Transformation

In this podcast episode, Anna discusses the importance of not allowing our past experiences to define us. She shares that our past does not have to hold us back from who God intended us to be. She encourages listeners to turn to God for guidance and to trust in His plans for their lives. Anna also shares her own experience of feeling stuck and how God reminded her that she is exactly where she needs to be in this season. She emphasizes the need to seek God, put Him first, and trust in His ability to transform our lives. Anna concludes by reminding listeners that they are loved by God and that they have the power to overcome any challenges they may be facing. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Father, I come before you through your Son, Jesus Christ, and I lift up each and every person listening. I ask that you open their ears, their hearts, and their minds, Lord. I ask that you fill me with the Holy Spirit to give your words, your understanding, your knowledge, your wisdom, so that they can understand what you want them to understand, Father. I want to praise you and thank you and glorify you, because without you, none of this would be possible. And for that, I am thankful. And I pray all of this in Jesus' name. Amen. Hey there, it's Anna with God's Podcast. And I hope you enjoy today's episode and take the words that God has given me and bring them back to Him for discernment and understanding. And may this be what you need to hear. I want to start off in 1 Peter 3, verses 14-17. But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear their threats, do not be frightened, but in your hearts, revere Christ as Lord. As always, be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with the gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. For it is better if it is God's will to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. This was a reminder to me. We all have a testimony. We all have a journey we have went through. We all have life experiences, maybe even trauma we have been through. We all have a story because we have lived life. And maybe some of us believe that we are who we are because of them. But our past, our stories, our traumas are not who we are. They do not define us. They do not need to hold us from who God truly meant us to be. They can help us. They can give us motivation to be more through God. We go through these testimonies, journeys, maybe even traumas because we need to grow and learn and not be stuck where we're at, where we are. Can they suck? Can they hurt? Can they be devastating? Yes. But they are not forever because with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, we can get through them stronger, wiser, more equipped for what God has next in our lives. And I bring this up because in Isaiah 40, it talks about this. It talks about how God set the Israelites free from the wilderness and he too can set us free. He too can free us from exile. He too can get us unstuck from where we are. I recently watched a documentary and it brought back some negative thoughts of my past experiences. It reminded me how God spared me, how God's purpose is bigger, grander than we can imagine. Just like the Bible says in Ephesians 3.20, God's plan is always to prosper us and never to hurt us. God's plan and purpose for each of us is to fulfill God's plan to glorify his kingdom. We can easily fall back to our old life and ask the questions, why, why did this have to happen? Why did I have to go through this and that? But God does not want us to live for the past. He does not want us to be stuck in the past. God wants us to live for today for tomorrow is not promised. Just like the Bible verse says, in a previous podcast, I shared with you the image God gave me this year for my journey, an eagle soaring. And if that image could not be more accurate for me this year, I want to encourage each of you to remember who you are through God and the ability you have through Christ to change your circumstances. When I say this, I mean, you have the ability to change your life through Christ. You ask how? I feel stuck, hopeless, like I don't know where to turn. God has an answer. God has a verse for everything. There's over 7,000 scriptures in the Bible for what you may be going through. God has an answer. But if you don't believe it, you don't see it, and you don't put it into action, nothing will change. I too have been feeling stuck lately, but that does not mean I have to be stuck here. And I was reminded and God gave me someone who I needed to hear from to remind me of just that. I am not stuck. I am here because this is where my purpose is. This is what I am supposed to be doing. We have to be reminded that when we do feel like we're stuck and we don't know where to turn or what to do, turn to God because He has the answer for you. He will give you what you need to hear. God loves you. You are not stuck. You are exactly where God needs you right now in this season to prepare you for what is next. So I am sharing with you the reason why I'm bringing up the image God gave me because it is a reminder, not only to me, but to you as well, that you can soar like an eagle for God, even though you may not be soaring in life. For example, the jobs, the finances, the relationships, etc. You can fill in the blank. You can soar on eagle wings for God, just like I am. In His Word, in His teaching, in His blessing, in His promises, I didn't understand when He gave me the vision this year and what it meant. I thought it totally meant something else, but I see exactly what it means now and what He meant for me. I am soaring on God because I totally surrendered to Him and let Him take the flight. God is gliding me through on His wings, just like an eagle. Growing up, I loved the song in church that went, And He will raise you up on eagles' wings. I have a terrible voice. I'm sorry. But let me tell you, that song and God giving me this image fills my heart with comfort and love and still does. Just like that song, God is raising us up to soar like the eagle, strong, so you can see the depths of the earth, so you can go through a death-like transformation like eagles do. Did you know that an eagle literally has to die to himself to be reborn again after so many years? Look it up. Google it. It is an agonizing pain that an eagle has to go through. And just like an eagle, we too have to go through that pain to get to where God is leading us. God is doing exactly that for us, for you, for me. He has transformed me, gotten me ready for the next in my life, and I know why now. I had to go through all of that of an eagle. God is so good. So I ask you, if you are at a point and you are seeking God for answers, don't give up. Continue to seek him. Continue to ask. Continue to be obedient, for he will show you who you are and will get you through to the beautiful blessings he has anointed for your life. You too will get through this. You too can be set free, just like those Israelites. Set free, just like that eagle had to go through an agonizing, painful transformation. You too can get through. But you have to seek God. You have to put him first in your life. You have to make time for him. Because if you don't, nothing in your life will succeed and give you fulfillment. So don't fail and keep searching and searching for what you are missing. And only God can fill that void. Only God can fill you and make you full. I hope you enjoyed today's episode. I hope you share it with someone in need because we all need God each and every day. We all sin. We all fall. But God picks us up. So share it with someone in need. I hope you get what God was trying to tell you. You are not your past. You do not have to be stuck there. He will set you free. He will show you who you are through him, in him. Just like the Bible says, you are made perfect in his image. He made you before you were even placed in your mother's womb. How amazing is that, that there was a God that thought of you before you were even born. Don't ever forget that. So whatever you are going through, whatever season you are in, seek God. Seek his word. Make time for him. Put him first. So until next episode, keep bibling. Keep spreading God's word. And don't allow Satan to be the one keeping you stuck where you are. Seek God. Father, I come before you today and I want to thank you. Thank you for giving me the words to share with everybody listening. Father, I thank you for giving us the words of knowing that we were made perfect in your image. And that you made us before we were even a thought to our parents, to our mothers. You loved us that much that you sent your son to die for us and to give us another chance. Father, I thank you for that. Because you give us each and every single day an opportunity to be just like Jesus. To be better than we were before. To see our faults and ask for repentance. Father, I lift up each and every person listening. Whatever season they may be in. Whatever they may be going through. Whatever transformation that is agonizing and allowing them to feel like they are stuck. I lift them up to you and I ask you to carry them to their next season. Get them through. Father, I love you and I glorify you. And I pray all of this in Jesus' name. Amen.