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Episode 575: Stewardship Brings Peace

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Join us today for an episode about why stewardship brings peace both during and after an emergency...

Today's episode is focused on how stewardship brings peace...

In today’s episode about impacting the world through stewarding your treasures, I talk with you about why good stewardship brings hope and peace even in stress.  I also share why stewardship and faith isn’t an excuse to not take action.  I also talk with you about what faithful stewardship looks like when times are crazy.

Join in on the Chat below.

00:00:00 Thanks for joining me on Episode 5 75 of the inspired stewardship podcast. Hey, I'm at him, author of Redefined Rich and I Challenge You to Live richly by listening to the inspired stewardship podcast with My friend Scott made her. The truth is, there's always choices you have. There's always action you can take at the best of time or at the worst of time. There's always something else that we can continue to do. And when we recognize that, that is what we're called to do to take that positive action each and every day to make today a little better than tomorrow.
00:00:45 Welcome and thank you for joining us on the inspired stewardship podcast. If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent and your treasures for your true calling in. The inspired Searchie podcast will learn to invest in yourself, invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the world in today's episode about impacting the world through stewarding your treasures. I talk with you about why good stewardship brings hope and peace, even in times of stress like the's.
00:01:29 Why stewardship and faith isn't an excuse to not take action. And what faithful stewardship actually looks like when times are crazy? As we talk about stewarding your treasures? Wouldn't it be great if you could support this podcast and do it without costing yourself an extra dime? It turns out you can't. All you have to do is use inspired stewardship dot com slash amazon when you're ready to make a purchase via Amazon,
00:01:58 and a small commission will come back to support the show. If you enjoy the show when you're ready to buy from Amazon,
00:02:05 just use inspired stewardship dot com slash amazon stewardship. You know, the theme of this show constantly comes back to this idea of being a good steward,
00:02:18 and today I'm gonna use stewardship of money as an example. But recognize that this principle, this idea of stewardship,
00:02:26 is about way more than money. One of the definitions I've seen for stewardship when it comes to find finances is that generosity is a matter of action intentions in heart.
00:02:39 It's the grateful outpouring of gifts to others out of our love for God. Outpouring is a terrific description,
00:02:47 since all of these treasures of the Gospel. Not just our money, not just our time. But all of the gifts of the Gospel comes from God,
00:02:56 and it's meant to be poured out to others. And what stewardship is is recognizing the idea that we're given something not for ourselves but for how we can use it to serve others.
00:03:11 So there's a couple of key principles that we want to talk about, and I want to recognize how stewardship,
00:03:16 good stewardship, having that mental and physical philosophy leads to peace both in a practical way as well as in a faithful way.
00:03:31 So the principles of stewardship. There's a one, the 1st 1 and this is the key one. And this is the one that,
00:03:38 really, at the end of the day is probably the hardest to internalize but also the most important. And this is the principle of who owns things you know.
00:03:49 Psalm 24 says the earth is the Lord's and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.
00:03:56 In other words, anything that you have anything that's in the world is not yours. It's not anyone's,
00:04:03 it's God's, and our job is simply to take care of it. It means that when we're damaging something in the world in the environment,
00:04:14 that we're not being good stewards. It means when we're not spending the time that we've been blessed with,
00:04:18 well, we're not being good stewards. It means when we're not using the money that we've been given well,
00:04:25 we're not being good stewards. That leads to the second principle, the principle of responsibility. God gives us everything,
00:04:34 and it even says God gives us all things richly to enjoy. God does not want us tow, live in the state of scarcity and lack and fear,
00:04:45 and right now that's probably a really hard thing to deal with. But that's not the intention that we're supposed to live in the world with.
00:04:54 That's not the feeling or the attitude that we're supposed to have. Instead, we're supposed to recognize that we have a tremendous responsibility to God and to each other to take all of those gifts that we have been given and used them well and use them well to serve others,
00:05:14 not just ourselves. The third principle is the principle of accountability. The word stewardship comes from this idea of being someone given responsibility and accountability for what others have God has entrusted us and giving us the responsibility to manage things well.
