Is That Me... or Is That You, Lord?

One of the biggest questions believers ask is, "Is this God speaking, or is this just me?"

In this episode of The Morning Charge, Joshua Hommes explores how to discern God's voice in everyday life. Feelings can be strong, opportunities can look good, and emotions can convince us that we're headed in the right direction. But how do we know whether we're following God's direction or simply chasing our own desires?

Together, we'll look at what Scripture teaches about hearing God's voice, surrendering our own ambitions, testing every decision against God's Word, seeking wise counsel, and allowing the Holy Spirit to shape our hearts. We'll also examine why God's direction doesn't always feel comfortable, and why true peace is found in obedience rather than convenience.

If you've ever wrestled with making a major decision, wondered whether you're hearing from God, or simply want to grow in spiritual discernment, this episode offers practical, biblical encouragement to help you walk confidently with Jesus.

Because the closer we walk with Him, the more familiar His voice becomes.

Episode Summary:

•  Learn practical biblical principles for discerning God's voice. 
•  Discover why strong emotions aren't always the same as divine direction. 
•  Understand how surrender, Scripture, and wise counsel work together. 
•  Explore how God shapes our desires as we delight ourselves in Him. 
•  Be encouraged to walk closely with Jesus so His voice becomes increasingly familiar.

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Real Talk. Real Jesus. Real Life.

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Welcome to the Morning Charge. This is your moment to slow down, breathe, and get your spirit aligned before stepping into the day ahead. Life moves fast, responsibilities pile up, voices compete for your attention. But before the noise of the world takes over, this is where we come back to what actually matters. This is a place for honest conversations about faith, life, purpose, and everyday battles we all face. No pretending, no religious performance, just the truth. Because following Jesus is never meant to be complicated. It's meant to be real. So whether you're driving to work, you're getting the kids ready, or you're simply taking a quiet moment for yourself, you're in the right place. This is real talk. Real Jesus, real life. This is the morning chart.

SPEAKER_02 0:47

When I was praying about and asking the Lord about this morning, it was just like, you know, a lot of people have that question of, you know, is how do I know what God is speaking to me? How do I know what God is saying to me? And so literally what God started speaking to me about, is that me or is that you, Lord? Because a lot of people ask that question, is that me or is that you? I don't know. Is that is that something I'm thinking? Is that something I'm coming up? Or is that you, God? And so I want to talk about this this morning because many times we get we get confused. All right, we we all have ideas and we have desires and and and we have these plans and all of these things. And they seem they seem very real and they seem right. You know, we have all of these, all of these things, and but the question is, is this God leading me to do this, or is this just me wanting something so bad enough that I'm gonna call it what God wants for me in my life? And so this is there's a hang up sometimes. And there's a lot of times people don't take any action because they're so confused about, well, is this me or is this the Lord? And you're and like I said earlier, this is a simple gospel. So what I want to talk to you about today is ways that you will be able to determine and discern, is it me or is it him? So let's dive into it this morning. Father, I thank you, Lord, for everyone who's jumping on the morning charge today. Father, I pray, Lord, that all of our eyes would be open, our ears would be open. Lord, we would discern things and filter things through your word today. Lord, as we go through this, learning how to hear your voice, learning how to see you all around us. Lord, we give you permission to move in this room. Holy Spirit, you come and have your way in our lives and in this time together today. And we give you honor, we give you glory and praise right now, in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen. Y'all don't forget to get to that link in my BIO if you want to know more about me. You want to know more about Fire and Water Ministries, if you would like to become a partner with us. We are a 501c3 nonprofit organization. You guys are the ones that help us get to the places that God is calling us, and we're thankful for our partners. Uh, and definitely be praying as well. Don't forget to also check out Brandjo Collective. It is up and running, and we are real close to fully launching some things. This is one of the things in there. Real talk, real Jesus, real life. The only thing I've got to have them fix is this is in the wrong spot. So it's like under here. So they're fixing that. All right. And look, we're going with some good quality stuff, y'all. I mean, this is like a, I'm not going to spend much time talking about this, but it's like a 60-40 cotton polyester. You know what I'm saying? It's not the really hot gonna make you sweat full cotton. We're trying to give you something comfortable, fully customized to what it was we wanted, because I didn't want you to just buy something just to get it. Because I wanted you to have something that you could have for like years instead of, you know, months. You know, some stuff you're like, well, that's great, but that didn't last very long. I didn't want that. That's why it's taking so long to launch all this stuff. And then I got the other, the hoodie in, because aside from the morning charge, the whole thing is Brand Joe Collective. They did a really nice job putting this together, y'all. Like, this is good quality stuff. And this hoodie's like, I mean, I'm I'm impressed. So yeah. So we're just making sure all this is good and ready to go before we launch it for you. And of course, I will keep you uh I'll keep you posted. That was not screen print. That is actually embroidered on here. I believe this is screen print over here or whatever you, whatever you call it. But the stuff this company uses is supposed to last and last and last, wash after wash after wash. It's supposed to like outlast the shirts. So you should have it for a long time. All right. Some Samuel Car batters not included. Y'all get up in the link. Y'all know what to do. All right, let's get to the important things. I just know if I don't mention that to y'all, I will forget. And my wife's gonna be like, you had that stuff up there, and you didn't. I know, dear. Okay, so let's talk about this this morning. If we're gonna follow the Lord, we have to learn the difference between some things. His voice and our own voice, all right, his will and our own will, his desires and our own selfish ambitions. So there's things we have to look at because there is a difference between the two. The thing is we shouldn't get stressed out and anxious and worrisome over what is what. Because I can tell you, the longer you walk with the Lord, the further you go with him, he's too big to miss. He's too big to miss. So, the number one, you need to stop having all that anxiety and all those things. You need to let all that go. And you need to dump that off at the altar right now and just say, Lord, I just come with you in peace. It's okay to just stand for a moment and just say, Lord, here I am, your child. Will you speak to me the things that I'm doing?

