February 5, 2024 • 28 mins
Welcome to episode 6 of Identify You, a transformative episode titled "Kingdom Builder". Join host Shakera as she harmonizes real-life experiences and the touching melody of Tasha Cobbs Leonard's song, "Gracefully Broken," to explain God's miraculous power in turning our vulnerabilities into strengths. This episode ardently addresses that our perceived failures are God's potential construction sites.
The episode narrates the critical need for being broken before being built. Shakera encourages viewers to see adversity as a gateway to divine healing, leading to personal completeness. The relationships around us become a mirror reflecting a helping hand in our pursuit of wholeness. This narrative revolves around the principles of Colossians 3, a gentle reminder to do everything in God's name and with all our hearts.
Walking hand in hand with relationships, obedience, control, and purpose, this journey invites us to participate actively in God's distinct plan. The "Kingdom Builder" episode is a tribute to the elegance of God's intended formation, affirming that we are participants in his craftsmanship.
Embark on an enlightening expedition with Shakera and uncover the beauty and grace in the process of being broken and rebuilt in Christ. The host, in sharing her journey, uncovers that each one's path bears resemblance to those of the flawed yet chosen characters in the Bible, keeping us reassured that the journey of brokenness is common to humanity. Yet, surrendering our flaws to God can turn them into our most radiant strengths.
Our host resonates that every action carried out with excellence brings us closer to God. This awe-inspiring 'Dear You' letter is the uplifting conclusion to the episode, meant to motivate and inspire listeners. In summary, this episode will edify you to transition from a self-destructive mindset to a path of excellence, transfiguring you from a broken vessel to a "Kingdom Builder" under God's divine timing.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Do you know who you are and whose you are? Welcome to Identify You,
where lives are transformed by identifying who you are in Christ Jesus.
I am Shakira, and here I've cultivated a safe space for us to expose some of
the broken pieces that God has used to make us whole.
By the end of today's show, you'll be able to identify you and put your crown back on.
(00:20):
So I hope that you enjoy today's show.
So let's get right into it. Thank you all so much for being here yet again.
Y'all, we are on episode number six.
I am so grateful for every single listener, viewer, supporter,
longtime friend, family, whoever, whoever is listening.
(00:41):
OK, I'm just so grateful for you all and just all glory and honor to God for
allowing me to be here yet again to just testify and share the good news and
just how great he's been to me in my life.
And some of the things that I've been through that can help some of you.
(01:02):
So I'm excited about today's episode. As every episode, I feel like I say that,
but it really feels like that.
Like when you get an opportunity to come before God's people,
like it's a bundle of joy. It's just like excitement.
It definitely still has like, you know, a little bit of nerves and a little
anxiety, but definitely just excited to just share like what the Lord has gave
(01:24):
me to share with you all. Um, so today we have a song, okay?
And y'all, the name of the song is Gracefully Broken by Tasha Cobbs Leonard. Love her, okay?
I want to go over the first seven lines to the song, which it starts off with
her kind of just talking to us, which a lot of gospel songs, that's how it is.
(01:45):
Like, it's like conversational. Like, they really be like pouring their heart
out, like just talking to God and I love that. So she says, God will break you to position.
He will break you to promote you and break you to put you in your right place.
But when he breaks you, he doesn't hurt you. When he breaks you,
(02:06):
he doesn't destroy you. He does it with grace.
Anybody been gracefully broken?
Thank you, Lord. Thank you.
Y'all, that is such a beautiful song. And I absolutely love it because in my
season of brokenness and when God had given me my,
(02:29):
first workbook that I created, Broken to Hold, ABCs of Healing,
I was so broken. I was just like, Lord, give me anything.
Help me heal. I want to heal. I want to be whole. I want to know who I am in
Christ. Christ, hence where I identify you come from.
Like y'all, we go through life and life be coming at you. Life be lifin', okay?
(02:52):
And we're going to get into it today. Today's title is called Kingdom Builder.
I'm wearing my Kingdom Builder hoodie, okay? And I'm just really excited to
like, just, I really have two main points for y'all, but I want to like break
it down and just share some stuff. So the verse of the day, and I have two that
we're going to reference.
(03:13):
The first one is Colossians 3, 17.
And whatever you do, whatever, rather in word or deed, do it all in the name
of the Lord Jesus, given thanks to God, the father through him.
And then if you go down a couple of verses to Colossians 3, 23,
it says, whatever you you do, work at it with all your heart as working for
(03:36):
the Lord, not for human masters.
Listen, this is so good. And I'm so excited to just go deeper because everything that we do, y'all,
our thoughts, our ideas, our words, our actions, the good deeds that you do,
we should be doing it for the Lord, in the name of the Lord.
(03:57):
And we should be working at everything we do with all all of our heart.
That's why every time I come here, I'm like, I'm so excited because with all
my heart, I try to do everything and with excellence.
And I want to go deeper into my two points today. So the first point that I
have is broken before built.
(04:18):
Baby, listen, we have to be broken before we are built in the kingdom of God.
And to us, Because broken things are looked at as like worthless.
We want to throw it away if it's broken. That comes with relationships.
That comes with, you know, things in your house.
(04:39):
It could be a job. If you feel like it's bro, you just want to quit.
Like we look at broken things as worthless, but God, but God,
he can take what has been broken and remake it into something better.
