WEBVTT - Debunking Prayer Myths and Overcoming Clutter 0:00:00.440 --> 0:00:04.360 Coming to you from the Morning Star Mission sponsored studio. 0:00:04.720 --> 0:00:08.080 This is Carl and crew on Moody Radio. 0:00:08.600 --> 0:00:10.640 It's Carl and crew, and we're helping you take your 0:00:10.640 --> 0:00:14.960 next step with Jesus. You know, I love this topic 0:00:14.960 --> 0:00:19.000 this week, because if there's anything that is equivalent to 0:00:19.400 --> 0:00:22.280 physical core training, remember when that was in style? 0:00:23.000 --> 0:00:23.960 Uh, core training? 0:00:24.000 --> 0:00:24.480 Yeah. 0:00:24.760 --> 0:00:28.480 Um, I mean, not exactly like training. 0:00:29.160 --> 0:00:32.320 No core training. The stomach muscles, how everything flows from 0:00:32.320 --> 0:00:34.960 the core. There was about a decade ago, like all 0:00:35.000 --> 0:00:38.880 the all the clips, all the training videos I saw 0:00:38.880 --> 0:00:41.040 was like, you've got to get the core. And I 0:00:41.040 --> 0:00:43.960 do believe that, by the way. Yeah. Remember that super day? 0:00:44.040 --> 0:00:46.839 Absolutely. Yeah. Get your core. You gotta get the core. 0:00:46.880 --> 0:00:49.560 Core training. Core training. Got to get that core. 0:00:49.640 --> 0:00:50.360 Everything flows. 0:00:50.360 --> 0:00:50.720 From the. 0:00:50.720 --> 0:00:51.120 Core. 0:00:52.040 --> 0:00:53.720 I must have been doing something else. 0:00:53.760 --> 0:00:54.000 At the. 0:00:54.000 --> 0:00:55.320 Gym. You were. You were raising. 0:00:55.360 --> 0:00:58.520 Toddlers. You were raising toddlers. You had no time for 0:00:58.520 --> 0:00:59.160 core training. 0:00:59.200 --> 0:01:03.130 That makes sense. They were training you. Thank you. Yeah, exactly. 0:01:03.170 --> 0:01:05.770 No. Core training is a good principle. And it's. And 0:01:05.770 --> 0:01:09.569 it's important. And there's everything that you look at in life, 0:01:09.569 --> 0:01:12.690 there's people are trying to whittle down. What's the most 0:01:12.690 --> 0:01:16.050 important thing? If you look at a business, it's like, 0:01:16.050 --> 0:01:21.210 what's the most important thing? And when we're talking about 0:01:21.209 --> 0:01:26.250 the spiritual life, it's so easy to get on secondary 0:01:26.250 --> 0:01:28.130 issues and get hung up on them. 0:01:28.490 --> 0:01:30.690 Give me an example of a secondary issue. 0:01:30.890 --> 0:01:35.650 A secondary issue is I really believe this now. So 0:01:35.690 --> 0:01:37.450 hold on. So some of you are going to throw 0:01:37.450 --> 0:01:39.970 rocks at me and call me a heretic here. Um, 0:01:40.650 --> 0:01:44.610 I really think that the expression of spiritual gifts is 0:01:44.610 --> 0:01:51.570 secondary to cultivating in that core the engine room of 0:01:51.570 --> 0:01:55.330 our soul in the root system. Yeah. Your clear identity 0:01:55.330 --> 0:01:57.890 with who you are in Christ. Hear in his voice. 0:01:57.890 --> 0:02:01.290 Feeling secure in him. I think going out and using 0:02:01.290 --> 0:02:04.810 that spiritual gift without having some of those basic things 0:02:04.810 --> 0:02:08.690 in the core in our belly, I think, uh, I 0:02:08.690 --> 0:02:11.410 think it runs the risk of not using it, that 0:02:11.410 --> 0:02:13.810 spiritual gift. Absolutely. Or if we use it, we don't 0:02:13.810 --> 0:02:16.610 use it as powerfully as we could. So I think 0:02:16.610 --> 0:02:21.210 it's got some huge, um, I think there's some big 0:02:21.210 --> 0:02:24.169 divots that we can get stuck into there. And I 0:02:24.169 --> 0:02:26.410 see this in my own life, I don't as a pastor. 0:02:26.410 --> 0:02:28.530 I don't have to look around, look at other people. 0:02:28.889 --> 0:02:32.450 If I can tell you right now, the greatest days 0:02:32.450 --> 0:02:36.090 that I have are kicked off. When God has picked 0:02:36.090 --> 0:02:39.530 up the hood of my soul and gone tinkering around 0:02:39.530 --> 0:02:42.170 in there, and I've let him do it. That's the 0:02:42.169 --> 0:02:43.889 other thing. Am I going to let him work on 0:02:43.889 --> 0:02:46.450 the inside of me, and am I going to let 0:02:46.450 --> 0:02:49.330 him see what I need to see and talk to 0:02:49.330 --> 0:02:52.130 me about it? I mean, those are just it's just 0:02:52.130 --> 0:02:54.970 it's the hard work. But man, it's the good work. 0:02:54.970 --> 0:02:58.220 Because out of that, then I can come on here 0:02:58.220 --> 0:03:01.180 and I can go. All right. Few basics that I 0:03:01.180 --> 0:03:05.060 learned from the Lord this morning. I got nothing to prove. Whoo! Hallelujah! 0:03:05.100 --> 0:03:06.660 Because if you got. If you come on here and 0:03:06.660 --> 0:03:08.540 you got something to prove. How does that go, Ali? 0:03:08.580 --> 0:03:09.380 Uh, not. Well. 0:03:11.460 --> 0:03:13.940 I'm not. I've got nothing to gain. I've got nothing 0:03:13.940 --> 0:03:17.060 to lose. And when I. When I get those anchored 0:03:17.060 --> 0:03:19.340 in my brain. And those are Dempster isms all the way, 0:03:19.340 --> 0:03:21.460 by the way. Greg Dempster, who was on with you 0:03:21.460 --> 0:03:25.380 guys Monday. Uh, when when we really get that sorted 0:03:25.380 --> 0:03:29.940 out in the core of our being, my goodness, the 0:03:29.940 --> 0:03:34.419 outflow of that is just tremendous. It's the overflow of 0:03:34.419 --> 0:03:37.500 the heart that the mouth speaks. It all starts in here, 0:03:37.540 --> 0:03:38.420 doesn't it, guys? 0:03:38.500 --> 0:03:39.500 Starts in the core. 0:03:40.100 --> 0:03:44.260 It's right here. It just begins right here. Um, and 0:03:44.500 --> 0:03:46.580 and one of those key things is how in the 0:03:46.580 --> 0:03:50.460 world do we pray? Because it's it's the thing of prayer. 0:03:50.460 --> 0:03:53.580 It's this intimacy. It's this listening to God that is 0:03:53.580 --> 0:03:56.220 so rich. And boy, have we got a treat coming 0:03:56.220 --> 0:03:56.950 up here, don't we? 0:03:57.230 --> 0:04:02.790 Doctor Sam Storms he has quickly become one of our favorites. 0:04:03.150 --> 0:04:06.390 I mean, he every every time we talk to him, 0:04:06.390 --> 0:04:10.790 I learn a couple of new things. A couple, not 0:04:10.790 --> 0:04:11.470 just one. 0:04:11.910 --> 0:04:12.350 Yeah. 0:04:12.710 --> 0:04:16.190 And what's cool about him is that he's always learning stuff. 0:04:16.230 --> 0:04:16.750 Yes. 0:04:17.910 --> 0:04:18.590 That's what's really. 0:04:18.589 --> 0:04:18.869 Cool. 0:04:18.910 --> 0:04:20.630 And he goes deep into the word. 0:04:20.830 --> 0:04:24.789 Yeah. Yeah. It's beautiful. Hang on. Buckle up. Get up. What? 0:04:24.830 --> 0:04:26.270 Guys, swig of water. 0:04:26.510 --> 0:04:31.390 Get a swig of water, Sam. Big storm coming up. 0:04:31.670 --> 0:04:34.349 You can take him out of Alaska, but you can't 0:04:34.390 --> 0:04:38.230 take Alaska out of him. Carl is in the crew. 0:04:38.430 --> 0:04:41.030 It's Carl and crew on Moody Radio. 0:04:41.390 --> 0:04:45.270 All this week, we're talking about lifting the hood, looking 0:04:45.270 --> 0:04:49.429 deep within. It's the unseen things that matter most. Ali 0:04:49.430 --> 0:04:53.350 is much more biblio centric on this one, and that 0:04:53.350 --> 0:04:55.910 she's taking us right back to the roots and the 0:04:55.910 --> 0:04:58.150 fruits metaphor that we find in Scripture. 