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Better Together LIVE | Episode 96

August 31, 2020

25:09

Who is the source of our confidence? As children of God; we are empowered to be fearless! | TBN Prayer Line: 1-888-731-1000

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Better Together LIVE | Episode 96

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- We are called tobe bold for Christ,
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but where does ourconfidence come from?
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As children of Godwe're empowered
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by the Holy Spiritto be fearless,
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come on let's talk about it.
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(soft music)
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- Before becoming a recordingartist and a speaker,
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I was a seventh grademath teacher in the Bronx,
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like full on teaching,like number lines,
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and pre algebra andall those things.
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And I used to sing to mystudents every Friday,
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if they behaved (laughs),
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and they would behave.
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My husband EJ and I have afriend named Monica Coates
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who wrote a book called,
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"The Beginner's Guide tothe Gospel Music Industry."
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And she said, "Hey, can youguys read a draft of my book."
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And so we were like, "Yeah."
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Being good friends until I wasreading a draft of her book,
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and the first chapter said,
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"If you want to bein this industry,
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"then first you need to pray
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"and see what the Lordhas for you to do.
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"Put aside any of thethings you thought,
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"and just pray."
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And so I thought, "Well,to be a good friend,
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"you know, I got todo the exercise."
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So I prayed (laughs)and the Lord said,
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"I want you to sing."
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And here I am smack dab in themiddle of a master's program,
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I have finished seminary,
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but I was in a newmaster's program,
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I was these kids teacher,and the Lord said to sing,
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and it was the boldest thing
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that the Lord hadever asked me to do.
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Because as a kid, I have aminister dad and a musician mom,
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and I had always told myself,
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"I'm never gonna be eitherof those two things."
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(laughs) Because I want toreceive a check every two weeks,
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like most people inthe world (laughs).
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And here's the Lord askingme to do them both in one,
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and so it waspretty bold for me,
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and the crazy thingis my husband agreed.
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And so we packed up, left NewYork and moved to Nashville.
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And of course, you know, allkinds of practical things
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because we are verypractical people by nature,
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all kind of practicalthings tried to seep in,
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but the reality was theLord had told us to do this,
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and so we were very,very confident about it.
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But it was toughat first, you know,
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just getting to Nashvilleand realizing we had no jobs,
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and we were steppingout on faith
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and we had to wait onthe Lord for everything.
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So that was tough,but looking back,
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I cannot believe we did it,
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but I'm so glad that we did.
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Our boys are livingcompletely different lives
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than they would have been,
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and it's a joy, you know.
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What's Christianboldness to you Mo?
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- Oh man, I feel like thehour I first came to believe
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there was, yeah, thismark, this difference,
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and this boldness thatjust overwhelmed me,
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I mean, his lovewas so radical to me
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in the state thathe found me in,
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it kind of compelled me out,encourage right out the gates.
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I remember, and the wayI can kind of connect
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to your story as well,
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I remember throughthe writing process.
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I began writing, and sharingmy story and, you know,
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releasing bits of my testimony,
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and it was right beforeI wrote my second book,
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but it was the wordof the Lord that came,
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and downloaded exactly whathe wanted me to speak into.
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And what he said as I wassitting in my kitchen,
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like newly married andtrying to navigate what now,
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you know, boldnessis a believer,
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looked like in each new season,he downloaded the title,
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"Sex, Jesus, andthe Conversationsthe Church Forgot."
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And I remember writing down,
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it was like I couldn't getthe words out fast enough.
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Yes Lord, yes, he's speakingevery topic he wants me to hit.
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And hypothetically statingthere in my kitchen alone,
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that felt reallyamazing and wonderful,
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and I was excited about it.
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And then I put the pen downafter that download stopped,
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and I said, "I don'tknow about this,
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"I don't know about this one,
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"this is a lot, this is a lot."
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When I reallystarted to flesh out,
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and pray through what speakinginto something like that,
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sharing the deepest,
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hardest kind of messiestparts of my testimony,
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what that really wasgoing to look like.
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But the word of the Lord,the Holy Spirit had moved.
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And I knew that he had spoken,
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and I knew that itwas his instruction.
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And so I was scared, youknow, bumped up against fear,
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I bumped up against shame,
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I bumped up against confusion,
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I bumped up againstsort of every roadblock
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we would kind of like to say,
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"Okay, it's just a closed door.
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"If I'm feeling this,
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"let's just not do, notfollow through with that."
