Religion, Rebellion, and Redemption w/ Larenda

In this interview, Larenda shares her testimony. She talks about what it was like growing up in a home where faith in Jesus was expected, but not always understood personally. As she got older, she walked away from the faith she had been raised in and began living life on her own terms.

But God had a different plan.

Larenda shares how God pursued her, what she learned about the true cost of sin, and how she discovered the power of having a real, personal relationship with God.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Hello everyone, English with the I here, back with another episode of Believe with English. I'm super grateful to be here. As you all may know, I have been experiencing some spiritual warfare to actually just continue to be consistent with Believe with English. This is how I know that this is a part of the Lord's assignment for me. And you know, I was just praying like Lord, please help me get out the way. Actually, I recognized me being so um caught up and having anxiety about doing this that I was being prideful, I was putting myself in the way, and I really just needed to lean on the Holy Spirit, and so I went to this Galantine's Day event and I prayed, Lord, please help me have an encounter or run into women who love the Lord who will join this podcast. And I want you guys to know that God showed up and he answered my prayers, and I met this wonderful woman that we are going to interview today. I'm super excited to hear her testimony. I'm super excited to see what the Lord is gonna do in this space. We've already prayed, so we know that the Holy Spirit is here, and I am just so excited. So without further ado, I'm gonna turn it over to who we're interviewing today. Go ahead and introduce yourself, let us know your background where you're from and your favorite accomplishment.

SPEAKER_02 1:21

Hi, everyone. My name is Lorinda Linkford. I am so excited today, and I'm just so honored to be before you guys, and even the opportunity that English um me and her have met. I'm a uh a mother, I am a wife, I'm a woman of God, um, an entrepreneur. There's so many hats that I wear, and it's all to the glory of God. Um, I know you were just asking what is like some of my accomplishments that I have accomplished. So, for one of the things that I'm just so grateful that I've accomplished is first and foremost, um, just being a woman of God, just walking back into my first love, walking back into the foundation of what was instilled in me. I'm just so excited to be back. Um, walking with God in obedience and in um faithfulness. That's the number one accomplished. I have so many, but that one right there crushed them all.

SPEAKER_01 2:25

Go ahead. I would say I I couldn't even imagine life without the Lord. And this is like my pastor would say, if you are on earth without God, you are literally walking around insane because he has created us to be in relationship with him, to worship him. And I I literally feel that way. Like if I didn't have the Lord, if I couldn't pray to the Holy Spirit, if I didn't have the power of the word, I feel like I would be insane, like a hundred percent. There's no way life is hard whether you're in the covering of the Lord or you're out, and being able to have that relationship with God and be intimate with God and know like you don't have to do it all by yourself, and like you don't know how this bill's gonna get paid, but you're gonna pray to God because he's a provider and he will do it. Like, I'm so grateful. So I really I understand what you mean. Like that's gotta be the the greatest accomplishment to be that tops it all first and foremost. Lord, amen. Well, um uh we want to hear your testimony. Share with us how you came to know Jesus.

SPEAKER_02 3:34

Okay, so just a little bit about how I came to know Jesus. I've always grew up um knowing of God, I should say that. Um, my father he grew us up, we had Bible study every single day. If we didn't have Bible study, it was because we were at church. But every day at 5:30, my father set us down, he taught us the things of the Bible from the age of four all the way up until we were out the house. We were learning about who God was. Um, it was a foundation that was a must. My mom, she um grew up in church as well. Her first foundation was God as well. Her father, which is my papa, he was a minister also. So I couldn't get away from it or my siblings, um, because it was on both sides, pretty much. Um, we grew up, my father taught us the things of the Bible. As we grew up, of course, we all know that we when you grow up into something and you know about something, you know, you say, okay, enough of this. Like, you know, I I love God, but I don't have a normal life. I feel like that I'm being, you know, um burdened down or weighed down with what my father is teaching us, but can we breathe a little? Can we enjoy light? Can does everything have to be about Jesus? And that's just being honest, you know. Um, can we have fun or no? And we wanted to experience that, and I know for sure I did. So when I grew up, I was like, okay, I just wanna just give it a chance of going out and doing what Lorinda wanted to do. Yeah, you know, and um grew up experience being out, getting a little taste of you know what Lorinda wanted to do. And like, okay, this is not the will of the father from my life, so I gotta get back in alignment with him. Yeah, that's uh that that's just a little bit of me growing up, knowing, raised in church, you know, on Sundays, on Tuesdays, having Bible study out the week, you know, no outside, none, none of that. When you come home from school, you come home, you may grab a bite to eat, and at 5 30, you have to be at that table with your Bible.

