The Secret to Contentment!

In this episode of the Protect the Altar Podcast, Deborah Hong and Tim Rice unpack “The Secret to Contentment” and the truth that contentment is something you can learn.

They dive into what Scripture says about guarding your heart against covetousness, and how comparison and constant striving can quietly steal your peace. This conversation will encourage you to anchor your life in Christ, find joy in every season, and live free from the pressure of wanting more.

🎧 Tune in and discover a deeper, lasting contentment.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Let me set y'all free real quick. You have control over your thoughts. Your thoughts don't control you. You actually can control what you let up here.

SPEAKER_06 0:08

That's why the scriptures say set your mind.

SPEAKER_01 0:11

That means you have authority.

SPEAKER_06 0:13

It's your responsibility.

SPEAKER_01 0:14

The problem is, are you too lazy? Are you too offended? Are you too in your emotions? Grab them. Stop it. Stop it. And contentment is learned. It's rooted in trusting God's character. Yes. It requires freedom from comparison. It grows through gratitude. Welcome back to another episode of Protect the Altar Podcast. We are so excited that you've chosen to join us this lovely day. And we're hoping that this podcast can be an encouragement to you because today we're going to be talking about the secret of contentment.

SPEAKER_05 0:59

The secret. The secret.

SPEAKER_01 1:01

The secret of contentment. You know, the word contentment, I want to talk about what it even means before we start this conversation. Just to make sure that everybody has the definition freshly in your mind.

SPEAKER_04 1:13

Let's do it.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

Contentment is a state. It's more than a word. It's a state. Of peaceful happiness, satisfaction, and acceptance of one's own current situation, possessions, or status. So it's it's more than just like a good thought. It's more than just like, you know, you are just saying the word to say the word, but it's it's a state of being fully satisfied and in and just in a state of peace, which truly comes from the presence of God. And honestly, I feel like this is where the enemy tries to come after so many people in their walks with Christ. So true. Is to steal their contentment. Is like life happens. And maybe it doesn't happen the way we like think it should happen. And maybe we get to this place where we're like, how did I get here? Or this is really hard. And all of a sudden we're not satisfied. All of a sudden we're discontent. All of a sudden, we don't like our current situation. We don't like maybe our status or our possessions. And you know, maybe people around us are like, look, you're not, you're not in this position, you're not in this title, you're not in this place where you should be. And that is a difficult moment. That's a difficult thing. And so I want us to have a you know, a conversation about what we've learned and like what the Lord has taken us through with contentment. Because in life, there's always going to be the ability to compare and to covet.

SPEAKER_03 2:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:55

But so often in the Bible, the Lord warns us against coveting, he warns us against that comparison because it does lead to discontentment, which takes us out of our calling and our assignment. And so the Lord wants us to be fully satisfied in him and fully satisfied in what we're called. So, what is something when you think about contentment? What is something in the Bible or in your own life that comes to your mind?

SPEAKER_06 3:19

The biggest is, of course, Philippians 4, where we're talking about uh Paul, you know, talking about the secret of content. Why don't you read that for us, Pastor Tim? Paul is actually just talking to the church in Philippi, and what he's saying is, you know, uh they've supported his ministry, and he's very grateful for that. But the secret is that, like, look, I'm not just content because you supported me. I'm I'm content because like I'm where God wants me to be, you know.

SPEAKER_01 3:48

Which is in prison right now.

SPEAKER_06 3:50

Isn't that crazy? You know, just to think about that, right?

SPEAKER_01 3:53

Um and we actually we actually went to one of the prisons that he was in.

SPEAKER_06 3:58

We did, hit he and Peter. We were in Italy in Rome.

SPEAKER_01 4:02

Yes, and it was really dark.

SPEAKER_06 4:04

It was, it was very dark, and we got to see like the dungeon uh prison area where they kept them. We took the stairwell down, um, and that it showed like how they would drop them in. It was crazy. And we just spent some time down there kind of reflecting and just looking at the history of it, and we even sang amazing grace.

SPEAKER_04 4:22

How sweet the sound?

SPEAKER_06 4:23

Yeah. Um, but the scripture is Paul um in saying in Philippians 4, uh, verse 11, he says, Um, not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content whenever I have, um, and I know how to live on almost nothing. With everything, I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it's with a stomach that is full or is or is empty, with plenty or with little. And you know, the beauty about contentment is like it is satisfaction, what you were saying earlier. And I think where we get it sometimes mixed up is contentment is not settling. That's the there's a difference between the two. Settling leaves no room for growth, and growth is the process of everything. You don't we're called to bear fruit and fruit that remains. So, in order to bear fruit, we must grow. Roots, you cannot be fruitful if you're not fruitful. Roots have to grow, right? And so you we love a good rhyme over here. You know what I'm saying? And so, like growth is a part of everything that God is doing, and you may be in a season where growth is maybe not happening as quick as you thought it would, right? Or, or, you know, meeting an expectation, which we're gonna dive into, you know, that we've put on ourselves, not something that God has said, you know. Um, but the reality is like it's not this settling place. And the and the easiest way to tell the difference between the two, I think, is if you're satisfied versus settling, is settling is when the opportunity for growth comes and you don't want to grow.

