at the end of the day it's on him and he will orchestrate everything in your life you don't have to obsess you don't have to worry you give it to God and he will take care of the rest so true people ask too a lot like how how do you surrender to God we got that so many times you this is how I think you surrender to God you say it with your mouth that God I Surrender this to you whatever it is myself my my career my relationships my finances my everything my health my mental health I Surrender it to you I give it to you and just keep saying it over and over again you come into agreement with God and then afterwards you work with him not against him if he's you know what I mean if if he's telling you if you ask him to help you with um your finances but then you go and you're just like blowing a bunch of money you're working against him at that point so you say it with your mouth you declare it you you say it out loud and then you work with him do you know does that make sense yeah yeah no Angela's right you actually taught me that because I had such overbearing obsessive thoughts I couldn't surrender that was one of my biggest things like every day I was like all right let's try again because I would get on my hands and knees and be like I surrender to you like I give it to you yeah I give it to you God like this is too much of a burden for me I give it to you and sometimes sometimes you'll mess up sometimes you'll start obsessing and overthinking and trying to control it on your own but just remember just every time you do that no no no that's not a thought from God I I rebuke that I give it to you God Amen and I and he will take care of it he will even if he doesn't right away you stay patient and you trust him with all your heart keep pursuing him and keep getting close to hit draw near to him and He will draw near to you I love that so much somebody said how do you get through the feeling of Abandonment not feeling God's presence so I'm really big on this not feeling God's presence thing because I went through a time where my pastor in Florida I called him and I said Socrates I'm doing everything right I'm not doing anything sinful I'm not opening the door to anything I I'm praying I'm in the Bible like I'm I've never been doing more why don't I feel close to God why don't why am I not having Holy Spirit Goosebumps why am I not having encounters with the Holy Spirit Socrates says to me Angela it doesn't matter how you feel how you feel is a Lie the enemy can influence how you feel but it's not actually it doesn't actually matter because God is within you all the time you are one he is in you we abide in him and he abides in us so regardless of how I feel any given day it can be so discouraging to not feel God but you have to remember that just because you don't feel him doesn't mean he's not within you because he is so don't rely that feeling is a lie you rebuke it in the name of Jesus and let it go and be like I don't care if I'm not having crazy encounters with him right now I know that he's within me it says it in his word and I it's his promise and I stand on that promise oh that's beautiful you know yeah I've had many of those times actually where I felt so far from God um and I will say that sometimes too when you feel far from God how do I put this you know how when we feel like we're not doing right it furthers us away from God because I I have felt like sometimes when I am far from God it's because I'm not exactly doing something right well I have not been doing something right yeah you know what I think that is I think that's shame that's putting a block between you and God like I think that um the devil wants us to feel shame because it puts a block between us we can't enter into his presence feeling shameful it shies us away from him like he tells us come boldly to the throne of grace and so what I think you're describing and I've trust me I've been there where your your mess I was even talking about how I'm doing everything right and I don't feel him you're saying when you don't feel him because you feel like you're doing wrong it's the shame it's a shame it's keep it it put a wedge between you guys and the devil he he knows that that's what's that's you're not going to feel worthy to go we're not worthy but like he tells us to come into His presence regardless of being worthy or not so you have to remember even then to release the shame and be like I might not be doing everything right but he still wants me anyways yeah you know yeah I have been praying for an answer and God has not answered yet I've had this happen to me um so much I would say that is the key to Faith trusting when you don't have the answers trusting when you don't understand trusting when you were hoping for the exact opposite thing to happen and it didn't yeah that is the key to Faith um yeah I mean wait on God he knows what he's doing trust in his time and like I said for I know the plans I have for you there are plans not to harm you like you have to just trust in him and when you don't have the answers you just say it's okay God I trust in you I trust in you I trust in you so good so good I've been struggling lately with the temptation of wanting to be an unhealthy relationship here's the thing about Temptation first of all um Temptation itself isn't sin you know it's funny about reading this about Jesus we um we're just at church the other day and the Word was about how Temptation and in and of itself isn't sin it's the acting on the Temptation that is