Living With Less Podcast

By Chelsey DeMatteisSociety & Culture Religion & Spirituality Christianity Personal Journals

Living With Less Podcast episodes

June 19, 2019Perception Becomes Reality
Episode 25 is all about the power of what we speak over ourselves and what who we believe God to be. The perception I have of myself will become the reality of my life as well as the perception I have of God. If we speak words over ourselves that are discouraging, hurtful, or filled with lies from the enemy we will claim them as our identity. And the same goes for God. If we allow the world to skew our view of Him we miss the reality of who He really is.
How we start our day:
Do we begin our day with the words of God or with the words of our humanness?
Do we being by thankful for what God has done for us or do we wake up wishing for me?
The statements we start are day with will be setting the tone for everyone we encounter.
Women's Conference Story:
I allowed the lies I'd been saying about myself join the lies the enemy was trying to tell me and let them override what God said about me.
I was trying to walk in the confidence of "man" and not in the confidence of Christ!
I let others gifts become better than mine. God gives us all different gifts that deserve and need to be celebrated.
"Perception Becomes Reality"
These words that were sent to me stung 2 years ago. But 2 years later God made them His message to me about how I view myself and Him. (because He's just thank GOOD!)
We say these negative statements about ourselves that end up becoming the reality of what we believe.
Negative Statements- We're not good enough, we're not pretty enough, we're not smart enough, we're failures, know one likes us.
IMAGINE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN OUR STATEMENTS BECOME WHAT GOD SAYS ABOUT US.
We are children of God, I was made in His image, I have a sound mind, I am chosen, He loves me with an everlasting love.
When these words become the words of our life our identity becomes set in Him.
This weeks challenge: choose one statement that God says you are. Speak it when you look at yourself in the mirror first thing in the morning and right before bed time. These words will being to let you see yourself the way God sees you.
I am Chosen. - 1 Peter 2:4
I have a sound mind. - 2 Timothy 1:7
I am loved with an everlasting love. - Jeremiah 31:3
I was made in His image. - Genesis 1:27
I am a child of God. - 1 John 3:1
Please share on your Instagram stories which verse you choose! I'll be videoing myself saying these when I wake up and when I go to bed! Tag @livingwithlesspodcast so we can all see and celebrate with you!
Living With Less Podcast, LLC © 2019. All Rights Reserved
24 min
June 12, 2019Just Do It
Just Do It points to the book of James in the Bible that shares with us to be obedient to the promptings of the the Holy Spirit, that faith without works isn't a good thing and why. It shares with us when we obey God we get the blessing of being the hands and feet of Jesus to others. We end up growing in our faith while also helping to possibly strengthen someone else's, all by saying YES to Gods call on your heart.
James 1:19-25
Hearing and Doing the Word
19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
Hearing and Doing
The difference in hearing and doing is one stops after taking in the word and the other one is just getting started oncce the word has been spoke.
We are called to walk out what we hear in The Word of God.
We are deceiving ourselves, other believers, and non believers when we choose to not have works in our faith.
James 2:14-26
Faith Without Works Is Dead
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good[b] is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
Faith Without Works
A heart filled with the spirit of God will want to willingly follow God's calls on our heart.
Each believer has a feeling they get when the spirit is telling them something!
For me it is a feeling in my stomach, every single time!
If you look at the two stories from verse 23-26 you see that the works was uncomfortable but what came out of them was blessing and growth in their faiths.
The Ripple Effect Of Obedience
When you make one choice to obey God the chain reaction begins. Whether in your heart or it begins in someone else's life.
My one choice of obedience opened me up to a while day of experiencing Christ in an amazing way. Getting to be the hands and feet of Jesus is the most amazing feeling,
God showed me that the obedience can be in a small way or big way, the size doesn't matter to God, its the growth of the heart that does.
