1
00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:10,080
Speaker 1: Life Audio. Hey everyone, Nicole here this month I had

2
00:00:10,119 --> 00:00:12,560
Speaker 1: to say the Bible. We're beginning a new series called

3
00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:16,400
Speaker 1: One Word twenty twenty six, a gentle way to reflect,

4
00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:19,799
Speaker 1: respond and reconnect with God as we start the year.

5
00:00:20,280 --> 00:00:23,720
Speaker 1: You can download your free companion guide at nicoleunics dot

6
00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:26,520
Speaker 1: com slash New Year and walk through it with me.

7
00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:31,080
Speaker 1: That's Nicole Unice you Nice dot com slash New Year

8
00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:33,240
Speaker 1: and you can pick up that guide for free, looking

9
00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:51,680
Speaker 1: forward to walking through it together. Hey friends, and welcome

10
00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:53,720
Speaker 1: back to How to Stay the Bible. I'm really glad

11
00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:56,600
Speaker 1: to be here with you today. We have been in

12
00:00:56,640 --> 00:00:59,920
Speaker 1: a new series for this year called One Word twenty

13
00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:03,560
Speaker 1: twenty six. It's all about listening for God's invitation in

14
00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:06,520
Speaker 1: the year ahead for you, and We've been using a

15
00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:09,319
Speaker 1: free reflection guide that I have for you at Nicoleyunis

16
00:01:09,319 --> 00:01:13,120
Speaker 1: dot com slash New Year. You can grab that, download

17
00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:15,600
Speaker 1: it and follow along. It just gives you a way

18
00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:18,920
Speaker 1: to reflect personally on twenty twenty five so that you

19
00:01:18,959 --> 00:01:21,160
Speaker 1: can then take what we're learning together here on the

20
00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:24,920
Speaker 1: podcast and listen to what God is inviting you to

21
00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:28,920
Speaker 1: this year. The idea behind this series is that I'm

22
00:01:28,959 --> 00:01:33,680
Speaker 1: presenting to six words, six spiritual intentions over the next

23
00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:36,840
Speaker 1: three weeks and asking you to ask God what he's

24
00:01:36,920 --> 00:01:39,760
Speaker 1: drawing you too, So you might say, oh, like, is

25
00:01:39,760 --> 00:01:42,360
Speaker 1: there something like extra special about like something that you

26
00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:44,280
Speaker 1: know or some gift that you have. And I'm not

27
00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:48,880
Speaker 1: declaring myself as any sort of like personally discerning what's

28
00:01:48,920 --> 00:01:51,160
Speaker 1: going on in your life. But here's what I do know.

29
00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:54,720
Speaker 1: I know that God's Word is living and active. I

30
00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:57,640
Speaker 1: know that we are all called to be growing more

31
00:01:57,720 --> 00:02:00,920
Speaker 1: and more like Christ, which means that any one of

32
00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:02,600
Speaker 1: these words that I'm going to present to you in

33
00:02:02,600 --> 00:02:04,800
Speaker 1: the next few weeks could be a way for you

34
00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:07,640
Speaker 1: to grow, Like there is no place where it's not

35
00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:09,040
Speaker 1: going to be helpful for you to grow in one

36
00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:11,720
Speaker 1: of these ways. The discernment is about where maybe you

37
00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:15,040
Speaker 1: feel like you've got that kind of little nudge from

38
00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:17,480
Speaker 1: the Holy Spirit or just a little sense that God

39
00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:19,880
Speaker 1: saying this is your year, this is your year to

40
00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:23,320
Speaker 1: grow in this way in your character. So that's what

41
00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:25,280
Speaker 1: we're doing together. You can grab that guide again at

42
00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:28,519
Speaker 1: Nicole Yunis dot com slash New Year to follow along,

43
00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:33,520
Speaker 1: and We're starting off today with two invitations, two words

44
00:02:33,560 --> 00:02:35,400
Speaker 1: that I want to present to you. The first one

45
00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:39,680
Speaker 1: is confidence and the second one is diligence. And what

46
00:02:39,680 --> 00:02:41,240
Speaker 1: I'm going to do each week is I'm going to

47
00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:43,920
Speaker 1: give you some definitions of these words kind of in

48
00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:47,320
Speaker 1: the spiritual realm ask maybe some things for you to

49
00:02:47,360 --> 00:02:49,720
Speaker 1: consider in your own life, and then share with you

50
00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:54,600
Speaker 1: a key scripture and a key biblical story that you

