February 15, 2025 • 19 mins
This episode invites listeners to trust God's positioning in their lives, exploring how humility and surrender can lead to growth and understanding. Through biblical insights and personal stories, we reflect on what it means to flourish in uncomfortable circumstances.
- Trusting God's plan even when circumstances feel uncomfortable
- Understanding the context of Jeremiah 29:11
- The parable of the wedding feast and lessons on humility
- Importance of surrendering control and trusting the divine perspective
- Personal anecdotes that highlight the journey of faith
- The role of heroes in shaping our understanding of trust
- Weekly Challenge: Drop a Pin of Thanks
More than a Podcast. Its a Godcast.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Low Life Show, a space where we have
conversations about thestruggles of life, where we
declare war on pride and walkhumbly into renewed living with
a surrendered heart.
Where we take our past failuresand turn them into a roadmap
for you to live in peace andliving the low life.
Whether you're working throughpersonal struggles or simply
(00:22):
seeking a fresh perspective,this podcast will inspire and
equip you to live low and letGod lift you up.
I'm your host, dl the Low Life,a reformed professional dirtbag
who's here to tell you that Inow live a life of peace,
transformed through humility.
Join me, let's get low.
What's good, what's good?
(01:23):
Welcome back to the Low LifeShow.
I am DL the Low Life, and todaywe're talking about something
that'll stretch your faithtrusting God with your position.
Now let's be real.
There are times where God hasyou in a place that doesn't make
sense.
You're like God.
Why am I still in this job?
Why am I waiting so long forthis breakthrough?
(01:44):
But here's the thing Living lowmeans trusting that God's
positioning is always for yourgood and for his glory, even
when it feels uncomfortable.
So if you're struggling withwhere you are right now and what
you're doing, maybe this onewill help you shed some light on
that.
Without further ado, let's getinto it.
(02:19):
We're going to start with one ofthe most often quoted scripture
, jeremiah 29 11.
Typically used for yourencouragement and sometimes used
without knowledge of thecontext.
So the full scripture, jeremiah29.11 says For I know the plans
that I have for you, declaresthe Lord Plans for prosperity
and not for disaster, to giveyou a future and a hope.
It goes on to say Then you willcall upon me and come and pray
(02:42):
to me and I will listen to youand you will seek me and find me
.
When you search for me with allyour heart, I will let myself
be found by you, declares theLord, and I will restore your
fortunes and gather you from allthe nations and all the places
where I have driven you,declares the Lord, and I will
bring you back to the place fromwhere I sent you into exile.
That's where it starts.
(03:03):
But sent you into exile.
That's where it starts.
But we have to know the context.
A lot of times when it's quoted, it's to tell people that God
wants good things for them andnot their surrounding story.
God said this to his peoplewhile they were in exile,
basically stuck in a place theydidn't want to be.
They were going through it,feeling beat down and abandoned
in a land that wasn't theirs.
And what does God do?
(03:24):
In response to their lamenting,he says perfect, now go ahead
and make yourselves at home here.
Trust me, I got you for I knowthe plans I have for you.
You're going to bloom here.
We've also got the parable ofthe wedding feast, where we see
that choosing the low seat atthe table as opposed to the
prime time seats, like the headof the table where everybody
(03:46):
wants to be, it's probably theright choice.
Parable of the Wedding FeastLuke 14.
Now he began telling theparable to the invited guests
(04:08):
and he noticed how they had beenpicking out the places of honor
at the table, saying to themWhenever you are invited by
someone to a wedding feast, donot take the place of honor For
someone more distinguished thanyou may have been invited by him
and the one who invited you.
Both will come and say to youGive your place to this person
and then, in disgrace, you willproceed to occupy the last place
.
But whenever you are invited,go and take the last place so
(04:29):
that when the one who hasinvited you comes, he will say
to your friend Move up higher,then you will have honor in the
sight of all who are dining atthe table with you, for everyone
who exalts himself will behumbled, and the one who humbles
himself will be exalted.
Now he also went on to say tothe one who had invited him
Whenever you give a luncheon ora dinner, do not invite your
(04:49):
friends, your brothers, yourrelatives, nor wealthy neighbors
, otherwise they may also inviteyou to a meal in return and
that will be your repayment.
