Surviving Survival Mode: How Romans 12:2 WILL Change Your Life

Are you stuck in survival mode?Constantly stressed, overwhelmed, or just trying to make it through the day? 
In this episode, we explore what survival mode is, what causes it, and how it can keep us living in fear, anxiety, and exhaustion rather than faith and purpose.

Through a biblical lens, we’ll discuss how God calls us beyond merely surviving and into a life marked by peace, trust, and spiritual growth. Join the host, Avionna Elizabeth, as she uncovers practical, Scripture-based steps to overcome survival mode and walk in the freedom and abundance Christ offers in the 11th episode of One of Virtue Podcast.

Transcript

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Hello, hello, everybody. We are back with yet another episode of One of Virtue podcast. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening. Whatever time you're listening to this, y'all, today is an awesome day. You wanna know why? Because this is the day that the Lord has made. So I'm gonna rejoice and be glad in it. I don't know about you, but that's what I'm gonna do. I am rejoicing because God woke me up this morning. I am feeling good. I got a little extra rest, which you know it's not the proper amount of rest, but I feel nice and rejuvenated. It's like a Holy Spirit sanctified rest that I got last night. I overslept, but I am glad that I did. God is covering me. So listen, we are up, we are filming this episode, and I just I'm just blessed to be here. That's how I'm feeling today, and I pray that you guys are feeling the exact same way because honestly, y'all, God is good, God is amazing, God is great, He is just He's amazing. God is literally amazing. So this one prayerfully is gonna be a heavy hitter because I feel like this is something that a lot of people go through and a lot of women go through, especially if you are a stay-at-home wife and mother. As you can see from the title, it's called surviving survival mode. How Romans 12, 2 will change your life. If you let it, I'm gonna go ahead and dive in. But of course, before we do, I'm gonna open us up into prayer. So, dear Heavenly Father, Lord, I thank you for waking me up this morning. I thank you for waking the listener up this morning, Lord God. Lord, I thank you for who you are. You are holy, you are righteous, you are almighty, you are all knowing, you are sovereign, Lord God. Lord, I just thank you for being my father, for being my friend, for being my protector, for being my healer, my deliverer, Lord God. Thank you for your provision, Lord God. Thank you for your protection. Thank you for your Holy Spirit, Lord God. Lord, on today, right now, I just come to you with a heart of repentance, Lord God. Lord, any sins committed knowingly or unknowingly, Lord God, I just I repent right now for them, Father. Pray right now that today's episode blesses the hearts of many, the souls of many, the minds of many. May there be a shift in the spirit on today, Lord God, after this episode. Lord, I pray that your Holy Spirit just leads and guides me in everything that I say, do, and think, Father. Lord, I just submit this podcast to you. This is not my podcast, this belongs to you, Father. So I pray that your Holy Spirit leads me, and I pray that not one word that comes out of my mouth is not Holy Spirit led, Father. Lord, I pray over the heart and the mind of not just myself, but my sister in Christ, my brother in Christ. Lord, I pray against any pride or anything that will cause your child not to be able to hear what you are trying to say on today, Father. Lord, I just thank you for what you are doing in and through me, Father. Lord, I just pray that I can decrease so that you can continue to increase, Father. Lord, I love you and I thank you for who you are, Father. And Lord, I pray that your will be done on today. In your mighty and match name that I pray. Amen. Okay, so let's jump right in. At this point, it's almost been three months here on one of Ret You podcasts. And y'all should know at this point, if you've been following along with me, watching each episode, listening to each episode, you pretty much know that I am an open book and I have no problem sharing my personal testimonies or even things that I am currently currently trying to step out of, or just I'm just very transparent. I have no problem with being a human, right? I'm not perfect, I'm not perfect. And so today's episode is for myself. I learned a lot even in taking these notes, even in doing the study, and just actually applying these things to my life. And I just really, really felt led to share this specific episode on today. And I really do believe it's gonna help a lot of people if we actually take the steps and do what we need to do, um, and just tear down these strongholds that the enemy has planted in our lives, y'all. So, yeah, basically, we're gonna be talking about survival mode and how we can escape it, not only