44: Faith Over Fear: Working Through Your Trust Issues with God | SEEK25 Breakout Session

Speaker: 00:00:00

Hi friends, today's episode

is going to be a special one.

2

: 00:00:03

I am putting up the SEEK talk that

I did this year at SEEK25, the huge

3

: 00:00:09

Catholic conference that happens

every January, and I'm excited

4

: 00:00:12

to finally share it with you all.

5

: 00:00:13

You can listen to it here as a

podcast or it's also going to be up

6

: 00:00:16

on YouTube and we'll make sure to

link the YouTube in the show notes.

7

: 00:00:19

This talk is called faith

over fear, working through

8

: 00:00:22

your trust issues with God.

9

: 00:00:24

It is relatable my friends, because

I feel like we are all in a time

10

: 00:00:29

of transition in this community.

11

: 00:00:32

You might be graduating college or getting

engaged or married or becoming a mom or

12

: 00:00:37

moving or starting a new job so much of

our 20s and 30s is about new beginnings

13

: 00:00:44

new change and with that comes fear and

anxiety and wondering about the future

14

: 00:00:50

and asking god like What is his plan?

15

: 00:00:53

And really, this talk is about

trusting the person more than the

16

: 00:00:57

plan, trusting in the person of God,

who he is as your father and what

17

: 00:01:02

that means for you as a daughter.

18

: 00:01:04

What are you an heir of, um, of the

kingdom given that you are God's daughter?

19

: 00:01:09

And how can we learn to have

more faith than fear in our lives

20

: 00:01:14

and learn to trust God more than

the plan that he has for you?

21

: 00:01:18

for us.

22

: 00:01:18

Um, and it takes relinquishing

control ove we would have.

23

: 00:01:25

And it tak eyes fixed on the Lord as in

our life, trusting in throughout this

24

: 00:01:33

talk, I'm sharing some personal sto Just

resources that I have found helpful in

25

: 00:01:39

my life as I grow in faith and surrender,

um, and just resources that have helped

26

: 00:01:44

me just overcome anxiety about the future,

um, and helped me to just be more grounded

27

: 00:01:50

in God's truth and not let fear overtake.

28

: 00:01:53

So I really hope that this whole talk is

going to be encouraging for you as well

29

: 00:01:57

as just gives you some practical tools

that you can take into your life if you

30

: 00:02:01

feel like you are in a time where you

just fear the future and don't know what

31

: 00:02:05

God has in store for you or are just

trying to discern what the next steps are.

32

: 00:02:10

I hope this can be encouraging

and helpful for you.

33

: 00:02:12

All right, let's jump right in.

34

: 00:02:20

Hey, I'm your host, Mari Wagner,

and you're listening to the ever be

35

: 00:02:25

podcast where faith meets lifestyle.

36

: 00:02:28

I'm so excited you're here, whether you're

a new listener or a longtime follower,

37

: 00:02:32

I know there's something here for you.

38

: 00:02:34

Pull up a chair and listen in for

insightful real life conversations

39

: 00:02:38

and actionable steps on how to claim

the full life God created you for.

40

: 00:02:43

If you're a woman desiring to live

a Christ centered life in today's

41

: 00:02:46

modern world, then this is for you.

42

: 00:02:50

Welcome to Ever Be.

43

: 00:02:55

Hello, everybody.

44

: 00:02:57

It is so good to see you all today

and I'm so excited that I get to spend

45

: 00:03:03

some time with you this afternoon.

46

: 00:03:04

Uh, right before this talk, I was,

uh, I got a call from my spiritual

47

: 00:03:08

director and he was like, this is the

perfect opportunity for you alongside

48

: 00:03:12

Mary to kick Satan in the face.

49

: 00:03:15

Amen.

50

: 00:03:16

So that's what we are

going to be doing today.

51

: 00:03:19

And I want to start out with an activity.

52

: 00:03:21

So when you walked in and sat down, you

should have gotten a few sticky notes.

53

: 00:03:26

Um, if you don't have one, maybe look in

your row, someone might have an extra one.

54

: 00:03:30

Um, and if you really are out of sticky

notes, just put it in the notes in

55

: 00:03:34

your phone, um, to do this activity.

56

: 00:03:37

So I want you to take the sticky

note and take out a pencil, pen

57

: 00:03:41

again, borrow from a friend.

58

: 00:03:42

If you don't have one, And I want you

to write down a fear that you have.

59

: 00:03:47

It can be a small fear, a big fear,

maybe something that you have struggled

60

: 00:03:51

to face or not wanted to face.

61

: 00:03:53

Um, but I want you to write

down a fear on the front.

62

: 00:03:56

Don't write your name on

it, make it anonymous.

63

: 00:04:00

And then on the back of that fear,

I want you to write down a few

64

: 00:04:05

lies that surround that fear on

the back side of that sticky note.

65

: 00:04:10

If you're not familiar

with this language lies.

66

: 00:04:13

are things that we tell ourselves and

truly that the enemy speaks to us that

67

: 00:04:18

try, um, to make us believe things that

simply aren't true about ourselves,

68

: 00:04:24

about our identity, about who God is.

69

: 00:04:28

So I'll give you a few examples.

70

: 00:04:30

Maybe a fear you have is

I'll never find the one.

71

: 00:04:34

I'll never find the person

that i'm supposed to marry

72

: 00:04:36

and i'm just gonna be alone.

