Diligent, Not Deterred

When you feel overwhelmed, how do you respond? And when God calls you into something difficult, how do you take the next step?

This week, Ariana + Kimberly dive into Nehemiah chapter 2, exploring what it looks like to move forward with courage and dependence on God. Through Nehemiah’s story, they unpack a powerful truth: when you are with God, you are not lacking. He opens doors, provides resources, and often works through unexpected people and places. If you’re facing something that feels bigger than you, this conversation will remind you that God has already gone ahead of you.

Follow us and send us your prayer request on Instagram at @throughitpodcast

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Bear, I don't really know why you're sniffing around. Because Delta's been walking around. Maybe, but anytime he starts sniffing around, I feel like he's gonna potty.

SPEAKER_02 0:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 0:16

And I'm like, do you need to have a few more? No more smells left.

SPEAKER_02 0:20

You have smelled every one of them.

SPEAKER_00 0:23

All right, he's laying down. He's fine. I think once we're all sitting, they also kind of chill out. And the opposite is true. We'll start running around the house and he'll get so amped up. Like yesterday, you know how we're talking with um our friend, and we're saying, like, what's something weird that you do? Of like in the house when no one's there. So yesterday, me, Bear, and Kendrick, the kitchen island, I was like, come on, let's go. And I started running laps around the island. And so Kendrick started running behind me, and then Bear was behind, and we're just like, how cute. Running around the kitchen, and the boys were going crazy. I'm like, okay, I gotta stop. I'm getting dizzy.

SPEAKER_02 1:03

I love a hyped up dog.

SPEAKER_00 1:05

Yeah. So like a six-year-old and a puppy. So fun. Was wild. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:10

So fun. Delta does not get that hyped. Yeah. The most excited she gets is when we come home. Oh. Like when she's been home alone, and then we come home. She gets that she gets excited, but she doesn't like run super fast. She runs as fast as she can. Yeah. And she jumps on two legs. Oh, that's just really like she's trying to run.

unknown 1:32

That's funny.

SPEAKER_02 1:33

I don't think she knows she's a dog. I don't think she does.

SPEAKER_00 1:38

She's like, because I'm not. Hello.

SPEAKER_02 1:41

She is such a precious angel.

SPEAKER_00 1:43

After we had that talk about like what's something weird you do at home alone, did you think of more things?

SPEAKER_02 1:49

I think that everything I do with when it's just me and Frankie, it's so weird. Like I'm constantly singing. I'm saying the strangest things to my dog. Yeah. Did you think of more things?

SPEAKER_00 2:05

I every time I did something, I was like, that was weird. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:09

Like what?

SPEAKER_00 2:10

Do you have examples that you're willing to share? More so like how I talk to Kendrick.

SPEAKER_03 2:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:15

You know? Or like the things I do to get him to laugh. It's pretty weird, which is why he laughs. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 2:22

That's special though. My mom is really goofy. And I don't think she I don't think she was any more goofy when we were younger, but probably more often she was. Yeah. And there was a time when she didn't have we had a car that didn't have a radio. And we lived in San Diego. But my grandparents lived like in our hometown. So we would drive back and forth all the time. My brother and I were probably like seven and five, six and eight, like around Kendrick's age. So she would tell stories. She would make up stories and tell stories to us. That's precious. And they would have the most bizarre things in them. She made up this story about the avocado man who would live in avocado trees. And and there's a whole story, like backstories of the avocado man and like why he lives in this avocado tree.

SPEAKER_00 3:19

That is impressive, honestly.

SPEAKER_02 3:21

And she would she told us how like what he would do was he would make guacamole with his feet. And he would he would leave guacamole on the doorsteps of all the people's houses that he liked. But if you did something to like wrong the avocado man, he would throw the the guacamole at the door.

SPEAKER_00 3:42

The fact that you remember this. That's actually so impressive. People that can make up stories to that level of like imagination. I feel like in the same way that to have a sense of humor, I do think that you have to have some level of intellect.

SPEAKER_03 3:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:58

And even like creating stories like that, it's so impressive. Cause to think of things that are that out of context and that outside of the box, your mind really has to go somewhere.

SPEAKER_03 4:09

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:10

That's really, I love that.

SPEAKER_02 4:12

I think, and you tell me, because I say this so often, I don't have my own kids, but do you feel like you can be your most free self with Kendrick? Oh, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 4:23

Because he also like pulls things out of me that like I did as a kid. And that's still there. You know, all of us have that on the inside. And I'll even say this about Jordan. He is so goofy.

SPEAKER_03 4:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:36

He's so goofy. Like, even like how he dances to get Kendrick to laugh. And I mean, honestly, even before Kendrick was born, Jordan would do that just to be goofy. And it's so funny. I'm like, just because you know, this grown man. Yeah. It's being goofy. I love it.

SPEAKER_02 4:55

Seeing aside that nobody else sees.

SPEAKER_00 4:57

No, exactly. And that's what makes I think relationships special. Yeah. It's intimacy. Thank you. That's exactly the word I was trying to think about, but I couldn't. But I'm like, the person that your husband gets, the person your wife gets that no one else gets, that's intimacy in marriage. Yeah. I love it. Well, welcome to Through It podcast, everyone.

SPEAKER_02 5:20

Welcome to Through It and welcome back, Kimberly.

SPEAKER_00 5:23

I'm so happy to be back. I miss these talks. Granted, we talk in between too, but I think when we sit down for the sake of like having full conversations, like something just flows different. Like we set aside time for this to simply talk.

SPEAKER_02 5:42

Yeah, extra time.

SPEAKER_00 5:43

Yeah. Just for it, like we have the expectation that we're having conversation, not like go do something or whatever. Like we're just sitting to talk, which I think is special.

SPEAKER_02 5:54

I need it. It is feeds my soul. It feeds my soul. It is life-giving.

SPEAKER_00 6:00

Yeah. Um, I, as we've done in the past, a lot of times, and I'm sure we've mentioned on the podcast, when we start episodes, we're typically like, okay, I don't really know what we're talking about, but here are some things that have been on my heart. And then when we talk about that, it's like, okay, that's the thing we're gonna talk about.

SPEAKER_02 6:19

But wait, before we do that, yeah, will you tell us about your trip?

SPEAKER_00 6:23

Yes. Um so if you guys haven't listened to the past episodes, I just got back from Korea, South Korea, for those of you that are ignorant.

SPEAKER_01 6:35

People still raised.

SPEAKER_00 6:37

Yeah. Um, it was a great time. Yeah, yeah. No, never met. Um, it was it was great. I we went for 10 days, and I think it was a perfect amount of time to just honestly, when I go on vacation, I don't like to be gone away from home too long, even if I am with my family. But it was just me and Kendrick. And so I've always said like home is where the heart is. So not having Jordan there, I felt it even more so that we were away from the home from the house.

