April 15, 2026
The Algorithm: Ep.6: Return to Your First Love: A Restoration Plan
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Host Connie Morris calls listeners back to their first love in Christ, using Scripture to explain the quiet drift away from heartfelt worship and offering a clear three-step restoration plan: remember, repent, and return. She shares practical steps—writing spiritual memories, confessing specific distractions, rebuilding a daily rhythm of prayer, Bible reading, and worship—and encourages small, sustainable habits.
The episode includes a guided prayer, declarations to reclaim devotion, and a short action plan (including a 3‑day Love Reset and journaling prompts) to help listeners revive their hunger for God and protect their renewed intimacy.
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00:26 - Welcome and Centering Prayer
02:13 - Returning to Your First Love
07:47 - The Call to Repent
12:15 - Steps to Restoration
17:21 - Rebuilding Spiritual Rhythm
20:13 - Closing Prayer and Encouragement
26:05 - Final Thoughts and Next Episode Preview
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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.
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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. 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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Hello and welcome back to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast.
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We are continuing our series of the algorithm.
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Algorithm is not your altar. They said it's how to get it back.
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Returning to your first love.
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Our anchor scripture today is found in Revelation chapter 2 verses 4 through 5. Let's go there.
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Of course, I'll be reading from the King James Version.
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And it reads, it says, I have someone against thee because thou has left thy first love.
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Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen and repent and do the first works
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or else I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy candlestick out of
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his place, except thou repent.
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We see here that Jesus is calling us to remember our first love, which is him.
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And then, therefore, from whence thou art fallen, say, what is taking you away from me?
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But then he says, remember thy first works and then repent, like come back to me.
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Let's go to Acts chapter 3, verse 19.
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And that reads also, it says, repent ye therefore, and be converted that your
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sins may be blotted out when the time of refreshing should come from the presence of the Lord.
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We see here that God is calling us to repent.
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Let's go to Joel chapter 2.
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Verse, chapter 2, verses 12 and 13. See what he has to say in Joel,
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chapter 2, verses 12 to 13.
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It reads, Therefore also now, says the Lord,
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turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping,
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and with mourning, and wring your heart, and not your garment,
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and turn unto the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful,
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slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
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God is here still calling us back. And Joel, let's go to James 4, verse 8.
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Let me find it. Thought I had them all lined up, but that's okay.
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James 4, verse 8. And that reads, Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
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Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double-minded.
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We see here that God's still calling us to repent. Let's go to Isaiah.
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Got a few more scriptures for you to set up this foundation.
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Let's go to Isaiah chapter 55, verse 6.
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And it reads here, Also the sons of the stranger that joined themselves to the
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Lord, to serve him and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants.
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Everyone that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it and taketh hold of my covenant.
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God is calling us closer. Take a hold of the Sabbath. Like call a day holy.
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Don't work on every single day, right?
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And finally, Psalms chapter 51 verses 10 to 12 tell us here.
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It says, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
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Cast not away from my presence and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.
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Let's do just a quick review.
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We see here in Revelations, God is saying, come back. You left your first love.
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Repent. Return around. Go back to the first works.
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And we know that when we first fell in love with Jesus, we couldn't get enough
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of them. But yet we became so busy.
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We became like Martha, busy about nothing.
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And then we see here in Acts chapter 3, repent so refreshing come.
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So if you're feeling tired and weary, guess what?
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Because you need to clean your heart, repent. And so that God can give you a
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new spirit, but also a refreshing that comes knowing that he has your back.
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Joel 2 tells us to return with all your heart. So don't come here half-hearted,
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but he wants all of your heart.
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And James 4 tells us to draw near and he will draw near.
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So as we seek in him with all our heart, as we repent, as we return to our first
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love, we see here that he will draw near to you. Isaiah 55, 6 tells us,
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seek the Lord while he may be found.
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There's going to come a time when he will not be found.
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And remember the story of the foolish versions and the wise versions.
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Remember the ones that were prepared with the oil had an opportunity to go in with the bridegroom.
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The others were left outside.
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You don't want to be that. You want to be right there when he rise. You want to be ready.
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So when he says, come, there's no excuses. You are so ready.
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And number, the last one is Psalms 51.
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Restore unto me the joy of salvation.
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As we walk this Christian life, it gets weary. It gets tiring, right?
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And so God is saying, come to me and be refreshed, but also that joy of when
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you first loved him and how much excitement you had. Bring that back to us, Lord.
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Bring that joy back. And you just have to ask. It's just an ask, right?
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So sometimes we assume we need a new routine, a new planner,
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a new schedule, a new strategy, a new church, even a new season.
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But often what we really need is simpler, and deeper.
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We need to return, not return to perfection, not return to a version of ourselves
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that never got tired, not to return to a life without responsibility,
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a return to God, return to a hunger, return to sincerity, right?
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Return to worship that is real, return to the secret place, return to the one thing needed.
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And here is that most important truth for today. God is not asking you to do more.
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He's asking you to come back to him.
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We see in Revelations 2 that it was written to the church of Ephesus,
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a church that was working hard.
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They were enduring hardship, rejecting false apostles, persevering and not giving
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up. But Jesus saw something.
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And this is very sobering to every believer.
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But he says this, even though you think you're doing everything right.
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He says in Revelation 2, 4, I have someone against thee, meaning you're doing
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a lot right now, but something is still wrong.
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Then he names it because thou has lost thy first love.
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Notice he doesn't say you lost it. It says you left because thou has left thy first love.
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So he didn't say you lost it. He say you left it because drifting is usually
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not dramatic, it's gradual.
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It happens like this. You stop praying consistently. You stop worshiping consistently.
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You start rushing through the scriptures. You stop craving God's presence.
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You begin to live on empty and you still show up, but you're not full.
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And eventually you can be faithful in your behavior, but distant in your heart.
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Then Jesus gives us three steps of restoration plan straight from heaven.
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And so we see here that we can look the part.
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God says that, but we know that God sees the heart.
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And I believe that he's calling out those who have been faking and shaking.
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And I know that's like, dang, dang, why you go there right now?
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Because he knows, you know, and remember it goes to the preacher first.
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So sometimes we can just show up, do what we have to do, look good doing it.
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But really we wish we were somewhere else.
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We're in God's presence thinking about the day, planning the day.
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And he's like, hello, I'm right here. Can you talk to me? What do you need?
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I can help you plan your day.
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And so there's three things for our restoration plan. You want to remember.
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Remember therefore from whence thou are falling. What does that mean actually?
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So he calls us back to our spiritual memory.
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Remember when your worship was natural. You know, one thing I love about the
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Bible and I love about Jesus and the Father and the Holy Spirit is that they can read the room.
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And so they can actually call you out without embarrassing you and tell you
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some things about yourself that you thought no one knew.
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And that can be pretty much hard at times.
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We have a heavenly father who wants the best for us.
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So how can he not let us, how would he let us continue the road?
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Like as a parent, continuing the road of ignorance or faking and shaking.
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Just like we have children, right? We have brothers, we have sisters,
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cousins, right? And we know when they're faking and shaking, right?
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We know when they put up in that new car that they can't afford it because they really got a job.
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You know, so we know the truth about people.
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And how come you don't think our Father doesn't know the truth about us?
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But you have to remember our spiritual memory when we were real before God,
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when it was natural, when prayer wasn't forced or just scheduled or on a routine,
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when we wanted God more than any attention.
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Remember when you didn't need to be seen or feel valuable?
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God wants us to go back to that space, that space of safety and comfort where
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your eyes only had eyes for him.
