Jesus Fix It with Jess & Steph!
Life is beautiful, crazy, messy and ever-changing. Thank the Lord, Jesus can handle it all! Jesus Fix It with Jess & Steph is about finding your way through the clutter; and perhaps having some laughs along the way. The Christian walk doesn’t always come wrapped in nice pretty packaging, so count on us to keep it real.
You can listen to Jesus Fix It on the Spirit FM website, the Spirit FM APP, and wherever you enjoy your podcasts.
The Jesus Fix It podcast with Jess & Steph, brought to you by Your Encouraging Spirit FM.
Jesus Fix It with Jess & Steph!
For Such a Time as This
We explore the significance of Easter as a season of renewal and what it means to let Jesus breathe new life into areas of our lives that seem beyond repair. Through personal stories and biblical insights, we discuss how pride often prevents us from experiencing restoration and why sometimes feeling the hurt is necessary for healing.
Do you have relationships that seem beyond repair? Projects abandoned on the shelf? Habits you continually struggle with? We're getting vulnerable about the things we keep trying to fix ourselves rather than surrendering to Jesus. Steph bravely shares about a decade-long family rift with her cousin that God has been nudging her to address since the beginning of the year. Despite knowing reconciliation is needed, pride keeps her holding on—a struggle many of us understand all too well.
What are you refusing to release? What would happen if you stopped picking back up what you've supposedly laid at Jesus' feet? This is your season of renewal. For such a time as this, you've been given another opportunity to start fresh. The question is—will you take it?
Hey, welcome back, or welcome to the Jesus Fix it podcast, the show where we talk about life, the ups, the downs, a little pop culture and everything in between.
Steph:I'm Jess and I'm Steph. Every other week we dive into the things we're asking Jesus to fix. And let's be real, there's a lot. You can always count on us to keep it real.
Jess:Share some laughs with us and maybe a few tears, as we tackle the big and small stuff with faith and honesty. So grab your coffee and let's get into it. I'm so glad it's Easter season. I'm so glad it's spring. I am the biggest winter Grinch. Yes, you are. I had to enunciate all of that.
Steph:You really are.
Jess:Wow, okay, tell me how you really feel.
Steph:I mean, we did a reel about it. Let's be honest.
Jess:Not everybody sees our social media who's listening to the podcast? Okay, just to let you know. So we did this reel just right when the weather started to break a little bit. It was what a 70 degree day. It was a nice warm day.
Steph:You had legs out, yep, toes out toes out and everything I had on a sweater, yep, and your jeans and your boots or something I mean you were like you yes you were just covered because my grandma would have said that's pneumonia weather.
Jess:Oh my goodness what. It's not really safe to like start breaking out like your warm weather things until like May what.
Steph:What, like, may, what, what? I'm already in the mindset of every day. I go into my closet and I'm like, dang it, I don't have anything to wear because I'm gonna be dying, it's gonna be so hot. I've got to change over my spring wardrobe and my fall and winter wardrobe, like I have tubs of clothes that I have too many clothes, but I have tubs of clothes of spring and summer and those need to come out and everything that's in my closet that's fall and winter needs to go away. It is yeah, no, mm-mm, yeah. Why are you so dramatic? I'm not dramatic.
Jess:Oh, my goodness, so dramatic. Y'all literally freeze me in here. I know you are roasting right now in the studio.
Steph:Freeze me in here, I know you're roasting right now in the studio.
Jess:First of all, I have to apologize because normally when you come in here for us to record, I drop the temp like two or three degrees and I forgot and I appreciate that you do think about that.
Jess:I actually forgot today, I just you know, I put on extra deodorant this morning, so we're good and I appreciate that, yeah, it's give and take, okay, but I love, love spring, not just because the weather is getting warmer, but I love the whole season of renewal. I love the refresh. Fall and spring are so beautiful, but I just love just the newness of it, because okay, I know this is going to sound super sappy, okay.
Steph:I'm ready.
Jess:Okay, you're already giving me like okay, here she goes. But this is the thing. Okay, when I think about spring and if you listen to Good Morning Radio, if you've life that are beyond repair, but I keep trying to give life to and they're just gone, and I like to think about those things that I need to hand over to Jesus and let Him breathe new life into, because I'm obviously not doing anything for them, but I need to hand them over to Jesus and let him renew them. What you're doing is you're holding on to them. I'm holding on to things. This is the season to think about those things in your life that you need to let go of, that you need to let Jesus breathe new life into, or let him just renew. What's that verse? Is it Isaiah? I'm so bad at remembering verses.
