Living With Less Podcast

This week on episode 85 Chelsey shares all the Lord has beed stirring in her. From the deep convictions being brought to light, reminder to be a doer of the word and not only a hearer, to His constant pursuit of her heart. The Lord continues to use this season that is so unlikely to peel back the layers of unseen things getting in the way of Him. 

Stop Blaming and Start Changing:

• Once the sin is confronted - don't place blame where it doesn't belong. Turn your face to the Lord, repent, and allow Him to heal that place.
• Be a doer of the Word - James 1:22
• We should desire to walk in our convictions - this is a gift of grace from the Lord.
• When we are walking with The Lord, that is when we see life change inside our hearts.
• We have to stop saying "it's sin ...but...". Sin is sin. There is no way around it and it must be addressed.

Hard seasons = Fruit Bearing:

• We have to ask ourselves - what is God birthing in me during the season He has me in?
• Some of the seasons God uses to unearth the worst of who we are, are where the most life-changing growth comes from.

Scriptures:

• James 1:22, 25
• Ephesians 2:10
• Romans 8:28
• Psalm 91
• Psalm 92

September Online Bible Study:

• Registration opens August 17th on ChelseyDeMatteis.com

This weeks episode was birthed from Acts 4. In this chapter of the Bible it talks about the boldness we're called to have in our faith. The Lord took me back to a conversation I had four years ago with a friend that was without a doubt the boldness of the Holy Spirit. What God showed me in this is the difference between me desiring to be bold in my flesh and me being obediently bold with the spirit.

Acts 4

• Acts 4:13-14, 21, 29, and 31
  Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. 15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16 saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.
  21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened.
  29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness,
  31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

Holy Boldness

• At our point of history we all can agree we live in a time where we tend to be hesitant, timid, or fearful in regards to standing firm in our faith to the outside world. We get caught up in the fear that we will be misheard, labled judgmental, or a hypocrite. While all these feelings are certainly valid because of what we see day to day, Acts 4 gave me a new perspective and helped change my human way of thinking on the topic of boldness.
• When we're acting in the boldness of the Holy Spirit our demeanor isn't one of intimidation or trying to put your "opinion" on someone else. Boldness from the Holy Spirit is quite the opposite, it's approachable and truth filled.
•  If you read this story in Acts you'll also see when the council saw the man who had been healed, they couldn't deny what had been done. This goes for us as well, when we show and share the things God has done for us, people cannot deny what we have experienced.

Chelsey's Story
4 years ago a friend and I were meeting for dinner and I He boldly put on my heart I was to talk to her about her relationship. I remeber being so concerned with how this would even come up, not to mention she's not walking with The Lord. I remeber packing my bible, getting to dinner early to pray, and just kept asking Him to open up the converstation because I didn't know how to. About a half hour into our meal it somehow came up and God blew my hair back.
We talked about the relationship, we talked about all the things God wanted for her life, how special she was to Him, and why He wanted her to be treated with respect.
I walked away from that dinner with my heart filled to the brim but I also walked away thinking how on earth did God do that! Well..4 years later He's answered. God centerned boldness.

God Centered Boldness

• As I wrestled with this chapter of Acts I kept coming back to the place of seeing that our fleshy boldness is  NOT the boldness of God. When we act in the flesh things feel off, words feel pressured, and the person were talking with becomes unengaged. I know this because I've been on both sides. I've been the non-believer with someone making me feel uncomfortable while sharing their faith. I've also been the believer trying to have a conversation with someone that I felt needed to happen and things went nowhere.
• When our boldness is set in the things Christ is doing, it becomes filled with truth and love. It's captivating. It causes believers and nonbelievers to lean in to what His word says. His truth gives wandering souls a safe place to land.
  So, if God has asked you to share the gospel with someone, pray over someone, or just ask someone too lunch to be the hands and feet, trust that He will pave the way. He will make the conversation happen. You follow the call, He's got the plans.

I pray this week's episode leaves you feeling encouraged to step out in Godly centered boldness as you pursue your kingdom work. Whether that be in your home with babies, at a corporate workplace, in ministry, or a mixture of these together if God is on the throne of it all that's the best place you can be.

This week Chelsey sits down with her friend Rebecca Dotson George to talk about having Courage in Christ. We dive into why God calls us to have courage, how it looks different from season to season, and why we must know God's word to understand His heart when we don't know what He's doing.

Rebecca is a pastors wife, dog mama, podcast host of the Do The Thing Movement, and founder of 818 Ministries. She runs hard after Jesus, loves serving her people, and is always pointing people back to Him.

1) Tell us about you!

• My name is Rebecca Dotson George and I'm a newly married pastor's wife! I live in Brookhaven, MS with my husband and almost 1-year old puppy Jasper. He pastors Easthaven Baptist Church where we're serving now together. I have a podcast + community called Do The Thing Movement where I bring a guest interview each week of someone chasing hard after their God-given calling. It's my greatest joy to cheer on my friends in pursuit of how God has asked them to uniquely serve and glorify Him. Lord willing, a book will be the next step in this journey!

