Ep. 6 What Do We Do When God Seems Distant?

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Transcript

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Are you ready to build a life, business and legacy that truly lasts? Welcome to Faithfully Invested with Allen and Stacy Jo Thorne, where Faith meets real talk. Biblical wisdom meets everyday life and leadership meets laughter. Together we will uncover God's blueprint for leadership, marriage, and mission, helping faith-driven leaders invest in what matters most. Each episode, we explore biblical wisdom, have real conversations, and of course, have some fun along the way because let's be real. Walking in faith is an adventure. It sure is. So pull up a seat, grab your coffee or your sweet tea, and join us as we steward our callings with intention, because when we invest in his kingdom, he brings the increase. Hey friends. Welcome back to Faithfully Invested, the podcast where we uncover God's blueprint for kingdom leadership, marriage, and mission. Yeah. I'm Stacy Jo. And I am Allen. We're glad that y'all decided to join us today. Regardless of where you are, this time and space is for you. Yes, it is. And today's episode is one that's been heavy on our hearts. It is one of the most common. I would say challenges because we don't say problems. Yep. Among believers. And the question is, what do I do when God seems distant? Hmm. Man. And that can be a tough one. Yeah, that's a good question. Uh, we're not talking about just a, a tough day, not a hard day. We're we're talking about those stretches when it. When it feels like your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling when your Bible gets maybe a little confusing when, when you don't even wanna read, uh, the word uh, or worship feels flat and the spirit just seems silent. Right? Yeah. And it's more like a season, like we said, it's not a day. Yeah. It's not a tough day. Yeah. But sometimes it can be a season. It could be a season. Yeah. Yeah. So, so let's begin here. I wanna give you a foundational belief. The foundational belief that we are standing on today is God is near even when he doesn't feel near. Yeah. And I'm gonna say it again and I'm gonna flip it a little bit for a little different perspective for someone who needs to hear this, God is near even when you don't feel him. Yeah. What's the word say about that? Hebrews 13. I know I'm gonna go there. Recognizes God's promises to his people and all through scripture that he will never leave us or forsake us. All through scripture. All through scripture. That's his promise. Never leave us. Yeah. Never forsake us. Yeah, that's it. So, but that truth can feel pretty hard to hold onto in certain seasons or, or circumstances. Uh, but our faith walk isn't. It's not always about, in fact, it's rarely about how we feel. That's right. But it's more so about what we truly believe. Uh, maybe you've been in the word, maybe you're praying, maybe you're doing all the things and you still feel empty. But, uh, friend, you may be in the word, but are you letting the word get into you? Ooh. Is it more than just words on the page? Or do we believe those words? Do we believe? Because when it comes down to it, the question is what do we really believe? Oh, that's good. Yeah. You know, maybe you've gone through loss, maybe grief, disappointment, transition. Yeah. Changes. Fun changes, yeah. Change. Can be very challenging. It can be. And and maybe that closeness with God that you used to feel, and maybe it's just gone. Yeah. Could be. And feels gone. Feels gone. Yeah. Feel there's that word again. Yeah. You know, that's the, it's the longest 18 inches between the head and the heart. Yeah, yeah. You know, and but, but when you're in that season, it can hurt. Yeah. It can be lonely. And if I'm really gonna be truthful and honest, it can sometimes feel like rejection. Well, I would hope that you would always be truthful and honest. Well, of course. But raw, let me say that. I'm gonna be raw here. Right? There it is. It could feel like rejection, but what's the key Sometimes? What's the key here, babe? But, okay. Well, the key is that our feelings are real, but they're not always the truth. Not always true, right? All right. They're always true. You know, we may feel like God has stepped away, but again, it comes back to his word and it assures us that he is as close as breath. He is, he is. And, uh, always, but we want you to know this, uh, these moments. If they don't make us a bad Christian mm-hmm. Uh, these times they let us see how finite we really are friends. We are finite creations. Yeah. That were built to serve an infinitely limitless God who desires a relationship with us. You know, he doesn't need us. He wants us, he wants us to come to him as children and learn how to live the life that he created us to live. It's vital to remember that, but it's absolutely crucial to authentically believe that that's the God that we serve. Yeah. Believing it. But there's sometimes there's an issue behind that. Yeah. Yeah. There. Uh, so what the issue is. Uh, could it be that the issue is