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And we know that it seemed like so long ago, but it only takes a moment.
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God says, repent. Repent means to turn completely away with your back towards
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what was blocking you and God and looking straight in his face, right?
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So the Bible says, submit, submit me. You're looking at him.
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You're not looking at what you lost. You're not doing the lots wife movement.
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You're not looking back as though you're losing something, but you're looking
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forward as though you are gaining something.
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Number two, repent. And repent, he says.
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Repent doesn't mean feel bad. It means to turn. Change direction.
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Do it purposely. Do it now.
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Return, says, and do the first work. When you turn, what are you doing?
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You're going back to what you did when love was alive.
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Not what you did when you were trying to maintain an image, but what you did
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when you were genuinely hungry.
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So why is getting back like spiritual warfare? Why is that so hard?
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Getting back your spiritual worship is not just self-care, it's warfare.
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Because worship is what silenced the enemy.
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It strengthens your spirit. It anchors your identity.
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It releases clarity.
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It restores peace. And it breaks heaviness. This is why distraction comes first to worship.
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If the enemy can weaken your worship, he can weaken your discernment.
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If he can weaken your devotion, he can weaken your endurance.
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So yes, this day is about restoration, but it's also about reclaiming territory.
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And so I want to just take a moment and talk about this quiet drift.
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Drift means it's like a slow fade.
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Everything is strong, but things get busy, life happens, and then it's called
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a drift. And so you're moving slowly away.
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Nobody notices it, not even you, until the Lord tells you like in this devotional,
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in this podcast, hey, hello, you're missing your first love.
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So in real time, most believers don't wake up one day and say, I'm done with God.
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What happens is quieter. You get busy. You get tired. You get disappointment.
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You get overwhelmed. You get distracted. You get numb. And then you start surviving
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spiritually instead of thriving.
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You still love God, but you don't feel like Him like you used to.
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You still believe, but you don't burn like you used to.
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You still show up, but you're not as full as you used to be. That's the truth.
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And Jesus is not condemning you for it. He's calling you out of it because love
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doesn't die from hatred. Love dies from neglect.
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You remember anything today. It says you don't need a new image.
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You need to return to your first love. You know, we always, it's now April.
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And you know, we started on January. We're going to do these new things.
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And yet now in April, we haven't done not one. Maybe we did one,
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but we lost our focus along the way.
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And so God is calling us back. And I want to just do a heart check with you.
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Now, I want you to be honest with yourself. Where did I drift?
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What replaced my first love? Have I been more faithful to the algorithm than the altar?
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Do I miss God? Or do I miss the feeling of being close to Him?
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What do I need to repent from? Distraction, performance, bitterness, or busyness?
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What is the first works I need to return to?
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And those questions you probably can't answer right off the top of your head.
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But if you get in prayer and you ask God, Hello, where am I missing it?
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You're saying I'm missing the first love. You want me to return?
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Actually, I thought I was there.
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But think about it. When the truth hits, you go, I thought I was there.
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And so you start to look back and feeling guilty, like, where did I miss it?
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He doesn't want you to do that. He wants you to go back. Just repent and return.
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So his restoration plan, like we mentioned earlier, is to remember.
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And so you want to, I always give you an assignment, and this is going to be a good one for all of us.
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Then I want you to write down these things, these questions,
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and so you can kind of get a visual of what you need to do.
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So I'm going to give you a minute. Go get an ink pen. You might want to listen to it again.
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For this assignment, the first step one is remember. I want you to write down
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what your worship used to look like, what your prayer life used to feel like,
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and what brought you joy spiritually,
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and what made you hunger for the Word.
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When you think about where you were and where you are now, memory helps you
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to identify what shifted.
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Number two, I want us all to just repent.
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We're going to repent, and I have a list here. Let's write these down so we
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remember it in our prayer.
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Repent for spiritual neglect, distraction, performance, fear of man,
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bitterness, harrison, and divided devotion.
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Now, remember, this is not shame. This is just a cleansing. We have to cleanse ourselves.
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Step three, it says return to your first word.
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What do I return to? You return to consistent prayer, worship without an audience,
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Bible reading without rushing.
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I see when led. Quiet time with God. And obedience with no applause.
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Returning back. What do we do?
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Step four is rebuild your spiritual rhythm. We talked about a rhythm.
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And if you like to dance and you like a good beat, that's a rhythm.
00:17:51.547 --> 00:17:54.607
And when you're in a rhythm, that's like you're dancing with the Lord,
00:17:54.847 --> 00:17:56.867
right? So you don't need to have intensity.
00:17:57.407 --> 00:18:01.727
You know, this intensity thing is interesting that is mentioned Because when
00:18:01.727 --> 00:18:03.207
I do something, I do it all out.
00:18:03.367 --> 00:18:06.507
If I'm going to do it, I'm going to do 60 minutes, 120 minutes.
00:18:06.607 --> 00:18:09.007
I'm working out with total intensity.
00:18:09.667 --> 00:18:15.887
But I'm realizing that as I've gotten older, yeah, I still need the intensity, but not every day.
00:18:16.722 --> 00:18:22.382
Not every day. I can kind of do a 30 minute workout, do a combination of two
00:18:22.382 --> 00:18:26.802
30 minutes and then some stretching, you know, making it interesting for my
00:18:26.802 --> 00:18:30.982
body, but not so hard because you can't keep up with that.
00:18:31.102 --> 00:18:33.882
What can I do now that I can make last forever?
00:18:34.482 --> 00:18:36.442
That's the question of spiritual rhythm.
00:18:37.062 --> 00:18:42.422
What can I do now? What can I start now that I can faithfully do every day for
00:18:42.422 --> 00:18:44.562
the rest of my life until Jesus come?
00:18:45.242 --> 00:18:48.762
So you need that rhythm. You need that daily pattern, the word of God,
00:18:49.102 --> 00:18:52.402
prayer, stillness, and worship. Those are kind of like in the mix.
00:18:53.022 --> 00:18:55.922
And a lot of times you just need, like I said, the stillness.
00:18:56.042 --> 00:19:00.642
So you need all those to make that perfect life, not at high intensity.
00:19:00.642 --> 00:19:03.122
I'm going to pray for three hours in the Holy Spirit.
00:19:03.362 --> 00:19:07.502
And yeah, you only could do that one day a week when God wants to see you every day.
00:19:07.682 --> 00:19:12.042
So how about we pray about 40 minutes a day, maybe 30 minutes,
00:19:12.242 --> 00:19:16.142
maybe even an hour, whatever that number is that you can say,
00:19:16.342 --> 00:19:17.942
I can make time for God for that.
00:19:18.282 --> 00:19:21.902
I can make time for God for the word. I can make time for prayer.
00:19:22.042 --> 00:19:26.742
I can make time for just sitting in his presence and I can make time for worship.
00:19:27.242 --> 00:19:33.222
And now once we have rebuilt those things, our new relationship with the Lord, we can protect it.
00:19:33.322 --> 00:19:39.262
We have to protect it because remember I just mentioned something you can do all the time, every day.
00:19:39.622 --> 00:19:44.082
And so that it won't just be a show up and then to shut down,
00:19:44.242 --> 00:19:47.802
but it won't just be temporary, but it'd be long lasting.
00:19:48.082 --> 00:19:51.102
So how do we guard that? You want to guard that time.
00:19:51.282 --> 00:19:57.342
I remember mentioning this in my other prior episodes is you want to schedule it.