00:05:34 And God has also made us accountable to that, meaning that we will have to speak up and say what we have done and be ableto do and represent that over time we've done the best we can with everything that we've been blessed with so that at the end of the day's God looks at us and says,
00:05:56 well done good and faithful servant, that is the idea behind stewardship. Those four key principles and the idea is the recognition here is when you've done those things when you've said about tohave,
00:06:14 good resource is and take care of them. Well, then what's interesting is you have more hope, more peace and less stress.
00:06:24 First off, from an emotional standpoint, it gives you the ability to recognize that your job is to do the best you can.
00:06:33 But it's not all on your shoulders. It belongs to God. It lets you begin to give up some of the fear and the frustration while still taking action and moving forward.
00:06:46 The other thing, from a practical standpoint, it means that you've done and taken good care of. Your resource is you've laid up resource is for in a time of feasting for a time of famine,
00:06:57 which means that when something goes wrong and something always goes wrong, you're prepared for it. And now all of a sudden,
00:07:06 instead of the car breaking, being a financial emergency and a transportation emergency, it's just a transportation emergency.
00:07:14 The finances air taken care of. It means that in a time like this, whatever everyone else is panicking,
00:07:21 you're able to have a little bit more of a peaceful attitude. You're still taking action. You're still doing things to take care of yourself and others.
00:07:31 But you're not panicked about it. You're not in fear and see. That's part of what's important. To recognize the idea that stewardship is not the same as O God's Got it.
00:07:44 God will provide. I don't have to do anything. Stewardship is about taking action. Stewardship is taking responsibility and accountability for the gifts that God has given you,
00:07:57 and if you set back and are passive, that's not taking responsibility. That's, Ah, false form of stewardship,
00:08:06 and this is what it looks like whether times their normal or times or faithful, it means taking action.
00:08:12 It means identifying what is it that God wants for us? And it means not looking to money or anything else to be your provider,
00:08:22 but recognizing that God is your provider but that God has empowered and entrusted you with certain. Resource is so that you have the role of doing the right things,
00:08:35 whether that's getting out of debt, whether that's giving to others, whether that's building well so that you can start a foundation or a charity or just donate money to someone,
00:08:47 whether it's giving of your time or your talents for a nonprofit or another organization that has your heart or a group of people that need your help,
00:08:58 whether it's right now just showing up and delivering groceries for someone that can't get out of their house and leaving them on the porch.
00:09:05 All of these are examples of good stewardship, and the truth is when times were crazy like this, it's even Maur important that we look for the opportunities to take accountability and responsibility for all of the blessings that we've been given.
00:09:25 Now, if this is hitting you hard right now because you recognize that maybe you haven't done as good of a job of laying up and preparing for the future.
00:09:35 Well, that's okay. Use this as motivation for recognizing that you've got to do better when you come out of the other side.
00:09:44 Recognize the fact that this just means this is a motivation and a wake up call that you need to take responsibility,
00:09:52 be accountable and sit down and do the hard work of figuring out What is it that you can do to re focus on what's important to you.
00:10:01 To gain control of the resource is that you have so that you can take responsibility and accountability for those things that God owns.
00:10:09 And then to set a plan in place so that you begin to get in a better position so that the next time there's an emergency,
00:10:16 you're better off. The truth is, there's always choices you have. There's always action you can take at the best of time or at the worst of time.
00:10:25 There's always something else that we can continue to do, and when we recognize that, that is what we're called to do to take that positive action each and every day to make today a little better than tomorrow.
00:10:39 That is being a good steward. Thanks for listening. Thanks so much for listening to the inspired stewardship Podcast.
00:10:52 As a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen. But act on what you've heard and find a way toe.
00:11:02 Live your calling. If you like this episode on the stewardship of treasures, you can sign up for our treasures tips by going to inspired stewardship dot com slash treasures or text in the U.
00:11:20 S. 44222 Treasures tips and we'll send you five weeks of our best tips on stewarding your treasures until next time investor time,
00:11:34 your talent and your treasures develop your influence and impact world.

