Israel & Rachel Campbell " SOUP" Podcast Episode 31 "Don't wait, Don't Hesitate"

Welcome to the Israel and Rachel Campbell Soup podcast, where we're always soupy in our conversations, whether it's chicken noodles or flavor of the week. In this episode, we jump right into the topic of hesitation and how it can keep us from obeying God. Rachel shares a verse from Romans 8:28 and talks about how if God didn't hesitate to love and rescue us, why should we hesitate in obeying Him? Israel adds that waiting for perfect circumstances can cause us to miss out on the journey and that it's important to seek God's timing in everything. They also touch on the importance of faith and how miracles often happen in the most imperfect situations. Join us as we dive into this topic and more on the Israel and Rachel Campbell Soup podcast.

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(upbeat music)- Hey, hey, hey Rachel, we are back.- We're back and so excited to be back. It's been a long and busy week, but it's always good to settle down and get talking with you.- Yeah, 'cause last time we actually did it in Denver and it, which turned out good, but I heard some crackling 'cause of the- Sounds of the city.- The wind and the city sounds.- So we're glad to be back. Thank you for joining the Israel and Rachel Campbell Soup podcast where we really are soupy in our conversations. Sometimes it's chicken noodles, sometimes it's.- Slaver of the week.- Slaver of the week. And so this week we really wanna jump in with something that you kinda touched on and we do this often. We might preach on something and then we just keep talking about it or we want to and just the whole reason for this podcast is that sometimes, while people are on their treadmill or while they are in traffic just to begin to help pastor them in different life situations that they're dealing with.- The Cypher ship on the run.- The Cypher ship on the run.- And so I wrote when we were talking before, just like this podcast title would be, don't wait for the right time. And then of course on Sunday, you kinda talked about quit hesitating.- Yeah, yeah, we talked about the word hesitation. And we're gonna talk about that today. We're just gonna have a quick discussion about it that we'd love to bring you in on. But I wanted to start off by reading a scripture verse that I read to the church on Sunday morning, Romans 8, 28 in the message Bible, which is always just a little different, sometimes so good. And on this verse I love it. It says, "So what do you think with God on our side like this, how can we lose if God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us in embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own son? Is there anything else he wouldn't gladly and freely do for us?" And it goes on to just talk about, if God didn't hesitate to love and to rescue and save us, why should we ever hesitate in obeying him?- Yeah, and I think that that is a, one of the big dilemmas in life that we do, is we are always waiting to line up everything before we act. And you know, - Perfect circumstances. And I think people will do that well, you know, when I get, when I have enough money, I'll get married, or when we have enough money and savings will have kids. And you know, all of those things are not bad to do to have money before marriage, or you know, to have savings for kids. But what we can do is we can actually miss out on the journey, we can actually miss out on what God wants to do, because we're consistently looking for things to be perfect. And almost every miracle in the Bible that happens, usually doesn't happen because everything was perfect. That's where faith comes in.- Yeah, and I was thinking about how, in our life, personally, the big moments where God has come through or really used us to do something significant, it was never what we pictured it to be.- Yeah.- And I think that sometimes God doesn't love when we have to have a timeline, because he'll basically like wreck the timeline, or do that something different, just to make sure that we know, it's really important for us to rely on him, right? And I talked about Gideon on Sunday morning, and I was talking about how it says that God says, there were still too many men, so 22,000 left. And then he kept whittling down the army that Gideon was supposed to use, right, against the enemy. And then it says, because I will receive glory for this. And I think that we have to remember, like the reason why it never feels like the right timing is because God doesn't want us to be self-sufficient. He really does want to get the glory. Yeah, I love that. And we can, you know, with our calendars, our plans, you know, all of these things, vision for, you know, the next year, and all of those things, which I think are really, really good, but I think you and I have kind of changed it from, instead of writing what we feel like the vision is, it's like, let's really seek God and go, what does he want to do?- Right, what you're thinking.