Episode Transcript
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Do you know who you are and who you are? Welcome to Identify You,
where lives are transformed by identifying who you are in Christ Jesus.
I am Shakira, your hostess with the mostess, and here I've created a safe space
for us to remove our crowns and expose some of the broken pieces that God has used to make us whole.
By the end of today's episode, you should be able to identify who you are in Christ Jesus.
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So let's get into today's episode.
Welcome back. if you are a returning guest
and welcome if you are new here i'm so
grateful that you have decided to come in chit chat with us okay it's really
like some girl talk like girl let me share some stuff from my life that's helped
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me or that i went through and let you know what the lord has been speaking to
me about and i just want to you know give y'all the stuff the good stuff that
the good the Lord gives me.
So I hope that you will subscribe to the channel if you're watching on YouTube.
Okay, go ahead and become a part of the family. Become a fake slayer. You might as well.
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And we are streaming on Apple Podcasts. That is our main platform that we're
focused on. So Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Go on both those and just subscribe. Run
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on youtube and make sure you have the post notifications so
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anyways y'all happy black history month it is february 2024 baby let me tell
you january is always always always just a really long but feel like short month
because it's my My birthday,
then you got Sincere's birthday, you got the anniversary,
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the passing of my late husband.
So it's just like a lot of celebrations going on.
And like, I also have to take like Sabbath. I need to rest and recoup from all...
The last year and then all of the celebrating from January. So I usually do
that the last two to three weeks of January and just really like reset for the new year.
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And February 1st usually starts like my new year in like a productive sense, if that makes sense.
So it is the month of February. Like I said, it is Black History Month,
got Valentine's coming up.
And And yes, I'm really excited just about what this month is going to give.
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Like, I know it's going to be a great month because I'm already claiming it, okay?
There is power in the tongue. You got to speak over your life.
You got to speak what you want God to do in your life, okay?
And I want to have a positive, peaceful, happy, loving month.
And that's what I'm claiming. so today's episode
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y'all on the last episode y'all got
to get a sneak peek of some of the faith slayers as we had a conversation as
we were on our retreat and today I wanted to talk about making disciples because
as y'all can see there like that is the community that I've built and And it's
turned into like a whole thing.
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God is really funny because who knew what everything that he's been doing to lead me up to this point.
I'm just like still mind blown every single day, every single moment. Oh, my Lord.
Lord, I didn't want to be doing all this, but I'm being obedient.
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Y'all and when I say I didn't
want to be doing all this like because like I said before I
have such a reverence for God and it's like
when he calls you is different like
than what you like want to do you know
what I mean like I just wanted to
have some functions here
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and there I just wanted to like I can't
even tell you I sound ridiculous I know I do but I
really just like I'm really like a private person I'm like by myself a lot so
like on from social media it probably look like oh she like know a lot of people
or like she's always like around a lot of people and stuff like that like I
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used to be an extrovert but in my adult age in this old age I'm just kidding.
But in this big age, I've just come to, I'm such in the space and the era where
I'm learning me, getting to know who I am,
identify who I am in Christ, and really just walking this thing out,
being obedient that I don't really like being in the mix or in too many mix,
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if that makes sense. I hope that makes sense.
So when God had called me to.
The first instruction he gave me was to start Bible and book study.
And I was like, I read my Bible, I read my books.
And, you know, if somebody wants to talk about it and join, then, you know, it'll be that.
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And that's just how I really want to like facilitate it, you know,
because I feel like that goes back to like me wanting stuff for people that
they may not want for themselves.
So, but Bible book study, I was just like really hesitant. And I was like,
okay, Lord, if you want me to do this, I'm going to just do a couple people.
It's like four people. And I was like picking and choosing who I was doing it with.
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And God will allow things, but you'll also get an awakening.
Okay. He'll let you know if it wasn't what he intended. So nonetheless,
he kept telling me like, that's not what I told you to do. You're playing small.
