Episode Transcript
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.
Hey, friend. Welcome back to Perspectives into Practice.
I am here just struggling.
I have something on my heart that I want to share with you. And the enemy is just coming after.
He is just. He is given me Internet issues. There have been battery computer issues, there's been download issues, there's been just having the words to say to share.
And I know that this is such an important topic and I need to talk about it. I want to talk about it. It's something that is so important.
This is real life. It doesn't always just come out of my mouth. The words aren't always easy to say. But here we are.
I am just trying again. I am asking the Lord for help, Holy Spirit, to speak through me to get this to you. Because it is something so important that you need to know it. You need to hear it. Maybe you already know it. And this is for a friend that you need to share this with.
What we're talking about today is moving from knowing about Jesus to knowing Jesus. Really getting to the heart of what it truly means to have a relationship with him. I wanted to mix up this schedule and slip this in before we continue talking with our friends next week because my heart is so heavy for you.
I don't take it lightly that you are listening right now because there are a million bazillion different other podcasts that you could be listening to. You could be doing literally anything else with your time. But you're here right now listening. And I know that it is not on accident. This is a purposeful moment that we are having right now. And I just encourage you and invite you to stay and listen and open your heart because I'm going to be sharing mine with you because this is so important. And I know I've already said that before, but it really is something that I want for everyone. But you have to do the work.
And work is hard.
Work is not something that everyone wants to do. It's easy to say that you're a Christian or that you know Jesus.
It's easy to go about your daily life, show up to church on Sunday, listen to Christian music in your car, go to a church event or a women's retreat. It's another thing to have a relationship with God, a close, loving relationship where you are all in. You're all in.
It's not just word of mouth. It's not talking the talk. It really is walking the walk.
And there's so many people that I've heard that they say they're Christians and they go to church and they say they believe in God. And when you hear them talk outside of that church circle, you might be appalled with what you hear. Or if you hear them, you know, their music choices, you might be surprised.
I saw a statistic the other day that said that 63% of people say that they are Christians, which, wow, that's huge, right? And then they asked again how many of them are followers of Jesus? And only 4% of that 63 say that they are followers of Jesus.
And the difference in knowing Jesus and knowing about Jesus is that when you really, truly know him, you want to do better and be all that you were meant to be.
When you know about Jesus, it's more like knowing the stories and thinking, wow, that's really cool.
But I like to insert whatever it is that it's not really living for Jesus, it's living for the world. And, you know, it says in the Bible that we have to lay down our cross and follow him. And each person's cross is something different. Maybe yours is using profanity a lot or listening to vulgar music or. Or drinking too much or gossiping about others or telling crude jokes. Does the natural bend of your heart say, my will be done or thy will be done, which is God's will for us?
There's a scripture in Matthew, chapter 16, verse 25, and it says, for whoever wants to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life because of me will find it.
And this, this is us finding our truth without God is that first part. Whoever wants to save his life will lose it. And then the second part is God's will, not our will, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it.
And again, this is. This is all about choosing to follow our ways, the ways of the world, or given in exchange for what God wants for our lives. Friend, I want you to be so on fire and in love with Jesus that no matter who meets you, who sees you, that they know.
I don't want them to have to guess.
I don't want them to have to think about it or wonder. And the way that we get there, the way that you get there, friend, is talking to your Heavenly Father, having that relationship with Jesus that is not just saying you're a Christian, but really walking out your Faith, I can't do that for you. Your parents can't do that for you. Your friends, your pastor, your teacher.
Nobody can do that for you except for you. You get to choose. Whatever that cross is that you take up each day, the Lord wants you to give it to Him. He wants you to lay it down at his feet and follow Him. Because here's the truth is you can know about Jesus without actually knowing Him. And that that difference changes everything. When it comes to living a life of Godliness, a relationship with Jesus isn't just a bonus to our faith. It really is our faith. And he is the only way to the Father. The Bible says in John 14:6, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. This is why we need a relationship with him, because that is the only way to get to the Father.
It's not just saying that you believe. It's not just a religion. It's a relationship.
Going to church and knowing about Jesus is like knowing facts about a celebrity. You can know their name, their birthday, their story, but that doesn't mean that you know them.
Knowing Jesus is about a relationship. It's not religion. It's a daily conversation. It's trust. It's an intimacy with him that is like none other. And if you have that real closeness with Jesus, you recognize his voice. And it's not just about reading about him either. When you are reading through the Word, you can read it and not understand it. You can read it and not know what you're reading.
It really is about walking with him daily and that looks like talking to Him.
