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
Daily Bread Podcast - Adjustments PT 1
Life's unexpected twists can feel like a wrench thrown into our well-laid plans, but what if these shifts are aligning us with a greater purpose? We've all faced moments that demand change, whether we welcome it or not. Reflecting on these experiences, we explore how maintaining a posture of praise and gratitude in every season can anchor us through life’s trials. Our conversation dives into the profound practice of entering God’s presence with thanksgiving, even when circumstances feel overwhelming, and how this mindset fosters resilience and spiritual growth.
Think of life's adjustments like a monkey wrench, capable of expanding and contracting to fit the situation—this metaphor guides us through understanding the necessity for flexibility in our spiritual journey. We draw parallels with chiropractic adjustments, which, though sometimes uncomfortable, are crucial for maintaining balance and health. Whether it’s minor tweaks or significant overhauls to our plans, embracing change with openness can lead us closer to our divine purpose. Our discussion uncovers the natural resistance we have to change, highlighting the transformative power of trusting in God’s infinite wisdom and recognizing the beauty in our human limitations.
Authenticity in faith is liberating, and we challenge the notion of putting on a brave face when inside we’re struggling. By sharing personal stories and biblical examples, we encourage a heartfelt transparency with God. This openness not only fosters a deeper relationship with Him but also frees us from the spiritual prisons of doubt and fear. As we wrap up, there’s an invitation to join us in spreading the gospel through various platforms, partnering together in this mission of faith and transformation. Our gratitude is profound for those who support us in this journey, and we look forward to growing together in the spirit of praise and trust.
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.
All right, well, praise the Lord, everyone. We are back in the studio and we want to welcome you to the Daily Bread podcast. We are your hosts, dr Jarrell and Angela Stokely, and it is just an absolute privilege and honor to be here with you today, in this moment. I'm grateful for my lovely co-host, who is looking at me right now in the same kind of way. I'm grateful for my lovely co-host who is looking at me right now in the same kind of way. But welcome to the podcast. We're about to get started, so Angela's going to greet everyone. She's going to give us a word of prayer. We're going to jump right in. Hot topic today. Hot topic today Today, we're talking about adjustments.
Speaker 2:Angela, it's all yours. Well, what up everybody, glad you're here. Thanks for chiming in, not chiming in checking in. How about that? To listen in? We appreciate you, we're grateful and we're glad to be here and preferably, you know, we'll be able to share a nugget or two that you can utilize to help add to your arsenal to navigate this thing called life. Amen. So I'll go ahead and open up with prayer and then we'll get started.
Speaker 2:Amen, lord, we bless and thank you and give you all glory and honor and praise. We thank you, father, first and foremost, for this day. It was not promised, lord, but you saw fit that we'd be here. God, we thank you for the opportunity to be sitting in these seats again and to share with your people, god, that which you have laid on the heart, on our hearts. God, to preach, to teach, to share, to elaborate on God, that people may be edified and that the devil will be horrified in the name of Jesus, and then, god, that ultimately you will be glorified.
Speaker 2:We thank you for every listener. We pray, god, that you give us all an ear to hear what the spirit of the Lord has to say to the church. Now, god, I ask that you move by your spirit, that you will anoint us afresh for this assignment, god, that we will be able to do that, what you have called and commissioned us to do, and that the change that you want to see happen happens in the earth realm. And we give you glory, we give you honor, and God, we give you praise in Jesus name, amen.
Speaker 1:Amen. Thank you so much, angela, for the prayer. All right, listen, right where you are, give God just a quick, you know five seconds of praise. Just say hallelujah, just lift your hand up and say God, I love you, I thank you, amen. Come on, give him some praise, right where you are, because he deserves just a few seconds of praise as we get into our teaching on the day.
Speaker 1:You know, the Bible says enter into his presence with thanksgiving his presence, giving his presence. We're in his presence, in his course, with praise. Be thankful unto him and bless his holy name. So, out of our mouths, we show gratitude and thanksgiving, out of our mouths, with our hand, with our gestures, with our feet, with a smile, with our attitude, and we bless his holy name by opening up our mouths and saying something good toward God. Because, again, the key word is holy. His name is holy, he is holy and so he is worthy. As vessels who are only made holy through Jesus Christ, he's worthy of a shout of praise or Shabbat or hallelujah or God, I'm struggling, but thank you.
Speaker 1:anyway, I'm going to say thank you in this moment. So give them some praise there real quick as we come into this space together.
Speaker 2:I think it's, you know, for believers, I think that's such a great, a great word to to practice. You know to come into his presence with Thanksgiving and his course with praise. I think that you know to come into his presence with thanksgiving and his courts were praised. I think that you know we forget about sometimes, just the basic, the basic things, and I think I like that scripture. That's why I'm kind of still talking about it, because I think it's such a great practice for the believer to continue to work through, Because not all the time do you feel like praising, to continue to work through, because not all the time do you feel like praising, not all the time do you want to give thanksgiving, because issues you know tend to burden us.