SPEAKER_01 6:06

Right.

SPEAKER_06 6:06

That's what settling looks like.

SPEAKER_01 6:08

Because it's uncomfortable, it's maybe challenging the character, maybe challenging the way we've always done things where we're comfortable or how we see ourselves used by God. But maybe God is saying, I actually want to use you in a different way.

SPEAKER_03 6:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:19

And all of that could be the growth, and we're not content, and we'd rather settle.

SPEAKER_06 6:25

And we've got to differentiate because growth is a part of the process of everything God does. We're constantly going from glory to glory, taking on the image of the creator.

SPEAKER_01 6:36

And we don't talk about contentment, I think, enough in in the context of this is something that you can actually grow into.

SPEAKER_04 6:43

Oh, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 6:44

And this is a part of becoming more like Christ. And this scripture actually encourages me so much because it shows me that contentment can be learned. It's not something that, you know, I I always joke with my mom because I'm like, oh my gosh, you're always seeing everything from a glass half-full mentality. And I like to see things in reality, which in reality, no, I'm just kidding. That it's easier for me to look at something pessimistically. But she has taught me that it can you can actually learn to look at life in in a positive way, in the silver lining way. And what is what is the beauty in in this pain, or what is the beauty in this situation? And you can actually learn to be content, you can actually learn to be satisfied, fully satisfied in the Lord, fully satisfied in the calling that he's given you, even if it looks different than what you thought it was going to look like. And so that is extremely encouraging to me. Because I'm like, hallelujah. Doesn't matter what where where like your circumstances are, like Paul finds himself in this dark prison again. Yeah. And he's having, you know, he's writing these letters. He didn't stop. He didn't, he didn't settle, and he didn't settle in discontentment. He he even was talking to the church of Philippi because they too were experiencing persecution. And he was telling them that he's learned to be satisfied, he's learned to be content, whether he has a little or a lot. And that was helpful to them in their situation too.

SPEAKER_02 8:18

That's true.

SPEAKER_01 8:19

Because they also had to navigate unmet expectations and persecution and all sorts of things for the sake of the gospel. Yet we can still be content.

SPEAKER_06 8:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:29

I'm like, praise the Lord.

SPEAKER_06 8:30

You know, something you were saying that is, you know, so you don't find Paul doing Paul's not in prison and going, man, I I uh this place that I'm at is just horrible. And like I could really be, you know, the everything I'm supposed to be if I was in your position. Like, he's not comparing himself to anybody else, he's actually owning being in prison as this place that God has got him, and he's content in his difficulties, in his trial, in his suffering in this moment, um, knowing and trusting that God, you you've brought me here for this purpose, and I'm reflecting something, I'm I'm showing something that maybe others don't see, you know. Yeah, you know, maybe others don't necessarily have to go through. But um, for us, I think what that ministers to so much is like, man, we think about man, Paul, Paul's the vet, you know, like Paul's an OG, you know. True. Like this dude went through it, and half the time, man, we're like, you know, oh man, I don't know if I'm gonna be able to buy the thing that I want to. It's like, bro, miss me with that. Like, guys, like this Paul was in prison, bro. You know, right? Paul's locked down.

SPEAKER_01 9:39

He's but but Pastor Tim, it that just doesn't, that doesn't compare with my current trial. My worship leader didn't schedule me enough.

SPEAKER_04 9:47

Oh, Lord Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 9:48

That didn't, that doesn't compare.

SPEAKER_04 9:50

Oh, come on, come on.

SPEAKER_01 9:52

You just don't know. I'm so overlooked. Like you just don't understand. Like this is no, I'm just kidding. I'm not, I'm not trying to lessen our struggles, but there is there is a there is a joy in a lot of us not having to be persecuted for our faith in America.

SPEAKER_03 10:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:10

And there is uh there's a true reality where there is people, there are people right now in the underground church that would that would have to die for their faith if it comes out that they are meeting for the sake of the gospel. And that that reality is a real thing. And like when it hits us, it's like, you know, thank you, Lord, that I'm even able to come to church, even if I'm just in the congregation, I'm just worshiping you freely. Like, thank you that I'm even able to be here today. Like that reality, and even Paul, like, he wasn't saying, I have it so much worse than y'all. Y'all need to, y'all need to recognize, you know, my sacrifice. No, you know, he wasn't, he was thanking them for their generosity because they sent a gift, but then he also was, you know, encouraging them because he knew they were also struggling.