51
00:02:54,639 --> 00:02:58,120
Speaker 1: can kind of gather around, as well as an affirmation

52
00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:00,960
Speaker 1: to use if this is a fact what you feel

53
00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:03,320
Speaker 1: like is really resonating with you. When you sign up

54
00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:06,240
Speaker 1: for that guide, I'll also send you some free graphics,

55
00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:08,400
Speaker 1: some phone block screen, some things that you can use

56
00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:11,000
Speaker 1: on your social media if you want to grab onto

57
00:03:11,000 --> 00:03:12,639
Speaker 1: one of these words so you can check that out

58
00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:15,440
Speaker 1: on my Instagram or if you grab the guide, you'll

59
00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:18,000
Speaker 1: get it there as well. Okay, let's jump in our

60
00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:21,520
Speaker 1: very first spiritual invitation for twenty twenty six to consider

61
00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:26,239
Speaker 1: is confidence. Confidence to me is a word that means

62
00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:32,760
Speaker 1: finding confidence, competence, and assurance in Christ. This is very

63
00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:36,600
Speaker 1: different than worldly confidence that says that you should rely

64
00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:40,040
Speaker 1: on your own skills and your own character traits in

65
00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:43,080
Speaker 1: order to show up for the world. What we're saying

66
00:03:43,160 --> 00:03:48,520
Speaker 1: that spiritual confidence is is being very competent and very

67
00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:52,280
Speaker 1: assured and very secure, not because of anything that you

68
00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:55,440
Speaker 1: are offering, but because of what Christ is offering through

69
00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:59,840
Speaker 1: you and in you. The opposite of confidence in this

70
00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:04,960
Speaker 1: case is insecurity. Insecurity is about that sense that you're

71
00:04:05,480 --> 00:04:08,760
Speaker 1: overly concerned about what others think of you. And you

72
00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:11,120
Speaker 1: might choose this word if you know that's true for you.

73
00:04:11,120 --> 00:04:14,160
Speaker 1: You know that you tend to seek the approval of

74
00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:17,320
Speaker 1: others before you can move forward in life. Or maybe

75
00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:19,839
Speaker 1: you've just been in a season where you feel really

76
00:04:19,880 --> 00:04:23,719
Speaker 1: hesitant to step out and try something new. Maybe you've

77
00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:27,240
Speaker 1: been knocked around a bit by life in twenty twenty

78
00:04:27,279 --> 00:04:31,920
Speaker 1: five and it's made you unsure or unsteady in your faith.

79
00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:34,440
Speaker 1: Maybe you'd have this deep sense of like, I know

80
00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:36,880
Speaker 1: God loves me, I know he has a purpose for me,

81
00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:40,040
Speaker 1: but I don't know how to find my way forward,

82
00:04:40,680 --> 00:04:44,400
Speaker 1: and some failures or some setbacks really feel like they've

83
00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:47,080
Speaker 1: knocked you back on your heels. If that's the case,

84
00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:50,839
Speaker 1: then maybe the invitation for you is this word confidence,

85
00:04:50,960 --> 00:04:54,440
Speaker 1: this spiritual confidence. Here's a couple of scriptures that I

86
00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:57,120
Speaker 1: want to share with you that resonate with this concept

87
00:04:57,160 --> 00:04:59,880
Speaker 1: of this kind of confidence we can find. The first

88
00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:05,000
Speaker 1: is Tewod Corinthians three, verses four and five. It says,

89
00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:08,800
Speaker 1: here such confidence we have through Christ before God, not

90
00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:13,239
Speaker 1: that we are confident in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves,

91
00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:17,080
Speaker 1: but our confidence comes from God. The other one I

92
00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:20,360
Speaker 1: shared last week was Philippians one, verse six. I am

93
00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:23,960
Speaker 1: confident of this that He who began a good work

94
00:05:24,000 --> 00:05:28,920
Speaker 1: in you will see it through to completion. This kind

95
00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:34,400
Speaker 1: of confidence is a very rooted, settled sense that it

96
00:05:34,520 --> 00:05:38,120
Speaker 1: is okay to fail. It is okay to have a

97
00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:41,800
Speaker 1: set back in your life. It's okay to make a mistake.

98
00:05:42,560 --> 00:05:45,120
Speaker 1: It's okay to have somebody not be happy with you.

