Ever wondered how God communicates with us? Ever longed for the peace and joy that come from within, beyond fleeting happiness? Well, we've been on this journey ourselves, delving into God's words, and the interesting thing is, they often come at just the right time. Join us as we share our insights and discoveries about the nature of joy, love, and strength from a biblical perspective.
Love - it's not just a feeling, is it? It's more of a set of actions, anchored in God's will and His word. We have some interesting reflections on how the biblical concept of love contrasts to the worldly notion of love. We invite you to reflect on this difference and the role of trust in our lives. We also discuss the importance of giving thanks, in every situation, as a way to celebrate God's love.
Lastly, using the parable of the Brotsmaids, we discuss the importance of understanding God's word and being prepared for the day of judgment. We'll share how God's grace and mercy can transform our lives, and why persevering in the face of challenges is crucial. Always keep your heart and mind open, and do everything you do for the Lord. So, are you ready to embark on this spiritual journey with us? Tune in and let us explore the depth of God's word together.
Ever wondered how God communicates with us? Ever longed for the peace and joy that come from within, beyond fleeting happiness? Well, we've been on this journey ourselves, delving into God's words, and the interesting thing is, they often come at just the right time. Join us as we share our insights and discoveries about the nature of joy, love, and strength from a biblical perspective.
Love - it's not just a feeling, is it? It's more of a set of actions, anchored in God's will and His word. We have some interesting reflections on how the biblical concept of love contrasts to the worldly notion of love. We invite you to reflect on this difference and the role of trust in our lives. We also discuss the importance of giving thanks, in every situation, as a way to celebrate God's love.
Lastly, using the parable of the Brotsmaids, we discuss the importance of understanding God's word and being prepared for the day of judgment. We'll share how God's grace and mercy can transform our lives, and why persevering in the face of challenges is crucial. Always keep your heart and mind open, and do everything you do for the Lord. So, are you ready to embark on this spiritual journey with us? Tune in and let us explore the depth of God's word together.
I don't do the most, but I do a lot.
Speaker 2:I'ma make a toast, cause we still alive. No big, I feel like pop, I shoot a shot. I'm coming in.
Speaker 1:Hello, it is your girl, stephanie, and you are now listening to Inside Beauty Inspires, where we motivate, encourage and inspire through biblical principles. I have my sisters in here with me on today.
Speaker 3:Let's hear it? Hey, hey, hey, hey, it's me. Hey, in the beginning was the word, the word was God and God was the word. Amen, amen.
Speaker 2:And of course, it's your girl, goddess Ayyadi. I hope everybody is having a wonderful weekend.
Speaker 1:Amen, listen. So, guys, we have been on fire for God. You know he's been speaking to us in all kinds of ways. Just gotta give God some praise and tell him thank you for loving us back to life. You know, I'm always giving out these words of encouragement. Y'all know if Stephanie's around, beware. A word is near. And so I have given out these little clouds. They're so cute, aren't they? They just share your cloud with the people.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. First Thessalonians 518. Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Speaker 1:Amen, amen, anna, what you got.
Speaker 2:Peace I leave with you. My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 1427. And guess what? I got two. Yeah, that's right, I knew I needed it. So the second one comes from Psalms 1832. It is God who arms me with strength and keeps my way secure.
Speaker 1:So how does that make you feel that God is speaking to you and you know right? You know? Were those words there? Were they right on time? Words where there's something in that scripture that you needed.
Speaker 2:Definitely. As soon as I got them, I told you like, yeah, I knew it, because the path that I'm on right now, peace is a must. It's me learning to hold my peace yes, which, like you know, me and Deja, we had read about what is distractions? Anything that takes our peace from us. So therefore, I'm in the season where, you know, no matter what is thrown at me, no matter what I'm called or said, whether it's correct or not, I got to hold my peace. So that resonated. And then, of course, it's God who arms me with strength. It is that's who I look to for strength. I don't look for strength and happiness in any individual anymore. Amen.
