Eyes Wide Open: Pt 2: Ep 2: Navigating Sudden Glory: The Art of Spiritual Stewardship

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Hello, and welcome back to Diary of a Black Woman podcast and our devotional series.

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I'm your host, Connie Morris, and we have reached our final part of this life-shifting

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series. We are in episode four, Sutton Glory, Birthing the New Thing.

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And before I begin, I just want to go over this prayer of Jabez,

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just to keep us stirred up on what God is doing in me and in you through this

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Diary of a Black Woman podcast.

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So let's pray. Light your best, Father God, we come before you with holy confidence.

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We ask you to bless us indeed, to enlarge our territory, to keep your hands

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upon us, to keep us from evil, Lord God, to not let us cause any pain,

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but to be vessels of healing and wholeness.

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And we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

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So let's get going here. So we know that when we give birth to a new beginning,

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a new baby, you know, or a new vision that God has given us,

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that we know that battle for that moment has been won.

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Even though for that whole time, we know that the battle in our mind has been confronted.

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Everything that tried to paralyze us has been cast out.

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And we finally birthed that vision that God has given us. But we know as Christians

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that that delivery is not the end of the process, especially if you have a real baby.

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That's just the beginning of sleepless nights. Come on, y'all.

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It's just the beginning of taking care of that vision, that dream,

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that baby that God has given us.

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It is the beginning of stewardship.

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So let's walk this out in the Word of God. Let's anchor ourselves in the word

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of God today and let God show us what it means to carry the glory responsibly.

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So we go to Haggai 2, chapter 2, verses 9 in the NIV, and it reads,

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The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former

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house, says the Lord Almighty.

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And in this place, I will grant peace.

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The old version of you is gone, but there's a greater glory on what's next.

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But peace only comes when you protect what has been born.

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And so once God has birthed something out of you, whatever that is,

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to me, I have a podcast. I wrote a couple of books.

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Matter of fact, I have two podcasts. I have two books and God is still growing.

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And I have over 230, I think it's 241 devotionals.

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Remember, the birthing process keeps coming. If you're connected with God, God is a cultivator.

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And so as long as you stay connected, He's going to keep cultivating and growing you.

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So just like in Haggai, he says the present house would be greater than the

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glory of the former house, and He's going to keep creating greater glory in you.

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But it says here that the greater glory on what's next, but the peace only comes

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when you protect what's been born.

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And one thing that I can say, just as just one, I won't preach on this because

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this is only going to be 30 minutes and I don't want to pre-labor on one topic.

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The way you protect what's being born is when God speaks to you, write it down.

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If it's in a dream, if it's in a vision, write it down. You can't put it to

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words, draw it out in the picture, you know, so that you can remember it. You're protecting it.

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You're protecting what's been born. Let's go to Isaiah 60, verse 22.

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The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest, a mighty nation. I am the Lord.

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In this time, I will do this swiftly.

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Wow. He says, the least of you become a thousand, the smallest,

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a mighty nation. I am the Lord.

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He says that. The first one, he says, the Lord Almighty. Here he says, I am the Lord.

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In his time, I would do this swiftly. In his time, I would do this swiftly.

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There's no striving in this next move.

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When it's time, it would happen suddenly.

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And some of you are standing in sudden glory, but you don't even realize it

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because you were expecting labor to labor to last much longer.

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How many can say amen to that?

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I started this podcast last July, and I was expecting to labor in the podcasting,

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which I'm still laboring in it.

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But I didn't expect to make a thousand downloads until probably July.

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I was thinking a couple of years because you do your study and your research.

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It takes like two to three years before your podcast even get traction.

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And so far, I just thank you for over 1.2 thousand downloads on Diary of Black

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Women podcast. and so it's like it's taking traction and he did it suddenly.

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It happened in March that I looked up one day and it was over a thousand downloads

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and next you know, now it's at 1.2 and it's still steadily growing.

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Used to grow at one download a day. Now I'm getting like 30,

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about 20 to 30 downloads a day per episode which is absolutely marvelous in

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the Lord's eyes and suddenly, definitely in what God is doing in my eyes.