0:04:58.390 --> 0:05:00.190 Psalm one. Like a tree. 0:05:00.390 --> 0:05:03.350 Yes. Love that. Those are my three favorite verses in 0:05:03.350 --> 0:05:06.070 all the Psalms I love it. Psalm one one through three. 0:05:06.070 --> 0:05:08.430 Check it out. Boom crew. But with us right now 0:05:08.430 --> 0:05:12.110 is a man who has done some deep diving on 0:05:12.110 --> 0:05:15.029 the whole issue of prayer. A lot of years of experience. 0:05:15.029 --> 0:05:18.430 I'm sure he's got some sacred scars to prove failings 0:05:18.430 --> 0:05:22.110 in this area. Doctor Sam Storms, what are you learning 0:05:22.110 --> 0:05:23.350 about prayer, my friend? 0:05:23.910 --> 0:05:27.430 My goodness, that's a big question that deserves a big answer. I, 0:05:27.830 --> 0:05:30.350 in writing this book, I've learned so much because I 0:05:30.350 --> 0:05:33.909 was determined to get into what Scripture says about prayer, 0:05:33.950 --> 0:05:37.110 not our own personal conceptions or what we've been taught 0:05:37.110 --> 0:05:39.190 by those who didn't know what they were talking about. 0:05:39.190 --> 0:05:42.550 But to really examine how did Jesus pray and why? 0:05:42.589 --> 0:05:45.910 How did the Apostle Paul pray and why? And James 0:05:45.910 --> 0:05:49.630 and others, as well as the Old Testament saints. And 0:05:49.670 --> 0:05:52.550 I think really, again, this is a book that, like 0:05:52.550 --> 0:05:55.400 so many of my books, where I'm doing it really 0:05:55.400 --> 0:05:57.720 for myself. Ultimately, I know that sounds selfish. 0:05:57.760 --> 0:05:58.039 No. 0:05:58.040 --> 0:06:00.680 It's good. But I realized I was not praying as 0:06:00.680 --> 0:06:04.599 I should. I wasn't praying consistently, passionately, expectantly, and I 0:06:04.640 --> 0:06:07.400 kind of preached to myself as I as I wrote 0:06:07.560 --> 0:06:09.400 each of these chapters in this book. 0:06:09.720 --> 0:06:12.279 Doctor Sam Storms, our guest right now founder and president 0:06:12.279 --> 0:06:15.039 of Enjoying God Ministries, serves on the Council of the 0:06:15.080 --> 0:06:19.320 Gospel Coalition, featuring a book today, Understanding Prayer Biblical Foundations, 0:06:19.320 --> 0:06:22.880 and Practical Guidance for Seeking God. You mentioned some of 0:06:22.880 --> 0:06:26.720 the ways that we've been mis taught on prayer that 0:06:26.720 --> 0:06:30.160 can potentially hinder us in this area. Uh, highlight a 0:06:30.160 --> 0:06:31.920 few that you think are important. 0:06:32.240 --> 0:06:35.080 Well, I think probably the most important one of all 0:06:35.120 --> 0:06:38.400 is that I find that people oftentimes because they have 0:06:38.400 --> 0:06:42.120 this big concept of God, which is good, that God 0:06:42.120 --> 0:06:45.240 is good, God is powerful. He's generous, compassionate, and merciful. 0:06:45.680 --> 0:06:49.000 That if I need something desperately, he'll give it to 0:06:49.000 --> 0:06:51.400 me whether or not I pray and ask for it. 0:06:51.720 --> 0:06:54.770 And I think that's a dangerous and arrogant assumption. We 0:06:54.770 --> 0:06:58.969 should never assume that God will grant us, apart from prayer, 0:06:59.010 --> 0:07:01.850 what he has promised us. He will give us only 0:07:01.850 --> 0:07:04.770 in response to prayer. It's this sense of entitlement that 0:07:04.770 --> 0:07:07.170 we have, and I've heard people say, ah, you know, 0:07:07.210 --> 0:07:09.890 prayer is hard. I don't have time. God's good. If 0:07:09.930 --> 0:07:11.890 he if I really need this, he'll he'll give it 0:07:11.890 --> 0:07:14.490 to me, even if I don't ask. And I just think, 0:07:14.530 --> 0:07:17.250 you know, James four you have not because you ask not. 0:07:17.450 --> 0:07:20.090 And all through the scriptures, you know, we read these 0:07:20.090 --> 0:07:23.210 places where we are told what is available to us 0:07:23.210 --> 0:07:26.010 from God if we will ask him. And I think 0:07:26.010 --> 0:07:29.370 that's the most dangerous thing that paralyzes people today, is 0:07:29.570 --> 0:07:33.489 they operate on this assumption. Well, that's God's business. That's 0:07:33.490 --> 0:07:36.050 that's just what God does. He's he's that good. So 0:07:36.170 --> 0:07:38.650 I'll devote myself to other things, knowing that he's going 0:07:38.690 --> 0:07:41.130 to provide me what I need anyway. And we go 0:07:41.170 --> 0:07:44.650 without so many blessings because we have failed to ask. 0:07:44.690 --> 0:07:51.010 And I think the Word of God just continually exhorts us, ask, seek, knock. 0:07:51.250 --> 0:07:53.420 You know, your heavenly Father is good and gracious, but 0:07:53.420 --> 0:07:56.660 he has chosen. This is the mystery. He has chosen 0:07:56.660 --> 0:07:59.580 to accomplish his purposes in us and in the church. 0:07:59.700 --> 0:08:02.860 In response to our passionate requests of him. 0:08:03.300 --> 0:08:07.460 You know, Sam, it's interesting because God's not punitive. And 0:08:07.460 --> 0:08:10.940 so somebody could listen to this go, okay, God's sure enough, 0:08:10.980 --> 0:08:16.420 we're getting confirmation here. God's God's playing his God card 0:08:16.420 --> 0:08:18.420 over me and waiting for me to open my mouth. 0:08:18.420 --> 0:08:21.620 He's not punitive. There's always a greater lesson in this. 0:08:21.660 --> 0:08:25.980 Why would God withhold blessings from the mute person that 0:08:25.980 --> 0:08:27.140 will not speak? 0:08:27.420 --> 0:08:31.460 Because he has designed his relationships with us so that 0:08:31.460 --> 0:08:37.660 prayer magnifies him. It magnifies his grace, his abundant supply 0:08:37.660 --> 0:08:41.220 of good things. It magnifies and awakens us to our 0:08:41.220 --> 0:08:44.820 weakness and our desperate need of him. So, you know, 0:08:45.059 --> 0:08:48.980 oftentimes we think that somehow prayer is coercing God or 0:08:48.980 --> 0:08:52.100 that we can bully him or compel him. And of course, 0:08:52.100 --> 0:08:54.820 that is just almost blasphemous to think of those terms. 0:08:54.860 --> 0:08:55.260 Sure. 0:08:55.300 --> 0:08:58.100 But God has chosen and honestly, you know, if you 0:08:58.100 --> 0:09:02.099 ask me the question, why did he orchestrate his universe 0:09:02.100 --> 0:09:04.459 and his relationship to his people in this way? I 0:09:04.460 --> 0:09:06.739 think that's about the only answer we can give, because 0:09:06.780 --> 0:09:10.699 in some mysterious manner, it brings the greatest honor and 0:09:10.700 --> 0:09:13.620 praise to him when he is seen as generous and 0:09:13.620 --> 0:09:16.140 abounding in good things. When his children come to him 0:09:16.140 --> 0:09:19.300 in humility and ask for it. Uh, let me give 0:09:19.300 --> 0:09:22.060 you just a quick example of this. We read in 0:09:22.059 --> 0:09:26.900 Isaiah 30, verse 18, therefore the Lord waits to be 0:09:26.900 --> 0:09:30.059 gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show 0:09:30.059 --> 0:09:32.900 mercy to you. And then it says at the sound 0:09:32.900 --> 0:09:35.380 of your cry, as soon as he hears it, he 0:09:35.380 --> 0:09:38.020 answers you. And I read that, and I said, Lord, 0:09:38.020 --> 0:09:40.580 why are you waiting to be gracious to me? I 0:09:40.580 --> 0:09:42.500 don't I don't get it. It says he will surely 0:09:42.500 --> 0:09:45.819 be gracious to you when you cry to him in prayer, 0:09:45.820 --> 0:09:47.860 and as soon as he hears it, he answers you. 0:09:48.300 --> 0:09:51.870 So it's that statement where he exalts himself to show 0:09:51.910 --> 0:09:55.349 mercy to us. And I don't know why God orchestrated 0:09:55.350 --> 0:09:58.310 it that way. He's infinitely wise. But I think if 0:09:58.309 --> 0:10:02.310 we really probe deeply, it's because our weakness, our need, 0:10:02.350 --> 0:10:07.830 our dependency on him, magnifies his abundant grace and supply 0:10:07.950 --> 0:10:10.470 for all things that are necessary to grow in godliness. 