right? Um, an internal conflict. And, and and us, uh, between our head knowledge or, or what we know, what we think we know about our triune godhead, father, son, and spirit, uh, or what we truly believe in the core of our hearts. So a conflict between head knowledge and an actual belief that that could be the issue that most often is the issue. Friends, what we authentically believe, uh, determines how we experience. I love that word, experience. How so? What we believe determines how we experience God in our daily lives. Yeah. And quite frankly, and this may sting, uh, just a little bit to somebody out there, uh, but our knowledge about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, it, it doesn't go far if our belief structure's been skewed by the world that we live in. Right. And. When our experience feels dry or painful, that's when the enemy loves to jump in. Yeah, that's correct. He loves to jump in when we are feeling that way, that guy and so lies, you know, because he's the father of lies, obviously, but he'll come in with, uh oh, you've messed up. Yeah. Or God's just so disappointed in you. Yeah. Or maybe the silence. You real. You know, the silence means that you're being punished. Yeah. You're getting the silent treatment. Yeah. God's given you the silent treatment. Or how about this one? You're not spiritual enough to hear from God. Yeah, man. If we're stuck in our head knowledge, right? All, all lies, by the way, if so, if we're stuck in our head knowledge. Uh, about God instead of mm-hmm. In a faith filled relationship with him, then the enemy will run rough shot over us with his lies. Y'all know that fool is the father of lies, right? Uh, we gotta remember that the enemy, Satan can only operate as much as we allow him to. So we don't, we don't have to believe his lives. That's right. You know, if we allow him, he's gonna wrap us up in a shame spiral, and he's gonna keep us. From going to the father. And in all reality, as as Christ followers, that's where we need to go. That's exactly what we need to do. Exactly. And if we're, if we're wallowing in shame, if we're believing a lie, then the enemy's got us right where he wants us not going to the father, um, man, when, but when we allow. When we allow the enemy to isolate us as the creation from the creator, then he wins. But friends in Christ, we've already won. Do we believe that, though? Mm. You know, Satan was de toth and delott at the cross. Yes. He's, he's already lost. And in Christ, we've already won. So why would we allow him a foothold in our lives? God's design, his divine design for his believing followers is to come back to him like a prodigal. Shame is a lie. Yes, shame is a lie, and amen. No one is too far gone to return. Repent and receive unlimited forgiveness so that we may be made whole. May be made whole by the power, the authority, and the truth of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Yeah. So good, babe. But you know, I've, I've been through periods where I've felt spiritually numb. You know, maybe you're going through that right now. Maybe you're feeling spiritually numb or unmotivated to pray, or like worship doesn't move your spirit, but I wanna encourage you, don't run from God. Yeah. And, and don't check out, don't check out. But lemme back up. You know why it's so good? Why? Because of It's more than just words on a page. Yeah. Of, of, of experience. Experience. His goodness experience. Yeah. It's all about our experience with them. Yeah. So, but uh, so she but instead of checking out, yeah, you don't wanna, don't check out and don't, don't run from the Lord. Instead ask yourself. A question. It's important to ask a question. What am I believing? Am I believing a lie or a truth? Yeah. Uh, how deep is my faith? And honestly, over time, um, I've found that that sometimes silence and waiting. It's, it's either a proximity thing where, where I'm always the one who moved, right. Or, uh, or it's an opportunity to come closer and believe deeper. Mm-hmm. What if in the silence, I. He wants to move you past your feelings. Ooh, what if he wants to move you past your feelings and build on your trust for him? Build on your trust in him. What if he wants to move you past your feelings and build your trust? Deepen your faith. Distinct possibility. He is God. He is God. And that's a good question. But you know, I've walked through seasons personally where I was leading Bible studies, I was hosting events. Yeah. Encouraging others and, and yet inside I felt completely disconnected from the one that I was supposed to be pointing people to. Right. And that's a hard place to be. It is. It's a very hard place to be. And. I don't like that feeling very well. All in line. Me neither Stacy, Jo. Um, and I, I remember times like that, you know, I think we alluded to that all of us have been through this. Mm-hmm. Um, but uh, we were, I remember we were doing, uh, a lot of all the things right, uh, for the Lord. You know? Yeah. And if we're, if we're get, if we're caught up in the busyness, if we're caught up in the, uh, the minutia of doing all the