Life Skills For Successful Christian Living | EP17

Hello there,

In this episode of the Your God Sister Podcast, we explore practical life skills that help us navigate every kind of day life brings—whether it’s a heartbreaking season, an ordinary Thursday, or a moment filled with overwhelming joy. Through scripture, personal testimony, and honest conversation, we’re reminded that God desires to walk closely with us through all of it.

I share how the Lord taught me the importance of staying connected to Him in every season of life and how simple daily disciplines can completely transform the way we handle pressure, uncertainty, and everyday responsibilities. From learning to talk with God like a close friend to replacing complaints with praise, this episode is filled with encouragement for anyone who wants to grow stronger in their walk with Christ.

Together, we’ll explore the “Four Ps” that help believers remain steady and successful in life: proximity, prayer, praise, and perseverance.

In this episode, we’ll talk about:
 • What it means to truly walk closely with God
 • Why prayer is more than talking—it’s also listening
 • How praise can shift your mindset and strengthen your faith
 • Why perseverance is essential when life applies pressure
 • How to remain faithful to God’s plan without quitting

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, discouraged, or simply hungry for a deeper relationship with God, this episode will encourage you to stay close to Him, keep standing, and trust that He is with you through every phase of your life.

Scriptures references from this episode:
 Genesis 5:23-24 TPT
 Hebrews 11:5 TPT  
 Luke 18:1 AMPC 
John 11:41-42 NKJV  
Psalms 34:1 NKJV 
Ephesians 6:13,18 AMPC

