IAMCB/Laila_600ms_medium_pause · Datasets at Hugging Face

audio audioduration (s) 4.26 15.5	text stringlengths 33 254
	Hey guys, and welcome back to the Growing Through It podcast.
	I am so sorry for taking such a long break between season one and season two, but we are back and y'all, God has taught me so much, so much.
	I don't know if y'all can hear the nervousness in my voice because I feel like I'm so excited to share what the Lord has taught me that there's just no way to find proper words.
	There's no way to explain effectively what God has done and what He's shown me and His glory that has just been poured out.
	We needed to take a break between season one and season two, because this is my first time ever having any type of platform, any type of podcast.
	And I think It was super important for me to get away and to tap back in and fast and pray and ask God, what do you want to share to your listeners?
	He is trusting me to speak to you through His word.
	Y'all, there is so much warfare in isolation.
	Especially if you are called, if you have an assignment, which all of us are to something, isolation is absolutely necessary.
	We see that Jesus, right before he was about to go on the greatest mission and assignment of his life, that he went and he fasted and he prayed.
	If I'm being honest, it was not always easy to return back to this podcast because of that I had so much fear and insecurity.
	And I mean, like, Can we just be real for a second?
	Putting yourself out there is hard, especially if you're like me and your whole life you've tried to be more on the shy side, a little bit more reserved, a little more introverted.
	And so putting myself out there publicly has been extremely new and difficult and challenging, and it has stretched me in ways that I didn't even think I could be stretched.
	But it has also shown me new sides to my relationship with God that I didn't even know existed.
	And it has been so beautiful, but there has been warfare.
	And how, like, warfare, it has come in every way.
	Like, almost the traditional ways, like the enemy whispering doubts and fears into my mind.
	Even, okay, so during season one, there was one day where I was getting ready to film and I had everything set up.
	And I don't know if y'all see, but there's a window behind me, if you're listening and not watching, there's a big window behind me in my house.
	And I don't know how, I do not know how, but as I was recording one day, a bumblebee appeared right outside this window.
	And it was one second outside the window, and then it was inside my house.
	And I am checking, are there holes?
	I had a traumatic bee accident when I was eight years old where it involved my dad having to take my pants off in a parking lot because a bee flew in my pants.
	And this bee is now in my house and I am panicking because I have cats, two cats, who are tormenting this bee.
	Tell me why today I'm getting ready, I'm preparing, I've prayed, I've fasted.
	A wasp appears outside my window and like this, it is inside my house.
	It was almost like I was watching an illusion happen.
	But see, the difference between season one and season two is in season one, I panicked.
	I'm like, God, all these obstacles keep happening right before I'm going to film. there have been times where my camera randomly stops working, my audio randomly stops working, like the light goes out.
	Like even in the episodes that I have filmed with my husband, something crazy starts to go wrong every time I try to record.
	And in season one, I would have said like, God, you just, you must not want me to do this podcast because you are not making it simple for me.
	You are not making a path for me to do this podcast.
	You are not You are not paving an easy way for me to accomplish this, so you must not want me to do this, right?
	But today, after I've fasted, after I've prayed, after I've been challenged and stretched by God, I saw that wasp and I was like, you are not. going to do this to me today.
	I am filming today in Jesus' name, and I, when I tell you, you know, the wasp is no longer with us.
	I wish I could have caught him and saved him and set him free, but he was very angry, and it was me or the wasp in that moment.
	And let me just say, the wasp had to take the L, had to take the L today.
	And, you know, I just, I saw that wasp as like everything that I have faced while trying to glorify God, even just my Christian walk.
	And so I just want to encourage you guys today that if there is a wasp in your life, multiple wasps, multiple things, adversities that are trying to keep you down, that this is a part of the Christian journey.
	Like I know with me, like the second a friendship starts to show, any type of difficulty or relationship or a job starts to not look how I envisioned it to look, I'm like, okay, this must not be it.
	But I think that God is telling us like, would you seek me?
	And so, yeah guys, it has been hard, like I cannot lie.
	I struggle so much with my mental health, with my confidence, with insecurities, with not feeling good enough.
	And it got to the point where I'm so excited to start Season 2, so excited to start recording again and speaking about God's Word to you guys.
	Because I was so scared, I'm like, how could I possibly do this?
	Like, I feel like I cannot overcome it, and I'm praying, and I'm trying to seek truth, but like, to be quite honest, it just feels like those voices won't go away.
	On my walking pad, I usually take that time to listen to a podcast or watch something that I want to catch up with.