SPEAKER_03 7:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:07

Um, but it was so humid. Like people that are from Florida say, like, you know, or the South, Georgia, Florida, it's really sticky and humid. Korea is so much more humid. And I could say that because I've been to both places. It's like 90% humidity. It feels like it's a hundred. You're like constantly walking through a wall of moisture at all times. Um, and it was hot. It rains, it's still 90 degrees. And then it was monsoon season. The last day we left, our Airbnb that we stayed at in Seoul. I don't know if I told you, but the roof wasn't leaking, it was like pouring.

SPEAKER_02 7:42

It was raining through the roof.

SPEAKER_00 7:44

Yeah. And this was like there was prior damage done because again, monsoon season is every year.

SPEAKER_03 7:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:50

And they hadn't fully repaired it, and we didn't realize because it wasn't raining like that, but it was like downpour torrential rain.

SPEAKER_02 7:56

Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_00 7:57

Yeah. And then, so we left on the 18th, and then I saw through social just like pictures of flooding in the city that were from the 18th. So praise God that our flight was when it was. Because I think if it was a few hours later, it would have gotten canceled. Um, but we did so much. I'm so grateful for that time because I only get to see my family every few years. And my brother dropped us off at the airport, him, his wife, and my nephew that I finally got to meet, and like we all cried. Everyone but the baby cried. Like Kendrick cried too. My brother cried too. He's such a softy.

SPEAKER_02 8:30

I love how you said that your nephew is like a copy and paste of your brother.

SPEAKER_00 8:35

He is, he really is. Like how he looks. I even see like certain like personality like tendencies. Um, I think he's gonna have a loud voice. That was one thing, too, that I felt when I went back home. I'm like, my family is so loud. I told you that when I saw you. I'm like, my family's so loud. I but also it's the sweetest sound. Because there was one moment because my family's so loud that I had to hear and they're break away and just sit in their room by myself to kind of like bring it down internally. But I was sitting in the room one day, and then I could um my mom, her husband, and my brother were all playing Uno, and I could just hear them all cracking up from the That is so beautiful, yeah. And so I recorded a piece of it because I was also my mom listens to the podcast, and she probably doesn't know this. I was trying to record her laughing specifically because my brother has a naturally like he has a radio voice, he has a great voice. Um, and even musically, my brother's like very musical, but my mom's laugh is so boisterous, and then when her and I are laughing at the same time, like the house is gonna shake. Oh, wow and it's it's like it's actually really fun.

SPEAKER_02 9:54

You think about it, you've been hearing that laugh longer than anything else in your life.

SPEAKER_00 9:59

Yeah, I mean, it's probably why I laugh the way that I do. Yeah, because my mom, like I'm she is that fully, and I'm just a piece of her, you know. So like she laughs with her whole body with her mouth wide open. That's so great, though. Yeah, it was fun. And so, like with my nephew too, like when he cries, it is like usually when so he's a year and a half, usually at that stage when they cry, it is pretty piercing, but like for him, it is so penetrating. Like, even um, they had a doula after he was born, and he I guess went through a period of crying so much that his voice got raspy, but he broke through the raspiness that's how strong his voice is. And so there's something there. Yeah, the doula was like he's gonna have a really strong voice.

SPEAKER_02 10:53

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 10:54

So prophetically speaking, I believe in that.

SPEAKER_02 10:56

Yes, a hundred percent. Yeah, um, he's a junior, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:01

So my brother's name is Nicholas. I call him Nick, my brother Nick, and so I call my nephew Nicholas. Um, and Kendrick's middle name is Nicholas, and funny enough, Jordan's older brother, his older brother's middle name is Nicholas.

SPEAKER_02 11:15

Oh, really?

SPEAKER_00 11:16

That's a good name, it's a good classic name. It is, it is, but it's funny, so it's Nick Jr. So if you grew up watching Nickelodeon, yeah, Nickelodeon, yeah. Um but we didn't realize I remembered that. I know, just rotted out the green slime, the orange splash mark. Yeah, but it was um again, it was so fun. I'm so happy to be home. I could talk for days with about all the things that we did, but yeah, I'll keep it at that. Half the time we're in the country, the other half we're in the city, so it was a little bet best of both worlds. Um but yeah.

SPEAKER_02 11:57

Where so do you does your brother and his family do they live in the city? Do they live in Seoul or do they live somewhere else?

SPEAKER_00 12:05

They don't live in Seoul, they live maybe an hour, an hour and a half outside of Seoul. Korea's really interesting. It's probably one of the fastest developing countries in the world. Um, so you have sections that seem almost third world-like, completely untouched, underdeveloped, rice patties, homes that are still designed like they were in the 50s, maybe even, you know. Um, and then you just you don't even have to drive, you just turn your head to the right, and then you see skyscrapers that have like 30-story buildings in higher.

SPEAKER_02 12:40

Just like a metropolis. Yeah, it's right next to exactly.

SPEAKER_00 12:44

Wow. And so it's kind of like that throughout the country. So even it is, it's really honestly really beautiful. So where my mom lives, her the view outside of their deck, it's all rice patties, and it's so beautiful. Like one of the nicknames for Korea is the land of the morning calm, and it's because the sunrise is also so beautiful. That's like I'm sure one of the many reasons. And so every time the sun comes up, that's what I think. I'm like, gosh, this truly is like the land of the morning calm. Yeah, it's so beautiful, and then again, you have the city life, very fast paced, you gotta keep up. Kendrick learned that real quick. I'm like, come on, come on. Um, you know, subways, taxis, it's so modern. Yeah, and Koreans are so great about the details of things. I'm like, gosh, this is so great. Even like I went to the dental clinic, quick, easy, um, skin clinic, like all the things, everything's so convenient. So convenient.

SPEAKER_02 13:41

I'm glad to know that there are places on the earth that are still like that. Yeah, but not everything is like the states where it's an inconvenience, yeah, and and capitalistic, for sure.

SPEAKER_00 13:55

You know, that's one thing about the states that stands out. Everything is like for profit. Why not just do it for the integrity of what the function and purpose of this thing is?

SPEAKER_02 14:05

Oh, I know. Just everything's a money grab. Like your dogs need 12,000 shots every six months. Goodness, and then they also need this special food that probably has bad things in it, anyways.

SPEAKER_00 14:19

That food is a whole nother thing. The ingredients there, everything's so fresh. Like, even my sister-in-law, what she packs for snacks for my nephew. So in the States, it's like, okay, peanut butter crackers, uh, fruit snacks, like all this processed stuff. Um, she packed for him for snacks, like those mini potatoes, boiled potatoes, steamed squash, that's amazing, corn on the cob that is like grown locally, boiled egg. That's so great. Yeah. Fruit, like sliced bell peppers that he would like ask for, you know. So it's just again, it's a different country. We do things differently. Um, and even like the church culture, yeah. Really cool. So Korean churches, um, they have something where I guess if you directly translate it, it's I want to say like morning. What's the word for like early, early morning? Like dawn? Dawn. Yeah. It's I guess it translates to like dawn prayer. So they have something like early morning prayer. Like it's common that all Korean churches have that, and it's like 5 a.m.