SPEAKER_01 5:51

Yes. Wow, yeah. I feel like I've heard, you know, certain people who have that story of like growing up in the house, everything is God, guys, got church, church, church. Like I know my mom should grow up with Jehovah's Witness, and everything was go going to um the what what do they call it? Um the Kingdom Hallers. Yep, the Kingdom Hall, like um Kingdom Study. I don't know, I don't know if they call it Bible study, but like that was like her whole you know, life. And even in their faith, like you couldn't play sports, you couldn't do certain stuff. Like her brother had a full rise scholarship to college, like they didn't let him go. And it was all these things that kind of made her resent like being cooped up like that. And similarly to you, like as soon as she was out that house, she was out of everything like that encompassed just religion, religion, religion. And so I just wanna I want you to share a little bit more about like maybe if there are other parents listening, what do you think some of the pros and the cons are of like so strictly um having your children just be in that specific covenant, not really having friends or not really being able to do other things, like you know, I was watching this one lady who said like she homeschools her kids because she doesn't want her kids to be like influenced by the kids of the world and and things like that. And I think there is something that's really positive there in that, but other people may be like, well, there might be a negative side to that because when they have freedom, they are gonna be running rampant. And like when my mom raised me, Jesus found me. She didn't raise me to have to go to church or nothing like that, but she always gave me freedom and to to have friends, to go out, to make decisions. And I was friends with friends who didn't have freedom, and so they would sneak out, they wanted to go do stuff, like it felt like they just wanted some freedom. Same like with my friend in college, like super strict mom, and she gets to college and she ain't never had no freedom, so she's like running wild, you know what I'm saying? But it's like I understand her mom's heart posture, you know, being like, I want to protect her, I don't want her like out here in the world and doing too much, but it backfired when she got to college, you know, it may have backfired a little bit for my mom or maybe even for you. So, can you just share like what are the pros and cons of maybe raising your children like that?

SPEAKER_02 8:12

Okay, sure. So, for there are pros and cons, and I'm happy that you are even, you know, um targeting those areas so people are able to know that there is a balance. Um, when we are raising children, and even for me, I have three beautiful children. We have to understand, I know, right? So exciting. I we have to understand and trust God that He blessed us with our children and that He will also protect them. We are only supposed to really instill those things. The Bible says to train a child up in the way that they should go, and when they get old, they will not depart from it. You have instilled the guidance, the foundation in your children, so you have to allow them to make decisions and grow so that they're able to, you know, do what you instilled in them. Are there gonna be, you know, errors and mistakes? Absolutely, but to control your children and uh say I'm protecting them, sometimes you're not protecting them, you're actually harming them because you're not allowing them to make those decisions for themselves because we get a free will, God gives us the free will to choose if we want to serve him or not. So he doesn't force us to do anything outside of the will that he placed in us. So we have to use that same thing that God uses with us with our children and give them the opportunity to make those decisions, to choose their friendships. And they have a praying mother or father. There's nine times out of ten, your prayers are being answered, and God hears your prayers, and when they do come across the wrong association or friendship, it doesn't last long. Yeah, there you go. You know, it it really doesn't because you have a praying mother or a praying father, you know, and the things that my dad did where it was like, okay, he didn't allow us to be children, you know, but at the moment he wanted the best for us, and it says that my people perish for the lack of knowledge. Some of the things your parents don't have the knowledge of, you know, and they they wasn't sure about that. They were only doing the best they could of how they were raised, so it's like a repeated cycle. Yeah, so a lot of things was the same with him or with my mom, and they turned around and did the same thing with us, and um we it made it it made us wow. We about the house, we wanted to get a taste of a natural life. We wanted to get some friends and see how it is to go to the movies and you know, do different things that we were not able to do it as a young uh teenager. You know, I know when you're younger, your parents make more decisions, but as you grow up and you get friends and you're in middle school, you're in high school, you know, you like, oh, can I go to the movies? Can I go hang out? And it's like, uh no, you you can't. And we're like, okay, we are still wanting to have that balanced life. Right. And it's okay for you to allow your children to go to the movies and do things that they enjoy. It's all about the relationship with God. It's not about religion, it's not about works. You know, the Bible says it's not about works, you will not get into heaven with your works or because you prayed a certain way. That's not what God is looking at. God is attended to look at your heart and what's posturing your heart. If you accepted them in your heart and believed and confessed with your mouth, then the Bible says you are saved. Yeah. And it's not through works, it's through faith. So when you know that you you have that option, that um that option to have that, well, not option, but you've made the decision. I'm sorry, not option. You made the decision and you are in a relationship with him. It's not predicated on what you have done or what you haven't done. Yeah. Because our father is a forgiving God, and you could just come to him and repent and ask him to help you to turn from that thing. Yeah. And you are still um walking into the righteousness of God, you know. So it's all I encourage somebody, it's about relationship. Don't get caught up in religion, don't get caught up on tradition of men and the way that things have been done with your parents. Because there's there's a way that seems right, but the end is destruction. And, you know, a lot of times we do things because we've saw our fathers, our mothers, our grandparents do them, but was it right? Right.

