WVW #003: How do you start figuring out your life?

(00:00): I love to build things. In fact, I've spent the majority of my professional career in the commercial real estate development business. We were building giant, super regional shopping centers, grocery stores, you name it. We built it. And as an entrepreneur and CPA, I've basically been building businesses. My whole life. My passion now is all about building lives. Helping you understand the importance of laying a strong foundation so that you can thrive and frankly have more life in your years, whether you're 20 or 80 years old, it's never too late to unearth what you need in order to lay a good foundation for your life. I had a good foundation. We'll give you more peace, joy, and fulfillment in every single day. Do you feel like you've spent years trying to figure this life thing all out? Believe me, that's me as a left brain analytic.

(01:02): I'm always trying to figure it out, but what if it's not ours to figure out, you know, exit is 14, 14 says the Lord will fight for you. You need only to be still welcome to episode three of the well versed woman podcast. I'm Renee teller here with my cohost Teresa Morgan were two perfectly imperfect women who have a heart to share our life's experiences with women. Like you, we promise you that the love we'll be sharing is totally perfect. See what we've experienced in our lives is the love of God. And if you stay tuned, we know what we're about to share will fill your life with love. And that means more peace and who doesn't need that today? Now the first thing I'd like you to do is pause this podcast and hit the subscribe button. Because if you didn't listen to episodes one and two, you're going to want to do that.

(02:01): And you're not going to want to forget. So hit subscribe now. And the second thing we learned very early on in those podcasts is we always have to start by plugging into the power source God himself. So we're going to take our 20 seconds that we do every podcast. And I'm going to ask you to be still and open your mind, your heart and your ears to listen to what God might be saying to you today. I want you to close your eyes and take some deep breaths, but if you're driving, make sure you don't do that. So here we go. Let's take that 20 seconds right now.

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(03:04): who, how was that? I'll tell you it never ceases to ground me. And again, I encourage you every morning to take that 20 or 30 seconds before your feet hit the ground and ask God to direct everything about your day. That's going to be a great place to start. And I want to remind you remember in episode one, we talked about this podcast being about relationship, not about religion. It's connecting with that person. That's bigger than yourself. You're very creator, you know, Theresa and I challenged you to give God a chance. Be curious. I really believe that people don't hear from God because they don't take the time to be still. We don't take the time to listen. It's like good marriage counseling, right? Or relationship one Oh one communication. We learn it in relationship. We learn it in business. If we don't listen to the other person, they'll never be in a relationship.

(04:08): And if we're not still, we can't hear from God. In episode two, we went further and we talked about the second thing to develop. Our relationship was to actually consult the book, the manual that God gave us the Bible, you know, we talked about is the Bible reliable and how do we know it's reliable? And that brought us to our understanding of the word, faith, the substance of what we hope for and the evidence of what we can't see. And Theresa spent time talking about the God we can't see, but how can we still believe? So go back and listen to those episodes if you haven't already, or if you need a refresher, because today we're rolling right into picking up on faith and how to build something, how to build our faith. I mentioned when we started that I've spent years building buildings and it's a fascinating process.

(05:05): I mean, I really love building things I really do. And there was one live event a couple of years ago where I shared a whole teaching on the similarities about building a building and how we need to do the same principles and processes to building our lives. And most of us never even knew this or understood it. I know I didn't, which is probably why I'm so passionate about sharing this with you. Do you realize that there is months, sometimes years of preparation and even preparing the soil and the land on which a building is going to get built before a shovel ever goes into the ground? Well, guess what? We need to prepare our hearts, our souls, the same way. If we're going to hear from God, this relationship, we've got to prepare the soil. Isn't that right? Theresa that's right. Renee, you know, any strong tree that you look at any strong plant, you know, that it's roots go deep, deep into the soil that tine has.

(06:15): You know, that these strong Oaks have stood the test of time because they have developed a root system that feeds on water. Um, they've have fed on sunlight for years and they have nourished themselves with the soil that their roots have enabled them to grow in. They have grown deep in. So what is born out of that is a strong, healthy tree or a strong, healthy plant. And we're going to look at that today in the word of God, because God's word is what provides a strong foundation on which faith grows and faith is what enables us to live prosperous, successful, and he's full joyful lives. So we're going to take a look at that today. Wow. I like that. And I'm also reminded Theresa that you saved to prepare the soil. Not only does it have to go deep, but we have to clean out the soil.

