Ep 37 - Discernment: Real Faith vs Empty Words

In this episode of Messy but Motivated, we’re diving into the topic of discernment—how to recognize the difference between someone who claims to follow Christ and someone who truly lives it out.

I’m sharing three key things I’ve learned in seminary this semester that have challenged the way I see faith, people, and spiritual authenticity. We’ll also talk about what it really means to be “good” people—not by the world’s standards, but through a biblical lens.

This conversation is real, honest, and meant to encourage you to grow in wisdom, stand firm in your faith, and ask the hard questions when it comes to what you believe and who you’re surrounding yourself with.

If you’ve ever struggled with knowing what’s genuine or just want to deepen your understanding of discernment, this episode is for you.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back to Messy But Motivated. I am your host, Melinda. Hello. Hello. I'm back from vacation. Back to back to life. You guys. Vacation was amazing. Okay, let's just go there. It was uh amazing. We went to uh golf shores for those of you who didn't know that. Um, Alabama. It was amazing. If you ever get the chance, just go. They're known for their small, what is it, small town, big beach, and let me tell you, it was just great, great food, um, all of it, and it wasn't expensive. That was like the coolest part. Like, we had a house with like a pool and all the things, and three families split it, and it was not expensive. So definitely do that if I can give you any advice. Um, make the memories because my kids are like already asking to go back already. They're like, Mom, please. I'm like, y'all are gonna wait. Y'all are waiting, okay. We did, we did just plan our um vacation for Christmas this year. I'm so excited, y'all. Oh, one of my things on my bucket list has been to rent a big house, okay? Like me and my whole family. Rent a big house and have Christmas together. Now it's not gonna be on Christmas. We're doing it like two weeks before Christmas because the whole thing is I love to be at my home on Christmas because I'm I really relax on Christmas. The kids play with all whatever they got. Me and Mike just we lounge, we do all the things, like I make cinnamon rolls in the morning. Like, it's just kind of been a tradition to stay home for Christmas. So we're doing Christmas with the family, but we're doing it like two weeks ahead of time. And we are staying for five days and we rented a big house and we're going to Tennessee, and I'm so excited. I can't feel my arms. I am so excited. Like, seriously, you guys, it's gonna be amazing. Now, I will tell you a lot of me was like, Oh, you remember what happened last time you guys did this? Okay, so there was a time that we did this, but it was not like we didn't run a house. We went to my Uncle Paul's in West Virginia. He had everybody there for Christmas. It was the my grandma's last Christmas, you guys, which we didn't know that, obviously. But we all went and we all got sick. I think there was only a select few people who didn't get sick. Um, like my uncle didn't get sick. I believe my brother didn't get sick. Um, and there was just a few other people that didn't did not get sick, but everybody else had the I mean, I ended up going to the emergency room, you guys. Like, and it was, I was nursing at the time, so it hit me real bad. And um it started with one person throwing up, and then it went to it just trickled down. Like that night, I woke up and I'm like, oh, I don't feel too good. And so I go downstairs, and my husband was already in the kitchen, and he was like, I don't feel good, and I'm like, No, this can't be. Oh, yeah. So that was fun, let me tell you. Just I remember him throwing up in the toilet, I was in the sink. Um, my aunt walked in and she's like, What is happening right now? She didn't get sick either, I don't think. So, anyways, but this year, I'm like, okay, I rebuke those thoughts of thinking that was gonna happen again. And then I was like, Melinda, even if so, I think he has eight eight bathrooms. You're gonna, you're all gonna be okay. And um now it's always been something that we talk about and we laugh about because we're like, gosh, you guys remember that? I mean, we made it through. The only reason I ended up going to the emergency room is because I was so dehydrated, and like every time I would, it would feel like every time I would eat or drink or whatever, I would get sick again. And like with nursing, that's just not very healthy. So I ended up getting some um fluids, and I was fun. But I rebuke those thoughts that I that something like that's gonna happen again. It's not gonna happen again. We're all gonna be great. I'm gonna send out a text a week before, and I'm gonna say, everybody take your Zycam or your airborne, whatever it is, take it. Nobody's getting sick on this trip. But yeah, and honestly, it's life. It is what it is. I'm excited. There's a lot of us, and this year, my sister Anne, she gets to join us. I'm so excited. So she was also on vacation with me, you guys. I know, isn't it weird? Like, she just came back into my life, and she's it's it doesn't