Speaker 2:But I think I love that. That scripture instructs us to do that and it is not based on conditions, but it is simply based on God's intention for us, and I think we should learn how to do that regardless, just regardless. Because when you were talking, all I thought was how that's a posture. It's a posture to be able to praise. It's a posture to be able to say thanks even with tears rolling down your face or a broken heart or whatever it is, and I just think that that's such an excellent exercise for the believer to practice as often as possible.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we are made in the image and likeness of God, and everything that God created he created to worship him.
Speaker 2:Absolutely he created. To give him praise.
Speaker 1:The Bible talks about how the winds give him praise and the mountains praise his name, and the seas and the rivers and the waters praise the name of the Lord. And so everything got. So there is a praise in you. So you have to keep praise on reserve for difficult times. If you got to pray, if you put praise on reserve in your soul and commit and discipline yourself and condition yourself to have a praise regardless. It may not be as loud as your previous praise, when everything was going great. It may not be as rambunctious and as demonstrative and expressive as other times, but if you could just say thank you Jesus, if you could just say Lord, I thank you. You know, even if it's a somber voice, lord, I thank you, and keep saying it until that voice gets higher, and I keep saying it until your soul starts to rejoice and a true shout of praise coming out of your mouth Hallelujah, god, I thank you, anyway begins to build up on the inside. Yeah, because praise has to be on reserve.
Speaker 1:We were made to pray.
Speaker 2:So it's in there. You could be hurting so bad, but it's in there, it is, and, of course, because it's based on who he is and not what he does, I think that's the other part, when we are just grateful for who God is. You know what I'm saying. I think that that posture can be developed when, through our journey of Christianity, we simply remember that we are who we are, we have the opportunities that we have, we are not going to hell because, you know, god sent his son, because he so loved the world, and I think if we just base it on who God is, that praise will automatically come out of us. You know what I'm saying? Right? Because sometimes I think we get into that place where it's but this didn't happen and that didn't happen, and I don't have, you know, I haven't seen this yet or that prayer was an answer yet, and so we start praising based on condition as opposed to praise, and based on who God is.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And I think that's where we kind of have the back and forth, you know, right Well, we're able to do it.
Speaker 1:Right. So our topic and I believe this is going to be a series, because this is a very important topic it's one. This is a life topic. You could come back to this topic anytime and feed off of it, and so the series we're starting is adjustments. We are living in one of the most critical times in the history of humanity Not that we hadn't always been in these types of situations, but the Bible talks about, as we get closer and closer to Jesus' second coming, that the world will wax worse and worse, evil will wax worse and worse, and the hearts of men will become worse and worse, and men will become more lovers of themselves than lovers of God. And men are in power.
Speaker 1:They're in authority, they're in control. So they navigate our culture, our society, they navigate the financial industry, they navigate what's going on on the global powers, the relationships between countries and people groups, and you know, all of that is based on the heart of men making decisions. So we're living in a time of adjustments and life is full of a plethora of adjustments. And I was thinking about this on the way here and what I kind of said to myself is this there is no adjustment that can break you. It is your perspective of the adjustment that can break you. So, because God has given us grace and strength in Jesus Christ to process through every adjustment, the only way to break and fold dealing with an adjustment is your perspective of that adjustment.
Speaker 1:Though it may be painful, it may be tough, it may be rigorous, it may be unpredictable, it may be challenging, it may be one of the hardest things you face, it can't break you. Your perspective of it. The lens in which you see this adjustment, how you approach your mindset, your attitude, your day in and day out about the adjustment, is what can break us. I absolutely agree. Comment before I give a definition.
Speaker 2:Of course, every time you say adjustment immediately, you know, my mind goes to a chiropractor. You know, and having had the experience with a chiropractor and actually needing to go see a chiropractor right now for my neck, you know, when you hear about adjustment, it sounds very intimidating prior to having the experience it sounds very intimidating. So, as I'm thinking about this particular topic as it relates to life, sometimes adjustments or the thought of having to make an adjustment, because really adjustment is a form of a change in a sense, it is intimidating because it's something we've not experienced. Sometimes. Sometimes we don't know what to expect as a result of that adjustment, and so sometimes we become paralyzed and fearful just at the idea of adjustment. I know that was the case for me with a chiropractor. Like I avoided that for a very long time, not realizing that the adjustment would help put things back into alignment. Though there's a process that you have to go through.
Speaker 2:And so I feel like that's so fitting for you know this particular topic, because adjustments are not always comfortable, but they help to realign things Right. And then you have to continue to work through this process as things continue to come back into alignment, and not only do you get an adjustment like once, you keep going back. Sometimes, depending on your circumstance, you have to get three adjustments in a week. But you're getting things back in alignment and then after some time they'll tell you just come twice. After some time they'll tell you just come once once a week, then it'll shift and you'll just have to do it once every month, once every other month. And so I feel like that just parallels so well with what we're going to talk about today that, in spite of the uncomfortableness of it, it really is putting things back into alignment for your good.
