Sips from the Fountain
Learning to drink from Jesus, the Fountain of Living Water, isn’t as hard as I thought, especially when you just start with sips, and those will change everything.
Sips from the Fountain
Revisiting “Life Wasn’t Supposed to be Like This”
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We’ve had some really incredible stories in our current series, but did you hear the episode that launched it? I know we’re deep in, so I thought it may be worth a re-listen, or if you haven’t heard it yet, worth a listen!
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Speaker 1Do you ever feel like life can get too complicated and maybe even overwhelming ? Yeah , me too , and it's okay . My name's Martha Gannot , and in this podcast we're going to talk about life , love , faith , family , relationships , all kinds of things , and we're going to drink from what God wants to pour into us , one small sip at a time , because when it's the fountain of living water , small sips make all the difference . Sometimes it'll be just you and me , sometimes we'll have a friend join us . If we could have lunch together today , this is what I'd want to talk about . Hey , hey , hey everybody . I'm so excited to be kicking off a new series today . We're going to be having some amazing guests . We're going to hear some incredible stories , all centered around the idea of finding victory when life has turned out really differently than we expected , and by that I mean in a profoundly disappointing and painful way . You know we all have different challenges and different stories , and my hope is that during this series you'll hear at least one story that you can resonate with and have an increased measure of victory in your own life . So first of all , I just want to kind of frame the series I think we all pretty much get . The life wasn't supposed to be this way . Part if we've lived a few years , I guess , but the victim to victor part . That may be an idea that we're not as familiar with . So let's start with the story . Recently , my sister and I were on the way to our version of a spa , a plant outlet . Now I realize the chances are good that you didn't even know that was a thing , but it is and it's amazing . And I know I sound really weird right now you can go ahead and laugh , but you know you have your thing , we have our thing , everybody has their things , and this is ours , which shout out to the growers outlet in Loganville , georgia . If you love plants and you're local , you gotta go . Anyway , we do love plants and we had squeezed in a space into really busy lives to treat ourselves and we were excited Right before we arrived at the plant outlet spa . Oh , that's a , that's even a newer term . A plant outlet spa . Oh , that's an . That's even a newer term . A plant outlet spa .
Speaker 1One of my tires started going flat dangerously quickly . Now , moments like these , this is where I started having to do some serious mental and spiritual battle , and I'll explain why . See , I'm single the last number of years of my four children's lives . I was a single mom , and so this particular battle wasn't new to me . The lies started coming , and they started coming fast .
Speaker 1Now I know that there are lies that the enemy regularly whispers into your ear too , but my particular ones go something like this Look see , you're all alone . There's no one to help you . If you'd figured out your mess , you probably wouldn't be in this situation right now . What are you going to do ? You think you can change a tire , but can you ? This is too big for you . This is overwhelming . This was supposed to be a super fun day , and look at it now . Plus , you're ruining your sister's day too , and it went on from there . You can just imagine .
Speaker 1I have to be honest . It's been a long , hard journey for me to get to the place where I know what to do in this battle . This journey has taken me from being a slave to God in my own mind to realizing that I'm his daughter and that he doesn't just take care of me , but he loves doing it . That he doesn't just show up when I've been good , loves doing it . That he doesn't just show up when I've been good . He shows up all the time , because how he treats me is based on what he's done , not on what I've done and on who he is , not on who I am . It's been difficult and it's often been ugly too , because I've had to acknowledge that I do a really terrible job of being God in my own life and I've had to lay so much down . But you guys , that is when I started seeing him show up time and time again as my provider and my protector and my deliverer and my rescuer and my healer which just a little note to the side here I think often , because we live in a microwave , instant gratification culture , we can be tempted to think that because we have a struggle and it's not instantly resolved or fixed or healed , that we're doomed .
Speaker 1Or we may think that when we take one step forward and two steps back , even over and over again , that that means that we'll never experience victory . Well , I am here to tell you , to say out loud to you this is normal . This is actually the normal human condition . You're not doomed , you're going to make it . This is regular life . Keep going , keep growing , dig in , don't give up . Reach out for help . Don't let yourself get isolated . Don't believe the lies . You are not alone . This is how it is for all of us . It's normal , and there's victory . But to have victory , you're going to have to make a choice and you're going to have to learn how to make those choices as a practice of your life . Anyway , okay , back to our story .
Speaker 1So , when my tires started going flat really quickly , dangerously , on the road , instead of pitching an internal temper tantrum which , wherever you are , unless you're driving , raise your hand if you know what I mean an internal temper tantrum where you look like you're all cool as a cucumber on the outside , but inside you're pitching a fit right . Well , that had been my normal . But instead of doing that , and instead of melting under the lies that were coming at me , instead of giving into fear which is really just faith in the enemy's plan for me in my life , which is really just faith in the enemy's plan for me in my life my internal response was a new one that had come after years of letting the Lord do heart surgery . Basically , I call it the hmm , and I've decided that's actually a place all on its own , it's a state , a condition , hmm . So , as the tire completely emptied of air air , we rolled into the gas station next to the plant outlet spa we could literally see it from the parking lot and then commenced a couple of hours of failed attempts at getting the problem fixed . First , the air pump at the gas station didn't work , and then my portable pump , which I so responsibly had in the trunk . It wasn't strong enough either .
