Speaker 1: 1:26

In our last episode, we dove deep into our business journeys and how they led us to working together. Today, we'll be talking about our faith journeys and how everything came into alignment once we gave our full yes to Jesus.

Speaker 2: 1:39

Oh and yes, it was. So before we got to actually giving our full yes to Jesus, we gave like a partial yes. So, let's, let's just talk about that just a little bit. What brought us to our full? Yes, troy, why don't you kick us off?

Speaker 1: 1:54

So just the origin of this whole thing. I'm gonna take them back to the Genesis, babe. So I grew up in church. I mean, like I grew up in a Lutheran church. We had church pews. We had little benches that come down for your knees so you can get on your knees and pray. We were all about church hymns back in the day. I was in Sunday school, bible study, all the things. We had church lock-ins on the weekends, you name it. I grew up in the church. My family had me immersed in the church and once I was old enough to actually leave the church, I boogied and peaced out on Jesus and came back to God. Later on in life, as an adult, made a full decision to get baptized, made a full decision to surrender my life to Jesus, went to Hillsong Church in NYC, did all the things like looked at how I can serve the church, worked with the children's ministry and really helping the next gen.

Speaker 1: 2:44

We didn't have the term next gen back in those days but that was like the next gen Hillsong kids and really mentoring those kids, spending time with those kids, which was so fulfilling for me, and then getting baptized and that's a whole nother wild story. My baptism story is crazy and we definitely got to get into that one day, but that's when I gave my life. I made a clear intention to have a relationship with Jesus and claim him as my Lord and Savior.

Speaker 2: 3:08

And what did that relationship look like at that time?

Speaker 1: 3:11

For me at that time. It didn't even, I'll be honest, it looked like lukewarm, as they would say, Like I felt like still half you know, halfway in. I don't feel that I was truly seeking his face every day. I don't think that I was actually hungry for the word of Jesus every day, the word of the Bible. I don't think that I was seeking for his wisdom and I didn't know about discernment and praying over decisions and having his spirit speak for me. It was okay, Jesus, you're my Lord and Savior, I love you, I'm forgiven and I'm just going to go about life. You know what I mean.

Speaker 2: 3:43

Yeah, absolutely yeah, you know. So my upbringing was totally different. I grew up in a Christian household, but what that meant to me was that we celebrated Christmas. Maybe every now and then we would like say a prayer if we were with my grandmother or grandfather from down South, and that was it. And so, yeah, there might've been a cross here or there in my household, but I really had no idea who this Jesus was, what we're supposed to be doing with him, the Father, the Holy Spirit. I had this vocabulary, but, honestly, had no understanding, and so the spirit within me, though, was awakened and ready and hungry to draw me in closer to Jesus and to learn him. And I say that because, whenever I would stay in South Carolina with my grandmother as a little girl, I'd always say can you take me to church with you? And she'd bring me to the Baptist churches.

Speaker 1: 4:34

And.

Speaker 2: 4:34

I thought it was so much fun. I would then go back to New York and ask my friends to bring me to church with them, but they were Catholic.

Speaker 2: 4:41

And so it was a very different experience and ultimately I did experience a church in my teen years. That was great for me. My friend Mia brought me and I was like, wow, like they got a band. This is a vibe it was. It was, it was a great experience.

Speaker 2: 4:58

And so I still was like okay, but I still don't understand. Like this feels good, but what am I supposed to be learning here? What is like this whole faith walk? What is this faith journey? And so now I'm an undergrad and I'm studying different religions and I was really captivated by Buddhism, hinduism, judaism and Christianity and I would read about these philosophers or these theologians or these people on a quest to learn about faith, and what it showed me was that, wow, like people are just on this.

Speaker 2: 5:27

Some people can be on this journey forever and not ever have that understanding or that fulfillment or know what that purpose for them is and how sad that was.