But whenever you give a banquet, invite people who are poor,
who have disabilities, who arelimping and people who are blind
, and you, disabilities who arelimping and people who are blind
, and you will be blessed, sincethey do not have the means to
repay you for you will be repaidat the resurrection of the
(05:11):
righteous.
Now, when one of those who werereclining at the table with him
heard this, he said to himBlessed is everyone who will eat
bread in the kingdom of God.
Jesus uses this parable of thewedding feast to teach us a
simple but powerful truthHumility leads to honor and
pride leads to humiliation.
Here's how it works when youscramble for the seat of honor,
(05:33):
whether that's recognition,status, control, you run a major
risk of being humbled.
But if you choose the low seat,letting God determine your
position, he will lift you up atthe right time, the perfect
time, his time.
So ask yourself where in yourlife are you striving to be seen
or exalted, to be recognized,to be known, to be praised?
(05:56):
Is it at work relationships,even in your spiritual life,
with God?
Are you looking for Him tohonor you?
Is that what you're chasingafter, instead of chasing after
Him?
Or is your focus on serving thepeople in a building with His
name or serving Him by means ofserving the people?
Are you celebrating otherpeople?
(06:16):
Are you surrendering everythingyou have to Him?
Whatever your ideals are, yourpreferences?
Are you giving him the top spot?
Remember, all those who exaltthemselves will be humbled.
It's not a maybe, it's not anif and or, but.
It's an absolute, it's aguarantee, it's an inevitability
(06:37):
, and those who humblethemselves will be exalted.
And God's going to do all ofthat.
So what can we gain from thesethings?
Let's take a look at why God'splans are better.
God's plans are better becausehe can see the beginning, the
(07:01):
end and the middle all in onesnapshot.
He knows above and beyond time.
Because he is above and beyondtime, you can only see the
present.
He sees the big picture.
He can see your entire life andhow everything that you do will
affect the grand scheme ofthings.
Meanwhile, you only see what'sin front of you.
Sometimes he places you intough spots to grow and it's
(07:23):
easiest to see in hindsight.
When you're going through it,you may be focused only on the
circumstance, never the reason.
It takes humility to not justtrust God but to understand that
not everything is justhappening to you.
You're not just being put in abad situation because you've
lived a perfect life and youjust have the worst luck in the
world.
Sometimes it's a result of ourchoices.
(07:46):
We have to be humble enough toadmit that.
Either way, god is sovereign.
He reigns supreme.
The second thing when it comesto position and trusting is that
it's dangerous.
When you fight it, when youresist where God has you, you
might miss exactly what he'strying to teach you.
Trust me, I've been there amillion times.
Exactly what he's trying toteach you.
(08:07):
Trust me, I've been there amillion times.
Not to say that it won'tappease what you want in the
minute, in the moment, but it'sdefinitely the wrong move, even
if it feels like it's the rightone.
Living low in your position iscomplete surrender Surrender of
status, surrender of name,surrender of control.
Saying God, I don't understandthis at all, doesn't make sense.
I don't like it, but I trustyou.
(08:29):
It reminds me of a verse mygrandmother gave me to hang on
to when I was barely 18.
The scripture was Proverbs 3, 5through 6.
It says trust in the Lord withall your heart and lean not unto
your own understanding In allyour ways.
Acknowledge him and he will setright your path.
When she gave me the scriptureto memorize, it was during a
(08:51):
time that didn't make any sense.
I had just recently graduatedhigh school.
I had the privilege of teachingBible studies with adults at my
grandfather's church.
This was the first time I feltGod calling me, so I was excited
, I was eager, I'm like yes,finally I have a purpose.
So I was confused.
When I found myself having tomove, under strange
(09:13):
circumstances, to Las Vegas, Ifound myself questioning God,
why would you call me and thenhave this happen?
I questioned everything thatGod had done in my life up to
that point.
I questioned everything thatGod had done in my life up to
that point, never lost faith.
I just lost the desire to seekHim and began to do the opposite
of what that scripture told me.
It wouldn't be until thehumbling journey he led me on
(09:34):
over the last ten years that Iwould actually begin to practice
this.
I realized that I had nevertrusted Him, ever in my entire
life not completely, at least.
I believed he was real.
But to trust him in all thingsis to be still and know he's God
.
Faith isn't always logical andgiving over control is hard.
I survived on logic.
I survived by controlling myevery action and everything I
(09:58):
could in my environment.
It took me being humbled justso I could see it, to know it,
to believe it, so I could beginto learn how to walk it.