73

: 00:04:38

And the lies that surround that are

I am too broken to be loved, you know

74

: 00:04:42

Maybe I have too much baggage in my

past too much brokenness in my past

75

: 00:04:47

and i'm too broken for someone to love

me Or maybe it's that god doesn't have

76

: 00:04:51

someone in mind for me Like he has

simply abandoned me and forgotten me

77

: 00:04:55

and doesn't have a plan for my life

Or another lie might be that i'm just

78

: 00:04:59

simply not enough For anybody to love me.

79

: 00:05:02

Another example could be if I'm not

perfect, I won't be chosen by people.

80

: 00:05:08

And some lies that surround that

are, I have to earn God's love.

81

: 00:05:12

You know, that you have to work for

God's love, that it is conditional.

82

: 00:05:16

Or that my goodness and worth

equates to how perfect I am, right?

83

: 00:05:20

My goodness and my worth is

only equal to how perfect I am.

84

: 00:05:26

Or that when I perform

well, then God blesses me in

85

: 00:05:29

return, and only then, right?

86

: 00:05:30

His love is determined by how good I

perform, how much I check the boxes,

87

: 00:05:35

how pious I am, how devout I am.

88

: 00:05:38

These are all lies, you guys.

89

: 00:05:40

So I'll give you two minutes right

now to keep writing those down.

90

: 00:05:43

Um, your fears and your lies, whatever

comes to mind first, and when you're

91

: 00:05:47

done, just eyes up here so I can kind

of get a good idea of, of how much

92

: 00:05:50

more time we need, and we'll have

some music while you guys reflect.

93

: 00:05:55

Right.

94

: 00:05:56

Now, when I say go, we are going to

crumple up that sticky note and we

95

: 00:06:01

are going to throw it across the room.

96

: 00:06:02

I want you to throw it far so you don't

worry about where it's going to land.

97

: 00:06:06

Okay, ready, set, go.

98

: 00:06:11

Yes.

99

: 00:06:12

Throw away those fears.

100

: 00:06:15

All right, great.

101

: 00:06:19

This is great.

102

: 00:06:19

I hope we're getting video of this.

103

: 00:06:21

Yes.

104

: 00:06:23

All right, we're going to come back in.

105

: 00:06:26

And we are going to come

back to those later.

106

: 00:06:29

Okay.

107

: 00:06:30

So don't worry about it.

108

: 00:06:32

Try not to think too much about

what is on your sticky note.

109

: 00:06:35

Um, I feel like I can already

feel the excitement and the

110

: 00:06:37

anxiety in the room rising.

111

: 00:06:39

Like who's going to read my fear.

112

: 00:06:40

What if I wrote down something stupid?

113

: 00:06:43

What if my lies are all actually true?

114

: 00:06:47

That's what gets us, isn't it?

115

: 00:06:48

I know I've been there.

116

: 00:06:50

Like what if all these lies are true?

117

: 00:06:54

And if we're not careful, and if we're

not grounded in the truth, it leads

118

: 00:06:59

us down this rabbit hole of what ifs.

119

: 00:07:03

What if the worst case

scenario actually happens?

120

: 00:07:06

What if I'll never find the one?

121

: 00:07:08

What if my future isn't

what I thought it would be?

122

: 00:07:11

What if I'm not lovable?

123

: 00:07:13

What if I'm not enough?

124

: 00:07:14

What if I'm too much?

125

: 00:07:16

What if I fail?

126

: 00:07:19

We've all faced these moments in our life

where fear and anxiety really grips us,

127

: 00:07:26

really to the point where it paralyzes

us, and we live in this anxious state.

128

: 00:07:32

But fear, you guys, fear is not of the

Lord, and anxiety is not of the Lord,

129

: 00:07:39

and we were not made to feel this way.

130

: 00:07:42

We were not made to

experience this, right?

131

: 00:07:45

So how do we cope with it?

132

: 00:07:48

And that's what I'm going

to be sharing with today.

133

: 00:07:50

I'm going to tell you right now,

honestly, I don't have all the answers.

134

: 00:07:53

I'm just speaking from a place of

experience, um, of wrestling with

135

: 00:07:57

these things the past few years.

136

: 00:07:59

And so I'm just here to share what I feel

like the Lord has taught me along the way.

137

: 00:08:03

And the biggest thing that I've

learned along the way is that

138

: 00:08:05

the answer is not necessarily

about eliminating those emotions.

139

: 00:08:12

Because it is totally human and

normal to feel those, and we're

140

: 00:08:15

going to encounter those throughout

our life time and time again.

141

: 00:08:19

So instead, it's really about allowing

God to come into those spaces, and

142

: 00:08:24

allowing Him to bring us the peace

that only He can give in each one of

143

: 00:08:29

those moments that we're struggling.

144

: 00:08:32

So I want to share a story

from scripture that I love.

145

: 00:08:35

Um, this is the story when Jesus

calls Peter out to the water.

146

: 00:08:40

How many of you guys

have heard of this one?

147

: 00:08:43

It is one of my favorites.

148

: 00:08:44

Great.

149

: 00:08:45

Um, I'm going to give you a little

recap because it is so powerful.

150

: 00:08:49

So Peter is in the boat with the

other disciples and they're out

151

: 00:08:53

in the middle of the water in

this small boat It's not a ship.

152

: 00:08:56

So it's a little bit sketchy And the

waves and the wind are going the waves

153

: 00:09:00

are crashing the boat back and forth.

154

: 00:09:03

The wind is roaring And I just can't even

imagine what they must have felt, right?

155

: 00:09:08

The fear, the anxiety, the question

of what is going to happen to us

156

: 00:09:12

tonight in the middle of this storm.

157

: 00:09:14

And Jesus this time wasn't with them,

so he wasn't in the boat, so they didn't

158

: 00:09:17

have this like fallback of like the

son of man is with us, we're fine, you

159

: 00:09:21

know, like they actually thought we

might die right now, we might die today.

