The Algorithm: Ep. 2: Distracted by Good Things — When Service Becomes Spiritual Clutter

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Welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host,

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Connie Morris, and this is Faith on the Go, where you take the word with you on your drive to work,

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while you're getting ready in the morning, or even in those quiet moments before prayer.

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Real life, real word, and real growth, all while you are on the go.

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Before we get into today's word, let's take a moment to center ourselves with a familiar prayer.

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The prayer of Jabez, oh, that you will bless me indeed and enlarge my territory.

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Let your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.

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Father God, we come before you this day asking that you will indeed bless us,

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not just with what we have, but in who we are becoming.

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Enlarge our territory, Lord. Expand our capacity, our mindset,

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and our ability to receive what you have for us.

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Let your hand be upon us, guiding us, covering us, and leading us in every decision we make.

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And Father, keep us from harm, physically, emotionally, and spiritually,

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that we may walk in peace and not in pain.

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And Lord, just as you heard Jabez when he cried out to you, Hear us now.

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Your word says that you granted his request. And we believe that you are the same God today.

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So we come boldly before you, knowing that you hear us, knowing that you see

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us, and knowing that you respond to the prayers of your people.

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Have your way in this moment as we sit, listen, and receive your word.

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In Jesus' name, amen.

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Welcome back to Diary of Black Women podcast. I'm your host Connie Morris and

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we are continuing our series of Algorithm Is Not Your Altar.

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We are trying to get our worship back. Today's topic is distracted by good things

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when service becomes spiritual clutter.

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I love it. And let's go to Luke 10 verse 40 coming from our foundational scriptures

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and we read here in 40 King James version.

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It says, Martha was scumbered about much serving and came to him and said,

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Lord, does thou not care that my sister had left me to serve alone?

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Bid her therefore that she help me.

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We see here that Martha was distracted with much serving, but is that her normal attitude?

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Is that something that she normally does? But you can tell that she got frustrated

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because Because Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus.

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We covered that in the last episode. But we're going to go on and talk about

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when service becomes spiritual clutter.

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That is found in 1 Corinthians 7, 35.

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And this is one of our scriptures from our single series. I'm going to read verse 34 and 35.

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And it says this. Therefore, 1 Corinthians 7, 35.

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4, 35, and that's it. Hope you found it by now. Let's go.

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There is a difference also between a wife and a virgin.

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The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy

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both in body and in spirit.

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But she that is married caries for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.

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And this I speak for your own prophet, not that I may cast, as verse 35,

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not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely,

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and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.

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Here go that verse again about being single, about attending to the Lord without

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distraction. We see here that Mary and Martha was single, right?

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And so Mary was doing the thing that she was supposed to do. She wasn't distracted.

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She You didn't have a husband, no kids running around. So her goal was to please who?

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Jesus without distraction. But we see here that Mary was distracted with much serving.

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Not only was she distracted, she was anxious and she was upset because Mary

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decided to do the single thing.

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She decided to seek Jesus without distraction. I love that.

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Let's go to Hebrews chapter 12 verses 1.

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2. Whereas seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses,

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let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us,

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and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.

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Verse 2, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,

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who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,

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despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

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We see here in verse Hebrews 12, 1 and 2, that we are supposed to lay aside

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every weight, lay aside every distraction, and that we are supposed to sit at the feet of Jesus.

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Amen. This is good. Is it getting gooder?

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And then we go to Proverbs 4, verses 25 to 27.

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Let thy eyes look right on, and let thy eyelids look straight before thee.

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Verse 26. ponder the path of thy feet and let all thy ways be established.

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27 tells us, turn not to the right hand or to the left.

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Remove thy foot from evil. So not be distracted, not fall into evil.

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And let's go to our final one.

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It'll be Luke verse 8, chapter 14.

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And this starts at chapter 14, but this is about the sore of the word.

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And so I want to start at verse 12. to verse.