2) You wrote a post for my blog this past summer and I loved every word of it. You talked about courage. This is a word we don’t hear enough about, especially when attached to being courageous in Christ. Can you share a little bit about what you felt the Lord teaching you when He placed “courage" on your heart.

• Courage: possessing the ability to do something brave.
• Where we miss it most often is we think we're stepping into this brave-ness by our own strength. That is a lie straight from the enemy! It's "doing the thing" scared, anxious and maybe fearful because we know the Holy Spirit is dwelling inside us and we're operating out of HIS strength and not our own. We were made a new creation the moment we trust in Christ.
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
• 1 Corinthians 3:16 - Do you not know that you[a] are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?

3) I love that you shared being courageous in Christ as this, "It's a quiet confidence that I'm not doing this alone. As a follower of Jesus, the same power that raised Him from the grave on the third day lives inside of me. Therefore, I'm never alone, forgotten or forsaken.” I believe we live in the most encouraged generation to date. Every where we turn there is a person, a sign, or a trendy shirt that is tell you, YES YOU CAN. But, I’ve found in most people I encounter these words from people don’t really propel them forward and what’s missing is Jesus. How would you encourage a man or woman who is feeling exhausted by trying to do it all on their own, when you and I both know Jesus is one choice away?

• This is the person I feel called to speak into - the stay at home momma, the ministry leader, business owner, network marketing girl, all of it! We are fed lies around us each and every day that if we do more, get up earlier, drink more water, work out harder, put in a few more hours, etc. we will finally be "enough". I would put my hands on either side of their face and say, "Your worth and identity have absolutely nothing to do with your productivity level, a number on a scale or how many items you checked off your to-do list today. Has God called us to be good stewards of our time, our bodies, our finances, etc.? YES!
• Ephesians 2:10 - For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.  
   

4) Can you share a few of the BIG things that have happened that took leaning into Jesus as your source of courage and strength.

• -Marraige "Quote by Gary Thomas: "What if the primary goal of marriage is to make us holy and not happy?"
• Quote by Tim Keller: "Within this Christian vision of marriage, here's what it means to fall in love. It is to look at another person and get a glimpse of what God is creating, and to say, "I see who God is making you, and it excites me! I want to be part of that. I want to partner with you and God in the journey you are taking to his throne. And when we get there, I will look at your magnificence and say, 'I always knew you could be like this. I got glimpses of it on earth, but now look at you!”
• -Ministry: Acts 20:24 - However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
• -Podcast : 1 Timothy 1:6-7 - For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
• Fan into flame (in original language): to kindle afresh, inflame one's mind, strength, zeal, to stir up
• The gift (in original language): a favour with which one receives without any merit of his own; grace or gifts distinguishing certain Christians and enabling them to serve the church of Christ, the reception of which is due to the power of divine grace operating on their souls by the Holy Spirit.
   

5) I love what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 12:9:10 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

 This ties in so beautifully with John 3:30. He and John were certainly on the same page. We must decrease and The Lord must increase in our lives, in all areas. What is an area in your life that you’ve had to let die in order to see Christ increase in your life. 

• I think this side of eternity, if we're honest, we all struggle with wanting to "please others". I think my personality type, Enneagram 3 wing 2, especially struggles with this. But God has called us to chase after that which glorifies Him! This is a process for me this side of eternity.
• Galatians 1:10 - For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
   

6)  "Whatever the LORD pleases, He does. In heaven and in earth, in the seas and in all deeps." (Psalm 135:6) This passage takes a lot of trusting in the Lord and the way you’ve put it, courage is believe in what God has planned for you. When you’re in seasons of wonder/worry about your plans what do you do to get back into the place of trust what God has in store even when you can’t see it?

• I remember His promises. His character never changes. God's Word is living and active. When I find myself worrying or have an anxious heart, most times I've taken my eyes off of Him and onto my circumstances. I turn to Him in prayer as we're instructed to in Philippians 4:6.
• Philippians 4:6 -do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

7) The living with less podcast is all about living with less of the things getting in the way of who Christ is calling us to be, if someone asked you what they needed to begin living with less of in regards to this what would you tell them and why?

• The expectations and thoughts of other people - it's crippling! Our aim and mission is to please God and bring Him glory! If we spent more of our time sold out to chasing after this, it would remove a lot of our wandering thoughts about others' opinions!

8) What has been the best part of moving to your new town!

• I think Brookhaven will always be special to us because it's where we started our marriage. We both live away from our family and many of our closest friends so it's brought us closer together. Mississippi is a part of the country I haven't explored a lot yet, but we're only an hour from Jackson and Natchez, Mississippi AND only 2 hours from New Orleans!

Connect with Rebecca:

https://www.dothethingmovement.com/

@rebeccadotsongeorge

Courage blog post 

This week's episode Immeasurably More digs into a few truths from God's word that do a great work in our hearts when we allow the Word of God to have authority over us! You'll hear as Chelsey digs in that these 3 parts of scripture can often times be used out of context to fit an earthly agenda. These verses are ones that command and commission us to be doers of the Word, remove the things that get in the way of The Lord, and remember that we're ambassadors for Christ. 