SPEAKER_06 10:54

Exactly. And if Paul can find the joy in that situation, we can too.

SPEAKER_01 10:58

Exactly.

SPEAKER_06 10:59

And that's the point. That's why he's like showing this thing of contentment. It's like I could still count it joy, even I could be content, fully satisfied in the Lord Jesus Christ in my current position.

SPEAKER_01 11:10

But this is a spirit of the age. This is this type of thing where it tries to be like about status or position or title. Of course, it could be unhealed needs and that we're not finding our needs being met in the Lord. So we try to find it in other stuff. It could be that, but also it's just a spirit that tries to come after the people of God to not be content so that we actually look for other things to fill those holes. And then the enemy has an access point to us. And so this is what I love in Luke chapter 12 that you know Jesus is saying, and he's um talking about the parable of the rich fool. And someone in the crowd said to him, Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. But he said, Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you? And he said to them, Take care and be on your guard against all covetness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. And he told them a parable saying, The land of a rich man produced plentiful. And he thought to himself, What shall I do? For I have nowhere to store my crops. And he said, I will do this. I will tear down my barns and build a larger one, and there I will store all my grain and my goods, and I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years. Relax, eat, drink, be merry. But God said to him, Fool, this night your soul is required of you, and the things you prepared, whose will they be? So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich towards God. So we learn from scripture that there is this, there is this mindset and there is this temptation to actually be unsatisfied even with our possessions and like with our lot in life and like what we're dealing with. We or we could be satisfied in our possessions.

SPEAKER_03 12:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:59

And then Jesus is like, none of that matters.

SPEAKER_03 13:01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:02

Store up your treasures in heaven where moth and rust can't decay them. You know, so it's just like, how does that look practically?

SPEAKER_06 13:11

Storing up your stuff in heaven is when you're living the way that Christ is telling you to live. And it's not that you can't have things on earth, it's not that that's you know, but it's when it's like the point of it all, it's when it's like the center of your heart.

SPEAKER_01 13:26

It's it's it's when your satisfaction is founded.

SPEAKER_06 13:29

Yeah, you know, and like you won't be content in Christ if you don't really believe in the words that he says. You won't even try you know try to put yourself in a position to do those things if you're like, oh, it's just a good idea. There or it's a good suggestion. No, like this is the words of life, you know. If you don't believe them, then you won't structure your life to live them out. And so what does that look like? That looks like, you know, the good deeds that we're supposed to do according to Matthew uh five, you know, it looks like the good works, you know. It looks like you're administering of your ministry, you're caring for people, you're bearing one another's burdens, you're serving. Uh, I mean, it and for worship leaders for us, man, it's like guarding the altar, you know, yeah, protecting the altar, you know. Um, for us, it's it's guarding our heart, making sure that we're offering pure worship to him and that we're shepherding and leading our people and caring for people correctly. I mean, it it goes down so many different roads.

SPEAKER_01 14:32

That's true. And if the if the enemy can get our hearts discontent, a lot of times the Lord, like the temptation, like the beginning point of that discontentment starts with comparing comparing yourself and like wanting what someone else has.

SPEAKER_04 14:46

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 14:46

So then do that, then it's like covetness. Like you're literally, Exodus 2017 tells us you shall not covet. Like this is an actual problem. And this is where David found himself. Lord, this is David's downfall right here was he started coveting what another man had. Yeah, and the moment he started doing that, that opened up the door for the enemy to come in like a roaring low lion and devour his life. And it affected him generationally. His children were affected by his decision. The fear of the Lord comes on me every time I think about that. About my decisions can affect my children and my children's children, whether for the good or whether for the bad. And so the weight of that is so important to remember. Like when we're looking at what other people have and we're like, well, I want that, I want that. Like we're we're so distracted by that that we're not finding our satisfaction in the Lord, and we're not being satisfied where God's called us and what it looks like in this moment.

SPEAKER_03 15:45

So true, man.

SPEAKER_01 15:46

And then we're like, but my life should look like this, and I should be on this mountaintop by now, and I should have this success by now, and blah, blah, blah. Who said that?

SPEAKER_05 15:56

Yeah, who told you that?

SPEAKER_01 15:57

Who said by now? Yeah, like that is such a demonic lie of the enemy. Because who said that? Because Abraham literally got his promise way after people said by now. Yeah, by now you should have Isaac. Uh no, the Lord said 25 years later, actually, 50 years later than everybody else.

SPEAKER_06 16:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:20

So it's like, you know, who said, like, you're on God's timeline.

SPEAKER_06 16:24

That's the truth. And I think the comparison thing is what you you hit it on the head. We live in a generation in a time where we have this this wonderful tool called social media that becomes the platform for most people's lives, and they're putting their life out there. And what what most people that are seeing it, they they don't understand is this is just like a snippet of something. This is not the whole picture. And truthfully, where we see other people at is it's like, man, you really don't even know like what it costs them to you, you don't know the cost that was paid to carry and be in the position that they're in. And you're like, man, I want that. You better be careful. You may not, you may not be prepared to wear them shoes or carry that.

