Hi there. I'm Jill Allen and this is find your fierce, the show designed for women to discover your fierce, unlock and unstoppable mindset. Build unbreakable courage and completely transform how you show up every single day. Each week I will bring ideas, methods and strategies that will inspire you to step into your greatness and live life on purpose. Let's be fit, fierce and unstoppable.
(00:35): Hey there. Welcome to find your fierce. This is episode 34, and we're going to continue to live. Just break, flip the script series, my friends, Shannon and crystal, and I have we've been coming together in the just breathe group each week and diving into topics such as identity, the power of our words. And this week, we are talking about the power of prayer and the impact it has over everything. And we are to pray about everything, so to worry about nothing, right? So imagine letting it all go the worry, the worry for our family and friends, our health, our finances, worrying over things. We cannot control and flipping that script with prayer. Before we switch over to the discussion, if you have not done so yet, and want to join a sisterhood to growing your faith, join the just brief Facebook group and we can get started.
(01:27): Let's dive into this week's topic, the power of prayer, enjoy what's up gang. How are you? Another Wednesday, week three and crystal Shannon. And I, we are back with flip the script. I know that we have had so much fun with all of you. And I know the first week we talked a lot about identity. The second week we talked about the power of the words and I gotta be honest. You guys have not caught those two previous episodes or shows or gatherings. I listened to the power of the words again. I think it was like Monday and it was just like pure fire. And I was listening to it as if I was just a lesson or not one that was actually behind. And so it's, it's so good. So guys make sure that you guys catch those two weeks before, but heads up though.
(02:13): I do want to share before I know we talked about this at the end, we will be having a prayer call and we will set that time about whether we do Thursday or Friday. So we want to invite you on that as well. If your kitchen, the front end of this. So crystal, what was on your heart that you messaged us? Okay. So I was sitting thinking, okay, what's our topic. What's our topic going to be? And just sitting quietly and just said, okay, Lord, what's on your heart. What's our topic. And a scripture came to my mind, which was worry about nothing, pray about everything. And I think it fits, of course, God is so good when you let him lead. Truly. So I think it's so good because coming from what we just talked about, which is the power of our words and taking it from what we're speaking over ourselves, and now what do we do with that?
(03:05): Right? Like getting our words right. And flipping that script. So we're saying the right things and just taking captive, like every thought and not letting that dominate, but then taking it to prayer because that scripture and it's, I wrote it down Philippians four, six, and seven, and it says, don't worry about anything instead, pray about everything, tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything that we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ. Jesus. So it's written like it has been said, you know that we are to think about that for a second. Like worry about nothing. I mean, think about our daily lives and think about it. Doesn't say don't worry about the little things. Oh yeah. You can worry about those big things.
(04:01): It says don't worry about anything. So today we're flipping the script on just the, I mean, I'm sure you guys can chime in with the things that we can worry about. And it probably wraps around our words of what we talked about last week, too. I just think about, of all the, you know, helping women for however many years. I mean, I mean, it's in our nature to worry as a mom, you know, worry about maybe your career, worry about your husband and your spouse, worry about how you're going to get everything done. And that's when that build up and build up and build up happens. And then you realize like, wait a minute, I can't, I can't do this all and show up as our best. And it just then a little, it just, some things just start falling and we're not able to juggle everything.
(04:55): I heard this a while back. And I think it might've been Nicky cozy, ours. She had said that as women, we juggle everything as long as you're not dropping the same ball two days in a row. And I think when we get overwhelmed and we begin to worry about how we're going to get everything done, how we can, you know, again, be the best wife, be the best friend, be the best. You know, mom, we start dropping the balls and we need to, we need to be able to pray about those things and not worry. Things are going to just be the way they should be in the end. Well, and even when they're not, you know what I'm saying? Like even when things aren't going the way we want them to, like, that's a lesson in itself too, of we're not even supposed to worry, then you know that God is saying, give it to me, give it to me.
(05:45): And what's Shannon. You were like the scripture queen. I love your mind. And the scripture that is you have not because you ask not, you have not because you ask not. I have like, I do have a role in death going through my head right now, to be honest, like even in, you know, don't worry for tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry for itself. And then I think about the scripture where the disciples are asking Jesus, and they're saying, you know, teacher, how do we pray? And every, you know, a lot of people know that prayer that's the Lord's prayer. And my favorite part of that as I started to break that down and really study that prayer, God was saying, give us this day, our daily bread. And it, that means today, don't worry for tomorrow, for tomorrow. Worries for itself, give us this day, our daily bread.
