Daily Bread
Daily Bread with Dr. Jerrell & Angela Stokley offers inspiring biblical content designed to educate, empower, and engage everyone to seek God's Word as daily bread for the soul and live a life of purpose in Jesus Christ.
Daily Bread
When Life Doesn't Make Sense
What do you do when life throws you into chaos and nothing makes sense anymore? On this episode of the Daily Bread Podcast, we confront the disarray and uncertainty that many of us experience today. We navigate through the political, economic, and social upheavals, urging our listeners to adapt and rebuild from the fragments of their disrupted lives. We reflect on a prophetic word about global shaking and emphasize the importance of anchoring ourselves in God's enduring word. Amidst this turbulence, we also take a moment to cherish the beauty and strength found in enduring love and partnership.
Have you felt the weight of increased anxiety and depression during these trying times? You're not alone. We touch on the compounded stress faced by leaders, particularly within the body of Christ, and the challenge of maintaining a facade of stability amidst personal turmoil. Highlighting Proverbs 3:5, we discuss the necessity of trusting in God rather than relying on our understanding. We encourage leaders and individuals to embrace vulnerability and self-care, break away from the unrealistic narrative of perfection, and seek peace and direction through faith.
Ever wondered how suffering can lead to greater character and fulfillment? By recounting the stories of Job and Joseph, we offer powerful examples of unwavering faith and resilience in the face of immense hardship. We stress the transformative power of suffering and the importance of actively participating in God's plan, even in the darkest times. This episode is a compelling call to find strength in suffering, trust in God's plan, and support each other through life's uncertainties. Join us for this heartfelt and enriching discussion that aims to ground you in faith and fortify your spirit amidst life's chaos.
Please sponsor the Daily Bread Podcast by clicking the link above. You can also connect with Dr. Jerrell & Angela Stokely at www.JerrellStokley.com or www.CovenantGraceChurch.org. Visit our online apparel store at www.OfficialGloryGear.com for all of your faith-based outdoor, casual, and athletic gear with a message of faith and belief in Jesus Christ.
Welcome everybody once again to Daily Bread Podcast. We are so excited to be here on today. It has been a minute. It has been a minute. It's been a minute since we have been in the studio recording for you and bringing you some material that would change your life. Let me stop for a moment and give you an opportunity to say, give Angela an opportunity to say hi and to greet you all as we get ready on today.
Speaker 2:Hey everybody, so good to be here. As my husband has said, it has been a minute, but we are glad to be back in the spot, we're glad to be back in the pocket, you know, to share what the Lord has given us, to share that you might be blessed, encouraged, inspired to move forward in whatever endeavors God has laid in your path.
Speaker 1:Yeah that's great.
Speaker 1:I want to take a moment to pray because we have some great material and, of course, you know, satan always tries to attack and distract, and we've had so much distraction trying to get on today and bring you some great material. So I just want to pray and get set into the spirit real good so that we can minister truth to power. Does that make sense? Father? We thank you so much for your peace that surpasses all understanding. We thank you that we've made it to this point. We thank you, we thank you, god, that we know your power moves, your power moves and your glory moves, and we just know there's a movement that's about to happen in this session on today, because someone needs to hear this and someone needs to be empowered. I know for a fact many people need to hear this and many people need to be empowered with all the struggles that we're facing right now. So, father, we just thank you for this appointment, this appointed time, this appointed opportunity, and I just pray, god, your supernatural power will fall on us right now, that we will do your will and it will be done with excellence, and it will be done unto your glory and will be all of you and none of us. We thank you for this time on Daily Bread Podcast. Bless Angela, speak to her Lord in a powerful way that she may also just speak life and truth to power. Father, I pray our audience, we pray for our audience who's listening, that they will hear something that you have designed for them to hear today, and it would be a blessing, whenever someone listens to this, that they will grow from it. Grow from it and, if it just happens to touch someone's heart in a true way, that they will practice reciprocity and sponsor our Daily Bread podcast through their giving to go to our website to connect with us. We thank you. Catch us on YouTube. We thank you for it in Jesus name. Amen, all right, we're totally, totally excited.
Speaker 1:Today we have a tough topic to talk about and it's very relevant. I would say Angela is very relevant in this day and time. Our topic for this session is when life doesn't make sense. I'm sure that hit everybody. When life doesn't make sense. Now, do you want to know when life doesn't make sense right now?
Speaker 1:Life doesn't make sense right now there is so much going on. There's so much deception, manipulation, argument, division, so much covering up of what is right, to the degree that you don't know what's right, what's the truth or lie anymore. And the Bible says in the last days, men's hearts would grow a wax cold and times will grow worse and worse, and men will become lovers of themselves more than lovers of God, haughty, prideful, high minded. And we're living in a time of delusion around the globe. There is so much upheaval everywhere, both politically, economically, religiously, culturally, socially, technologically. There's so much upheaval. It's like God has shaken the foundation of the earth realm and everything has been shaken up and moved out of place. And now everybody is trying to find out how do I fit my pieces back into my puzzle? And I would tell people right now, when life doesn't make sense, don't try to create the old puzzle, create a new one. You have to.
Speaker 3:You got to take those pieces and create a new puzzle altogether I would dare say you have to.