- Yeah, and most of the time, what he wants to do, we're not ready for. Like, well, that's not the right time to launch another campus, that's not the right time to start this ministry, that's not the right time to, you know, initiate this thing in our personal life, but when we can get God's timing, then it really can change some things. And I think it keeps us from just the next year, repeating itself.- Totally. And I think, you know, I think part of our walk of faith has been obeying God when we didn't see the provision, and then when we say yes and start walking towards it, we see the provision unfold. And so it can be a trap to wait for the full provision in order to do something. It's like Abraham with his son Isaac. It's like, God will provide, God will provide. And he's probably shaking in his boots when he's walking up to that sacrifice altar because God hadn't provided yet, but he was in the middle of his obedience and then all of a sudden there's that ram in the bush. And I think, you know, when we, when we hesitate, we don't see ram's in the bush. We lack the miracles because we're trying to create the miracles before we're faithful.- Yeah, and I think God works.- Exactly. And I think that even on the other hand, you know, so many times in our life, we don't want to disappoint God.- Right.- We're so like, we don't want to get ahead of God. And we don't want to do anything without God's umbrella of protection. But one of the stories that when I, where you know, we were talking about this and I was just kind of looking up some things and thinking, is I just kept on thinking of the story found in John chapter two, verses three through four. And it is when Jesus performs his first miracle. And it actually says that Jesus's mom goes to Jesus and says, they're out of wine. And this is what God says. God says that's not the right, he said, they have no more wine and he says, Jesus says, dear woman, that's not our problem, Jesus replied, my time has not yet come. And then without missing a beat, Jesus's mom tells the servants do whatever he says. And I just love that scripture verse because it is bold, Bible living. That when we're like, well, I want to make sure it's on God's time. Well, you know, I really want to make sure it's God's time. Well, in this case, it wasn't even God's time, but the faith that God could do it shifted the time. It released the time. And so I just love that scripture and I really want to begin to live that way is, you know, I think we can live so fearful. Number one, we want all the ducks lined up. We want our eyes darted, our teeth crossed. We need the provision, we need the finances and we have all that. And then of course, then I think we miss. And then we can do the other extremes. Like we just really need, you know, we're waiting for God's, we never want to be out of God's will on this time. Which of course we believe, but this scripture messes that up. Yeah. It's holding the tension too, because you never want to do things outside of God's time. And Paul talks about there was an effectual door that was opened unto me. And he said too, like that there was opposition keeping him away. And so there is that, but I think just when we just decide in our heart, setting our heart to say yes, and be interruptible and God not my will, but you're done. And we're positioned that way. I feel like those are the moments that we see miracles. And I was talking to, we can talk about this for a little bit, because I think it's on a personal level. So when we were younger and we had Phoebe and Chloe as little girls, you were ministering a lot. So you were going out on the weekends and speaking a lot and then coming home for Sundays. And I was home with the kids. And it was a season where for you, our worlds were very different during that season. Right now our worlds are similar, because we're building the church together, which is so fun. But during that season, it was more like glory days for you and a bit of drudgery for me. Oh, yeah. Right? Because I had two babies. And Phoebe was allergic to milk, so she was constantly sick. Like I went from one cold to the next. Sometimes she'd have to be in the hospital. And we were living away from family. And I was just being faithful to being a mom of small kids. There was nothing like if I didn't get dressed for the day, nobody noticed. Right? But you had to have really nice clothes and outfits because you were speaking at these big youth conferences and God was really using you during that season. And I just think that it's a good thing to talk about from my perspective and from your perspective on that. Because it was a season where God was really using you. And it was kind of a mundane season where I felt overlooked in some areas as just being a mom. But now as our kids are, those two girls are adult women. I look at their lives and they're passionately pursuing Jesus. And I know for a fact that it's one of my greatest honors to have mothered them when you were like in a nice hotel, getting gift-faceted, preaching and everybody loving you, seeing in a quiet hotel with