The Shift w/Dr. Tasari Litherland

When you’re tired of “being strong” and you’re tempted to rush out of the season you’re in, the real question is deeper: are you enduring with your eyes on Jesus, or just trying to survive until something changes? We sit down with Dr. Tasari Litherland to talk about Christian endurance, spiritual warfare, and the lived reality of carrying a cross while still showing up for family, work, and ministry. Along the way, we anchor the conversation in Scripture like Romans 8:28 and Hebrews 12, because endurance is not just grit. It is faith with direction. 

We also unpack what we call “the shift,” the spiritual transformation that follows endurance. The shift does not always mean your circumstances change overnight, but it does mean you start seeing differently: renewed thinking, clearer identity, deeper maturity, and the courage to stop comparing your race to someone else’s. We talk about what it looks like to discern healthy versus unhealthy relationships, recognize conviction as growth, practice vulnerability, and forgive when you’ve been wronged, all signs that God is doing real work beneath the surface. 

Finally, we get practical about anxiety, fear, and self-care. Sometimes the battle is spiritual, sometimes it is compounded by neglected health and nonstop stress, and often it is both. We share encouragement for staying connected to community, guarding what you tell yourself, and continuing the race even when your pace slows. If you’re a woman of faith navigating hardship, spiritual growth, and a difficult season, this conversation will help you name where you are and take your next faithful step. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs strength today, and leave a review so more women can find this message.

Biography: Tasari - Philanthropist, Author, Higher Education Professional, and Mentor

Driven by purpose and deeply grounded in her faith, Tasari is a truly self-motivated individual who lives by the principle of striving to do what is right, even when it’s difficult. This commitment to integrity forms the foundation of her professional and personal life, guiding her in both the academic sphere and within her community.

She holds herself to high standards and expects the same of others, often leading with conviction and a gentle yet firm challenge to those around her to rise to their best. As a thoughtful and deliberate decision-maker, Tasari is deeply passionate about valuing humanity, making it a point to treat all individuals with fairness, dignity, and respect, a passion that resonates with core spiritual principles.

Beyond her professional role as a Higher Education Professional, where she influences environments that foster growth and equity, Tasari is a dedicated Philanthropist, Author, and Mentor. She is ceaselessly committed to her own personal growth and development, but this commitment is equally matched by her dedication to being a positive change agent for future generations. With a mission-driven mindset, her aim is not just to succeed personally but to actively uplift and inspire others along the way, ensuring her impact is a testament to the power of a life lived in service.

Transcript

Welcome And Purpose Of The Podcast

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to Positioned for Purpose Conversations. I'm your host, Squelette Marie. Yes. Our podcast is for women of faith who struggle to see God in their pain, in their hardship, and in their most challenging times. This is a gentle reminder that right where you are, yes, right there, God will use you in the mess, in your hardships and in your most challenging times, in your heartache and in your pain. God has a plan for your story. Romans 8 28 states, and we know that all things work together for good to them that love God and are the called according to his purpose. Welcome. Have you ever found yourself in a season of wrestling spiritually against forces of evil, fighting for your faith, life is life in, all the while maintaining your family or leading and serving in a ministry, and you ask yourself, Am I enduring or am I rushing to get out to the next season? If this sounds like you, then today's podcast is definitely a must listen. Designing the season you are in is important, especially when your friends try to relieve your anguish, when instead we should be enduring this season so that we can listen for the next that we're having. On today's conversation, we will be talking about the shift. And our special guest is Dr. Tasari Litherland. She's a woman of faith, she's a purpose pusher, a purpose-driven partner, she's a faith walker, a sister, and a friend. Moreover, she is passionate about youth and youth empowerment. Dr. T, welcome to Position for Purpose Conversations.

SPEAKER_00 1:54

Thank you, Colette, for having me. A pleasure to be here.

SPEAKER_01 1:57

Awesome. So as we talk

What Endurance Really Looks Like

SPEAKER_01 2:00

about the shift today, right? So many of us are in a space where we are asking ourselves, what's the shift? What's the next thing? If I'm in a period where I'm enduring, what's the next? And so my first question to you would be what is endurance? What does it mean to you, and how does it show up in your life?

