WEBVTT - It’s Not Over Yet – Part 1 0:00:00.720 --> 0:00:05.159 Today. Hope and encouragement that it's not over yet. Stay tuned. 0:00:05.920 --> 0:00:08.479 There's some of you that are in a season that 0:00:08.480 --> 0:00:10.880 you're racing, that some of you have gotten to a 0:00:10.880 --> 0:00:14.680 place that's difficult, that's hard, and you've just quit. God 0:00:14.680 --> 0:00:17.880 wants you to know it's not over yet. 0:00:30.040 --> 0:00:32.840 Welcome to Bold Steps with Mark Jobe, president of Moody 0:00:32.840 --> 0:00:35.680 Bible Institute and senior pastor of New Life Community Church 0:00:35.680 --> 0:00:38.600 in Chicago. In our message series, we're looking at what 0:00:38.600 --> 0:00:41.040 it means to be fully devoted to God. And today, 0:00:41.040 --> 0:00:42.800 we travel all the way toward the end of the 0:00:42.800 --> 0:00:45.639 Old Testament to the book of Haggai and how he 0:00:45.640 --> 0:00:48.239 was able to wake up people who became lukewarm in 0:00:48.240 --> 0:00:52.360 their faith. They had lost vision along their spiritual journey. Mark, 0:00:52.360 --> 0:00:55.040 I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not a runner. 0:00:55.040 --> 0:00:56.600 I don't know if you're a runner. Are you a runner? 0:00:57.360 --> 0:00:59.280 I'm an intermittent runner. 0:00:59.400 --> 0:01:02.840 Intermittent runner. Okay. You stop and start? Exactly. Okay, but 0:01:02.840 --> 0:01:05.800 there's different kinds of running events. There's a triathlon and 0:01:05.800 --> 0:01:08.360 an Ironman triathlon. Do you know the difference? 0:01:08.400 --> 0:01:10.960 You know, I don't know it that well, but my 0:01:10.959 --> 0:01:14.120 sister in law recently did a triathlon, and she started 0:01:14.120 --> 0:01:16.240 explaining it to me that there's different types. 0:01:16.280 --> 0:01:17.720 Runners have a way of doing that, don't they? 0:01:17.760 --> 0:01:18.080 Yes they. 0:01:18.080 --> 0:01:21.080 Do. Well, I bring that up because any endurance race 0:01:21.080 --> 0:01:23.920 involves training, as we all know. So we're going to 0:01:23.920 --> 0:01:25.440 talk about spiritual training today. 0:01:25.480 --> 0:01:27.319 Yeah, I just had a couple of friends that did 0:01:27.319 --> 0:01:32.959 the Chicago Marathon and boy, one of them could barely walk. 0:01:33.000 --> 0:01:37.600 I mean, he was he was sore. But you know, 0:01:37.640 --> 0:01:42.800 it does require training, effort, focus and vision. 0:01:43.120 --> 0:01:46.480 The message today is entitled it's not over yet. So 0:01:46.640 --> 0:01:49.960 here's Mark Jobe with some marathon bold steps. 0:01:51.720 --> 0:01:59.200 A quarry was his name. He had been chosen by 0:01:59.240 --> 0:02:03.650 Tanzania Year to compete in the Mexico Olympics that were, 0:02:03.650 --> 0:02:08.290 I believe, in 1968. He considered it a great privilege 0:02:08.290 --> 0:02:12.370 that he was able to run representing his country. This 0:02:12.370 --> 0:02:18.530 would be a brutal run, 26 miles in some high altitude, 0:02:18.530 --> 0:02:23.290 where the oxygen kind of is a little thin. But 0:02:23.330 --> 0:02:26.730 Atwari was up for the task with pride. He circled 0:02:26.730 --> 0:02:30.410 around at the beginning of the Olympics carrying his Tanzania flag, 0:02:30.410 --> 0:02:33.209 hoping that he would do the best as they ran 0:02:33.250 --> 0:02:39.889 this brutal, brutal course. The gunshot he took off with 0:02:40.290 --> 0:02:44.649 many other athletes running this marathon of 26 miles. He 0:02:44.650 --> 0:02:50.010 was doing pretty well until mile 12 and mile 12. 