Speaker 1:That's so good. That is so good. Another side of the coin of what adjustment means and a metaphor of it is a particular tool when I was growing up that the handyman and the backyard mechanics used to use to fix things. I don't know if it's still called this. I don't know why they call it, but it was called a monkey wrench.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, and if you ever, if you've ever, seen a monkey wrench I don't know what it's called in other culture, but our culture was called a monkey wrench it's got a little little device on the head of it that causes the tool that clamps on the object to expand, so causes the tool that clamps on the object to expand. So if you twist the little I don't know the dial inward, it closes the head of the tool that clamps down on the object. If you twist the little valve to the right or outward, it expands the tool so that it can clamp onto a larger object. And I've noticed that, like that tool, life's adjustments are for expansion. It's for us to be flexible, it's developmental For sure.
Speaker 1:So one side of the coin of adjustment is alignment. The other one is when God is developing us for purpose destiny, to be able to handle more, to become a better example of Jesus Christ. And we have to go through these times where God allows things to develop us and they are expanding our capacity. So when that monkey wrench is it's dialed in real little you know it can handle a one inch pipe round pipe in real little you know it can handle a one inch pipe round pipe, but when it's expanded out it can handle a five inch, a seven inch wide pipe to get the job done. So God has developed us for the different stages, platforms, destinies in life, so that we become a flexible tool to get the things done that he's called us to do and walk in our anointing.
Speaker 2:And you know that connection goes back. It connects right back to the body because when our anointing and you know that connection goes back, it connects right back to the body because when our bodies are realigned, it helps us to be more flexible for whatever age we are. Because, you know, chiropractors, they, they, they, they suggest that people bring infants in for adjustments. I didn't know that, you know. But for every stage, for every stage, it goes back to what you were just saying. For every stage of life there is a necessary adjustment. You know what I mean. And it helps the flexibility that is needed for that season of our life physiologically. You know what I mean. So I definitely see that parallel there. That's powerful.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because development, you know, we go through physiological development, then we go through spiritual development, yeah, and we go through soul development. See, my mind, will and emotions, which is the soul, have to be adjusted for the plan of this big old God, have to be adjusted for the plan of this big old God, you know, and when we are adjustments become most difficult, when we're going through trouble times, it's hard to change and modify, you know, when things are already not going the way you want them to.
Speaker 2:But what about when they happen and you don't even expect it to be happening? What about when you're coasting along and everything's pretty cool, yeah, and then boom, you're hit with an adjustment. See, I think that's another time when it's challenging too, because you're like well, I was fine you know what I mean. I was okay. Yeah, why did this adjustment time have to come? Now? You know what I mean, and sometimes I think that that that's another time when it's difficult.
Speaker 1:Oh, absolutely. You know well, in all reality, because we are creatures of habit and pattern, we don't like change. We do that. You know there's this psychological term called homeostasis. You know there's this psychological term called homeostasis. It means when we're so in a routine, we're so in a routine driving from home to work that we can drive from home to work without even paying attention to the turns that we're making. We're on autopilot. We're so used to patterns. Everything is about a pattern. We go get our coffee at the same place. We all see the same breakfast all the time. You know what I mean. Like we act the same way on Friday. Friday come, we have the same patterns. We're happy, we're excited. We're going to get our paycheck, we're going to pay our bills we're going to get the family, we're going to move.
Speaker 1:You know it's a pattern, we're patterned people.
Speaker 1:And so anything that takes us outside of that pattern. It's difficult, it's hard, but we have to be flexible with adjustments, absolutely. So let's look at adjustment. I wanted to look at just some definition type stuff, just so we can lay some groundwork, and I went to Chad GBT and it said adjustments refer to changes, as it were, or modifications. Watch this To improve. This is some of this chiropractic stuff that you were talking about To improve. Watch this to improve. This is some of this chiropractic stuff that we're talking about To improve. Watch this to correct.
Speaker 1:Ladies and gentlemen, some of that adjustment that you're facing and going through in life. It's corrective and we have to be willing to be open minded to that. That or to adapt a situation. So adapt, adapting process or system to achieve a desired outcome. I love that so much, and so let me read that again Adjustments refer to changes, modification or modifications made to improve, correct or adapt a situation, process or system to achieve a desired outcome. We can never assume that we are at the desired outcome that God has for our lives, and that's it Like it's no more.