Speaker 2:When you said that, I thought about a prophetic word that the Lord had given you, and I was sitting here trying to remember if it was 2019, the beginning of 2019. I can't remember, but it was about shaking and that everything that could be shaken would be shaken, and I think we're seeing that in these last few years for sure, even in the body of Christ. You know what I mean. It's just a lot of shaking and it's so important. I think one of the reasons, one of the many reasons why this podcast is so important because we keep the goal is to keep trying to get people back to God's word absolutely because, you know, not only did COVID come in and just blow all of our minds right
Speaker 2:upset everybody's world right, um, where? Where we were forced to do what you said to create a new puzzle, to to do a new book. A lot of things are not done the way they used to be, and I remember us talking about how getting back to the way things were was not really the optimal plan. It should be about moving forward, to figure out what the next plan is going to be. So when you said that it took me back to that whole shaking and that reality and that those of us who do not hold on to the word of God, those of us who are not anchored in Jesus Christ, we might get shook, You're absolutely right, we will be,
Speaker 1:shaken if we're not anchored in Jesus Christ. I have to pause for a moment. I always get overwhelmed at your beauty when we're sitting and talking and doing, and you look so beautiful today, thank you very much.
Speaker 2:I appreciate that, and you look very handsome.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you so much, you're welcome 30 years and you look just as good as you did in year one, hey now Come on, hallelujah.
Speaker 2:Anyway, let me jump back in, Okay we're back.
Speaker 1:We're back, but just to pause for a moment and echo what you said about the pandemic, I think that it is wise for us to take a step back in the day-to-day melee of all of our responsibilities and remember to practice mercy, because all of the globe is still coming down off the thrust of the pandemic. Absolutely we have to, as we are listening to people and we're seeing the upheaval and we're seeing the dysfunction and the division. We've got to remember that people are not the same anymore. I'm not the same anymore after the pandemic.
Speaker 3:You're not the same anymore after the pandemic.
Speaker 1:So we're learning how to reinvent culture. You know we're in the same body, but the brain in the body is different Absolutely, and we're trying to figure out how to be ourselves in a different body Absolutely. And so we need to extend that same grace and mercy to other people, and I try to practice this as much as I can.
Speaker 2:There's so much mental health, so many mental health issues and deep mental health problems in every generation right now, and COVID had a lot to do with that Absolutely, because you know, I thought about the level of anxiety that increased as a result of what we went through with COVID Not knowing if we were safe or not, not knowing if we were exposed or not. And then for those who contracted the virus, are they going to be okay? Is it if it's just mild symptoms, is it going to stay mild?
Speaker 2:You know, and I think that anxiety, with being closed off and separated from people and you know, even those who lived alone I can only imagine what their, how their worlds were turned upside down, which is being at home alone all the time. And then, of course, the news. You know, if that's a thing that they were, they were watching to see what was going on in the world that was that. That could have been very overwhelming Anxiety I feel like just compounded, has compounded over the years and really tipped us over into this. What we're seeing is extreme cases of mental health crisis.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. You know. This is not. You know, this is just. We're just laying a foundation for our conversation. I think this is a very important part of our introduction. I think this is a very important part of our introduction. Let me read you to just two statistics that I think will help our audience understand why we're bringing this out and why it's important. The World Health Organization, who, in 2021, said that global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by 25% during the pandemic Watch this, the uncertainty and widespread disruption, though, led to significant feelings of despair here it is and confusion, especially in vulnerable populations. So everybody is kind of dealing with this despair, this confusion, and we're coming off the end of it. We're coming off the buddy end of the despair and the confusion. We're trying to get back into a rhythm in society, but we still have the impact of the trauma.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. And if I can add something to that, the reality for people in leadership and especially in the body of Christ I feel like there is there what's added onto that is a coverup in terms of I'm okay, right, because unfortunately it's not been safe to say I'm not OK as a leader in the body of Christ. And so when you think about these feelings of despair and confusion for a leader, a spiritual leader, in a space where it feels like it's not ever really been okay to not be okay, Right.
Speaker 2:Adds additional stressors Right To it, because if I'm dealing with confusion and I'm dealing with despair but I can't really tell anybody, that's adding extra stress.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Why are we trying to perform and act like life makes sense when, in all actuality, everybody knows right now?
Speaker 2:life doesn't make sense, and I think it's because we feel like people don't allow us not to be OK.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, the expectation.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the question was rhetorical.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Right, right, exactly, yeah, yeah, that question was rhetorical. Yeah, you know, I think that I don't know, and we know this, of course that sometimes leaders are not looked at as human, you know, looked at as Superman, superwoman, like there is no human side. So clearly, you can't have despair going on, you can't have confusion going on, because you are a you're God's man, you're God's woman, but the reality is is that's not true.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, and that really goes across the board to moms and dads, and every day people who are trying to manage their responsibilities and function within a community whether that's a work community, you know, an actual geographical community.
Speaker 1:If that's a church community, you know everybody kind of feels like you know it's not okay to show that you're not okay, but we must. This is the time to take a step back and do what you need to do for your mental health and self-care. And if that means no longer buying into the narrative of performance and looking perfect for other people, then you need to do that because as a leader, you can change the narrative.
Speaker 1:Absolutely If you're the one everybody is looking at whether it's in your family, community, wherever and you start showing that, you start speaking out and talking and sharing you know and being vulnerable. That's basically what it is. People will learn and emulate and do the same thing. So today, as we're talking about when life doesn't make sense, we're basically trying to examine and understand the perplexing seasons of life and finding hope in God's unchanging truth. And that's the answer. We're in this perplexing season of life and when you're there and it happens at different seasons and times and now it's global you have to be able to find hope in God's unchanging truth and this unchanging nature, because God is the only constant. His truth is the only thing that's stable.
Speaker 2:And I think that that's like one of those things that should be highlighted. We need to be reminded of that. We need to remind ourselves of that. I feel like every day that that the one thing, that that does not change, while everything else is changing is. God, god's word, his word is not going to change, his nature is not going to change, and I think we we need to constantly remind ourselves of that grounding purposes.