even like. I told her the other day, I was like, it doesn't even like I feel like there's nothing. I feel as close to her as I do as as Londie. I'm just like, whatever. Like before she showed up, like Kimmy was asking questions and stuff, and I was kind of like, why is she asking me questions about her? And then I was like, oh, she hasn't seen this dynamic yet. Like, because it's not weird to me at all. Like, it's not weird to me at all. Like, this is not I that's just my sister. I don't know, she's coming, she's gonna hang out with us, is you know, and I was super excited about it. Um, but yeah, once Kimmy met her, she was like, Oh my gosh, I love her. And I'm like, I know, I knew you would. She's just like me and my sister, literally. We just living over here. We're just living. But I hope I just I hope I said everything that I needed to say. I hope I you know what? I think I was getting somewhere with something. I you know, every time I I play these back to like edit them, I'm like, oh Melinda, you didn't even finish what you were saying. So y'all know me by now, though. That's just what I do. So, oh, vacation was fun. Is that what I was saying? Yeah, it was fun, it was great. Got back. Oh, that's what I was gonna say. I got back. Oh, listen, let listen, oh my gosh. So we end up. I had booked a flight so that we would leave Pensacola at 11 and we'd be home by six. All right. We had to go do a layover, it was what it was. We get to the airport, we make it out of Pensacola, which is great because my sister-in-law got delayed twice from there. We make it out of Pensacola, we get to Dallas. As we're in Dallas, I notice it keeps getting delayed, and I'm like, oh my gosh, this is not good. This is not good. Like at this point, I'm looking, I'm like, okay, well, now we're gonna get home at eight. Okay, cool. And we start a two-hour drive from the airport, so I'm like, all right, cool. And then we get on the plane, okay, and I'm like, oh, finally on the plane. And then what comes across the thing? The captain. Hey, so we're having some um difficulties with the aircraft and the sensor, and er, nah, nr. So it's gonna be a while, and you know what? I didn't get mad. I didn't, I didn't get mad because I said, God, thank you for letting them catch that. It's all about shifting your mindset, y'all. I tell you that all the time. But I was like, Thank you for let look for catching that because it would be horrible if we if something happened to us, and then my family's upset because you didn't catch that sensor. You didn't catch that? Why didn't you catch that? Like, our safety is more important than me getting home on time. So we ended up landing, I believe, at like 11:30. We didn't get home till 2 in the morning, so that was fun. And then, you know, I hate to say it. I hate to say it. We get home, it's a snowstorm. It's a snowstorm. Now, God waited until I got in my house for it to start, like, you know, because he's a good god. I get in my house and and then it starts like it's it's like crazy outside, okay? So my I noticed my husband didn't wake me up for church, and I'm like, why didn't he wake me up for church? Because I don't set my alarm, y'all. No, I'm like, that's weird. And then he says, I said, why didn't you wake me up? And he says, church is canceled. I'm like, oh, praise God, praise God. Now, don't get me wrong, we were gonna go, and I was gonna be on the struggle bus. I was I was gonna look like I got off a flight at 2 a.m. I was gonna look like that, okay? So when when he said it was canceled, I was like, okay, God. So, but you know that that didn't give a free pass. See, some of y'all are like, oh, church is canceled. That's it, I'm done. One thing about me and my husband is that church is uh we need our cup filled, okay? Just like he said on the last on the last podcast, we have to have a filling of the cup. So, what did we do? We turned on Josh Howarton, is that what it is? On the live free or what is it? I don't know, his church. I don't know. We watched his sermon, we watched his sermon, and it was a good one. It was a good one, and it was about Sabbath, and it was good. And I acted like I was just at church. I took the notes, I did all the things. So, and then my cup was filled up. It was it was filled. So it doesn't mean just because church is canceled, that y'all just don't do nothing. Listen, come on, how do you expect to have a great week if you don't start it in the Lord with the Lord? You know what I mean? I've learned that. Oh my gosh, I've learned that. This I have to have I have to have it. I have to have it. I do. The house. I know y'all are asking. You I don't know, are you asking? I don't know. But I always update you on everything. The house. We have not sold the house yet. Now we have gotten three offers. We have. We've gotten three offers. I don't know if I told y'all that, but we um it's just not where we want to be. Like, not where we wanna be. Um, we have a number in our head on where we want to be, and they're not even hitting it. So um, which we're on no timeline. So I keep praying on it, and God's like, hey, just hold on. So I'm just holding on. I'm trusting him. My dogs are in here. She she just came