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In today's episode, I talk with you about:

  • Why good stewardship brings hope and peace even in stress...
  • Why stewardship and faith isn’t an excuse to not take action...
  • What faithful stewardship looks like when times are crazy...
  • and more.....

A faithful steward loves God first. ― Laura W. Watts

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Some of the Resources recommended in this episode:

I make a commission for purchases made through the following link.

Let Me Know What you Think Below....

Episode 574: Dealing with the Dark Times

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Join us today for an episode about the ways to deal with stress and anxiety in dark times...

Today's episode is focused on why you need to learn to deal with stress always but especially now...

In today’s episode about impacting the world through stewarding your talent, I talk with you about dealing with stress and anxiety when the world seems to be falling apart.  I also share why you can remain happy even in the darkest of times but it’s also ok if you aren’t.  I then talk with you about why this time may highlight some things that you need to change for the future.

Join in on the Chat below.

00:00:00 Thanks for joining me on Episode 5 74 of the inspired Stewardship podcast. I'm Matt Woodrum, Park Castor and Father and training. I challenge you to invest in yourself, invested others, develop your influence and impact the world by using your time, your talents and treasures having the calling to face your demons and struggle to become a great father for your Children and one way to be inspired to do this. It's so listen to the inspired stewardship podcasts with my friend Scott Medard that this time might highlight to use some things that you need to change.
00:00:54 You know, the truth is, if dearing this time you've discovered that there are problems in the systems that you use, that maybe you're not set up financially the way that you really should be, Maybe you're discovering that now that you're working from home, that you're being Maur or less productive than you used to be. Welcome. And thank you for joining us on the inspired stewardship podcast. If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time,
00:01:24 your talent and your treasures for your true calling in the inspired Searchie podcast will learn to invest in yourself, invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the world in today's episode about impacting the world through stewarding your talent. I talk with you about dealing with stress and anxiety when the world just seems to be falling apart, why you can remain happy even in the darkest of times. But it's also okay if you aren't happy. And why, this time a highlight some of the things that you need to change for the future.
00:02:10 You've heard me talk about developing your talent, and one of the best ways to do that is through books. But if you're like most people today, it's hard to find the time to read. And that's why today's podcast is brought to you by audible Go to inspired stewardship dot com slash audible to sign up, and you can get a 30 day free trial.
00:02:32 There's over 100 and 80,000 titles to choose from, and you can pick one and listen your way to developing your talents via audible.
00:02:43 That's inspired stewardship dot com slash audible to get your free trial and listen to great books the same way you're listening to this podcast right now.
00:02:55 It's probably one of those times where you begin to notice that you're struggling sometimes with dealing with frustration. Your stress levels are a little higher,
00:03:07 you know. We're in the midst of here in the largest community that I live close to. They've now done a shelter in place,
00:03:14 order and so many different places or dealing with these sorts of things where shops are shutting down. We've seen that small businesses are being affected.
00:03:22 Some of us been affected personally, either in our income or jobs. Are family members being sick or being worried about being sick?
00:03:32 And the truth is, dealing with stress and anxiety when things feel like they're falling apart is really challenging.
00:03:42 It's sort of the time where you you find out if things are gonna work or not in the with the way you've set it up.
00:03:49 You know life is not the way it's supposed to be, but it is the way it is that the trick is how you deal with it.
00:04:00 And that's Ah, quote by Virginia City here. The truth is one of the things that's funny about this is some of the tips that you'll hear,
00:04:10 people will say, Well, just remain positive, you know, Keep keep happy. Uh, focus on the good stuff,
00:04:17 these sorts of things, and don't get me wrong. Those are all really good things to do, but you may be struggling with actually doing them.
00:04:27 So let's talk about some of the things that you conducive to, uh, to help keep yourself a little less stressed,
00:04:35 a little less anxious right now. One is used this as an opportunity to get creative. Put some things into your day that maybe use some of the juice is behind your mind in a way that you don't normally do,
00:04:50 especially if you've been given the gift of time. Right now. Use that time toe toe, flex your creative muscles,
00:04:58 do some art, do something like writing, do something that uses your brain in a new and different way.
00:05:05 You could also recognize that no matter what is going on right now, you can learn from it. We'll talk more about that in a minute.
00:05:13 You can identify use. This is a way to identify and kind of bug test and find out what's been working and what hasn't so that later you conduce Maura about it,
00:05:23 and you can start taking action today. But you can begin to change that up in a real way and make it better.
00:05:32 There's other tips to, you know, people tell you to remain grateful, but they don't talk about what that looks like.
