Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn.
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Welcome again to
Issues and Answers.
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As I always do, let us start
this program with a scripture.
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I'll be reading from
the Amplified Bible today.
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This is Isaiah 60:1, and I'm
going to first say it the way
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you're accustomed to hearing
it, and that is Arise and shine,
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for the glory of the
Lord has risen upon you.
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But listen to how the
Amplified has translated this.
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Arise from the depression
and prostration in which
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circumstances have kept you.
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Rise to a new life.
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Shine, be radiant
with the glory of the Lord
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for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord
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has risen upon you.
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Well, today we are so excited
to have returning with us
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Heather Dawn Small,
who is the Director of the
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Women's Ministries for
the General Conference of the
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Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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She is going to share a
powerful message about how to
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restore your joy.
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Heather, thank you
so much for returning.
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Thank you for having me.
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Well, it's always a pleasure
to around you because you are
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a joyful person.
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If someone missed the
previous program with you,
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I just would
like to set this up.
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Heather was a Pastor's
wife, and she had two children,
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a young boy, a 41/2 year old
boy, and a 2 year old daughter.
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Her 41/2 year old son was
killed in a vicious attack
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by a dog.
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Then later, after that, Heather
was in a car accident and wasn't
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able to have
children, but adopted a son.
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Now thirteen years; you
made a covenant with the Lord,
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you said, last
program, and what did you do?
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Well, I chose.
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It came to a certain point where
I just chose that I was going to
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stay on God's side; that
He and I were in a covenant,
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a contract made,
signed by the blood of God.
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I just knew this was something
that I had to verbalize,
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to speak out and say,
"Lord, I am in this with You
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for life or death. "
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So God started you on this
joy walk and He took you through
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an incredibly difficult time.
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Yes.
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But last time you told
us that thirteen years later
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was the time that you
nearly turned your back on God.
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Yeah.
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You had gotten
into a depressive state.
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Tell us why, or how,
circumstances got you there,
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and how you had
your joy restored.
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Well, you know, I've got
to back track back to the time
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when my son died because
six months after my son died
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I began to experience
periods of swelling in my knees,
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swelling in my hands,
my elbows, my shoulders.
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I went to my doctor.
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I mean it was terrible!
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The pain was horrible.
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I went to him and he did a
number of tests and said to me
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that I had rheumatoid arthritis.
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It was what they call
trauma induced because of
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my sons death.
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Now that was something that I
have lived with ever since then.
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But thirteen years later I found
myself working at the Union
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Office in the Women's Ministries
Department as the Director
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there, but struggling with these
various issues of my health.
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Struggling at that time
with A type personality;
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got to get everything done.
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I've got to do it myself because
if I don't it's not going to
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get done right.
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Just trying to be the
perfect person, the perfect me.
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I had always felt that as
a leader I had to be strong.
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I had to always
show that strong front.
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People don't want
to see weak leaders.
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At least that's what I thought.
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I thought that for the women who
I had serve, who I had to lead,
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I needed always to be strong.
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So I would not let anything
stop me from doing what God
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had called me to.
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I mean I would have an
episode with my knee swollen;
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I'd pick up my walking stick and
I'd get on the plane because I
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knew I had to go on to preach
in some island for some event.
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It just wasn't going to stop me.
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But I also had a wrong concept
in mind that in the Adventist
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church, and in other
Christian churches, we seem to
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unconsciously develop.
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It's a concept that says no
matter what bad things happen
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in my life, I really
shouldn't complain about it.
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I should just pick
myself up and move on.
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Something like what Job says,
Though He slay me, yet I will
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trust in Him.
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Yes.
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But we take it to the extreme.
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We almost push the pain
aside, push the hurt aside,
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and just keep on moving because
we feel that's what we're
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supposed to do.
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We don't give ourselves
the proper time that we need to
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feel that pain, to experience
that hurt, and to go through
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the process of
healing as we should.
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So here I was in 1998.
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We had planned a huge Women's
Ministries Retreat for my Union.
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We had about a thousand women
coming from all the islands
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to Trinidad and
Tobago for this retreat.
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It was going to be
a five day retreat.
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My secretary and I had worked
ourselves to death getting
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prepared for this retreat.
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I mean I had skipped meals.
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I wasn't getting
sufficient sleep.
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And the closer it came the
more I was concerned over it.
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My devotional life
had gone down the tubes.
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I would always say my
prayers, but I felt in my mind,
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as so many of us do, because
I'm doing the Lord's work,
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He'd understand if I
don't have enough time to
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spend in His word.
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So it was a quick
prayer, a quick passage,
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and I'm out the door,
and sometimes not even that.
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And I'm praying as I'm going,
which left me in a vulnerable
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state spiritually.
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So spiritually I wasn't strong.
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Physically I wasn't strong
either because I had contributed
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to my own condition by
not looking after my health.
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And I want to say to my sisters
and my brothers out there
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that this is something
that we do to ourselves.