(06:36): And I love that when you look at that part of scripture, it goes back to Egypt. It goes back to the Israelites being delivered from the land of Egypt and being in the wilderness. You know, every day they didn't have food, they didn't have food. All of their money was behind them trying to eat the little blades of grass that they could possibly eat, like the herds and stuff behind them. And you know, Moses is like, Lord, you know, they're here, they're grumbling, they're grumbling and grumbling. Isn't that what we do when we start to worry, we start to grumble and we start to get kind of yucky, you know, going into our speech from last week and what you know, how like life and death being in the tongue. And so here they are grumbling because they're not getting anything to eat. And God is like, listen, I'm going to give you bread in a day.
(07:24): And then at night I'm going to give you that's basically, you know, that they would have meat at nighttime. And what's so cool about that is that God let it fall. Like do, and when it dried it dried like coriander seed. So even though they, they need not worry because God was going to feed them. They still had to do their due diligence in order to have the bread. Right. So here we are. We're like, okay, how do we not worry? All right, Lord, you know, you say, give us this day, our daily bread, what does that look like when I'm praying? And that's it, that's our due diligence, you know, to make the bread, you need to pray and you ask not, you have not for you ask not. So just to kind of wrap that all back in. So that's where my brain was going in scripture a lot with, sorry, if that was like a big loop de loop, but it was good.
(08:16): Yeah. We talked about this before we hopped on life and we said that we might even do a whole other, I cannot separate as I'm sitting here, I am unable to separate the worry and the control. Right. I can't separate that. I know we wanted to have a topic on control, but I'm sitting here. I'm thinking, well, every time I worry it's because I want to come in and swoop in and control. So for me and where I'm at, those two go and again, I don't know how you guys look at that really can be. And just from a place of, you know, I walked through a season of surrendering of completely surrendering. And I think like the burdens that we carry and what I have no control over what I, can't, what I physically cannot carry. Like it's just it's too much. And we can't, I mean, as women, you know, there's a lot on our plates and we definitely, I mean, we are nurturers.
(09:13): I mean, just everything that is just intrinsically, like just how God created us to be, you know, there's just so much, but worry is not part of it controls not part of it. You know? That's just something that I think just to a surrender, like I think control goes when surrender is like, and it's seeing it seeing like what we're allowing to get us in a tizzy. You know what I mean? Like I think we talked on one of these weren't we talking about? Maybe it was just us chatting, but I hate a dirty floor and a dirty counter. And like, and Jill, I think you were, you were trying to, do you remember turning and going no apps, like can't have a calendar that has, I mean, I'm sure people listening are like, I can relate, you know, I love a clean house, but I don't like to clean if it could just poof be great and be clean, but it's, what's taking, what is, I think it's focusing and you guys can chime in at this.
(10:13): What is stealing my joy? What is stealing? What am I getting all angst about? What am I getting worked up about? What is stealing my joy? And I think it's taking note of those things that are stealing my joy and saying, what is this? And where did it come from? Why am I so worked up about this? Help me Lord to understand what this is, why I feel this way, because I don't know about you guys, but it's the same things for me. Like they, they, they, they come up and I'm like, this is familiar and it's a familiar thing, you know, then I'm like, okay, that needs to go. But writing those things down, you know, and paying attention to them. There's the journal note for this week. There's the general note for this week, write down those familiar things that set you off.
(11:03): We actually did. My daughter and her feature has been, have their own podcast. And they came down and interviewed there in an I the other day. And they were talking, we were talking, the topic was, you know, from a non gardening marriage into a godly marriage. Right? And so one of the questions they had asked was, you know, as a new couple getting into marriage or whatever, they were talking about, that those things, those surrender things, those control things. And they were talking about, I mean, he made a joke about holding of clothes, say she folds one way and you fold another and you got to share the same drawer. Are these things, something like, cause sometimes it's those little things, right? Because it's going to start with that. Girls let's be honest. Right? Like as women, it starts with this thing like this, right?
(11:51): And you're like, you're like blowing your hair. Like, you know, that kind of thing. And then it'll be the next thing. So now this thing just went to this and then the next thing that sets you off now it's up to here now, the next thing that sets you off now it's up to here. Then it gets to the point where you're like this and then who ever comes in the house you're like, and you just go crazy. Right. And what I love about God saying that don't worry for tomorrow, for tomorrow. Whereas by itself is like, girl, put your big girl pants on. We don't need to go there. Cause those little things in the big scheme of things don't mean anything. So I think like if we can focus on those little things at first where you're like, okay, I don't need to get bent out of that Lord.