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15, and get an idea of what the Word of God does and how it can be distracted

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and how God doesn't want us to be distracted. So we're going to start at verse 11.

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So now the parable is this, the seed is the Word of God.

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Those by the wayside are they that hear.

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Then cometh the devil, then cometh the devil. So we have the Word of God, which is the seed.

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Those by the wayside are they that hear, then cometh the devil.

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So once you hear it, here comes the evil one, and taketh away the word out of

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their mouth, out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

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I'm going to read that again. Those by the wayside are they that hear that cometh

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the evil and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

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Verse 13, they are the rock, are they, which when they hear,

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receive the word with joy.

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And these things have no root, which is for a while believed and in time of temptation fall away.

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In our verse that we're focusing on, And that which fell among thorns are they,

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which when they have heard,

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go forth and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life,

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and bring no fruit to perfection.

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Verse 15, But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good

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heart, having heard the word, keep it and bring it forth fruit with patience.

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Let's tuck a pause here. Just do a quick review.

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That's a lot of scripture, but it also tells us the foundation of when spiritual

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service becomes spiritual clutter.

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We see here, Mary was distracted with much serving.

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Verse Corinthians 7.35 tells us to have an undivided devotion to God.

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Hebrews 12 tells us to lay aside every weight.

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And Proverbs 4 is to let our eyes look straight ahead. And then finally,

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Luke 8, 14 tells us that the cares of life show the word.

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So there's a process that happens when we allow our service to become spiritual clutter.

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We lose some of the word.

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You see in that verse, Luke, I think that was Luke, that it falls on what? Let's read it again. It.

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We hear it, but we don't do anything with the word.

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Another one, we hear and receive it with joy, but yet for a while,

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when temptation comes, we have nothing left.

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And then verse 14, falls among thorns and they're choked. Why are they choked out?

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Because the cares and the riches and pleasures of this life brings no fruit. They got distracted.

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Let's go. Some believers aren't distracted by sin.

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They are distracted by good things. They are distracted by responsibilities,

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deadlines, ministry roles, family needs, schedules, emotional labor, constant demands.

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One more thing that must be handled. Because those things aren't evil,

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we don't treat them as dangerous.

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We assume, at least I'm not doing something bad.

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At least I'm not doing something bad. But the enemy doesn't always need you

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to do something bad to weaken your life.

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Sometimes he needs you to do too much because overload has consequences.

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Amen to that. It turns devotion into routine and worship into a shore.

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You can be doing good things and still be drifting.

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You can be serving faithfully and still be spiritually dry.

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You can be active in the house of God and still be absent in the presence of God.

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And that is why we need this today. Because some distractions don't come from temptation.

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They come from tasks. The Word. The Bible says Martha was distracted with much serving, Luke 10, 40.

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Notice that the scripture does not say, it does not say Martha was distracted

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with gossip, lust, drugs, rebellion, and foolishness.

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No, it says she was distracted with what? Much serving.

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In other words, Martha was doing something that looked right,

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but her heart was being pulled away from what was best for her.

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That is why 1 Corinthians 7, 35 stands out as a guiding light.

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Not to restrict you, but you may live an undivided devotion to the Lord.

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And that's part of our single scripture is that God doesn't want to restrict you.

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Marriage is fine for everyone. It's not for everyone. But if you're married,

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you know, do your married thing.

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But if you're single, you do your single thing.

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And that is your undivided devotion to the Lord, right? That's your goal right now as a single woman.

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That phrase, undivided devotion matters because devotion can be divided either

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with your intentions are pure.

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You can love Jesus and still live fragmented.

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And here's that spiritual danger when you live distracted. The more divided

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your devotional becomes, the more your soul starts operating on empty and the

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more your peace becomes unstable and the easier it is to become bitter in your service.

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The Hebrews warns us, let us throw off everything that hinders and run with

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perseverance, fixing your eyes on Jesus, like letting it all go.

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Notice it's weights, not just sin.

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Weights aren't sinful, they're just heavy. Weight drain you. Weight slow you down.