Hence why here we expose some of the broken pieces because he has mended us back together.
(05:00):
He has healed us. He is healing some of us and he can use us.
And I just love it because when God can take something that's been broken and
remake it into something better, something that he can use for his glory.
So he take this broken thing, put it together and use it for his glory.
(05:21):
Like, how beautiful is that? Y'all know the saying like one man's trash is another man's treasure.
Like that's how God feels about broken people. listen
broken things and broken people
are the result of sin and as
I talked about before like we are born into sin but God
but God listen so amazing
(05:45):
so kind so gracious sent King
Jesus so that we might be healed the
key desire for us to be healed he wants us
to be healed healed he knows that we're broken
so he had it he already had
a solution in mind y'all sit there
and think about that that is mind-boggling like
(06:08):
he already knew that we would come into
this world falling into sin and we would be broken but
he already had a solution in place king jesus sent
him to earth so that we may
be healed that's something to shout about right now
y'all gonna gonna make me get up in here and start listen that
is just something to just be so grateful.
(06:31):
For and when I began to look at
it that way my whole life changed like my whole perspective and that's really
like when my healing might intensify because that's when I wanted to unveil
and uncover like who is Shakira like I was visualizing the healed version of her like Like,
(06:52):
but oftentimes we are able to hear God's call because we're so busy with other things,
which it can be our own lives, our family.
Our work, our own problems, our unhappiness.
And when God is calling us, he's calling us out of that brokenness.
He doesn't want us to remain there.
(07:13):
He's calling us out of it. But when we're so caught up with other things,
we're distracted. active, then we sometimes just ignore the call or we miss the call. And...
Sometimes he has to use very tragic, devastating things to really get our attention.
And we have to be broken before we realize our need.
(07:37):
And for me, I had to be broken all the way down.
Like y'all, y'all, many of you heard my testimony and I've done a docuseries
on it, but my life had, I got everything that I wanted and I desired. and it was for my good.
It was, it was everything that I wanted.
(07:58):
I, okay. I always talk about my grade versus God's grade. It looks different,
but I was, I was content. I was satisfied. I was grateful.
Like I was good. I literally was like, Lord, if you do nothing else,
like I am good because I had the husband,
I had the kids, I had the house, I had the car, like all the
things things that I wanted and when
(08:21):
my late husband passed away I was
devastated I'm like wow God you gave
me all these things that I wanted to take
it away it's crazy so in
that season I had questions for God that's when
and and this is why he knows he
(08:42):
already knows like what's going to get our attention for real so he knew the
questions I would I would have and he had answers and I was just so crushed
like why would you give me things that you knew my heart desired for it to be taken away and.
He's like, I need you reconciled back to me, which I've talked about celebrating
(09:06):
life after death, after, you know, I spiritually woke up and,
you know, really got closer to God.
But one of the things that we have to remember when we encounter different relationships
in this here life is that all relationships are a mirror for us.
And everybody that comes along your path is a destiny helper.
(09:29):
And I truly believe with all of my heart and soul that my husband and I were
destiny helpers for each other and we fulfilled the mission that God had for us.
And I truly believe because it's so funny, like when I met my late husband and
the way that like he really sparked my interest is because he sent the word
(09:52):
to his community like every morning.
In the word, meaning the scripture of the day.
And that's something that I did for my community.
And I was like, look at him sending out the word. Cause he hasn't done to me.
And I'm like, oh, I do that. Like I do that for my people too.
But there was a season where I was like, Lord, I'm tired of sending people to
(10:14):
where like, they not listening.
They don't listen anyway. So like, why do I need to keep sharing it?
And that's what I said to God. Like, and that's how my my relationship has been with God. I'm just real.
I talk to him. He's my father. He's my daddy. He's my best friend. He's always with me.
I just be conversing. I'm sick of it. I was sick of it in one season.
I'm like, people don't respond or people not listening. They still live in their
(10:35):
lives any kind of way. I was grieved by the fact that people are not listening to God's word.
You know? So he told me, the Holy Spirit came to me. He's like.
It's not your job to make sure that people are, you know, being obedient or
accountable to the word. It's just your job to share the word.
I do the accountability piece.
(10:58):
When I tell you that right there, set me free.
Because I'm over here getting upset about something that's good,
something that I should be doing because other people's actions,
which ain't got nothing to do with me. And that comes from control.
That comes from, you know, just having a heart for people.
(11:20):
And I want everybody to be on the same page, which there's nothing wrong with that.
But those are the things that we have to bring to God in prayer,
in our conversation, in our devotional time.
Like he gives us those things that we're grieved about, the things that you're
angry about in the world that's happening. It could be, it could be homelessness.
It could be, I'm trying to think of stuff off the top of my head, y'all.
(11:42):
But it could be like homelessness. It could be the adoption system.
It could be abortions, whatever like grieves you and you feel like,
oh, it just hurts me so bad that this is happening in the world.
Then maybe, just maybe that's something that God has a purpose for you or wants
you to speak more about to like help people.
(12:04):
And when I realized like, it's just my job to to share the word.
Like that's like, I love the word so much and I'm so eager to share it.
That's what, that's all I'm supposed to do after I share it.
And I know I did it with excellence and with the right heart posture,
what other people do with it is not my business.
And excuse me, I truly believe that when God gave me that revelation,
(12:30):
like that was a moment of being set free because Because it's like you can fully
operate in your purpose when you are not attaching it to like the results.