um and so if Jesus was tempted so will we be yeah um we can't get away from it and it's actually that's that's kind of like where we build our character and our like relationship with God is when we're able to resist the temptation yeah um so you struggling with the temptation of wanting to be in an unhealthy relationship is really normal a lot of people experience it that comes based on your childhood and and you know your trauma and things that have happened to you but just know I mean I don't know where it is in Corinthians but it's it's kind of like a passage of how God describes what love should be and it's love is kind love is patient love does not envy it does not boast is it is long-suffering like that should be a guide of what your relationship should look like and being unhealthy is not what God ever intended for you and I know that might be hard because sometimes toxic like that's I mean it's like an epidemic of people wanting to be in a toxic relationship but it's not good and at some point like you have to have the maturity the spiritual maturity to be like that's not what God wants from me so I'm going to actively stay away from that but what I will tell you is congratulations that the fact that you took the first step to say I'm in an unhealthy relationship I don't know how to get out of it that is the first step you know sometimes we just don't know better with how we grew up and being addicted to narcissism and things like that um and so you should really give yourself some Grace and give a pat give yourself a pat on the back because that is the first step to getting through that and getting over that it's really so yeah how to encourage someone who is dying and scared because they don't think they're good enough to go to heaven so the thing about going to heaven is that if we your friend doesn't we should all worry about being a good person and being a good person is obviously so important but we need to remember that Jesus died on the cross and rose again three days later for our sins um none of us can be perfect that's why he had to die and Jesus we are saved by grace through faith by the grace of God through the faith in Jesus Christ so we are not saved by our works we're not saved because of the things we do we are saved because Jesus God sent his one and only son so your friend needs to understand that as long as they receive Jesus in their heart and they give their life to him they surrender their life to him they are good you know what I mean and they have nothing to worry about and I think that while we're here I've we've been wanting to do this for a while but we really want to give people anyone who's watching who haven't yet come to Christ an opportunity to do that um and say a little prayer with us yeah um there's never a bad time today right now is a great time to receive Jesus all you have to do is say a prayer and believe it in your heart and confess it with your mouth and I just want whoever is listening to know that Jesus loves you so much God loves you so much there is a God who has been waiting for you your whole life however long it's taken who's been knocking who's been there every time you've ever felt alone you were never alone he was always waiting for you and it's not your fault that you were distracted it's not your fault that you were sinning it's not your fault like he knew that it was going to happen and he loves you still and so if anything there's nothing to lose and there's so much to gain so I really think that whoever wants to say this with us I'll put it on the screen and and we'll say it and you know just say it with us dear Lord Jesus I know that I'm a sinner and I ask for your forgiveness I believe you died for my sins and rose from the dead I turn for my sins and invite you to come into my heart and life I want to trust and follow you as my Lord and Savior in your name Jesus amen I really hope whoever said that prayer with us right now understands that you just did the best thing you could ever do in your life advice for how to keep trust in God when you keep getting let down over and over again well first let me just tell you that there is purpose in your letdown I know we talk a lot about it and I think oftentimes God will leave you to no option so that when a miracle does happen you'll know it yeah I think too what can help in that situation is because I mean I've talked to a lot about things in my life and there's a lot that I haven't talked about and there's things within my family that are difficult and there's things you know like I can talk about the victories in my storms and in the things that have happened in my life but the truth of the matter is there's things in my life that have been ongoing for a long time anyone else might think that you know these prayers are falling on deaf ears because I uh are they coming back void because why is it still the same yeah why does it get worse sometimes yeah yeah um like he's answering some of my prayers but he's not answering this one I don't know the answer to that and I wish that I could tell you I wish I could tell you why some prayers get answered and why some don't all I know is that I think it's Hebrews 4 15 it's that we do not have a high priest that cannot sympathize with us meaning that our lord Jesus he can sympathize he he hurts when we hurt he cries when he cries he laughs when we laugh when we laugh like through the pain and through the trial like he sympathizes with us and he doesn't want us to see us going through these