Speaker 1As nothing seemed to be working , a very nice man pulled up and , seeing our situation , offered to help Bless him . It was one thing after another for him too , and he probably ended up spending gosh . It was probably a couple of hours before the whole incident was over . During all that time , though , as he was trying to fix the problem and find a solution , he started sharing with us , and eventually he poured out his recent , very difficult and tragic life story . When that started , my sister and I made eye contact , and both of our eyes lit up . You see , we could tell that we were both in the hmm , and we knew that we were both thinking the same thing oh , okay , god's moving here . This man is why we're actually here today . This man is why we're not going to the plant outlet spa , not today . This man is why God detoured our plans for our lives today . Okay , lord , what are you doing ?
Speaker 1And we started asking the man deeper questions , looking for where God was working . When the kind man shared that one particularly tragic event had happened literally one year before to the day we got it both of us it clicked . We immediately began to pour words of life over him . We let him know that we had seen people radically healed mind , body , heart and spirit and that his best days were ahead of him , that his past did not have to define his future and that there was healing available for him , that God has a purpose and a plan for him , and that it was no mistake that he had met us that day , we who had seen and experienced so much healing . He was open to it , he was willing to receive what we were saying and we connected him to another man , a friend of ours , who knows and walks with the Lord . It was amazing , and he felt it too . We all three knew that we watched God work a miracle that day Now for us , for me and my sister . It costs us our plans , our plants , our time together and me a new set of tires , and you know what . We both would have given so much more to be a part of watching God offer rescue to a broken man in deep pain . It was awesome .
Speaker 1Now , that was just one morning's responses , but I'm here to tell you I did really badly for many years and it took the Lord . What I feel like had to be longer than normal . Is there a normal when it comes to these things ? I don't know , but I feel like , if there is normal , I took longer than normal to allow the Lord to write this on my heart . When I became a single mom , this attack from the enemy got really intense . I know that his design for my life was to get me to decide that I was a victim , that I would always be a victim , that the world and a big old list of people , including God , owed me better , and to consume all of my energy in that angsty swirl , hopefully for the rest of my life , with the goal of shutting down the destiny that my father has for me as a daughter of the king .
Speaker 1It started in places that you'd never think were a big deal or were all that momentous in time , places like the back room of the garage when the water heater went out . Now , if you're a guy listening to this , you're like what's the big deal , but something like that is kind of the chick's equivalent of handing you a photo of a gourmet meal and telling you to go make it happen on your own . So it's not surprising then , hopefully , that I felt overwhelmed and capable of handling the situation . And in my mind , the worst quickly became the most likely and the lies started coming that I was alone , that I couldn't afford what was happening with this water heater , and what if the HVAC broke ? And what if the roof started leaking ? How was I going to afford that ? And what about the cars and the kids and their college and their weddings , which they were nowhere close to their college and weddings ?
Speaker 1I just felt so alone , even though I knew in my mind that that was a lie . It seemed like there was no one to help and there was no way out . But I took the first step and I actually ended up getting the issue resolved . It turns out there were people who were willing to help and there was enough money . But then came the biggest choice . You'd think it would be easy by that point Problem solved right , move on forward . But that is not how our enemy works . I could almost hear the whispers out loud yeah , this problem ended up working out okay , but what about all of the possibilities of the things that could go wrong ? When those things like this happen , you'll still be all alone , with no one to help and no one to handle crises and difficult things in your life .
Speaker 1The lies , fear is a strong pull . It almost feels like , if we don't let all the terrible possibilities roll over us , that we're not being responsible about them , that we're not preparing for them with an adequately panicked response or should we say pre-response because they haven't happened . They haven't actually happened but I could also feel the voice and hear the voice of the Father over those frenzied thoughts . I've got you . I'm your helper , your provider , your rescuer . You're still going to be living on a broken planet , but I'll be with you every step of the way . I bring solution and I'm watching your life down to the smallest detail . Don't miss the solutions just because they're not the exact ones that you wanted . You're my precious daughter and I love being a good father to you . You can trust me , even in the hard places . This is what I do and who I am .
Speaker 1So here's my question for us , for you what stories does the enemy whisper in your ear to get you to believe the lie , the one that says you're alone and you need to be your own God . It's the original whisper he poured like poison into Eve's ear in the garden . You're on your own . If it's going to be , it's up to you . It's the lie that says you're not completely provided for , cared for , protected and healed and that your father is defined by your circumstances , not who he says he is or who he actually is . It's the lie that says he is not enough and that you should scoot him off the throne of your life and take it from here .