0:02:50.210 --> 0:02:54.290 Some of the runners started jostling a little bit, moving, 0:02:54.330 --> 0:03:01.090 pushing each other, and atwari fell. It was a bad fall. 0:03:02.250 --> 0:03:05.970 He messed up his knee. He skinned his leg. He 0:03:05.970 --> 0:03:09.850 dislocated his shoulder. Many thought that he was out of 0:03:09.850 --> 0:03:15.010 the race. But when he got up, he started to 0:03:15.050 --> 0:03:19.210 limp and run again. But he was running very slow. 0:03:20.090 --> 0:03:22.650 The doctors on the sidelines said, hey, just. Just quit 0:03:22.650 --> 0:03:27.010 the race. You're injured. You don't have to finish. But 0:03:27.010 --> 0:03:32.930 to their amazement and surprise, Atwari kept running. He had 0:03:34.050 --> 0:03:38.530 14 miles yet to go and he kept running, half running, 0:03:38.690 --> 0:03:43.730 half limping, half walking. All of the other marathon runners 0:03:43.730 --> 0:03:47.770 completed the race. They marched. They ran into the stadium 0:03:47.770 --> 0:03:50.810 at the applause of thousands and thousands of people that 0:03:50.810 --> 0:03:59.490 applauded them. Atwari was an hour later. By that time, 0:03:59.850 --> 0:04:03.260 the stadium had cleared out only for a couple thousand people. 0:04:03.620 --> 0:04:07.260 Dusk was falling. It was getting dark already. The crowd 0:04:07.300 --> 0:04:10.580 had dispersed for the most part. And then suddenly someone said, hey, 0:04:10.580 --> 0:04:15.620 look at him! And there he was. A marine entered 0:04:15.620 --> 0:04:21.299 into the stadium, limping, walking, trying to run. The crowd 0:04:21.339 --> 0:04:24.540 got up, looked at him, this injured athlete as he 0:04:24.540 --> 0:04:29.099 made one last round around the stadium and passed right 0:04:29.100 --> 0:04:34.500 through the finish line. He was the last by far 0:04:35.100 --> 0:04:41.300 of 57 marathon athletes that finished the race. When the 0:04:41.300 --> 0:04:44.980 reporter was able to talk to Atwari, he put a 0:04:44.980 --> 0:04:47.620 microphone in his in his face and he said, Atwari, 0:04:47.660 --> 0:04:52.100 why didn't you quit? I mean, you were way, way, 0:04:52.140 --> 0:04:54.460 way late. Why don't you just get. Why don't you 0:04:54.460 --> 0:05:00.140 just give up? Atwari said my country did not send 0:05:00.140 --> 0:05:05.260 me 10,000 miles just to start the race. They sent 0:05:05.260 --> 0:05:17.860 me to finish the race. Every person in this auditorium 0:05:17.860 --> 0:05:21.340 is in a race. We in the church are in 0:05:21.339 --> 0:05:27.420 a race. It's not a sprint, it's a marathon. We 0:05:27.420 --> 0:05:30.900 may have sprints within the marathon, but it's a long 0:05:30.940 --> 0:05:35.340 term race. And there's some of you that are in 0:05:36.140 --> 0:05:38.700 a season that you're racing, that some of you have 0:05:38.700 --> 0:05:42.620 gotten to a place that's difficult, that's hard, and you've 0:05:42.620 --> 0:05:48.099 just quit. You stop trying, you stop running. You set 0:05:48.100 --> 0:05:51.860 down on the side. You said it's just too hard. Oh, 0:05:51.900 --> 0:05:54.700 you're still alive. You're still breathing. But you're not running. 0:05:54.700 --> 0:05:57.980 You're not racing. There's no vision of the future. There's 0:05:57.980 --> 0:06:02.190 no vision for the finish line you've You just set out. 0:06:02.870 --> 0:06:04.789 And I believe that God has called me here today 0:06:04.790 --> 0:06:07.229 because I believe that God has called me to stir. 0:06:07.270 --> 0:06:12.630 Some of you up to finish what God has started. Yeah. 0:06:12.670 --> 0:06:15.270 Because I believe this, that some of you are in 0:06:15.270 --> 0:06:18.229 a race that even though you may have set out, 0:06:18.270 --> 0:06:22.070 God wants you to know it's not over yet. Tap 0:06:22.070 --> 0:06:24.109 the person beside you and say it's not over yet. 0:06:26.110 --> 0:06:28.310 Tap the person on the other side. Hey, I think 0:06:28.310 --> 0:06:31.150 some of you are going to speak this prophetically into 0:06:31.190 --> 0:06:34.469 someone's life. Look at the person beside you in the 0:06:34.470 --> 0:06:37.670 eye and say it's not over yet. 0:06:37.950 --> 0:06:39.429 It's not over yet. 0:06:39.870 --> 0:06:41.670 How many of you needed to hear someone tell you 0:06:41.670 --> 0:06:43.710 that today? How many of you needed to hear someone 0:06:43.710 --> 0:06:50.030 tell you, hey, it's not over yet. It's not over yet. 0:06:51.230 --> 0:06:56.270 And as I was praying for this service today, I 0:06:56.270 --> 0:06:59.310 was drawn to Haggai, this little book in the Old Testament, 0:06:59.310 --> 0:07:03.390 because the message that the prophet was delivering to the 0:07:03.390 --> 0:07:06.950 people that he was speaking to is exactly that message. 