Speaker 2: 5:36

And so next thing, you know, I find myself getting invited to a church that I fell in love with. And next thing, you know, I got brought in to help found a church with them, got baptized, like the day before I was leading their children's ministry, like all of 22 years old 23. And I was like, okay, and so from that moment on I knew I was a believer, I believed in Jesus, but I did not know still what I was called to do as a person. I thought I was supposed to be kind, be loving, be forgiving and just do good. And so literally for like the next 15 years that followed, or 18 years that followed, pretty much up until recent. That is how I presented, that's how I did, and I thought I was doing Christ's work by being good, doing good. I didn't realize I was supposed to have that relationship with Jesus either. I didn't know it was supposed to be this reciprocation. I thought I was supposed to just perform or just be a certain kind of person, not realizing like there was so much more in store.

Speaker 1: 6:36

I love that and if you know being honest and transparent, here too I felt the same exact way. I'm like, okay, I got baptized, I'm hugging some people, I'm loving on these kids in this ministry. I'm showing up to some of these connect groups Like we're all about relation in this church, so we're building relationships with people. I'm in my YouVersion Bible reading devotionals but I'm not actually in the word, trying to learn the full word of God, what his mission was for our life, what his intention was. You know, I would go to church, hear the sermons, love all the pastors, but just feel like I still wasn't really walking out, whatever it was. Like I had no understanding of what I was really doing. I just knew that I loved Jesus and that I wanted to be good to people, love on people.

Speaker 1: 7:18

I remember days walking in the city. I would go to Nike town, buy shoes, take my shoes off, give those to homeless people Like I tried to walk out the acts but as far as really being immersed in the word and seeking God, I wasn't seeking God. I was, honestly. I think I was trying to just be like him, you know, which isn't a bad thing. I just didn't have the language and the understanding and the true fundamentals that I needed, but I feel like I was doing the work.

Speaker 2: 7:42

Yeah, same. And you know, I, as, I, as I listened to you and I think back, it's like wow, you know, I know, between the both of us, we've experienced some of the best pastors, some of the best pastors who've been able to preach such a great word, and sometimes I'm like man.

Speaker 2: 7:58

I wish I could rewind 20 years and just sit back with my first pastor and listen to all his messages again, because clearly he lit a fire within me to want to be a kind, good, loving person, a forgiving person and a hopeful person, but yet, wherever I was in that time period, it didn't click that I'm supposed to have more with Jesus, and so I am so grateful for the encounter that we then ultimately were able to have together that totally transformed that for us.

Speaker 1: 8:29

I just want to shout out to all the life-giving, life-speaking pastors out there that are doing the same thing in people now who might not know exactly what it is you're pouring into them, but later in life God will connect the dots and they will be used for the kingdom.

Speaker 2: 8:42

Yes, and even you saying that, at times I go back to my dad and my mom and I'm just like, yeah, you just left me out there, left mom. And I'm just like, yeah, you know, you just left me out there, left me and my sister out there, just to, like, figure it out. And my dad always said that you know what? We don't need to go to church to be Christians, like we don't need to observe these different religious practices in order for us to have Jesus as our Lord and Savior. And I didn't really understand what that meant. And he said well, I knew that you're God's child and so he was going, like it was his responsibility to bring you to him. And so, you know, we ensured that you had a foundation, a Christian foundation.

Speaker 2: 9:21

There were crosses in the house, like for him, that's what it looked like for him, and I am just so grateful for his ability to allow the Holy Spirit within me to lead me and to follow where the Spirit carried me, because I know there are parents out there who might feel discouraged that their children are perhaps lost or they haven't built a solid foundation of faith in their home, and now they're in their early twenties or thirties or teens, and they're just. You know. They want to make sure that they can find Christ, and what I want to say to them and remind them is you know, when Jesus ascended to heaven, he left the Holy Spirit within us to be awakened and once we take him as our Lord and Savior. And so don't worry, just continue to pray for your children, continue to pray for your loved ones who you feel like are not yet on that journey or that walk to Christ as you would hope for them, because the Holy Spirit is there.