0:10:10.510 --> 0:10:13.350 And God says, if you want that, I'm waiting for 0:10:13.350 --> 0:10:15.710 you to cry out to me. Come to me and ask, 0:10:15.750 --> 0:10:16.750 and I will do it. 0:10:16.790 --> 0:10:19.150 Doctor Sam storms our guest right now. The question I 0:10:19.150 --> 0:10:22.590 know many people will have right now is. But I 0:10:22.590 --> 0:10:26.150 did ask for this, for this person to be healed 0:10:26.150 --> 0:10:30.150 for this area of my life. And I didn't get 0:10:30.150 --> 0:10:34.510 the answer. I asked and God said no. Or he 0:10:34.510 --> 0:10:37.429 said nothing at all. How do we reconcile the two 0:10:37.429 --> 0:10:40.670 realities that yes, we must ask for what we need 0:10:40.670 --> 0:10:43.990 for God? But there are times that when we do ask, 0:10:43.990 --> 0:10:47.470 we certainly feel like God didn't give it to me. God. 0:10:47.510 --> 0:10:48.920 God didn't provide here. 0:10:49.360 --> 0:10:52.679 Boy, that's that's a penetrating question that people are often 0:10:52.679 --> 0:10:55.439 upset by it and they're befuddled. And I think there 0:10:55.480 --> 0:10:58.240 are many answers to that. First of all, there are 0:10:58.240 --> 0:11:01.360 reasons why God chooses not to grant us what we want. 0:11:01.400 --> 0:11:05.000 I mean, can you imagine a father who grants his 0:11:05.040 --> 0:11:09.120 six year old son a shotgun on Christmas morning? He 0:11:09.120 --> 0:11:11.959 knows that the that the gift that the son desperately 0:11:11.960 --> 0:11:15.240 wants could do damage to him and others. God knows 0:11:15.240 --> 0:11:18.320 what is best for us. He knows the timing is 0:11:18.320 --> 0:11:20.880 best for us. Sometimes it's not so much that God 0:11:20.880 --> 0:11:24.760 says no, but God says wait. And sometimes, instead of 0:11:24.800 --> 0:11:27.080 the answer that we want, he says, I've got something 0:11:27.080 --> 0:11:30.240 even better for you. And in other instances, I just 0:11:30.240 --> 0:11:33.480 I have a default. I think most Christians do. Romans 0:11:33.480 --> 0:11:37.120 828 God causes all things to work together for good 0:11:37.120 --> 0:11:38.800 to those that love him and are called according to 0:11:38.800 --> 0:11:41.800 his purpose. So I would say, all things being equal, 0:11:42.040 --> 0:11:45.080 if you do not receive the answer to the request 0:11:45.080 --> 0:11:48.040 that you made, it is because God has something even 0:11:48.040 --> 0:11:51.760 better for you. Even the issue of healing, if somebody 0:11:51.800 --> 0:11:55.440 we pray for remains in their sickness, God is using 0:11:55.440 --> 0:11:59.040 that to draw them into greater conformity to Christ, to 0:11:59.160 --> 0:12:01.280 give them an opportunity to depend on him in the 0:12:01.280 --> 0:12:05.679 midst of heartache and pain. So everything that God grants 0:12:05.679 --> 0:12:09.840 to us or withholds from us is designed to conform 0:12:09.840 --> 0:12:12.559 us to the image of Jesus. So I just say 0:12:12.559 --> 0:12:16.080 to people, first of all, don't stop asking. You know, 0:12:16.160 --> 0:12:19.800 ask God to refine your prayers. I mean, as an author, 0:12:19.800 --> 0:12:22.400 I know what it's like when I write something. And 0:12:22.400 --> 0:12:25.640 then my editor comes back, marking it all up in red, 0:12:25.640 --> 0:12:27.200 and then I have to go back and rewrite it 0:12:27.200 --> 0:12:31.920 and rephrase it. Sometimes our prayers are so insipid and 0:12:31.920 --> 0:12:36.120 so selfish that God waits and seems to say no, 0:12:36.280 --> 0:12:39.200 to give us an opportunity to go back and say, wait, 0:12:39.200 --> 0:12:41.560 wait just a minute. Did I really want God to 0:12:41.559 --> 0:12:44.760 do that or not? And then finally, I think we 0:12:44.760 --> 0:12:48.050 have to rest on the fact that God's wisdom is 0:12:48.050 --> 0:12:50.610 greater than ours. God knows what is best for me. 0:12:50.610 --> 0:12:52.890 I don't. I think I know what's best for me. 0:12:53.090 --> 0:12:55.010 God says no. I know what is best for you. 0:12:55.250 --> 0:12:58.890 And in this particular case, it's by asking you to wait, 0:12:58.929 --> 0:13:01.890 to continue to pray. And it might even be a no. 0:13:01.929 --> 0:13:04.210 I mean, like Paul's request that God remove the thorn 0:13:04.210 --> 0:13:08.610 in the flesh. Finally, God says, no, Paul, because I 0:13:08.610 --> 0:13:11.689 want my grace to be manifested through your weakness. 0:13:12.010 --> 0:13:14.370 You know, Sam, I've got a broken heart for a 0:13:14.370 --> 0:13:16.860 couple hundred folks that I've met in the last 5 0:13:16.860 --> 0:13:20.050 to 10 years who have wayward kids, and they've prayed 0:13:20.370 --> 0:13:24.330 and they've begged God, and they've done it earnestly. What's 0:13:24.330 --> 0:13:28.730 going on there? What's happening there? And what can you give, 0:13:28.770 --> 0:13:31.890 based on your study to a person that's just there? And, 0:13:31.890 --> 0:13:34.290 you know, so many of those folks to Sam. 0:13:34.650 --> 0:13:38.810 Sure. Yeah. That is a heartbreaking situation. That's that's not, 0:13:39.050 --> 0:13:41.050 you know, like a situation where you say, Lord, I 0:13:41.050 --> 0:13:43.050 would like a promotion at work and you don't get 0:13:43.050 --> 0:13:47.059 it right because you are so emotionally tied up with 0:13:47.100 --> 0:13:49.780 the welfare of your kids. You know, I often think 0:13:49.780 --> 0:13:54.740 of Saint Augustine. Often called Augustine, who lived a horribly 0:13:54.780 --> 0:14:00.059 immoral life into every kind of philosophy. And sexual immorality. 0:14:00.460 --> 0:14:03.939 And his mother, Monica, prayed every day for him. And 0:14:03.940 --> 0:14:06.340 she finally went to Ambrose, who was the bishop of 0:14:06.340 --> 0:14:09.699 the area where they lived. And she poured her heart out. 0:14:09.700 --> 0:14:13.540 And Ambrose's response was, it isn't possible for the child 0:14:13.540 --> 0:14:18.059 of those tears not to believe. And the point was, 0:14:18.260 --> 0:14:21.979 God sees your tears. He knows your heart. Cling to him. 0:14:22.060 --> 0:14:24.860 Continue to pour out your intercession for them. Pray that 0:14:24.860 --> 0:14:27.700 God would turn their life inside out, and that they 0:14:27.700 --> 0:14:29.940 would find in a moment of desperation, that the only 0:14:29.940 --> 0:14:32.460 place they can turn is to the Lord Jesus Christ. 