SPEAKER_00 2:23

Okay, so endurance is the process of me carrying my cross while actually focusing on the Lord, right? It's at the end of endurance, it produces patience. It's me not getting weary in well-doing, it's me remaining consistent in ministry, it's me not grumbling because during endurance, during the pressure, during the hard time of running your race, it has to be a time for you to really seek God and understand Him. Understand yourself. So it's you being steadfast, it's you looking to Jesus as the one who ultimately is gonna take you through this. So you ask about what does it look like for me? So some day each day is different. One day it can be I'm on a high, I'm worshiping the Lord, I'm reading the word, I'm doing my prayer, waking up early, praying, doing my midday prayer, doing my evening prayers. Another day it might be me listening to a podcast, me listening to the word. It's me finding time to just process what I'm going through, but still not giving up. It might require me crawling up in my closet and crying, but still understanding that you know what? Whatever I'm going through, I'm gonna, it's me going through it. I'm not staying here, I'm getting to another side. It might take a long time, I might not be sure. And it might be days where I just don't feel like I can do it, and I need to ask someone to pray for me.

SPEAKER_01 4:21

So listen, you got some, you dropped some nuggets there that I think are so very important. And the one that rings loudly in my ear is when you said carrying your cross while still looking to Jesus. And sometimes we can get um stuck at the place where carrying our cross means the hardships, the difficulty, the challenges that we're going through. But our gaze has shifted from Jesus and it makes what we're going through so much harder to bear, so much harder to go through, so much harder to endure. As you said that, I felt it was important now to talk about what's the meaning of endurance, what it's what's the true meaning of endurance? You've talked about what it means, what it feels like for you, and what it can look like for me as another woman.

Biblical Endurance And Running Your Race

SPEAKER_01 5:15

But biblically, what is endurance?

SPEAKER_00 5:18

I think it would be us looking at Hebrews 12, and and I'd go just I think it would be Hebrews 12, 1 at the end, the the B or something like that. It's us running our race with perseverance and focusing on Jesus. I think a lot of times when we see the word endurance, we look at it as this big thing, but it's really us just running our race. The truth is it's the race because in the race is the pressure, in the race is the challenges, the test is the trauma. It is the race, right? So, like an athlete is running. They start, there's a starting point when we're born, and then there is you running your lane, going through your lane, going, staying within your lane, and um while you're doing that, still looking at the Lord, right? So when the pressures come, when the highs and the lows come, you still have your eyes on the Lord. And that's just honestly, that's just what it comes down to. And just from my experience, and I've said this in the past, and I think I've shared this even with my son when I said, Listen, when you're running your race, when you're running your race, run as if you're sprinting, but knowing that you're doing long distance. So I think that that is something that has helped me to really understand this is a race that we're in, and ultimately the Lord doesn't change. We change, we have ups and downs, and at the end of this, it will produce patience.

SPEAKER_01 6:55

Amen. Thank you so much for giving us the meaning for endurance, what it biblically what it states, and how it shows up in the life, in our lives, and in the life of a sister who is listening, and so we could see where it comes in with your saying it's carrying your cross whilst in looking to Jesus because it produces something within us. But if we're not open to what it will produce, and if our focus is only on what we are bearing, and it seems so weighty, and why did God allow this to happen? And my God, so much you it's just seemed to be one after the other. We can miss the lesson that we're learning that God wants to teach us, as a matter of fact, because if we're sometimes focused on the thing, we're not learning anything because we want to rush out, and we would have to do this lesson all over.

SPEAKER_00 7:47

Correct. It slows down the process. So going back to the athlete, if the athlete is in their lane and there's another person next to them, and they're coming up next to them, and you keep watching them, and you keep watching them, chances are you're gonna trip. Yes. Chances are you're gonna run out of your lane and cause somebody else to trip. So you're keeping your eyes in your lane and just focus on listen, it's difficult, my limbs are hurting, all of me hurting, but I have to keep my eyes on the end result. And you you you saying, what does it produce? You know, what what is the purpose of me me running? What are the other scriptures that that that I don't know where it's taken from right now? But the the scripture that talks about Jesus endured the cross because he knew, because of the joy that was set before him. So he endured the cross. Yeah, so we're going to trials, we're going to different scenarios. There is a joy that's set before us if we'll only just run the race and keep our eyes on Jesus. Don't get into the grumble, don't get into watching other people or you know, trying to be comparing to other people, just run your race, and I think that's what's important.

