Welcome And The Big Promise

Hello my friends and welcome to Everyday God for Your Every Day with Kathy, a space where we'll discuss real practical ways for life with God, especially for those days when life is hard, complicated, and messy. How do we apply biblical principles such as God's love, mercy, grace, and wisdom to our daily grind? Well, join me each week as we do just that together. So wherever you may find yourself today, please know that you are seen, held, accepted, loved, and never alone. So let's get to it. Hello and welcome to another episode of Everyday God for your everyday. I am your host, Kathy. So this is episode nine, which I think warrants a bit of a different approach. So typically when I start the episode, I tell you exactly what we're going to do, the title, or at least the topic of our episode for that day. And I go right into my notes and I record, and then I stop recording, and then I edit, and then I'm good. I like it to be clean. I don't like any of the mistakes. I don't like my multiple ums that I typically say or my I when I get, you know, excited. But this week, as I was preparing for this week's episode, I had this feeling that it was supposed to be a bit different. It was supposed to be a bit more organic, I think. Sometimes, I mean, last episode I shared more than I normally, not even normally, more than I like to share. I am not a sharer. And but it was what I believe that, I mean, it happened organically, and I wasn't going to re-record all that I had already recorded. God knew that. But this time, I wanted, I think, not just I, but I do think that God wanted me to start it a little bit differently. Firstly, I want to say for those of you who have, you know, been listening and you tune in, maybe on a fairly regular basis. Thank you for coming back and listening. Bear with me. And then for those of you who maybe this is the first time that you've clicked on this and you're wondering, okay, what is this crazy lady talking about? Just give it a minute or two. You've already clicked, so listen. I promise, hopefully, that I'll make it worth it, right? This week was my daughter's 18th birthday. I mean, she's a bit of a mini-me. So it really did help to put me kind of in a different, I would say, mindset. Because as I started to think about her being 18, what that means, where I am in my life, where I was when I was pregnant with her. It's that in, I mean, it's been 18 years of God's grace. It's been 18 years of God's grace carrying me, sustaining me. It's been 18 years of my mother's death. I would say the most pivotal event of my life. And it's been 18 years of God legitimately being my ride or die and being right there beside me. And the reason that I wanted to start this episode or felt compelled, I should say felt compelled. I didn't want to, but I felt compelled to start this episode this way is that I think sometimes in my aim to, you know, do my best and to present a really refined and polished episode and effort to all of you and to God to give him my best. Sometimes I don't necessarily want to share the messiness. I don't want to be vulnerable because I it's uncomfortable. But that's what everyday God for your everyday is. That's what grace is. You know, today, listening to my pastor talk about how us Gentiles came to be saved, came to salvation in the fact that we were extended this, that we were this wild olive branch, right? Just wild, and we were grafted into this root Christ, God, Jesus. And that a branch essentially something had to be cut, and that was Christ on the cross, had to be cut for me, for you, for us to be grafted in, to be adopted in. And that this grace that we didn't deserve, this grace that we didn't do anything to earn, we really, as Christ's followers, as Christians, should be compelled, and I mean constantly telling God, what do you want me to do? And I thought about this podcast. And I thought about my passive aggression, not wanting to do it, the fact that sometimes my pride takes the lead and what God is asking me to do. And the reason, and this is not about guilt. This is about like the reason that you're doing this. That really the reason why we were saved is so that others would see the grace of God and the freedom that we have and this love that really surrounds us and sustains us, and that they would see it and be attracted to it and therefore be saved. And then I thought, oh my gosh, we're you're not alone. Like I'm not alone. You're not alone. None of us are alone in my life, my life, the life that I have, that I have been blessed to have, is by God's grace. It is by God's grace. It is just because I believed, it's just because I had faith. I didn't do anything. Even the things that I have done in my life, it's because God's grace has enabled me, has empowered me to do them. So I want you to know that this grace, this God of which I speak, He is so real, he is so good, and he loves you wherever you might be so much. God's entire, like the Bible scripture just speaks of his wanting to save you, to be reconciled with you, to bring you and me back home to him. That if for nothing else, if yes, I love to edify, I do. I'm a trainer by I always say by nature, right? I love education, I love to learn, I'm like a sponge, and I get, you know, I geek out about stuff, you know, if Bible stuff, any I geek out about knowledge and I want to share it, I want to impart it. But most importantly, regardless of all the knowledge, all of it is for not. If I forget to remind you, if I don't remind you, if you don't receive what it is that ultimately I am trying to convey every single episode, that is, that you are loved and you are not alone in this life. You don't have to know Christ yet. You don't have to know this God yet, you don't have to have a relationship with him yet to know that you are loved and that he wants to save you. And wherever you are, you can call on the name of Jesus and he will meet you wherever it is that you are. If you hear me, you can call on the name of Jesus any time, day or night, and he will meet you wherever you are. And quite frankly, if you ever have a question, you can text, I think it says text Kathy, or you can comment. I do read my comments. If it requires a response, I will reply. I will pray for you. I pray for whoever it is that's listening. I don't know your names. Some of you I do because you're my friends. But for those that I don't know, I still pray for you. So especially as we are entering, I think this week, Thursday, is the national day of prayer. I will be publishing some prayers that people can pray on Thursday and throughout the week. And prayer is powerful. The scripture tells us that prayer of a righteous person. And believe me, a righteous person just means one who believes, one who ultimately has surrendered to Christ because I'm not righteous because of anything that I've done, but I am called righteous because of what Christ did on the cross. So the prayer of a righteous person is powerful. It opens doors, it releases the power of heaven. So I pray for you and I believe in prayer and I believe in the power of prayer. So if ever you want to send me a prayer request or your name, just say, Hey, Kathy, lift me up. I will do that. I will do that because ultimately that's what we're supposed to do. So I will pray. Father God, thank you. Thank you for having your way in me. Thank you for doing what only you can do in our lives. Father, I pray for everyone listening to this quick podcast to remind them that they're not alone. I pray that this week, that today in their lives, whoever needs it, Lord, and I know that we all do, that they would feel your presence. Whether we feel it or not, whether we think you're with us or not, doesn't negate the fact that, Lord, you are always there. Father, so I ask today that for those listening, for those that really, really need to know, that are desperately seeking, Lord, that whose spirits are crying out for a fresh anointing, for a pouring out of your spirit upon them, that you, Lord, would make yourself known, that they would know, that they would hear something, that they would see something, Lord, that they would know that you are with them, that you would strengthen them, that you would help them to endure whatever it is that they are enduring, or just Lord, they would experience a God wink, that they would know that they are not alone, that you are with them in every circumstance, in every situation, in every moment, in every smile, in every heartache, in every tear, in every sorrow, in every rejoicing that you are there, sustaining them, upholding them, comforting them, sometimes without their knowing, or oftentimes I should say, without their knowing. Father God, I thank you in advance for the lives that you are changing, for the hearts that you are transforming, for the miracles that you are doing, that you're performing right now, Lord, for the ways that you are making, for the steps that you are establishing, Lord, for the doors that you are opening and for some doors that you are closing because they need to be closed. Father God, thank you. Thank you for being a gracious and loving God to us all, whether we admit it or not, whether we know it or not, whether we acknowledge it or not. Father God, it is in your son who died for us, all of us. It is in the precious and mighty name of Jesus I pray. Amen.