Hearing God's Voice

[00:00:01] Speaker A: Hey, friend. Welcome to Perspectives into Practice, a place where life's stories meet practical wisdom. Together, we'll explore how faith filled perspectives can transform the way we live, love, and grow. So grab a seat, settle in, and join us on this journey to turn inspiration into action. Let's dive in foreign. Welcome back to Perspectives into Practice. Today we are diving straight into talking about hearing God's voice. And I can't wait to get started. Hearing God's voice isn't just for pastors or prophets. It's for all of us. And it's figuring out how do we actually recognize when God is speaking versus ourselves or versus the enemy. Today, our friend Alanna is back to share her story and her journey of learning to listen to God and follow his voice. Welcome back, Alana. [00:01:06] Speaker B: Thank you so much. Hey, friends. [00:01:09] Speaker A: So our fun fact for Alana today is she is actually an ASL interpreter, American Sign Language. And it is so cool that she does this. And this has to do with giving someone who maybe can't speak a voice. And I think that that's beautiful. How did you get into that? [00:01:30] Speaker B: So I thought that I wanted to be in the medical field initially and do love the medical field. Shout out to all you nurses, cna, nurse practitioners, doc, like, just whatever you do, if you're in the medical field, I pray for you often because. And I didn't realize that interpreting in any capacity really was a career and encountered sign language interpreters in the medical field. And I immediately fell in love. I was like, that is a job. I want to do that forever. Like, I loved nursing, but I knew that I wanted to be a mom. I knew that I wanted to be a present mom. I knew that I wanted a lot of kids and nursing. I for people who juggle nursing and motherhood, like, that's just a whole other layer. [00:02:28] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:02:29] Speaker B: And I didn't want to do that. So I know my limits. And so I took a step back from nursing. Actually, no. I worked third shift. Yeah, nursing. And went back to college. Moved to Michigan and found an amazing school up there. Got a degree in sign language interpreting and have never looked back. [00:02:53] Speaker A: Like, amazing. [00:02:53] Speaker B: I can't believe I get paid to do sign language. [00:02:58] Speaker A: It's so good. I love watching you interpret and it's just. [00:03:03] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:03:03] Speaker A: Beautiful. [00:03:04] Speaker B: Turns out all those years of my mom telling me to fix my face when I was little and not point and like, don't be so loud with my gestures. I'm like, how can gestures be loud? But apparently, yeah, God knew what he was doing when he gave Me, all of these things. [00:03:21] Speaker A: That's right. [00:03:21] Speaker B: Just is not very conducive to hearing Southern proper culture. [00:03:27] Speaker A: There's that. That is awesome. So let's dive in. So so many people want to hear God's voice, but they're unsure of what that actually looks like in daily life. And this is. We hear this all the time. And we've talked about this with another gal on here, and it was just a beautiful conversation. But I feel like there's so many different perspectives that we can get from this. And so even though it has come up a few times, I'd love to hear about your journey and how you recognize God's voice and like, what does that process look like in daily life? [00:04:06] Speaker B: So up until probably so Sayla is 10, maybe six years ago, I would have said that hearing God's voice most often, assuredly just comes from his Word. And that is an amazing place to start. I mean, it is there. It is in black and white. It is alive. It is so many things. It is his word. It is how he speaks to us. But all also, where do you start? And there is so much there that it can be overwhelming. Like, what is God wanting to speak to me today, right now? And I am going to give a shout out to a study that I did called Prophetic Personalities, because all of us, we may not have the prophetic gift that we operate in inside of like big church. [00:05:06] Speaker A: Yes. [00:05:07] Speaker B: But all of us have a personal relationship with God and God speaks to us a certain way. So how this was broken down to me, like most. Most Christians are familiar with the five love languages, how we give and receive love to one another, which affects our communication styles and how we interact with other people. [00:05:29] Speaker A: If you haven't heard about this, definitely go and Google that because it is fascinating and it is a wonderful insight to anyone that you're near or not. [00:05:40] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:05:40] Speaker A: Stranger. [00:05:41] Speaker B: I can tell you it's truth to table.com. [00:05:44] Speaker A: Nice. [00:05:45] Speaker B: So when you Google it, that website should come up. It is a study based in the word of God that I definitely vouch for tons of great resources. Hava has just an amazing perspective to share. Her teaching style is very clear. [00:06:03] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:06:04] Speaker B: So in that study, I learned that God speaks to people in different ways. And I was like, you know, just like the love languages, you have a primary one, then you have others that you operate in as well. They're seeing, hearing, knowing, and