0:07:07.070 --> 0:07:10.550 It's not over yet. And I want to tell you 0:07:10.550 --> 0:07:14.030 a little bit about this message, and I want to 0:07:14.190 --> 0:07:18.190 I want us to understand and learn from Haggai three 0:07:18.230 --> 0:07:21.670 vital principles that we need to learn and grasp and 0:07:21.670 --> 0:07:26.070 understand if we are going to finish what we started. 0:07:26.750 --> 0:07:28.870 If you're jotting notes today, I want you to write 0:07:28.870 --> 0:07:33.350 this down. I believe that we move to the finish 0:07:33.350 --> 0:07:38.830 line when we decide to stop postponing and determine to 0:07:38.870 --> 0:07:53.670 complete what we've started. Some of us are major procrastinators. Manana, manana. Later. Later. Hey, 0:07:53.670 --> 0:07:56.870 can you take out the garbage? Yeah, later. Hey, can 0:07:56.870 --> 0:07:58.750 you take the car for an oil change? I'm getting 0:07:58.750 --> 0:08:02.760 to it later. Can you do your homework later? Later? 0:08:05.520 --> 0:08:10.560 It's easy to procrastinate in little things, but it's a 0:08:10.560 --> 0:08:17.520 major problem when we start procrastinating in our God given destiny. 0:08:18.920 --> 0:08:21.880 And so I want you to know what was happening 0:08:21.880 --> 0:08:25.160 with the people of Israel when Haggai came up to 0:08:25.200 --> 0:08:30.120 them and said, stop procrastinating. So what had happened was 0:08:30.120 --> 0:08:37.240 that in the year 586 BC, so 586 years before 0:08:37.640 --> 0:08:42.360 Christ was born, a long time ago, 2500 years ago, 0:08:43.360 --> 0:08:46.920 the people of Israel had been called by God a 0:08:46.960 --> 0:08:50.320 set aside nation. They had built Jerusalem. They had built 0:08:50.320 --> 0:08:54.480 the temple. Solomon had built a magnificent temple in the 0:08:54.480 --> 0:08:57.559 center of town that had become the place of worship. 0:08:58.880 --> 0:09:01.480 If you turn on the television and they're talking about 0:09:01.480 --> 0:09:05.160 the Middle East. There's a wall that remains from Solomon's 0:09:05.160 --> 0:09:10.280 Temple in Jerusalem. That's called the Wailing Wall. I've been there. Uh, 0:09:10.320 --> 0:09:14.240 Jewish people still believe that that's the closest gate to heaven. 0:09:14.240 --> 0:09:16.680 And they take little prayers, and they put it in 0:09:16.679 --> 0:09:18.920 the wall, and you'll see people going back and forth 0:09:18.920 --> 0:09:23.600 and praying at that wall. Because it's the original from 0:09:23.600 --> 0:09:28.120 Solomon's Wall. Well, because the people of Israel did not 0:09:28.120 --> 0:09:31.040 follow God and turned to other idols and turned their 0:09:31.040 --> 0:09:34.760 back on God and drifted away from God, God decided 0:09:34.760 --> 0:09:37.839 that he would let Israel be devastated by their enemy. 0:09:37.840 --> 0:09:42.960 So the Babylonians came and they conquered Jerusalem. They conquered Israel. 0:09:43.160 --> 0:09:46.480 They ransacked the city. They tore down the walls, they 0:09:46.480 --> 0:09:49.760 burned the houses, and they took all of the gold 0:09:49.760 --> 0:09:53.680 from the temple, all of the holy artifacts. And they 0:09:53.679 --> 0:09:57.480 destroyed the temple. Brick after brick knocked it down. So 0:09:57.480 --> 0:10:01.770 it was left in ruins. True. And they were taken 0:10:01.770 --> 0:10:06.370 as slaves back to Babylon. You remember the story of Daniel, 0:10:06.370 --> 0:10:08.410 who was one of the young leaders that was taken 0:10:08.410 --> 0:10:14.050 as a slave. They were there for 70 years. Jerusalem 0:10:14.050 --> 0:10:19.969 was in ruins. The people of Israel were devastated. Now, 0:10:19.970 --> 0:10:22.450 sometimes what happens when we turn our back on God? 0:10:22.450 --> 0:10:25.850 Sometimes what happens when we start going our own way 0:10:25.850 --> 0:10:28.010 is God has to lead us through a season of 0:10:28.010 --> 0:10:31.570 devastation in order to take us back to a season 0:10:31.570 --> 0:10:38.809 of restoration. Some of you are here today because you 0:10:38.809 --> 0:10:43.050 had to have some devastation in your life that woke 0:10:43.090 --> 0:10:47.090 you up and have brought you to a place of restoration. 