Speaker 1: 0:42

Hey friends, welcome back to the podcast. My name is Amy Ramsey so excited that you are back today and I have an episode that I'm going to share with you. It's what I call a FAT, or what we call a FAT in the Walkworthy Mentorship, fat stands for Faith Activated Text, and last month we were going through the book of Proverbs, reading one proverb a day that matched up with the day of the month. I recommend that. In fact, if you're like, oh, I need a little structure, I need to up my game and read my Bible. Hey, start with Proverbs, do just that. It's just a great way to get wisdom. It's just a great way to get wisdom.

Speaker 1: 1:25

And as I was listening to the fat Proverbs 30, 20, excuse me, 24, this one really struck me and I thought you know what? I'm just going to share that as a podcast and, ultimately, this particular. You can read through all of Proverbs, but I'll share with you the verse that I highlighted. But as I was listening to that and I just got off of a coaching call, actually, with the Walkworthy Mentorship, it's all about making sure that we're rooted and established in our faith. Established in our faith. The storms of life are coming. You might be in the middle of a storm. Maybe you're just coming out of one and you're like, or maybe you don't know it, but you're headed into one. It's like we can't avoid the storms of life, and the way that we prepare ourselves spiritually to trust God and establish our own house now our self, is to be strong through the battle, and so I wanted to share this with you. One book that's really meant a lot to me. I was, I had a hella battle last year. I mean it was a big one and there was a book. At some point I realized, wow, I'm going to be stuck in patterns of anxiety and worry and despair unless I do something differently, in patterns of anxiety and worry and despair unless I do something differently. And I realized in that moment that it was an opportunity for me to actually put, put my money, uh, where my mouth was. Do I believe God or not? Do I trust him or not? This is where I have zero control. And wow, I have zero control and wow, I am scared. And it was an opportunity. Walking through that really hard storm was an opportunity for me just to say, Okay, lord, I do trust you, but help me. It's like that man who went to Jesus. I do believe you help me with my unbelief. I went to the Lord a lot with that very Jesus. I trust you help me with my unbelief, help me through this day, help me to build my faith muscle, help me in this really in, in real time.

Speaker 1: 3:58

Our words matter. What we're speaking over ourselves matter. How we're looking into the future and a hopeful expectation that that miracle is on the way matters. And so if you're in a storm, I just want you to know that I hang in there, hang on to God, cling on to him. If you're coming out of one or you're getting ready to go, who knows where you are in that, or where I am, where any of us are? What I do know is Jesus is the answer. Ultimately, he is the answer and us being rooted and established in faith.

Speaker 1: 4:37

You know, I have a saying we say this oftentimes with high performance coaching is um, honor the hard, embrace the suck. It's almost like knowing that cycle of change requires an absolute place of being very, very uncomfortable with the process of change. That's just. That's just. That's just the way change happens. Our brain seeks comfort and pleasure. It wants to avoid pain at all costs, and it's like that to me, translates spiritually as well. Because my, in my spiritual life, I want certainty, I want to know, I want to know how things are going to happen and come out on the other side of this. But that's not faith. Faith is not knowing, but trusting anyway. And when we have a perspective that God is good all the time, I trust him, no matter how the circumstance comes out. And to know that I can also stand in my authority, I can stand in agreement with the things that he says in his word, and to know his word, it's everything. So I just want to encourage you and cheer you on if you're in the middle of a storm or a struggle, and it's just for all of us the reminder of optimizing our faith and growing our faith even when things aren't hard. Growing our faith, trusting God for everything, everything. He's such a good God, he's such a good provider. So, anyway, I hope you enjoy this FAT T, this Faith Activated Text. It's short and sweet.

Speaker 1: 6:26

I want to encourage you along your faith journey, also real quick if you are looking to have more structure and clarity and community in your life, in your goals, in your health and wellness. We have a thriving community. It's called Walkworthy Mentorship. It is amazing. The ladies in there are amazing. I go in and coach several times a month. We have a health and wellness coach in there that's helping to guide along healthy habits. It's a very integrative approach to your health and we've got community. You know a lot of us are doing life alone and that's just no good, no bueno. But if you want to connect with a thriving group of women in midlife who are they're, they're, they're connected but looking to please the Lord with their lives and to grow in their faith but also grow in the things that God's calling them to do their purpose, their calling, their health, their wellness, all the thing I've got you. So definitely go check out the show notes and come join us in the Walkworthy Mentorship and until then, enjoy this fat Proverbs 24.