99
00:05:45,839 --> 00:05:48,880
Speaker 1: None of those things are connected to the idea that

100
00:05:48,920 --> 00:05:52,719
Speaker 1: you can have absolutely nothing to prove because you are

101
00:05:52,839 --> 00:05:56,960
Speaker 1: so settled in knowing that Christ loves you, that God

102
00:05:57,000 --> 00:05:59,320
Speaker 1: has a purpose for you, that the Spirit is moving

103
00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:02,200
Speaker 1: in your life. And because of that, you know that

104
00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:08,080
Speaker 1: God can reclaim, restore, redeem anything any trouble that comes

105
00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:11,400
Speaker 1: into your story. You get to live settled in that place.

106
00:06:12,480 --> 00:06:14,720
Speaker 1: The Biblical story that I would call this kind of

107
00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:18,280
Speaker 1: like just amazing confidence in who God is. There's quite

108
00:06:18,279 --> 00:06:19,920
Speaker 1: a few of them actually that we can draw from.

109
00:06:19,920 --> 00:06:22,719
Speaker 1: But I'm going to pull from a very familiar story,

110
00:06:22,800 --> 00:06:26,240
Speaker 1: specifically the story of David, King David before he was

111
00:06:26,320 --> 00:06:30,960
Speaker 1: King David and Goliath. This is back when David was young,

112
00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:34,120
Speaker 1: and he was the youngest of his brothers. His three

113
00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:37,240
Speaker 1: oldest brothers had been sent to the front line of

114
00:06:37,240 --> 00:06:40,479
Speaker 1: this battle against the Philistines. The king at the time

115
00:06:40,520 --> 00:06:44,320
Speaker 1: of Israel was King Saul, and so David's older brothers

116
00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:46,719
Speaker 1: are all at this battle and there's kind of like

117
00:06:46,760 --> 00:06:50,800
Speaker 1: a valley between the two parties, the Philistines and the Israelites,

118
00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:55,880
Speaker 1: and the Philistines have this giant named Goliath. He's basically

119
00:06:55,960 --> 00:06:59,719
Speaker 1: taunting anyone, any Israelite to come fight him and that

120
00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:03,720
Speaker 1: that one fight would determine the winner of the battle.

121
00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:07,240
Speaker 1: And this taunting has been going on day after day

122
00:07:07,279 --> 00:07:11,240
Speaker 1: after day. Meanwhile, David is this young shepherd. He's the

123
00:07:11,320 --> 00:07:14,120
Speaker 1: youngest son, so it's his job to tend to the flocks.

124
00:07:14,200 --> 00:07:16,880
Speaker 1: He is the shepherd who stays near to home, but

125
00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:19,679
Speaker 1: his dad sends him to the front line with food

126
00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:22,360
Speaker 1: for his brothers, and so he just shows up with

127
00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:27,280
Speaker 1: food for his older brothers, and he overhears this philistine

128
00:07:27,320 --> 00:07:32,040
Speaker 1: who is taunting the Israelites, who is defaming God. And

129
00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:34,760
Speaker 1: he gets fired up, and so I'm going to read

130
00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:36,920
Speaker 1: you a part of this. This is from First Samuel seventeen.

131
00:07:37,040 --> 00:07:39,520
Speaker 1: If this word is resonating for you, or you think

132
00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:41,320
Speaker 1: to yourself, maybe this is what God's calling me to

133
00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:44,440
Speaker 1: this year, go check out this passage. If you have

134
00:07:44,480 --> 00:07:46,160
Speaker 1: not read it in a while, I think you're going

135
00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:48,920
Speaker 1: to be really inspired by what you read. And so

136
00:07:49,520 --> 00:07:52,040
Speaker 1: David goes to the front line and he's like, who

137
00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:54,920
Speaker 1: is this guy? He's speaking out against our God? And

138
00:07:54,960 --> 00:07:57,560
Speaker 1: then he says, actually, this the Lord. He goes to

139
00:07:57,720 --> 00:07:59,240
Speaker 1: King Saul and he's like, if no one else is

140
00:07:59,240 --> 00:08:01,520
Speaker 1: going to fight Goliath, I'll fight him. And of course

141
00:08:01,680 --> 00:08:03,640
Speaker 1: I think Saul's like, are you kidding me? Like you're

142
00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:08,280
Speaker 1: a teenager, you're not prepared for battlelin anyway, and David

143
00:08:08,400 --> 00:08:12,200
Speaker 1: is very confident. He's not confident in his ability, he's

144
00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:16,160
Speaker 1: confident in who God is. And he explains why he's confident.