Speaker 1:Right. Well, that's since we're talking about trust in God, unstable times, dealing with perplexing stress when life doesn't make sense, I think it's all about trusting God. And I want to go to Proverbs three, verse five, and, and read this for our listening audience on the day. And it says trust. What does trust mean? Depend, lean on, believe in it means to have a hopeful expectation that God is, can and will. It's a trust. You know what I mean. It means I could put my absolute, total dependence on God. It says trust in the Lord with all of your heart I love that part and lean not on your own understanding, but in all your ways, acknowledge him and he shall direct your path. Acknowledge him and he shall direct your path.
Speaker 1:And I see here that this whole thing about direction comes up in this passage, because that's what we're all searching for. How do I be a good parent? How do I be a great employee? How do I be a successful entrepreneur? How do I manage my responsibility? How do I make it through this tough season? So we're looking for direction in our thinking, direction in our actions, direction in our planning. And the bible clearly tells us here in proverbs 3 how do I get this direction. How do I, how do I get peace with direction that's trusting god, yeah, and not trusting in myself?
Speaker 2:absolutely yeah, absolutely that is so good and I love, I love the portion of that scripture that talks about leaning not to our own understanding, because I think sometimes that's the trap.
Speaker 2:That's the trap because our understanding oftentimes is based on what we're going through what we're looking at what our perspective is of a particular situation, and so from that we start making decisions, and that's not the right route to go. You know what I mean, and so I for one, I just love both of these scriptures, but I think that not leaning is the part that requires a lot of intentionality, a lot of practice, because I think human nature is to lean on self. Oh my God, because I could talk about independence and all that. But we have to remember, though we can be independent, we have to remember to depend on God you know, and that has to be like this for the thing that's on the forefront of our mind that.
Speaker 2:I have to depend on God. Just the other day, when I was in prayer and devotion, I wrote because I had all of these thoughts swirling around in my mind, all of these things that I knew I needed to do, all of these things that I wasn't certain of or wasn't sure what's going to happen with this, that or a third ie when life doesn't make sense. And I wrote a note and I said, god, I have no idea about a lot of things, but what I do know is that I trust you completely. That is my truth, and I wrote that in my journal and it gave me. And it gave me such a piece, it's like, because we can. We can, we can spin out, if you will, on the things we don't know and that we don't understand. But what if we rerouted our focus to what I do know?
Speaker 2:And when I did that, I thought about a few things, not even a lot of them, but a few things that God had done when I was in a similar type of situation not knowing which way to go, not knowing what he's doing, not knowing all these things. But the one thing that I was certain of is that he always showed up, he always opened the door, he always provided, or whatever it was. You know what I mean. And so when I wrote that, it was like this quick reflection of he's never failed me and so I trust God, even when I don't trust me. You know, I trust God. I don't have to trust the system, I don't have to trust a job, I don't have to trust those things when I am sold out on trusting God, why? Because his resume is good with me.
Speaker 1:That's right. His reputation, his history.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:It's good with you. You know I was thinking about and let me just stop and again thank our audience. I hope you're enjoying so far what we're talking about when life doesn't make sense. You know, I thought about here, as you were talking, what has been Satan's role and our role, two roles in getting us to lean into our own understanding. And I thought about Eve in the Garden of Eden. She had a spirit mind and a word mind based on what God had told her Don't eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Right, so she had a word mind, she had a spirit mind. Satan comes along and tells her something different that gets her to shift into her flesh mind. He said oh God knows, you're not going to die, you're going to be like God. So he tries to get her to focus on herself, self, self, self. And once she started focusing on herself, she started leaning to her own understanding. That's good.
Speaker 1:She started. Well, I might be missing something, because the Bible says she starts seeing the tree different. It started looking good, it was pleasant to the eye, it was good for food. It didn't look like that at first, when she was in her God mind and she was in her spirit mind and she was in her word mind and nothing was able to break the link between her and God mind, her and word mind. And then Satan comes along, because that's his whole thing is to get us to depend on ourselves and not trust in God. And the second you know, what is our role?
Speaker 1:Because Satan is not always the reason why we're leaning to our own understanding.
Speaker 1:It's because we're walking in pride, arrogance and ego because we're smart or we're intellectual or we're skilled, but neither Satan's plot nor our arrogance should be the path we take in order to survive when life doesn't make sense. It's going to have to be our God mind I wish I could have said that better. It's going to have to be our God mind and our spirit mind, because when she was in her God mind and spirit mind, nothing was able to shake her. She had a word, she had her intimacy with God and it was unbroken.
Speaker 2:You made me as you were talking about that. It made me think about how suggestive the devil is Right. He's a suggestive seller, right, and he creates suggestions. There you go, you know, and all I could see in that scenario in that moment was what, if, what, if, what, if, and that's what he does to us. We can know the word sold out in our word, mind and spirit mind, but sometimes those suggestions slide in.
Speaker 1:Well, what if?
Speaker 2:Right, well, have you considered, have you thought about? And there we go, pondering.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:The seed it's been seeded into our minds. Oh my God. And now we're starting to contemplate, oh my God, and now we're starting to contemplate, giving life to the seed of suggestion that was sown into our minds.
Speaker 1:Oh my goodness you know that's making me want to stop and ask our audience right now Are you starting to contemplate changing the pattern?
Speaker 3:that.
Speaker 1:God has given you? Are you starting to entertain some suggestive things that you know don't align with your purpose and your calling? Are you starting to consider some relationships that you know are out of the will of God, are just not beneficial to your goal, dreams, purpose, passion, where you're going in life?
Speaker 3:Is there a suggestion that?
Speaker 1:you need to set aside and say I'm not going to entertain that Suggestive selling by the enemy is real and I just want to challenge someone right now, in this moment. Think about it. What suggestion are you entertaining that could derail you?
Speaker 3:Absolutely. And get you out of your God mind and your God intimacy, because when life is not making sense, go ahead.
Speaker 1:When life is not making sense, the last thing you need to do is get out of alignment. Get out of alignment with the will of God for your life.