escape it, but thrive after escaping it. So, as far as looking up what survival mode actually is, y'all know I like a good definition. Y'all know I love to actually look up things, see what they mean, make sure I'm using the proper terms when I am speaking. So, what is survival mode? Survival mode is your body's physiological and psychological stress response to real or perceived danger. While it is a healthy built-in mechanism designed to protect your short-term crisis, like the fight or flight response, getting stuck in it due to chronic stress or trauma means your nervous system is continuously braced for a threat, even when you are technically safe and there is no threat at all. Y'all, I knew that I was somebody that was living in survival mode, but when I read that definition, I was like, I can relate, I can relate, I can relate. And it's not funny, it's actually pretty sad because your body literally gets trapped in this constant state of waiting on the next ball to drop, or um, you know, you're just waiting on the next thing to happen, so you're literally in fight or flight all the time, like your nerves are just shot. Like, it is it's torturous, y'all. It's literally torturous to live in a state like that. This is actively something that I am working to deconstruct, it's definitely getting better over time, but I can say that when I'm not actively working at this thing, it's like it's almost as if I'm taking three steps forward, and then when I'm not working at it, I'm taking four steps back. This is something that you have to continuously and daily choose to work on. You can't be laxadaisical with something like this. This is something that you have to the the enemy, listen, the enemy came in and came in like a wreck and ball, so you have to be ten times more intentional with fixing what the enemy has done in your life. You can't just be laxadaisical, like and I am literally learning that. You know, you can think you're good. No, you literally have to choose your deliverance every single day, and that's not even just for survival mode. Like, you literally, if that if God has delivered you from something, you have to choose that deliverance, you have a choice to make every single day, every single day you have a choice to make, and so that is that is something that I've learned, that is something that I am actively working on. Like, you cannot be lazy with this thing, you literally have to attack it head on every single day. If I'm being completely honest, being stuck in survival mode is one of the most torturous, miserable states of mind that you can be in because it's like you don't have peace, you're always expecting something to happen. Like, it's it's a horrible when I tell y'all that it is a horrible state of mind to be in, is a horrible physical state to be in, like just not having that peace, just not being able to rest, just always like just being so tense, not being as fun as you used to be, just it's it's horrible, y'all. It's literally like a mental war. It is a mental war, it's a spiritual war, it's a physical war, and it is it's not fun. It's not even just all of that, it narrows your focus to the constant worries of each and every day. Like it literally makes you focus on the negative, not good. It literally narrows your focus to the everyday worries of your everyday life. It can make fear your primary leader in your decision making, which can negatively affect your values, your decisions, your relationships, and your habits over time. It can make you fall into isolation and make you emotionally numb, feeling disconnected from God and your community. It can make the voice of the Holy Spirit less prevalent in your life, making it hard to make decisions, making it difficult to pray, making it difficult to meditate on God's word. It literally makes all of these things feel impossible because your mental space is so fogged up. This thing, survival mode, really can and will stunt your growth. Like, it's so bad. It's so bad. It's so bad. Those things that I listed, these are all things that I personally have experienced. This is something that I am actively working on. So I literally mean like as recent as three months ago, even two months ago. Like, this is this is like an active battle that I am in right now, working on, tearing down these strongholds, just truly submitting myself to Christ and just actively working on myself and allowing the Holy Spirit to work on me and allowing God to work on me. So I mentioned strongholds, and I really feel like this is the perfect place to explain exactly where survival mode stems from, just so we can kind of fully understand, you know, why we are the way we are. Doesn't mean we have to stay that way, but just so we can understand why we are the way that we are, so that we can really get down to the root, uproot it, get our deliverance, and just like I said, choose our deliverance every day. So, survival mode stems from a person facing