Speaker 1:We can never assume. We know the plan of God, we know everything that God is doing with us and we know exactly whether or not God is saying it's time for us to grow. That's right, because he, when you're dealing with adjustments, the first thing you have to accept is the sovereignty of God, so that you can trust Absolutely. So let's get into the meat of the sovereignty of God so that you can trust him. I don't want to go too fast because this is going to be a series I want to.
Speaker 2:You have some comments you want to say about that definition.
Speaker 1:I did, but I'm okay to go ahead.
Speaker 2:It's so good. There was something in particular you said. I've forgotten about it now, but if it comes back up I'll mention it. I and I forgot. I forgot what you said, but that's a very good definition.
Speaker 1:So, if you, if you see me, shift and stop me, because I tend to get in a hurry.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and sometimes we need to just saturate in that whole thing, because there are also people out there I know I am in my life. Let's do that, let's. Let's go back and talk about, let's lay ourselves on the altar here. Changes, yeah. Modifications, yeah. Alterations. Changes, modifications, alterations as this definition talked about with life or a situation or processes or system. All of that kind of irritates me sometimes and I've gone through so.
Speaker 1:You have financial adjustments, you have social adjustment, you have political adjustments, you have relational adjustments, family adjustments, living adjustments, career adjustments, work adjustments. Wait a minute, let's go back to the physiological. When your body, when you get hit with some type of ailment oh my God, talk about needing to. I've lived through all of those adjustments and many of them were extremely tough. And those people who are listening right now you're in an extremely tough adjustment situation. But be of good courage. Be of good courage. There's no adjustment that can break you. It's your perspective and God's got a word to show you some people in the word of God that had to deal with major adjustments and how they dealt with that. And the sovereignty of God is where we start.
Speaker 2:I like your emphasis on the adjustment won't break you but your perspective will, and that's very true because, of course, you know, perspective is kind of my thing, I really. I think there's so much there, because I know that how we see and visualize and conceptualize a thing determines how we respond, act, behave, lack thereof, whatever. It impacts so many different things. And so I like how you connect that reality because it's very true, the thing won't break you and you know, and I think about the adjustment won't break you and I think about the scripture that says he won't put more on you than you can bear. Yeah, he knows what we are capable of Right Handling. Yeah, he knows it because he put it in us. He put it in us, he put that ability, he put handle it in us.
Speaker 2:He put that ability, he put handle it in us. You understand, he put make it in us. And you know, I want to say Booyah, booyah, right, that bounce back, that's right. In Hebrew it's Booyah, yeah, go ahead. I love that. And so he placed that ability in us. And so when these things in life, these adjustments, it's time to adjust right, when we have these times when it's time to adjust or we're hit with these different things, god is not worried. You know, god is not concerned. God is not trying to figure out anything because he already knows who can handle what you know. And I think that in and of itself is so beautiful when we can truly accept that reality and say just because I didn't know does not mean God didn't know. And so, while I may not prefer to be dealing with this and I wish God would have called me in the meeting room when he decided it for me, right.
Speaker 1:You know what I mean you understand man let me work out.
Speaker 2:Can we negotiate, lord Right, like, can we like not give me that, but let me, like, deal with this Right? We can't be in the room and have those conversations, but I think we have to remember that, wow conversations. But I think we have to remember that, even when I think about Jeremiah 29 and 11, that his plans for us are good and not evil. So, whatever that plan is, because we're figuring it out day by day, that's our goal. We're striving to figure out all the plans that he has for us because we don't know in one first whoop, but they are good, right, and not evil. Right Perspective, because when things happen it can feel very evil to me. Oh, absolutely, you know what I'm saying. But when I have the right perspective and if I'm looking for perspective, yeah, in the word of God, it'll help me Right To navigate the way that I see the thing that I'm going through Right Right.
Speaker 1:I think it's important in that context to remember that there are three plans operating in life. There's God's plan I know the plan that I have for you. It is good and not evil. But then there's Satan plan and Satan is saying I know the plan that I have for you and it's evil and not good.
Speaker 1:So that's two. The third one is our plan. We have free will and our plan is like okay, god, I hear you, okay, satan, I hear you, but this is what I want, that's what I'm. You got a good plan. Sometimes we're like a better one. Okay, I got a better one right now than to be going through this pregnancy when I didn't plan on being pregnant at 30.
Speaker 1:At 21. I know I'm not, I'm married, we do this as a family, but I wasn't ready. I'm just saying hypothetically, using that as a very minimalistic example, but I'm saying God got a plan that's good, not evil. Satan got a plan that's evil, not good. We got a plan that's even not good. We got a plan that's great, regardless of any one of them. So we think so, we think so, we think so.
