August 14, 2025 • 73 mins
We often talk about being "in the world but not of it," but what does that actually look like in our daily lives? In this soul-stirring conversation, Ashley Potter welcomes her mother Shana back to continue their exploration of what it truly means to choose Kingdom over culture in regards to suffering.
Starting with Romans 12:1-2, they unpack the radical idea that true worship isn't just what happens during a Sunday service—it's offering your everyday, ordinary life as a living sacrifice to God. "Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit in without even thinking," they quote from The Message translation, highlighting how easily believers can unconsciously adopt worldly values and mindsets.
The mother-daughter duo tackles the often-neglected topic of sanctification—the ongoing process of becoming more like Christ after salvation. While many contemporary teachings focus heavily on grace and blessing, they boldly address the necessary work of putting off the old self and putting on the new. "There is work for us to do in Christ," Ashley emphasizes. "Jesus did a work. Now it's time for us to work."
What makes this episode particularly powerful is the raw vulnerability shared between them. Shana opens up about her journey with kidney failure and how that suffering deepened her relationship with God in ways that comfort never could. "If He always took the pain away, I wouldn't have cried out to Him as much as I did," she reflects. Meanwhile, Ashley transparently discusses her recent struggle with God's direction to close her business, admitting her initial resistance but eventual surrender.
Their conversation flows into practical discussions about modern idols—from social media and entertainment to careers—and how easily these good things can replace our devotion to God. They challenge listeners to examine their daily choices, priorities, and even small interactions with strangers as opportunities to reflect Kingdom values rather than cultural norms.
Whether you're new to faith or have been walking with Christ for decades, this conversation will inspire you to reassess what truly guides your life decisions. Are you living according to the kingdom of this world or the Kingdom of God? Take a step toward intentional, Kingdom-focused living by diving into this thought-provoking episode today.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Ashley (00:01):
What's up everybody.
Welcome to Kingdom Over Culturepodcast.
My name is Ashley Potter andI'm your host.
I'm so excited that you choseto tune in with us today.
I have my mom with me again.
I'm so glad to have you, mom,last week's episode.
Yes, we had such a good talkand I just felt like we weren't
finished and I really wanted youAre we ever finished?
(00:23):
We're never finished because itcontinues to go on every single
day, every morning, and, yeah, Ireally want you to get to
sharing some more of yourtestimony.
So we'll get into that later onin the podcast, but before we
get started in that, I wanted tojust kind of do a small little
recap of what we talked aboutlast week.
(00:44):
What was one of your favoritethings that we discussed in last
week's episode?
Shana (00:51):
I think the one of the things that I like best is how
there are two worlds.
Right, we talked about lovingthe world, not loving the world,
making sure that we arefocusing on those things that
(01:14):
God wants us to love.
I gave that example of Godbeing our father and being a
part of his family.
We're born into a new family,so now we have to learn a new
way of living, a new learningGod.
What does he like, what doesn'the not like?
How do we move?
And so, yeah, I wanted tocontinue a little bit of talking
(01:38):
about that and talking aboutthe two kingdoms that are here,
that there's a kingdom of Godand there's a kingdom of heaven,
but I know that you wanted togo into Romans 12.
Ashley (01:50):
So let's do that.
Okay, let's go into it.
Hold on, let me flip on overand let me pull it up, because
last week I was like there's amessage version of something.
And we read 1 John, but what Iwas thinking of was actually
Romans 12.
Shana (02:14):
And even in the book that I'm writing.
Ashley (02:15):
That is the resounding scripture that I speak about
honestly in every single chapterand, if you can, can you read
it in your version of the Bibleand I'll go ahead and pull it up
in the message Whoa.
Shana (02:23):
Oh, it's OK, Just dropped my phone.
Go ahead and pull it up in themessage Uh-oh, uh-oh, it's okay,
just dropped my phone, it'sokay.
I am reading, and I'm sorrybecause I have two versions I do
the Christian Standard versionand then I do ESV.
I don't know which version thisis that I brought today.
It's NIV.
I don't know which version thisis that I brought today.
It's NIV, and NIV version saysin Romans 12,.
(02:49):
Therefore, I urge you, brothersand sisters, in view of God's
mercy, to offer your bodies as aliving sacrifice, holy and
pleasing to God.
This is your true and properworship.
Do not conform to the patternof this world, but be
transformed by the renewing ofyour mind.
(03:10):
Then you will be able to testand approve what God's will is
his good, pleasing and perfectwill.
Ashley (03:20):
What I love about the NIV version is this is your true
worship.
You know I'm a worship leader,we're worship leaders.
You raised me, you know, as aworship leader and so my
exposure to worship and I thinka lot of people's thought of
worship is what we do inchurches, when we lift up our
hands, when we're singing and wetalk about this all the time,
(03:43):
that that is just our response,right, that's our response to
the knowledge of him, that's ourresponse to living a
surrendered life, um, but thisis the true worship yeah, yeah,
surrendering your entire selfyes to him.
Shana (04:01):
I'm not just singing a song.
The song comes out of your loveand your adoration for him, but
the life living, that's theworship.
Ashley (04:12):
Pause, because we didn't talk about that last week.
As generational worship leaders.
That's so interesting becauseyou know and I don't want to
cause any fuss or any rift oranything but one of the things
that I see so often in theworship arena is oh, you got to
(04:37):
have the most.
You know, you got to sound thisway, you got to run this way
and, ooh, they gave megoosebumps.
But when I tell you, ma, I havebeen in some concerts that
sound amazing, that have amazingsingers, and the Holy Spirit
says within me I'm not in this.
Shana (04:58):
Yeah, yeah.
So you think about it.
Sometimes we put emphasis onskill, but God puts emphasis on
the heart.
Ashley (05:09):
Yeah.
Shana (05:10):
So that's to see that again, that's the difference
between kingdom and culture.
There's two worlds, right?
Um, so we say, because someonehas this skill, um, oh, they did
a great job, but to whom?
Ashley (05:25):
Right, right, right, Because somebody can give you
goosebumps but they can't breakthe yokes over your life.
It's the anointing that doesthat.
Shana (05:41):
Right, right, and so that means that God's hand this
world system towards whatsatisfies us what makes us feel
good, what makes us feelcomfortable.
But in the kingdom of God it'swhat is pleasing to God.
(06:08):
It's what's pleasing to ourFather, it's what draws us
closer to Him, because thisworld is going to pass away and
remember all the things that wevalue here is not what God
values.
There's two different valuesystems.
So when we come into Christ, weare supposed to seek those
(06:32):
things that are valuable to God.
And so if you are so stuck inthe culture or stuck in this
world, you're not looking atwhat is pleasing to God.
You're focusing on what isnormal to the culture, what
everybody like.
What's everybody doing?
Oh, I like this.
Turn up, you know.
(06:52):
And just because someone can doacrobats with their voice, does
it mean that they're actuallyministering?
Anybody can sing.
It don't mean that they'reministering.
Ashley (07:05):
Whitney Houston, give me goosebumps, right People, and I
think that honestly in thechurch.
This is why scriptures likethis, like are you able to test
and discern the will of God, thepresence of God, and those
things, don't mean that God isin the midst.
(07:26):
Right.
Shana (07:27):
Right, absolutely yeah.
And if we don't know what Godlikes, we don't know how to
discern Right.
So the scripture says to study,to show yourself approved under
God, a workman need about notto be ashamed.
And so a lot of times, becausethings are presented to us, we
(07:49):
think that is good, right, right.
But we find out very, veryquickly whether or not it was
good for us, because did itleave something lasting that we
can?
That is nourishment for us.
Like, where are we going to benourished from and we talked
(08:09):
about that last week when are wegetting our nourishment from?
Some of these things are just,maybe it's a snack, maybe it's a
snack.
It might be a snack, you know,but it's really not.
It's not the vegetables.
It's not the lean grass-fed meat, it's not that.
And if you are just that's allyou're getting, then you're
(08:32):
going to stay hungry, you'regoing to stay malnourished,
you're not going to last long.
Your walk with Christ is notgoing to last long.
You're going to fall every timesomething happens because
you're only looking to get theselittle small meals, these
little processed meals thattaste good but it's not
(08:56):
nourishing.
You know, something might soundgood, but did it nourish me?
Did it speak to my heart?
Did it draw me closer to God,or was it just, oh, it was
something me?
Did it speak to my heart?
Did it draw me closer to God,or was it just, oh, it was
something I attend and it waslit.
No, I really can't.
I can't remember what they'resaying, but it felt good in the
moment, but it felt good.
(09:16):
It felt good and then there'snothing that convict me.
There's no testimony.
Yeah, there's nothing that'sconvict me.
It didn't make me fall to myknees and draw men to ourselves,
yeah, Because that's a wholeother conversation.
(09:47):
Because that's leaders as awhole.
I don't even think that isworship leaders, and I think
that's one of the things thatyou have to be careful, because
pride and ego can come into thatvery quickly.
Most definitely, yeah.
Ashley (10:00):
One of the things that you said reminded me of because
I really was about to.
You was about to take mestraight to Colossians.
We was just about to skip rightover Romans, but you said
something and I want to bring itback to Romans 12 in the
message version, which says sohere's what I want you to do,
god helping you, which I lovebecause it's telling you yeah,
(10:22):
jesus already did what he did atthe cross, but now there's
something for you to do.
So this is what I want you todo, but God's going to help you
do it.
You don't have to do it byyourself.
Take your everyday, ordinarylife.
You're sleeping, you're eating,you're going to work, you're
walking around life.
That means you go to thegrocery store, you're being a
mom, being a husband, whateverit is your everyday life, not
(10:45):
just your church life, not justyou know and place it before God
as an offering.
Embracing what God does for youis the best thing you can do
for him.
And then this is the part that,yeah, it's so good.
Don't become so well adjustedto your culture that you fit in
(11:07):
without even thinking.
Instead, fix your attention onGod.
I just want to pause real quickbecause when I read this, it's
so easy to become so welladjusted when you're not fixed,
to become so well adjusted whenyou're not fixed, when your eyes
aren't fixed on him, when youreyes aren't fixed on Christ and
(11:28):
on the things of God, when youdon't know, like you said, the
will of God.
What is he like, what is he notlike?
What breaks the heart of God?
What does he?
What makes him smile, whatbrings him joy?
In our lives it's easy to goalong with what the world says
is good.
We talk about that a lot, ofwhat we call good and what God
(11:50):
calls good, and how honestly heis good, right.
So our definition of goodshould derive from who he is
Right.
It's skewed, isn't it?
Yeah?
Shana (12:01):
Mm-hmm.
Ashley (12:03):
But let me keep reading.
It's skewed, isn't it?
Yeah, mm-hmm, but let me keepreading.
And then it says you'll bechanged from the inside out,
readily recognize what he wantsfrom you and quickly respond to
it.
Unlike the culture around youalways dragging you down to its
level of immaturity, god bringsout the best of you.
He develops a well-formedmaturity in you.
Shana (12:28):
I like the part where it's your average daily life
right, your average daily life,because we want to invite God
into the big moments or themoments when we think that
definitely, god should be a part, but it's your daily life.
(12:48):
So, when you even think aboutwhere it talks about keeping
your mind or keeping yourattention focused on those
things that are above, how manytimes do we leave the house and
we don't even consider what Godwanted us to do today, like we
didn't even seek him to figureout what is it that he wants me
(13:11):
to do?
And so we go about our day, allday, and we didn't invite the
Holy Spirit in to move.
And so, because we are notkeenly aware, when he even tries
to talk to us, we're notlistening, because we already
have our day planned out forwhat we want to do, and so it is
supposed to be a surrenderedlife.
(13:32):
So if you are surrendering yourlife, that should start from
the time you wake up.
Ashley (13:37):
That's honestly because we value our will more than we
value God's.
I think that a lot of times,even believers, we don't seek
the Lord because we really don'twant to hear him.
Shana (13:49):
If the truth be told, we already have our plans planned
out and we know that God can bea disruptor of our day.
Ashley (14:02):
Most definitely he can be a disruptor of our day.
Shana (14:04):
Most definitely, he can be a disruptor to our day, and
so that's true that sometimes wedon't want to hear from him.
But think about it.
Think about the eternal weightof glory, the eternal reward
that you're missing out on whenyou don't want him to direct
(14:29):
your day.
And so often I think about thatbecause the scripture tells us
that we are in the world, butwe're not of the world, but we
act like we of it, and God istrying to get us to operate.
He's always trying to get hischildren to operate in his way
of doing things and not our own,and he know that it is good for
(14:53):
us.
But we see it as a distraction,we see it as a disruption, we
see it as yeah it's timeconsuming.
Ashley (15:03):
We see it as, yeah, it's time consuming.
It's honestly more sacrificethan we are willing to give a
lot of times.
This past Sunday, we had PastorBrandon Davis from Orlando at
our church and I mean, obviouslywe've been talking about the
service since.
It was a great service, but theLord really dealt with me in
(15:27):
that service.
Um, the Lord always deals withme in services and it's like the
preacher would be preaching andthe Holy Spirit's just like
speaking to me, like you need toget it together.
Yeah, and what the Lord dealtwith me on this Sunday was I
spent so many months this yearfrom the time the Lord told me
(15:48):
to close my business, to do thepodcast, to finish my book.
I spent so many monthswrestling and almost angry with
the Lord, even though I told himI wanted to do what he wanted
me to do.
And then, when he gave me theinstruction.
I was like, why that?
Like, this is how I make money,this is how, like, I've been
(16:11):
doing this for 15 years.
Why that?
And the Lord showed me thisSunday that I was so upset with
the instructions that I lost myawe for the hearing, the fact
that my father even cares enoughto speak to lead me, to guide
(16:36):
me, and I'm so worried about areyou really going to do what you
said you did?