Because if you look at it like, okay, if God formed me and put me in my mother's
womb, he knew the plans that he had for me.
(12:51):
The purpose is revealed to me. He knows what the outcome is going to be.
So it's like I'm just supposed to play my part in God's plan.
He already gave the plan. He already knows the plan. So I'm just here to play my part.
I don't got to worry about the results or anything after that. I just got to do my part.
(13:11):
And I always use like the one analogy, like God is the director and we're the.
We're the actors in the story, or you can look at it as he's the manager,
you're the employee, or there's so many different analogies of how you can look at it.
But ultimately, when you look
(13:32):
at the grand scope of it, it's God's plan and we got to play our part.
We all have a part to play in his plan for our life.
And I think that that is just so beautiful.
One, he had you in mind, he has
a purpose for you he knew you he knows
every hair on your head like that's so
(13:52):
beautiful and that's why it's so important to know who you are and whose you
are that's why identifying you is so important because it takes the focus off
of the world all the problems all the things and focuses on like what can you
do to help the world what can you do to fulfill your purpose here in the world.
(14:12):
And let me just tell you, the only way to be reconciled back to God is to be made whole,
which is why he can take broken people, the broken pieces, and put it all back
together beautifully, gracefully broken, and make you whole.
It's so beautiful. It's just so beautiful. And that's just like how the Bible is too.
(14:34):
Like if you really read your Bible, y'all, the Bible is full of broken people,
full of people who have flaws, full of people who are running from God,
but he still took them and he used them.
And we've got to look at ourselves just like the prophets in the Bible,
(14:55):
just like the people in the Bible.
We've got to look at at ourselves, place yourself in there because you are one of God's children.
So you have to be broken before you are built. That is the bottom line.
We all are going to experience brokenness. That's it.
My second point, which brings me to Kingdom Builder, and it's so funny,
(15:19):
like God, it's so funny because this wasn't the exact episode that I wanted to do.
Like after last episode, you know, we've been talking about adversity and things like that.
But yesterday I was having a conversation with one of my mentees and we were
just talking about like how you are supposed to do things in excellence.
(15:41):
And I was writing and raving about my late husband, like the things that I loved
about him because y'all, again, people come in your life to be mirrors.
Like I thought that I was like doing things good and I was like super clean
and super organized, put together before I met him.
And then he comes into my life and it's like, oh, I met my match because this
(16:04):
man, let me tell you, so clean.
Clean like he made sure
his nails was taken care of manicures nails like cut
his nails I hate dirty nails y'all that's what
we were talking about yesterday and he like made sure you
know his feet were together I hate bad feet and it's like most men don't want
to like get their feet done and stuff like that but he like got his hair cut
(16:26):
weekly y'all down to like his undergarments he made he did that with excellence
he like ironed it and stuff and I was just like whoa like this This is I bet much like that's a lot.
But he taught me even down to the dishes, y'all.
This man would wash the dishes so good, like better than me.
(16:47):
And that's why you can't be subscribing to just women are supposed to cook and
clean like that is not the case.
Like there are some men who can do those things very well and there's nothing
wrong with that. But the one thing that my husband taught me from all of that
is he said, whatever you do, do it with excellence.
(17:08):
And that's literally biblical. We are supposed to do everything with excellence.
Our father, our creator, the creator of the universe is a creator of excellence.
And if we are going to be representation of him, then we should be of excellence.
Think about it as your family, the house you grew up in.
(17:32):
My mama always told me, when you step outside this house, you represent me because
she's the one that's raising me.
She's the one that's, you know,
building me up. But so I had to leave that house and represent her well.
So just like our father, our creator, our God, we should want to represent him well.
(17:52):
As a kingdom builder, you should want to represent him well.
And Jesus said to seek first the kingdom of God in his sermon on the mount,
which is in Matthew 6, 33.
And all of that is saying is God's priority versus worldly things.
Things we gotta prioritize what is important
to God versus what the world says is important and
(18:15):
what's important to God broken people reconciling them
back to Christ that's what's important so we have to do it with excellence and
with love and in order to do that you gotta surrender like here I am God here
I am broken and all flaws and all like this is what I got What can you do with what I am, what I got?
(18:39):
And I believe Bishop even said this before. He said early on in his ministry, he was like.
This is what I got, Lord. How can you use me? How can you exalt me?
And I think that that's so important to always keep in mind because a lot of
times, and I'll speak for myself, I know when I was broken or when I was living
in sin, I felt like God couldn't use me.
(19:01):
Or when I fell short and I felt like God would never love me again, I felt like it was over.
So it's important to remember that despite all that you have been through,
all the things that that you've done,
all the sins that you've committed, like knowing that as long as you ask for
forgiveness with all of your heart and you come before God, like he can use anything.
(19:26):
And when I tell you he can use anything like that is really so true.
And usually just sometimes, just maybe he uses the thing that you was falling
short in as your purpose to give him the glory.
And it's like the irony in that. So you just got to surrender. Just give it up.
(19:51):
Like, just give it up, y'all. Our great versus God's great is just different.
Our ways versus his ways is different. It's like surrender.
Just submit. It's submission. That's what submission is.
You know, submission is such a buzzword now and people want to talk about it.
But it's like, let's talk about what submission really is.