00:19:58.123 --> 00:20:02.083
You want to schedule it. You want to guard it. You want that secret place to
00:20:02.083 --> 00:20:06.283
be your foundation, right? Because you can't rebuild that in public.
00:20:06.503 --> 00:20:13.083
It has to be done in private. It can't be done as part of an algorithm for your new podcast.
00:20:14.083 --> 00:20:17.803
That is what's needed. So let's pray.
00:20:18.183 --> 00:20:21.663
And I'm going to pray. Don't you listen and just repeat after me if you want
00:20:21.663 --> 00:20:24.863
to, or just listen and receive what this prayer has for you.
00:20:24.863 --> 00:20:28.463
Lord Jesus, I hear you calling me back.
00:20:29.163 --> 00:20:35.323
I repent for leaving my first love. I repent for the distraction that slowly pulled me away.
00:20:35.523 --> 00:20:41.523
I repent for performance, for comparison, and for the busyness that replaced intimacy.
00:20:42.063 --> 00:20:47.123
Restore unto me the joy of salvation. Renew a right spirit within me.
00:20:47.603 --> 00:20:50.763
Refresh my hunger. Revive my worship.
00:20:51.543 --> 00:20:58.303
Bring me back to the secret place with a sincere heart. And I choose the altar again.
00:20:58.663 --> 00:21:05.583
I choose presence again. And I choose the one thing needed. In Jesus' name, amen.
00:21:05.883 --> 00:21:09.683
Repeat after me with these declarations. I return to my first love.
00:21:09.743 --> 00:21:13.623
I like these because it's kind of like bullet points that you can say,
00:21:13.763 --> 00:21:15.723
yep, yep, yep, where it checks your heart.
00:21:15.883 --> 00:21:20.223
And then it puts it in remembrance. so that you said, what I'm supposed to do,
00:21:20.503 --> 00:21:22.603
it's interesting that you will remember these.
00:21:22.843 --> 00:21:24.823
I return to my first love.
00:21:25.103 --> 00:21:31.323
I repent and realign my priorities. I will not drift. I will dwell in God's presence.
00:21:31.623 --> 00:21:34.043
I choose the altar over the algorithm.
00:21:34.383 --> 00:21:38.103
My worship is being restored. My hunger is returning.
00:21:38.543 --> 00:21:40.863
My spiritual rhythm is being rebuilt.
00:21:41.523 --> 00:21:46.743
God is refreshing me with his presence. And if you can do anything that will
00:21:46.743 --> 00:21:48.183
be fun, If you keep a journal.
00:21:49.184 --> 00:21:56.064
Yeah, journal or just start a journal. But you can write it and you can title this letter to the Lord.
00:21:56.404 --> 00:22:00.044
Lord, I'm coming back. You're writing a letter to God. Lord, I'm coming back.
00:22:00.404 --> 00:22:05.324
Or Lord, I'm here. Or Lord, what would you have me to do? Like, Lord, I'm coming back.
00:22:05.584 --> 00:22:08.724
And that can include like what happened? Where did you drift?
00:22:08.804 --> 00:22:12.324
Like an honest story to the God you love.
00:22:12.964 --> 00:22:16.704
What's been going on? What you've been carrying that you have not let God carry?
00:22:17.204 --> 00:22:20.204
What you miss? What do you miss from your first love, right?
00:22:20.744 --> 00:22:22.544
And what are you choosing now?
00:22:23.144 --> 00:22:28.684
You know, I like this one. It's called Love Reset. First Love Reset. It's a three-day plan.
00:22:29.164 --> 00:22:33.844
Now, this is, I do weekly plans. We're doing Bible study every day.
00:22:33.864 --> 00:22:36.944
So this can be what you do for that day, you know?
00:22:37.144 --> 00:22:39.704
And so it's keeping it fresh. It's keeping it before you.
00:22:40.084 --> 00:22:44.504
Bible study doesn't have to be boring. It can be very fun. You're writing letters.
00:22:44.804 --> 00:22:47.744
You're actually repenting. You're reflecting on some things.
00:22:47.744 --> 00:22:50.864
You're journaling, you're taking time to read the Word because God's going to
00:22:50.864 --> 00:22:53.704
give you some scripture to support what you're trying to do.
00:22:53.864 --> 00:22:56.104
And he brought me along to help you on this journey.
00:22:56.404 --> 00:22:59.264
So three days you can do this.
00:22:59.484 --> 00:23:03.484
We talked about setting a long-term goal that you can do every day.
00:23:03.644 --> 00:23:06.584
Remember, for the rest of your life, even if you don't have a prayer life,
00:23:07.104 --> 00:23:08.904
15, 20 minutes sound like a lot.
00:23:09.104 --> 00:23:13.644
So if you do 15 minutes of word and prayer, you're praying, you're reading the scripture.
00:23:13.924 --> 00:23:18.004
Think about how much scripture you would be able to consume just doing that
00:23:18.004 --> 00:23:21.004
every day, right? You can worship.
00:23:21.624 --> 00:23:25.264
Worship while you're combing your hair. Worship while you're taking this out.
00:23:25.724 --> 00:23:31.324
Worship on your way to work, right? And then you can pretty much do whatever you want after that.
00:23:31.584 --> 00:23:36.024
One thing I'm saying, like, write one paragraph daily, what is God restoring in me?
00:23:36.104 --> 00:23:39.284
And you will find out that even though you don't feel nothing,
00:23:39.504 --> 00:23:42.304
that God is still doing something in your life.
00:23:43.009 --> 00:23:46.669
Right? I always say three days because it takes 21 days to get a habit.
00:23:46.809 --> 00:23:50.449
But the first three days, you can see how that flows within your time schedule.
00:23:50.729 --> 00:23:53.509
15 minutes, but you might have to get up 15 minutes earlier,
00:23:53.509 --> 00:23:58.009
or you might have to go to bed 15 minutes later, you know, to do your word.
00:23:58.309 --> 00:24:02.049
Think about a scripture. God might show you something through the day and you'll
00:24:02.049 --> 00:24:04.429
say, Lord, how do I, what's, what does that mean?
00:24:04.669 --> 00:24:08.409
And I'm telling you, there's a scripture for that. I love that.
00:24:08.509 --> 00:24:11.269
There's a scripture for everything that we need in the word of God.
00:24:11.509 --> 00:24:16.989
And when you write The story of what God restoring me is pretty much a thank
00:24:16.989 --> 00:24:19.829
you, Lord, for bringing this to my attention.
00:24:20.069 --> 00:24:23.949
I like to think of that as a thankful prayer where you're being very thanked
00:24:23.949 --> 00:24:25.749
to God for what he's done.
00:24:26.049 --> 00:24:31.209
I'm just going to say 15 minutes does seem like a short time,
00:24:31.429 --> 00:24:33.009
maybe a long time to others.
00:24:33.189 --> 00:24:37.509
But if you can set up a daily habit that you can do for the rest of your life,
00:24:37.509 --> 00:24:43.029
Think how much scripture, prayer, connectivity with God that you will have.
00:24:43.389 --> 00:24:47.609
I'd like to leave you with that thought. And I want to thank you for listening
00:24:47.609 --> 00:24:49.309
to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast.
00:24:49.669 --> 00:24:54.109
I'm your host, Connie Morris. And on our next episode of our day seven,
00:24:54.329 --> 00:24:59.489
it's going to be about the oil, pouring the oil, worship that costs something.
00:24:59.729 --> 00:25:02.869
So we're going to get into that next week. And you're going to love it too,
00:25:02.869 --> 00:25:07.849
because worship and prayer and time with God, yes, it costs you something.