The fact that I know what youwant me to do is enough for me
to know that you are who yousaid you are.
And I mean that thing justreally really tore me up this
Sunday and I had to repent andreposition my mindset.
(16:58):
You get to hear from God, youget to commune with the creator
of the universe, and so if hetells you to wear your least
favorite color, would you not doit Just because it's not your
preference, just because it'snot what feels comfortable in
the moment?
Which kind of brings me to CanI interject right?
there, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Shana (17:19):
Because if God always gave us exactly what we wanted,
where's the proof that we lovehim for him?
Come on, mama, where's theproof that we love him for him,
so he gives us stuff that wewouldn't prefer?
Yeah, I've been there manytimes when I would rather be
(17:41):
doing this, because it'scomfortable for me or because I
want to be hidden, and Godcalled you to do something else.
Will you obey?
That's the whole thing ofobedience, right?
It's not hard to obey.
If it's something you want todo, right, right.
But if it's something that youdon't necessarily want to do,
(18:03):
that's difficult for you.
That's where you're going tohave to trust God continually,
for, yeah, that shows that Ilove him and even though I don't
understand God, I trust you.
Ashley (18:15):
I was thinking about this scripture this morning,
colossians 1 and 10.
So as to walk in a mannerworthy of the Lord, fully
pleasing to him, bearing fruitin every good work and
increasing in the knowledge ofGod.
And I feel and you can quote,you can let me know if I'm wrong
(18:36):
we're not taught to please God.
Shana (18:43):
I don't know that.
I wasn't taught.
You taught me.
I'm not saying I wasn't taught.
Ashley (18:45):
You taught me.
I'm not saying I wasn't taught,because I think my parents get
a good job of trying to as awhole when, I listen to the word
that is or not everybody.
I'm not talking about everybody, but I don't hear that.
A lot Like the sacrificing ofself.
Shana (19:04):
That's culture, right?
Yeah, a week we supposed tolive our best life, do you boo?
Ashley (19:13):
don't let nobody disturb your peace right, right, you
know that's protecting my peace.
Yeah, don't get me started.
Shana (19:19):
Yes, that's, that's culture, that's the kingdom of
this world.
But the kingdom of God says Imust submit my will unto him.
It tells me I have to crucifymy flesh that feels so.
If we think about crucifixion,it's a horrible death, but we
(19:50):
don't use those as evangelicaltools.
Right, right, right To say,okay, you can come to Jesus,
this is where God loves you.
But when you come, you're goingto have to crucify your flesh
Right right.
Ashley (20:05):
It's like we pull them in with.
Oh, god's going to give youyour best life and he's going to
bless you.
Shana (20:08):
Which is true.
He is going to do that, butit's not going to be what you
think, because he's going tochange Romans 12, 1,.
Ashley (20:16):
He's going to renew your mind.
So the best life that youthought was best, six months
from now, if you are fullycommitted in Christ, you're
going to realize what youthought was best was beneath.
Shana (20:28):
So the scripture says so let your light shine.
We have to be willing to letGod shine, change our life.
And so in that change, this isall new to us.
The whole way we're supposed toact, the submission, this is
new.
We've been doing our own thingmost of our lives and so it's
(20:52):
all new.
So when the scripture tells usto crucify your flesh, that's
new.
I'm used to just going by theway I feel.
Now you're telling me I have toresist this thing that I feel
to do and not do it because it'snot pleasing to God.
But yes, you have to do it.
You have to do it.
You submit your will unto God,you submit your ways unto God
(21:15):
because you want him to directyour path.
You're no longer living foryourself, you're living as unto
God there is a differencebecause, as Christians, we
believe that this world, this isgoing to pass away and Jesus is
coming soon, yeah, and so Iwant to be where he is when he
(21:41):
comes.
Ashley (21:42):
Yes, ma'am, you all up in the scripture you already
know where we're going.
Shana (21:52):
So, yeah, so, yeah, so I submit myself to him.
So, because I love him, I obeyhim, so I crucify my flesh,
because I love him, I want himto be glorified in my life.
I want my light to shine.
I want, when people see me,they see Christ.
So, yes, I submit myself, Ihave to become as him, so I
allow the Holy Spirit to havehis way in me.
No, shani, you can't say that.
No, shani, you can't do that.
No, shani, you can't go there.
(22:12):
I want to go, you can't gothere.
Ashley (22:15):
Right, right, right.
I think you're speaking.
You know, I talked to you theother day about how, just this
week, I've just over and over,just been talking about people,
or talking with people, havingconversations, reading the word,
and it's all been about livinga fully submitted life.
And when I think about the wordsubmit, I go to like when you
(22:40):
submit a paper, you've done thework, you've done all that you
can, and now you have to submitit to someone else, your hands
are no longer on it, it's nolonger you can no longer make
any changes, it's all in thehands of someone else.
And I've been thinking about thefact that I have been living a
(23:02):
submitted life and over thesepast few months, honestly, I've
been really battling with it.
I've been in my mind going backand forth like man, god, like
why I got to be fully submitted.
These people get to do whateverthe heck they want to do.
But I'm over here, like youknow, because I love you and
because I know you.
(23:23):
I know too much to say, oh, I'mgoing to go my own way, or oh,
I'm going to do my own thing.
And so I know, at the end ofthe day, I want to please you,
but it feels like sometimes thatme pleasing you comes at such a
higher cost.
Shana (23:41):
So a lot of times people believe okay, so I accepted
Christ, and so the work is done,right.
But then there's a processthat's called sanctification,
where God works within us tobecome more like him.
Right Brings us to the image ofChrist, and so that is the
lifelong process that we have togo through.
That is what you're feeling.
(24:02):
It's this process ofsanctification that God is doing
within you, and so sometimes itfeels like death because it is,
it is.
It feels like death because itis, it is.
You know, that's even theprocess of you know, suffering
Like we look at the world looksat suffering like you know, it's
(24:23):
the end of the world For abeliever.
We look at suffering as it's atool that God uses to bring me
closer to him, for me to becomemore like him.
I went through my deal withkidney failure.
(24:50):
Was that through that process,my release, my grip on the world
and the things that I thoughtwas valuable it released I got
to a level of freedom that Inever thought that I could
experience.
Like, certain things just don'tbother me anymore because I
know that it's not important,God not going to value it, that
it's not important, God notgoing to value it.
It's not going to go with meinto heaven.
Someone's opinion of me okay,I'd rather have God's opinion.
(25:14):
I'd rather him to know that I'mdoing what I need to do to
please him rather than me beinga people pleaser.
Right, right, even just talkingthis Sunday with Brandon, I
passed Brandon's message I wassharing with some of the ladies
on Saturday that I used to be anoverthinker.
(25:36):
Yes, you did, but God has freedme from that.
Like I don't.
Okay, you know, I'm going toenjoy my day, like I'm still
playing vacations for me and myhusband, but at the end of the
day, when I'm done, I'm done,I'm not going to think about
that anymore.
And so God has really freed mefrom those things.
(25:59):
And he uses sanctification todo it.
Ashley (26:03):
Mommy, you're so spot on , because when I tell you, even
through this wrestle, and everytime the Lord calls me to shift,
it is a shedding, it's a dyingand you're 100% right, right.
(26:23):
It's not only a death tosomething that I poured myself
into for 15 years.
It's a death to what Iperceived as this is the
direction I'm going in.
Shana (26:31):
And.
Ashley (26:31):
God is like no, I'm taking you down this path.
And so now the trajectory ofwhat I thought success would
look like for me is beingshifted and I feel like I am in
the wilderness by myself and I'mjust like I'm Abraham and the
Lord's, like I'm taking you froma land that you know and I'm
taking you to somewhere that youdo not know and I'm not going
(26:52):
to tell you where I'm taking you, but just follow me.
But while I'm in this land, Ifasted more than I've ever had.
The Lord has revealed somethings, some hard things to me,
that are within me.
I've recognized some thingsthat within me that, if you
would have asked me in November,do you struggle with this?
I?
Shana (27:12):
would have said no.
Ashley (27:14):
But I just didn't have the opportunity to because my
life circumstances did not allowme to suffer with that or to
even struggle with those things.
But now I found myself not nowpraise the Lord Thank you, lord,
for just speaking to me andrevealing to me and helping me
through that.
But a few months ago I foundmyself struggling, wrestling
(27:37):
with my faith, like is this evenlike, do I want to do this?
I can really just go get me agood job, I can make me some
good money.
I my, you know 401k, all ofthose things.
I'm like I can do these things,but do I really want, like you
said, do I really want, to livemy life and say I stored up all
of these things for myself and Igo to heaven?
Shana (27:59):
empty handed?
Yeah, because that's whatthat's culture too.
Right, we want all these thingshere and we spend so much time
Getting stuff.
We spend so much and I getemotional about it because it's
(28:19):
not going to last.
Emotional about it because it'snot going to last.
Yeah, but what do we do withthe things that God gave us
that's valuable to him?
Yeah, the time, especiallyspent away from your family,
what could have been time spent,um, valuable time spent with
(28:44):
children, training them up, uh.
Time spent with loved ones, uh,I think even about the times
when, uh, we're so busy workingand working, and working, and we
(29:06):
didn't even see where ourchildren grow up, people missing
important milestones in theirkids' lives because they after
the bag, they after storing upTime away from church, like it
used to be a time when peopledidn't want jobs on Sundays.
Ashley (29:26):
Yeah.
Shana (29:29):
It was important for them to be in fellowship with other
believers on Sunday morning.
Now it's cultural to work onSundays.
Yeah, if you ain't working youdoing your own.
Ashley (29:42):
It's cultural to work on Sundays.
Yeah, if you ain't working, youdoing your own.
Shana (29:45):
It's cultural to miss Sundays, miss services.
Yeah, it's cultural to notserve at all.
Ashley (29:55):
Like even from a lot of the churches that I follow and
the type of content that theyproduce.
A lot of it is surrounding whyare people not serving in your
church?
Why are people not coming toyour services?
But I think that it speaks moreto our love for God and our
(30:16):
love for people.
Like we talked about last week,it's like everything dwindles
down to love God, love people.
Shana (30:25):
I think, out of your love for God, you love people.
Yeah, because I'm notnecessarily on my own a people's
person.
If I tell you the truth, it isthe absolute work of the Holy
Spirit within me.
Ashley (30:39):
I know.
I know you all my life, fromthe day I was born, you've been
my mama.
I am my daddy's child.
Shana (30:49):
I have had moments when the Holy Spirit would say be her
friend, because I am not apeople person.
There's moments in my walkwhere the Holy Spirit has said
allow her to be your friend, Iam in this relationship, allow
(31:11):
that person to be.
I am not necessarily a people'sperson.
I have to allow the Holy Spiritto work within me and I'm not
ashamed of that Because guesswhat?
That was my sinful nature.
That comes from hurt and painthat God is healing.
That's from things that God isrestoring.
(31:34):
So I'm not necessarily ashamedof it, but I'm saying that I
need the help of the Holy Spiritto help me.
And so that's even whatsanctification does.
Like we feel like we okay, likewe feel like we're patient, we
feel like we're good.
But then the spirit of God willcome within us and he'll
challenge us in a way that wehaven't been challenged before
(31:56):
and he says do this and you like, and you find out.
You know what, I'm not sopatient, right, like I don't
really trust you to the degreethat I thought that I trust you.
Like I'm not as submitted toyou that I thought I was
submitted and do you think thatthat is because what?
Ashley (32:15):
what I'm picturing is because you're not new to the
faith?
No, and so you are decades intoyour walk with Christ and
you're still evolving.
Shana (32:28):
Yeah, you're still growing, you're still showing me
things, you're still.
Ashley (32:32):
And so what I'm hearing is you're going from glory to
glory, but from glory to glory,there's also different things
that you're having, differentchallenges, different things
that the Lord is showing you.
Hey, this is what we're workingon in this season.
Right, this is what I'm goingto reveal to you about you in
this season.
What I love about that is Godis so kind that he's not like
(32:55):
now that you're saved, I'm justgoing to change you completely.
He gives us grace and he walkswith us every step of the way.
I'm sure that as soon as you gotsaved, there were some other
things that you had to work onand.
I feel like the more that wework with God honestly, the work
gets deeper and deeper, becausewhen we first get saved, it's
(33:16):
like okay, we know.
Oh, we got to stop doing thebig sins the stuff that people
can see.
But we don't look at the kindof stuff in Colossians the anger
, the malice, the strife, thosethings that are on the inside,
that nobody really can seeunless we show them, but God
knows it's there.
Like when I went on that fast afew weeks ago.
(33:38):
I mean I was fasting andpraying and I was just like God,
give me revelation, and how doI get out of this thing?
And the Lord you know, the onlything I took from that fast is
that the Lord told me you eattoo much, you eat too much.
Stop going out to eat so much.
Shana (33:53):
Cook you something, make a salad, I love that.
Do something else.
Drink some water.
Everyday things right, yes.
Ashley (34:00):
Everyday, it's the everyday things, right, and not
to feel like, oh, I'm goodbecause I don't do these one,
two, three, four big sins.
And we feel like, oh, you know,I'm good with God, but you a
glutton.
Oh God, that was me.
Hey, that was me.
And right now, now I'm tryingto make those conscious choices
(34:25):
and honestly, it's Romans 12,submitting your body, and I've
submitted my soul, but it's this, this flesh because, maybe when
it want brownies and ice creamand with a little caramel
drizzle on top, and you know,the little pecans that I get
from the grocery store.
Shana (34:42):
Just drop on the top you know I like them.
Ashley (34:46):
I say yes to my flesh every time when I want to go to
eat tank right.