You're trying to control. You're doing it your way. and I
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was like I just wanted to be like for people of my
choice and keep it small keep it cute but nonetheless
it's expanded into something that's like wow
and I'm just super grateful for it but it
is still it's still what can
I say like it's still challenging these ladies
are counting on me for something and that's
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why that's a big responsibility like I'm
already a mom to two okay and i'm
already like sold out for
jesus i want to be obedient though then it's
like i never like promoted thanks to
you or anything like that like it's all by like god's leading like it's holy
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spirit led like whoever the lord tells me to reach out to or people end up reaching
shout to me like or just the dots will connect like it's really really intentional and that.
Kind of like gives me a little bit of anxiety because
it's like lord i'm trying to figure this thing out like i'm working on myself
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and i'm going through my own stuff and that's the crazy thing about life is
like god will allow you to go through something so that you can pick somebody
else out out of that same thing that you went through.
So the thing that you are like running from or want to hurry up and get out
of, the life challenge that you are going through, that you're facing,
you're like, oh, I can't wait for this to be over. Like, why me, Lord?
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Like, that might be the thing that he is going to literally use for you to help
others and to give him the honor and glory.
So I say all that to say that today's episode is titled Making Disciples, okay?
Okay, so I have a quote and the quote is, the Christian life is the disciple
life and the discipling life by Mark Dever.
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Listen, that quote is, yeah, like that is literally what the Christian life is about.
Like as a Christian, you're being discipled by whoever feeds you spiritually.
And then you're supposed to in turn go and disciple someone else's, feed them spiritually.
So that just resonated so much with me.
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And I feel like it connected to that perfectly for making disciples.
Disciples so the verse comes from
matthew 28 19 through 20 and it reads therefore go and make disciples of all
nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy
spirit and teaching them to obey everything i have commanded you instructions instructions.
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Y'all, these are explicit instructions. I always talk about this.
Anytime you see very detailed instructions in the Bible, that's what God is telling us to do.
It's not like, oh, you pick and choose what part you want to do.
No, he gave very specific instructions and that's what you should do.
So in this verse, it tells us to go and make disciples of all nations.
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Right and we are teaching others
about Jesus we're teaching others and
about the commandments that he has we're leading people
back to Christ that is the whole point of
life okay that's the whole point of this podcast like I don't want y'all listening
tuning in and liking it because you want to like see me hear from me like I'm
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just a voice and I'm just the vessel that God has chosen to use in this matter
like but this is to point everyone all of you back to,
and encourage you to want to build or strengthen your relationship with Jesus.
Because what I went through with how I live in my life out.
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So, and I feel like more people need to get that concept through their mind.
Like this life is not for you. It's not about you.
Like we live in such a self-righteous world where it's like me,
me, me, me, me mentality.
And God is like, no, like he literally strip you and break you because that's not what he desires.
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Like we are kingdom builders. We already had that episode and I talked about
that, but he wants us to be making disciples.
So what is a disciple? You may ask.
I know, girl, I know you was going to ask said. So a disciple is a kind of student.
It is someone who follows the teachings, learns from, and models their life after someone else.
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In this case, that would be Jesus. Okay.
So I am a disciple Christ.
Okay. I am following Jesus. I want to look as close to Jesus as possible.
Every day I'm working out the things in me with the help of the Holy Spirit,
because I could not do it on my own, but i am
working to look and be more like jesus and that's exactly what the disciple
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is and discipleship simply is this teaching leading and demonstrating to others
what it means to think act and speak as a follower of christ so when we talk
about making making disciples like.
The overall thing is like your life should be a walking advertisement of like
what it means to follow Christ, what it means to look like Christ.
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So that's why when you first get saved and you receive your salvation,
that's why you have to go through the pruning process and the purifying and
God has to strip you and break you down because you have been operating in a
worldly sense before you had given your life to Christ.
So now he is preparing you and teaching you how to operate in the kingdom, right?
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And that's why it's so important to say a prayer, to say your word,
to worship God and honor God and have a community of like-minded individuals and believers as well.
So characteristics of a disciple.
I have five here, which are biblical. goal.
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And the first and foremost is a disciple is patient, kind, and gentle.
That's not always easy. Okay. We're human at the end of the day.
And so how can we learn in this world?
So it's hard to be patient, but that comes with self-control and discipline.
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You have to be patient. You have to be kind and you have to be gentle with people
because everybody's hurting in some kind of way.
