Hey sisterfriends!

This week's episode is a little different - we are taking a pause and inviting you to come and sit down with us.

Get some tea or coffee, blanket and a snack so we can all get to know each other better. Especially as we are getting ready for Thanksgiving, and the holidays in general, we want all of you to know how much God loves you and how worthy you are for healing - one that fulfills you in a way that only He can and allows you to walk in freedom.

Do I know that God is searching the earth and does my heart completely feel His presence?

The Bible says that no matter where we go we cannot escape the presence of God. (Psalm 139:7-12) You don’t have to go far to experience the presence of God, the Holy Spirit is all around us. And if you are a Christian, the Holy Spirit lives inside of YOU.

Join me in the next couple podcast-we are going to look at how God's presence is in us, with us and is through us and also spending time with Him by ourselves.

Grab your pen and paper!

I want to pick up again today on this concept that we Experience God's Presence in a Powerful Way in last session about the His presence is: In us, With us and Through us.

This is week -

“But as for me, God’s presence is my good. I have made the Lord God my refuge, so I can tell about all you do.” (Psalm 73:28 CSB)

When life gets difficult, it is quite easy to slip into a negative cycle of thinking viewing ourselves as victims and our life as a series of bad events. When a tragedy darkens our world and casts a black shadow on our future, it is tempting to become blind for the good in our life.

In moments like that, when I feel my life devoid of any good struggling to go on through the day, the last words of Psalm 73 breathe fresh hope and help me shift my perspective: “But as for me, God’s presence is my good.”

Let’s resolve to look for the good today and everday. It doesn’t matter how much pain and adversity life throws at us; it doesn’t need to define our lives. Good is right here with us because God will never leave us nor forsake us.

Action: Ask God how he wants you to change the world. Whatever He says, write it down, tell someone who loves Jesus about it, then go do it!

Action: Spend some time asking God to show you how you can be more like Him. Whatever He says, write it down and do it.

Breathe Deeply.

Being still is hard.

Sometimes we can't sense God's presence because there's too much of everything else going on. Too much noise. Too much traffic. Too much confusion.

We live in a fast paced world that prides itself on productivity and quantity. But in Psalms 46:10 God offers another perspective... Be still and Know that He is God. It's a verse that we all know, but not one that we take the time to sit with. In this episode we are going to break down what it means to be still, why it is important and how it will transform your relationship with God. We are people who want to experience God in His fullness in our worship, prayer, praise and everyday life.

So how do we experience the joy of the Lord every single day?

When we think about joy, it is associated with happiness, pleasure, delight. But what about in those situations that are hard - is joy still possible? God reminds us that not only is joy possible but that we can experience Him in His fullness to never leave us and give us the strength we need to sustain anything. In this week's episode we are sharing in what ways we are offered the joy of the Lord continuously and how it allows us to see God differently as we experience and mature in Him.

It is the last Cup of Soul in 2022!

We have talked about prayer, spiritual disciplines, connection, shared our lives in real time and broken down how we have the ability to experience God in all areas of our lives. This week we share how we want to experience God in the New Year and how that is connected to change and obedience. We will share the changes that will be happening inside of GirlTalk and what it means to be empowered in order to empower others.

REFLECT AND RESPOND

What are some ways the Lord is asking you to sacrifice on behalf of His purposes or serving others? What’s one step you can take to move more fully into His calling of surrender to Him on behalf of His greater plan?

The privilege of enjoying deep, meaningful friendships is one of the best things about life. Oftentimes, friends seem closer to us than our actual family members. We all desire purposeful connections with people who have our back. This episode I have my partner in podcast crime Candis with me and I invite two more sisterfriends to join us. So come listen to a great year recap and an amazing start of the year.

There are ‘friends’ who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.” – Proverbs 18:24 (NLT)

Consider this story… During WWI, a soldier saw his best buddy get hit by enemy gunfire. Calling out to his commander, he asked: “Sir, my friend has been shot! Can I carry him back here?” His commander said, “No, it won’t do any good to lose you both.” The soldier disregarded his commander’s words and bolted out of the trenches to try and save his friend. He was able to retrieve him; however, in the process, they were both mortally wounded. When they got to safety, the commander was furious, shouting, “Now I lost both of you! It wasn’t worth it!” Yet, with his dying breath the young soldier whispered, “But it was worth it, sir, because when I got to my friend, he said, ‘Jim, I knew you would come.’”

That’s a beautiful picture of what sacrificial friendship, comunitas, looks like. I don’t know about you, but I want to cultivate friendships that are forged in the fire. For it’s in the fire where we find true friends who will stick closer than a brother.

Digging Deeper

1. Do you have a friendship in your life that exemplifies comunitas?
2. Today, set aside time to pray for your closest friends, the friends that stick closer than a brother.
3. What do you think a love jug is?
4. Have you ever taking a day and did something fun with a sisterfriend, spouse or child? What did you do?

When Jesus is the Source of Life around your table, you will pour into each other out of the overflow. Unplugged from each other and pouring into each other, your table will be forever changed.

What if 2023 could be different?

What could be transformed if you allowed your mind, heart, and soul to marinate on one word and really let it work? I bet God would open your eyes in incredible ways!

With Scripture, God gives us the answers we crave as we cling to the hope that this year will be different than the last. So let's turn to His Word as we focus on a direction for the next twelve months as we allow our "ONE" Word to speaks life. Let's look to the Lord as we choose one word that will help us intentionally live our faith in 2023.

Let us help you take action now that you have found your "ONE" word.

• Now you have to figure out how you can apply your One Word into your life, your business, your surroundings etc. You want take a look at the most important aspect of your life — faith,family, work/ school/ business, and environment.
• Now lets keep your word where you can see it every day. Whatever you do, keep your word where it will inspire you and help inform the choices you make and how you think about things.

Tragedy of life is not death; but what we let die inside us while we are still alive

Do you have a One Word? God wants to do an amazing work in you during this season! Could you share some ideas on what to do with your One Word?

Share your word in the comments to inspire and encourage others!

All you have to do is to take action right now and if u do, I’ll be so excited to see what your life will be like. Hope you enjoy the podcast!