I say yes to my flesh rightevery time.
And the Lord showed me you haveno self control.
Yeah, I'm working out my fruitin you so that you can bear more
fruit.
Shana (35:04):
Yeah, and we think that it's not problematic because
it's just food, right, but whatare the areas that you will not?
You know you won't deny yourflesh in Right, right, you know
when God says for you to dosomething.
And so, yeah, we think thatit's a small thing, but even the
small things, god has beenshowing me that, those small
(35:25):
things, when we tolerate them,that they can turn into bigger
things.
We see it as small.
God sees that this is a problem.
This is going to be a problemfor her.
Ashley (35:36):
And making those small changes is a mind transformation
.
So when you make a small changehere, you're making a complete
mind shift.
I think I had this thought afew weeks ago when I was trying
to become more disciplined withour walking and with cooking
(35:57):
more and eating better, thatdiscipline brings more
discipline.
The lack of self-control breedsmore lack of self-control, and
so I think it's all in.
God wants to continue totransform our minds because, at
(36:21):
the end of the day, he doesn'twant anything to be our God.
Shana (36:24):
Nothing but him.
Yeah, we make idols so quickly.
Yep, we make idols so quickly,and I think that because we live
in this country, in the UnitedStates, we don't see them as
idols, because it's not a goldencalf, we're not worshiping it
in our minds.
Ashley (36:41):
We're not lifting up our hands what we think is worship.
But it's also because of ourskewed mindset to what worship
is.
Worship is a lifestyle.
It's not a song.
It's not a lifting up of hands.
Shana (36:51):
So, it's?
Ashley (36:51):
what are you surrendering your life to the
most?
What is it?
Shana (36:54):
Yeah, is it your job?
Come on, mama, come on, mama.
Do you ever cut off?
You know, I hear entrepreneurstalk about it all the time and
they say you know, this 24-7.
Wow, Like, why Would you wantto spend 24-7?
God never created us to doanything that's 24-7.
Ashley (37:16):
Yeah but worship him.
Shana (37:17):
But worship him Like is it a job, or is it an idol, or
is social media?
You know, when I got hip toTikTok I found myself.
Ashley (37:30):
I was like two hours sweet pie.
Listen, I'm calling Mama.
What you doing?
Shana (37:36):
I'm on TikTok.
I said, oh my God, when didthat time go by?
You know it's so quickly.
Is it social media?
What is it Like?
What is your favorite thing onYouTube to watch?
Like streaming I'm just nowlearning about streaming and how
(37:57):
they on there for hours andhours and I'm like people are
watching y'all for hours andhours.
Like how, where did they, wheredid they get the time to be
watching you for that long?
Like that's amazing to me.
Like those are idols.
Ashley (38:13):
Yeah the Lord been dealing with me about social
media and I know, um, probablyabout after this week, because
we got the big event coming upso I gotta be posting for that.
But even so, like this morningI woke up and I was like, oh,
I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna dothat, and I just scrolling I
done posted eight things.
I'm scroll.
I'm like, how did I get here?
Yeah, get me behind me, say.
(38:33):
And I literally threw my phonebehind me so that I could
complete what I needed to do andit just it happened so easily
and so quickly that you don'teven recognize Romans 12, you
don't even recognize that thisthing is calling you.
This thing has got yourattention and now the 20 minutes
(38:57):
that you meant to be studying,or to be preparing, or to be
praying, or to be doing whateverit is that you're supposed to
be doing you've wasted.
Shana (39:05):
And you know we were talking this morning about AI
and it's just like that.
Right, those things should betools for us, but we make them
idols, right?
We put them in the—we replaceGod with those tools that he's
given us, just like he mightgive us a house.
Now, all of a sudden, we don'tinvite anybody to our house
(39:27):
because I got to keep my houseclean, or, you know, it becomes
an idol.
We take the tools and thethings that God has made for us
to enjoy and we put them beforehim Like anything that God has
given us.
He's created it for us to enjoyand we put them before him Like
anything that God has given us.
He's created it for us to enjoy.
He's created it as a tool, butit's not supposed to replace him
.
Yeah.
Ashley (39:48):
And we do that so quickly.
We do it quickly.
It's like we do it so quickly.
It's not just the children ofIsrael out in the wilderness
asking Aaron to make that goldencalf.
We make golden calves every day.
Shana (40:01):
Right.
Ashley (40:02):
Every single day Right.
Shana (40:05):
And so that's why our submission has to be daily.
Ashley (40:08):
It has to be daily.
Shana (40:09):
That's why we have to renew our minds daily.
That's why we have to spendtime with him daily, or else
we'll take the things that Godhas given us and make something
else out of them.
Ashley (40:19):
Yeah.
Shana (40:19):
And normally we make gods out of them.
Ashley (40:21):
We make gods out of them .
I want to look at Colossians 3,because we've been all up and
through Colossians 3 just inthis conversation and this
morning when we were talking, Iwasn't even planning on coming
to Colossians 3.
I literally I'm notsuperstitious, I don't be
opening my Bible and just belike, boom, this is scripture.
But that's kind of how ithappened.
This morning I saw I hadsomething a little highlighted.
(40:42):
I said what's this?
And it was the exact word thatwe need it for today.
Colossians 3, honestly, 1through 17.
1 through 17 is it's going totear you up and I actually
(41:06):
taught on Colossians 3, 17.
In our worship rehearsal wehave like a little small group
portion before we rehearse onThursdays, and I taught on this
for a couple of weeks.
It's so good, because we arecoming out of this whole grace,
(41:32):
grace, grace, grace, grace,grace, grace mindset in the
church that we have discountedthe work of sanctification and
one of the things thatColossians 3 talks about is
putting on the things of Christ,putting on righteousness, and
(41:55):
it doesn't say that God's goingto do it.
It don't say that the HolySpirit is going to do it.
It doesn't say that the bloodof Jesus is going to do it.
It don't say that the HolySpirit is going to do it.
It doesn't say that the bloodof Jesus is going to do it.
It says you do it.
There is work for us.
There is work for us to do inChrist.
Jesus did a work.
Now it's time for us to work.
We don't have to work forsalvation, but once we are saved
(42:17):
, there's work to do, there'swork to do.
But once we are saved, there'swork to do.
There's work to do, and I thinkthat that's such a misconstrued
thought in the body, especiallywhen I see some of the types of
Christian creators that arebecoming popular.
They're all about Jesus.
They're all about the blood ofJesus.
(42:37):
They're all about salvation.
They're all about blessing, butthey're not about
sanctification.
They're not about putting onrighteousness.
They're not about the blood ofJesus.
They're all about salvation.
They're all about blessing, butthey're not about
sanctification.
They're not about putting onrighteousness.
They're not about what is holyand what is right and being set
apart.
None of those things are in it,and people cling to those
things because we don't want totake off ourselves.
Shana (42:57):
Yeah, ourselves, yeah.
Ashley (43:07):
I think, though, that it's the mindset of well, all I
have to do is be safe to go toheaven, but then I would
question whether you trulysurrendered and believe yeah.
Shana (43:15):
Yeah, Because it's not.
Ashley (43:18):
this is all a part of it .
It's all a part.
It's a one-package deal.
Shana (43:23):
Yeah, it's all a part of it, because I remember, even
thinking with my immature mindas a kid well, if all I have to
do is believe and receive, thenwhy do I have to do all this
stuff?
Right like why and I thinkthat's what a lot of people, a
(43:47):
lot of people do think and theydo believe, and when we look at
that word, if we believe, butdid you believe?
right?
Did you really did you believeRight?
Did you really did you reallybelieve Um?
And then, if you reallybelieved and you really made him
(44:11):
Lord, then you wouldn't haveany problem with the rest, right
?
And so I think that we alwayscome back to that question of,
well, what did?
Did you really receive, youknow?
Did you really believe God?
Um, and this is the proof.
Right?
They say the proof is in thepudding, this is, this is the
pudding.
And so this is where you'regoing to be proved.
(44:33):
What did, what did you believewhen?
When you said that you did Um?
Ashley (44:38):
so yeah, let's go let's go into that Colossians.
Yeah, I want to.
I want to talk about Colossiansbecause there there's such this
weight on blessings and beingblessed and living a blessed
life and all of these differentthings.
But blessings does not equateto stuff.
No it, it, it doesn't, and Ifeel like, because you can have
(45:04):
stuff without having Christ, soit don't.
Shana (45:08):
It does not.
That's not the blessing.
Ashley (45:12):
That's not the blessing.
Honestly, I'm not going to gointo that.
Colossians yeah, you want toread.
You want me to?
Shana (45:24):
read what you want to do mama Go ahead when are you at?
Three one, oh, three one.
Okay, since then you have beenraised with Christ.
Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the
right hand of God.
Set your minds on things above,not on earthly things, for you
died and your life is now hiddenwith Christ in God.
(45:46):
Pause.
Ashley (45:49):
Yeah, you died.
So you're saying to tie thiswith what you just said.
Mm-hmm oh, I'm just saved.
Why do I have to do all thisstuff?
Shana (46:05):
You were supposed to die.
You were supposed to die.
You were supposed to die.
Ashley (46:10):
And when I think about a baby, when I think about being
reborn, you are literally taughtlike I have a four-year-old.
You have to teach them everysingle thing.
You got to teach them how toblow their nose, how to wipe
their butts.
You got to teach them everysingle thing.
You got to teach them how toblow their nose, how to wipe
their butts.
You got to teach them how to doeverything.
And so now, we should.
Shana (46:26):
You don't have to teach them how to be bad.
You don't have to teach themhow to be bad.
You don't Listen here.
Ashley (46:33):
But now, that is the way that we should approach Christ,
we should approach the kingdomof God.
I know nothing.
Shana (46:42):
Teach me everything you got to teach me.
You have to show me and I haveto be willing to spend time with
you so you could do that Likeyou think about a baby even even
you know they give youmaternity leave, not again they
given the husbands they got,they got leave too.
And so that is that time ofbonding, that time of nurturing,
(47:06):
that time of spending time withthat baby and we talked about
it last week and I think a lotof times that's what's missing
in a lot of people'srelationship with God.
There was no one there tonurture them and they didn't
know how to even go to God andspend that time with him, right,
(47:26):
right, and know that that'simportant, because a lot of
times people don't getinstructions.
Ashley (47:32):
You know, we got instructions on how to bring
people into the body.
We got instructions, we got afull setup of how church should
go, but for some reason, as abody we miss somewhere between
that salvation and what happensnext.
We miss the babies.
We miss the babies.
Shana (47:51):
Yeah, so they just wandering by themselves and so,
yeah, that's heartbreaking forme.
Yeah, because sometimes theydon't need what we need, right?
Because we've been in the faitha little bit longer, so we're a
little bit more mature, butthey need milk.
Ashley (48:09):
Yeah, yeah, they need that, and I feel like I don't
know if it's because ourmindsets are set on moving
forward or those that need milk,but there should be some sort
(48:29):
of nursery.
Shana (48:35):
Yeah, because we don't even wait for the baby to ask us
for milk, right?
No, they tell you to feed themevery so many hours.
It's like they don't.
No, they tell you to feed themevery so many hours.
It's like they don't know.
They don't know they might cry,but let them cry.
Like do we even understand whattheir cries mean?
Like, do we even understand?
(48:55):
Because now we're looking atpeople who are adult in age, but
in the faith they're babies.
So when they're crying, wedon't even understand what their
tears mean, because we don'tknow.
Like they need milk.
Yeah, they need milk.
They need their diapers changed.
(49:16):
They done messed up.
Ashley (49:18):
They done make a mess, they done messed up, and now we
done.
Condemned them, babies, thebaby's not coming back, right,
they ain't coming back, right,they ain't coming back because
these people don't care about me.
Shana (49:25):
Oh God, they don't care about me.
Ashley (49:29):
I'm going to make that a matter of prayer because, yeah,
that just struck something inme and, honestly, that is where
kingdom over culture comes from,that is where righteous girl in
a ratchet world comes from,because I see the hunger and the
desire, yeah, but there's nodirection.
(49:49):
Right, right, I want to get toColossians and I want to get to
your testimony, so let youstopped at, I stopped you.
I stopped you at verse versefour, you go ahead.
When Christ, who is your life,appears, then you also will
appear with him in glory.
Put to death, therefore, whatis earthly in you.
(50:12):
This is the process for thebabies sexual immorality,
impurity, passion, evil desiresand covetousness, which is
idolatry.
That's what it is.
On account of these, the wrathof God is coming, and then it
(50:33):
talks to the new.
Come on word.
You better speak to us today Inthese.
You too once walked, you wereliving in them, but now you must
put them all away, them allaway.
See what we just talked about.
See how the word just be tyingstuff together, the outward and
then the inward.
Now this is where the peoplewho've been walking with Jesus
(50:54):
for a little while it say putthem all away, not just the
first little few things that youthink.
Oh, I'm clean.
Anger, wrath, malice, slanderand obscene talk from your mouth
.
You mean you can't cuss.
Shana (51:08):
Okay.
Ashley (51:08):
All right.
I don't think it's not evenjust cussing, because you can
say obscene things withoutcussing and I think that a lot
of church people have masteredobscene language without having.
Shana (51:24):
I'm not going to ask you for an example.
I ain't going to give you noexamples.
Ashley (51:28):
And then it say because it tells you what obscene
language might be, right afterthat Do not lie to one another.
Shana (51:34):
That's the truth.
Ooh, remember when I saidsomething about lying a few
months ago that how you know Iwas praying about it and the
Holy Spirit was saying it's soeasy for Christians to lie Like.
We just lie.
We be how you doing.
I'm doing good Lie.
We just lie Like.