Speaker 2:And here's the thing when life doesn't make sense is the most opportune time for that enemy right to assault you with suggestion. Right, it's when it doesn't make sense, because in the pit we get frustrated, because we don't know the timing, we don't know the when, we don't know the how, even though we know the who, because of sometimes how we're wired. We want to know the timing. We don't know the when, we don't know the how, even though we know the who, because of sometimes how we're wired. We want to know the details. But when we think about the nature of God, god is not into details like that, not how we want him to be. You know what I mean. Well, when, god, on what day, and then how are you going to do, who are you going to use, and then what am I going to be doing and what are they going to be doing? We want to know all of that.
Speaker 2:But when life is not making sense, we are absent of detail and it is the perfect opportunity for the enemy to come in with a suggestion, because in that suggestion are details. Oh my God, what if you did this like that? What if you gave him or her a phone call? What? Because maybe then you could do X, y, z. See, sometimes the enemy knows us. That's another part of it. He knows us, he knows what we like, he knows what we sometimes are seeking after in our flesh, and he's going to suggestively bring that very thing in this time when life is not making sense, to try to seduce us. This is so good, and I feel the lord, to seduce us out of the perfect will of god that's so good.
Speaker 2:And that just made me think back to Eve. Wow, to seduce us out of the perfect. See, oh, this is good, the perfect, maybe now fully understood will of God, because fully understanding his will, or not understanding, does not take away the perfection of his will, right, jesus? Oh, I hope y'all get that, I hope you get that, because oftentimes the reason we don't walk in his perfect will is because we don't understand. Wow, oh, oh my God, oh my God. But see, I hear the scripture saying my ways are not yours and my thoughts are not yours.
Speaker 2:Glory to God, and so we have to remember. That's why it's so good to be in the word and to know the word and then, to know the nature of God.
Speaker 2:So when we find ourselves in these types of situations, we can think through the word of God, think through the nature of God and understand oh, there's nothing wrong with this perfect will. God will reveal it to me as I go along the way. He will reveal whatever mystery I need to know when I need to know it. Glory be to God, because he told Abraham leave your father's house, leave your father's house, just leave. That's all he said, and go to a place I will show you. That's all he had right. I will show you when I get ready to show you. That's when I'll do it. You know what I mean. And so we have to remember that. And that was perfect. Well, that was perfect, Well, will for Abraham. But it didn't give a lot of detail. It didn't give a lot of detail.
Speaker 1:So really, what I'm beginning to get a sense of here is stop expecting life to make sense. Sense is the problem. That's good.
Speaker 3:That's good.
Speaker 1:Sense is the problem.
Speaker 3:Wow, that's really good.
Speaker 1:Because, in all honesty, all the days of my life, life has never made sense, not in the practical ramifications of what I think sense is in my life.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 1:It shows that we're not in control. And the more we try to be in control, the more stressed out we become, because life is not tameable. It's not a bull, it's not a horse, it's not a pet. Oh my God. It's not something we can control. So stop trying to make life make sense and let God be your truth. Oh my God, that's so good. Tap into the mind of Christ.
Speaker 2:That is so good. See, I just thought about which is one of my favorite scriptures the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord. So if I think about that in the context of what you were just talking about. Stop expecting life to make sense. I need to just focus on what's been ordered for me. Hallelujah, that's good. That's a pause what's been.
Speaker 2:I just need to focus on what's been ordered for me, because what's going to happen in that is it's going to lead me on a lifelong search of what God has ordered, hallelujah, so that I am sure to put my foot where God has ordered my foot to be. Okay, I'm about to get you. Oh, glory, hallelujah. I want you to thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. No, that's good, I'm good, go ahead.
Speaker 1:Talk to me then about the time. You see, you said we got to step into when god orders, right? What about when god orders suffering? Yeah, okay, so let's jump into this, because the number one reason life often doesn't make sense to us, on repeat, it's suffering, compounded suffering, one challenge after the next difficulty, after the next trial, after the next tribulation, after the next problem, after the next scenario, after the next circumstance, after the car accident, after the layoff, after the sickness in the body, after the child who cursed you out, after the mom who died, after the relocation, after the company that closed, after the racist experience you went through in the market, after the car breaking down on your way home from school. All of it seems to be a big fist. Watch this, and if we don't know God and know his love, all of it seems to be like a big fist from God punching you in the face over and over and over and over and over again. It's not God punching you, it's life, because that's what life does. It punches, but God didn't stop the suffering. What do we do, then, when life doesn't make sense because of suffering?
Speaker 1:And I want to go to Job for our example, if y'all know the story of Job and most of my listeners do. If you don't know the story of Job, go read it in the Bibles right before the book of Psalms. Job was a righteous man. He was a family man. He had a big family, about 10 kids or so. He was the wealthiest man in his day, but he had prosperity, not just money. He was rich in soul, rich in compassion, rich in giving, rich in wisdom. He was rich in character. He was rich in righteousness. And however God allowed Satan, because God knew Job was born to survive it, he was born to overcome it, which is my next book that's coming out. Well, my next book coming out is Growing to your Greatness and after that is Born to Overcome. It's going to be a great book.
Speaker 1:But he went through all type of devastation, one trouble after the next. Kids got killed, his house was raided, his home was burned down, his cattle was taken, his body broke out with sickness. His reputation was ruined all over the land. His wife even you know kind of she didn't give up on him, but she questioned how much more perseverance he would have left to endure it. And then Job says this in Job, chapter one, verse 20 through 22. The Bible says this. The Bible says this. Then Job arose tore his robe. Now, back in biblical days, to tear your robe was a sign of sorrow, lamentation, just agony. You know, just lamentation. You know. He tore his robe, he shaved his head because he's going through sorrow. I'm in Job, chapter one, verse 20. He shaved his head. I have been so disgusted sometimes I've said I just want to shave my head.
