Support System

0:00:02.040 --> 0:00:04.880 Welcome to Elevation Church. Due to Hurricane Florence that came 0:00:04.920 --> 0:00:06.920 through the Carolinas this week, we weren't able to have 0:00:07.000 --> 0:00:09.520 church at many of our locations. We shared a special 0:00:09.560 --> 0:00:12.320 online experience this weekend, but today we wanted to share 0:00:12.320 --> 0:00:15.160 with you a message preached by Holly Ferdict. Holly preached 0:00:15.160 --> 0:00:17.639 this message at Reflect twenty eighteen, which is an event 0:00:17.680 --> 0:00:20.520 for the ladies of Elevation Church. This message is centered 0:00:20.520 --> 0:00:23.360 around the subject of friendships. It's the kickoff message to 0:00:23.360 --> 0:00:26.080 a study that Holly has recently written called Building Friendships 0:00:26.079 --> 0:00:28.520 That Fit. You can get more information on how to 0:00:28.560 --> 0:00:30.600 purchase the study or how to join an eGroup at 0:00:30.600 --> 0:00:33.320 Elevationchurch dot org. But right now we're going to jump 0:00:33.360 --> 0:00:37.360 into the message from Holly during Reflect. Hope you guys enjoy? 0:00:39.560 --> 0:00:42.040 Are that any grateful lady? Then I have to day, 0:00:45.600 --> 0:00:48.280 is there anyone expecting God to speak to them tonight? 0:00:48.400 --> 0:00:53.720 Cot your head? As I was studying, I came across 0:00:53.800 --> 0:00:57.160 this psalm its Psalm one, verse six. It says I 0:00:57.360 --> 0:01:01.960 stretch out my hands to you. My soul yearns for 0:01:02.080 --> 0:01:05.360 you like a parched land. And I was just wondering 0:01:05.360 --> 0:01:08.840 if anybody came in here tonight. Thirsty. You want to 0:01:08.880 --> 0:01:12.880 hear from God tonight. So let's do what the psalm says. 0:01:12.959 --> 0:01:16.280 Let's stretch out our hands to the Lord. And so, Lord, 0:01:16.319 --> 0:01:19.600 we come to you, and we are thirsty for you. 0:01:20.040 --> 0:01:24.759 We invite you into this place. We're excited. We're expecting 0:01:25.200 --> 0:01:29.320 to hear from you. We give our hearts to you, God, 0:01:29.319 --> 0:01:32.119 and we claim what James says, that if we will 0:01:32.200 --> 0:01:34.920 draw near to you, you will draw near to us. 0:01:35.240 --> 0:01:42.960 Speak to us now in Jesus' name, we pray, Amen, Amen, 0:01:43.160 --> 0:01:48.160 work great night so far, Oh my goodness, thank you. 0:01:48.240 --> 0:01:54.560 Worship Team was amazing. I am so excited and I 0:01:54.600 --> 0:01:56.720 don't know what it's like at the other campuses, but 0:01:56.880 --> 0:02:03.360 it sounds so good in here, Babe. I was thinking 0:02:03.400 --> 0:02:05.760 that the next time that you're the Worship Team does 0:02:05.840 --> 0:02:14.280 a live recording, you should just let women come. You 0:02:14.360 --> 0:02:17.280 guys sound awesome and you look great. Don't sit down yet. 0:02:17.520 --> 0:02:21.160 Help me welcome all of our campuses. Ladies here with Valentine. 0:02:21.320 --> 0:02:26.560 You're gonna have to help me out. Welcome you see Matthews, 0:02:27.040 --> 0:02:31.200 Lake Norman, Riverwalk, Blakeney lady, Why are you with me? 0:02:31.280 --> 0:02:37.400 A Lakey? Hello mea Melbourne, Toronto, Asheville and all of 0:02:37.480 --> 0:02:40.239 the ladies that are joining us online with our EPHAM 0:02:42.520 --> 0:02:47.200 welcome to reflect. Thank you for braving the weather. It's 0:02:47.360 --> 0:02:53.240 just so terrible here in Charlotte. Sun was shining most 0:02:53.320 --> 0:02:56.480 of the day. I think this has been our best 0:02:56.480 --> 0:03:03.160 reflect so far. Yeah, okay, while you're still clapping, will 0:03:03.160 --> 0:03:11.240 you help me thank our pastor, Pastor Stephens. I was thinking, 0:03:11.840 --> 0:03:14.200 I was thinking of different things that we could thank 0:03:14.240 --> 0:03:16.440 you for. You know. I was thinking we could thank 0:03:16.480 --> 0:03:20.480 you for the basic standard, like having the amazing faith 0:03:20.560 --> 0:03:23.160 to start at a church that's reached so many people. 0:03:24.680 --> 0:03:27.200 And then I was thinking, like, you know, also thank 0:03:27.240 --> 0:03:30.320 you for bringing incredible messages that speak to our hearts 0:03:30.360 --> 0:03:35.880 every single week. You guys need to know that preparing 0:03:35.920 --> 0:03:38.560 a sermon is no joke, and this man does it 0:03:38.600 --> 0:03:42.240 every week and it's so good every week. Okay, but 0:03:43.120 --> 0:03:45.040 this is really what I want you to help me 0:03:45.120 --> 0:03:47.680 thank Pastor Stephen for. So I want us to all 0:03:47.720 --> 0:03:53.480 stay together, So everybody say thank you Pastor Stephen for 0:03:53.640 --> 0:03:58.760 helping Holly with her sermon. If you live with the 0:03:58.760 --> 0:04:01.200 best coach in the world, to take advantage of her, 0:04:06.720 --> 0:04:10.880 all right, just stay standing while we read our scripture, 0:04:11.520 --> 0:04:15.760 and then we will get to the preaching part. We're 0:04:15.800 --> 0:04:19.719 going to be in Luke twenty three, starting in verse 0:04:20.120 --> 0:04:22.040 fifty five. If you have a Bible or you can 0:04:22.080 --> 0:04:26.120 follow along on the screens. It says the women who 0:04:26.160 --> 0:04:30.159 had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw 0:04:30.200 --> 0:04:32.560 the tomb and how the body was laid in it. 0:04:32.960 --> 0:04:36.440 Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But 0:04:36.520 --> 0:04:39.080 they rested on the sabbath and obedience to the commandment. 0:04:39.600 --> 0:04:41.440 On the first day of the week, very early in 0:04:41.480 --> 0:04:44.360 the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared 0:04:44.520 --> 0:04:47.240 and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled 0:04:47.279 --> 0:04:50.039 away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did 0:04:50.080 --> 0:04:53.200 not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they 0:04:53.200 --> 0:04:56.359 were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that 0:04:56.520 --> 0:05:00.440 gleamed like lightning stood before them. In their fright. Women 0:05:00.520 --> 0:05:02.800 bowed down with their faces to the ground. But the 0:05:02.880 --> 0:05:05.039 men said to them, why do you look for the 0:05:05.080 --> 0:05:09.159 living among the dead. He's not here. He has risen 0:05:13.920 --> 0:05:18.520 so great reserve risen saviyah. Okay, you guys made me 0:05:18.560 --> 0:05:23.080 lose my place. He is risen. Remember how he told 0:05:23.120 --> 0:05:25.520 you while he was still with you in Galilee. He said, 0:05:25.760 --> 0:05:28.479 the son of Man must be delivered over to the 0:05:28.520 --> 0:05:31.520 hands of sinners, be crucified, and on the third day 0:05:31.640 --> 0:05:35.120 raised again. Then they remembered his words. When they came 0:05:35.160 --> 0:05:37.560 back from the tomb. They told all these things as 0:05:37.600 --> 0:05:41.880 women do to the eleven, no detail left behind, and 0:05:41.960 --> 0:05:46.360 to all the others. It was Mary Magdalen, Joanna, Mary, 0:05:46.360 --> 0:05:49.160 the mother of James, and the others who were with them, 0:05:49.200 --> 0:05:52.480 who told this to the apostles. I want to talk 0:05:52.560 --> 0:05:59.560 to you tonight about your support system. As you take 0:05:59.600 --> 0:06:15.560 your sea, ask your neighbor how strong is your support system? 