I did with God what I normallydo with people I gave Him my
trust to determine Histrustworthiness To this point.
That has not and I know it willnot ever fail to be the right
(10:19):
call.
If he is even the tiniest bit,the God you say you know he is,
trust Him completely.
Don't wait for the lesson to betaught the hard way.
You will thank Him for it.
How do you apply that?
You take a step back and youask yourself what is God
teaching me in this season?
If I was you, I would look atthe things that you're not all
(10:39):
the way pleased with, the thingsthat are most challenging, and
look for the lesson there andjust trust that, whatever he
answers you in prayer, thatthat's what it is, that he's
working, even if you don't seeit yet, let's take a walk into
(11:07):
my brain really quick, into myhistory.
Every child has a hero.
It's an important position in akid's life People to look up to
, people to model themselvesafter, to emulate.
Usually they're these big,muscle-bound guys wearing
spandex and capes, maybe an S onhis chest, shoots laser beams.
(11:29):
They have powers that make themspecial, and they use these
powers for good, like rescuingpeople from burning buildings
and saving cats out of trees andsaving the world from being
blown up.
Sometimes, though, they're alot closer to home.
Maybe it's a teacher or afireman, could even be a doctor
or one of our fine soldiersserving in our military.
(11:53):
Mine was always my dad.
I heard a saying once that nevermade sense, and it was that
heroes are dangerous because ifyou raise them up too high, they
almost always disappoint youAlmost to say having
expectations isn't a good thing.
Kill that hope, kill that noise.
The thing about it, though ifyou know your hero isn't perfect
(12:17):
, how can he disappoint you?
I've been asked that.
I've been asked by other peoplewhat it is about him.
They would ask because, withcontext, they would be comparing
my idea to some of the not sogood things my dad did his
imperfections.
I've never been good at holdingonto feelings or memories that
weren't mine, so it didn't makeany sense.
(12:38):
I always had a different lens.
When I heard a story from himabout something, I always
gleaned the heart of it.
I remember once he told me astory about running toward a guy
with a gun and not away fromhim.
When I asked, he didn't knowwhat the result was going to be.
He just knew Maybe it's dumb orcrazy, but if he got close
enough, the bullet would passthrough him and he would be able
(13:01):
to get to the guy and do whathe needed to do.
When I heard that, I heardbravery, strategy, brilliance.
It's not your average person.
Other folks might have calledit foolish, silly, stupid, crazy
.
I mean he had his setbacks whenwe were growing up as kids, as
is the case with each and everyone of us imperfect human beings
(13:23):
.
He was probably a littlerougher on us than the average
parent.
He didn't extend too much graceand was pretty short on
patience, and when we got it wegot it.
It was not always peaceful inour home.
To us, though, it was kind ofjust another day in the ghetto.
The thing about it is that Ionly cared about those things
when I was compelled to For me.
(13:45):
I figured if my mom stuckaround then she saw what I saw
too.
I was always a spirituallysensitive kid, feeling and
hearing and seeing otherworldlypresences all the time.
This was something my dad and Ialways, even today, we talk
about.
As a kid I was like a spotterand he was a sniper.
(14:05):
He would see me staring at anarea of the house and walk over
and pray it out of existence.
It got to a point where hewould ask me if I saw anything,
even when I wasn't stuck staring.
I was a different type ofwatchdog.
During one of the scariestmoments of my life, my dad came
to the rescue.
I was cutting my fingernailsinto his and my mom's room On
their bed with the radio playingmusic.
Out of nowhere I heard thisnoise coming from the closet, I
(14:27):
thought it was odd because I wasthe only one in the room.
Nobody else was there.
So I got up to check.
Might sound silly, because Icouldn't have been more than
seven or eight at the time.
But when you're used to seeingdemons in and around people,
fear just isn't a thing.
When it comes to human beingsNoises, really it just doesn't
(14:47):
exist.
Because you're used to battlingfear itself.
Because you're used to battlingfear itself, plus, as a kid,
curiosity always outweighseverything.
So I walk over to the closet, Iturn the knob slowly, pull the
door open.
Nothing there but a plasticshopping bag.
Stood there for a minute askingmyself a million questions to
(15:14):
make it make sense.
Then I reached down and pickedup the bag.
When I did that, the largestsnake I've ever seen to this day
jumped toward me.