Ashley (51:56):
Without anybody even encouraging us to lie Like you,
not even in a position where youneed to lie, because it's not
culturally acceptable to tellthe truth, because as soon as I
tell you what's going on and weover-spiritualize everything.
Shana (52:13):
Well, you shouldn't confess that they not confess
they telling you what's going onwith them.
They're telling you, like it'sokay, job friends, like you know
Literally what's happening Jobfriends.
What is happening here, likewhere the prayer warriors, where
the intercessors, where theencouragers, like, call them
(52:36):
forth because it's giving Jobfriends.
Ashley (52:41):
Do not lie to one another.
Seeing that you have put offthe old self with its practices
we talked about practicing lastweek practicing sin or
practicing righteousness andhave put on the new self.
Yeah, seeing that you have putoff the old self with its
(53:03):
practices and have put on thenew self, which is being renewed
in knowledge after the image ofits creator.
You cannot be renewed in theknowledge of the image of your
creator if you don't haveknowledge of what the image of
your creator looks like.
Shana (53:25):
Go back to 101, christianity 101.
You got to spend time with God,you got to spend time in his
word.
Ashley (53:37):
You got to get to know him.
I want to skip down to verse 12, because here comes okay, we
hear all these things.
This is what we shouldn't do.
These are the things that wehave to take off.
Verse 12 starts speaking to dothis instead.
These are the things.
This is the reflection.
(53:57):
This is the image of God thatwe should take on.
Can you read that for me, MaVerse 12.
Image of God that we shouldtake on.
Shana (54:02):
Can you read that for me, mom, verse 12.
Therefore, as God's chosenpeople, holy and dearly loved,
clothe yourselves withcompassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience.
Keep going, bear with eachother and forgive one another.
If any of you has a grievanceagainst someone, forgive as the
(54:23):
Lord forgave you, and over allthese virtues, put on love,
which binds them all together inperfect unity.
Ashley (54:34):
There goes that word again.
Yeah, yeah.
Shana (54:37):
So this is talking about what we are supposed to
exemplify, how we are supposedto live, what we're supposed to
be putting on right Compassion,kindness, humility, gentleness
and patience.
Like, why y'all popping off ateverything?
Like, why are you kind toeverybody else but your wife?
(54:59):
Like, why are you gentle withthose people, babies, but you
yank your child?
Like why are you gentle withthose people, babies, but you
yank your child?
Like what is happening?
Like, who are we Like?
Who do we belong to?
And God's saying this is who Iam to my children.
There's a scripture, and Ithink it's in amos, that talks
(55:25):
about um, that god tells, tellsthe children of israel that you
are the only family that I know.
Yeah, and that thing bugged meand I'm like he's like, out of
all the families of the earth,you're the only family I know
it's like and nobody else.
He's not concerned, notnecessarily not concerned.
(55:45):
He wants them to come to him,but his family, like y'all
supposed to be different.
Ashley (55:50):
Yeah.
Shana (55:53):
I've poured myself into you.
Like you supposed to bedifferent.
It's like a parent going to aschool because their child
hecking up.
Like you know, you spent timewith that kid.
Like you know you raising themup the right way, but they
acting up and he's like you know.
This is not how we act.
You are such and such, you arethis, and here you are acting
(56:19):
like you don't have no hometraining.
God said this is who I am, thisis how I want you to behave.
Why y'all here acting like youdon't have no home training?
God said this is who I am, thisis how I want you to behave.
Why y'all here acting like yourfather, the devil?
Why you acting like the enemy?
Why you acting like it?
No, this is how we supposed tobe acting, right right, we
supposed to be compassionate.
We acting like the culture.
Ashley (56:37):
Because compassion yeah.
Shana (56:41):
The culture don't know.
Compassion, you know it's sofunny.
Ashley (56:44):
I've been doing this thing lately that has been
shocking people.
It's so funny how the things ofGod shocks the world.
Yeah, when you're kind to peoplethat you don't know when you're
compassionate, when you showhumility, meekness, patience,
all of those things, and it's soshocking to them, but it
shouldn't be shocking to thechurch, you know.
(57:06):
But I've been doing this thingwhere I've been holding doors
for people Like you know, likewhen somebody kind of too far
away, like you're at a gasstation, you open the door and
you see somebody like kind ofstill about it, like they too,
far for you to really be holdingthe door.
Shana (57:21):
I'm holding the door.
Let you sell kind of stillabout it.
Ashley (57:23):
Like they too far for you to really be holding the
door.
I'm holding the door.
Let you sell you got it or I'llstill hold the door.
Or if I get to the door first.
If it's a man or a woman, I'llopen the door.
Wow, she said no, I'm notstopping, baby, I'm sorry.
I'll open the door for thembefore they open it for me.
Not because, you know, I don'twant men to be a gentleman or
anything like that.
I'm subscribed to the scripture.
(57:44):
I'm being kind, I'm beingcompassionate and that's just
like my little thing that I'vebeen doing like over the last
few weeks.
And the other day, me and thisguy it was an older white
gentleman that was on the otherside of the door and we were
both approaching the door fromopposite sides and I grabbed the
door before him and I opened itand he said to me, wow, no
(58:05):
one's ever done that for mebefore.
And I was like, yeah, I'm agentle woman, and he cracked up
laughing.
But just to hear him say that um, I mean people that would not
even have a conversation, wouldnot even have any type of
anything.
But not only did I leave himfeeling like, wow, somebody did
(58:26):
something, kind, of me.
Shana (58:27):
I left him with a smile on his face because you know I'm
goofy like that.
Ashley (58:30):
Um, but that just really .
After he said that, I was likeyou know what, I'm gonna keep
doing this, because how manyother people don't get a nice
thing done to them?
Just that day.
It doesn't take much for me tojust wait two seconds, or to
grab the door first and be likeyou have a good day or God bless
you Just to share somethingwith someone that they wouldn't
(58:52):
get outside of.
A believer being in the midstand the Lord's just been really
showing me just little ways tobe the hands and feet of Jesus.
It don't have to be that bigold, you know.
Oh, we're doing this, we'reputting on this event Romans 12,
your everyday life.
Shana (59:12):
Your contact with people Going to the grocery store.
Ashley (59:15):
Yeah.
Shana (59:15):
Going to the gas station.
Like, what are you saying?
There's so many times peopletry to strike up a conversation
with you and do you have time?
Are you on to your next thing?
Because you already have yourday already mapped out and what
you're going to do.
Did you take that time to justeven have a light conversation
with that person?
(59:35):
God has definitely beenstretching me in that way, maybe
not holding doors, butdefinitely if somebody says
something and it opens the doorfor a conversation, I'll have
that conversation with them.
And, which is very interesting,because Mariah, like a couple
of times, was with me and shewas like where am I?
You're talking to me.
I'm like, yes, I'm talking tothem because God is, because
(59:58):
what if, in that moment, thatwas just the moment they needed
to draw them closer to God.
I didn't want to miss that.
Like I said, I know the timesRight.
Ashley (01:00:11):
Yeah.
Shana (01:00:12):
The Bible talks about us numbering our days.
I know the numbers of my days,and so I don't want to spend
time doing something that isfrivolous.
Ashley (01:00:24):
Right right.
Shana (01:00:24):
I want to do things that are meaningful that are
impactful, Making those depositsyeah making those deposits,
making sure I'm showing thefruits of the Spirit, making
sure that I'm beingcompassionate, I'm being gentle,
I'm being kind.
I know you talked about wantingto go into my testimony, but for
so much, so many people, godhas been drawing me to that.
(01:00:48):
I've had chronic kidney diseaseand I've dealt with kidney
failure, and so, especially whenI meet those people, I always
want to encourage them.
I always want to leave themwith something from God, because
I know what God has done withinmy heart and within my life
during that process.
And, like I said last week, Iknow if it wasn't for that, I
(01:01:10):
wouldn't have been to the placethat God has me now, where I do
have just a tender spot forpeople who are on dialysis, who
are going through that process,because it can feel very lonely
for people who are on dialysiswho are going through that
process, because it can feelvery lonely, it can feel like
nobody really understands, and Iwant them to know that God sees
(01:01:31):
them and God knows them and Godloves them.
Ashley (01:01:42):
And yeah, to ask you, how did a scripture like Romans
12, presenting your body as aliving sacrifice, how did that
show up in your testimony, inyour process?
Let me say that because I wasthere, yeah.
Shana (01:02:05):
I think Romans 12 has always been a part of my life
when I gave my life back to theLord in 1991, right before I had
you.
It's always been a part of mylife, though hearing a diagnosis
is that you know there's nocure.
It didn't change my posture.
(01:02:28):
Yeah, it made me ask God a lotof questions.
I can't deny that the processwas definitely very painful
physically, you know, and Ithink that sometimes we have
this misconception of suffering,that some kind of how God going
to take all the pain away, no,that's, that's that's when we go
(01:02:50):
, go back with him.
But in reality you feel it andit's painful and it's hard, and
God doesn't always take thatfrom you, but his promise is
that he'll be there with youthrough it and in your mind
(01:03:14):
you'd be like well, I need youto take the pain.
But if he always took the painaway, then I wouldn't have cried
out to him as much as I did.
If he always took the pain away, I would not have asked my
husband to read the word as muchas I did during that process.
(01:03:36):
Read it, because I couldn'tread it.
My arms were so painful Icouldn't hold my Bible or hold a
phone sometimes.
So he had to read thescriptures to me, and so, had I
not gone through it, I would nothave.
I would have known God as healer.
I wouldn't have known him as hewas true to being with me, even
(01:03:58):
in the valley.
I wouldn't have.
I could have said it because wedo.
Yeah, but I know it, emmanuel, Iknow it to be true, yeah, and
so, because now I know it in away that I didn't know it before
, I feel free.
I feel free because I know fora fact that not only depend on
(01:04:26):
him for my provisions for theday, but for everything, for my
entire being, like I know whatit is for the breath of God to
be in me, because if I had nothad that, I would have been dead
(01:04:49):
.
So when I sing, it's yourbreath in my lungs.
So I pour out my praise Come on, ma, because my outward body
(01:05:12):
failed me, but his breath didn't.
So, yeah, it's a part of who Iam.
Romans 12 and 1,.
That taught me everything.
If you just get that concept inyour daily life, in your daily
living, I'm not one of those whosay, well, I don't some things
I don't need God for.
(01:05:32):
I need him for everything.
I need him for everything.
Ashley (01:05:40):
That's it.
This morning, in ourconversation on the phone, I
wrote down something we nolonger need to offer blood
sacrifices, but every breath,yeah, every breath.
So we're going to close and Iwant you to pray us out.
(01:06:02):
I want you to pray for someonethat is maybe in that space of
suffering right now and isstruggling with standing firm,
(01:06:24):
but I also want you to pray forthe person who's struggling with
offering their full selves,okay.
Shana (01:06:33):
Father, god, in the name of Jesus, lord, you are our
creator, you are our God.
Father, you know everythingabout us, you know where we are,
you know what we're doing, youknow what's in our hearts, you
know what's in our minds.
And, father, I thank you forthe process of sanctification.
(01:06:59):
Yes, god, I thank you for howyou continue to draw us nearer
to you, how you continue totransform us.
I lift up my brothers andsisters that are in the process
of suffering right now.
I pray their strength, father,for you are our strength and our
(01:07:23):
weaknesses, father God, I praythat they surrender that to you,
father, in the mighty name ofJesus, knowing that, dear God,
you care and that you said thatin your word that we don't have
to be strong like you'll be ourstrength.
So I pray that they surrenderthat to you, father God, and not
(01:07:45):
be ashamed of the suffering,father.
Not be ashamed of what you'redoing in their lives, god,
because there is greater on theother side of it.
Father, jesus thought it notrobbery, because he saw the end.
(01:08:07):
Help us to focus on the end.
Remind them of who they are.
Remind them of what you have instore.
Remind them, father God, ofwhat you've done in the past.
(01:08:27):
Help us to not forget, and thatyou are the same God.
I pray that you would providethem comfort in the name of
Jesus, comfort in knowing youand knowing who you are.
Help them to live in a way thatpleases you.
(01:08:52):
Help their posture to notchange.
Help it to remain.
Father God, that they remainstrong in their faith and that
they would let the process cometo completion.
Father God, that they would notgive up, father God, but they
would stay the course.
Father, in the name of Jesus,because, father God, there is
(01:09:15):
something greater at the end.
Father, I pray for those who arenow just having a problem with
surrendering their everyday lifeto you.
Father God, it's unpopular,your kingdom is unpopular right
now.
Father God, the dying to itself, to denying ourselves, to not
(01:09:41):
giving in to our flesh, fatherGod, it goes against culture, it
goes against the ways of thisworld.
But help us to stay steadfast,unmovable, always abiding in you
, father, knowing that whatwe're doing is not in vain,
(01:10:02):
knowing that what we're doing isnot in vain, that there is
glory after this, that there isan eternal reward.
Father God, help that you wouldbe enough for us.
Lord.
Yes, god, help us to know thatyou are enough, that you are our
(01:10:26):
reward.
Help us to be satisfied withyou.
Help us to stay focused andlive lives, dear God, that are
acceptable unto you, father God,that our will and our ways line
up with you, that we live alife that we confess to know.
(01:10:50):
Lord, let's help us to not justbe readers and hearers, father
God, but be doers of your word,doers of your will.
Stir us up once again, tear downthose idols that we've made
gods in the name of Jesus, wherewe spend most of our time,
(01:11:10):
father God, our valuable timehere, dear God, on things, dear
God, that are not of you andthat's not pleasing to you,
father God.
But help us to find value inthe things that you find value
in.