Speaker 2:I used to think that happiness was something that somebody gave you by being in your life and I realized, no, joy is something that's already in you. This is something that's fleeting, like, oh, I'm happy to be at this party. You know it's a fleeting moment. Is happiness, but joy, that's something that is self, internally inside of you. And so, knowing that God gives me strength, I can't get strength from nobody else. I can get motivation, I can get inspiration I mean, you guys could pray for me to be there, but God is the one that gives me the strength to keep on moving in the spiritual world, and that's what it is about. You know, I'm not of the world. I see things differently. I know the troubles that I have, the things that come up against me, they're not worldly things, they're spiritual things, because I'm in a whole nother realm. Y'all Whole nother realm.
Speaker 2:So the strength comes from God. So, yeah, awesome, right on point as always.
Speaker 1:Amen, Amen, Deja. Talk to us about your word too, because it's important to give thanks in every situation.
Speaker 3:right, Like who else is doing that In everything, but it says that this is God's will for you. Amen In Christ Jesus. And so you know what. That being said, you have to understand that you know we're not going to always get it right, and in the event that you're not getting it right, then you can cause yourself a circumstance, right, I don't know, but in all things you are to give him thanks. Okay, because you should be winning or you should be learning. Okay, that's it. You're either winning or you're learning. Therefore, thank him. We're going to thank him in advance for the things that we are in expectancy for. It's called trusting God, amen. So, yes, god, thank you.
Speaker 1:Amen, amen. Well, here is my word, guys, and I need you guys to turn the radio up a little bit because I'm speaking to the nations. Okay, yeah, if I had to call them out, because you know what.
Speaker 1:I'm going to tell you why. I'm going to tell you why Because people think love is a feeling. They think love is something that is not, and the Bible tells us what love is. When you get into the word of God, you find out what true love is. So listen in people. Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud, it does not dishonor others and it is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It keeps no records of wrongs. 1 Corinthians 13, verses 4 and 5.
Speaker 1:We have got to understand God's love and this world's love is two different types of love. And here's what I'm learning y'all because we've been in the Old Testament. We've been reading about David and Bathsheba and God having mercy and repenting. But what I'm learning is that the type of love that God has. He loves us all, he loves his children. But there's another side to God. It's like the lion and the lamb, and we're actually learning more about his spirit, who he is and really and truthfully, he is patient with his children, he is kind to his children. But see, we've been corrupt. This world is full of darkness and you've got to pick a side. Which side are you going to pick? Because at the end of the day, there's light and there's dark, and what I'm learning y'all is that if it's in its will, it's going to be, but if it's not, it won't. There's no other way. You can't skate your way through this thing called life and you can't skate your way through this thing called this word. You really have to get in it, study it, ask God to give you answers, whatever you need.
Speaker 1:Jeremiah 33 says call to me and I will answer you and I will tell you unsurachable things that you do not know. That's not for us to think. Let me call Anna and see what she says, or let me call Dagen and see what she says. No, I'm going to call out to God and God will then talk to them and have them reach out to me. It just happened. It just happened, y'all. I just watched God do this. And so when we put our trust in him and you align yourself with his will and his way, you're going to see things totally different. But you must lead with love, and we know the definition of love is patient. So be patient with one another, be kind to one another, because this is truly the will of God. Amen.
Speaker 3:Amen, I wanted to go. I was not going to say go ahead, but yeah, because when I think about love, you know I and what the Bible says, because the first thing it says is love is patient. You know you would have thought, well, love is going to give you everything that you need, or love is going to always make you feel like this, or love is going to be it's so opposite than what God tells you love is. So I would just say, be mindful that every time you think of love, the first thing you should think of is that it's patient. Amen, okay, because God is patient with his children. We most certainly don't always get it right, girl, okay, we don't get it right y'all. And guess what? God still loves us. Yes, he does, and love is people.
Speaker 3:One thing that my teachers taught me I'm talking about in this week. You know, I know you probably taught me before, but in this week a takeaway is if I love myself and I love my neighbors the same way that I love myself, boom, I don't fulfill the law.