SPEAKER_01 5:47

The things that I'm feeling like I need to pick up and run with? Because we also need to deal with a verse that people quote that God will give us the desires of our heart.

SPEAKER_02 6:00

What does that what does that actually mean? Because a lot of people are like, well, he says he give me the desires of my heart, and a lot of people just filter that through if I can do whatever. He said, if I desire it, I can do it. I mean, does it mean that God just wants to just, you know, stamp approved on everything that we have before us? Does it mean that if we want it bad enough, it's gotta be him, right? No. No, I'm sorry. So let's break this apart. Let's take this piece by piece today so we can sort of understand it and let's filter it through the word of God because this is what we have to stand on. This is our firm foundation. Jesus is our firm foundation.

SPEAKER_01 6:38

All right, your heart can feel strong, but it can still be wrong. Your heart can feel, ooh, this is it, but it could still miss it.

SPEAKER_02 6:50

So let's start in this place. A lot of believers assume that if you feel so strongly about something, it has to be the Lord. All right, that is not always true. A strong desire is not the same as the divine direction towards something. And we have to look at Jeremiah 17 and 9. See, the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know? That's what the scripture tells us. All right, it reminds us that our our inner life, our life on the inside, apart from surrender and apart from truth, is not automatically trustworthy. Anything outside of surrender and truth is not the thing that we should be trusting. Proverbs 14 and 12 says, there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of unalivingness, TikTok language. So just because something feels right doesn't mean that it's the Lord. It doesn't mean that it is right for you. All right. This is where our discernment comes in. We have to discern what it is we're stepping into, discern what it is that we're feeling. That's why you've got to take things to the Lord in prayer and say, Lord, I know I'm feeling this. Have you ever just started to step into something that was so good and so wonderful, but you had to check in here and you're like, hmm, I don't know. That seems so good. And it seems like it'd be so good for my family and the great direction. But there's just something, something in here that's telling me that is the Lord trying to get your attention and say, while some things, some things look good, they are not of me. So be careful where you're stepping. You have to take everything to the Lord in prayer. That is why this matters. The word matters. Everything that you do and everything that you feel before you step out into something, you need to make sure that you filter it through the word and make sure that it fits. Are you surrendering to the Lord? Is he telling you to do this? Lots of different things you've got to look at because if you if you're not careful in doing that, you can just do your own thing and call it God. I'm gonna do this good thing. There's a lot of people that have built businesses, they built ministries, they built whatever, and they have done it. Oh, and it's been so good. And then they, oh, hey, Lord, will you come over here and bless this? And God's like, that's not what I had for you. I had something much better for you, and now you've built all of this. So what now? What now? You got to be so careful if you're going to put your hands to the plow. Make sure you're plowing your own field. You shouldn't be plowing somebody else's field with somebody else's assignment. Yeah, is it a good idea or a God idea, Josh? That's exactly what we need to ask ourselves, man. Good morning to you, bro. One of the clearest ways to know whether something is from God is this: God will never lead you in a way that contradicts his written word. If it contradicts the word of God, that is not the way that he is leading you. If your thought or desire or the direction that you're feeling led to go into, if it if it causes you to be pulled into sin, obviously that's pretty blatantly no. That's not the way you should go. If it is going to cause compromise in your walk with God, absolutely not. I have stepped out of a job position because of compromise. And I did not put my character and my integrity on the line, and I've chosen not to. I've never done that. I never will do that, and I will say adios about as quick as I said hello, I'm coming in. If it puts my character and my integrity on the line, never put yourself in that place. If you're having to compromise, do not. That is a big no. If it justifies disobedience, you're being disobedient. There's a lot of people who are called to the ministry, they're called to pastor, and they run and they try to get jobs and they'll do things there, and I'm just going to love on Jesus and all of that. That's not the fullness of what God had for you. Now you're trying to hide yourself in something else so you can use the excuses of I don't have time, I'm too busy, I have a wife and kids, or I have a family, or I got this going on, I've got that going on. If you're having to justify your disobedience, that's not a good place to be in. If your thoughts and your desires and your directions uh puff up your pride in your life, I got to do this to make a name for myself. I'm gonna get myself out there, I'm gonna get myself on a platform. You better watch out because it's not a matter of if it's going to fall. It's just a matter of when it is going to fall. There's a lot of corruption in the church world right now, especially over here in the Western world church. There's a lot of corruption. We have to be so very careful. Be careful who you hook your wagon to. Know them, know them well, know their character, know their integrity. And like I say, there's a lot of voices out here on social media. Be careful who you listen to. I talk to the Lord about that. And I will write down if you don't have a journal, you need to have a journal, then you're writing the things that the Lord speaks to you about in it. Because I'm very discerning on what voices. There's a lot of voices out here. I'm just I'm thankful that you guys have chosen to be here on the morning charge. Be careful who you listen to. Amen. Take it before the Lord. If your thoughts and your desires create confusion in your life, especially if you and your spouse are not on the same page about something, take it before the Lord.