Ephesians 3:20 - Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us

• This verse can be easily taken out of context if you don't read the verses that surround it! 
• 14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being,17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us  21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
• The immeasurably more is talking about the GLORY that God does in and through us. It's not about our things/stuff but what God does in us. 
• What are the things that God has done in and through your life that is more than you could've imagines?

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 - Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

• Verse 24 is one that hustle culture/self-help culture tries to attach itself to. They claim God will do what they desire for their own life, not what GOD desires for their lives.
• These two verses together show us that Paul was talking about the promise of sanctification through what God will call us to.
• Sanctification is a beautiful part of walking with The Lord. He loves us too much to leave us unchanged.

James 1:22 - But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

• We are called to be doers of the Word of God, not just a hearer. 
• When we live by the Word of God we know that Jesus' dying for us was the only way our soul was saved. 
• We cannot side step living out the truth of the gospel. 
• We as followers of Christ must be doers - we must be different from the world. 
• 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.

This week I pray you will spend time in prayer with The Lord with these parts of scripture. Seek His wisdom, His peace, and the good things He is doing in and through you.

Tell us about you! (Where you’re from, family life, church, ministry, podcast)

• Bailey Stone is a Montana raised blogger, podcaster, speaker and soon to be certified Life Coach. She is the founder of This Illustrious Life and host of The Illustrious Podcast. Bailey aims to empower women in the pursuit of their God-given calling through personal development practices that boost confidence and clarity. Bailey loves baking, taking walks with her husband Kyle and nurturing an ever growing army of houseplants.

2) I’ve been so eager to sit down and dig into confidence rooted in Christ with you. As women we’re living in a time where confidence is displayed more apart from Christ than with Him at the center. Can you share biblically speaking what true confidence looks like! 

• I too have been so excited for this conversation because you are absolutely right! Whenever I prepare to make content on confidence I always hear that Demi Lovato song “what’s wrong with being confident” and while that’s a catchy tune it grieves me a little bit because when we place our confidence in ourselves we are setting ourselves up for disappointment, and heartache and ultimately the antithesis of confidence! 
• Because the truth is we humans are fallible. We are created with amazing abilities but we all fall short of the glory, we all fail and we all make mistakes so if we are the sole source of our confidence, we’re bound to be let down...
• So with that in mind I want to dig into scripture a bit and explore what God’s design for confidence is. I few prominent figures always come to mind when I think about Biblical confidence like Ruth, Esther and Abigail but today I wanted to throw out some verses that your audience could explore and meditate on...
• First, I love Romans 8:37 which says, “You are more than a conqueror through Christ”. That word conqueror makes me feel so powerful like I am capable of crazy cool things BUT the caveat is those last two words “through Christ”. What this verse means to me is that I can do big, bold things but ultimately the source of my confidence is in my gifts and abilities is Christ.
• I also love the encouragement we are given in Hebrews 4:16 one of the only verses in the bible to use the word confidence. Hebrews 4:16 says this”Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need”.
• So not only can we be confident in ourselves but we can boldly approach our creator. What this means to me is that I don’t necessarily have to rely on my own gifts and talents and trust that God is hanging out in the sidelines. This means that when I am feeling insecure, when I am scared I can run to the source of my confidence and get a fresh injection of that confidence.
• So Romans 8:37 - I can have confidence in myself and my endeavors because of Christ.
• Hebrews 4:16 - I can boldly approach my God and the source of my confidence and a final verse I want to throw out, Joshua 1:9 which is a life verse for me.
• Joshua 1:9 says “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
• Those three verses as well as stories from women in the Bible like the ones I mentioned above have really shaped my understanding of confidence. It’s boldness, it’s reliance on Christ and it’s courage.

3) Something that many people get confused with when it comes to confidence (and I see many women doing this right now) is they think just because a dream is on their heart it means God will make it happen. They believe if a dream is on my heart then why wouldn’t He do it? How do you/would you walk a woman through this thought process of needing to be confident in the abilities/giftings God has given them BUT also understand that just because we “want” to do something with those gifts doesn’t mean He will do it. Because for some women if He doesn’t do it - then they allow that to weaken their confidence in Him.

• Again, you hit the nail on the head. It is SO easy to runaway with the beautiful dreams that God plants in our hearts and that’s an analogy that I like to use a lot. I like to think of God planting little seeds. 
• When we start to see little seeds sprout we can get carried away and start overwatering or exposing our “seeds” to too much sunlight or buying fancy gardening gadgets and gizmos to make our little “seedlings” or dreams flourish. But God is the ultimate gardener and apart from his lead, again, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment. For rot, decay, and sometimes death.
• When we place our confidence in God he is faithful to see our dreams through to fruition.

4) I’d love to hear some of your story in this area of being a confident Godly woman. Did you have a season where you saw your confidence wasn’t rooted in Him or did you feel like you lacked confidence in Christ because of something not happening the way you desired.