00:25:08.647 --> 00:25:14.647
The Bible says we reap what we sow. We want to reap something that we can sow in our future.
00:25:14.827 --> 00:25:18.187
And it says if you reap what you sow, but if you sow in the spirit,
00:25:18.507 --> 00:25:20.927
you'll reap spiritual things.
00:25:21.247 --> 00:25:25.127
And spiritual things cannot be taken away from you.
00:25:25.527 --> 00:25:30.087
You know, there's some times when I spend time in prayer and things are happening.
00:25:30.227 --> 00:25:33.747
I might be busy about one thing because I do work for a living, right?
00:25:33.947 --> 00:25:38.787
And then God will show, and I'm also the HOA president, And God will show me
00:25:38.787 --> 00:25:45.487
something that's happening in the HOA management company that at the time I
00:25:45.487 --> 00:25:46.987
wasn't even thinking about it.
00:25:47.107 --> 00:25:49.327
I was just doing my regular routine.
00:25:49.587 --> 00:25:52.267
And in prayer, he says, I want you to notice this.
00:25:52.587 --> 00:25:57.947
He has a way of revealing secrets to you when you actually put them first.
00:25:58.147 --> 00:26:00.727
Remember, he said he'll never, ever leave us up for seconds.
00:26:00.967 --> 00:26:05.867
So he wants us to know that he's there. We don't have to carry this burden alone, ladies.
00:26:06.407 --> 00:26:12.467
Okay, so we'll get on that topic on day seven. So I'll see you on the next episode.
00:26:23.764 --> 00:26:27.064
Family, thank you for spending time with me today.
00:26:27.324 --> 00:26:31.044
To every woman listening who has ever felt hidden, overlooked,
00:26:31.104 --> 00:26:33.444
or pushed aside, hear me clearly.
00:26:33.764 --> 00:26:38.284
God has not forgotten you, and neither have I.
00:26:38.564 --> 00:26:43.504
Now let's go before the Lord and close this out with a word from God,
00:26:43.704 --> 00:26:48.204
because someone out there needs this reminder today.
00:26:48.724 --> 00:26:52.524
Jeremiah 29, 11, verses 11 through 14.
00:26:52.804 --> 00:26:57.904
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you
00:26:57.904 --> 00:27:01.744
and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
00:27:02.044 --> 00:27:06.844
Then when you call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you,
00:27:07.024 --> 00:27:12.304
you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
00:27:12.324 --> 00:27:18.364
I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and bring you back from captivity.
00:27:18.804 --> 00:27:24.744
Father God, we thank you for your word, that it is true, that it is living, that it is for us.
00:27:24.924 --> 00:27:30.084
You said you know the plans you have for us, plans to prosper us and not to
00:27:30.084 --> 00:27:32.884
harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.
00:27:33.104 --> 00:27:37.504
So today we receive that, not just in our minds, but in our hearts.
00:27:37.644 --> 00:27:41.484
When we feel overlooked, remind us, you still see us.
00:27:41.624 --> 00:27:46.964
When we feel forgotten, remind us, you still have a plan. And when we feel hidden,
00:27:47.184 --> 00:27:49.464
remind us you are still working.
00:27:49.884 --> 00:27:54.624
Your word says that when we call on you, you will listen. So we call on you now.
00:27:54.944 --> 00:27:59.924
Hear us. Strengthen us. Guide us. Help us to seek you with our whole heart.
00:28:00.084 --> 00:28:03.164
Not halfway, not sometimes, but fully.
00:28:03.364 --> 00:28:07.804
And as we seek you, let us find you in every season, in every place.
00:28:08.423 --> 00:28:13.603
Even the hidden mark. Restore what was lost, renew what feels broken,
00:28:13.803 --> 00:28:18.363
and remind us that nothing in our lives is wasted in your hand.
00:28:18.583 --> 00:28:24.723
Lord, we trust you, we believe you, and we stand on your word. In Jesus' name, amen.
00:28:25.243 --> 00:28:29.263
This is Diary of a Black Woman podcast, and I'm your host, Connie Morris,
00:28:29.463 --> 00:28:32.003
and I'll see you on the next episode.
00:00:10.427 --> 00:00:14.207
Welcome to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast. I'm your host,
00:00:14.287 --> 00:00:21.447
Connie Morris, and this is Faith on the Go, where you take the word with you on your drive to work,
00:00:21.667 --> 00:00:26.807
while you're getting ready in the morning, or even in those quiet moments before prayer.
00:00:27.127 --> 00:00:33.607
Real life, real word, and real growth, all while you are on the go.
00:00:33.927 --> 00:00:40.047
Before we get into today's word, let's take a moment to center ourselves with a familiar prayer.
00:00:40.427 --> 00:00:42.427
The prayer of Jabez.
00:00:42.847 --> 00:00:46.427
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.
00:01:05.547 --> 00:01:10.207
Enlarge our territory, Lord. Lord, expand our capacity, our mindset,
00:01:10.387 --> 00:01:12.887
and our ability to receive what you have for us.
00:01:13.207 --> 00:01:20.147
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.
00:01:42.907 --> 00:01:47.527
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.
00:01:53.007 --> 00:01:58.727
Have your way in this moment as we sit, listen, and receive your word.
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In Jesus' name, amen.
00:02:13.515 --> 00:02:16.775
Hello and welcome back to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast.
00:02:17.555 --> 00:02:20.835
We are continuing our series of the algorithm.
00:02:21.415 --> 00:02:25.575
Algorithm is not your altar. They said it's how to get it back.
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Returning to your first love.
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Our anchor scripture today is found in Revelation chapter 2 verses 4 through 5. Let's go there.
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Of course, I'll be reading from the King James Version.
00:02:38.155 --> 00:02:44.015
And it reads, it says, I have someone against thee because thou has left thy first love.
00:02:44.395 --> 00:02:50.315
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen and repent and do the first works
00:02:50.315 --> 00:02:57.615
or else I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy candlestick out of
00:02:57.615 --> 00:03:00.155
his place, except thou repent.
00:03:00.475 --> 00:03:07.055
We see here that Jesus is calling us to remember our first love, which is him.
00:03:07.495 --> 00:03:12.535
And then, therefore, from whence thou art fallen, say, what is taking you away from me?
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But then he says, remember thy first works and then repent, like come back to me.
00:03:18.375 --> 00:03:21.615
Let's go to Acts chapter 3, verse 19.
00:03:21.915 --> 00:03:26.655
And that reads also, it says, repent ye therefore, and be converted that your
00:03:26.655 --> 00:03:34.815
sins may be blotted out when the time of refreshing should come from the presence of the Lord.
00:03:34.815 --> 00:03:39.375
We see here that God is calling us to repent.
00:03:39.775 --> 00:03:43.715
Let's go to Joel chapter 2.
00:03:44.537 --> 00:03:49.297
Verse, chapter 2, verses 12 and 13. See what he has to say in Joel,
00:03:49.477 --> 00:03:52.317
chapter 2, verses 12 to 13.
00:03:52.637 --> 00:03:55.837
It reads, Therefore also now, says the Lord,
00:03:56.257 --> 00:04:01.717
turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping,
00:04:01.857 --> 00:04:06.037
and with mourning, and wring your heart, and not your garment,
00:04:06.217 --> 00:04:10.497
and turn unto the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful,
00:04:10.877 --> 00:04:16.997
slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
00:04:17.277 --> 00:04:24.957
God is here still calling us back. And Joel, let's go to James 4, verse 8.