We may not all be hurting from the same thing
or have the same trauma or the same past but
we all have been through something we all are going through something or we
all are going to go through something so we have to be really patient kind and
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gentle and I feel like also in order to even do that you gotta learn how to
be patient and kind and gentle with yourself and I'm speaking get for myself because,
y'all, I.
Came to the realization like I have really always been like a just black and
white rigid type of person. Like.
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This is the right way and no other way because like
i'm a rule follower like i'm not trying
to break the law i'm not trying to break the rules of school
like i did everything like you know
and even with my life like i
had to literally pray for deliverance from this very soul life
because i had the american dream in
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my mind and that's the way that my life was going to go so
I had to learn how to become patient with
myself like and surrender that control and just
be kind to myself like it's okay if you don't know
it's okay if you're figuring it out and it's okay to let go and surrender to
God so I'm still that's the daily journey is being patient kind and gentle with
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myself because I'm the toughest person myself so hard on myself and that's why
I feel like I've always been like hard on others,
like hard on my kids because I want the best for them and I want them to be
productive civilians in this world.
And, you know, in order for you to be patient, kind and gentle with others,
you just really got to practice that yourself first.
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So the next characteristic is a disciple lives a life that is submitted to God's will.
So I just spoke about the control and the surrendering and y'all have heard
me talk about that a lot because Because that's the season that I'm in, walking this thing out.
When you have decided to commit and submit to the Lord and your yes is yes,
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then you totally have to just be submitted to God's will. Like,
yes, Lord, let your perfect will be done.
All of you and none of me. So that's that. The third one, a disciple lives a
sacrificial life on behalf of others.
This was a little struggle for me and not
in a sense that i don't want
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to sacrifice for others because i had it's
a struggle because i've always sacrificed like and
that's how i know like my annoying sense like really came early and talked about
like my story of how i got saved at such a young age but i i know that everything
that i went through in life like had to lead up to this moment But in my adult
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age, I don't want to sacrifice.
I want it to start to be about me like it's never been about me.
And God quickly reminded me, it's still not about you.
And yes, I love you, my daughter, and I care about you, but you still have to live a sacrifice.
And then the next one is a disciple works diligently.
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Okay. Like a disciple is not just sitting around waiting for the return of the Lord.
He said we are to be ready because we don't know when the time is going to come.
So that means every day we need to be working diligently at the instructions that he is giving us.
He has given each of us our own instruction and it's our job to do our part.
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And then lastly, a disciple embraces the good in others.
And I feel like I do this so well. And this goes back to my comment that I made
in the last episode about how I've been wanting more for people than they want for themselves.
Like because I always knew like
I'm supposed to embrace the good in others and I see
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things in people that they may not be able to see in themselves like
that's a gift that God has given me a vision and you know sometimes I get overwhelmed
people when I share but what I've learned also going back to what I talked about
last time about how I didn't want to send the word out because people didn't
listen to that but what I learned even with when God does give me downloads and visions.
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And I share with people, it's just my job to share with them.
I don't got to worry about if they execute or if they on board 100%.
It's just my job to let it out and let it be known what the Lord has said.
So yeah, those are five characteristics of a disciple.
Now, why is making disciples important?
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Well, I need you to ask that. So I want to tell you, But it's about finding
someone to encourage towards Christ,
humbly share what Christ is teaching you, allow them into your life and your
world, and help them do the same with others.
So healthy discipleship involves all three components, which means,
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which includes building relationships, studying the word of God,
and doing ministry together. together. Okay.
So some things that you would do like with your disciple or your disciple or
your disciple, I guess, is like reading the Bible and praying with them, being a great listener,
being available when they're struggling with things, praying on their behalf.
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So praying together is one thing, but praying on their behalf is something different. So,
It's important because y'all, like, again, lifey-lifing.
And if we do not encourage people towards Christ, then you will easily fall
into rice pitfalls and downfalls and everything else.
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So we have got to remain in community.
One requirement is self-denial, like replacing one's own personal preferences
and plans with God's priorities and program. a gram.
Okay. And I was like, to the episode I talked about where my grade versus God's
grade or your grade versus God's grades.
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We have to deny ourselves daily, pick up our cross and work on our salvation daily.
So every day I'm trying to die to myself, my desires, my fleshly ways.