Jess:It's like I need to go back to a wand.
Steph:Yes, I'll wear the badges with you, I know.
Jess:Let me renew. I'm going to look that verse up in a little bit, but you know what I'm saying. This is the season to let him do that new thing within you, and so I think about that. During this new season, is there a relationship that I need to let him restore or that I need to just let go? No bitterness, no anger, that I just need to say you know what. It's run its course, it had its season. There's no bitterness, it's just. You know, there's some relationships that the season is just it, yeah, or is there a time of restoration? I just need to let Jesus do that, or is there something else that I need to let Jesus renew?
Steph:You know what I mean. I mean, let me just talk for a second about that relationship thing. It has been on my heart and this is one of those things holding on tight. I am so holding on tight to this of a family relationship that it's been, I think, 10 years that we had a squabble. There was lots that went into this and my cousin and I have not talked in about 10 years and it has been since the beginning of the year that God has been putting on my heart. You need to let go of this. You need to let go of the hurt and give forgiveness, and there's boundaries that still can be set, but I just keep holding on to it.
Steph:I mean the fact that here we are in April and it's been now four months, three and a half, and I'm just like, okay, lord, I hear you.
Steph:I know that I need to do this. I've put into place plans in order to have this conversation with my cousin and apologize for the bratty actions that I had and what I had that I did with this relationship to make it be at this point. It was not a one-way street, it was communication, both ways, but I just struggle and I'm just holding on to it so tight. So when you say that I'm like, okay, okay, lord, like you're coming at me since the beginning of the year, you're speaking to me through Jess and saying, yes, steph, you need to let go of this and you need to ask for forgiveness and have this relationship's one that needs the restoration. Yeah, but I understand where there's relationships where you're just like okay, that person was in my life for a chapter. That chapter is now done and it is fine that that person's no longer in my life for a chapter. That chapter is now done and it is fine that that person is no longer.
Jess:This one is one of those restorations, or a reason or a season, is what they say yeah, why do you feel like you hold on to that thing? Like, why do you feel like you're holding on? Sometimes I'll hold on because it's like I'm right, I know I was right and I'm waiting on that person to tell me I was right and I'm not going to move away from it until they just acknowledge that I was right. If they just say I was right about the thing, then we can just go on. Sometimes I just need that validation. And do I really need it? Is that my own pride? Pride?
Steph:Yeah, that was the word that came into my head. Why can I not? What is that that is holding me back from writing this letter to my cousin? And apologizing is my own pride, and it's because there's so much where I'm like. It was a frustrating situation. We were both put into with lack of communication and because of it, on both sides, we both had pride and neither one of us want to give that up.
Steph:Yeah, even though it's been so long, and it's like, yes, time heals all wounds quote unquote, as it says, but you still have to go through those steps of the pruning. Talking about spring things, I don't garden. I'm like I can grow weeds and that's it, but you got to cut the weeds down. So it's like I need to go through this and we both need to have a time of pruning, and God's been working in my heart and I truly just believe he's been working in her heart too. She been working in my heart and I truly just believe he's been working in her heart too. She is a Christian, we're both believers and I need to be the one that steps out and says okay, here we go, we need the restoration. Whatever this looks like, it's not something. She lives in Germany. Oh, my word, we're not even close like physically, geographically, we're not close. Y'all have had the time and the space. Yes, exactly, exactly. And so, yes, god, I hear you, yes, jess, I hear you saying this and god speaking through you.
Jess:It's tough somebody once told me sometimes you have to feel the hurt in order to heal and I so get that like. I don't like it. It's not easy, but sometimes you have to feel that you have to feel all the things and I don't know why that's true. Sometimes I don't want to feel the hurt, to heal.
Jess:I don't want it to have to hurt, but sometimes I really do feel like that's true, even though I don't want to feel it. I don't want that to be true, but I do see why that has to happen, because sometimes you have to feel what that other person may be to happen. Because sometimes you have to feel what that other person may be feeling, and sometimes you have to feel that hurt to see okay, maybe I wasn't always right in this situation. Sometimes I am prideful, I don't have to always be the one that's right and then you have to take a step back and realize okay, I've let a lot of time pass by because I'm holding on to something that I just need to let go of. Think of the time that's been lost because I'm just holding on to this thing because of my own pride. Life is so short. That's time that could have been spent building that relationship, the laughter that could have happened, the time spent together that could have happened, the memories that could have happened. But we hold in grudges.