SPEAKER_02 15:35

And you just go and pray. And then do you leave and come back for service?

SPEAKER_00 15:39

It's no service, it's prayer.

SPEAKER_02 15:41

Oh, just every day?

SPEAKER_00 15:42

Prayer. Yeah. I don't know if it's every day. I want to say it is, but maybe it's only Sundays. I'll have to double check, but I know that there's like a phrase for it that is exactly just that. And the pastor comes out too. Because I asked my my brother, I'm like, Does the pastor come out? He's like, Your pastor's present, or maybe my mom told me, I don't remember. But it's a part of the culture. In groups, yeah, and then they pray out loud. So that's kind of what I was exposed to as a kid. It's like the pastor says, Okay, now it's time to pray, and everyone is opening their mouth and praying out loud to the point where there is a roaring in the room because everyone is praying out loud, praying out loud in tongues, praying out loud, worshiping all the things.

SPEAKER_02 16:29

And so that is a a huge blessing, like such a gift from Jesus that you got like to be exposed to that at a young age. Because it is, it's not difficult for me to pray out loud and not usually in front of people, but when there are many people praying at the same time, it is difficult. We did that once somewhat recently after service. Um, Janet asked, like, put your put your hands on the people next to you, or like get close to people next to you and just start praying for each other. And Frankie and I got together with I think it was Max. And I was in between them and I started praying, and then every I was like, I literally was praying out loud, like, Lord, this is so difficult. Can you just take the things that need to be prayed? Because I couldn't that's great.

SPEAKER_00 17:18

I couldn't get it out. That's really great. I think even how oftentimes we think out loud, that is really prayer too. Just like speak your thoughts out loud. Why are you muffling it because you're worried about how it sounds? Yeah, even when you don't know what to pray, you pray. I don't know what to pray right now, Lord.

SPEAKER_02 17:39

Yeah, exactly. Help me. Um there is a I feel a big call to these dogs. Yeah, and we've got both of our dogs here that we're watching record this. Oh my goodness, Del T. She knows when a camera is out and she doesn't like it. Yeah, she'll be doing something so cute. You take the camera out and she hides.

SPEAKER_00 18:03

Yeah, I've I've seen that personally when I try to take a picture and then she looked away. The long pauses are me watching to make sure Delta doesn't do anything bad and bear can smell because bear's just a toddler still and doesn't know how to act right.

SPEAKER_02 18:17

I think they're being pretty cute though. Like the way Delta's just walking around and bears following.

SPEAKER_00 18:23

I know it's like the big dog following the little dog. Yeah, that's really cute. Okay, we jinxed that. Hey, bear. It cracks me up when I say hey bear because like people that get trained like being in the wilderness and you see a bear and you're supposed to like scream, hey bear. What? I've never heard that. So it's scary the bear like to be louder. So I told my neighbor, if you ever hear me say, hey bear, there's no bear.

SPEAKER_02 18:49

I'm just yelling at my dog. When there is a bear, then what are we gonna say?

SPEAKER_00 18:56

Hi, bear. Um, okay, so uh to transition to transition this into what we're gonna talk about. Um again, wasn't sure what to touch on, but as the Holy Spirit does, he usually puts things in our heart, sometimes even last minute. I'm like, Lord, can you stop doing that? Where you speak to us last minute? I would just like to be fully prepared way ahead of time. I like that though. Yeah, that like we don't have to be fully prepared. No, and I mean, I guess that's the lesson, right? And that's that's what keeps us constantly dependent on him. And so I had a moment this morning where I really felt, and I just this is this is a Kim thing. I need to be better at if you want to call it self-soothing. I kind of hate that phrase because nothing is of self. Like peace is from Jesus alone, he's the source. But practically, I guess, to even call it that, or even to like self-regulate, got to a point this morning where I was feeling a little bit overwhelmed. And so I just had to take a moment in the bathroom as I was getting ready. And just to like pray as I was getting ready to turn on worship music, and that really just brought my it calmed my heart and it even like brought my just central nervous system down. Yeah. And really, I guess the definition of self-regulating your emotions. But it's like, how do we do that? We do that through prayer and through worship to realign ourselves with the spirit, um, and just taking those moments of pause, not to look for God in a way, but to like recognize that God is here with you, right? So that was a thought that I had. I'm like, okay, how do we, as a people, not just myself, take those moments to pause? And I don't know, I guess I want to ask you what do you what do you do? Like when you feel so let's talk about, I know you mentioned it last episode, started a new job, even with different life factors. I don't really ever see you getting overwhelmed, to be honest. Pretty even keeled.

SPEAKER_02 21:12

Thank you. Wow. I um honestly try really hard to not show when I am overwhelmed because I just think it makes being overwhelmed makes you look like you don't know what you're doing. Um and I think it's something I've learned in leadership, and I think we may have I may have said it here first, but like in leadership they say it's okay. Okay. Um when you're a leader, you're the flight crew. And if there's turbulence on the plane, everybody looks at the front the flight crew to see how they react. And if they're calm, they're going to be calm.

SPEAKER_00 21:54

They're like the barometer.

SPEAKER_02 21:55

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 21:56

That's such a great analogy.

SPEAKER_02 21:58

And then there's another thing. I say too where it's like just bring the weather, like which is being the barometer. Just bring the weather and show up how you want the how you want it to feel.

SPEAKER_00 22:09

You set the tone.

SPEAKER_02 22:10

Yeah. And I think that I think it's pretty impossible to do that without the Holy Spirit.

SPEAKER_00 22:16

Agreed.

SPEAKER_02 22:17

And I um I definitely get overwhelmed. And it's because my brain, and not in a way of like, I'm so intelligent, but my brain works in so many different places at the same time. And it's always like solve, solve, solve, solve, solve at everything. Everything. It's really difficult for me to turn that off. So what I've been doing in just the last couple weeks since I've been back at work is I will literally pray, obviously, yes. But then what I've been doing specifically this week is I will put in headphones so that it's like as close to my brain as possible. And I will sing worship music. I'll put on worship music and I'll sing like a song or two songs. And it totally like regulates me, totally change it shifts the atmosphere in my home, it shifts the atmosphere in my my spirit, in my heart. I love that. It's it is a like a release of like um instead of thinking I'm not doing enough, I'm not doing enough, how do I do this better? It's just like Lord Jesus, I'm just coming to your feet.

SPEAKER_00 23:22

That's so great. Hi, Kendrick. Okay, just wanted you to check in. Do you need to potty? Okay, thanks for checking in, buddy. Set it for another hour. Kendrick's so independent right now. I know. Packed his backpack by himself, put his helmet on, packed extra shoes in his bag. Went down to the soccer field. Um, what you were saying though, as you were talking about that, and this also comes to show how important it is who you surround yourself with, yes, who your friends are. Because as you're speaking of what you do, even in the office with the headphones on, as you're saying that, I felt like a big exhale, like on the inside of me of like, oh, that is so refreshing.