Speaker 3:I'm so disgusted that's lamentation coming out.
Speaker 1:It's biblical lamentation coming out, he said, and he fell to the ground and worshipped All that agony and sorrow and pain. He chose God over his self, over his problems, over suicide and all that suffering. What do we do? Choose God and all that suffering? What do we do? Get to your most humble place of worship, period, and have you ever been going through suffering and nothing else worked for you but worship absolutely? Absolutely absolutely you just broke down on your knees and got on your face and said you know what I'm done?
Speaker 3:yeah, it's all you now yeah dad.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's all you pops, it's all you father yeah whatever you want to do with me, I'm your God, but that's the key when life doesn't make sense Get to your most humble place and worship. We've talked about trust. Now we're talking about worship, but worship in humility, not worship in. Oh God, I just want you to pull me out of this it has to be in spirit and in truth. In spirit and in truth.
Speaker 3:According to the word of God, absolutely, oh my.
Speaker 2:God, another biblical character, unless you want to piggyback on Job, Well, I thought about the scripture that talks about in order to reign with Christ, we have to also suffer with him. Reign with Christ, we have to also suffer with him. And you know, I can remember one time years ago, talking to a young lady about suffering and how we have to learn to suffer and of course, that's not a topic of interest.
Speaker 2:Most times we have to do what we have to learn to suffer. You have to learn to suffer. We're not taught that. We're not taught how to suffer, so we have to learn it. And how do you learn it? You go through hard things and in that conversation she was frustrated because that's not something she wanted to hear. But I said it's a reality, because sometimes you know, the longer we take to learn the lesson, the longer we stay in the, in the training, if you will. You know what I mean, which is a situation or a problem or issue or dilemma, right, but when we, when we learn in that process, whatever it is that God is planning to teach us, the quicker we move on.
Speaker 3:It's just like school right, it's just like school.
Speaker 2:If we go to first grade and we don't do what is necessary to move on to second grade second grade you're not going to second grade, or at least you shouldn't. I don't know what the school systems are doing all the time, but the goal is preparation. It's always. What is happening now is preparation for next.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:That's so good right that is so good, but when we don't include suffering as a part of life, we why do I feel the word dejected we become dejected. We become dejected like we separate from life. Wow, is that when we start entertaining the suicidal ideation? Is that when we start plugging? Is that when we are convinced that we're getting ready to step outside of God's will for our lives? Yeah because we don't include suffering as a part of life.
Speaker 1:Oh, my God, you reminded me of some statistics that I read, and it's one about trauma and mental health. 2017 found that individuals who experience personal trauma, such as abuse or loss of a loved one, are significantly more likely to experience feelings of worthlessness and despair, and it showed that trauma survivors are at increased risk for depression, with nearly 30 percent developing major depression disorders within a year of the traumatic event. You see what I'm saying, and so we have to understand that suffering has an impact on you and it will see you running.
Speaker 3:They're gone and I had.
Speaker 1:I had another stat that I wanted to read and I just found it here because I got to get this. This. This stat, I think, is going to share a lot of light on what we're talking about, and it says this Let me find this Now. Here it is. It talks about how struggle impacts character development. And there is another study done the same year 2017, published in the Journal of Positive Psychology found that people who experience significant struggles, such as trauma, often report positive changes in character, including increased resilience, a deeper appreciation for life, improved personal relationships. It says 50 to 60 percent of individuals report some form of post-traumatic growth following adversity. So some type of post-traumatic growth following adversity. So some type of post-traumatic growth following adversity. So we understand life is full of suffering, but the suffering doesn't have to define it.
Speaker 3:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:And that's why I wanted to get to this statistic, because, sure, life doesn't make sense when you're compounded with suffering, but suffering doesn't have to define your today or your tomorrow. Go ahead.
Speaker 2:I'm going to let you know that that is no. I was just thinking what a great comment that is that it doesn't have to define you.
Speaker 2:You know like, and and immediately I thought about when we are grounded in Christ and it is through that grounding that we accept, receive and embrace our identity. When we do that, when Christ is foundation and it makes me think about who's going to build a house without first counting the costs and making sure that you're building on a solid foundation. You know what I mean it's like. If, when you think about, when we think about life, we have to. If we haven't done this already, I think it is so necessary that we go back and figure out how to redefine our foundation If Jesus Christ is not it.
Speaker 2:And what I just felt the Lord say is this is how you know. Know, if your foundation is built on Christ. The Holy Spirit just gave this to me. If everyone were to, if everyone wants to walk away from you, would you still trust God? If every single person that you love in this earth walked away from you, would you still love, trust and believe in God? If the answer is an emphatic no, then it is good. It will be good for you to redefine your foundation, because you have to find out what your foundation is.
Speaker 2:Oftentimes we make other people our foundation right in error right because, because we can't keep each other like god keeps us, right, you know what I mean? Because we all have an expiration date, right? So if we make our foundation on another human being, what about when that human being is no longer there? What about when that human being is no longer capable? Now we're left foundationless. But when we make our foundation on Jesus Christ, no matter what storm we have to face, that foundation will remain, oh anyway, shaken by what shakes glory. And so what I want what I believe we all want is to be connected with someone who, when we shake, they don't shake. Glory to god, because if we're all shaking, we're all about to do something crazy and reckless.
Speaker 2:I need, need stability when I'm shaking glory to God, and that is who Jesus Christ is. He is the foundation that we are to build everything in our lives on, so that when the trauma comes, when the problem comes, when the pain comes, when all of these things come number one we're able to weather the storm and not die in it. But number number one we're able to weather the storm, yeah, and not die in it, yeah, but number two, we're able to, uh, be resuscitated. We're able to be revived from it. We're able to be healed and delivered and set free, my god, because he came to set the captive free.