0:14:32.460 --> 0:14:35.380 And that's really we say, well, that's all we can do. Well, 0:14:35.420 --> 0:14:37.340 that's a whole lot. It really is. 0:14:37.940 --> 0:14:40.460 We've thrown you some curveballs here. Theologically, I want to 0:14:40.460 --> 0:14:45.060 hit another tough one. Does prayer change God's mind. 0:14:45.660 --> 0:14:50.220 No. Here's what God's mind does. God's mind orchestrates the 0:14:50.220 --> 0:14:55.180 world and our relationship with him in it by suspending 0:14:55.180 --> 0:14:59.940 his blessings on our asking for them. So things that 0:14:59.940 --> 0:15:02.700 God has decreed from eternity past, let's say, for example, 0:15:02.700 --> 0:15:05.340 the second coming of Jesus or his bodily resurrection. No 0:15:05.340 --> 0:15:08.420 amount of prayer is going to change God's determination to 0:15:08.460 --> 0:15:10.860 raise Jesus from the dead and enable His Son to 0:15:10.900 --> 0:15:15.020 return to consummate his kingdom. So certain things are immutable 0:15:15.020 --> 0:15:20.220 and unchangeable. But basically God says, for example, many times 0:15:20.220 --> 0:15:22.580 in the Old Testament you have. Let's just take Jonah 0:15:22.580 --> 0:15:26.380 for example. God said to Jonah, go and preach in 0:15:26.380 --> 0:15:28.940 40 days. I'm going to judge them. Well, Jonah goes 0:15:28.940 --> 0:15:31.220 and he preaches, and lo and behold, they repent. And 0:15:31.220 --> 0:15:33.980 God says, I'm not going to judge them now. But 0:15:33.980 --> 0:15:38.300 God had arranged it where both Jonah's preaching and the 0:15:38.300 --> 0:15:41.140 repentance of the people were a part of his plan. 0:15:41.140 --> 0:15:44.510 They were in his mind in response to Jonah's obedience 0:15:44.510 --> 0:15:47.350 to preach to them. So we need to be careful. 0:15:47.790 --> 0:15:50.750 I don't want God to do things according to the 0:15:50.750 --> 0:15:52.150 dictates of my mind. 0:15:52.190 --> 0:15:53.750 Yes, or someone else's. 0:15:54.270 --> 0:15:59.190 Yeah, he's infinitely good and immeasurably wise and sovereign and loving. 0:15:59.510 --> 0:16:02.270 And I say, Lord, I don't want to change your 0:16:02.270 --> 0:16:04.110 mind about this or that. I want you to change 0:16:04.110 --> 0:16:06.510 my mind so that I'll ask in accordance with your 0:16:06.510 --> 0:16:08.110 character and your purposes. 0:16:08.110 --> 0:16:10.630 So the few instances in the Bible that at first 0:16:10.630 --> 0:16:13.470 blush it may appear a mind has been changed. Actually, 0:16:13.470 --> 0:16:16.230 just someone jumped in the gap with prayer to fulfill 0:16:16.230 --> 0:16:18.710 his ultimate sovereign will. Is that fair? 0:16:18.750 --> 0:16:22.350 Right. Yeah. His ultimate sovereign will. Is that after having 0:16:22.350 --> 0:16:24.670 said I'm going to do this or that, he ordained 0:16:24.670 --> 0:16:27.910 that someone like, for example, Moses intercedes for Israel and 0:16:27.910 --> 0:16:31.150 God says, okay, I won't judge them after all. So yes, 0:16:31.190 --> 0:16:35.390 the prayers that we pray that seem to change the 0:16:35.390 --> 0:16:38.350 course of direction in God's purpose was part of God's 0:16:38.350 --> 0:16:39.910 eternal purpose in the first place. 0:16:39.950 --> 0:16:41.350 That makes perfect sense. 0:16:41.510 --> 0:16:44.400 Doctor Sam storms our guest right now. Give a word 0:16:44.400 --> 0:16:48.360 on praying in Jesus name. There's a lot of discussion 0:16:48.360 --> 0:16:51.800 around that. You've written about that in your book. Talk 0:16:51.840 --> 0:16:52.360 about it. 0:16:52.560 --> 0:16:55.120 First of all, understand what it doesn't mean. It doesn't 0:16:55.120 --> 0:16:57.800 mean that if I tack on those precise words at 0:16:57.800 --> 0:17:00.440 the end of my prayer, that guarantees that I'll get 0:17:00.480 --> 0:17:02.720 what I ask for. It's not like we put a 0:17:02.720 --> 0:17:05.679 rabbit's foot on the end of our intercession and trust. 0:17:05.680 --> 0:17:08.000 It's going to, you know, bring about reality that we 0:17:08.000 --> 0:17:10.800 want to see happen. I think in the name, when 0:17:10.800 --> 0:17:13.200 he talks about praying in the name of Jesus, he's saying, 0:17:13.480 --> 0:17:15.959 pray with the understanding that the only reason why the 0:17:16.000 --> 0:17:18.600 God of this universe hears you is because His Son, 0:17:18.600 --> 0:17:21.639 Jesus Christ, lived a sinless life for you and died 0:17:21.640 --> 0:17:24.320 and rose again from the dead. It's based on the 0:17:24.320 --> 0:17:27.560 idea that access to the father is through the son. 0:17:27.960 --> 0:17:31.080 Praying in his name means praying in accordance with his character. 0:17:31.160 --> 0:17:34.320 We can't ask him for things that are a violation 0:17:34.320 --> 0:17:37.080 of his character. Praying in his name means praying in 0:17:37.080 --> 0:17:41.600 conformity with his revealed purposes. Praying in his name means 0:17:41.600 --> 0:17:45.560 that we acknowledge that we are helpless and hopeless without him. 0:17:46.000 --> 0:17:48.520 And it says we are dependent on who Jesus is 0:17:48.560 --> 0:17:51.359 and what he has done. So, for example, you don't 0:17:51.359 --> 0:17:54.520 have to actually say the words and we pray this 0:17:54.560 --> 0:17:57.880 in the name of Jesus, Amen. It's a heart attitude. 0:17:57.880 --> 0:18:01.240 It's an attitude that says, I'm asking this ultimately for 0:18:01.240 --> 0:18:03.600 the glory of Jesus Christ because of who he is 0:18:03.640 --> 0:18:06.800 and what he's done for me, acknowledging my complete dependence 0:18:06.800 --> 0:18:09.600 upon him. I always use the words because they're there 0:18:09.600 --> 0:18:12.240 in Scripture, but I've known people and I've often wondered, 0:18:12.240 --> 0:18:14.399 and I've asked them, why did you close your prayer 0:18:14.400 --> 0:18:17.560 without saying Jesus name? They said, well, I was praying 0:18:17.560 --> 0:18:20.200 in Jesus name for all the reasons I've just explained, 0:18:20.400 --> 0:18:22.720 but I didn't want people to think that somehow that's 0:18:22.720 --> 0:18:26.520 a magical incantation, that saying those words in itself is 0:18:26.520 --> 0:18:29.000 going to make a difference. It's what the words imply. 0:18:29.040 --> 0:18:32.000 It's the theology behind them that is so central. 0:18:32.359 --> 0:18:34.280 I want to wrap this where we begin, because I 0:18:34.280 --> 0:18:36.720 think one of the most compelling things I've ever heard 0:18:36.720 --> 0:18:39.640 on prayer you shared today, and it really flows out 0:18:39.640 --> 0:18:42.169 of James call to our life. And that is we 0:18:42.210 --> 0:18:45.730 don't have because we don't ask Sam, this is huge. 0:18:45.730 --> 0:18:49.410 You're telling me, in essence, there are some blessings left 0:18:49.410 --> 0:18:52.810 on the table. If we go to glory without opening 0:18:52.810 --> 0:18:56.090 our mouth, there's some things that God really desires to 0:18:56.090 --> 0:18:59.290 do with his children that he loves so much. If 0:18:59.290 --> 0:19:01.890 we would but bring them to the Lord in prayer. 