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Weight distracts your gaze. And many people are not trapped by sin.

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They are trapped by weight.

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Hebrews chapter 1 tells us, lay aside every weight. It's not just about sin.

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It's important because the Bible distinguishes between sin and weight.

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And many believers are not being defeated by sin. They're being defeated by weight.

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What is a weight? Hebrews 12.1, it's spelled O-G-K-O-S.

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And it means this, mass, bulk, burden, encumbrance, something bulky that slows you down.

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So spiritually, a weight is something that may not be sinful,

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still is too heavy, too consuming, too draining, and too time consuming.

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More on the definition of weight. A weight is anything that is not necessarily sinful.

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Still is heavy enough to slow your spiritual pace.

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Drain your strength and pull your focus away from God.

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Weight can be a responsibility, a role, a relationship, a habit,

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a commitment, a mindset, a distraction, even a good thing that has become too big.

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Weights don't always ruin your life loudly. They ruin it quietly by wearing you down.

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So how does this weight work? Weights don't always make you stop believing.

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They make you stop abiding. They don't usually make you stop loving.

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They make you stop spending time with Him.

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Wastes really attack your faith directly. They attack your consistency,

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your focus, your prayer rhythm, hunger for the Word, spiritual stamina, and emotional peace.

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Wastes don't have to be sinful to be dangerous. It's just something in the way

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that stops you from being free.

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It stops your consistency. It stops your focus.

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It stops your rhythm, your hunger for God, your spiritual stamina,

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and your emotional peace. Sin is rebellion.

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It separates you from God through disobedience.

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Weight, on the other hand, is an overload. It separates you from God through

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exhaustion, distraction, and depletion.

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Sin corrupts, weight drains.

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Either one can pull you off course.

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Some examples of a weight in real life, saying yes when God said no,

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serving while secretly resentful, being available to everyone but not God,

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always being needed and responsibilities that are never assigned to you.

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Living under pressure to prove yourself. Oh my gosh.

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Scrolling and consuming so much that your spirit is never still and doing good

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work while your inner life is neglected.

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That's a lot. The one that got stuck, which one stuck out to you?

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The one that stuck out to me is living under pressure to prove yourself.

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I work with some young people at work. I'm 62.

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The ladies and gentlemen I work with are 28, and they are carrying the weight

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of the world because they're trying to prove themselves.

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Wow, that just kind of stuck with me. That's why the Hebrews say,

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lay aside every weight, because if you don't lay it down, it will slowly lay you down.

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And I can see that, the stress in their eyes, just sitting quietly,

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not doing anything, just resting, just resting, just wishing the phone don't

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ring, wishing another email don't come.

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It's too much for them. And they're only 28.

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We're loaded, but still holy. Real time looks like this.

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You're not living recklessly. You're living responsibly. But you are always rushing.

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You're always exhausted, always needed, always on, always explaining why you

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can't rest. and always feeling guilty if you stop.

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That part right there, that was me. You have to stop and ask God. God, I am tired.

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I'm tired of the same okie-dos. Yeah, I know life can be routine,

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but I need to get off the bandwagon just for a little while so I can rest,

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so I can seek you, so I can have peace, so I can decide which way to go.

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Because if we don't take that time, the world will rush us into something that

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either we're not ready for or is this more burnout and then we'll stop?

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You can even say, I'm doing this for God. But here's the truth.

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If serving God is destroying your peace, something is out of order.

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You may be serving with a pure heart, but you're carrying too much in your hands to keep your heart pure.

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So this is how people burn out in ministry.

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This is how people get hurt in church. This is how people end up resentful.

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This is how people stop praying. This is how worship becomes mechanical.

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Not because they stop loving Jesus, because they get distracted by good things

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until God became one more thing.

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It says we get distracted by too many good things and then God becomes that one more thing.

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Even good things can become dangerous

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when they divide your attention and drain your intimacy with God.