• I have always been pretty naturally confident. From a young age I was pretty “large and in charge” which is funny because I’ve always been a tiny blonde thing. And I’ve had a really strong relationship with Lord from a young age too.
• I was that girl going to church at least 2-3 times a week and participating in all the summer camps, church events and volunteer opportunities.
• But it was around age 12 that I started to first feel a wane in my confidence and my faith. From ages 12-14 I became REALLY hyper aware of what other people thought and I started to drift farther and farther from my faith and actually found myself in a pretty dark time by the age of 17.
• I was crippled with anxiety, filled with a self loathing that expressed itself in gossip and anger and a bit of paranoia and I would have to say that that was the lowest point in my life so far. I was separated from God and I was so depleted of confidence.
• And I don’t think my story is super unique or surprising because A LOT of young girls start to experience a confidence shift at that age. Your body is changing, your social climate and skills are changing at break neck speed and suddenly, for a lot of us, the opinions of others start to feel a lot more important than God’s opinion.
• Fast forward a few years and I really got my confidence back after my freshman year of college. I’m not a confidence legend and I certainly don’t have the concept of confidence mastered but when I returned back to God full force and moved farther and farther away from what others thought of me (which is still a daily struggle) the more confident I got and the more clarity I received about my calling which is why I’m so passionate about confidence and clarity work today!

5) I think Rahab is a beautiful example from the Bible of being confident in her God. (Joshua 2) Her story was one of much suffering, terrible life choices, but a mustard seed of faith. How can you and I + all other believers help steward women away from their suffering to true confident relationship with Christ?

• Such a great question. I’m a huge advocate of community over competition. As women I think we struggle with cheering each other on and supporting each other and in that kind of world it's hard to inspire confidence in one another. 
• So the first thing I would say is support other women. When you see something that God has uniquely equipped a fellow sister in Christ to do, cheer her on! 
• And how do we do that? We silently observe, listen and use our words sparingly. 
• So to break that down, when you see a fellow sister is Christ doing something great encourage her! Let her know she’s rocking that mom life, let her know you see her crushing that side business she’s got going on our even just simply remind a friend that you appreciate her perspective. Encouragement doesn’t have to be big grand gestures or speeches, it’s often just a simple, unexpected word.
• Next, sisters, I know many of us love to chat! But, man, I haven’t met very many humans that genuinely love to listen. And it doesn’t necessarily build confidence to give unsolicited advice and lecture one another. What really inspires confidence is the feeling of being heard and having valid feelings. We all love that feeling of being able to pour out our heart and just be heard, right? Extending that feeling of “your worthy of being heard” can be a HUGE confidence boost!
• Finally, I want to throw out this idea that unsolicited advice can be a big confidence killer and I see this ALL the time in the church. We blow right past the two things I just mentioned, listening and encouraging and we rush right to scolding, blaming and shaming. There is a time and place for Christ like correction but I would caution anyone listening to check how often they are correcting versus listening and encouraging.

6) You and I address on your podcast holy endurance over hustle culture. I think confidence fits right in with that. The hustle culture preaches the message of a selfish self confidence (in my opinion — you can disagree if you feel so and we can talk through that!). How do you blend the two of being bold in your calling but keeping your confidence rooted in Him. 

• I actually couldn’t agree more. This is such a tricky tightrope to walk. Walking this tightrope, so to speak, requires a high degree of sensitivity. Sensitivity to what God is speaking, what He is up to and what His will is.
• We know that we can be confident in Christ, we know that we have each been given unique gifts, skills, talents, passions and burdens to fulfil our calling but we also know that apart from God we are susceptible to heartbreak, failure or wild success. Success that ultimately leads us astray from God.
• So my commission to anyone who wants to be bold in their calling with a confidence rooted in Christ is to be sensitive. Take time for stillness, silence and solitude. And again, these are things that I am not perfect at but I value because I know they lead to the source of both clear direction and confidence in my calling.
• Lately, for me, this has looked like being really slow to take action. I have to ask “God is this from you” and if it’s not I have to walk away and that’s been so hard because I’m a girl who like to hustle for her worth. 
• So again, be sensitive, slow down, find some stillness (the opposite of hustle) and have confidence in your God to sift and sieve the assignments in your life that truly align with where you are being uniquely called in this season. This may sound like the opposite of boldness too but the more concentrated your energies are on the things that are aligned with God’s call the bolder and better you can be in those pursuits.

7) If someone were to ask you what they needed to begin living with less of in regards to John 3:30, “He must increase, I must decrease." what would you tell them and why!

• I feel like I should say less insecurity to stay on topic BUT honestly I think I would say less hurting and more healing. 
• I feel like in order to become less we have to do some hard, personal work which is why I am so passionate about personal development. I feel like we can be better wives, sisters, moms, mentors and disciples when we have less baggage and bruising from our past because the longer we carry that heavy load and wounding around the less effective our witness is. 
• When we’re stuck in hurts from the past we are more focused on ourselves than we realize. Doing the hard work of work on yourself which actually equips you to extend more love and kindness to others which is what being a disciple is all about.
• I’ll not here that I’m not necessarily talking about BIG traumas. I think it’s obviously important to work through those but I don’t want to communicate that you're a crappy Christian because you have some deep wounding from the past that you haven’t recovered from. What I’m saying here is identify your blindspots, your character defects and your biases so that you can become a more effective witness.
• Ultimately, this kind of hard work that leads to healing can really inspire confidence not only in yourself but in those you have influence over so there you go I brought it all together!