	Usually I just wait to hear a sermon on a Sunday, but it has been a minute since I've clicked on a sermon on YouTube.
	And I'm going through and I'm flipping through different podcast episodes, different videos, and I see this sermon by Stephanie Ike that just sticks out to me.
	So I'm on my walking pad and I click the sermon and I'm listening to it.
	And there is something that she said that I almost tripped on my walking pad.
	If you are newer to the Bible and you don't know who Judas is, Judas is the one who ends up betraying Jesus and turning him over to the Pharisees, to the Romans, into which he would eventually be crucified.
	He was someone who followed Jesus, but ended up betraying Jesus.
	You know, they're all trying to raise money to keep their ministry going, to eat, and Judas ends up stealing money.
	And so we know that Jesus is all-knowing, right?
	I mean, you have to ask yourself, if Jesus is all-knowing and he knows that Judas is a thief, why is he trusting Judas with money?
	It's because he wants to give Judas an opportunity to come to Jesus and say, I've been tempted.
	And y'all, this hit me so much because if I am being honest, there have been times where I've come on this podcast and the first thing that comes in my mind is insecurity is doubt.
	I feel a lot like Judas in that moment where I've been trusted with something, but the thing I've been trusted with almost causes me to do the opposite, to respond in the opposite of how I'm supposed to respond.
	You might be feeling this way in college where you're like, God, I thought you told me to pursue this major, but it's so hard and I'm not doing well.
	That is going to cause you to call on God, to rely on Him even more.
	In the times where I'm so comfortable, in the times where I'm so confident and just like, I got this, I don't even have to worry.
	Those are usually the times where like, The Lord needs to humble me.
	Actually, I can do everything the Bible says, but I can't do it well without God.
	There are things that come out that show you how you act when you don't trust God, when you don't rely on God.
	And I constantly need to fall on my face in front of God and say, God, I cannot do this without you.
	You say what you want to say to your children because I've gripped every word so hard.
	I've come on here trying to be perfect so many times and just that is what is wrong.
	That is the problem is that God is trying to show me Him through my weakness.
	Through my weakness, He will get the glory.
	Like, God is so perfect and so good that if you are in a space where you feel scared or doubtful or, why do I even try?
	It is not because God's present is absent, but it's because He wants you to go to Him.
	He is always going to knock at the door of our hearts, but it's us who have to let Him in.
	It is daily, every single day, every single day.
	Because every time I would think about it, I would start to feel more scared.
	He'll try to tell you like, okay, well, obviously, once again, you're not supposed to be doing that because every time you do this thing for God, you experience adversity.
	But look, when you're just vibing, when you're just chilling, you're not experiencing any bad things happening to you.
	That is because in those moments when I'm just watching TV, when I'm just kicking back and relaxing, I am no longer a threat to the enemy.
	I'm no longer on the assignment of trying to glorify God and bring people to know Jesus.
	There was one day, y'all, I literally got locked in my shower before I was gonna film.
	Thank God after 45 minutes, I got out of the shower.
	But y'all, if that doesn't sound like the enemy is nervous.
	Y'all, there is a reason why when you're doing the things that don't matter, the things that don't add any value to your life or the kingdom, that you're not experiencing adversity.
	It is when you are running the race that Jesus has set before us, the Bible says.
	That is when you are gonna experience All of the battles, all of the obstacles, and I want to just comfort someone today that that is normal.
	Galatians 6, 9 literally says, Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
	I know that it feels like everything against you started to almost fall apart and friendships and relationships and breakups and job opportunities started to slip the moment you started following Jesus.
	It's not that God is punishing you, but it's that He's refining you.
	He's throwing you in the fire, not so that you would come out burnt, but that you would come out a diamond, that you come out and you would see His reflection in the mirror.
	That you would come out and He would start to look like Him and less like you and less like the world and less like your friends.
	It is that He is showing you Him in the midst of it all.
	I think there's a reason that the Bible uses the metaphor of a race, because y'all, running is hard.
	In the armor of God, it is the peace of the gospel that we wear on our feet.
	If we are trying to run without keeping the gospel, without wearing the gospel on us, then why are we even running in the first place?
	There is a reason that God calls this a race.
	Because sometimes when you're running you get thirsty and you need a drink of water.
	And so if we feel right now that we are doing this and we feel like it has gotten hard and we feel like it has gotten just almost impossible, it's because it is impossible.
	If we are doing something for God, without God, we need to go to Him.
	We need Him to replenish us, to restore us, to remind us, to encourage us, to uplift us.