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And so there's no striving in this next move.

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I'm just recording and God is doing the work.

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And so when God has told you to do something and you are consistent in that

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and not trying to be a superstar and just trying to do what he's told you to do, guess what?

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He is gonna make that thing happen. It says, when it's time,

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it will happen suddenly.

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And some of you are standing in sudden glory but don't realize it because you're

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expecting the labor to last longer.

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How many of you have babies that had 13-hour labors on your first child and

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the next child came out in two hours? Come on now.

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All right, 2 Timothy 1.14. It reads,

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Guard the good deposit that was entrusted in you.

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Guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

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What was birthed in the Spirit must now be guarded by the Spirit because the

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enemy doesn't mind you birthing.

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It's what happens after birth that he fears the most.

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Come on now. He doesn't care if you birth it. He will kill it after it's out.

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He will kill it. If he can't get you to abort it, if he doesn't get you to have

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it, if he doesn't kill it in the womb, he will kill it after it is born.

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So you have to protect it in the spirit. How do you do that?

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You have to continue what you started in the spirit. You have to continue in the spirit.

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Many people will get going in what God has given them and then leave God out

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of it and then run off and then wonder why that, that what looked like it was

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going to be victorious suddenly dies.

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But what I found out that the closer, the, the more that God is birthing in

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me, the more that I see productivity in the natural is the more I'm growing in the spiritual realm.

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The more I want to stay connected, the more I want to guard this baby that God has given me.

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The more he's expanding me according to the prayer of Jabez,

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he's expanding my territory.

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And I'm asking him to keep me from evil.

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I don't want to be without him because it's his story. It's what he gave me.

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How do you continue to birth something in the spirit and then go in the natural

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and think you can do it on your own? You can't.

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You can't. So I'm going to help you here on this one.

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Postpartum stewardship, how to protect what's been born. You want to know how

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to do that? Let me get a sip of water real quick.

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How do we protect what has been born?

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Let's walk through this as a spiritual mother would.

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You just had a baby.

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First of all, number one, you cover that baby. You keep it warm and protected.

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A newborn can't regulate its own temperature.

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Likewise, your vision, your promise, your calling is new and it needs covering.

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Keep it wrapped in prayer. Don't expose it too quickly. Don't explain it to

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people who don't carry discernment.

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I want to pause here.

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A lot of the things that God has given me has been birthed in the Spirit.

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And like I said, He'll show it to me either in a vision, many, many times in dreams.

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And I wake up and I see something and I'm excited about it. I share it too quickly.

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And they look at you like, that's not spirit. They're not connected to the spirit realm as I am.

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I'm not saying that I'm super, super spiritual, but if I'm praying every day

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and you're not and I tell you something spiritual and you don't get it,

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I can't be mad at you because you didn't get it yet.

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Then you'll get it because somebody's going to say something and it's going

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to come out in the preaching. Oh, Connie, I know I see what you're saying.

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Well, you, okay, thanks.

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But then that's my fault because I expose it too quickly. So you want to keep

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your baby warm. You want to keep it wrapped in prayer.

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You don't want to expose it too quickly.

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You ever see, I'm not talking, if that was you, I ain't talking about you.

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I'm just saying that you ever see people have newborn babies and the baby like

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two weeks old, you want to show that baby out to the world real quickly.

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And that baby ended up sick for the next six weeks.

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Cause you're going to took the baby out and expose it to people,

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places and things that it wasn't quite ready for.

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Right. I remember when I had my first baby, I was young and I didn't do that.

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My mom said, you sit your butt down and that baby does not go out to the house

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until it goes to the doctor for his first physical.

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That's the first time the baby will see the world is at the first doctor.

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And then you can take it somewhere. That's after first six weeks appointment or so.

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And so as you have to treat your promise of God as a real child, keep it wrapped up.

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Don't expose us too quickly. Don't try to explain it to people.

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I know you had a baby. I didn't know you were doing that. I didn't know you even had a podcast.

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Let's keep it going. Reflection. Am I treating God, what God birthed in me, like something sacred?

