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July 10, 2025 11 mins

In this episode of 'Joy in Every Step', Sarita Bernadette shares insights on faith, the importance of taking the first step, and finding joy in life's moments. Through personal anecdotes and biblical references, she encourages listeners to embrace delays as opportunities for growth and to focus on the joy that God provides. The conversation emphasizes the power of words and the significance of being present in our faith journey.

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Episode Transcript

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Introduction (00:02):
Welcome to a place of peace, hope, and divine
encouragement. This is Joy inEvery Step with your host,
beloved preacher, retiredteacher, and faithful servant of
the Lord, Sarita Bernadette.Each week, Sarita shares

(00:22):
heartfelt messages rooted in theword of God, filled with wisdom,
joy, and the gentle reminderthat God cares deeply for you.
Whether you're walking throughthe valleys or dancing on the
mountaintops, Sarita's voicewill guide you back to his
promises step by step. So openyour heart, settle your spirit,

(00:45):
and take the next step in faithwith joy in every step.

Sarita Bernadette (00:51):
Hi. I'm Sarita Bernadette, and welcome
to Joy in Every Step. This is apodcast for folks looking to
hear an encouraging worddelivered through the sharing of
information, reflections onlife's lessons and even thought
provoking discussion. If you'relooking to deepen your faith

(01:11):
journey, you're in the rightplace. Have you ever been late
to an event?
You know, you're supposed to goand you know it. You know you're
supposed to be there. But thingshappen that cause a delay.
You're not able to get therewhen you really want to and
things seem to get startedwithout you. Does anybody

(01:35):
relate?
Well there's a scripture in thebook of Habakkuk that tells us
the vision is for an appointedtime. In the end it will be
fulfilled. If it seems slow incoming, wait patiently for it.
It will surely take place. Itwill not be delayed.

(01:56):
I believe sometimes what seemslike a delay is simply the grace
of God giving us the time to getour act together. He gives us
time to get with the plan. Hegives us time to come around. He
gives us time to get clear aboutthe mission. He sends us down

(02:20):
the path that will benefit usthe most while he makes it plain
that this thing, this thing isnot going forward until the time
is right, until it's appointedtime.
So deep breath, here I am. Herewe are episode one, the first

(02:42):
step. I don't remember the exactmoment that I became a fan of
words and conversation ingeneral. I just know that as a
child, I developed a realpassion for words and
conversations, while at the sametime, I can remember constantly
observing and thinking deeplyabout what I was hearing and

(03:05):
what was happening all aroundme. You see, as an only child,
this meant that I was oftenlistening to adult conversations
and trying to process a wholelot of information that was way
beyond my development.
I couldn't always express what Iwas thinking, but I was thinking

(03:29):
and I was analyzing everything.Now as an adult, I understand
that children listening toadults interact can be a
positive thing. Thoseconversations can serve to teach
them about the adult world andhow it operates. Thought
processes are modeled beforethem and they can learn how

(03:52):
decisions are made. Studies havealso shown that exposure to
adult conversations facilitateslanguage development and even
increases the likelihood ofacademic success.
So I believe my affinity foreavesdropping helped to nurture
a God given gift for teachingand for ministering. I grew up

(04:15):
in Buffalo, New York and Iattended a Baptist church there.
I was baptized at seven and Irecall being at the front of the
church that day alongsideanother young girl whose name I
can remember to this day. Andwhen the moment came to recite
the church creed, I was anxiousabout getting it right. I was

(04:41):
anxious about possibly missing aword and embarrassing my
parents.
I wanted to get the words right.I wanted to recite that creed
flawlessly. So there I was in mynew white frock with my white
lace gloves and my shiny blackpatent leather Mary Janes

(05:04):
worried, worried and feelingsick and missing the joy in what
was happening. No, my recitationwasn't perfect, but it was good
and acceptable. And my parents,along with the congregation,
celebrated this next step in myfaith journey.