SPEAKER_01 12:42

You know, that's a really good point. I think, you know, we are creatures of habit, we do kind of what we know, and like I was saying, I think because of the way that my mom grew up, she was quite the opposite, you know, with me, with like just allowing me to have freedoms, but still teaching me principles and characteristics of the Bible, which I'm very grateful for. Like, I'm grateful that she she taught me those things of like how to be a giver, how to be kind, how to be patient. Like, and so those are things that I really do appreciate. And I'm glad that I didn't feel like I had to necessarily go rebel and like you know, be curious about what was in the world. But I want you to talk about for a second, like your transition of going into the world. What did you learn where you were like, this is not for me, and like I want to turn back to God? And what should people look out for? Like, if they're they're going from you know, being in a shelter home and then going of the world, you know, some people may think it's greener on the other side, but I think me and you both know sin causes destruction and heartache and pain. And when we're doing things outside of God's will, it doesn't breathe the abundance and like the blessings and the peace and the things that we want. So I'd love to hear about your experience of being in the world. What are some things that you learned and what ultimately brought you back and to have a personal relationship with God?

SPEAKER_02 14:08

Absolutely. So, my experience in the world. Um, of course, when I got out there to get a taste of the world, it did, it was fun. You know, um, the enemy will present that scene is fun because it gratifies your flush. So it was fun, you know. It was fun, you know, drinking and hanging out and clubbing and you know, um being, you know, that that um sassy woman, and you know what I'm saying? Um, all of that appeared to be fun. It was all uh a deceitful thing that the enemy had placed, you know, in my view in my view gates with, you know, the people that I knew, you know, but then I start to realize that there is a cost to sin. Sin costs you. You know, it says that the wages of sin is death. Yeah, you know, and people say, oh, is really death? Yes, it is death, because it's spiritually, sin is basically missing the mark. You're spiritually disconnected from the father. So I was missing the mark, and you know, it it was all you know fun and dandy then, and then I began to realize, you know, things had started happening, you know, even with you know, my body, you know, things have began to happen the way I was looking. I I okay, you're young, but you're starting to pick up a look of the world, you know, because sin has a certain look to it, sin has a smell to it. And, you know, I got tired. I I was like, I can't keep doing this because I knew it was wrong anyway, because I grew up knowing what was right and what was wrong, because it was taught to me from the age of four all the way up until I was able to make my own decisions out of my parents' home. So I automatically knew that it was not right what I was doing. Um, I got a taste of it. I partied for a minute, you know, I did what I wanted to do for a minute, and then I never forget. Um, I was in my room, um, in my bedroom, and I remember there was Tamil Mann's song, Change Me, oh God. That song came on and it was like a pierce in my heart. And I remember lifting my hands and tears just began to flow from my eyes, and I started singing and asking God to change me, you know, make me more like you. I I don't no longer want to desire to be in this place of sin, um, missing the mark, um, you know, getting far away from you. Um, and as I began to sing, and I I just felt the presence of God. I felt his presence so strong in my room, and I was just so thankful, and I began to ask him to forgive me. You know, Lord, forgive me for um what I've been doing. I know it hasn't been right. Help me, deliver me, transform me. And I can say God did just that because it was my heart and my willingness of him wanting to change me. And I had been doing it for quite some time, like years. So I believe I really, really got convicted by the Holy Spirit. That's what I'm I'm answering the question. That's what got me back to my faith in God and walking back with him. The Holy Spirit, the one that is the one that brings conviction, the one that is the revelator, the one that's our teacher, the one who brings truth. Thank God for the Holy Spirit, thank God for the gift of the Holy Ghost. I'm happy that Jesus said that I will not leave you comfortless, but I will send you a comforter, someone who will be with you. So I'm so grateful to Jesus that he did not leave us here by ourselves to do this thing by ourselves. Thank you because it was the Holy Spirit. Thank you, God. Thank you, God. I know, right?