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A lot of times people go say, I'm pregnant, I'm pregnant. And then people,

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you know, maybe miscarry, you know, and that's very disappointing because to

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be pregnant is exciting, but to

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miscarry is very disappointing if you've already exposed it too quickly.

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Now you got to explain it to people who don't quite understand, right?

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So sometimes what I want to say is keep the baby warm, cover the baby,

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keep it wrapped in prayer. Number two, feed the baby.

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You know, new more babies, they like to eat. That's all they know.

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Their eyes are closed. They just know where to find the baby breast or the bottle.

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They just know where mommy is. And so it needs daily nourishment.

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So just like a baby needs to eat every few hours, a newborn,

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your promise must be fed by the word through discipline and worship.

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Don't ride the high of birthing and forget the basics of growth.

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Create rhythm, establish spiritual routines.

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So don't forget to feed your baby word and discipline and worship.

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You have now birthed something. It requires it to be wrapped up and fed, create new rhythms.

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Just as when a new baby entered the world, you have to create new rhythms.

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Your whole schedule, if you haven't had a baby, please beware,

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your whole schedule changes.

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Your whole life changes. It's no longer you, yourself, and I.

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It's you, your baby, and that's it. And whatever that baby's schedule is on.

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Okay. And then the question is, what am I feeding the promises God gave me?

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Is it growing or starving?

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I remember the Lord told me.

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Because, you know, we want things to be fed. We want things to grow fast.

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How long does it take a baby to grow into a year? A year.

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How long does it take a baby to grow, start to crawl? It usually takes about

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maybe six to nine months. Am I right?

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So why do we think we can birth a dream and have it running down the street

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fully with all teeth, with all this mouth full of teeth and fully closed and

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working a job just like that, like a full-grown man or a full-grown woman.

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It takes time. Amen.

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So cover your baby, keep it warm, feed it.

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Here we go. Number three, I like this one. Watch for infection.

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Infections guard against contaminations. Newborns are fragile.

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And so is that book, that ministry, that mindset shift, the new vision of you.

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Wow. Everything that God is doing new in you is very fragile.

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You want to protect it.

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Discern toxic conversations, premature collaborations, old environments that

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want to access to the new.

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Check this out. So you start this podcast or you You start whatever you're starting.

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And remember, there's nobody around but you and the Holy Ghost.

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The Father shows up. Jesus shows up. It's just you. This is your collaboration.

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You and the Spirit. The Father God, Jesus, your Lord and Savior, and the Holy Spirit.

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You guys are birthing out this dream, this baby. The baby is birthed out.

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All of a sudden, out of the blue.

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Infections come. Why? Because you want to take this new baby that you have birthed

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and you want to make it something big.

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You want to make it big overnight.

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You want to make it big overnight. And you don't even know what you're doing.

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And I had this dream and I was working on a project.

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I think it was something on a podcast. and it was a beautiful dream.

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And somehow in the middle of this beautiful dream, I was in wild grass and I

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think it's going to be a podcast soon I'll share with you, but this is a short version.

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And in this beautiful green grass, I'm being protected by these lynx.

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They were killing the rats around me and it was a microwave in the middle of this dream.

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And so I'm thinking like, okay, things are moving slowly. So what I did was

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I put my little script into the microwave, thinking I'm going to fast forward what God has for me.

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And what happened in my dream is it blew up.

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And the Lord said, you cannot fast forward this process. How many of us try

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to fast forward God's process?

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And you knew it was wrong because in the dream, the microwave doesn't belong

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in the green field of grass.

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It just didn't fit there. But lo and behold, the devil will make it look like a shiny new object.

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And then you will collaborate with the wrong people.

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Or another example is this, and this happens so much.

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You are growing your business at a rate that you can handle. Hello?

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That you can handle. Can I handle a million podcast downloads a day? Not at this time.

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But when I'm able to, God will mature me to that process.

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But there's people who will tell you, I can get your podcast to this and that

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and the other. But it's always going to cost you something.

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Like, it'll cost you like $100, this and that and the other.

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Everybody selling something.

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And so when you have this premature collaboration with the wrong people,

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then you're going to have your feelings hurt.