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But it was the HolySpirit who had moved,
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and deep down I knew that.
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So that was what compelledinto a layer of boldness
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to speak into thingsthat in a lot of places
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weren't reallybeing spoken into,
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and to share some of thehardest deepest things.
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And what was profound aboutthat and beautiful about that
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is that I couldn'ttotally make sense of it,
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but he knew exactlywhat he was doing.
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He knew exactly who he desiredto reach with those words,
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and who he desired to set freefrom their bondage and shame,
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and, you know, I really foundeven in the face of that fear,
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in the face of that gut punch,
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not really wantingto do the bold thing,
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I found that sometimes
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there's just needssomeone else to go first.
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They need someone else to take
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that bold step when they'vebeen prompted by the Lord
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and to open their mouth,or open their hands,
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or open the way forothers to realize,
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"Oh wow, we are trulyfree and free indeed."
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And I can testify to thegoodness of the Lord,
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even amidst the hardestparts of my story.
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And so that was certainlya season where I feel
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that he called a lot of boldness
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that was outsideof my comfort zone,
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and I would never lookback or change a bit of it.
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I'm so glad thathe chose me really
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for that assignment and what aprivilege it is to serve him,
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even if we wanna faintthinking about our mother
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reading those words, it'sjust a privilege (laughs).
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It's just a privilegeto get to be bold,
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in response to God, so whatabout you have Havilah,
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I've seen many boldmoves in your life,
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what's one thatcomes to your mind?
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- Gosh, you know, Iwas thinking about it
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as we talk about this topic.
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I don't know of anymoment where we serve God,
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where he doesn't askus to make a bold move.
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I think about Jesus incalling his disciples,
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the first thing he didwas in boldness asked them
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to come follow him.
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And I remember at 17-years-old,I was a church girl,
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living the verymiddle, you know,
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trying to be cool at school,
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trying to be underthe radar at church,
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and the Holy Spiritspeaking to me
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as I'm in the backseat of a car,
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on my way to a party one night,
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and I heard him say to me,"Havilah, what are you doing?
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"You gotta get out of this car."
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And my heart began to race,
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and I knew that he wassaying something to me,
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but it was like, not in the time
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that I thought hewould be talking to me.
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I assumed he'd talkedto me in a holy place,
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like a church, orin a prayer meeting,
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I didn't think he'd talkedto me in a backseat of a car
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listening to like '90s R&B,
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and I'm on my way to aparty with these guys.
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And all of a sudden I knewI had to say something,
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but you guys know it'sthat moment when you know,
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it's almost like,come follow me,
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I got to step out of theboat, and this is the moment.
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And I remember when Godasks us to do something,
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alongside of obedience,
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there's grace to do whathe's asking us to do,
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and we sometimes don't alwaysknow that in the moment,
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but when we look back, werealize that simultaneously
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in the obedience,grace was alongside,
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and I just kinda said out loud,
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"Hi, can you turnthe music down?"
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They turned the music downand I just say out loud,
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"I have a call ofGod on my life,
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if you wanna comewith me, you can,
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"but this is what I'm gonna do."
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And of course, they didn'tcome with me at all,
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in fact, they dropped me offat home without saying a word,
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which was a totalbuzzkill for the night.
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But I think about how thatone moment in my life,
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where I had to standup in boldness,
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and declare who I was gonna be,
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and not (indistinct) fear,was critical to every step
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that I've made alongthe way with him.
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And so I don't know a believerthat hasn't been asked
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to live a bold or do a, takea bold step towards Jesus,
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I just don't thinkit's possible,
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if you're reallygonna live out loud
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and live for him wholehearted,
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then you're gonna have tomake a public declaration
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that he is Lord andsavior of your life.
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And I think that that'sjust what it looks like,
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and in my life, and notto belabor the point.
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If I'm not making boldstatements in my life
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and living bold for him,
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then there'ssomething inside of me
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that has gotten comfortablein my walk with him,
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and I'm not reallypushing myself to realize
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that I'm not madefor this world,
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that there is an eternal world
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that I will reap the benefitsfor how I live today,
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and so I ended upchallenging myself,
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and I think there's a lot ofpeople that are watching today
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that probablyexperienced that too,
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where you're saying, "It'stime to make some bold moves."
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- I totally agreewith you Havilah,
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I don't think thatyou can be a Christian
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and not move in boldness,
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and I know what that feels,I know what that feels like.