Speaker 1:This really takes us to the point of number one God's sovereignty and God's control. Yeah, oh my God. Since we cannot stop the adjustments, since we cannot choose the adjustment or the timing of the adjustments, since we cannot control the people, who is causing the adjustments, we then as believers, as followers of God, as righteous children of God, have to lend ourselves to trusting his sovereignty and knowing that God is in control. That's how we don't break. First of all. That's the first thing I want to talk about, and so I have a scripture here, Proverbs three, verse five through six. It says trust in the Lord. Ladies and gentlemen, here's our work. We are working to get to this point. We're laboring to enter the rest of God. So I hear you say it Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not just a part I love, do not lean on your own understanding. I want to finish this. Then we break this down In all your ways. Acknowledge Him and he will make straight your paths. So it says to me.
Speaker 1:Life's adjustments often require surrendering our understanding to God and relying on his direction. Let's eat the scripture up for a minute. Let's eat on this. You want to start? Let's start here. Trust, Yep, how, how. Sweetheart. Pastor A, all those titles. We've been together doing ministry for almost 30 years. I call all kinds of stuff Pastor A, Apostle, because she's co-everything that I've done, We've done it co-together. That I've done, we've done it co-together. So, anyway, how would you, how do you see trusting God as a, as an asset, when dealing with adjustment as an asset.
Speaker 2:I'll say it like. I'll say it, like I feel it, and then we'll see if I answer the question. How about that? Is that okay when? When I think about trusting in the Lord, for me it's a no-brainer. In this sense, in and of myself, I am limited, right, and I am fully aware of that.
Speaker 1:That's so good.
Speaker 2:In and of myself. I have the propensity to make all sorts of errors and mistakes.
Speaker 1:That is so good, that is so heavy.
Speaker 2:Because I am fully aware and am not at all delusional in that regard.
Speaker 1:Move Holy Ghost. I feel the power of God.
Speaker 2:Trusting in God just makes sense. Wow, jesus.
Speaker 1:Glory, wow. I know people say in scholarly circles and intellectual realms they say don't use the word wow that much because it really has no defining point other than wow. I didn't know that. But wow, my God, I don't care about that. That's a wow statement and a wow moment. Yeah, all I heard in that was and not all I heard but one profound thing I heard in it was you have to be first humble.
Speaker 2:You have to To trust God. You have to Because without it, you won't think about it.
Speaker 1:Without it you can't trust God. Listen y'all, we teach this not parenthetically, but experientially. We don't come to you as the experts of this, but the experiencers of this. Oh, it can be so hard sometimes, because I'm not talking about humble yourself from a platform of arrogance and pride. I'm talking about humbling yourself to choose his will over you. That's it. Sometimes that's tough because we are intellectual beings. God wired us great. We have creativity, we have a mind to use, we have rational reason and logic, and God equipped us that way.
Speaker 1:So we can think our way in and out of things. But when you're willing to give up all that power, that's our power. We have to give up that power for God's plan and his purpose yeah, knowing that we were put here by him. He has a sovereign plan over our lives. He will control us, but he controls the narratives. That brings us into the formation and the transformation to who he has called us to be Absolutely.
Speaker 2:See, there is a you know for me, husband, apostle my boy right oh man. There is this reality for me that, though God has endowed me with intelligence and amazing spiritual gifts yes, discernment, word of wisdom, word of knowledge, a gift of teaching, he set me up well. He did. He set me up well. He set me up well. In spite of that, there is a full understanding that I have that I still live with a lot of limitation.
Speaker 1:There it is again that word you keep saying limitations. We have to know that we are limited in this big cosmos that we live in, with these two dimensions that exist the spirit dimension and the earth realm dimension. These dimensions and we deal with power. The Bible says we deal with powers and principalities and rulers and wickedness and high places. Oh my God, we have to understand. We are limited creatures. We are limited. We are a reflection of his image.
Speaker 2:We are not him.
Speaker 1:That's right.
Speaker 2:We're a reflection of his power. We are not him.
Speaker 1:That's right. We are a reflection of Jesus Christ we are not him, that's right. You know, and so you know I'm going to let you go, I'm going to let you go.
Speaker 2:I love that, yeah. And so when you realize that I believe, when you realize that, like, for real, for real and I'm not talking about this may believe stuff that sometimes happens, but when you know that, beyond a shadow of a doubt, like, hey, nobody move you from knowing that you are, in fact, limited, in spite of all these beautiful blessings that you have, you know and that you possess, and all this charisma and character you have, all this you you bad to the bone, but yet you still are limited to you, recognize, remember and reflect on often that you serve a God who is not. Yeah, For me, that makes it so natural to trust in God. Right, because and we say this, and I'm sure a lot of us have heard this in different sermons, us have heard this in different sermons it's not about the thing that's been created, but instead it's about the creator of the thing. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:So, in order for me to fully understand my full functionality and ability, because I am the created thing, I need to make sure that I stay connected to the one who created me, my creator, because my creator knows more about me than I know about myself and, oh Jesus, I feel the Holy ghost. And so that's why I can be assured that, even when I am facing a difficult situation and a difficult, a difficult a predicament, yeah, that it doesn't shock him, though it may shock me, because he know what he put in me to deal with the thing that he knew that he was going to allow to show up in my life. You know what I'm saying, right? So if I posture myself, realizing that I am I am a limited being, yet I am connected to an unlimited being it only makes sense to trust in the Lord Jesus.