things for the Lord, then, then, uh, then time with him, uh, it's gonna slip by and our spirits are gonna feel, feel, uh, dry and empty. Just like we talked about on the last, the last episode about being so busy and doing all the things and we were doing, we were doing a lot too much. Yeah. And you know, if you haven't listened to that episode, go back and listen to it because you know, God still doesn't, uh, doesn't care about how busy your schedule is. He's, he's not concerned with how busy you are. Right. But, you know, in that season we had. If, if we really wanna get to the brass tacks of it, we had mistaken ministry for intimacy. Yeah. And I personally was in motion, but I wasn't in communion. Right. I mean, God wasn't mad at me, obviously, but he was waiting for me just to slow down and recognize that again, he isn't impressed with my busyness. Right. He was quiet. And we had to simmer down and be still again. And we had to pause, sit, rest, and listen. Right, right. And I recall the, uh, this reminds me of the beginning of my recovery journey, uh, when he was deconstructing me. Uh, talk about change, but I had to be, uh, the old me had had to die. The old me had to be deconstructive so he could rebuild me for the life that he had for me. I was, I, so I was, I was in it, man. I was, I was journaling, I was praying, I was, I was getting into the word, but I, I was doing all the things. Mm-hmm. But. I was getting into the word, but I wasn't letting the word get into me. I was, uh, and I still felt like something was missing. I was, I was hungry and I was, I was thirsty for his guidance, but all I got was silence. Mm. So, so what got you through that? Can you tell everyone what got you through that? I'm so glad you asked. Right. I knew you would be. Yeah. Remembering, uh, what got me through it is remembering what he had already done. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Remembering his promises. I, I'd record moments where, where God had it clearly made his mark and I'd, and I'd reread those entries. As reminders, uh, that he showed up then, and, and this is what he said then. So I know, I know that he is always with me. I know what he said. I know what I read, but did I believe that I. Remember, it all comes back to what we believe it was an opportunity to, to, like you said earlier, to slow down and listen. Yeah. Gotta slow down, gotta calm down, all that, doing stuff and get down to the simplicity of listening and, and my, in those times, my faith got deeper and, and my relationship with my creator grew as well. Yeah, that's, that's really powerful. And you know what's wild is looking back. Um, at those times, some of our deepest growth as individuals and as a couple Yeah. Happened during those quiet, those nothing is happening seasons, you know? Right. I mean, it really does. When we look at it, those are the seasons that we were stretched, that we had to get out of our comfort zone. That, you know, we had to get out of some of all those things because he knew what was up ahead for us. He knew he knew. Right. He knew the plan, but, uh, so we had to, we had to grow in, in, in the, uh, in the silence. There's definite opportunity for growth for sure. You know? So what about the word, so, you know, well, right. Let's turn to the word. So Psalm 30 13. Psalm 13 Yeah. Is one of my favorite scriptures. Uh, for moments like this. And David, he still, he just starts with raw honesty. You know, how long, Lord? How long will you forget me? Forever. Yeah. How long will you hide your face from me? I mean, yeah, David. Oh, mm-hmm. I, I, I loved da, I mean, after all, he was a, a man after God's own heart. Yeah. But David was a bit all over the place at times. Yeah. Because by the end of that, uh, that verse, he was, he was chill and he was realigned again. Yeah. And he said, but mm-hmm. I trust in your unfailing love. My heart rejoices in your salvation. Amen. Same birth. Yeah. Yeah. Just, but you know, David model something really beautiful and that is bringing your pain to God. Yeah. Without walking away from him. Without walking away, going, facing the challenges. Yeah. With God. Yeah. Man, laying it down. Yeah. Surrendering it to him. Yeah, absolutely. Uh, another solid anchor is, is James four eight. Now James. Mm-hmm. James is some, some might think if you don't know how to take James. Yeah. James might be a little brutal man. But you gotta remember who James was talking to or, or writing to, as it would be he was writing to the, uh, the 12 scattered tribes of Israel. So he was writing to, uh. Right into the, the Jewish nation. Right. Uh, so James four eight says, uh, draw near to God, and he will, uh, draw near to you. Yes. All right. Notice that he, he doesn't say feel near. Mm. He, James. James said he didn't say, Hey, how do you feel? Right. James didn't say, they didn't say feel there. He said Draw near. Uh, that was an action. He said he called for action. It's an action based move. It's a call to action. Uh, and it's about our proximity with God regardless of how we feel. Mm-hmm. Regardless of how today's going, I'm