to do a checkup on me, I guess. I don't know. She she left. Um, but yeah, it I I keep praying on it. I'm like, God, I don't know what you're doing, but you're doing something. So I'ma wait. I don't have anything like that says I have to be out by this day. Like, I don't have nothing like that. I'm kind of like giving it to God, and I'm like, whatever. You sell it when you sell it, and I know that there's somebody praying for my house, so they'll get it, they'll get it, and then we'll move on. Um, we did have somebody reach out to us, or it was like the same people, I guess. Or somebody was like, hey, oh, it was the one who made the first offer. They said that um there was a number that they couldn't go over, and we weren't willing to be at that number with them. So they got a hold of their realtor and was like asking if we found a house yet in Florida, which I was like, uh, that's kind of weird that they're asking that. But yes, we already have two houses picked out in Florida. So we're in their new builds, so they have time too. Oh, she's back. She's snorting. Anybody's old lab snort because she snorts. I had to have them get out because they listen, they'll be snorting the whole time. So uh yes, so that's that's the update with the house. Um, I still have it like show ready and everything, which kind of is it's exhausting. I told Mike the other day, I said, I feel like it's not even my house because everything's like I you know, you take down the pictures, you do all the things, and everything's kind of hidden, and but that's alright. Um it's it's all God's timing. I'm like, I don't know what you're doing, but can you hurry up? And he's like, listen, just hold on. I got you, girl. So that's what I'm doing. That's what I'm doing. I'm just holding on. I also want to bring up because I know if I got it, y'all are getting it. Y'all are getting it as much as I'm getting it. Now, let me tell you something. We're on my husband's health insurance, and I it's always been pretty good health insurance, okay? It's always been. And we've been getting some bills, and I'm like, what in the heck is going on? Now I don't know what's going on. I still don't know what's going on, but I know just to take my son to the eye doctor the other day with insurance paying $220 I still owe. And then reverse, my husband or my son, when he went to the ER, they paid their portion and I have to pay my portion of $600. What is going on? What is going on? I it is so hard, it's a struggle. I sent in partial payments. Listen, you ain't getting the full payment, you're getting a partial payment. And what do you mean? Because sometimes I feel like if I didn't have insurance and I said, Hey, can I just pay out of pocket? It's gonna be cheaper. You know what I mean? My sister told me that too because she used to work at a um pediatric clinic and she was like, Oh, that person didn't have insurance and they pay out of pocket and it only costed da-da-da. And I'm thinking, what? I pay more than that with insurance, make it make sense. Are y'all feeling these these uh medical bills, or is it just me? We have I thought we had good insurance. I've never paid this much. I've never paid this much. Now I'm like, listen, I we're listening I don't know what's gonna happen, but I mean, well, what's gonna happen is I gotta make some more money. We gotta make some more money to pay all these bills, and I gotta pray everybody don't get sick, don't get sick. So let me take you to that. Let me take you to that, okay? I feel like I'm talking to my best friend. What you doing, girl? Um, I, while we were on vacation, started to f feel like I was getting a UTI. I know TMI, TMI, but we're besties. Uh, started to feel like I was getting a uh UTI, and I was like, that's weird. I haven't had a UTI since I mean, a really long time. And I used to get them all the time. I used to be on macro bid. Every time I would have sexual intercourse, I had to take macro bid. Um, and so they were like, somehow, I think after I had kids, it just got normal, you know. It got normal. I never really had them anymore. Well, I started to feel like I was getting one, and I'm like, this is really weird. So I went and got some Azo. I went to go look for D-Manos because y'all know I love me some D manos, and I left it at home. I wish I didn't, but I did. I left it at home, and they don't have D manos at the grocery store there. So I was like, whatever, I'll get Azo. I didn't get like Azo like pain reliever, I got Azo like um maintenance or something like that. It was just to like make sure you don't get a UTI or something like that. And I end up taking it and it lasted, you know, whatever. I get home. Still kind of felt like I was getting one, but I'm thinking to myself, I'm not going to the doctor or the ready med. I'm not paying 600, 500, 300. I don't even want to pay $100. So I don't want to do that. So I'm just gonna, I'm gonna just do what I gotta do here, and it'll be fine. So I started taking my D-Manos, but I think it was too far gone at that point because it was like, girl, you've been doing this for five days now. So it didn't work. So I was getting uncomfortable at night and not sleeping very well. So I ended up