I shrank back and yelled for mydad.
When he got in the room, though, it was gone.
My suspicions are that he beganto pray the second.
He heard panic in my voice.
I stopped seeing things foryears after that, almost like my
inner spirit begged God not tolet that happen anymore.
Point is major life trauma.
(15:35):
My dad always came to save theday.
I also have fond memories, likewhen I would record Inspector
Gadget on VHS but not watch itby myself.
I would wait for him to comehome and watch it with me.
At the time he was drivingtrucks so he'd be gone for a
little bit.
I'd get excited and eager towatch and he would be so
exhausted and not want to bebothered, but he would sit with
(15:57):
me anyways and watch.
I did most of the watching.
He'd fall asleep, but I wouldstill be a happy camper.
Those are just a few reasonswhy most of my life my dad was
my hero.
So it would make sense that Godwould lead me in this humbling
to a place where I no longercould lean on him.
God brought me into a physicalposition located beyond my dad's
reach to show me how trulyhelpless I am without God.
(16:18):
He showed me that getting lowin the positions that we give
others in our lives is also apart of surrender.
Submitting my life to myHeavenly Father above my dad was
freeing.
It's not to say that I lost anylove for my dad.
It's just I placed God in hisrightful place in my life above
and beyond all.
That means excluding nothing.
(16:38):
Everything is beneath him.
This has led to peace, freedom,and I'll tell you what.
So much less pressure fordisappointment.
That's one hero that I knowwill never disappoint me.
(17:06):
Time to take a pause for thecause for the weekly challenge.
This week it's pretty simpleSpend some time every day with
God, sitting and thanking himfor where he has you, even if
it's not where you want to be.
Then ask him to show you onething he's teaching you in that
position.
Remember, living low meanstrusting God in the highs and
(17:26):
the lows.
Don't let pride convince you tofight the position God's placed
you in.
All it's doing is trying tomake you miss out.
Let's pray Father.
We thank you for where you haveus placed.
We thank you for who you are,where you reside, the position
you have, and we thank you foryour patience in waiting and
(17:47):
teaching us to lower ourselves,bless the listener and continue
to grow them one step closer toyou this week and next week.
We thank you and we praise youIn Jesus' name amen.
Next week we're going to getinto the root, the enemy pride.
How to recognize it, how tofight it, how to stay free from
(18:08):
it.
It's going to be a bloodbath.
You don't want to miss this one.
Until then, stay low, stayblessed and stay ready for the
next episode of the Low LifeShow.
Thank you.
Welcome to the Low Life Show, a space where we have
conversations about thestruggles of life, where we
declare war on pride and walkhumbly into renewed living with
a surrendered heart.
Where we take our past failuresand turn them into a roadmap
for you to live in peace andliving the low life.
Whether you're working throughpersonal struggles or simply
(00:22):
seeking a fresh perspective,this podcast will inspire and
equip you to live low and letGod lift you up.
I'm your host, dl the Low Life,a reformed professional dirtbag
who's here to tell you that Inow live a life of peace,
transformed through humility.
Join me, let's get low.
What's good, what's good?
(01:23):
Welcome back to the Low LifeShow.
I am DL the Low Life, and todaywe're talking about something
that'll stretch your faithtrusting God with your position.
Now let's be real.
There are times where God hasyou in a place that doesn't make
sense.
You're like God.
Why am I still in this job?
Why am I waiting so long forthis breakthrough?
(01:44):
But here's the thing Living lowmeans trusting that God's
positioning is always for yourgood and for his glory, even
when it feels uncomfortable.
So if you're struggling withwhere you are right now and what
you're doing, maybe this onewill help you shed some light on
that.
Without further ado, let's getinto it.
(02:19):
We're going to start with one ofthe most often quoted scripture
, jeremiah 29 11.
Typically used for yourencouragement and sometimes used
without knowledge of thecontext.
So the full scripture, jeremiah29.11 says For I know the plans
that I have for you, declaresthe Lord Plans for prosperity
and not for disaster, to giveyou a future and a hope.
It goes on to say Then you willcall upon me and come and pray
(02:42):
to me and I will listen to youand you will seek me and find me
.
When you search for me with allyour heart, I will let myself
be found by you, declares theLord, and I will restore your
fortunes and gather you from allthe nations and all the places
where I have driven you,declares the Lord, and I will
bring you back to the place fromwhere I sent you into exile.