SPEAKER_01 12:40

Because those things are not the Lord, especially if it goes against Scripture.

SPEAKER_02 12:45

If it's not filtered through the Word, it's not, it's not the Lord. All right, John 10 and 27, when my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. My sheep hear me, they know me, they follow me. See, notice that his his sheep hear his voice and they do what? They follow. His voice leads people, people closer to him, closer to his nature and his ways, not further away from it. So that scripture gives us a lot of hope. We hear his voice. The further that we walk with him, the closer we walk with him, the longer we walk with him. We learn to hear his voice, and then we know when it's him, and we and we know when it's not him. 2 Timothy 3, 16 through 17. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness is what that scripture tells us. The voice of God will always agree with the word of God. His voice will always agree because what God said is written in this book. What God is speaking to you is going to line up to this. He cannot go against it. If the if the Lord had the power to go against his spoken words, the universe would implode. He spoke the universe into existence. He spoke you and I into existence. He formed and fashioned you before you were even in your mother's womb. If he could go back on his word, we would all be in a mess. God cannot go back on his word. So if you're hearing something that's different than this, it ain't the voice of God. And you need to say, Lord, right now I bind up every bit of darkness coming against me in the name of Jesus. The enemy has no place to whisper in my ear. And I put on a good, I have a clear, sound mind, and I put on the mind of Christ today. And I got my armor on. If it contradicts the word of God, you're going to know very quickly if what you're stepping into, if it contradicts, it ain't it. Time to go a different direction. Amen. God's voice usually leads us through surrender. He leads us to a place of surrender, not our own selfish ambitions on the inside of us. All right. And this is this is a really, really big issue that we see going on, especially in America today. There's a lot of people who are hearing God there. Oh, I'm sorry, there's some people who are not hearing God clearly because they are still too attached to the things that they want and the things that they desire. See, they're so focused on on their life and and their career and what they have going on till there's no way that they can they can hear God clearly about what God really has for them. James 3, 14 through 16, where selfish ambition and envy exist, there is confusion and every evil thing. If you have selfish ambitions and there is envy, I want what they have. You've got to be so very careful. See, what we don't remember and what we don't understand sometimes is we want what people have. We want what people have, but we don't know the cost that it took for them to obtain what it was that they have. A lot of us just want to get to the end result. We just want to get to the destination, but you're not you're not ready to and willing to walk the path that it takes to get to the destination. There is a cost that comes to obtaining the the goals and the things that you might have. Make sure that your goals and things are filtered in here. Make sure it's what God has for your life, and then you run, run, run the race and finish well. But make sure you're picking up what God has for you, not what somebody else has that you want. Oh my goodness. There is a cost that comes to all of it. So make sure that you're paying the price and walking things out the way that God wants you to go. Selfish ambition creates confusion in your life. A lot of people are saying, I just don't know what God is saying. I don't, I don't know what to say. I don't know what he is speaking. Sometimes the issue is not that God is silent in their life. The issue is that selfish ambition is making everything real foggy and making everything confusing, and they don't quite understand. I don't understand what is going on. I don't really know the ways of the Lord. See, because now there's a struggle between the spirit and between your flesh. Because your flesh is crying out for certain things. The spirit is trying to lead you in certain ways, and now there's this tug of war that's going on on the inside of you. See, selfish ambition makes it hard to hear God clearly when you're running after your own things, your own desires. Why? Because now you're not listening to obey, you're listening for permission. See, that's a dangerous place. We should listen to obey what God is saying, but wait, but you're standing there listening for permission to keep doing and building what you want to do and build. That's not the way this life works. The other thing I want to look at this morning is how God speaks clearly to people who are willing to obey, not just people who are looking for confirmations to do the things they want to do. God is looking for a remnant. He is looking for a people that are going to go where he says to go and say what he says to say and do what it says that they need to do, what he says they need to do. A surrendered heart immediately will say, Lord, speak and I will obey. And he's going to know. He's looking at your heart. Are you just saying those? Are you just giving lip service? Are you just saying those words? He knows your heart. So be careful when you say what you say. Make sure that what you say is coming from your heart. Lord, speak. Lord, I will obey you. He knows who's going to obey and who's not. If you're not quite in that place, begin to move yourself into that place. That comes from getting in the secret place, getting in your word, praying, walking out things in life daily with him so he can show you the way. Because an unsurrendered heart, one that's not fully surrendered to God, says, Lord, say what I want you to hear today. Or say what I, yeah, say, say what I want you to say. I need you to say what I what I want you to say today.