things but some things are necessary some things are unexplainable and that again is where faith comes in and the truth is like what is faith if it's not tested how do you know you have faith when it's not tested it's true and sometimes God will send you these long things to produce long-suffering in you because otherwise like you can't you it's so hard because I know people go through such hard things that's the thing I never want anyone to be like oh really it's just that easy when when you're suffering you know like some people have family members that are sick or that are not well and it's just I don't know I know it's I wish I had the answer it really is tough people are watching people have I went through it I watched people die I went through so much loss and and you can't it's really hard when you're in the middle of it you can't even it's really hard to just say okay I trust God but yeah you just you have to you have to it really is because without trusting God you're down a really dark path yeah it's funny I wrote down something that I was feeling I was like um once you re once you once you realize that you can push through and go through how and get to the other side hell can't taunt you anymore like now when things happen to me I'm like my and that's the great thing about trials too and storms and Wilderness is your skin becomes so thick each time that you're just you're a warrior like that's how we have to be in this world we have we have to put on our armor we have to be Warriors in this world because life gets tough yeah it gets tough so true and that's what I mean too about life experience you start to realize the tricks of the enemy and why he does what he does how he does it and then yeah and it honestly almost becomes like a fun game where yeah like I don't think so not today I see exactly what you're doing and it's not gonna happen I'm not gonna let it get me down and I think too it's so important to ask God in in the the Wilderness season and whatever season you're in to be like what do you want me to learn here that's the most important thing you can do proud God is like when we ask questions like that show me reveal to me what you need from me what you want me to learn why because you're bringing me through it for a reason God does not do anything by accident or by coincidence or for no reason no he's too cool and intricate cool and you just remember when you're like we said when you're in these weak moments it's an opening it's an opening to be vulnerable You're not yourself and when the enemy can get into your head he can separate you and when he separates you he separates you from God so we have to be so aware of that I say I all the time God the enemy doesn't care about like when he attacks us and if he attacks our job or he attacks our relationship or our mental health he doesn't actually care about that stuff he doesn't care about us enough to care about that stuff the one thing he doesn't care to take your job away he cares to make you doubt God and take away your faith in Jesus that's all that's his aim that's his goal this all the other stuff is just a byproduct of it and so it takes is one thought starts with a thought it's a seed and it yeah and and yeah that's why it's so important to stop that stuff before it happens and stop those thoughts and take control of it someone said when everyone is outcasting you because of your mistakes what do you do when someone's outcasting you from your mistakes yeah from like past mistakes I would say you say the heck with you and you get them out of your life because anyone that can cast you away and leave you when you're down bad should never be even in your corner as a friend or anything and I that's the one thing I always say to you it's just such a low character thing it is to and and if it's because of mistakes and past mistakes let's get one thing straight God did not send his son to condemn the world but to save it so if Jesus himself didn't come to condemn the world how dare we think that we can condemn one another yeah that's wild yeah none of us are perfect we all make mistakes it's harder to pray while I'm in a depression and anxiety tips yes I completely understand this when the minute I made prayer and scripture like a part of my lifestyle that's really when my life changed like I see and Tori said this and I loved it he said I have my daily routine if I get out of my routine I don't feel spiritually the same and it's so true I made it my lifestyle even if I'm a little tired I wake up in the morning I sit down I read a chapter in my Bible I pray I it's something that I must do in my morning routines now yeah why because it's going to keep the depression away it's going to keep the obsessive thoughts away if you knew how much peace I have in my heart that I never thought it was even imaginable for me to have without medication I don't need any of that you know why because I have God yes I have God and because I make it my lifestyle and I'm so relentless with it it keeps it it keeps this peace in my soul and my heart and I truly believe that is the the cure to anxiety and people may fight me on this but this is coming from someone who grew up in a family with a lot of mental health issues somebody said how to have faith and and believe when you're spirit being spiritually attacked so it's kind of the same thing but I was thinking that so you need to understand that the Wilderness is a blessing and Wilderness in and of itself has a negative connotation but I wrote