SPEAKER_01 18:04

God is so good, He's so good, He's so good. I just so good enough. God is so sovereign, yeah, He's so holy, and He's so good. And so I think I want to get into the idea of people feeling like they have to be perfect to come to church, they have to be perfect to come to God. Like there is this false narrative and story that like you, you God can't meet you where you at. God can't forgive you, or some people feel I'm so ugly, I'm so torn, I'm so simple, I'm so nasty, I've done horrible things. They don't recognize the character of God, they don't know that he's a forgiving father, they don't know that he's a redeemer, they don't know that he will change them. Holy Spirit will change you, Holy Spirit will convict you to turn. It is it doesn't work the other way around. You know, you have to get in communion with the Lord, you have to recognize that he loves you in all your brokenness, but he loves you so much that you're not gonna stay there. He's a God that will do a good work in us, right? He's a god that will change and renew you. And I'm just so I'm so grateful for that. I'm so grateful. Like I'm grateful. Hey, sometimes you look like God, me, me, me, like you love me, you care about me, you want to change me, like you want to be in a relationship with me, and it's like, yes, I do, daughter, I love you. Yes, and I don't want you to stand sin. I don't want you to be there and acknowledge the sovereign king, and like you will, your eyes will start to be open. So I just want to talk about the the wrestle of people feeling like you know, I've left maybe some maybe some people never knew the Lord, but even those people who did know the Lord and they left the Lord and they're nervous to come back or they feel like they cannot come back. I say oftentimes people maybe have not read the Bible because we talk about the way where a son who left his father and saw the money and on all of the things of sin and came back to his father because he was eating with the pigs, and thinking, like, I'll just be a servant to you, dad, because I knew that I have messed up. I'll just come back to be a servant, and his dad rejoiced, gave him a robe, threw him a party because my son has returned, and I want people to know that is real. The Lord has rejoices when we come back when we acknowledge it, like that that is the truth. You do not have to be perfect, like that is the truth. So I I want you to maybe just share a little bit more about returning back to our father and what that process is, and like how we can deny the the lies of the enemy, and like, did you personally have to go through any of that of like feeling like just a mess, or just share a little bit more about the process of coming back to God and dispelling the lies of the enemy?

SPEAKER_02 21:11

Absolutely, and um, that's another good question because a lot of people feel like they're they have done the dandable things, they have done things that they don't know if God would accept them back because they're constantly doing it and they just don't know how to break free from it. But I'm here to tell you today there's no no one, nothing or nothing that God didn't know that you were gonna do before you did it. That's why he sent his son Jesus, our Redeemer, our restorer, our way maker, our promise keeper. That's what Jesus was hung on the cross for at Calvary. It was for our sins because God knew that we were gonna need a redemption, he knew we were gonna need a sacrifice, then Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice, he paid the price for you and me. So if we make hangups, we can come to our Father and just come with a repentant heart and ask him to forgive us. And I'm here to tell you today, all he needs is for you to yield. Yield your will. You don't have to be in church. You don't have to be, you know, if you go to church to do it, then that's good. But you can be in the comfort of your own home. You can be in your bedroom, your shower. You can be driving. You can be working. And if you ask God to forgive you and repent of your sins and tell them, listen, here, I don't know what else to do. I don't know how to do it. I've been constantly making mistakes and hang ups, and I'm living in sin right now, but I want to become free. Yes. There's a guarantee you can get free the moment it comes out of your mouth. You don't have to wait to be free. If you want to be free today, you can get free today. Because he said, who the Son sets free is free indeed. Yes. And not only that, God is married to the backslider. His arms are wide open for us when we make mistakes, when we make hangups, when we fall short of the glory, which we all do, because the Bible says that no one is perfect. We'll never be perfect. There's one perfect, and that's Jesus, Christ Himself, the anointed one. So you don't have to be in that place of condemnation. Condemnation is not from God, that's from the enemy. The conviction is what the Holy Ghost does to bring you back to the Father. But he does not condemn you. He's like, come back home. Come back to me. I'd have you. He never stopped loving you. His love is not predicated on what you have done or what you're doing or what you whatever do. His love is unfailing and is unconditional. So I encourage that person that may be listening today, today, that may say, Hey, am I worthy enough? You know, do I have to have every T crossed and every I dotted? You do not. The Lord will accept you just the way you are. You will never have to be perfect. You would never have to act like you got it all going on and perfect. Because it's not predicated on that. It's relationship that you have. Just like how we have relationships with our children and our spouses and our parents and our friends. We talk to them, we commune with them, we fellowship with them, we go hang out with them. It's the same that the father requires if you have a relationship with them. He wants you to commune, he wants you to talk, he wants you to tell them how your heart feels and what makes you heavy or what's weighing you down. Even though he knows all those things, he still wants you to give it to him and release it to him. So just surrender today. I would say surrender. Amen. Come with a posture of just asking God to forgive you and watch how free you become. Just by you saying, I'm letting it, I'm going, I'm taking it to you. I'm laying it at your feet.