Living With Less Podcast, LLC © 2019. All Rights Reserved
26 min
June 05, 2019The Trap Of Unmet Expectations
This episode is covering what happens when we take God out of our plans and create our own expectations of what something should look like. In 1 John 5:21 it tell us to keep away from anything that might take God's place in our hearts. This is what expectation does. It creates a tendency in our heart that wants to take God's will out and have everything go our way. In that happening we end up having our expectations unmet and find ourselves in a harder place than we started.
1 John 5:21 "Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God's place in your hearts."
Expectation - a strong belief that something will happen.
What expectations are and what they do
It's an idea of how we think things will be.
Not all expectations are bad but they become an issue when what we want to have becomes greater than what God wants us for us in that moment/season.
In my story I shared, I shared how I thought this would be perfect for our marriage and make us feel closer.
I never though about what God wanted in this or if God wanted us to do this.
"Jesus, I want what you want today". -Miss Christy
The Trap
The list of pressure keeps growing on people as it becomes easier and easier to gain access to everyone's best moments.
16th birthday is now about the picture with the car instead of just being excited to have wheels.
Engagement is now more about the ring and dreamy social media post than it is about the promise made between the couple in that moment.
Christmas Card debacle we try to get the perfect picture to send everyone to feel like we've got it together, when in reality someone probably had a melt down on the way.
"We can't let unmet expectations seal the anticipation we should have in all Christ is doing."
"We can't have our expectations and standards for life set in photographs or the what we think should be's. Our expectations and standards need to be in Christ.
Where to find Godly standards
Ephesians 4:17-32 Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self,[a] which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
We can't let the cloud of what we want block out what God is wanting for us.
God commands us to set our minds on things above, not on thing that are on this earth. Colossians 3:2
We need to ask God to keep our expectations in line with His will for us and help us to surrender the places that we'd rather control in our thoughts.
Living With Less Podcast, LLC © 2019. All Rights Reserved
22 min
May 29, 2019Broken Girl, Good God
God has been speaking to clearly to me about a question I posed to Him a few weeks ago. "Why couldn't I have just been a good girl?". He responded to my heart with, "Your God's Girl now." This was a huge breath of fresh air reminding me of the promises God speaks about His children. This episode dives into the powerful truth that we are not deemed unworthy because of our past, we are worthy because of Christ living within us (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Story of David
David was the man God said chased after His own heart.
David was full of sin and brokenness
David knew how he needed God, and God met him in this. God called him worthy and made him a King.
Repent, Receive, Believe, Grow
The GIft of Repentance
For the first time I was able receive forgiveness and reconciliation.
I had to ask God to restore what I had given away and ask Him to restore what I had taken,
God gives us the gift of restoration in deep places of pain.
I'm God's Girl
I posed the question to God, "Why couldn't I just have been a good girl?" and He responded to my heart with, "Your God's Girl now."
Once we accept Christ, WE ARE HIS.
We are no longer looked at as good or bad, we're just God's.
Don't let the lie that you're not a good enough girl steal the JOY, PEACE, and LIFE that Christ has to offer you.
3 Truths When You're Facing Spiritual Battle
2 Corinthians 5:17 - I am a new creation in Christ Jesus.
1 Peter 2:4 - I am chosen and precious in His sight.
Psalm 139:14 - I am fearfully and wonderfully made, wonderful are your works.
Letting God Use You
Once you've accepted Him and allow Him to work in your life, pray He'll lead you to people you can speak life to.
He can use you to help others see His love for them through your story.
Living With Less Podcast, LLC © 2019. All Rights Reserved
24 min
May 22, 2019Let's Get Teachable
Episode 21 digs deeper into last weeks truth that if we don't have a teachable spirit, we miss out on blessings God has for us. 2 Timothy 3 and gives 3 verses that ensure us that we'll be up against adversity, there will be imposters trying to pull us away from truth, and we've got to know what God's word says not just believe it because someone else said it to us.
2 Timothy 3:12-14 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it.
What does it mean to be teachable?
Have a spirit that wants to know who God is, what His word says, and wants to live out the calling God has for them.
