Changing Our Passions

Welcome to 2024!

Another year, another episode and we are starting with Gratitude!

I am so thankful for each listener and the joy and challenges of this podcast. Pursuing Christ can feel like a lonely journey sometimes, but with my podcast community it has been anything but! Thank you for your love and support and I pray to up my game in 2024! So here's to a new start....

Get your 20 Day Gratitude Journal by emailing me at worthypursuit@yahoo.com

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Just like Peter, I get it wrong a lot of the times. 

One minute Peter is claiming Jesus is the Messiah and then next he is rebuking Him!

Listen, if there is one thing I have learned- it is that Jesus is always right!

But I have questioned Him more times than I can count. It might not have been verbally, but with every hesitation, I show my lack of trust in who He is.

Understanding who Jesus is leads to how we live. 

When we get this wrong, our whole thinking and attitude can be wrong! 

Listen in with me today, as we read in the book of Mark and discover how Peter, one of Jesus' closest disciples, gets it wrong too.

Watch out ya'll! There’s a new driver on the road! My daughter Sally got her driving permit and let's just say we both have a lot to learn!

Learning to drive has all the feels- Teaching her to drive has all the feels; excited, scared, nervous, uneasy, uncomfortable...

We are in new territory trying to survive until we both feel confident she has learned what she needs to.

This new stage of driving reminds me of the different stages we walk as christians.

Some are in the brand new stage of being a christian, which can be exciting and scary at the same time. Some are in the comfortable stage, which can lead to routine, habits, knowing God's voice or feeling bored, out of touch or plain ol' lack luster. Some have years of a beautiful love story with Jesus and are in the "to know and be known" stage. 

No matter what stage you happen to be in, we all need to be students who are willing to learn, moving us closer in our walk with the Lord.

Today, we talk about 3 steps that will help us when we are feeling stuck.

1.) Admit to ourselves the stage we are in 

2.) Be honest with God about that makes us feel 

3.) Act our way into a new feeling to push past our fears

* Thank you for spending just a few moments of your day with me! I am honored and humbled. I would love to hear for you if you are so inclined. You can email me at worthypursuit@yahoo.com

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Do you ever give up to soon in your prayer life? 

We all know that God knows our every need, even before we ask it. So why even ask? Won't He give it to me if He really wants to?

Prayer does a lot more than give us what we want or act as some wish list at Christmas time. Prayer has the ability to change our hearts and steer us in a whole new life direction. 

But what if we give up on a prayer to soon? 

Today, let's talk about being persistant. I mean, annoying persistance!! Using Matthew 7, we are encouraged to continue asking until one of two things happens: 1) God grants us what we ask for or 2) God changes our hearts to ask for something different.

Each morning as my little dog Perci runs after her hairy brother Chase, trying to steal whatever crumbs she can from the remnants of his bone, I am reminded of my own hearts' tendency to run after the crumbs this world offers me as a substitute for Jesus. 

With the help of God and a renewed focus on Jesus, I can remain faithful. Stewarding a heart of gratitude as to not compare myself with the things of this world is a must! Keeping my eyes on Jesus and looking for the blessing my Heavenly Father has in store for me is a worthy pursuit!

In the last episode we talked about being the salt of the world. This week we continue with in the same scriptures and talk about being Light in a dark world. 

God calls us to seek after Jesus with our whole heart and when truth is revealed, we share His truth to all those around us- just as a light on a pedestal illuminates the whole room. 

Being light of the world requires us to live in obedience to scripture and align our lives in accordance to His statutes. As we do this, we begin to shine bright for the glory of God, pointing others to Him and the hope He brings.

Join me today as we reflect on being image bearers of the true Light of the World.

Sermon from Cody Brumley:

https://youtu.be/17YYGCpN21M

Teaching by Sadie Robertson

https://youtu.be/ELb4xnISDZk

What does salt have to do with being a Christian?

Jesus uses salt to illustrate to his believers how important we are to this dark and dying world. But He warns us, if we lose our saltiness by letting the impurities of this world in our lives, we will cease to be effective for the kingdom of God. 

Living a life of purpose and usefulness is something we all long for. We get to preserve God's truth and proclaim His goodness to all those around us and show them the Light of who God is. 

In today's episode I talk with my very first guest on the podcast! It was so much fun I think I will have to do it again! 

Hit play and let's get this conversation started....

Does making new goals stress you out or excite you? Do you enjoy the process or dread even the thought of it? 

I love making new goals. However, it doesn't mean I good at achieving them! Failing is actually apart of the process. 

"If you have no tolerance for failure, you will not create anything new" -Brene Brown 

As Christians, how should we make goals? What is God calling us to and how do we even get there?

Let's talk about it and get excited for what the Lord has in-store for each of us. 

Wishing you & yours all the best in 2023!

http://www.thebiblerecap.com/

https://livingforwardbook.com/

Find Michael Hyatt here: https://fullfocus.co/rebrand/

https://www.youversion.com/the-bible-app/

This world tells us to "Be Real, "be yourself", "do what makes you happy", "who cares what others think, you be you!".

But is this inline with what God's word tells us or is it in complete contrast? Are we listening more to social media or to God's Word?

I must admit this is a hard one! A lot of our time is spent combing through social media and unknowingly imparting the messages into our thoughts. Knowing God's Word however, will help us as we confront these messages and try to live out our christian values in this selfy obsessed world. 

Join me as we look at Philippians chapter 2 to see how Paul encourages us to live a life of humility and unity with one another.

In the book of Mark, we read story after story how Jesus has authority over all- over the sea, demons, sickness, social orders, kings, and most of all over individual hearts.

Mark 5 tells of a man who was demon possed, living in the tombs and an outcast from his community. Jesus comes to heal him and restore his life. In stark contrast to the unbridled gratitued of the healed man, is a community who rejects Him because of fear.

What do we do when Jesus shows His authority over our lives? Do we follow, trusting He knows best or do we push Him aside and continue living however we chose?