0:06:15.640 --> 0:06:21.400 So what do you think about when you hear the 0:06:21.440 --> 0:06:24.880 word support system or the phrase support system? I don't know. 0:06:24.920 --> 0:06:29.080 I mean, I guess if this was a men's conference. 0:06:29.200 --> 0:06:32.520 Men don't have events, they have conferences. But if this 0:06:32.640 --> 0:06:35.000 was a men's conference, a man might be thinking about 0:06:35.000 --> 0:06:41.280 maybe bridges or buildings, or maybe people. But I think 0:06:41.320 --> 0:06:42.960 of those things too. I'm sure you think of those 0:06:42.960 --> 0:06:53.000 things too. But I got to thinking about bras. Did 0:06:53.040 --> 0:06:56.480 you know. I'm sure you know because Oprah told us 0:06:56.520 --> 0:06:59.560 all of this, But eighty percent of women where the 0:06:59.560 --> 0:07:04.640 wrongs size Bra, ask the person next to you, do 0:07:04.720 --> 0:07:17.120 you still feel supported? It wasn't that long, all right. 0:07:18.120 --> 0:07:20.120 You know. One thing that I love about women's events 0:07:20.120 --> 0:07:21.960 is that we can talk about things that really matter 0:07:22.040 --> 0:07:25.080 from the stage, like Bras. Okay, I'm sorry. There are 0:07:25.120 --> 0:07:27.480 just a few men here tonight, and this part of 0:07:27.520 --> 0:07:30.360 the sermon may make you feel a little bit embarrassed. 0:07:30.360 --> 0:07:33.720 But I just couldn't stop thinking about Bras. And I 0:07:33.840 --> 0:07:37.200 promise you. I had decided on my title for the message. 0:07:37.240 --> 0:07:39.600 I really wanted to be called support System, and I 0:07:39.600 --> 0:07:42.320 was thinking about Bras and I promise you, honest to god, 0:07:42.400 --> 0:07:48.280 I got this email in my inbox. It says your 0:07:48.400 --> 0:07:52.880 support system just got better. And I don't know if 0:07:52.880 --> 0:07:55.400 you can see this, but you see. If you need 0:07:55.440 --> 0:07:59.840 to reply, you reply to support at fabletics dot com. 0:07:59.680 --> 0:08:02.200 I think they did that on purpose, but it's pretty funny. 0:08:02.280 --> 0:08:05.040 So I went to Fabletics. We have a store here 0:08:05.080 --> 0:08:06.520 in Charlotte. If you don't know what that is, it's 0:08:06.560 --> 0:08:08.200 like a I don't know. It's kind of like a club, 0:08:08.320 --> 0:08:10.520 like a CD club, but for workout clothes. But then 0:08:10.560 --> 0:08:12.600 they also have a store. If you want to join, 0:08:12.840 --> 0:08:15.160 just put my name in the referral because I get 0:08:15.160 --> 0:08:18.720 twenty dollars for every person that does it. So I 0:08:19.080 --> 0:08:28.720 went to Fabletics and I got some bras, just a few, 0:08:28.760 --> 0:08:31.240 and I know I had to get different sizes and everything, 0:08:31.280 --> 0:08:33.720 but I know that I had kind of like an 0:08:33.760 --> 0:08:35.839 activity like this last year and I held up a 0:08:35.880 --> 0:08:38.360 bunch of ladies things I just I was thinking about. 0:08:38.400 --> 0:08:40.800 I could not talk about bras without holding a couple up. 0:08:40.880 --> 0:08:43.040 So sorry if it feels a little bit repetitive. I 0:08:43.040 --> 0:08:46.320 only preach once here anyway, So I don't have that 0:08:46.360 --> 0:08:50.319 many tricks in my bag. Okay, I just I picked 0:08:50.320 --> 0:08:52.160 out a few to look at. I mean, they're all 0:08:52.280 --> 0:08:55.400 all different colors and patterns. I like this one. That's 0:08:55.440 --> 0:08:57.840 the color blocking thing going on. Okay, this is the 0:08:57.840 --> 0:09:00.559 first one. No, that's not it. It's Ver's the one 0:09:00.559 --> 0:09:02.400 I want. Okay, this is the one I want. Now, 0:09:02.720 --> 0:09:04.679 when when I look at a braw like this, I 0:09:04.720 --> 0:09:07.199 think that there should be like an age an age 0:09:07.280 --> 0:09:14.240 limit for this, and I just want to read you 0:09:14.400 --> 0:09:17.559 what it says on the tag. It says it says 0:09:17.679 --> 0:09:21.200 light support, and then it says a little mesh goes 0:09:21.240 --> 0:09:26.480 a long way. Then then I had one that was 0:09:26.520 --> 0:09:30.560 more that was. This one's called the Medium Support Okay, 0:09:31.040 --> 0:09:33.760 and I don't think they really say anything special about it, 0:09:33.880 --> 0:09:39.199 Medium Support Sports SPRA. It's called the Kobe. I don't know. Anyway, 0:09:39.200 --> 0:09:42.319 there's that one. Okay, Now that this one, this one's 0:09:42.360 --> 0:09:51.400 my favorite. Okay, this this one, This one is called 0:09:52.080 --> 0:09:57.959 the Zoe High Impact Sports Bra. And when I love 0:09:58.040 --> 0:10:01.480 what it says in the description it says and an 0:10:01.520 --> 0:10:05.760 easy on and off zip closure in the front. Now, 0:10:07.000 --> 0:10:09.240 if you're not a woman, you're not gonna understand what 0:10:09.280 --> 0:10:11.400 I'm about to say about this bra. But if you 0:10:11.480 --> 0:10:14.800 have ever been sweaty and tried to take off a 0:10:14.880 --> 0:10:26.160 sports bra, a woman invented this bra. Okay, So while 0:10:26.160 --> 0:10:28.080 I clean up my mess, check out this little meme 0:10:28.120 --> 0:10:31.839 that I found. It's so cute. You can do it. 0:10:32.520 --> 0:10:43.640 You're awesome support bras. Okay, tonight is all about friendship. 0:10:43.640 --> 0:10:46.480 If you haven't clued into that, you know, you probably 0:10:46.480 --> 0:10:49.800 weren't paying attention. Maybe you got here late. But it's 0:10:49.800 --> 0:10:53.640 about friendship, it's about support, and I just I want 0:10:53.679 --> 0:10:57.600 you to leave here knowing that you were never intended 0:10:57.880 --> 0:11:02.280 to go through this life alone. God wants every one 0:11:02.320 --> 0:11:08.000 of us to have thriving, healthy, life, giving relationships. You 0:11:08.080 --> 0:11:11.319 should have an arsenal of friends that you can pull 0:11:11.400 --> 0:11:15.359 out to provide the support that you need for whatever 0:11:15.640 --> 0:11:19.160 situation that you're in. And I want to ask you tonight, 0:11:19.600 --> 0:11:24.720 what is your support system? Like we've all heard it's 0:11:24.760 --> 0:11:29.679 on all everybody's newsfeed, whether you read BuzzFeed or flipboard 0:11:29.840 --> 0:11:33.439 or Apple or whatever. We've all heard that loneliness has 0:11:33.520 --> 0:11:39.640 reached epic proportions that it's actually causing a health epidemic. 