SPEAKER_01 9:03

Yeah. So don't compare my cross to your cross, is what I'm saying. Focus on my cross, what God is teaching me during this season that I am going through. And one of the things that you said, and I have to go back to it, is when you talk about the sprinters, you said, run as if you are sprinting, but know that it is long distance. So we have to go the mile. And along this journey, just like the runner, you can't stop. Yes, right? You may slow down as long as you are finishing, because sometimes the slowdown might look like when you're not able to read the Bible as you should, but you listen to a sermon, you listen to a podcast, or when you can't kneel in worship, maybe you just curl yourself up and play music instead. So there is a pause, there is not a stop because we all have to finish that reading.

SPEAKER_00 10:04

Correct. And even in those hard moments, the moments you're curled up, the moments you're crying, the moments you're not sure, you still can say, but God. One of the things that I observe in the Psalms a lot of times with David, David, well, he always starts out praising, right? And I I try to do that as much as I can, but then in the middle, he talks about what he's going through, right? He talks about his enemies, he talks about the Lord just showing himself great and mighty on his behalf. And then in the end, again, he gives worship. So there's ups and downs, but this the facts still remain. He knows. We were talking yesterday about the fact, right? The fact is this is what's going on, this is my circumstance, this is you know the pressure I'm I'm under right now. This is what's going on in my race. But our God is bigger, and he's the truth. The truth is bigger than the fact. So we have to focus on our truth, which is Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 11:11

Amen. Amen. So you've responded to what does endurance mean to you and how does it show up in your life? And your response was like carrying your cross while looking to Jesus. You told us, you know, that each day we'll look differently. But we have to be reminded that we are going through the journey without stopping, that we are to run our race, not be looking at anyone else's race, not comparing ourselves to anyone else's race, but just keep our eyes focused on Jesus because there is a joy set before us if we will just run as the Lord wants us to run. Some days we may be slowing down, but there are days when we were where we are really sprinting and sprinting hard, and that's the days when we we we we still rejoice, yes, right? Just as we are rejoicing when we are slowing down, because sometimes we get tired and sometimes we get weary along the journey, but God wants us to keep moving, keep moving

Defining The Shift After Endurance

SPEAKER_01 12:10

every day. So let me ask you something, right? So after the endurance, how do you notice that there is a shift, that there is a change, that a season is changing, something else is happening. Explain to us what is a shift and your perspective on it, and then we'll go to identify those areas.

SPEAKER_00 12:31

So when I think about the shift, the shift is really the process that follows endurance, right? It's the spiritual transformation, so it's the additional patience that you now have, the ability to have a renewed mind, right? So what does that look like in Romans 12? It talks about not to be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. I think once you have gone through enduring and the after endurance comes the shift, right? So it's a process after the shift, but that doesn't mean your circumstance necessarily changes, it's just you see things different. So now your circumstance that was holding you back for so long, the circumstance, the situation, the the testing and the pressure that you were under, it looks different. So it's a old your old way of thinking. You're now aligned with the Lord, you're seeing it as there is purpose in this. I now understand this must happen for me to get to the next. I'm able to identify healthy and on healthy relationships. I'm able to identify what makes me happy, not me just existing, but me thriving, right? Being able to understand Tasari, being able to go back and say, okay, you know what? It's okay for me to be alone, to be able to spend time with Tasari, to understand what I love, and just to meditate and just to enjoy the simple things without overcomplicating the process.

SPEAKER_01 14:22

So I got a lot out of that. So the shift is a process that follows endurance. When I was reading this morning, John Bloom states that in that enduring process, just before you get into the shift, that if you're not discerning what's happening, you can allow others to push you through without even understanding what God is doing. That leads me to say, if you we are not discerning, we don't understand when the shift is taking place, that something else is happening, that transformation is taking place. And so that's why we can't get just stuck in the enduring. There is something else after that. What is what is what does the shift look like? And it doesn't look the same thing and it's enduring. No, right, no, it doesn't look the same way. So we need to know, be able to see things in a different way. So our mindset has to change. Like, like the word said, let this man that was in Christ Jesus be new, also, that there's something is taking place. So instead of the murmuring, the complaining, the woe is me, the Lord, what is happening, you should be noticing that there's a subtle change or a deep change within your conversation, even in the race that you're running, because that shift leads to a breakthrough. And I'm glad that you said it doesn't mean that the breakthrough is immediate. Correct.