8) What have been your current favorite worship songs! 

• Okay, I love that we are talking about confidence today because the worship song I ALWAYS return to and constantly have on repeat is Confident by Steffany Gretzinger.

Find Bailey here!

Podcast - The Illustrious Podcast

Website - thisillwstriouslife.com

IG - @thisillustriouslife

Tell us a little about you!

• Brooke is a wife, a mother, social media faith-blogger and currently a student at Liberty University pursuing her Bachelors of Science in Religion with a focus in Christian Counseling. Brooke uses her voice and heart to not only share her personal life’s journey in Christ, but also to encourage women to seek after God first hand. In a world where it is easy to access biblical theology and doctrine through a variety of sources (podcasts, social media, books etc.), Brooke states that secondhand faith has nothing on true, firsthand relationship that abides and walks with God. Brooke enjoys writing, reading, learning and talking about all things pertaining to theology and God’s word. To contact her personally, you can find her on Instagram @thegorgeousgrace or email at [email protected]

What has God been teaching you in 2020?

• Obedience in the uncomfortable
• I’m learning what it means to lose.
• To have an eternal mindset
• I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord,who made heaven and earth.He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Psalm 121:1-4
• How comforting it is that I don’t have to stress myself because God is in control. All he asks is that i trust him and keep an eternal mindset.

How have you felt spiritually during this season? (Be honest!!!)

• Grieved and homesick - Ecclesiastes 3:11: He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 
• Humbled and hopeful - Hebrews 4:16, ESV: "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

In what way do you know God more deeply because of this year?

• I feel like this year has been one gigantic trust fall. - Jumping into the pool as a child. It was scary the first few times, but as my father caught me, i began to jump more confidently (Hebrews 4:16)
• The more times you fall and let the Lord catch you, the more confident you are that you are going to be caught.

What’s one portion of scripture you’d share with someone who you knew you’d never see again?

• Ephesians 2! 
• This passage I think speaks to both unbelievers and believers. (which the entire bible does) but the sections within this chapter break down what it is to believe.
• Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens,but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

This week's sit down is with my sweet friend Alysha Miller. She's a California girl, Host of the Marriage Project Podcast, wedding photographer, and writer who most importantly loves God and has a deep reverence for His word. Your heart will be encouraged and equipped with His truth as you listen to us talk about what God is doing in our lives, what He's teaching us, and my favorite part how we're knowing Him more deeply.

What has God been teaching you in 2020?

• One thing God has been teaching me is He has been and always will be in control. I can’t plan anything that would supersede His.
• He is our strong-tower. The name of the Lord is Strong tower. What a picture that we get to cling to.
• He is safety - He is God almighty.
• God is not a God of confusion.

How have you felt spiritually this season?

• And I’ve seen Him spiritually renew me as I’ve been obedient in prayer with Him.
• When my phone was in my hand I felt Him saying to my heart you have a piece of the  armor down.
• Search me God and know me. Give me clean hands and a pure heart.

How do you know The Lord more deeply?

• I’m more in the rhythm of God than the rhythm of the world.
• This whole thing has caused me to pause and lean into what He's doing.

What part of scripture would you share with someone if you knew you'd never see them again?

Romans 6 

• 6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. 15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. 19 I am using an example from everyday life because of  your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Where can everyone find you!

• www.themarriageproject.co
• Instagram @themarriageprojectco.

What has God been teaching you in 2020?

A few things come to mind –

• Clear the path so that God can speak. Prior to COVID-19, there were so many days I thought to myself, “Oh if I just had time to do quiet time, get in the word, listen to a sermon, etc. then I’d grow closer to the Lord.” But time wasn’t the issue, it was me choosing to not prioritize Jesus as much as I knew I wanted to.
• Being forced to stay at home, where God has literally wiped my schedule clean, has shown me that when life goes back to “normal or normal-ish”, I have to make an effort to clear a path for God to speak. To choose to seek him first in my heart, mind, and schedule.
• I can’t wait for another pandemic to clear my schedule so that I can focus on him with unwavering dedication. It takes effort from us to actively remove what gets in the way of following Jesus. And, for me it’s a filled schedule. He rewards those who seek him earnestly. Second, this year has reminded me of a question Andy Stanley often asks, which is, “What does love require of me?”
• I’ve watched several family members and friends respond differently to this pandemic, and it reminded me that I need to actively respond with love – not judgment – in all circumstances. Just because someone responds to an issue differently than I do doesn’t make them better or worse or more or less faithful – it makes them still loved by God, just with a different opinion. And, it’s not my place to judge them for that!
• So, I ask, “What does love require of me?” Most of the time love requires me to take a step back, to listen, to learn, to show empathy. So, I’m learning/relearning to constantly ask that question: What does love require of me? And being at home is a great place to start. My husband, Kyle, is wonderful and I love him to pieces but we can both get on each other’s nerves – I mean that’s any relationship, right?! So, in those frustrating moments, instead of letting my emotions take over, I pause to ask: what does love require of me? And as we continue to ask that question over and over again at home it begins to trickle outside of our home too.
• Third, it’s that resistance builds our resilience. Watching people suffer is the worst, and it breaks my heart just as it breaks God’s. But we serve a God who doesn’t waste our pain or sadness. In fact, he uses it to help us grow in our faith and grow closer to him. So, in a season of what feels like resistance on all sides (someone losing their job, getting sick, becoming a teacher/mom at home, etc.) I’m learning that God must want to teach me something – or all of us something. It’s painful and it stings, but it also bridges the gap between where we were and where we want to go spiritually. Resistance is an opportunity, and it’s a way to build our resilience.