0:11:40.040 --> 0:11:44.480 And I'm not just talking about depression and anxiety and suicide, 0:11:44.480 --> 0:11:48.480 which are at all time highs. I'm talking about cardiovascular 0:11:48.559 --> 0:11:53.160 problems and sleep deprivation and premature deaths are being linked 0:11:53.280 --> 0:11:58.440 directly to loneliness. And what's strange about this which blows 0:11:58.480 --> 0:12:00.680 my mind, is that we live in a world where 0:12:00.720 --> 0:12:05.200 communication has never been easier. But it's like the more 0:12:05.240 --> 0:12:09.800 communication we got, the less connection that we got, and 0:12:09.840 --> 0:12:13.679 our connection has just become so complicated. So tonight, I 0:12:13.880 --> 0:12:17.480 want you to take a look at your support system. 0:12:17.880 --> 0:12:20.880 The reason that this is so important is because and 0:12:21.320 --> 0:12:23.320 hear me on this, because this is this is this 0:12:23.400 --> 0:12:25.720 is so important. If you're taking notes, this is maybe 0:12:25.760 --> 0:12:28.560 one little thing you might want to write down. While 0:12:28.600 --> 0:12:32.280 we may not get to choose what we go through 0:12:32.360 --> 0:12:36.079 in life, we do get to choose who we go 0:12:36.120 --> 0:12:40.520 through it with. Life is not a game of tennis. 0:12:40.760 --> 0:12:42.880 I don't know if any of you watch tennis or 0:12:42.880 --> 0:12:45.680 play tennis. I attempted to play tennis. I'm not good 0:12:45.760 --> 0:12:48.800 at all. Like like, I'm on this little team and 0:12:48.840 --> 0:12:50.920 we played Queen City League. I don't know if anybody 0:12:50.920 --> 0:12:52.840 ever plays Queen City League. You've probably never played me. 0:12:53.280 --> 0:12:57.920 Because there's ten divisions, Division one all the way through ten, 0:12:58.040 --> 0:13:01.440 one being the worst, the best ones, the best, ten's 0:13:01.440 --> 0:13:04.720 the worst. I'm in Division ten, So I'm just out 0:13:04.720 --> 0:13:07.079 there for the fun of it in the sunshine and anyway. 0:13:07.120 --> 0:13:09.320 But I like to watch tennis. And even if you 0:13:09.360 --> 0:13:12.680 don't watch tennis, I'm sure that in your news feed 0:13:12.760 --> 0:13:17.800 this week you heard about Serena's match at the US Open. Now, 0:13:17.840 --> 0:13:21.200 I'm not going to share my opinion about Serena except 0:13:21.240 --> 0:13:24.079 that I think that she is the greatest women's tennis 0:13:24.120 --> 0:13:28.720 player to have ever played the game. So that's my 0:13:28.760 --> 0:13:32.160 two cents about that. But in the championship match, Serena 0:13:32.320 --> 0:13:34.840 received three penalties, and there's a lot of controversy going 0:13:34.920 --> 0:13:37.400 on about these penalties, but I just want to talk 0:13:37.440 --> 0:13:39.680 to you about the first penalty that she received, because 0:13:39.920 --> 0:13:43.440 the first penalty that she received was for illegal coaching. 0:13:44.280 --> 0:13:48.840 And so you see, in tennis, it is actually against 0:13:48.960 --> 0:13:52.400 the rules to be coached during a tennis match. It 0:13:52.480 --> 0:13:57.200 is all up to you or to Serena. So if 0:13:57.200 --> 0:13:59.920 you're a tennis player, let's just imagine that you're a Serena. Okay, 0:14:00.120 --> 0:14:04.400 you have to encourage yourself, you have to correct yourself, 0:14:04.840 --> 0:14:09.080 you have to read your opponent all by yourself. And 0:14:09.160 --> 0:14:12.240 I think that this is the mental model that some 0:14:12.320 --> 0:14:16.440 of us just go through life with. Something happens to us, 0:14:16.520 --> 0:14:20.560 something you didn't expect. Maybe your child is getting in 0:14:20.600 --> 0:14:23.760 trouble at school, or maybe your marriage is beginning to struggle, 0:14:23.800 --> 0:14:26.760 or maybe you even lost your job, and often our 0:14:26.840 --> 0:14:31.840 immediate response is nobody needs to know. I need to 0:14:31.920 --> 0:14:36.400 keep this a secret, and we fight alone, thinking that 0:14:36.840 --> 0:14:41.120 if I admit that I need help, then everybody's going 0:14:41.160 --> 0:14:43.880 to think less of me. What are people going to 0:14:43.920 --> 0:14:48.080 think of me? You were not meant to be Serena. 0:14:48.160 --> 0:14:51.160 I mean, thank good, there's only one Serena. Okay, you're 0:14:51.280 --> 0:14:53.760 not meant to be like you are meant to be 0:14:53.960 --> 0:14:58.040 like a fighter. And you know what fighters have. They 0:14:58.040 --> 0:15:01.880 have a corner. They're out there and they're throwing their 0:15:02.120 --> 0:15:04.720 punches and their kicks, depending on what kind of fighter 0:15:04.760 --> 0:15:06.760 you are. I live in a house with a lot 0:15:06.760 --> 0:15:09.960 of boys, so we watch MMA and the bloody you 0:15:10.000 --> 0:15:13.280 know stuff and all that. But when the bell rings, 0:15:13.600 --> 0:15:17.640 the fighter goes to their corner, and in your corner, 0:15:17.920 --> 0:15:21.240 you have someone who's dressing your wounds, your cuts, and 0:15:21.280 --> 0:15:23.920 your blood and your bruises and everything, and you have 0:15:24.160 --> 0:15:27.080 someone who's giving you feedback and saying, oh, you know, oh, 0:15:27.160 --> 0:15:29.040 like in Was It Rocky where they were like he's 0:15:29.120 --> 0:15:31.480 drinking water? Was that the one they told him to 0:15:31.480 --> 0:15:33.000 punch him in the stomach? I don't know one of 0:15:33.000 --> 0:15:36.320 those fighter movies that that people we were watching. Am 0:15:36.320 --> 0:15:42.320 I losing them with the fighting illustration? Okay, you are 0:15:42.360 --> 0:15:44.640 not meant to do this alone. You were meant to 0:15:44.680 --> 0:15:48.320 have a corner that you can go back to and 0:15:48.360 --> 0:15:52.720 then go back out and fight your fight. Okay, let's 0:15:52.760 --> 0:15:55.120 get back to the to Mary Magdalen and her friends. 