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If it's not spirit empowered,
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you look foolish,many, many times.
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And 'cause there'sa lot of people
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that feel bold and they'rejust gonna say something
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and they shouldrather stay quiet
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in my humble, humble opinion.
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But when your HolySpirit empowered,
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there's nothing like it,
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and when you stepout, others follow,
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but it takes faith to step out.
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I'm so proud ofyour choice Havilah
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because you're probably sitting,
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where you sit in ministry today,
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because of that choiceright there that you did.
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And many of us, you know,those choices come along,
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and we have to make them
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and we have to make themwhether or not your friends,
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you know, tell you to getout of the car, right then,
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I'm glad at leastthey took you home.
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But you know, one time we hadjust moved into this new home,
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and this was 34 years ago or so,
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and I'll never forget.
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We came home onenight and I'm very,
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harmony is veryhigh on my chart,
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of all the charts that you take,
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empathy I think isfirst, harmony is second.
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And there is a fineline between, you know,
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wanting peace and all of that
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and then there is a fine line
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that cuts like asword with harmony,
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that if you come in, you messwith my harmony, watch out.
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So we come home late one night,
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we've just moved intothis little house,
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and it has been broken into,
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and the front doors wideopen, the back doors wide open
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and I can see throughthe kitchen windows,
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every drawer in the house,in my kitchen is open,
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and it's like one or twoo'clock in the morning,
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it's pitch-black and it's awful.
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And I'll never forgetMatt takes off his shoes,
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and he's down to hissocks and you know,
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we're just flabbergastedfor a minute,
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and I go, "What are you doing?"
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He goes, "I'm gonnasneak around the house,
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and I'm gonna go in."
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I go, "Oh no, we're not."
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And I just went, I bet he said,
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"You basically kickedthe front door down,
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"started slammingall the lights,
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"and screaming, getout of my house."
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So I know what thatboldness, and he said,
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"My whole, thank you, God,
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"okay, well now it's a fight(laughs) change of plans.
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But thankfully noone was in there.
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So I know that boldness,
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that can rise up and we'regonna be speaking about it.
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Bianca, you are onebold, brave woman.
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- So here's the thing.
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I think that when missLaurie was talking about
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like superwoman and boldness,
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I think that's mysecond reaction.
00:12:49.458 --> 00:12:51.660
But my first reaction is never
00:12:51.660 --> 00:12:53.395
that in fact, everytime that I've told God
00:12:53.395 --> 00:12:56.098
that I don't wanna dosomething, he makes me do it.
00:12:56.098 --> 00:12:58.901
And so now I'm prayingthese prayers like,
00:12:58.901 --> 00:13:00.870
"God I will never have amansion in Laguna beach,
00:13:00.870 --> 00:13:04.573
"and I will neverhave a six pack."
00:13:04.573 --> 00:13:06.742
Because all the thingsthat I say I don't wanna do
00:13:06.742 --> 00:13:08.410
like God makes me do that.
00:13:08.410 --> 00:13:09.712
But once I have my cometo Jesus moment with God,
00:13:11.146 --> 00:13:14.450
then I can get onboard with boldness,
00:13:14.450 --> 00:13:16.051
but this is what I will say.
00:13:16.051 --> 00:13:17.887
God asks my husbandand I to step out,
00:13:17.887 --> 00:13:20.956
to plant a church almost,yeah almost two years ago.
00:13:20.956 --> 00:13:24.627
And I'm listening toJanice, I'm listening to Mo,
00:13:24.627 --> 00:13:26.662
I'm listen to Havilah,
00:13:26.662 --> 00:13:27.897
and like all of ushave this moment
00:13:27.897 --> 00:13:29.431
where we know that God hascalled us to do something,
00:13:29.431 --> 00:13:31.934
but there's like that pause.
00:13:31.934 --> 00:13:33.402
And I wanna justspeak to maybe someone
00:13:33.402 --> 00:13:35.838
who is watching online,
00:13:35.838 --> 00:13:37.273
who is in the pause,
00:13:37.273 --> 00:13:38.807
where you feel like God hascalled you to do something,
00:13:38.807 --> 00:13:40.776
and this is the momentwhere you get to decide.