00:05:39 You actually can sit down and each and every day challengers that self to come up with three things that you're grateful for and don't allow yourself to repeat them.
00:05:48 We've talked about this before, is a technique that we use. And then I recommend around this podcast.
00:05:56 Focus on what you can control. Don't focus on what you can't control and focus on what you have,
00:06:04 not what you don't have to know. The truth is there are things that you can do something about each and every day.
00:06:12 But there are also things that you simply can't do anything about. You have no control, you don't have the power to fix him.
00:06:20 And when you don't have the power, don't take that in is something that you have to fix. Recognize the fact that you need to surround yourself with other people you need to surround yourself with the community.
00:06:35 And right now, even though we're socially isolated and I hate that term, we need to not be isolated from each other.
00:06:42 It's really about physical isolation, but you can use tools that we have around us to still connect with people around you.
00:06:52 We'll talk more on Saturday, some of the ways that you can do this, especially if you're an introvert or an extra vert.
00:06:59 Recognize that you need to be kind to yourself, and you need to forgive yourself and others. You need to not focus on the negative things.
00:07:08 Make a list of all of the things that you have. Make a list and write out your story and what's going on.
00:07:15 There's something about writing things down that actually helps you process it. If you've got a faith background like so many of us do,
00:07:26 spend some time in prayer and meditation with that higher power, but constantly look for tools and inspiration in the world around you because you can always find things that you can do that are positive.
00:07:43 Seek those opportunities out, seek out the opportunities you have to pour into someone else and to help other people as well.
00:07:51 The act of helping other people does so much for our own spirit and our own mind. The other thing I wanted to call out is a lot of times people right now will be saying things like Keep happy,
00:08:05 make sure that you're happy right now. Don't don't frown. Don't be sad. Don't be stressed out and I want you to be clear.
00:08:12 That is not what I'm saying. In fact, if you're not happy right now, if you're frustrated if you're scared,
00:08:18 acknowledge those emotions. Recognize them, feel them. But don't dwell in them because it's fine if you're happy with the world's going toe heck in a handbasket and is also find if you're not now,
00:08:33 don't get me wrong, either. When I say it's fine, if you're happy, I don't mean you're happy because something bad is happening to other people.
00:08:41 But you're happy despite that, because you have a sense of gratitude. You have a sense of faith that keeps your mind and your spirit happy.
00:08:50 That's okay. Don't feel guilty about that, but also recognize the fact that that's not how everyone reacts in times of stress and anxiety.
00:09:00 And by the same token, if you're very scared and frustrated and not happy, recognize that that's not the way that everyone acts.
00:09:09 Ah, lot of the Post that I see now where people are getting mad at each other. It's because,
00:09:14 you know, if they don't want to deal with it with humor than they're mad at anyone that's using humor and the people that want to use humor or mad at the people that don't.
00:09:22 But the truth is, it just means that there's different people who process this in different ways, and that's okay.
00:09:29 And earlier I mentioned that this time might highlight to use some things that you need to change. You know,
00:09:36 the truth is, if Dearing this time you've discovered that there are problems in the systems that you use,
00:09:42 that maybe you're not set up financially the way that you really should be, Maybe you're discovering that now that you're working from home,
00:09:50 that you're being Maur or less productive than you used to be, because the truth is when you're at home,
00:09:58 oftentimes the way we deal with time really changes. Maybe you've discovered now that you're not working, that the job that you had you are keeping because it put a a paycheck on your in your pocket gave you money,
00:10:11 but it really wasn't what you're called to do. There's something else that you're really called to do, whatever it is that it's uncovering in you.
00:10:18 I want to encourage you to spend some time identifying that feeling that processing that, writing it down and even if you can start working on it now great,
00:10:29 start working on it now. But if you can't, because maybe financially or other ways you can't that's fine to at least acknowledge it and bring it apart so that as you recover from this,
00:10:41 you can begin to work on it. Take this negative energy and turn it into something positive for you and for others.
00:10:50 And as you do that, then and really, then you'll begin to recognize that even as frustrating, as scary,
00:10:58 as stressful. As anxious as you are, you have the power of choice, and that power gives you the ability to make changes,
00:11:09 and I encourage you to identify from this what it is that you need to change and then take action to change it.
00:11:19 Thanks for listening. Thanks so much for listening to the inspired stewardship Podcast. As a subscriber and listener,
00:11:32 we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen. But act on what you've heard and find a way toe Live your calling.
00:11:42 If you like this episode on the stewardship of talent, you can go over to inspired stewardship dot com slash talent and sign up for our five weeks Siris on the stewardship of talent or if you're in the U.
00:11:57 S. You can text 44222 Talent tips. That's talent tips tau 442 to 2 and get those tips until next time investor time,
00:12:11 your talent and your treasures develop your influence and impact world.