down that the Hebrew word for Wilderness does not actually have a negative connotation it means the place where you would meet God that's where you find them that's he's literally waiting in the wilderness to be like what's up I've been waiting for you and this is where we're actually going to do a lot of stuff together yeah so and so many people give up during the Wilderness season because they have no idea that that's that's the goal that's where you know the good stuff is going to happen so I would just encourage you to take heart and and just just really just rest in the fact that like this is meant to happen and it's okay and it's okay to feel pain and it's okay to go through hard stuff and have anxiety Angela's so right you made such a good point because I will tell you I had so many nights where I just almost threw the towel in I was like I can't do it I I truly cannot take another minute of this pain but because I was a fighter and I fought through it and I was so relentless that is when he will say you pass the test my daughter or my son and then that is when the Miracles you watch The Miracles just happen in your life I I wanted to read this thing by um Christine Kane Christine Kane said sometimes when you find yourself in a dark place you think you've been buried but you've actually been planted through the Wilderness like we said earlier don't let the enemy take your joy you know today's the day that the Lord has made and we will be glad and rejoice in it be encouraged we just want to encourage you guys to take heart and be be be bold and and rely on God and just when you have a relationship with God and a good established one it becomes so much easier to stand up and be strong and fight these battles that come all of our ways yeah we all have battles life is not an easy road but with these tools that we're giving you and with God it becomes a whole lot easier I think it helps too when you remember who because I think that we forget the sovereignty and the power of God but like if you remember that Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega the beginning and the end he is the Lord of lords King of Kings you know the story about how the disciples were in the bow and Jesus was asleep on the pillow and there was a really bad storm happening and the waves were really high and they were all really scared and Jesus rested and then he fell asleep and the disciples go to him and say um how are you asleep like in the middle of a storm and he says oh you have little faith um like how can you you know what I mean being like how right oh you have little faith and then it says in the Bible it says um and then the wind ceased and the storm calmed and then the disciples said to themselves who is this that even the wind and the Sea obey him so understand that when the wind and the Sea obey Jesus whatever you're going through whatever storm whatever Wilderness season must obey him as well never forget that's who he is he is the almighty all-powerful Lord of lords like don't forget it's really insane it's really powerful and it's it helps a lot to understand that we are so small in minuscule compared to our big big God but again his strength is made perfect in our weakness and we're so it really is so comforting to know that our only job is to just trust him and let him take care of the rest right and answer his call when he calls yes yes that's literally I feel like so many times he's like you you guys are doing a little too much you guys are doing a lot you're trying to control a lot why don't you just relax and let me handle it yeah that was the biggest thing with us we're super control through yes we want to control everything and make sure everything's good and we're not in control and I don't want to be no I'm like I am chilling out here not controlling anything I I truly these days cruise through life Cruise I'm not even I'm not even kidding I cruise through life just being like well wherever it takes me not saying that I don't work hard or or have live with intention of course I do but I just no matter which way God takes me I'm like okay we're going here now oh you don't want this in my life well all right this isn't the way for me well all right when you have the tools it becomes so much easier to handle the Wilderness yes and and you have purpose through the Wilderness too like that's where you find your purpose in the storm yeah get excited get excited get excited through the Wilderness because literally such incredible things are going to happen afterwards I promise you like that is Miracles that is the whole point of the storm yeah and the Wilderness is because get get buckle up because some really great stuff is about to happen and receive it receive it in Jesus name say I I will have Miracles after this storm I will there is a reason for it I am growing through this Wilderness I there's purpose in it and God is in the wilderness with me I am a soldier and I will fight through this and I will get through whatever storm comes my way it's a couple of Jesus Freaks we love them so much because he's worthy to be loved I love you I love you so much and we love oh we love you guys so much I love you just you know keep reading the Bible rejoice in the wilderness God is with you even when you feel like he's not I promise you he's with you um may the Lord bless you and keep you may he make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you may he turn his face towards you and give you peace love you guys so much God bless you