00:13:40.776 --> 00:13:43.145
Let me encourage you that fromLaurie kicking down doors,
00:13:43.145 --> 00:13:46.148
and beating up home-breakers,
00:13:46.148 --> 00:13:47.917
and Janice in Nashvillewriting songs and singing,
00:13:47.917 --> 00:13:51.353
whatever it is thatmoment of the pause
00:13:51.353 --> 00:13:53.756
is gonna be the thing, thatis gonna be the impetus
00:13:53.756 --> 00:13:55.791
that leads you intothe other side.
00:13:55.791 --> 00:13:58.227
I don't know whatyour other side is,
00:13:58.227 --> 00:13:59.528
but it's gonna requirethat step of faith.
00:13:59.528 --> 00:14:01.463
And I could tell you twoyears into church planting,
00:14:01.463 --> 00:14:03.766
has it been easy?
00:14:03.766 --> 00:14:05.000
Oh, honey no ithas not been easy.
00:14:05.000 --> 00:14:07.102
Have I wanted to quit?
00:14:07.102 --> 00:14:08.003
I have wanted to quit.
00:14:08.003 --> 00:14:09.538
Have I wanted to lovinglyshake people and be like,
00:14:09.538 --> 00:14:12.041
"Do you know Jesus?"
00:14:12.041 --> 00:14:13.475
And I'm talking about my kids.
00:14:13.475 --> 00:14:14.910
Yes, it has been all of that.
00:14:14.910 --> 00:14:16.545
But I will say on the otherside, just two years in,
00:14:16.545 --> 00:14:20.349
I am praising the Lordfor his faithfulness,
00:14:20.349 --> 00:14:23.218
and I don't wanna be like,an afterschool special,
00:14:23.218 --> 00:14:26.622
I don't wanna it soundlike a Kodak commercial,
00:14:26.622 --> 00:14:28.223
but when we take thatstep of boldness,
00:14:28.223 --> 00:14:29.291
when we take that step of faith,
00:14:29.291 --> 00:14:30.859
we get to see Godmove in our lives
00:14:30.859 --> 00:14:33.128
that we don't know we wouldbe able to unless we take
00:14:33.128 --> 00:14:36.031
that step forward.
00:14:36.031 --> 00:14:37.399
So Janice, now we areon the other side,
00:14:37.399 --> 00:14:39.568
let's talk about someof the challenges.
00:14:39.568 --> 00:14:42.137
What challengeshave you experienced
00:14:42.137 --> 00:14:43.739
that have made boldnessmaybe a little hard?
00:14:43.739 --> 00:14:46.508
- Well, you know, I thinkit takes one good time
00:14:46.508 --> 00:14:49.845
for a boldness not to play outthe way you thought it would,
00:14:49.845 --> 00:14:54.683
to kind of let fearand creeped out in
00:14:55.851 --> 00:14:58.754
for the next time the Lordasks you to do something.
00:14:58.754 --> 00:15:01.390
And so I think it'sone of those things
00:15:01.390 --> 00:15:04.026
where we wonder, "Do I haveto have a certain personality
00:15:04.026 --> 00:15:06.895
"to be bold?
00:15:06.895 --> 00:15:08.163
"Do I have to have acertain personality?
00:15:08.163 --> 00:15:09.531
"Do I have to beextroverted, or fearless?"
00:15:09.531 --> 00:15:12.568
And I think we think thatfearlessness is the goal.
00:15:12.568 --> 00:15:17.573
But I think the goal is tohave courage in the Lord,
00:15:19.742 --> 00:15:23.045
and confidence in the Lord,
00:15:23.045 --> 00:15:24.580
and he'll lead usinto that place.
00:15:24.580 --> 00:15:27.149
I have a spiritual mom whoused to always say to me,
00:15:27.149 --> 00:15:31.387
"Do it scared."
00:15:31.387 --> 00:15:32.488
(laughs) You know what I mean?
00:15:32.488 --> 00:15:33.589
Like if fear is the thing, yeah,
00:15:33.589 --> 00:15:36.125
if fear is the thingthat's holding you back,
00:15:36.125 --> 00:15:37.926
just do it scared,
00:15:37.926 --> 00:15:39.461
because the reality is ifhe's calling you to do it,
00:15:39.461 --> 00:15:42.865
like, you know, I think,who said it Mo or Havilah
00:15:42.865 --> 00:15:45.401
that he's going toequip you to do it.