How have you felt spiritually during this season? (Be honest!!!)

• Filled is the first word that comes to mind. As crazy as it sounds, I haven’t worked since March, we’re stuck at home for the most part, there is a lot going on that wants to steal our joy, but I’m filled. The Lord is near. And of course, my heart breaks for the people hurting – but I believe in the power of hope. Clinging to hope and the ability to clear a path for God to speak has left me feeling filled in this season.

In what way do you know God more deeply because of this year?

• I think I’ve seen him more as a protector and provider this year. Nashville was hit with tornados in early March, and houses just two miles away from where I live are gone. Still, to this day, there are houses and businesses with broken glass windows and rubble all around. It was devastating. I feel very strongly that the Lord protected us that night. Kyle still has his job. Protection. We haven’t gotten sick. Protection. I even received the news while at home that a devotion that I wrote will be published in a Proverbs 31 book – so not only is he protecting me, Kyle, our house – he’s progressing the dream he placed in my heart which is to write. He’s providing above and beyond for us even in a pandemic. And if your story is different, that doesn’t mean he’s not protecting you or providing for you – he’s intricately writing your story too. But for me, in this season, I know him more deeply as a gracious, protective Father.

What’s one portion of scripture you’d share with someone who you knew you’d never see again? 

• Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” I think for most of us, faith can be tough to navigate whether you’re not a believer or you’ve been a believer your entire life. Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Faith is not ignoring painful circumstances; it’s believing in the hope of Jesus in spite of them. It’s knowing that he is with us no matter what. Don’t lose hope. He loves you and he’s with you!

Episode 77 is a re-air with my sweet friend Rachael Adams. She is the host of The Love Offering podcast. In this interview we dive deep into what it really means to love like Jesus and what our individual love offering looks like. God created us all differently with unique giftings Rachael challenges us to use that unique call God has put on your life to show His love to others. 

1)Tell us about you and share with everyone about the Love Offering mission and where it was birthed from? 

The true inspiration of the love offering actually started about 10 years. I was in a transitional season where I stopped my career to be a stay at home mom. Motherhood gave me a greater sense of purpose than I had ever had before, however there was still this inner longing I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I was questioning my purpose, my significance, my value, my worth. I was questioning do I matter? Why am I here? I was on a search to determine my purpose and fulfill it. I began to notice that serving my husband and children gave me purpose. Serving in my church and my friends gave me purpose. God continued to speak to my heart this recurring theme of service. The more I served others and the Lord my empty heart was filled. 

One specific night I woke up with the idea of the service project. I had recently read the happiness project by Gretchen Rubin and while I agree with a lot of what the author had to say I thought that there had to be something more to the equation other than simply making ourselves happy. From a Christian standpoint our happiness is derived from staying connected with the Lord and sharing His love with others. So I began journaling for years on the topics of servanthood and purpose in the Bible. 

Fast forward about 10 years later, I was sitting in the church pew on Sunday morning and I looked at the back of the pew and there was a love offering envelope. These envelopes are typically used for monetary giving, over and above your tithe. But on this occasion I got to thinking about how we as Christians are love offerings. We give our lives as love offerings to the Lord and we give our lives as love offerings to the world around us. That we can tangibly go above and beyond for others and for the Lord.

2) God put on your heart, “Rachael, who do you want to feed them, who do you want to hug them, who do you want to give them a home?” You followed by saying it’s not enough to just pray, we have to be active in loving people tangibly. How can you encourage someone in this place. When God does choose them to do the very thing they are asking Him to send someone else to do? 

Yes one night my daughter Kate and I were reading a book that she chose from our local church library titled Willie’s Soup Kitchen. In this book there is a baby in a high chair and Kate who was 4 at the time began to question how a child did not have anything to eat because she had no frame of reference for lack of food.  This lead to a conversation about hunger and homelessness and orphans/. I told her that it broke my heart to think about a child out there somewhere that has no one to hold them when they cry. Hearing this reality, Kate began to weep as if she was physically hurt, but it was an emotional hurt I had never witnessed from her before. Due to her reaction I was prompted to pray, Lord please give them a home and give them someone to comfort them and give them food. And in the middle of the prayer I clearly felt the Lord speak my heart and say, Rachael who do you want to feed them? Who do you want to clothe them? Who do you want to comfort them? That is why I put you here.

It was this call to action then and it is a call to action now. I am a firm believer in prayer. Prayer does work. God does listen to our prayers and we must communicate with him, however there is a point when He says quit praying about this and act. I have given you everything you need to change this situation. You have the time or the talent or the finances or the capacity to make a difference in this person’s life. So often we just wait for someone else to move or for God to move, when that is why He’s put us here on earth, to be his hands and feet. He uses us to accomplish His purposes. I have to remind myself of this often. We can be the answer to someone else’s prayer.