To take the time to learn His word, even if it means starting with a bible verse a day to get comfortable!
He knows your heart, and honestly you know yourself if you're in a place of really wanting to know God better.
Why we become complacent with learning from "Pop Culture Christians?"
It feels easier
It feels more comfortable
It feels like less responsibility
Quenching Your Spiritual Thirst in Truth
If we're quenching our spiritual thirst with Gods word, we learn more about who He is, and not who someone else says He is.
The Holy Spirit will begin guiding you in Godly ways, you'll see changes and choices in yourself and KNOW its all God.
The books and feel good messages you listen to will become less informative compared to The Bible.
You'll find yourself able to hold authors, speakers, pastors up to a Godly standard. There will be things that will stand out to you that you know is contradicting to the Bible.
Find Your Cheerleaders!
Find 1-3 women who can help you with learning God's word.
Get yourself a bible that also has all the verses numbered!
Y'all GO FOR IT! Open that Bible and dig in! Don't just take someone else's word for it. Let His word challenge, change, and shape you!
Living With Less Podcast, LLC © 2019. All Rights Reserved
26 min
May 15, 2019Stiff Arming God
Stiff Arming God. This is what happens when we allow our pride, discouragement, and lack of trust take over. We put our hand up to God and demand He just stay out of it. God used this analogy with me to speak into a place I couldn't see before and I pray it meets you where you are. Despite the hard parts that can come with sanctification when we allow God to gently or abruptly take the ick out of our hands the hard becomes worth it.
Stiff Arming God
Throwing my hand up to God's face when I'd rather work things out my way.
I begin protecting the very things causing pain in my life. Pride, fear, discouragement.
I'm doing this all while God is simultaneously trying to free me!
Isaiah 55:8-9 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
Lord Help This Girl, I Am This Girl
When I'm clenching tightly to the hard things and not handing them over to God I'm choosing to not believe in what He says.
There will always be things going on that make us think, "really God.?" But its what we do after this thought that is most important. GO. TO. GOD.
Stiff arming God is me simply not wanting to be teachable.
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.
Being Teachable
If we're not teachable we can't receive the blessing of all God's word can do in us and through us.
This verse = changing words. Change, challenge, teaching, and training will all happen to our flesh when we continue to become closer to Christ.
We need to put the stiff arm down and run straight to the arms of our Savior.
Living With Less Podcast, LLC © 2019. All Rights Reserved
25 min
May 08, 2019It Takes A Village
It takes a village has been a motherhood mantra for years but I believe we need to take this mantra one step further and apply it to our faith. As Christians our village, our community, our prayer warriors matter. These need to be people who can point us to Jesus, get into the hard places with us, and push us to keep following the call God has on our lives. This week is digging deeper into the noise going on in our lives that comes from our community. Are our friendships life giving or life altering distractions?
If you're a believer you need your village to point you to Jesus, to point you to the truth, and to point you to the cross when you're headed the wrong way.
1 Corinthians 15:33 "Bad company, ruins good morals."
We typically fall to temptation because of someone else's bad choice first. (not in all cases, but most.)
Peer pressure goes far beyond the younger years, it goes well into adulthood. Especially if you're running around with the wrong crowd.
We also need to know that the wrong crowd may not be bad people but it could they are not right for you and me.
Proverbs 11:14 "Where there is no guidance a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety." Proverbs 13:20 "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise. The companion of fools suffer harm."
No guidance = we'll fall.
Company of fools = we'll suffer.
the Bible makes it very clear who we're called to have as our close knit village.
When a friend lovingly points out an area of sin in your life - STAY!! Don't leave when they're trying to love you through as hard place.
When you're feeling conviction satan will try to pull the "fool and judgment card". When we feel God's conviction the enemy tries to confuse us to feel like its condemnation. There is NO condemnation in Christ.
We need our community of believers to remind us of Gods blessing in the midst of conviction.
Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all time."