00:15:45.401 --> 00:15:47.536
And so these days, theboldest moves often
00:15:47.536 --> 00:15:50.939
that I have to make,
00:15:50.939 --> 00:15:52.674
the most courageousmoves I have to make,
00:15:52.674 --> 00:15:55.377
are oftentimes moreeither internal,
00:15:55.377 --> 00:15:57.713
or having to dowith me being a mom.
00:15:57.713 --> 00:16:00.349
I think a lot oftimes we believe
00:16:00.349 --> 00:16:01.850
that boldness has to dowith leaving being a teacher
00:16:01.850 --> 00:16:05.354
and becoming a singer,
00:16:05.354 --> 00:16:06.822
and that kinda has the, youknow, the church appeal,
00:16:06.822 --> 00:16:11.260
where you can tellthat testimony later
00:16:11.260 --> 00:16:12.961
and people would be like, "Wow."
00:16:12.961 --> 00:16:14.563
But the reality isthe boldest places
00:16:14.563 --> 00:16:17.132
the Lord is calling meto move in my right now,
00:16:17.132 --> 00:16:19.668
have to do with hearinghim whisper to me
00:16:19.668 --> 00:16:22.438
as to how to be a mom, and howto surrender my kids to him.
00:16:22.438 --> 00:16:27.443
That's the hardestthing right now
00:16:28.610 --> 00:16:30.212
is hearing that whisper andcourageously following it,
00:16:30.212 --> 00:16:33.048
seeing that Goliathin my own life,
00:16:33.048 --> 00:16:35.617
from inside, theinternal conflicts,
00:16:35.617 --> 00:16:39.121
and saying "No, by the powerof God, you get slain."
00:16:39.121 --> 00:16:43.192
And so, you know, theseare the bold moves
00:16:43.192 --> 00:16:45.060
that the Lord is callingme to these days,
00:16:45.060 --> 00:16:47.596
you know what I'm saying?
00:16:47.596 --> 00:16:48.730
'Cause I know it can.
00:16:48.730 --> 00:16:50.532
- Sometimes boldness isnot moving cross country.
00:16:50.532 --> 00:16:53.102
Sometimes boldness isstanding up to the things
00:16:53.102 --> 00:16:55.971
that nobody in thegenerations ahead of you
00:16:55.971 --> 00:16:58.474
were able to stand up to,you know, what about you Mo?
00:16:58.474 --> 00:17:01.243
- Yeah, I love that Janice,
00:17:02.578 --> 00:17:04.012
I resonate so deeplywith that internal layer,
00:17:04.012 --> 00:17:07.516
to so much of thecall of boldness.
00:17:07.516 --> 00:17:09.651
And honestly, I think alot often about Peter,
00:17:09.651 --> 00:17:13.122
who pre Holy Spirit falling,
00:17:13.122 --> 00:17:16.492
was passionate, was zealouswas committed, loved the Lord,
00:17:16.492 --> 00:17:21.497
would seeminglycheck all the boxes.
00:17:22.631 --> 00:17:24.867
I mean, in many ways was bold,
00:17:24.867 --> 00:17:26.635
he dives forward andslices, you know,
00:17:26.635 --> 00:17:29.104
the Roman's guard ear
00:17:29.104 --> 00:17:30.305
and it's not evennecessary as boldness,
00:17:30.305 --> 00:17:32.007
but it is, we see allof the right ingredients
00:17:32.007 --> 00:17:37.012
in a life thatwould appear bold.
00:17:38.147 --> 00:17:40.816
But yet when he'schallenged by a slave girl,
00:17:40.816 --> 00:17:44.586
" Were you the onewho was with Jesus?"
00:17:44.586 --> 00:17:46.989
Still ingest his flesh.
00:17:46.989 --> 00:17:48.657
He crumbles in thatmoment, and he denies,
00:17:48.657 --> 00:17:50.926
and three times he denies.
00:17:50.926 --> 00:17:52.628
Even though Peter hasbeen our passionate man
00:17:52.628 --> 00:17:55.531
through the wholeof the scriptures.
00:17:55.531 --> 00:17:57.432
But what we then see take place
00:17:57.432 --> 00:17:59.835
is that they sit, theywait, the shaking comes,
00:17:59.835 --> 00:18:04.106
the fire falls, the HolySpirit fills them, fills Peter.