And that's a whole nother. But no, we're not even about to go there because
(20:13):
that's a whole nother episode.
That's going to be a good one. I'm going to definitely talk about that.
But yeah, once you surrender and you say, here I am, God.
Take what I have and use me. He will heal you.
You will be reconciled back to Christ and made whole again.
(20:34):
And he can use those broken pieces for his glory.
And then once he heals you, you're made back whole and your purpose is revealed to you.
You're now walking in who you are and whose you are, then that's when you,
I'm over here spitting, that's when you have to do everything in excellence.
(20:57):
That means the ideas you have, the thoughts you have, your actions,
it should all be in excellence and in his name because he is the one who gives it all to us.
So any good deed that you're doing, even a small thing that you think don't matter.
Like I said, my late husband taught me like washing dishes, like we should do
(21:20):
that with excellence, not grumbling and complaining and griping like,
oh, I got to wash dishes again.
Or that job that you've been blessed with, like, oh, I'm sick of going here.
I'm sick of this job. Always complaining. Like we should go to work and do it with excellence.
The family that you've been blessed with, those kids that we have been blessed
to steward well, we have to raise them in excellence and we got to do it in his name.
(21:47):
Because we don't deserve anything. We don't deserve half of the things that
we do have and that he continues to bless us with.
But our God, he's so kind. He's so gracious.
And I just believe that when you do everything in excellence and in his name
so that he may get the recognition and not you, like that's when you're kingdom
(22:12):
building and not self building.
And the world would teach you that, oh, you got to, what they say,
and I hate it, self-made. I'm self-made. I'm self-made.
Like when that first came out and people was like on that train heavy, it grieved my spirit.
Because I'm like, baby, I'm not self-made. I don't know nothing.
I don't. I am nothing like without God. I am God-made.
(22:35):
So when you really start seeking the kingdom first and putting God's priority
before the the world priorities, like you will see a shift in your life.
You'll see the shift, the changes happening around you. You'll know when you're
kingdom building or you over here self-building.
Okay. And self-building is going to lead right to self-destruction.
(22:55):
So just keep that in mind and know that. And that also will help you with your habits.
And when you do face adversity, like weaving out the stuff that just really
don't matter because you'll be able to identify like, okay, is this for the
kingdom or is this for the world?
Like it becomes easier because you're more disciplined
and it's a skill that has to continue to be practiced because
(23:17):
when you get serious about God the enemy gets serious
about you and things are going to continue to come at
you which can be distractions but you
got to be able to decipher between God's priorities and the world's priorities
okay so those are like my two main points that I really wanted to touch on today
because I just felt like this is good like like going from broken to being built,
(23:43):
to being a kingdom builder, like.
That's good news right there. Okay. Like, y'all, I was a hot mess before my before Christ life.
Like when I be reflecting, I just laugh.
I'm like, I don't regret anything because I don't feel like you're supposed
to regret things in life.
I feel like it was all, you know, for a reason. It all had to happen.
(24:05):
Like nothing was wasted. I truly believe that.
And, but I'm just able to just laugh like, Ooh, girl, you was raggedy.
So don't beat yourself up too bad if you
were in that place or you still are in
a broken place like just know that what you're
going through like it all matters nothing is wasted God can use anything he
(24:28):
can make anything good so I hope that this really encouraged someone today okay
I hope it did we're gonna jump into dear you y'all already know get your journals
and let's get into our dear Dear you,
I am so proud of you.
(24:50):
Remember, you are no longer bound by past mistakes.
God has forgiven you and given you a second chance at life.
What a wonderful father you have. Always give him all the honor,
praise, and glory. Your desire to represent him to the fullest with your ideas,
(25:10):
words, and actions is admirable.
Even when you're against all odds, you're committed to always growing and becoming
the best version of yourself. You glow, girl.
You are a kingdom builder playing a part in God's plan. land.
Trust God's divine timing and know that all things are working for your good
(25:35):
and for his glory with love and gratitude, me.
Are y'all loving the Dear You letters? Let me know how y'all feel about those
because I feel like I'd be hyping myself up when I'm reading those,
but let me me know how y'all feel about the dear you letters.
And yeah, so let's get into identify you because at the end of every episode, baby,
(26:01):
you should be able to identify you, take away something that we talked about
in the show and identify you and put your crown back on and go out here and slay baby.
So I am a kingdom builder. It is God who gives me the breath and ability to
do anything in life. I am grateful for the opportunities I have and I will do
(26:26):
everything with excellence.
Yes y'all remember
you can affirm with me by commenting in
the chat okay put put your comment down
there put put the affirmation down there also just remember to make sure you're
writing down the affirmations so that you can repeat them in the mirror or throughout
(26:48):
the day when you feel yourself you know slipping into something like you need
to affirm yourself and pick yourself back up Like that's the whole point of the identify you.
And as you write more of them, like you'll have, you'll have a affirmation list.
You know, you can create that. Like I'm just huge on like affirmations.
I got affirmations everywhere.
Like I affirm myself all day long. Okay. Because when I am falling or the enemy
(27:11):
is trying to play with my thoughts and my mind, I need to affirm who I am and who I am.
So that is the purpose of identify you. you.
I'm so grateful just to be before you all today and been able to share that
word. I hope that it truly helped someone.
If it did, let me know, like share your takeaways in the comments. I want to hear from you.