SPEAKER_01 19:32

There's a lot of people who are just sitting and waiting. It's gonna be all right.

SPEAKER_02 19:38

And a lot of people who go against what's going on in the inside of them. They stepping out and they're just doing it anyway. God'll bless it. It's good stuff. Be careful what you're building. There's a lot of people building their own kingdoms and their own things. You should only be stepping out and doing what God has asked you to do. That's it. You need to have some healthy boundaries in your life. You should have a mission statement written out for your life. If you do not have a mission statement written out for your life, I have one written out for my life. I have one written out for my family. I have one written out for our businesses. We have one written out for fire and water ministries. If you do not have a mission statement, what are you doing? And anything that's outside of those healthy boundaries that you put out. Just saying. Octo14, good morning to you. Locking in. Just getting here. Amen. Locked and loaded, bro. Glad you're here this morning, man. But you gotta have right out. I know it sounds silly. Some people are like, oh my gosh, you mean like a like a you know, like a business or a ministry or you should have a mission statement for your life. And anything that's outside of that mission statement, it's a no. Compromise, it's a no. Anything that sounds good that could really bring forth some big things in your life, it's a no. If it's outside of your mission statement, that keeps you rooted and grounded in God, and it keeps you rooted and grounded in your mind. You don't have to think about it. You write it out. If it's outside the mission of your life, you don't think about it. It's like, no, that's a good thing, and I appreciate the opportunity, but right now God's got me focused on this.

SPEAKER_01 21:29

1 Samuel 3 and 10. Speak, Lord, for your servant hears. That scripture doesn't say, speak, Lord, if it matches what I want.

SPEAKER_02 21:43

It just says, speak, Lord, your servant hears. What does a servant do? A servant serves. Speak, Lord. A true servant of God is going to hear and is going to begin to walk out what needs to be walked out. Shay, good morning, friend. It's good to see you down there this morning. Anybody else? Who's jumping in this morning with us? Good morning to you, and welcome to the morning charge, y'all. The clearest hearing, clearest hearing, often comes from the deepest surrender. If you want to start hearing more clearly, you've got to start surrendering more deeply. Surrender your life. Surrender all. I surrender all. If you're going to sing I surrender all, that means all. That means everything. Everything you possess, everything that you have. I mean your marriage, your children, everything that you have, your career, your ministry, your business, your whatever you got. It's all. I surrender all. All means all. It doesn't mean some. Could you imagine singing that song?

SPEAKER_00 22:49

I surrender some to thee. No.

SPEAKER_01 23:01

If you want to know whether it is the Lord, you have to ask yourself this.