00:18:04.106 --> 00:18:09.111
And cut to Acts 4, he'sstanding toe-to-toe
00:18:10.245 --> 00:18:12.314
with the Phariseesand the Sadducees,
00:18:12.314 --> 00:18:14.349
who have all the power todestroy his life, his future,
00:18:14.349 --> 00:18:18.120
I mean, this is thePharisees and the Sadducees
00:18:18.120 --> 00:18:20.088
in comparison to a slave girl,
00:18:20.088 --> 00:18:22.424
and he is standingtoe-to-toe saying,
00:18:22.424 --> 00:18:24.526
"I cannot stop tellingabout everything
00:18:24.526 --> 00:18:26.895
"that I've seen heard."
00:18:26.895 --> 00:18:28.230
The differencehere is the spirit
00:18:28.230 --> 00:18:31.333
that is consuming him, isburning like a flame within him,
00:18:31.333 --> 00:18:36.338
and that's where the true,
00:18:37.272 --> 00:18:39.641
you know, God led boldness,that is affective,
00:18:39.641 --> 00:18:42.644
that is timely, that isinternal first and foremost,
00:18:42.644 --> 00:18:47.649
really, you know,manifests victory.
00:18:49.484 --> 00:18:52.187
And we see so much play outfor the kingdom of heaven,
00:18:52.187 --> 00:18:55.657
but it was the shakingthat had to happen,
00:18:55.657 --> 00:18:59.928
it was the spiritthat had to fall,
00:18:59.928 --> 00:19:01.663
and what I seelooking at this text
00:19:01.663 --> 00:19:03.732
and certainly what I'veexperienced in my own life,
00:19:03.732 --> 00:19:05.901
is that it's often actuallyhumility that proceeds boldness.
00:19:05.901 --> 00:19:10.872
So it's upside down,it's kind of flipped,
00:19:12.074 --> 00:19:15.510
but the more welay ourselves down,
00:19:15.510 --> 00:19:17.779
and the more we allowhis oil to fill,
00:19:17.779 --> 00:19:20.349
it's that humilitythat my life is yours,
00:19:20.349 --> 00:19:23.986
use it as you intent,and not by strength,
00:19:23.986 --> 00:19:26.388
not by might, but by his spirit,
00:19:26.388 --> 00:19:28.757
that can affectively, I mean,it pulls the gospel forward.
00:19:28.757 --> 00:19:33.161
(laughs) Can affectivelystand toe-to-toe
00:19:33.161 --> 00:19:35.664
with the very ones who wouldsay, "You're done here."
00:19:35.664 --> 00:19:38.100
And say, "I'm sorry, Ican't, I can't stop."
00:19:38.100 --> 00:19:40.736
And I see that, you know,humility proceeds boldness,
00:19:40.736 --> 00:19:44.139
and certainly in my ownlife, it's usually dying
00:19:44.139 --> 00:19:47.342
to my wants, or my thoughts,
00:19:47.342 --> 00:19:48.677
or my fears orwhatever it may be
00:19:48.677 --> 00:19:50.245
that precedes him actuallymoving really effectively,
00:19:50.245 --> 00:19:53.849
and it's very much internal,very much internal.
00:19:53.849 --> 00:19:57.319
Have you experiencedthat too Havilah?
00:19:57.319 --> 00:19:59.388
- Oh, wow, yes, Mo I lovehow you related it to Peter,
00:19:59.388 --> 00:20:02.557
'cause I think in the church,
00:20:02.557 --> 00:20:03.892
we think boldness is aggression.
00:20:03.892 --> 00:20:06.328
(laugh) I don't know if that'sreally biblical, you know,
00:20:06.328 --> 00:20:09.531
I know a lot of quietpeople that are very bold,
00:20:09.531 --> 00:20:12.801
but they don't haveto stand on a rooftop
00:20:12.801 --> 00:20:14.770
and tell everybody.
00:20:14.770 --> 00:20:16.305
So I relate to you Janice,when you said it's internal,
00:20:16.305 --> 00:20:20.075
and I was thinking about like,
00:20:20.075 --> 00:20:22.678
Esther would be a classic,bold woman in the Bible, right?
00:20:22.678 --> 00:20:26.014
And she has her wholegenerations like waiting for her
00:20:26.014 --> 00:20:28.950
to save them, but theydon't even know it,
00:20:28.950 --> 00:20:30.819
but she's got this moment.
00:20:30.819 --> 00:20:32.120
And I think about howshe plans that dinner
00:20:32.120 --> 00:20:35.157
to tell everybody,and then she pauses,
00:20:35.157 --> 00:20:37.726
and she does it all again,like the following time.