145
00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:19,360
Speaker 1: He's like, Hey, I've been tending the flocks for my father,

146
00:08:19,560 --> 00:08:22,400
Speaker 1: and I have delivered these sheep from a lion and

147
00:08:22,440 --> 00:08:26,000
Speaker 1: from a bear, and God has delivered me from trouble.

148
00:08:26,040 --> 00:08:28,320
Speaker 1: Why would he not deliver me again? And then he says,

149
00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:31,840
Speaker 1: in verse thirty seven, David said, the Lord who delivered

150
00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:33,720
Speaker 1: me from the paw of the lion and from the

151
00:08:33,800 --> 00:08:36,439
Speaker 1: paw of the bear, will deliver me from the hand

152
00:08:36,480 --> 00:08:38,800
Speaker 1: of this philistine. And this has been going on for

153
00:08:38,840 --> 00:08:40,560
Speaker 1: so long and no one is going to step up.

154
00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:43,200
Speaker 1: But I think Saul's like, okay, Like, I mean, what

155
00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:44,560
Speaker 1: are we going to do at this point, it's been

156
00:08:44,600 --> 00:08:46,280
Speaker 1: forty days. No one is going to step up and

157
00:08:46,320 --> 00:08:48,400
Speaker 1: fight this guy. And so he says, okay, you can

158
00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:52,240
Speaker 1: fight him. And so Saul tries to give David his

159
00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:55,640
Speaker 1: armor because David, remember, he's like running an errand he's

160
00:08:55,920 --> 00:08:58,680
Speaker 1: basically like uber eats, trying to bring his brother some food,

161
00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:02,000
Speaker 1: and he's not prepared for a battle. And so Saul

162
00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:05,960
Speaker 1: tries to give David his armor. He puts his helmet

163
00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:08,280
Speaker 1: of bronze on him, and he puts a coat of

164
00:09:08,320 --> 00:09:11,800
Speaker 1: mail on him, and David takes the sword over his armor,

165
00:09:11,880 --> 00:09:15,280
Speaker 1: and he's like wearing it. He's uncomfortable, and he says

166
00:09:15,280 --> 00:09:18,080
Speaker 1: to King Saul, I can't take these because I've not

167
00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:21,040
Speaker 1: tested them. And he takes them off and he picks

168
00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:23,680
Speaker 1: up his staff, and he picks up five stones from

169
00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:25,680
Speaker 1: a brook nearby, and he puts them in his pouch,

170
00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:28,360
Speaker 1: and he grabs his sling. These are his familiar weapons.

171
00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:30,480
Speaker 1: These are the things that he's had with him as

172
00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:33,120
Speaker 1: he's defended the sheep. And I love this part of

173
00:09:33,160 --> 00:09:36,600
Speaker 1: the story because I think that whenever we find ourselves

174
00:09:36,880 --> 00:09:39,400
Speaker 1: being asked by God to step out, being asked to

175
00:09:39,400 --> 00:09:42,560
Speaker 1: step into something new, it is very tempting to try

176
00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:44,440
Speaker 1: to do it the way other people have done it.

177
00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:47,000
Speaker 1: It's tempting to say, and we have people maybe even

178
00:09:47,040 --> 00:09:50,199
Speaker 1: say it to us, do it this way, where this armor,

179
00:09:50,320 --> 00:09:52,920
Speaker 1: put hold this sword, this is what's going to help

180
00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:55,600
Speaker 1: you succeed. And you might be thinking, wait, like this

181
00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:57,800
Speaker 1: doesn't really fit me, or this hasn't I've not really

182
00:09:57,840 --> 00:10:00,839
Speaker 1: tested this out. And so we had this this temptation

183
00:10:01,480 --> 00:10:03,960
Speaker 1: that David had to protect himself and to do it

184
00:10:04,000 --> 00:10:06,560
Speaker 1: the way that someone who had been successful in battles

185
00:10:06,559 --> 00:10:09,880
Speaker 1: before was telling him to do it, and he had

186
00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:12,880
Speaker 1: to rely on what he knew to be true from

187
00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:16,400
Speaker 1: his history. He had to say no, like God delivered

188
00:10:16,400 --> 00:10:20,160
Speaker 1: me already before. I've already been delivered. And this is

189
00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:22,240
Speaker 1: the way he did it. So I need to be

190
00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:26,800
Speaker 1: competent and confident in God, not competent and confident in

191
00:10:26,840 --> 00:10:29,320
Speaker 1: the way someone else tells me I need to do it.