no kids. Well, I wasn't getting sleep with kids. And so those two seasons, it's almost like, I guess what I want to say is sometimes we can despise our seasons of just being faithful. When really that's the most spiritual thing God's asking us to do. And so maybe some of you are in a season where it doesn't feel significant, but you know you're being obedient and you're just keeping your heart right. And I just think that I could have easily become resentful that Israel got to do what we dreamt of doing while I was home. But I feel like that was one of the greatest seasons of my life because it did something inside of my heart that I knew this was my season of my greatest yes was to these two babies. And also to you, to have a safe place for you to come home to, to celebrate you, not make you feel guilty when you're reaching your calling. And so maybe I don't know. I just thought that was something I think that we should talk about because I needed to not hesitate in serving and giving my life to that for that season. And it was only just a season. So sometimes we only talk about not hesitating for the good things, but what if God asks you to sit down for a while and just be faithful in something that's not your favorite thing in the moment?- Yeah, I mean, I'm way over there now and I'm trying to catch back up, but yes, I absolutely agree. And it was so good on you. And I think that if we looked back at that life, you really weren't on hold. There were songs that were being birthed in your journey that season. There were messages being birthed. And so I think that even if it's, there are some limitations where you can't go do it. That doesn't mean that you can't be prepared. I remember Bishop Jake's used to be, to say your job is just to be the sharpest knife in the drawer.- Even if you're just sitting there.- Yeah, so if and when it needs to be used, it doesn't have to be, you know, you're ready to be used. And I think there was a lot of that that happened in you in that season.- So true.- That nobody knew, but you can. You can, a, get despised the season that you're in. You can get ahead of God and not play the game forward or kind of think or you can actually pause when you should be moving. And they're like you said the word before. Is there really is a strong tension in that and kind of doing it? But I think the ways that you understand that tension is how much the Holy Spirit spoke to you about that season versus me speaking to you about that season. Can you imagine if I would have come home and been like, well, I got a bathtub in my house.- Well, first of all, if you were like Jesus, and you're like, use the word woman, it would not have been a good conversation. I feel like whenever you start woman, it is not your time.(laughing)- I feel like most women don't like being called women.- Your time.- When they're being talked to for ministry.- I love it.- So yeah, so I, but I do think that some of that time that one of the best ways to do it is the prompting of the Holy Spirit. Now this is kind of our life motto. And it was really given to us by Harold Woodson, who was a famous evangelist. He gave this word to us maybe 20 years ago. And it's the story in the book of Acts where, and you kind of alluded to it, is that Paul and his team tried to go to a city and the Bible says, "And the Spirit wouldn't allow them." And so what he prophesied and prayed for us is that the Holy Spirit wouldn't allow us to make a mistake.- The wrong decision.- Yeah, that's right.- Or make the wrong decision.- Right.- And so we were youth pastors in Seattle. We didn't know what our next season was. There were different ministries. We didn't know what we're gonna go. Planet church, where we're gonna go be a part of a church. I mean, oh, we're gonna quit church. We're gonna start a church down the street. I mean, there were so many different things. And we just kind of felt like this. We didn't wanna make a mistake, but the word of the Lord was that Paul just went for it. And so sometimes it's a go until you feel the Holy Spirit. No. And so it's an action, an action when we go. And then the Holy Spirit says, "No, you've got two kids. It's not the time." No, we want you to be planted in this church. It's not the time to launch out to this. No, this is the city I want you in. And so it's more of an aggressive, and it's more of a, the light is yellow.'Cause when we're from California, when the light is yellow, that doesn't mean caution for us. That means speed up.- You're quick.- 'Cause you gotta get through this. Or you're gonna be stuck for 20 minutes. Okay, catch that. Where the opposite is kind of waiting for the green light, waiting for the green light, when we're filled with the Holy Spirit. It's always a green light. We're actually waiting for the red light.