SPEAKER_01 17:08

Exactly. John, the sons um of Zebedee, the you know, John and James, James and John. Sorry.

unknown 17:17

Why did I say that?

SPEAKER_01 17:19

Why did I say John and James? I mean James and John. It's because I've been reading little max. I'm maxing over here, guys. I'm so sorry. Okay, I've been reading the gospels with my sons, and for some reason, first of all, why the book of Mark say immediately so many times, immediately we got the idea. It happened instantaneously. Can we use another another word for that?

SPEAKER_03 17:47

But immediately.

SPEAKER_01 18:15

You don't even know what you ask him. You don't even know the cup that they would have to drink to do that, you know. And that's for my father to decide, but they will drink the cup.

SPEAKER_06 18:25

You asked for it.

SPEAKER_02 18:26

You asked.

SPEAKER_06 18:27

No, for real, that's for real, though, man. You know, like in in modern days, like, you know, I tell people, you know, you just don't get it. Like, we hear it a lot, and I'm gonna go off on a second for it for with this, but like go past it. You know, for real though, like you the anointing that's on your life specifically, you know, uh, is it comes from a lot of places, and people don't people don't realize a lot of the things that you've had to walk through, the things that you've had to say yes to, the things you've had to say no to, the pain, uh, some of the trauma that you've had to walk to through to be able to like have this handcrafted thing that only God could make and put, you know, inside of you. And people are like, man, I want that. And you're like, I don't, I don't, I don't know if you I don't know if you understand. Like that that's not just like a I can go to the store and get that off the rack. You know what I mean? This thing is so tailored to a person and built around what they've had to walk through. And you can hear it in your voice, you can hear it. It there's a I don't want to sound weird, but there's like a texture in your tone that shows like, man, she's singing from someplace because she's been from that from from another there's other things going on. And and I feel like that that there's a lot of that in a lot of people's lives, and so it's just like don't and it's cool, like let's honor that, but don't like compare yourself like or or I want that. Like, want what God made because it's good enough, like yeah, it is it's just right, and it's better than anything that you could try to sum up for yourself, which is I know we're scratching a little bit on what we talked about last week, but like like God doesn't make mistakes, you're fearfully and wonderfully made, and what is for you is for you.

SPEAKER_01 20:11

That's really good, and it comes with a cost. And there are other singers you've even talked about, like, oh, I could tell she has been through some stuff. Yeah, man. I could hear it in their voice. I mean, that does that's not only worship leaders or Christian artists, like we can hear it, yeah, we could hear it in secular artists' voices. They've been through some stuff, yeah, man. You know, but it has like a it has like an authentic power to it because they've lived it. But talking about the cup of suffering that James and John had to endure, do you know James, he was the first one martyred out of the 12 apostles? Oh Lord, help us. His suffering was direct persecution for the gospel, and he his ministry kind of ended early, but faithfully, he drank the cup that Jesus talked about in Mark chapter 10. And then John, his suffering looked a little different, it was more prolonged, it was a slow burn, it was a slow cook, you know. And uh he he did, they tried to cook him like in real life, they tried to boil him alive, yeah. And he survived because I will survive. I'm telling you, John was something else. That was a strong man right there. But please he was even exiled to Patmos, like there was so much imprisoned, uh threats, isolation, yeah, and then his suffering was also watching every other disciple be martyred, yeah. Like, ooh, kind of like James, in my opinion, it was easier to go first than to see that.

SPEAKER_05 21:46

Like what you said earlier, immediately.

SPEAKER_01 21:48

Honestly, that suffering is especially for John's type of personality and heart and love, like he was such a such a man of love. Yeah, and um, he was a disciple whom Jesus loved. That was such a suffering to his heart because he had to witness every single one of his close brothers in Christ die for the sake of the gospel. I read the gospels and I see the suffering for Christ and I see the for the sake of the gospel, and yet they were still content and yet they still found their satisfaction in the Lord. Are we finding our satisfaction in Christ? Are we genuinely satisfied in him that it doesn't matter if our expectations are unmet because he still satisfies? Like he's still good, like he still went to the cross and endured such suffering for us so that we can have access to the Father and we can have access to even preach and live this gospel. If we have that revelation, then the enemy, we will guard against all covetness, we will guard against all disappointment, we'll guard against all offenses towards God because God satisfies us. But if we are not satisfied in the Lord, if we don't truly find him as our source, we're gonna be in a world of trouble. And I feel like David walked that process because David was satisfied in God in the caves, and then he gets to the palace, and all of a sudden he starts coveting another man's wife. Y'all, we have to stand guard. And that is the that's the gate it comes through is covetness, it's is is comparing. I want what they got. Why can they have it and I don't have it? And all of a sudden it's just like you're unsatisfied. And it's like, what how were you more satisfied in the cave than you were in the palace?