0:15:56.480 --> 0:16:00.760 I have spent the last several months one wondering about 0:16:00.840 --> 0:16:03.920 these women that were at the resurrection. And then I 0:16:04.000 --> 0:16:07.400 began to ask my husband some questions about them, and 0:16:07.440 --> 0:16:10.840 I began to study them, and he gave me this 0:16:11.040 --> 0:16:14.200 He has this seminary professor that he emails and asks 0:16:14.280 --> 0:16:16.320 questions too, and so he gave me the poor man. 0:16:16.680 --> 0:16:18.720 He gave me his email address. So I kept asking 0:16:18.800 --> 0:16:21.680 him all these questions about these women, because it can 0:16:21.760 --> 0:16:25.560 get very confusing. If you combine all of the accounts together, 0:16:26.240 --> 0:16:31.760 you find this girl gang made up of Mary, Magdalene, Joanna, 0:16:32.640 --> 0:16:37.880 Mary the mother of James, and silomeg And there's also 0:16:37.960 --> 0:16:39.840 maybe a few others that could have been in this 0:16:39.880 --> 0:16:42.720 group whose names weren't mentioned. But I just was wondering 0:16:42.880 --> 0:16:45.640 who were these women and why were they the ones 0:16:45.640 --> 0:16:48.480 at the tomb and why were they the ones that 0:16:48.520 --> 0:16:51.760 the angel came to first. Were they there together by 0:16:51.880 --> 0:16:56.400 chance or were they there together by choice? And I 0:16:56.480 --> 0:16:59.560 know that this is a scripture about the resurrection of Christ, 0:17:00.080 --> 0:17:04.480 but all four of the Gospels give us details about 0:17:04.680 --> 0:17:07.960 these women, and I think that there's something really some 0:17:08.119 --> 0:17:12.320 really important lessons that we can learn from them tonight. 0:17:12.880 --> 0:17:16.520 Who are you going through life with? Are you going 0:17:16.560 --> 0:17:19.320 through it with the wrong people? Are you going through 0:17:19.320 --> 0:17:23.240 it alone. Do you have the support system to get 0:17:23.280 --> 0:17:27.800 you through a tough time, because we're all either This 0:17:27.840 --> 0:17:29.920 is not anything I've ever made up. Of course, I've 0:17:29.920 --> 0:17:31.399 heard a lot of preachers, and I've heard a lot 0:17:31.440 --> 0:17:33.760 of preachers say this. You know, you're you're either going 0:17:33.800 --> 0:17:36.160 into a storm, or you're in a storm, or you're 0:17:36.160 --> 0:17:39.639 coming out of one. Right, So, trouble is a part 0:17:39.920 --> 0:17:42.640 of life. And it doesn't matter if you are sixty 0:17:42.720 --> 0:17:46.160 years old and you've basically just given up on having friendship. 0:17:46.200 --> 0:17:48.879 It doesn't matter if you've been hurt by someone before 0:17:49.160 --> 0:17:52.720 and you're scared to put yourself out there again. God 0:17:52.840 --> 0:17:56.800 has given us many beautiful gifts in this life, and 0:17:56.880 --> 0:18:03.240 one of them is the gift of friendship. Yes, friendship 0:18:03.320 --> 0:18:06.880 is messy. I mean this women that we're talking about. Okay, 0:18:07.080 --> 0:18:11.040 it's messy, it's complicated. But if you're going at it 0:18:11.119 --> 0:18:14.360 alone and you feel like something is missing, that's because 0:18:14.720 --> 0:18:19.240 it is. God is our provider, and yes, he meets 0:18:19.600 --> 0:18:23.080 our every need. But have you ever stopped to think 0:18:23.119 --> 0:18:26.679 about all the ways that He has provided for you 0:18:27.280 --> 0:18:34.960 through someone else, whether it was encouragement, resources, a meal, 0:18:35.480 --> 0:18:39.440 a listening ear, a wise word, somebody who says to you, 0:18:39.440 --> 0:18:41.240 you know, I had a friend that told me that 0:18:41.320 --> 0:18:43.919 I needed to stop breastfeeding one of my children and 0:18:43.960 --> 0:18:47.160 just go straight to the bottle. I needed to hear that. Okay, 0:18:47.520 --> 0:18:51.560 I wasn't making enough milk. Look at me, Okay, I 0:18:51.680 --> 0:18:54.400 just stat up here and talked about bras. Anyway, tonight, 0:18:56.720 --> 0:19:00.480 I want to challenge you to examine your support system, 0:19:00.520 --> 0:19:03.000 and so I'm going to give you a framework three 0:19:03.160 --> 0:19:07.400 characteristics of a solid support system, and the first one 0:19:07.480 --> 0:19:11.119 is that your support system must be based on the 0:19:11.240 --> 0:19:16.080 right thing. Look with me at Luke twenty three fifty five. 0:19:18.320 --> 0:19:19.840 Let's see. I want to read it too from my 0:19:19.960 --> 0:19:23.960 iPad because I highlighted exactly what I wanted to read. 0:19:24.400 --> 0:19:28.080 So Luke twenty three fifty five says, the women who 0:19:28.119 --> 0:19:32.400 had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw 0:19:32.480 --> 0:19:35.720 the tomb and how his body was laid in it. 0:19:36.640 --> 0:19:41.160 The resurrection takes place in Jerusalem, where Jesus was crucified, 0:19:41.840 --> 0:19:44.720 but these women were from if you read the verse, 0:19:44.800 --> 0:19:48.000 they had come from Galilee. When you read the Bible, 0:19:48.040 --> 0:19:50.639 sometimes it's really easy to skip over some of the 0:19:51.119 --> 0:19:53.920 geography and stuff. But it brings so much light when 0:19:53.920 --> 0:19:58.080 you actually find out okay, wait, where are they Jerusalem? 0:19:58.119 --> 0:20:00.960 Where were they from Galilee? Well, what does that mean? 0:20:01.240 --> 0:20:05.000 I looked it up for you on Google. Okay, Galilee 0:20:05.320 --> 0:20:10.919 is seventy miles from Jerusalem. And one little article that 0:20:11.000 --> 0:20:13.240 I read blog or something somebody wrote. I don't even 0:20:13.240 --> 0:20:14.359 know if this is true, but I read it on 0:20:14.400 --> 0:20:18.560 the internet. It said that a determined person could get 0:20:18.600 --> 0:20:23.000 from Galilee to Jerusalem in six days. Okay, So these women, 0:20:23.480 --> 0:20:28.240 they were serious followers of Jesus. But the thing about 0:20:28.280 --> 0:20:33.640 them was that they were brought together by Jesus. They 0:20:33.640 --> 0:20:37.960 were so into Jesus that they hopped on a week 0:20:38.359 --> 0:20:42.880 long hiking trip to follow him to Jerusalem and hear 0:20:42.960 --> 0:20:44.879 him teach. And these are women. And maybe that's why 0:20:44.920 --> 0:20:47.479 the disciples included them in this account, because they were 0:20:47.480 --> 0:20:50.440 impressed that these women, you know, went on this trip. 0:20:50.480 --> 0:20:52.680 I don't know, I'm just speculating there. When you look 0:20:52.720 --> 0:20:56.320 at your support system, you can look at every person 0:20:56.440 --> 0:20:59.639 in your life and you can identify one thing that 0:20:59.720 --> 0:21:03.200 brought you together. They could be your sorority sister. They 0:21:03.200 --> 0:21:05.359 could be somebody that you have kids at the same 0:21:05.400 --> 0:21:08.200 school with, or some when you take a yoga class 0:21:08.400 --> 0:21:11.000 together with all of these factors are great things. We 0:21:11.080 --> 0:21:14.240 all have some kind of