storm

The transcription is a mix of a prayer, a reflection on facing storms in life, and a personal testimony about following God. The speaker encourages listeners to trust in God and have faith, even in difficult times. They emphasize the importance of having a relationship with God and surrendering to His will. The speaker also talks about the persecution and ridicule they have faced for their beliefs but remain steadfast in their faith. They urge others to accept Jesus and experience the promise of eternal life. When the solid ground is falling out from underneath my feet Between the black skies and my red eyes, I can barely see And when I'm feeling like I've been let down by my friends and my family I can hear the rain remind of me In the eye of the storm, you remain in control In the middle of a war, you guard my soul You were thrown on the angel, from the tail of my horse You were lost around me, in the eye of the storm Lord, I come before you. I lift up each and every person listening, Lord. I ask that you may open their ears, their hearts, and their minds. And I want to pray the armor of God over everybody that is listening. You can find it in Ephesians 6, verses 10 through 20. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of the dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground. And after you have done everything to stand, stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet footed with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me, so that I will fearfully make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearfully, as I should. Lord, I praise you, and I thank you, and I glorify you, because without you, none of this would be possible. And I pray all of this in Jesus' name. Amen. Hey there, it's Anna with God's Podcast. I just want to say sorry for not getting a podcast out sooner. But I was struggling a little bit with what to bring you this episode. Because I want to give you all the warm and fuzzies of the Christmas season, but sometimes that's not a reality. And it doesn't matter what time of year it is to have a storm or to face any battles. Because the reality is, we're all going to face some kind of storm or battle. But this had me rethinking things about how to battle these storms. Because if there wasn't a storm, what would the devil have to hold against us, or deceive us, or to sway to his side? If there wasn't a storm for God to calm, just like it talks about in Luke and in Matthew, of when Jesus walks on the water and when Jesus is in the boat with the disciples and is sleeping. And it's like, why did you wake me, ye of little faith? Why did you wake me? Do you not believe you are in good hands? Am I not here with you? Why do you not have faith that God is going to take care of it all? We too lose faith in the storm. We too become fearful. We too do not believe that God is going to take care of it. And just like that, we doubt God and we don't think we can get through the storm. But think about this. If there isn't a storm to get through, the devil has nothing to conquer. He only wants you because you are God's chosen one. He isn't going to mess with what he already has, because there is no reason to. But you have something he wants. You believe in God. He wants you. He wants your soul. He wants your life. So stop and thank God for the storm because he gets you through it. Stop looking at life for every win. Start looking at life with success for every storm you get through with God as a victory. We look at success here on earth by jobs, money, riches, how high we can get up the ladder. Instead of how many storms God gets us through, God can calm any storm. Because our God is filled with mercy. Our God is filled with grace. And he will get you through. All you have to do is trust him, believe in him, and have faith through it all. I'm going to ask you this question. Have you ever been angry with God? Have you cursed God, turned away from him, thought he wasn't real because he wasn't answering your prayers? And I'm going to tell you, stop cursing God for these things that you ask for. Because if you're not living a life in God, how do you expect God to live a life with you? God is not a genie in a bottle who grants wishes. How can you expect God to move when you're not moving with God? You can't just call upon God just because you think you deserve it or you deserve him to answer your prayers. And maybe I'm wrong. Like I said, I'm no expert. I'm just giving you my honest opinion. If you don't walk with God, you can't expect God to walk with you. Yes, he loves you. Don't get me wrong. He wants you to come to him. He desires a relationship with you. But if you don't give that to him, how can you expect anything in return? You can't just think just because you're in the muck of it, in the mess of it. Prayers are going to be answered just because you call upon him. You have to allow him in your heart. You have to open your heart to him. And you will see that life is going to change. When God is knocking at your door, are you going to answer it? Because if you don't, you can't expect that your prayers are going to be answered. God wants to give it all to you. He wants you to be happy. He wants to give you all that you ask for. But he can't do that if you don't open your heart to him and you don't answer the door. This makes me think about and reflect upon all my life decisions and all the things that I have decided to do in my life to this point forward. And I look back and I see how God has aligned everything correctly to the T. God knows what he's doing. He knows the choices that he gives us and the choices that we're going to make. Either you choose A or you choose B. Either way, you