I WILLS TO INSTILL: I Will Speak Him // A Conversation with Wendy Hickox about Talking Faith

We talk about what matters to us, and this should be true in our relationship with God, too. In this episode, join Wendy Hickox and me, Tosha Williams, as we ponder the invitation of Isaiah 12:4:  to declare, proclaim, praise and make known who God is. Thing is, God doesn't just want us to experience His goodness but to boldly proclaim Him to others. With our series "I Wills to Instill" as the backdrop, Wendy and I discuss what this can look like. 

Discipleship begins with a conversation, and this podcast challenges us to skip the intimidation and get to these conversations that really matter. Listen in, then reflect on what God is saying to you through this conversation guide about Isaiah 12:4.

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I WILLS TO INSTILL:  "I WILL Speak Him"

“And on that day you will say, ‘Give thanks to the LORD; proclaim his name! Make his works known among the peoples. Declare that his name is exalted.’” Isaiah 12:4 CSB

SEEK HIM: Devotion is Meeting with God in Our Own Lives!  In this conversation, let’s process what it means to make our faith more than just a private experience. Isaiah 12:4 reminds us that, as followers of Jesus, we don’t just keep God’s goodness to ourselves—we speak Him by sharing what He has done in our lives.

• WHAT:  What is God saying through this Scripture?  This verse talks about a day when God establishes Jesus on His throne. Thing is, if He is on the throne of our hearts, then that day can occur today. In multiple ways, God’s people can “Speak Him,” making Him known through our words. ~ What are the different kinds of speech referred to in this verse? What do His works include in your life? Is Jesus ruling your heart now?  
• WHY:  Why does this Scripture matter? If we don’t talk about what matters to us, how will others know? Jesus’ command “Go make disciples… teach them to obey everything I have commanded you,” requires words. We can exalt His name through our testimonies and make His works known through our Jesus stories. ~ How does it feel to talk about Jesus to someone else? How can speaking about your faith strengthen it?  
• HOW: How does God want us to respond to this truth? We don’t have to hammer people with the Bible. We don’t have to be rude, unloving or know it alls. “I Will Speak Him” is a decision to seize every opportunity to speak up about the Lord and His Word. This may be as brief as a few words or as long as a heart-to-heart conversation. ~ What intimidates you about speaking up about Jesus?  

SPEAK HIM: Discipleship is Making God Known to Others! “Seek Him” should always lead to “Speak Him.” Speaking about God is not just for pastors or missionaries—it is for every believer! This week, let’s look for opportunities to share how God has been at work in our lives. Whether through a simple conversation, a prayer with a friend, or a post on social media, let’s choose to speak Him!

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The Family Disciple Me ministry exists to catalyze devotion driven discipleship in our homes and around the world. We believe that discipleship starts with a conversation, and FDM provides free, easily-accessible, biblical resources to encourage these meaningful conversations along life's way. Sign up through our website to be "the first to know" about upcoming releases and resources (including the FDM App - coming soon!!!) You can also follow Family Disciple Me on social media.

Family Disciple Me is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ministry, and all donations are tax deductible. More information, blogs, statement of faith and contact info can be found at familydiscipleme.org

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
We talk about what matters to us, right?
This is true in pretty muchevery part of our lives.
So how much more so should thisbe true in our relationship
with God and well, talking aboutHim with others.
In this conversation, I'veinvited my friend Wendy to join

(00:20):
me so that we can process whatit means to make our faith more
than just a private experience.
As we continue in ourconversation collection called I
Wills to Instill, today we cometo Isaiah, chapter 12, verse 4.
And well, with my friend Wendyhere, I want us to talk about

(00:40):
the fact that, as followers ofJesus, we don't just keep God's
goodness to ourselves.
We speak Him by sharing whathe's done in our lives.
So I'm going to cue theintroduction and then be right
back to have just a few minutesof dialogue and conversation
with Wendy.
I'll be right back.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Welcome to the Family Disciple Me podcast.
If you have a real relationshipwith Jesus, then you're in the
right place to be encouraged,challenged and blessed as you
seek Him, speak Him.
The mission of the FamilyDisciple Me ministry is to
inspire devotion-drivendiscipleship, which is something
we believe every Christfollower can do.

(01:22):
Discipleship starts with aconversation, so let's get going
with that right now.

Speaker 1 (01:29):
Wendy, here we are sitting in my cloth office doing
the very thing that we alwaystalk about with Family Disciple
Me and that is to have aconversation.

Speaker 3 (01:42):
Absolutely.
Thank you so much for invitingme in, and when we talk about a
cloth, is we really mean a tinyspace?
I know you're not here to seewhat this space looks like, but
it is cozy and I feel honored tobe here to have this
conversation with you.