And some of the ways that you could do that is by fasting, eliminating distractions,
bringing it to God, asking the Holy Spirit to guide you and direct you.
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There's a bunch of different ways that you can definitely deny yourself and
break out your salvation daily, okay?
And then the other is following Jesus faithfully and publicly,
even though that would mean shame, suffering, and perhaps physical death, okay?
Because a lot of people who say they're Christian or say they are believers.
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Are afraid to share God's name or say his name out loud.
You have a lot of people, you know, behind closed doors or behind the scene
and they worship God and all this stuff, but it's like, what are you ashamed
of? Like when you're in a relationship with somebody, you want to show them off, right?
When you have a baby, you want to show that baby off.
Or, you know, you and your family do something, like you want to let people
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know about it. So it's like, you're in a relationship with God.
Why would you want to hide him and keep him from people?
And for me, that's just not...
Doing okay it's like i don't care what it is where i'm at like i'm gonna find
a moment or opportunity to come available where i can talk about jesus or testify
for the goodness in my life and i love that i think that more people need to
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get on board with that so yeah also,
having meaningful meaningful conversations y'all i am a woman of very few words
these days like Like, I sit back and observe and,
you know, read the room, read the environments that I'm in to figure out,
like, okay, what's flooded.
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But I don't like a bunch of small talk, irrelevant things.
Like, I don't really like that in this season of my life. Like,
I want to have meaningful spiritual conversations.
And I want to help y'all with just some simple questions that you can start
these conversations with.
Like one is like how are you doing spiritually we
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ask people all the time how you doing but that's so broad and it's
like girl do you really want to know how i'm doing do you
have time are you my therapist because i got a lot to unpack so you know being
very specific like how are you doing spiritually asking others how can you pray
for them you know a lot of times people say pray for me pray for me and it's
like i don't mind praying for people but let me know a little bit more like
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Like, what specifically do you need to pray for?
Because in general, I pray for everybody all the time. And when you're asking
somebody to pray for you, kind of come with some details so that it can guide
them and help them pray for you effectively.
And then another question is, what has God been teaching you recently?
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Because God is the master instructor. He is the professor, right?
He's always trying to teach us something. He always has a lesson.
And then next is
what is one way you'd like to chrome your faith like
these are questions that can like spark the conversation
and get y'all on the right track that you need to be on so I have a bunch more
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and if you want me to share those just let me know and I will do so so next
we're gonna get into our dear you letters y'all already know it's my favorite
y'all I'm super tired so So please excuse me.
Like, I feel like my eyes feel so heavy.
But nonetheless, let's go ahead and get into it, honey. Okay.
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Dear you, in the mission to make disciples, so sees of love, kindness, and wisdom.
Be a beacon of light, guiding others on their transformative journey.
Through your actions and words, cultivate a community that reflects the love
and teachings of Jesus Christ. With love and gratitude.
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So that's our Dear You letter for today. Today, I hope that y'all are loving
that part of the show and that you've got your journals and you have been,
you know, writing your dear you letters.
So, yes, thank y'all so much for tuning in and listening to that.
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You know, I think it's good that we always stay refreshed, keeping our mind
renewed and stayed on the rise, which is Jesus Christ. Christ.
So with that being said, I hope that on your journey to making disciples,
you will implement some of these things or you will learn what works best for
you. Because all of us are different.
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What works best for one person may not work for the next.
Because we also have different people that we are called to different for our
side to us. So just keep that in mind as well.
But other than that, I'm super grateful to have it here.
Again, thank you guys so much for tuning the end. Let's get into our identify
you or I am affirmation of the you.
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So it's going to be very simple. It is, I am patient, loving,
and kind, making disciples in this world.
Period. That's it. That's it, y'all.
If we have one more patience, then the world would really be a better place. So consider that.
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Hope that you enjoyed today's episode. If you did, go ahead and subscribe on
YouTube at Tri-Tri-Gear TV or download on Apple Podcasts or find you and stream it.
Okay, we got a ton of episodes for you to check out there.
But nonetheless, as always, make sure you walk by faith and slay.
Let's pray each and every day because God, he will make way.
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I love you guys so much. I'll see you in the next episode.