real life hardships, traumas, abuse, dangers, illnesses, poverty, overwhelming, and chronic stress, unresolved past experiences, etc. These specific things may look different for each person, but the root still remains the same. For those of us who have entered into survival mode and feel stuck there, what we all have in common is this. Y'all ready for this? Unhealed trauma and a lack of the renewing of our mind. Like I've stated in previous episodes, no, it is not our fault that certain things happened to us, it's not our fault that the people who were supposed to protect us ended up being the ones that harmed us the most. It's not our fault that we've gone through that abuse, it's not our fault that we've gone through that trauma, it's not our fault that this person wasn't there for us in the way that it should have been, it's not our fault that we were mishandled, it's not our fault that the enemy got in early and really just tried to tear us down. It is not our fault. However, who we are today, that is what we are going to be held accountable for, and we have to choose to no longer walk in this broken version of ourselves. We have to be able to step into who God has called us to be. The enemy is an opportunist. A lot of us, I'm sure the enemy came in very early at a very young age and did things to tear us down, to shoot down our confidence, make us feel like we were less than. That is the whole point. His goal is to still kill and destroy. And literally, that is what he is trying to do. His whole point is he does not want us to be who God has called us to be. He does not want people's souls saved, he does not want anything good for us. So, yes, at a young age, he's gonna come in, he's gonna try to attack, he's gonna try to plant things that will literally make us think like you know, if something happens to us at four years old and we're 50, y'all, that is 46 years. That is 46 years that this thing that he planted has just been growing and growing and growing, and yeah, they're stumbling blocks. It's gonna stop us from being able to be who God has called us to be. That's the whole point. That's his goal. So, with that being said, if something happened to you at four years old, I need we gotta we gotta address it. We gotta address it now. We gotta uproot that thing. We get down to the root of the problem, pull it out, throw it in the garbage, throw it in the garbage. We gotta stop believing the lies that he planted in our lives. We have to. They're lies, y'all. They're lies, even though it's something that you have been carrying in your entire life that was never yours to carry. The enemy planted that there. The enemy planted that there. So, yeah, stop saying that you're depressed, stop saying that you have anxiety, stop saying that, oh, I'm just I'm just always been this way. I have an addiction to this, I have an addiction to that. Or, y'all, these are all soul wounds, these are all things that we can overcome if we just submit our lives to Christ and just actively work on renewing our mind, y'all. It starts with Lord, I know that this is not the destiny that you have for my life. This is not what you, this is not the plan that you have for my life. So, right now, I submit every hurt, every pain, every trauma to you right now, Lord. And I just want, I just want your healing to take over me right now, Lord God. I submit my body, I submit my flesh, I submit my mind to you, Lord God, and I ask that you help me with the renewing of my mind. That is what we have to do. These things that happened to us, it was not our fault. But our actions on today, we can't, we can't just keep using those things as excuses. We can't. We can't, y'all. We are accountable for who we are today, no matter what happened. That's the whole point. We have to submit. We have to submit all of those things because of sin. This is the world that we live in, but that doesn't mean that we have to stay that way. We don't have to accept what the enemy has planted in our life. We don't have to. We literally don't have to. Unfortunately, because we live in a fallen world, y'all, these things that have happened to us are open doors to certain spirits to come in and claim this body, claim your body. And like I said, y'all, no, this we don't belong to them. We belong to we we belong to the most high. So, yeah, those things, those traumas, those different things that happen to us. If it was abuse, however, yeah, those were open doors, but today we're closing them. We're closing them, we're getting these demons out of here. Yeah, and I'm yeah, I'm not sugar coating it. I'm not sugar coating it. Anxiety, fear, depression, demons. We're getting them out. There, they we're getting them out. They have no, they have no say so here. They come from the kingdom of darkness. We do not reside in the kingdom of darkness. We are children of the most high. So, yeah, we're gonna act like it. We're gonna we're gonna step into our authority, and