(27:32):
And if it helped you share with someone else, someone who you believe that it
can help as well, because sharing is caring.
Okay. And we share things that we really like.
So share, share, share, make sure you are streaming your podcast,
wherever you get your podcast at and subscribe to us on YouTube at I Am She Here TV.
(27:54):
Make sure you subscribe and put that notification bell on. The notification
bell helps you to know like, oh, it's a new episode or I have something very
special coming for y'all soon that I'll be releasing.
I don't know. I'll probably, I might have already released it by the time this
episode come out. So I don't know. You just need to stay tuned.
That's why you got to follow, subscribe everywhere and just lock in.
(28:14):
And so, you know, like what's going on in our community, what's happening.
I want us to just continue to grow in Christ and just continue to identify who
we are and walk by faith and slave was free each and every day because God, he will make a way.
I love y'all so much. And I will see you in the next episode.
Do you know who you are and whose you are? Welcome to Identify You,
where lives are transformed by identifying who you are in Christ Jesus.
I am Shakira, and here I've cultivated a safe space for us to expose some of
the broken pieces that God has used to make us whole.
By the end of today's show, you'll be able to identify you and put your crown back on.
(00:20):
So I hope that you enjoy today's show.
So let's get right into it. Thank you all so much for being here yet again.
Y'all, we are on episode number six.
I am so grateful for every single listener, viewer, supporter,
longtime friend, family, whoever, whoever is listening.
(00:41):
OK, I'm just so grateful for you all and just all glory and honor to God for
allowing me to be here yet again to just testify and share the good news and
just how great he's been to me in my life.
And some of the things that I've been through that can help some of you.
(01:02):
So I'm excited about today's episode. As every episode, I feel like I say that,
but it really feels like that.
Like when you get an opportunity to come before God's people,
like it's a bundle of joy. It's just like excitement.
It definitely still has like, you know, a little bit of nerves and a little
anxiety, but definitely just excited to just share like what the Lord has gave
(01:24):
me to share with you all. Um, so today we have a song, okay?
And y'all, the name of the song is Gracefully Broken by Tasha Cobbs Leonard. Love her, okay?
I want to go over the first seven lines to the song, which it starts off with
her kind of just talking to us, which a lot of gospel songs, that's how it is.
(01:45):
Like, it's like conversational. Like, they really be like pouring their heart
out, like just talking to God and I love that. So she says, God will break you to position.
He will break you to promote you and break you to put you in your right place.
But when he breaks you, he doesn't hurt you. When he breaks you,
(02:06):
he doesn't destroy you. He does it with grace.
Anybody been gracefully broken?
Thank you, Lord. Thank you.
Y'all, that is such a beautiful song. And I absolutely love it because in my
season of brokenness and when God had given me my,
(02:29):
first workbook that I created, Broken to Hold, ABCs of Healing,
I was so broken. I was just like, Lord, give me anything.
Help me heal. I want to heal. I want to be whole. I want to know who I am in
Christ. Christ, hence where I identify you come from.
Like y'all, we go through life and life be coming at you. Life be lifin', okay?
(02:52):
And we're going to get into it today. Today's title is called Kingdom Builder.
I'm wearing my Kingdom Builder hoodie, okay? And I'm just really excited to
like, just, I really have two main points for y'all, but I want to like break
it down and just share some stuff. So the verse of the day, and I have two that
we're going to reference.
(03:13):
The first one is Colossians 3, 17.
And whatever you do, whatever, rather in word or deed, do it all in the name
of the Lord Jesus, given thanks to God, the father through him.
And then if you go down a couple of verses to Colossians 3, 23,
it says, whatever you you do, work at it with all your heart as working for
(03:36):
the Lord, not for human masters.
Listen, this is so good. And I'm so excited to just go deeper because everything that we do, y'all,
our thoughts, our ideas, our words, our actions, the good deeds that you do,
we should be doing it for the Lord, in the name of the Lord.
(03:57):
And we should be working at everything we do with all all of our heart.
That's why every time I come here, I'm like, I'm so excited because with all
my heart, I try to do everything and with excellence.
And I want to go deeper into my two points today. So the first point that I
have is broken before built.
(04:18):
Baby, listen, we have to be broken before we are built in the kingdom of God.
And to us, Because broken things are looked at as like worthless.
We want to throw it away if it's broken. That comes with relationships.
That comes with, you know, things in your house.
(04:39):
It could be a job. If you feel like it's bro, you just want to quit.
Like we look at broken things as worthless, but God, but God,
he can take what has been broken and remake it into something better.
Hence why here we expose some of the broken pieces because he has mended us back together.
(05:00):
He has healed us. He is healing some of us and he can use us.
And I just love it because when God can take something that's been broken and
remake it into something better, something that he can use for his glory.
So he take this broken thing, put it together and use it for his glory.
(05:21):
Like, how beautiful is that? Y'all know the saying like one man's trash is another man's treasure.
Like that's how God feels about broken people. listen
broken things and broken people
are the result of sin and as
I talked about before like we are born into sin but God
but God listen so amazing
(05:45):
so kind so gracious sent King
Jesus so that we might be healed the
key desire for us to be healed he wants us
to be healed healed he knows that we're broken
so he had it he already had
a solution in mind y'all sit there
and think about that that is mind-boggling like
(06:08):
he already knew that we would come into
this world falling into sin and we would be broken but
he already had a solution in place king jesus sent
him to earth so that we may
be healed that's something to shout about right now
y'all gonna gonna make me get up in here and start listen that
is just something to just be so grateful.