160

: 00:09:27

And then all of a sudden,

out in the distance, they

161

: 00:09:29

see a figure above the water.

162

: 00:09:32

And they kind of begin to freak out.

163

: 00:09:33

They think it's a ghost.

164

: 00:09:35

And as the figure draws closer,

they recognize it's Jesus.

165

: 00:09:41

And Jesus calls out and

says, Take heart, it is I.

166

: 00:09:44

Do not be afraid.

167

: 00:09:47

And Peter, the zealous and spicy man,

we know that he was, he calls out to

168

: 00:09:53

the figure and sort of challenges him.

169

: 00:09:55

And he says, Lord, if it's really you,

tell me to come out to you on the water.

170

: 00:10:01

Like you're God, you can do anything.

171

: 00:10:03

I know that if you call me out to

walk on this water, I'll do it.

172

: 00:10:06

So call me.

173

: 00:10:08

Well, to Peter's surprise, Jesus

took him up on that challenge.

174

: 00:10:11

And he says, Come.

175

: 00:10:15

And Peter stands up, legs weak and

wobbly, I'm sure, and he takes a step

176

: 00:10:20

of courage out onto the water, and he

feels the impossible beneath his feet.

177

: 00:10:26

He's standing on the water.

178

: 00:10:28

He takes another step and another

step, and every step he takes,

179

: 00:10:32

his eyes are fixed on the Lord,

and he is doing the impossible.

180

: 00:10:37

He's walking on water towards Jesus.

181

: 00:10:41

Suddenly, he hears a loud wave crash

and the wind blowing and he gets

182

: 00:10:45

distracted and he remembers that

he's quite literally walking on

183

: 00:10:48

water and that that makes no sense.

184

: 00:10:51

And in this moment of fear and him trying

to understand what's going on, he loses

185

: 00:10:57

his focus on the Lord and he begins

to sink and he cries, Lord, save me.

186

: 00:11:02

And in that moment, Jesus reaches for

his arm and pulls him out of the water.

187

: 00:11:07

And he says, Oh, you of little

faith, why did you doubt?

188

: 00:11:13

I don't know about you, but I relate

to Peter a lot in this moment.

189

: 00:11:19

I relate to being called out into

the storm and having this like gust

190

: 00:11:23

of courage and trust in the Lord.

191

: 00:11:26

And I'm like, okay, Lord,

I'm going to follow you.

192

: 00:11:28

I'm going to walk out in faith.

193

: 00:11:30

And then my mind starts going

for some reason, you know?

194

: 00:11:35

Like, the thoughts start spiraling, like,

wait, this, this doesn't make sense,

195

: 00:11:39

um, why would Jesus ask me to do this?

196

: 00:11:41

I don't understand.

197

: 00:11:42

I don't understand the plan,

like, I can't see what, what's

198

: 00:11:45

going to happen in the future.

199

: 00:11:47

And that, it is exactly

what causes us to sink.

200

: 00:11:53

We get really caught up in understanding.

201

: 00:11:56

Understanding the plan, and often we try

and seek peace through understanding,

202

: 00:12:03

and we try and logically find ourselves

to a peaceful state ourselves.

203

: 00:12:08

Does that make sense?

204

: 00:12:09

Like, I think that we all have this

feeling, at least I do, that if God

205

: 00:12:12

just told us the plan, if we just

knew what the plan was, then we would

206

: 00:12:17

have peace, and then we'd be okay.

207

: 00:12:19

If we just knew what was coming,

then we could trust in God.

208

: 00:12:23

And we constantly try to do this.

209

: 00:12:24

We constantly try and figure out

what God's plan is and try and

210

: 00:12:27

logically find ourselves to a

peaceful state, but that's not faith.

211

: 00:12:35

Logic is not faith.

212

: 00:12:38

And we are called to have faith

and faith is when we trust in

213

: 00:12:44

the Lord and rest in his peace.

214

: 00:12:47

without understanding.

215

: 00:12:49

Because we don't trust in the

logic or the outcome of the plan.

216

: 00:12:53

We trust in the person of God.

217

: 00:12:55

We trust in who he is, in his character.

218

: 00:12:59

We trust in his fatherhood and what that

means for us as his sons and daughters.

219

: 00:13:05

And that is what gives us peace that

surpasses all understanding, right?

220

: 00:13:10

That is straight from Scripture.

221

: 00:13:11

Philippians 4, 7 says, And the

peace of God, which surpasses all

222

: 00:13:16

understanding, will guard your

hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

223

: 00:13:21

Through our faith, and through coming

to know who Jesus really is, That is how

224

: 00:13:27

we're able to overcome fear and anxiety.

225

: 00:13:29

And that is how we will find peace

in the midst of whatever it is

226

: 00:13:33

that we're going through right now.

227

: 00:13:36

But honestly, even though scripture tells

us this, it's really hard to believe.

228

: 00:13:42

Like, truly believe it in your core.

229

: 00:13:44

And I know that I often have a hard

time believing that I could have

230

: 00:13:48

peace without knowing the plan.

231

: 00:13:50

Because I like to know the plan.

232

: 00:13:53

I want to know the plan.

233

: 00:13:55

I'm always asking God,

God, what's the plan?

234

: 00:13:57

Fill me in on the plan.

235

: 00:14:00

So, when we have a hard time trusting

in God, when we have a hard time

236

: 00:14:05

trusting without knowing the plan,

which is most of the time, you've

237

: 00:14:10

probably already experienced this, we

have the word to fall back on and I

238

: 00:14:15

have found great consolation in that.