feeling. And I always discredited my feelings as a woman. In Christian culture, a lot of times we are told that our feelings are not Great. You know, leaders, they're not like your feelings shouldn't lead you. Your feelings. And I feel like we have. I know. I know that we have discredited how God speaks to us through our emotions and our feelings. Yet the Bible constantly calls us to be empathetic and compassionate and all of these things that require feeling. [00:07:02] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:07:04] Speaker B: So I. About six years ago, I really began to dive into paying attention to how God is speaking to me. And I began to ask him to. God, help me to see what you're saying to me. God, help me to feel what you're saying to me. God, help me to know what you are saying to me. And God, help me to hear what you are saying to me. And it was just like a little way that I started my morning. And as I'm like, holy Spirit, I do need your discernment, because my emotions are a real thing. My just earthly, hormonal midlife crisis, you know, things that it happens that you have feelings that do not honor God that would lead you in a direction that he is like, ma' am, I did not say that. I didn't. I did not tell you to go to target and spend $300. That is not the answer to your solutions today. [00:08:08] Speaker A: What? [00:08:11] Speaker B: Yes. But I know the difference between my emotions and a. A feeling and intuition that God, like, gives me. And I also know when we're honest with ourselves, I think being self aware is the biggest step in the right direction of becoming aware of his voice. Sometimes we really don't. We ignore ourselves so much as women that it's like we turn down all of our senses because everything can be so overwhelming. [00:08:49] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:08:50] Speaker B: But learning how to manage your own emotions and hear your own voice and accept that I had all these feelings and waiting through all of that. If you turn all of that down, it's like turning down all of your senses. [00:09:06] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:09:07] Speaker B: So I had to be brave enough to allow myself to feel, to allow myself to hear, to allow my. And honestly, before that point, I was just overwhelmed. And I didn't. I just wanted to turn everything down. [00:09:21] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:09:22] Speaker B: And if you're in that place, if you're in survival mode, I am praying for you. Because every season is not supposed to feel like this. There are seasons of that, and that is okay. Go to God's word. It is tried. It is true, it is black and white. It is always there for us. And when you come out of that season and you feel like you can get your head above water, God is such a gracious God. There are days where I'M like, God, I can't afford today to feel everyone everywhere, all the time. I can't. I am overwhelmed. I am dealing with my own stuff. And he is so gracious just to be a filter. [00:10:04] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:10:04] Speaker B: To where I just get to feel him that day. And I don't have to feel Sally Jo's things that she is dealing with in the checkout line at Walmart. It's great. But that was a groundbreaking, earth shattering, life changing season for me. When I would have a feeling come up and I would say, God, is this mine? Whose is this and what do I do with it? I would have a, a hearing of something. I'm like, that doesn't sound like me. Why did this thought or idea come up so clearly in my mind? God, I. First of all, I know that ain't mine because I don't have ideas like that. But what do you want me to do with this? When do you want me to do anything with this? So I think we get so excited when we begin to hear God that we try to move quickly and we're so excited that we just were zealous, which is amazing. But training yourself from the very beginning, God, whose is this or what do I do with this? Just because you have a word for somebody to pray for somebody, you don't always call that person and tell them. Sometimes he really just will ask us to store that up and go into our prayer closet and never tell that person. Yeah, that God gave me this word for you, like ask. Because there are, there are spiritual parameters that I think when God matures us and he trusts us with those amazing things, he really expects us to steward them well. [00:11:43] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:11:44] Speaker B: So I use that resource to begin to train myself in feeling, seeing, hearing and knowing. I'm probably weakest in the just knowing. I don't know if you have friends who are like, I just know. I just know what I'm supposed to do. [00:12:01] Speaker A: Yeah, he's a knower. [00:12:03] Speaker B: Men do be just knowing things. [00:12:06] Speaker A: They do. And it's amazing that he. That's not my strength. My strength is not just. I know. Unless it's a bet, don't bet me. [00:12:16] Speaker B: I learned my lesson this trip. I'm a winner. Don't bet. Jessica. [00:12:22] Speaker A: If I put my hand out and say, shake on it for some money and we're betting your girl knows, it's. [00:12:27] Speaker B: Not really even a bet. It's just, it's a done deal. [00:12:30] Speaker A: Just say no. [00:12:32] Speaker B: Yeah. So just trying to move forward in that knowing that God does speak to us in different ways. Was a key. [00:12:41] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:12:42] Speaker