SPEAKER_02 24:10

But you know what that feels like. Exactly. And that's why it's calming to you too.

SPEAKER_00 24:15

Yeah, that's a great point. Yeah. It there's a familiarity that I'm like, I know what it feels like to be in that space and what that feels like to take it back to the Lord and to realign in that way. Um, but again, if it was the opposite, you know what? And so going back to like setting the tone, if you were a frantic person, I would probably a little bit of that would rub off on me. Yeah, you would feel that. But also, I guess to be set apart and to be so deeply rooted that let's say we are in those situations to be the person that is rooted, and again, to be the one that is the calm flight crew, like you said.

SPEAKER_02 24:58

Luckily, Jesus is the pilot and the Holy Spirit is our flight crew. And that's who's bringing us our weather. So we know that we can look at the flight crew and we can look at the pilot who is sovereign over everything, reigns over all, is omnipresent with us that we don't have to, we don't have to panic because our flight crew is never gonna panic.

SPEAKER_00 25:24

He does all of it, he's the pilot, flight crew, and everything all at once. Like he does all of it. The plane. Yeah, all of it. Um if only we could sometimes it's so much easier said than done because we say all these things, but we're in the moment how quickly we can forget it. Totally, yes. And so I think to even have tangible reminders, whether it's something sitting on our desk, whether it's a sticky note on your mirror, and then doing it so many times where eventually it becomes second nature, and that there's a a shorter lag from that moment of frustration to when you actually take it back over there. And hopefully, when you mature that window of time to when you take it back to the Lord that shortens and it gets shorter and shorter. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:10

It's just like everything, like you, I don't know, you have to put it into practice, right? Yeah, you do. And we're so fallible as humans that we're we're always going to fail. Like it's inevitable that we're not gonna bat 100. Right. But we know that like the window gets shorter every time. You have less of a time of panic. Because also, like when me talking about what I do to to regulate, you have that feeling that that you're like almost muscle memory of the calmness from the Holy Spirit. We have that same muscle memory, so it's like what do I do? Run to the Father.

SPEAKER_00 26:51

That's really good. Because I know how calming that is, yeah, and I know exactly what it does, it's and it's never changing. He is the same. So I was I've been thinking about Nehemiah a lot. So in the book of Nehemiah, it's one of the historical books in the Bible. Um, and Nehemiah is he was the cupbearer to Arta Xerxes, and God placed it on his heart for him to be the one to be the leader for the rebuilding of the Jerusalem wall. So I've been thinking about him for so many different reasons. But as we're talking about what do we do during hardships, I'm also reflecting on, I think this is a perfect segue to even talk about like in the rebuilding of the wall, how Nehemiah responded in spite of opposition, because there was so much opposition, but he was so deeply rooted again and connected to what he knew the assignment was and what God was calling him to do, that even with the opposition, that he held fast to that, and he did a lot of different things in terms of bringing it back to the Lord, constantly bringing it back to God, constantly bringing it back to God. And so I want to touch on something. Um, I've now been in Nehemiah for I don't know, on and off for like three months, maybe. And I'm sorry if there's background noise, someone is mowing the lawn.

unknown 28:24

I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 28:25

I don't think you could hear it. Yeah, it's more distracting to me, if anything. But anyway, at first, I was like, gosh, this is so great. Cause the part of Nehemiah that had originally caught my attention is in the way that this pagan king, this Persian king, how God's hand was even on him to use Arta Xerxes to supply all the needs that Nehemiah needed to rebuild the wall. And I thought that was really cool. And that's what my what caught my attention originally. Because even for me, someone that does business, I really enjoy supporting other business owners that are Jesus followers.

SPEAKER_03 29:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 29:03

And you want to support these Christian businesses and even work with someone that has the same faith as you. There's just a different confidence that comes with that. And so I thought this was an interesting contrast because Nehemiah partnered with Arta Xerxes, who was someone that did not believe in the same God, did not believe in Yahweh. And then just a moment. Yes, Kendrick. No, because I don't know where that is. I know, but I don't, and I won't know where to find you. No, thank you. Hey, can mommy trust you? We'll go after, okay? Sorry guys, just a moment. It's actually a lot for me to even let Kendra go outside by himself, and we just started doing that this summer. Yeah. And only the same route. Like from here to there, that's it. Nowhere outside of that.

SPEAKER_02 29:59

Yeah. Anyway. I won't even let my dog go anywhere outside of my sight. I know. I can't imagine what it's like with a I know the what you birthed out of you carried for nine months and then burrs.

SPEAKER_00 30:12

Giving them like more leash.

unknown 30:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:15

So, okay, going back to Nehemiah then, as I was rereading, because I'm like this scripture, this passage, it keeps pulling at my heart, and there's different things that keep popping up. Like, even we're talking earlier about there is a psalm that you read and you reread it, and it's almost like you never read it before. And so there's another part of Nehemiah that I want to read in chapter four. I'm gonna go there real quick. So this part is now they have started this mission of rebuilding the Jerusalem wall.

SPEAKER_02 30:50

Do you can you tell us why they're rebuilding the wall?

SPEAKER_00 30:53

It was utterly destroyed when the Babylonians came and basically tried to take over.

SPEAKER_02 30:59

And um God told them to rebuild it.

SPEAKER_00 31:04

So what happens in the beginning of Nehemiah? And I'm I'm glad you're actually touching on this just to give more context. Um, Nehemiah is the cutbearer, and then someone in his family comes. I don't know if it's if it's his brother or if it's his uncle. Uh his name's Hanani. Oh, it's one of his brothers. He comes and he meets Nehemiah, and Nehemiah asks him, like, how are my people doing? And then Hanaini basically tells Nehemiah how the exiled people of Jerusalem, how they're doing, and that the basically that the Jerusalem wall is completely in rubble and just destroyed. That breaks his heart. And so then he makes it his mission. He prays. So let's start there. He prays, and then after praying, then he's deciding to basically rebuild the wall. Um, let me see here. I'm gonna read some of this. I don't take any of it out of context. So this is chapter one, verse four. As soon as I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days. So he's mourning for his people. And also Nehemiah was born in exile. Okay, it says, And I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven, and I said, O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments. Let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer of your servant, then I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel, your servants. And then he continues, he's confessing the sins of the people of Israel. Um, let me fast forward here. And then in chapter two, so it says in chapter two, verse two, and the king said to me, Why is your face sad? And this is something that I learned being a cutbearer, you weren't allowed to be sad in front of the king. You had to be joyous on the outside because he wants to be around someone that's sad.

SPEAKER_03 33:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:09

And so even the fact that Nehemiah was able to show his genuine feelings outwardly to the point where the king noticed, he could have been punished for that.