0:10:47.130 --> 0:10:48.490 Amen. Amen. 0:10:49.809 --> 0:10:51.969 And so God woke the people of Israel back and said, 0:10:51.970 --> 0:10:54.890 I will send you back to rebuild Jerusalem. God wasn't 0:10:54.890 --> 0:10:57.969 done with their story. And so after 70 years, there 0:10:57.970 --> 0:11:01.530 was a group of people, 50,000 Jews that were allowed 0:11:01.530 --> 0:11:05.410 to return to the devastated city of Jerusalem. The walls 0:11:05.410 --> 0:11:08.209 were down, the city was in ruin. It was just 0:11:08.250 --> 0:11:13.610 a devastating, desolate city. But 50,000 came back to say, 0:11:13.610 --> 0:11:18.170 we will rebuild this city. We have a vision of 0:11:18.170 --> 0:11:22.370 what Jerusalem can be again. We have a dream that 0:11:22.370 --> 0:11:25.170 this city can be rebuilt and this will be a 0:11:25.170 --> 0:11:28.930 place of peace and a place where God reigns. The 0:11:28.929 --> 0:11:32.330 temple will be rebuilt. We will worship again like we 0:11:32.330 --> 0:11:36.370 used to worship. We will. Their children will dance in 0:11:36.370 --> 0:11:39.090 the streets and laugh and play like they used to. 0:11:39.250 --> 0:11:42.650 We will follow God and as we follow God, we 0:11:42.650 --> 0:11:46.370 will rebuild this city. They had gone back to do so, 0:11:46.370 --> 0:11:50.730 but something happened. You know, when God gives us a 0:11:50.730 --> 0:11:55.010 big task, it's not always easy. When God gives us 0:11:55.010 --> 0:12:02.100 a big vision, it gets interrupted by opposition Position. By criticism, 0:12:03.179 --> 0:12:08.660 by obstacles, by discouragement. And here's what I've discovered that 0:12:08.660 --> 0:12:14.980 there's two twins that tend to derail us. Discouragement and distraction. 0:12:16.380 --> 0:12:22.140 When we become discouraged and distracted, we typically stop doing 0:12:22.140 --> 0:12:26.260 what God has called us to do, and we start 0:12:26.740 --> 0:12:31.380 putting our energies into other things because discouragement and distraction 0:12:31.380 --> 0:12:34.380 work hand in hand to take us away from the 0:12:34.380 --> 0:12:38.420 destiny that God has called us to. Some of you 0:12:38.420 --> 0:12:40.699 right now are not finishing what God called you to do, 0:12:40.700 --> 0:12:45.820 because you've been discouraged and distracted. You got discouraged because 0:12:45.820 --> 0:12:48.780 someone hurt you. You got discouraged because it was too long. 0:12:48.780 --> 0:12:52.979 You got discouraged because it felt like it wasn't making progress. 0:12:52.980 --> 0:12:55.780 And when you got discouraged, you started looking around. And 0:12:55.780 --> 0:12:59.260 when you got discouraged, you started getting distracted. And you figured, 0:12:59.260 --> 0:13:02.020 if I can't win this, I'll win it something else 0:13:02.020 --> 0:13:04.940 until you've thrown yourself into something else and the very 0:13:04.940 --> 0:13:07.780 call that God has on your life, the very destiny 0:13:07.780 --> 0:13:10.780 that God has had you for you have abandoned it 0:13:10.780 --> 0:13:21.100 because of discouragement and distraction. I believe that God has 0:13:21.100 --> 0:13:24.740 called me to wake some of you up today, to 0:13:24.780 --> 0:13:27.780 get you out of discouragement and distraction, to say, hey, hey, 0:13:27.820 --> 0:13:32.620 you're you're sidetracked. God is not done with you yet. 0:13:33.500 --> 0:13:37.819 Don't bail out of the marathon. It's not over yet. 0:13:38.540 --> 0:13:41.780 You're still in the race. Get off the bench! Get 0:13:41.820 --> 0:13:45.180 off the sideline! Get into the game that God has 0:13:45.179 --> 0:13:48.900 called you to because you are wasting a lot of 0:13:48.900 --> 0:13:54.819 your precious energy, time, faith, gifting talents when you live 0:13:54.820 --> 0:13:57.940 in the world of discouragement and distraction. 