SPEAKER_00 15:52

Correct. It doesn't mean that your your situation changes, it doesn't necessarily mean that it could, and I I still think after the shift, there is the breakthrough, but yes, I think really the the the shift allows you to be more vulnerable. It becomes the place where you become more forgiving. I think there is just so much that you you would have gained from endurance when you're now in the shift. Like if you if you haven't seen any change, if if if your your your your thought pattern hasn't changed, hasn't aligned with the will of God, that to me, you're still in enduring, or you're still you're still just existing, or you still don't understand or acknowledge that you're you're you're trying to make it through this endurance phase to get to shift. So I I definitely agree. Shift is it is transformation and it is a spiritual transformation.

SPEAKER_01 16:55

Which Bible character could you like look at and saw the

Joseph And Identity Through Pressure

SPEAKER_01 17:00

shift to make it relevant to our sister?

SPEAKER_00 17:04

To the character? Well, really, it wasn't a character in general. I think it would be the old law. So Moses had the law, right? Before, so in the old testament, you had Moses with the law, and then the New Testament we had we have Jesus who comes now with mercy and grace. So it's the old and now we have the new. And I I think now you're talking about it. I think Joseph. Joseph had to endure years. I mean, he endured from his family, then he went to Egypt, he had to endure Patiswah's house, then he got to prison. So he had to go through endurance, and it we know it was hard, right? Because you know, you know what comes to mind why I think he knew it was hard when he he told the baker, remember me, because I didn't do anything and I and I'm here. So he knew and if he must have felt well, he knew I didn't do anything wrong and I'm here, so just remember me when you go out. But he was able to endure that he was able to go now, knowing who he was, because his eyes wasn't off the Lord. So when they called for him to come back to the palace, his eyes would have at that point be open because he knew my God. It wasn't me who had those dreams three years ago, it was God Almighty. He could have gotten discouraged during that time and forgot about God because he could have said, God, you forget about me, even after I do this dream, because that time he thought his race would was over, then I'm definitely getting out of here, right? But he was still in a state of need. He needed to see God because the next time when when Pharaoh asked, it was about God, it wasn't about me seeing no dreams, me interpreting any dreams, it was the Lord, you know. So he was now in a shift and he would have understood himself because when Pharaoh now said, Who else could do what you're telling us that needs to be done? Who else? There's no man for him to say he would take that role, he knew who he was and knew he was capable of such a huge responsibility, yeah. Not because he was in no training school or whatever the case is, he was enduring.

SPEAKER_01 19:29

My word. That listen, that's a whole sermon, as they said, that could preach. Thank you, Jesus. One of the things that like I had to immediately write that down because in the shift is identity, you know who you are, you know who you are, and you know the God whom you serve. Correct, yes, ma'am.

SPEAKER_00 19:46

Nail on the head, right there.

SPEAKER_01 19:48

Yup, yes. So, in in the shift, you must be able to know who you are and the God whom you serve. We went back to hearing her talking about, you know, just recognize the things that you like, the relationships that you endure, what the things that you're learning about yourself, like Joseph. Joseph's eyes was focused on him, yes, but then he had to take it off and look to God. And sometimes in our endurance, our eyes are on ourselves and our circumstances, and it's not now focused on God to say, Lord, you know, this is where I'm at. I want to be able to see you in this place that I'm at. And so, if in that moment you're not able to see God, then you're not able to discern the shift. And God wants us to discern the shift because he's not having us in a holding pattern all the days of our life, he's not holding us here just because there is something that he's teaching, there's something that he wants us to learn to prepare us for this shift that is coming, because the shift is a breakthrough, as Dr. T told us. It is a breakthrough. But if you're not prepared for the breakthrough, the same challenges that God is wanting to take you through, you are going to be in that same place. Yes. So it has to be a change, and I'm thankful that you brought up Joseph. Because when we look at endurance, he didn't give up. It was hard to be accused of something that you didn't do. So at the end of the day, what's your decision? What's your choice? What will you do? Will you realize your identity in this period? Will you see the transformation? Or will you say, girl, I hear you, but this is too much to go through. Um, it's it's too difficult for me to be sitting in this season. My family is breaking up, my children is this, work is that church is this community, is this world is this, life is life. How can I endure all of this? And what shift are you really talking about? So I want you to identify those areas of shift for a sister who is looking on and and and and is enduring and holding on, she may be at a slow pace. Right now, and she wants to pick up speed, but she doesn't know how to pick up speed.

