120. When Your Plans Fail - Two Things That Never Will

Have you ever had a season where nothing seemed to work — your plans, your prayers, your patience? When it feels like you’re doing everything right…and still waiting?

In today’s episode, we’re diving into Psalm 149:6, a short but powerful verse that teaches us what to do when life feels confusing or overwhelming:

“Let the high praises of God be in their mouths, and a two-edged sword in their hands.”

This verse shows us the two things that never fail:

Worship and God’s Word.

When everything else is shaking, these are the anchors that keep us standing.

In This Episode We Explore:

• Why overthinking and analyzing can lead us into confusion
• How praise becomes a weapon during seasons of delay or disappointment
• How to use Scripture as truth and defense when fear, doubt, or lies speak loudly
• The hidden purpose behind the wilderness seasons and refinement
• How God uses pressure not to punish us, but to prepare and strengthen us
• What spiritual maturity actually looks like and how to walk in it daily

You’ll walk away with practical encouragement and declarations rooted in Scripture, including:

• “No weapon formed against me shall prosper.” (Isaiah 54:17)
• “He will never leave me nor forsake me.” (Hebrews 13:5)
• “The Lord is my shepherd; I lack nothing.” (Psalm 23:1)

Key Takeaway

When nothing seems to be working, don’t spiral into overthinking.

Instead:

Lift your worship.

Grip the Word.

Let praise and truth do the fighting.

Scripture References

• Psalm 149:6
• Isaiah 54:17
• Hebrews 13:5
• Psalm 23:1
• Hosea 2:14
• Job 1

Closing Prayer

We end the episode in prayer — asking God to give us clarity, peace, and endurance through seasons of refinement, and to remind us that wilderness is not abandonment, but preparation.

Connect

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Stay curious. Stay close. Stay anchored.