B: That he really can use all of those things. He still does. Dreams. People will say, like, part of seeing is our dreams. So if you're a dreamer, I would say, get a notebook, lay it by your bed. In all of this, actually, I would. I would encourage you to begin a journal. Like, write down if you hear something or if you see something or if you have a knowing or a feeling, write it down so that you can go back. Even in our busy schedules. [00:13:17] Speaker A: So how do we mature in this? How do we get better at the hearing? Like, maybe there's someone listening, and they're like, oh, yeah, I've had these weird dreams, and I don't know what they are. Or I have this, like, gut feeling that something needs to happen. But how do you mature in that and know the. The discernment that this is from the Lord and this is like, how does that. [00:13:40] Speaker B: In my experience, it does always line up with the word of God. Always. There is nothing that God has ever spoken to me or a knowing or, like, a direction for my life. I'm like, does this bring you glory? Like, one of the filters that I run it through is, you know, 1 Corinthians 13. Like, if we're doing everything in love, is this self seeking? Yeah. Does this benefit the body of Christ? Is this, like, there's a whole thing in there that says, like, hey, this is how the church should operate? Is this encouraging to the body? Is this encouraging to my family? Does this put undue stress on my family? Is this a sacrifice that my family is willing to support? Is my husband in agreement with this? [00:14:24] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:14:25] Speaker B: Does. I mean, there are just. There's so many New Testament church principles that. No, it might not say in there. Amanda sue is supposed to start a ministry gathering clothing for children. [00:14:41] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:14:42] Speaker B: And open her closet on the second Saturday of every month. So that I really do think that sometimes we as women are like, but I need to know before I step out on this limb, I need to know what God says about this. [00:14:56] Speaker A: So what do we do with that? Because, yeah, that's. We do hear that is go back to the word if it doesn't, you know, line up with the word. But, yeah, if little Bobby Joe. So sue, if she says Phil has this feeling to share her clothing. Like, it doesn't say that in the Bible, but the Bible does tell us about sharing our resources and giving to. [00:15:15] Speaker B: Others and being in agreement with your husband. And if you have leadership at your church, just seeking direction and being willing to, say, surrounding yourself with people who have other gifts was important to me because in my experience, God has never called me to just do something completely alone. [00:15:37] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:15:37] Speaker B: Even if it's just the support of my husband or children, that is, it's not an alone thing. Or if he gives me a vision, he has really already planted a seed in your heart or in another friend's heart that it's a. It's just a partnership. That's how the body of Christ works. [00:15:56] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:15:56] Speaker B: So you know me and my scriptures, you know, tying it in, weaving it in. In Romans 12:1, the topic there that it begins with is a living sacrifice. Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, because this is your true worship. Verse 2. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may discern what the good, pleasing and perfect will of God is. So like, so many times we're like, I would just do God's will if I knew what it was. Well, if we are not presenting our bodies to him as a living sacrifice and we're not worshiping him in spirit and truth, if we are being conformed to the world and if we are not transforming our mind, like renewing our mind in the Word, we're not ever going to get to that place where we have peace and know, hey, that thing that you said, I ran it through all these filters and it still came through pure. It was still all green lights. It was a green light for my husband. It was a green light from my leadership. It was a green light from my friends who I'm in community with. [00:17:15] Speaker C: Wow. [00:17:15] Speaker B: Like that. It, it really builds up your faith in your calling when you know that you're supported and that there are people around you that support your why. And that is the best feeling. But I think we have. It's very countercultural to do that. [00:17:36] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:17:36] Speaker A: So what, what would that look like? If someone's just starting. They, they don't. Maybe they're, they're new to this relationship with Christ, but they really do want to be the best they can for him. And, but they don't know what all of that means because there's some. Even though we're like you and I know what we're saying. Like, you know, it's very churchy type word. So how can we make this a simple, like step by step starting process really for these, maybe newbie Christians or Christians, you know, people that have had a relationship with the Lord for a while, but really haven't used their gifts. Maybe out of, you know, being in that survival mode or just needing to turn everything off. [00:18:21] Speaker B: Well, again, I really think this is why being in community is so important