yeah, know that anxiety, that fear, that depression. It gotta go. It gotta go. You got to go today. I want to say this really quick, y'all. Listen, I know that a lot of us may be on different medications for these things, and all we're doing is taming demons. That's all we're doing. I'm I'm not sorry. I I'm not even about to say I'm sorry. I'm not sorry. This is the truth. Anxiety, depression, fear, like those things, these are demons, y'all. These are demons, and we are just sitting here medicating them. No, y'all. Romans 12 2 says, Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. It it does acknowledge the fact that it is in your mind. You have to you have to cast that thing out and renew your mind. That's the real medication, that's the medicine, that's the remedy, that's the truth. Okay, that's why because I mean, what the medicine doesn't help it go away, and y'all honestly, I say this all the time. Science and all of that is literally the study of what already exists. I'm not, I'm not demonizing. I am literally not demonizing science. I'm not, however, I will say the world has done a great job of putting a lot of labels on things and making people accept a reality. And honestly, I feel like that in itself, it's not okay. It's not okay. It's literally the study of what already exists, and the Bible tells us that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, y'all. These things are spiritual, these things are spiritual. Like I said, the medication, they're not healing anybody. What are we doing? We're just taming it, we're just taming it. It's because it's deeper than that. Physical is just a manifestation of the spiritual, and like I said, our battle is not against flesh and blood. So, with that being said, y'all, we have to attack these things spiritually first. The spiritual world is more real than even the physical world. Like, I know it's hard to believe. Listen, I don't, I can't even say I care if y'all think I'm crazy. I know what I'm talking about, it's the truth, it's something that I've always sensed, it's something that I've always felt. And now that I am out of the darkness and I just see things for what they are, it's like I see it, I see it, and this is what it is. Contrary to what you may believe, contrary to what you heard, y'all. That's the truth. No ifs, ands, no buts about it. Sorry if you don't agree. Pray about it. Pray about it. That's all I can say. Pray about it. I know I just went on a little tangent, but here is where we come in. Here is where the action comes in. Romans 12 2 says, Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, his good, pleasing, and perfect will. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind. The renewing of your mind. So, how do we do that? How do we how do we be transformed by the renewing of our mind? So, first off, to conform means to comply with rules, standards, or laws, or to be in harmony and agreement with something. It broadly means to adapt one's behaviors, actions, or characteristics to fit within a group, pattern, or expectation. The ways and the patterns of this world will be worldly philosophy, so relying solely on human reasoning, relative morality, and cultural trends rather than God's absolute truth. Self-centeredness, seeking self-ambition, self-promotion, and egotistic control rather than yielding to the Holy Spirit, chasing earthly pleasures, uncharitable behavior. Essentially, the ways and the patterns of this world refers to anything that is operating independently of God. So anything that is operating without God, that is the ways and the patterns of this world, and this is exactly what we're talking about. So basically, y'all, the devil got in early with us, he disrupted, distorted, perverted God's natural way of things, the way that God intended us to be. And basically, because he got in early, it basically had us conforming and has us conforming to the patterns of this world. And what does it say? God says, God's word says not to conform to the patterns of this world. So it doesn't matter how long we've been walking this path and how long we think that this is just who we are. We're not supposed to be conforming to the ways of this world, to the things of this world, and that's it right there. That's what we're talking about. Survival mode is literally contrary to God's will and his way for our lives. That is, this is not that is this is not the way that God intended us to be able to walk and be able to live this life here on earth. Literally contrary, literally polar opposites of how we're supposed to be walking in this life with Christ. Romans 12 2 is an instruction. It is a lifelong and very intentional process of continually aligning yourself and your mind with God's truth. Y'all, it literally, it literally is our answer to freedom, healing, and deliverance from these unclean, demonic spirits that got in and tried to claim territory, fear, anxiety, depression, bondage, heaviness, all of