SPEAKER_03 33:18

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:18

Again, this is God's hand over Nehemiah's life. Um, and that's why it says, so when he is asked, Why is your face sad? That's when Nehemiah says, Then I was very much afraid. That's why he was afraid. I said to the king, let the king live forever. Why should not my face be sad when the city and the place my father's graves lies in ruins and its gates have been destroyed by fire? Then the king said to me, What are you requesting? So I prayed to the God of heaven, and I said to the king, If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah to the city of my father's graves that I may rebuild it. So this comes from praying.

SPEAKER_03 33:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:55

And also I think the burden and the heartbreak that Nehemiah felt came from the Holy Spirit.

SPEAKER_03 34:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:00

A lot of times when we feel these burdens, it is a uh righteous burden, a divine burden from God. Like when we have a burden for people and then we pray for them. That's like a prompting do. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:12

Right. The Amplified says in verse two that so the king said to me, Why do you look sad when you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart. So just doubling down on what you're saying, that it is like it's a it's a it's a saddening of the heart. Like your act, your heart is so sad that it is showing on your face.

SPEAKER_00 34:35

And I feel it now. Yeah. So this kind of reminds me of like in a professional work setting, not to take your personal stuff to work. You got to leave it at the door. So in this case, like in Nehemiah's professional work setting, you were required to, especially during these times at the presence of the king, check your feelings at the door. It doesn't matter. Leave your mess there and be full of joy. As even earlier, we're talking about it's contagious, what you're feeling.

SPEAKER_02 35:02

Yeah, especially if like his role was to test his food and drink, right? Yeah, as the cup bearer, to make sure that the that nothing happens to the king. He doesn't get sick from anything. And it says, Why do you look sad when you are not sick? So, like almost in this way of like your job is showing the king that everything is okay by being by being the barometer by being by bringing the weather.

SPEAKER_00 35:33

That is so great. What a great way to bring that around. I didn't even uh catch that part. This is why it's so fun to read the Bible together. Um, and then so I love that Nehemiah, even in the moment of this conversation, he is praying. And then for the king to be like, so what do you what do you want? What are you even asking?

SPEAKER_02 35:53

That is so good. I love that it that because it's mid-conversation, it is, and we talk about that like pray unceasingly. That's what it means, right? So with the Holy Spirit before even answering somebody, and that's what Nehemiah does.

SPEAKER_00 36:07

And he even all he knows is that he's getting uh convicted to do this, and he doesn't even know how it's gonna happen, he just knows it needs to happen. No, he has no means again, no supplies because eventually Arta Xerxes provides all of the supplies, all of the needs, mind you, very expensive.

SPEAKER_02 36:28

But isn't that the Bible? Like, I I can't count how many times we see that where somebody that says they don't have enough, and God's like, what do you mean?

SPEAKER_00 36:38

Yeah, I'm the provider, I'm the source. Yeah, yeah. Something I heard this morning that was interesting too. It's like, let us remember if there's anything that you can learn, there's only one source. Everything else is a resource, but there's one source.

SPEAKER_02 36:51

Oh power, God is the source, everything else is a resource, everything else is supplemental, secondary, yeah, but there's the source, the creator. Let us stop saying I don't have enough. Oh my gosh, of anything.

SPEAKER_00 37:04

Yeah. Psalm 23. Yeah, if you're really with him, you have no, like you're with the source, you're with the source. Hello. And so as the conversation continues, so it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. But even before that, it's like, how long will you be gone? Again, like when you're working side by side with the king, you're considered to be pretty high up in terms of uh authority and position because you're working with the king. And also you develop this relationship with the king and he trusts you. And so, really, this possibly confidant that the king has. It seems so they have a great relationship, it seems like, right? Um, but then Nehemiah's like, I don't know how long it's gonna take, I don't know how long I'm gonna be gone, kind of going back to the uncertainty of this all. He just has a mission. God told him to go. He doesn't know how, he doesn't know for how long, literally nothing. He just simply it doesn't matter. And so I really love this. Is originally when I talked about um how God even used Arta Xerxes to um help fulfill his plan in chapter two, here uh the second half of verse eight, it says, and the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me. So God will even use the unbeliever at times, you know.

SPEAKER_02 38:25

Okay, I yeah, I mean, there's nothing that says, let's not breeze past that too quick. Like, yeah, God is almost always gonna be using the unbeliever, right? Yeah, like you don't you don't have to know God for him to use you. Guess what? He still created you and he is still sovereign overall, whether you realize it or not.

SPEAKER_00 38:45

100%. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 38:47

Don't think that you're just a good person because you're not, right?

SPEAKER_00 38:51

Everything good comes from above. Yeah, so even the good that it's in someone that is not a believer, guess what? It's actually still from God because everything good comes from above. So, fast forward here. Now you guys have a little bit of backstory of the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Wall and Nehemiah's mission and assignment over this. So I thought this was so interesting in chapter four. So, in the rebuilding of the wall, we mentioned that there is um opposition. People realized what it means for the city walls to be rebuilt. Because if you are a group of people that have no walls around you, you're vulnerable and you're likely to get attacked again by your enemies because there's no protection over you. You're like easy bait, you know? So I think that's part of why too, and Nehemiah recognize that. And then in chapter four, so people are trying to discourage them, and more than discourage, they're like full on coming against them in verse 17. Um, let's see, I'm gonna go back a little bit more. Okay, verse 15. So the work resumes for the building of the wall. When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. From that day on, half of my sermon servants worked on construction, half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail, and the leader stood behind the whole house of Judah, 17, who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand, held his weapon with the other, the other hand, basically. Verse 18. And each of the builders had a sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. I'm gonna stop there, but we'll continue on later because I want to touch on verse 20. So you have these people who Nehemiah has so beautifully delegated them specific tasks. Um, I also think it's a beautiful like proof of his God-given leadership that was graced over him and to know, like, if anyone has ever planned anything, it is very hard to think of the details and delegate all these little tasks, especially when it's really important to you. A massive job like this with so many moving parts and so many people that are involved.

SPEAKER_03 41:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:24

So Nehemiah was graciously able to delegate specific tasks to each group, different groups of people to have different responsibilities. And then it's so interesting that it says each labored with one hand and held his weapon with the other. And then even after that, how the builders they had their swords strapped to their sides while they would build. Normally, if you fight, you fight. Normally, if you build, you build. Yeah, these people are doing both. And so I think it's so it's it's crazy to think about. So, how many times when we are, if you want to say on assignment or are doing a job, and there's resistance, and we almost get so discouraged that we just give up. Um, and in this case, they're yes, they're highly discouraged. There's a there's a verse here, I'll read it now. In verse 20, it says, And in the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there, our God will fight for us. So the trumpet would be blown to remind the people that God will fight for you. And they did that to make sure that their spirits were upheld and kept to constantly remember that God is fighting for you. Every time you hear that trumpet, remember that. And so they continue to build, and then in their other hand, they have weapons ready to fight. We're gonna keep doing what we do, and at the same time, we're gonna do our absolute best with the help of the Holy Spirit and God and this leader, Nehemiah, who God has anointed. We're gonna continue to work and the other hand build. And I feel like that's not symbolic. I think that's very literal. Yeah, they literally have their uh supplies in one hand and their weapon in the other hand. That is so awe-inspiring to me. And I think a perfect example in the way that the Bible constantly presents like how we should aspire to live, um, despite opposition and despite the not ideal conditions to keep working, yeah, we are designed to work under pressure.