239

: 00:14:18

Scripture is the living word of God.

240

: 00:14:21

It speaks directly to us.

241

: 00:14:23

It is the sword of the Spirit,

and we know it is true.

242

: 00:14:28

And it can remind us of what is

true when we're in desolation, when

243

: 00:14:33

we're unsure, when we're, you know,

flooded with all of these lies.

244

: 00:14:38

And so, you know what I think

is amazing about Scripture?

245

: 00:14:42

is that you can find the message of

Do Not Fear 365 times in the Bible.

246

: 00:14:48

That's once for every day of the year.

247

: 00:14:52

So, God's Word is filled with

reminders to not be afraid.

248

: 00:14:58

So, what does this tell us?

249

: 00:15:00

It tells me that we are not

a mystery to God because in

250

: 00:15:04

the beginning, He created us.

251

: 00:15:06

The Lord knows who his

sons and daughters are.

252

: 00:15:08

He knows our humanity because he created

every part of our being, our emotions,

253

: 00:15:13

our nervous system, our mental state, our

physiological state, our physical bodies,

254

: 00:15:18

and even how the physical interacts with

our spiritual being because of course

255

: 00:15:22

he crafted every part of your soul too.

256

: 00:15:27

And in the beginning, humanity

fell in the garden and we

257

: 00:15:31

entered into this broken state.

258

: 00:15:34

And with that, we

experience fear and anxiety.

259

: 00:15:37

And even though we weren't made for

this, that's what sin has done, right?

260

: 00:15:41

It's brought us to this broken state, and

the Lord also knew that that would happen.

261

: 00:15:45

He knew we would experience this.

262

: 00:15:48

And so I think that in His wisdom, since

He inspired the Bible, He made sure to

263

: 00:15:53

speak to those emotions that He knew

that we would feel time and time again.

264

: 00:15:59

And so let's take a look at a few of them.

265

: 00:16:01

So, and if you still have your pencils

out, I really recommend you take note

266

: 00:16:04

in your journal this time and write

them down, because I'm kind of going

267

: 00:16:07

to speed through these, but I want you

to be able to come back to these later.

268

: 00:16:11

Number one, we have Isaiah 41 10.

269

: 00:16:14

He says, so do not fear for I am with you.

270

: 00:16:17

Do not be afraid for I am your God.

271

: 00:16:20

I will strengthen you and help you.

272

: 00:16:22

I will uphold you with

my righteous right hand.

273

: 00:16:25

Psalm 27 1.

274

: 00:16:26

The Lord is my light and my salvation.

275

: 00:16:29

Whom shall I fear?

276

: 00:16:30

The Lord is the stronghold of my life.

277

: 00:16:33

Of whom shall I be afraid?

278

: 00:16:35

Joshua 1 9.

279

: 00:16:37

Be strong and courageous.

280

: 00:16:38

Do not be afraid.

281

: 00:16:40

Do not be discouraged.

282

: 00:16:41

For the Lord your God will

be with you wherever you go.

283

: 00:16:46

Psalm 56 3.

284

: 00:16:47

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

285

: 00:16:51

Psalm 46.

286

: 00:16:52

1.

287

: 00:16:53

God is our refuge and our strength

and ever present help in trouble.

288

: 00:16:58

Philippians 4.

289

: 00:16:59

6.

290

: 00:17:00

Do not be anxious about anything,

but in every situation, by prayer

291

: 00:17:06

and petition with thanksgiving,

present your requests to God.

292

: 00:17:12

And these are just a few.

293

: 00:17:14

The Lord is constantly trying

to get our attention to tell

294

: 00:17:19

us You have nothing to fear.

295

: 00:17:23

I am with you.

296

: 00:17:26

I am always with you.

297

: 00:17:27

Don't you realize?

298

: 00:17:28

We are never alone in our suffering.

299

: 00:17:32

We are never alone in

our fear and anxiety.

300

: 00:17:35

But I know that it feels that way a lot.

301

: 00:17:39

I know that anxiety is just a feeling

that makes you feel so out of yourself,

302

: 00:17:43

so isolated, and fear is so powerful, it

can sometimes just back us into a corner

303

: 00:17:48

and make us feel like we have no way out.

304

: 00:17:52

But that is not true.

305

: 00:17:54

We learned last night in

the happiness talk, right?

306

: 00:17:56

Emotions are just data.

307

: 00:17:58

It's not the full story.

308

: 00:18:00

And so scripture tells us what is true.

309

: 00:18:02

And scripture tells us, That the Lord

is our strength and he's always with us.

310

: 00:18:07

Isaiah 41, 10.

311

: 00:18:09

Do not fear for I am with you.

312

: 00:18:13

Can you say it with me?

313

: 00:18:14

Do not fear for I am with you.

314

: 00:18:17

One more time like you mean it.

315

: 00:18:18

Do not fear for I am with you.

316

: 00:18:23

Man, that is so much easier to say

than it is to believe sometimes

317

: 00:18:30

because when we're suffering it

can often feel like he's not there.

318

: 00:18:34

And it can often feel like

he's the furthest away from

319

: 00:18:37

us when we are suffering.

320

: 00:18:40

But that doesn't make sense because what

I know about God, what the church teaches

321

: 00:18:46

us about God, what scripture reveals to

us about God, that doesn't make sense that

322

: 00:18:51

he would leave us alone in our suffering.

323

: 00:18:54

So then why, why do we

feel this way sometimes?

324

: 00:18:59

You're all here, I imagine, because

there's something that you fear,

325

: 00:19:02

something that you're suffering

with, you're struggling with.