Speaker 1:This is such a great topic. This is such a great topic. It only makes sense to trust in the Lord. Because you know what, angela? There are some challenging adjustments that happen in life. Yes, sir, absolutely there are some. There's some challenging adjustments that happen in life, yes, sir, but yet then there are some, some exciting adjustments that happen in life. Yeah, and sure we are. Sometimes we're afraid of the exciting adjustments because it can be larger than life and it can be. You know, we don't. We don't feel like we have the confidence or whatever, the wherewithal to step up to that blessing, to that great thing. But we do and we rejoice in it and it's a great season. So we have the exciting adjustments, but then we have the excruciating if I can keep, the easy, excruciating adjustments.
Speaker 1:In all of them, in both categories, we have to trust God. We have to In his sovereignty. Now, sovereignty we've used this word Sovereignty to me kind of says that God is the supreme, he's the supreme navigator of all things. God's sovereignty is his rulership. He is over all things, he knows all things, he controls all things. That that God's sovereignty is is really just his, is his glory, it's his goodness, it's his mercy. It's his grace. So we have to trust in God's sovereignty, that he knows he's omniscient, he's omnipotent and he's omnipresent, omniscient. He knows all things, he's omnipotent, he has all power and he's omnipresent. He's everywhere at the same time. He's with me, with you. So I wanted to just give some context on this whole thing about sovereignty. But I have a question too for our audience how are you trusting God right now in your adjustment? You trusting God right now in your adjustment? Yeah, yeah, think about that. Yeah, are you really trusting God in what you're going through? And it's okay if you're trusting him a little.
Speaker 1:That's right, if you're trusting him kind of you know average haphazardly, or if you're trusting him a lot, you know it's okay to be real with ourselves and say I'm struggling with this right now, Like God, like God I barely trust you right now. I barely trust you.
Speaker 2:I feel like I can't trust you. You know I'm right here right now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Because I'm hurting Cause this is bad. This is like I'm having a problem trusting you right now, so help me. There was one character in the Bible. His son had a demon from childbirth that threw him in the water and in the fire. He took him to his disciples. Disciples weren't able to cast him out. He went to Jesus. Jesus said do you believe? He said I believe, but help my unbelief.
Speaker 2:I got a little bit of a growth process.
Speaker 1:I need here with this because I've had this going on ever since he was a child. I brought it to the disciples. They weren't able to do it. Yeah, I got some unbelief. Yes, yes, okay, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, I'm tired of the perfect Christianity context. Yes, I got some unbelief. Help me with it, jesus.
Speaker 2:And you know that's beautiful that you said that, and I believe that someone has been criticized for not having faith or belief in a particular area or surrounding a certain thing, or vacillating between believing and not believing, and so I feel like that. What you just said, minister to somebody to give them the freedom to be transparent with God. Yes, because I feel like that. One of the things, unfortunately, we have been taught in church is that, no matter what you're going through, just pretend like everything's okay. The problem with that concept is that you end up creating a lot of dysfunction within people and within the organization or the institution. But when we are taught to be transparent, when we are taught to be transparent number one, being transparent with God is one of the most beautiful things that you can ever be. I am grateful. I have no idea how I was taught it, but I'm grateful that I was always transparent, like when I'm thinking, when, when I started young, very young, when, for example, my dad died and I literally told God I was mad at him. I was like, well, I don't even know what you're doing. I was 12 years old and I said God, I'm mad at you. Okay, when you think about some people say you know you can't say stuff like that to God. And so why, why could, why would God be intimidated by me saying I'm mad at you? That was my truth. It gives me opportunity to be open for growth. When I'm transparent.
Speaker 2:See, when we hide behind all this false stuff, we stay entrapped and it gives the enemy opportunity to beat us up even more. But when we are able to open up our mouth and be completely honest, like you know what, god, I'm really struggling. I believe a little bit, but then this happened and I got a little nervous. You know, I start feeling like you didn't, I wasn't your boy, I wasn't your girl anymore, or whatever your dialogue is. You know what I'm saying. I feel like that. What I'm saying? I feel like that we have to know. The body of believers has to.
Speaker 2:We have to know that how we go to God is okay, right, and where we're in error, god will help us to understand. Don't do that Right. You know what. You understand what I'm trying to say, because I feel like when you said that, like I just felt this oh my God, somebody needed to hear that, because they've been criticized about vacillating between their belief and their lack of belief. And the reality is, when we are able to be transparent and say I believe that, I don't believe that, I believe that I don't believe, it says okay, I'm being transparent because I want to grow, and it gives me opportunity you know what I'm saying For God to really be able to work on me so that I can grow. You know, and I think that's very important.