SPEAKER_02 43:36

Yes, we're not designed to live in comfort, yeah. Yeah, um, and keeping I mean, God so graciously ha chose to uh for us to be born in this time, in this place. So we don't need a we are lucky enough, we are blessed enough to not need a literal. Weapon in one hand, or a weapon in terms of what we think about, like a gun, a knife, a spear, I don't know. And um, but we know that like this here, our Bible is a weapon. Yes, that our prayers are a weapon that keep the do your work right now. We're in a different world where we you and I aren't working outside, we're not laboring outside, and our husbands aren't either even, you know, but do your work and keep the word in the other hand, the sword of the spirit.

SPEAKER_00 44:39

It reminds me of we were talking the other day with another friend, like actually, I don't know if you're with me, we're spiritually equipped. We have we're weaponized spiritually, yeah, to pull down strongholds. And so in that way, we're, you know, to your point, we now have the Holy Spirit within us. And let us not forget the type of weaponry that we carry now. Like we are strapped at all times. Yeah. And then you continue on. Yeah. You get discouraged, continue on. Like you're equipped and God is with you, He is fighting for you. Can you touch on that a little bit? There's a couple different places I want to go. I'm trying to like go everywhere. One train of thought at a time, can't we? We all miss you. Yeah, go wherever you want to. Like, there's different things swirling in my head, half of which I already forgot. Um, can you touch on? You looked up in the concordance, our God will fight for us, uh-huh. And what you learned when you read that.

SPEAKER_02 45:39

Let me pull it up. Okay. Um, yeah, so I what verse is this? For Nehemiah chapter four, verse 20. So I was just um looking at the concordance for the in the Hebrew, and it says, our God will fight for us in English. The concordance gives um other definitions for will fight for us to to feed on, to consume, and to battle. And to feed on and to consume, I think just gives it a totally different light. Like not only will our God fight for us, I think the word sometimes our English language is so limited. And when you say there is a fight, that gives you that means that there's it's like a soccer match. Who's gonna win? We don't know who's gonna win. There is like potential for both sides. Yeah, but when God is fighting for us, there is no potential for both sides. You're gonna get consumed. He is going to feed on you, he's going to consume you. Yeah. Or not you, but you know, like no, I love the enemy. That to cons like there's nothing left. When something is consumed, it's swallowed up.

SPEAKER_00 47:03

There is a psalm that I read recently, Psalm 97, verse 3, that says, Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around. His lightnings light up the world, the earth sees and trembles, the mountains melt like wax before the Lord. Wow. Before the Lord of all the earth. The mountains melt like wax. Nothing wax, nothing, nothing could match up against there's no back and forth. What song was that?

SPEAKER_02 47:37

99. 97.

SPEAKER_00 47:40

Um, we were talking earlier about I side note. Oh my gosh. She's shedding like crazy. This is my life right now.

SPEAKER_02 47:54

It's she did not used to shed like that. And I don't know what has happened if it's this feet.

SPEAKER_00 47:59

Yeah. Yeah, that's okay. Have lint rollers in every corner of this house now that I have a dog. Um, yeah, I was gonna say side note, I've been off of social media a lot more, and I'm really trying to be mindful of how much I consume on social. But I recently came across this video, and you and I were talking about it. There are these two street evangelists that were on the corner of I think Pike or Pine Street, downtown Seattle, but this video has gone viral. I didn't even realize it was in our hood until I read the caption. But they're preaching the gospel, and they must have been talking about just the LGBTQ plus whatever the acronyms are now because it constantly changes. Um, they must have been touching on that because there was a guy that was furious, out of control, no self-control. Yeah, no self-control. And was in these guys' face and started to get like real physical. And these two street preachers, I'm so impressed how they held it together for one, and how they didn't retaliate and really um they responded with words and with prayer. So talking about being spiritually equipped, they were fighting. And if you read the comments, everyone's talking about why aren't they fighting back? You guys, hello, they were fighting. Are you kidding me? They were fighting in the spirit.

SPEAKER_02 49:20

It is a lie straight from the pits of hell to say that and just pray. Uh-huh. Like you're just going to pray, like putting just pray in any context outside of like that's all you need is such a lie.

SPEAKER_00 49:38

Yeah. Like, just in the sense of minimizing it, but also I think different contexts, like, you know how like tone makes such a difference. When you could also say just pray, realizing that's all you have.

SPEAKER_02 49:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 49:51

Like, just pray, as like just do it. That's all you need.

SPEAKER_02 49:54

Just pray. Yeah. Versus like you're just going to pray. Exactly. That's the difference. What it that man, and we talked about this before too, and I think we would both say it again that like we're not saying that just like let people walk all over you.

SPEAKER_00 50:12

Walk all over you. That's not the case. No. And that's not what was happening in the video.

SPEAKER_02 50:15

Be guided by the Holy Spirit. But the fact that these men are fighting in the spirit, like you're saying, just worked up right now.

SPEAKER_00 50:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 50:24

Praying. Not just praying, but just pray. Yeah. They, if anything, um, you can make another delta from the hair on your turn.

SPEAKER_00 50:37

A little delta keychain from the spur on me. That's okay. So it's, I understand we all won't think the same. We all have different giftings and anointings and just a different divine design in itself. And we won't ever look at something in the exact same way. Even you and I, with all the things that we agree on, we'll have times where we look at things differently. And I think that's the beauty of the diversity of the body. But I will say I'm a little disappointed at the number of comments from Christians that we're looking at it from a natural point of view.

SPEAKER_03 51:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:17

In terms of like, why aren't they fighting back? And oh, I would have, oh, let me get their hands on that, or what don't call the police because I would do this. You know, people are so funny. And it's so much easier said than done. Like, you can't ever take one approach with everything. You know what? There might be times if someone laid hands on me that I would righteously lay hands on them. Let's be honest. But also in this case, and I think these guys could say the same thing. Um, but they were truly being obedient and submissive to the will of our father.

SPEAKER_03 51:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 51:53

And I really, really love the follow-up question that you had asked. What was the question? You don't remember. You said, um, how does this glorify our father?

SPEAKER_02 52:03

Oh, in terms of like, yeah, when when you're reacting to anything, just asking, like, what option is going to glorify the Lord? That is so insightful. Yeah. I think that's just like no, I mean, I didn't mean to say yeah, that sounds like I was like, yes, I'm saying insightful things.

SPEAKER_00 52:21

No, it is. Like, we should ask, like, when you said that, I was like, oh, that is so good. Because we don't ask ourselves that enough. And let's just say, hypothetically, if these guys had reacted and just got into this all-out physical brawl, because this guy that came at them, there was no calming him down.