because you, you really can't do this alone. You weren't created to do this alone. And Jessica, one of the things that you have done beautifully is like your community pages and just really quick, if you could just tell people where to find that. Yeah, I think that that's important. Like on Facebook you have. [00:18:45] Speaker A: Yeah, we have made whole community on Facebook. On Instagram you can always message me on my personal. It's got Jess DeYoung on Instagram and it's me. When you are messaging any of those posts, it's me. Like, yeah, I'm not some big worked up. [00:19:03] Speaker B: Yeah, it's me. [00:19:04] Speaker A: And yeah, I, I want to always remain humble in that no matter how big we get, I always want people to know that it really is me. And if it's not me specifically, it's someone that I love and trust. I know that you actually have helped me with some emails because some of them are just, I, I need help because these are some big things, but things that you've walked through. That's a whole nother tangent. But it's God is good. And it, you really do need to be in community with others. [00:19:34] Speaker B: If you don't know where to start. That is like, ding, ding. Like I need to be holding somebody's hand. This is not something that I can say, oh, just do this, this and this and you're good. No, I need to hold your hand. I need you to just. If you're in that position and you're that overwhelmed, I am not going to give you a 10 step process that is going to be even more overwhelming for you. Yeah, I despise that. Those church answers when I was in those seasons, I was like, thanks. Shit. Yeah, I forget step number one. Like by the time I finish that conversation, I'm so overwhelmed. Then like they just told me three. I don't care that it was three things to do. There's just three more things to do. [00:20:20] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:20:20] Speaker B: And I can't even remember not more. One is by the end. So yeah, if you are really like hungry and reach out because further conversations are needed. There's not just this magical three step thing. Yeah, it is really. Somebody needs to get to know you and community because nobody is at the same place. Nobody in, in the body has the same exact needs. I could say start reading your word every day. That is pretty simple. The YouVersion Bible app will read it to you. There are tons of personalized like Bible studies that you can go and look up a topic. It will send you reminders every day. I get mine every morning at 7:30. Hey, remember to pray. And if I haven't read my word yet or prayed yet that day, I'm like, I need to stop and pray right now. That is where I would absolutely start. Before anything else, get in community and get in your word. [00:21:30] Speaker A: Yeah, I 100% agree with that. Because we can't being in community. I mean the Lord talks about so many times in the Bible being together with other people, the disciples, none of them were alone. Adam wasn't alone. He gave him Eve. Like none of these people. Moses had a speech impediment and he was like, oh, I got you. Aaron's gonna speak for you. Like they all have some kind of a counterpart. Ruth and her mother in law, like they walked. [00:22:00] Speaker B: Jesus. [00:22:00] Speaker A: Yes, I know, right? Yes. Just everyone had someone and it, I, you can't say, oh, well, I'm different. I don't need. No, yes you do. [00:22:12] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:22:13] Speaker A: Yes you do. And it's so, so, so important to do that. So we've, we've talked about some ways that we can begin this process. But what maybe can you give us some ways that we can become more aware of God's, of God's voice? [00:22:31] Speaker B: Practice. Yeah, it really, really, really is practice. So in motherhood, my children do not even have to speak for me to know who just got up to go to the bathroom. [00:22:46] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:22:47] Speaker B: Yeah, I can tell who falls asleep first if I listen by the way that they breathe. Yeah, I can tell who got up to go to the bathroom because of the way that their footsteps hit the floor. Yeah, I know. Like I know them by their breath. I know them by their footsteps. And you will get to a place in your relationship with God that I'm like, God, I hear you coming. Yeah, I hear you coming because I know your footsteps and I know those footsteps are not mine because I be stomping around having an attitude most of the time. So I know that's not, I know that's not me. You breathe different than me. You walk different than me. You. I, I see you coming far off to bring me a message because he comes into my life differently than anybody else. And that is practice and relationship. The way that we intimately know our kids. The way that we intimately give ourselves to know and serve and be attentive to our kids and listen for our kids. [00:23:54] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:23:55] Speaker B: The way that we do, if we give ourselves to seek and listen and be intimate with God in that way, we will know him by the way he breathes, by the way he like, by the way his footsteps, like, are coming our way. [00:24:10] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:24:11] Speaker B: I'm like. And we will know how serious he is. I'm like, I know when my. By the way, if something is in. If my kids are in trouble versus if they're just coming to say, hey, how are you