Speaker 1:Girl that's it, hey, listen, hey, hey, give them some praises, because you know what People don't realize that. They don't realize that and a lot of people are walking blindly because they don't love themselves. What does loving yourself look like, anna? Because I've been watching you love yourself and I've been watching you love other people as you love yourself, and does it not hit different? It does.
Speaker 2:Like I said, I grew up watching soap operas, so my ideal, which one, which one? Oh my God, the Young and the Red Liz Young and the. Red Liz. I was laid. I was raised with white people. We watched. I liked to live all my children in general hospital but I was turned on to y'all's stories and she called them. We called them soap operas, y'all called them stories.
Speaker 3:It's the same thing, same thing, stories, soap operas Is that not funny? Because even when you say the same thing, what just had dropped on me is you know, the world has a way of saying things and they've taken it out of context, out of the Bible. Like, one of the things that you said to us earlier is karma. You know the world will say karma, but what the word teaches us is you reap and you sow. I mean, it's the same thing. You know, hey, whatever you put out, you're going to get back. Y'all will call it the law of attraction. What the word says sow a man, think it, sow a man, be it. So I mean, we just take things right out of the Bible and we make it the world's way.
Speaker 1:Girl, we take everything out of the Bible and we make it the world's way. I mean, if you think about it, then this is for those who are actually reading the word. You're going to know exactly what I'm talking about because you're listening to that second hand information. It won't, it will only get you so far. Talk about it on that, because I really want to know what are you feeling and what do you see, since you've been on this journey that you're on now.
Speaker 2:Well, first of all, I also do want to piggyback off. You said about second hand information. I have learned so much about myself as far as, oh well, this person said or this, you know nothing bad. I'm saying just like I might give out a fact, and one of my friends is very strict about let me Google that, because I've never heard that before and I'm just like and so it's making me think before I speak like maybe I need to do further research. Just because somebody said it doesn't mean it accurate and the world really will take one thing and run with it.
Speaker 2:Girl, and before you know it, you're running around telling things that is not even true, not knowing because you don't check and see for yourself. There's nothing wrong with you know, fact checking and stuff and actually doing your research. But as far as self love, like I said, I grew up watching soap operas so I thought love was, you know, lots of picnics and love letters and you know just all the time being just in love. But I realized that, man, love is first of all you do have to love yourself. You have to love yourself. You cannot give what you do not possess, that's it.
Speaker 2:You cannot and I would have problems in my relationships because there was things that needed to be taken care of inside of me. I was not loving myself correctly, I did not have standards for myself, to which God His standards. There's a difference between the world standards and God's standards. Talk about it.
Speaker 2:And I started you know, having to check myself and it's so crazy. But, Deja, I was telling your son, just do unto others as you would have them do unto you. And I told him. I said sounds like a cliche, sounds so easy, easier said than done.
Speaker 2:When you are loving people, have you ever wanted people to give you second chances, wanted people to overlook things? But you're not willing to overlook. As crazy as you are, you're not willing to forgive, you're not willing to let things slide. I have learned in the last four years like, whatever I ask of the people that I love, I need to be doing too. You can't go out there and ask for a king but not present yourself as a queen, my God. You cannot expect someone to be a good friend to you, but you're not even a good friend. I am learning that love is forgiveness, y'all. Love is forgiving over and over and over, and it really is just doing unto others, loving your neighbors as you love yourself. When you love yourself the right, correct way, it is so much easier to love other people. Because you give yourself grace, you'll give them grace. Amen, amen. You're patient with yourself, you'll be patient with them.
Speaker 2:Let's be honest. Talk about it. You don't want people to hold you to your past, but you're holding somebody else to their past. That's craziness and I was guilty of it. I mean, I'm gonna be honest, I wanted to be treated a certain way, but I was not giving that same to other people and that's why I wasn't getting the same in return. I had to actually have someone put a mirror in front of me and let me know. You're asking for all of this, but what are you giving? What are you doing? Do you want this from me? But you're not even willing to give it. That set me down, and I mean, I'm not a perfect lover yet, but I am learning to love people. The more that I love myself, the deeper and greater my love gets for others.