SPEAKER_02 23:07

Am I truly willing to obey if he says no? Am I truly willing to obey if he tells me no upon my request? Am I truly willing to obey if he leads me in a completely different direction that seems harder to climb? See, you got this little smooth path right here. He might say, I need you to go left. You look and you go, Wow, I'm gonna have to get out my my hiking boots and my carabiner, and I'm gonna have to climb. Amen. Sinke, welcome in. Good morning to you. First time here. You guys make sure to love on anybody who's jumping in for the first time with us this morning, y'all. And we're glad that you're here. Amen. This is real talk, real Jesus, real life. That's why we call this the morning charge. So you got to ask yourself some questions questions. Am I willing to lay down what I want? If he says that this is not for me, I have something better. Are you willing to wait for the better? Or are you trying to settle for what you can grab right now? These are questions that will begin to expose things in your heart and even fine-tune you in more to hearing his voice when he speaks. God gives the desires of your heart by transforming your heart. See, now we're getting to this question. You said the scripture says he gives us the desires of our heart. Well, Psalms 37 and 4, delight yourself also in the Lord, and he shall give you the desires of your heart. See, we leave off the first the first part of this. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and and means there's a result from delighting yourself in the Lord. So if you delight yourself in the Lord, then he shall give you the desires of your heart. And if you're delighting yourself in the Lord, his desires are already set on the inside of you. A lot of people quote just the end part of that. He'll give you the desires of your heart. That's what the word says. In other words, whatever I want, God's gonna hand it on over. He said he'd give it to me. Yes, all these things. No, no, no. Delight yourself in the Lord. So the thing you need to concentrate on is not the desires of the heart part. The thing you need to look at is delight yourself in the Lord. Lord, I love you. I thank you. Oh, I just, I worship you just for your goodness and for being a good, good father. Lord, I thank you for the things that you have given me. I thank you, Father, for the life that you've given me. Lord, I thank you, Lord, that you put breath in my lungs again today. I delight myself in you when you begin to just talk to Him and stir yourself up. Something begins to shift on the inside of you. And now you're walking just like Adam did in the cool of the day. Hello? We are on a mission to get back to the garden. That's the original state that he called us in when he created man was in the garden.

SPEAKER_01 26:14

It was to cultivate, to watch over, and reap the fruit that the garden would give you. Cultivating, watching over, reaping the fruit.

SPEAKER_02 26:31

He's giving you what you need to be sustained. Amen. Yes, Psalms 27, 14, wait for the Lord. Be strong and let your heart take courage. Wait for the Lord. I think that's what's wrong with us too, Hill Country. That's a great point. Is that we're not willing to wait. We want everything right now. And due to technology the way that it is, and even the the theory of the fast food theory, I mean, we can, I mean, I'm hungry. You pull in, you order, you pull around, money, food, off you go, and you're eating while you're still driving. Didn't even have to get out of your car. Boom, boom, boom. It was just like that. Unfortunately, we have that microwave mentality for everything. We feel like we should have it all right now. And when we don't, that's when we get upset. Speaking financially, that's when we get ourselves in money trouble because we want it right now. I want the big horse, the big, the big horse. I don't know. Maybe you want a horse. The big house? You want the car, you want the things and the stuff and look like the model family. Yeah. People just put themselves in debt. They're living way above their means. I mean, your income level is here and you're here. And you're trying to keep up. Now you're trying to keep up with the Joneses and you're trying to build this life and do these things, and you feel like more income is going to help you. Unfortunately, more income is not going to help you. You would think, well, I need more money to pay for it. No, no, no. What it is is you need to change your mindset because it's not a money issue you have, it's a mindset issue that you have because you're thinking wrongly about finances. You're thinking wrongly about life. It is not all about the what you can have and I can have it right now and all this stuff. But unfortunately, we we feel like this scripture here lets us just say, well, whatever I want, God said I can get it. And you have to follow him in every decision that you have. You must think through logically, and you need to filter through. I mean, the word also tells us that the borrower is slave to the lender. But I want it, I know you want it right now. But there's biblical, and I am, listen, we've had our share of it, and I'm still paying on some of it. Amen. But I am getting the revelation of what God is saying: how to do things, when to do things, what to do with the things that he has given us. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and he shall give you the desires of your heart. When you delight in him, your heart is getting changed. Something is happening on the inside of you. When you delight in him, your desires are getting purified, and some of them purged, but they're being replaced by his desires in your life. Your priorities are starting to now get adjusted when you delight in the Lord and you have a relationship with him and you're walking with him like Adam did in the cool of the day, and you're listening to his voice. Your motives get exposed when you begin to speak with him. And he says, that right there, we got to deal with that right there. And you allow him to come in and begin to do that. You to continue to delight yourself in him, and you allow your loving Heavenly Father to correct you when you need to be corrected and give you the green light when he wants to give you the green light. Your wants start to come into alignment with his will for your life, and then something beautiful happens. When your heart gets changed, he then begins to give you the desires of your heart because now his ways have become your ways, and now he is taking you up to see from a different perspective you can see the whole thing. God gives the desires of your heart by shaping your heart in his presence. That means you must be getting in his presence. He fulfills desires that align from his will, or he changes desires that never aligned with his will for your life, and a shift happens on the inside of you.

SPEAKER_01 30:49

Lord, let that shift happen on the inside of us.

