Episode 176: Something Feels Off... (Neh. 12:44-13:3)

We talk about why life can feel slightly off when our hearts drift out of alignment with God, even if nothing looks “wrong” on the outside. We walk through Nehemiah and Psalm 37 to show how surrender and boundaries help the Holy Spirit realign our desires so our lives feel whole again.  

• the tire alignment story as a picture of spiritual drift over time  
• Nehemiah 12 and why joyful giving reveals heart alignment  
• alignment showing up in what we are willing to surrender  
• Nehemiah 13 and the protective purpose of boundaries  
• removing influences that quietly pull us away from God  
• asking where life feels off right now and listening to conviction  
• Psalm 37:4 and how delight in the Lord reshapes desire  
• taking one small step back toward alignment instead of trying to fix everything at once  

If you know someone who is feeling a little off in life, I encourage you to share these words from Nehemiah and Psalm 37 today.  

A Christian podcast centered on Jesus, the Bible, and God explores religion through the Old Testament and New Testament, sharing Bible stories and Bible explained insights to help women of faith and Jesus followers grow in faith, strengthen their relationship with God, and know God more deeply through Bible study, women Bible study, and practical Christianity, all while encouraging spiritual growth, understanding identity in Christ, and learning to understand Bible teachings to become closer to God..

To find out more about me, or to book a speaking engagement, head to
https://betsymarvin.com/

For access to past podcasts and transcripts, head to
https://betsymarvin.com/podcasts/

You can follow me on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/betsyjmarvin/
and Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/betsy.marvin.98