gonna trust God. Right. Yeah. I'm gonna stick with him because he sticks with me. But, and that's, that's a, that's a good part. That's a nice verse. You know, but if we just left it there, then, then that would be called proof texting just for the feels. There you go. But, uh, but we, and we, and I know you won't let us stay there and we won't do that, uh, because that's not, that's not how we roll. But the second part of that, let's not forget the second part of that verse, when James. Mm-hmm. He issues a call to action, and this one's a stinger. And he says, cleanse your, cleanse your hands, you sinners. Mm. And, and purify your hearts. You double-minded. And I'm like, zing. All right, zing. Thanks James. Yeah. James is real. Talk about raw. Right. Definitely Rob. Right? Yeah. But it's, it's important to understand one, who he was talking to. Mm-hmm. Uh, and this is a call of repentance and a commitment to Jesus and he's, he's writing and, and perhaps speaking to people who had one foot in the world and the other in religion. Mm. Uh and if you don't know. Uh, don't get all freaked out about the whole repentance thing. Right. You know, it, it's just repentance is simply changing our mind and going the other direction. In this case following Jesus. Yeah. You, you know, the other night and at Unbound you did like a, a physical representation of the going one way and turning around and going the other way. And then you talked about not looking behind you. Yeah, not looking back. No looking back. No looking back. Keeping your eyes focused straight ahead and, and, because, you know, you can turn into a pill of salt if you turn around, but Yeah. It's, it's, it's a, it's a, it was a simple demonstration, you know, just to, because people get freaked out by repentance. They're like, Ooh, repentance. And, uh, but it's, can you do that one more time? Ooh. Repentance. But, uh, but it's just changing our mind and, and, and it's, it's more than mm-hmm. Uh, kind of getting in the weeds on repentance, but it's important to understand what it is. It's, it's changing our mind, and it's, and it's, but it's more than just, I'm sorry, Lord. I won't do it again. Sorry, dad. It's more than that. It's, it's, Lord, I, I, I am, I, I, I repent. Mm-hmm. I, I am, I, I am genuinely remorseful. Uh, for this, and, and I decide it's more than a choice, it's a decision. Mm-hmm. To make that 180, make that we turn 180 degrees and we walk in the opposite direction. And like I said, in this case, we follow Jesus. Right. You know, we, Lord, I want to follow your ways. I wanna, I want to grow, uh, in your word. I want to, I want to, I just, I want to live my life for, as. I, I wanna learn how to live how you created me. Yeah. And I'm not gonna be able to do that walking that way. So I'm gonna turn around, I'm gonna walk that way. Right. I hope that makes sense. So real. Oh yeah. It makes total sense. But reeling it back into. To the subject at hand. Um, here's another verse that, that will sustain us, and that's Deuteronomy 31 6. Yeah. And I love this because he says, be strong and courageous for the Lord. Your God goes with you. He will never leave you. Yeah. Nor forsake you. Right. And again, it's not based on how spiritual you feel, right. It's based on his faithfulness. Right. Again, I'm gonna say that again. It's not based on how spiritual you feel, right? It's based on his faithfulness. It always comes back to his faithfulness and that's, that's at the beginning of the Old Testament. Mm-hmm. And it's also like you mentioned earlier in Hebrews, near the tail end of the. Of the New Testament, it rings all through and it's in between. Yeah. Uh, it's, uh, yeah. Never leave. You never forsake you. No. He is always with us. So now here we're gonna, we're gonna get practical now. No practical. I love practical. You love practicality. You know that. Yeah. I am Mr. Pragmatic. But, uh, so here are, here are seven moves that we'd like to leave you with today. Yeah. What's number one, babe? Well, we always like to leave you with something, something that you can put into action. And number one is acknowledge. Don't suppress. Don't suppress God. Believe it or not, God can handle your honesty. You can tell him how you feel. You can write it out. You can speak it out. Absolutely. You know, I've even yelled it out. She has, I have. I've seen it. But think back to David Job and, and come on, let's be real. Even Jesus cried out and paid. Yeah. He cried out in pain. Yeah. And that doesn't scare God. It doesn't scare God. He's not, he's not freaked out. He's not freaked out. No. He's got a plan. That's right. Yeah. Uh, number two is, is anchor ourselves in scripture. Mm. And you know, if that sounds cliche, then, then anchor yourself in scripture. All right? We need to anchor ourselves in scripture, even if it's just one verse a day. Uh, it's important to stay in the word. It's important to learn the word. Uh, I remember, uh, my grandma, uh, said, read the psalms. Oh, so she gave me this little, this little pocket. By the way, it was just the Psalms and the proverbs, and, uh, but read the