SPEAKER_06 23:41

It's uh it's strange. And I think as worship leaders and ministers, like why that's so important is because you will always pour out of the source of who you are, you know? You always pour out from that place. Um, and so like if if your satisfaction is not in Christ, it'll show. It'll show in your worship, your lifestyle, your preaching, your singing, it'll show. And it's so important. Like, that's why we have to be like, you know, like I call it like God broke in a sense, you know. Like I'm so like I'm so spent on just making him my everything. Like he's the whole reason I'm here, you know. I I stand in places sometimes in worship, and even this Sunday I was just thinking, like, man, like what an you go from the place of like, oh man, like there's a lot of people in this room, you know, everybody's kind of looking up where you're at and all of that stuff.

SPEAKER_01 24:38

Don't mess up, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 24:39

The don't mess up, you know, definitely that, you know, that's something I've always had to, but to a place of like, man, like what an honor. Yeah, yeah, go ahead. Take us there, you know, like for real, like what a privilege just to be here and to honor you and and knowing that this is not just something that I do in front of people on a Sunday, like this is how I actually live my life, and therefore, that if that's the authority I have to administer that same kind of revelation through my worship, and that begins to be the thing that's in the atmosphere where it's like forget everything else, forget about yourself, forget about your concentrate on him in words.

SPEAKER_05 25:23

What was in your coffee this morning? I need some whatever within your coffee, I need it.

SPEAKER_01 25:28

I'm just being more external about what happens in here, y'all. Great, the filter is gone to the max. Let's go to the max in the day. But that's right, that's right. And it's all about shifting that perspective from like, get it right, don't mess up, blah, blah. Or I want what they have to thank you, Lord. Whoa, look at what you've done in my life. And we can control that, y'all. Yeah, let me set y'all free real quick. Oh, you have control over your thoughts. Your thoughts don't control you. You actually can control what you let up here.

SPEAKER_06 26:01

That's why the scriptures say set your mind.

SPEAKER_01 26:04

That means you have authority.

SPEAKER_06 26:06

It's your responsibility.

SPEAKER_01 26:07

The problem is, are you too lazy? Are you too offended? Are you too in your emotions? Grab them. Stop it. Stop it. And contentment is learned, it's rooted in trusting God's character. Yes, it requires freedom from comparison, it grows through gratitude. So, you know, I had an opportunity the other day when I was driving to be ungrateful. There was a car, there was a situation.

SPEAKER_04 26:37

Oh, Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 26:39

And if you don't know, I like to go places fast. I don't got time to waste in the car. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_06 26:45

Immediately.

SPEAKER_01 26:46

Immediately. Escucha me. I want to be there immediately. But what happens is people get in my way.

SPEAKER_05 26:57

Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 27:00

And grab it, Deborah, grab it. People get in my way. And I realized that I was a little hangry, you know. I was like, you need to eat. You know what when the Lord said arise and eat when he just raised the girl from the dead, arise and eat. That was I was raised from the dead. And I needed food. I needed food. But for real, I was trying to get to the food. I was trying to get to um the grocery store. This car cut me off, and I just, you know, was in this moment of decision. I was in the valley of decision. What was I gonna choose? And you know, I said, I refuse, I refuse to be discontent in this moment. This is my lot in life at this moment. And I started thanking the Lord. I'm like, thank you, Lord, that I am able to get to point A from point A to point B. Thank you, God, that I am so close to this grocery store. Yeah, thank you, God, for this person molding the character of Christ in me today. And I started thanking the Lord, and I genuinely I stopped myself from dipping. I was about to go on a an emotional roller coaster ride. And I stopped that ride. I said, not today. Not today. Not today. I will choose to be grateful. And I know that's like a you know uh surface level, dumb like situation. It really is not that deep. But how many times in our lives, like if we could catch it, oh yeah, when the enemy tries to bring a discontent, like uh thought process to our lives, we can grab it and we can say, I refuse to be ungrateful because look what the Lord has done. And we start naming off of what God has done, even in prison, we're gonna find an overwhelming amount of things to be grateful for. And it depends on our external perspective. Like we could choose, we can look through the rose-colored lenses or we can look through the black and white lenses. We get to choose.

SPEAKER_06 28:57

It's true.

SPEAKER_01 28:58

That's the authority we had in Christ.

SPEAKER_06 28:59

I love traffic. You know what I call traffic?

SPEAKER_01 29:01

What do you call traffic?

SPEAKER_06 29:02

Community.

SPEAKER_01 29:03

Community.

