WOFOYO SHORT: Quiet Strength In Loud Times

Headlines scream. Feeds spin. Opinions flare. We slow the noise and walk through a steadier way: patient endurance that keeps your soul clear and your mind sound. Drawing from Luke 21, we unpack Jesus’ warning about deception, fear, and persecution—and why the antidote is not a hotter take but a deeper root anchored in the Holy Spirit’s power, love, and a sound mind.

We trace that theme into 1 Kings 19, where Elijah encounters wind, earthquake, and fire, yet hears God’s direction in a low whisper. That scene becomes a lens for our moment: big production, bold claims, and constant urgency can feel spiritual, but they often distract us from the quiet guidance that actually changes our steps. We share candid stories from church life where spectacle masked deeper issues, and how years later the real work God was doing came into view. The takeaway is both sobering and hopeful—if we crave the dramatic, we risk missing both the enemy’s subtle schemes and the Spirit’s gentle lead.

From there we get practical. We talk about how to cultivate a sound mind when fear rises, how to test loud voices without becoming cynical, and why “less bingeing, more practice” grows real fruit. Preaching can ignite us, but growth happens when we apply one clear truth day after day—apologizing, forgiving, serving, reading, and praying until discernment becomes our reflex. If the ground feels like it’s shaking, this conversation offers a simple path forward: listen for the still small voice, walk with patience, and let endurance shape your life.

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Transcript

Setting The Theme: Endurance

SPEAKER_00 0:15

Hey everybody, it's the C Dub with another WoFoyo short. Wanted to read a couple passages of scripture and talk about this principle that has paid off well for me, and it has saved me a lot of headaches. And I would love to sit here and tell you that I'm 100% in this. I can tell you that when I am, it saves me a lot of trouble. And when I'm not steadfast in this, then it's time for me to get things right with the Lord. Plain and simple. Jesus is talking to his disciples, and they're talking about how beautiful this temple is. And he starts talking about the end times. He said, See, see that you are not led astray. This is 21 8. For many will come in my name, saying, I am he. The time is at hand, do not go after them. And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place. But the end will not be at once. Then he said to them, Nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes in various places and famines and pestilences, and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. But before all this, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. Interesting thing here about synagogues and prisons. You'll get persecuted by the religious elite, and you'll get persecuted by the government elite. This will be your opportunity to bear witness. Verse 14. Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer. For I will give you a mouth and wisdom which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. You will be hated by all men for my name's sake, but not a hair of your head will perish. Verse nineteen, by your endurance ye will gain your lives. The King James says it like this By your patience possess ye your souls. New American standard by your endurance ye will gain your lives. And the amplified, by your patient endurance, empowered by the Holy Spirit, you will gain your souls. So when all hell is breaking loose and everything seems like it's going to hell in a handbasket, patience and endurance are the key, as as I amplified, said, led by the Holy Spirit. And you know, we're we're in we're in times where everybody's asking questions, and rightfully so. Ask questions. I'm going to tell you by patience and endurance, possess your souls. You will gain your lives. As led by the Holy Spirit, you know, it says that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. Possessing your souls, saving your lives, is the same as having a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. Because you know who's in charge. You read enough in this word to know what the big signs are, and you also learn to differentiate truth from falsehood and know what's real and when they're blowing smoke. Bones and I have talked about this, it is one of the foundational passages of what we do. 1 Kings 19. We're going to read verses 11 through 13. Uh, the build up here, Elijah's just scored a victory. Uh, the Lord has shown himself strong on his behalf against the prophets of Baal. Jezebel puts a hit out on him, and he's going into the mount, Mount Horeb. And he's been hanging out there for a minute. The Lord says to Elijah, Go and stand on the mount before the Lord. Verse 11. And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, sound of a low whisper, King James says, Still, small voice. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, What are you doing here, Elijah? Elijah runs down the scenario. God lets him know that, hey, this is not the case. And then he commissions him, strengthens him, and then commissions him. So there's this idea that when you get quiet before the Lord, all of a sudden the things that are bothering you don't bother you as much. A couple things to keep in mind. A lot of times, especially in spiritual matters, uh, politics thrives off this. A lot of times there can be dramatic things that happen. There could be dramatic things that happen. I remember seeing some things in a church was real active in. And man, there was all these dramatic things happening. Dramatic good, some dramatic bad, uh, some dramatic deliverance. There was a whole lot of very there, there was a just a whole lot of drama. And at first, I thought with all the big production and all the the personalities involved and and all these things was what the Lord was in, but the Lord wasn't in those. Uh ended up leading to a church split. However, I saw something. I was I was in the church choir, and the Lord started showing me motives, and what was lost in all the drama was what was happening behind the scenes. What was happening in the pulpit and among the ministerial staff, um, and among those who helped who were helping out, of which I was one, um there was a lot of things that were out there and very visibly happening, but what the Lord was doing and what the devil was doing were happening behind the scenes, it was a lot more subdued. God's purpose finally came out in those things, but it was years later, so you go, huh? It was an eye-opener for me. Because we, especially if you've become accustomed to the big production, especially if you have become uh used to fiery preaching, especially if you have become accustomed to getting a new revelatory word. Back then it was on Christian TV. Nowadays it's YouTube or uh some other digital means. If you're used to that and you're constantly getting bombarded, constantly getting bombarded, and oh, this is so dramatic, oh, this is so dramatic, oh, this is so dramatic, and all this, you will almost always miss out not only on attacks that are being levied against you and strategies that the enemy is trying to uh form against you and put into action and get you into waiting for an ambush, not only will you not be aware of those, but you will miss out on all the good things that God is doing. If you're not listening to the Holy Spirit and if you're not in the word, and if you're just constantly fed the sermon, which is meant it's meant to exhort you to use the old King James. It's for exhortation, it's to motivate you. All right. So that's part of part of what preaching does is it motivates you. However, if you become addicted, that that's like people that get addicted to self-help books and they never never improve. But I've read 20 self-help books and I've not applied one, but you wonder why you're in the same boat, and you all of a sudden you become an expert in self-help books, but you've never really shown any signs of improvement rather than walking it out, which is a lot more patient. It takes patience, it takes learning how to flesh it out, learning how to apply those lessons that the Lord is trying to teach you. So in these times where everybody's going, this is happening, that's happening, this is happening, this is maybe, maybe not. I'm going to tell you, no matter what is happening, it's not where the drama is. Whatever you think is happening, I guarantee you, what God is doing, and don't get me wrong, it's not that whatever is happening that's dramatic, God's not doing. The Lord passed by, and that caused the wind. It caused the earthquake, it caused the fire. But the Lord, the intent of the Lord, what God was actually doing was not in those. Those had all been done previously. But what God was doing now for Elijah, and what Jesus is admonishing us is to listen, get quiet before the Lord, patiently endure, and you're gonna be okay. Just don't get caught up in the drama. Woe FOYO. Everybody, thanks for listening. We hope this challenges you and causes you to grow. You can always check us out at woofoyo.org or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Audible, or even check us out on YouTube. For Bones of Myself, this is C Dub, reminding you that if you're gonna grow, you gotta Woe Fo Yo. Get in the word for yourself.