That's where it starts.
(03:03):
But sent you into exile.
That's where it starts.
But we have to know the context.
A lot of times when it's quoted, it's to tell people that God
wants good things for them andnot their surrounding story.
God said this to his peoplewhile they were in exile,
basically stuck in a place theydidn't want to be.
They were going through it,feeling beat down and abandoned
in a land that wasn't theirs.
And what does God do?
(03:24):
In response to their lamenting,he says perfect, now go ahead
and make yourselves at home here.
Trust me, I got you for I knowthe plans I have for you.
You're going to bloom here.
We've also got the parable ofthe wedding feast, where we see
that choosing the low seat atthe table as opposed to the
prime time seats, like the headof the table where everybody
(03:46):
wants to be, it's probably theright choice.
Parable of the Wedding FeastLuke 14.
Now he began telling theparable to the invited guests
(04:08):
and he noticed how they had beenpicking out the places of honor
at the table, saying to themWhenever you are invited by
someone to a wedding feast, donot take the place of honor For
someone more distinguished thanyou may have been invited by him
and the one who invited you.
Both will come and say to youGive your place to this person
and then, in disgrace, you willproceed to occupy the last place
.
But whenever you are invited,go and take the last place so
(04:29):
that when the one who hasinvited you comes, he will say
to your friend Move up higher,then you will have honor in the
sight of all who are dining atthe table with you, for everyone
who exalts himself will behumbled, and the one who humbles
himself will be exalted.
Now he also went on to say tothe one who had invited him
Whenever you give a luncheon ora dinner, do not invite your
(04:49):
friends, your brothers, yourrelatives, nor wealthy neighbors
, otherwise they may also inviteyou to a meal in return and
that will be your repayment.
But whenever you give a banquet, invite people who are poor,
who have disabilities, who arelimping and people who are blind
, and you, disabilities who arelimping and people who are blind
, and you will be blessed, sincethey do not have the means to
repay you for you will be repaidat the resurrection of the
(05:11):
righteous.
Now, when one of those who werereclining at the table with him
heard this, he said to himBlessed is everyone who will eat
bread in the kingdom of God.
Jesus uses this parable of thewedding feast to teach us a
simple but powerful truthHumility leads to honor and
pride leads to humiliation.
Here's how it works when youscramble for the seat of honor,
(05:33):
whether that's recognition,status, control, you run a major
risk of being humbled.
But if you choose the low seat,letting God determine your
position, he will lift you up atthe right time, the perfect
time, his time.
So ask yourself where in yourlife are you striving to be seen
or exalted, to be recognized,to be known, to be praised?
(05:56):
Is it at work relationships,even in your spiritual life,
with God?
Are you looking for Him tohonor you?
Is that what you're chasingafter, instead of chasing after
Him?
Or is your focus on serving thepeople in a building with His
name or serving Him by means ofserving the people?
Are you celebrating otherpeople?
(06:16):
Are you surrendering everythingyou have to Him?
Whatever your ideals are, yourpreferences?
Are you giving him the top spot?
Remember, all those who exaltthemselves will be humbled.
It's not a maybe, it's not anif and or, but.
It's an absolute, it's aguarantee, it's an inevitability
(06:37):
, and those who humblethemselves will be exalted.
And God's going to do all ofthat.
So what can we gain from thesethings?
Let's take a look at why God'splans are better.
God's plans are better becausehe can see the beginning, the
(07:01):
end and the middle all in onesnapshot.
He knows above and beyond time.
Because he is above and beyondtime, you can only see the
present.
He sees the big picture.
He can see your entire life andhow everything that you do will
affect the grand scheme ofthings.
Meanwhile, you only see what'sin front of you.
Sometimes he places you intough spots to grow and it's
(07:23):
easiest to see in hindsight.
When you're going through it,you may be focused only on the
circumstance, never the reason.
It takes humility to not justtrust God but to understand that
not everything is justhappening to you.
You're not just being put in abad situation because you've
lived a perfect life and youjust have the worst luck in the
world.
Sometimes it's a result of ourchoices.
(07:46):
We have to be humble enough toadmit that.
Either way, god is sovereign.
He reigns supreme.
The second thing when it comesto position and trusting is that
it's dangerous.
When you fight it, when youresist where God has you, you
might miss exactly what he'strying to teach you.
Trust me, I've been there amillion times.