Help us to serve you as Jesusserved others, with compassion,
(01:11:32):
with gentleness, with kindness.
Help us to, dear God, loveothers, dear God, like you have
loved us.
We thank you for the work thatyou're doing within us.
Thank you for the process ofsanctification, the falling away
of those things and the world,father God, that's unnecessary,
(01:11:56):
that making us into the image ofyour son.
We thank you for it, father God.
We love you, we seek to do yourwill, and we thank you, dear
God, and we lean and we dependon trusting you that you're
faithful to complete the workthat you've started In Jesus'
name we pray.
Ashley (01:12:17):
Amen.
Shana (01:12:18):
Amen Amen.
Ashley (01:12:19):
Amen, amen.
Thanks, mom.
You're welcome baby.
Thank you.
Amen, amen Thanks, mom.
You're welcome baby.
Thank you.
Shana (01:12:29):
I don't know why we're whispering.
Ashley (01:12:31):
That's it.
What's up everybody.
Welcome to Kingdom Over Culturepodcast.
My name is Ashley Potter andI'm your host.
I'm so excited that you choseto tune in with us today.
I have my mom with me again.
I'm so glad to have you, mom,last week's episode.
Yes, we had such a good talkand I just felt like we weren't
finished and I really wanted youAre we ever finished?
(00:23):
We're never finished because itcontinues to go on every single
day, every morning, and, yeah, Ireally want you to get to
sharing some more of yourtestimony.
So we'll get into that later onin the podcast, but before we
get started in that, I wanted tojust kind of do a small little
recap of what we talked aboutlast week.
(00:44):
What was one of your favoritethings that we discussed in last
week's episode?
Shana (00:51):
I think the one of the things that I like best is how
there are two worlds.
Right, we talked about lovingthe world, not loving the world,
making sure that we arefocusing on those things that
(01:14):
God wants us to love.
I gave that example of Godbeing our father and being a
part of his family.
We're born into a new family,so now we have to learn a new
way of living, a new learningGod.
What does he like, what doesn'the not like?
How do we move?
And so, yeah, I wanted tocontinue a little bit of talking
(01:38):
about that and talking aboutthe two kingdoms that are here,
that there's a kingdom of Godand there's a kingdom of heaven,
but I know that you wanted togo into Romans 12.
Ashley (01:50):
So let's do that.
Okay, let's go into it.
Hold on, let me flip on overand let me pull it up, because
last week I was like there's amessage version of something.
And we read 1 John, but what Iwas thinking of was actually
Romans 12.
Shana (02:14):
And even in the book that I'm writing.
Ashley (02:15):
That is the resounding scripture that I speak about
honestly in every single chapterand, if you can, can you read
it in your version of the Bibleand I'll go ahead and pull it up
in the message Whoa.
Shana (02:23):
Oh, it's OK, Just dropped my phone.
Go ahead and pull it up in themessage Uh-oh, uh-oh, it's okay,
just dropped my phone, it'sokay.
I am reading, and I'm sorrybecause I have two versions I do
the Christian Standard versionand then I do ESV.
I don't know which version thisis that I brought today.
It's NIV.
I don't know which version thisis that I brought today.
It's NIV, and NIV version saysin Romans 12,.
(02:49):
Therefore, I urge you, brothersand sisters, in view of God's
mercy, to offer your bodies as aliving sacrifice, holy and
pleasing to God.
This is your true and properworship.
Do not conform to the patternof this world, but be
transformed by the renewing ofyour mind.
(03:10):
Then you will be able to testand approve what God's will is
his good, pleasing and perfectwill.
Ashley (03:20):
What I love about the NIV version is this is your true
worship.
You know I'm a worship leader,we're worship leaders.
You raised me, you know, as aworship leader and so my
exposure to worship and I thinka lot of people's thought of
worship is what we do inchurches, when we lift up our
hands, when we're singing and wetalk about this all the time,
(03:43):
that that is just our response,right, that's our response to
the knowledge of him, that's ourresponse to living a
surrendered life, um, but thisis the true worship yeah, yeah,
surrendering your entire selfyes to him.
Shana (04:01):
I'm not just singing a song.
The song comes out of your loveand your adoration for him, but
the life living, that's theworship.
Ashley (04:12):
Pause, because we didn't talk about that last week.
As generational worship leaders.
That's so interesting becauseyou know and I don't want to
cause any fuss or any rift oranything but one of the things
that I see so often in theworship arena is oh, you got to
(04:37):
have the most.
You know, you got to sound thisway, you got to run this way
and, ooh, they gave megoosebumps.
But when I tell you, ma, I havebeen in some concerts that
sound amazing, that have amazingsingers, and the Holy Spirit
says within me I'm not in this.
Shana (04:58):
Yeah, yeah.
So you think about it.
Sometimes we put emphasis onskill, but God puts emphasis on
the heart.
Ashley (05:09):
Yeah.
Shana (05:10):
So that's to see that again, that's the difference
between kingdom and culture.
There's two worlds, right?
Um, so we say, because someonehas this skill, um, oh, they did
a great job, but to whom?
Ashley (05:25):
Right, right, right, Because somebody can give you
goosebumps but they can't breakthe yokes over your life.
It's the anointing that doesthat.
Shana (05:41):
Right, right, and so that means that God's hand this
world system towards whatsatisfies us what makes us feel
good, what makes us feelcomfortable.
But in the kingdom of God it'swhat is pleasing to God.
(06:08):
It's what's pleasing to ourFather, it's what draws us
closer to Him, because thisworld is going to pass away and
remember all the things that wevalue here is not what God
values.
There's two different valuesystems.
So when we come into Christ, weare supposed to seek those
(06:32):
things that are valuable to God.
And so if you are so stuck inthe culture or stuck in this
world, you're not looking atwhat is pleasing to God.
You're focusing on what isnormal to the culture, what
everybody like.
What's everybody doing?
Oh, I like this.
Turn up, you know.
(06:52):
And just because someone can doacrobats with their voice, does
it mean that they're actuallyministering?
Anybody can sing.
It don't mean that they'reministering.
Ashley (07:05):
Whitney Houston, give me goosebumps, right People, and I
think that honestly in thechurch.
This is why scriptures likethis, like are you able to test
and discern the will of God, thepresence of God, and those
things, don't mean that God isin the midst.
(07:26):
Right.
Shana (07:27):
Right, absolutely yeah.
And if we don't know what Godlikes, we don't know how to
discern Right.
So the scripture says to study,to show yourself approved under
God, a workman need about notto be ashamed.
And so a lot of times, becausethings are presented to us, we
(07:49):
think that is good, right, right.
But we find out very, veryquickly whether or not it was
good for us, because did itleave something lasting that we
can?
That is nourishment for us.
Like, where are we going to benourished from and we talked
(08:09):
about that last week when are wegetting our nourishment from?
Some of these things are just,maybe it's a snack, maybe it's a
snack.
It might be a snack, you know,but it's really not.
It's not the vegetables.
It's not the lean grass-fed meat, it's not that.
And if you are just that's allyou're getting, then you're
(08:32):
going to stay hungry, you'regoing to stay malnourished,
you're not going to last long.
Your walk with Christ is notgoing to last long.
You're going to fall every timesomething happens because
you're only looking to get theselittle small meals, these
little processed meals thattaste good but it's not
(08:56):
nourishing.
You know, something might soundgood, but did it nourish me?
Did it speak to my heart?
Did it draw me closer to God,or was it just, oh, it was
something me?
Did it speak to my heart?
Did it draw me closer to God,or was it just, oh, it was
something I attend and it waslit.
No, I really can't.
I can't remember what they'resaying, but it felt good in the
moment, but it felt good.
(09:16):
It felt good and then there'snothing that convict me.
There's no testimony.
Yeah, there's nothing that'sconvict me.
It didn't make me fall to myknees and draw men to ourselves,
yeah, Because that's a wholeother conversation.
(09:47):
Because that's leaders as awhole.
I don't even think that isworship leaders, and I think
that's one of the things thatyou have to be careful, because
pride and ego can come into thatvery quickly.
Most definitely, yeah.
Ashley (10:00):
One of the things that you said reminded me of because
I really was about to.
You was about to take mestraight to Colossians.
We was just about to skip rightover Romans, but you said
something and I want to bring itback to Romans 12 in the
message version, which says sohere's what I want you to do,
god helping you, which I lovebecause it's telling you yeah,
(10:22):
jesus already did what he did atthe cross, but now there's
something for you to do.
So this is what I want you todo, but God's going to help you
do it.
You don't have to do it byyourself.
Take your everyday, ordinarylife.
You're sleeping, you're eating,you're going to work, you're
walking around life.
That means you go to thegrocery store, you're being a
mom, being a husband, whateverit is your everyday life, not
(10:45):
just your church life, not justyou know and place it before God
as an offering.
Embracing what God does for youis the best thing you can do
for him.
And then this is the part that,yeah, it's so good.
Don't become so well adjustedto your culture that you fit in
(11:07):
without even thinking.
Instead, fix your attention onGod.
I just want to pause real quickbecause when I read this, it's
so easy to become so welladjusted when you're not fixed,
to become so well adjusted whenyou're not fixed, when your eyes
aren't fixed on him, when youreyes aren't fixed on Christ and
(11:28):
on the things of God, when youdon't know, like you said, the
will of God.
What is he like, what is he notlike?
What breaks the heart of God?
What does he?
What makes him smile, whatbrings him joy?
In our lives it's easy to goalong with what the world says
is good.
We talk about that a lot, ofwhat we call good and what God
(11:50):
calls good, and how honestly heis good, right.
So our definition of goodshould derive from who he is
Right.
It's skewed, isn't it?
Yeah?
Shana (12:01):
Mm-hmm.
Ashley (12:03):
But let me keep reading.
It's skewed, isn't it?
Yeah, mm-hmm, but let me keepreading.
And then it says you'll bechanged from the inside out,
readily recognize what he wantsfrom you and quickly respond to
it.
Unlike the culture around youalways dragging you down to its
level of immaturity, god bringsout the best of you.
He develops a well-formedmaturity in you.
Shana (12:28):
I like the part where it's your average daily life
right, your average daily life,because we want to invite God
into the big moments or themoments when we think that
definitely, god should be a part, but it's your daily life.
(12:48):
So, when you even think aboutwhere it talks about keeping
your mind or keeping yourattention focused on those
things that are above, how manytimes do we leave the house and
we don't even consider what Godwanted us to do today, like we
didn't even seek him to figureout what is it that he wants me
(13:11):
to do?
And so we go about our day, allday, and we didn't invite the
Holy Spirit in to move.
And so, because we are notkeenly aware, when he even tries
to talk to us, we're notlistening, because we already
have our day planned out forwhat we want to do, and so it is
supposed to be a surrenderedlife.
(13:32):
So if you are surrendering yourlife, that should start from
the time you wake up.
Ashley (13:37):
That's honestly because we value our will more than we
value God's.
I think that a lot of times,even believers, we don't seek
the Lord because we really don'twant to hear him.
Shana (13:49):
If the truth be told, we already have our plans planned
out and we know that God can bea disruptor of our day.
Ashley (14:02):
Most definitely he can be a disruptor of our day.
Shana (14:04):
Most definitely, he can be a disruptor to our day, and
so that's true that sometimes wedon't want to hear from him.
But think about it.
Think about the eternal weightof glory, the eternal reward
that you're missing out on whenyou don't want him to direct
(14:29):
your day.
And so often I think about thatbecause the scripture tells us
that we are in the world, butwe're not of the world, but we
act like we of it, and God istrying to get us to operate.
He's always trying to get hischildren to operate in his way
of doing things and not our own,and he know that it is good for
(14:53):
us.
But we see it as a distraction,we see it as a disruption, we
see it as yeah it's timeconsuming.
Ashley (15:03):
We see it as, yeah, it's time consuming.
It's honestly more sacrificethan we are willing to give a
lot of times.
This past Sunday, we had PastorBrandon Davis from Orlando at
our church and I mean, obviouslywe've been talking about the
service since.
It was a great service, but theLord really dealt with me in
(15:27):
that service.
Um, the Lord always deals withme in services and it's like the
preacher would be preaching andthe Holy Spirit's just like
speaking to me, like you need toget it together.
Yeah, and what the Lord dealtwith me on this Sunday was I
spent so many months this yearfrom the time the Lord told me
(15:48):
to close my business, to do thepodcast, to finish my book.
I spent so many monthswrestling and almost angry with
the Lord, even though I told himI wanted to do what he wanted
me to do.
And then, when he gave me theinstruction.
I was like, why that?
Like, this is how I make money,this is how, like, I've been
(16:11):
doing this for 15 years.
Why that?
And the Lord showed me thisSunday that I was so upset with
the instructions that I lost myawe for the hearing, the fact
that my father even cares enoughto speak to lead me, to guide
(16:36):
me, and I'm so worried about areyou really going to do what you
said you did?
The fact that I know what youwant me to do is enough for me
to know that you are who yousaid you are.
And I mean that thing justreally really tore me up this
Sunday and I had to repent andreposition my mindset.
(16:58):
You get to hear from God, youget to commune with the creator
of the universe, and so if hetells you to wear your least
favorite color, would you not doit Just because it's not your
preference, just because it'snot what feels comfortable in
the moment?
Which kind of brings me to CanI interject right?
there, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Shana (17:19):
Because if God always gave us exactly what we wanted,
where's the proof that we lovehim for him?
Come on, mama, where's theproof that we love him for him,
so he gives us stuff that wewouldn't prefer?
Yeah, I've been there manytimes when I would rather be
(17:41):
doing this, because it'scomfortable for me or because I
want to be hidden, and Godcalled you to do something else.
Will you obey?