SPEAKER_01 25:28

Yes, amen. That is so good. That is so good. I hope those who are listening who feel they straight away from God, his arms are open, and he wants you back into his covering. Like, and don't I think that's the misconception that you you can get it together without him, and that's not the truth. Like you need him. Like he's open to welcome you back. And sometimes we get got confused with men. Sometimes men, they may they may not forgive you, they may not, you know, open their arms back to you, but he's not the same as uh a human father or a human person if he is not who our savior is, who our king is, who our redeemer is, who are the person that loves us, who knows every hair on our head. That is not, you know, I think sometimes people just don't really understand God's character, understand who he is. You know, I think that is the one of the biggest misconceptions that I see about folks who are out of relationship. I'm just like, that is not hard. It's not hard, it's really not. And it's like you'll slip, you'll fall, and yes, like following the Lord is difficult. You have to deny your flesh, you have to, you know, yeah. It is, it's not, I'm not trying to make it seem like it's easy, but there is a peace and suffering that you have, there is a confidence that you have, there is a quietness that you have, there is a lack of worry. So I promise you, like you can choose your heart, your heart with the Lord Jesus Christ or the heart with the devil, right? But I promise you, like it's so worth just showing up. Um, this has been so great. I'm on my last question, which is um, what has, what is the purpose that the Lord has put on your heart? I know like, you know, people we get up, we work, you know, we may have our typical nine to five or whatever the case may be, but I like to think that some of us are in kingdom business, some of us have been able to hear a calling from the Lord on how we can build his kingdom, and that may look different for a lot of people, whether that's just evangelizing, whether that's a business. I feel like the way that the Lord has called me is through this podcast to share people's testimonies, you know, to bring him closer. So, what's the kingdom work that you're doing, or is there a purpose or something that the Lord is brewing inside of you, or that he has brewed, or that has come to life that you want to share with us?