00:20:37.726 --> 00:20:41.163
And then finally,does the bold act.
00:20:41.163 --> 00:20:43.765
And kinda what youwere saying Bianca,
00:20:43.765 --> 00:20:45.801
there's a moment Ithink in boldness
00:20:45.801 --> 00:20:48.103
where the HolySpirit's asking us,
00:20:48.103 --> 00:20:50.172
"But are you stilldependent on my voice?
00:20:50.172 --> 00:20:52.941
"Yeah, you can do it,
00:20:52.941 --> 00:20:54.543
"but are you stillgonna listen to my yes,
00:20:54.543 --> 00:20:56.745
"and are you also gonnarespond to my no."
00:20:56.745 --> 00:20:59.247
And I think we get introuble when we're assuming
00:20:59.247 --> 00:21:02.050
that God is in theyes or in the no,
00:21:02.050 --> 00:21:03.885
he's not in the leading.
00:21:03.885 --> 00:21:05.253
And so I've foundthat in my own life,
00:21:05.253 --> 00:21:08.623
there's a lot ofthings I wanna do
00:21:08.623 --> 00:21:11.526
that I would haveassumed was bold,
00:21:11.526 --> 00:21:14.029
but it's in the no,
00:21:14.029 --> 00:21:15.697
that God asked me touse, that God is in.
00:21:15.697 --> 00:21:19.234
And I was thinkingabout an opportunity
00:21:19.234 --> 00:21:21.536
that came my way acouple months ago,
00:21:21.536 --> 00:21:24.272
and it seemed great onpaper and I was excited,
00:21:24.272 --> 00:21:27.309
and then I rememberthe Holy Spirit saying,
00:21:27.309 --> 00:21:29.311
"No, I don't wantyou to do that."
00:21:29.311 --> 00:21:31.646
And I wrestled,because I'm thinking,
00:21:31.646 --> 00:21:34.149
"This is what I should be doing,
00:21:34.149 --> 00:21:35.851
"and this is why I'vebeen asked to do this,
00:21:35.851 --> 00:21:38.387
"and this seems right."
00:21:38.387 --> 00:21:40.055
And I heard the HolySpirit say to me,
00:21:40.055 --> 00:21:41.823
"Are you gonna bea follower of me?
00:21:41.823 --> 00:21:43.892
"Are you just gonnabe a leader for me?"
00:21:43.892 --> 00:21:45.727
And I'm like, "No, no, Iwanna be a follower of you."
00:21:45.727 --> 00:21:49.064
And I heard him just gentlysay, "Then don't, don't do it."
00:21:49.064 --> 00:21:52.067
And it was like,I was being tested
00:21:52.067 --> 00:21:54.669
with opportunity versus beinga follower of Jesus Christ,
00:21:54.669 --> 00:21:58.173
like what am Igonna be led to do?
00:21:58.173 --> 00:21:59.708
And so I feel thattension all the time.
00:21:59.708 --> 00:22:03.078
And I think it takesjust as much maturity
00:22:03.078 --> 00:22:07.916
to say yes in a bold way,
00:22:07.916 --> 00:22:10.252
as well as to say no in abold way, and both are bold.
00:22:10.252 --> 00:22:14.523
So I find that as well,specifically in the culture
00:22:14.523 --> 00:22:18.026
that we're facing right now,
00:22:18.026 --> 00:22:19.761
and all of the things thatwe are being presented.
00:22:19.761 --> 00:22:23.698
We can champion things thatGod's either asking us not to.
00:22:23.698 --> 00:22:27.002
and we assume, well, thisis the righteous thing,
00:22:27.002 --> 00:22:29.237
and this is the rightthing, rather than saying,
00:22:29.237 --> 00:22:31.506
"Okay, Holy Spirit, whatdo you want me to do?"
00:22:31.506 --> 00:22:34.409
And I think there's neverbeen a more strategic time
00:22:34.409 --> 00:22:37.479
for us to ask the Holy Spiritwhat does boldness look like.
00:22:37.479 --> 00:22:41.550
And forgive me if I wrappedit up in my personality,
00:22:41.550 --> 00:22:44.019
rather than wrap it up asa follower of Jesus Christ,
00:22:44.019 --> 00:22:47.155
and I think that's really,really critical in my own life.
00:22:47.155 --> 00:22:49.891
So I wanna pray for us today,
00:22:49.891 --> 00:22:51.460
as we get into this wholeweek of living bold, right?