0:14:03.510 --> 0:14:07.790 It's not over yet. That's Mark job with today's bold steps. 0:14:07.790 --> 0:14:10.030 And today's broadcast is not over yet, we're only at 0:14:10.030 --> 0:14:12.750 the halfway point with a short reminder that this message, 0:14:12.750 --> 0:14:15.430 along with all in the fully devoted series, are available 0:14:15.429 --> 0:14:18.110 to hear again or share with a friend. Just go 0:14:18.110 --> 0:14:22.270 to Bold Steps, make bold Steps a favorite, and Mark's 0:14:22.270 --> 0:14:24.869 daily message will be only a click away on demand. 0:14:24.870 --> 0:14:28.070 Whatever you want to listen, find it at bold Steps. 0:14:29.630 --> 0:14:32.550 By the way, at the website Bold Steps. Org. Feel 0:14:32.550 --> 0:14:34.670 free to share any pressing questions you might have for 0:14:34.670 --> 0:14:38.110 Mark by simply clicking on the tab labeled Ask a Question, 0:14:38.350 --> 0:14:40.110 and then we often find time in the program to 0:14:40.150 --> 0:14:42.590 respond to some of those questions. And Mark, I've got 0:14:42.630 --> 0:14:44.350 one for you right here today if it's okay. 0:14:44.390 --> 0:14:45.070 Absolutely. 0:14:45.110 --> 0:14:48.150 All right. This listener asks, what does the New Testament 0:14:48.150 --> 0:14:50.950 say about women leading music ministries? 0:14:51.110 --> 0:14:56.430 Yeah. Well, I appreciate, uh, your question and there's been 0:14:56.430 --> 0:14:59.520 a lot of debate recently about women and Women in 0:14:59.520 --> 0:15:02.480 leadership in the church. What does the Bible have to say? 0:15:02.680 --> 0:15:06.360 Let me just say this about women leading worship. First 0:15:06.360 --> 0:15:11.640 of all, the New Testament doesn't explicitly say anything really 0:15:11.640 --> 0:15:16.320 about male or female worship leaders. It's not forbidden. It 0:15:16.320 --> 0:15:21.000 doesn't say much about it. However, there are some general exhortations, 0:15:21.000 --> 0:15:26.120 for example, in Ephesians chapter five. Um, it says, addressing 0:15:26.120 --> 0:15:30.560 one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing 0:15:30.560 --> 0:15:33.960 and making melody to the Lord with your heart. So 0:15:34.240 --> 0:15:37.400 I believe that as we lead in worship, there is 0:15:37.400 --> 0:15:41.160 no restriction, whether male or female, to lead the congregation 0:15:41.160 --> 0:15:44.400 in worship. There is one thing I would encourage, however. 0:15:44.880 --> 0:15:50.320 They need to be able to sing. Okay. That would 0:15:50.320 --> 0:15:50.840 be it. 0:15:50.840 --> 0:15:53.320 Rules out some, doesn't it? Some of us. 0:15:53.480 --> 0:15:56.120 So I would say if someone has the gift and 0:15:56.160 --> 0:16:00.320 has a heart for it, that there is no restriction 0:16:00.320 --> 0:16:04.400 in Scripture in terms of leading the congregation in worship. 0:16:04.440 --> 0:16:06.560 All right. Thank you for that question. We do read 0:16:06.560 --> 0:16:08.720 all the questions that come in and have time to 0:16:08.760 --> 0:16:11.600 occasionally share one here on the broadcast. If you want 0:16:11.600 --> 0:16:13.680 to share your question with Mark, go to Bold Steps 0:16:14.120 --> 0:16:16.960 and click on the link that says Ask a question. 