(12:35): That's yours. I don't need to get bent out of shape for that. So I think those ones might be like a little easy, like as we journal those, this might be a little bit easier to be like, okay, Lord, give me this day, my daily bread. And thank you Lord, that these things in the big scheme of things, don't worry, you know, it doesn't matter. My question is to you guys, this one, what about, cause if we're talking about worry, let's get to some issues. Right? So if we're going to talk about worry, how about money for a lot of people, money is a huge worry for a lot of people. You know what I mean? Like if you can't make your water bill, you can't make your electric bill. You can't make those bills. Right. And that's provision that's provision. So when we talk about like daily bread, that's the provision of things. So what was that like for you guys at, at any point, was that like an issue in your marriage or an issue in your life and how like, if it was a worry, how did you know, how did the Lord help you get through? Oh, I've got a good one for you.
(13:37): Jill, you go, yeah, it was finances. It was, we had an expense that it was just like one thing after another, like this expense and then it was something else would happen. One of the kids would get sick. You'd have to go to the doctor. Like just, you know, how unexpected things come up. And this is back in 2000, probably seven to 2008. And it might even have been before that if I'm yeah. Long time ago guys. So just praying for finances. And one thing that was a testimony to me at my church, my my oldest brother had always given a testimony of typing and I had seen, you know, people tithing and just they, you giving to the offering and you know, as a elective, you know, if you want to give, well, it's kind of hard in your mind to like give when your bank, your checkbook is in a negative number.
(14:42): Like you just deducted bills and it went to a negative number. Like how do you give out of that? And it was a complete, like I knew that I knew that I knew that I knew that I had to begin tithing, that I needed to trust that the testimony that my brother was giving and saying that their finances completely turned around when they gave 10%, because let's face it. Everything belongs to the Lord. Anyway, it's all his, no matter what, but having the faith tickets and talking to my husband, and this was way before 2008, but talking to my husband and he is saying, you know, we don't have it to get, we don't have it to give. And I'm like, what? We're supposed to give it first. We're supposed to give it first and let's do this because of the testimony we heard, we have to have faith and give.
(15:33): And I'm just telling you, so if anybody, I don't know, this is for somebody, everything changed. Our finances completely changed when we began giving with the triple heart, I might add like, not for grudgingly, like I don't want to give, but in faith of I give and what's the scripture I give pressed down, running over something like that, right? Shannon's more of a scripture queen than I am, but my Rolodex is not there, but I'm just telling you everything changed because the mindset shifted and realizing that that is something that God was saying that we needed to do. And, and it's a, it's a, it can be a sore topic for a lot of people that they're just not there. And I think it's coming with the heart pressure of heart, posture of believing and believing in faith that God does not, it will, it will not return void.
(16:36): So that is a huge example in my personal life of worrying about the finances and the answer was in front of me. And I had to, I had to choose, do I listen to that? That I'm supposed to give or do I ignore it and keep trying to make things ends, meet, get another job, all of that. Or do I trust and do what I'm prompting because God will put things in your life and they will keep, it'll keep talking. God will keep talking to you like this way. Yes. This way, this way. And it just doesn't leave you. And it wasn't leaving me. And I could have chosen to not follow through and not make it be a conversation because we were fighting about money. It was a big argument in our household of who was spending what and how to make ends meet and everything changed.
(17:29): And I need everything in a huge way. It wasn't little, it wasn't a little financial gain. It was significant. Or when did that go back to today's topic in terms of praying. I mean, instead of, you know, looking at what's right in front of you, praying for things that are unseen. And I think a lot of people on the topic of prayer, like, what are you believing for? You know, what are you, what are you not asking? And cause I think what we do is we think things are too hopeless or we think that that's too big. That's too big. It can't possibly change. And I think taking note of that as we're like, noticing what sets us off, taking notes and writing down, what are the things that I stopped believing for? What are the things that I know are God's promises in my life and going to prayer for those things and actually having a heart posture to say, I trust you, I believe you.
(18:30): And I'm going to, you know, have belief that you will answer this prayer. And I'm sure you guys have, we had talked earlier, like what's in your life that maybe there was something that was big that you had to believe for and pray about and saw God answer because you went to prayer. I have one it's really kind of funny. I mean, it's funny, but it's not funny we had, this is no joke. You guys, this is a year ago. It was in July of last year. This is not, not even a joke. I was in prayer with the Lord back in October, like around October or November of 2018. And I was just like, Lord, I have been driving the same car for it'll be 13 years. Love her best car. I have ever owned Papa, but literally she's fallen apart. She's got Russ holes in the doorframe.