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Because remember, you still are in the newborn phases of what God has called you to do.

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And you're trying to do adult things with your baby, but that's wrong in the natural.

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So you know it's wrong in the spiritual.

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So I'm just saying that you want to discern from toxic conversations,

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premature collaborations, old environments that want to access to your new.

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When your old friends who haven't heard from you, but they see that you got

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a new podcast, a new book and everybody, you know, you're doing new things.

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Come on now, this is about doing new things, sudden, doing new things.

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And then people want to suddenly reach back. They weren't good for you in your

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past. They won't be good for you in your future.

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And so you want to understand that what God is doing for you is this new thing, that it is fragile.

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I spend a lot on this because it's where we lose our babies here.

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They die to infection. They died to contamination because we are so quick to,

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like I said in my dream, put it in the microwave and want it to blow up quickly.

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And God wants it to grow slowly. As you mature, it will mature.

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We want to go back and brag to our old friends. And then they're going to hate

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and you're going to feel like you ain't doing it fast enough and ain't growing fast enough.

00:18:08.576 --> 00:18:14.676
Or strange people come around and want to collaborate with you and wish telling

00:18:14.676 --> 00:18:16.656
you how they can make something grow.

00:18:16.976 --> 00:18:19.336
And you think it's going to work.

00:18:20.656 --> 00:18:27.236
And the dream happened when I was kind of thinking about doing something similar to this.

00:18:27.316 --> 00:18:32.456
But before I did that, I prayed and the Lord showed me that's not the way I'm going to prosper you.

00:18:32.916 --> 00:18:35.296
So always take it to God in prayer.

00:18:36.136 --> 00:18:40.116
Always take it to God in prayer because when you do that, you won't have any

00:18:40.116 --> 00:18:44.876
premature collaborations and your baby won't die from infection or contamination.

00:18:44.876 --> 00:18:47.196
I spent a lot on that. Hope that got to you.

00:18:47.556 --> 00:18:51.356
Hope you got it. Number four, rest while it grows.

00:18:51.696 --> 00:18:55.776
Don't rush the baby to run. Oh man, I got ahead of myself here.

00:18:55.976 --> 00:18:59.616
Don't rush the baby to run. You're not late.

00:18:59.876 --> 00:19:03.576
You don't need to do the most right now.

00:19:03.836 --> 00:19:09.016
You need to bond with God in this new space. Oh my gosh.

00:19:09.876 --> 00:19:13.956
This is powerful because you just had a baby.

00:19:13.956 --> 00:19:20.956
You want that thing to grow fast and overnight, but really all you need is to

00:19:20.956 --> 00:19:26.336
take the time and get to know your father, your God.

00:19:26.896 --> 00:19:31.396
That's the space he created for you. I know, I know.

00:19:31.796 --> 00:19:36.256
You want to be famous and that's just the issue.

00:19:36.596 --> 00:19:40.076
Where do you go from there if you do it without God?

00:19:40.436 --> 00:19:43.136
Where do you go from there if you do it without God?

00:19:43.956 --> 00:19:48.776
If you skip this part about rushing the baby to run, where do you go?

00:19:49.536 --> 00:19:55.976
Take this time and bond with God. This is so powerful because it's really my story.

00:19:56.496 --> 00:20:01.536
I want things to grow overnight because you feel it birthing on the inside of you.

00:20:01.836 --> 00:20:05.176
But God says, slow, baby, slow, slow, slow.

00:20:05.496 --> 00:20:10.816
You're birthing a baby. And how long does it take a baby to become a year old? A year.

00:20:11.176 --> 00:20:16.616
How long does it take a baby to become an adult? it can take a little bit longer for some.

00:20:17.136 --> 00:20:20.656
Amen. And so, a reflection question.

00:20:20.856 --> 00:20:26.676
As I am performing to prove something, am I performing to prove something or

00:20:26.676 --> 00:20:28.956
resting to nurture what I'm birthed?

00:20:29.076 --> 00:20:31.016
What are you trying to prove?

00:20:31.516 --> 00:20:36.956
Why is it that we have to make a point to prove something to people who don't

00:20:36.956 --> 00:20:39.336
really matter to us, right?