connection. But if you want 0:21:14.240 --> 0:21:17.080 to have a support system that's going to help you 0:21:17.600 --> 0:21:20.960 on your faith journey, you're going to have to base 0:21:21.000 --> 0:21:24.720 it on the right thing. And I'm not necessarily talking 0:21:24.760 --> 0:21:27.240 about church, although church is a great place to start, 0:21:27.280 --> 0:21:29.720 because we all kind of have a common goal and 0:21:30.560 --> 0:21:34.159 we all kind of have a common idea of where 0:21:34.240 --> 0:21:38.159 we're going in life. But what I'm really trying to 0:21:38.200 --> 0:21:40.399 get you to think about is that you need to 0:21:40.520 --> 0:21:44.560 surround yourself with people who are like minded, who are 0:21:44.640 --> 0:21:49.000 growing in their relationship with God. Not perfect no perfect 0:21:49.040 --> 0:21:53.080 people allowed, but people who will help you find the 0:21:53.160 --> 0:21:57.440 answers that you need from the right sources. Right. Not 0:21:57.560 --> 0:21:59.960 only does your support system, though, need to be based 0:22:00.240 --> 0:22:03.800 on the right thing, it needs to be formed before 0:22:04.240 --> 0:22:09.240 your crisis. These ladies did not just meet up on 0:22:09.280 --> 0:22:13.800 this journey to Jerusalem. They have been together for a while. Okay, 0:22:13.840 --> 0:22:16.840 look back with me at Luke chapter eight. So we 0:22:16.840 --> 0:22:18.639 were in Luke twenty three, and now we're going to 0:22:18.680 --> 0:22:21.919 go back to Luke chapter eight and verse one. It 0:22:21.960 --> 0:22:25.359 says after this Jesus traveled about from one town and 0:22:25.440 --> 0:22:28.520 village to another, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom 0:22:28.520 --> 0:22:32.240 of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some 0:22:32.400 --> 0:22:35.320 women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases, 0:22:35.640 --> 0:22:39.840 Mary called Magdalen, from whom seven demons had come out, Joanna, 0:22:39.920 --> 0:22:43.480 the wife of Choosah, the manager of Herod's household Susannah, 0:22:43.520 --> 0:22:47.680 and many others. These women were helping to support them, 0:22:47.760 --> 0:22:50.439 them meaning Jesus and the disciples. They were helping to 0:22:50.440 --> 0:22:54.720 support them out of their own means. When Luke first 0:22:54.760 --> 0:22:57.879 introduces us to these ladies, they're in Galilee, and he 0:22:58.040 --> 0:23:01.159 tells us that what brought them to together was that 0:23:01.280 --> 0:23:05.240 Jesus had healed them. That's what they had in common, 0:23:05.840 --> 0:23:07.960 and that's what we have in common in this room. 0:23:09.040 --> 0:23:13.159 They were women of means. They were joined together, and 0:23:13.200 --> 0:23:18.320 they were supporting Jesus's ministry, but they were doing life together. 0:23:19.119 --> 0:23:22.600 And at this point, when they're following Jesus and supporting 0:23:22.640 --> 0:23:26.560 his ministry, they didn't know how dark it was going 0:23:26.640 --> 0:23:28.840 to get. I mean, Jesus told them that he was 0:23:28.880 --> 0:23:31.520 going to be crucified, but nobody really understood what that meant. 0:23:31.520 --> 0:23:34.959 When he said that they were just following and supporting 0:23:35.160 --> 0:23:39.439 the one who had touched them. So when we catch 0:23:39.600 --> 0:23:44.040 up with them later in Luke twenty three, they're on 0:23:44.119 --> 0:23:49.320 a trip that has taken a terrible turn, a horrific turn, 0:23:49.480 --> 0:23:55.520 because Jesus is dead, their savior has just been crucified 0:23:55.920 --> 0:23:58.680 on the cross, which was a penalty that was reserved 0:23:58.880 --> 0:24:02.760 for the worst criminals. So here they are. Think about 0:24:02.800 --> 0:24:06.480 these women. They're in a foreign city, their heart broken, 0:24:07.040 --> 0:24:13.640 but where what are they? They're still together Luke twenty three, 0:24:13.720 --> 0:24:15.480 fifty five. We've already read it, but this ready one 0:24:15.480 --> 0:24:17.280 more time. The women who had come with Jesus from 0:24:17.320 --> 0:24:21.520 Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his 0:24:21.640 --> 0:24:24.280 body was laid in it. Then they went home and 0:24:24.359 --> 0:24:27.920 prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the sabbath 0:24:27.920 --> 0:24:30.440 in obedience to the commandment. On the first day of 0:24:30.480 --> 0:24:33.000 the week, very early in the morning, because women are 0:24:33.040 --> 0:24:35.639 not afraid, they get up early in the morning. Somebody's 0:24:35.640 --> 0:24:38.600 got to do it right. Very early in the morning, 0:24:38.640 --> 0:24:41.360 the women took the spices they had prepared, and they 0:24:41.400 --> 0:24:46.720 went to the tomb. They stayed together because they had 0:24:46.760 --> 0:24:50.480 been together. It was a natural thing of course they're 0:24:50.480 --> 0:24:52.680 going to stay together. But you know what, I think 0:24:53.040 --> 0:24:59.120 women instinctively band together in times of crisis. Where were 0:24:59.160 --> 0:25:05.199 the Disciples in all of this? Peter was here and 0:25:05.320 --> 0:25:08.840 John was there. The Disciples had been disbanded, but the 0:25:08.960 --> 0:25:17.760 women were together. That's right. Have you ever noticed that 0:25:17.840 --> 0:25:21.679 when you were together with people that you trust, that 0:25:21.760 --> 0:25:25.760 you can experience this collective courage and this collective faith. 0:25:25.920 --> 0:25:30.760 You can essentially like borrow faith from someone else. These 0:25:30.800 --> 0:25:33.800 women could have been should have been probably in fact, 0:25:33.840 --> 0:25:37.560 were fearing for their lives. They could have been on 0:25:37.600 --> 0:25:39.800 their way back to Galilee by now thinking while they 0:25:39.880 --> 0:25:42.680 killed Jesus, they're probably going to come after his followers next. 0:25:43.200 --> 0:25:46.440 But there was a job that needed to be done, 0:25:46.520 --> 0:25:50.840 and so these women kicked into operation give Jesus a 0:25:50.920 --> 0:25:56.960 proper burial mode. Now I'm not trying to make light 0:25:57.040 --> 0:26:01.040 of this situation, but I just started imagining these women, 0:26:01.560 --> 0:26:04.120 and I started thinking about what we do, what we 0:26:04.240 --> 0:26:07.879 still do today when there's a crisis, and so, you know, 0:26:08.240 --> 0:26:10.919 I was just imagining that maybe Mary Magdalen started a 0:26:10.920 --> 0:26:14.320 prayer chain, and then I was thinking maybe Joanna created 0:26:14.359 --> 0:26:17.879 a sign up genius and for meals and such and 0:26:17.920 --> 0:26:20.919 then Silome she sold to Terra, so she was in 0:26:21.040 --> 0:26:25.439 charge of the spices and Marry the mother of Jesus, 0:26:25.720 --> 0:26:27.600 Marry the mother of James. She was the one in 0:26:27.720 --> 0:26:30.080 charge of taking notes of where the body was buried, 0:26:30.119 --> 0:26:32.520 because remember the text told us that they went and 0:26:32.560 --> 0:26:34.600 they saw where the body was buried, because they were 0:26:34.600 --> 0:26:36.760 coming back there the next day. They were going to 0:26:36.840 --> 0:26:39.720 take care of Jesus. Have you ever been around a 0:26:39.720 --> 0:26:42.960 group of women who rallied during a crisis. It is 0:26:43.040 --> 0:26:46.159 a beautiful sight to behold. People can make fun of 0:26:46.200 --> 0:26:48.840 casseroles all they want, but when there's a crisis, we 0:26:48.920 --> 0:26:54.560 eat them. And on Thanksgiving too, when my father in 0:26:54.680 --> 0:26:57.159 law was passing away and he was in the final 0:26:57.200 --> 0:27:00.640 hours of his life, I will never forget coming out 0:27:00.640 --> 0:27:03.879 of his bedroom and into the kitchen that was so 0:27:04.119 --> 0:27:07.400 full of food that you couldn't put anything down on 0:27:07.440 --> 0:27:10.280 the counters. And I didn't even know where my children were, 0:27:10.280 --> 0:27:12.280 but I knew that they were being well taken care of, 0:27:12.480 --> 0:27:14.439 And I will never forget. I'd walked on into the 0:27:14.440 --> 0:27:17.600 front porch and my friend Nicole was just sitting there 0:27:17.680 --> 0:27:20.359 just in case I needed anything. She was just sitting 0:27:20.359 --> 0:27:21.679 there to this day. I don't even know where her 0:27:21.760 --> 0:27:23.679 kids were. She has three kids of her own, but 0:27:23.760 --> 0:27:27.479 she was sitting there just in case I needed anything. 0:27:27.520 --> 0:27:30.680 Have you ever received the support of a rallying group 0:27:30.720 --> 0:27:34.280 of women. If you have, you never forget it. You 0:27:34.400 --> 0:27:39.080 never forget it. These women were devastated, they were grieving. 0:27:39.359 --> 0:27:41.600 But if there is one thing that we know how 0:27:41.640 --> 0:27:44.280 to do well in a crisis, it is get crap done. 0:27:44.320 --> 0:27:46.119 We may be sad, but we're going to get this 0:27:46.160 --> 0:27:52.000 stuff done. And they were not about to go back 0:27:52.040 --> 0:27:57.000 to Dalily without knowing that their savior had been buried properly, 0:27:57.040 --> 0:27:59.199 and they were going to do it together, even if 0:27:59.200 --> 0:28:02.359 they had to risk their lives and guests who shows 0:28:02.400 --> 0:28:04.680 up when they were together? Look at Luke twenty four. 0:28:04.920 --> 0:28:08.880 We were in verse two. It says they found the 0:28:08.920 --> 0:28:12.320 stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, 0:28:12.640 --> 0:28:15.280 they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 0:28:15.880 --> 0:28:19.600 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men enclosed 0:28:19.680 --> 0:28:23.119 that gleamed like lightning, stood before them. In their fright. 0:28:23.720 --> 0:28:26.160 The women bowed down with their faces to the ground. 0:28:26.200 --> 0:28:28.160 But the men said to them, why do you look 0:28:28.160 --> 0:28:30.720 for the living among the dead. He's not here he 0:28:30.840 --> 0:28:33.720 has risen. Remember how he told you while he was 0:28:33.760 --> 0:28:37.040 still with you in Galilee, the son of Man must 0:28:37.040 --> 0:28:39.360 be delivered over to the hands of the sinners, be 0:28:39.440 --> 0:28:43.000 crucified on the third day, and raised again. Then they 0:28:43.080 --> 0:28:48.960 remembered his words. I had this thought while I was 0:28:49.000 --> 0:28:52.920 preparing for this message. All my life I grew up 0:28:52.960 --> 0:28:55.880 in church. My dad was a pastor. I never I 0:28:55.920 --> 0:28:57.239 was telling some of the other day I never really 0:28:57.280 --> 0:28:58.880 played any sports, and they said, well, what did you do? 0:28:58.920 --> 0:29:00.800 I said, I don't want to try. When we were 0:29:00.880 --> 0:29:03.640 there all the time, it was like Tuesday night visitation, 0:29:04.000 --> 0:29:06.560 Wednesday night supper, and Sunday night. I don't know. We 0:29:06.560 --> 0:29:10.040 were at church all the time. And growing up I 0:29:10.240 --> 0:29:13.520 thought that there were two ways that God could speak 0:29:13.560 --> 0:29:16.880 to you. One was if you were alone and you 0:29:16.960 --> 0:29:20.160 were either praying or reading your Bible, and two was 0:29:20.200 --> 0:29:23.080 if you were listening to a sermon. But you know, 0:29:23.520 --> 0:29:26.760 as I have grown in my faith, and as I 0:29:26.800 --> 0:29:30.160 have began to notice God all around me in the 0:29:30.200 --> 0:29:34.840 small parts of my day, I realize that if I 0:29:34.920 --> 0:29:39.640 surround myself with the right people, God can speak to 0:29:39.680 --> 0:29:46.320 me through them. Now, this is not like a like 0:29:46.400 --> 0:29:48.440 don't go all crazy on this. This is not like 0:29:48.480 --> 0:29:51.320 a Holly, I have a word from the Lord for you. 0:29:53.800 --> 0:29:56.840 Usually that doesn't come from a friend. Usually that just 0:29:56.880 --> 0:30:01.400 comes from like some random person. Okay, talking about when 0:30:01.480 --> 0:30:04.239 my friends got around me one day and we were 0:30:04.240 --> 0:30:07.000 in a meeting and they started saying, Holly, you need 0:30:07.040 --> 0:30:09.520 to write a Bible study for the women of our 0:30:09.600 --> 0:30:12.600 church about being a godly wife. That was God speaking 0:30:12.640 --> 0:30:15.360 to me through them. When I was talking to a 0:30:15.400 --> 0:30:19.000 friend one time and over a crying baby who told 0:30:19.040 --> 0:30:21.320 me that I was a good mom. That's God speaking 0:30:21.360 --> 0:30:24.800 to me through my friend. When a friend told me 0:30:24.880 --> 0:30:27.320 not to give up, or a friend who was just 0:30:27.600 --> 0:30:32.160 there physically present, listening to me process through a very 0:30:32.200 --> 0:30:36.440 difficult situation. If you don't think that that's God in 0:30:36.560 --> 0:30:39.160 all of those times in your life, you've got God 0:30:39.240 --> 0:30:44.520 all wrong. These women were not reading their Bible and 0:30:44.560 --> 0:30:47.400 praying when the angel appeared to them. They were together 0:30:47.920 --> 0:30:51.840 doing something. They were there and the angel asked them 0:30:51.880 --> 0:30:54.360 a question. I think this is such an interesting question. 