it, all of it, y'all. It's literally our answer. We have to renew our minds. Y'all such a beautiful thing because, like I said, this is something that I am actively working on, and I can honestly see the fruit from it. And it has me excited to really share this message because, y'all, this is not what God intended for our lives. Like we can step up out of this thing, like we can literally see the light on the other side, the light which is Christ. We can literally see God's light, y'all. We can literally see it. So now we're gonna jump right into five steps that the Holy Spirit led me to put together on how we can survive survival mode. And these five steps are exactly what has been helping me daily, y'all. So let's go ahead and jump right in. The first step is to forgive. Forgive, forgive, forgive, forgive, forgive. If you can think about it, forgive it. If it comes up in your mind again, forgive that person, y'all. It does not matter. I'm sorry, and I and I'm you know what? Listen, I need y'all to understand something. If you expect to be forgiven by God, you don't have a choice. You don't have a choice to hold on to that thing that somebody did to you. You don't have a choice to not forgive. You do not have a choice, y'all. You cannot be walking in unforgiveness, holding bitterness, resentment, and all of that unforgiveness in your heart. Because listen, your eternity is at stake if you do. I'm sorry to, I'm, I hate to be the one to put it out there like that, but if you do not forgive, your eternity is at stake. Like you literally could not get into heaven for not forgiving. If you feel like that there's something that somebody has done to you that is just far too gone and you don't have to forgive them, like I I understand, y'all. I understand that it was heavy, I understand that it was hurtful what that person did to you, I understand the pain that it has brought you, the trauma that it has brought you, no excuse. If you are truly walking with Christ, no excuse. Now, if you're living by the world standards, I I don't know what to tell you. I don't know what to tell you other than come up out of that, forgive anyway, turn your life over to Christ. But specifically, if you have already given your life to Christ and you expect to make it to heaven and hear, well done, thy good and faithful servant, and enter into the kingdom of heaven and spend eternity with God, you have no choice but to forgive. You have no choice but to forgive. Ephesians 432 tells us to be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave us. In order for our Heavenly Father to forgive us, we must first forgive others according to Matthew 6, 14 and 15. Yes, forgiveness is that deep. Not optional if you want to spend eternity in the presence of the Lord. So, y'all basically just a recap of everything that I just told you guys. And we want to go and read the scripture that states just the importance of forgiveness. That was Matthew 6, 14, and 15. Now we're gonna move on to step number two. Step number two is fully understanding what it means to trust in our Heavenly Father and doing just that. So not just understanding what it means to trust Him, but actively actually doing it and actually just relying on Him and just abiding in Him and just resting in Him. Matthew 6, 31 through 33 says, Therefore, do not worry saying, What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or what shall we wear, but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Jesus teaches that life is more than simply surviving and meeting immediate needs. Trusting God and pursuing his kingdom comes first, and everything else will follow behind. So literally, y'all. Seek him first, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. So seek him and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Proverbs 3, 5, and 6 says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, submit to him, and he will make your path straight. Survival mode relies solely on our own strength. Scripture calls us to trust in God and his direction. Y'all. Relying on our own strength, relying on our own understanding is what? And we've been following along. Y'all know we've been talking about this in multiple episodes. Y'all, it's pride. We gotta tear down that pride. We have to choose and understand and recognize we do not know more than God. So worry, fear, anxiety, all of that, y'all, those are all things that. That tried to exalt itself above God. We got to tear down this pride. We have to. We have to tear it down. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all, in all, all of your ways, acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths. We have nothing to worry about. It's an instruction. It's very clear instructions. Very, very clear instructions. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. And all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths. Those three instructions, and he will direct your paths. One, two, three gets you that result. Him directing your paths. Psalm 23, 1 through 3. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. This is the literal opposite of survival mode. God provides rest, guidance, and restoration. Y'all see how the enemy truly perverts things? Like that is God's will. That is God's way for us, but He comes in early, tries to strip us of all of that so that we don't trust God. So that we don't lean on Him, so that we do lean on our own understanding because we feel like we have to protect ourselves. No, God is our protector, y'all. God is our protector. We don't have to protect ourselves. We don't have to be on guard 24-7. We don't have to. He has us. He's watching over us. He's protecting us. Step number three is relying on daily bread. Being in survival world has us in a continuous state of fear and worrying about the future. But Jesus taught directly to focus on the present in Matthew 6.34, which says, Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. So yeah, y'all, we don't need to be worrying about tomorrow. That's what Jesus said. Focus on today. God has tomorrow. God has today and God has tomorrow. Worrying about tomorrow, it's not good. It's not good for you. It's not good for anybody. Focus on today. Walk in the present. Trust God. You know, just like I said, these are steps. So as long as we're following these steps, listen, Jesus said it. Jesus said not to worry about tomorrow. That's good enough for me. I don't know if it's good enough for you, but it's good enough for me. God said no worry about tomorrow, so I'm not worrying about tomorrow. Each day has enough trouble of his own. Yeah, so we're not worried about tomorrow. Philippians 4, 6 and 7 says, Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ. Instead of living in constant anxiety, we as believers are invited to bring our concerns to God and receive with peace. So basically, and I'm I'm guilty of this. I am so, so, so guilty of this. And I don't know why, other than the fact that just have we other than the fact that I just have to continue to tear down these strongholds. But when you struggle and deal with, you know, the anxiousness and the anxiety, sometimes and a lot of times, it is very crippling, and it will just make you sit there in agony and in torment rather than taking it and submitting it to Christ and laying every burden down at the feet of Jesus. And that's why I say, y'all, this is this renewing of the mind is so pivotal because, like I said, you can literally I'm I'm telling you, I'm telling you right now, it is debilitating to deal with anxiety and fear because it literally will have you stuck. It will literally make you feel like you cannot open your mouth, it will literally make you feel like you cannot lay this thing down at the feet of Jesus, like it's bondage. You feel trapped, you feel stuck. Like you literally feel like you cannot move, you can't say anything, and you just have to carry these things, but y'all, that is not the truth. And I'm I'm getting I'm getting amped up because I'm I'm it's like I get mad at myself even for allowing the enemy to have tricked me this bad into thinking that no, I gotta accept this thing and I just gotta sit in it, I just gotta deal with it. No, these are not our burdens to carry, y'all. We can literally lay these things down at the feet of Jesus today, right now. If you need to pause this episode right now and submit that thing to Christ, do it right now. Do it right now, y'all. Today is the day we fight back. We rise up and we stand in our authority in Christ. Fight back, fight back. The enemy don't play fair, so we don't play fair. We we got guess what? We are on the winning team. We're not fighting, y'all. I have my one of my friends, one of my one of my close friends, literally said this and it stuck with me and it continues to stick with me. We are not fighting to victory, we are fighting from victory because we have God who has gone before us, who has made our path straight. As long as we're seeking Him first, as long as we are seeking His righteousness, He has gone before us. We are fighting from victory, not to victory. So act like it. I'm talking to myself too. Act like it. Act like you know who has gone before you. The Almighty, the all-knowing, the undefeated one. Yeah. That's who's gone before you. That's who has you, not the puny devil. No, no, absolutely not. Y'all got a little got a little fired up, but that's okay. That's okay because no, we're we're fighting back today. We're fighting back today. And honestly, that segues perfectly into this next verse. 2 Timothy 1:7. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. God did not give us that spirit of fear. He didn't. He did not. The devil did. The devil did. He the the open door, the open door created it. Fear came right on in. God did not give us that. God's word says he gave us a spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind. And so we get that sound mind by renewing our mind from what the devil did. Tearing down those strongholds, cleaning house. That's what we're supposed to be doing right now. Step number four is adjusting your focus to praise. Turning your complaints into thanksgiving can shift your perspective from a constant state of fight or flight to revival. Again, Philippians 4, 6 and 7 encourages replacing anxious thoughts with prayer and gratitude to experience God's peace. This is that renewing of the mind that we're talking about here, changing how you view your everyday life. In Philippians 4, 12 and 13, Paul shares the secret of being content in any and every situation, emphasizing that the strength to endure comes entirely through Christ. Lamentations 3, 22, and 23 talks about how even in times of severe suffering, remembering that God's compassion has never failed and provides a deep sense of hope. So basically, y'all just shifting that perspective, not focusing on the negative again. So renewing your mind, focusing on those things that are good, honorable, true, just focusing on God. Focus on God. Keep your eyes up. Don't have the don't don't focus on the worries. Don't just soak yourself in the worries and the different concerns that you have. Y'all focused on God. Focus on God. Step number five, maintaining community connections. So, because of the stress, fear, and anxiety that comes with being in survival mode, it truly does drain you physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. This leads to the temptation of isolation, which is not good at all. Galatians 6 2 reminds us that we are to carry each other's burdens. We are not meant to carry any of these things alone, whether good or bad, we're not meant to carry these things alone, y'all. Despite what our flesh may want to do, despite what the enemy may try to tempt us into doing, y'all, isolation is not good. We are not meant to be walking this walk by ourselves. Isolation when you're in survival mode and you just feel like you are alone and you just would rather be alone, y'all. That is the time where you need to lean on your community even more, lean into your community even more. Galatians 6 2 reminds us that we are to carry each other's burdens. We are not meant to carry the weight of these seasons by ourselves. Okay, so we need to lean on our godly community, allow them to pour into us, allow them to minister to you, to your spirit, to your soul. Hebrews 10 24 and 25 is another good one. It says, and let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching. Then Proverbs 27, 17 says, As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. So again, just being able to pour into each other, just be there for each other, just lifting each other up when you're going through. Do not isolate yourself. That is the point of your brother in Christ, that is the point of your sister in Christ. Allow your people, allow your community to lift you up, keep you lifted. And it's also a good accountability thing, like you know, that check-in, like, hey, how are you doing today? Have you prayed? Because sometimes, like I said, when you are stuck in survival mode, you will literally you feel stuck, you feel like you can't pray, you feel like you can't worship. So just having that person that comes in and checks on you and is like, hey, how are you doing today? Have you prayed? Have you have you worshiped? Have you shifted your perspective today into what's good rather than focusing on the bad? I can't even count the amount of times that just having that accountability there has helped me tremendously in my walk. Like, and just even in this journey of surviving survival mode, you know, like it is so important to have your godly community. I can't express it enough. It's so important. There are so many verses in the Bible that speak to the fact that we must keep ourselves connected to godly community. I can personally attest the importance and how pivotal it is to have your godly community, to have those people to pour into you daily and weekly and even monthly. You know, just having that accountability, just having that check in, y'all is so important. And so, yeah, y'all, those are the five steps. So I'm gonna run through them one more time. The first thing is forgive. The second thing is to fully understand what it truly means to trust God and actually doing so. The third step is relying on your daily bread. Step number four is adjusting your focus to praise, and step number five is maintaining your godly community connections. And if you would like a simple yet effective prayer based on these steps, you can say, Lord, help me move from surviving to trusting. Teach me to seek you first, surrender my worries and rest and abide in you and your provision. Fill me with your peace, your wisdom, and your strength.

SPEAKER_00 32:25

Amen. That can be the starting point of such a beautiful prayer and listen. Clear your heart, clear your mind. Approach his throne humbly.