reaching out to the doctor, and I'm so lucky. Oh, not lucky. Hold on, retract that statement. I'm so blessed because the girl even said, You're so lucky. And I'm thinking I looked at her, I said, I'm not lucky, I'm blessed. She was like laughing. Anyways, this is what happened. I emailed my doctor at the VA. Now, the things that are covered for me at the VA are the things that uh that basically happened to me in the V uh in the military. So I a UTI didn't happen to me in the military, so usually that stuff isn't covered, okay? So I emailed her, because I was like, if I can get this for free, I can get this for free. You know what I mean? So I emailed her, my doctor, and I was like, hey, like this is what's going on. Oh my gosh, you guys, I love them. So she says, Come in for a urinalysis and I'll put it in to do a urinalysis and then we'll see what we can do. I go in for this urinalysis, okay? I go, I mean, I'm on thin time too, because I still have to get carcin, but I know I don't have enough time. Like, I'm running ragged. I go in, I take the urinalysis. As I'm walking out of the urinalysis, the nurse of my doctor was like, called me, and I answered the phone and she was like, Hey, just to let you know, um, Doc says that she can just print you out a uh prescription. You can just come get it at the front desk. I said, I'm actually here right now. So she gave me the prescription and I just had to take it to high V. Listen, 300, 300, and that listen, even the girl at the front desk, she says that never happens. I said, she goes, You are so lucky. I said, No, I'm blessed. Because y'all might hear some horrible things about the VA clinic, but when it comes to my woman's health, they treat me real good, okay? They treat me real good. I've never had any complaints with them. Now that's one reason I'm nervous to move to Florida. I'm like, oh, am I gonna lose this great care I have here? Because I mean, with my anxiety meds, with my therapy, with anything like that, they are on it. Okay, we have a relationship, they're on it, and now listen, I had a woman thing going on, and they're like, I got you, I got you, girl. So now I'm like, oh man, should we just stack? No, I'm just gonna I told my husband that yesterday. I said, should we just not move? He's like, oh stop. I said, I know, I know, God's already pulling on us. We gotta go, we gotta be obedient. So we're gonna do it. I wanted to talk about this because I watched a video on this this morning and I was like, I need to tell my people about this. I need to, I need to tell y'all because I don't think, especially if you aren't, um, I I don't want to say you're not in seminary because this is this is taught in normal life, but if you just haven't ever thought of this and you're like, and I bring this to your attention, a pat on my back, okay. Somebody said, Y'all already know that a lot of people say that statement that that one guy says is like a really like big thing that he he was like, show me your friends and I'll show you your future. Well, I can I can tell who you are by who you hang out with. I I can. And and so when somebody said that, I I was listening to that this morning on a podcast, and I'm like, oh my gosh, you you yes, it's not even tell me your future. I I I mean, I know who you are by who you hang out with. Okay, so why I started feeling that way is have y'all been up to date with this jelly roll and bunny thing? Listen, I tried to not give my two cents, but discernment was telling me, hey, like people are listening to you too. Like, yeah, they have a really big platform, but people are listening to you too, so you need to speak on this. And so I was like, all right, fine, I'm gonna do it. Oh, I'm gonna do it. So here I am. I've been saying, you know, small things here and there about it because I don't want it. I one thing is I'm not God, so I can't be judging nobody, okay? But what I can do, what I can do is I can have discernment. And my discernment tells me that you need to look at the people who you believe who are saying, um, because it's easy to say I follow Christ. Oh my gosh, it's so easy. It's so easy to say that. Anybody can say they follow Christ, you guys. Anybody. They can say they're Christians all day, anybody can say that. But I need you to show me before I start, before I start to believe it, and that's how us Christians work. That's how we're supposed to work. Just remember that. Things that I'm looking at are your fruit, okay? Now, everybody's like, Yeah, but tell me what fruit is love, patience, kindness, uh, all kinds of things. But one thing that I realize I look at is who you hang out with. Yes. So I had always kind of been like, ooh, stepping easy. Now I was really like, oh my gosh, they're changing their lives, God touched them, all these things, like, oh, and I'm just rooting for them, and I'm still rooting for them, you guys, because we need to be rooting for people that you know, if you want to find the Lord, I pray that He you find Him. Okay. I pray it's not just this, I'm gonna tell everybody that I love the Lord and all this, but really behind the scenes, I'm uh you wouldn't even know it. So I pray that that is not what's happening here. But