Speaker 1:Amen, amen. That's such a real thing and it's so raw and real because love conquers all evil and it covers a multitude of sin. And you know even the love of Christ. He sent his only forgotten son in this world and said whosoever believes in him, you know, shall have everlasting life. He loves us so much, he loved the world so much, but though he even comes to his people, and his people reject him. So you know, that love factor is the very thing that's gonna keep us continuing to show it. It's the love, it's the gift that keeps giving right.
Speaker 1:When we love one another, it's like a ripple and triple it's effect. Everybody's gonna be affected by it, because it's like, it's a feeling, not just a feeling, but it's like, like you said, patience, kindness, those things that really truly matter. And even when you look at Jesus' characteristics, when you look at Jesus and who he was and who he is and what he carries, those are all the fruit of the spirit. That's who he embodies love. So if we're sitting here for proclaiming to love God and love this and love the world, but we can't even love our neighbors that's Houston we have a problem. We have a problem that's not of God. Talk about it, deja.
Speaker 3:Well, my word of encouragement to slide in on you guys. In the 10th chapter of Mark, we were told about two brothers, james and John, who came to Jesus and wanted him to do them a favor. They said to him grant us that we may sit one on your right hand and the other on your left in your glory. When the other disciples heard this, they became angry. How dare they make such a request? Who do they think they are?
Speaker 3:Jesus used this opportunity to teach them and teach us a very important principle of the kingdom of God Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant. For even the Son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom. For many, servitude is the launching pad to greatness. If God can't trust you to serve faithfully, then he can't trust you to go forth and do greater things in his kingdom with his anointing and glory. We are simply instruments. At our best, we are servants of the Most High God, who he uses us for his glory.
Speaker 3:We were born and called to serve, yet serving in the church seems to be a lost art for many people. In churches, the word serve means to assist, help, give, support, relieve, encourage and uphold. So when I think about loving and when I think about God's purpose and I think about my servitude and I think about who I am, I would not know any of this if I wasn't in my word. So my word of encouragement to you today is to get in your word. Then you will know who you are, whose you are and what you've been called to do, cause I can tell you all day long what you need to hear from your father Go find you a Bible. Okay, they sell them for $1.25 at the Dollar Tree. If you need a Bible, go get one. Get you the red letter, so when you're reading in red, you can see what our brother Jesus has to say Okay, I love you. There's nothing you can do about it, amen amen.
Speaker 1:What a beautiful way to enter into what we're gonna talk about. Because you know, when you said the kingdom of God is like, I was like. You know what that's it. We're going to the parable of the Brotsmaids. You know why? Because we gotta understand what you mean when you say get a Bible. That's getting the word, the lamp, the light, the oil. Let's talk about it here. It says that we're in Matthew 25, and we talked about this on the prayer call, and I'm gonna read a little bit of the scripture to you guys. It says All the Brotsmaids got up and prepared their lamps.
Speaker 1:Then the five foolish ones asked the others please give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out. But the others replied we don't have enough for all of us. Go to the shop and buy some for yourselves. But while they were gone to buy oil, the bridegroom came. Then those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast and the door was locked. Later, when the other five Brotsmaids returned, they stood outside calling Lord, open the door for us. But he called back.
Speaker 1:Believe me, I don't know you. So you too must keep watch, for you do not know the day or the hour of my return. Listen, I had to speak on this because when they just said, get into your word, that's the most important message that we can give you guys Going forward get into your word. We don't know the day nor the hour when God is coming. Jesus is coming back. We don't know when he's returning, but you know what? We can tell that he's coming soon. We can tell that he's near. We look at the wars, we look at our lives, we look at what's going on in this world and that's evident. When you get into the word of God, you're going to see that it's evidence that he's coming back soon. So he wants you to have your lamps full of oil.
Speaker 1:But if you are not getting into your word, then you don't have any oil and then if you think you're gonna come over here to Honest say, hey, anna, let me get some of your oil. She gonna tell you what.
Speaker 3:No oh what would.