Speaker 1:The evolution of transparency for the believer is a process.
Speaker 1:For sure, and it takes some growth in God. It's an experiential process Because, you know, I got saved I was a part of. When I got saved I was in my early 20s. I was a part of a denomination that they practiced that sense of secrecy. You know you can't go to God and express how you feel if it's not a positive expression quote, unquote positive expression. You can ask why you couldn't have a complaint. If you will go to God and say I don't like this, so you couldn't express your displeasure with something, I won't call it a complaint. And so it took me.
Speaker 1:That's a prison when you can't be transparent with God. And I was in that prison until recently. I wouldn't go to God and tell him none of my gripes or complaints, none of my things I was displeased with. I wouldn't go to him and ask him why. I learned that from you and I was the first time I did it here. I was so scared. I thought God was going to get me because I was raised up in that. Don't say it, don't do it. You know, don't have a complaint. Everybody going back to you know the Exodus when the people complained and God struck them Well that's a posture of complaining, that's a heart of complaining.
Speaker 1:That's not me going to God telling him something I don't understand. I'm displeased with it and I don't like, and I was so scared to do that. But then I finally did it and I was relieved in my heart and my anxiety left me and all that because I thought it anyway. God already knows our thoughts. That's where I was going.
Speaker 2:He knows what's in our heart. He already knows, so why not tell them?
Speaker 1:Why not tell them? And I came to you and I told you. I said I said I did it. I said I told God some things I was just pleased with. I asked him why? And she said to me. She said good. She said I've been transparent like that all along. She said that's, that's how I interact with God. And it was. It, was it? Let me out of that prison. We're going to close out this session.
Speaker 2:I think that was good. Yeah, I think that was good because I feel like people need that. You know I feel like people need that. You know when, when individuals that are doing things like what we're doing are struggling with different things, people need to be able to you know tap in and relate. You know what I'm saying and know that, oh okay, they're not just saying and you said it already this is not from just some expert level, this is experiential. You know what I mean, and so I think all of that was really good, but I also believe it was necessary because I felt like somebody was trapped in that.
Speaker 1:In that prison. Yeah, come out of that prison in the name of Jesus. You do not have to accept that denominationalism, that tradition of men. I mean you think about all the people in the Bible who went to God and said I'm displeased with this. Elijah said I'm the only one left, jezebel and Ken and all the prophets I'm the only one left. You left me here. You know what I mean. Jeremiah said I'm done preaching. I'm not going to even preach anymore. Ezekiel was tripped out at some of the things God had him doing, just to mimic how he felt about the children of Israel. Yeah, you know what I mean. Yeah, so I think it's important. I've learned, I've come to learn that you have to release yourself from that prison.
Speaker 2:I mean absolutely, because God is not intimidated. Two things he knows already, right, but God's not intimidated. Two things he knows already, right, but then God's not intimidated by us. We have to remember that that's just not scary anymore.
Speaker 1:And even learning to do that is an adjustment, it is.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:I love that, yes, so some adjustments are self-initiated adjustments that we need to make.
Speaker 2:I love that that's such good ministry right there, self-initiated adjustments.
Speaker 1:Yeah Well, we need God's help to do it, but we must do it to come out of our prisons and to break our prisms. Okay, let's look at this guy, abraham, abraham. Let's look at what God told him. So Abraham had to make a big adjustment. All adjustments are not this big, but God often calls us to adjustments this big and some adjustments come into our life that have this big of an impact. We're living right now in a society where the adjustments that are happening on the global cultural, social, political landscape are big adjustments. They are big adjustments with what's going on around us and the mental state of humanity and heading toward a third world war. There's a lot. So let's look at Abraham here in Genesis 12 and one.
Speaker 1:The Lord said to Abram he wasn't even Abraham at the time. Now listen now who said this to him? The Lord said spoke to Abram and Abram heard him. You got to understand some, just for some context. At this time, abram, god, hadn't even started the Jewish nation, the Hebrew people, rather, abraham. Abram had come out of Mesopotamia with his father Terah and his brother Haran, and they stopped in Haran, and so we have to understand that he was a heathen and God spoke and he heard Don't tell me, god, don't pick sinners, the outcasts, the worst of us, those who are not perfect.
Speaker 2:The way that I can tear this room up. Come on At that reality, oh my God.
Speaker 1:We miss that in our Bible study teaching sometimes because we want to cleanse and sanitize the Scripture. We don't want to look at it for where it is. Abram was a heathen, came out of a heathenistic culture. His daddy was a heathen. His family was heathen. God picked him out and chose him to start a great nation with that's so wild. God don't start from clean, he start from dirty. God don't start from fixed, he starts from broken. Talk to me and hear somebody, so let us kick this. Oh my God.