Talk to your Heavenly Father. Pray without ceasing. This is a moment by moment decision that we get to choose.
Lord, help me decide what clothes to wear today.
Father, thank you for giving me my children.
Thank you for the beautiful rain that is coming from the sky, watering the ground.
Lord, help me decide if I should go to this event or stay home. If you have a relationship with your friend, and I know I've mentioned this before, you want to talk to them. You want to spend time with them. You want to tell them everything that's going on. You want to cry in their shoulder and laugh with them when good things happen. And you want them to be there for you. And that closeness with Jesus is just like being with a friend. It's that intentional time that we spend with Him. Like any relationship, time matters. So we have to set aside sometimes a daily time to pray and to read His Word, but also set aside time to Talk to Him and just be with Him. Listen so intently. Allow him to speak to you and through you. And listen. That's when we're reading God's Word. We not only learn more about him, but. And like I said in one of the other episodes is that I like to call the Bible our love letters, because it is everything that we need is in there. All of his beautiful words to us and for us are in there. His description of who we are and who he is. He talks about our purpose in life and his will for us and his plan. We also get to read about other people that have gone through the same things that we have. I know we like to think that we are special and that we are probably the only ones going through what we're going through. But we're not. We're not alone. You are not alone, friend. And as you continue to read, you learn that you can trust Him. You learn that you can surrender your will to His. You learn that you can pick up his yoke and it is easy and the burden is light. And things go better. When we are with our Heavenly Father, in a relationship with him, in a closeness with him that is like no other. Because he wants to walk with you in the big things and the small moments and in every bit of your life. He wants to be there for you and with you. He wants a relationship with you. He literally asks us to follow him in His Word. So if following Jesus isn't changing or shaping us, then maybe we are more of a fan and not a follower. And Jesus says, come, follow Me. So we should obey.
He also says, if you love me, keep my commands. So when we have that closeness with him, we want to obey Him. We want to surrender our hearts, trust him with everything. Not just believe in him, but believe for him and trust that he knows what he's doing. And he does. He really does know what he's doing. Jesus doesn't want you to just believe that he exists. He wants you to know him, walk with him, trust Him. If you've been going through the motions, but feel like something's missing, it might be the relationship part. Ask yourself, do I really know Him? If not, the good news is he's waiting for you right now. You know, in Romans it says, I think. In chapter 10, it says, if you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. If you are listening right now, friend, and you know that you need a real relationship with Jesus, you can pray this prayer with me right now. There's no magic in these words. There's no special saying or specialness that is in it. It matters is where your heart is.
Jesus, I know that I need you. I don't want to just know about you.
I want to know you personally. I believe you died for my sins and rose again.
And I ask you to forgive me, to make me new and to lead my life from this moment on.
I surrender my heart to you. Thank you Jesus for loving me and saving me. In Jesus name. Amen. Friend, if you prayed this prayer with me for the first time, welcome to the family.
I want to rejoice with you about it.
Your life has changed forever. All eternity has changed in this one moment. And this is only the beginning. The Bible says that heaven is literally rejoicing and celebrating you right now. And if you made this decision to follow Jesus, please don't keep it to yourself. Tell somebody, send them a message. Call a friend. Reach out to me. I'd love to pray for you, with you and cheer you on. I have a feeling that someone has been praying for this moment for you.
And they would love to celebrate it with you too. Take this step today. Start talking to him. Open your word. Seek him. Because when you do, he promises you'll find him. Maybe you're one of those that does say that I'm a Christian, but you don't have that relationship. Today is a new day. This moment right here and right now is a new day.
God says, my mercies are new every morning, which means every morning we have the opportunity and chance to be who we were meant to be, to live in the purpose that God's given us. And that means laying down our cross and following Him.
Let me pray for us as we wrap up this episode.
Father, thank you for those sisters that have come to faith today. Maybe they have believed they were Christians, but they really never truly opened their heart to you. And Father, I just thank you for those ladies today, whether it's their first time or they're reigniting this, this walk in passion and relationship with you. Father, we are so excited for them to begin a new life with you, a new moment right now.
Lord, we ask for your mercy for everyone listening. We thank you, Father, for the story that you are still writing in each of our hearts.
Thank you for this time that we get with you.
Thank you that we get to learn more about you each and every day as we open your word, as we learn more. Thank you for your purpose for us. Thank you that we get to use our voices for your glory. We love you so much, Jesus.
In your name we pray. Amen. Friend, if this episode resonated with you, please share it with a friend and click that follow button so that you never miss an episode.
And remember, even small shifts in perspective can lead to big changes. Now go put those perspectives into practice. Talk to you next time.