Speaker 2:So, oh, this is so good. Glory to God. But when we create, when we allow him to be our foundation I'm trying to calm down Allow him to be our foundation. We can face some of the worst things. We don't want to, but we can't dictate life Right. But when we can just be reminded that we have an anchor that holds, no matter what I go through, he's not going to leave me, nor forsaken. He's going to be there when I'm crying and mad, or when I'm praising and worshiping.
Speaker 2:He's not going to be there when I'm crying and mad or when I'm praising and worshiping, it's not going to move, and that's the kind of foundation that we need when life does not make sense.
Speaker 1:Wow, the subject. What kept going off in my head is soul care. You're talking about soul care, care for the soul, and I think it's important that we as human beings be mindful that soul care is important, amen. It's just as important as spirit care and flesh care. Amen, because soul care, soul is the mind, the will and the emotions. And it's important piggybacking on what you said that we don't put our soul care, the strength of our soul care, over in the relationship with human beings, because humanity is frail and it's not fair. The only person that can give you soul strength is Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1:And I'm reminded of the book of third John, when John told Gaius, above all things beloved, yes, I would that you would prosper and be in health. That's what he said, even as your soul prosper. So that word even as your soul prosper equates soul prosper, excuse me. So soul prosperity on the same level with health prosperity and on the same level with financial prosperity. They are equal.
Speaker 1:So we're running around doing all this physical quote, unquote physical prosperity because we're working out and we're keeping our sexy going and we got all the latest things, and we have this financial prosperity. We have the home, the car, this and that, and, and we we say we have spiritual prosperity because we're always at church, but our minds are so confused and fragmented and frail, our emotions are everywhere and our desire, our will, so your will is your desire, your appetite, we're hungry for stuff that's no good for us. We want this and that, we want this person and that person. We got a wife and want two more. We got a husband and want three more. So something is wrong. You're not giving your soul care over to God and saying God, you are the healer of my soul.
Speaker 1:You are the one I desire. I want your thoughts in my mind. I want to practice self-control according to the fruit of the Holy Spirit. So I got to practice soul care the same way I practice financial care and physical care. Absolutely yeah.
Speaker 2:I mean and you said it very well, it made me think about you know, all of this is building on where we started in Proverbs. Yeah, you know, total dependence. That's what trust is Right Trust, trust in the Lord is totally depending on him for everything. Yeah, so that that definitely aligns. And we're just building on that premise to trust in the Lord, because I, because the only way that I can make him my foundation is if I trust him oh, that's so good Look, selah, y'all got to pause and think on that for just a moment.
Speaker 1:I hope you're enjoying this real talk today about what to do when life doesn't make sense, how to thrive when life doesn't make sense, and we're talking about suffering, because suffering can be that compounding element that really break you back and break you down and make you want to give up.
Speaker 2:I feel like the Lord just said something to me.
Speaker 3:Come on.
Speaker 2:And what I felt like he said is that somebody needs to take their life off of autopilot. Somebody needs to take their life off of autopilot. You're just trying to coast without doing anything. That is so good, but I feel like the spirit of the lord says this teaching what we're talking about requires your involvement. Talk to her glory, to god. You have to be involved and you have to participate. Come on you. It is your trust that is needed. You have to trust God. You can't ride the wave and just say you do but you really don't trust him. You have to participate. You can't lean on your own understanding. See this scripture Proverbs 3, 5, and 6,. It's all about your participation in order for manifestation. Lord, have mercy.
Speaker 2:glory to God. So you have to take your life off of autopilot, which just causes you to kind of do this cruise control through life, expecting someone else to be in control. You have to participate. God does his part, but we have a part also that we have to do, and God never fails.
Speaker 1:And look at what the terrible job that autopilot is doing for me. So far. Oh my goodness, yeah, autopilot is not getting you to your goal dream, right, yeah. So, oh my God, that was so good. I had a thought. It jumped out of my head, but I want to come back. So here's the thing.
Speaker 3:Refuse to allow suffering to define. You Say that again.
Speaker 1:Refuse to allow suffering to define you, period, and this don't subscribe to the narrative of pessimism and victimization narrative of pessimism and victimization to refuse to become negative and refuse to become abused by life. Stand up, stand up on your blessed two feet and fight the good fight of faith and let God finish the good work that he started in you, because it's not for us to finish our purpose, our destiny and the good work he's going to do it all. Just be available, prevail and travail through your suffering and watch God finish everything about your personhood, your purpose, your personality, your goal. He's going to finish it all because that's his work in you. Now the power of the Holy Ghost is going to happen. I love that. I'm thinking about how Joseph did not allow suffering to define him. He was hurt. Yeah, he was. Joseph was hurt by what his brothers did to him.
Speaker 3:As he should have been.
Speaker 1:He was so hurt from being separated from his dad. He was a daddy's boy. He was spoiled. But they ripped that boy from his father, threw him down in that well, took his coat of many colors, put blood on it, went back and told Jacob your son, joseph, was eaten by an animal and Joseph had been taken by some slaves sold over in Egypt, had experience going through being in Potiphar's house and being in control and managing things until his wife came and lied on him and then he was thrown into prison.
Speaker 1:Y'all know the story of Joseph. It's probably about 20, some chapters in Genesis, but I'm in Genesis 50 because we look at his end. Oh my God, don't let your now, oh my God, be the determining factor for your end, because Joseph's end was nothing like his beginning. His ladder was rated. Okay, I need to stop preaching, but what Joseph realized in chapter 50, in chapter 50 we see the children of Israel and Jacob and those who were left of the camp had come into Egypt. Joseph had begun to provide for them.