3) One of my favorite verses in the Bible is 1 Timothy 6:20 - “Guard the deposit entrusted to you.” I felt this when I listened to the episodes. We’ve got to love people with the gifts God has given us. Unfortunately, we live in a world where comparison and the enemy tries to make us look at everyone else’s gifts as better than our own. Was there a time when you felt this way and how did you get to the place of knowing the gifts God gave you were sacred and needed to be shared. 

I would love this verse too. It reminds me of the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. God gives us these talents and we can bury them or we can use them and we can invest them for His Kingdom. At the end of my life I want God to say well done good and faithful servant. Not well sad or well thought, but well done. 

You know I still doubt the gifts that God has given me. I feel like it’s so much easier to call out and see the gifts in other people than it is to recognize our own. But when we read in the Word, God says that we are all special. We all have a talent. We all have a treasure and time to share. But it is love that makes all of our gifts useful and we can all love.

When I doubt the gifts or wish for the gift He have to someone else, I am doubting God who gave them to me. When we start to compare our gifts to other people we are undermining God‘s workmanship and providence. God gave us these gifts and God does not make mistakes. 

I have not overcome this doubt and insecurity in my gifts. I question what I have to offer and I don’t know if this will ever go away altogether. But honestly, I wonder if this is for the best because it keeps me humble and reliant on the Lord. If I could do it on my own or in my own strength or because I have worked so hard, then I would take all the credit and I would get the glory. When the reality is, I can’t do this on my own. Scripture says in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. That is why I delight in my weakness, for when I am weak, then I am strong. It is only because of Him that we can do or accomplish anything and that way He always gets the glory because he is the only one who deserves any glory. 

To answer the second part of your question, how did I get to the place of knowing these gifts needed to be shared, I began to realize I was insecure in my giftings because of my concern or fear of man’s reaction, but the turning point for me was the realization that I feared God more. This fear is more of a reverent fear and a posture of obedience to His call to use the gifts He has given me. Not in an arrogant way, but in a humble responsible way. I got to the point that I can’t not do the things God was calling me to. It was a realization that I didn’t want to waste my life. I want to live this one life well, so that at the end of my time here on earth, He will say well done good and faithful servant.

4) If someone sees the need, knows God is calling them, but they don’t know how to move on it, how would you speak into the life of a woman who comes to you with that? “I know God is calling me to “this” and wants me to use “this” gift, but where do I start”. 

Gosh this question really resonates with me. It’s a daily battle isn’t it? The main thing is simply to start. One of my favorite stories in the Bible is in Mark 14 about a woman who anoints Jesus head with perfume. Everyone around her rebukes her and calls her offering a waste, but Jesus says she has done a beautiful thing. She did what she could. Those five simple words. And I believe that is all that He is asking of us as well - to simply do what we can. 

If your listeners are anything like me, we tend to get overwhelmed with the enormity of the problems and our lack of time and resources. But what these verses reveal to me is that we don’t need to exhaust ourselves thinking we have to do it all and do it all perfectly. There is such freedom in these verses. 

My family has a motto that says “do our best and let God take care of the rest.” We can't get stuck in the opinions of others, our our insecurity in our gifts, or fear of failure. Because if we do we stay stagnant, apathetic, and complacent and end up doing nothing instead. My hope is that through the love offering our generation is inspired to do something to manifest the better world we want to see. 

I do want to make it clear that we are not saved by our deeds, we are only saved by faith, however the book of James says faith without deeds is dead. It is our faith that saves us, but it is our active obedience that proves that our faith is genuine. 

So for the woman listening wondering where to start, first pray for God to lead you and secondly, start wherever you are. Where does God have you? Love there. And who has He surrounded you with? Love them. From the book of Eshter, who knows? You were there for such a time as this.

5) How do you inspire others to do the things God calls them. I can see we live in a place of we want to share seats at the table but at the same time hate seeing others get ahead of us. One thing I’ve learned is if I’m in step with the Spirit, I’m right where God has me. How do you push people God-ward?

I am directionally challenged in a physical sense, but also very much in a spiritual sense. I can get lost, sidetracked, and detoured so easily. I love the image in the metaphor of staying in step with the spirit, because where He leads I want to follow. I want nothing more than to be in the center of God’s will. However, how easy it is to question if the direction or step we are taking is in the right direction. We wonder if we heard God correctly, but I’m finding God can redirect us if we are on the wrong course, look at Jonah for example. He brought a fish to get back on track! 

God can get us back on track if we make a misstep. When we stay in tune with His voice by reading His Word, He will lead us. We need to trust that God will open and shut the right doors. He is the light for our path and Scripture assures us in Isaiah 30:21, whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying this is the way, walk in it. 