Speaker 2:I say, when I'm talking about never mind.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, and that's, and that's. That's funny to me, though, because that means that we all have Accountability. You can't, I can't answer for you, you can't answer for me. We all got to go before judgment, right? So when we go before judgment that's the next parable. He talks about the three servants. He gave them all something. We there's no, there's no excuse for us to be out here, be an implying this when God has the word. Right there, you're looking at the messengers, wondering why. Well, who do they think they are?
Speaker 3:That's what they look at, the messengers. They think, they think they, and I'm gonna you think you better than me because you're reading your word. Oh, I love us too and I trust God and did it, did it, did it.
Speaker 1:Well, you ain't really reading your word. Well, you get up at six o'clock in the morning and it don't take all of that. Oh, oh, I'm gonna do that.
Speaker 3:Oh, my god, I ain't got time right. What you need to do, they should. You need to get off of that prayer call. Okay, need to start.
Speaker 1:Oh, and that's the thing and you know and the reason why. It's funny now that we think about it, but it's real. We're in this word each and every single day. Those who first, those who hunger you don't think that's hunger, you don't think that's first. We hunger for his word. So he's not going to put those to shame who trust in him. If we're getting up 360 days, come on, let's talk about it. He's fighting our battles. We watch God do this for all of us. We watch God do this for everybody else.
Speaker 1:But we can get out of alignment. How do we get out of alignment? By playing with the guy. We're playing with him. You can't play with God. You can't. He's gonna call you out. He's gonna say, hey, all right, come on, let me. How? Let you for a minute? And he's going to correct, does he not? Buddy? Does it gentle? Right? He's a gentle corrector. He loves his children to you know he loves us back to life. So you know it's our due diligence to get in the word so that we can't equip those who don't know the word to point them in the direction. To get in the word so they know what the says the Lord my God.
Speaker 3:God is always on my tongue and I mean I know I'm going all the way left right now, but For some of you guys who really know me, then you know that you know property, real estate that's kind of my thing. Shout out, sharika. But you know, as God is beefing me up with my knowledge and you know where he just recently sent me Lord, I'm in a neighborhood where I feel like God is obsolete. Not that he's not there, but when you see the activity come on like I'm literally on my way over here. There was a fight, there was a stabbing, I mean, and there was a stabbing over cash out and it's In my mind I'm going okay, wait a minute, god what? But then this old card that you gave me jumped out when I got here and just shout out to my new family Capricia, maya, I love you, I hope you're having a wonderful Saturday.
Speaker 3:But James 112, to you guys and to the listeners blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. You can't just love God and think that you're gonna keep on pimping him out. I'm just gonna kill all that. Right now, you're dead, okay, cause how can you be a lover of God but you're not loving him the same way that he loves you? Okay, he does say that love is patient, and he does say that it's kind and I don't have the rest of the scripture right here in front of me but the first thing he says is patience. Okay, do you have enough patience to sit down and get into your word? Cause you got patience for everything else, but you don't have patience to read your word. Oh, I don't have time for that. Oh, I can't, I can't. You're gonna keep finding an excuse not to pick that Bible up and read it, when you could be out here going off of misinformed information, cause I know for me, when they were telling me that, hey, jesus is not real and this and I was like you know what? You're right, he's not real, never seen him, never met him, they're liars, and that was it and that was all, and I just ran with it.
Speaker 3:When I say ran with it, I spread it that you listening to Jesus, they're lying to you. Honey, don't do that. You need to wake up. You need to figure out who you are. God forgive me. Thank God, his mercy and His grace is sufficient. Because of Christ Jesus I now know who I am and I walk around with a word of encouragement I look for a God opportunity.