Speaker 1 (02:00):
I love this, wendy.
Yes, this little, this littlecloth is.
I don't know what is it?
Maybe six feet long and threefeet wide, something like that.
I think that's being generous,but it is our God-given podcast
studio.
So, I am so thankful for that.
Shout out to Vanguard Churchfor giving me a cloth.

Speaker 3 (02:20):
Yes, I'm so thankful you have a space to actually
just record in that space.

Speaker 1 (02:26):
Yes, yes, and in this space today I've spent so many
hours here in this cloth officerecording podcast episodes by
myself, but it seems so apropos,wendy, that now, as we come to
this conversation about, I willspeak him and we talk about
talking about him.

(02:46):
Well, here you are with me totalk about this with me.

Speaker 3 (02:50):
Absolutely To have a conversation with another person
, because, if we think about it,a conversation indicates that
word itself indicates two people, at least two people talking
about things together.
And so here we are talkingabout it and speaking that,
understanding what it means tospeak into those that are

(03:12):
interested to us.

Speaker 1 (03:12):
That's right.
One of the themes of the FamilyDisciple Me ministry is the
phrase discipleship starts witha conversation.
Yes, and there's a tagline thatI like to say, and it is skip
the intimidation and getstraight to the conversation.
Yes, and there's a tagline thatI like to say, and it is skip
the intimidation and getstraight to the conversation.

Speaker 3 (03:29):
It's an excellent way to put it.
I think too many people.
When I look around, there's toomany people that are
intimidated by the actualprocess of speaking out just
what you've learned, but the waywe've framed it seek him
through devotions, know who heis You're living that already

(03:52):
and turn around and share that.
Share that with the nextgeneration.

Speaker 1 (03:57):
That's right.
It really is as simple as that.
It's as simple as beingdetermined to talk about our
faith.
We've been going through Isaiah, chapter 12, in this collection
of conversations and today, inverse four, it says this on that
day, you will say give thanksto the Lord, proclaim his name,

(04:19):
make his works known among thepeoples, declareclare that his
name is exalted, exalted in allthings I know.

Speaker 3 (04:29):
For me personally, I am having my devotions in the
morning.
It just that's when it worksfor me.
I wake up in the morning andthat's what I do.
That's when you seek him,that's when I seek him, that's
my devotion time.
That's when I'm seeing what theLord has for me.
But as I go and live out mylife, boy, that's where the

(04:49):
rubber hits the road.
That's right, and sometimesit's not pretty.
But what I've learned in myquiet times or my times of
devotion, well, that's reallywhere I find the power of
sharing with my own childrenthat it's okay.
It's not perfect, it's notalways easy, and it's actually

(05:12):
in those moments that I find thelessons that I can share with
my children, because sometimeswe just get wrapped up in we
have to have the right verse, wehave to have the right saying,
we have to be righteous enough.
No, I've learned that it's inthose real conversations that my

(05:33):
children are impacted, that I'mimpacted.

Speaker 1 (05:36):
And it's in those real conversations as we keep
the focus not just on ourselvesor even our kids or the people
that we're talking to, as wekeep the focus on the fact that
we belong to Jesus.
Yes, we do, and really we wanthis name to echo through our
lives in every conversation.
You know, Wendy, I was at thegym a few days ago and I was on

(06:00):
the stair machine and doing mything and there was this older
woman a few machines down andshe just had her phone blaring,
but there was enough noise inthe gym I couldn't hear what she
was listening to, except thatevery few seconds it was Jesus,
jesus.

(06:21):
Oh my goodness, it was likegarbled, until it would say the
word Jesus and for some reason Istopped.
I was like why is that one word?
I have no idea what the rest ofwhat she's listening to is, but
that word his name was echoingabove all the other sounds in

(06:41):
the gym and it made me pause andthink.
Does my life echo Jesus' namein my conversations?

Speaker 3 (06:50):
Wow, it's in those moments when God speaks to us,
when you're at the gym andyou're listening to somebody
else's well, whatever she waslistening to.
It's those lessons that are sopowerful.

Speaker 1 (07:06):
And really, Wendy, if we don't turn around and talk
about what matters to us, howwill the people who matter to us
know If we don't lean intothose conversations?
If we have these experienceswith Jesus, if we learn these
things from the word, if we saywe're going to live our lives
for him, but we never let thatcome out of our mouths to impact

(07:30):
someone else, then it does us alot of good, but what does it
do for them?

Speaker 3 (07:38):
I really believe we need to be intentional.
Enough of this just stoppingand thinking that the people
around us can see who we are,Because are they really seeing
who we are?