(05:28):
As I reflect on that moment, Ican see how it's possible for us
to miss out on the joy in ourlives when we focus on the wrong
things. When we allow what'smissing or not perfect. When we
allow it to pull our focus, wemake that the thing and not the

(05:50):
actual thing that God isorchestrating. What joy might we
be missing? You know, some of ushumans can get stuck on the
details.
We know who we are. The detailscan really bog one down if one
is not careful. What joy are wemissing out on right now? Right

(06:14):
now. Quick Bible connectionhere.
In the book of Exodus, the thirdchapter, Moses has an encounter
with the Lord on Mount Sinai.There the Lord appears to him in
a burning bush and tells himclearly that he's being sent

(06:34):
into Egypt to rescue his peoplefrom bondage. I mean, a burning
bush people. God identifieshimself so there's no doubt who
it is. He tells Moses, I am thatI am.
I'm sending you, and they willhave to listen to you because of

(06:57):
who I am. And what does Mosesspend time on right here? You
know, fear. He responds to theLord twice, questioning him,
asking, who am I to approach thepharaoh? What if they don't
listen to me?
As I read this account recently,I thought about the fact that in

(07:19):
this spectacular moment, Moses'initial reaction isn't to be
thrilled, but to be afraid. Iwouldn't expect him to go
running down the mountain fullof pride. No, I'm not saying
that. You know, like, hey, Godpicked me. He chose me.
No, that's that's not what I'msaying. What I'm wondering is

(07:43):
when we are faced with some bigmoment that God sets up for us,
do we somehow miss the joy inthat moment? And spoiler alert
for those of you who will, Ihope, delve deeper into the
story of Moses, he did find hisvoice. He did eventually
understand the magnitude of themoment. And he actually went on

(08:08):
to lead God's people out ofEgypt.
He did fulfill his earthlyassignment. There's always hope.
There's always hope. If we leanin, and if we listen to what God
is saying to our inner being, wehave an opportunity to find the
joy. Galatians five twenty twotells us the joy of the Lord is

(08:34):
a gift from God.
It's a fruit of His Spirit. Iwas well into my adulthood when
I figured out that my joy waswrapped up in what the father
had planned for me. I memorizedPsalm thirty seven and four. You
might know it. Delight thyselfalso in the Lord, and he shall
give thee the desires of thineheart.

(08:57):
The New Living Translationreads, take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you yourheart's desires. That scripture
doesn't mean God will give youeverything you want if you take
delight in him. Take delight inhim. Make your home in him. Go

(09:18):
to Him.
Get into what the Lord issaying. And and He will reveal
to you what's on your heartbecause He is the one who put it
there. It can make things a lotclearer when we do that. And it
lessens those doubts that maycreep in about whether or not

(09:38):
we're going in the rightdirection. It's easier to take
that first step when you knowGod has your back.
So where do you find yourselftoday? Is there something you've
put off, you know laid asidebecause you thought it was too
late? This is your sign to goback and examine that thing with

(10:02):
fresh eyes. You're not who youused to be. I know that can be a
bit unsettling, but know thatthe Father has you and with Him
all things are possible if youbelieve.
What joy awaits. In the nextthree days, I want you to simply

(10:23):
take the first step. It could beas simple as opening a new doc
on your phone and making a list,you know, just a few bullet
points. Or perhaps you make aphone call to connect with
someone who is doing what youwant to do. Whatever you are led
to do, go and do it.

(10:43):
Go and do it. You've probablyheard the quote attributed to
Reverend Doctor. Martin LutherKing Jr. Sounds like this, Faith
is taking the first step evenwhen you don't see the whole
staircase. Or you might haveheard the variation which is you
don't have to see the wholestaircase, just take the first

(11:06):
step.
I'm telling you today, God hasthe staircase, the whole
staircase. The first step isusually the hardest, but you
have what it takes or Godwouldn't have given you the
desire. You've been listening toJoy in Every Step with Sarita

(11:26):
Bernadette and I'm grateful youchose to spend some time here
today. You can find Joy in EveryStep wherever you listen to your
podcasts. Do check out thewebsite at joyineverystep.org.
Good day.
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