Speaker 1Now let me say this this is not me , nor am I trying at all to imply that hard things aren't going to come . Hear what I'm saying , not what I'm not saying . It means that he's always there and that when I do get broken by this life , even crushed , he's there to take me from being broken into healing and into healthy and into whole . Over and over again , I heard a friend of mine say recently when you give every part of yourself to God , he takes full responsibility for your life . I've been struggling with something that got knocked loose when she said that , with trying to figure out all the pieces instead of getting quiet , laying it all before him one area at a time , and saying what do you want me to know about this , what do you have to say to me about this and what do you want me to do ? Which we call that the Jamie Winship around here , and if you haven't listened to Jamie Winship yet , you gotta go listen to him . Winship around here , and if you haven't listened to Jamie Winship yet , you gotta go listen to him .
Speaker 1My friend was talking about what we find in Proverbs 3 , 5 , and 6 , and I love it . In the Passion Translation it says this trust in the Lord completely and do not rely on your own opinions . With all your heart , rely on him to guide you and he will lead you in every decision that you make . Become intimate with him in whatever you do and he will lead you wherever you go . He's just waiting for us to see him in the room and just to be transparent y'all . There are times that I have literally almost shouted that scripture over and over until it began to sink into my heart and my spirit calmed and I began believing again that God is who he says he is , instead of who my circumstances and who the enemy were saying that he is Because when that shift happens , everything changes .
Speaker 1With a challenging situation , our questions change from what about me ? Why me ? This is hard and miserable and I'm not happy , and where is God to fix this . Instead , we ask questions like okay , god , I know you've got me and I trust you . Now show me what you're doing , what's going on and what do you want me to know ? Where are you working and what part do you want me to play ? Let's go , give me ears to hear and eyes to see what you're doing and the courage to walk in that instead of my own self-protection and fear .
Speaker 1Sometimes you'll say that with even excitement , during a minor inconvenience like a flat tire , and sometimes you'll say it through tears and maybe even screaming , during the addiction of a loved one or a divorce or infertility or cancer . As my Uncle Alan says , you hit your thumb with a hammer and I'll hit mine , and then we'll talk about which hurts the most . Pain is pain , and when you can say those things to God when you're in pain or when the deep hard work that he's doing is in your own heart , I'm telling you that'll make a man or a BMW out of you in the spirit . Bmw meaning beastly mountain woman . Because when we know that we're fully taken care of , life changes from a series of personal inconveniences and tragedies to adventures where we're looking for the miracle that God intends to work in the situation . We're not worried about ourselves , we're handled and our fulfillment is not based on our circumstances or even on our personal happiness .
Speaker 1This also takes a willingness on our part to make our lives not about our own comfort . And that very simple example my sister and I had to be willing to give up our plans for the day , to stand in the freezing cold , to allow one challenge and frustration after another , so that we got to spend more and more time with a man who God had clearly set up to receive life from us , on a day that the enemy wanted to remind him of pain and loss and disappointment . We have to be willing to follow the example of Jesus and lay our lives down . I have a funky kind of weird journal type thing that I use during my secret place with God and in it is a prayer I say to the Lord regularly at the start of the day I am a coin in your pocket . Spend me however you will , you see , to get there over and over .
Speaker 1With each challenge , I had to take the lies that Satan whispered and deal with them , one at a time . I have to choose faith that God is taking care of me and that he's working , that he's always working , and turn my heart and my eyes to hear him Over and over . I have to say no to fear , which is always just faith in what the enemy's plan is and it empowers it , and I will not do it . That was an aha moment for me , the day I learned that when I partner with fear , I'm actually actively partnering with the enemy's plan for my life . Hear that Fear is faith , that the enemy's plan for my life is greater than God's plan for my life , and it will suck you down the proverbial rabbit hole , and that is a dark place . I've been there and I have no desire to live there ever again or anymore . I refuse .
Speaker 1And as to that sense of indulging in all the possible terrible things that could happen , that we're just trying to be prepared for them , that it's responsible . I just want to free you from that , because the truth is faith , trust and depending on God for my life , laying it all down and listening for His voice instead of trying to figure it all out on my own . That's actually the responsible thing to do , you guys , and it's way smarter than my strategy . Oh , can you feel yourself relaxing into that ? You don't have to figure it all out . You don't have to fix it . You actually can't do either . He's already got everything that's headed your way and he is the solution to every challenge , every issue and problem that you've ever had or will have . You can take a deep breath , you can quiet your heart and you can lean back into your Papa's arms . He'll let you know everything you need to know and he'll guide every step that you take . And he'll guide every step that you take . And when you begin to really know how much he loves you and how much you can trust him , the scripture that says though he slay me yet will , I trust in him starts to actually make sense . Who knew that surrender was the way to go from being a victim to being a victor ?
Speaker 1Next episode , we'll feature our first guest who did just that , and I'm so excited for you to hear the story and about the whole series . So stay tuned . We'll see you next time . Hey , you guys , thanks for hanging out with us today . I hope you got some refreshment from this sip from the fountain . If you're curious to hear more , or if you like what you've heard , you can go ahead and subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen to yours , or follow our Instagram account , sips from the Fountain or our Facebook page by the same name . Special thanks for Cover Art Photography to the Sarah D Harper , and I can't wait to hang out with you guys next time . Thanks so much , love y'all .