Steph:I was being a brat, I mean, and like I did need some of this time in order to grow and understand where I was in the wrong.
Steph:Yeah, it wasn't something that came immediate, but yes, I was being a brat that's the best word that I can come up with for it. You know, you do grow a lot in 10 years if you're willing to allow it. And that's where I needed to be, at that place where I said, okay, I'm surrendering this now, okay, so this is weird for me to say I don't like the side effects of growing old.
Jess:I like growing old because what's the alternative? But one thing I like about growing older is the wisdom and what happens. Because the Jess 10 years ago would never admit when she was wrong. Same Hello, just 10 years ago would never admit when she was wrong. Same Hello. The just 10 years ago would never admit the pride issues. The just 10 years ago would never admit okay, god needed to do some work within me. The just you know, probably five years ago, would never admit. You know what I need?
Steph:forgiveness myself or I had trouble forgiving people or you know what maybe it's me, I'm the problem, it's them. It's always them, it's never me.
Jess:But being able to admit sometimes, no, first of all, I'm not always the problem, let's just get that. I will still admit that I'm the problem sometimes, but not all the time. But at least being able to say sometimes it is me, sometimes I am the problem, I think that's growth. And I think, when you can admit that you are the problem, and even sometimes, when you know you're not the problem but you're willing to take a step back and show grace, and that is only God. Because there are times and this is not me being prideful in this moment but there are times when I know for a fact that I'm not the problem, but I am willing to step aside and act like I am, that is only God. That is only God Because you know that feeling. When you know that, you know that, you know that you are not the problem, but you just want to say, okay, all right, then, then have it your way.
Steph:I mean, that's one of those let go and let God I know.
Jess:And that's hard. That would not have been just 10 years ago.
Steph:Yeah, I mean I think like three years ago, getting married a month ago, thank you, lord. I mean that's one thing, that marriage for me. Marriage has taught for me a lot of let it putting myself aside, yeah, and I mean bless my husband's heart. I love Mike. There's a lot of times where I'm like okay yeah, go ahead uh-huh okay.
Jess:I'm just gonna let go and let God social media has helped me a lot with that too. Yeah, because they're like sometimes I want to be a crusade, a keyboard crusader. Sometimes I want to get on social media and be like you know what. You just cuss somebody out and then you just now put Jeremiah 2911 on there as your profile picture or whatever. I want to get on there and tell them about themselves. So bad. But I'm like you know what? You don't got to do that.
Steph:Literally yesterday. Yesterday I was dealing with this situation because there's a restaurant that I like and they're hosting a non-Christian event. We'll leave it at that, Okay. And a lot of people in the community are like, yay, I'm so proud of you. And then other people are like, oh, how dare you? You've just lost all my business. I'll never go back.
Jess:Like shame on you for blah, blah, blah.
Steph:Well then, don't go.
Jess:Literally, that's what I had to stop myself from saying Then don't go.
Steph:I'm not going to go to the restaurant on the day they're hosting that, because that's not something. But I like the restaurant, I like the people that are there, and what if I'm the only light of Jesus that they're seeing? Exactly, then don't go. Yeah, I had to stop myself from.
Jess:It's like this and look, if you choose not to listen after I say this, I'll understand. I'll still love you. I'm probably going to talk about you, but OK. But it's just like during Super Bowl time, when people complain about the halftime show that it's not Christian. Turn the channel. Don't watch, then don't watch it. Yeah, I love Jesus with all my heart, but if I don't agree with something I'm seeing that doesn't align with what I believe, I'm not going to sit there and entertain it. It's that simple, yeah.
Steph:It's just that simple.
Jess:It's just that simple, and so I just I don't understand. And it happens every year, you know Every year.
Steph:The Super Bowl halftime show is coming around and chances are it's not going to be Lauren Daigle.
Jess:It's not going to be Lauren Daigle. It's not going to be Lauren Daigle.
Steph:Or Mercy Me, or Casting Crowns.