SPEAKER_02 31:02

And they confuse peace with God's direction. All right, there's there's people that think if I feel uncomfortable, this can't be God. Oh, this is I'm this is sometimes following the Lord cost you your comforts. Actually, most times, following the Lord cost you your comforts. Following the Lord, obedience is going to stretch you. He said, You said yes. You're you become like Stretch Armstrong. He just begins to stretch you on out there. Sometimes his voice, his voice comes and it confronts you. Hey, I need you to get up and I need you to do this. But Lord, I just want to work my job and go home. I don't want to do nothing else, Lord. And he says, Well, these are the things I have for you. If you want to live the fullness of your life, this is what you must do. Sometimes his leading is going to cut against what your flesh wants. Ooh, it's going to be a little painful. And he comes out with the sandpaper and he just begins to rub off the rough edges in your life. See, Colossians 3 and 15, let the peace of God rule in your hearts. Let the peace of God rule in your hearts. Yes, peace. The peace of the Lord. But peace is not the same things as make as easy. Okay? Peace is not the same thing. Oh, if everything's easy, I'm peaceful. Oh, I'm peaceful. There's no, whoo, there's no. No. Jonah had ease going the wrong direction. I'm just going to get up out of here. I'm going to take the next boat out of here. I'm going to ease on on this ship right here. Whew. Oh, I don't have to go do that. You see, Jesus had he had agony in Gethsemane while still being in the will of the Father. He was in the will of the Father, but the Bible tells me he was there was agony in Gethsemane. God's voice is most likely going to come and disturb your flesh while still bringing peace to your spirit and peace to live in your heart. That is why your discernment has to go much deeper than your comforts. There's some things he wants you to step out and do. There's some things he wants you to go forward in, but you haven't because it seems uncomfortable. I'm not used to speaking in front of people. That is uncomfortable. And for a long time, I was, I mean, it was uncomfortable for me to even be up on a platform to even just play the keys for somebody else to sing. I may just be in up there to do that. But see, I got comfortable behind the keyboard. So that was my comfort area. I didn't do anything outside of that because I was, you know, right here. And then the Lord's like, no, you're going to speak. And I'm like, no, I'm not. If I do, I'm going to sing and it's going to be from back here. And the Lord began to move me out from in front of a comfortable place for me. Because, see, what God calls you to do has nothing to do with comfort. Larry brings up a good point. The RV is not comfortable. I mean, beds are pretty comfy. But 300 square feet is a little different than 2,300 square feet. But are you going to do what God said to do? In October, we made that decision to do what God said to do. I want you to move back into your RV for a time and a season because I have some things for you to do. And when he spoke it to me and Brandy at separate times, we knew it was the Lord. And and he knew he had to do that. For us to make such a decision as that.

SPEAKER_01 34:56

And really, what decision was there to make other than saying, Yes, Lord? Yes, Lord. God's voice is going to disturb your flesh, but it's going to bring peace to your spirit.

SPEAKER_02 35:10

It's time to go deeper with him. God's voice produces fruit that looks like him. If you're still trying to discern whether something is God or not, look at what it is going to produce. You have to look in here and look ahead. If I do this and step out in this, what is it going to produce? This is outside of your comfort and outside of your thoughts and outside of your whatever. God said, step out in this. What's it going to produce? Does it produce humility? I mean, I'm I'm pretty humble where we are right now. I'll go ahead and tell y'all. Does it produce peace in your life? Obedience? Is it going to produce if I step out and do what God is asking me to do, Lord, is this you? Does it produce holiness? Does it produce love or truth or patience or surrender? If it produces any of those things, it's the Lord. If it produces pride, arrogance, haste, self-promotion, compromise, confusion, anxieties, fears, manipulation. Well, even outside of fear. Sometimes the Lord will call you to do things you're fearful of, and you've got to overcome your fear. But if it produces manipulation and anxiety, anxiety is not good. Those things you've got to watch out for that. Matthew 7 and 16, you will know them by their fruits. Galatians 5, 22 through 23. The fruit of the Spirit is what? It is love and joy and peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. God's voice will produce fruit that reflects his character. What if you're waiting on the Lord and instead of your strength renewing, it feels like it is weakening? If you're waiting upon the Lord and you have been waiting upon the Lord, and you have been waiting upon the Lord, naturally, fleshly speaking, your strength is going to begin to, uh is going to begin to weaken. That's why we have to be renewed by the strength of the Lord. And the joy of the Lord is your strength. So you must maintain your joy as you're going through the waiting. See, being in the hallway is the worst place to be. I'm just going to be honest. Being in the hallway can be the most difficult place for you to be because you are now standing and you're awaiting. All right? Some of you are in that place. You have done everything you know to do. You have stepped everywhere you know to step. And now, for some reason, you are in this holding pattern, this waiting pattern, and you were standing and you are waiting and you are watching and you are looking. Have peace in the waiting. Have peace in the waiting. Everything for uh the Bible tells us for everything there is a time and a season under heaven. All right, Habakkuk 2 and 2 first tells us to uh write things down, make it plain on tablets, for those that read it, they can run with it. And then the very next thing it goes into, it says, For there is a time and a season for all of this to take place. You have got to go forward with a vision. You have got to trust God for every step along the way, and then he is going to bring things to pass in its time.

