Count The Cost

A continuation of our last podcast episode. Being a follower of Jesus is costly. It is not easy, and at times you may face uncertainty, discouragement and forms of loss... but boy oh boy is it worth it! 

Transcript

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We get in the middle centered. What's up, y'all? Welcome back to another episode of Image Bearers. Y'all, I'm making a video today from Utah. Y'all can see the mountains in the back. Don't mind the lighting. I'm not staying in the most luxurious place, but listen, I have a bed to lay at. I'm thankful. Because the first night we was in the car with it. So, um, and I don't know if I'm gonna release the an episode I had made in regards to the cost of discipleship, but I know I'm definitely gonna release that eventually. I don't know in regards to the timing of when. But quick little update we were able to get the funds for this camera. Oh, not somebody calling me. We were able to raise the funds for this camera. So I'm super super grateful. Thank you to everyone that sewed. I'm grateful. This is gonna be so blessed for filming vlogs and things like that. Um, but going back into you know the cost of discipleship, I'm also seeing, I feel like the Lord is kind of revealing slowly also the cost of just following him and following the depths that he calls you into as he calls you deeper unto himself and just how desperately we need Holy Spirit, especially for boldness in these times. And so what I've realized is when the Lord when the Lord delivers you out of something, more than likely, once you are fully set free and delivered, and that's no longer a desire for you, he's gonna send you back into those environments. And so, for me, a lot of you guys know my testimony with regards to basketball and coming out of the lifestyle, and I'm finding myself around a lot of people in the lifestyle, and I know that there's gonna be crazy revival in the LGBTQ community, but I'm seeing the desperate need for boldness in the gospel, you know. And today I found myself in a situation where it was just a very, very carnal environment. And I feel like when I really locked in with the Lord, I was very intentional, and the Lord is very intentional as well, of like, just come be with me. Like, you know, I've been around um church and you know, fellowship because we need each other, but at the end of the day, I feel like the Lord was very clear and strategic about the community I was around, um, you know, iron sharpening iron and things like that. And so, like, of course, I have friends that are still like in the world, but I haven't been around really like carnal environments and carnal conversations. And when like I'm around people that kind of know me, they don't they tone it down. But today it was kind of sobering, and I was seeing my need for Holy Spirit, not necessarily because I was like tempted to indulge in what they were talking about, but just that scripture that says, you know, the righteous are as bold as lions. It is bold for you to not indulge in the things of the world. Reminds me of that scripture in 1st or 2 Peter that talks about like how we once were in the world and how people will call you foolish or think you're weird for not wanting to indulge in these things anymore. But it's because we have tasted and we have seen that He is good. And so I really wanted to come on here and talk about, and I was talking to a sister about this, and she was saying that, you know, there is a separation, a divide going on, and we see like the judgment that's coming forth, we see the exposure and all these things. Um, but she was also talking about you're seeing the difference of people that are truly like wanting to just give their all to Jesus in this life, and people that might be, you know, going into places of comfortability. I'm just seeing like how the pruning and the sifting is getting more and more intense, you know, where in times past certain things might have not felt like a sin for you, or you might not have felt conviction, but now it's like no, the stakes are getting higher because he's coming back soon and the harvest is plentiful, but the labors are few. I've seen him just also increasing the modern day scribes where you know we're filming things, we're posting things on social media, and I think it's a double-edged sword in the sense where um social media now allows everybody to have a voice, so this is where our discernment needs to ramp up. But I think again, the Lord was strategic in that because it requires for us to be more in the secret place and praying and on our face before the Lord for Him to reveal unto us like what tea is, you know. So I really wanted to just revolve this um episode. I don't know how long it's gonna be. I don't plan on it being long. I kind of wanted to just try out the new camera and like film somewhere else because I don't, y'all, I don't know where I'm gonna be living at. That's the question of the past three, four months, the Lord with me and the Lord when he told me I was moving. But I have this crazy like excitement just to see the Lord show up. He's been showing up so mightily, y'all, um, in the most beautiful ways. Cause I was pretty transparent on social media about how like there was a moment where I was like, What am I doing? Like, you know, I want to go home and all these things. And he would just start showing up in the most simplest ways with scripture um in the coffee shop I was at, or you know, scripture on a a truck, just seeing him everywhere. Little things to let me know, no, Rachel, you are in alignment with my will. Like I am your shepherd, I comfort you with my rod and my staff. I will never let you be in harm's way as long as your heart is pure before me. And so it's just this constant state of like, Lord, I have nothing to give you but brokenness. You know, I have nothing to give you but my brokenness, but my insecurities, but all of these things. And I'm trusting in faith that I am who you say I am, and that you are who you say you are, and you've shown me time and time again. And so this is just another faith step. Um, and so going into our scripture, which is 2 Corinthians chapter 3, 2nd Corinthians chapter 3, verse 18. Uh, I want to start actually in verse 17. It says, Now the Lord is the spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed from the same image from glory to glory, just as by the spirit of the Lord. And so I really believe that that's what we're in a constant, we're in a constant state of being transformed to the same image of the sun. And so as we grow in the faith, the Lord will call us higher and to look more like the sun, but we don't do this in our own strength. We do this through faith, we do this through grace by faith. So we've talked about how we only have access to the grace of God based on the faith of God that we have in Him. So it's like I always use this example. If the Lord tells you to do something that you can't do in your own strength, like do a seven-day fast or even like a Daniel fast or whatever, you know, because it goes against your flesh and whatever the case may be. If you don't believe that God is going to empower you to do it and you lean in your own strength and in your flesh, you're gonna fail. And this is where a lot of people find themselves in sin cycles because they lean on their own