Jess:But and you know, I just I get it we want more Jesus in the world, we want to be the light, but we've got to also show grace and we've got to also let people see Jesus through us. So I just, I don't know, but at the same time I've got to refrain from, you know, trying not to act like they're acting as well. So I know I have work to do myself. I see that, I know.
Steph:So, and that's wisdom, and that's growth, and that's aging.
Jess:I try, but look, he is still working on this heart too. He knows my heart and I know sometimes he's probably shaking his head at me like, oh girl, oh girl, like I get this, and I'm so thankful that he works in me every single day. I'm so thankful for that, and that's another reason why I kind of, during this time, I take inventory of myself what do I need to work on? Because this whole season is just it's a little emotional for me, just like it is for a lot. This is like the Christian Super Bowl, you're right.
Steph:And the halftime show is the passion you know, Because I mean it kind of is.
Jess:I mean think about it. I'm trying not to get emotional, thinking about it because it's like I am such a mess and he did this thing for me and it's like, first of all, I love you, but I ain't giving up my son for you, you know. Yeah, you're not getting. I wish you would. You know what I mean.
Steph:Yeah, I mean you think about it, oh my gosh, like, ah, music Music's. So I mean Spirit FM exists because of music, yeah, and we had Winter Jam that came through earlier in the year, and New Song is the group that always puts Winter Jam on. They're the pinnacle of it and one of my favorite songs of theirs is Arise my Love. Yeah, and I just think about like I'm very emotionally attached to music and like I can just listen to a piece of music and just bawl my eyes out.
Steph:Yes, and thinking about that song and like really, yes, the musicality of it. But what they're saying arise, my love, arise. No longer the grave has a hold on you. And what does that do in our life? Thinking about that, it makes me emotional. Now it's like just think about no longer does the grave have a hold on us, so give up what we don't need to hang on to, because God's already won. He has the victory over all of it.
Jess:Yeah, Already. So just think about that thing in your life that's holding you back or not even you think it's not holding you back. Think about how many times you say you know what. That's it. I'm done today. I'm going to take this beer. I'm going to take the cigarette. I'm going to take all this food I keep consuming. I'm going to stop today. I'm going to lay it at the foot of Jesus. I'm going to walk away from it. And then you turn right back around. Whatever that addiction is, whatever, For me it's food, it's food.
Jess:It's so many things, it's food, it's shopping, it's a lot of things, so many things. I lay at his feet, sitting down and just watching Netflix, netflix. I lay it at his feet and say you know what, not today I'm going to read a book, not today. I'm not going to shop today. I'm not going to sit and eat my emotions Not today. You know what, jesus, when I feel like eating a cookie, today, I am going to read a devotional. I'm doing it today. What am I doing? I'm standing at the cabinet looking for another cookie. It seems silly, but y'all, this is how my mind works. I lay all of those things at his feet and I turn right back around and pick them up every single day, but then every single day he's right there, grace and mercy.
Jess:Every single day I'm starting all over again and he never says you know what you failed. Again, it's over, it's over for you.
Steph:He never says that you know what you failed. Again it's over. It's over for you. He never says that.
Jess:Every day that he gives me breath in my lungs, I have a chance to start over again, and so I'm so thankful for that. So during the season, I'm just renewal, renewal, renewal, refresh, refresh, refresh, and so I'm so thankful for that opportunity and I try my best not to squander it. Sometimes I do, because every Monday I'm trying all over again. But I'm so thankful that you know that I have this chance, and so that's where my mind is during this season. I'm just praying that you know, if you're listening, if you're not already in that mindset that you'll be thinking about what you can refresh and renew, or you'll be thinking about that situation in your life that just seems completely dead, whether it's a relationship, whether it's that book you started you thought, hey, I want to write a book this year and you started writing it. And then you have all your notes on a shelf and you're just like you know what? I'm no good.
Jess:That is a lie straight from Satan. You pick that book up. If there's a project you thought was dead, you've been wanting to do it and the enemy told you that you can't do that project. You know what? You let Jesus breathe new life into that project and you start that project, Whatever situation that you feel like needs to be refreshed, I pray that you'll just pray over it and let this be the season for you. This is your time. This is your season For such a time as this. I was going to look up that other verse, but I like that verse better.
Steph:Can't give you the address.
Jess:Find hope and inspiration with Jess's Daily Devotion.
Steph:Check out jessdailydevocom or search Jess's Daily Devotion wherever you listen to podcasts.