(06:31):
For and when I began to look at
it that way my whole life changed like my whole perspective and that's really
like when my healing might intensify because that's when I wanted to unveil
and uncover like who is Shakira like I was visualizing the healed version of her like Like,
(06:52):
but oftentimes we are able to hear God's call because we're so busy with other things,
which it can be our own lives, our family.
Our work, our own problems, our unhappiness.
And when God is calling us, he's calling us out of that brokenness.
He doesn't want us to remain there.
(07:13):
He's calling us out of it. But when we're so caught up with other things,
we're distracted. active, then we sometimes just ignore the call or we miss the call. And...
Sometimes he has to use very tragic, devastating things to really get our attention.
And we have to be broken before we realize our need.
(07:37):
And for me, I had to be broken all the way down.
Like y'all, y'all, many of you heard my testimony and I've done a docuseries
on it, but my life had, I got everything that I wanted and I desired. and it was for my good.
It was, it was everything that I wanted.
(07:58):
I, okay. I always talk about my grade versus God's grade. It looks different,
but I was, I was content. I was satisfied. I was grateful.
Like I was good. I literally was like, Lord, if you do nothing else,
like I am good because I had the husband,
I had the kids, I had the house, I had the car, like all the
things things that I wanted and when
(08:21):
my late husband passed away I was
devastated I'm like wow God you gave
me all these things that I wanted to take
it away it's crazy so in
that season I had questions for God that's when
and and this is why he knows he
(08:42):
already knows like what's going to get our attention for real so he knew the
questions I would I would have and he had answers and I was just so crushed
like why would you give me things that you knew my heart desired for it to be taken away and.
He's like, I need you reconciled back to me, which I've talked about celebrating
(09:06):
life after death, after, you know, I spiritually woke up and,
you know, really got closer to God.
But one of the things that we have to remember when we encounter different relationships
in this here life is that all relationships are a mirror for us.
And everybody that comes along your path is a destiny helper.
(09:29):
And I truly believe with all of my heart and soul that my husband and I were
destiny helpers for each other and we fulfilled the mission that God had for us.
And I truly believe because it's so funny, like when I met my late husband and
the way that like he really sparked my interest is because he sent the word
(09:52):
to his community like every morning.
In the word, meaning the scripture of the day.
And that's something that I did for my community.
And I was like, look at him sending out the word. Cause he hasn't done to me.
And I'm like, oh, I do that. Like I do that for my people too.
But there was a season where I was like, Lord, I'm tired of sending people to
(10:14):
where like, they not listening.
They don't listen anyway. So like, why do I need to keep sharing it?
And that's what I said to God. Like, and that's how my my relationship has been with God. I'm just real.
I talk to him. He's my father. He's my daddy. He's my best friend. He's always with me.
I just be conversing. I'm sick of it. I was sick of it in one season.
I'm like, people don't respond or people not listening. They still live in their
(10:35):
lives any kind of way. I was grieved by the fact that people are not listening to God's word.
You know? So he told me, the Holy Spirit came to me. He's like.
It's not your job to make sure that people are, you know, being obedient or
accountable to the word. It's just your job to share the word.
I do the accountability piece.
(10:58):
When I tell you that right there, set me free.
Because I'm over here getting upset about something that's good,
something that I should be doing because other people's actions,
which ain't got nothing to do with me. And that comes from control.
That comes from, you know, just having a heart for people.
(11:20):
And I want everybody to be on the same page, which there's nothing wrong with that.
But those are the things that we have to bring to God in prayer,
in our conversation, in our devotional time.
Like he gives us those things that we're grieved about, the things that you're
angry about in the world that's happening. It could be, it could be homelessness.
It could be, I'm trying to think of stuff off the top of my head, y'all.
(11:42):
But it could be like homelessness. It could be the adoption system.
It could be abortions, whatever like grieves you and you feel like,
oh, it just hurts me so bad that this is happening in the world.
Then maybe, just maybe that's something that God has a purpose for you or wants
you to speak more about to like help people.
(12:04):
And when I realized like, it's just my job to to share the word.
Like that's like, I love the word so much and I'm so eager to share it.
That's what, that's all I'm supposed to do after I share it.
And I know I did it with excellence and with the right heart posture,
what other people do with it is not my business.
And excuse me, I truly believe that when God gave me that revelation,
(12:30):
like that was a moment of being set free because Because it's like you can fully
operate in your purpose when you are not attaching it to like the results.
Because if you look at it like, okay, if God formed me and put me in my mother's
womb, he knew the plans that he had for me.
(12:51):
The purpose is revealed to me. He knows what the outcome is going to be.
So it's like I'm just supposed to play my part in God's plan.
He already gave the plan. He already knows the plan. So I'm just here to play my part.
I don't got to worry about the results or anything after that. I just got to do my part.
(13:11):
And I always use like the one analogy, like God is the director and we're the.
We're the actors in the story, or you can look at it as he's the manager,
you're the employee, or there's so many different analogies of how you can look at it.
But ultimately, when you look
(13:32):
at the grand scope of it, it's God's plan and we got to play our part.
We all have a part to play in his plan for our life.
And I think that that is just so beautiful.