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Have you ever felt like your life was broken into a million pieces? Has life presented you joys that were unmatched? Do you ask yourself as many times as I do, what's for dinner? Let's talk about it. You might be thinking, what do these questions have in common? Well, they all illustrate the days of one's life. We have all lived long enough to have experienced challenges. Some situations have been big, some have seemed small. We may have felt we could handle most of them, but then there were challenges that came running toward us at full speed. They were designed to completely wipe us out. There are also the mechanics of living everyday life. There are days when there's not any specific issue or concern, it could just look like a regular Thursday. The kids are doing homework, hubby is about to start the grill, and you are almost done preparing some delicious side dishes. What about those days? Then there are those absolutely joyous days, the ones you wish you could relive over and over and over again. It might be the day he proposed, or maybe the day the company called and said, You got the job. Whatever kind of day comes, there is a way to live successfully through them all. Let's discuss basic life skills for Christians. Welcome to the Your God Sister Podcast, where we address life's challenges with biblical answers while enjoying our time together. A couple of constants here are what the Bible says and what the Lord speaks to our hearts by the Holy Spirit. My name is Joy Cooper. I am an associate pastor, I am a youth minister, and through the years I've had the opportunity to mentor young ladies. But on this podcast, I'm here with you. To make this easy, I've compiled a short list of four P's. There are many life skills for those who live in Christ, but I think these four ensure the success for anyone who will live them out. I've always been mindful to show those I'm teaching how the Bible applies to everyday life. The Bible is not a book of random facts and theory. The Bible is alive and powerful. The Holy Spirit makes God's word come alive for us. It's an amazing gift we have from our Father. Let's get into it. We cannot reach high levels in Christ apart from these daily disciplines. Actually, I think it would be more fun to call them daily opportunities. Write these down and take notes if you can. Proximity, prayer, praise, and perseverance. Again, proximity, prayer, praise, perseverance. Let's start with proximity. It's the state of being near or close in space, time, or relationship. I like this one. We can be close to God. Imagine that. We can be close to God. There's a whole bunch of people we can't be close to. We can think about CEOs of companies, we can think of heads of state, we can think of celebrities. There are a bunch of people we can't be close to. But think about it, we can be close to God. We can enjoy sweet fellowship with Him every single day. So you might be asking, what does that look like? Well, let's look at Genesis 5, 23, and 24. The Passion Translation says, Enoch and God walked together as intimate friends. Then God took him to himself, and he was seen no more. The lifespan of Enoch was three hundred and sixty-five years. And in combination with this verse, let's read Hebrews 11 5 in the Passion Translation as well. Faith translated Enoch from this life, and he was taken up into heaven. He never had to experience death, he just disappeared from this world because God promoted him. For before he was translated to the heavenly realm, this his life had become a pleasure to God. So I love, I love, I love thinking about Enoch. Enoch was a man who lived on the earth, and he and God were friends. He talked to God all the time, he fellowshipped with God all the time. And you think about this, you think, how could one be a friend of God? Well, how are you a friend with anybody else? Sometimes I think we make things so difficult. We make things deeper than they are. How are you, friends? Think about your best friend right now. Are you thinking about them? Okay. Now think about what all is um, what all goes into being their friend? What makes that person your best friend? Is it that you can tell them anything? Is it that you can call them at any time of day or night? Is it that you go places together? Is it that you share secrets with each other? What what composes this relationship? Think about those things and then apply them to God. It's just that simple. It really is just that simple. So there was an intimate fellowship that Enoch and God shared. They were close. And I love this too because I think about it this way: Enoch walked with God. And you think about walking, you think about what that means, just going about everyday life. So for me, that means Enoch took God with him in every aspect of his life. Every aspect was done with God. And I think sometimes we leave God out of every aspect. Like we put him in, oh, I'm going to church, so I'm gonna put, I'm gonna pick up God on the way to church. Like you're giving God a ride to church. But no, he wants to be with you all the time. You're not picking him up and dropping him off. He's supposed to be with us at all times. So I want to talk about this. If we are mindful of God in the same way we would be mindful of our best friend that will change your proximity to him. But it's our side. What are we doing? How are we thinking about him? So make that tweak. Think about your best friend, and then think about okay, how can I apply those things to God? Oh, I can talk to him all the time. Oh, I can ask him questions. Oh, I could tell him, you know, the things that I might be struggling with, or I could just enjoy him. I could just talk to him. I could I could thank him for being who he is for me and to me. Just make these tweaks. Okay, let's move on to prayer. Prayer in its simplest form, I would say, is just conversation with God. Remember, conversation is a two-way street. Because I think sometimes, and I've been there before, you just get to talking to God and you get to talking and you get to talking, and when you finish talking, you get up and you go. But no, this is two-way, this is two-sided. If Enoch and God were intimate friends, there are two sides to that relationship. So just like there are two sides to a relationship, there are two sides to a conversation. We should talk to God, but in times of prayer, we should also listen. Of course, there are several types of prayer, but they are all directed to the Father in the name of Jesus. In the Amplified Classic Edition, Luke 18, 1 says, Also, Jesus told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to turn coward, faint, lose heart, and give up. We could say this scripture this way and be correct. Also, Jesus told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to have conversation with God and not to turn coward, faint, lose heart, and give up. Jesus lived this out. He always talked to