Hey guys, and welcome back to the Growing Through It podcast.

I am so sorry for taking such a long break between season one and season two, but we are back and y'all, God has taught me so much, so much.

I don't know if y'all can hear the nervousness in my voice because I feel like I'm so excited to share what the Lord has taught me that there's just no way to find proper words.

There's no way to explain effectively what God has done and what He's shown me and His glory that has just been poured out.

We needed to take a break between season one and season two, because this is my first time ever having any type of platform, any type of podcast.

And I think It was super important for me to get away and to tap back in and fast and pray and ask God, what do you want to share to your listeners?

He is trusting me to speak to you through His word.

Y'all, there is so much warfare in isolation.

Especially if you are called, if you have an assignment, which all of us are to something, isolation is absolutely necessary.

We see that Jesus, right before he was about to go on the greatest mission and assignment of his life, that he went and he fasted and he prayed.

If I'm being honest, it was not always easy to return back to this podcast because of that I had so much fear and insecurity.

And I mean, like, Can we just be real for a second?

Putting yourself out there is hard, especially if you're like me and your whole life you've tried to be more on the shy side, a little bit more reserved, a little more introverted.

And so putting myself out there publicly has been extremely new and difficult and challenging, and it has stretched me in ways that I didn't even think I could be stretched.

But it has also shown me new sides to my relationship with God that I didn't even know existed.

And it has been so beautiful, but there has been warfare.

And how, like, warfare, it has come in every way.

Like, almost the traditional ways, like the enemy whispering doubts and fears into my mind.

Even, okay, so during season one, there was one day where I was getting ready to film and I had everything set up.

And I don't know if y'all see, but there's a window behind me, if you're listening and not watching, there's a big window behind me in my house.

And I don't know how, I do not know how, but as I was recording one day, a bumblebee appeared right outside this window.

And it was one second outside the window, and then it was inside my house.

And I am checking, are there holes?

I had a traumatic bee accident when I was eight years old where it involved my dad having to take my pants off in a parking lot because a bee flew in my pants.

And this bee is now in my house and I am panicking because I have cats, two cats, who are tormenting this bee.

Tell me why today I'm getting ready, I'm preparing, I've prayed, I've fasted.

A wasp appears outside my window and like this, it is inside my house.

It was almost like I was watching an illusion happen.

But see, the difference between season one and season two is in season one, I panicked.

I'm like, God, all these obstacles keep happening right before I'm going to film. there have been times where my camera randomly stops working, my audio randomly stops working, like the light goes out.

Like even in the episodes that I have filmed with my husband, something crazy starts to go wrong every time I try to record.

And in season one, I would have said like, God, you just, you must not want me to do this podcast because you are not making it simple for me.

You are not making a path for me to do this podcast.

You are not You are not paving an easy way for me to accomplish this, so you must not want me to do this, right?

But today, after I've fasted, after I've prayed, after I've been challenged and stretched by God, I saw that wasp and I was like, you are not. going to do this to me today.

I am filming today in Jesus' name, and I, when I tell you, you know, the wasp is no longer with us.

I wish I could have caught him and saved him and set him free, but he was very angry, and it was me or the wasp in that moment.

And let me just say, the wasp had to take the L, had to take the L today.

And, you know, I just, I saw that wasp as like everything that I have faced while trying to glorify God, even just my Christian walk.

And so I just want to encourage you guys today that if there is a wasp in your life, multiple wasps, multiple things, adversities that are trying to keep you down, that this is a part of the Christian journey.

Like I know with me, like the second a friendship starts to show, any type of difficulty or relationship or a job starts to not look how I envisioned it to look, I'm like, okay, this must not be it.

But I think that God is telling us like, would you seek me?

And so, yeah guys, it has been hard, like I cannot lie.

I struggle so much with my mental health, with my confidence, with insecurities, with not feeling good enough.

And it got to the point where I'm so excited to start Season 2, so excited to start recording again and speaking about God's Word to you guys.

Because I was so scared, I'm like, how could I possibly do this?

Like, I feel like I cannot overcome it, and I'm praying, and I'm trying to seek truth, but like, to be quite honest, it just feels like those voices won't go away.

On my walking pad, I usually take that time to listen to a podcast or watch something that I want to catch up with.