0:16:17.520 --> 0:16:21.600 All right. Back to today's message. Now fully devoted, here's Mark. 0:16:26.960 --> 0:16:31.200 So Haggai was raised as a prophet. Thank God for 0:16:31.200 --> 0:16:33.960 the prophets in our life. How about it? Oh, we 0:16:33.960 --> 0:16:36.680 may not call them prophets, but sometimes God brings friends 0:16:36.680 --> 0:16:40.600 with the prophetic voice. A prophecy is a word. It's 0:16:40.600 --> 0:16:43.880 God's Word at his moment and his time given by God. 0:16:44.240 --> 0:16:46.440 And I believe that there's friends in our life sometimes 0:16:46.440 --> 0:16:49.720 that come with a prophetic voice. There's people around us 0:16:49.720 --> 0:16:53.200 that sometimes God, because we're not listening to God himself, 0:16:53.200 --> 0:16:55.880 we're not reading His Word. We're not calling upon God. 0:16:55.880 --> 0:16:59.520 Sometimes God will have to raise a friend that speaks 0:16:59.640 --> 0:17:06.000 prophetically into our life, challenging us. And Haggai came to 0:17:06.040 --> 0:17:10.080 the people of Israel. They had started to build the temple. 0:17:11.080 --> 0:17:15.600 They had laid a foundation. They had built the altar. 0:17:15.600 --> 0:17:19.520 So they were still having services there. But because of 0:17:19.520 --> 0:17:25.520 the opposition of a group called the Samaritans, they had left, 0:17:25.720 --> 0:17:28.600 they got discouraged. And then they got distracted. You know 0:17:28.600 --> 0:17:33.440 what they got distracted with? They got distracted with good stuff, 0:17:34.640 --> 0:17:40.920 not God stuff. They got distracted because God had told them, 0:17:40.920 --> 0:17:44.840 build up the temple, but because they got discouraged. It 0:17:44.840 --> 0:17:47.919 took a lot of work. There was opposition, they got discouraged, 0:17:47.960 --> 0:17:50.840 and so they started rebuilding the city. They got discouraged 0:17:50.840 --> 0:17:56.000 with their stuff. They started building up their houses, building 0:17:56.000 --> 0:18:03.370 their yards, finishing their the roofs, paneling, the inside doing 0:18:03.369 --> 0:18:07.850 their floors, improving their homes. They kept saying, yeah, we'll 0:18:07.850 --> 0:18:10.090 get back to the temple. Yeah, yeah, we're going to 0:18:10.090 --> 0:18:11.970 finish it. Yeah, we're going to get back to it. 0:18:11.970 --> 0:18:15.410 It's just not the right time yet. It's not the 0:18:15.410 --> 0:18:19.130 proper season, you know, that you can get distracted with 0:18:19.130 --> 0:18:24.530 good things from the God things not they're not bad. 0:18:25.410 --> 0:18:30.530 They're not evil, they're good, but they're not the God things. 0:18:31.850 --> 0:18:36.609 And so 14 years later, they still had not done 0:18:36.609 --> 0:18:40.970 what God had called them to do rebuild the temple. 0:18:41.450 --> 0:18:45.450 14 years later, the temple was still in ruins. 14 0:18:45.450 --> 0:18:49.530 years later, the walls hadn't been built. 14 years later, 0:18:49.530 --> 0:18:52.689 they were still procrastinating. They kind of got used to 0:18:52.730 --> 0:18:56.690 the way it was. You know, you live so long 0:18:56.690 --> 0:18:59.700 in a certain way, you start getting used to something 0:18:59.700 --> 0:19:04.980 that is not the best. You live long enough in 0:19:04.980 --> 0:19:09.940 a certain way and you start getting used to substandard living. 0:19:10.700 --> 0:19:13.860 You live with something long enough and you start forgetting 0:19:13.859 --> 0:19:17.980 that it's a problem. You live with abuse long enough 0:19:17.980 --> 0:19:22.300 and you think that abuse is normal. It's the standard. 0:19:22.300 --> 0:19:25.180 It's the way life is. It's been that way for 0:19:25.180 --> 0:19:28.580 a long time. It'll probably never change. And you just 0:19:28.580 --> 0:19:33.580 accept verbal abuse. Physical abuse, and you believe that that's 0:19:33.780 --> 0:19:36.619 just the way it is. If you live with it 0:19:36.619 --> 0:19:40.020 long enough, you live in a house full of strife 0:19:40.020 --> 0:19:44.260 and chaos and criticism and doubt and anger. You live 0:19:44.300 --> 0:19:46.980 that way long enough and you just start to assume 0:19:46.980 --> 0:19:50.220 that's the way it'll always be. That's the way it's 0:19:50.220 --> 0:19:56.900 always been. I expect it, anticipate it, believe it. You 0:19:56.900 --> 0:20:00.419 live in poverty and indebtedness This where you can barely 0:20:00.420 --> 0:20:03.820 pay your bills and you always have creditors calling you up, 