192
00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:31,400
Speaker 1: And so he sets off, and you know where this

193
00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:35,880
Speaker 1: story goes. He goes after this Goliath and he says

194
00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:38,400
Speaker 1: to him, listen, you come at me. This is verse

195
00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:40,320
Speaker 1: forty five. You come at me with a sword and

196
00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:43,200
Speaker 1: a spear and a javelin. But I come to you

197
00:10:43,280 --> 00:10:46,120
Speaker 1: in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God

198
00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:50,280
Speaker 1: of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. And

199
00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:52,320
Speaker 1: he goes on. He says, the whole world is going

200
00:10:52,360 --> 00:10:54,319
Speaker 1: to know that the Lord saves, not with the sword

201
00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:56,880
Speaker 1: and a spear, for the battle is the Lord's, and

202
00:10:56,920 --> 00:10:59,640
Speaker 1: he will give you into our hand. What you know

203
00:10:59,640 --> 00:11:02,040
Speaker 1: happened next is he takes that stone, he puts it

204
00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:04,040
Speaker 1: in his sling, he slings it over at Goliath. It

205
00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:05,920
Speaker 1: hits him right in the forehead and knocks him out,

206
00:11:06,280 --> 00:11:08,959
Speaker 1: and then David uses David has no sword at this time.

207
00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:11,679
Speaker 1: David uses Goliath's own sword to cut his head off.

208
00:11:11,720 --> 00:11:14,120
Speaker 1: And this is kind of like this massive turning point

209
00:11:14,240 --> 00:11:17,880
Speaker 1: in David's story because here he is this young shepherd

210
00:11:17,920 --> 00:11:22,199
Speaker 1: who is unknown and now has brought this such confident

211
00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:25,640
Speaker 1: faith in who God is and has had this incredible victory.

212
00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:29,480
Speaker 1: So if confidence, if you feel like this is your

213
00:11:29,520 --> 00:11:33,240
Speaker 1: spiritual invitation is to confidence. This is confidence rooted in

214
00:11:33,280 --> 00:11:39,640
Speaker 1: God's faithfulness, not self assurance. Confidence allows the unique expression

215
00:11:39,840 --> 00:11:44,719
Speaker 1: that is you to flourish for the glory of God.

216
00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:46,400
Speaker 1: I want to share with you this quote by one

217
00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:50,080
Speaker 1: of my favorite authors, Brennan Manning. He says, define yourself

218
00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:54,400
Speaker 1: radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self.

219
00:11:54,559 --> 00:11:58,600
Speaker 1: Every other identity is illusion. The affirmation I would give

220
00:11:58,600 --> 00:12:00,920
Speaker 1: you that you could use every day of twenty twenty

221
00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:02,959
Speaker 1: six if you know that this is the invitation that

222
00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:04,920
Speaker 1: God is saying. I want you to be confident in

223
00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:08,640
Speaker 1: who I am. Here's your affirmation. I am competent and

224
00:12:08,720 --> 00:12:24,360
Speaker 1: assured in Christ. Okay, friends, that's confidence. Next up is diligence. Okay.

225
00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:27,520
Speaker 1: Our second word for today. Remember we have six words

226
00:12:27,559 --> 00:12:29,240
Speaker 1: I'm going to offer you over the next few weeks.

227
00:12:29,679 --> 00:12:31,960
Speaker 1: This is your second invitation. And the idea here is

228
00:12:31,960 --> 00:12:33,520
Speaker 1: not that you're going to choose six, it's that you're

229
00:12:33,559 --> 00:12:36,959
Speaker 1: going to choose one. So listen for where you might

230
00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:39,800
Speaker 1: find yourself if the word that God is calling you

231
00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:42,840
Speaker 1: to the spiritual invitation for twenty twenty six is to

232
00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:50,400
Speaker 1: be diligent. The definition of diligence is steady, faithful, unhurried effort.

233
00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:54,720
Speaker 1: It's the kind of perseverance that allows setbacks and limits

234
00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:58,440
Speaker 1: to happen, but continues to press forward and focus on

235
00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:02,880
Speaker 1: a purpose, the opposite of diligence. There actually isn't one

236
00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:07,319
Speaker 1: word that fully captures the opposite of this spiritual definition.