0:30:54.440 --> 0:30:57.640 The angel said, why do you look for the living 0:30:58.040 --> 0:31:02.440 among the dead. This got me thinking about dead places 0:31:02.440 --> 0:31:07.800 in our friendships, places where we can go that harm 0:31:07.840 --> 0:31:12.120 our relationships. Rather than help them. One of those dead 0:31:12.160 --> 0:31:17.120 places is when we compare. Comparison is a funny thing 0:31:17.200 --> 0:31:19.240 because it comes in two ways, because you can think 0:31:19.240 --> 0:31:22.560 I don't compare, but you might be comparing. Let me, 0:31:22.880 --> 0:31:27.160 let me explain this. Okay, So maybe you're on social media. 0:31:27.280 --> 0:31:29.520 Maybe you don't have social media, but I'm assuming most 0:31:29.560 --> 0:31:31.800 of you do. And you're scrolling through and you see 0:31:31.880 --> 0:31:35.400 one of your friends and she makes these beautiful lunches 0:31:35.440 --> 0:31:37.800 and those little lunch boxes that like have all the 0:31:37.800 --> 0:31:43.080 little compartments, and you think, oh my gosh, I'm a 0:31:43.160 --> 0:31:48.800 terrible mom because I don't do the little grapes and crackers. 0:31:48.840 --> 0:31:54.320 Sing In all honesty, I'm just gonna tell you, guys, 0:31:54.400 --> 0:31:57.480 I tried that the little box thing, and we kept 0:31:57.480 --> 0:32:00.000 forgetting about the boxes and they would stay. In my case, 0:32:00.080 --> 0:32:02.959 it's backpacks, and then they gets so disgusting and moldy. 0:32:04.480 --> 0:32:06.760 That was not for me. We're more like a brown 0:32:06.800 --> 0:32:10.440 bag kind of family. We have bunchboxes too. But the 0:32:10.880 --> 0:32:13.800 other side, so the one side of comparison is I'm 0:32:13.800 --> 0:32:16.480 not as good as her, right, But the other side 0:32:16.480 --> 0:32:19.360 of comparison is, you know, have you ever thought, well, 0:32:19.840 --> 0:32:22.040 at least I don't feed my kid's fast food. I mean, 0:32:22.400 --> 0:32:24.440 we go to Chick fil A in a pinch, but 0:32:24.440 --> 0:32:34.080 we would never go to McDonald's. Since I'm talking about comparison, 0:32:34.120 --> 0:32:35.800 I have to tell you a funny story. It doesn't 0:32:35.800 --> 0:32:37.880 really have that much to do with anything, but anyway, 0:32:38.480 --> 0:32:42.280 I was working out on my peloton bike that my 0:32:42.360 --> 0:32:43.880 husband got me for Christmas. And if you don't know 0:32:43.920 --> 0:32:46.960 what a peloton bike is, it's basically a death machine 0:32:47.000 --> 0:32:51.600 for your home, and also known as a stationary bike 0:32:51.800 --> 0:32:55.480 with this like cool like monitor where you can actually 0:32:55.600 --> 0:33:00.200 take spin classes. And so on this particular day, I 0:33:00.320 --> 0:33:02.360 was really going for it. Now, I'm gonna be honest 0:33:02.400 --> 0:33:03.320 with you. There are a lot of days that I 0:33:03.360 --> 0:33:05.720 get on there and I don't exactly do what the 0:33:05.720 --> 0:33:07.720 instructor tells me to do. You know, she says turn 0:33:07.760 --> 0:33:10.440 it up, and I'm like, eh, I'm not ready. And 0:33:12.880 --> 0:33:15.240 but this day I was trying to beat my best, 0:33:15.400 --> 0:33:19.000 you know, And so the instructor had told me to 0:33:19.400 --> 0:33:22.360 add one or two to my resistance so many times 0:33:22.520 --> 0:33:25.760 that my legs are just like churning through mud. Okay, 0:33:25.960 --> 0:33:28.520 And I did not I did not look pretty. I 0:33:28.560 --> 0:33:31.520 did not look like this when I was on my bike. Okay, 0:33:31.560 --> 0:33:33.440 I paid someone to do my makeup tonight, just so 0:33:33.520 --> 0:33:38.040 you know I was. I was pouring sweat and I 0:33:38.040 --> 0:33:40.600 don't really even sweat that much. I was pouring sweat, 0:33:40.720 --> 0:33:43.600 and my glasses were like kept sliding down my nose 0:33:43.600 --> 0:33:45.800 because I'm like hunched over, you know, I keep pushing 0:33:45.840 --> 0:33:49.240 my glasses up. And my heart rate, I am this 0:33:49.280 --> 0:33:52.480 is the truth. My heart rate was one seventy seven, 0:33:52.640 --> 0:33:55.240 which I think is like just shy of a heart attack. 0:33:57.400 --> 0:34:01.480 And so of course the instructor has barely broken the 0:34:01.520 --> 0:34:04.680 sweat and she's smiling like her fourth class that she's 0:34:04.680 --> 0:34:07.880 taught of the day. And so Graham comes up. Graham's 0:34:07.920 --> 0:34:13.680 my ten year old son. Yeah, I'm just you know, dying. 0:34:14.080 --> 0:34:17.520 And Graham looks at the monitor and he looks at me, 0:34:19.000 --> 0:34:24.600 and he says, why don't you look like her? Because 0:34:24.640 --> 0:34:27.839 comparison is a dead place, and I am not a 0:34:27.880 --> 0:34:38.200 spin instructor, so we compare, and then that can sometimes 0:34:38.280 --> 0:34:42.200 lead us to compete. Have you ever been around someone 0:34:42.239 --> 0:34:47.200 whose story is always better or worse than yours. I 0:34:47.200 --> 0:34:49.239 had lunch with a friend the other day who has 0:34:49.280 --> 0:34:52.080 been through a really tough separation with her husband, and 0:34:52.120 --> 0:34:55.520 she said that the worst thing throughout her separation was 0:34:55.560 --> 0:34:58.640 when people would try to comfort her by telling them 0:34:59.000 --> 0:35:03.880 how much worse there's situation was than hers. We compare, 0:35:04.440 --> 0:35:09.160 and we compete, and then sometimes we get so tired 0:35:09.480 --> 0:35:13.759 of playing this game that we just check out. Now, 0:35:13.840 --> 0:35:16.399 this is a really dead place to be. I mean, 0:35:16.440 --> 0:35:19.879 I know dead is dead, but checking out is when 0:35:19.880 --> 0:35:23.160 you have just you've just given up. Maybe you were 0:35:23.239 --> 0:35:26.080 betrayed by a friend you told her something in confidence 0:35:26.080 --> 0:35:28.399 and it got back to you, or maybe you were 0:35:28.640 --> 0:35:33.040 let down just one too many times from some of 0:35:33.080 --> 0:35:35.960 the women in your life, and you just decided I've 0:35:36.000 --> 0:35:38.920 been hurt enough, and well, you know what, I have 0:35:39.000 --> 0:35:41.439 my husband and he will just have to be good enough. 0:35:41.520 --> 0:35:44.800 Or or maybe I'll just throw myself into my work 0:35:45.120 --> 0:35:48.720 or to my kids. And then we wonder why we're lonely. 