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Let's do a heart check. What good things have been crowding out God in your life?

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Where have I mistaken being busy or being fruitful?

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Is my service producing joy or frustration?

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Do I feel guilty when I rest? If so, why?

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Have I been carrying weights God never assigned to me?

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If I keep going at this pace, will I end up closer to God or burnt out?

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Let's talk about how to get it back. because I'm feeling heavy now just speaking

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this. How can we get it back?

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How can we break free from weight of much serving?

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Number one, identify what a weight is. Ask your question, is this responsibility

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God-given or pressure-given?

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Weights often sound like if I don't do it, nobody will. I can't say no.

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They need me. I have to prove myself. I don't want to disappoint anyone.

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I had an incident at work, and I'm still new at this new job,

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and I just finished the training and teaching, and you know,

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as I talk to you, I love to teach. That's not even an issue.

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But the issue is, at a new job, you don't go in there taking on so many responsibilities.

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I said, no, no, no, no. I need to learn my current job. Then I can take on at least two classes.

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Meanwhile, I'm going to learn my time. I'm going to take my time.

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And what that did to people was that shocked them because people are performative

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and you think you get a new job.

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I'm going to do 12 things. I'm going to do this. I'm going to do that.

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I'm like, no, I'm going to do this. And then I'm going to do that.

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I'm not going to do all that.

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I'm not doing all that. And my boss even supported me. He said,

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you're right. You will teach, but we're going to give you time.

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Don't go putting all that pressure because that pressure, you'll be pop me out

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of that place because I like what I do, but not under pressure.

00:18:55.570 --> 00:18:59.350
You have to regulate that because when you add more pressure on your,

00:18:59.798 --> 00:19:04.158
add more things on your plate that you are doing as a performative measure.

00:19:04.378 --> 00:19:07.438
You are burnt out and you can't even spend time with God.

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You can't do that one thing that is needed. You are struggling to do that one

00:19:13.518 --> 00:19:17.618
thing because you're thinking that it's the right thing, but you never ask God.

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Number two, give God your yes before you give people your yes.

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Oh, we get caught up in that. Give God your yes before you give people your yes.

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If you say yes to anything first, you eventually start giving God what's left.

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Number three, remove one burden this week. That's your goal. What's that one burden?

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Now someday this week, drop one unnecessary thing, your role,

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one role, one commitment, one distraction, one time waster, one weight.

00:19:47.938 --> 00:19:51.518
Do that this week. Yeah, you got two things to do this week.

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Yeah, do it. starting today, do it.

00:19:54.938 --> 00:19:59.938
Drop one unnecessary thing. Like I just explained to you, a lot of times it's too much.

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People are doing too much because they want to make a name for themselves.

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But you know what? Making a name in the world is nothing, but you can sit before

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Jesus' feet and he will give you witty ideas.

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Now he increased my time. Remember, I'm increasing my time with Jesus.

00:20:14.818 --> 00:20:18.698
He's increasing my time to share the word of God, right? That's not a waster.

00:20:19.135 --> 00:20:22.055
It's not a time waster. It is not a way.

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So I want you to remove one burden this week. And remember, all this doesn't happen overnight.

00:20:27.395 --> 00:20:30.555
And so we know it takes 21 days to create a habit.

00:20:30.795 --> 00:20:35.415
It takes doing it 42 times to understand why you're doing it.

00:20:35.535 --> 00:20:37.615
And then you do it that 63rd time.

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That's 3, 20, 21 times 3.

00:20:40.855 --> 00:20:43.795
And then it will become a positive habit.

00:20:44.135 --> 00:20:47.395
Selling yourself so short. People take work home.

00:20:47.935 --> 00:20:53.735
If you're doing your job at work and then taking it home to complete it because

00:20:53.735 --> 00:20:56.235
you want to look good, that's performative.

00:20:56.495 --> 00:20:59.535
And that work that you're taking home, if you're not getting paid for it,

00:20:59.755 --> 00:21:03.555
you're taking what is needed for you the most is prayer.