the people that she hangs out with are things that I can't unsee. Okay? Because if you are during the day on a podcast or you are on a talk show, or you are just doing your thing, whatever, and you're like, I love God, I love Jesus, then you Start to feel it in your heart, in your being. Like if you are in your Bible, if you are good in the groups, if you're doing all the things, he changes you. And I'm the first, listen, he changes you, even when you don't want to be changed. There's things I did not want changed in me, and he's already done it. And he's like, Listen, you don't get to say, you don't get to say. You're on you're following me, and you're gonna do exactly what I want you to do. It isn't Melinda's terms, it's what I want. So when people tell me, uh, you know, I'm a Christian, I follow Jesus, I this, uh that that I all I look at is I'm not sitting there examining you, I'm I'm just watching from afar. I'm I'm watching from afar and I'm like, okay, who do who does this person hang out with? That's like usually the first thing I look at. Because if I if you're on the weekends partying and doing drugs and doing this and doing that, like, ooh, if you're on your podcast talking about sex all the time and and drugs and alcohol, ooh, ooh, red flag, red flag, okay? So, and also there are things like if you talk about having multiple partners or being a cheater, or hey, uh, we're in an open relationship, or we're this and we're that, ooh, ooh, it's like you people are out here being like, you know, they're fake, they're this, they're that. I'm not gonna say they're fake. I'm not gonna say any of that. That's for the Lord to the Lord knows their heart. He does, I don't. What I do know is that what I see isn't showing me that you're a Christian, okay? Now, you it's it's okay to say I'm a Christian and be working on yourself, but let us see the work, okay? Let us see a little bit of it. I mean, just a little, just a little tad bit of it. Just I don't, I'm not even asking for because that's between you and the Lord. I'm talking about a little just a little, just a little of it. It isn't about um, I'll go pay for this person's groceries, I'll go um donate $20 on Venmo because she needed coffee or whatever it is. That's not what it is. That is not what it is. It is I'm gonna, I'm gonna be the hands and feet for Jesus, and I am going to I'm gonna be a good human. I'm gonna watch who I hang out with. Okay, I'm gonna watch. Now, don't get me wrong, I think it's really important, especially who they are, to hang out with people who need to find the Lord. Okay, and so I I get that, but also you need to remember that when those people are around you, it's important to show to show Christ shining through you. So if I am hanging out with somebody who is an atheist, because I have a few friends that are atheists, okay. If I am hanging out with them, I'm not changing who I am. I follow the Lord, and that's who I follow. Okay. Me and Jesus, we are walking hand in hand, okay? And I'm not gonna change who I am because you walked in the room. I don't care if you think I'm crazy. I don't care if if you go behind my back and tell everybody she's all woo-woo, she's this. I don't care. Okay? I'm not here to please you, okay? I'm here to please Jesus, okay? And when I go to heaven, I'm not gonna be standing in front of you. I'm gonna be standing in front of him. So I I want to say so badly that just give them time. But another part of me says, use your discernment. Use it, okay? It doesn't mean we gotta go out here and be public about it and say, you know, but I do think it's important for me, just like I just did, to tell you guys how to do it. It's important, just tell people, hey, fruit. He says you'll know them by their fruit, okay? Now we know fruit as Christians, we know what fruit is. So that's how you look at somebody, and that's how you judge them, and that's how you um you you know who that person is and you prey on it. God, let me see what I need to see with this person. Let me see what I need to see because maybe I'm not seeing it. Please help me see what I need to see. And and he will. He will do that for you. It's remember that if you don't ask, he will not provide. You have got to ask him for what you want. There are things I ask him for, you guys, that you may think like when I had my UT, I'm like, listen, can you just make this pain go a little bit less than what it is right now? Like, I understand I'm the goofball who hasn't gone and got medicine yet, but can you make it a little and listen? The next day I told my husband, I said, I mean, I'm good. I don't need to go to the doctor. I said, I think it's going away. No, God was like, listen, it ain't going away. I just lessen the pain, stupid. That's what you asked for. So I'm telling you, you gotta ask or you will not receive. Understood? All right. So when it comes to the jelly roll and the bunny thing, all I'm gonna tell you is use discernment. I just realized I don't have my wedding ring on. Last night I was putting self-tanner on and I forgot to put it back on. I don't know. Anyways. Um, but but just make sure. Make sure you are sitting there, you pray on it. Discernment, discernment. And