One, he had you in mind, he has
a purpose for you he knew you he knows
every hair on your head like that's so
(13:52):
beautiful and that's why it's so important to know who you are and whose you
are that's why identifying you is so important because it takes the focus off
of the world all the problems all the things and focuses on like what can you
do to help the world what can you do to fulfill your purpose here in the world.
(14:12):
And let me just tell you, the only way to be reconciled back to God is to be made whole,
which is why he can take broken people, the broken pieces, and put it all back
together beautifully, gracefully broken, and make you whole.
It's so beautiful. It's just so beautiful. And that's just like how the Bible is too.
(14:34):
Like if you really read your Bible, y'all, the Bible is full of broken people,
full of people who have flaws, full of people who are running from God,
but he still took them and he used them.
And we've got to look at ourselves just like the prophets in the Bible,
(14:55):
just like the people in the Bible.
We've got to look at at ourselves, place yourself in there because you are one of God's children.
So you have to be broken before you are built. That is the bottom line.
We all are going to experience brokenness. That's it.
My second point, which brings me to Kingdom Builder, and it's so funny,
(15:19):
like God, it's so funny because this wasn't the exact episode that I wanted to do.
Like after last episode, you know, we've been talking about adversity and things like that.
But yesterday I was having a conversation with one of my mentees and we were
just talking about like how you are supposed to do things in excellence.
(15:41):
And I was writing and raving about my late husband, like the things that I loved
about him because y'all, again, people come in your life to be mirrors.
Like I thought that I was like doing things good and I was like super clean
and super organized, put together before I met him.
And then he comes into my life and it's like, oh, I met my match because this
(16:04):
man, let me tell you, so clean.
Clean like he made sure
his nails was taken care of manicures nails like cut
his nails I hate dirty nails y'all that's what
we were talking about yesterday and he like made sure you
know his feet were together I hate bad feet and it's like most men don't want
to like get their feet done and stuff like that but he like got his hair cut
(16:26):
weekly y'all down to like his undergarments he made he did that with excellence
he like ironed it and stuff and I was just like whoa like this This is I bet much like that's a lot.
But he taught me even down to the dishes, y'all.
This man would wash the dishes so good, like better than me.
(16:47):
And that's why you can't be subscribing to just women are supposed to cook and
clean like that is not the case.
Like there are some men who can do those things very well and there's nothing
wrong with that. But the one thing that my husband taught me from all of that
is he said, whatever you do, do it with excellence.
(17:08):
And that's literally biblical. We are supposed to do everything with excellence.
Our father, our creator, the creator of the universe is a creator of excellence.
And if we are going to be representation of him, then we should be of excellence.
Think about it as your family, the house you grew up in.
(17:32):
My mama always told me, when you step outside this house, you represent me because
she's the one that's raising me.
She's the one that's, you know,
building me up. But so I had to leave that house and represent her well.
So just like our father, our creator, our God, we should want to represent him well.
(17:52):
As a kingdom builder, you should want to represent him well.
And Jesus said to seek first the kingdom of God in his sermon on the mount,
which is in Matthew 6, 33.
And all of that is saying is God's priority versus worldly things.
Things we gotta prioritize what is important
to God versus what the world says is important and
(18:15):
what's important to God broken people reconciling them
back to Christ that's what's important so we have to do it with excellence and
with love and in order to do that you gotta surrender like here I am God here
I am broken and all flaws and all like this is what I got What can you do with what I am, what I got?
(18:39):
And I believe Bishop even said this before. He said early on in his ministry, he was like.
This is what I got, Lord. How can you use me? How can you exalt me?
And I think that that's so important to always keep in mind because a lot of
times, and I'll speak for myself, I know when I was broken or when I was living
in sin, I felt like God couldn't use me.
(19:01):
Or when I fell short and I felt like God would never love me again, I felt like it was over.
So it's important to remember that despite all that you have been through,
all the things that that you've done,
all the sins that you've committed, like knowing that as long as you ask for
forgiveness with all of your heart and you come before God, like he can use anything.
(19:26):
And when I tell you he can use anything like that is really so true.
And usually just sometimes, just maybe he uses the thing that you was falling
short in as your purpose to give him the glory.
And it's like the irony in that. So you just got to surrender. Just give it up.
(19:51):
Like, just give it up, y'all. Our great versus God's great is just different.
Our ways versus his ways is different. It's like surrender.
Just submit. It's submission. That's what submission is.
You know, submission is such a buzzword now and people want to talk about it.
But it's like, let's talk about what submission really is.
And that's a whole nother. But no, we're not even about to go there because
(20:13):
that's a whole nother episode.
That's going to be a good one. I'm going to definitely talk about that.
But yeah, once you surrender and you say, here I am, God.
Take what I have and use me. He will heal you.
You will be reconciled back to Christ and made whole again.
(20:34):
And he can use those broken pieces for his glory.
And then once he heals you, you're made back whole and your purpose is revealed to you.
You're now walking in who you are and whose you are, then that's when you,
I'm over here spitting, that's when you have to do everything in excellence.
(20:57):
That means the ideas you have, the thoughts you have, your actions,
it should all be in excellence and in his name because he is the one who gives it all to us.
So any good deed that you're doing, even a small thing that you think don't matter.
Like I said, my late husband taught me like washing dishes, like we should do
(21:20):
that with excellence, not grumbling and complaining and griping like,
oh, I got to wash dishes again.