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We blame Satan for a lot
of stuff which happens in our
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lives, but sometimes we
give him the ammunition he needs
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to then turn
around and shoot it at us.
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Sometimes we so over schedule
our self, and I remember
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once I was complaining to
the Lord, "Lord one person can't
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do all of this. "
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And it was like, "I'm
not the one who's setting
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your schedule. "
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We don't know when to say no.
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Right; that's right.
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And so here I was,
so we had the retreat.
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The day after the
retreat, when it was all over,
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and I was in my bed, the
ladies were on their planes
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going back home.
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My father rang, and my
husband came and he woke me up,
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and he said, "You need
to talk to your father. "
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I said, "Tell him
I'll call him later. "
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And he said, "No, You
need to talk to him now. "
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Now I had an aunt who lived
in Canada, and she was like
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a second mother to me.
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We just had a
wonderful relationship.
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It turned out that she died.
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She had been dead for almost
two days before they found her
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in her home.
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This came at a point in time
where, as I said, where I was
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really worn out now.
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Spiritually I
just didn't have it.
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I was just worn.
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And this happened and I
had to go and deal with it.
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My father and I
went up to Canada.
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We dealt with all the family
situations with the death.
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We came back home.
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And, you know, my husband,
who is a blessing, he is a gift,
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he is everything that
God knew that I would need,
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because he is that
quiet voice to me that says,
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"When are you going to rest?"
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He doesn't knock me
about it, he just says it
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and then he moves on.
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I said to him, "I'm going to
rest soon because I've got to
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go back up to Toronto because
the North American Division
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women were having their first
big retreat, or conference.
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I had bought my ticket.
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I had planned to be there.
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I had to go, and I went.
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And I have to tell you I can
recall nothing that took place
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during those days that
I was there because I was
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just so exhausted; mentally,
emotionally, physically.
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I came back home and my husband
said, "When are you going
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to get some rest?"
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I said, "Well, I've got to go
back to the office and close up
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all the accounts from
the retreat because I haven't
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done that as yet. "
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I went back to the office
for a few weeks and I did that.
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He said again to me, "When are
you going to get some rest?",
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because he was seeing
what I didn't want to see.
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He was seeing me falling apart.
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I was seeing it, but I
refused to acknowledge it.
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I was just going
to keep on going.
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I said to him, "Well,
we have year end meetings.
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As soon as the year end
meetings are over in November,
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I'm going to take
Christmas vacation. "
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I remember one morning I
was out at work, we were in the
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worship room.
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All the staff
was having worship.
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I was playing for the service.
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After worship was over
my secretary came over to me
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and she said, "Are you okay?"
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I said, "No. "
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I said, "I am so exhausted I
could hardly make my hands move
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over the keys.
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I am just so tired!"
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She said, "Well, let's
get you back to your office. "
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And I remember I stood up
to walk back to my office,
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and I hit the ground.
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I passed out.
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Have mercy!
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And the next thing I
knew I was in the hospital.
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I remember the doctor.
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I opened my eyes and I remember
my secretary was standing there
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next to me.
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She had called for my husband.
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The doctor was over on the right
side and he was asking her,
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"Does she take any drugs?
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What drug does she take?"
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Because I could
barely make my mouth move.
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I was all slurred of speech.
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I just was so physically tired!
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And it wasn't that I had
had any major physical event.
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I hadn't had a stroke.
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It was just sheer exhaustion,
and my body just decided
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to shut down, and it did.
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And forced to me I stayed
in the hospital for a few days.
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They had a Psychiatrist
come and see me who diagnosed me
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as being clinically
depressed, (which I know I was,
00:10:21.43\00:10:24.94
because I was going through
a terrible period of sadness),
00:10:24.97\00:10:27.60
and put me on medication, and
just told me stay home, rest.
00:10:27.63\00:10:33.45
You need to just
build your strength back.
00:10:33.49\00:10:35.72
And that was a time
when the year end came,
00:10:35.75\00:10:40.05
we were in church New Years
Eve, and this lady gave this
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testimony about thanking God
for the life of her son who had
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been in this terrible
accident, but who God had saved.
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The Devil whispered to me, "How
come God saved this woman's son
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when she prayed, but
didn't save your son when you
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prayed for him?
00:11:00.39\00:11:01.36
I just fell off the edge into
a deep pit because I didn't have
00:11:01.37\00:11:07.22
the spiritual
strength to rebuke Satan.
00:11:07.25\00:11:09.97
I didn't have the
energy physically.
00:11:10.00\00:11:11.57
I was in a bad place,
and I turned my back on God
00:11:11.60\00:11:16.88
for three months.
00:11:16.91\00:11:18.08
I was so angry with Him.
00:11:18.11\00:11:19.64
I refused to talk to Him.
00:11:19.67\00:11:21.12
I wouldn't read my Bible.
00:11:21.16\00:11:22.58
I wouldn't pray.
00:11:22.61\00:11:23.58
I didn't even want
to say the word God.
00:11:23.59\00:11:25.47
But yet, in those three months,
I was still the pastor's wife.