326

: 00:19:05

And I pray, whatever it is, that

you do feel close to God with it.

327

: 00:19:10

But I suspect that I'm not

alone in feeling like I am

328

: 00:19:15

alone in my suffering at times.

329

: 00:19:18

Heck, even Jesus felt that, right?

330

: 00:19:20

On the cross.

331

: 00:19:21

God, why have you forsaken me?

332

: 00:19:25

And if Jesus felt this, and if I felt

it I suspect there are many people in

333

: 00:19:30

this room who have also felt this way,

alone in their fear, in their suffering.

334

: 00:19:35

But knowing the truth about

God, we know that's not true.

335

: 00:19:39

We know we're not alone.

336

: 00:19:40

And if God promised that he wouldn't leave

us alone in our suffering, like we see

337

: 00:19:44

in Scripture time and time again, then he

wouldn't leave us alone in our suffering.

338

: 00:19:50

I wish I had the answer for you, a

more comforting answer, but I don't.

339

: 00:19:56

Sanctification, maybe it's greater

faith, more reliance on God, greater

340

: 00:20:00

surrender, um, strengthening of our

soul and our faith and trusting God.

341

: 00:20:06

What I do have is Philippians 4,

7, which I shared earlier, and

342

: 00:20:11

the peace of God, which surpasses

all understanding will guard your

343

: 00:20:15

hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

344

: 00:20:19

Ultimately, this is the truth.

345

: 00:20:21

The truth is that peace is

not found in understanding.

346

: 00:20:26

Peace is not found in knowing the answer.

347

: 00:20:28

It comes from trusting

the person, not the plan.

348

: 00:20:34

And this is how it was, even

when Jesus was here on earth with

349

: 00:20:37

his apostles, with the people.

350

: 00:20:39

People didn't know the full plan.

351

: 00:20:41

People didn't know he was

going to be crucified and died.

352

: 00:20:44

And then even when Jesus tried to tell

his apostles what was going to happen,

353

: 00:20:47

they like totally didn't get it and tried

to oppose it, and so it just doesn't

354

: 00:20:51

really work out for us to know the plan.

355

: 00:20:54

And, you know, they were waiting

for generations for a Messiah

356

: 00:20:57

to come that was prophesized.

357

: 00:20:59

He was going to come in all this glory

and save them, and they thought that

358

: 00:21:02

it would be this big warrior that

was going to take out the Romans.

359

: 00:21:06

And instead, Jesus was born

into a poor family in a

360

: 00:21:12

manger, and he died on a cross.

361

: 00:21:15

And so I'm sure the people

felt abandoned at times.

362

: 00:21:18

I'm sure they felt confused.

363

: 00:21:20

I'm sure there was fear.

364

: 00:21:21

And there was three days of

silence not really knowing what had

365

: 00:21:25

happened or not knowing where they

were supposed to go from there.

366

: 00:21:30

But we have the full story.

367

: 00:21:32

We now can look back and

we know what happened.

368

: 00:21:35

We know there was a resurrection.

369

: 00:21:37

We know Jesus opened the

gates of heaven for us.

370

: 00:21:41

And we know that he had to go so that

he could send us his Holy Spirit.

371

: 00:21:47

And so despite the fear that Jesus

felt in the way of the cross and

372

: 00:21:50

in his crucifixion, despite him

saying, Lord, take this cup from me.

373

: 00:21:54

And why have you forsaken me?

374

: 00:21:57

Jesus trusted in the

person more than the plan.

375

: 00:22:01

And he trusted enough to

give his life for it, for us.

376

: 00:22:06

So God doesn't tell us we won't face fear.

377

: 00:22:10

The Bible doesn't say, do not

fear because it doesn't exist.

378

: 00:22:13

No, we're going to face it, but he

reassures us that we won't face it alone.

379

: 00:22:18

And that when we feel that

fear, he will be with us.

380

: 00:22:22

And when we're filled with these

emotions, we need to remember that we

381

: 00:22:25

need to remember that our peace and our

strength and our calm comes from God.

382

: 00:22:30

And as sons and daughters,

we are heirs to this peace.

383

: 00:22:35

We can claim this peace by prayer

and petition, and it's truly

384

: 00:22:39

available to us in every situation,

in every moment of our life.

385

: 00:22:44

Scripture tells us this.

386

: 00:22:46

So when we feel that fear and anxiety grip

us in those moments, we need to remember

387

: 00:22:51

to take a second to pray and to ask the

Lord for peace, for a moment of stillness,

388

: 00:22:58

for more trust, for more confidence.

389

: 00:23:01

And so pray for the Lord's peace to wash

over you, for him to allow you to feel

390

: 00:23:06

his comfort and his presence and his

consolation in your times of suffering.

391

: 00:23:13

And what's been really helpful for me

in my life is biblical declarations.

392

: 00:23:18

You may have heard of them before.

393

: 00:23:20

It's basically these affirming and

encouraging statements that announces

394

: 00:23:24

something that God has already

promised, Decreed or established and

395

: 00:23:29

they're usually rooted in scripture

and depending on what they are.

396

: 00:23:32

Are they affirmed your identity?

397

: 00:23:34

Or who God is in his goodness, etc And

I'm gonna be honest with you when I

398

: 00:23:41

first heard about these like years ago.

399

: 00:23:43

I Honestly thought they were dumb.

400

: 00:23:45

I thought like I am way smarter than

that and that's not gonna work on me Like

401

: 00:23:49

just saying some nice positive words.