+ Click to view entire transcript
- Click to collapse


In today's episode, I talk with you about:

  • Dealing with stress and anxiety when the world seems to be falling apart...
  • Why you can remain happy even in the darkest of times but it’s also ok if you aren’t...
  • Why this time may highlight some things that you need to change for the future...
  • and more.....

Life is not the way it’s supposed to be, it’s the way it is. The way you cope is what makes the difference. – Virginia Satir

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Some of the Resources recommended in this episode:

I make a commission for purchases made through the following link.

Let Me Know What you Think Below....

Episode 573: Distraction or Direction?

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Join us today for an episode about knowing if something is a distraction or a direction for your life...

Today's episode is focused on why this is vital all the time but especially now...

In today’s episode about impacting the world by stewarding your time, I talk with you about knowing if something is a distraction or a direction for your life.  I also share some simple tips to recognize which it is for you.  I talk with you about why this is so important to you especially now.

Join in on the Chat below.

00:00:00 Thanks for joining me on Episode 5 73 of the inspired Stewardship Podcast. I'm Shannon Miles from ballet. I challenge you to discover your calling and find your third option so you can be empowered to live every day to the fullest. One way to be inspired to do that is to listen to this. The inspired stewardship podcast with my friend and Scott made her thing is so important to recognize what is a distraction versus what is a direction for your life. This is a perfect chance to take 1/2 a step back and really listen to what's been on your heart and mind and identify what's really important to you.
00:00:46 What is the rial calling that you've been set out to do? What is it that you're supposed to be doing beyond anything else? Welcome. And thank you for joining us on the inspired stewardship Podcast. If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent and your treasures for your true calling in the inspired Searchie podcast will learn to invest in yourself, invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact that way. In today's episode about impacting the world by Stuart in your time I talk with you about knowing if something is a distraction or direction for your life,
00:01:33 I give you some simple tips to recognize which of these it ISS, and I talk about why this is so important to you, especially right now, as we talk about Stuart in your time. Wouldn't it be great if you could support this podcast and do it without just taking too long? It turns out you can't. All you have to do is use inspired stewardship dot com slash amazon when you're ready to make a purchase via Amazon, and a small commission will come back to support the show just that quick.
00:02:03 If you enjoy the show when you are ready to buy from Amazon, just use inspired stewardship dot com slash amazon. Distraction versus direction You know, I I've had a lot of folks reaching out to me this week where all of a sudden they're working from home for the first time in a long time, or maybe ever, and there's been stuff going on in their life and they're trying to get clear on. Is this something that's a distraction, or is this a new direction?
00:02:36 The interesting thing is, this happens all the time with people. You know. We all have moments of time where we have to discern is something a distraction or something,
00:02:49 a new direction for our life. And don't get me wrong. I'm not talking about the easy stuff that you can obviously tell.
00:02:56 I mean truly. If if you're binging on Netflix instead of getting the work done that you need to get done for your your work and your job,
00:03:04 that's a distraction. You need to figure out a way to create some systems and processes some habits, some routines and structure that prevents that distraction.
00:03:15 Instead, I'm talking about things where you suddenly discover that the spirit is coming to you, that whether it's the Holy spirit or the spirit of the pizza you ate last night and you're trying to figure out is this telling me that I need to change directions for my life,
00:03:36 or is this just a distraction that's coming up? See, the truth is, this happens to us a lot throughout our life.
00:03:44 We talk about you know, having a midlife crisis and having different periods in her life in her early twenties and are mid forties and later where we're trying to discern kind of,
00:03:54 what do I want to be when I grow up? But I've had people at all ages and all different stages in life where they've suddenly recognized that something's going on and they aren't sure yet if this something is telling them that they need to change directions for their life,
00:04:11 or if this is just something that's gonna end up being a distraction. If you're a business owner, you run your own business or you have a side hustle.
00:04:19 This gets magnified in some ways because, you know now all of a sudden you have a new idea,
00:04:25 or at least most of us do every 15 minutes. But you're never sure. Is this new idea the Holy Spirit working on you if this is just a a new direction or is this a distraction that's gonna pull you off in the wrong direction?
00:04:39 Is this the pizza you ate last night, giving you a new idea that's really going to turn out to be a bad idea?
00:04:46 But you don't know it yet. And so there's some things that you conduce you to begin to identify.
00:04:53 Is something a distraction, or is it a new direction? I'm gonna talk about some simple activities. The 1st 1 is you need to not ignore it.
00:05:06 You need to not brush it off. You need to listen to this. You need to take a moment and create some space and some time so that you could really study the feeling.
00:05:20 And you can begin to examine not just the emotion but some of the practical behaviors and and changes. What would this look like?
00:05:28 What would it act like? Don't get me wrong. You don't need to know all of the answers before you start on a new direction.