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Transcript

0:00

Hi, and welcome back to Curious for Christ. Welcome. If you're new here, I'm so glad you're here today. If you've ever felt like nothing is working, your plans are not working, your prayers remain unanswered, your patient is running out, then this episode is for you. Today we are looking at the short but powerful verse, Psalm 1 49, verse six, which says, let the high praises of God be in their mouths and a two-edged sword in their hands. It's a verse about worship and warfare, about how to stand when everything feels like it's falling apart. Let's dig in. Welcome to Curious for Christ. Do you ever find yourself lying, awake at night wondering about God's plan for your life? Maybe you wake up with big dreams, but feel unsure where to start or what your next step should be. If you're curious about exploring your faith and finding purpose, then you've come to the right place. Hi, I'm Alexandra. I too felt lost and sure of the direction my life was taking. I yearned to understand my purpose and have someone guide me, but I kept telling myself I was too busy. The timing wasn't right, and my lack of clarity prevented me from being consistent until I found Christ. He brought peace into my life and revealed the way to find purpose by anchoring myself. In him. In this podcast, we'll journey together exploring the Bible to gain a deeper understanding of him and cultivate your own personal relationship with Christ. So open up your Bible, put in those earbuds and listen up because God is speaking to you. He's making everything new and you don't wanna miss it. Let's get started. So you know those seasons where no matter what you do, it feels like you can't get ahead, you pray, you wait, you try, and yet silence, delay. Disappointment, and then the mind starts spinning. If you're like me, you start to analyze. You overthink. You try to figure out why. Why is God allowing this? Why do I have to keep being refined and going back to the same place again? Why does it feel like I'm always being tested or God is teaching me something I'll never finish learning? And that's exactly where the enemy loves to creep in. In the overthinking because when we start analyzing too much, we start doubting God's goodness. We move from trusting him to confusion. And confusion is always the enemy's playground, but Psalm 1 49 verse six gives us a better strategy. Keep the praises of God in your mouth and the word of God in your hand. Praise is a weapon. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth. That means when you don't feel like it worship anyway. Praise when you don't see progress. Thank God when doors close, because praise shifts the atmosphere not necessarily around you first, but within you. Praise remind your soul who is really in charge. It says, my circumstances don't define God's faithfulness when nothing else works. Praise still does. The second part says, A twoedged sword in their hands. That's God's word, your weapon of truth. So when fear says this will destroy you, you declare. No weapon formed against me shall prosper. Isaiah 47, verse 17. Right, because when lies come, you fight them with truth. When loneliness says, for instance, you've been forgotten, you remind your soul. He will never leave me nor forsake me. Hebrews 13 verse five, and when everything feels broken and lost, you whisper. The Lord is my shepherd. I lack nothing. Psalm 23 verse one. Those words are more than verses. They are anchors for your soul, for your spirit. They keep your spirit steady while the storm rages around. They silence the lies and bring your heart back to truth. So let me talk about a little bit about refinement and the wilderness. Right. The wilderness are those seasons where everything around seems to not be working. What we are talking about, and sometimes if you're like me, we can mistake refinement for rejection. We think, why am I here again? Why do I always have to be the one learning The truth is. God isn't punishing you, he is preparing you. He's training your spirit to be strong, steady, and unshakeable. And I stumble upon a verse that really helped me reframe this whole, these seasons that I tend to come back to often, and it's Hosea two, verse 14, which says, I will lure her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her. That shifted everything for me, because I've always seen the wilderness as, not as abandonment, but a season where I have to learn something, like I can't get it right. Kind of, you know? And that's again, a lie from Satan because when I read, I will lure her into the wilderness. I. I see more of an invitation of God's loving presence into my life. It's really where God quiets everything else so he can speak directly to my heart. It's loving. It's, it can be warm and it can be a, an amazing opportunity for a relationship that will study all of my worries and my striving and get it right, being anchored a little bit more. So you see, the wilderness is where you learn that his presence is your provision. It's where he takes away what you thought you needed so you can find out, here's all you really need. Remember, job, there is a battle behind the battle. Even Satan had to ask for permission before touching job. That means even in your hardest moments, God is still in control. And also when you're under attack, it's actually an honor because just like he did Job, God trusts you to show the world what faith looks like under pressure. It's basically God saying, watch her, watch him. They're going to stay faithful. She's going to keep praising. He will praise again. So when the pressure rises, don't see it as punishment, like it's so easy to feel sometimes, but see it as a proof that you're being refined for something greater. You're learning basically to separate what's from God and what's not. Confusion, fear, anxiety, those aren't from him. Peace, conviction, clarity, that is his voice, God's voice. And the more you can tell the difference, the more powerful you worship becomes. So you may ask, what's the goal of all this? Right of being refined and constantly being taught and going through moments where nothing seems to be happening and there's no growth, there's no outcome. It's not for you to be perfect and it's not about a battle of control, your control versus God's control, but it is maturity. God wants you to be free. He doesn't want you to be tossed around by emotions and circumstances. And if you're honest with yourself, you go through moments of stress and anxiety, it's because you, your sense of identity has shift has shifted. So when you can pause and say, wait, this thought is not from God, that's victory. When you can say, even here, I'll praise. That is freedom. That's the maturity that comes from walking with him through the wilderness. And there is no other way to get there, but to go through it with him by your side. And that is it for today. I want to take us home with this key takeaway. When nothing seems to be working, don't overanalyze, don't spiral, don't quit. Instead, lift your hands and your heart. Let the high praises of God be on your lips and the sword of his word in your hands. That's how you win battles. You can't see that's how you hold peace when everything is shaking. Let's pray. Lord, thank you that even when nothing seems to be working, you are Teach us God to keep your praises on our lips and your word close to our hearts. Help us to see that refinement is not rejection. It's your way of making us stronger. Remind us that wilderness is not punishment, it's preparation. Help us recognize God, what's from you and what's not, and give us peace in the middle of every battle. In Jesus name I pray, amen. Thank you so much for joining me today on Cures for Christ. I hope this episode really helped you. And if you wouldn't mind, please share in by leaving a review what you've learned of, or a key takeaway for you. It's an honor to have you, and I'll see you again in two weeks. But in the meantime, remember this, you are more than a conqueror. You can do it, but the battle is not against flesh and blood, so your weapons aren't worry or overthinking. They are worship. And truth keep your praises high and your heart curious for Christ. I will see you next time. Hi, I hope you enjoy today's episode. If so, would you like to take 30 seconds and share it with a friend who may also struggle with knowing God and his purpose for their life? Also, leave a review on Apple. Podcast and let me know what topics you'd like to hear about in the future. Your voice matters. I'll meet you back next Friday for another episode.