SPEAKER_06 29:04

I get stuck in community all the time. You get stuck in community. That's what I'm on. I'm on Ashley Frost Phosphate, excuse me.

SPEAKER_01 29:09

Ashley Phosphate.

SPEAKER_06 29:11

And I get stuck in community. And it wasn't that long ago I had the same opportunity you had. You had an opportunity. I did. I have an I had an opportunity and to drink from the cup of suffering. Man, let me tell you. And I had my kids in the car, and I had to go around a bus that was broken down. This gentleman was like, I'm not letting nobody over. And you know, I had to make my little swoop whoop moo get get through there. And and then I got back over in my my lane and I let my man have his spot back because he was livid. I mean, I had to he was blaking, blaking me and my kids in the car and everything. And I thought to myself, Lord Jesus, what I'm gonna do here.

SPEAKER_01 29:47

Whose report will you believe?

SPEAKER_06 29:49

And then my windows down because we were riding with the windows down that morning, the kids loved that. He rolls his window down, rolls up beside me, starts hollering. You know what I did? I looked at that dude. You tell me what I had a choice, and I I said, Do I even say anything? My choice was I told that man, I said, Man, I love you, man. And I gave him the I love you side like this. He's like, I love you, man. And I blew a kiss to him. And what'd he do? He looked at me and he was like surprised.

SPEAKER_05 30:18

He went, I love you too. And he blew a kiss back at me for real. I swear, I'm not even joking. I promise you can ask my children. He did, and then he drove off, and that was it. Hey, he had a good day. I didn't believe he had a good day. Greet his brother with a holy kiss. That's right. That's right.

SPEAKER_01 30:37

That's what that's what I'm talking about. That's how you that's how you change the world right there, y'all.

SPEAKER_06 30:42

That's it.

SPEAKER_01 30:42

Just tell them about you love me. One kiss at a time. I love you.

SPEAKER_05 30:47

Not one kiss at a time.

SPEAKER_01 30:50

Okay, but I'm for real, y'all. We have to guard against the spirit of discontentment. This is a this is this is plaguing our generation. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And if you are fully satisfied in Christ, you're gonna be walking into situations, you're gonna be walking into driving.

SPEAKER_06 31:09

You can be driving in the driver.

SPEAKER_01 31:11

Driving about and you will be the change in the environment. You will walk in not needing to be satisfied by others because your satisfaction is in Christ. And you walk in and you bring a different spirit into that place and you transform it, and you're able to actually pour into others and not be drained by others because you're not constantly discontent and jealous.

SPEAKER_03 31:34

It's true.

SPEAKER_01 31:34

You can actually bring something to the table, and that's what Jesus did. Like everywhere he went, people were like, you know, taken from him. Let me just touch the cloak of his garment, you know, and that became a thing. Yeah, that woman started a trend. Everybody just wanted to touch it. And think about how annoying that is if you don't want people touching you. But he was satisfied in the Father, he was satisfied that he was able to give. And even if you read the gospels, there are so many times Jesus like would pull away, yet they will follow him. Yeah, you know, Jesus was already running on empty, he was already running on. It's like I needed some time alone.

SPEAKER_04 32:12

And then we have to talk to the Lord.

SPEAKER_01 32:13

I need to go talk to the Father, but here they are again, and then all of a sudden the Holy Spirit like would move on him with compassion.

SPEAKER_04 32:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:20

And sometimes we are so discontent with things that we can't even allow the Holy Spirit to move on us with compassion to be able to pour into other people because we're so stuck in our own stuff.

SPEAKER_06 32:29

It's weird. I heard a preacher say this one time, and he said that he would go through TSA, and every time he goes through TSA, he would get stopped. And he said, and it's because I'm a peculiar person. The scripture says we're peculiar people, and it's and I get stopped, and it never fails. Every time I travel, almost every time they stop me and they want to search me. But it's not inconvenience to me because I'm peculiar. So what do I do? I start singing and I start preaching the gospel while I'm in there. They're checking me. You know, I'm content even in my situation, and I'm not going to be able to do that. That's an interesting perspective.

SPEAKER_01 33:03

Because a lot of people say, Oh, they're racially discriminating against you. A lot of people would then put the lens of the world on their situation. I'm in the I'm in this situation because they have privilege and I don't have privilege.

SPEAKER_06 33:14

It goes to that perspective thing that you were talking about earlier. You know, is it half full? And with Jesus, it's always full.

SPEAKER_01 33:21

With Jesus, it's always full. It don't even matter if your enemies are trying to do something against you, he turns it up for your good. Even your enemies have to see that the Lord has his favor on you. That's it. So it's like, what are you gonna believe? You're gonna believe that God is for you, even in the cave, like, or you're gonna believe that you're a victim. Yep, and then you could be content because you're not a victim. Hallelujah.

SPEAKER_03 33:44

Amen.