you know what? Have your own, do your own thing. But that also goes for you. Are you listening to me? That goes for you too. Look around. Who you hanging out with? Who you hanging out with? You need to be mindful of that. Just like they say, you are what you eat, you are who you hang around with. It's true. Now, I don't know if I if I'm if I'm talking to you and I know that you hang out with Jesse, and Jesse, all she does is gossip and make fun of people, and she is just a cruel person. And then me and you were hanging out. I'm sorry, but I'm a little nervous. I'm a little nervous. I'm a little nervous to talk to you about things. I mean, I'll talk to you, I'll be your friend, but I'm not gonna be the kind of friend that you that you deserve. You deserve a good, good, good friend, and I can't be that friend. I'm gonna have that friend that has that wall up, that friend that, you know, I'm gonna be there for you no matter what, but I'm gonna have the wall up because I'm not gonna be telling you things that I know that Jesse's gonna go and blab. I'm not gonna tell you things that you might laugh at and then go back and tell Jesse, and then Jesse goes, you know what I mean? So you are who you hang out with. You are, and you have to remember that. If you do not place yourself around people who have wisdom, use discernment, are just kind humans, you are going to only have friends that talk behind your back, aren't honest to you, treat you as if you aren't a priority, all these things because that's what you are surrounding yourself with. But if you surround yourself with people who have the fruit, the kindness, the patience, forgiveness, you if you hang out with those people, that's the kind of friendships you're gonna get. And I'm gonna see that you hang out with Jessica and Jessica and me, I mean, I'm cool with Jessica too, because me and Jessica talk all the time because I can trust Jessica. And Jessica shows me her fruit, she shows me her fruit all the time. I see her fruit. Even if we ain't friends, I could see her fruit. You could see somebody's fruit, you guys. It's not hard to find the fruit, okay? It's not hard. So if I see that you're hanging out with Jessica, I'm like, oh, okay. I mean, now I'm looking at you a little different because I'm like, Jessica's a good person. Jessica's never said anything bad about you. Jessica didn't tell me, hey, discernment tells me, hey, just be careful hanging out with her. Because, you know, she did this and this and this to me. You know? Remember that God uses other people. Always remember that. I was actually um in seminary, they were talking about how God can speak to you, and I actually posted on Facebook about this, um, through music, through other people, and through situations was a good one too. Supernaturally and through your dreams. But just know if if somebody has the uh let me tell you something, because the other day I think God used me for my mom. I just thought of that. Sorry, I have to share this. Um, mom, I had this feeling, I don't even know what it was. I want to say it was at like four in the morning, five in the morning. I don't even know, but I woke up and I was like, you know what? I gotta tell my mom to drink water. Why I thought I needed to tell my mom to drink water, I do not know. But did I do it? I did, and then finally got back to sleep because I couldn't sleep. I'm like, something just kept telling me to tell my mom she needs to start drinking more water. So I ended up telling her, hey mom, drink more water. And she says, I'm so glad you texted me that because I have not been drinking a lot of water lately. Said, well, I think God used me because you need to drink some water, girl. So just remember, God uses people too. So if somebody says something to you, um just you know, just take that, take that in because sometimes God uses people. Speaking of school though, school, um, I'm off for a week. Well, I only got a few days left. Um, and it's been nice, it's been real nice. So, I mean, next semester starts on Monday. So, but what I learned from I was kind of like, oh, it'll be fun to tell you guys like everything that I learned. I learned so much from this semester. I learned I'm gonna tell you like three really important things that I learned because it like really opened my eyes to things, and I'm like, wow, didn't realize that until seminary school. So one thing is fasting. Oh, fasting. If you can find a book or something on fasting, because I'm not comfortable enough to like go over it with you guys, I'm still learning the basics myself, but um, and have a mentor, you know, ask them too, because if they've been doing it for years, ask them. Um fasting is not an option. Fasting is not an option in the Bible. In the Bible, it doesn't say if you fast. He says when you fast. When fasting is not an option as a Christian. We have got to be fasting. There are studies that show how much it how much it lengthens your lifespan, um, how it'll heal things. Like there's actually supposedly uh now I haven't dug into this deep enough, but people have told me, and I these are people that I trust that say that there was a portion taken out of the Bible that actually talks about