SPEAKER_02 52:39

There was but he he ended up making himself look like a fool.

SPEAKER_00 52:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 52:44

I can't imagine that people who even aren't believers watch this video of this man just getting crazy. It's not like this, I don't know, but like he he gets picks up this man's speaker and tries to take it away from him. He's in his face. He is being so hateful, so hateful.

SPEAKER_00 53:08

He he slaps him, like full on open hand slaps him, pulls his glasses off his face, to your point, tries to grab a speaker and destroy this probably expensive equipment.

SPEAKER_02 53:19

In what regard is that acceptable?

SPEAKER_00 53:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 53:24

What in how is that okay in any in any terms? Yeah. And these men prayed. I mean, he did, he like wrapped himself around his speaker so the guy couldn't take it.

SPEAKER_00 53:38

And he was like, protecting what's his. He wasn't just letting the guy do anything and everything, but what they were restraining themselves from, and this is meekness from the Holy Spirit, controlled strength. Because these guys were capable.

SPEAKER_03 53:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 53:52

Um, they were practicing a fruit of the spirit, self-control. And it reminds me even in Proverbs 26, I had to look this up. Proverbs 26, it says, Don't answer the foolish argument of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are. I have Delta here. She's chilling. Yeah. Um, so if they had engaged in the way that that guy was in allowing this guy to be the barometer, yeah, they would have looked equally foolish, if not more. And then honestly, maybe even been a poor ambassador for the faith. And so they represented, I think, our faith in a way that the rest of the world was like, Oh, I would not have been able to do that. Yeah, they wouldn't either had it not been for the help of the Holy Spirit.

SPEAKER_02 54:34

Yeah, that's it, it wasn't, it was, it was the Holy Spirit.

SPEAKER_00 54:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 54:39

As a human, you can't. That's why he holds us up, he is holding on to us. Yeah, it's not us holding on to anything because we can't.

SPEAKER_00 54:50

Yeah, it reminds me of so what if these guys took opposition as maybe discouragement or of like maybe we shouldn't be doing this. So, in the same way, tying it back to Nehemiah, Nehemiah and his people were faced with a ton of opposition, people coming at them, much like I'm sure this guy at certain times, who knows the quarreling and the arguments that ensued during this period, right? That wasn't even recorded. Um, but I can imagine. But imagine if they took opposition of like, oh, this is a sign that God doesn't want us to do this. Oh, you know? Oh, yeah. And even for these street evangelists, like, this is too much. If if this was God's will, it would be smooth ceiling. Uh-huh. And that is not the case. Um, and then in terms of rebuilding this wall, Nehemiah had a clear vision. And not only that, but there was such a parting of the Red Sea that happened for him to rebuild this wall and just the provision, like supernatural provision that he got. And I talked about this during the last Bible study that we had. Uh, it was more like prayer focused, but I don't know if we talked about this on the podcast, but conformity and submission.

SPEAKER_02 56:10

I don't think so.

SPEAKER_00 56:11

Okay, so the difference I want to pull up my notes on this. The difference with conformity and submission, though, because sometimes we settle for less and say it's God's will, and that could be seen as you being submitted, but maybe not conformed. And so I want to shed even some light on this that I actually wasn't planning on sharing, but it's come up. So let me see if I can find it. There's two little boys at the front door. How cute. I know. I love that Kendrick gets to play with um the neighborhood kids out here.

SPEAKER_02 56:48

Oh, tiny kids.

SPEAKER_00 56:49

I know. Kendrick's the younger of all of them, too. But let me hey buddy, we're still recording, okay? Yes, I just need you to keep it down because we're still recording. And so, okay, let's touch on, hey buddy, quiet, please. Let's touch on the conformity versus submission. It reminds me even of what um one of the pastors had said, and again, I might have said this on the podcast, everything's kind of a blur together at this point, but this really touched me. Don't question in the darkness what God has revealed to you in the light. And I thought that was so good. And it even reminds me of like just because something hasn't gone your way, and it's really a tactic of the enemy to try to discourage you from God's assignment. Yeah, you gotta guard yourself of that. And I can't find this note, so I'm just gonna let it go. And if anything, I might post it on our social media page.

SPEAKER_02 57:59

Do you think this fits into what I was talking about earlier from Second Chronicles?

SPEAKER_00 58:03

I don't know. Go ahead and share that though.

SPEAKER_02 58:04

Um, while you're looking at that, maybe maybe I'm in just thinking about like what we think about in terms of like the Lord fighting for us and then even receiving opposition. Like if you've if you have a word from the Holy Spirit, you have a vision from God, you have an assignment or a task you've been given, and the opposition does not mean that it anything is changed. Like God does not change, He is consistent. And typically when we're doing work that He has placed in in front of us, it's not it's not easy. And I was reading this morning in Second Chronicles chapter 25. Um, verse 8 says, But go act and be strong for the battle. Why should you suppose that God will cast you down before the enemy? For God has the power to help or to cast down. And just thinking about like what I was gathering based on, you know, like the context of the whole chapter and the different kings. Um whether you have the victory in the battle or not, it is God's will.

SPEAKER_00 59:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 59:28

And what the what our understanding of victory is may look different than what the Lord's understanding of victory and or what the what God's will is for our victory. Yeah. And when we are we're given this task, we're giving this vision from the Lord, and we're like, we pray for you know, favor and blessings, and we pray for like smooth sailings. Yes, continue to do that, continue, continue to pray those prayers, continue to pray regardless. Yeah, but if we're told over and over and over that the Lord will fight for us, whatever happens is good.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:10

No, that's really great. So it's like in other words, if so God's fighting for us, kind of like we're talking about favor earlier, just because God answers your prayer doesn't necessarily mean anything in the same way that like if God doesn't answer your prayer, it doesn't necessarily mean anything.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:34

If you have if you get the victory, that doesn't mean that God favors you more.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:38

Yeah, it doesn't make him any more loving if he answers your prayer or doesn't answer your prayer. Yeah, he is love, I think is I guess what I meant to clarify that.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:48

Um, and so again, if you're discouraged of something and you feel like there's resistance in something, that doesn't change God's character. But also, again, don't question in the darkness what God has revealed to you in the light. And so, in the case of Nehemiah, he did not question what God commanded him to do when it started to get hard.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:13

So if you want to call it the darkness, and everybody who was building and laboring, yeah. I mean, we don't we we I guess make somewhat of an assumption there because it doesn't say that any of them like kicked and screamed or whined about it. It just said that where is it that um every builder had his sword secured at his side as he built.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:37

Yeah, and there was a time of um there was a time of them being full-on discouraged, and I think that's why they had to bring the trumpets out. And there was a time of, I think because some of the opposition came from people that they they weren't expecting these people to come against them. And so but I like how they just put up their guard even more. So when you're attacked by the enemy, instead of rolling over, what you do is you press in even harder. So in verse four or nine, it says, and we prayed to our God instead of guard us protection against them day and night. So they didn't just roll over, they instead they pressed in harder. Um, the opposition, it didn't cancel the assignment. Opposition didn't cancel the task. Opposition, honestly, it made them buckle down even harder. And there was a moment there in the middle where it felt hard because we talked earlier about like they're in the middle ground, it's almost even harder when there's opposition when you're in the middle.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:39