his father, and he knew his father always heard him. When you have time, read John 11, verses 41 and 42. We have access to the Father. We can enjoy conversation with him whenever we'd like to. I've shared this testimony before, but it's one of the most precious conversations I've ever had with God. A close family member had received a serious diagnosis from the doctor. I remember praying to God. I said, Lord, I have no point of reference for any of this. I don't know these treatments. My father God said, No, but you do know me. I was immediately calmed. I was immediately comforted. I was immediately standing in the love of my father. This was me talking to my father God in prayer, but it was also him speaking back to me. As you can imagine, those words from his heart to mine comforted me like nothing else could. If we stay in constant conversation with God, his answers to our heart will keep us from becoming weary and fainting under the pressures of life. I haven't always done this right. I remember going through a rough season, and the Lord had to remind me ever so sweetly, but firm. He said, Stop going through things without me. I knew exactly what he meant. I wasn't making time for conversation with him where I could receive the answers I needed. I was just hunkering down and dealing with things on my own. And what was the result? Just like Luke 18:1 says, I was on the brink of fainting, losing heart, and giving up. Okay, let's continue. Let's move to our next Praise. Psalm 34, verse 1, in the New King James Version is so clear. It says, I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise shall continually be in my mouth. We are to be in praise mode all the time. It should be a constant flow expressed in our words. You may think, uh, yeah, how can I do that? You mean to tell me I'm supposed to just be like, praise the Lord, thank you, Jesus, praise the Lord, thank you, Jesus, praise the Lord, thank you, Jesus. Of course, that's part, that can be part of your daily rotation of words. But let's think about this a little deeper. How about talking? Um, well, no, how about taking the complaints out of your mouth? How about that? How about we do that? Which is so funny because we tend many, many times we all have been guilty of it. We can complain all day long and not think anything of it. But what would it be like if we took the complaints out of our mouths and instead of speaking those words, we added thanksgiving and praise to the Lord. So, what does that look like? Well, thank you, Lord, that I have a job to go to on this Monday. Yeah, you know the complaint that would replace that. The complaint is usually, oh man, it's Monday and I gotta go to work. No. Thank you, Lord, that I have a job to go to this Monday. Thank you, Lord, for my boss. Lord, thank you that I have the opportunity to cook for the husband I prayed for. Come on now. You be in that kitchen tripping, like, ugh, I gotta cook this food and I'm tired. You pray for that man. You prayed for him, God gave him to you, and then you start complaining. No, Lord, I thank you. I have the opportunity to cook for this husband that you've blessed me with. Think about how replacing what many people complain about with words of praise to the Lord. How much better would our days be? How much more pleasing would we be to God without being aware of it? Many people complain all day long, all day long. So if it's possible to do that, then we know it's possible to substitute complaint with praise. It's so good. So as the scripture instructs, let his praise continually be in our mouths. Now, this life skill for Christians is a must. This next one is a must. They all are, but this one is just it just like ties up all of it in the in a perfect bow. You will begin to enjoy the benefits of proximity, prayer, and praise, but without this one, your success will be greatly affected. So to seal the deal, you must add perseverance. Perseverance will hold you steady. Because we all could get excited. Oh, I have proximity to God. Oh, I can pray, oh, I can praise. You get excited, but then you gotta hold steady. Simply defined, perseverance, it's the continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties. So let this let's break this down even simpler. Don't quit. That's just it. That's perseverance in two words. Don't quit. My dad used to say it this way: don't quit. He used to say, anybody can quit. It takes strength to stay the course no matter what pressure comes. The goal, and I want you to remember this: the goal of pressure is to get you to give up. Challenges, pressure, and adversity all come to get you to give up your proximity to God. These things are designed to move you from prayer and praise. Don't forget that. That's what it's that's what it's for. That's why the devil applies pressure. Look at Ephesians 6, 13 and 18 in the Amplified Classic Edition. It says, Therefore, put on God's complete armor that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day of danger. And having done all, the crisis demands to stand firmly in your place. Pray at all times, on every occasion, in every season in the spirit, with all manner of prayer and entreaty. To that end, keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints, God's consecrated people. So you see here, when you've done everything, when you've when you've been in proximity, when you've prayed, when you've praised, when you've done all that, persevere. Keep standing, don't quit. Don't let pressure make you stop doing those things. That's the life skills for Christians. Those things, like I said, those first three in combination with not quitting. Oh my goodness, that that's the key. Let nothing move you from these four Ps: proximity, prayer, praise, and perseverance. The Lord can do great things for you and through you if you will stay loyal to his way and his plan. Don't quit. Make that decision right now. Jesus did. No matter what, even the death of the cross, he did not quit the plan of God. See what God will do through you if you decide to stay the course. Pause and think on these things until next time. I just want to say hello to friends of the Your God Sister Podcast and new cities tuning in. Shout out to those listening in Columbus, Ohio, Naples, Florida, Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, and Palmdale, California. Thank you so much for listening. Have you signed up for the Your God Sister Podcast email list yet? Hmm. You haven't? Why not? It will be our way to stay connected between seasons. Season one is about to end soon, but through emails, I'll continue sharing what God is placing on my heart with you until we return for season two. The sign-up link will be in the description and the pinned comment. And as a little thank you, I'll send you my personal Bible study method. It will deepen your walk in such a meaningful way. We'll talk soon, but until next time, know what the Bible says and treasure what the Lord speaks to your heart.