00:11:25.50\00:11:30.18
I would go to church and I
would smile with the members,
00:11:30.21\00:11:32.87
and I would hug them.
00:11:32.90\00:11:33.87
I would play the piano.
00:11:33.88\00:11:35.68
I would preach, and use
the word of God, and preach.
00:11:35.71\00:11:41.31
It taught me a valuable
lesson of how easy it is
00:11:41.34\00:11:45.23
for us to pretend.
00:11:45.26\00:11:46.62
Because, you see, it's easy to
pretend; it's hard to be real.
00:11:46.65\00:11:50.78
That's the difficult part.
00:11:50.81\00:11:52.80
I call it verbal camouflage.
00:11:52.83\00:11:54.95
That's right.
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And that's what many people
do when they come to church.
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That's right.
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And so I just went into
that mode of pretending that
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everything was
fine when it wasn't.
00:12:02.00\00:12:04.00
And what pulled me
out of that was God and I
00:12:04.03\00:12:08.56
had a confrontation.
00:12:08.59\00:12:09.68
One Sabbath morning I told my
husband, I said, "I'm not going
00:12:09.71\00:12:13.21
to church this morning.
00:12:13.24\00:12:14.21
You take the kids.
00:12:14.22\00:12:15.19
Go to church.
00:12:15.20\00:12:16.17
God and I have got to talk,"
00:12:16.18\00:12:17.15
And he left, and I
closed up the house.
00:12:17.16\00:12:20.01
I went into my bedroom,
and I laid on the carpet
00:12:20.04\00:12:23.34
on my stomach, and I
just bawled my eyes out.
00:12:23.37\00:12:26.88
I said, "Lord,
what is going on here?
00:12:26.91\00:12:30.52
I didn't ask for this job.
00:12:30.55\00:12:32.18
You called me to serve You.
00:12:32.21\00:12:33.97
Here I am serving you.
00:12:34.00\00:12:35.14
I've got my
arthritis I'm dealing with.
00:12:35.17\00:12:36.68
I've got
depression I'm dealing with.
00:12:36.71\00:12:38.09
I've got Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome I'm dealing with.
00:12:38.12\00:12:40.26
What is it?
00:12:40.29\00:12:41.58
I need You to heal me.
00:12:41.61\00:12:43.53
You said You will enable me.
00:12:43.56\00:12:44.91
So get rid of all of this stuff
so that I can be the strong
00:12:44.94\00:12:48.02
leader, the strong woman of
God that You want me to be. "
00:12:48.06\00:12:52.21
And as I laid there I said,
"I'm not getting up from here
00:12:52.24\00:12:54.48
until You answer me. "
00:12:54.51\00:12:55.54
Praise God.
00:12:55.57\00:12:56.54
And the Holy Spirit
began to speak to me and said,
00:12:56.55\00:12:58.81
"How can you help these
women if you don't understand
00:12:58.84\00:13:03.03
their pain?"
00:13:03.06\00:13:04.03
Well, you know, that was
not the answer I wanted to hear.
00:13:04.04\00:13:07.12
I remember I jumped up off
the floor, and I looked up at my
00:13:07.15\00:13:10.67
ceiling as though God was right
there and I said, "Listen, Lord,
00:13:10.70\00:13:13.29
I'll read someone else's book.
00:13:13.32\00:13:15.58
I can listen to
somebody else's story on tape.
00:13:15.61\00:13:18.35
I do not need to
go through this. "
00:13:18.38\00:13:20.21
And God said to
me, "Yes you do. "
00:13:20.24\00:13:22.87
And I realized at that point,
I had asked God for healing
00:13:22.90\00:13:26.66
many times, and He told me
at that point, "Do not ask Me
00:13:26.69\00:13:30.56
again until I am
ready to heal you. "
00:13:30.59\00:13:34.08
I had been anointed previously
that God would heal my body.
00:13:34.12\00:13:38.44
He told me that
day, "Do not ask again. "
00:13:38.47\00:13:40.53
I said, "Okay, Lord, I won't. "
00:13:40.56\00:13:42.44
So this was like when Paul
in II Corinthians 12, I believe,
00:13:42.47\00:13:47.09
when he was praying about the
thorn in his flesh, and he asked
00:13:47.12\00:13:50.16
three times and the Lord just
told him, No, because He left
00:13:50.19\00:13:55.94
that thorn in his flesh
so that he would totally
00:13:55.97\00:13:58.23
depend upon God.
00:13:58.26\00:13:59.37
Yes, so that God
would be magnified.
00:13:59.40\00:14:01.37
That it really would not be
about me and what I could do.
00:14:01.40\00:14:04.64
It would be about what
God is doing through me.
00:14:04.67\00:14:07.00
Amen!
00:14:07.03\00:14:08.00
And so, even today, I
still have my chronic fatigue.
00:14:08.01\00:14:10.18
I still suffer with my
arthritis, and I still take
00:14:10.21\00:14:12.99
medication for my depression.