doing? Like, it is the little things that. [00:24:27] Speaker A: I'm like, man, you know, from a hurt scream and a play scream, they might sound the same. But you know, as you know, I. [00:24:37] Speaker B: Know how serious he is. I know if I'm in trouble. I know if he's correcting me and discipline me versus nurturing me or loving or healing. Like, he does all those things for me. And it is. He is the same God. He is so good. But I know the difference between he is speaking a word to me for my soul, between when he is speaking a word that I'm like, gonna have to deliver that I'm gonna have to say that out loud to somebody else. God help me prepare their heart for that. Because that's. That's tough. That's hard. [00:25:12] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:25:14] Speaker A: So on that note, how do you prepare your heart and theirs when you do get that word? When you, when you are now, you've. You've known. I know how to hear God's word or when he speaks. I know how to. You said no. See, hear and feel any of those. I know how to discern who it's for, who it's for, why it's for when, it's for now. How are we preparing our hearts to deliver or not? And theirs. [00:25:45] Speaker B: So always, always, always pray. But the timing and opportunity is ever like, he is our ever present help in time of need. There is always this ever present, like knowing. And it's not a feeling. It is not like. Because knowing is like my least. Sometimes he will use that. Because when I know, I'm like, oh, yeah, it's serious. It's like right now. The Holy Spirit is such a sweet God, but he is also clear. He is not the God of confusion. I do always know. This is for who. [00:26:30] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:26:30] Speaker B: And if I don't, I will ask. [00:26:32] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:26:33] Speaker B: If. If we're doing a group thing, I. I have surrounded myself with really safe women and I will ask, guys, I got this word and I really do feel like it is for somebody, but I don't know. [00:26:45] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:26:46] Speaker B: This is why the body is important. When you're discerning words. It says that in the word that we can bring forth our words and our visions to write it and make it plain. I don't think that God ever intended for us to do anything alone. So when I don't know, I will ask like other spiritual sisters. This is where I'm at with this. Does anybody have anything to add? Has. Has God spoken a word that is applicable to this situation, to you? Because this is as far as I've gotten with this, and I don't know what else to do with it. So I either know and he gives me the person and the timing always presents itself, or I get to a place where I'm like, I have stored this up. I have prayed over this. I've run the ball as far down the field as I can, but I'm still 40. No, usually I'm still 60 yards out. I can't even. This is not even field goal range. Yeah, okay. And I know that a touchdown is. That's the goal. So how do I get from here to there? Me and my sport. [00:27:54] Speaker A: Listen, I'm like, I don't even know what touchdown range is. She's like 40. No, it's 60. [00:28:01] Speaker B: You leave my source analogies alone. There are women out there who know football, and maybe men will benefit from this as well. So I know for sure that I need my teammates. Like, first of all, I ain't a kicker, so I surely ain't getting it, you know, 50 yards by myself. And you need people, you need women, you need men in your life who can help you with those words spoken from God. I don't think you just mentioned tons of people in the Bible. Even when Jesus went to pray, he's like, hey, I need y' all to stay here and pray for me. I need y' all to know, do this. I need you to pass out the fish and the loaves that I just multiplied. I need, like, we are not created to do ministry alone. [00:28:50] Speaker A: If Jesus Christ himself asked for help, who are we to think that we don't need it? [00:28:57] Speaker B: Yes. And confirmation help with execution. God will always call you to do something bigger than you can accomplish alone. Don't I know it every, like, every single time. Just because we are a body and that brings him the most glory. [00:29:13] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:29:14] Speaker B: So when you get a word from God and when you do know what it's for, you're still going to have to take that in community to people that you trust for the execution of that confirmation of that. And in that, like, it will be even. More beautiful and multiplied in ways that you could have never even imagined. [00:29:34] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:29:34] Speaker B: To begin with. [00:29:36] Speaker A: So when I hear the Lord's voice and I have a lot, I do feel like I have some seeing. A lot of times it's pictures into words. I'm a writer. I feel like the Lord's like, this is, I know this is how I can get to you. But also I can hear him. And sometimes it's a small voice and sometimes it's a bolstering loud roar. And a lot of times Holy Spirit will either give me. Sometimes it's like a rumbling in my tummy, like I'm super nervous. But I. It's a different feeling than a nervous feeling. It's. It's just different. And my, the palms, my hands sweat sometimes, especially when it's a big one, like, oh, this is gonna hurt. And then sometimes it's just where I get weepy eyed and I'll just be, we'll