SPEAKER_01 32:37

He will answer, y'all. And I'm smiling because I know he will answer. He's been answering me, he's been working with me. I'm starting to see a shift in my everyday life. I'm not as tense, I'm not as moody, and I've been able to just kind of just everything's not that serious. Everything is not that serious. I've been able to breathe, you know, and it it's just it's such a beautiful process. And I'm smiling because if he's doing it for me, I know he would do it for you. You just have to submit, and I have to continue to submit. So that's why I'm smiling, y'all, because I know that there's gonna be breakthrough, there's gonna be healing, there's gonna be deliverance, and I'm so excited for you, listener. I'm so excited. I'm excited for me, I'm excited for you. So, listen, this is definitely a topic that I feel that we can dive in a little bit deeper. So, I'm definitely going to return back with the part two. I'm pretty sure it's gonna be the next episode where we'll dive deeper into some of these things just to fully, fully bring it all in because y'all, we we gotta get out of the survival mode. But this is a good starting point, and next week we'll be doing part two of surviving survival mode. And a good verse that I want to leave you guys with with this episode is gonna be Galatians 6 9, and it says, Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. I feel like this is the perfect scripture to end us on because y'all literally, like I said, it's a process, it's a process that we have to choose daily. Don't grow weary in doing good. Remember, the renewing of our mind is a process that we have to choose to partake in daily. It does not happen overnight or by having stance. Do not grow weary or tired. At the proper time, at the proper time, we will reap the harvest if we do not give up. There is going to be a harvest at the end of this thing, if we do not give up, God's word says so. Okay, so just keep going, keep going, choose your deliverance daily. Y'all know. So before we end this episode, um, if you're not a believer already, and if there's anything that you have heard today on today's episode that makes you want to know the God that I serve, the God that really, really, truly does give you peace that surpasses all understanding. If there's anything that you heard that just gives you that nudge, like I really think I want to submit my life to Christ, I would absolutely love and be honored to offer you the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior right now, today. Right now, I can lead you in a prayer of repentance and salvation. And you would allow me to. If you are watching this on YouTube, I'm gonna put the prayer on the screen. If you're just listening, that's okay. I'm gonna go ahead and say the prayer, and I'm gonna be taking some pauses in between so that you can repeat after me.

SPEAKER_00 35:21

So, dear Heavenly Father, I am a sinner in desperate need of a savior. I believe what your word says in John 3.16. And Lord, I thank you for loving me this much. I repent right now for my sins and for breaking your laws. I genuinely ask for your forgiveness. I believe that Jesus Christ is your son who has died on the cross for my sins. I believe that he rose on the third day for my victory. I now declare and receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. May the blood of Jesus speak on my behalf from this day forward. Thank you for seeking after me and accepting me into your kingdom. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 36:30

Alright, guys, listen, that is all I have for today. If you just gave your life to Christ, congratulations. I am so excited for you. This is the beginning of a beautiful journey, and I just pray that you just continue to grow in Christ. If y'all have any questions, if there's any topics that you guys want to discuss, or even if there's anything that was said on this episode specifically, y'all, leave a c leave some comments. Y'all let me know what y'all are thinking. Let me know what y'all are feeling. Y'all, this is a completely open space, this is a completely safe space. So we are here to become one of virtue together. Like I said, I am human, I will put myself on the chopping block every single time if it means just transparency and allowing myself to be used so that others can be helped and others can grow. Um, and like I said, I'm not perfect, I'm not perfect, and I would never claim to be. Like I said, this is something that I'm personally working through, but we're here to become one of virtue together. So why not let y'all in on what's going on? We can be working this thing out together. It's been working, it's been working, it's been working. So yeah, I'm gonna share. So, y'all, listen, we're gonna be back next week for episode 12, surviving survival mode part two, and we're gonna dive in just a little bit deeper. So, I cannot wait to see y'all. If you've been following along this entire time, y'all, thank you. I really hope that you have been growing with me in this journey, and I really pray that this has been fruitful for you. And yeah, y'all, I cannot wait to see y'all next week. Bye, guys.