Speaker 1: 10:14

Yeah, and give yourself grace, I would say also for the parents out there who are so discouraged because their kids don't want to go to church or they don't feel like coming to church, or when they're in the church they're like, oh, I don't want to get here. We're like all trying to navigate and find a way as parents to raise children that do not hate the church. But what we need to be reminded of is, honestly, in John 15, verses 4 through 5, it says Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself. It must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.

Speaker 1: 10:56

This passage basically illustrates a deep, abiding connection that Jesus desires with each individual person. Chantel, you know what I mean. So like highlighting the necessities of maintaining a close and personal relationship with Jesus is what the gospel is truly about. Church is amazing. We love to be around other kingdom-based families and be in community with other like-minded believers, and it's so important. But maintaining that personal relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit and having that intrinsic relationship, that's what this whole thing is about. So I encourage parents to really just remember that and refer back to this scripture when you're having those doubts about your children that even though they like being there, they're still trying to figure this thing out and, more like Maquenda would say, more is caught than taught. So you just showing them and you showing up like that, hopefully they are building that relationship.

Speaker 2: 11:48

Man. That is such a great reminder for parents to hear and to know, and for us too. You know we're new at this. As far as you know, we have little ones and so.

Speaker 2: 11:59

I know something that matters so much to us is that our children have a solid foundation, a faithful foundation, and they know that Jesus is there for them, with them always, that God is here to protect them and love on them, and so at home, we celebrate that. We celebrate the relationship that we have, we talk about talking to Jesus, and it brings a smile to our faces, and now we're able to see our children also do the same thing, and so I just love how we've been able to take what we've learned and the blessings that our parents have given us and building the foundation they built for us, and now we're like okay, that was a great start, so let's continue to build on that for our children.

Speaker 2: 12:40

And then, hopefully, our children will do that for their children. I had mentioned before that we had this amazing encounter with Christ and this encounter happened when we were here. So let's bring folks back to how we even got here. Why we got here? Because we didn't know that when we moved to Atlanta that we were going to have this life-changing experience, encounter with Christ right. And yet Atlanta was put on our hearts years ago to come.

Speaker 2: 13:44

And so let's talk about why we decided to move, what led us to leave everything we knew and everyone we knew behind and go into this isolation season that we did not know?

Speaker 1: 13:57

it would be at the time.

Speaker 2: 13:58

But what was it, what were we hearing and what were we discussing that actually brought us to Atlanta?

Speaker 1: 14:03

Yeah, god, just put this burning desire on us to move. It's 2020. We have all these houses that we were trying to buy, put offers on. Nothing is going our way and we're like we have to go. And Atlanta just keeps coming up as one of the most diverse and best places to live. I mean, we've literally looked at Dubai, we've looked at Vancouver, we've looked at so many places and Atlanta just kept coming up. God just kept putting this on our heart. Friends and family are like why would you move to Atlanta? Like you don't know anyone there, like you're about to have a whole nother child and you want to just up and route your family to the state 800 plus miles away where you have no one. And we're like yes, this is where God is calling us. We don't know why. We don't fully get it. We've never even been there to visit, but we have to go, literally walking by faith.

Speaker 2: 14:50

Absolutely. And I remember when we thought that we were going to close on a house two days before our closing date where all of a sudden the sellers pulled out because they couldn't find a place to live.

Speaker 1: 15:02

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 15:02

And I remember both of us looking at each other and being so distraught for like a whole 60 seconds and then just like swallowing it and being like God is saying go to Atlanta. We both heard it almost loud and clear, and two days later you end up in metro Atlanta. You're looking for homes. Three weeks after that, we close on our home they still had our money in escrow.

Speaker 1: 15:26

We had to fight to get that back.

Speaker 2: 15:28

And it took three months to even just get to that point. That's what.

Speaker 1: 15:30

I'm saying that heaviness. And then when we get to Georgia, we close on our house in three weeks. We're going through a process of craziness for three months and when God has his hands on something, he makes it happen in a moment and he says my yoke is easy, my burden is light, Like that heaviness. That wasn't him. He's like my favor isn't on this, my burden is light, and he made it so easy for us to get this house in Georgia. That was just another further confirmation that God had us right where he needed us to be.