Usually I just wait to hear a sermon on a Sunday, but it has been a minute since I've clicked on a sermon on YouTube.

And I'm going through and I'm flipping through different podcast episodes, different videos, and I see this sermon by Stephanie Ike that just sticks out to me.

So I'm on my walking pad and I click the sermon and I'm listening to it.

And there is something that she said that I almost tripped on my walking pad.

If you are newer to the Bible and you don't know who Judas is, Judas is the one who ends up betraying Jesus and turning him over to the Pharisees, to the Romans, into which he would eventually be crucified.

He was someone who followed Jesus, but ended up betraying Jesus.

You know, they're all trying to raise money to keep their ministry going, to eat, and Judas ends up stealing money.

And so we know that Jesus is all-knowing, right?

I mean, you have to ask yourself, if Jesus is all-knowing and he knows that Judas is a thief, why is he trusting Judas with money?

It's because he wants to give Judas an opportunity to come to Jesus and say, I've been tempted.

And y'all, this hit me so much because if I am being honest, there have been times where I've come on this podcast and the first thing that comes in my mind is insecurity is doubt.

I feel a lot like Judas in that moment where I've been trusted with something, but the thing I've been trusted with almost causes me to do the opposite, to respond in the opposite of how I'm supposed to respond.

You might be feeling this way in college where you're like, God, I thought you told me to pursue this major, but it's so hard and I'm not doing well.

That is going to cause you to call on God, to rely on Him even more.

In the times where I'm so comfortable, in the times where I'm so confident and just like, I got this, I don't even have to worry.

Those are usually the times where like, The Lord needs to humble me.

Actually, I can do everything the Bible says, but I can't do it well without God.

There are things that come out that show you how you act when you don't trust God, when you don't rely on God.

And I constantly need to fall on my face in front of God and say, God, I cannot do this without you.

You say what you want to say to your children because I've gripped every word so hard.

I've come on here trying to be perfect so many times and just that is what is wrong.

That is the problem is that God is trying to show me Him through my weakness.

Through my weakness, He will get the glory.

Like, God is so perfect and so good that if you are in a space where you feel scared or doubtful or, why do I even try?

It is not because God's present is absent, but it's because He wants you to go to Him.

He is always going to knock at the door of our hearts, but it's us who have to let Him in.

It is daily, every single day, every single day.

Because every time I would think about it, I would start to feel more scared.

He'll try to tell you like, okay, well, obviously, once again, you're not supposed to be doing that because every time you do this thing for God, you experience adversity.

But look, when you're just vibing, when you're just chilling, you're not experiencing any bad things happening to you.

That is because in those moments when I'm just watching TV, when I'm just kicking back and relaxing, I am no longer a threat to the enemy.

I'm no longer on the assignment of trying to glorify God and bring people to know Jesus.

There was one day, y'all, I literally got locked in my shower before I was gonna film.

Thank God after 45 minutes, I got out of the shower.

But y'all, if that doesn't sound like the enemy is nervous.

Y'all, there is a reason why when you're doing the things that don't matter, the things that don't add any value to your life or the kingdom, that you're not experiencing adversity.

It is when you are running the race that Jesus has set before us, the Bible says.

That is when you are gonna experience All of the battles, all of the obstacles, and I want to just comfort someone today that that is normal.

Galatians 6, 9 literally says, Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

I know that it feels like everything against you started to almost fall apart and friendships and relationships and breakups and job opportunities started to slip the moment you started following Jesus.

It's not that God is punishing you, but it's that He's refining you.

He's throwing you in the fire, not so that you would come out burnt, but that you would come out a diamond, that you come out and you would see His reflection in the mirror.

That you would come out and He would start to look like Him and less like you and less like the world and less like your friends.

It is that He is showing you Him in the midst of it all.

I think there's a reason that the Bible uses the metaphor of a race, because y'all, running is hard.

In the armor of God, it is the peace of the gospel that we wear on our feet.

If we are trying to run without keeping the gospel, without wearing the gospel on us, then why are we even running in the first place?

There is a reason that God calls this a race.

Because sometimes when you're running you get thirsty and you need a drink of water.

And so if we feel right now that we are doing this and we feel like it has gotten hard and we feel like it has gotten just almost impossible, it's because it is impossible.

If we are doing something for God, without God, we need to go to Him.

We need Him to replenish us, to restore us, to remind us, to encourage us, to uplift us.