Signs You Are In The Shift

SPEAKER_01 22:05

What does the shift look like for her?

SPEAKER_00 22:08

So that's a loaded one. So for a sister who has gone through endurance, right? Much like what Joseph went through, I believe it is important that in that process you're learning, right? And when I talk about learning, we're talking about professional learning, personal learning. So professional development is one way of you enduring, right? And I spoke about personal, so taking care of yourself, doing something for you. Because again, as women, a lot of times our focus is on everybody else. So especially as mothers, a lot of times our focuses are just on the children, right? Or the husband or whatever. During our shift is where we recognize who we are. So the identity portion, right? Identifying who we are and being able to see where the Lord is taking us to see the purpose of what we're going through. Because I honestly I believe if you're saying you're in shift, but your mind hasn't changed, your thoughts haven't changed about you know certain things, going back to even considering being vulnerable. All right. Before you're very prideful, you don't like to share with anybody about your testimonies or what you're going through when you know it would be nice to have a friend who can pray for you. If you're in the shift or you're considering yourself in the shift, but yet still you can't speak to anybody, you can't share anything with anybody to ask them to pray for you. That that you're not there yet. You still need to really seek the Lord. Other ways of seeing that you're in the shift as a woman is seeing the people around you. Am I in a good place? Are the people around me helping to promote me? Or these are unhealthy relationships. You know, they're causing me stress, or I'm not helping them, they're not helping me. So being able to identify things like that, discerning spirits as well, because we have so many voices today, especially in Christendom, right? We have all these prophetic voices, we have all this stuff going on. We also have to be able to discern and test the spirits what is right, what is not. So I just believe the Lord grows us to a different spiritual level of maturity during the shift, where if I can't forgive those who have wrongfully accused me, then I'm not in that shift. You know, I need to really ask the Lord about that. So vulnerability, being able to identify what is helping me, what is not helping me, being able to discern right from wrong, good from evil, being able to forgive. I think those things, because again, it's one thing old way changing to your new way. Yeah, I don't know if I answered that because yes, you did.

SPEAKER_01 25:30

Yes, it did, because in this shift, there are some things that we should be taking note of that we should be obvious to us, right?

SPEAKER_00 25:39

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 25:40

So if I notice that my conversation remains the same, yes, right, then that means nothing, no transformation yet is taking place.

SPEAKER_00 25:49

Correct.

SPEAKER_01 25:50

If I if I notice that I'm not able to discern the times and the seasons of my own life, then something else is happening. You're still in a space where you're enduring and God is still.

SPEAKER_00 26:10

Yeah, some people would sprint and get there faster than the other person because we're still going around and around, because we haven't learned the lesson yet, right? If we're still gossiping, if we're still doing things that are hurting other people, if we're still showing just being unkind, you know, so you know you're not growing, right? I used to gossip, and even if I try to gossip or I'm gossiping, I know, Lord, please forgive me or stop, you know, knowing that Lord, or being convicted, I think those are signs that listen, you're not maturing, you're not growing, and be okay with saying, guys, I don't want to be in the circle anymore, or I can't be in the circle anymore. Understanding where the Lord is taking you.

SPEAKER_01 26:53

Okay, awesome. I like that summation of that because at the end of the day, wherever you are in your endurance journey, you may be near your end, you may be sprinting at this point in time, or you may be just, I don't want to say trotting, but just mild running, because I can't remember the word that I think. Yeah, you may you may be tired at this point in time, but God wants to give you a rest, and so in in this enduring, you still have to find time to take care of yourself, not be focused on everyone else while you're left bleeding and dry, while you're going through this thing that God wants to prune you, to purify you, to make you into the woman that he wants you to do, to be, to prepare you for what is next for you. And in this shift, there should be transformation, there should be mind change. Yes, it has to be, heart change, and also there should be a deeper connection in your relationship with Almighty God, and out of this deeper connection with him, you should see a change within your relationships, within your family, within your friend groups, within your co-workers. Because that is a part of the shift and the change. Someone must be able to identify a subtle change. See, I notice that you aren't doing this or you aren't saying this or you aren't operating like this. We're not calling for perfection because none of us are. But one thing that Dr. T did say is that when we sin, when we when we sin or when we notice that we are gossiping, is and a recognition of that we're saying, Lord, forgive me, because we're learning, we're growing, right? And at some point we'll get there, but this is the process to get there. So the shift is the next thing for us. So we are enduring, but we need to get to that next level. Yes.