Speaker 2: 16:01

Yes, I remember. Right around this time we were listening to a Justin Timberlake song called do you remember?

Speaker 1: 16:07

Just Be Justin Timberlake.

Speaker 2: 16:11

Just Be, and that song just held us down that entire season and the next testament or confirmation of us being exactly where we needed to be was God putting it on us to all of a sudden have a home birth. So we arrived here in Metro Atlanta in July of 2021. Baby was due August 11th of 2021. And at this time we were planning to have a traditional hospital birth, even though it's not something that we were. We just didn't know what to expect down in Georgia. And all of a sudden, you know, you read something, saw something, we started doing a little research and.

Speaker 2: 16:49

God just made it so clear that we're having a home birth, and he even made that process of getting the right doulas, midwives, all the resources. He made it so easy. Now the birth itself. Another pod for another day.

Speaker 2: 17:02

That was so not easy at all. But I remember on the fifth day of my padromal labors, everyone saying it's okay to go to the hospital now, and me really tapping in to God and praying so heavily, more than I could ever remember, just asking to help get me through this, to strengthen me, and that is where Ephesians 4.13 really came to life in my life, that I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

Speaker 2: 17:32

And he did, and he brought Phoenix into this world safe and sound, and so that was such another strong, pivotal moment for both of our faith to just grow so much stronger, because that was such a whirlwind of an experience.

Speaker 1: 17:47

Can't wait to talk about that more. Even in that moment, we were worshiping. We had a playlist of gospel music and we were literally worshiping in that moment, and I truly believe the presence of the Holy Spirit was with us and gave you the strength to carry through with everyone around. Even the midwives were like hey, if you want to tap in right? Now it's okay to tap in, but I believe that God really had his hand on you and saw it through.

Speaker 2: 18:10

He absolutely did, and so that's the next confirmation right, okay.

Speaker 2: 18:14

Confirmation, but also gave us the ability to say, okay, this is a great God, like again, we were believers, right, but we didn't have that relationship. And that really was like I'm getting chills even saying this that really was like I am with you, I am here with you and just continue to lean into me and allow me to provide and show up for you. And so that was that. And now we fast forward a few months. You know we talked about in the business story last episode how I tried to do all the things but we ultimately decide to work together, and so can you speak to.

Speaker 2: 18:46

How did that also allow our faith to grow stronger, us coming together as one in our business?

Speaker 1: 18:53

Yeah, our faith started to grow. It's surreal what God was able to do with us. Let me actually read scripture if you don't mind.

Speaker 1: 19:00

I want to go to Ecclesiastes 4. This is a New Living Translation. A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back to back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple braided cord is not easily broken. So now, when we actually have the presence of God right, we're actually focusing on our relationship with God. He is making us hungry for him and he is in the center of our marriage. We are starting to do things that we were never able to do before. Since coming together, we are making more money than we've ever had. We are doing five figure months Like God is just blessing and anointing our business in a way that we can never even think or imagine.

Speaker 2: 19:39

Right and we also saw him in our marriage. Like our relationships got so much deeper with one another. We really incorporated prayer more into our life. We were at this time attending an online church but we were listening to the word all the time like every single day, not even just on Sunday. And we really started seeing like, wow, god has his hand on us, he has his hand on our family, he has his hand on our finances, he has his hand on all the things.

Speaker 2: 20:05

And so we got excited. We said this is why God brought us here because he just wanted to put favor on us. He wanted us to work together and make partners.

Speaker 1: 20:15

He wanted us to have autonomy, he wanted us to build a legacy, and so we were chilling, we were outside.

Speaker 2: 20:20

We were going on vacations.

Speaker 1: 20:22

We were doing all the things. Why did I have all those watches? Listen, we definitely, definitely, definitely were not humbled at that time. We fumbled God's favor.