00:20:39.656 --> 00:20:44.096
I mean, the premature collaborations is enough. The old environment is enough.

00:20:44.296 --> 00:20:46.936
But why are we rushing this baby to run?

00:20:47.896 --> 00:20:52.376
You know, one thing I really don't really like when I see a baby that's four

00:20:52.376 --> 00:20:54.136
months, and they're trying to stand. That's cool.

00:20:54.696 --> 00:20:58.696
And then you're trying to make them walk at four months. They're not ready to walk at four months.

00:20:59.316 --> 00:21:03.636
Their legs are strong enough. They're trying to pull up because you're making

00:21:03.636 --> 00:21:06.696
them stand up. But they prefer to crawl first.

00:21:07.516 --> 00:21:16.016
Amen. And so remember, you're not too late. You don't need to do the most right now.

00:21:16.336 --> 00:21:19.236
That's for me. I hear you, Lord. I receive it.

00:21:20.035 --> 00:21:22.835
And I will continue to bond with you. Amen.

00:21:23.495 --> 00:21:29.815
Number five, get help. You were meant to raise this alone. Every mother needs support.

00:21:30.335 --> 00:21:36.455
God has assigned midwives, intercessors, and mentors to help you raise what

00:21:36.455 --> 00:21:39.755
has just been born. This is powerful.

00:21:40.095 --> 00:21:43.835
When God birthed in me that I was going to do Diary of Black Women TV,

00:21:44.195 --> 00:21:48.955
and as I was setting it up, it said I need moderators.

00:21:49.555 --> 00:21:54.935
I don't know anybody going to be a moderator. So I'm out recruiting moderators, right?

00:21:55.095 --> 00:21:59.115
And every moderator was saying, I'll wait till you blow up. I'll wait till this. I'll wait till that.

00:21:59.355 --> 00:22:04.555
And at church, as I was doing my duties as an usher, I had an assignment.

00:22:04.915 --> 00:22:09.055
And most of the assignment for this particular assignment, I was in the hallways.

00:22:09.335 --> 00:22:12.355
I usually check the women's bathrooms. And I was just checking the bathrooms.

00:22:13.195 --> 00:22:17.355
Making sure nothing afoot in the women's bathrooms at the church.

00:22:18.015 --> 00:22:21.995
And the Lord says, Connie, I'm sending you moderators.

00:22:22.855 --> 00:22:29.315
Just a silent whisper, and you will train them. And I'm like, whoa.

00:22:31.115 --> 00:22:35.615
So that took the pressure off because I was wondering, the Lord said you're

00:22:35.615 --> 00:22:39.095
going to do this, but I'm going to need someone to monitor that space.

00:22:39.635 --> 00:22:43.495
And it was more to that, but just pretty much that part was that he's going

00:22:43.495 --> 00:22:47.395
to send them to me, and I'm going to train them. but I got to learn how to be

00:22:47.395 --> 00:22:49.475
a moderator myself because I've never moderated.

00:22:50.375 --> 00:22:56.075
How cool is that? That as a mom, we just get birth to a new baby that he's going

00:22:56.075 --> 00:23:02.375
to send me some babies to train in my new level. How cool is that?

00:23:02.955 --> 00:23:06.575
So every mother needs support. They need midwives, intercessors,

00:23:06.735 --> 00:23:10.935
and mentors. But don't forget, we're going to raise up and train our own.

00:23:11.955 --> 00:23:16.375
We're going to be the trainers of our new babies and the ones that's coming our way.

00:23:17.255 --> 00:23:22.655
Question, have I asked for help or am I silently suffering in the name of strength?

00:23:23.215 --> 00:23:25.135
So don't be afraid to ask for help.

00:23:26.184 --> 00:23:30.004
We all need a break. And the last one is guard the home.

00:23:30.544 --> 00:23:35.584
Feel structure around the glory. Now it's time to rearrange your world,

00:23:35.924 --> 00:23:39.704
your relationships, routines, and even your digital space.

00:23:39.804 --> 00:23:43.124
Let's now protect what you've birthed.