00:05:35 But you need to have Maur than just a vague idea. A lot of times people will come in and they're like,
00:05:41 I want to start a new business. Great. What kind of business? And they don't even know the beginnings of the answer.
00:05:47 They just feel this call towards business. But if that's all it is at this point, is this vague idea You need to spend some more time with it.
00:05:55 and not brush it off, not ignore it. But spend some quality time. Second, you need to spend some of that time in prayer and reflection and listening clearly for the voice and the pulling on your heart that comes from God and the Holy Spirit.
00:06:15 Take a walk outside in the nature. If you can spend some time in prayer and contemplation, sprint some time listening to what's on your heart and then next,
00:06:28 you need to actually talk with some other people. Wise counsel is found in seeking opinions from others. You need to seek out whether it's a coach,
00:06:40 whether it's a friend, whether it's all of the above, and you need to lay out some of those details that you went through and what you're not asking for.
00:06:49 What you're not listening for is just sheer approval. This isn't about someone else looking at you and say,
00:06:54 Oh, yeah, that's a great idea. It's also not about someone saying, Oh, no, that sounds way too risky.
00:07:00 It's about someone who listens to you and really knows you deep down and listens to the passion on your heart and listens to the ideas that you have and They also try to listen to what the spirit is telling them so that they can reaffirm that calling or not reaffirm it.
00:07:24 One of the interesting things I've found over the years when I work with people on finding their calling is that time after time after time,
00:07:32 they've actually had, ah, multitude of signals that this was a new direction and not a distraction, because the message came to him through their own heart.
00:07:41 But it also came to him through others and through the word of others, leaning, reaching out to him and saying,
00:07:47 Hey, this is something you should do, So seek the advice of others and then the last one is,
00:07:54 Once you've made the decision that this really is a new direction, follow through on it. Take action,
00:08:02 begin to move in that direction. Don't do it in a risky way. There's plenty of ways you can move forward.
00:08:08 Instead, what amounts to a smart way but take action, begin to move forward, begin to develop the idea.
00:08:18 Begin to actually test it and see if it works and go out into the real world and see what happens and what comes back at you,
00:08:27 because the interesting thing is, oh, you'll receive challenges. You'll receive difficulty. You'll receive people that say your idea is stupid,
00:08:35 but you'll also receive signals that it's not, You know, in a time like this, when there's a pandemic around the world and there's all of this chaos and uncertainty and fear and doubt going on,
00:08:52 this is so important to recognize what is a distraction versus what is a direction for your life. This is a perfect chance to take 1/2 a step back and really listen to what's been on your heart and mind and identify what's really important to you.
00:09:11 What is the rial calling that you've been set out to do? What is it that you're supposed to be doing beyond anything else?
00:09:19 And as you begin to hear that, speak to your heart. This is a great time to begin taking action because the truth is there are lots of people that need your help.
00:09:30 There are lots of people that need your service. There are lots of people that need your ideas. There are lots of people that need for you to do what you've called to do.
00:09:41 That is what the world needs. The world needs more people living out there calling. That's what we bring peace and stability during this time.
00:09:51 That's why it's so important that you have the confidence and the guts to do it and do it now.
00:10:00 By the way, there's always chaos. There's always distraction. There's always things that can go wrong, even at the best of times.
00:10:13 You're one of the things I've pointed out to. People is right Now. If you're hurting because of this,
00:10:17 if you've lost your job, if you've lost a source of income, if you've got somebody in your family who's sick,
00:10:24 it's serious. It's a disaster. It's an emergency. It's something that you're really having to face and deal with.
00:10:32 But the truth is, if you had somebody who was sick six month of months ago, if you lost your job six months ago or if you lose your jobs six months from now,
00:10:43 it's still an emergency. We've always got the chance for new problems and new emergencies. That's part of what comes with life.
00:10:51 We are not promised an easy life, but what we are promises the opportunity to create a relationship with God to develop ourselves to invest in ourselves,
00:11:04 invest in others, develop in influence and make an impact. That's what we talk about here weekend and week out.
00:11:12 And right now is a great time to really take that time to figure out what in your life has been a distraction up to now,
00:11:23 instead of a direction, What is it that you need to carve out of your life so that you can really focus on the things that are most important and go forward and do the things that you have been called to do?
00:11:35 And don't let fear stop You. Don't let money stop you Don't let time stop you, but create the things that you need to do to be a good steward of your resource is so that you can go out and do what you've been called to do.
00:11:52 Thanks for listening. Thanks so much for listening to the inspired stewardship Podcast. As a subscriber and listener,
00:12:04 we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen. But act on what you've heard and find a way to live your calling.
00:12:14 If you like this episode on the stewardship of time, be sure to sign up for our stewardship of time tips.
00:12:22 Siri's by going to inspired stewardship dot com slash time or texting 44222 time tips and that'll get you our best tips on stewarding your time until next time investor time,
00:12:44 your talent and your treasures develop your influence and impact world.