00:14:13.02\00:14:14.66
But God gives me
the strength that need.
00:14:14.69\00:14:17.71
It's all Him.
00:14:17.74\00:14:18.82
Everything that I do; it's God.
00:14:18.85\00:14:21.09
I cannot take the
credit for anything.
00:14:21.12\00:14:23.36
That way He gets the praise,
the honor, and the glory.
00:14:23.39\00:14:26.91
II Corinthians 12 it is because
that's where He says in verse 9,
00:14:26.94\00:14:31.26
where Jesus said to him, "My
grace is sufficient for my power
00:14:31.29\00:14:35.08
is made perfect
in your weakness.
00:14:35.11\00:14:36.60
That's right, and that's
what God wants to teach us.
00:14:36.63\00:14:38.47
So basically you're saying it is
though if we want to restore our
00:14:38.50\00:14:43.96
joy; the Lord must have taken
you through something to help
00:14:43.99\00:14:48.27
you get back into a healthier
lifestyle, because our lifestyle
00:14:48.30\00:14:52.46
effects our attitude
and our mind, doesn't it?
00:14:52.49\00:14:54.58
Definitely, and I want to share
a few slides with you because
00:14:54.61\00:14:56.84
I really believe that a healthy
body makes for a healthy mind.
00:14:56.87\00:15:01.17
Even though I might not be
as physically healthy as I want
00:15:01.20\00:15:05.87
to be, there are things
that I can do, and should do.
00:15:05.90\00:15:08.27
There are four things here.
00:15:08.30\00:15:09.77
One is diet, and then there is
rest, exercise, and consistency.
00:15:09.80\00:15:15.39
And for women, especially,
we have a hard time with number
00:15:15.42\00:15:18.78
four which is consistency.
00:15:18.82\00:15:20.09
We know we've got to exercise.
00:15:20.12\00:15:21.93
We know we've got
to have a good diet.
00:15:21.96\00:15:23.58
We know we've got to
have sufficient rest.
00:15:23.61\00:15:25.46
We get going, and then things
come in the way, and it falls
00:15:25.49\00:15:29.44
off by the side.
00:15:29.47\00:15:30.44
Then we start back over again.
00:15:30.45\00:15:32.60
So consistency is something
that I pray for, that God helps
00:15:32.63\00:15:36.14
us to stick with what He
has told us we need to do.
00:15:36.17\00:15:40.29
We need to keep
these things in balance.
00:15:40.32\00:15:42.78
Heather Dawn, let
me ask you a question.
00:15:42.81\00:15:44.13
Don't you feel, or do you feel,
I should say, that the reason
00:15:44.16\00:15:47.63
women have such trouble with
consistency is that I'll tell
00:15:47.66\00:15:51.06
myself, Yes, my body is the
temple of God, so I need to do
00:15:51.09\00:15:54.80
these right things, yet I
don't say, No, to somebody,
00:15:54.83\00:15:58.04
and I find myself crowding out
anything good that I'd planned
00:15:58.07\00:16:01.35
for self ends up being on
the bottom of the totem pole,
00:16:01.36\00:16:05.12
and I don't get
around to it a lot.
00:16:05.15\00:16:06.70
It's hard for me to assert
myself in that area and say,
00:16:06.73\00:16:11.04
Okay, I've got to carve out this
time, and protect this time,
00:16:11.07\00:16:14.38
to make sure I'm healthy.
00:16:14.41\00:16:15.60
It's a struggle with me.
00:16:15.63\00:16:17.25
It's a struggle, but I'll tell
you something that God told me
00:16:17.28\00:16:20.09
a long time ago, and
that was after Him in my life,
00:16:20.12\00:16:24.62
I am the next important person.
00:16:24.65\00:16:26.64
Now you see, I
didn't have it like that.
00:16:26.67\00:16:28.49
After God, God was always first.
00:16:28.52\00:16:31.02
Then came my husband and
my children, and my family,
00:16:31.05\00:16:34.65
and my friends, and
the women I minister to.
00:16:34.68\00:16:37.26
I was always last.
00:16:37.29\00:16:38.95
I mean I wouldn't even want to
pray for myself because I felt
00:16:38.98\00:16:43.19
that was selfish.
00:16:43.22\00:16:44.19
I mean, you know, here I am
saying, Lord please bless me
00:16:44.21\00:16:46.22
with this, and give me that.
00:16:46.25\00:16:47.22
That's selfish.
00:16:47.23\00:16:48.20
You've got to
pray for other people.
00:16:48.21\00:16:49.18
Until God showed me, Uh huh.
00:16:49.19\00:16:51.08
Unless you are
healthy, your family isn't going
00:16:51.11\00:16:54.36
to be healthy, because
when I'm not feeling well,
00:16:54.39\00:16:57.36
everything in the
house is effected by it.
00:16:57.39\00:17:00.07
It's like E. G. White says.
00:17:00.10\00:17:03.27
She says the wife is
the sunshine of the home.