SPEAKER_02 28:06

Absolutely. Um, so there's so many different things that the um that the father has caught me. Um, that is a part of my purpose. Um, the number one thing that I'm wearing now is my merch, and it's obey God, and it's a part of what he has placed in me when I had to make a very difficult decision, and he gave me those two words. He said, obey me and obey God. And it was one of the hardest decisions that I had to make, but he also put that in my spirit to put it on a shirt to encourage others, you know, is that we rather obey God rather than man, as Acts 5.29 says. And you see that on my shirt, and I rock it to the fullest because, you know, at the end of the day, when it's all said and done, we're gonna be standing before the Father by ourselves, and he's gonna ask you about yourself, he's not gonna ask you about anyone else. So it's predicated on our obedience because of the people that are attached to our purpose-driven lives, and that's just one of it. I I'm singing as a worship leader, I'm worshiping, you know, on Sundays and pretty much every day throughout my life. I love to worship God. I am a worshiper, I love to sing, I love to pour, you know, out to God what He poured in me, give it back to Him. So that's another thing that I am, you know, knowing that that is a part of my purpose, and also just evangelizing as well, going out of the four walls and um telling people about the goodness of God, the um the good news and how Jesus loves you, and how Jesus is waiting for you, and how, you know, um just telling my testimony by experience, you know, letting people know I've been where you where you are, I've been there before. You know, I can relate, I'm relatable, so I can understand how you feel, how you feel alone sometimes, how you may not have food, or you're trying to make ends meet for your family. But I know that there is a God and He wants to help you. You know, you just have to, you know, lay it down, give it to Him, and not do it in your own strength, in your own power, or whatever you think may um cause you to want to do it because you can't do it. Like you stated, you know, it's not for us to walk this path by ourselves. We were not created to do things alone, you know. We were created, you know, in the image and likeness of God, but God made fellowship. That's why He made man and woman to fellowship, to help us, to, you know, um instill and guide us. And so, you know, I know that's another part of my purpose is evangelizing, um, also witnessing and um allowing people to see the light of God shine through me. Yeah, being loving, you know, telling telling someone they're beautiful, a woman that she's beautiful, no matter the shape, the size, the color. You know, you are beautiful because God made you beautifully, fearfully, and wonderfully made in his image. And someone needs to hear that. Someone needs to hear that. Someone may need a hug. You know, I'm here on assignment to just say, can I have a hook? You know, can I pray with you? You know, being a listening ear. So God has really placed um a lot of things that I'm I'm now coming into, you know, agreement with me to actually bag my will up, Lorinda, and do the will of the Father, you know, follow his will, do what he's placed in me, and um move forward, move forward without fear.

SPEAKER_01 31:53

That's so good. I will say, I just have a follow-up question. I feel that is everything you said is so rich and so beautiful, what the Lord has called us to do. I think, and for me too, some people may hear this and say, Okay, obey God, but it feels heavy, it feels hard, it feels a lot. Like even with me in this podcast, like I'm finally getting to it, you know, obeying God, or like when He tells me to pray for someone. I remember I had one situation and the Lord told me to pray, and I was just so fearful to go pray because this girl was crying, it was just a lot going on, and I was just nervous. And as I was walking away, the Holy Spirit was convicting me, so I turned around and she had already gotten on the elevator. And I always think about that day, like, oh, like I wish I would have just had the confidence, I wish I would have really leaned more into the Holy Spirit like during that time to just obey the calling to go pray for this woman, or obey the calling to get this podcast out. Like, there's so many months that went by where people probably needed to hear a testimony, but like I am being fearful, or I am being, you know, hesitant, or whatever the case may be. So, are there any like final tips or anything that you have for people who are just like struggling? They they have the desire to obey God, you know, they have the desire to be in his will, but they feel like stuck, or they may have fear, and you know, for me, I will have to recite the word of God like you didn't make me a fear, but of power level inside of mine, and I have to go back to that when I'm being lied to by the enemy, but it is real that it can feel very difficult to obey. So, do you have like any thoughts on how people can like truly obey an action, versus just in desire, but in action?

SPEAKER_02 33:45

Absolutely. So, um, I think for the most people, you know, like you said, the action of it is challenging, you know, and I must admit, because there was things that was challenging for me. Um, number one thing, as you stated, was fear. You know, fear is um something that is presented to you, the fear of the unknown, the fear of not being in a place that you used to be in, or just what if it doesn't work? But I'm here to tell you if God told you to do it, it's going to work. It's just a false illusion that the enemy wants to keep you there so you won't walk into purpose, you won't walk into abundance, you won't walk into blessing. Because one thing about God is he is faithful and just to his children, and if he said it, you better take it to the bank and cash it. That is going to happen, okay? So I would tell you don't allow the enemy to put fear because fear is only there to grip you, so you won't walk into the promised land. You gotta remember the children of Israel, they were supposed to be walking in their place of overflow, but fear and murmuring and complaining, it was supposed to be 11 days, an 11-day journey. It turned into, I believe, was it 40? Was it 40 years? 40 years for them to walk into their abundance. So I will say, getting your word, go back to the beginning of the Bible, read about the the children of Israel, how they were held up because of fear. Yeah, the enemy wants to keep you where you are. If you know you're there and you're not fully prospering, then you have to say, okay, what am I doing wrong? Have I obeyed God? Have I did what God told me to do? And if you, you know, having a difficult time, you can always go to him and ask him for for that's the good thing about having a relationship with the Father. He wants you to be open and honest to say, Hey, you know, Lord, I know you're telling me to do this, but I'm gonna just be honest. It's hard for me. Yeah, I need your help. And guess what? He's going to help you, he's going to instruct you. If he gotta send someone your way to speak in your life, to encourage you, to push you, he will do just that. He will, that's it. You know, so just remember, you know, it is about your action, and if you can't do it because of fear gripping you, or you may be afraid, you're looking for validation from people, or you know, no one in your family has done it before, and you're gonna be the first person, then that is actually a good thing because God can trust you. Yeah, and then you know, okay, God got something up his sleeve. Yeah, he got something waiting for me on the other side of my faith. Yes. So I encourage you today to move out on faith because faith is the unknown, it's the unseen. Yeah, and God got something waiting for you in your obedience. He does. Obedience is better than sacrifice. So, you know, say that. I wish you today, I urge you today to just step out on it. If God trust, if God entrusted you to do it and he's spoken to you, then move out on it and watch how God blows your mind because of your obedience.