0:19:02.530 --> 0:19:06.570 Absolutely. And I know that's hard for some people to swallow. Uh, 0:19:06.570 --> 0:19:09.050 you know, I believe very strongly in the sovereignty of God. 0:19:09.090 --> 0:19:12.570 It's his power is immutable. And it sounds as if 0:19:12.609 --> 0:19:15.970 we're saying that God is frustrated and he's not, because 0:19:15.970 --> 0:19:18.250 if he really, in the depths of his heart, wants 0:19:18.250 --> 0:19:20.689 to give us something that he knows is best for us, 0:19:21.050 --> 0:19:24.209 he will so move upon us that we will in fact, 0:19:24.210 --> 0:19:26.410 ask him for it. I want people to really think 0:19:26.410 --> 0:19:29.730 about what James says. He's talking there about praying for 0:19:29.730 --> 0:19:33.250 the sick. And the illustration that he uses to encourage 0:19:33.250 --> 0:19:36.970 us is of all people. Elijah and I remember when 0:19:36.970 --> 0:19:39.820 I first read that, I said, wait a minute, James. 0:19:39.820 --> 0:19:43.180 You're telling me that I have the same access and 0:19:43.180 --> 0:19:45.660 the same power in my prayers as Elijah did when 0:19:45.660 --> 0:19:47.300 he prayed? And it didn't rain for three and a 0:19:47.340 --> 0:19:47.859 half years. 0:19:48.100 --> 0:19:48.219 And. 0:19:48.220 --> 0:19:51.340 He prayed again, and it rained. And yet James says, well, 0:19:51.340 --> 0:19:55.500 hold a minute, Sam. Elijah was of like nature with you, 0:19:55.660 --> 0:19:59.180 just as weak, just as frustrated, just as doubtful, just 0:19:59.180 --> 0:20:01.860 as sinful as you. And yet look at how God 0:20:01.859 --> 0:20:06.139 used his prayers. That's a remarkable fact, that of anybody 0:20:06.140 --> 0:20:08.820 that he would choose to encourage us to pray. He 0:20:08.820 --> 0:20:12.860 uses a man of such incredible character and great supernatural 0:20:12.859 --> 0:20:16.260 prowess as Elijah. He says, but he's just like you. 0:20:16.460 --> 0:20:17.180 So pray. 0:20:17.700 --> 0:20:21.580 That's powerhouse. Sam Storms everybody. You want to get a 0:20:21.580 --> 0:20:24.419 copy of something that's going to peel some spiritual paint 0:20:24.460 --> 0:20:26.979 off the veneer and get it right down on it 0:20:26.980 --> 0:20:29.100 with prayer. Ali, what do we have? 0:20:29.140 --> 0:20:33.980 Just text storm to 800 555 7898. This is going 0:20:34.020 --> 0:20:36.540 to take you to Doctor Sam Storm's website, where you 0:20:36.540 --> 0:20:40.190 can find a lot of resources. There's blogs, there's articles, 0:20:40.190 --> 0:20:43.470 there's sermons. The book is there as well. Just text 0:20:43.470 --> 0:20:47.790 storm to 800 555 7898. 0:20:48.390 --> 0:20:52.950 A basketball mom who's mastered the dad joke. Ali is 0:20:52.950 --> 0:20:56.630 in the crew. It's Carl and crew on Moody Radio. 0:20:56.670 --> 0:20:58.629 Well, coming off that interview with Sam, I got to 0:20:58.630 --> 0:21:01.750 tell you, man, this guy, he is one of our favorites. 0:21:01.750 --> 0:21:04.270 There's no question about it. And what I. What I 0:21:04.310 --> 0:21:08.190 love about Sam is that everything that he's talking about 0:21:08.190 --> 0:21:12.990 comes from a deep theological understanding, which is knowing God 0:21:12.990 --> 0:21:16.350 and how he works. Um, otherwise, you get all kind 0:21:16.390 --> 0:21:19.870 of urban myths out there about what's going on, man, with, 0:21:20.070 --> 0:21:23.790 with regard to prayer. And that site that you're going 0:21:23.830 --> 0:21:27.710 to go to is just loaded with unbelievable content and 0:21:27.710 --> 0:21:30.670 it's free. Uh, and then obviously a link to his 0:21:30.670 --> 0:21:33.510 brand new book on prayer. So check it out. Text 0:21:33.510 --> 0:21:38.590 storm to 805 55. Five. 78. 98. Given resources to 0:21:38.590 --> 0:21:41.469 help you take your next step with Jesus. Okay. Guess 0:21:41.470 --> 0:21:44.230 what it is. Let me check. Sure enough, it's Wednesday. 0:21:44.230 --> 0:21:46.950 It's bottom of the hour. It's one of your favorite 0:21:46.950 --> 0:21:50.710 stop in times here. It's like drive thru grub for 0:21:50.710 --> 0:21:52.390 the soul. Hang on. 0:21:52.430 --> 0:21:56.950 It's time making herself laugh no matter who joins her. 0:21:57.190 --> 0:21:59.830 It's time for Allie. Thinks it's funny. 0:22:00.230 --> 0:22:03.030 Drive, drive thru grub for the soul. 0:22:04.270 --> 0:22:06.670 Sure. It's a quick stop. Yeah. 0:22:06.710 --> 0:22:07.669 Quick snippet. 0:22:07.670 --> 0:22:08.710 Okay, I like it. 0:22:08.750 --> 0:22:09.430 Stop in here. 0:22:09.470 --> 0:22:10.510 Get a couple of jokes. 0:22:10.550 --> 0:22:12.830 It'll stop in little dad joke for you. 0:22:12.910 --> 0:22:14.430 I'd like to order two jokes, please. 0:22:15.230 --> 0:22:18.150 Oh, that was corny. Jonathan, I love it. 0:22:18.150 --> 0:22:18.710 Thank you. 0:22:19.430 --> 0:22:22.109 Way to go all in on that. What did the 0:22:22.109 --> 0:22:28.430 lunchbox say to the refrigerator? What did the lunchbox say 0:22:28.470 --> 0:22:33.149 to the refrigerator? No, don't hate me because I'm a 0:22:33.150 --> 0:22:41.639 little cooler. Come on, young Thunder. 0:22:41.680 --> 0:22:42.240 You asked. 0:22:42.240 --> 0:22:42.560 For two. 0:22:42.600 --> 0:22:43.199 Jokes. 0:22:43.240 --> 0:22:44.840 I did, I did ask for two jokes. 0:22:45.040 --> 0:22:45.800 Food related. 0:22:45.840 --> 0:22:46.440 So there you go. 0:22:46.480 --> 0:22:50.640 There you go. Next up, um, you know how you 0:22:50.640 --> 0:22:53.160 have to get your alerts to change your password here 0:22:53.160 --> 0:22:55.320 at Moody? Man, we get those. Those things come at you. 0:22:55.359 --> 0:22:55.719 Fast. 0:22:55.760 --> 0:22:56.879 And furious. Oh, yeah. 0:22:57.320 --> 0:22:58.840 Time to change your password. 0:22:58.880 --> 0:23:00.040 I changed it two days ago. 0:23:00.560 --> 0:23:02.400 And it's tough to keep track of all of them. 0:23:02.400 --> 0:23:03.440 Can we all agree? 0:23:03.480 --> 0:23:04.960 I agree, of course. Yes. 0:23:05.000 --> 0:23:07.600 Here's what you're not supposed to do. A little safety tip. 0:23:07.640 --> 0:23:10.960 You are not supposed to use the same password across 0:23:10.960 --> 0:23:15.880 many platforms. That makes you more vulnerable to security risks, right? 0:23:15.920 --> 0:23:19.800 So vary those passwords. Well, one Gen-xer did not listen 0:23:19.800 --> 0:23:24.480 to that advice. Why did the Gen-xer change all of 0:23:24.480 --> 0:23:29.960 his passwords to Kenny? Kenny family name, I don't know. 0:23:30.000 --> 0:23:33.000 Why do you think he changed all his passwords to Kenny? 0:23:33.640 --> 0:23:36.410 He wanted to have all Kenny Loggins. 0:23:37.810 --> 0:23:43.530 Not gotta cut loose, Footloose. Kick off your Sunday shoes. 0:23:43.730 --> 0:23:44.570 All right, let's go. 0:23:45.130 --> 0:23:45.650 I think the. 0:23:45.650 --> 0:23:46.450 Song saved. 0:23:46.450 --> 0:23:47.409 It. Yeah. It did. 0:23:47.770 --> 0:23:48.770 Exactly. 0:23:48.850 --> 0:23:51.050 I don't think you could do a joke without the song. 0:23:51.090 --> 0:23:52.290 I mean, yes, of. 0:23:52.290 --> 0:23:55.650 Course it takes the song. Otherwise, some people are going, 0:23:55.690 --> 0:23:56.250 Who's Kenny? 