00:04:25.277 --> 00:04:28.617
Let me find it. Thought I had them all lined up, but that's okay.
00:04:29.017 --> 00:04:37.417
James 4, verse 8. And that reads, Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
00:04:37.717 --> 00:04:43.617
Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double-minded.
00:04:44.177 --> 00:04:49.777
We see here that God's still calling us to repent. Let's go to Isaiah.
00:04:50.337 --> 00:04:53.237
Got a few more scriptures for you to set up this foundation.
00:04:53.557 --> 00:04:57.777
Let's go to Isaiah chapter 55, verse 6.
00:04:57.977 --> 00:05:03.137
And it reads here, Also the sons of the stranger that joined themselves to the
00:05:03.137 --> 00:05:08.497
Lord, to serve him and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants.
00:05:08.497 --> 00:05:14.857
Everyone that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it and taketh hold of my covenant.
00:05:15.177 --> 00:05:20.097
God is calling us closer. Take a hold of the Sabbath. Like call a day holy.
00:05:20.377 --> 00:05:22.777
Don't work on every single day, right?
00:05:23.157 --> 00:05:29.317
And finally, Psalms chapter 51 verses 10 to 12 tell us here.
00:05:29.497 --> 00:05:35.177
It says, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
00:05:35.877 --> 00:05:41.617
Cast not away from my presence and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.
00:05:41.837 --> 00:05:43.657
Let's do just a quick review.
00:05:44.537 --> 00:05:49.277
We see here in Revelations, God is saying, come back. You left your first love.
00:05:49.597 --> 00:05:52.597
Repent. Return around. Go back to the first works.
00:05:52.777 --> 00:05:56.197
And we know that when we first fell in love with Jesus, we couldn't get enough
00:05:56.197 --> 00:05:58.557
of them. But yet we became so busy.
00:05:58.677 --> 00:06:02.157
We became like Martha, busy about nothing.
00:06:02.437 --> 00:06:06.717
And then we see here in Acts chapter 3, repent so refreshing come.
00:06:06.937 --> 00:06:09.897
So if you're feeling tired and weary, guess what?
00:06:10.097 --> 00:06:15.477
Because you need to clean your heart, repent. And so that God can give you a
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new spirit, but also a refreshing that comes knowing that he has your back.
00:06:21.217 --> 00:06:25.897
Joel 2 tells us to return with all your heart. So don't come here half-hearted,
00:06:25.957 --> 00:06:27.697
but he wants all of your heart.
00:06:28.037 --> 00:06:31.537
And James 4 tells us to draw near and he will draw near.
00:06:31.737 --> 00:06:36.757
So as we seek in him with all our heart, as we repent, as we return to our first
00:06:36.757 --> 00:06:43.017
love, we see here that he will draw near to you. Isaiah 55, 6 tells us,
00:06:43.177 --> 00:06:44.737
seek the Lord while he may be found.
00:06:45.077 --> 00:06:48.557
There's going to come a time when he will not be found.
00:06:48.957 --> 00:06:52.437
And remember the story of the foolish versions and the wise versions.
00:06:52.737 --> 00:06:58.697
Remember the ones that were prepared with the oil had an opportunity to go in with the bridegroom.
00:06:58.857 --> 00:07:00.777
The others were left outside.
00:07:01.277 --> 00:07:06.097
You don't want to be that. You want to be right there when he rise. You want to be ready.
00:07:06.337 --> 00:07:09.917
So when he says, come, there's no excuses. You are so ready.
00:07:09.917 --> 00:07:12.537
And number, the last one is Psalms 51.
00:07:12.957 --> 00:07:16.257
Restore unto me the joy of salvation.
00:07:17.081 --> 00:07:22.081
As we walk this Christian life, it gets weary. It gets tiring, right?
00:07:22.381 --> 00:07:27.021
And so God is saying, come to me and be refreshed, but also that joy of when
00:07:27.021 --> 00:07:32.361
you first loved him and how much excitement you had. Bring that back to us, Lord.
00:07:32.641 --> 00:07:36.381
Bring that joy back. And you just have to ask. It's just an ask, right?
00:07:36.681 --> 00:07:40.501
So sometimes we assume we need a new routine, a new planner,
00:07:40.661 --> 00:07:44.061
a new schedule, a new strategy, a new church, even a new season.
00:07:44.141 --> 00:07:48.001
But often what we really need is simpler, and deeper.
00:07:48.301 --> 00:07:54.501
We need to return, not return to perfection, not return to a version of ourselves
00:07:54.501 --> 00:08:00.561
that never got tired, not to return to a life without responsibility,
00:08:00.941 --> 00:08:06.681
a return to God, return to a hunger, return to sincerity, right?
00:08:07.061 --> 00:08:14.081
Return to worship that is real, return to the secret place, return to the one thing needed.
00:08:14.902 --> 00:08:19.802
And here is that most important truth for today. God is not asking you to do more.
00:08:20.002 --> 00:08:23.102
He's asking you to come back to him.
00:08:23.482 --> 00:08:28.242
We see in Revelations 2 that it was written to the church of Ephesus,
00:08:28.582 --> 00:08:30.402
a church that was working hard.
00:08:30.662 --> 00:08:35.842
They were enduring hardship, rejecting false apostles, persevering and not giving
00:08:35.842 --> 00:08:38.222
up. But Jesus saw something.
00:08:38.582 --> 00:08:41.762
And this is very sobering to every believer.
00:08:41.942 --> 00:08:45.162
But he says this, even though you think you're doing everything right.
00:08:45.162 --> 00:08:50.782
He says in Revelation 2, 4, I have someone against thee, meaning you're doing
00:08:50.782 --> 00:08:53.762
a lot right now, but something is still wrong.
00:08:54.042 --> 00:08:58.382
Then he names it because thou has lost thy first love.
00:08:58.922 --> 00:09:05.862
Notice he doesn't say you lost it. It says you left because thou has left thy first love.
00:09:06.082 --> 00:09:11.202
So he didn't say you lost it. He say you left it because drifting is usually
00:09:11.202 --> 00:09:13.142
not dramatic, it's gradual.
00:09:13.422 --> 00:09:18.582
It happens like this. You stop praying consistently. You stop worshiping consistently.
00:09:19.082 --> 00:09:23.222
You start rushing through the scriptures. You stop craving God's presence.
00:09:23.502 --> 00:09:28.902
You begin to live on empty and you still show up, but you're not full.
00:09:29.602 --> 00:09:35.342
And eventually you can be faithful in your behavior, but distant in your heart.
00:09:36.121 --> 00:09:40.461
Then Jesus gives us three steps of restoration plan straight from heaven.
00:09:40.721 --> 00:09:43.961
And so we see here that we can look the part.
00:09:44.261 --> 00:09:47.701
God says that, but we know that God sees the heart.
00:09:47.901 --> 00:09:53.521
And I believe that he's calling out those who have been faking and shaking.
00:09:54.021 --> 00:09:57.901
And I know that's like, dang, dang, why you go there right now?
00:09:57.981 --> 00:10:01.461
Because he knows, you know, and remember it goes to the preacher first.
00:10:01.621 --> 00:10:05.601
So sometimes we can just show up, do what we have to do, look good doing it.
00:10:05.601 --> 00:10:07.981
But really we wish we were somewhere else.
00:10:08.621 --> 00:10:11.921
We're in God's presence thinking about the day, planning the day.
00:10:12.221 --> 00:10:16.221
And he's like, hello, I'm right here. Can you talk to me? What do you need?
00:10:16.221 --> 00:10:17.661
I can help you plan your day.