strength and not on the strength of the Lord. The beautiful thing about the strength of the Lord is it's found perfect, it is made perfect in your weakness. And so when you move in humility, when you're real with the Lord, like Lord, I can't do this, He empowers you in that area because there's a humility aspect, you get lower so he can bring you higher and he gets all the glory. I heard something that was so good. I forget what sermon it was, but it said, Yes, the Lord gets all the glory, but he also gets all the burdens. And so when we find ourselves in these low places, he's like, Give me your burden, I'm going to take it on. You know what I mean? And so that's honestly where I've been finding myself is like faith to faith, glory to glory. He's taking us from faith to faith and glory to glory because a greater faith is needed for a greater glory so that we're able to steward it. And you know, I'm living through this firsthand. Like I've never I've moved before, like when I moved to Texas, and I had never been to Texas before and all these things. But honestly, y'all, like this move is different because I've already seen his hand move, and I will be dropping a testimony about how the Lord had blessed me with a car literally a week, two weeks before I left. Um, and just his hand in the midst of all of it. But that's the beautiful thing about the Lord. As he calls you to a greater glory, as he is our shepherd, he will continually call out unto us, call us by name. And my sister had said this. Um, she said, you know, sheep regularly freak out when they don't see their shepherd. And so, God, understanding that we are literally dust, he gives us those little god wings, but we just have to be looking for him. And, you know, the best way to look for him is to stay in the secret place, stay in the word, to believe by faith that you are led by the spirit, you know, and then the spirit will then give the external confirmation that you are in him. And so, yeah, yeah. I just wanted to encourage you guys with that. Like, he's calling us to greater faith because there's greater glory up ahead. I truly believe that we're about to step into some crazy revival. I mean, revival's already been sparking all over, but they're starting out as small fires, you know. And so that's what the Lord's really been encouraging me with is just obedience unto him and love. Because I have nothing else to give him but my brokenness. And you know, as I've really come to realize that, that I don't have to work, I don't have to strive. Like I'm in him because he says it, and all I do is abide, it makes it so much easier, you know. And I just want to be where his presence is. I don't want the promised land if his presence isn't there, just like Moses said, you know, and so that's where I'm at. That's where I'm at. Um, this was a little quick check-in. But yeah, I'm excited, you guys. I'm gonna try to vlog as much as I can. I mean, I'm already like 10 hours away from my destination now. So I wasn't really able to vlog like that because I didn't have this camera, and like driving with my phone is like not the smartest idea. And the other camera, I told y'all, it's like a bigger one. And so this will be blessed because I could just put this on the dashboard and talk to y'all. So I just love the Lord. I'm encouraged. I hope y'all are too. I encourage y'all to comment down below. Like, are any of y'all also in transition seasons? Might not be, you know, moving or anything like that. But oh, I also wanted to mention this. This is T. I I made a YouTube video about this, or I made a reel about this. But me and my sister in the Lord, it's the same sister I'm talking about, y'all. Shout out, Sister Monse. Love her. But yeah, so we were in the word. I was driving and she was keeping me company on FaceTime, and so she was reading the word and we were just talking about it. I think we were in John 13, and the Lord, Holy Spirit, began to download this drop of how the Lord Jesus Christ talks about his glory being when he is crucified, and that is when the Father is glorified. The Father is glorified and he glorifies the Son. And I thought it was so interesting because immediately the scripture that popped into my mind was 1 John 4 that talks about how God is love. And even though no one has seen the Father, every time we love, he is made manifest. And then it reminded me of that scripture in Proverbs how there's no greater love than a man who lays his life down for his friends or for people. And that's exactly what Jesus did. And so it clicked to me that the Lord's glory is actually his love. It's his love. And that is why Jesus said, I'm going to glory, right? Or when I be glorified, rather. And so I realized that the greater faith that's needed is that faith in the word of God that says to love your enemy, to love those that persecute you, to pray for those that have hurt you, and to truly allow the Holy Spirit to empower you and change you. Because as we were talking about it, we recognized that, you know, Peter desired to love the Lord like that. He said, Lord, I will die for you. And the Lord said, Are you sure? Because before the rooster crows three times, you will deny me. And that is that depiction of that Romans 7, flesh versus spirit, but it's because Peter did not have Holy Spirit indwelling yet. And so now that we have Holy Spirit empowering us, we are able to go where the Lord calls us to go and glorify him. And that is to love, to give agape love, not expecting anything in return, to spread the good news because that glorifies the Lord. Who is this people that are willing to be persecuted, to be portrayed, but yet they will continue to love, they will continue to preach this message? Who are these people that are willing to die for what they believe in? Who are these people that love the Lord so much that they are just oozing with his presence? And so I want to encourage y'all with that. That is the glory of the Lord. The glory of the Lord is when you allow his love to manifest, but not just the mushy gushy feeling, biblical agape love. Okay, so agape love, there's discernment involved, okay? You don't just love people and all these first Corinthians 13, agape love, okay? And so that is the greater glory. A lot of us right now, again, are being placed for the Lord's glory to prevail, whether it's a nine to five job, full-time occupational ministry, social media, whatever. And don't look to the right or the left and compare yourself to your neighbor. Look to the hills from where your help comes from. I always say that. Look to the Lord and say, Lord, what do you want me to do? I will do what you call me to do, as Colossians says. I will do everything that you call me to do as I'm doing it unto you. So wherever it's at, if I'm working in a grocery store, a movie theater, social media, whatever it is, do not despise the small beginnings that the Lord has a starting in. Right? And so I want to encourage y'all with that. Praise the Lord. Greater faith, greater glory for him to be glorified in Jesus' name. And so I pray that this word was encouraging for y'all. I'm excited. I will update y'all when I get to my destination in Jesus' name. And once I have the time to edit, I will be posting. But by God's grace, he's been allowing me to stay consistent. So I love y'all. God bless you guys in Jesus' name. Amen.