Speaker 2: 20:34

We fumbled God's favor, yes, and we thought we almost like were entitled to it, that we deserved it, that like, oh, we worked so hard all these years Like this was coming to us. We finally are reaping what we sowed and we fumbled it, we wasted it.

Speaker 2: 20:50

We were such bad stewards of all the resources that God gave us. And so, next thing, you know, we find ourselves in a new local church that planted here. We're so excited about it and again Holy Spirit started shifting within us, started twisting our stomachs, making us even more hungry to serve and get to know Him, but starting to not feel so good about what we were doing on a day-to-day.

Speaker 2: 21:15

Like when it came to our business, it's like, okay, who are we truly impacting? And he really started making Spartaners something to really focus on more of, versus the content creation. And so next thing, you know, he's like, all right, I got something else for you.

Speaker 1: 21:29

Come this weekend to this church for an experience.

Speaker 2: 21:33

And we weren't going to go. Yeah, remember that night we were like we're going to go.

Speaker 1: 21:35

Yeah, I remember that night we were going to just do us. We were like we're just going to go grab some wine, have a date night. We're going to cut out Babysitter with the kids.

Speaker 2: 21:40

Yeah, and I remember saying to you you know what, if we don't go, we're going to regret it, yeah so like, we can always go to this event and then get wine afterwards. Absolutely. And we left that weekend conference in unison with not only each other but with Christ at the center. We left that weekend feeling so guilty, dirty, ashamed. We know that wasn't God that wasn't his intention.

Speaker 2: 22:11

No, but we also know that he allowed us to experience those things. So that way we will never mismanage or fumble the blessing and favor God gives us ever again. So that weekend we call our encounter. How blessed are we as a couple to be able to have an encounter at the same time with our Lord and Savior that truly changed our lives Absolutely. I remember the pastors at our church then said you know, people have experiences with Christ all the time. You go to service. You hear worship music, you cry. It makes you think of something oh, my goodness, that was so meaningful. But then the next day you carry on your life the way you were before. An encounter, however, completely changes your life. There is no way you can go back to who you were before that encounter. And that is us. That worship conference weekend that has transformed and changed our lives Absolutely. And talk about a faith story because since then our faith got tested and tested, and tested and strengthened, and strengthened.

Speaker 1: 23:10

We went from five-figure months to months where we were not making any money at all and during those times we were able to pray and lean in and still grow and still maintain connection and friendship and intimacy.

Speaker 1: 23:24

You know, when it comes to money specifically, we know money is one of the things that can divide a marriage and we decided to lean into God during those times, we decided to show up in prayer, we decided to be mindful and try to be good stewards and God has anointed us in many different ways through these experiences. We've come through so many tough challenges in this season, but through all of it we have grown closer in our individual relationships with Jesus, but then also within our marriage and being centered in our marriage. We went from being frivolous and beingivolous and having all the idols and all the things that were literally our gods, whether it was perfectionism for you and perception for you and what it looks like and for me, my vanity and my body was even an idol at one point and the watches and all these things that we put in front of us, and I just think it's so beautiful what he's been able to do and ever since surrendering to Jesus and being on his faith walk. He's just blown our world.

Speaker 2: 24:23

Yeah, absolutely. And, like you know, when I think about the last 18 months, as when this podcast is being recorded, and how much my faith has just grown, I truly sit back and get like teary-eyed because I finally now know what it is to have a heavenly father. I now know what it is to have someone who will be a Lord of provision, of protection, of healing, of grace, of mercy, of kindness, of forgiveness. I know what it feels like to have someone who will provide comfort and just the ability to love me unconditionally, no matter what, so long as I repent, so long as I keep my faith strong and so long as I acknowledge him as my Lord and Savior.