0:20:03.820 --> 0:20:06.540 and you just believe that that's the way life is. 0:20:07.580 --> 0:20:12.659 It's always barely, barely surviving, barely living. It's always one 0:20:12.660 --> 0:20:16.060 paycheck to another. It's moving apart. And it's while creditors 0:20:16.060 --> 0:20:18.699 chase after you and follow after you. It's just the 0:20:18.700 --> 0:20:22.340 lifestyle that you've become used to. You live there. You 0:20:22.340 --> 0:20:25.859 accept it. You make it your culture. You think it's 0:20:25.859 --> 0:20:31.260 normal because when you procrastinate on something long enough, long enough, 0:20:31.300 --> 0:20:35.500 you start getting used to a culture of procrastination, even 0:20:35.500 --> 0:20:38.180 though it's not what God has called you to. 0:20:43.780 --> 0:20:46.739 That was Mark Jobe, and this is Bold Steps. Our 0:20:46.740 --> 0:20:50.020 message titled It's Not Over Yet. And this lesson isn't 0:20:50.020 --> 0:20:52.500 over yet either. It continues Monday, so make plans to 0:20:52.500 --> 0:20:55.380 join us then. Of course, in the meantime, you're encouraged 0:20:55.380 --> 0:20:57.740 to visit our website where you can find more messages 0:20:57.740 --> 0:21:02.540 like this one from Mark and the website is bold steps.org. Well, Mark, 0:21:02.540 --> 0:21:04.700 let's talk with the author of our bold step gift, 0:21:04.700 --> 0:21:05.940 doctor Heather Holloman. 0:21:06.300 --> 0:21:10.140 Absolutely excited to do so. You know, recent studies have 0:21:10.140 --> 0:21:13.619 shown that nearly half of all adults report not having 0:21:13.619 --> 0:21:19.139 a meaningful conversation weighing in their daily lives. That's pretty startling, 0:21:19.140 --> 0:21:22.740 I guess, but it's one of those things that motivated 0:21:22.740 --> 0:21:26.859 our guest today to write her book, doctor Heather Holloman. 0:21:27.020 --> 0:21:31.180 In the six conversations, you talk about four mindsets that 0:21:31.180 --> 0:21:34.899 are essential for meaningful conversations. Can you walk us through 0:21:34.900 --> 0:21:36.500 those four mindsets? 0:21:36.700 --> 0:21:39.340 Yes, and thank you for having me on this program. 0:21:39.340 --> 0:21:41.740 In order to have a warm connection with someone, you 0:21:41.740 --> 0:21:46.700 need to be curious. Believe the best about them, express concern, 0:21:46.900 --> 0:21:49.820 and share your life. They seem really simple, but most 0:21:49.820 --> 0:21:52.500 people are deficient in one of those categories. 0:21:52.980 --> 0:21:56.380 That is good. Yeah, so this is some of the 0:21:56.380 --> 0:22:00.990 elements needed to have a meaningful Conversation, which in your book, 0:22:01.030 --> 0:22:05.510 obviously you talk about how conversation is the bridge way 0:22:05.510 --> 0:22:07.389 to really communicate our faith. 0:22:07.550 --> 0:22:09.990 That's right. And I got really excited about the power 0:22:09.990 --> 0:22:12.750 of having a warm connection. Once you know how to 0:22:12.790 --> 0:22:15.910 deeply connect with someone. Evangelism is never going to feel 0:22:15.910 --> 0:22:19.310 like a sales pitch or an awkward pivot in the conversation. 0:22:19.350 --> 0:22:21.430 Good point. So I was really delighted to read the 0:22:21.430 --> 0:22:25.229 social science research and also how Scripture has it really 0:22:25.230 --> 0:22:28.790 supports all of that. We've learned this is ancient wisdom literature. 0:22:29.830 --> 0:22:33.109 I love it, Heather, because so many people, when they 0:22:33.109 --> 0:22:36.710 think about evangelism, they think of a sales pitch or 0:22:36.750 --> 0:22:40.510 I have to do a mini lecture, and most people 0:22:40.510 --> 0:22:45.910 it intimidates. But to have a healthy conversation that naturally 0:22:45.910 --> 0:22:51.430 goes to those important places of spirituality, I think, lowers 0:22:51.430 --> 0:22:55.510 the barrier of fear and allows us to more naturally engage. 