0:23:56.369 --> 0:23:57.129 I was going to say. 0:23:57.530 --> 0:23:58.010 Hold on. 0:23:58.369 --> 0:23:59.250 You bailed out. 0:23:59.810 --> 0:24:00.250 What? 0:24:00.690 --> 0:24:02.210 Oh, yeah. You got to get. You got to wait 0:24:02.210 --> 0:24:02.889 for the good part. 0:24:02.970 --> 0:24:06.850 Yeah. We can't bail out. We missed it. Yeah. Oh, no. 0:24:06.930 --> 0:24:08.609 Sykora said no, it was the chorus. 0:24:08.650 --> 0:24:09.330 That was the chorus. 0:24:09.970 --> 0:24:10.770 Oh, that was it. 0:24:10.770 --> 0:24:11.130 That was. 0:24:11.130 --> 0:24:14.129 It. Yes. This is a little bit more. 0:24:14.690 --> 0:24:15.369 You want more? 0:24:15.530 --> 0:24:16.890 Oh, yeah. A little bit. Give me a little more 0:24:16.930 --> 0:24:19.290 Kenny Loggins. Everybody right here. 0:24:20.250 --> 0:24:28.250 Passing you by? I'm trying to tell you it will 0:24:28.250 --> 0:24:34.810 if you don't even try. You can fly if you'd 0:24:34.810 --> 0:24:36.010 only cut loose. 0:24:36.530 --> 0:24:39.050 That'll get you up. Get you going. Welcome aboard. 0:24:39.290 --> 0:24:40.530 Kickoff Sunday. 0:24:40.650 --> 0:24:43.889 We need to record Jonathan doing the no. You know. 0:24:44.250 --> 0:24:44.649 Take me the. 0:24:44.690 --> 0:24:44.970 Kevin. 0:24:44.970 --> 0:24:45.650 Bacon. 0:24:45.770 --> 0:24:46.530 The footloose. 0:24:46.810 --> 0:24:47.610 Oh. The dance. 0:24:47.650 --> 0:24:48.810 Yeah. The kick. 0:24:49.330 --> 0:24:52.210 Oh, the the kick. You know, the head nod. Yeah. 0:24:52.250 --> 0:24:52.650 Oh, yeah. 0:24:52.690 --> 0:24:54.290 Super decent here. Doing it like. 0:24:54.330 --> 0:24:54.730 She's. 0:24:54.890 --> 0:24:57.570 Doing the little thing with her head. Text jokes to 0:24:57.570 --> 0:25:02.169 800 555, 78, 98. If you want those jokes, song 0:25:02.170 --> 0:25:04.770 not included, you got to provide your own music. Text 0:25:04.770 --> 0:25:07.169 jokes to 805, five. 0:25:07.210 --> 0:25:07.610 Five. 0:25:07.850 --> 0:25:10.410 78, 98. You know, you got to have those product 0:25:10.609 --> 0:25:12.410 you got. They got to tell you what's not included 0:25:12.410 --> 0:25:13.290 when you get it. 0:25:13.650 --> 0:25:14.210 Very true. 0:25:14.690 --> 0:25:15.170 Absolutely. 0:25:15.650 --> 0:25:16.010 Okay. 0:25:16.410 --> 0:25:19.410 Jokes to 800 555 7898. 0:25:19.690 --> 0:25:24.290 She's a choreographer extraordinaire, and everything is Greek to her. 0:25:24.730 --> 0:25:28.449 Super die is in the crew. It's Carl and crew 0:25:28.450 --> 0:25:29.770 on Moody Radio. 0:25:30.010 --> 0:25:33.780 Well, sometimes it's a drawer in your house that has 0:25:34.180 --> 0:25:38.060 all the stuff that you don't have anywhere else for anyone. 0:25:38.060 --> 0:25:40.020 Have a drawer like that. I used to call it 0:25:40.020 --> 0:25:44.220 the junk drawer. It was just a collection of everything. 0:25:44.220 --> 0:25:47.540 But sometimes that junk drawer spills out to the counter 0:25:47.540 --> 0:25:50.140 and to the table, and then it can take over 0:25:50.140 --> 0:25:52.980 a room, and all of a sudden, the clutter in 0:25:52.980 --> 0:25:56.540 our lives can become more than just something we can 0:25:56.540 --> 0:26:00.820 shut and pretend we don't see. Kathy Lipp. We're talking 0:26:00.820 --> 0:26:02.179 clutter coming up. 0:26:02.460 --> 0:26:05.500 He's a sports fanatic with a stat for anything you 0:26:05.500 --> 0:26:09.740 can think of. Young Thunder is in the crew. It's 0:26:09.740 --> 0:26:12.020 curling crew on Moody Radio. 0:26:12.140 --> 0:26:14.580 Well, it's usually one thing, isn't it, Ali? 0:26:14.619 --> 0:26:17.540 It's usually that one thing that when you start to 0:26:17.580 --> 0:26:20.660 think about, why am I stuck? Why am I not 0:26:20.660 --> 0:26:22.980 living the life that I want to live? Usually there's 0:26:23.020 --> 0:26:27.220 one big thing that comes to mind first that's holding 0:26:27.220 --> 0:26:28.140 you back, right? 0:26:28.180 --> 0:26:30.780 Yeah, but. But the beauty of it is, if we can. 0:26:30.869 --> 0:26:33.150 And I've seen this so many times. You want some 0:26:33.150 --> 0:26:36.190 hope today? Boom crew. If you can get victory over 0:26:36.190 --> 0:26:39.110 that one thing. I kid you not, it is a 0:26:39.109 --> 0:26:42.830 domino effect. It's a flywheel effect. It's one victory gives 0:26:42.830 --> 0:26:46.950 birth to another. And we got someone who has seen 0:26:47.150 --> 0:26:49.869 a victory birthed in her life. Kathy, how are you 0:26:49.869 --> 0:26:50.790 doing this morning? 0:26:51.109 --> 0:26:54.190 Oh, I'm just amazing. Thanks so much for having me on. 0:26:54.190 --> 0:26:55.149 Carl and Ali. 0:26:55.510 --> 0:26:59.070 So clutter was eating your lunch and maybe everyone in 0:26:59.070 --> 0:26:59.550 the home. 0:26:59.910 --> 0:27:03.270 Oh, absolutely. Eating my lunch, taking my lunch money, doing 0:27:03.270 --> 0:27:07.350 all the things. Absolutely. My dad was a hoarder, and 0:27:07.390 --> 0:27:10.030 I've never been a hoarder, but I have definitely been 0:27:10.030 --> 0:27:12.989 in that space where, like, you just can't make the 0:27:12.990 --> 0:27:16.070 next decision because there's so much stuff in your house. 0:27:16.109 --> 0:27:19.710 And so I that was my one. Well, I've had 0:27:19.710 --> 0:27:22.510 many things, but that was one of my one thing. 0:27:22.910 --> 0:27:23.910 But it's a big one. 0:27:23.910 --> 0:27:24.350 Wasn't. 0:27:24.350 --> 0:27:24.629 It? 0:27:24.670 --> 0:27:27.350 It's a huge thing. And, you know, it's so interesting 0:27:27.350 --> 0:27:30.990 because if you look at the New Testament, Jesus talks 0:27:30.990 --> 0:27:34.550 about money and possessions more than anything else. This is 0:27:34.550 --> 0:27:37.510 no surprise that this was going to be a problem 0:27:37.510 --> 0:27:40.470 for many of us in our lives, and I was 0:27:40.470 --> 0:27:41.350 one of them. 0:27:41.390 --> 0:27:44.469 Kathy Lipp, our guest right now, she's an author, speaker, blogger. 0:27:44.510 --> 0:27:48.590 She hosts a podcast called The Clutter Free Academy. Now 0:27:48.630 --> 0:27:51.190 let's talk about this. Remember a couple years ago here 0:27:51.190 --> 0:27:55.390 on our morning show, we started talking about this issue. 0:27:55.390 --> 0:27:57.949 And very quickly, Karl, I'm sure you remember this. The 0:27:57.950 --> 0:28:02.110 number of responses that we got from people who said 0:28:02.390 --> 0:28:08.110 clutter or hoarding or stuff. It was overwhelming the amount 0:28:08.109 --> 0:28:10.869 of people for whom this was such a big issue, 0:28:11.070 --> 0:28:15.109 and so many of them had so much shame associated 0:28:15.109 --> 0:28:17.790 with it. The feeling of, I don't want people to 0:28:17.830 --> 0:28:20.550 come into my house. I'm not able to fully be 0:28:20.590 --> 0:28:23.470 active in ministry the way I'd like to. The effects 0:28:23.470 --> 0:28:26.230 of clutter, even if it doesn't get to the. The 0:28:26.270 --> 0:28:30.320 term hoarding it keeps us from living our best life. 0:28:30.320 --> 0:28:31.440 Did you feel that? 0:28:31.960 --> 0:28:34.679 Oh, Ali. I was the person who. If you wanted 0:28:34.680 --> 0:28:37.359 to come over for coffee, we were drinking that on 0:28:37.359 --> 0:28:40.240 the front porch because there was no way you were 0:28:40.240 --> 0:28:43.440 coming into my house. And here's the thing. Like the 0:28:43.440 --> 0:28:47.640 people who struggle with clutter are the kindest, most generous 0:28:47.640 --> 0:28:50.520 people I have ever met in my entire life. But 0:28:50.520 --> 0:28:54.920 you're absolutely right. There's a barrier. And we're struggling against 0:28:54.960 --> 0:28:58.400 marketing messages that say, if you want to live life, 0:28:58.400 --> 0:29:01.240 you need this thing and that thing and all these things, 0:29:01.480 --> 0:29:04.440 but then also your house should look like you possess 0:29:04.440 --> 0:29:09.360 none of those things. And it is a battle. 