Speaker 2: 25:13

And so earlier on in our time together, we mentioned you mentioned how you were lukewarm, or we were lukewarm one foot in, one foot out. And after that encounter I remember just wanting to having to fully surrender and become obedient to God and me as a control freak type, a personality, all the things surrendering and obeying anyone else but me was just not happening, and obeying anyone else but me was just not happening. And so not only did I learn to obey Christ and surrender to him and allow him to use me as his vessel, because I'm not here for my own fulfillment, I'm here for his fulfillment. He has put me here to complete a task, to complete a ministry, to do some good work for him, and so by me consistently trying to control my own life, I'm fighting him.

Speaker 2: 26:02

I'm not allowing him to use me to do whatever he needs me to do, and so I left that weekend in full in what I thought was full surrendering, because I realized when I did my life.

Speaker 1: 26:11

I have to keep surrendering, every single day, every day um but?

Speaker 2: 26:14

but I left ready to surrender to him and to you as the head of our household, as the spiritual provider for this family and for the person that I know will continue to strengthen my own faith.

Speaker 1: 26:28

And I thank Jesus just for that alone, because, as you were to submit to me, I am to honor you and I didn't even have the language, I didn't have the understanding of that role as a kingdom man, as a husband, what my role was. But I thank God that you know we talk about. You know all the idols, everything we've went through, all the stuff, and no matter what, his grace is sufficient, because we are owed nothing. You know what I mean. There's nothing that we can do. We were bought at a price of the blood, right Like we saw what God was doing in the Bible early on in the Old Testament, before the sacrifice of Jesus.

Speaker 1: 27:08

And if it wasn't for Jesus, none of us would be here right now. Like that sacrifice has wiped our slates clean. There's nothing that we can do. It's already done. He just wants us to love him and to trust him as our Lord and Savior and keep him first. And what we're supposed to do as believers is, you know, come on this podcast and preach his good news. We are supposed to shrink in size so that we can magnify his good word.

Speaker 2: 27:34

And we have been shrinking.

Speaker 1: 27:37

We have shrunk.

Speaker 2: 27:41

And you know, over the last 18 months of this faith journey and this faith walk, I believe that we we're like babies, novices, newbies, because, yes, we took Christ as our Lord and Savior. We read the word we behaved well. Read the word we behaved well, you know. But it's so much more than just behaving well and doing good and being nice and kind. We are actually supposed to be in constant communication and relation with Jesus because at any moment, at any moment, he can ask us to do something and we need to be available to listen.

Speaker 2: 28:18

We need to be available to and we need to be available to listen, we need to be available to act, we need to be available to go, and last year, in order for us to get to that point that we are now, in order for us to hear him, he had to remove so many things from us and, as you mentioned, he did just that. He wasn't going to be able to do that to us in New York.

Speaker 1: 28:38

New York was too loud too chaotic New York was too comfortable, too comfortable right, we had too many distractions.

Speaker 2: 28:51

Like there was no way that we were going to be able to move from where we were to where we are now in New York. And so I am so grateful that Jesus called upon us so loudly to go, and I'm so grateful that we had the discernment and the ability to hear it, because by going, we allowed for this season of isolation, we allowed for the season of pruning and we allow for God to truly use us as he has intended Absolutely, and that is where our faith is today.

Speaker 2: 29:15

Our spiritual walk, our faith walk, has been quite a rollercoaster ride, but I will say that it has grown stronger and stronger and stronger the more he removes things, and he don't need to remove anything else.

Speaker 1: 29:26

He does not need to remove anything else. He's not to be honest, he's not even removing anything, he's just repositioning. You know what I mean? Like I think that's even a spiritual maturity growth moment. That I'm having now is like sometimes we think that God is just taking, taking, taking. But again, his burden is light, right, his, his, his yoke is easy and he's not necessarily taking anything from us, he's just repositioning things in us now. So it's like the things that we had. It's not a problem to have those things, as long as those things don't have you.

Speaker 2: 29:59

You know what I mean Can you say that again it's it's not a problem to have the thing.

Speaker 1: 30:03

There's a problem for the things that have you.

Speaker 2: 30:05

And what are those things?