00:21:03.755 --> 00:21:08.715
I'm telling you right now, as I have been praying with God, and sometimes it

00:21:08.715 --> 00:21:11.295
feels like nothing and nothing and nothing is happening.

00:21:11.575 --> 00:21:16.235
And then all of a sudden he'll whisper idea into your head. But that idea that

00:21:16.235 --> 00:21:20.235
I used for work, which I don't bring my work home, just one time I brought it

00:21:20.235 --> 00:21:22.055
home and it's just to summarize things.

00:21:22.255 --> 00:21:25.575
But it's like, okay, I got to stop. I got to be able to do this at work and

00:21:25.575 --> 00:21:27.175
start working that thing out at work.

00:21:27.480 --> 00:21:31.520
I mean, take your time out of what I'm doing and do that thing at work.

00:21:31.860 --> 00:21:34.680
Do that and do what's needful. I wanted to finish.

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I was just praying and God gave me ideas. I'm an HOH president.

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He told me how to do this. He told me how to do that. He was working with me

00:21:43.300 --> 00:21:47.140
and things are shifting and changing and people's lives are being changed.

00:21:47.280 --> 00:21:50.420
Not because of anything I did. I just submit myself to prayer.

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God gives you the wisdom and it makes you look so smart.

00:21:54.340 --> 00:21:58.920
Number four, schedule worship like an appointment. because if you don't schedule

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it, distraction will stealer.

00:22:00.920 --> 00:22:03.220
Put it on your calendar, time with God.

00:22:03.520 --> 00:22:08.340
My phone is already set because I get up at 2.50, even on Sundays.

00:22:08.540 --> 00:22:10.240
It's up Saturday, I sleep in on Saturday.

00:22:10.480 --> 00:22:14.600
Put it on a calendar, write it down. It may seem difficult, but when you start

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to make time for God, he will start to make time for you.

00:22:18.020 --> 00:22:23.760
And our final one is return to undivided devotional. The goal is not to do nothing.

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The goal is to live focused, hand-serving, heart-anchored, and eyes on Jesus.

00:22:30.340 --> 00:22:34.420
Let's pray. Lord Jesus, forgive me for allowing good things to become heavy

00:22:34.420 --> 00:22:38.040
things. Forgive me for confusing productivity with devotion.

00:22:38.300 --> 00:22:43.540
I repent for living divided, serving with my hands while drifting in my heart.

00:22:43.780 --> 00:22:46.400
Teach me how to live with undivided devotion.

00:22:46.700 --> 00:22:49.340
Show me what weights I need to lay down.

00:22:49.680 --> 00:22:55.460
Restore my peace, restore my focus, and restore my worship. Let my service flow

00:22:55.460 --> 00:22:59.300
from intimacy, not pressure. In Jesus' name, amen.

00:22:59.780 --> 00:23:03.420
Speak things aloud with me. I will not be distracted by good things.

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I release every weight that is straining my spirit.

00:23:06.600 --> 00:23:15.760
I choose undivided devotion to the Lord. I will not serve until I am spiritually empty.

00:23:16.360 --> 00:23:19.940
God's presence will never be my last priority.

00:23:20.200 --> 00:23:25.840
I fix my eyes on Jesus, not pressure. My worship will remain pure and personal.

00:23:26.140 --> 00:23:29.680
Write down these threes. This is what I want you to do this week. We talked about.

00:23:30.208 --> 00:23:35.048
Getting rid of one thing, write down three good things, taking the most time

00:23:35.048 --> 00:23:36.748
and energy of your life right now.

00:23:36.908 --> 00:23:40.388
Then ask yourself, which one of these is the way? So I might have told you to

00:23:40.388 --> 00:23:42.508
take that first one, do that one thing.

00:23:42.868 --> 00:23:47.468
Maybe you don't know. So now take time out to write down three things and then

00:23:47.468 --> 00:23:50.928
look at each three and examining which one is it coming away.