Exactly what he's trying toteach you.
(08:07):
Trust me, I've been there amillion times.
Not to say that it won'tappease what you want in the
minute, in the moment, but it'sdefinitely the wrong move, even
if it feels like it's the rightone.
Living low in your position iscomplete surrender Surrender of
status, surrender of name,surrender of control.
Saying God, I don't understandthis at all, doesn't make sense.
I don't like it, but I trustyou.
(08:29):
It reminds me of a verse mygrandmother gave me to hang on
to when I was barely 18.
The scripture was Proverbs 3, 5through 6.
It says trust in the Lord withall your heart and lean not unto
your own understanding In allyour ways.
Acknowledge him and he will setright your path.
When she gave me the scriptureto memorize, it was during a
(08:51):
time that didn't make any sense.
I had just recently graduatedhigh school.
I had the privilege of teachingBible studies with adults at my
grandfather's church.
This was the first time I feltGod calling me, so I was excited
, I was eager, I'm like yes,finally I have a purpose.
So I was confused.
When I found myself having tomove, under strange
(09:13):
circumstances, to Las Vegas, Ifound myself questioning God,
why would you call me and thenhave this happen?
I questioned everything thatGod had done in my life up to
that point.
I questioned everything thatGod had done in my life up to
that point, never lost faith.
I just lost the desire to seekHim and began to do the opposite
of what that scripture told me.
It wouldn't be until thehumbling journey he led me on
(09:34):
over the last ten years that Iwould actually begin to practice
this.
I realized that I had nevertrusted Him, ever in my entire
life not completely, at least.
I believed he was real.
But to trust him in all thingsis to be still and know he's God
.
Faith isn't always logical andgiving over control is hard.
I survived on logic.
I survived by controlling myevery action and everything I
(09:58):
could in my environment.
It took me being humbled justso I could see it, to know it,
to believe it, so I could beginto learn how to walk it.
I did with God what I normallydo with people I gave Him my
trust to determine Histrustworthiness To this point.
That has not and I know it willnot ever fail to be the right
(10:19):
call.
If he is even the tiniest bit,the God you say you know he is,
trust Him completely.
Don't wait for the lesson to betaught the hard way.
You will thank Him for it.
How do you apply that?
You take a step back and youask yourself what is God
teaching me in this season?
If I was you, I would look atthe things that you're not all
(10:39):
the way pleased with, the thingsthat are most challenging, and
look for the lesson there andjust trust that, whatever he
answers you in prayer, thatthat's what it is, that he's
working, even if you don't seeit yet, let's take a walk into
(11:07):
my brain really quick, into myhistory.
Every child has a hero.
It's an important position in akid's life People to look up to
, people to model themselvesafter, to emulate.
Usually they're these big,muscle-bound guys wearing
spandex and capes, maybe an S onhis chest, shoots laser beams.
(11:29):
They have powers that make themspecial, and they use these
powers for good, like rescuingpeople from burning buildings
and saving cats out of trees andsaving the world from being
blown up.
Sometimes, though, they're alot closer to home.
Maybe it's a teacher or afireman, could even be a doctor
or one of our fine soldiersserving in our military.
(11:53):
Mine was always my dad.
I heard a saying once that nevermade sense, and it was that
heroes are dangerous because ifyou raise them up too high, they
almost always disappoint youAlmost to say having
expectations isn't a good thing.
Kill that hope, kill that noise.
The thing about it, though ifyou know your hero isn't perfect
(12:17):
, how can he disappoint you?
I've been asked that.
I've been asked by other peoplewhat it is about him.
They would ask because, withcontext, they would be comparing
my idea to some of the not sogood things my dad did his
imperfections.
I've never been good at holdingonto feelings or memories that
weren't mine, so it didn't makeany sense.
(12:38):
I always had a different lens.
When I heard a story from himabout something, I always
gleaned the heart of it.
I remember once he told me astory about running toward a guy
with a gun and not away fromhim.
When I asked, he didn't knowwhat the result was going to be.
He just knew Maybe it's dumb orcrazy, but if he got close
enough, the bullet would passthrough him and he would be able
(13:01):
to get to the guy and do whathe needed to do.
When I heard that, I heardbravery, strategy, brilliance.
It's not your average person.
Other folks might have calledit foolish, silly, stupid, crazy
.