Psalms. It's a good place to start. Mm-hmm. And, uh, but, and we declare, declare his promises out loud over ourselves. Uh, and when we get into that truth, the truth, uh, the capital that God's word, T truth, the capital T, that's, that's Jesus. But you know, that's right. That's what the word, you know, right. The, the truth of the word. That's what the word's all about. Mm-hmm. The word's all about Jesus. Yeah. But that truth kills the lies. Yeah. It kills the lives. But, and if you're just getting started, uh, in your faith walk, I would encourage you, if you want to, if you want to get into it, Jesus 1 0 1, dig into John's gospel and his epistles, man. Oh, yeah. I, while I love the entirety of God's word, uh, and all of the, all of the gospels, uh, Matthew, mark, Luke, John, I love John. John would be my favorite af After all, he is the disciple that Jesus loved. Well that was self-proclaimed. Yes. Self-proclaimed. Right, right. But number three is, is one that I do anytime I'm in feeling like this and it's worshiping when I don't want to. Yeah. And you know, just sitting and worship music can soften your heart. Yeah. I. Sitting in loud worship music can soften it even quicker, I think. But I like to flare the worship music when I am in a dry season, you know, whispering his name. Um, worship music and, and calling out his name. I mean, praise is a weapon. It's especially when you're in silence. It is, it is. I remember, uh, on that subject, I, I was, I just, the other day, earlier this week, I was, I was in a tough spot, you know, had to do some things I didn't want to do, but, you know, it's my job, so, so I, uh, so I'm waking up, I'm in brushing my teeth, it's time to hit the road, and I'm just like. And, uh, and I, and, and I have a song that, uh, there's a story behind the song. Mm-hmm. We won't get into that now, but I, but I, I stopped and I just said, Alexis, play Goodness of God by Stacy Weyand. And, and she did. And that, yeah, that song changed, uh, changed my perspective. It always does. That's my go-to. Uh, and it's just'cause he's so good. Yeah. And, uh, he's, he's so good. Uh, well, I know anytime I hear you playing that song, I know that something's going on. Like, yeah, there's, you, you, you use that song as your weapon. That that's, it's a good opener And mm-hmm. One day, one, one day, we will share about that. Yeah. That story. It's, it's a, it's a powerful story and I can see it like it was yesterday. Yeah. But number four, reeling it in. Reeling it in. Okay. All right. Um. Uh, those were some good weeds to be in though, just for a moment. Yes. Uh, number four is practice stillness. Oh, you know what, in first step to, I know what you're gonna say. The first step to practice stillness Yeah. Is turn off the phone. Yeah. Silence your cell phones, please. Yes. And, uh, we gotta get out of the noise and we gotta create room to hear the Lord. Mm-hmm. To, to commune with the spirit. We gotta, we gotta get quiet in that secret space and, and he often whispers. Yeah. Uh, I've never heard him shout, uh, but he often whispers, so we gotta get quiet so we can catch it. Yeah. Every text, we don't want to miss what he is got to say to us. No. So we certainly don't. Yeah. And number five is one that you already mentioned. Um, but to reiterate, remembering what he's already done. Yeah. You know, revisit the old journal entries, keep a prayer journal and, and record the answered prayers. Yeah. Testimonies. Go back to your testimonies. Yeah. It's exciting to go back through that stuff. Yeah. Yeah. It is. And see. And see what he's done. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Because God's past faithfulness is fuel for our future faith. Absolutely. I mean, absolutely. It will get us through when it seems like nothing else will. Yeah. Yeah. And if we've forgotten mm-hmm. You know, he'll, he'll quickly remind us. Yeah. Of of. Of who he is. That's right. And then, and then we better, we come to better understand ourselves and find our identity when we, when we understand ourselves as children of the one True and living God. You know, we discover who we are when we discover who we are. Yeah. Right. Yeah. So, moving on to number six. Yeah. Tell us what number six is. Number six is. Pick up that phone. Mm. Ask for prayer and accountability. Wait, you just told us to put the phone down? Well, different situation. Okay. All right. So we're we gotta, we gotta reach out sometimes we gotta pick up that. Yeah. Sometimes text or call someone if you're in a tight spot. And let'em know, Hey man, I'm in a tight spot. Or, or lady, Hey lady, I'm in a tight spot. But, uh, but we have a Hey friend. Yeah, hey friend. We got a, we got a great group of guys at our church and, uh, it's, it's cool to be able to reach out to them, Hey, I'm in a tight spot, you know, and it's, it's important to reach out and, uh, solutions are found within the team. Right. You know, and, uh, just say, Hey man, I'm in a tight spot. Need some prayer. Mm-hmm. Uh, hey, can, hey, have you ever been through this? You know, because we're not alone. We, we're not the only