402

: 00:23:52

It's not gonna make me feel better or

solve my problem for me And so I never

403

: 00:23:57

tried them until just about a year

ago when I was going through a really

404

: 00:24:02

difficult time I've shared this publicly

already on my Instagram and on my podcast,

405

: 00:24:07

but my husband Trey and I, we've been

trying to grow our family for a few years

406

: 00:24:11

now and we haven't been able to conceive.

407

: 00:24:13

We've been struggling with infertility.

408

: 00:24:16

And everything I've been sharing with

you guys are truly things that I have

409

: 00:24:21

been struggling and wrestling with myself

and the Lord for the past three years.

410

: 00:24:25

We've been on this journey.

411

: 00:24:28

It's been a journey.

412

: 00:24:30

of seeking answers and struggling

and fighting to trust in

413

: 00:24:35

God and facing big fears.

414

: 00:24:39

So I've really had to cling to prayer,

to turn to scripture, to continually

415

: 00:24:44

remind myself of the truth because

it's really easy to begin to believe

416

: 00:24:49

these different lies you tell yourself

when you're in a really dark place.

417

: 00:24:54

And so in many ways, I feel like I've

been walking my own way of the cross.

418

: 00:25:00

And like Jesus I've asked the Lord to

take this cup from me and I've asked

419

: 00:25:05

the Lord why have you forsaken me?

420

: 00:25:10

But I have fought for my faith to be

stronger than my fear and I've had to

421

: 00:25:16

face the Lord Through the suffering

and not understanding his plan and I

422

: 00:25:21

still don't understand the plan and

I've had to face Him through it all

423

: 00:25:26

and face the fact that you know what?

424

: 00:25:29

But I can still trust Him and still

love Him and still surrender myself to

425

: 00:25:37

Him and still trust that He is good.

426

: 00:25:41

And I've had to trust with every fiber

of my being that even though the Lord has

427

: 00:25:47

allowed me to face these really difficult

moments and face these really big fears,

428

: 00:25:53

that He is also the source of my peace.

429

: 00:25:57

That even though He is allowing this

cross in my life, and I know that He

430

: 00:26:00

has the power to take it away in an

instant if it were His will, I have to

431

: 00:26:05

constantly remind myself that my peace

is drawn from Him, and my strength is

432

: 00:26:11

drawn from Him, and the only way I will

endure this suffering is through Him.

433

: 00:26:18

It's such a paradox.

434

: 00:26:20

It's such an interesting experience

of choosing to love the one who

435

: 00:26:25

is allowing your cross to happen.

436

: 00:26:30

So if you relate to anything I'm saying,

anything I've said today, I'm really just

437

: 00:26:36

here to tell you that I know how you feel.

438

: 00:26:40

And you're not alone.

439

: 00:26:42

And you're not crazy or

bad for feeling this way.

440

: 00:26:46

You are not bad for

failing to trust in God.

441

: 00:26:49

You are not bad for finding it

difficult to love Him and to go to Him.

442

: 00:26:55

And you're not bad for having a

hard time getting on board with

443

: 00:26:59

His plan that might look so vastly

different than what you thought

444

: 00:27:03

your life would look like right now.

445

: 00:27:06

So for me, I've relied on Scripture

and these biblical declarations to

446

: 00:27:11

remind me of who God is and to remind

me that my trust Trust is in God,

447

: 00:27:16

not in understanding, and it's rooted

in who He is and in His character.

448

: 00:27:21

And for me, the declaration

that has gotten me through

449

: 00:27:23

all this is Philippians 4, 13.

450

: 00:27:26

I can do all things through

Christ who strengthens me.

451

: 00:27:29

It's like your most pin basic

Pinterest girl quote, okay?

452

: 00:27:32

I know, but for some reason, it's what

kept coming to mind, probably because I've

453

: 00:27:37

seen it a thousand times on my Pinterest,

and it's just what I chose to hold on

454

: 00:27:41

to and to speak over myself every day.

455

: 00:27:45

In a moment of anxiety, I can do all

things through Christ who strengthens me.

456

: 00:27:50

In a moment of sorrow, I can do all

things through Christ who strengthens me.

457

: 00:27:54

In a moment of isolation, I can do all

things through Christ who strengthens me.

458

: 00:28:00

And throughout our difficult journey,

I've been given the grace of faith

459

: 00:28:04

and at times even the grace of peace

Admits the fear and confusion and that

460

: 00:28:10

has only come from a deep seated trust

in the Lord without ever knowing the

461

: 00:28:14

plan And that's grace That's not me.

462

: 00:28:19

And I want you to experience that peace

in your life If you're struggling, God

463

: 00:28:25

wants you to experience his peace and

you just need to cling to him and to his

464

: 00:28:30

word and ask for it to be given to you.

465

: 00:28:34

And so a really beautiful way to

do this is to clothe ourselves in

466

: 00:28:37

these declarations of truth that

I now know are not dumb, you guys.

467

: 00:28:42

They are in fact so powerful.

468

: 00:28:44

So please don't write them off

because the truth is powerful.

469

: 00:28:49

The truth sets you free.

470

: 00:28:52

So I want us to declare this

truth together right now.

471

: 00:28:55

Can we all just say this?

472

: 00:28:56

I can do all things through

Christ who strengthens me.

473

: 00:28:59

Ready?

474

: 00:29:00

I can do all things through

Christ who strengthens me.

475

: 00:29:04

Yes, you can.

476

: 00:29:06

Yes, you can.

477

: 00:29:07

So if you know me, you know

that I love practicals.

478

: 00:29:10

And I give you the

inspiration in the heart.

479

: 00:29:12

And then I like to tell you, okay, how

do we actually put this into practice?

480

: 00:29:16

What do we actually do with this?