Transcript

When Life Feels Off

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Have you ever had something feel just slightly off in your life, but you couldn't explain why? It's not wrong enough to panic, it's just off enough to notice. Well, that's exactly what misalignment feels like, and the truth is, spiritually, it works the same way. Hi friends, I'm Betsy, and I want to welcome you to Moments to Ponder. If you're interested in learning more from the Bible but sometimes struggle to know how it connects to you, you've come to the right place. This podcast is designed to help those that struggle with shame, belonging, and the feelings of not being enough to finally understand how to apply the Bible into your everyday life so you can live confidently with Jesus in your home, work, and relationships. In this episode, we're talking about what it looks like to come back into alignment with God because when something feels off in your life, there's usually a reason. We'll look at how alignment shows up in what we're willing to surrender and the importance of removing the influences that quietly pull us away from God, even when it's hard. Ultimately, we'll see that alignment isn't about striving for perfection, it's about responding to God's invitation to realign your heart with His, allowing Him to reshape your desires so your life leads you closer to Him, not further away. Welcome. This is episode 176. He asked how long it had been happening, and I realized probably longer than I wanted to admit. And he simply said, it's the alignment. Apparently, when your tires are even off a little, it affects everything. And if you ignore it long enough, it can cause real damage. And honestly, that's such a picture of our spiritual lives. Because when we're just a little out of alignment with God, it doesn't always feel like a big deal at first. But over time, it creates separation. One small compromise turns into another, and before you know it, life just feels off. But you can't explain why. And just to be clear, God isn't the one who's moved. In Nehemiah 12, the people are celebrating and recommitting their lives to God when he pauses to address something practical, but really important: alignment in their giving and alignment in their boundaries. We begin in chapter 12, verse 44. On that day men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms for the offerings, the first part of the harvest, and the tithes. They were responsible to collect from the fields outside the towns the portions required by the law for the priests and Levites. For all the people of Judah took joy in the priests and the Levites and their work. They performed the service of their God and the service of purification as commanded by David and his son Solomon, and so did the singers and the gatekeepers. The custom of having choir directors to lead the choirs in hymns of praise and thanksgiving to God began long ago in the days of David and Asaph. So now, in the days of Zerubabel and of Nehemiah, all Israel brought a daily supply of food for the singers, the gatekeepers, and the Levites. The Levites in turn gave a portion of what they received to the priests, the descendants of Aaron. Basically, this is all about making sure that the people who served in the temple were taken care of and that the people gave in order to support them. But let's be honest, giving to the church is one of those topics that people don't love to talk about. But what stood out to me here is this the people weren't giving out of pressure or guilt. They were giving out of joy. And that reveals where their hearts are. But it wasn't about the money or the crops. For the people here, it's about alignment. Alignment with God shows up in what we're willing to release. It's not just saying what you believe, it's actually in some ways putting your money where your mouth is. We continue in chapter 13. On that same day, so we're still in the same day of celebration, as the book of Moses was being read to the people, the passage was found that said, No Ammonite or Moabite should ever be permitted to enter the assembly of God, for they had not provided the Israelites with food and water in the wilderness. Instead, they hired Balaam to curse them, though our God turned the curse into a blessing. When this passage of the law was read, all those of foreign descent were immediately excluded from the assembly. Separation from those who didn't follow God, like immediately excluded. And it sounds harsh until you understand the heart behind it. This wasn't about exclusion just for the sake of it, it's about protection. There were influences around the people, idol worshipers, and they were pulling God's people away from him, not toward him. Sometimes alignment with God is shown in what you remove. It's having the courage to remove what's quietly pulling you off course or even loudly pulling you away. There are some things that just need to be separated from us. In the time of Moses to this time with Nehemiah, to us today, God seeks alignment in what we surrender to Him and alignment with what we remove from our lives. The question was: were they willing to surrender everything to God, including their finances? And were they willing to remove ungodly influences, even if it meant separating from certain people? And we can see from this passage that the answer is yes. But we need to ask ourselves this same question. Not everything belongs in our lives just because it's normal in the world around us. In fact, as Jesus followers, we're called to be in the world but not of it. Where following Jesus is concerned, there's no middle road. You're either for him or against him. Which sounds like a line in the sand. And it is. Because when we live in the wishy-washy, life feels off. I think you can see the application. If your life has felt a little off lately, it's probably due to alignment. So take a minute. Where do things feel off right now? Is there something you're holding on to instead of surrendering it to the Lord? Or is there something you're allowing in your life that's quietly pulling your heart away from Him? When your life feels off, the Holy Spirit is telling you something. And he's not telling you to just try harder. He's talking to you about realigning your heart with God and what you surrender to him and what you allow into your life. So, how do we actually do that, this realigning part? Well, we find the answer in Psalm 37, 4, which says, take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. This verse doesn't mean that He's just going to give us everything we want. It means He begins to change what we want when we take delight in Him. He aligns our hearts with His. Or let's realign this. Or this doesn't belong here anymore. Whether it's what you're holding on to or what you're letting in, alignment always leads back to surrender. Dear one, God doesn't ask you for alignment to control you. He invites it to protect you, to study you, to lead you back into a life that actually feels whole again. I can remember the day God nudged my heart to realign with him in what I was reading. I love to read all kinds of books, and especially historical romance. But honestly, romance books can get, well, pretty sexual in areas. And I knew that this was something I needed to remove. So I surrendered them. It's still tempting to read some of those bestsellers that push the lines, but I know that in order to stay aligned with God, I need to keep these kinds of books removed from me. But this is an area for me. It might not be the same for you. The point is this where is God calling you to alignment? So today, don't try to fix everything in your life in one moment. Ask yourself a question: Where is one place I need to realign my life with God's desires for me? Ask Him. And then take action. Take one small step back toward alignment with Him. He's there to help you every step of the way. And it's amazing how He aligns us so that we can take delight in the Lord and discover that He knows the deepest desires of our heart. You are so loved, and He wants to help you walk with Him well. If you know someone who is feeling a little off in life, I encourage you to share these words from Nehemiah and Psalm 37 today. We all need help as we walk with Jesus. Thank you for spending your valuable time with me. I pray your heart is reminded and encouraged. I'll be back next Tuesday. Amen.