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In today's episode, I talk with you about:

  • Knowing if something is a distraction or a direction for your life...
  • Some simple tips to recognize which it is...
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Episode 572: Sometimes No is the Answer to Prayer

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Join us today for an episode about the way to look at prayer if it doesn't go your way...

Today's episode is focused on why Mark 11:24...

In today’s spiritual foundation episode about impacting the world, I talk with you about the phrase that no is sometimes the answer to prayer, why this isn’t exactly the right way to look at it, and how to pray without ceasing to move forward in faith.

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00:00:00 Thanks for joining me on Episode 5 72 of the inspired Stewardship podcast. I'm Fraser Reis, author of Wealth. Actually, I challenge you to invest in yourself, invest in others, develop your influence and impact the world by using your time, your talent and your treasures to live out your calling. Having the right relationship with all of your gifts is the key to doing this. One way to be inspired to do that is to listen to this the inspired stewardship podcast with my friend Scott Mater Way prey without stopping,
00:00:39 we continuously prey and that prayer is answered because that prayer is perfectly in alignment with what God is asking for us to do. But the truth is, that's really hard Welcome. And thank you for joining us on the inspired stewardship. Podcasts. If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn to use your time, your talent and your treasures for your true calling in. The inspired Searchie podcast will learn to invest in yourself, invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the world in todays spiritually Foundation episode about impacting the world.
00:01:36 I talk with you about the phrase that no is sometimes the answer to prayer. Why this isn't exactly the right way to look at it and how to pray without ceasing so you can move forward in faith.
00:01:51 Prayer is one of those things that sometimes comes up in conversation, and it's interesting to hear how people talk about it and what people believe about it.
00:02:02 And I'll be honest. Prayer is one of those things that I've struggled with a lot throughout my life.
00:02:08 I've had a hard time with going through the actions of prayer. I've had a hard time believing that prayer was something that was valuable.
00:02:16 I've had a hard time with accepting that prayer is something that works. And one of the things that a lot of people have said I've heard it said to other people,
00:02:27 when they're talking about how they prayed for something and that it didn't happen, is that you know well,
00:02:33 sometimes the answer to prayer is yes, Sometimes it's no, and sometimes it's not now, and I've even said that myself.
00:02:43 But as I've gotten older and as I began to look at the Bible more and really think about this?
00:02:49 Maur. It's It's made me think a little bit more about how that works, how that sounds and what that really means to us as Christians,
00:03:00 because think about it for a minute. The truth is that most of the time when I pray, it's It's not like I hear this auditory answer from God where God comes down and says,
00:03:12 No, that's not the way it's gonna be or I hear a yes Instead, what happens is I pray about something,
00:03:20 and sometimes things happen that I can observe, and I can see that appear to be a response to that prayer.
00:03:27 And other times I don't see something that became a response to that prayer. And so basically, I tend to assume that anything that happens after I pray that seems to be in that direction.
00:03:41 Well, that must mean God said yes and anything that doesn't happen well, that must mean God either said no or God said.
00:03:49 Not now, but that's not always as simple as it is. You know, the truth is, I think that prayer is more complicated than that,
00:04:01 and I talk a lot on the podcast about both ends things where you have to accept things as Maur than one thing at a time.
00:04:08 It's It's not about either, or it's about more than one thing being true. And I do think sometimes you know,
00:04:15 God looks, that something we're praying for and recognizes that it's not good for us and therefore doesn't provide it.
00:04:23 But there's another way of looking at this than just the answer is no. See, the Bible actually says.
00:04:30 And in Mark, Chapter 11 Verse 24 it says. Therefore, I say to you all things for which you pray and ask,
00:04:41 believe that you have received them and they will be granted to you. It's talking about having faith when you pray and about how that faith means that the prayer is answered,
00:04:57 that God will answer prayer that has prayed in faith. Well, then, what about faith? Well,