00:23:44.024 --> 00:23:49.624
And so you've already, it's powerful, right? So now you're protecting,

00:23:49.944 --> 00:23:51.984
you're becoming protective of that dream.

00:23:52.684 --> 00:23:57.244
Your relationships has changed. I know mine has. Your routine has changed.

00:23:57.624 --> 00:24:02.404
Even your digital space must now protect what you've birthed.

00:24:02.484 --> 00:24:08.164
Like I just shared, I'm looking for familiar faces to help me with my dream.

00:24:08.424 --> 00:24:12.904
But the Lord said, no, I'm going to send you some people your way.

00:24:13.364 --> 00:24:17.864
Then ask. I was kind of a little frustrated because what people have said,

00:24:18.204 --> 00:24:21.624
like, I'll wait until you do it first. I'll wait this. You know,

00:24:21.764 --> 00:24:24.324
people don't want to step out with you.

00:24:24.504 --> 00:24:27.464
They want to wait till you become something. Then they want to ride in your

00:24:27.464 --> 00:24:29.964
shadows. But that's okay, too.

00:24:30.784 --> 00:24:34.784
Be the Holy Spirit and the Father. We're going to do this.

00:24:35.944 --> 00:24:39.344
And the question I have for you is like, what needs to shift in your home,

00:24:39.544 --> 00:24:43.844
your phone, or heart to make room for his new glory?

00:24:43.844 --> 00:24:53.224
You know, sometimes, you know, we can birth out some things and they can die after their birth.

00:24:53.824 --> 00:24:59.964
You know, God said, I'm doing a new thing. But he's asking us, are we able to handle it?

00:25:00.384 --> 00:25:04.124
He says, can you perceive it? The Bible asks, can we perceive it?

00:25:04.364 --> 00:25:11.324
And part of perceiving it in that whole scripture of Isaiah 43 is forgetting the things of old.

00:25:11.924 --> 00:25:15.524
And when he asks you, can you shift? Can you learn new technology?

00:25:15.764 --> 00:25:19.364
To go live on my TV, the Diary of

00:25:19.364 --> 00:25:23.884
Black Women TV, I have to learn some new things. I have to buy a camera.

00:25:24.084 --> 00:25:28.244
I have to set that camera up. I don't know how to do all that stuff,

00:25:28.244 --> 00:25:29.944
but I'm about to learn how to do that.

00:25:30.324 --> 00:25:33.304
I'm going to add a little music to my podcast in the beginning.

00:25:33.724 --> 00:25:40.784
I'm going to upgrade my microphone, as you can tell. It's not like I'm talking in a tube.

00:25:41.324 --> 00:25:45.724
You know, but all of that takes process. You just learn. I'm birthing.

00:25:46.184 --> 00:25:48.484
I'm birthing. You're watching me grow.

00:25:49.044 --> 00:25:51.724
Watching the process of me protecting my baby.

00:25:52.723 --> 00:25:55.963
Let's go through this real quick. You want to be able to cover the baby,

00:25:56.123 --> 00:25:57.303
keep it warm and protect it.

00:25:57.863 --> 00:26:02.923
Feed the baby with daily nourishment. So you want to cover the baby with prayer.

00:26:03.223 --> 00:26:05.503
Feed the baby with the word of God.

00:26:05.943 --> 00:26:10.023
Watch for infections. Watch what you say, who you hang with.

00:26:10.803 --> 00:26:13.583
You know, who you hanging around with, who you're collaborating with.

00:26:14.043 --> 00:26:20.203
Rest and rest while it grows. Don't rush the baby to run or walk before it's time.

00:26:20.383 --> 00:26:25.123
Use this time to bond with God. You know, when babies are newborn, they sleep a lot.

00:26:25.143 --> 00:26:29.083
And so you can actually spend that time while the baby is resting and sleeping

00:26:29.083 --> 00:26:31.543
to bond with the Lord, right?

00:26:32.083 --> 00:26:35.823
And then get some help. You weren't meant to do this alone.

00:26:36.003 --> 00:26:42.103
And so you're going to be able to find some support, ask for help. Don't try to do it alone.