fasting and how it'll heal your body, and it was taken out, and obviously it was taken out because pharmaceutical companies can't make money if you fast. So fasting is important, and uh weekly, I need to get better at it too. I do need to get better at it because I yeah, I I definitely need to get better at it, but just definitely look into fasting because it's not an option. He says, Win. We need to be doing it. So I learned that that's very important, very important. Thought I'd share that with you. The other thing is how to be a disciple. I know there are so many times when I know there are so many times when people will be like, I'm a disciple, and I see that on Facebook a lot, and I'm like, what do you mean you're a disciple? Like before seminary, I didn't really know what that meant. Like I knew I knew a little bit about it because obviously his disciples, like, I'm like, okay, well, am I a disciple then? Because I'm doing all the things too. Um, and seminary school has taught me some crazy things about being a disciple. As a disciple, you are to surrender your life, your life to to Christ. Surrender your life. It is saying, I no longer live for myself, I live for you. You are number one, everything else in life comes second. You tell me to go, I'm going. You tell me to move, I'm moving. All these things. So I didn't realize how extreme it was. So our paper at the end of the semester was like, How do you feel about learning about being a disciple? And I was honest. I said, I don't know if I'm a disciple or if I'm just a follower of Christ. Because it's kind of scary. I talked to my husband about it. I said, it's kind of scary. It's saying, Hey, I'm I'm no longer living for Melinda. What do you want me to do? You want me to just leave my family and go be a disciple for you? That's what he did to his disciples. One of his disciples says, can I, or one of the people said, Can I go back and say goodbye to my family? And he said, No. Like, you guys have to understand, like, following him means, listen, I what do you want me to do? And whatever you ask me to do, I'm gonna do it. And he's gonna put you in hard spots, he's gonna put you in hard places. And discipling is basically you are following him because he is teaching you everything you need to learn. He is teaching you so that you can teach others because that is the goal. The goal is discipleship needs to be passed down. So he's teaching me right now, and I'm learning from him, and all these things, like because he is transforming me, he's changing me, he's uh helping me grow. And that is so that one day I can turn and I can disciple others. And they can pass it down. And it's just this that's how the church works, that's how the gospel spreads year after year, and and and generation after generation. And it's our duty to make sure that it gets to the next generation. That's it, it's up to us to do that. So discipleship is a lot. A discipleship is it should scare you. And I'll be honest, I don't know. I still, I still am kind of with that. I don't I don't know. Am I a disciple? Because that scares me. What you're asking of me scares me. Wait, you want me to put you before my children? Whew. Okay. I'm you want me to put you above everything. Everything. Now, don't get me wrong, as it is right now, I I mean, he's but he's there and he's my number one. But if he told me to give up everything right now and leave my family to go and and and spread the gospel, ooh, I don't know. Like, you know what I mean? Like, that's scary, and that's what discipleship is, you guys. And and a lot of people don't understand that. A lot of people are like, a disciple is just following no, no, no, no. I thought that too. Disciples, your life is learning from him, he is teaching you everything so that you can go do the same thing. He's giving you the wisdom, he's giving you everything that you need, the whole toolbox. You are following him, you are doing as he says, and there are gonna be some hard things, such as, hey, you now come here. I have a plan for you. You're gonna get on that stage and you're gonna go tell everybody about me. You're gonna spread the gospel, you're gonna and wait, I don't want to get on that stage. I'm nervous when I get, I don't care what you want. That's it's not about what you want. Look what Peter did. Peter was not a good speaker, he was not. And and they do you think Jesus cared? Jesus didn't care. I don't care what you want, Peter. Here's what you're gonna do: learn. That's what you're gonna do. You're gonna learn how to be a good speaker. So, discipleship, that's what I learned a lot. I learned a lot about being a disciple, and I learned fasting, and then I also learned the importance of commentary and where you get your commentary from. It is one of those things where anybody can give their opinion on the Bible. Anybody, and they can post it online. It is so important to get your commentary from places that are scholarly, people like theologians have gotten together and they've all decided on something. Um, just wisdom behind it versus somebody just coming out and being like, I think that this is what it meant, because we don't care what you think, it's what it meant. We