- Yeah, and I think saying that, and making that your prayer is, God make it, you know, if this isn't you, make it impossible for me to move into it. And I think there's a real peace that comes with that when you realize how much bigger God is than just you. He, sometimes the season feels like,"Wow, did I make a mistake, but you don't realize that he took you the long way?" Because he had more in store than what your mind could conceive. And we've lived that out a lot of times too, where you look back, I look back on the course of our life and have there been hard moments, yes. But am I thankful we never hesitated to follow Jesus? 100%. No regrets. And we've learned so much, and sometimes we didn't do it perfect, and sometimes we did, but I think throughout all of it, the goal is move towards Jesus. Do what you're called to do in eternity. I was just thinking about how there's certain things that we're going to get to do in heaven, but there's that we can't do here, but there's certain things we get to do on earth that we'll never get to do in heaven. And some of those things are leading someone to Jesus. When we enter heaven, there will be no more. We can't witness in heaven. And we can't work and build in heaven. We don't. And it says that there'll be a new heaven and a new earth, right? And so there's going to be this glory, there's going to be all of everything will be made perfect. But there are, we have this slice of window in time to really do certain things that we can never do again once we get to heaven. And there are God ordained, like, commissions for us. And we've got to be willing to do whatever it takes to do that as long as we have breath, right? Yeah. And again, going back to so many different stories in the Bible, I even wrote down some, you know, just some people that it was not the right time, but they obeyed. And I think of what you were kind of saying earlier too is about the, like, when they put their foot into the red sea or the Jordan, that's when it opened up. And so they would still be there if they were waiting for it to open. We'd still be waiting. Yep, someday we're going to get to the promised land. But it was when they put their foot in the water that the ground opened. And so I think that part of the journey of faith is, and I think even more, Rachel, with Pinterest and with what's their names in Waco. Chip and Joe. Chip and Joe, they've messed us up because everything is so perfect and nice. And so then we're looking to do things in perfect and nice, which is great. Do it. But it can begin to, I can't do anything unless it's perfect. We know some people that can not operate. And then they get so thrown out of whack because they have to have it planned. Like, this is what time we go to the bathroom. This is what time went to the minute. To the minute and all of that. I'm allergic to that kind of living. All of that is, I guess the basis is it bad, but it can actually keep you from putting your foot in the Jordan where I don't know what's going to happen next. But I'm trusting God. He's the author and the finisher of our faith. He started it. He's going to finish it right now in this chapter. I don't know what he's going to do. And that's the mystery and the adventure of God. Adventure. I remember that friend, that friend actually, one time was staying with us for a week. I don't think they made it a week in our house because we're a little crazy. We're always going somewhere doing something. And she's very methodical and planned and isn't used to any curve balls, which is just, how did we become friends? I don't know. But I remember her looking at me and saying, I don't know how you function. And I remember looking right back at her and going, I don't function. I live. Robots function and people live. Wow. Living, there's going to always be curve balls. And you cannot plan life the way. And we've talked about too. I love what you say, Israel, is we make song lists and service orders so that the Holy Spirit can interrupt. And we can be interrupted together. We definitely aren't Lucy Goosey, where you never have a plan. But there comes a moment where, yeah, make your plans. But it says that man makes his plans, but God directs his steps. And so when we make our plans, and we're really seeking God for a vision and goals, and it's OK to be goal-oriented, but also you have to hold it with an open hand and go, OK, God, this is what I've set before me. Now I dedicate it and give it to you. And if you want something different, do it. And it really does set ourself up for depression and anxiousness and disappointment if it has to be a certain way or we just fall apart. It's actually a really bad thing to teach your kids too. And I actually think that the reason why a lot of the mental health issues that we had post COVID was because we are so used to our plans, our strategies, what to do. And that threw everyone into a loop and nobody knew. And I remember the people that we looked up to, it was so dogmatic in the beginning, I was only going to be left with all of this. And then by the end, they were really melting because they were always so strong. You could push through it. And they couldn't change it. And that was really weird for them. And so I like what you said is how you hold on to those things. Of course, we're