0:29:09.400 --> 0:29:11.720 It is a battle and hide it all. Yeah. 0:29:12.120 --> 0:29:14.560 Exactly. And I don't know about you guys. I do 0:29:14.560 --> 0:29:17.200 not have that much storage in my house. And so 0:29:17.240 --> 0:29:20.480 I had to really reconcile, not just with the getting 0:29:20.480 --> 0:29:23.240 rid of stuff, but keeping stuff from coming in in 0:29:23.240 --> 0:29:26.080 the first place. And it's a battle. 0:29:26.120 --> 0:29:27.850 I got to ask you something here. 0:29:27.850 --> 0:29:28.450 You mentioned. 0:29:28.490 --> 0:29:33.930 Something. Why is it that the sweetest, kindest. I mean, 0:29:33.930 --> 0:29:37.810 most gentle people on the planet have sometimes the biggest 0:29:37.810 --> 0:29:40.370 problems with clutter? Is there something going on there? What's 0:29:40.370 --> 0:29:40.930 going on? 0:29:41.090 --> 0:29:43.890 I think one, we are people pleasers. We want to 0:29:43.890 --> 0:29:46.330 make sure that everybody is taken care of. We want 0:29:46.370 --> 0:29:49.450 to do all the things. And so and also I'm 0:29:49.450 --> 0:29:51.930 just going to say it's going to sound weird, but 0:29:51.930 --> 0:29:54.810 I think it's very hard for us to say no. 0:29:55.010 --> 0:29:59.650 And that is including with marketing messages. It's including saying 0:29:59.650 --> 0:30:02.050 no to our kids. It's including saying no to our 0:30:02.050 --> 0:30:06.250 parents who say, you want my 24 settings of China, right? 0:30:06.690 --> 0:30:10.650 And we have a hard time saying no, even in 0:30:10.650 --> 0:30:13.210 our own best interest. And it's something that we have 0:30:13.210 --> 0:30:15.410 to work at and something we have to get better at. 0:30:15.690 --> 0:30:18.370 So, Kathy, what did it look like? One for you 0:30:18.370 --> 0:30:22.810 to first make the recognition that, okay, this is something 0:30:22.810 --> 0:30:25.730 that is a problem for me and I need to 0:30:25.770 --> 0:30:28.209 start working toward victory, because it's easy for this to 0:30:28.210 --> 0:30:31.450 be a low level, kind of low underlying thing for 0:30:31.450 --> 0:30:34.610 decades and never be addressed. But you must have reached 0:30:34.610 --> 0:30:36.770 a point where you went, enough is enough. I got 0:30:36.810 --> 0:30:38.130 to do something about this. 0:30:38.130 --> 0:30:41.170 I think it was several things happening at the same time. 0:30:41.170 --> 0:30:44.930 I think it was one the recognition of I am 0:30:44.930 --> 0:30:48.050 limiting my life because I'm not inviting people over to 0:30:48.090 --> 0:30:53.650 my house, to the amount of time I spent stuck 0:30:53.970 --> 0:30:56.090 not being able to get rid of things, not being 0:30:56.130 --> 0:31:00.050 able to make decisions and feeling overwhelmed all the time, 0:31:00.210 --> 0:31:02.890 and not wanting to pass that on to my kids. 0:31:02.890 --> 0:31:07.570 And then also recognizing the amount of money that was 0:31:07.570 --> 0:31:11.570 going into not just buying this stuff, but organizing it, 0:31:11.570 --> 0:31:15.610 the containers, the all the stuff and all of those 0:31:15.610 --> 0:31:19.410 things took me off of God's purpose. And so, you know, 0:31:19.450 --> 0:31:21.570 to not being able to have a friend over for 0:31:21.570 --> 0:31:23.610 a cup of coffee, to not be able to give 0:31:23.610 --> 0:31:26.740 money to the organization. I wanted to all of that 0:31:26.780 --> 0:31:28.700 hit at the same time, and I knew I had 0:31:28.700 --> 0:31:30.620 to make a difference in my life. 0:31:30.660 --> 0:31:32.460 Kathy Lipp is our guest right now, and we're going 0:31:32.500 --> 0:31:34.660 to have a keyword for you and some resources that 0:31:34.660 --> 0:31:36.860 are going to help you because we give hope, help 0:31:36.860 --> 0:31:40.780 and healing around here. Kathy. There has to be a 0:31:40.780 --> 0:31:44.900 time when you look at yourself and go, okay, this 0:31:44.900 --> 0:31:47.260 clutter thing, I'm missing the mark. I'm going to call 0:31:47.260 --> 0:31:50.220 it what it is. It's sin. I'm missing the mark. 0:31:50.380 --> 0:31:54.980 That's tough because we've got to get through that threshold 0:31:54.980 --> 0:31:58.420 of going. This is not just clutter. This is something 0:31:58.420 --> 0:32:00.700 going on inside of me. And what is that thing 0:32:00.740 --> 0:32:03.580 inside of you? You've you've hinted at it, but for 0:32:03.580 --> 0:32:05.540 you specifically, what was it? 0:32:05.580 --> 0:32:08.300 It was fear, guilt and shame. Fear. I'm not going 0:32:08.340 --> 0:32:11.580 to have enough guilt. I've spent so much money on it. 0:32:11.580 --> 0:32:13.540 I need to keep it for the rest of my life. 0:32:13.540 --> 0:32:16.340 And shame. Somebody else gave this to me. And if 0:32:16.340 --> 0:32:19.220 I give it away, it means that that person is 0:32:19.220 --> 0:32:23.700 no longer important to me. And when I recognize that, 0:32:23.700 --> 0:32:28.510 and I admitted it to somebody else out loud because 0:32:28.510 --> 0:32:31.710 I think this it is the most shame inducing thing, 0:32:31.750 --> 0:32:34.550 you know. I've also struggled with my weight my whole life. 0:32:34.550 --> 0:32:37.750 I've lost £100 in my life, but I would say 0:32:37.750 --> 0:32:41.430 that this felt more shameful than that. And so, to 0:32:41.470 --> 0:32:44.830 finally come to the realization, I need to talk about 0:32:44.830 --> 0:32:48.270 this with somebody, whether that's a counselor or a trusted friend, 0:32:48.510 --> 0:32:50.750 and say, I need to get, you know, this fear, 0:32:50.790 --> 0:32:53.510 guilt and shame is eating me up, and I want 0:32:53.510 --> 0:32:56.630 to live a different life. And you can. You absolutely can. 0:32:56.630 --> 0:32:59.910 I've seen it happen hundreds, if not thousands of times. 0:32:59.910 --> 0:33:01.310 The recovery from this. 0:33:01.430 --> 0:33:05.110 So, Kathy, what does the recovery from something like this 0:33:05.110 --> 0:33:07.590 look like? Because, you know, you see, like the Pinterest 0:33:07.630 --> 0:33:10.870 worthy homes where everything's white, all the cabinets are white, 0:33:10.870 --> 0:33:14.030 all the furniture is white, no pets or children in sight. 0:33:14.070 --> 0:33:17.190 But what is what are you aiming for when you 0:33:17.190 --> 0:33:20.790 say clutter free academy or clutter free home? And this 0:33:20.790 --> 0:33:23.110 is now your thing. What's the goal? 0:33:23.360 --> 0:33:27.720 The goal is to walk into a space and feel 0:33:27.720 --> 0:33:31.360 like you belong there, to feel like, you know. Yeah, 0:33:31.360 --> 0:33:34.719 I don't want to live in somebody else's perfect house. 