be talking like this and all of a sudden now I'm crying and I don't understand why. And it's like, oh, it's because you're supposed to share this. And so do you have feelings like that? Have you heard of others? Do you have examples of maybe, you know, someone listening is like, oh, I. That's exact. [00:30:43] Speaker B: That. [00:30:44] Speaker A: Is that what that is? [00:30:45] Speaker B: So I am. One of my gifts is intercessory prayer. And I did not intend on sharing this. It's going to be a little bit longer. Let me see if I can summarize this. From a young age, I thought that there was something wrong with me. I felt very, what the world would call bipolar because when I was by myself, there are times where I would be so happy, such a happy child. My mother struggled with depression growing up and she has struggled with self, like the absolute lack of like self worth and self confidence. [00:31:24] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:31:24] Speaker B: So there are times when I would go home, I would feel all of that, but I had not been trained up to know that it wasn't mine. And so I was very overwhelmed with the feeling. But I didn't know that it wasn't mine. I thought it was mine. And so I internalized it. And there were times where I would be around other people and I would feel so angry, but I didn't know to ask the Holy Spirit, why am I feeling angry right now? What is this? Is this mine? Whose is this? What do I do with this? And so yes, you can very much be unaware of your spiritual gifts. And they can feel like a curse and a burden because we haven't any. Like, we haven't submitted it to the Lord. And things that we don't understand, we. Or know what to do with, they can feel that way. Mental deficiencies, hormone deficiencies, chemical deficiencies, all of those things are very real. We live in flawed physical bodies. I am by no means saying that mental health is not a physical ailment that actually needs medication and chemical support. [00:32:35] Speaker A: Right. [00:32:36] Speaker B: I am saying that spiritually there are influences that affect our physical bodies that are absolutely not chemical imbalances. I absolutely am not bipolar. And I just didn't realize how to steward that gift. So it felt like a burden. That being said, there are moments where I will absolutely be stopped by a wave of nauseousness, by a. I am not. I do not have anxiety. I do not have anxiety attacks. I do not have panic attacks. There are moments where I absolutely will feel like an el. I'm praying for somebody or inner city, and I feel like an elephant is on my chest. I can't breathe. Just. He lets me taste small things that other people deal with in debilitating ways. And it is so humbling. And it will give you a heart to pray for people like you did not have before. [00:33:31] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:33:32] Speaker B: So knowing that that is possible in the spiritual realm, and then asking God, whose is it and what to do and how to pray for them, it is freeing for yourself to know that every feeling that you have as an intercessor, prayer is not yours. And then knowing whose it is or how to pray for them or how to take spiritual authority in that moment to say, peace, be still. Anxiety, you have no place here in the name of Jesus. Panic attacks, you have no place here in the name of Jesus. God, I just ask that you give this person a chemical efficiency in their body instead of this deficiency that they are operating in. Like, in that place, you are going to be overwhelmed if you do not know how to walk in your authority. So if you're in the shallow end, do not. Do not be trying to jump off the diving board in the deep end before you know how to swim. [00:34:30] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:34:31] Speaker B: This is Spiritual Warfare 101. And these gifts have a perfect purpose in spiritual warfare. They are not just to be delivered like, oh, I hear the voice of the Lord is. It is for a reason, for a season, and for a purpose. And you, as you're growing in these things, make sure that you're also growing in the Word, in knowledge, in community, in authority. Make sure that you're putting on your armor. Because, like, if you're asking for this and seeking this. [00:35:07] Speaker A: You better be ready. [00:35:07] Speaker B: Yeah. Spiritual warfare is happening. [00:35:11] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:35:12] Speaker B: So I'm sorry. That was long winded. [00:35:15] Speaker A: No, that was perfect. That actually, you know, at the end, I always ask, what's a perspective that you could encourage listeners to apply today? And that is it. Put on the armor of God. Get in your word. Talk to your heavenly father. Get in a community of strong, spiritual women that can help to lift you up and to help you discern these things. Because you're right. You cannot just jump in with both feet if you don't know how to swim. And it's scary out there. It's scary out there. And the enemy is on the prowl. He is on it. Oh, this has been a powerful conversation. Thank you so much, Alana, for sharing your wisdom with us yet again. I love it when you're here with us. If this episode resonated with you friend, please be sure to follow the podcast. Share this with a friend that you know needs to hear it. And remember that even the small shifts in perspective can lead to big changes. Now go put those perspectives into practice. Talk to you next time.