00:17:03.30\00:17:05.80
And that's true because when
we're fine, everybody else is.
00:17:05.83\00:17:09.51
But if I am not looking after
myself, then I can't look after
00:17:09.54\00:17:14.45
anybody else.
00:17:14.48\00:17:15.45
So my list right now is
God first, Heather Dawn second.
00:17:15.46\00:17:19.84
And so when you're saying
that, you know, because when you
00:17:19.87\00:17:22.16
first said that, I thought,
alright give me some scriptural
00:17:22.19\00:17:24.51
basis for that.
00:17:24.54\00:17:25.51
Well, what you're saying is not
a selfishness, it's taking care
00:17:25.52\00:17:31.07
of that temple.
00:17:31.10\00:17:33.03
That's right, it's taking care
of God's temple so that I can
00:17:33.06\00:17:35.51
then look after what
God has called me to do.
00:17:35.54\00:17:39.00
If I am not looking after
me, and I'm doing everything for
00:17:39.03\00:17:42.54
everyone else, and I'm excusing
it in my mind, which is what
00:17:42.57\00:17:45.84
we do, because it's
okay; I'm doing these things
00:17:45.87\00:17:48.53
for other people.
00:17:48.56\00:17:49.53
This is not for me,
it's for other people.
00:17:49.54\00:17:51.50
But then in the process I get
sick and I'm not able to do what
00:17:51.53\00:17:55.68
God has called me to do.
00:17:55.71\00:17:57.03
I fall short.
00:17:57.06\00:17:58.19
God wants me to
serve Him for twenty years,
00:17:58.22\00:18:00.96
and I serve Him for
two, and I fall short.
00:18:00.99\00:18:02.86
That was not God's plan for me.
00:18:02.89\00:18:04.64
That was Satan's plan.
00:18:04.67\00:18:05.84
I think the Lord
sent you here today!
00:18:05.87\00:18:08.06
I hate to admit some of
these things that are going on
00:18:08.09\00:18:10.86
in my life.
00:18:10.89\00:18:11.86
But it is a daily struggle for
me, because I hear what you're
00:18:11.87\00:18:14.55
saying, because there is that
part of us that wants to serve
00:18:14.59\00:18:17.77
and that wants to help others.
00:18:17.81\00:18:19.49
Saying no is hard,
but we've got to do it.
00:18:19.52\00:18:23.69
And I always feel so selfish
if I do put myself up there,
00:18:23.72\00:18:27.48
so I'm glad that
you're saying these things.
00:18:27.51\00:18:29.11
And I'm sure that there's a
lot of us out there who need
00:18:29.14\00:18:31.45
to hear that.
00:18:31.48\00:18:32.45
Now there's something else
that you say that I really like.
00:18:32.46\00:18:34.76
You say you've
got to dress right.
00:18:34.79\00:18:36.09
Yeah, you've got to dress right.
00:18:36.12\00:18:37.78
Let's talk about that.
00:18:37.81\00:18:38.78
Okay, that's the other slide.
00:18:38.79\00:18:39.76
Dress right because I think
a lot of us, as Christians,
00:18:39.77\00:18:43.36
and especially
in the first world.
00:18:43.39\00:18:46.71
In the first world areas
of the world, we don't like to
00:18:46.72\00:18:50.40
talk about Satan.
00:18:50.43\00:18:51.40
We don't want to talk about
the Devil and demons, you know.
00:18:51.41\00:18:54.31
Let's just keep that quiet.
00:18:54.34\00:18:55.34
Let's talk about faith, and
love, and joy, and all those
00:18:55.37\00:18:57.58
wonderful things.
00:18:57.61\00:18:58.58
But every day that we get up we
are fighting a spiritual battle.
00:18:58.59\00:19:02.75
Amen!
00:19:02.78\00:19:03.75
And the Bible tells us
we need to dress right.
00:19:03.76\00:19:05.82
Ephesians 6:10 onward,
tells us what we need to do.
00:19:05.85\00:19:09.79
It tells us that we need
to put on the belt of truth.
00:19:09.83\00:19:13.74
We need to have the
breast plate of righteousness,
00:19:13.77\00:19:16.98
the shoes of the
gospel, the shield of faith,
00:19:17.01\00:19:19.68
and the helmet of salvation.
00:19:19.71\00:19:21.14
Which means, and Paul says to
us, If you do this, you will be
00:19:21.18\00:19:26.17
able to stand; not fall,
not stumble, not fall apart,
00:19:26.20\00:19:31.27
but be able to stand.
00:19:31.30\00:19:32.46
Which means that every day
I need to dress for battle.
00:19:32.49\00:19:36.62
I tell my sisters if the
day is cold would you go outside
00:19:36.65\00:19:42.14
in your summer clothes?
00:19:42.17\00:19:43.33
If the sun is shining
bright, would you put on a
00:19:43.36\00:19:46.97
warm winter coat?
00:19:47.00\00:19:47.97
You dress right for what
you're going to meet externally.