You're the furthest, you're at the furthest point from each side. Yes.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:43

In the middle. That's great.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:45

You can't turn back because then you're too much work already. You've done too much, but you're not to the finish line and not like almost there either.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:54

When you're in the middle, the finish line, it almost feels like you have so much more to go. And that comes from emotion. Because now in the middle, you've done work, you're tired, you've put in a lot of work, and so now it's like, oh, everything that I've done, and I got to do that much more, and maybe even more is what the middle ground feels like. And so this opposition came in the middle. Because even let's paint a picture. They're rebuilding a wall and they're not rebuilding it from a fresh slate. They're rebuilding it when from a place of there's ruins everywhere. And so when you think of ruins, what that looks like. Something that once was that was destroyed, there's rubble everywhere. There's debris everywhere. Things have to get cleared out. It's not fresh ground where they're just simply digging it out and laying the foundation down. No, there was an old foundation work, extra it's double work because now it's the cleanup, and then you also have to build. The rebuilding is often harder, you know. So they're clearing out the debris, they're having to look for where the old foundation was because if they don't build it on the foundation and they even misjudge that, the wall will only crumble crumble again. And so it reminds me of Isaiah. This is a verse, and maybe we'll wrap it up from here because I feel like we can talk about this forever, ever, ever. But a cool cross-reference that I had never made this connection before. Isaiah 58 is probably one of my favorite chapters in all of Isaiah, which is even hard to say because Isaiah is like the whole book was so good. But in Isaiah 58, 12, this is a verse that I've gone back to a lot during my seasons of fasting. And even um, honestly, praying for my family and just different things. But in Isaiah 58, 12, it says, And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt. You shall raise up the foundations of many generations, and you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets to dwell in. So that was a really beautiful cross-reference, um, referring to the rebuilding of the Jerusalem wall and them being the um, it says, You shall raise up the foundations of many generations. That speaks to past generations and future generations. And honestly, that's part of what kept the people motivated for the rebuilding of the wall in the book of Nehemiah, because part of what kept these people going is hey, think about your your wives. Hey, think about your children, hey, think about the future generations. This is not just for right now, but this is for the generations to come. And what you shall be called a repairer of the breach. So if there's a way to kind of sum this up and just put a bow on it. If you are in a season of hardship and maybe even feel difficult, or you feel like you're in that middle ground, for one, remember God will fight for you. Yes, Jehovah Nisi, God will fight for you. Yes, the battle is won. And that's it again. Like, I don't want to just let that flow off the tongue so easily because I recognize like how much work that is, but even in the rebuilding, just remember like there is such a A grace in the rebuild and the um the pruning and the growing of fresh new fruit that God always multiplies. Let this be of encouragement to you. That this is just not for right now, for you to feel good right now. This is for the generations to come. And this is even for your in your own lifetime, your future. Like the work is so worth it. Put in the work. We are not called to live in comfort. God calls us so much higher. And I'm so grateful for that that He doesn't leave us where we are. But just continue to press in and in the opposition, buckle down and press in just a little bit harder.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:38

I think we're just confused on comfort.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:41

We're just confused as humans because if God is love, love is the most comfortable. And that's so good. Um not everything that happens is going to be comfortable. Like us constantly seeking comfort is, and we know this just from like regular world stuff, right? Like just because it's comfortable doesn't mean it's good, it's right, or where you should be. Like it's comfortable to sit on the couch all day and just eat and eat and eat. That's not good for you. It's and the same thing goes with like our spirit man inside. Like the things that are comfortable is not what brings us necessarily closer to God. So rewrite, redefine, and reunderstand like what is comfort? What comfort is closeness to God, favor is closeness to God, intimacy with the Lord. Yeah, that's that is what ultimate comfort is.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:43

Not ease. Because often how we think about things, it's through our worldly bias and fleshly perspective. When God blesses us, our blessings, yes, at times it brings comfort, right? But our blessings are not meant for us to camp out in that forever. Because now your blessing has turned into stagnation. Blessings are not meant for that. God blesses us so He can call us higher, so that we can continue to ascend, so that we can continue to um be sanctified. Yeah, but this was great.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:30

That was fun. I and that's why our podcast is called Through It. Yeah, because you're in the middle and you gotta keep going. But guess what? You have the source and you're connected to him. Yeah, everything else is a resource, and he still gives it to us. Like I no matter how hard or how difficult you think things are, I don't know. I'm bad at this, I'm bad at being like empathetic to things, not and not having empathy. My heart does break for people who are sad or in need, but I just am always like, man, but but God. But God. And I know that's not always the right thing to hear or to say.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:16

I keep thinking about Psalm 24. It says, Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? Who? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. And so that's what will wrap it up. I love that you brought it back to why we named it through it. You just gotta keep we're we're gonna be in the middle ground forever until we are in eternity. So awesome, let's pray it out. Yeah. Thank you, Heavenly Father. Thank you, Jesus. We thank you, Lord, for who you are. We thank you for your mercy every single day, Lord. We thank you for your grace. Yes, thank you, Father, for your word. And I thank you for godly friendships, for godly conversations, Lord. I ask you, Holy Spirit, that you will teach us to continuously bring it back to you in the middle ground, Father, that we can constantly keep our eyes on you. That, Holy Spirit, you could prompt us to seek you, to pray to you, to worship you when we are in that middle ground. And I ask you, Father God, for just a supernatural strength for those that feel tired, for those that feel burnt out, Father God. I ask you, Lord, that you could teach us to walk at your pace to not go ahead of you. But Lord, instead, your word says that your fire has gone ahead of us. And long as we walk at the pace that you have called us to, Father, that you will keep us, that we can abide under the shadow of the Almighty, and that you could um be your peace, be our comfort, be our strength, Father. And we just thank you for the way that you so graciously bless us and still provide and even in our own foolishness and shortcomings, Lord. And I just ask you, Lord, that anyone that is listening, that you would open up their eyes, that we could truly run and not grow weary, that you can give them a supernatural strength, that you can teach us how to read your word, that you can teach us what it looks like to really spend quality time with you, to not have a mere curiosity and a desire, but to actively seek you, to have an act of faith that we live out, Father. I ask you, Lord, that you would teach Arya and I what it looks like to be an ambassador of Christ, Father. I ask you, Lord, that um you could prune the things that are not of you so that we can bear more godly fruit. I ask you, Lord, that you bless the listeners, that they have received something from you, not from our mouths, but from the Holy Spirit, because you are the one that gives the increase, Lord. And so we thank you in advance um for the testimonies to come. And we lift up all these things, Lord, in your matchless name in Jesus' name.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:04

Jesus' name. Amen.