SPEAKER_01 33:44

I just felt like somebody got free right there, including me. But it's ultimately about Christ being enough. Yes, it's ultimately about him being enough. Is he enough for you?

SPEAKER_06 33:55

Isn't he enough? Isn't he enough?

SPEAKER_01 34:00

Jesus, my everything, all that I need. I love that song. Why don't y'all go listen to that? Okay, well, that concludes our first segment. We're gonna about to go to a praise a pass where we're gonna react to a viral video on the internet and see if we would praise it or pass it.

SPEAKER_00 34:17

Long suffering is the most powerful trait that nobody prays for. People misunderstand patience. Patience isn't just waiting, it's the attitude you keep while you wait. It's who you are when you're stressed, it's how you operate when you're uncomfortable. Everybody wants the double portion, but nobody wants the Job experience. Job didn't get everything restored just because he survived the trial. He got it back because of his posture during the devastation. He didn't let the temporary loss corrupt his permanent character. It was his attitude during the trials. Everybody wants the breakthrough. Everybody wants the next level of business, but nobody wants the season of delay that actually builds the capacity to be able to hold it and keep it. We live in a culture where what is worship is speed. If the ROI doesn't show up in 90 days, we think the strategy is broken, that it doesn't work. But real endurance isn't just gritting your teeth and surviving, it's maintaining your standard of excellence, your positive mental attitude when the reward is nowhere in sight. If your integrity changes, if your work ethic changes, just because the timeline shifted, you weren't ready for the blessing anyway. See, delay is not denial, it's development, it's testing your emotional threshold. So you can't ask for a million-dollar outcome if you have a $10 emotional capacity and mental toughness. Just don't work that way.

SPEAKER_01 35:45

Whoa.

SPEAKER_00 35:46

Preach.

SPEAKER_01 35:47

Preach. First of all, I want to know who he is talking to. Is there somebody on the other side of that?

SPEAKER_06 35:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 35:53

No, but for real, praise or pass.

SPEAKER_06 35:55

Oh, praise all day through and through. Tell me why. Oh man, I just I I don't know. You know, a lot of times people are, you know, they're all God, God, God on the mountaintop, and when they get the but he's God in the waiting, you know. And I think that a lot of us don't realize that uh what we're considering as delay uh is really the process of waiting so that your capacity can be built so that when God releases the thing that he's either promised or said or that you're going for, whatever the case may be, um, you're actually able to steward it. It doesn't break you, you know. And it just makes me even think where we were talking earlier about Mark, you know, so many of us want the immediately. We want it immediately. But what you don't realize is that, you know, some of us need to be thankful for that we don't actually get everything we asked God for immediately because if we did, it might crush us, it might tear us up, it might put us in a position where we'd be like, man, never mind, you know. Think about Joseph. Joseph's going through this process we talked about last week. I mean, it took time and it took things that were not favorable, that long suffering, slavery, falsely accusement, prison, all of that to form what God wanted in him so that he could become second to Pharaoh and his family would ultimately do what he showed him in the beginning.

SPEAKER_01 37:17

Right. And that part about long suffering, we don't ever talk about that.

SPEAKER_06 37:22

Oh man.

SPEAKER_01 37:23

That is a fruit of the spirit.

SPEAKER_06 37:24

Suffer long. That's what it means.

SPEAKER_01 37:26

That that is a fruit of the spirit, and we can actually have access to that through the spirit of Christ. He will enable us, he will give us grace. And honestly, our suffering is in in comparison to what Christ did on the cross, is nothing. Like it's nothing, like it's truly nothing. It's just it's just some maybe unwe're uncomfortable here, unmet expectations here.

SPEAKER_06 37:51

Somebody done said something about me on Facebook, Instagram. Come on, man.

SPEAKER_01 37:55

Who who never mind? I'm gonna let that go. And then but the the thing that I love about that is that the Lord, it's not delay is not denial, it's development.

SPEAKER_06 38:08

Ooh, do that again.

SPEAKER_01 38:09

That's what he said. That the words out of his mouth, he said, delay is not denial, it's development.

SPEAKER_06 38:13

That's it right there.

SPEAKER_01 38:14

And a lot of times that is the case, it is development and it's uncomfortable. But if we desire instantaneous results and we're not willing to go through that development, then we're not ready for we're not ready for that promise. We're not ready for those things. And so I I think that's definitely a praise. Yeah, and it's coming against the the Western mindset of instantaneous results. And honestly, what I feel like is a problem is a lot of people treat the Lord as a genie in the bottle. I want it immediately, I want it now. I want what is that commercial? I want something and I want it now. So it's my money and I want it now. It's a lawyer, local lawyer commercial, a local lawyer commercial, and that's that's the way we treat the Lord. That's my promise, and I want it now. And the Lord is doing this developmental work inside of us, and then when we don't get it immediately, we're we have to die to the genie in a bottle mentality in Christianity Christianity, and we have to see God as God. Yeah, He's God, and He's leading us through every process of development.