Vulnerability Self Care And Maturity

SPEAKER_01 28:50

And so as we wrap this conversation up, I want you to talk about where are you now? Where are you now?

SPEAKER_00 28:59

I'm actually in the shift, right? And so why this conversation was important to me as far as this topic in general, just let's look at the shift, is because I've been enduring for a couple of years, right? And there were days as you as going back to you saying we're not perfect, and I think that's so important because a lot of people will look sometimes at you as a believer and think, oh, she got it all together, you know, she always had church, she always serving, she she dressed appropriately, she this, that, that, or she's not having sex out of marriage and all this stuff, and thinking, I can't do that, you know, I couldn't do that, or whatever. But it's taking it one day at a time and trusting that the Lord God Almighty, He does not change, right? And be practical with what He says because whatever, you know, I I struggle with at times to understand why I feel compelled not to do certain things or or feel like the Lord is saying, do this, do it this way, don't do it that way. But then there's other believers who are doing it their way, right? Or doing it the opposite from what the Lord has shown me. And this is all based on the word of God, right? Not me, my own understanding, but from the word. So it is important that I am focused on the Lord. It's during my time of endurance, going through the process, dealing with everything, but now coming to a place where I now understand that even as hard as my situation has been and is, I understand the purpose for it. I understand that there is certain path, there is certain things, there are certain ways the Lord allows things to happen because one, for his glory and for our growth. And I I didn't know I didn't know that vulnerability was such a big deal for me. I always considered myself as transparent. But the Lord has opened my eyes to see that because now I'm not only being vulnerable with my church sisters, but I'm being vulnerable at work, you know, to people we maybe initially, I can't deal with them. I just my my my whole idea is listen, I can't deal with you, I'm on the opposite side of the road, right? So I've seen where the Lord, this is a season where the Lord is showing me things that occurred in my past as a child, and why I had to go through certain things now or how he has used it. So I can see the then and the no. And I think that's where the spiritual transformation for me, my heart is changing, more inclined to pray and intercede for people from a clean heart, a pure heart, you know, really doing it not because you know I think it should be done, but because the Lord is really pressing on me and I'm hearing and I'm being obedient. Yeah, in a place of I see the spiritual transformation taking place in all areas of my life.

SPEAKER_01 32:18

Amen. Amen. And so that's a space that we want to get to, my sister. The space where you're able to identify whether you are in a season of endurance, be careful not to rush out of it or let anybody force you out of it because it is God producing something within you. Also, you want to discern if you're in this time of the season of a shift, because that's also important, and you'll know if you're in this season because you're seeing spiritual growth and maturity, you're seeing a change and a transformation in your heart, and you know you're thinking. Yes, you're also noticing that you're becoming more vulnerable, you're not just keeping what you're going through to yourself, you're able to relate to someone else who is going through a difficult time to say, Hey, I am in it or I have been through it, and this is a thing that I'm learning. And maybe you could apply this or you know, hear what the Lord is saying to you about this. We also learn today as well that whether you're in enduring season or in your inner shift, self-care is important in both seasons, that you don't neglect yourself. I know you're carrying a lot, a lot is happening, but being able to take care of yourself, being able to understand what's happening and discerning the seasons and the times and who God has placed in your path is something that is very critical for you. So whether you are enduring today or whether you are in the shift, the one thing that I we wanted you to take from this is God is still with you. Correct. He's not abandoned you, he's not left you by yourself, he's not saying, Oh, but you have not been walking perfectly and uprightly before me. No, he says that if you're broken and a contract heart, he will not despise, right? And he wants you to give the brokenness to him and rejoice with rejoice in him when you're in this change and transformation. Breakthrough is at the end, the light must come after the after the night. So Dr. T, we never ever want to close our conversation without praying for our sister who is listening, whatever season she is in now, a word of encouragement and a prayer for her. I want to thank you for taking the time to say yes to join me on today's episode of Position for Purpose Conversations, where our topic has been the shift. Now I wanted to just encourage a sister and also pray what over

Anxiety Fear And A Prayer To Close

SPEAKER_01 34:55

her.