Speaker 1: 7:39

Please take some time and read this entire chapter. I had to read it through a couple of times and a lot jumped out, but one verse in particular and I want to. That's going to be our verse today, but I want to set a little bit of a foundation, a little bit of framework before that and I just want to remind you that when you're a child of God, you are a temple for the Holy Spirit. You are the church. The Bible says that we are the church. So I want to be very quick to say I don't have a degree in theology. I don't understand Greek and Hebrew words, so it may be that you or your translations or your studies are far more refined, and I think that's amazing. I think it's I literally think it's amazing. I love it when we can all come together and also kind of so I'm taking a very simplistic approach to literally reading through my Bible.

Speaker 1: 8:35

Lord, what are you wanting me to show here? So ask God to show you what he wants to show you in this, to reveal about the character of who he is. To reveal how you can be strengthened and sharpened in your own character so we can become more like in the likeness of how God wants us to be. We are created in his image and we need him. Our human flesh, our human desires naturally take us away from being living in righteousness, pursuing holiness that God wants us to have in our lives. Our sinful nature takes us away from that. But when we read his word, it's sharper than a double-edged sword. It changes us and we've been given, as a believer. The mind of Christ and to know his promises, to know his nature, to know him, to be with him, changes us. So just I can't encourage you enough. Even if you're at a beginning walk with the Lord or if you've not built in learning his word and his promises, now's the time. You're right on time. Now's the time. Maybe you've been studying for years and years and years and years and years. Amazing, yet there's just always more to know. Okay, this morning, today, this afternoon, whatever time you're reading this, listening to this.

Speaker 1: 10:10

24 says through wisdom a house. But this is verse three through six. But I've got a different one for us today Through wisdom, a house is built by understanding. It is established, by knowledge, the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. It says a wise man is strong. Yes, a man of knowledge increases in strength. So here's well, let me read a little bit more. Okay, for by wise counsel you will wage your own war, and in a multitude of counselors there is safety. How are you building your house?

Speaker 1: 10:53

Through wisdom, a house is built through understanding. It is established, and by knowledge, the rooms are filled with pleasant, precious and pleasant riches. Are you building your house through wisdom? And understanding. Is your house established? Are you established? Let's personify this. Are you established? Let's personify this? Are you building and establishing your house, your temple, through God's wisdom, and is it strong and secure? Life happens. Storms come, very difficult things will happen to us. That is part of the human experience, and the strength that we have and the fortitude we have is built daily. It's built by learning to have a greater faith. It's learning by learning to have a greater faith. It's by learning to have solid trust in the Lord. There's so many scriptures that talks about our confidence is trusting in the Lord. Ultimately, when we understand God is on the throne, he is in control of everything.

Speaker 1: 12:15

I'll never forget. I was in a mentorship years ago and it's actually no longer even in existence, but a woman who was older started to share about a story when her husband was diagnosed with cancer and the way that she prefaced the story and said that we were not worried with that diagnosis because we had a foundation of faith. I'm going to tell you at that point in my life that struck me and let me tell you why. I was thinking of how would I respond if I got that. That would be. You know, how would I be, and I don't know that I would have had that, that level of assurance that she had in that moment. And I knew then that was my work to do.

Speaker 1: 13:09

I needed to have more faith in God for the future, for everything, and so the verse that I really want to point out, I want to highlight today, is verse 10. And it says if you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is too small. So back to how is your house and your foundation and the wisdom and understanding and your trust of God? We are called to be strong and courageous, and when the adversity hits, it's truly a telltale time of the infrastructure, of how we've built, day in and day out, our confidence in the Lord. It comes from God and that comes from a reliance upon Him and a trust in Him. When we live in fear, it's really a place of self-protection, but when we understand that we are beautifully created in God's image and we're created for purpose, we're created to show up in this world, and the stronger that we are, the more of an impact we can make for others to walk their walk with strength.

Speaker 1: 14:46

So the end goal, as we wrap up, is back to that first part is. Wisdom is built through wisdom. A house is built through understanding. It is established. And by knowledge the rooms are filled with precious and pleasant riches, are filled with precious and pleasant riches. So go, build yourself in the wisdom of God's word and by understanding. It is our faith that infrastructure of faith be established. Grow deep roots, be rooted deeply, grounded deeply in God, in Him, in all of His goodness, in His precious promises, and know that that is our goal, is to be established.

Speaker 1: 15:45

And when the storm comes, let me tell you something when the storm comes, when we have that level of faith and growth, wow, it's a different way that we show up, it's a different way that we operate through that. But man isn't it? Shakespeare that says the world is a stage. People are watching. I'm cheering you on and you might be in the middle of that battle right now. Keep trusting God. I just want to cheer for you, I want to champion you on. And as we're all doing this life together, it is hard, like I look at my prayer list of things that are going on and I have some situations in my own life that are like, oh Lord, mm, mm, mm. And our hope is in heaven. This is not the end for us. Our hope is in heaven. Okay, so be strong, be courageous, build that infrastructure.