Speaker 1:Joseph had two sons that his dad, jacob, laid hands on them, ephraim and Manasseh, and then and then Joseph brothers. Joseph has revealed himself to his brothers that he I'm your brother that you threw away and rejected. And so Jacob dies and the brothers are concerned that Jacob Joseph is mad about what they did to him. Dad gone now, joseph gone, get us. And in chapter 50, joseph shows them that I didn't let your suffering define me and he didn't buy into the narrative of being a victim. And here's what he said in chapter. I had to give you some context. Chapter 50, genesis. Chapter 50, in verse 20, joseph says this Well, I'm going to start in verse 18. Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face and they said behold, we are your servants, verse 19. Joseph said to them do not be afraid, because they were scared. Joseph, he's getting ready to get us.
Speaker 2:He said for I am in the place of God.
Speaker 1:This suffering has blessed me so much. He was talking about the authority that he has been given. He was talking about the mercy that he had in him to give away. I got to stop, he says. But as for you, you meant evil against me. Watch this. But God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. So that suffering remember I read that statistic about 50 to 60% of people who go through traumatic experience, adversity and suffering, come out of it with greater character, come out of it with a post-traumatic benefit. And Joseph, right here, is showing us that God will order suffering in your steps and in your path just because he's trying to build up your character and take you to high places to be able to deliver other people. Oh my God. But sometimes the road to your greatness, the road to your destiny, the road to your perfection, the road to the best version of you, is filled with potholes of trouble and sorrow.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and we have to trust that God knows what he's doing. Come on, we have to trust, see, that goes back again. We have to trust that God knows what he's doing. One of the things that jumped out to me when you first started talking about Joseph's journey and this is so powerful is how we have to learn. See, this is so powerful, is how we have to learn. See, this is a part of suffering.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:When we talked about learning to suffer, but we have to learn how to manage emotions when the people that we love don't love us back.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's a honey baby child.
Speaker 2:Oh Jesus, Because when you talked about Joseph's hurt at what his brothers had done, I believe one of the reasons that he was so hurt I've been here before is the one of the reasons why he was so hurt about it is because he loved his brothers. Come on, and it is shocking when people that you love do things to you that show you that they don't love you the way that you love them, or or, even better still, they just don't love you but yet you love them. That is one of the most painful things. It is.
Speaker 2:When you talked about him being hurt about what they had done. I can only imagine the shock of being the coat being snatched off and these are brothers that he went to go share this good news with Brothers that he went to go and try to fellowship with. He wanted to be a part of their crew and their circle. He wanted to be around them and have them snatch his coat off aggressively and then throw him into a hole. These are people that were supposed to love him but tried to destroy him. Oh my.
Speaker 1:God, my God, can I tell you the destruction is meant for your good. The devil meant it for bad. Come on, but God left you in that fire.
Speaker 2:Mercy.
Speaker 1:Good, because your fire, your fire experience, will save a nation. Oh my God, your lion's den experience will save the land. Oh God, your lion's den experience will save a family, will save a family. That will save a nation. See, your purpose is bigger than you think. You may have a mundane routine of going to work five days a week and having a little thought on the weekend and saving for retirement, but there's an anointing and a purpose and a plan on your life that's bigger than your day to day. So press through your suffering. Trust. Trusting God means it for your good, because he's in it with you. Was he not in the prison with Joseph? Was he not in slavery with Joseph? Was he not in the pit with Joseph? He was silent, but he was working a caravan to come pick him up, just in case they changed their mind to kill him.
Speaker 3:Anyway, the caravan was on the way to get him out.
Speaker 1:I wish I had somebody to understand that if God leave you in it, it's only because a caravan is on the way to bring you out.
Speaker 1:Listen, check out this statistic, though it says here, studies show that individuals with strong spiritual beliefs because we're talking about trusting in God and leaning not to your own understanding, but leaning into God's understanding. We're talking about intimacy and faith with him, walking with him. Look at what it says. It says with strong spiritual beliefs often have higher resilience in facing life challenges. Amen, oh my God. This is a study that shows that when you have strong spiritual beliefs, when you start going through something, you're more resilient.
Speaker 3:I agree.
Speaker 1:Resilience can be explained as bounce back. You got. You got restoration working in your life when you practice healthy, strong spiritual beliefs. Amen. In a time when life don't make sense, you better tap into your.
Speaker 2:Holy Ghost. You have to. And then you also have to shut down naysayers. You have to shut down people who are going to bring the pessimism, the negativity, All of those things. We have to learn how to be okay with shutting those people out. I like that. It doesn't have to be forever. That's what I said, though.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Before season, while you're trying to maintain your spiritual strength.
Speaker 1:I think that's important. My God.
Speaker 2:Because we don't always have to answer the phone and we don't always have to respond to a thing. I'm just going to say the obvious Help them Right, answer the phone. And we don't always have to respond to a thing.
Speaker 1:I'm just gonna say the obvious right, we don't always have to leave the the ringer on on the phone, and we don't always have to feel like we have to respond right now.
Speaker 2:oh my god, sometimes we, we are wired to do that like I feel, like if I don't say anything or if I don't, if, if I don't, if I don't know, just be at peace, be at peace.
Speaker 3:Be at peace.
Speaker 1:Two final passages of scripture we're going to, we're going to end our session on today, as we've been talking about identifying the hand of God and suffering and being resilient and not letting suffering define you. I'm reminded of Romans 8 and 28. Suffering to find you I'm reminded of Romans 8 and 28. And it says, and we all know that in all things, god is working good On behalf of those who love him and who are the called according to his purpose. And I want every child of God to know you are the called, you are the chosen, you are the set aside, you are the royal priesthood.