(07:10): So when you're building a building, yeah. We concern ourselves with the foundation and what, how strong that ground is, right? Is it Rocky ground? Is it mushy soil? Right. And depending on the soil will determine how we build the building. Well, we have to do the same thing. And you're talking about going back to God's word, to understand the foundation because it's those promises. So in the word of God are God's promises, right? Theresa and it's those promises that we can begin to believe and build our foundation on. That's exactly right. I really love the parable of the sower found in Mark chapter four. And it begins in verse two and Jesus is teaching. I'm going to read a little bit right out of the Bible. The word says it happened is he sewed. We're talking about a farmer that some seed fell by the wayside in the birds of the year came and devoured it.

(08:08): So we have some seed falling on wayside. Some seed fell on Stony ground where it did not have much earth and immediately it spraying out because it had no depth of earth in some seed fell among thorns in the thorns grew up in of course, choke did, and it yielded no crop, but other seed fell on good ground in yielded, just a mighty crap. So what is Jesus saying in the verses that follow beginning in verse 13, Jesus is explaining the parable so beautifully that the sower is the one that sows the word of God in. There are the ones that fell by the wayside where some here, the word of God, but the thief comes, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown their hearts. You know, we have to be so careful because we do have a thief among us.

(09:01): And in some of the episodes that follow we're going to get more into there, there's a thief among us that we have to be so careful who make sure we keep him at Bay. But likewise, there were those seeds that were sown on Stony ground. And these are individuals when they hear the word of God, when they hear the verses immediately, they might receive it with gladness, but they don't have root in themselves. They don't have a staying power. And so they endure just for a time and then they go on their way. They continue with their life is it always has been. So then there are those that when they hear the word, the cares of this world in the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things choke the word of God. So that is soil that will not produce a harvest.

(09:52): But then there is the good ground, the soil of a person's heart, that when they hear the word, they accept it in a, like we talked about last week, Renee, they meditate on it. So they hear the word of God. They see a promising God's word. They think about it, they meditate on it. And all of a sudden, a real faith begins to be born in their heart. In that faith continues to grow as they consider the word is they pray on the word. And before, you know, it it's a, the meditation process that is like the miracle grow of faith. That all of a sudden that faith reaches up and obtains the promises in God's word. Yeah. So if you don't know what Theresa means by miracle grow, another thing Teresa and I share in common is our love for gardening, but she doesn't mean miracle like Bible.

(10:44): She means the food that's called miracle grow out there on the market. That turns our flowers into beautiful blossoms. That's so funny tree. So that's such a great analogy. And again, you know, reconfirming the same principle with building. So I started talking about different soils on which you can build the building. And it's exactly what was shared in the Bible that you're talking about. That things fall on different soil and so different things happen. The other thing that came to mind is, Oh, so the good ground means that if I'm really, really good and I hear and accept and meditate, then I'm going to be okay as a heart and soul individual growing my relationship with God. But if I'm, if I'm those other soils, so, you know what that means for me, I had an issue. I still do struggle with that. Everything has to be perfect.

(11:41): And if not, then I won't succeed. That is not the case with God. So just like when we build a building, if the soil isn't all it needs to be, what do we do in a physical building case? We simply reinforce it. We treat the soil to get it to a place where it can accept a building and build a strong foundation. So I, it reminds me Teresa of the example with my tumor. So I talked again last week in our episode about my kidney tumor. And it was a tumor that was just like my mother's. I watched my mom for five long years, suffer with a very crippling incurable kidney tumor. And so when I was diagnosed, my head that had recorded all that information immediately attempted to tell my, my being that I was doomed, that I was going to suffer. I was so fearful, like Theresa says, in some of these, like the seed is choked.

(12:49): This beautiful God that I knew about was getting choked by my fear that I was going to succumb to my kidney tumor. And instead not to reiterate what happened last week, but we talked about how Theresa came by my side and meditated on the word. So she was helping me prepare the soil of my heart to accept and override what my head was telling me, which it, which isn't true. So it was those promises, right, Theresa that we meditated on. So I don't have to be the good ground. I just have to seek the good ground. I just have to seek the word here. It meditate on it. That's exactly right. And that's really, when you think about the exact course of action that we took, initially, fear was really knocking at your door. And of course it would, of course, when anybody receives the diagnosis where there's a spot on their longer on their kidney immediately, the fear is going to come in.