SPEAKER_01 37:16

Yes, this was so good. Yes, yes, yes. I totally needed all of that. I'm so grateful, and I just want to emphasize how true your word is because one thing that you said that really stuck out is to ask God and just having that relationship. This is how we got here today. I'm like, Lord, I know you told me to do this. I don't know how. I need your help, and I just had to yield to ask him. And I was doing too much trying to figure out, figure out, figure out. And I'm like, English, ask your holy father, ask, ask him. He's waiting, waiting, he's waiting. So I just also too want to double down on that, like encourage you guys. If the Lord has put something on your heart, you just feel, I don't know, just ask him, be it, be in relationship with him, like he will help you, he will answer you. He is such a good God, and I'm just so grateful. Like, and I know I'm like, this stopping me is nothing but the devil trying to stop the diamond that the Lord has, and because it's from the Lord, I know it will come to pass. And like, I just have so I'm so full, and I have so much joy for that because I believe in the word, the Lord's word, and I know who he is, and it's just so beautiful to be able to move and purpose. Oh, yes, the Lord has called you and I, and everyone, people who are listening, he's called all of us to spread his word, to spread his light, and he will use you in a special way to just bring more glory and honor to his kingdom. Um, and I'm yeah, I'm just in awe. This was such a wonderful episode. I'm so glad God brought us together. First of many. First of many. Um, as we're wrapping up, do you have any final words for the listeners? And how can people find you or buy your merch or really support whatever the Lord has going on in your life?

SPEAKER_02 39:21

Yes, so I do have some final words. I just want to encourage anybody out there that may have strayed away from the faith, their first love, that may have backslid. I just want to give you that opportunity to um come back today. Um, I encourage you, the Bible says in Romans chapter 10, verses 9, that if you confess with your mouth and you believe in your heart that Jesus has died on the cross and have rose on the third day, that you are saved. So there's a simple, um, a simple prayer that I just want to say to bring you back to your first love. And that's just simple. You don't have to, you know, be a church or anything. You can do it exactly where you are. The only thing I just ask you to do is just believe in your heart and say, Father, I trust that you have sent your son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for my sins.

SPEAKER_01 40:16

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 40:17

I ask that he will come into my heart, yes, and that he will fill me with the Holy Spirit. Yes, Lord. I ask that he will forgive me of my sins, and that he will change me and rearrange me. I thank you that you have sent your son to die for me, and I accept him as Lord and Savior over my life today. And that's just simple. And now you have rededicated your life, and if you was not saved, now you are saved. Welcome into the kingdom of God. The angels are rejoicing in heaven because another soul was one or several souls were one today. And um, that's just what I wanted to give as far as you know, um uh the key point, just coming back to the first love. If you want to um purchase my merch, I am on Instagram as uh Lorinda Langford, just my name. There's nothing else attached to it. You can DM me. I am working on the website now where you can um purchase on the website, but for now, I just have my Instagram, which is Lorinda Langford, on um social media, which is Facebook, and also Instagram.

SPEAKER_01 41:30

Yes, and I will put her name in the show notes so you all will be able to find her just fine. Um thank you so much for joining the show. Such an honor. This was so amazing. Um, and um, everyone who's listening, stay in tune for the next testimonies that are coming up. Uh, please share this episode with someone that you feel may need it and may God bless you. Um, may He go before you and may his face shine upon you. Have a good day, guys.