00:23:51.108 --> 00:23:55.388
Like what would you lay down and what would it look like in real life?

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You know, today choose that one thing that has been weighing you down and take one step to release it.

00:24:01.188 --> 00:24:05.708
Cancel it, reschedule it, delegate it, pause it, say no to it,

00:24:05.748 --> 00:24:09.948
or remove access to it. That's all. I'll say it again.

00:24:10.308 --> 00:24:17.308
Cancel it, reschedule it, delegate it, pause it, say no to it, or remove access to it.

00:24:17.648 --> 00:24:25.488
Then spend 10 minutes sitting at Jesus' feet and ask, Lord, what do you want me to focus on?

00:24:25.648 --> 00:24:29.388
Just like Paul said, what would you have me to do.

00:24:29.568 --> 00:24:32.928
This is the Diary of Black Women podcast.

00:24:33.268 --> 00:24:38.168
I'm your host, Connie Morris. This was a good time, but I can't wait to get

00:24:38.168 --> 00:24:40.988
to episode three, day three, the

00:24:40.988 --> 00:24:46.288
Martha trap, parison and resentment when overload turns into bitterness.

00:24:46.608 --> 00:24:49.788
So I'll see you on the next episode. Goodbye.

00:25:00.807 --> 00:25:03.947
Family, thank you for spending time with me today.

00:25:04.187 --> 00:25:07.927
To every woman listening who has ever felt hidden, overlooked,

00:25:07.987 --> 00:25:10.347
or pushed aside, hear me clearly.

00:25:10.627 --> 00:25:15.167
God has not forgotten you, and neither have I.

00:25:15.527 --> 00:25:20.407
Now let's go before the Lord and close this out with a word from God,

00:25:20.607 --> 00:25:25.127
because someone out there needs this reminder today.

00:25:25.467 --> 00:25:32.187
Jeremiah 29, 11, verses 11 through 14. For I know the plans I have for you,

00:25:32.347 --> 00:25:35.967
declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

00:25:36.347 --> 00:25:38.627
plans to give you hope and a future.

00:25:38.887 --> 00:25:43.727
Then when you call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you,

00:25:43.967 --> 00:25:49.187
you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

00:25:49.327 --> 00:25:55.247
I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and bring you back from captivity.

00:25:55.707 --> 00:26:01.647
Father God, we thank you for your word, that it is true, that it is living, that it is for us.

00:26:01.827 --> 00:26:06.967
You said you know the plans you have for us, plans to prosper us and not to

00:26:06.967 --> 00:26:09.767
harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.

00:26:10.027 --> 00:26:14.387
So today we receive that, not just in our minds, but in our hearts.

00:26:14.527 --> 00:26:18.367
When we feel overlooked, remind us you still see us.

00:26:18.527 --> 00:26:23.827
When we feel forgotten, remind us you still have a plan. And when we feel hidden,

00:26:24.087 --> 00:26:26.327
remind us you are still working.

00:26:26.767 --> 00:26:32.367
Your word says that when we call on you, you will listen. So we call on you now. Hear us.

00:26:32.707 --> 00:26:36.807
Strengthen us. Guide us. Help us to seek you with our whole heart,

00:26:37.007 --> 00:26:40.047
not halfway, not sometimes, but fully.

00:26:40.267 --> 00:26:44.667
And as we seek you, let us find you in every season, in every place.

00:26:45.233 --> 00:26:50.473
Even the hidden one. Restore what was lost, renew what feels broken,

00:26:50.693 --> 00:26:55.273
and remind us that nothing in our lives is wasted in your hand.

00:26:55.493 --> 00:27:01.613
Lord, we trust you, we believe you, and we stand on your word. In Jesus' name, amen.

00:27:02.173 --> 00:27:06.173
This is Diary of a Black Woman podcast, and I'm your host, Connie Morris,

00:27:06.333 --> 00:27:09.073
and I'll see you on the next episode.