SPEAKER_06 39:23

Yeah, I mean, that's what a good father does. A good father would never give something to his child that he knows is ultimately going to corrupt them or break them or something of that nature. Yeah, it's always about forming, it's always about building you so that you can have the inheritance.

SPEAKER_01 39:39

That's right. That's good. This is so good, and we praise that. Praise. Next, going to the next segment of frequently asked questions from worship teams. Okay, today's question for you passed it to the cody right. Is this how does leaders or even people in worship teams and in creative spaces tell the difference between somebody being off spiritually and maybe you just don't drive with their personality? Like, what is your advice to people trying to learn different personality types in different cultural contexts not to bring division and not to misinterpret that for a spiritual off?

SPEAKER_06 40:29

Yeah. Um wow. That's a good question. I think that um one, be careful that you don't create assumptions about somebody that you barely know. Um you know, if before you go to the place of, oh, they're spiritually off, do you know them? Do you even know them? Have you have you spent enough time around them to understand like how they how they function? Um just because the yeah, just because they're not like you or how you expected something to be doesn't necessarily mean that something is spiritually off. Um and um and I think it's more honoring to take the time. But unfortunately, sometimes people I maybe I don't know the more the more easy thing is to become the person with accusations about something, you know, is like, oh, I saw this, and so it must be in that.

SPEAKER_01 41:21

Well, be careful, you know, because it it isn't always and some people are naturally more suspicious and they want to guard the ministry and all that stuff, but we do have to be careful because it especially when you are multi-generational and multicultural.

SPEAKER_06 41:34

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 41:35

Everybody ain't cut from the same, they won't look like you, sound like you, act like you, and you have to know that it's not a hard thing. Like sometimes it's just that's how they were raised and wired in their cultural context, and it's literally like the Lord ain't offended, and that changes from different places.

SPEAKER_06 41:54

Like, you know, what we've experienced is we have people from all over the globe, all over the globe who are part of our our worship ministry, our ministry in general, and everybody's different. Some people that are from certain specific geographical places, you know, they're more outspoken and just say whatever and like the Venezuelans, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:13

Boy, you gotta have some thick skin.

SPEAKER_06 42:15

My wife, the Venezuelans are gonna tell you exactly what they think, and then some things you see maybe more like come from a place of of woundedness or situations from people's past. And as you continue to grow with them and learn the vulnerability in those relationships, it begins to show that. And then as a shepherd, you can help past the people to make them healthy because that's what the point of all of this is as podcasts. We want to see the most healthy Levites and worshipers all over the world, you know.

SPEAKER_01 42:43

But it takes, you know, growing and and you know, actually doing life with those people, and it also takes us being healed and mature, absolutely because if we're if we're operating under suspicion as leaders or people in a ministry, then we're always gonna find something to call out, point out, say it's not good enough. But if we're looking for unity, if we're looking for connectivity, we're looking for the glory of God and you know, for him to be exalted in every culture, in every context, then we're gonna be like, hope, hope all things, you know, love hopes all things. Look, look at look at that. Ah, I'm gonna tap in. And so that's easier said than done. But you really, I think I I think I would encourage each person to take it to the Lord and be like, is this me or is this a real thing? You know, like help me navigate this, and also do some reading on other cultures, do some, do some education on different different contexts of of how even America, we're we were a very large nation. Absolutely, and the north is very different than the south, and the east is very different than the west and the Pacific Northwest. And so there's all of the in Texas, is they're their own thing. And so everything is different. And so we have to we have to know, and I think um it brings glory to God when we don't assume things.

SPEAKER_06 43:58

Absolutely, absolutely. And we don't just you know, other thing too is like you don't just put up with people, but you actually love them.

SPEAKER_01 44:05

You actually love them, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 44:06

We're not just dealing with each other, we actually love each other enough to like be involved in each other's lives, grow together and how God made all these cultures different, yeah. A hundred percent and you honor the differences, right? Like you can you can look at the culture, and the culture should never uh be above the king, right?

SPEAKER_01 44:23

Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_06 44:24

We're not putting culture above kingdom, but we can honor culture and we can honor those things and understand people, and it helps us be able to communicate and see the heart of people, and it doesn't, even though it's sticky, it becomes more of a river that you're versed to swim in versus exactly, and that's what the Lord wants.

SPEAKER_01 44:42

He wants his his children to dwell together in unity. It's so beautiful. Well, we hope this episode has been a blessing to your life. We hope you are now just ready to just tackle every spirit of covetness that is coming for your heart in comparison. Be content in the power in the in in the grace of Christ that He's given you. And we hope you will join us next week for the next episode of Protect the Altar Podcast.