need, we need to know what it actually meant. We need the closest thing to it, okay? And they're God's working through theologians and he's saying, you know, this is this is what this meant. This is you ever that is a spiritual gift. It is a spiritual gift that he has given some people to actually understand scripture in that kind of way, and it is up to us to look at those people and and take that knowledge that they are giving us about scripture. So it is so important. Um, I'm blessed enough that with at seminary, they gave us a uh a platform that we're able to use. Um, and it's it's been great. So any questions I have, um, anything like that, it's it's it's been great. And it's also one of the important things I've learned is have a mentor. Have a spiritual mentor. Oh, you have to have one. Have a spiritual mentor. And if you don't have one, I highly recommend having a scholarly source that you can get your information from. Because don't just Google things and Chat GPT things, guys. Okay. I know that's like one of those things where everybody's like, oh, but it's easier. Be careful, be very careful because it's grabbing information from online, and this is what we've learned a lot about. Chat GPT is grabbing information from online. So if Joe Schmoe over here wrote something about pick up your rug and come follow me, and he was saying that because he is a very mean, stern God, and and he didn't even give him an option. He says, I did this for you, so you better do this for me. Whereas verse what it actually meant, where this theologian over here is gonna tell you what it actually meant, is hey, I want you to pick it up. It's gonna be proof of where you laid for over 30 years. It's gonna be proof that you you were you were disabled, you were paralyzed, and I gave you, I I I made you new. So you have to be careful with who you are listening to and getting information from. If I can give you any advice, um, because I was I was the girl I was kind of if I needed an answer, I was chat GPT in it. I was like, who, you know, who said this or who did that or where is this in scripture? And now I'm very like, ooh, I go straight to the to the database that they give us and I ask that. So I think it is very important. And those are just three things that I learned, but man, I'm I'm learning so much, it's absolutely bizarre how much I'm learning. I mean, I've been off for a week, but not even because my mind's still going and I'm still like looking things up. And if I have a question, I look it up right away, or I get a hold of my pastor, or you know, I ask people like it's it's one of those things. And remember, I I do have to leave you this with this because one of my friends reached out to me and she was like, Hey, I need some advice, and you uh you seem like somebody I can come to for advice. I was like, Oh, thanks. Pat on the back to me. I like that made me feel so good. And she said, uh, she asked me her question and I gave her my advice. And I said, you know, I've really learned that that's very smart of you to do. So whenever you are making a big decision, this was a big decision on her end, you have got to ask a spiritual person, somebody spiritual who's who's really deep in their faith. Um, and it's supposed to be a spiritual mentor. You're everybody's supposed to have a spiritual mentor, just remember that. And you're supposed to ask somebody um who's related to you, like close to you, like a friend, and then you're supposed to ask a professional mentor, like somebody who you go to for um advice, uh, you know, life or whatever, not a spiritual mentor, but somebody who like if you um need advice about something, you would go to them and uh maybe about a job or whatever. And I said, so that's actually really smart. So I also wanted to share that with you guys. Be sure that you are not just making decisions based on based on what you want to do. That's not godly. You need to. Have it's kind of like a mini council. Hey, what does my spiritual mentor say about this? Okay, okay. Now what does my regular mentor? Okay, what's my small group say about this? Okay, so all right, so I got all that information, huh? I still kind of don't know. Let me ask one more person. Let me go ask um my aunt who really knows me really well. Let me go ask her real quick. Oh, well, she agreed with the those people. You know what? I yeah, here's what I need to do. So just remember that. Yeah, you're making it harder than it needs to be. If you have a something hard that you're like, I just don't know. I don't know. Reach out to people. God put us here for a reason, you know? And some of us are here for the benefit of you, and you just don't realize it. I feel like I talked a lot today, but I think I covered everything I wanted to cover. So yeah. All right, guys. I hope you have the best day and the best week and all the things. And I will be back next week, and maybe I'll have news that I sold my house. I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. Anyways, I love you guys. Have an amazing week and I love you. Bye. I know. Do you know when my sister said you say I love you too much? I said, I don't care. Say it all the time. All right, I love you. Bye.