00:26:42.503 --> 00:26:46.103
And then to guard your home, build your structure around the glory,

00:26:46.483 --> 00:26:51.983
protect what's yours, you know, and allow God to do the work. He gave you the plan.

00:26:52.583 --> 00:26:55.623
I remember when he gave me the idea, I told you I didn't walk through the whole

00:26:55.623 --> 00:26:57.363
process. It was first a name.

00:26:57.903 --> 00:27:00.883
And then I asked, okay, what's the name? He said, it's going to be a business.

00:27:01.363 --> 00:27:04.443
And what type of business? And he said, it's going to be a devotional business.

00:27:04.863 --> 00:27:08.723
My first part of writing a devotional business was to write devotionals for

00:27:08.723 --> 00:27:11.623
my mom. And I did that on a daily basis.

00:27:12.023 --> 00:27:15.363
And I got to about 40 devotionals with my mom. And she says,

00:27:15.883 --> 00:27:19.163
okay, that's good, Connie. And she helped me edit it. She was my editor.

00:27:19.403 --> 00:27:22.763
Do this to it, do that to do it. And then I have 40 devotionals.

00:27:22.883 --> 00:27:26.443
I said, mom, I said, okay, Lord, what's next? He said, you're going to start a podcast.

00:27:26.683 --> 00:27:32.503
Take those first 40 devotionals and that's what you're going to start your podcast. That's the process.

00:27:33.383 --> 00:27:35.223
I honored each and every step.

00:27:36.114 --> 00:27:41.714
Well, the way. And now he's moving me into the live stream, Diary of Black Women

00:27:41.714 --> 00:27:46.154
TV, where I would talk faith, which is just like I'm hearing me,

00:27:46.374 --> 00:27:47.634
but you're going to see my face.

00:27:47.954 --> 00:27:50.754
And then we're going to do what's called Just Chatting, where we're going to

00:27:50.754 --> 00:27:53.834
just go through some devotional. Just I'm asking questions.

00:27:53.994 --> 00:27:57.674
We can get to have a conversation around the Word of God.

00:27:58.454 --> 00:28:02.454
I'm going to do a two-hour slot for each one so that we can get to know each

00:28:02.454 --> 00:28:05.854
other and get to birth what God's vision is in you.

00:28:06.114 --> 00:28:13.034
And then I open it with the prayer of Jabez, and then I close it with the promises of Jeremiah 29, 11,

00:28:13.294 --> 00:28:19.074
which is a scripture that was birthed in me probably like over 30 years ago

00:28:19.074 --> 00:28:21.234
when I went to my first women's conference.

00:28:21.594 --> 00:28:24.874
You know, as a new Christian, you don't know nothing about women's conferences

00:28:24.874 --> 00:28:27.394
because you spend most of your time hanging at the club.

00:28:27.394 --> 00:28:31.094
But when I went to my first women's conference and I heard that scripture,

00:28:31.434 --> 00:28:38.414
it birthed in me just like a new baby, like I was pregnant with that scripture and it stayed with me.

00:28:38.594 --> 00:28:42.354
And I just been birthing that, birthing that for, oh my gosh,

00:28:42.454 --> 00:28:44.634
it's just stayed with me and it's still with me now.

00:28:45.354 --> 00:28:51.474
And so two of the faith, my scriptures that I use, Jabez, when I was reading

00:28:51.474 --> 00:28:57.114
the Bible, I saw that prayer in the middle of genealogy, and then God said, and he answered it.

00:28:57.214 --> 00:29:04.374
I'm like, wow, this guy was bold enough to ask for prayer and got his prayers answered.

00:29:04.894 --> 00:29:09.174
He was bold enough to ask, and he got his prayers answered.

00:29:10.349 --> 00:29:15.409
And then the Jeremiah 29 is that the Lord is going to, if you pray,

00:29:15.549 --> 00:29:19.569
you seek that he's going to, that he thinks about you. How cool is that?

00:29:19.769 --> 00:29:21.949
We have a God that thinks about us.

00:29:22.349 --> 00:29:26.089
All right. So let's continue. I want to do the decrees for today and close out in prayer.