237
00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:11,320
Speaker 1: The opposite of it might be carelessness, but that doesn't

238
00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:14,360
Speaker 1: that sounds so like you're not even trying. I wouldn't

239
00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:18,959
Speaker 1: really call it carelessness. I might call it vacillation. Vacillation

240
00:13:19,160 --> 00:13:22,360
Speaker 1: means like a hesitation, Like if I hit an obstacle,

241
00:13:22,400 --> 00:13:24,120
Speaker 1: I kind of think to myself, maybe this isn't what

242
00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:27,240
Speaker 1: I'm supposed to be doing. It's the opposite of diligence.

243
00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:29,720
Speaker 1: To me, would be like just a need for instant

244
00:13:29,800 --> 00:13:32,680
Speaker 1: gratification and you hit an obstacle or you hit something

245
00:13:32,679 --> 00:13:34,680
Speaker 1: that makes it difficult, and you start to think to yourself,

246
00:13:34,679 --> 00:13:37,120
Speaker 1: maybe I shouldn't be doing this at all. That's the

247
00:13:37,160 --> 00:13:41,240
Speaker 1: opposite of diligence. You might choose this word for twenty

248
00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:43,960
Speaker 1: twenty six or partner with God and choosing this word

249
00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:47,080
Speaker 1: for you. If you know that God has called you

250
00:13:47,160 --> 00:13:50,319
Speaker 1: to a long term assignment right now, and you can

251
00:13:50,360 --> 00:13:53,800
Speaker 1: admit that you've grown weary of the time that you've

252
00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:56,880
Speaker 1: been in this assignment. Perhaps you've been hoping for a

253
00:13:57,000 --> 00:13:59,320
Speaker 1: change in your life or a breakthrough and it just

254
00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:03,200
Speaker 1: has not come yet. Maybe you're in a season of

255
00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:07,760
Speaker 1: caregiving of aging parents or of young children or both.

256
00:14:08,640 --> 00:14:13,200
Speaker 1: Maybe you are caring for a disabled parent or child,

257
00:14:13,679 --> 00:14:16,800
Speaker 1: and you know that this is your story, but it's

258
00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:21,800
Speaker 1: become wearisome, and you've become weary and feel a little

259
00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:27,280
Speaker 1: bit unseen in this season. Maybe your ministry or your

260
00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:31,360
Speaker 1: education is requiring effort, and you're feeling like you just

261
00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:33,680
Speaker 1: kind of want to give up or give in, or

262
00:14:33,800 --> 00:14:37,640
Speaker 1: just really take a break because it just feels too hard.

263
00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:40,360
Speaker 1: And if that's the case, I think that the invitation

264
00:14:40,520 --> 00:14:46,040
Speaker 1: here can be to diligence, that steady, faithful, unhurried effort,

265
00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:51,600
Speaker 1: even in obstacles, even in setbacks, continuing to persevere. The

266
00:14:51,640 --> 00:14:54,400
Speaker 1: scripture that I would give you if diligence is what

267
00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:57,120
Speaker 1: God is calling you to in the season is Galatians six,

268
00:14:57,320 --> 00:15:00,880
Speaker 1: verse nine, and this is in the ESV version. It says,

269
00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:04,640
Speaker 1: let us not be weary in well doing, for in

270
00:15:04,760 --> 00:15:08,120
Speaker 1: due season we shall reap if we do not give up.

271
00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:11,520
Speaker 1: I love that let us not be weary in well doing,

272
00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:15,880
Speaker 1: like you're doing good work, and it does get tiring,

273
00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:20,800
Speaker 1: but you can continue to persevere. The biblical character that

274
00:15:20,840 --> 00:15:23,120
Speaker 1: I would offer you is actually the whole book, but

275
00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:27,400
Speaker 1: particularly the first few chapters. The character is Neamiah. This

276
00:15:27,440 --> 00:15:30,120
Speaker 1: is in the Old Testament. If you're not familiar with

277
00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:32,040
Speaker 1: this book, or you haven't read it in a while,

278
00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:36,280
Speaker 1: go check out Neomiah, particularly Neomiah chapters one through six,

279
00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:38,880
Speaker 1: which is the beginning of the story, because here you're

280
00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:42,400
Speaker 1: going to have a leader that you can follow. Neamiyah

281
00:15:42,520 --> 00:15:46,280
Speaker 1: is a guy who discovered a problem and wanted and

282
00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:49,440
Speaker 1: felt called by God to solve it. And we see

283
00:15:49,480 --> 00:15:52,920
Speaker 1: through the story the many obstacles that he faced along

284
00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:57,440
Speaker 1: the way, and how he stayed prayerful and focused and

285
00:15:57,480 --> 00:16:02,200
Speaker 1: resilient and gracious even under a lot of pressure. What

286
00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:06,280
Speaker 1: happens in Nehemiah is that Niamiah discovers that Jerusalem, the

287
00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:09,560
Speaker 1: wall around Jerusalem, the city wall around Jerusalem, was in ruins,

288
00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:12,960
Speaker 1: a wall was very important for a city at that time.