live out the consequences. And let me tell you, I look back at my life consequences and it has led me to exactly here, to this day, to this time, to do exactly what God has called me to do. And I had to go through it all so I could be ready, so I could understand, so I could bring as many people to him to assure me I did it all for the right reasons, that I sacrificed for his will and his purpose. Even though I have been martyred, mocked, degraded, and shunned upon, that is okay because I followed God. I was obedient to him and what he was telling me to do. And yes, I fell and I failed along the way and was not perfect and I never will be. But that's the beauty of it. That's the growth in it. Some may never understand what I have been through, what I had to go through, the decisions I had to make to get to where I am today. But I did it all for God's glory. He allowed me to choose what was best for my family, for our well-being, and to bring glory to his name. And I do not regret one day of it because my kids have prospered. My kids know God and I am thankful for that. It has nothing to do with family and it has nothing to do with blood or anything other than I choose God first. And I put the family he gave me to build first and allow God to work in us. And he has showed us his blessing for us, for our family, for our lives to give glory to him, to be able to say that we truly have given and surrendered our lives, our souls to him to do his will, to do his purpose. And I will never regret that. People can talk bad about me. People can condemn me. People can ridicule me and my decisions. And that's okay. I have realized as I have studied the Bible, the deeper that I get, the more that I love God, the more that I show that I love God, the more that I give myself to God, I will be persecuted, ridiculed, and looked down upon for my actions. And it does not hurt nor bother me anymore because I pick up my cross and I will carry it for God to do his will, to do his purpose, and to glorify him always no matter what people think of me. I don't care. The devil cannot get me down. The devil cannot tell me I am nothing. The devil can never tell me that what I am doing is wrong. The devil can never tell me that I am not a child of God because I know I am from the storms that God has calmed and gotten me through and shown me how much he loves me. I know God is real and I know God is by my side. I would not be as strong or get through all the darkness I have gotten through without God. I don't care what people say. I am a Bible thumper. I am a child of God and I will get on the mountain to proclaim my love for Jesus, for God, the Holy Spirit, for he has given me the opportunity and no one can take that away from me. So I will be that person. I will tell you God loves you. God has you. God will get you through because without having nothing, what is there to look forward to? What is there after death other than what God has promised? Why wouldn't you want that? I am proclaiming it. I am screaming it. I am telling you God is real. Give it over to God. Give it to God. See what he can do for you. This is a season to celebrate Jesus, his birth, his life, his death. The reason of decisions is because God gave his only son for us to have this second chance. Take this chance. What do you have to lose other than not knowing what's going to happen to you after death? It's not what we do here on earth. It's not the riches. It's not the glory that we get but what we do for God here on this earth because of what he talks about in paradise. I want that milk and honey. I want that life of no sickness, no death, no sorrow, no worry, no disease. I want a life to be able to live with God in harmony, in love, and with all the loved ones that have passed and gone away. Don't you? Take this season for what it is, not for the presence but for the presence of Jesus Christ. God gave us this chance. I am passionate and I am begging you. Lay your life before God. Open your heart and answer that door. You will not regret it. The only thing you have to lose is everything that the devil has been telling you because he's lying. And God will give you everything that you have been searching for, everything that you want in this world, in your flesh, the love, the understanding, the wisdom, the riches. And I don't mean riches like money. I am talking in God because there is nothing like it. Proclaim your faith. Give it over to him. See what he has for you. You'd be surprised of how your life is going to change. It may be drastic. It may be simple. But give it over to him. You have nothing more to lose other than what Satan has been telling you. God is real. God loves you. And it is unlike anything. Thank you. I praise you and Jesus. We are not defined by our past, our past traumas, what we have been through, what has been done to us, what people have called us, what we have called ourselves, what we have called ourselves, or what this culture today says we are. We are defined by God who he says you are, a child in him. In his image he created you, perfectly made. Don't forget that. I hope you enjoyed today's episode. I hope that you can share it with someone else who needs God because we all need God. I thank you for listening. Until next episode, keep bibling. Keep studying God's word. And celebrate the true meaning of this season, Jesus' presence, because that's the only present you need. Lord, I lift each and every person up to you today. I thank you for the wisdom, the words, and for your love. Lord, whatever they are going through, whatever season they may be in, if their heart is hardened, I ask that you soften it, Lord. 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