00:29:26.509 --> 00:29:31.409
I'm at my 30 minute mark here. It says, I will not abandon what I birth.

00:29:31.969 --> 00:29:38.449
I guard the promise with grace and wisdom. I feed it daily. I covered it in prayer.

00:29:39.189 --> 00:29:45.209
I do not apologize for changing. What I birth is holy, and I will build my life

00:29:45.209 --> 00:29:47.529
around it. I'm going to read it again.

00:29:47.869 --> 00:29:51.189
I decree that I will not abandon what I birth.

00:29:51.649 --> 00:29:59.509
I guard it with the promise, with grace and wisdom. I feed it daily. I cover it in prayer.

00:29:59.909 --> 00:30:08.929
I do not apologize for changing. what I birthed as holy, and I will build it, build my life around it.

00:30:09.549 --> 00:30:13.769
And I want to pray for wisdom for the new season.

00:30:14.729 --> 00:30:19.129
Father, thank you for the baby, the promise, the glory, the assignment.

00:30:19.689 --> 00:30:23.709
Wow, but now I ask you to teach me how to steward it well.

00:30:24.069 --> 00:30:29.109
I don't want to lose it through neglect. I don't want to expose it through carelessness.

00:30:29.609 --> 00:30:34.729
I don't want to forget what it costs to bring it. Amen.

00:30:35.329 --> 00:30:40.749
Help me to build around it, feed it, protect it, and to grow with it.

00:30:41.029 --> 00:30:48.669
Show me how to rest. Show me how to align. And help me to stay faithful to what you entrusted to me.

00:30:48.969 --> 00:30:52.329
This promise will live. This baby will thrive.

00:30:52.589 --> 00:30:57.369
And you will get the glory. In Jesus' name, Amen.

00:30:59.736 --> 00:31:04.416
You did it. Yes, you did. You didn't just survive the labor.

00:31:04.656 --> 00:31:07.236
You didn't just survive the promise.

00:31:07.716 --> 00:31:11.636
You've learned how to mother it with maturity.

00:31:12.456 --> 00:31:20.456
Sudden glory doesn't mean sloppy living. It means living intentionally with God at the center of it.

00:31:20.796 --> 00:31:24.476
And while this is the final episode of this series.

00:31:24.776 --> 00:31:28.836
It's only the beginning of what God is forming in you.

00:31:29.116 --> 00:31:35.596
So stay ready, stay sensitive, and keep your eyes wide open.

00:31:36.076 --> 00:31:45.016
I want to close this out with prayer and the promises of Jeremiah 29, 11-14 over you.

00:31:45.376 --> 00:31:49.636
Father God, you declare that I know the plans I have for you,

00:31:49.916 --> 00:31:55.536
plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

00:31:55.756 --> 00:31:57.896
So today we receive that truth.

00:31:58.316 --> 00:32:03.756
You said that when we call on you, you will listen. So we pray.

00:32:03.996 --> 00:32:08.576
You say when we seek you with all our hearts, you will be found.

00:32:08.796 --> 00:32:13.136
So we pursue. And you say that you will restore us from captivity.

00:32:13.396 --> 00:32:20.036
So we declare freedom from every place where our listeners feel stuck, silence, and small.

00:32:20.416 --> 00:32:26.476
Thank you for always drawing near when we show up in faith. In Jesus' name, amen.

00:32:27.136 --> 00:32:31.996
So if today's episode moves you, stay connected at our website,

00:32:32.136 --> 00:32:37.536
Diary of a Black Woman, LLC.com, or I'll be coming soon to YouTube.

00:32:38.216 --> 00:32:45.916
And also, don't forget, Twitch is coming in July, Tuesdays and Fridays on Diary of Black Women TV.

00:32:46.356 --> 00:32:50.496
Stay connected, stay covered, and keep healing out loud.

00:32:50.816 --> 00:32:55.436
This is Connie Morris, and you've been listening to Diary of a Black Woman podcast,

00:32:55.856 --> 00:33:00.556
where healing, truth, and grace lives.

00:33:01.016 --> 00:33:01.656
Amen.