chrstianity

Frank Sontag and Pastor Allen Jackson talk about what's next for the Church, repentance, where to place our faith, being intentional about out faith, finding our purpose, and spiritual warfare.

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Kaitlin wrote the book Not From God and when I saw this, I had to get her on the podcast. Her whit, love for Jesus, and biblical truth are so refreshing in our world filled with watered down Christianity. She tells us about her life, how God gave her the mission for this book, and of course all things Jesus.

Tell us about you?
I have been a wife for two years and a dreamer for 26. I started writing when I was about 7 years old and held art contests for my friends to illustrate my stories. I can't imagine I was the most fun play date. I have wanted to publish a book for as long as I can remember, and that prayer became a reality on December 13, 2018 when I released my first book, "Not from God: Taking Back the Narrative of Your Life." When I'm not writing or reading, I love speaking to women about how much Jesus loves them and how they can learn to love themselves. I also thoroughly enjoy a good cup of coffee and tacos and queso... just not all at the same time. My parents and two brothers mean the world to me and I love them and my friends hard and with abandon. My favorite hobby is traveling, and Naples, Italy is my favorite place I've been so far, second only to Tianjin, China. I don't neglect the U.S. though -- my husband and I are on a mission to visit all the Major League baseball stadiums in the country.

How did you get to the place of feeling like you needed to write this message?
My first year of marriage was very difficult, not because of my husband, but because it was the same year I began struggling with a really deep depression. I have always been known as the "happy girl" who can "light up a room," but when I was alone, all I felt was darkness. My husband watched me cry myself to sleep most nights and my counselor consoled me the best she can. I couldn't put my finger on just why I was so miserable, but I prayed A LOT. And during my battle with the darkness, God birthed a book inside me. He reminded me that not all the feelings I feel are from Him -- in fact, many are NOT from Him. And so "Not from God" was written to shine a light on the lies we believe and replace them with Truth from God's Word.

How can we begin to take our thoughts captive as new believers and old?
I heard a message recently where the pastor said that our hearts change when we find Jesus, but our minds don't -- and THAT is why we have to take our thoughts captive. One major way new and old believers can take thoughts captive is by replacing lies with Truth, and that's why I put a truth replacement at the end of every chapter of my book. The best way to replace it fast is by memorizing and hiding scripture in our hearts.

How do we recognize whats from God and what is not?
One thing I have really learned about God is how very kind He is. I used to see Him as a judge and a punisher. And He does discipline us for sure, but more than anything, He is kind and generous and loving. Now, when fear or shame or anxiety creep in, I remember that He is way to kind and way too good of a friend to pin any of those feelings on me. Those feelings must be from an enemy trying to destroy my soul, and NOT from my God.

Darkness and light, I talk about how the two can’t coexist in harmony and God is always fighting for His light to permeate us when darkness is trying to take over. Do you have a story you could share about a time you felt God doing this.

I talked earlier about the darkness of depression. When I was at my saddest and would lie down to go to sleep at night, I would try to find something to bring me joy. I don't have curtains on my bedroom windows, so the moonlight would pour in and dance on the walls and on the floors of the room. It made me smile every time. That to me was God's reminder that on the darkest nights, the moon shines the brightest, a reminder that He would not leave me in the darkness. And He didn't.

Arsenal of truths you use when feeling defeated, anxious, & full of fear.

Fear can teach us how to fight. When the enemy ushers in fear, we see how God ushers courage into our hearts and knocks down and fears we have. Our God has already defeated death, so what else is there for us to fear?

"Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you." Deuteronomy 31:6

Anxiety might not be from God, but God allows us to experience emotions like anxiety to remind us of the calmness and stillness we feel when we stop placing so much weight on worry and start worshipping Him to lift the weight of the world.

"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7

Confidence is the key to cracking the code of insecurity. But our confidence is not found in what we wear, who we hang out with, or where we work -- we have a confidence in Christ with a lock that can't be picked with any coat hanger or credit card. Choose to guard your heart with that confidence instead of letting insecurity break in and wreck every room.

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. 1 Thessalonians 5:5

If someone were to ask you what they needed to live with less of in their life that’s getting in the way of who Christ is calling them to be what you would you tell them?

Living with less of ourselves is something I have found to draw us so much closer to Christ. When I take the focus off myself, my problems, my fears, my insecurities and turn my gaze to praise -- to praise God for His solutions, His power, and His love, I remember that He is so much bigger than anything I will ever face. I encourage people to get out of their own way of the blessings God has waiting for them on the other side of their doubts and fears. We need to live with less of us and more of Him.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS
We're giving away a super fun bundle, 1 copy of Not From God, 1 of Kaitlin's bookmarks, and a beautiful necklace!

To enter:
Be sure you're following both of us on Instagram.
@livingwithlesspodcast and @kaitlinchappellrogers

Like the photos for the week of the giveaway.

Tag your friend in the comments on each days post for extra entries.

Winner will be picked on Monday night 9PM EST.