00:22:51.460 --> 00:22:55.430
And understanding whatChrist has asked us to do.
00:22:55.430 --> 00:22:58.266
Lord, we thank you,that it is not a mistake
00:22:58.266 --> 00:23:01.002
that every person that'swatching this today
00:23:01.002 --> 00:23:03.605
is right on time,
00:23:03.605 --> 00:23:05.106
you have to finally set themup, to hear this message,
00:23:05.106 --> 00:23:09.377
to hear these stories,
00:23:09.377 --> 00:23:11.480
to just experiencethis moment with us.
00:23:11.480 --> 00:23:14.249
And Holy Spirit we ask you,to break into every situation,
00:23:14.249 --> 00:23:19.254
every relationship,every work experience,
00:23:20.422 --> 00:23:22.224
every person that's on thefront line, I ask right now
00:23:22.224 --> 00:23:25.560
that you would show them whatboldness looks like today.
00:23:25.560 --> 00:23:29.598
Lord, they wouldnot put you in a box
00:23:29.598 --> 00:23:31.500
or not assume that boldnessis in the yes or in the no
00:23:31.500 --> 00:23:34.369
but it's in the present leading.
00:23:34.369 --> 00:23:36.571
And so Holy Spirit you said,
00:23:36.571 --> 00:23:38.840
that if we're gonnabe your followers,
00:23:38.840 --> 00:23:40.442
then we can hear your voice.
00:23:40.442 --> 00:23:42.944
And so I ask right now,
00:23:42.944 --> 00:23:44.913
that every person that'swatching right now
00:23:44.913 --> 00:23:47.082
would begin to hear your voice,
00:23:47.082 --> 00:23:49.351
in a profound way that wouldradically shift our lives
00:23:49.351 --> 00:23:53.855
in the next season.
00:23:53.855 --> 00:23:55.156
I thank you God, thatit is not too much,
00:23:55.156 --> 00:23:57.459
that everythingyou ask us to do,
00:23:57.459 --> 00:23:59.361
you said you have notgiven us a spirit of fear,
00:23:59.361 --> 00:24:02.430
but of love, power,and a sound mind,
00:24:02.430 --> 00:24:05.066
and I declare that overevery person watching today.
00:24:05.066 --> 00:24:08.670
We thank you thatyou are with us,
00:24:08.670 --> 00:24:11.506
in every moment inJesus mighty name, amen.
00:24:11.506 --> 00:24:15.343
- Amen, amen, you know Ilove that story about Peter
00:24:17.112 --> 00:24:20.582
because it says that
00:24:20.582 --> 00:24:22.284
when they were filledwith the Holy Spirit,
00:24:22.284 --> 00:24:23.752
so they're completelyterrified at first,
00:24:23.752 --> 00:24:27.055
and then they're filledwith the Holy Spirit,
00:24:27.055 --> 00:24:29.424
and their boldness then
00:24:29.424 --> 00:24:31.893
after the Holy Spirithad come on them,
00:24:31.893 --> 00:24:34.162
just astonished theJewish authorities.
00:24:35.630 --> 00:24:38.600
And then the Bible says that,
00:24:40.435 --> 00:24:41.903
"They recognized thatthey had been with Jesus."
00:24:41.903 --> 00:24:44.973
And I love that.
00:24:44.973 --> 00:24:46.174
We're gonna talkabout this all week.
00:24:46.174 --> 00:24:47.409
You know, our "BetterTogether Community"
00:24:47.409 --> 00:24:48.443
Is always here for you.
00:24:48.443 --> 00:24:50.111
You can connect withus on social media
00:24:50.111 --> 00:24:51.813
and let us know howwe can pray for you.
00:24:51.813 --> 00:24:53.715
Thanks for joiningall of us today.
00:24:53.715 --> 00:24:56.151
You know, we can askGod for anything.
00:24:56.151 --> 00:24:58.486
Tomorrow we're talkingabout being persistent,
00:24:58.486 --> 00:25:01.222
and bold in prayer.
00:25:01.222 --> 00:25:02.724
We will see you then welove you all, bye-bye.
00:25:02.724 --> 00:25:05.193
(soft music)
00:25:05.193 --> 00:25:07.629

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Better Together LIVE | Episode 96

Better Together LIVE | Episode 96

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Menu Top

Better Together LIVE | Episode 96

Better Together LIVE | Episode 96

Video Keywords

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