0:33:34.920 --> 0:33:37.080 And by the way, I'm always going to have clutter 0:33:37.080 --> 0:33:39.959 because I live a big life. I, you know, mail 0:33:39.960 --> 0:33:44.440 comes in, groceries come in. I'm working on a craft project. Like, 0:33:44.480 --> 0:33:48.560 there's always going to be some clutter. But clutter is life. 0:33:48.600 --> 0:33:53.440 It's the it's the excess that. That's where it starts 0:33:53.440 --> 0:33:56.440 to weigh us down. And so I want to have 0:33:56.480 --> 0:34:00.440 a home where if you walk in, you know that 0:34:00.440 --> 0:34:03.560 there is life going on there, but you also don't 0:34:03.560 --> 0:34:06.760 feel overwhelmed by that life. 0:34:07.600 --> 0:34:11.319 So is this a bite at a time rather than 0:34:11.320 --> 0:34:15.600 this whole big old elephant? One room, one closet, one drawer. 0:34:15.640 --> 0:34:16.400 What is it? 0:34:16.440 --> 0:34:20.120 Yeah. The most depressing sentence in the English language is 0:34:20.120 --> 0:34:22.560 I'm going to declutter my house today, I mean. 0:34:22.600 --> 0:34:25.440 Oh, gross. I know, thank you. 0:34:26.719 --> 0:34:29.520 But if I say I'm going to do 15 minutes 0:34:29.520 --> 0:34:32.160 on this junk drawer or I'm going to do 15 minutes, 0:34:32.200 --> 0:34:36.240 just like pulling my living room back together and people think, oh, Cathy, 0:34:36.280 --> 0:34:38.560 you have not seen my house. 15 minutes isn't going 0:34:38.560 --> 0:34:41.880 to do it. 15 minutes is more powerful than you think. 0:34:41.880 --> 0:34:45.640 So set a timer. Do 15 minutes. Don't you know? 0:34:45.640 --> 0:34:49.800 Don't be distracted. That email will wait. That social media 0:34:49.800 --> 0:34:53.160 post will wait. Just do it for 15 minutes. And 0:34:53.160 --> 0:34:55.680 you know what? Even if the first 15 minutes doesn't 0:34:55.680 --> 0:34:58.480 make a difference, by the third 15 minutes, you're going 0:34:58.520 --> 0:35:00.600 to be seeing a real difference and you're going to 0:35:00.600 --> 0:35:02.400 start to love your space more. 0:35:02.640 --> 0:35:04.719 I got a crazy question. I was driving past a 0:35:04.719 --> 0:35:09.120 big old storage unit yesterday. I mean, a behemoth, and 0:35:09.120 --> 0:35:11.000 I've heard the stories on this that a lot of 0:35:11.000 --> 0:35:13.200 people have these things. In fact, I love to ask 0:35:13.200 --> 0:35:14.839 questions to people all the time. So I was in 0:35:14.840 --> 0:35:16.640 a storage unit place one time. I said, what's the 0:35:16.640 --> 0:35:20.120 most storage unit someone has here? You know, she said, five. 0:35:20.239 --> 0:35:22.609 And I said, they must. They must have a business. No, 0:35:22.610 --> 0:35:25.930 she says, it's just household goods. And this person was 0:35:25.930 --> 0:35:28.450 so bold with her. The manager of the storage place 0:35:28.690 --> 0:35:32.810 that they were filled with shame. Someone listening? Not someone. 0:35:32.850 --> 0:35:37.169 Thousands have a storage unit in that sucker haunts them. 0:35:37.170 --> 0:35:39.930 They're paying 149.99 a month for. 0:35:39.930 --> 0:35:40.690 This stupid. 0:35:40.730 --> 0:35:43.850 Thing. And how do you. How do you ever get there? 0:35:44.010 --> 0:35:48.130 Yeah. So once you know that you are not alone, 0:35:48.130 --> 0:35:51.810 there are more storage units than there are McDonald's. 0:35:51.969 --> 0:35:52.250 Wow. 0:35:52.290 --> 0:35:56.130 So, yeah, if that gives you an idea about that. 0:35:56.330 --> 0:35:59.250 You don't mean individual units. You mean places. 0:35:59.290 --> 0:36:01.690 I mean places, uh, storefronts. 0:36:01.730 --> 0:36:02.490 Goodness. 0:36:02.690 --> 0:36:06.290 Yeah. You know, I live incredibly rurally. You know, there 0:36:06.290 --> 0:36:08.890 is not a McDonald's for an hour and a half 0:36:08.890 --> 0:36:11.610 from where I live. But I can think of seven 0:36:11.610 --> 0:36:15.530 storage unit places. So you are not alone. This is. 0:36:15.969 --> 0:36:19.210 This is the money cycle that we live in the 0:36:19.210 --> 0:36:21.820 United States. We spend the money and then we spend 0:36:21.820 --> 0:36:25.540 money to store the money. And so I would say, 0:36:25.780 --> 0:36:28.779 if you can have it, a goal, if you have 0:36:28.780 --> 0:36:31.299 five storage units, get it down to four. You can 0:36:31.300 --> 0:36:34.420 do that, I promise you. And here's the thing. If 0:36:34.460 --> 0:36:37.980 you are not using it, think about the time, the money, 0:36:37.980 --> 0:36:41.020 the energy that that is draining from you to store 0:36:41.020 --> 0:36:43.900 those things. And I like to think about it this way. 0:36:44.180 --> 0:36:47.700 When I donate something that is getting into the hands 0:36:47.700 --> 0:36:51.300 of somebody who will actually use it. People are not. 0:36:51.340 --> 0:36:54.020 I mean, yes, there are some people who are going to, 0:36:54.060 --> 0:36:57.180 you know, the goodwill or other organizations and buying things 0:36:57.180 --> 0:36:59.980 they don't need. But when I was a single mom, 0:36:59.980 --> 0:37:03.380 that's how I furnished my home. That's how I clothed 0:37:03.380 --> 0:37:06.819 my kids. People were giving their things that they were 0:37:06.820 --> 0:37:10.020 no longer using. And it helped create a life for 0:37:10.020 --> 0:37:13.540 this single mom. And so I want you to think about, 0:37:13.739 --> 0:37:17.020 could you be putting that into use for somebody? Because 0:37:17.020 --> 0:37:20.300 the sad thing about storage units is people are storing 0:37:20.300 --> 0:37:23.779 things and those things are becoming obsolete, or they're becoming 0:37:23.820 --> 0:37:26.940 eaten by moths. We we know about this biblically. 0:37:26.980 --> 0:37:28.820 It's biblical, it's biblical. 0:37:28.860 --> 0:37:30.980 And so get that into the hands of somebody who 0:37:30.980 --> 0:37:34.180 can use it. Maybe God gave you that extra money 0:37:34.180 --> 0:37:36.420 to buy that thing so that it could get into 0:37:36.420 --> 0:37:38.740 the hands of somebody who actually needs it. 0:37:38.780 --> 0:37:42.460 Cathy Lippe, she has the Clutter Free Academy podcast, also 0:37:42.460 --> 0:37:46.339 has books. Her website has some really great tools. I 0:37:46.340 --> 0:37:51.060 just was looking Cathy at your 50 like quick micro sorting. 0:37:51.300 --> 0:37:54.100 I gave me so many ideas that I want to 0:37:54.100 --> 0:37:55.219 try when I get home. 0:37:55.260 --> 0:37:56.980 I love it Ali. Thank you. 0:37:57.140 --> 0:38:00.140 Ali's going to do her 15 minutes in the drawer thing. 0:38:00.180 --> 0:38:02.420 Got my day planned out and it's not decluttering my 0:38:02.420 --> 0:38:04.660 whole house. Maybe I'll do one drawer today. 0:38:04.780 --> 0:38:05.299 That's it. 0:38:05.660 --> 0:38:08.779 Text clutter will set you up. Text clutter to 800 0:38:08.820 --> 0:38:13.219 555 7898. If you want more from Cathy Lipp, our 0:38:13.219 --> 0:38:18.500 guest this morning, text clutter to 800 555 7898.