Friends deeply rooted in Christ and hand picked for you by God will love you at all times. (maybe not in a perfect way every time but they ultimately love you!)
Friendships rooted in the wrong things can lead to hurt, discouragement, and feeling one-sided.
Hold you friendships up to these 4 verses from todays episode.
Do these your friendships/community/village help you in keeping Godly morals, are they wise companions, and do you feel safe with them?
Know your people and deeply know yourself.
This weekend on Mother's Day be sure to love on your momma and all your spiritual mommas who have pushed you to know Jesus in a deeper way!
GIVEAWAY DETAILS
To enter head to the Living With Less Podcast Instagram page and like the posts from this week. Be sure you're following the page as well. For extra entries tag all your mom friends and share on your stories!
3 Winners will be picked this Sunday, Mother's Day!
GIVEAWAY DONATORS
Love One International is a missions company based out of Nashville, TN. Their mission is to transform the hearts of children, families, and communities by caring for one child at a time, encouraging family preservation, by teaching sustainability and empowerment, and sharing the love of Jesus through relationship. To learn more about their ministry head to loveoneinternational.org.
Sue Aughtmon, blogger and ministry leader at tiredsupergirl.com. She is a Christian momma who has written books to meet you where you are. Queen of The Universe Devotional is full of witty humor, God's deep truths, and all the emotions we feel as moms.
Living With Less Podcast, LLC © 2019. All Rights Reserved
25 min
May 01, 2019The World Is Full Of Noise
Episode 18 dives deeper into last weeks truth of "If I can't hear God's voice, He can't heal my heart." You'll hear all about John 10 and the guidance it gives us in knowing God's voice and hearing God's voice above the noise in this world. God put it boldly on my heart that it all has to begin with knowing the spiritual condition of my own heart, learning His voice by getting in His word, and then begin trust His plans even when I cannot see past my circumstances.
Knowing The Spiritual Condition of Your Heart
In seasons of adversity, suffering, and chaos it can be hard to see past the fog of your circumstances.
If you're struggling to get in God's word ask a few others to be praying specifically for what's happening and for the supernatural desire to get in the word.
When you begin to feel the fog lifting you can find yourself secure in His hands.
John 10:27 - My sheep hear my voice I know them and they follow me.
We as believers have discerned the difference between God's voice and the rest of the noise in the world.
He knows ALL of us, and this is by us choosing to have a relationship with Him.
We follow Him. He doesn't make us follow Him. God gave us the choice to free will.
Example: In the movie 101 Dalmatian's when the puppies were following their parents Pongo and Perdita through the snowstorm when fleeing from the evil Cruella de Vil. The puppies were emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted. At one point they had to turn around because they were going the wrong way. I can see it so clearly there was one of the puppies who put his sweet little head down and turned around without even seeing his daddy. He trusted him, he knew his voice, and he knew he would always lead him to safety. This is just like our relationship with Christ. When we begin to really understand who He is and His voice, we can trust Him when we aren't sure exactly what's happening.
John 10:1-5 - “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”
He who does NOT enter the sheepfold is a thief. Meaning: Evil, Sin, & Destruction (outside/worldly noise)
He who enters the door is the shepherd. Meaning: God entering in our HEART.
The Shepherd leads and goes before the sheep. Meaning: The Lord, our light, ALWAYS leads us.
A stranger they will NOT follow. Meaning *Sin always makes us lead our own life, the enemy leads us to the sin then we choose to indulge in it. *
Let's stop and discern all the noise we're allowing to enter our life. Who and what are we hearing from? Does it leave us feeling safe and secure? Or squeamish and dirty?
If you're like me you may find yourself unfollowing, unsubscribing to blogs, deleting playlists, and not spending money on certain things or at certain places. Join me this week in getting quiet with God and asking Him to reveal these things in our lives so we can more clearly hear from Him or learn what His voice sounds like if you've never felt like you've experienced
it.