00:05:06 the truth is, faith, remember, is about believing things, and it's about aligning yourself over time with the will of God and trying to move Maur and Maur into relationship and alignment with God.
00:05:20 And I think what happens sometimes is when we're praying. If we're not praying for things that are the will of God,
00:05:27 then we're not really praying in faith and therefore it doesn't actually happen. But if we are praying fully into the will of God,
00:05:37 then we are praying in faith and it does happen. So is it really that God is saying no?
00:05:43 Or is it just that we have it yet really gotten deep enough into our relationship with God to really discern the will of God?
00:05:54 And so we're still working that direction. We're still a little bit out of alignment. We're still not fully aligned with what God wants us to do and for our calling.
00:06:06 And the truth is, I think sometimes that's a lot more complicated. And that's a lot harder to look at because see,
00:06:13 the truth is then that puts the burden on us to take action. That puts the burden on US tow work harder on ourselves to work on our relationship with God,
00:06:24 toe deepened our faith into deep in our spiritual walk and to spend more time in disciplined and effort and try toe work towards bringing ourselves into alignment with God.
00:06:40 And it's so much easier to just believe that we can pray and sometimes God will say yes and sometimes God will say no.
00:06:46 And sometimes God will say not now, and we don't need to worry about it. We don't need to take any action.
00:06:52 We can just sit back and wait, you know, right now is this is releasing the world is in the midst of a pandemic,
00:07:00 and sometimes people say things out of faith that really are unkind toe others that put others at risk that make others hurt.
00:07:13 That cause frustration and fear. And that's not being alignment with the will of God. That's not what God wants for us to do for each other.
00:07:22 God wants us to walk with each other together so that we can hold each other up and we could be the hands and feet of Christ on Earth.
00:07:34 We can do the things that need to be done to show the world the church, and that doesn't have to be gathering in a building.
00:07:43 That means walking together in faith and providing providing the security that we have showing the gospel and telling the gospel and spreading the word and doing the hard work on ourselves,
00:08:01 so that as we move forward as we keep talking as we doom or as we move ourselves into that spiritual alignment.
00:08:13 Then we pray without stopping. We continuously prey, and that prayer is answered because that prayer is perfectly an alignment with what God is asking for us to do.
00:08:27 But the truth is, that's really hard. As I said at the beginning, prayer is one of those things that I continue to struggle with.
00:08:34 I find it hard sometimes to pray. I have to really set the environment up and create things so that I can do it.
00:08:44 I've gotten better at it over time, but it's something I have to be deliberate about. So I ask you,
00:08:51 What are you doing To create a time and a space for you to pray for you to faithfully sit down and pray that God's will be done and that you take action and alignment with that?
00:09:05 What are you doing too deep in the relationship? And right now, if you're one of the people that stuck at home during all of this,
00:09:12 this is a great time to work on your prayer life and not in a demanding way, not in a needy way.
00:09:20 This isn't God the cosmic vending machine. This is about building a relationship. This is about having a conversation with your dear friend and asking your friend what your friend wants for you to be doing.
00:09:35 And then as you hear that answer, moving forward in faith. Thanks for listening. Thanks so much for listening to the inspired stewardship Podcast.
00:09:51 As a subscriber and listener, we challenge you to not just sit back and passively listen. But act on what you've heard and find a way toe live your calling.
00:10:04 If you enjoy this episode, do me a favor. Go overto facebook dot com slash inspired stewardship and like our Facebook page and market that you'd like to get notifications from us so that we can connect with you on Facebook and make sure that we're serving you to the best of our abilities with time and tips there until next time investor time,
00:10:33 your talent and your treasures develop your influence and impact world

+ Click to view entire transcript
- Click to collapse


In today's episode, I talk with you about:

  • The phrase that no is sometimes the answer to prayer...
  • Why this isn’t exactly the right way to look at it...
  • How to pray without ceasing to move forward in faith...
  • and more.....

Therefore I say unto you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. - Mark 11:24

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Let Me Know What you Think Below....

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