00:19:48.00\00:19:51.89
Yet as Christians we leave
home stark naked every day,
00:19:51.92\00:19:55.83
without the armor of God on us
to protect us from the enemy's
00:19:55.86\00:20:01.79
angry onslaughts on our lives.
00:20:01.82\00:20:04.50
If we are going to be standing
strong, we're going to have to
00:20:04.53\00:20:08.46
every day intentionally
put on the armor of God,
00:20:08.49\00:20:12.62
piece by piece, in our lives.
00:20:12.65\00:20:14.81
Put it on so that we
can be dressed for battle.
00:20:14.84\00:20:17.29
And then once we're
fully dressed in that manner,
00:20:17.32\00:20:19.62
on the way out we've got
to remember to pick up that
00:20:19.65\00:20:22.35
sword of the spirit.
00:20:22.38\00:20:23.53
Sword of the
spirit, that's right.
00:20:23.56\00:20:24.90
We've got to have God's word,
and we've got to have it inside.
00:20:24.93\00:20:28.65
Not just in our
hands walking around with.
00:20:28.68\00:20:31.69
It's got to be in my mind.
00:20:31.72\00:20:33.51
It's got to be in my
heart, so that I can speak
00:20:33.54\00:20:35.91
the word of God at
a time when I need to.
00:20:35.94\00:20:38.98
Amen.
00:20:39.01\00:20:39.98
That is something that the sword
of the spirit, when we think
00:20:39.99\00:20:43.57
about that, that's
our offensive weapon.
00:20:43.60\00:20:45.71
It's when we have those
Bible promises in us that we can
00:20:45.74\00:20:50.94
meet the day.
00:20:50.97\00:20:52.12
Hebrews 1:3 says that Jesus
Christ upholds and maintains
00:20:52.15\00:20:58.74
all things, all things,
by His mighty word of power.
00:20:58.77\00:21:03.76
It's that word that we have
in our hearts, and in our minds,
00:21:03.79\00:21:07.43
that we can speak back when
the devil tries to come at us
00:21:07.44\00:21:10.69
with doubt or discouragement,
or trying to defeat us.
00:21:10.72\00:21:15.63
We can say uh uh, it is written.
00:21:15.66\00:21:18.06
It is, and it's one of the areas
that I am most concerned about
00:21:18.09\00:21:21.09
for my sisters because,
as I travel around the world,
00:21:21.12\00:21:24.30
one of the things that I find
is that most, well not most,
00:21:24.33\00:21:27.63
many of my sisters are what
I call Biblically illiterate.
00:21:27.66\00:21:31.18
Yes.
00:21:31.21\00:21:32.18
We don't know the word of God.
00:21:32.19\00:21:33.16
We depend on what our
husband says, the pastor says,
00:21:33.17\00:21:35.36
the elder says.
00:21:35.39\00:21:36.36
Somebody has to
explain everything to us.
00:21:36.37\00:21:38.64
I really believe that God
expects us to know His Word.
00:21:38.67\00:21:41.96
He wants us to study His Word,
to read His Word, to understand
00:21:41.99\00:21:45.58
His Word, to memorize His Word,
so that we don't have to depend
00:21:45.61\00:21:48.95
on someone else.
00:21:48.98\00:21:50.14
We don't have to be like the
disciples when the Greeks came
00:21:50.17\00:21:53.04
and said, "We would see Jesus. "
00:21:53.07\00:21:54.58
I mean Paul and Phillip had
to say, "Okay, Let me take you
00:21:54.61\00:21:57.24
We should be able to say,
"Oh, let me take you to Jesus,
00:22:00.30\00:22:03.38
because I know Him,"
rather than having to take them
00:22:03.42\00:22:06.47
to someone else.
00:22:06.51\00:22:07.48
Amen!
00:22:07.49\00:22:08.55
So, now, when you fully
dress we also, if we're going to
00:22:08.58\00:22:14.50
stand firm, we've got to have
a plan for our lives, don't we?
00:22:14.53\00:22:17.98
Yes, we do.
00:22:18.01\00:22:18.98
This is what I call my
battle plan, my spiritual plan,
00:22:18.99\00:22:22.54
because I've got to
be physically dressed,
00:22:22.57\00:22:24.81
but I've got to also
have a spiritual plan.
00:22:24.84\00:22:26.68
How am I going to look
after the spiritual side of me?
00:22:26.71\00:22:29.85
On this slide you will
see a few things pop up.
00:22:29.88\00:22:32.49
Number one my devotional life.
00:22:32.52\00:22:34.15
And I say you've got
to be consistent here.
00:22:34.18\00:22:36.33
That is also,
for us, a struggle.
00:22:36.36\00:22:38.89
Just doing that on a daily
basis; every day giving God
00:22:38.92\00:22:42.50
His time.
00:22:42.53\00:22:43.50
Next thing is
prayer time; be real.
00:22:43.51\00:22:46.29
Be real.