289
00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:15,880
Speaker 1: It really defined the city, the inn and the out.

290
00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:19,480
Speaker 1: It also was a protective mechanism that allowed the city

291
00:16:19,520 --> 00:16:22,200
Speaker 1: to be defended. Remember, like we in our modern day,

292
00:16:22,200 --> 00:16:24,560
Speaker 1: it's hard for us to think about the idea of

293
00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:28,800
Speaker 1: kind of conquering villages or towns or tribes. But there's

294
00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:32,520
Speaker 1: no governance that's like covering everything, and there's kind of

295
00:16:32,560 --> 00:16:35,520
Speaker 1: like tribal warfare. So it's easy if you're in a

296
00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:37,520
Speaker 1: city to be attacked and there would be a lot

297
00:16:37,560 --> 00:16:39,520
Speaker 1: of goods there. There would obviously be a lot of

298
00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:42,560
Speaker 1: wealth or whatever that would hold that city together. And

299
00:16:42,640 --> 00:16:44,640
Speaker 1: so part of coming together in a city and in

300
00:16:44,680 --> 00:16:47,760
Speaker 1: a community was to be able to defend the city

301
00:16:47,800 --> 00:16:50,760
Speaker 1: and the community and to work together to defend the city.

302
00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:55,040
Speaker 1: And so Jerusalem was God's city. Niamiah discovers that Jerusalem

303
00:16:55,120 --> 00:16:57,320
Speaker 1: is in ruins and he asks the king that he's

304
00:16:57,360 --> 00:17:02,360
Speaker 1: working for for a release, release, go tend to this city,

305
00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:05,960
Speaker 1: and he comes and he visions for the people to

306
00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:09,359
Speaker 1: want to rebuild this wall, and we learn all about

307
00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:12,200
Speaker 1: the obstacles that he faces along the way as he

308
00:17:12,359 --> 00:17:16,560
Speaker 1: endeavors to encourage a group of people to work together

309
00:17:16,680 --> 00:17:18,560
Speaker 1: to make something happen. It was not something that he

310
00:17:18,600 --> 00:17:21,560
Speaker 1: could do himself. He had to do it with others.

311
00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:23,720
Speaker 1: It took a long time. There was a lot of

312
00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:26,560
Speaker 1: problems to solve. And so when you read Nehemiah, you

313
00:17:26,600 --> 00:17:28,639
Speaker 1: get this sense of what is it like to be

314
00:17:29,040 --> 00:17:33,919
Speaker 1: diligent to continue to be focused for a purpose. And

315
00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:36,520
Speaker 1: maybe this is a moment where you in this month,

316
00:17:36,520 --> 00:17:38,680
Speaker 1: as you reflect, you ask God, like, God, I need

317
00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:41,880
Speaker 1: you to renew my sense of purpose, Like why am

318
00:17:41,880 --> 00:17:45,320
Speaker 1: I doing what I'm doing? Why am I in this assignment?

319
00:17:45,760 --> 00:17:48,040
Speaker 1: Can you show me and encourage me and affirm me

320
00:17:48,600 --> 00:17:51,720
Speaker 1: so that I might not grow weary in doing good?

321
00:17:52,359 --> 00:17:56,960
Speaker 1: It is very difficult to sustain our interest for a

322
00:17:57,000 --> 00:18:00,800
Speaker 1: long time. We are very instant gratification culture, and it's

323
00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:03,600
Speaker 1: very easy to get excited about a project or to

324
00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:06,120
Speaker 1: feel connected to a thing that you're doing, and then

325
00:18:06,359 --> 00:18:10,520
Speaker 1: just to just wander away from that purpose. And sometimes

326
00:18:10,520 --> 00:18:13,800
Speaker 1: we need that reminder of what is this focus? How

327
00:18:13,840 --> 00:18:19,600
Speaker 1: can I continue to have enthusiasm and persevere and stay

328
00:18:19,760 --> 00:18:22,639
Speaker 1: in it? Even just staying in your faith. You know,