That's the whole thing ofobedience, right?
It's not hard to obey.
If it's something you want todo, right, right.
But if it's something that youdon't necessarily want to do,
(18:03):
that's difficult for you.
That's where you're going tohave to trust God continually,
for, yeah, that shows that Ilove him and even though I don't
understand God, I trust you.
Ashley (18:15):
I was thinking about this scripture this morning,
colossians 1 and 10.
So as to walk in a mannerworthy of the Lord, fully
pleasing to him, bearing fruitin every good work and
increasing in the knowledge ofGod.
And I feel and you can quote,you can let me know if I'm wrong
(18:36):
we're not taught to please God.
Shana (18:43):
I don't know that.
I wasn't taught.
You taught me.
I'm not saying I wasn't taught.
Ashley (18:45):
You taught me.
I'm not saying I wasn't taught,because I think my parents get
a good job of trying to as awhole when, I listen to the word
that is or not everybody.
I'm not talking about everybody, but I don't hear that.
A lot Like the sacrificing ofself.
Shana (19:04):
That's culture, right?
Yeah, a week we supposed tolive our best life, do you boo?
Ashley (19:13):
don't let nobody disturb your peace right, right, you
know that's protecting my peace.
Yeah, don't get me started.
Shana (19:19):
Yes, that's, that's culture, that's the kingdom of
this world.
But the kingdom of God says Imust submit my will unto him.
It tells me I have to crucifymy flesh that feels so.
If we think about crucifixion,it's a horrible death, but we
(19:50):
don't use those as evangelicaltools.
Right, right, right To say,okay, you can come to Jesus,
this is where God loves you.
But when you come, you're goingto have to crucify your flesh
Right right.
Ashley (20:05):
It's like we pull them in with.
Oh, god's going to give youyour best life and he's going to
bless you.
Shana (20:08):
Which is true.
He is going to do that, butit's not going to be what you
think, because he's going tochange Romans 12, 1,.
Ashley (20:16):
He's going to renew your mind.
So the best life that youthought was best, six months
from now, if you are fullycommitted in Christ, you're
going to realize what youthought was best was beneath.
Shana (20:28):
So the scripture says so let your light shine.
We have to be willing to letGod shine, change our life.
And so in that change, this isall new to us.
The whole way we're supposed toact, the submission, this is
new.
We've been doing our own thingmost of our lives and so it's
(20:52):
all new.
So when the scripture tells usto crucify your flesh, that's
new.
I'm used to just going by theway I feel.
Now you're telling me I have toresist this thing that I feel
to do and not do it because it'snot pleasing to God.
But yes, you have to do it.
You have to do it.
You submit your will unto God,you submit your ways unto God
(21:15):
because you want him to directyour path.
You're no longer living foryourself, you're living as unto
God there is a differencebecause, as Christians, we
believe that this world, this isgoing to pass away and Jesus is
coming soon, yeah, and so Iwant to be where he is when he
(21:41):
comes.
Ashley (21:42):
Yes, ma'am, you all up in the scripture you already
know where we're going.
Shana (21:52):
So, yeah, so, yeah, so I submit myself to him.
So, because I love him, I obeyhim, so I crucify my flesh,
because I love him, I want himto be glorified in my life.
I want my light to shine.
I want, when people see me,they see Christ.
So, yes, I submit myself, Ihave to become as him, so I
allow the Holy Spirit to havehis way in me.
No, shani, you can't say that.
No, shani, you can't do that.
No, shani, you can't go there.
(22:12):
I want to go, you can't gothere.
Ashley (22:15):
Right, right, right.
I think you're speaking.
You know, I talked to you theother day about how, just this
week, I've just over and over,just been talking about people,
or talking with people, havingconversations, reading the word,
and it's all been about livinga fully submitted life.
And when I think about the wordsubmit, I go to like when you
(22:40):
submit a paper, you've done thework, you've done all that you
can, and now you have to submitit to someone else, your hands
are no longer on it, it's nolonger you can no longer make
any changes, it's all in thehands of someone else.
And I've been thinking about thefact that I have been living a
(23:02):
submitted life and over thesepast few months, honestly, I've
been really battling with it.
I've been in my mind going backand forth like man, god, like
why I got to be fully submitted.
These people get to do whateverthe heck they want to do.
But I'm over here, like youknow, because I love you and
because I know you.
(23:23):
I know too much to say, oh, I'mgoing to go my own way, or oh,
I'm going to do my own thing.
And so I know, at the end ofthe day, I want to please you,
but it feels like sometimes thatme pleasing you comes at such a
higher cost.
Shana (23:41):
So a lot of times people believe okay, so I accepted
Christ, and so the work is done,right.
But then there's a processthat's called sanctification,
where God works within us tobecome more like him.
Right Brings us to the image ofChrist, and so that is the
lifelong process that we have togo through.
That is what you're feeling.
(24:02):
It's this process ofsanctification that God is doing
within you, and so sometimes itfeels like death because it is,
it is.
It feels like death because itis, it is.
You know, that's even theprocess of you know, suffering
Like we look at the world looksat suffering like you know, it's
(24:23):
the end of the world For abeliever.
We look at suffering as it's atool that God uses to bring me
closer to him, for me to becomemore like him.
I went through my deal withkidney failure.
(24:50):
Was that through that process,my release, my grip on the world
and the things that I thoughtwas valuable it released I got
to a level of freedom that Inever thought that I could
experience.
Like, certain things just don'tbother me anymore because I
know that it's not important,God not going to value it, that
it's not important, God notgoing to value it.
It's not going to go with meinto heaven.
Someone's opinion of me okay,I'd rather have God's opinion.
(25:14):
I'd rather him to know that I'mdoing what I need to do to
please him rather than me beinga people pleaser.
Right, right, even just talkingthis Sunday with Brandon, I
passed Brandon's message I wassharing with some of the ladies
on Saturday that I used to be anoverthinker.
(25:36):
Yes, you did, but God has freedme from that.
Like I don't.
Okay, you know, I'm going toenjoy my day, like I'm still
playing vacations for me and myhusband, but at the end of the
day, when I'm done, I'm done,I'm not going to think about
that anymore.
And so God has really freed mefrom those things.
(25:59):
And he uses sanctification todo it.
Ashley (26:03):
Mommy, you're so spot on , because when I tell you, even
through this wrestle, and everytime the Lord calls me to shift,
it is a shedding, it's a dyingand you're 100% right, right.
(26:23):
It's not only a death tosomething that I poured myself
into for 15 years.
It's a death to what Iperceived as this is the
direction I'm going in.
Shana (26:31):
And.
Ashley (26:31):
God is like no, I'm taking you down this path.
And so now the trajectory ofwhat I thought success would
look like for me is beingshifted and I feel like I am in
the wilderness by myself and I'mjust like I'm Abraham and the
Lord's, like I'm taking you froma land that you know and I'm
taking you to somewhere that youdo not know and I'm not going
(26:52):
to tell you where I'm taking you, but just follow me.
But while I'm in this land, Ifasted more than I've ever had.
The Lord has revealed somethings, some hard things to me,
that are within me.
I've recognized some thingsthat within me that, if you
would have asked me in November,do you struggle with this?
I?
Shana (27:12):
would have said no.
Ashley (27:14):
But I just didn't have the opportunity to because my
life circumstances did not allowme to suffer with that or to
even struggle with those things.
But now I found myself not nowpraise the Lord Thank you, lord,
for just speaking to me andrevealing to me and helping me
through that.
But a few months ago I foundmyself struggling, wrestling
(27:37):
with my faith, like is this evenlike, do I want to do this?
I can really just go get me agood job, I can make me some
good money.
I my, you know 401k, all ofthose things.
I'm like I can do these things,but do I really want, like you
said, do I really want, to livemy life and say I stored up all
of these things for myself and Igo to heaven?
Shana (27:59):
empty handed?
Yeah, because that's whatthat's culture too.
Right, we want all these thingshere and we spend so much time
Getting stuff.
We spend so much and I getemotional about it because it's
(28:19):
not going to last.
Emotional about it because it'snot going to last.
Yeah, but what do we do withthe things that God gave us
that's valuable to him?
Yeah, the time, especiallyspent away from your family,
what could have been time spent,um, valuable time spent with
(28:44):
children, training them up, uh.
Time spent with loved ones, uh,I think even about the times
when, uh, we're so busy workingand working, and working, and we
(29:06):
didn't even see where ourchildren grow up, people missing
important milestones in theirkids' lives because they after
the bag, they after storing upTime away from church, like it
used to be a time when peopledidn't want jobs on Sundays.
Ashley (29:26):
Yeah.
Shana (29:29):
It was important for them to be in fellowship with other
believers on Sunday morning.
Now it's cultural to work onSundays.
Yeah, if you ain't working youdoing your own.
Ashley (29:42):
It's cultural to work on Sundays.
Yeah, if you ain't working, youdoing your own.
Shana (29:45):
It's cultural to miss Sundays, miss services.
Yeah, it's cultural to notserve at all.
Ashley (29:55):
Like even from a lot of the churches that I follow and
the type of content that theyproduce.
A lot of it is surrounding whyare people not serving in your
church?
Why are people not coming toyour services?
But I think that it speaks moreto our love for God and our
(30:16):
love for people.
Like we talked about last week,it's like everything dwindles
down to love God, love people.
Shana (30:25):
I think, out of your love for God, you love people.
Yeah, because I'm notnecessarily on my own a people's
person.
If I tell you the truth, it isthe absolute work of the Holy
Spirit within me.
Ashley (30:39):
I know.
I know you all my life, fromthe day I was born, you've been
my mama.
I am my daddy's child.
Shana (30:49):
I have had moments when the Holy Spirit would say be her
friend, because I am not apeople person.
There's moments in my walkwhere the Holy Spirit has said
allow her to be your friend, Iam in this relationship, allow
(31:11):
that person to be.
I am not necessarily a people'sperson.
I have to allow the Holy Spiritto work within me and I'm not
ashamed of that Because guesswhat?
That was my sinful nature.
That comes from hurt and painthat God is healing.
That's from things that God isrestoring.
(31:34):
So I'm not necessarily ashamedof it, but I'm saying that I
need the help of the Holy Spiritto help me.
And so that's even whatsanctification does.
Like we feel like we okay, likewe feel like we're patient, we
feel like we're good.
But then the spirit of God willcome within us and he'll
challenge us in a way that wehaven't been challenged before
(31:56):
and he says do this and you like, and you find out.
You know what, I'm not sopatient, right, like I don't
really trust you to the degreethat I thought that I trust you.
Like I'm not as submitted toyou that I thought I was
submitted and do you think thatthat is because what?
Ashley (32:15):
what I'm picturing is because you're not new to the
faith?
No, and so you are decades intoyour walk with Christ and
you're still evolving.
Shana (32:28):
Yeah, you're still growing, you're still showing me
things, you're still.
Ashley (32:32):
And so what I'm hearing is you're going from glory to
glory, but from glory to glory,there's also different things
that you're having, differentchallenges, different things
that the Lord is showing you.
Hey, this is what we're workingon in this season.
Right, this is what I'm goingto reveal to you about you in
this season.
What I love about that is Godis so kind that he's not like
(32:55):
now that you're saved, I'm justgoing to change you completely.
He gives us grace and he walkswith us every step of the way.
I'm sure that as soon as you gotsaved, there were some other
things that you had to work onand.
I feel like the more that wework with God honestly, the work
gets deeper and deeper, becausewhen we first get saved, it's
(33:16):
like okay, we know.
Oh, we got to stop doing thebig sins the stuff that people
can see.
But we don't look at the kindof stuff in Colossians the anger
, the malice, the strife, thosethings that are on the inside,
that nobody really can seeunless we show them, but God
knows it's there.
Like when I went on that fast afew weeks ago.
(33:38):
I mean I was fasting andpraying and I was just like God,
give me revelation, and how doI get out of this thing?
And the Lord you know, the onlything I took from that fast is
that the Lord told me you eattoo much, you eat too much.
Stop going out to eat so much.
Shana (33:53):
Cook you something, make a salad, I love that.
Do something else.
Drink some water.
Everyday things right, yes.
Ashley (34:00):
Everyday, it's the everyday things, right, and not
to feel like, oh, I'm goodbecause I don't do these one,
two, three, four big sins.
And we feel like, oh, you know,I'm good with God, but you a
glutton.
Oh God, that was me.
Hey, that was me.
And right now, now I'm tryingto make those conscious choices
(34:25):
and honestly, it's Romans 12,submitting your body, and I've
submitted my soul, but it's this, this flesh because, maybe when
it want brownies and ice creamand with a little caramel
drizzle on top, and you know,the little pecans that I get
from the grocery store.
Shana (34:42):
Just drop on the top you know I like them.
Ashley (34:46):
I say yes to my flesh every time when I want to go to
eat tank right.
I say yes to my flesh rightevery time.
And the Lord showed me you haveno self control.
Yeah, I'm working out my fruitin you so that you can bear more
fruit.
Shana (35:04):
Yeah, and we think that it's not problematic because
it's just food, right, but whatare the areas that you will not?
You know you won't deny yourflesh in Right, right, you know
when God says for you to dosomething.
And so, yeah, we think thatit's a small thing, but even the
small things, god has beenshowing me that, those small
(35:25):
things, when we tolerate them,that they can turn into bigger
things.
We see it as small.
God sees that this is a problem.
This is going to be a problemfor her.
Ashley (35:36):
And making those small changes is a mind transformation
.
So when you make a small changehere, you're making a complete
mind shift.
I think I had this thought afew weeks ago when I was trying
to become more disciplined withour walking and with cooking
(35:57):
more and eating better, thatdiscipline brings more
discipline.