00:22:46.32\00:22:47.29
I grew up hearing people
pray these beautiful, wonderful,
00:22:47.30\00:22:51.24
awesome, awe-inspiring,
just motivating prayers.
00:22:51.27\00:22:54.58
I thought that was how I had
to pray until God said to me,
00:22:54.61\00:22:58.79
"Just talk to Me. "
00:22:58.83\00:23:00.13
Be real.
00:23:00.16\00:23:01.48
If I'm angry
with Him, I tell Him.
00:23:01.51\00:23:03.62
If I'm happy
with Him, I tell Him.
00:23:03.65\00:23:05.39
I just tell God how I feel
and what's going on inside me.
00:23:05.42\00:23:09.96
It's something like one
of these pipes which you see
00:23:09.99\00:23:15.80
water flowing through.
00:23:15.83\00:23:17.24
There is a pipeline between
us and God, and it gets blocked
00:23:17.27\00:23:21.44
with stuff; when
we are disappointed;
00:23:21.47\00:23:23.47
when we are discouraged;
when things haven't turned out
00:23:23.50\00:23:25.48
the way we want them to;
when we're angry with God,
00:23:25.51\00:23:27.95
but we don't want to say it.
00:23:27.98\00:23:28.95
It blocks that pipeline,
and God is unable to send
00:23:28.96\00:23:32.77
His Holy Spirit to minister
to our heart because there's
00:23:32.80\00:23:35.20
all this stuff inside there.
00:23:35.23\00:23:36.93
But if we are real in
our prayer it gets out.
00:23:36.96\00:23:40.95
The pipeline is clear, and
then God's Spirit can come down
00:23:40.98\00:23:44.10
and minister to us because we've
gotten rid of all of the stuff
00:23:44.13\00:23:47.14
that was in the way.
00:23:47.17\00:23:48.27
You know, this thought
just occurred to me as you were
00:23:48.30\00:23:50.55
speaking; Jesus was so real
in His prayers, and on the cross
00:23:50.58\00:23:55.23
when He cried out, "My
God, My God, why have You
00:23:55.26\00:23:58.67
forsaken Me?"
00:23:58.70\00:23:59.67
That's right.
00:23:59.68\00:24:00.65
He was, it was almost, it
sounds like, discouragement,
00:24:00.66\00:24:03.46
defeat; the disappointment
He felt in the Father.
00:24:03.49\00:24:06.73
He knew better, I'm sure.
00:24:06.76\00:24:08.06
Oh, Yes.
00:24:08.07\00:24:09.04
Yet He was so
real in His prayers.
00:24:09.05\00:24:11.81
That's right!
00:24:11.84\00:24:12.81
God wants us to be.
00:24:12.82\00:24:13.79
He doesn't want
us to be pretenders.
00:24:13.80\00:24:15.35
No, He doesn't, He doesn't.
00:24:15.38\00:24:16.49
He wants us to talk to Him as
we honestly feel from our heart,
00:24:16.52\00:24:20.36
and He hears us.
00:24:20.39\00:24:21.36
You don't like it when your
children come to you, I'm sure,
00:24:21.37\00:24:23.75
if they're pretending
you see right through it,
00:24:23.78\00:24:25.86
and you think, "How can we
have an honest conversation?"
00:24:25.89\00:24:29.16
You want to say to
them, you know, "Talk to me.
00:24:29.19\00:24:31.38
Just tell me
what's going on inside. "
00:24:31.41\00:24:34.06
But you see, they put
that little mask over,
00:24:34.09\00:24:36.02
and it's bottled up.
00:24:36.03\00:24:37.10
So you've got to find a way
to get around that, and God does
00:24:37.13\00:24:41.16
the same thing for us.
00:24:41.19\00:24:42.42
And then Bible
study; that's a third point.
00:24:42.45\00:24:45.30
Be diligent.
00:24:45.33\00:24:46.30
I believe that God
wants us to study His word,
00:24:46.31\00:24:49.02
not just in our devotional time,
that time when we read God's
00:24:49.05\00:24:53.27
word, but to have a time
whether it's an hour a day,
00:24:53.30\00:24:56.13
or half an hour a day, when
we actually get into God's word
00:24:56.16\00:24:58.89
and study it.
00:24:58.92\00:25:00.26
Then there is meditation.
00:25:00.27\00:25:02.56
Now for someone like me that's
very difficult because I am
00:25:02.59\00:25:06.41
always on the move.
00:25:06.44\00:25:07.65
I move too quickly.
00:25:07.68\00:25:09.64
I know my husband,
many times even my kids say,
00:25:09.67\00:25:12.27
"Mom, slow down; you're
making us dizzy," because I do
00:25:12.30\00:25:15.33
tend to move very quickly.
00:25:15.49\00:25:16.68
I've developed a little
mantra for myself: slow down.
00:25:16.72\00:25:23.60
Slow down.
00:25:23.63\00:25:24.60
You've got to slow down.
00:25:24.61\00:25:25.58
And there's a little
song I sing: "Slow down,
00:25:25.59\00:25:28.18
you're going too fast!