00:10:18.181 --> 00:10:22.401
And so there's three things for our restoration plan. You want to remember.
00:10:23.481 --> 00:10:27.501
Remember therefore from whence thou are falling. What does that mean actually?
00:10:27.861 --> 00:10:31.561
So he calls us back to our spiritual memory.
00:10:32.061 --> 00:10:36.661
Remember when your worship was natural. You know, one thing I love about the
00:10:36.661 --> 00:10:42.901
Bible and I love about Jesus and the Father and the Holy Spirit is that they can read the room.
00:10:43.161 --> 00:10:47.441
And so they can actually call you out without embarrassing you and tell you
00:10:47.441 --> 00:10:50.141
some things about yourself that you thought no one knew.
00:10:50.321 --> 00:10:53.701
And that can be pretty much hard at times.
00:10:54.728 --> 00:10:57.788
We have a heavenly father who wants the best for us.
00:10:57.888 --> 00:11:02.908
So how can he not let us, how would he let us continue the road?
00:11:02.988 --> 00:11:07.068
Like as a parent, continuing the road of ignorance or faking and shaking.
00:11:07.328 --> 00:11:10.788
Just like we have children, right? We have brothers, we have sisters,
00:11:10.948 --> 00:11:14.788
cousins, right? And we know when they're faking and shaking, right?
00:11:14.948 --> 00:11:19.468
We know when they put up in that new car that they can't afford it because they really got a job.
00:11:19.788 --> 00:11:22.428
You know, so we know the truth about people.
00:11:23.268 --> 00:11:26.188
And how come you don't think our Father doesn't know the truth about us?
00:11:26.548 --> 00:11:32.988
But you have to remember our spiritual memory when we were real before God,
00:11:33.148 --> 00:11:37.568
when it was natural, when prayer wasn't forced or just scheduled or on a routine,
00:11:37.848 --> 00:11:41.368
when we wanted God more than any attention.
00:11:42.008 --> 00:11:45.948
Remember when you didn't need to be seen or feel valuable?
00:11:46.408 --> 00:11:51.988
God wants us to go back to that space, that space of safety and comfort where
00:11:51.988 --> 00:11:54.168
your eyes only had eyes for him.
00:11:54.448 --> 00:11:58.488
And we know that it seemed like so long ago, but it only takes a moment.
00:11:58.688 --> 00:12:03.648
God says, repent. Repent means to turn completely away with your back towards
00:12:03.648 --> 00:12:08.288
what was blocking you and God and looking straight in his face, right?
00:12:08.468 --> 00:12:11.868
So the Bible says, submit, submit me. You're looking at him.
00:12:12.208 --> 00:12:16.308
You're not looking at what you lost. You're not doing the lots wife movement.
00:12:16.428 --> 00:12:20.008
You're not looking back as though you're losing something, but you're looking
00:12:20.008 --> 00:12:22.528
forward as though you are gaining something.
00:12:23.228 --> 00:12:26.588
Number two, repent. And repent, he says.
00:12:26.988 --> 00:12:31.768
Repent doesn't mean feel bad. It means to turn. Change direction.
00:12:32.208 --> 00:12:35.048
Do it purposely. Do it now.
00:12:35.608 --> 00:12:39.428
Return, says, and do the first work. When you turn, what are you doing?
00:12:40.188 --> 00:12:44.348
You're going back to what you did when love was alive.
00:12:44.748 --> 00:12:49.828
Not what you did when you were trying to maintain an image, but what you did
00:12:49.828 --> 00:12:51.988
when you were genuinely hungry.
00:12:52.910 --> 00:12:57.930
So why is getting back like spiritual warfare? Why is that so hard?
00:12:58.170 --> 00:13:02.950
Getting back your spiritual worship is not just self-care, it's warfare.
00:13:03.150 --> 00:13:06.010
Because worship is what silenced the enemy.
00:13:06.330 --> 00:13:10.850
It strengthens your spirit. It anchors your identity.
00:13:11.270 --> 00:13:13.250
It releases clarity.
00:13:13.710 --> 00:13:20.930
It restores peace. And it breaks heaviness. This is why distraction comes first to worship.
00:13:21.610 --> 00:13:25.350
If the enemy can weaken your worship, he can weaken your discernment.
00:13:25.490 --> 00:13:28.890
If he can weaken your devotion, he can weaken your endurance.
00:13:29.110 --> 00:13:34.810
So yes, this day is about restoration, but it's also about reclaiming territory.
00:13:35.430 --> 00:13:39.510
And so I want to just take a moment and talk about this quiet drift.
00:13:39.750 --> 00:13:41.690
Drift means it's like a slow fade.
00:13:42.230 --> 00:13:48.150
Everything is strong, but things get busy, life happens, and then it's called
00:13:48.150 --> 00:13:50.810
a drift. And so you're moving slowly away.
00:13:51.130 --> 00:13:58.010
Nobody notices it, not even you, until the Lord tells you like in this devotional,
00:13:58.370 --> 00:14:03.870
in this podcast, hey, hello, you're missing your first love.
00:14:04.510 --> 00:14:09.050
So in real time, most believers don't wake up one day and say, I'm done with God.
00:14:09.490 --> 00:14:15.130
What happens is quieter. You get busy. You get tired. You get disappointment.
00:14:15.490 --> 00:14:20.750
You get overwhelmed. You get distracted. You get numb. And then you start surviving
00:14:20.750 --> 00:14:22.490
spiritually instead of thriving.
00:14:23.410 --> 00:14:28.430
You still love God, but you don't feel like Him like you used to.
00:14:28.950 --> 00:14:32.430
You still believe, but you don't burn like you used to.
00:14:32.710 --> 00:14:38.350
You still show up, but you're not as full as you used to be. That's the truth.
00:14:38.830 --> 00:14:45.190
And Jesus is not condemning you for it. He's calling you out of it because love
00:14:45.190 --> 00:14:48.350
doesn't die from hatred. Love dies from neglect.
00:14:49.418 --> 00:14:54.098
You remember anything today. It says you don't need a new image.
00:14:54.378 --> 00:14:59.038
You need to return to your first love. You know, we always, it's now April.
00:14:59.218 --> 00:15:02.378
And you know, we started on January. We're going to do these new things.
00:15:02.598 --> 00:15:05.978
And yet now in April, we haven't done not one. Maybe we did one,
00:15:06.238 --> 00:15:08.738
but we lost our focus along the way.
00:15:09.018 --> 00:15:13.378
And so God is calling us back. And I want to just do a heart check with you.
00:15:13.838 --> 00:15:17.678
Now, I want you to be honest with yourself. Where did I drift?
00:15:18.338 --> 00:15:24.318
What replaced my first love? Have I been more faithful to the algorithm than the altar?
00:15:24.798 --> 00:15:28.938
Do I miss God? Or do I miss the feeling of being close to Him?
00:15:29.238 --> 00:15:34.358
What do I need to repent from? Distraction, performance, bitterness, or busyness?
00:15:34.838 --> 00:15:37.758
What is the first works I need to return to?
00:15:38.178 --> 00:15:41.798
And those questions you probably can't answer right off the top of your head.
00:15:41.998 --> 00:15:47.078
But if you get in prayer and you ask God, Hello, where am I missing it?
00:15:47.678 --> 00:15:50.538
You're saying I'm missing the first love. You want me to return?
00:15:50.758 --> 00:15:52.618
Actually, I thought I was there.
00:15:53.578 --> 00:15:56.818
But think about it. When the truth hits, you go, I thought I was there.