Speaker 1: 30:06

The things are the idols. Anything that can get in between the relationship with you and your Lord and Savior. Your job can be an idol. Your title can be an idol, that college degree that you got can be an idol. The car that you drive can be an idol. The sorority that you pledge can be an idol. Anything that is a part of your identity can be an idol.

Speaker 2: 30:25

Your need to control can be an idol. Your need for validation can be an idol, your need to be seen can be an idol. Your need to just have, your need to have whatever it is that you feel like you need to have can be an idol.

Speaker 1: 30:40

Yeah, and that's the thing again. So God's not saying that you can't have the things. He's not saying that you can't be proud about the job you have or all of those things. But when those things become your God, when those things become your identity, that's when he's like no, I got to reposition and move these things. And when you steward properly, when you seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, all the other things will be given to you. We serve a good God who wants you to have things. He wants you to feel confident. He wants you, but he wants you to know who is responsible for everything that you have. And that is truly what this thing is about is seeking first his kingdom. He loves us. As a father to my children, I want my children to walk this life and I want them to have all the things, but I want them to also have gratitude. I want them to not be entitled and I want them to know where their provision comes from right as their earthly father, and I believe it's the same thing for our spiritual father.

Speaker 1: 31:32

He wants gratitude, he wants glory, he wants us to be appreciative and he wants us to seek him.

Speaker 2: 31:39

You know what I mean and would you say, you've learned all that through the season that we've been through.

Speaker 1: 31:44

Oh, absolutely. I believe that God has just been cutting at our hearts and removing all the parts of our life that don't serve him, to get closer to him so that he can bring back, and he's been blessing us in so many different ways and I think he's been revealing to us the true things that are important in this life, because we come from a place of. These are the things like our identities were caught up in so many things and it's like none of these things are going to sustain you. And I believe that we are a true representation of when you think about. You know, making all the money, the beautiful family, driving the cars, the vacations, the followers, the this, the that, like we've literally had all of that and still felt empty empty.

Speaker 1: 32:27

So I pray that people, you know, because culture says chase those things. That's happiness, that's success, that's freedom, and it couldn't be further from the truth. Those things are not wrong, those things are not bad, but without God in your life, without that relationship with Jesus, you will be trying to fill a void forever that you cannot fill. Happiness doesn't come from those things, it comes from our Savior.

Speaker 2: 32:54

You know, and for us, we had to learn through going through one of the toughest seasons that we've ever endured in our lives.

Speaker 1: 33:01

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 33:01

We, although we were in church, we just didn't get the message.

Speaker 1: 33:04

Yeah.

Speaker 2: 33:04

We just we didn't hear the message of like needing to fix your eyes on Jesus always have a relationship, and so, as listeners and as community members of our family here on our Spartaners podcast, we want to help you be able to have that relationship with Christ, and so we want to encourage you to, without having to go through a season like ours, and it may have to miss a mark.

Speaker 2: 33:27

We wanted to share some things that you can do to help strengthen your faith in Christ, and so the things that work for us is prayer. We pray all the time. We pray as soon as we wake up, by giving God the glory and thanks for allowing us to see another day. We ask for supplication, we are asking for intervention or intercession for other people or things going on, but our prayer life is very, very strong. We also pray throughout the day as different decisions are needed to be made, as we get opportunities or blessings. Throughout the day, we praise God, we worship. We are a family who worships all the time.

Speaker 2: 34:03

We love to sing, love to dance, and we also do this as a family. Just so you know, we do this individually and we do this as a couple and we do this as a family. Just so you know. We do this individually and we do this as a couple and we do this as a family with our children worship and prayer. What are some other things people can do to just build their faith and spiritual life?

Speaker 1: 34:17

Well, earlier on in the episode, we said that you do not have to go to church to be in relationship with Jesus. But I also want to make it very clear that finding a good church, being around other believers and having that community is so important, because having a great circle of people that will pray for you and pray with you can change the trajectory of your life. So having a community of people that can pray for you, pray over you when you're going through a hard time, can change things. And if you don't have that community, you have that community right here. We didn't have that community at one point, we didn't have that wise counsel, but you have access between me and Chantel.