I mean he had his setbacks whenwe were growing up as kids, as
is the case with each and everyone of us imperfect human beings
(13:23):
.
He was probably a littlerougher on us than the average
parent.
He didn't extend too much graceand was pretty short on
patience, and when we got it wegot it.
It was not always peaceful inour home.
To us, though, it was kind ofjust another day in the ghetto.
The thing about it is that Ionly cared about those things
when I was compelled to For me.
(13:45):
I figured if my mom stuckaround then she saw what I saw
too.
I was always a spirituallysensitive kid, feeling and
hearing and seeing otherworldlypresences all the time.
This was something my dad and Ialways, even today, we talk
about.
As a kid I was like a spotterand he was a sniper.
(14:05):
He would see me staring at anarea of the house and walk over
and pray it out of existence.
It got to a point where hewould ask me if I saw anything,
even when I wasn't stuck staring.
I was a different type ofwatchdog.
During one of the scariestmoments of my life, my dad came
to the rescue.
I was cutting my fingernailsinto his and my mom's room On
their bed with the radio playingmusic.
Out of nowhere I heard thisnoise coming from the closet, I
(14:27):
thought it was odd because I wasthe only one in the room.
Nobody else was there.
So I got up to check.
Might sound silly, because Icouldn't have been more than
seven or eight at the time.
But when you're used to seeingdemons in and around people,
fear just isn't a thing.
When it comes to human beingsNoises, really it just doesn't
(14:47):
exist.
Because you're used to battlingfear itself.
Because you're used to battlingfear itself, plus, as a kid,
curiosity always outweighseverything.
So I walk over to the closet, Iturn the knob slowly, pull the
door open.
Nothing there but a plasticshopping bag.
Stood there for a minute askingmyself a million questions to
(15:14):
make it make sense.
Then I reached down and pickedup the bag.
When I did that, the largestsnake I've ever seen to this day
jumped toward me.
I shrank back and yelled for mydad.
When he got in the room, though, it was gone.
My suspicions are that he beganto pray the second.
He heard panic in my voice.
I stopped seeing things foryears after that, almost like my
inner spirit begged God not tolet that happen anymore.
Point is major life trauma.
(15:35):
My dad always came to save theday.
I also have fond memories, likewhen I would record Inspector
Gadget on VHS but not watch itby myself.
I would wait for him to comehome and watch it with me.
At the time he was drivingtrucks so he'd be gone for a
little bit.
I'd get excited and eager towatch and he would be so
exhausted and not want to bebothered, but he would sit with
(15:57):
me anyways and watch.
I did most of the watching.
He'd fall asleep, but I wouldstill be a happy camper.
Those are just a few reasonswhy most of my life my dad was
my hero.
So it would make sense that Godwould lead me in this humbling
to a place where I no longercould lean on him.
God brought me into a physicalposition located beyond my dad's
reach to show me how trulyhelpless I am without God.
(16:18):
He showed me that getting lowin the positions that we give
others in our lives is also apart of surrender.
Submitting my life to myHeavenly Father above my dad was
freeing.
It's not to say that I lost anylove for my dad.
It's just I placed God in hisrightful place in my life above
and beyond all.
That means excluding nothing.
(16:38):
Everything is beneath him.
This has led to peace, freedom,and I'll tell you what.
So much less pressure fordisappointment.
That's one hero that I knowwill never disappoint me.
(17:06):
Time to take a pause for thecause for the weekly challenge.
This week it's pretty simpleSpend some time every day with
God, sitting and thanking himfor where he has you, even if
it's not where you want to be.
Then ask him to show you onething he's teaching you in that
position.
Remember, living low meanstrusting God in the highs and
(17:26):
the lows.
Don't let pride convince you tofight the position God's placed
you in.
All it's doing is trying tomake you miss out.
Let's pray Father.
We thank you for where you haveus placed.
We thank you for who you are,where you reside, the position
you have, and we thank you foryour patience in waiting and
(17:47):
teaching us to lower ourselves,bless the listener and continue
to grow them one step closer toyou this week and next week.
We thank you and we praise youIn Jesus' name amen.
Next week we're going to getinto the root, the enemy pride.
How to recognize it, how tofight it, how to stay free from
(18:08):
it.
It's going to be a bloodbath.
You don't want to miss this one.
Until then, stay low, stayblessed and stay ready for the
next episode of the Low LifeShow.
Thank you.
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