(19:25): She's got, you know, like all of this. And I remember praying for the Lord like, okay, finances are, they they're toppling off, but they're not getting better Lord. And you know, I don't, it's not going to last. And I still, you know, I have traveled that I have to do. And I chilled their laugh to take care of. And I run Lord back and forth from the town. I lived 10 minutes from like the kids' school and everything that they do some back and forth three times a day. You know, I was like, Lord, this, you know, she's not going to make it like much longer. And I remember the Lord speaking to me and saying, you will have a new car. And I believe that the Lord said it and I'm telling you, I listen, I heard that. And I just went into that prayer and I was just holding onto that promise.
(20:10): Cause like you said earlier, I mean, if God says it is never, God's word never returns void. So I literally like a little girl holding on to the trick with path that you're going to get an ice cream on Saturday afternoon. Like that, that looks like I held onto this promise. Right? So fast forward to July of 19, this is no guy. Listen, that car died. My husband's car died. My son's car was barely hanging on. We borrowed, we had cars that people would give. We had six cars in the driveway in July of thousand, 19, not one, not one worked. And it was like a running joke with my girlfriends. Like how can you have six cars in your driveway? And like not one word. And I'm like, I don't know. And so we had this like ministry night, one night and we were all talking about it.
(21:03): You know, we're praying. And then we're giggling because everybody's like, how are you holding yourself together? I'm like, listen. It is by the grace of God. And the simple fact that he made me a promise that I know my promise is going to come to pass. I have no idea what that looks like. I don't care how long I have to listen or how long I have to like hang onto that and pray into it. Now, mind you, that's October of 18, July of 19, I get a phone call the first week of August. And this couple calls me and says, honey, we have a story. We have to tell you. And here God had laid on their heart that they were going to gift somebody with a car. And so they begin to tell me the story, how it came about. It was in January of 19 that God laid on her husband's heart, that they would be gifting somebody with a car.
(21:57): And so they were talking to me about this and they said, honey, we have been praying. And it's you, it's you and Darren. And we know it with everything we have in us. So here's what we want you to do. We've called a friend. We want you to go to the car, the car lot, pick out the car. No joke. You want to talk about holding on to prayer and a promise if you have, you know that, I mean, God put that desire in my heart before even pray for it. I was like, okay. You know, he kind of stirred it in me like this car, not going to last too long. And I'm in, she wasn't, I knew she was not going to last long and I prayed and he answered that way back. And then it came to pass and I kid you not.
(22:44): I signed the papers on eight, eight, 2019. And I have no car payment because I said to the Lord, I said, Lord, we can't afford a car payment. So what, and this is back when I was praying. I said, so whatever cars come in it either we have to either be able to pay for it with this amount of money for no car payment or like Lord, you know, our finances, you know, we can't afford a car payment and we have a vehicle with no car payment, completely gifted to us. So that's where that don't worry. I mean, we literally did. I had people were riding me around for three solid weeks because we didn't have a car. And that was in another car was given to us when the six months there was another car and it was given gifted to us, completely gifted.
(23:28): My husband drives that right now for his work car. God is the great provider. We literally do not need to worry about anything because he is the provider. He's going to provide it. If there's like that, you know, that desire on your heart, you know, to pray that out. And this is like, you know, a positive thing. Sometimes we don't always get the answer that we think we should get. I mean, that came to me. Like I didn't even think, I thought that'd be a $500 car. I'm gonna pay cash. That'll be fine. We'll get through it. And then God did that bigger. You know, he says, I will do it, you know, bigger than you would ever imagine everything or imagined more abundantly. And so that was something just hanging on to that faith and pressing into the prayer each and every day.
(24:12): Like, and I'm not saying there weren't tears girls, cause there were tears, but I held on with everything I had for that. This is the neat little thing. That's awesome. It's crazy. It's crazy. Awesome. Thank you for joining us today. We will pause right here for today and as always, we want to invite you to join our fit and fierce community. So if you have zero energy to focus on yourself and need extra support and accountability from women who know what it's like to juggle crazy busy life, head on over to [inaudible] dot com and become unstoppable with us, or reach out to me for personal one on one coaching for a massive breakthrough. Again, if you want to join a sisterhood dedicated to growing your faith, join our, just breathe. Facebook group heads up on the next episode to flip the script series will continue. Thanks so much for joining us today. Please subscribe, share this episode, link on your social media. As we all know, someone that can benefit and I would love it. If you would give some feedback and review as well, talk to the next time, be fit, be fierce, be unstoppable. See ya.
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