ones going through those, you know, we're not the only ones challenged. Uh, from time to time. It's important to engage our community and let'em remind us that we're not alone. Right. Because we were, we were made for community. Mm-hmm. We were created for Unity in the community. Well, I'm even gonna go one step further and, and find a prayer partner. Find a prayer partner that you can rely on? Yeah. That you can rely on one another. I have a couple prayer partners and I'm, I'm very blessed to be surrounded by a group of incredible, incredible women, but I know that I can reach out to them Absolutely. And ask for prayer. Yeah. I can ask for accountability, so. Don't isolate because it's in the isolation that we can hear the enemy, the loudest. Yep. And that's not where he wants be. That's where the enemy wants us. He wants us isolated. That's right. Yeah. And then, and then he will run rhon over you. Right. But, uh oh, but so number seven, this is our final ones. Stay faithful in the small things. Yeah. Keep showing up. Keep praying. Yeah. Keep seeking him. Yeah. Even if it may, even if it might seem mechanical person even. Even if it's mechanical, it's not meaningless. Yeah. He knows your heart. He knows you better than you know yourself. He knows your heart. So, you know, faithfulness is often formed in the silence. Yeah. And, and that perseverance. Right. You know what, what, uh, the word says is that that perseverance creates character and, and then character creates hope. Yeah. You know? Yeah. I think that's the way it goes. I often mess that one up, but it's perseverance, character and hope. Yeah. That's good. Well, babe, I would really, I would real, I know there's some people who are listening to this, who are going through a season of this right now. Yeah. And maybe this is the first episode they've listened. But I would, I real, really would love for you to pray over them over this community. Absolutely. Over anyone who might be feeling, um, like a dry God is distant. A little dry. Yeah. A little. Like they're struggling. Yeah. They're challenged. We all struggle and you're not alone. Right. So, father, we, uh, father, we just thank you. Uh, we just thank you. We start. We, we just thank you and we, and Lord, we say that, that we love you. We love you Yahweh. We love you Yeshua. And we love you Holy Spirit. And, uh, for every person who's feeling distant from you, Lord, we ask that you make yourself known again, that you, uh, that you draw near to them as they draw back near to you. Uh, that you replace silence, Lord, with your, with your blessed assurance Lord, that you replace distance with your divine presence, uh, your unmistakable divine presence. Thank you. Uh, that you never, that your word says that, uh, you never leave us and you never forsake us. And thank you for, uh, the belief. Thank you for new and renewed beliefs that you never leave us and you never forsake us, Lord, even when we don't feel you. Even when we don't feel you, Lord. Even when our brothers and sisters are challenged and, and we don't feel you, we trust that you are always working behind the scenes. Lord, all this we pray in the precious, holy, and powerful name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. Well, if this we're to the end, we're to the end of this episode and if gonna wrap it up, we're gonna wrap it up now. Yeah. But if this episode encouraged you, we wanna thank you in advance for sharing it with someone who might be walking through a dry season. You know, it's so important that we share the, these things with others. Yeah. Who to encourage them to equip them, to empower them, to be able to walk out what God has called them to do. So share it. Share it with someone else. We'd be grateful. We thank as well. We thank you for sharing it and, and be sure to tell us what you think. Mm-hmm. And, and leave us a. Five star review. Review. Uh, when you leave us five star review and download our episodes, it, it helps us reach more kingdom leaders who need this kind of encouragement. Yes, next time, right here on Faithfully Invested with Allen and Stacy. Jo, we're going to be exploring how intimacy and marriage begins with intimacy with God. That's it. So we've been there. And we've got some encouragement for you on this subject. It does. So we're excited about bringing that one one to you. It starts from the, it starts from the top down. That's right. It sure does. So until then, remember that just because it's silent doesn't mean that God isn't speaking. That's right. So stay faithfully invested because when we invest in the kingdom, he brings the increase. Amen. Have a great day. God bless y'all. God bless. Thanks for joining us on Faithfully Invested with Allen and Stacy Jo, if today's conversation encouraged you, challenged you, or helped you see your calling more clearly, don't keep it to yourself. That's right. Share it with a friend. Leave a five star review and keep leaning into God's blueprint for your life, your leadership, and your legacy. So until next time, remember, when you invest in his kingdom, he brings the increase.