Speaker 3:Even the young man who got stabbed earlier, please, you know, cause in my mind you've gotten hurt really bad, but you're probably in some type of trouble. That's the only way you're running from help Because you know if you go to the hospital and you have a warrant, then you know you're going to jail after that. But if you stay out here running from your help, from getting healed, then you can die out here. Same thing with the word y'all please don't get caught out here without your oil, okay, cause you might find the honor who might try to pour you a little bit, but then you might run up on somebody like me and stuff and say, uh, you should already have your oil, cause I'm gonna need all this.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying, and that was what I look. Listeners, they didn't catch me off guard. I really am a serving person, and, being who I am, I would have probably tried to be like let me give you some of my oil. But as I was sitting here thinking to myself, why, though? Why would we not want to be prepared? This is like when we used to be in school back in the day and we knew there was testing day, but some of us there was always that person in the classroom that would bank off of. Oh, the teacher's going to cancel it. Oh, I'm going to be able to cheat off of this person. You know why? Put yourself through that. Just be prepared.
Speaker 2:I mean, even when we come into the studio, I used to have to prepare and study before I come in here. I am in the word, so much that now, when I come in here, we do not speak about what we're going to speak about. We literally come in and let the Holy ghost fill this room. Amen. And we speak. And why? Because all three of us are in the word, so we're in alignment. Yes, stephanie can say anything and one of us can answer it because we're in the word, and that's why it's so important to always be prepared with your oil.
Speaker 3:But this is my question. Yeah, because I'm going to make sure that y'all understand that. See, because when them trumpets sound, my God, you ain't going to have time. She ain't even going to, even she want to give you some oil. She ain't going to have time to pour. It's already done. Ok, we already here. So what you going to do? What you going to do then?
Speaker 1:Don't get caught without your wedding clothes on.
Speaker 3:I mean, let's just keep it a.
Speaker 1:G. I mean, you know we're getting it, we're going to get in it, let's get in it. Go to Matthew 22, because he gave another parable. Ok, and this is the other parable he gave, and I just want to leave you guys with this and I just want you guys to get this in your spirit, ok, it says Jesus also told them another parable.
Speaker 1:The kingdom of heaven can be illustrated by the story of a king who prepared a great wedding feast for his son. Who is this son? Y'all we already know Jesus. Ok, when the banquet was ready, he sent his servants to notify those who were invited, but they all refused to come. So he sent other servants to tell them the feast has been prepared, the bulls and fattened cattle have been killed and everything is ready. Come to this banquet.
Speaker 1:But the guests he had invited ignored them and went their own way, one to this farm, another to his business, other seized his messengers and insulted them and killed them. The king was furious, god was furious and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town. And he said to his servants the wedding feast is ready and the guests I invited are worthy of the honor. Now go out into the street corners and invite everyone, you see. So the servant brought in everyone they could find, good and bad alike, and the banquet hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guest, he noticed a man who wasn't wearing the proper clothing for a wedding.
Speaker 1:I want to pause right there because I need y'all to understand what the word of God does. It's written in red. Jesus said it, ok, but I want y'all to understand what he's saying. How did you get in here without your wedding clothes on? Did you not stick out like a sore thumb? Did you not show up unprepared? Am I looking at this? Oh no, so this is what he says, friend. He called them friend. How is it that you aren't here without wedding clothes? But the man had no reply. Then the king said to his aides bind his hands and feet and throw him into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for many are called, but few are chosen. It's a real thing. Stop playing with God, man, because he's going to see it.
Speaker 3:He used people Because you're putting on your church clothes and because you're going to church and because you're reading your Bible, but you're mean and you're nasty and it shows, so don't be out there without your wedding clothes on. We're getting ready to close out and I did just want to give you a word of encouragement, because there's somebody that's stuck on the side of the road right now and you have a flat tire, but you're listening to rejoice. Okay, and maybe that's not your circumstance, but God has you being still for this moment, right here. Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always try just one more time. Okay, don't give up. God has you still for a moment. I want you guys to have a good day. I absolutely love you and there's nothing that you can do about it.
Speaker 2:And just remember listeners. Once again, we want to say that love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, does not boast, it is not proud, it does not dishonor others, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongdoing. Stay ready so you don't have to get ready.
Speaker 1:That's it right there. Stay ready, so you have to get ready. Okay, listen, I got one more word. Y'all is Colossians 3, 23. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord and not for me. You guys have an amazing week on purpose. Be blessed, peace.