SPEAKER_01 38:57

Thank you, Lord.

SPEAKER_02 38:58

Thank you, Lord, for your seasons. And thank you, Lord, for your strength when we need strength. Because it's by his strength I'm able to do the things that I have to do. It's not in my own strength. I'll go ahead and tell you all that right now. God's voice will produce fruit that reflects his character in your life. If the thing that you're trying to call God brings forth pride and self-centeredness and impatience and compromise, that is something now where you need to stop and reevaluate what you're doing. Why are you building what you're building? Why are you doing what you're doing? If it does not bring forth uh kingdom, the kingdom of the Lord here on the earth, if it doesn't bring forth fruit and good fruit, you must assess these things. Amen. The other thing I want us to talk about before I wrap up this morning is that wise counsel, wise counsel helps protect us from following ourselves. That does not mean to take advice from everybody you know about the things that God may be speaking to you or the things that you may be thinking up. Everyone has their own opinions, they have their own take on things, and you're gonna get, if you talk to 10 different people, you're gonna get 10 different answers about what it is that either you or the Lord are trying to do. And five of them may say this is the Lord, and five of them may say that this is you. And now you're really gonna be torn and you're really gonna be confused. Do not talk to everyone about what you feel like God is talking to you about. Do not share the vision of what God has given you until such a time as it is where you're released to do so. Because not everyone is going to understand. And you're gonna have so many naysayers out there that are gonna try to throw you off track and get you discouraged till you don't do anything. You have got to guard yourself and guard your heart. But I will tell you that godly counsel is important. Godly counsel. Proverbs 11 and 14 in the multitude of counselors there is safety. Good, godly counselors who are not going to squash what it is God wants you to do, but they're going to say, okay, well, let's take this to the Lord and let's take this to his word and let's search this out. Let's see if God is in the midst of this. Proverbs 15 and 22, without counsel, plans go aura, but in the multitude of counselors, they are established. Okay. You're not allowing anyone to run your life, okay, but what you're doing is you're humbly coming before trusted individuals and you're inviting wisdom into your situation. You're inviting wisdom to speak into what is going on in your life. All right, if you cannot submit your word from God, okay, I got a word from God. If you can't submit that to wise counsel, all right, it might be more you than him. I just want to throw that out there to you. But you have to have a trusted people. I'm talking one, two, okay, a couple of people that you trust that you know are going to lead you by the ways of God and the ways of the word, and they're going to stand with you and they're going to pray with you and they're going to talk with you through it. That is wise counsel. Those that, and and honestly, wise counsel is those who have been the way of what God is calling you to. If I wanted to build a million-dollar cleaning business, I would want to talk to someone who has a million-dollar cleaning business. Okay. You still have to be careful, even with wise counsel, because everyone has their opinions. But if you're, if the Lord calls you to go this way, you I might want to listen to someone who has been the way. They're going to give you wise counsel. I'm telling you what, when I started this, this did not work. But I'm telling you what did work. This right here. Now that don't mean that right there may work for you, but now you're gleaning from people and you're listening to stories. Glean from people and listen to stories of people who have been the way. Amen. Only you know what the Lord has spoken to you. But it comes by being in the secret place, listening to his strategies, filtering things through the word, walking things out, and then seeking wise counsel about what you feel like the Lord is saying to you. Amen. And just like I just stated, I'm going to end with this. God's voice becomes clearer as you walk with him daily, because that's the big one. That is the big thing for you. God's hearing God is not, uh it's it's not it's not a one time I can sit here and be like, if it's this, then you know it's God every single time, if it's that little thing, other than really just filtering things through the word from what you're hearing and what you're what you're discerning. All right, but this growing in relationship with him, the more you walk with him, the more you're going to recognize when he begins to speak to you. You're going to recognize the priorities that he wants to set in your life. You're going to recognize the more that you learn in his word, you begin to just apply to your life. And as you begin to apply in your life his word and his ways, you will begin to walk in the ways of the Lord. You're going to know what is your flesh and what is not. Like, oh, that is me thinking for sure, because that goes against the word of God. And you begin to sharpen yourself. So you must spend time with him to know. John 15, 4 through 5. Abide in me. Enough said. Abide in me. When you abide in him, you begin to walk this life out with him. Romans 12 and 2, be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. If you want to know the good, acceptable, perfect will of God, be transformed by the renewing of your mind. The proof of a renewed mind is you're now able to walk out the things that are good and acceptable. You're able to walk out the perfect will of God because you renew your mind every single day. Discernment gets clearer as your mind becomes newer and renewed in him. You learn to recognize God's voice by living close to God's heart. Abide in him. I in him and he in me. We abide in each other and we walk life out with him. Getting in your word daily, going to the secret place and praying and listening to the Lord daily, surrendering to him daily. These are the keys to know whether it's you or whether it's God. You have to walk this life out with him, or you're not going to know. That's it, hope. We need fresh oil. If you want fresh oil poured out every day, go get before the Lord.