supposed to do things decently and in order. And we do that. We have a God help direct me, navigate. But it is not so much. Have you seen those shirts Rachel, where they have, like for the self-paid, they actually have the longitude and latitude. And it's like specific so that you know where it is. I think that more with God, it's more of East and West. We're heading that way. But not so pinpoint because he has the ability to change that. We would, I don't know what we would be doing today. If when we were in Orlando and we were youth pastoring, we knew that our next season was senior pastoring. And we really didn't even know directionally where that was going to be. It ended up in North Carolina. Wasn't even in our radar. I was in Seattle thinking we were going to go back to the area where we used to youth pastor. Our senior pastor had moved, so it didn't feel yucky to do that. And we actually ended up in North Carolina with 10 incredible years that helped prepare us for today in Los Angeles. We would have missed it if we would have just forced our 16 year plan, our 10 year plan. Yeah. I was looking at the scripture verse in Jeremiah. And I love it. In Jeremiah 32, 6, he is the people of God are actually captive. Their city has been taken over by the Babylonians. And he got put in prison. But in verse 32, he is literally in prison. And it says, the word of the Lord came to me and said, your uncle is going to come to you. And he's going to say, buy my field because you are the nearest relative. And it is right for you to purchase it. And so he had this forewarning in prison. So then the uncle does come in verse 8. And he says that exact same thing to him while he's in prison. He's like, you need to buy my field. So Jeremiah has to literally get him to go to someone who has his holding his money while he's in prison and pay for the field. And he purchases land. Well, the Babylonians has captured and they're tormenting their freedom, all of the God's people's freedom. It was not time to buy property because the property was inhabited by the enemy. And God told him to do it. And so the whole time he's in prison, he became a land owner. And when the Babylonians finally were seized and they were gone, it says that Jeremiah owned prime property. You can read this scripture and check it out for yourself. But in Jeremiah 32, while he was imprisoned and while they were under siege from the enemy, God caused him to absolutely prosper and own good property when the land was given back to God's people. And I think we're in a season right now where it could feel like the enemy's so loud and it's so scary to be an American. And we might have war and it's not time to go and reach the world because who knows what's going to happen in Russia or China or all of the movement of all the sexuality. It's just so dirty and gross. And it can feel like Babylonians are coming in and captivating in their louder voice, right? But I really sense that God's like, if you hear my voice, if you just fix your eyes on me and you steady your heart, you spend some time with me, you hear my voice, I will cause you to prosper in famine. I will cause you to be a land owner when everyone else loses land. And I just feel like it's a season we've got to hear the voice of God. And then we have to obey the peculiar leading of the Lord. And I've told you about how my grandpa, they didn't have a lot of money. He was a mechanic and he had become a Christian and God gave him a dream. And in the dream, he told him to invest in this weird company called Costco. And he did, nobody knew about it. I don't even get a gone public and he was researching what's Costco? There's no Google back in those days. My grandfather, he's in heaven now. But the Holy Spirit told him to put his retirement into a company called Costco. And because of it, he became debt free. And what a random thing. But now we all know what Costco is. And everyone wants to be on the ground level of investing. That was the Holy Spirit. And what is God wanting to give us mysteries and secrets to? But we cannot hesitate. We can't second guess we've got to be able to discern the voice of the Lord and not be afraid of what's going on in the world and realize this is a season while the world is uprising in like fear and trembling. This is the time for us to not hesitate when we hear the voice of the Lord. And Jeremiah would have missed it if he would have been well, okay, God, that's good. Out of prison, I'll do it. When I get out of prison and everything changes, the Babylonians leave, then he would have missed it. And I love that. And I think, like you said, that is don't wait for your circumstance, listen to God's voice. I wrote down the story of Abraham and Sarah where it could have seemed the wrong time like we missed it. And I think sometimes we're in situations where it's not necessarily we're young and we don't have a plan, we don't step out. Sometimes it's old. And then the enemy will try to tell us, you missed your moment. You missed the wave. You missed the opportunity. You