329
00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:25,199
Speaker 1: if it's been a difficult season in your faith and

330
00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:27,680
Speaker 1: you're just like, oh my Gosh, like I want God

331
00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:29,080
Speaker 1: to come through to me. What does it look like

332
00:18:29,119 --> 00:18:31,480
Speaker 1: for you to re up and say, God, I'm committed

333
00:18:31,520 --> 00:18:34,639
Speaker 1: to you, I will follow you. I'm going to continue

334
00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:38,560
Speaker 1: to be faithful day after day. That is what diligence

335
00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:42,080
Speaker 1: looks like. The affirmation that I would offer you if

336
00:18:42,119 --> 00:18:44,520
Speaker 1: you think God might be inviting you to focus on

337
00:18:44,600 --> 00:18:48,440
Speaker 1: diligence in this season is daily, every single day twenty

338
00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:53,359
Speaker 1: twenty six. I am focused on purpose. The ability to

339
00:18:53,440 --> 00:18:57,320
Speaker 1: stay focused over time is a virtue that will pay

340
00:18:57,480 --> 00:19:01,120
Speaker 1: off for you in your life in a training ground

341
00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:03,359
Speaker 1: right now, Like God might be training you for something

342
00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:06,639
Speaker 1: in the future, and He's using this season in your life,

343
00:19:06,640 --> 00:19:11,480
Speaker 1: this long season, to grow deeper roots of perseverance, of faith,

344
00:19:11,560 --> 00:19:14,800
Speaker 1: of diligence, of strength, of maturity. That's what He can

345
00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:18,080
Speaker 1: do in these seasons. So if you're feeling that nudge,

346
00:19:18,119 --> 00:19:20,879
Speaker 1: you're feeling that little finger on your heart, just kind

347
00:19:20,880 --> 00:19:23,640
Speaker 1: of tapping on your heart, maybe this is the word

348
00:19:23,720 --> 00:19:27,480
Speaker 1: that God has for you. Okay, my friends, that's it

349
00:19:27,600 --> 00:19:30,000
Speaker 1: for this week. We're going to jump into two more

350
00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:32,240
Speaker 1: words next week. I'm looking forward to that. I would

351
00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:35,080
Speaker 1: encourage you to kind of hold off on making a

352
00:19:35,119 --> 00:19:38,320
Speaker 1: commitment to an invitationous spiritual invitation for the year until

353
00:19:38,359 --> 00:19:41,159
Speaker 1: we get through all six words, and just it's okay

354
00:19:41,200 --> 00:19:43,439
Speaker 1: to just kind of let it marinate right now in

355
00:19:43,480 --> 00:19:46,400
Speaker 1: your life. Maybe read these passages that I offered you

356
00:19:46,440 --> 00:19:49,280
Speaker 1: and just find yourself. Is this where you're at? Where

357
00:19:49,320 --> 00:19:51,600
Speaker 1: are you? And I know by the end of this

358
00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:55,080
Speaker 1: month you'll have a deep sense of clarity that God

359
00:19:55,080 --> 00:19:58,320
Speaker 1: will lead you toward one thing because God desires for

360
00:19:58,400 --> 00:20:00,880
Speaker 1: us to grow. We know that we that part of

361
00:20:01,440 --> 00:20:04,359
Speaker 1: being on this journey is being on the journey, meaning

362
00:20:04,440 --> 00:20:07,440
Speaker 1: like moving from point A to point B that three

363
00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:10,600
Speaker 1: hundred and sixty five issue days from now, that you'd

364
00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:12,639
Speaker 1: be able to look back and say, Man, God was

365
00:20:12,760 --> 00:20:16,880
Speaker 1: really growing me this year, and I really experienced this

366
00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:19,800
Speaker 1: partnership with Him as He grew me in this way

367
00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:22,800
Speaker 1: of becoming more like Christ. All right, everyone, talk with

368
00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:28,920
Speaker 1: you next week. How to Study the Bible with Nicole

369
00:20:29,040 --> 00:20:32,119
Speaker 1: Unis is a production of Life Audio and Salem Media.

370
00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:34,840
Speaker 1: If you like what you heard today, please take a

371
00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:37,560
Speaker 1: second to rate and review the podcast in your favorite

372
00:20:37,600 --> 00:20:40,720
Speaker 1: podcast app so that more listeners like you can find

373
00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:45,400
Speaker 1: the show. For more faith filled inspirational podcasts, visit us

374
00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:51,640
Speaker 1: at lifeaudio dot com,