Or that job that you've been blessed with, like, oh, I'm sick of going here.
I'm sick of this job. Always complaining. Like we should go to work and do it with excellence.
The family that you've been blessed with, those kids that we have been blessed
to steward well, we have to raise them in excellence and we got to do it in his name.
(21:47):
Because we don't deserve anything. We don't deserve half of the things that
we do have and that he continues to bless us with.
But our God, he's so kind. He's so gracious.
And I just believe that when you do everything in excellence and in his name
so that he may get the recognition and not you, like that's when you're kingdom
(22:12):
building and not self building.
And the world would teach you that, oh, you got to, what they say,
and I hate it, self-made. I'm self-made. I'm self-made.
Like when that first came out and people was like on that train heavy, it grieved my spirit.
Because I'm like, baby, I'm not self-made. I don't know nothing.
I don't. I am nothing like without God. I am God-made.
(22:35):
So when you really start seeking the kingdom first and putting God's priority
before the the world priorities, like you will see a shift in your life.
You'll see the shift, the changes happening around you. You'll know when you're
kingdom building or you over here self-building.
Okay. And self-building is going to lead right to self-destruction.
(22:55):
So just keep that in mind and know that. And that also will help you with your habits.
And when you do face adversity, like weaving out the stuff that just really
don't matter because you'll be able to identify like, okay, is this for the
kingdom or is this for the world?
Like it becomes easier because you're more disciplined
and it's a skill that has to continue to be practiced because
(23:17):
when you get serious about God the enemy gets serious
about you and things are going to continue to come at
you which can be distractions but you
got to be able to decipher between God's priorities and the world's priorities
okay so those are like my two main points that I really wanted to touch on today
because I just felt like this is good like like going from broken to being built,
(23:43):
to being a kingdom builder, like.
That's good news right there. Okay. Like, y'all, I was a hot mess before my before Christ life.
Like when I be reflecting, I just laugh.
I'm like, I don't regret anything because I don't feel like you're supposed
to regret things in life.
I feel like it was all, you know, for a reason. It all had to happen.
(24:05):
Like nothing was wasted. I truly believe that.
And, but I'm just able to just laugh like, Ooh, girl, you was raggedy.
So don't beat yourself up too bad if you
were in that place or you still are in
a broken place like just know that what you're
going through like it all matters nothing is wasted God can use anything he
(24:28):
can make anything good so I hope that this really encouraged someone today okay
I hope it did we're gonna jump into dear you y'all already know get your journals
and let's get into our dear Dear you,
I am so proud of you.
(24:50):
Remember, you are no longer bound by past mistakes.
God has forgiven you and given you a second chance at life.
What a wonderful father you have. Always give him all the honor,
praise, and glory. Your desire to represent him to the fullest with your ideas,
(25:10):
words, and actions is admirable.
Even when you're against all odds, you're committed to always growing and becoming
the best version of yourself. You glow, girl.
You are a kingdom builder playing a part in God's plan. land.
Trust God's divine timing and know that all things are working for your good
(25:35):
and for his glory with love and gratitude, me.
Are y'all loving the Dear You letters? Let me know how y'all feel about those
because I feel like I'd be hyping myself up when I'm reading those,
but let me me know how y'all feel about the dear you letters.
And yeah, so let's get into identify you because at the end of every episode, baby,
(26:01):
you should be able to identify you, take away something that we talked about
in the show and identify you and put your crown back on and go out here and slay baby.
So I am a kingdom builder. It is God who gives me the breath and ability to
do anything in life. I am grateful for the opportunities I have and I will do
(26:26):
everything with excellence.
Yes y'all remember
you can affirm with me by commenting in
the chat okay put put your comment down
there put put the affirmation down there also just remember to make sure you're
writing down the affirmations so that you can repeat them in the mirror or throughout
(26:48):
the day when you feel yourself you know slipping into something like you need
to affirm yourself and pick yourself back up Like that's the whole point of the identify you.
And as you write more of them, like you'll have, you'll have a affirmation list.
You know, you can create that. Like I'm just huge on like affirmations.
I got affirmations everywhere.
Like I affirm myself all day long. Okay. Because when I am falling or the enemy
(27:11):
is trying to play with my thoughts and my mind, I need to affirm who I am and who I am.
So that is the purpose of identify you. you.
I'm so grateful just to be before you all today and been able to share that
word. I hope that it truly helped someone.
If it did, let me know, like share your takeaways in the comments. I want to hear from you.
(27:32):
And if it helped you share with someone else, someone who you believe that it
can help as well, because sharing is caring.
Okay. And we share things that we really like.
So share, share, share, make sure you are streaming your podcast,
wherever you get your podcast at and subscribe to us on YouTube at I Am She Here TV.
(27:54):
Make sure you subscribe and put that notification bell on. The notification
bell helps you to know like, oh, it's a new episode or I have something very
special coming for y'all soon that I'll be releasing.
I don't know. I'll probably, I might have already released it by the time this
episode come out. So I don't know. You just need to stay tuned.
That's why you got to follow, subscribe everywhere and just lock in.
(28:14):
And so, you know, like what's going on in our community, what's happening.
I want us to just continue to grow in Christ and just continue to identify who
we are and walk by faith and slave was free each and every day because God, he will make a way.
I love y'all so much. And I will see you in the next episode.
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