SPEAKER_01 46:16

Thank you, Jesus.

SPEAKER_02 46:20

So, some questions to ask you. Don't forget, all of these, the the recap and the the the questions that I've written down here and the Bible references that I've used today, plus a few more for you, are going to be up on the Branjo Collective blog here in just a little while. All right, Branjo Collective. Y'all know where to go. I have that up by 11. All right, by 11 a.m. Central Time. So if you want to go back and get some recap notes from this and you want to get the scripture references from this, I want you to have that so you can continue to glean from what God is wanting to show you from His Word. And then you get alone with the Lord and then begin to see what He wants to do in your life. But some of you this morning, you're not, you're not confused because God is unclear. Kids are awake. You're confused because you still want what you want rather than the truth of what he wants for your life. Because it's uncomfortable, it's it's scary. It's it's I don't I don't know if that's not me. There's or or there's other people doing that. I shouldn't have to do that. Well, why is he continuing to speak to you to that to you over and over and over and over and over again? Because he has something for you in the midst of that. He has a plan and a purpose for you. If you did not have purpose, if he did not have a plan for your life, you would not be here. You would not be here in this generation, in this timeline of time. You would not be here right now. I know we overuse that phrase for such a time as this, okay? But I just want to say this morning, you were put here for this moment in time. You and me were here for this. For what? I don't know. You ask the Lord. You ask the Lord what he has put you here for. But I know we were here for this moment and this time because you carry a piece of the puzzle that needs to go in this thing so we can see the full picture. He put breath in your body, he's given a plan and a purpose for your life. Spend time with him so you know exactly what that is. And get healing where you need healing for goodness sakes. If there's people you need to forgive, forgive people and get that out of here. If you need to ask for forgiveness, then you need to ask for forgiveness to get some things out of here and begin to pull up all of these things by the root and stop just dealing with the little surface issues. Pluck things up by the root and allow him to come in and do open heart surgery, and you are going to look as if there was never anything wrong and there was never anything there when you begin to walk out a life that is full and that is whole in him. He wants you to have a whole heart and a whole life. Jonathan, what's up, dude? Good morning, bro. All right, he's got to run, but I want to throw my brother up there. Him and his wife Kimberly and their lovely family came to see us this weekend, and they he took Kim to the uh the unmuzzled women's uh meeting that was Saturday, and Brandy, of course, spoke at that, and then they came to church with us yesterday. We had a wonderful time with them. We love you, bro, and uh hope you guys made it back home and everything is good and well. I know you got to go forth and do what you gotta do, man. But we love you. I just want to throw up there and give you some love. He goes live here on TikTok, too. You talk about an extraordinary drummer that hears the rhythms of heaven. He is one of those, and he goes live here on TikTok from time to time at home doing that. Even some Sunday mornings, he will uh he'll throw the uh the camera on and do that. Oh, you did around midnight last night. Well, glory to God. Well, well, I'm glad you made it all. I know you had an early start to your day, man. But uh, but we love you. Y'all make sure to give Jonathan some love if you don't know Jonathan, but but ask yourself a couple of questions here. Is is this desire drawing me closer to Christ or is it drawing me deeper into self? That's gonna answer some things to you. And does this line up with scripture? What he is speaking to you, does it line up with scripture the way that you're doing things? So find yourself in the secret place today. And am I truly willing for God to say no? You have to be okay when our Heavenly Father says no. Because we know he's got a better way. When he closes those doors and you don't understand why, he has a better way for you. Amen. Father, I thank you, Lord, for everybody who has jumped on this live stream today. Father, I ask right now, Holy Spirit, that you would move in a powerful way in their lives. God, that you would bring forth transformation in their hearts and in their minds. Father, Lord, that you're bringing transformation even in their of their marriages, Lord, their families, God, on their workplace, their job right now in the name of Jesus. Father, I pray, Lord, that things that have been out of order would now be back in order again, Father, Lord. That you would be almost like a spiritual chiropractor, God. You would come and you would work on the areas, God, where things have been out of alignment, God, that you would bring us back in proper alignment with you, Lord, according to your holy word. God, we stand upon your word today because it is the only foundation that we have to stand upon. Jesus, we want to stand upon your words, Father. This morning, we want to follow after you. Jesus, we want to be ones, Lord, that go forward, Lord, in this life, God. Lord, Lord, honoring you and everything that you did and allowing your Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us in every decision we make. Right now, in the name of Jesus, Father, I pray that situations would begin to turn, God, as we begin to turn our focus back on you.

SPEAKER_04 51:59

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