SPEAKER_00 34:55

Okay, thank you, Lord Jesus. So, one of the things that just came to me as you were speaking is I remember a couple months ago, I had an episode, a very weird episode, which was causing me, which my pressure went high. And it caused me to feel fear, like deep fear, not to die, because I didn't feel like I was gonna die, but you know, I was thinking about all the strokes and crazy stuff going on in the world. I realized during endurance, the season of endurance, that the enemy will bring about anxiety, the spirit of anxiety, fear, like an intense fear. And I I mean, I I would even go as far as say, I pride myself as somebody who doesn't get anxiety or fear, right? And then I I, while I'm going through, I realized that certain things would cause me severe anxiety because my pressure wasn't raising nothing, none of that stuff was happening, but I fear and me just feeling like the enemy wanted to take me out. And I think the reason I wanted to share that, because I believe we're living in a time where a lot of people are experiencing anxiety. I know people are taking anxiety drugs, a lot of high blood pressure, and all that stuff. One of the things that I learned in the shift is that I could see it for what it was, that it wasn't because I was I'm now 47, like that, like I was thinking, oh, maybe when you get to a certain age or whatever. But a couple of things. One, I stopped walking, exercising, and I'm now, and I'm eating, and I'm sitting a lot because I sit for work, and so my lifestyle has changed, and so I'm not taking care of my body as I should, right? Um, you know, you put on your pretty dress and you're here nice or whatever, you think you're okay. That's not enough. Going back to taking care of ourselves because yeah, we we we talk about the enemy, this we want to take us out or whatever, but we try to take out ourselves too when we don't take care of ourselves that way, right? So that portion and also the Lord enlightening my eyes to see that fear, you know, he has not given us a spirit of fear, power, love, and a sound mind. So we know that and we we wrap that off all the time. But when it really comes, I think we want to be medicated for it, or we get, you know, get involved so involved in just whatever the enemy is saying at that time, whatever he's saying in our ears is what we we buy. So my encouragement to my sister would be be mindful of the things we say to ourselves, be mindful of the way we take care of ourselves, lack thereof, be encouraged, be encouraged because anxiety will come, the fear will come because we're going through and walking through seasons of our lives. I don't know if other people have been through it, and I know they have because this is not new to anybody, new to us as we're walking through it, but other people have gone through it. So keep your eyes on the Lord, stay involved, serve, don't forsake the assembly of the brethren. Go to church. If your church has groups, get involved in groups. People can speak over you, don't always have to worry about telling your business, you don't have to go tell everybody your business, you don't even have to share all of it, but you're going through. And if people are real believers and they love the Lord, they'll pray for you without having to know exactly what you're going through. Become vulnerable, take care of yourself, and be okay in the season you're in. Be okay with that, be okay with what you're going through, trusting that the Lord is gonna take you through it. Let us pray. Thank you, Father. Lord God, we we just thank you for this opportunity, Lord Jesus, to pray for our sister, Lord God. We thank you, Lord Jesus, that you have a forgotten them. You are still Elroy, the God who sees. So there's nothing that they're going through, Lord God, that you're you're not aware of, that you have not allowed. Father God, sometimes we make choices in our lives, sometimes we don't understand the depth of where these things are coming from, from our bloodline, from generations. Father God, I pray even now that you'll enlighten the eyes of my sister right now, Lord God, that you'll help them to see how to pray, how to submit themselves to you completely, how to surrender their situation, how to run the race, Father God, with their eyes centered on you. Father God, today we thank you, Lord Jesus, that we can just come boldly to the throne of grace. We're not saying it's easy because some days I'm like, life is hard, and I've said it a million times. But you, Lord God, you love us, you promise to be with us always, even to the end of the age. So I pray for my sister, Lord, that you'll comfort her heart, send laborers amongst her, Father, to help her walk or run through this season. Father God, that she'll be able to take up her cross and just follow you. Father God, we thank you for this podcast. We thank you for Colette. We plead the blood of Jesus over her right now, and we pray, oh God, that this will touch the ears and the hearts of all those who you would want it to touch. And in all of it, we give you the glory, we give you the honor, we give you the praise in Jesus' name. Amen.