(13:50): But what we had to do is to take the word of God in the numerous places, in the Bible where Jesus is proclaiming that he is healer, that he heals, that he healed. Then when he walked the earth and he's still a God who is alive and well today wanting healing for his children in this century, in which we live. So Renee, that's exactly what we did is that we saw the scriptures and we continue to talk about them and we watered it with the confession meditation prayer. And before you knew it, Renee, wow, faith grew in your heart. More faith was at a, to my heart. And at the end of the day, you were healed. God's word came to pass in. What I so love about that is one of my favorite scriptures in the word in Isaiah chapter 55 verse 11 says that God actually watches over his word to perform it.

(14:58): So what does that mean? Exactly. Let me read from the Bible and then I'll do a little interpretation. The Bible says in Isaiah chapter 55, verse 11, God says, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth. That's every word that God has proclaimed written on the pages of our Bible. These words shall not return back to God void, but these words shall accomplish what God pleases in shall prosper in the very thing for which he sent it forth. And I love the scripture that follows. We always have to frame the scriptures and bracket them. It says for you shall go out with joy and be led out with peace. So, Renee, I believe what happened is not only as you and I confess the scriptures, talked about them and the Holy spirit came in and gave us revelation. But after a while, the fear that was so ferociously knocking on the door of your soul dissipated, because it was replaced with faith in then joy and peace was able to be maintained.

(16:08): Not to say that fear didn't come knocking again, but every time the fear would surface, we would go back to the word. It was like we were taking our supplement of faith time and time again, to knock down the fear. And then as we meditated confessed, watered the good soil that was being cultivated in your heart, Renee, that faith just brought about everything that God intended it to bring them. Wow, it's so true. When I first started learning about this relationship with God and realized Theresa that I could let go, not have to figure it out, especially the big complex things that I didn't have answers for. And I could really let go and let God, I'm sure everybody's heard that. Let go and let God, when I knew I could do that, it freed me up like a bird, you know, like it really freed me up to just soar.

(17:10): And that's not to say I have it all perfect right now. I mean, we talked about that. Um, it's to say that I keep reminding myself, I don't have to figure it out. I can come back to this space, to these promises, meditate on them and believe, I mean that, ER, that tumor, I went skipping into the ER that morning as scared as I had been three months before I literally, I mean, certainly I was nervous, but I was in an awesome place. I knew God had me beyond the shadow of a doubt because I filled my heart with that with your Theresa. Absolutely. Renee, I think a few things we have to understand here. I think one of the most important things that we have to realize and come to terms with is that the word of God rests Sunday, integrity of God, the word of God rests on the integrity of God.

(18:05): So what does that mean? It means as the Bible says in the old Testament and in the new Testament, God is not a God that he should lie in one of the scriptures that anchors this for me is found in Psalm the 89 Psalm verse 34. It says my covenant, I will not break nor alter the word that has gone out of my lips so we can take it to the bank. If you will. That what God says in his word will come to pass. As we fight the good fight of faith, the Bible talks about fighting the good fight of faith, why to stay in the rest of God, so that as we're believing him for healing or whatever it is to repair a broken relationship, um, you know, we could go on and on for the life that we lead brings trials and tribulations, which Jesus said we will, we will have, but we overcome.

(18:56): He says time and time again by the theory, which is our faith. This is how we overcome. And so we continue to fight the good fight of faith, stay in the rest of God. And it's just a beautiful way to live. I would have it no other way, Renee. That's so great, Theresa. So, you know, we are including in the show notes to every episode, scripture that relate to what we're talking about. So last week we have scripture related to healing and physical health challenges. This week we'll link some scripture related to how to deal with fear. You know, we are living in a very fearful time right now, a time of uncertainty with a pandemic that has rocked our health and has rocked us financially as a country and as a world. And we will go through and list in the show notes scripture, to help you deal with that.

(19:55): Because the greatest way to build our faith is by understanding God's promises. And those promises are what will be listed in the show notes. So as Theresa said, if we meditate them on them, which is the water to the seeds, our faith will grow right? Theresa. Absolutely. That brings up two of my most favorite scriptures. When it comes to anxiety. Second Timothy one seven says, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power love and a sound mind. My other anchor scripture, when it comes to anxiety and fear is Romans eight 28. That God works all things together for the good of those who love him. Again, you can take it to the bank that no matter what comes and let's face it, we can't figure it all out, but God already has figured it out. He already has the answers to our problems even before the problem begins. Jehovah has those answers. That's awesome. Theresa, I encourage you to subscribe because we will be building week after week on the faith that we need to have this amazing relationship with our very personal creator, our savior, our God, Jesus Christ. So go ahead and download the show notes and review and meditate on scriptures related to what you need today, but never forget the main scripture of our podcast. Romans 10, 17, right? Theresa throughout Renee. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. See you next week. Amen.