The lack of self-control breedsmore lack of self-control, and
so I think it's all in.
God wants to continue totransform our minds because, at
(36:21):
the end of the day, he doesn'twant anything to be our God.
Shana (36:24):
Nothing but him.
Yeah, we make idols so quickly.
Yep, we make idols so quickly,and I think that because we live
in this country, in the UnitedStates, we don't see them as
idols, because it's not a goldencalf, we're not worshiping it
in our minds.
Ashley (36:41):
We're not lifting up our hands what we think is worship.
But it's also because of ourskewed mindset to what worship
is.
Worship is a lifestyle.
It's not a song.
It's not a lifting up of hands.
Shana (36:51):
So, it's?
Ashley (36:51):
what are you surrendering your life to the
most?
What is it?
Shana (36:54):
Yeah, is it your job?
Come on, mama, come on, mama.
Do you ever cut off?
You know, I hear entrepreneurstalk about it all the time and
they say you know, this 24-7.
Wow, Like, why Would you wantto spend 24-7?
God never created us to doanything that's 24-7.
Ashley (37:16):
Yeah but worship him.
Shana (37:17):
But worship him Like is it a job, or is it an idol, or
is social media?
You know, when I got hip toTikTok I found myself.
Ashley (37:30):
I was like two hours sweet pie.
Listen, I'm calling Mama.
What you doing?
Shana (37:36):
I'm on TikTok.
I said, oh my God, when didthat time go by?
You know it's so quickly.
Is it social media?
What is it Like?
What is your favorite thing onYouTube to watch?
Like streaming I'm just nowlearning about streaming and how
(37:57):
they on there for hours andhours and I'm like people are
watching y'all for hours andhours.
Like how, where did they, wheredid they get the time to be
watching you for that long?
Like that's amazing to me.
Like those are idols.
Ashley (38:13):
Yeah the Lord been dealing with me about social
media and I know, um, probablyabout after this week, because
we got the big event coming upso I gotta be posting for that.
But even so, like this morningI woke up and I was like, oh,
I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna dothat, and I just scrolling I
done posted eight things.
I'm scroll.
I'm like, how did I get here?
Yeah, get me behind me, say.
(38:33):
And I literally threw my phonebehind me so that I could
complete what I needed to do andit just it happened so easily
and so quickly that you don'teven recognize Romans 12, you
don't even recognize that thisthing is calling you.
This thing has got yourattention and now the 20 minutes
(38:57):
that you meant to be studying,or to be preparing, or to be
praying, or to be doing whateverit is that you're supposed to
be doing you've wasted.
Shana (39:05):
And you know we were talking this morning about AI
and it's just like that.
Right, those things should betools for us, but we make them
idols, right?
We put them in the—we replaceGod with those tools that he's
given us, just like he mightgive us a house.
Now, all of a sudden, we don'tinvite anybody to our house
(39:27):
because I got to keep my houseclean, or, you know, it becomes
an idol.
We take the tools and thethings that God has made for us
to enjoy and we put them beforehim Like anything that God has
given us.
He's created it for us to enjoyand we put them before him Like
anything that God has given us.
He's created it for us to enjoy.
He's created it as a tool, butit's not supposed to replace him
.
Yeah.
Ashley (39:48):
And we do that so quickly.
We do it quickly.
It's like we do it so quickly.
It's not just the children ofIsrael out in the wilderness
asking Aaron to make that goldencalf.
We make golden calves every day.
Shana (40:01):
Right.
Ashley (40:02):
Every single day Right.
Shana (40:05):
And so that's why our submission has to be daily.
Ashley (40:08):
It has to be daily.
Shana (40:09):
That's why we have to renew our minds daily.
That's why we have to spendtime with him daily, or else
we'll take the things that Godhas given us and make something
else out of them.
Ashley (40:19):
Yeah.
Shana (40:19):
And normally we make gods out of them.
Ashley (40:21):
We make gods out of them .
I want to look at Colossians 3,because we've been all up and
through Colossians 3 just inthis conversation and this
morning when we were talking, Iwasn't even planning on coming
to Colossians 3.
I literally I'm notsuperstitious, I don't be
opening my Bible and just belike, boom, this is scripture.
But that's kind of how ithappened.
This morning I saw I hadsomething a little highlighted.
(40:42):
I said what's this?
And it was the exact word thatwe need it for today.
Colossians 3, honestly, 1through 17.
1 through 17 is it's going totear you up and I actually
(41:06):
taught on Colossians 3, 17.
In our worship rehearsal wehave like a little small group
portion before we rehearse onThursdays, and I taught on this
for a couple of weeks.
It's so good, because we arecoming out of this whole grace,
(41:32):
grace, grace, grace, grace,grace, grace mindset in the
church that we have discountedthe work of sanctification and
one of the things thatColossians 3 talks about is
putting on the things of Christ,putting on righteousness, and
(41:55):
it doesn't say that God's goingto do it.
It don't say that the HolySpirit is going to do it.
It doesn't say that the bloodof Jesus is going to do it.
It don't say that the HolySpirit is going to do it.
It doesn't say that the bloodof Jesus is going to do it.
It says you do it.
There is work for us.
There is work for us to do inChrist.
Jesus did a work.
Now it's time for us to work.
We don't have to work forsalvation, but once we are saved
(42:17):
, there's work to do, there'swork to do.
But once we are saved, there'swork to do.
There's work to do, and I thinkthat that's such a misconstrued
thought in the body, especiallywhen I see some of the types of
Christian creators that arebecoming popular.
They're all about Jesus.
They're all about the blood ofJesus.
(42:37):
They're all about salvation.
They're all about blessing, butthey're not about
sanctification.
They're not about putting onrighteousness.
They're not about the blood ofJesus.
They're all about salvation.
They're all about blessing, butthey're not about
sanctification.
They're not about putting onrighteousness.
They're not about what is holyand what is right and being set
apart.
None of those things are in it,and people cling to those
things because we don't want totake off ourselves.
Shana (42:57):
Yeah, ourselves, yeah.
Ashley (43:07):
I think, though, that it's the mindset of well, all I
have to do is be safe to go toheaven, but then I would
question whether you trulysurrendered and believe yeah.
Shana (43:15):
Yeah, Because it's not.
Ashley (43:18):
this is all a part of it .
It's all a part.
It's a one-package deal.
Shana (43:23):
Yeah, it's all a part of it, because I remember, even
thinking with my immature mindas a kid well, if all I have to
do is believe and receive, thenwhy do I have to do all this
stuff?
Right like why and I thinkthat's what a lot of people, a
(43:47):
lot of people do think and theydo believe, and when we look at
that word, if we believe, butdid you believe?
right?
Did you really did you believeRight?
Did you really did you reallybelieve Um?
And then, if you reallybelieved and you really made him
(44:11):
Lord, then you wouldn't haveany problem with the rest, right
?
And so I think that we alwayscome back to that question of,
well, what did?
Did you really receive, youknow?
Did you really believe God?
Um, and this is the proof.
Right?
They say the proof is in thepudding, this is, this is the
pudding.
And so this is where you'regoing to be proved.
(44:33):
What did, what did you believewhen?
When you said that you did Um?
Ashley (44:38):
so yeah, let's go let's go into that Colossians.
Yeah, I want to.
I want to talk about Colossiansbecause there there's such this
weight on blessings and beingblessed and living a blessed
life and all of these differentthings.
But blessings does not equateto stuff.
No it, it, it doesn't, and Ifeel like, because you can have
(45:04):
stuff without having Christ, soit don't.
Shana (45:08):
It does not.
That's not the blessing.
Ashley (45:12):
That's not the blessing.
Honestly, I'm not going to gointo that.
Colossians yeah, you want toread.
You want me to?
Shana (45:24):
read what you want to do mama Go ahead when are you at?
Three one, oh, three one.
Okay, since then you have beenraised with Christ.
Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the
right hand of God.
Set your minds on things above,not on earthly things, for you
died and your life is now hiddenwith Christ in God.
(45:46):
Pause.
Ashley (45:49):
Yeah, you died.
So you're saying to tie thiswith what you just said.
Mm-hmm oh, I'm just saved.
Why do I have to do all thisstuff?
Shana (46:05):
You were supposed to die.
You were supposed to die.
You were supposed to die.
Ashley (46:10):
And when I think about a baby, when I think about being
reborn, you are literally taughtlike I have a four-year-old.
You have to teach them everysingle thing.
You got to teach them how toblow their nose, how to wipe
their butts.
You got to teach them everysingle thing.
You got to teach them how toblow their nose, how to wipe
their butts.
You got to teach them how to doeverything.
And so now, we should.
Shana (46:26):
You don't have to teach them how to be bad.
You don't have to teach themhow to be bad.
You don't Listen here.
Ashley (46:33):
But now, that is the way that we should approach Christ,
we should approach the kingdomof God.
I know nothing.
Shana (46:42):
Teach me everything you got to teach me.
You have to show me and I haveto be willing to spend time with
you so you could do that Likeyou think about a baby even even
you know they give youmaternity leave, not again they
given the husbands they got,they got leave too.
And so that is that time ofbonding, that time of nurturing,
(47:06):
that time of spending time withthat baby and we talked about
it last week and I think a lotof times that's what's missing
in a lot of people'srelationship with God.
There was no one there tonurture them and they didn't
know how to even go to God andspend that time with him, right,
(47:26):
right, and know that that'simportant, because a lot of
times people don't getinstructions.
Ashley (47:32):
You know, we got instructions on how to bring
people into the body.
We got instructions, we got afull setup of how church should
go, but for some reason, as abody we miss somewhere between
that salvation and what happensnext.
We miss the babies.
We miss the babies.
Shana (47:51):
Yeah, so they just wandering by themselves and so,
yeah, that's heartbreaking forme.
Yeah, because sometimes theydon't need what we need, right?
Because we've been in the faitha little bit longer, so we're a
little bit more mature, butthey need milk.
Ashley (48:09):
Yeah, yeah, they need that, and I feel like I don't
know if it's because ourmindsets are set on moving
forward or those that need milk,but there should be some sort
(48:29):
of nursery.
Shana (48:35):
Yeah, because we don't even wait for the baby to ask us
for milk, right?
No, they tell you to feed themevery so many hours.
It's like they don't.
No, they tell you to feed themevery so many hours.
It's like they don't know.
They don't know they might cry,but let them cry.
Like do we even understand whattheir cries mean?
Like, do we even understand?
(48:55):
Because now we're looking atpeople who are adult in age, but
in the faith they're babies.
So when they're crying, wedon't even understand what their
tears mean, because we don'tknow.
Like they need milk.
Yeah, they need milk.
They need their diapers changed.
(49:16):
They done messed up.
Ashley (49:18):
They done make a mess, they done messed up, and now we
done.
Condemned them, babies, thebaby's not coming back, right,
they ain't coming back, right,they ain't coming back because
these people don't care about me.
Shana (49:25):
Oh God, they don't care about me.
Ashley (49:29):
I'm going to make that a matter of prayer because, yeah,
that just struck something inme and, honestly, that is where
kingdom over culture comes from,that is where righteous girl in
a ratchet world comes from,because I see the hunger and the
desire, yeah, but there's nodirection.
(49:49):
Right, right, I want to get toColossians and I want to get to
your testimony, so let youstopped at, I stopped you.
I stopped you at verse versefour, you go ahead.
When Christ, who is your life,appears, then you also will
appear with him in glory.
Put to death, therefore, whatis earthly in you.
(50:12):
This is the process for thebabies sexual immorality,
impurity, passion, evil desiresand covetousness, which is
idolatry.
That's what it is.
On account of these, the wrathof God is coming, and then it
(50:33):
talks to the new.
Come on word.
You better speak to us today Inthese.
You too once walked, you wereliving in them, but now you must
put them all away, them allaway.
See what we just talked about.
See how the word just be tyingstuff together, the outward and
then the inward.
Now this is where the peoplewho've been walking with Jesus
(50:54):
for a little while it say putthem all away, not just the
first little few things that youthink.
Oh, I'm clean.
Anger, wrath, malice, slanderand obscene talk from your mouth
.
You mean you can't cuss.
Shana (51:08):
Okay.
Ashley (51:08):
All right.
I don't think it's not evenjust cussing, because you can
say obscene things withoutcussing and I think that a lot
of church people have masteredobscene language without having.
Shana (51:24):
I'm not going to ask you for an example.
I ain't going to give you noexamples.
Ashley (51:28):
And then it say because it tells you what obscene
language might be, right afterthat Do not lie to one another.
Shana (51:34):
That's the truth.
Ooh, remember when I saidsomething about lying a few
months ago that how you know Iwas praying about it and the
Holy Spirit was saying it's soeasy for Christians to lie Like.
We just lie.
We be how you doing.
I'm doing good Lie.
We just lie Like.
Ashley (51:56):
Without anybody even encouraging us to lie Like you,
not even in a position where youneed to lie, because it's not
culturally acceptable to tellthe truth, because as soon as I
tell you what's going on and weover-spiritualize everything.
Shana (52:13):
Well, you shouldn't confess that they not confess
they telling you what's going onwith them.
They're telling you, like it'sokay, job friends, like you know
Literally what's happening Jobfriends.
What is happening here, likewhere the prayer warriors, where
the intercessors, where theencouragers, like, call them
(52:36):
forth because it's giving Jobfriends.
Ashley (52:41):
Do not lie to one another.
Seeing that you have put offthe old self with its practices
we talked about practicing lastweek practicing sin or
practicing righteousness andhave put on the new self.
Yeah, seeing that you have putoff the old self with its
(53:03):
practices and have put on thenew self, which is being renewed
in knowledge after the image ofits creator.