0:22:55.550 --> 0:22:57.990 Thank you, Heather for writing this book. This, I think, 0:22:57.990 --> 0:23:00.670 is going to be a great resource for people that 0:23:00.670 --> 0:23:04.950 are seeking to bridge the gap of meaningful conversations with 0:23:04.950 --> 0:23:05.949 their loved ones. 0:23:05.950 --> 0:23:06.710 Thank you. 0:23:06.990 --> 0:23:08.790 Well, we'll be happy to send you a copy of 0:23:08.790 --> 0:23:11.750 Heather's book, The Six Conversations. When you make a donation 0:23:11.750 --> 0:23:14.669 of any amount to support Bold steps, just call us 0:23:14.710 --> 0:23:21.550 at 800 D.L. Moody. That's (800) 356-6639 or give online at 0:23:21.550 --> 0:23:24.669 Bold steps. Org or send your gift through the mail 0:23:24.670 --> 0:23:29.510 by writing to us at bold steps. 820 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, 0:23:29.550 --> 0:23:33.709 Illinois 606 ten. And if this ministry has made a 0:23:33.710 --> 0:23:36.109 meaningful impact in your life, and you'd like to help 0:23:36.109 --> 0:23:39.590 make a similar impact in someone else's life, consider becoming 0:23:39.590 --> 0:23:41.990 a bold partner by signing up to give on a 0:23:41.990 --> 0:23:45.429 monthly basis. With your steady support, we'll be able to 0:23:45.430 --> 0:23:48.750 continue reaching new listeners with these Bible based messages sharing 0:23:48.750 --> 0:23:51.189 the gospel across the globe. And when you sign up 0:23:51.190 --> 0:23:53.790 to give $30 a month or more, you'll also get 0:23:53.790 --> 0:23:57.310 the Moody Publishers discount code at 50%. This will give 0:23:57.310 --> 0:24:00.720 you half off every purchase at the Moody Publishers website. 0:24:01.000 --> 0:24:03.800 Sign up to become a bold partner today. At Bold 0:24:03.800 --> 0:24:08.720 steps.org or call us at 800 Moody. Well, Mark, here 0:24:08.720 --> 0:24:11.480 we are on a Friday. But there's something coming up 0:24:11.480 --> 0:24:13.600 on the weekend that we want our listeners to know about. 0:24:13.600 --> 0:24:17.280 That's a whole new program, our sister program, Bold Steps Weekend. 0:24:17.320 --> 0:24:20.159 Yeah. So some of our listeners already know this, but 0:24:20.160 --> 0:24:24.560 we have a another program called Bold Steps Weekend. So 0:24:24.600 --> 0:24:27.720 it's not just Monday through Friday. Some of the stations, 0:24:27.720 --> 0:24:30.720 if you're listening to your radio station, may just cover 0:24:30.720 --> 0:24:33.640 it Monday through Friday, but you can listen via the 0:24:33.640 --> 0:24:39.399 app or via podcasts to our weekend programming. And this 0:24:39.400 --> 0:24:46.560 weekend we have a message entitled headlines. What's your name 0:24:46.600 --> 0:24:49.320 tag say? You know, we live in a culture that 0:24:49.320 --> 0:24:55.480 is increasingly hostile to Christianity. And, um, you know, oftentimes 0:24:55.480 --> 0:24:59.960 we are labeled by others and, uh, in first Peter 0:24:59.960 --> 0:25:04.760 and second Peter. There's a lot that's spoken about a 0:25:04.760 --> 0:25:07.400 group of people that's in a hostile environment, but we 0:25:07.440 --> 0:25:12.360 are called chosen people. We have an identity given to 0:25:12.359 --> 0:25:15.400 us by God, not by the culture. And we need 0:25:15.400 --> 0:25:20.560 to live and walk and breathe that identity. So that message, 0:25:20.560 --> 0:25:22.439 I think, is going to encourage some people, and. 0:25:22.440 --> 0:25:24.919 We're grateful to have this opportunity on the weekend to 0:25:24.960 --> 0:25:28.080 present another message from God's Word through Mark. So check 0:25:28.080 --> 0:25:30.720 it out. Bold steps weekend on many of these stations 0:25:30.720 --> 0:25:35.280 and always online at Bold Steps. Org. Well, that's what's 0:25:35.280 --> 0:25:38.280 coming up this weekend, but Monday, make plans to join 0:25:38.280 --> 0:25:40.800 us for part two of today's message titled It's Not 0:25:40.800 --> 0:25:44.280 Over Yet. That's coming up next week on Bold Steps 0:25:44.280 --> 0:25:48.639 with Mark John. Bold steps is a production of Moody Radio, 0:25:48.680 --> 0:25:51.000 a ministry of Moody Bible Institute.