Living With Less Podcast, LLC © 2019. All Rights Reserved
22 min
April 24, 2019My Flesh and My Heart May Fail
Episode 17 is full of thirst quenching truth to get quiet with God. When our pain feels like it has no purpose, our strength has run out, and the noise of the world is taking over, we've got to get back to the basics with God. What does His voice sound like and where do I find it? In this episode I'm sharing about my current season and how God met me with the truth that if I can't hear His voice, He can't heal my heart.
Psalm 76:23 My flesh and my heart may fail but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever.
Fleshly Failure
Our failures typically stem from someone else failing us in the same area.
Even though I fail and others fail me, these things don't change who God is.
God is the STRENGTH of my heart
This truth can sting when we're in a hard season and can't see Gods heart within hard places.
This is where we have to allow God's light to permeate the darkness trying to seep in.
I cannot be the strength to my own heart.
My strength runs out, my hope can become hopelessness, and my flesh can only get me so far.
My PORTION forever
God is literally all I'll ever need.
This is a verse to rest your security in - He is your portion FOREVER.
Deep insecurities begin to block how we should properly see God and allow Him to be this for us.
How our insecurities skew how we see God
The dream I had 2 weeks ago had my thoughts in a downward spiral - I felt like I couldn't hear God at all.
I realized I needed to stop telling my friends about my issues and get help from someone who could help sort out my thoughts.
God used my counselor to deliver what I needed to hear. I asked Him on the way to my appointment to please put the words in her mouth I needed. So that I could glean wisdom and discernment. He met me here and used her in a mighty way. Gave me a completely different outlook on what the dream was all about.
Hearing and Healing
If we're allowing the noise of our lives, mind, the world around us get to loud we'll miss what God is saying.
HEAR is the main part of HEART.
"If I can't hear God's voice, He can't heal my heart."
We've got to get quiet with God or also with another believer and get back to hearing His voice to make sense of this life. Apart from Him none of the nonsense makes sense (AMEN).
Living With Less Podcast, LLC © 2019. All Rights Reserved
20 min
April 17, 2019An open look at God's surgery on my heart
Episode 16 is an open heart surgery in the form of God's hands. I'm taking you guys through a current season of pain that just unfolded but I have full belief in Gods redemption. The hardest parts of our life can become the very best God parts of our story. I hope you feel met in the midst of your messes, big or small. I pray this leaves you knowing no matter the condition of your heart spiritually God loves you where you are, but loves you too much to leave things in the dark.
Job 34:32 Lord teach me what I cannot see.
ask to see the unknown within myself and others that need to be brought to the light.
know that when you ask for super natural changes in others close to you God will be doing a work in you as well.
remember the Lord knows all things and prepares us because He is a Good Father. When life lends itself to a big qustions mark, remember it all sifts through His hands.
God loves you no matter what condition your heart is in spiritually.
God loves you to much to keep to keep things in the dark.
Being intertwined in someone else's bad decisions/painful story
remember God loves you and them the same.
God uses the deepest parts of pain/growth to be the most beautiful parts of our story if we let Him.
I have to not only know what God promises, I need to TRUST what God promises.
If you're finding yourself hiding something in the dark, ask God to bring it to the light. Don't let the enemy steal another second of your joy in your relationships, marriage, friendships, family. Let God do the mighty work to bring healing and restoration to your tired weary soul.
Lysa TerKeurst quote - God's tweaking of us in private, is God saving of us in public.
https://www.proverbs31.org/study/online-bible-studies/uninvited
If you loved today's episode please share it on your social media tagging @livingwithlesspodcast. I'd LOVE if you left a review on iTunes! Thanks for joining me today.
Living With Less Podcast, LLC © 2019. All Rights Reserved
23 min

About Living With Less Podcast

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The Living With Less Podcast was birthed in 2019 when the Lord placed the words “live with less” on Chelsey’s heart. She wondered what you're wondering too, "what am I being called to live with less of?" You'll hear all about that in these episodes through her own personal stories on what God is teaching her, diving into scripture, and having conversations with guests.

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