481

: 00:29:18

So let's go over a few practical

things that you can do to root

482

: 00:29:21

yourself in the truth, to increase

your faith and trust in God.

483

: 00:29:25

Number one is daily prayer.

484

: 00:29:28

And so I have a few different

recommendations here for you to

485

: 00:29:30

incorporate into your daily prayer

routine that are tried and true.

486

: 00:29:35

I have done them.

487

: 00:29:35

I have tested them and

they have actually worked.

488

: 00:29:38

Number one is the rosary.

489

: 00:29:40

The rosary is a weapon against evil and

it is such an effective prayer to find

490

: 00:29:46

peace and to unload what you're carrying

and allow Mary to take it to Jesus.

491

: 00:29:51

Amen.

492

: 00:29:51

Amen.

493

: 00:29:51

Amen.

494

: 00:29:52

Mary is known as the Mediatrix of Grace,

which means that God has given her a very

495

: 00:29:56

special authority to distribute his graces

amongst her children as they need it.

496

: 00:30:04

And what I always say is

the rosary is like math.

497

: 00:30:06

Like 1 plus 1 equals 2 every single

time you pray the rosary, you're

498

: 00:30:10

gonna have peace every single time.

499

: 00:30:12

So it's kind of a cheat sheet.

500

: 00:30:14

Number two, nine days to

strengthen your faith.

501

: 00:30:17

This is a short nine day devotional

to help you strengthen your faith.

502

: 00:30:21

It's written by Father Jacques

Philippe, who is an amazing author.

503

: 00:30:25

Um, and faith is a gift from God.

504

: 00:30:28

We actually can't

manufacture it ourselves.

505

: 00:30:32

So it's actually something we need

to pray for and to ask for more of.

506

: 00:30:36

Ask the Lord, strengthen my

faith, give me the gift of faith.

507

: 00:30:40

And this devotional is so helpful.

508

: 00:30:42

Um, I actually did it last year right

after Seek and I did truly feel a

509

: 00:30:46

tangible change in my heart and an

increase in faith and trust in God.

510

: 00:30:51

Last is the Surrender Novena.

511

: 00:30:54

Um, don't do this unless you're

ready to actually let go of what

512

: 00:30:58

you're doing because God will

change your heart in nine days.

513

: 00:31:01

It is an amazing novena that helps you

in surrendering your life to God and

514

: 00:31:06

allowing Jesus to take care of everything.

515

: 00:31:09

So I feel like we often pray, um, for God

to answer our prayer and to fix whatever

516

: 00:31:15

it is that we're struggling with in the

way that we want it answered or fixed.

517

: 00:31:19

Now, what the Surrender Novena does is

actually helps us go to God and surrender

518

: 00:31:25

whatever it is we're asking, you know,

for his prayers for, um, and allow him to

519

: 00:31:30

take care of it the way that he sees fit.

520

: 00:31:35

Next we have biblical declarations,

which we just talked about.

521

: 00:31:39

These are so powerful and really easy ways

to incorporate scripture in your life.

522

: 00:31:44

And so I have a QR code up here.

523

: 00:31:46

I created a freebie with 30 different

biblical declarations that you can use.

524

: 00:31:51

You can print it out, you can cut

them up, you can write them down, put

525

: 00:31:55

them on a sticky note on your mirror

or make a little phone background

526

: 00:31:59

and keep it on the background of

your phone so you can see it often.

527

: 00:32:02

Um, But the whole point of this is

that you would pray with these daily.

528

: 00:32:06

You would choose one or two that stand

out to you and that speak to you in

529

: 00:32:08

this time of your life and you go

back to them and trust me they will

530

: 00:32:13

give you strength for the journey.

531

: 00:32:16

Then we have Christ centered

community and support.

532

: 00:32:19

Christ centered community

is everything you guys.

533

: 00:32:22

We were not meant to do

this walk of faith alone.

534

: 00:32:24

We were not meant to strive for

sainthood alone and when we bring our

535

: 00:32:29

darkness to the light, it disappears.

536

: 00:32:32

And so I recommend that you

open up to a trusted person.

537

: 00:32:35

Maybe it's a friend or a family member,

spiritual director or therapist,

538

: 00:32:40

um, and bring your darkness to the

light and trust that to somebody.

539

: 00:32:44

Hopefully somebody who is rooted in

Christ so that they can speak God's

540

: 00:32:48

truth directly to you into those

lies that you may be believing.

541

: 00:32:53

And finally, ask for prayers.

542

: 00:32:56

Prayer in the moment

especially is so powerful.

543

: 00:32:59

And so I encourage all of you sitting

in these seats to take bold steps

544

: 00:33:04

with your friends and to pray with

each other in person, out loud.

545

: 00:33:07

I know it can be kind of nerve

wracking sometimes, but if we all just

546

: 00:33:11

set the precedent right now that it

doesn't have to be awkward and that

547

: 00:33:13

we're not going to judge each other,

then it's not going to be that bad.

548

: 00:33:16

I promise.

549

: 00:33:18

And so get in the habit of praying for

each other out loud in the moment, because

550

: 00:33:21

we need to be encouraging each other,

pushing each other, praying for and with

551

: 00:33:25

each other, because it is so powerful.

552

: 00:33:28

And especially when we're in a weird place

with the Lord, when it's hard for us to

553

: 00:33:32

go to Him, He, He doesn't leave us alone

and He uses other people to speak to us.

554

: 00:33:37

He uses our brothers and sisters in

Christ to speak to us, to speak His truth.

555

: 00:33:43

Which brings me to my last story.