Speaker 2:This is Genesis right. This is Genesis chapter 12, verse 1.
Speaker 1:We have these masks over our churches, talking about which denomination is most pure. None of them are pure, because people are in them and God starts from broken people. Yep, absolutely. And he makes us through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Okay, I'm not trying to preach this. Okay, I'm not trying to preach this. Okay, the Lord said to Abram go from your country. Why is he telling him to come out of his country? Because he was in a heathenistic country. Your people. Why is he telling him to leave your people? Because they're heathenistic people and I'm getting ready to do something in your life With you that they will be a distraction, a roadblock and everything else.
Speaker 1:And leave your Father's household To a land I will Show you.
Speaker 2:My God Major.
Speaker 1:Adjustments For sure will show you. Major adjustments, modification, change. How many of us right now have a word from God that is requiring all types of adjustments? Let's jump into this, angela. Go ahead and break some of this out for us. Oh my God. So Abram had to trust. We're going back to that point Abram had to trust you talk about. So you see, we often struggle trusting God in little things. Here's a relocation. Here's a calling to walk alone. This is relocation. This is separation. Okay, this is, oh my God. He doesn't even know where he's going and he has to make all of these adjustments that look like abandonment from his family.
Speaker 2:At the age of 75.
Speaker 1:75.
Speaker 2:Wow, sailor, sailor, oh my God, wow, oh my God.
Speaker 1:Okay, I want our ears to just let this saturate because there's so much running through my mind. I got to calm down, yeah.
Speaker 2:Wow, wow Okay.
Speaker 1:How do you do that? Yeah, wow, okay. How do you do that? Yeah, without trust and leaning not to your own understanding. Watch this and it says in all your ways. See, in order to do what Abram was called to do by God, he had to. He had to lay it all down. He had to leave it, as they say. He had to leave it all on the field. He had to bring it, as they say. He had to leave it all on the field. He had to bring it all to God. He had to consider the reality of everything in his life being shaken up and trusting God in that. And that's where we are right now.
Speaker 1:In our current society, everything in our world is shaking. You may not be leaving your father's house. You may not be leaving your father's house. You may not be leaving your father's country. You may not be leaving your people, but, like Abram, everything around us is shaking and rumbling and earthquaking, and the very ground we stand on, which is the patterns of life we've been living in, the norms, are being shaken. The Bible says in the last days, I will shake the earth again. Yes, I will shake it twice. Only those things that are able to remain will remain. We're living in adjustments. Oh my God, we have two minutes.
Speaker 2:My God.
Speaker 1:And we're going to come back with part two of this. Okay, I'm going to leave it right there. Yeah, if everything in your world is shaking, good, god and mercy, will you remain? Will you remain when everything in your life shakes to the bitter end, where some in the floor crying out to God with one question why Will you trust him? Can you trust him, please trust him, if it's little by little, sometimes trusting God actually happens, minute by minute, but no adjustment can break you. It's your perspective towards that adjustment that can break you. Listen to me. Listen to me. Don't you lose your mind on us. Listen to me. Don't you let this put you in a mental institution. Don't you fight your way out of a bottle. Hold on, press in. God will keep you. Yes, there's a lot of things you can do. You can talk to people, you can get help. I just want to minister to your soul. Just hold on first, hang in there, trust God and the sovereignty of God. Amen, amen. Any closing remarks.
Speaker 2:You know, I want you guys to think about this Genesis 12 and 1, abram's situation and how big this really was for him. We read it and we make it seem like he just left from one neighborhood and moved out of the hood and went to the suburbs somewhere. But the reality is that he left a lot. This was a huge call on his life and he didn't even know where he was going and it happened when he was 75 years old. I think that's worth pondering on, because sometimes we think that the things that we're going through are outlandish, sometimes we think that that the adjustments are unheard of or just whatever they're out there. But sometimes, when we go visit the word of God, we find out that it's not as far what we're going through. It's not that far that God has done it before, you know, and if he did it before, he'll do it again.
Speaker 1:Ladies and gentlemen, we trust that you've been blessed by something that we have said on this podcast on today. I want to thank my lovely, energetic, anointed co-host for being here to help make this happen. We need your support. We trust that you will go to either one of our websites. Coming to gracechurchorg, we are not a church per se with building and structure. We're an online movement and we need your support.
Speaker 1:If you go to covenantgracechurchorg, you can sow a seed of grace on our podcast page or just sow in general and be put toward our programs as we continue to spread the gospel online and everywhere that we can through podcasts, through television, through radio. So you can go to JarrellStokelycom and sow your seed of grace, listen. We trust that you will join us. We trust that you will give. We trust you, the listener, the hearer, that you will partner with us and sow whatever's on your heart to sow that we can continue to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. It's been great being with you. Don't miss part two of this adjustments. God's got a word for you. We love you. God bless you.
Speaker 2:See you next time.