Speaker 1 (07:52):
We need to be intentional in what we speak to
them especially our children andthose that God's entrusted to
us, that we disciple, that wementor, that we lead whoever.
It is One of my favorite thingsfrom this.
Last year there was a youngadult woman that I was mentoring
and we were talking about howJesus said go and make disciples

(08:13):
, teach them to obey everything.
And she's a fairly new believerand this young woman just kind
of leaned back in her chair andcocked her head and got this
look in her eye and she said youknow, I realized that sometimes
I have to use my wordsAbsolutely.
It was like such.
It was like the light bulb wenton above her.

(08:34):
She said I always try to benice and do good, but I realized
I need to use my words.

Speaker 3 (08:42):
Yes, that's true discipleship right there when it
comes to our faith.

Speaker 1 (08:48):
We have this amazing privilege and opportunity to
seek him and then turn aroundand speak him.
Thing is, we don't have tohammer people over the head with
the Bible, we don't have to berude, we don't have to be
unloving, we don't have to bejudgmental, we certainly don't
have to be know-it-alls.
We just have to decide I willspeak him, and then we seize

(09:15):
every opportunity that we haveto do that.

Speaker 3 (09:19):
And then watch, see how God is using your words in
the next generation, becausereally they're his words,
because you sought him firstthat's right.

Speaker 1 (09:33):
And those conversations that we get to
have, they may be as brief as afew words.
Sometimes I think that speakinghim is a simple encouragement
to somebody in Jesus name, butthen there's other times that
it's a really long conversation,that we stay 100% focused on
the fact that, yes, this isabout my story, that person's

(09:55):
story, but this is also aboutJesus.
Where do I bring him into thisconversation?

Speaker 3 (10:01):
The bottom line.
How is Jesus working in yourlife and how can you share that
with the people around you?
Your life, and how can youshare that with the people
around you?
Everyone can do that, becauseeveryone that is seeking Christ
has a Jesus story and it's worthsharing with the next
generation.
That's right.
That's right.

Speaker 1 (10:20):
The truth is, speaking him is not just the job
for pastors and missionaries.
The reality is, god wants allof us to share about him with
someone else.
What is it?

Speaker 3 (10:32):
that you said Take the intimidation out of the
conversation.
It was something like that.

Speaker 1 (10:38):
What was it?
Skip the intimidation, getstraight to the conversation.

Speaker 3 (10:43):
That's important, because if I knew that way back
when, when my kids were little,I think my conversations would
have looked a lot different.
But I've got that today I'm notafraid to share with them what
I'm learning, because I knowthey're going to be going
through maybe similar things,and it's okay for them to see it
, because, first and foremost,I'm seeking God.

Speaker 1 (11:04):
Amen, that's right.
So, friends, for all of us, wewant to be challenged as we
think about I wills to instill.
We've talked about so manydifferent I wills but,
specifically focusing in on the,I will seek him and now I will
speak him.
This week, let's look foropportunities to share how God

(11:26):
has been at work in our lives.
This week, let's look foropportunities to share how God
has been at work in our lives.
This week, let's look foropportunities to give thanks to
the Lord, as our verse says, toproclaim his name, to make his
works known, to declare that hisname is exalted.
There's so many different wayswe can seek him, speak Him, so
let's be encouraged to do this.

(11:48):
As we close, I would love tospeak the blessing over all of
us.
Yes, I like to do this at theend of podcast, because it's
such a beautiful framework tosend people with and even as we
talk about, seek Him, speak Him.
This is such a beautiful prayerblessing to speak over our
children when they you know,they get out of the car at

(12:10):
carpool or we tell them goodbye.
So I'm going to close thisepisode with this.
May the Lord bless you and keepyou.
May the Lord make His faceshine upon you and be gracious
to you.
May he turn His countenancetoward you and, friend, as you
turn your countenance toward himand seek him, may he turn his

(12:32):
countenance toward you and giveyou peace.
Now go with God, friend, beencouraged.
Wendy, thank you for joining me.

Speaker 3 (12:41):
Thank you so much for having me.
I just enjoyed our time here inthe Coffice.

Speaker 1 (12:45):
That's right in the Coffice with a conversation.
Let's get to it.
Go seek him, speak him untilnext time.

Speaker 2 (12:54):
Thanks for joining us in this podcast episode.
You can find the matchingconversation guide in the show
notes.
To get the latest updates aboutthe family disciple me ministry
, as well as word about our soontoto-be-released app, Sign up
to be the first to know atFamilyDiscipleMeorg.
Also, if you enjoyed thispodcast, help us get the word

(13:16):
out by leaving us a review onyour favorite podcast platform.
God bless you, friend.
Now go seek Him, speak Him.