556

: 00:33:46

A few years ago, I attended a woman's

conference and on the last day in

557

: 00:33:50

the closing session, they handed

out sticky notes and they asked us

558

: 00:33:55

to write down a fear that we had.

559

: 00:33:57

And then we crumpled up those sticky

notes and we threw them across the room.

560

: 00:34:01

And out of the almost 200 sticky

notes, they chose like four or

561

: 00:34:04

five to read out loud and to stick

on the walls around the room.

562

: 00:34:09

And then they handed out more sticky

notes and they had everybody go

563

: 00:34:12

around and write down the truth.

564

: 00:34:14

to the fear that people were feeling

that they chose to stick up on the room.

565

: 00:34:19

So to my surprise, my sticky note

was pulled from all of those sticky

566

: 00:34:23

notes, and it was put up on the

wall, and I heard them read my fear

567

: 00:34:28

out loud and stick it up there.

568

: 00:34:32

And then I saw almost 200 women

walk around and write down the

569

: 00:34:37

truth to the really real lie and

fear that I was struggling with.

570

: 00:34:42

You know what I put on that note?

571

: 00:34:45

I fear that God may be calling me

to speak on a stage, and I don't

572

: 00:34:48

think I can live up to that call.

573

: 00:34:52

That was about three years ago.

574

: 00:34:55

And a year and a half later, last year,

I gave my first SEEK breakout session.

575

: 00:35:00

And I was so nervous nobody was going to

show up at 7am, and the room was packed.

576

: 00:35:04

And then this year they told

me, Great, we're giving you a

577

: 00:35:06

room almost twice that size.

578

: 00:35:08

And I was like, Crap, it's

going to look so empty.

579

: 00:35:11

Thank you all for showing up.

580

: 00:35:14

So here I am again, round two, just

doing what the Lord has called me to do.

581

: 00:35:19

And I tell you right now, even

this time, it wasn't easy for me

582

: 00:35:23

to get up here and talk about this.

583

: 00:35:25

And it took me hearing the truth being

spoken to me over and over again by

584

: 00:35:29

friends and family and my husband praying

over me every single night leading up.

585

: 00:35:34

For me to be hot for me to have the

strength to do this Because god uses the

586

: 00:35:39

people around us to speak to us and he

wants to speak to you too And he's gonna

587

: 00:35:43

speak to you today And well because of

the size of the crowd We don't have the

588

: 00:35:48

space or the time to do the exact same

activity and have all of us write down

589

: 00:35:52

the truths to our fears But I still

want to harness the power of prayer and

590

: 00:35:57

community that we have Um, so before

you leave I want you to do two things

591

: 00:36:04

Number one, um, on your way out, pick up

a sticky note that you see on the ground.

592

: 00:36:09

Make sure that everybody picks one up.

593

: 00:36:11

I don't want there to be any

sticky notes on the ground.

594

: 00:36:13

One, because the focus staff will

get mad at me if I leave trash.

595

: 00:36:16

And two, because we don't want

anybody's lies lying around, okay?

596

: 00:36:21

And I want you to pray for that person.

597

: 00:36:24

I want you to read that fear

and the lies on the back and

598

: 00:36:28

pray for that person this week.

599

: 00:36:30

Put it in your journal or on your

bedside table and make sure that you

600

: 00:36:34

are continually praying for the person

to be freed from those lies that

601

: 00:36:38

are on the back of that sticky note.

602

: 00:36:40

This is a beautiful way to pray

specifically for that person.

603

: 00:36:45

Okay, and then number two, I want

you to grab a biblical declaration

604

: 00:36:48

paper on your way out the door.

605

: 00:36:51

You can either get it from somebody

handing it out at the door.

606

: 00:36:54

I don't know if they were able to put

a table out or it might just be people

607

: 00:36:57

that are handing it out at the back.

608

: 00:36:59

Um, but I chose a variety of different

declarations rooted in scripture for you,

609

: 00:37:05

um, and affirmations to share with you.

610

: 00:37:07

And I prayed for every single one of you.

611

: 00:37:09

And I prayed for the Holy spirit to

choose who would get which card in

612

: 00:37:13

hopes that it would speak directly

to you, your fears and whatever it is

613

: 00:37:17

that you're struggling with right now.

614

: 00:37:20

Lastly, I just want to remind you

that our Heavenly Mother always

615

: 00:37:24

desires to comfort her children.

616

: 00:37:26

And if your relationship with

the Father is hard right now,

617

: 00:37:30

you can always go to your mother.

618

: 00:37:32

So let's do that together.

619

: 00:37:33

Let's bow our heads and let's

pray for her intercession as we

620

: 00:37:36

say, Hail Mary full of grace.

621

: 00:37:39

The Lord is with thee.

622

: 00:37:40

Blessed are you among women and blessed

is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

623

: 00:37:44

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us

sinners now and at the hour of our death.

624

: 00:37:49

Amen.

625

: 00:37:50

Thank you.

626

: 00:37:51

Thank you so much for listening in.

627

: 00:37:54

If you've enjoyed this episode,

please share it with your friends

628

: 00:37:56

and on social media and give me a

five star rating on whatever podcast

629

: 00:38:00

platform you're listening on.

630

: 00:38:01

That helps me and the show out so much.

631

: 00:38:04

Also make sure to follow the podcast

on Instagram at ever be podcast.

632

: 00:38:08

And if you want more content like this

and you don't already follow me, you

633

: 00:38:11

can also follow me on Instagram at Mari.

634

: 00:38:14

c.

635

: 00:38:14

wagner.

636

: 00:38:15

And may his praise ever be on our lips.

637

: 00:38:18

God bless.