Speaker 1: 34:53

Submit your prayers, submit your requests. You can text us through this podcast. On every episode. We would love, as pastors, to pray for you, to pray for your family, to pray that God blesses you and anoints you. We want to walk this thing out with you because we know what it's like to do it without a community and to actually build a community. So that's something. Lean on the fact that you even have us to pray with you and pray over you.

Speaker 2: 35:15

Absolutely, and we're going to save the best and maybe the most obvious for last as a way to just really strengthen your faith. But it is to read the living words. Get your hands on a Bible, whether it be a tactile, physical Bible or the Bible online. Read that word daily, every single day. It is the armor of God that you will be able to use as your sword to fight off whatever comes your way. Read the word, and if you don't know how to read the word, where to start? We can talk about that in other episodes. There are so many resources of people trying to help you, but pray about it and then open your Bible and begin Amen, I love that.

Speaker 1: 35:58

I'd also like to add to that that on the days and this is I'm giving you advice that I've taken from Wise Counsel On the days when you can't read the word, listen to the word. We always have our phones with us. You're in the car, you're walking, you're doing something. Open that YouVersion, that digital Bible and press play and listen to the word. Because when Jesus and his disciples were going from town to town, people were not opening their Bibles, they were listening to God's word. That's how God's word was ministered was listening to God's word. So when you can't read the word and get into it, listen to his word.

Speaker 2: 36:31

So when you can't read the word and get into it, listen to his word. And for those of you who are like, but why, why, why? If you have taken Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then you know that you can find just how to live your life by opening up that Bible he has made it so clear.

Speaker 2: 36:43

If you are going through a moment of anxiety, a moment of pain, a moment of humility, a moment of just disgrace, Open the Bible and see how did Jesus handle this. There used to be a saying what would Jesus do?

Speaker 1: 36:56

But it is so real, what would Jesus do?

Speaker 2: 36:59

So open the Bible and explore, and you can also open the Bible when great things happen to you too, because the living word is literally the living word. There's something for everyone, in every season of your life, that you can find in that book.

Speaker 1: 37:14

Listen, I got scripture. I got scripture to back it up. Baby, Please Listen. God just brought it right here Hebrews 4, 16. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Come to the throne of God. His living word is another way that we get to communicate with him, and when you go to his living word, you will receive mercy and you will find grace when you need it the most. Whatever you are going through, you can find help in that book.

Speaker 2: 37:46

Absolutely, Absolutely. All right man, we could talk about our faith all day long, but the biggest part that I love about our faith is how it has been able to align our marriage. It has been able to align our business with it, and so it's not that our marriage is being aligned with our business or that our business is being aligned with our faith. No, it is the faith that we have. It is our faith in Jesus that has aligned our marriage, that has aligned our business and that has aligned it all together.

Speaker 2: 38:21

So that way we can be whole, we can be used and that way we can serve.

Speaker 1: 38:26

Yes, I got nothing to say after that. That is it.

Speaker 2: 38:30

Let's close out in prayer. Babe, I love you, heavenly Father.

Speaker 1: 38:33

We thank you, lord. We thank you for the awakening, lord. We thank you for the opportunity to grow closer to you, lord, in relation. We thank you for your provision, lord, Jehovah Jireh, you are our provider, lord, and we thank you for your mercies, new mercies every day. Lord, we know that there's nothing we can do to please you, lord, other than seeking your face. We were bought at a price, lord, and we thank you, lord. It is by the blood, and the blood alone, that we are here, and we are so grateful for what you have done and the sacrifice that you have made for us. Lord, may we seek you first in everything we do. May we live our lives to magnify and glorify you and bring people to you, lord, as shepherds, may we smell like sheep all the time, lord, by glorifying you, by bringing your people to you and being the proper representation of you on this earth. Jesus, we thank you, your mighty name, we pray.

Speaker 2: 39:26

Amen, amen Until next time.

Speaker 1: 39:29

Peace out y'all.