00:25:28.21\00:25:29.18
You've got to
make the moment last. "
00:25:29.19\00:25:30.38
You know?
00:25:30.41\00:25:31.38
You've got to slow down!
00:25:31.39\00:25:32.36
It's an old song.
00:25:32.37\00:25:33.34
But I actually have to
keep telling myself that.
00:25:33.35\00:25:35.53
So giving God time where we
are just being still with Him.
00:25:35.56\00:25:41.66
And, you know, my quiet place
to be still with God when life
00:25:41.69\00:25:45.22
is getting too much, and
I'm just going to go crazy,
00:25:45.25\00:25:48.04
and the kids, and the
husband, and the work,
00:25:48.07\00:25:50.81
and everything else.
00:25:51.49\00:25:52.46
I go into my bathroom.
00:25:52.47\00:25:53.49
I close the door.
00:25:53.52\00:25:54.93
I have a little mat and
a little cushion in there,
00:25:54.96\00:25:57.69
and I sit there with my
Bible and I say, "Breathe,
00:25:57.72\00:26:01.07
just breathe. "
00:26:01.10\00:26:02.97
And I know my husband knows
once that door is closed nobody
00:26:03.00\00:26:07.69
comes in there.
00:26:07.72\00:26:08.69
I remember one day my son
came running into the room,
00:26:08.70\00:26:11.04
when he was younger,
calling my name, "Mommy, Mommy,
00:26:11.07\00:26:13.58
Mommy", and my
husband grabbed him.
00:26:13.61\00:26:14.92
I heard him grab him, and
he said, "If you want to live,
00:26:14.95\00:26:17.66
you will not disturb
your mother right now. "
00:26:17.69\00:26:20.54
Because he knew I
was at my wits end.
00:26:20.57\00:26:22.75
But God needs us to spend
that time, because if we don't
00:26:22.78\00:26:26.26
then we will
always be at our wits end;
00:26:26.29\00:26:28.18
ready to just go
crazy because of everything
00:26:28.21\00:26:31.27
which is taking place.
00:26:31.31\00:26:32.93
And finally, I'm sorry.
00:26:32.97\00:26:34.52
Let me add one thing to that
because when I learned to be
00:26:34.56\00:26:36.67
still before the Lord was
when He was teaching me to pray
00:26:36.70\00:26:39.77
an hour a day.
00:26:39.81\00:26:40.78
The very first time, I'll
share that with you later,
00:26:40.79\00:26:44.61
but I actually
spent two hours in prayer.
00:26:44.64\00:26:47.39
It went so rapidly because
of what He was teaching me.
00:26:47.42\00:26:50.13
I thought I was through praying
when all of a sudden the Lord
00:26:50.16\00:26:52.97
said, "Be still and
know I am God. " Psalm 46:10
00:26:53.00\00:26:56.74
Just be still in front
of Him to receive from Him.
00:26:56.77\00:27:00.47
That's right.
00:27:00.51\00:27:01.48
And finally
there's intercession,
00:27:01.49\00:27:02.48
and that's important.
00:27:02.62\00:27:03.63
Who's praying for you?
00:27:03.66\00:27:04.63
Do you have friends
who you can call and say,
00:27:04.64\00:27:07.65
"Pray for me, please?
00:27:07.68\00:27:08.78
I need your help. "
00:27:08.81\00:27:09.84
If not, you need to have
someone who's praying for you,
00:27:09.87\00:27:13.34
and you pray for others also.
00:27:13.37\00:27:14.79
Amen.
00:27:14.82\00:27:15.79
Wonderful points!
00:27:15.80\00:27:16.81
And these are all ways that
you can help to restore your joy
00:27:16.84\00:27:20.52
as you learn.
00:27:20.55\00:27:21.52
That's right.
00:27:21.53\00:27:22.50
It's all about learning to
depend on God again, isn't it?
00:27:22.51\00:27:24.76
Definitely!
00:27:24.79\00:27:25.79
Well, I'm so glad the walk
the Lord has taken you through.
00:27:25.83\00:27:28.67
Thank you so
much for joining us.
00:27:28.71\00:27:30.26
We want you to come back
and do a few more programs.
00:27:30.29\00:27:32.30
I will.
00:27:32.33\00:27:33.30
Thank you so much.
00:27:33.31\00:27:34.28
And for those of you at
home, remember these things.
00:27:34.29\00:27:37.25
It's important.
00:27:37.28\00:27:38.26
A healthy body
means a healthy mind.
00:27:38.30\00:27:40.49
You need to put on
the full armor of God.
00:27:40.52\00:27:43.82
Then you need to have a plan.
00:27:43.86\00:27:45.45
So I hope that you will
take these lessons to heart.
00:27:45.49\00:27:48.22
Now may the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ,
00:27:48.25\00:27:50.85
the love of the Father, and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit
00:27:50.88\00:27:54.36
be with you today and always.
00:27:54.39\00:27:56.75