In regards to saving seats at the table, we do have a tendency to believe there is not enough room for all of us, but the reality is, God just keeps making a bigger table. He is a God of abundance, not scarcity. I want to be the kind of woman who helps others, rather than hinder others in their walk with Christ. And yet I fall short daily. Thank goodness for God’s grace. I can only hope I don’t push anybody in any direction, but rather point them in God‘s direction, so they too can stay in step with His Spirit. We never know whose eyes are on us, and so we would benefit from keeping our eyes fixed on Him. He is our shepherd and He will lead us, guide us and direct us Godward. 

6) People are feeling weary, excited, anxious, joy filled. There are so many emotions going on this time of year. How do you feel we can live out the rest of this season with our arms wide open and be the hands and feet of Jesus? How can we be a love offering? 

There are so many emotions this time of year. And I think the first step is to recognize that it’s not always joyful for everyone. I know for me and my relationships that even though people may be smiling on the outside, there is always something deeper on the inside that someone may be battling. Whether it’s a physical, emotional, or spiritual need. We all have need. We all need love. We can be a love offering by first allowing Christ to fill us with His love, because without the love of Christ we don’t truly have anything valuable to give. Then through Him and through the help of the Holy Spirit we are able to notice others. We can pray to be sensitive to His leading and to open the eyes of our hearts to see first the need and then act on the need. So many times we worry about having the right words to say or giving the perfect gift, but in reality people just want you to see them and to care about them and their needs. The greatest present you can give this season could simply be your presence.

7) I love when you talked about starting a chain reaction that points people to Jesus. I love the thought of what this looks like. Encounter after encounter. What are some simple things people can be focused on to start this chain reaction?

I also love this image. I believe our small acts of love in God’s hands can make an enormous impact. Throughout the Bible God always used ordinary people and ordinary objects to do extraordinary things. He is a God of multiplication. Although I’m not much of a scientist, when I think of reaction, Newton’s Law of motion comes to mind which states for every action there is an equal or opposite reaction. When I apply this to my Christian life, God’s love should prompt a response of love in me. This concept has proven true in my own life. When someone smiles at me it causes me to want to smile. When someone laughs it makes me want to laugh. When someone gives me a hug it makes me want to hug them back. If someone makes me a meal, I want to make a meal for someone else. It’s this pay it forward concept for Christians. 

We also need to be mindful that this chain reaction can go the opposite way. Our harsh words, our judgement, our lack of forgiveness, our lack of mercy, and our inactivity can do as much negative as our positive can do positively. 

In order to start a positive chain reaction we must first stay in God‘s word, stay in step with His spirit like we talked about earlier, pray, and be willing to be interrupted. So often, especially during the Christmas season we are busy with all the things. This season let’s make it our goal to slow down enough to notice and be aware of the needs around us. Simply take the time to invite someone to get together, text someone a kind thought, pray for someone, give someone a gift, or surprise them by doing a chore. It’s not as much about what you give but, just that you do give and with the right motive.

8) The Living With Less podcast is all about living with less of the things getting in the way of who Christ is calling us to be. If someone asked you what they needed to begin living with less of in regards to this, what would you tell them and why?

I love the name of your podcast. It brings to mind less of me and more of Christ. That we are dying to our self and living a newness of life with Him. Our natural sinful tendency is to be selfish and focus on our needs and our wants. So in this respect, to live with less would be to live with less of ourselves- to be selfless. God has called us to take up our cross and follow Him. Jesus came as a servant and we are to model our behavior to live like Him. 

Isaiah 40 talks about being a servant of the Lord and one of my favorite phrases in the commentary I read about this chapter stated majestic works prompt majestic responses. Because of God’s love we should respond in love to Him and to those around us, so they may respond to God’s love too. That is our purpose. To have a relationship with Him so that we can spend eternity in heaven and to lead others to relationship with Him so they can spend eternity in heaven too. 

9) What's been the best thing God has taught you in this season of “The Love Offering” podcast? 

Gosh this is a hard question because He is teaching me so much every day and through this podcast I feel so lucky to be able to talk to so many amazing women and get to learn from each of them. So many times we hear a lot of negative news, but there really are a lot of people doing a lot of great things in this world. And that is something to celebrate. Everybody’s life and offerings look different and they’re all at a different pace, in a different place, in a different position, but they are all important to God and kingdom work. We just simply must all do our part. 

When I think about the love offering and I think about God as the most extraordinary giver, we give because God gave first. He created us in love. He sent His son Jesus because He loved us. Jesus died on the cross because He loved us. And we are to love because He first loved us. That is our greatest offering.

Where you can find Rachael at her website https://rachaelkadams.com, on Facebook, and Instagram @rachaeladamsauthor.

As I sat in prayer and asked God what He wanted me to share, if anything at all this week, I felt over and over the story of Jesus's birth, the gospel, and what this meant for you and me. So this week is the re-airing of the Christmas episode.

In this short 18 min. episode Chelsey shares on the portion of Luke 2 that stood out to her most this year. The Shepherds response when the angles left them, "LET US GO". They had no hesitation in the truth they heard. They wanted to see Jesus and share the good news of great joy with all people. Which is exactly who Jesus came for. You, me, and everyone else. Let us do just as the shepherds did. May we declare this year as one where we will urgently, without hesitation share the GOOD NEWS.