You cannot be renewed in theknowledge of the image of your
creator if you don't haveknowledge of what the image of
your creator looks like.
Shana (53:25):
Go back to 101, christianity 101.
You got to spend time with God,you got to spend time in his
word.
Ashley (53:37):
You got to get to know him.
I want to skip down to verse 12, because here comes okay, we
hear all these things.
This is what we shouldn't do.
These are the things that wehave to take off.
Verse 12 starts speaking to dothis instead.
These are the things.
This is the reflection.
(53:57):
This is the image of God thatwe should take on.
Can you read that for me, MaVerse 12.
Image of God that we shouldtake on.
Shana (54:02):
Can you read that for me, mom, verse 12.
Therefore, as God's chosenpeople, holy and dearly loved,
clothe yourselves withcompassion, kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience.
Keep going, bear with eachother and forgive one another.
If any of you has a grievanceagainst someone, forgive as the
(54:23):
Lord forgave you, and over allthese virtues, put on love,
which binds them all together inperfect unity.
Ashley (54:34):
There goes that word again.
Yeah, yeah.
Shana (54:37):
So this is talking about what we are supposed to
exemplify, how we are supposedto live, what we're supposed to
be putting on right Compassion,kindness, humility, gentleness
and patience.
Like, why y'all popping off ateverything?
Like, why are you kind toeverybody else but your wife?
(54:59):
Like, why are you gentle withthose people, babies, but you
yank your child?
Like why are you gentle withthose people, babies, but you
yank your child?
Like what is happening?
Like, who are we Like?
Who do we belong to?
And God's saying this is who Iam to my children.
There's a scripture, and Ithink it's in amos, that talks
(55:25):
about um, that god tells, tellsthe children of israel that you
are the only family that I know.
Yeah, and that thing bugged meand I'm like he's like, out of
all the families of the earth,you're the only family I know
it's like and nobody else.
He's not concerned, notnecessarily not concerned.
(55:45):
He wants them to come to him,but his family, like y'all
supposed to be different.
Ashley (55:50):
Yeah.
Shana (55:53):
I've poured myself into you.
Like you supposed to bedifferent.
It's like a parent going to aschool because their child
hecking up.
Like you know, you spent timewith that kid.
Like you know you raising themup the right way, but they
acting up and he's like you know.
This is not how we act.
You are such and such, you arethis, and here you are acting
(56:19):
like you don't have no hometraining.
God said this is who I am, thisis how I want you to behave.
Why y'all here acting like youdon't have no home training?
God said this is who I am, thisis how I want you to behave.
Why y'all here acting like yourfather, the devil?
Why you acting like the enemy?
Why you acting like it?
No, this is how we supposed tobe acting, right right, we
supposed to be compassionate.
We acting like the culture.
Ashley (56:37):
Because compassion yeah.
Shana (56:41):
The culture don't know.
Compassion, you know it's sofunny.
Ashley (56:44):
I've been doing this thing lately that has been
shocking people.
It's so funny how the things ofGod shocks the world.
Yeah, when you're kind to peoplethat you don't know when you're
compassionate, when you showhumility, meekness, patience,
all of those things, and it's soshocking to them, but it
shouldn't be shocking to thechurch, you know.
(57:06):
But I've been doing this thingwhere I've been holding doors
for people Like you know, likewhen somebody kind of too far
away, like you're at a gasstation, you open the door and
you see somebody like kind ofstill about it, like they too,
far for you to really be holdingthe door.
Shana (57:21):
I'm holding the door.
Let you sell kind of stillabout it.
Ashley (57:23):
Like they too far for you to really be holding the
door.
I'm holding the door.
Let you sell you got it or I'llstill hold the door.
Or if I get to the door first.
If it's a man or a woman, I'llopen the door.
Wow, she said no, I'm notstopping, baby, I'm sorry.
I'll open the door for thembefore they open it for me.
Not because, you know, I don'twant men to be a gentleman or
anything like that.
I'm subscribed to the scripture.
(57:44):
I'm being kind, I'm beingcompassionate and that's just
like my little thing that I'vebeen doing like over the last
few weeks.
And the other day, me and thisguy it was an older white
gentleman that was on the otherside of the door and we were
both approaching the door fromopposite sides and I grabbed the
door before him and I opened itand he said to me, wow, no
(58:05):
one's ever done that for mebefore.
And I was like, yeah, I'm agentle woman, and he cracked up
laughing.
But just to hear him say that um, I mean people that would not
even have a conversation, wouldnot even have any type of
anything.
But not only did I leave himfeeling like, wow, somebody did
(58:26):
something, kind, of me.
Shana (58:27):
I left him with a smile on his face because you know I'm
goofy like that.
Ashley (58:30):
Um, but that just really .
After he said that, I was likeyou know what, I'm gonna keep
doing this, because how manyother people don't get a nice
thing done to them?
Just that day.
It doesn't take much for me tojust wait two seconds, or to
grab the door first and be likeyou have a good day or God bless
you Just to share somethingwith someone that they wouldn't
(58:52):
get outside of.
A believer being in the midstand the Lord's just been really
showing me just little ways tobe the hands and feet of Jesus.
It don't have to be that bigold, you know.
Oh, we're doing this, we'reputting on this event Romans 12,
your everyday life.
Shana (59:12):
Your contact with people Going to the grocery store.
Ashley (59:15):
Yeah.
Shana (59:15):
Going to the gas station.
Like, what are you saying?
There's so many times peopletry to strike up a conversation
with you and do you have time?
Are you on to your next thing?
Because you already have yourday already mapped out and what
you're going to do.
Did you take that time to justeven have a light conversation
with that person?
(59:35):
God has definitely beenstretching me in that way, maybe
not holding doors, butdefinitely if somebody says
something and it opens the doorfor a conversation, I'll have
that conversation with them.
And, which is very interesting,because Mariah, like a couple
of times, was with me and shewas like where am I?
You're talking to me.
I'm like, yes, I'm talking tothem because God is, because
(59:58):
what if, in that moment, thatwas just the moment they needed
to draw them closer to God.
I didn't want to miss that.
Like I said, I know the timesRight.
Ashley (01:00:11):
Yeah.
Shana (01:00:12):
The Bible talks about us numbering our days.
I know the numbers of my days,and so I don't want to spend
time doing something that isfrivolous.
Ashley (01:00:24):
Right right.
Shana (01:00:24):
I want to do things that are meaningful that are
impactful, Making those depositsyeah making those deposits,
making sure I'm showing thefruits of the Spirit, making
sure that I'm beingcompassionate, I'm being gentle,
I'm being kind.
I know you talked about wantingto go into my testimony, but for
so much, so many people, godhas been drawing me to that.
(01:00:48):
I've had chronic kidney diseaseand I've dealt with kidney
failure, and so, especially whenI meet those people, I always
want to encourage them.
I always want to leave themwith something from God, because
I know what God has done withinmy heart and within my life
during that process.
And, like I said last week, Iknow if it wasn't for that, I
(01:01:10):
wouldn't have been to the placethat God has me now, where I do
have just a tender spot forpeople who are on dialysis, who
are going through that process,because it can feel very lonely
for people who are on dialysiswho are going through that
process, because it can feelvery lonely, it can feel like
nobody really understands, and Iwant them to know that God sees
(01:01:31):
them and God knows them and Godloves them.
Ashley (01:01:42):
And yeah, to ask you, how did a scripture like Romans
12, presenting your body as aliving sacrifice, how did that
show up in your testimony, inyour process?
Let me say that because I wasthere, yeah.
Shana (01:02:05):
I think Romans 12 has always been a part of my life
when I gave my life back to theLord in 1991, right before I had
you.
It's always been a part of mylife, though hearing a diagnosis
is that you know there's nocure.
It didn't change my posture.
(01:02:28):
Yeah, it made me ask God a lotof questions.
I can't deny that the processwas definitely very painful
physically, you know, and Ithink that sometimes we have
this misconception of suffering,that some kind of how God going
to take all the pain away, no,that's, that's that's when we go
(01:02:50):
, go back with him.
But in reality you feel it andit's painful and it's hard, and
God doesn't always take thatfrom you, but his promise is
that he'll be there with youthrough it and in your mind
(01:03:14):
you'd be like well, I need youto take the pain.
But if he always took the painaway, then I wouldn't have cried
out to him as much as I did.
If he always took the pain away, I would not have asked my
husband to read the word as muchas I did during that process.
(01:03:36):
Read it, because I couldn'tread it.
My arms were so painful Icouldn't hold my Bible or hold a
phone sometimes.
So he had to read thescriptures to me, and so, had I
not gone through it, I would nothave.
I would have known God as healer.
I wouldn't have known him as hewas true to being with me, even
(01:03:58):
in the valley.
I wouldn't have.
I could have said it because wedo.
Yeah, but I know it, emmanuel, Iknow it to be true, yeah, and
so, because now I know it in away that I didn't know it before
, I feel free.
I feel free because I know fora fact that not only depend on
(01:04:26):
him for my provisions for theday, but for everything, for my
entire being, like I know whatit is for the breath of God to
be in me, because if I had nothad that, I would have been dead
(01:04:49):
.
So when I sing, it's yourbreath in my lungs.
So I pour out my praise Come on, ma, because my outward body
(01:05:12):
failed me, but his breath didn't.
So, yeah, it's a part of who Iam.
Romans 12 and 1,.
That taught me everything.
If you just get that concept inyour daily life, in your daily
living, I'm not one of those whosay, well, I don't some things
I don't need God for.
(01:05:32):
I need him for everything.
I need him for everything.
Ashley (01:05:40):
That's it.
This morning, in ourconversation on the phone, I
wrote down something we nolonger need to offer blood
sacrifices, but every breath,yeah, every breath.
So we're going to close and Iwant you to pray us out.
(01:06:02):
I want you to pray for someonethat is maybe in that space of
suffering right now and isstruggling with standing firm,
(01:06:24):
but I also want you to pray forthe person who's struggling with
offering their full selves,okay.
Shana (01:06:33):
Father, god, in the name of Jesus, lord, you are our
creator, you are our God.
Father, you know everythingabout us, you know where we are,
you know what we're doing, youknow what's in our hearts, you
know what's in our minds.
And, father, I thank you forthe process of sanctification.
(01:06:59):
Yes, god, I thank you for howyou continue to draw us nearer
to you, how you continue totransform us.
I lift up my brothers andsisters that are in the process
of suffering right now.
I pray their strength, father,for you are our strength and our
(01:07:23):
weaknesses, father God, I praythat they surrender that to you,
father, in the mighty name ofJesus, knowing that, dear God,
you care and that you said thatin your word that we don't have
to be strong like you'll be ourstrength.
So I pray that they surrenderthat to you, father God, and not
(01:07:45):
be ashamed of the suffering,father.
Not be ashamed of what you'redoing in their lives, god,
because there is greater on theother side of it.
Father, jesus thought it notrobbery, because he saw the end.
(01:08:07):
Help us to focus on the end.
Remind them of who they are.
Remind them of what you have instore.
Remind them, father God, ofwhat you've done in the past.
(01:08:27):
Help us to not forget, and thatyou are the same God.
I pray that you would providethem comfort in the name of
Jesus, comfort in knowing youand knowing who you are.
Help them to live in a way thatpleases you.
(01:08:52):
Help their posture to notchange.
Help it to remain.
Father God, that they remainstrong in their faith and that
they would let the process cometo completion.
Father God, that they would notgive up, father God, but they
would stay the course.
Father, in the name of Jesus,because, father God, there is
(01:09:15):
something greater at the end.
Father, I pray for those who arenow just having a problem with
surrendering their everyday lifeto you.
Father God, it's unpopular,your kingdom is unpopular right
now.
Father God, the dying to itself, to denying ourselves, to not
(01:09:41):
giving in to our flesh, fatherGod, it goes against culture, it
goes against the ways of thisworld.
But help us to stay steadfast,unmovable, always abiding in you
, father, knowing that whatwe're doing is not in vain,
(01:10:02):
knowing that what we're doing isnot in vain, that there is
glory after this, that there isan eternal reward.
Father God, help that you wouldbe enough for us.
Lord.
Yes, god, help us to know thatyou are enough, that you are our
(01:10:26):
reward.
Help us to be satisfied withyou.
Help us to stay focused andlive lives, dear God, that are
acceptable unto you, father God,that our will and our ways line
up with you, that we live alife that we confess to know.
(01:10:50):
Lord, let's help us to not justbe readers and hearers, father
God, but be doers of your word,doers of your will.
Stir us up once again, tear downthose idols that we've made
gods in the name of Jesus, wherewe spend most of our time,
(01:11:10):
father God, our valuable timehere, dear God, on things, dear
God, that are not of you andthat's not pleasing to you,
father God.
But help us to find value inthe things that you find value
in.
Help us to serve you as Jesusserved others, with compassion,
(01:11:32):
with gentleness, with kindness.
Help us to, dear God, loveothers, dear God, like you have
loved us.
We thank you for the work thatyou're doing within us.
Thank you for the process ofsanctification, the falling away
of those things and the world,father God, that's unnecessary,
(01:11:56):
that making us into the image ofyour son.
We thank you for it, father God.
We love you, we seek to do yourwill, and we thank you, dear
God, and we lean and we dependon trusting you that you're
faithful to complete the workthat you've started In Jesus'
name we pray.
Ashley (01:12:17):
Amen.
Shana (01:12:18):
Amen Amen.
Ashley (01:12:19):
Amen, amen.
Thanks, mom.
You're welcome baby.
Thank you.
Amen, amen Thanks, mom.
You're welcome baby.
Thank you.
Shana (01:12:29):
I don't know why we're whispering.
Ashley (01:12:31):
That's it.
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