00:15:57.038 --> 00:16:00.158
And so you start to look back and feeling guilty, like, where did I miss it?
00:16:00.378 --> 00:16:06.518
He doesn't want you to do that. He wants you to go back. Just repent and return.
00:16:07.078 --> 00:16:11.158
So his restoration plan, like we mentioned earlier, is to remember.
00:16:11.438 --> 00:16:16.858
And so you want to, I always give you an assignment, and this is going to be a good one for all of us.
00:16:18.207 --> 00:16:21.467
Then I want you to write down these things, these questions,
00:16:21.607 --> 00:16:25.107
and so you can kind of get a visual of what you need to do.
00:16:25.247 --> 00:16:28.967
So I'm going to give you a minute. Go get an ink pen. You might want to listen to it again.
00:16:29.267 --> 00:16:33.287
For this assignment, the first step one is remember. I want you to write down
00:16:33.287 --> 00:16:38.407
what your worship used to look like, what your prayer life used to feel like,
00:16:38.587 --> 00:16:41.387
and what brought you joy spiritually,
00:16:41.967 --> 00:16:44.527
and what made you hunger for the Word.
00:16:45.287 --> 00:16:50.407
When you think about where you were and where you are now, memory helps you
00:16:50.407 --> 00:16:53.047
to identify what shifted.
00:16:53.687 --> 00:16:57.267
Number two, I want us all to just repent.
00:16:57.747 --> 00:17:02.347
We're going to repent, and I have a list here. Let's write these down so we
00:17:02.347 --> 00:17:03.567
remember it in our prayer.
00:17:04.267 --> 00:17:10.287
Repent for spiritual neglect, distraction, performance, fear of man,
00:17:11.107 --> 00:17:14.827
bitterness, harrison, and divided devotion.
00:17:15.307 --> 00:17:21.107
Now, remember, this is not shame. This is just a cleansing. We have to cleanse ourselves.
00:17:21.887 --> 00:17:24.807
Step three, it says return to your first word.
00:17:25.247 --> 00:17:31.167
What do I return to? You return to consistent prayer, worship without an audience,
00:17:31.987 --> 00:17:33.847
Bible reading without rushing.
00:17:34.787 --> 00:17:40.207
I see when led. Quiet time with God. And obedience with no applause.
00:17:40.687 --> 00:17:43.007
Returning back. What do we do?
00:17:43.727 --> 00:17:47.447
Step four is rebuild your spiritual rhythm. We talked about a rhythm.
00:17:47.827 --> 00:17:51.367
And if you like to dance and you like a good beat, that's a rhythm.
00:17:51.547 --> 00:17:54.607
And when you're in a rhythm, that's like you're dancing with the Lord,
00:17:54.847 --> 00:17:56.867
right? So you don't need to have intensity.
00:17:57.407 --> 00:18:01.727
You know, this intensity thing is interesting that is mentioned Because when
00:18:01.727 --> 00:18:03.207
I do something, I do it all out.
00:18:03.367 --> 00:18:06.507
If I'm going to do it, I'm going to do 60 minutes, 120 minutes.
00:18:06.607 --> 00:18:09.007
I'm working out with total intensity.
00:18:09.667 --> 00:18:15.887
But I'm realizing that as I've gotten older, yeah, I still need the intensity, but not every day.
00:18:16.722 --> 00:18:22.382
Not every day. I can kind of do a 30 minute workout, do a combination of two
00:18:22.382 --> 00:18:26.802
30 minutes and then some stretching, you know, making it interesting for my
00:18:26.802 --> 00:18:30.982
body, but not so hard because you can't keep up with that.
00:18:31.102 --> 00:18:33.882
What can I do now that I can make last forever?
00:18:34.482 --> 00:18:36.442
That's the question of spiritual rhythm.
00:18:37.062 --> 00:18:42.422
What can I do now? What can I start now that I can faithfully do every day for
00:18:42.422 --> 00:18:44.562
the rest of my life until Jesus come?
00:18:45.242 --> 00:18:48.762
So you need that rhythm. You need that daily pattern, the word of God,
00:18:49.102 --> 00:18:52.402
prayer, stillness, and worship. Those are kind of like in the mix.
00:18:53.022 --> 00:18:55.922
And a lot of times you just need, like I said, the stillness.
00:18:56.042 --> 00:19:00.642
So you need all those to make that perfect life, not at high intensity.
00:19:00.642 --> 00:19:03.122
I'm going to pray for three hours in the Holy Spirit.
00:19:03.362 --> 00:19:07.502
And yeah, you only could do that one day a week when God wants to see you every day.
00:19:07.682 --> 00:19:12.042
So how about we pray about 40 minutes a day, maybe 30 minutes,
00:19:12.242 --> 00:19:16.142
maybe even an hour, whatever that number is that you can say,
00:19:16.342 --> 00:19:17.942
I can make time for God for that.
00:19:18.282 --> 00:19:21.902
I can make time for God for the word. I can make time for prayer.
00:19:22.042 --> 00:19:26.742
I can make time for just sitting in his presence and I can make time for worship.
00:19:27.242 --> 00:19:33.222
And now once we have rebuilt those things, our new relationship with the Lord, we can protect it.
00:19:33.322 --> 00:19:39.262
We have to protect it because remember I just mentioned something you can do all the time, every day.
00:19:39.622 --> 00:19:44.082
And so that it won't just be a show up and then to shut down,
00:19:44.242 --> 00:19:47.802
but it won't just be temporary, but it'd be long lasting.
00:19:48.082 --> 00:19:51.102
So how do we guard that? You want to guard that time.
00:19:51.282 --> 00:19:57.342
I remember mentioning this in my other prior episodes is you want to schedule it.
00:19:58.123 --> 00:20:02.083
You want to schedule it. You want to guard it. You want that secret place to
00:20:02.083 --> 00:20:06.283
be your foundation, right? Because you can't rebuild that in public.
00:20:06.503 --> 00:20:13.083
It has to be done in private. It can't be done as part of an algorithm for your new podcast.
00:20:14.083 --> 00:20:17.803
That is what's needed. So let's pray.
00:20:18.183 --> 00:20:21.663
And I'm going to pray. Don't you listen and just repeat after me if you want
00:20:21.663 --> 00:20:24.863
to, or just listen and receive what this prayer has for you.
00:20:24.863 --> 00:20:28.463
Lord Jesus, I hear you calling me back.
00:20:29.163 --> 00:20:35.323
I repent for leaving my first love. I repent for the distraction that slowly pulled me away.
00:20:35.523 --> 00:20:41.523
I repent for performance, for comparison, and for the busyness that replaced intimacy.
00:20:42.063 --> 00:20:47.123
Restore unto me the joy of salvation. Renew a right spirit within me.
00:20:47.603 --> 00:20:50.763
Refresh my hunger. Revive my worship.
00:20:51.543 --> 00:20:58.303
Bring me back to the secret place with a sincere heart. And I choose the altar again.
00:20:58.663 --> 00:21:05.583
I choose presence again. And I choose the one thing needed. In Jesus' name, amen.
00:21:05.883 --> 00:21:09.683
Repeat after me with these declarations. I return to my first love.
00:21:09.743 --> 00:21:13.623
I like these because it's kind of like bullet points that you can say,
00:21:13.763 --> 00:21:15.723
yep, yep, yep, where it checks your heart.
00:21:15.883 --> 00:21:20.223
And then it puts it in remembrance. so that you said, what I'm supposed to do,
00:21:20.503 --> 00:21:22.603
it's interesting that you will remember these.