Speaker 1:I'm in the Bible. You are the chosen generation in every generation. You are the chosen generation to change the nation and you are chosen to go through suffering and prevail, to show the nations that you can trust on God in suffering and come out on top. Finally, as we talk about this, I want us to remember Jeremiah 29 and 11. Would you like to read Jeremiah 29 and 11? Jeremiah 29 and 11. And you and I have shared this whole backdrop. We quote Jeremiah 29 and 11 a lot, but what I think sometimes we forget about is this was a word given to the captives over in Babylon by the prophet Jeremiah.
Speaker 2:Come on, I'm just going to say for me, that's what makes this word so powerful, so powerful. Because you know it again sends that message that God hadn't forgot about.
Speaker 1:God hadn't forgot.
Speaker 2:It's nothing like receiving a word from the Lord when you are at your lowest point, yes, when you are in a situation with your back up against the wall, when it looks like that the enemy is winning, when it looks like you have gotten to the end of your road.
Speaker 2:It is nothing like God giving you a word, because their word creates hope Hallelujah and then reactivates the faith that your circumstances could have snatched up out of you Hallelujah. So one of the most powerful things that I love about Jeremiah 29 and 11 is the context of it where they were when God gave them this word. That is so powerful because to me, that speaks to love, that speaks to the scripture that talks about he'll never leave nor forsake. It speaks so many things and we see the nature of God wonderfully in that scripture, because, though I am in this situation and I don't want to be and I don't like it, god is still blessing, he's sending me hope and I believe it's also I think I know it's in jeremiah, I'm not sure if it's in 29, but he talks about them um building homes.
Speaker 1:That's exactly where I was going creating
Speaker 2:vineyards and doing so and that's so powerful, because just because you're in this situation doesn't mean that who god made you to be won't work. And we we even see that in Joseph's life who he has anointed us to be Because the anointing, the anointing is going to work, no matter where we are. The anointing is going to do what the anointing does. But again, going back to when we talked about but you have to participate. You got to come out of autopilot and you got to do your part. Ah, glory to God To see manifestation One. Life is not making sense and we have to make sure that we're doing our part.
Speaker 1:Okay, and that God is a pursuer and he pursues us even over into our suffering. That is good, and so the message Jeremiah was giving to this enslaved, captive group of people who consisted of the priests, the prophets and the rest of the people. He said to them build your houses while you're over there, plant vineyards while you're over there, live, have children, marry over there, live, have children, marry, he said, because I know the plans I have for you. That is good and not evil, to give you a future and an expected end. And he told me. He said I'm coming back for the remnant and to return you back to Jerusalem. In other words, don't let your suffering come on somebody stifle your living.
Speaker 2:That's it, you know, I heard Because.
Speaker 1:I'm coming to get you.
Speaker 2:I heard Pastor John Hannah repetitively say this my man John Hannah. What do you do when you wait? You prepare. And I thought because I thought he was going to say serve, but he said you prepare. And I was like, oh, but he said you prepare. And I was like, oh, my God, that is so profound you prepare.
Speaker 2:Because, a lot of times, when we're waiting, we don't want to do anything and we forget. This is preparation for next, so it's necessary to prepare now. So, when God brings you out, you're ready, you're ready, oh, my goodness, you're ready. And so they're building houses and grand vineyards, are you?
Speaker 3:serious. Why make captivity?
Speaker 2:God is like yes, I'm serious. Wow, what if we took that word Hallelujah and applied it? You know you understand get rid of all the stifled living. Come on, you know sometimes we find ourselves in, it'll get us out of that, you know. It'll bring us up out of that sad place, the depressed place. Start doing something towards coming out. Do something towards what God has anointed you, called you to do. Do something towards you know and not sitting just stagnant.
Speaker 1:Live your best life. Tell them build some houses while you're over there in slavery, plant some things, buy some property, get married, have some kids. Don't worry about it. I'm coming to get all of you out. Oh my God, I'm coming, I'm coming for you, I'm coming. I'm going to restore everything. I love it. Then you're going to have more to bring back.
Speaker 2:Exactly. You're going, I'm telling you that's so good, that feels prophetic, very prophetic. I'm coming, I'm coming. What if? What if we could take that when we're facing this, you know time when life isn't making sense and we tag on to every day. He's coming.
Speaker 1:He's coming. Pastor, can you summarize to our listening audience and viewing audience? Can you summarize when life doesn't make sense, man, you just give us a good paragraph of how to go forward.
Speaker 2:You have got to get planted in the word of God. We started this thing off talking about Proverbs three, five and six trusting in the Lord, leaning not to your own understanding, and that is so key and pivotal. When life does not make sense, you have to allow the word of God, which is also Jesus Christ, to be your foundation and build everything on that. Because if he's not your foundation, when as life is lifing, as we say, it can throw you off and cause you to be in this chaotic place. But trust meaning depend, put all of your dependence I love that on God and he'll direct you, I love it All right, we pray that you have been.
Speaker 1:I know you've been blessed, it's no question. This is a right now word because we're at a time, and around the world, when life doesn't make sense. It just doesn't make sense. But we're going to stop trying to make it make sense and we're going to trust in the Lord and keep going. Listen, will you support us today? Will you be a sponsor? Will you be a sponsor? Will you be a partner? That would be you saying amen.
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Speaker 1:We want to get some feedback. If you could just send us a contact form, send us an email, send us just something on our social media pages, but send a seed to continue this program going at the Daily Bread podcast. It's on all of the podcast platforms and that's cost associated with it for production, for cameras, for lighting, for everything that it requires to make this happen. And we need your support to keep this going. We can't do this on our own. We're trying to do as best we can Some things you start on your own, but we need your support in a big way, in a major way, to continue to take this podcast around the world, even to television and other channels, because we believe God has given us something to say. We've been 30 some years doing this married, raised a family, been through all the hell you can imagine and still giving God praise because we didn't let the suffering define us. So thank you for tuning in to Daily Bread Podcast. God bless you is our prayer. Listen up, tune in next time.