missed it. And here is Sarah and Abraham, yet they still listen to God's voice. They had it by faith and they didn't have a spirit or an attitude of, well, we missed it. They had an attitude of God is still able. And we didn't miss it because he is able. And so then they birth Isaac at the, their old age and it brought them this great joy. And so I love that is like, don't let the enemy by hearing this start to go. Yeah, you should have invested in Costco. You should have done that. You should have moved when we had the chance or whatever. No, God is not done. And if you're still breathing, there's still a chance for you to begin to walk in his calling or his dreams and all of those things. And maybe some of those dreams have been on the shelf and you just didn't know. Well, let's start revisiting those and start going, OK, God, I'm ready for that. I'm going to believe for that. And I love what you said about taking this step. I think about Jesus when he heals the lepers. It says, go tell the rabbis. And as they obeyed that, that prodding, go show the rabbis that you don't have lepers. It says, as they went, they were healed. And so it wasn't the healing when Jesus touched them. It was the healing when they obeyed Jesus. Yeah. It's like you can be in these moments where God speaks to you. But the real true provision and miracle comes not when he gives you the dream, but when you act on the dream. When you go after that thing. And so maybe that's a good question for everyone today is what could you take a step towards that God has said to you? And I was just thinking that. So that's so good as we were wrapping up. You don't take a move from Seattle to Orlando and say, yes, to God. Because that's a major move. We left our family. We left our church. We left our friends. It's usually the small things that you're willing. You know, I remember that season. It would be like God would say-- You'll pray for that cat. You'll pray for that cat. Or go give that abacrombie in Fitch shirt to somebody. You know what I mean? So it's the little things. And so in that, if we are hearing from the Holy Spirit, and it's so true, it's not just hearing from the Holy Spirit, it's obeying. After you hear that-- After you hear that-- So many times you would be at a store pregnant. And you just bought brand new Doc Martins. And you were told to go give it to this other girl. And you just did that, which was a small thing compared to moving across the country. And so a lot of times, we don't take risks. We don't listen and obey, because we don't do it in the small things. And it could be a small thing. It's really good. Smile to that person in the register line. You know, it could be a small thing. For a kid of someone, yeah. All those things. And then they build up. So good, Israel. I love it. Well, do you want to? I like it when you pray, because you're so-- you're such a good prayer. But maybe just pray for people listening today, because I'm sure that tension is so strong. Yeah. Do it. Am I getting out of the God's will? Am I waiting for everything? But let's just pray for them. Yeah, and I just feel, even as we do, bow our heads to pray. I just sense that there's some of you. And the enemy has come and trying to make you feel like you were maybe-- that he was robbing from you, or maybe even tormenting your mind of what ifs, or maybe you've walked through some things where you did lose a lot of stuff. I've walked through that. And so I think that I understand when the enemy comes in and tries to make you hold on to what you have because you're afraid of loss again. But I just want to declare that God has his best in store for you, and he never leaves us a sufferer, a success. And I just want to encourage all of us that when we are trying to obey God, he sees our heart, and he will give us more than one chance. And if you feel like you've messed up what he asked you to do, start over. Go back to what he said and do it now. It's not too late. And so God, we just come before you right now. Thank you for this conversation. Lord, I look back on our life as the camels. And how many times you have been faithful to us? And Lord, how many times you've asked us to do something, and we didn't see what the future would hold. And there you were waiting for us to bless us. God, thank you for every time you did that. I pray for every person today, Lord, that you will lead them and guide them. Lord, speak to them. Lord, help them be people whose ears are attuned to your voice so they can hear you clearly and not only hear you, but obey what you say. Give them courage to obey. God, we thank you for it. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Love you guys. We love you. Share this with somebody. There could be somebody right now that is in that tension and not knowing what to do. This could really help them, of course, follow all the things the kids say, I don't know what it is like. Share whatever, but thank you for joining us.[MUSIC PLAYING][MUSIC PLAYING][MUSIC PLAYING][MUSIC PLAYING][MUSIC PLAYING](upbeat music)