00:21:22.843 --> 00:21:24.823
I return to my first love.
00:21:25.103 --> 00:21:31.323
I repent and realign my priorities. I will not drift. I will dwell in God's presence.
00:21:31.623 --> 00:21:34.043
I choose the altar over the algorithm.
00:21:34.383 --> 00:21:38.103
My worship is being restored. My hunger is returning.
00:21:38.543 --> 00:21:40.863
My spiritual rhythm is being rebuilt.
00:21:41.523 --> 00:21:46.743
God is refreshing me with his presence. And if you can do anything that will
00:21:46.743 --> 00:21:48.183
be fun, If you keep a journal.
00:21:49.184 --> 00:21:56.064
Yeah, journal or just start a journal. But you can write it and you can title this letter to the Lord.
00:21:56.404 --> 00:22:00.044
Lord, I'm coming back. You're writing a letter to God. Lord, I'm coming back.
00:22:00.404 --> 00:22:05.324
Or Lord, I'm here. Or Lord, what would you have me to do? Like, Lord, I'm coming back.
00:22:05.584 --> 00:22:08.724
And that can include like what happened? Where did you drift?
00:22:08.804 --> 00:22:12.324
Like an honest story to the God you love.
00:22:12.964 --> 00:22:16.704
What's been going on? What you've been carrying that you have not let God carry?
00:22:17.204 --> 00:22:20.204
What you miss? What do you miss from your first love, right?
00:22:20.744 --> 00:22:22.544
And what are you choosing now?
00:22:23.144 --> 00:22:28.684
You know, I like this one. It's called Love Reset. First Love Reset. It's a three-day plan.
00:22:29.164 --> 00:22:33.844
Now, this is, I do weekly plans. We're doing Bible study every day.
00:22:33.864 --> 00:22:36.944
So this can be what you do for that day, you know?
00:22:37.144 --> 00:22:39.704
And so it's keeping it fresh. It's keeping it before you.
00:22:40.084 --> 00:22:44.504
Bible study doesn't have to be boring. It can be very fun. You're writing letters.
00:22:44.804 --> 00:22:47.744
You're actually repenting. You're reflecting on some things.
00:22:47.744 --> 00:22:50.864
You're journaling, you're taking time to read the Word because God's going to
00:22:50.864 --> 00:22:53.704
give you some scripture to support what you're trying to do.
00:22:53.864 --> 00:22:56.104
And he brought me along to help you on this journey.
00:22:56.404 --> 00:22:59.264
So three days you can do this.
00:22:59.484 --> 00:23:03.484
We talked about setting a long-term goal that you can do every day.
00:23:03.644 --> 00:23:06.584
Remember, for the rest of your life, even if you don't have a prayer life,
00:23:07.104 --> 00:23:08.904
15, 20 minutes sound like a lot.
00:23:09.104 --> 00:23:13.644
So if you do 15 minutes of word and prayer, you're praying, you're reading the scripture.
00:23:13.924 --> 00:23:18.004
Think about how much scripture you would be able to consume just doing that
00:23:18.004 --> 00:23:21.004
every day, right? You can worship.
00:23:21.624 --> 00:23:25.264
Worship while you're combing your hair. Worship while you're taking this out.
00:23:25.724 --> 00:23:31.324
Worship on your way to work, right? And then you can pretty much do whatever you want after that.
00:23:31.584 --> 00:23:36.024
One thing I'm saying, like, write one paragraph daily, what is God restoring in me?
00:23:36.104 --> 00:23:39.284
And you will find out that even though you don't feel nothing,
00:23:39.504 --> 00:23:42.304
that God is still doing something in your life.
00:23:43.009 --> 00:23:46.669
Right? I always say three days because it takes 21 days to get a habit.
00:23:46.809 --> 00:23:50.449
But the first three days, you can see how that flows within your time schedule.
00:23:50.729 --> 00:23:53.509
15 minutes, but you might have to get up 15 minutes earlier,
00:23:53.509 --> 00:23:58.009
or you might have to go to bed 15 minutes later, you know, to do your word.
00:23:58.309 --> 00:24:02.049
Think about a scripture. God might show you something through the day and you'll
00:24:02.049 --> 00:24:04.429
say, Lord, how do I, what's, what does that mean?
00:24:04.669 --> 00:24:08.409
And I'm telling you, there's a scripture for that. I love that.
00:24:08.509 --> 00:24:11.269
There's a scripture for everything that we need in the word of God.
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And when you write The story of what God restoring me is pretty much a thank
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you, Lord, for bringing this to my attention.
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I like to think of that as a thankful prayer where you're being very thanked
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to God for what he's done.
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I'm just going to say 15 minutes does seem like a short time,
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maybe a long time to others.
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But if you can set up a daily habit that you can do for the rest of your life,
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Think how much scripture, prayer, connectivity with God that you will have.
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I'd like to leave you with that thought. And I want to thank you for listening
00:24:47.609 --> 00:24:49.309
to the Diary of a Black Woman podcast.
00:24:49.669 --> 00:24:54.109
I'm your host, Connie Morris. And on our next episode of our day seven,
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it's going to be about the oil, pouring the oil, worship that costs something.
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So we're going to get into that next week. And you're going to love it too,
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because worship and prayer and time with God, yes, it costs you something.
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The Bible says we reap what we sow. We want to reap something that we can sow in our future.
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And it says if you reap what you sow, but if you sow in the spirit,
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you'll reap spiritual things.
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And spiritual things cannot be taken away from you.
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You know, there's some times when I spend time in prayer and things are happening.
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I might be busy about one thing because I do work for a living, right?
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And then God will show, and I'm also the HOA president, And God will show me
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something that's happening in the HOA management company that at the time I
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wasn't even thinking about it.
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I was just doing my regular routine.
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And in prayer, he says, I want you to notice this.
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He has a way of revealing secrets to you when you actually put them first.
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Remember, he said he'll never, ever leave us up for seconds.
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So he wants us to know that he's there. We don't have to carry this burden alone, ladies.
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Okay, so we'll get on that topic on day seven. So I'll see you on the next episode.
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Family, thank you for spending time with me today.
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To every woman listening who has ever felt hidden, overlooked,
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or pushed aside, hear me clearly.
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God has not forgotten you, and neither have I.
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Now let's go before the Lord and close this out with a word from God,
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because someone out there needs this reminder today.
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Jeremiah 29, 11, verses 11 through 14.
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For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you
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and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
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Then when you call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you,
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you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
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I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and bring you back from captivity.
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Father God, we thank you for your word, that it is true, that it is living, that it is for us.
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You said you know the plans you have for us, plans to prosper us and not to
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harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.
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So today we receive that, not just in our minds, but in our hearts.
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When we feel overlooked, remind us, you still see us.
00:27:41.624 --> 00:27:46.964
When we feel forgotten, remind us, you still have a plan. And when we feel hidden,
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remind us you are still working.
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Your word says that when we call on you, you will listen. So we call on you now.
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Hear us. Strengthen us. Guide us. Help us to seek you with our whole heart.
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Not halfway, not sometimes, but fully.
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And as we seek you, let us find you in every season, in every place.
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Even the hidden mark. Restore what was lost, renew what feels broken,
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and remind us that nothing in our lives is wasted in your hand.
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Lord, we trust you, we believe you, and we stand on your word. In Jesus' name, amen.
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This is Diary of a Black Woman podcast, and I'm your host, Connie Morris,
00:28:29.463 --> 00:28:32.003
and I'll see you on the next episode.