0:35:50.280 --> 0:35:53.920 Do we have to risk having relationships with other when 0:35:53.960 --> 0:35:57.560 we have relationships with other women, Absolutely we do. Could 0:35:57.600 --> 0:36:03.360 we get hurt, Absolutely get hurt, But if you build 0:36:03.400 --> 0:36:08.320 your support system right, the reward is so much greater 0:36:08.840 --> 0:36:16.080 than the risk. The other dead place that is so 0:36:16.200 --> 0:36:21.400 dangerous is when we begin to compose. We live in 0:36:21.440 --> 0:36:24.360 a world where it has never been more easy to 0:36:24.480 --> 0:36:29.359 pretend that everything is okay, and we can even have 0:36:29.640 --> 0:36:33.919 we can even create an entire persona that no one 0:36:34.040 --> 0:36:37.719 ever has to know the truth. No one ever has 0:36:37.760 --> 0:36:40.960 to know that I have an anger issue, no one 0:36:40.960 --> 0:36:42.960 ever has to know that I have an eating disorder, 0:36:43.200 --> 0:36:45.680 or no one ever has to know that my marriage 0:36:45.719 --> 0:36:50.160 is falling apart. No, this is not how it has 0:36:50.239 --> 0:36:54.399 to be. We do not have to compose, because your 0:36:54.440 --> 0:36:59.120 support system must be founded on honesty. If you're going 0:36:59.200 --> 0:37:01.560 to build this thing right, you've got to build it 0:37:02.000 --> 0:37:08.000 on honesty. Look at these verses in First John. First John, 0:37:08.960 --> 0:37:11.880 chapter one. It says, this is the message that we 0:37:11.880 --> 0:37:15.319 have heard from him, and declare to you. God is light, 0:37:15.880 --> 0:37:19.319 and in him there is no darkness at all. If 0:37:19.320 --> 0:37:22.000 we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk 0:37:22.040 --> 0:37:25.399 in the darkness, we lie and we do not live 0:37:25.440 --> 0:37:28.879 out the truth. But if we walk in the light 0:37:29.320 --> 0:37:32.160 as He is in the light, we have fellowship with 0:37:32.280 --> 0:37:36.719 one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son purifies 0:37:36.840 --> 0:37:41.279 us from all sin. Did you catch that if we 0:37:41.360 --> 0:37:44.560 walk in the light as He is in the light, 0:37:44.800 --> 0:37:49.560 we have what fellowship? We have fellowship with one another? 0:37:50.320 --> 0:37:54.320 How can I support you through your struggle with infertility 0:37:54.440 --> 0:37:56.759 If I don't even know that you're wanting to have 0:37:56.800 --> 0:37:59.399 a baby, that you're trying to have a baby, how 0:37:59.440 --> 0:38:02.879 can I? It's say for you in your marriage if 0:38:02.880 --> 0:38:08.480 you're always acting like it's perfect and you know what 0:38:08.600 --> 0:38:11.120 honesty isn't just about the things that are going wrong 0:38:11.160 --> 0:38:13.799 in your life, but sometimes if you don't share, like 0:38:14.120 --> 0:38:17.440 if something good happens, so how could I even celebrate 0:38:18.000 --> 0:38:20.880 with you? If your child has a good behavior report 0:38:20.960 --> 0:38:23.440 if I didn't know that he was even not doing 0:38:23.480 --> 0:38:27.720 good in school. My friend Julie says, I love this line. 0:38:27.800 --> 0:38:35.359 She says, shame like mold, grows in the dark. When 0:38:35.360 --> 0:38:42.440 you bring your thank you, when you bring your life 0:38:43.160 --> 0:38:47.960 into the light with the right people, I guarantee you 0:38:48.360 --> 0:38:51.479 that you will not only find love, but you will 0:38:51.480 --> 0:38:54.920 find hope, and you will find help, and you will 0:38:54.960 --> 0:39:02.480 find fellowship. If you surround yourself with the right people, 0:39:02.960 --> 0:39:10.520 your relationships will not only deepen with honesty, they'll grow stronger. 0:39:10.560 --> 0:39:13.680 But you see, the enemy wants you to think that 0:39:13.760 --> 0:39:16.840 it will make you look weak, and he wants you 0:39:16.880 --> 0:39:19.480 to think that if you're honest, it's going to weaken 0:39:19.840 --> 0:39:24.000 your relationships, but it's not true. A couple weeks ago, 0:39:24.680 --> 0:39:27.120 I was talking with one of my friends who has 0:39:27.160 --> 0:39:30.759 been walking through a difficult season in her marriage for 0:39:30.840 --> 0:39:34.840 over a year, and we were reflecting on how timely 0:39:35.200 --> 0:39:38.200 her relationship was with this other girl. Let's call the 0:39:38.200 --> 0:39:43.640 other girl Lisa. So Lisa had been through a similar experience, 0:39:43.960 --> 0:39:47.359 and Lisa had opened up to her E group and 0:39:47.520 --> 0:39:50.920 shared about a struggle that she and her husband were 0:39:50.960 --> 0:39:55.000 going through. This was eighteen months before my friend went 0:39:55.040 --> 0:39:58.120 through her struggle. And she told me that when she 0:39:58.280 --> 0:40:02.840 received that news on that day, you know that day, like, 0:40:02.880 --> 0:40:07.120 if you live long enough, everyone will have that day, 0:40:07.280 --> 0:40:09.880 that day they got the call from the doctor, or 0:40:10.239 --> 0:40:12.880 that day when their husband confessed to them, or that 0:40:13.000 --> 0:40:14.960 day when you lost your job. Okay, So she was 0:40:15.400 --> 0:40:19.360 in that on that day and she said, I don't 0:40:19.360 --> 0:40:22.160 know what I would have done or who I would 0:40:22.160 --> 0:40:25.640 have called if Lisa hadn't shared her story in our group. 0:40:26.360 --> 0:40:29.400 Do you see. And it was eighteen months later that 0:40:30.280 --> 0:40:32.759 she remembered, this is the person that I need to 0:40:32.800 --> 0:40:35.719 talk to. If we walk in the light as he 0:40:35.800 --> 0:40:42.440 is in the light, bring it out into the light together. 0:40:43.520 --> 0:40:48.799 These women had courage together they were able to remember 0:40:49.000 --> 0:40:51.399 the Angel said to them. Remember what he said to them, 0:40:51.680 --> 0:40:54.720 Remember what he said to you. Together, they were able 0:40:54.800 --> 0:40:58.040 to remember the words that God had spoken to them. 0:40:58.360 --> 0:41:05.759 We are stronger together. The work that God wants to 0:41:05.800 --> 0:41:10.080 do in your life and this season is directly connected 0:41:10.400 --> 0:41:13.439 to the people who are in your life. So how 0:41:13.480 --> 0:41:18.480 strong is your support system? That's my question to you tonight. Well, 0:41:18.480 --> 0:41:20.839 I hope you enjoyed the podcast today, and if you did, 0:41:20.880 --> 0:41:22.960 there are just a couple things I'd love for you 0:41:23.040 --> 0:41:26.279 to do. Number One, subscribe to our show. That way, 0:41:26.680 --> 0:41:29.520 the most recent episode will always be in your feed, 0:41:29.719 --> 0:41:33.279 waiting for you ready when you are. And secondly, if 0:41:33.280 --> 0:41:35.759 this ministry has impacted you and you'd like to help 0:41:35.840 --> 0:41:38.239 us continue to reach others, you can click the link 0:41:38.239 --> 0:41:40.880 in the description and you can give now and I'll 0:41:40.880 --> 0:41:43.960 see you next time on the Elevation Podcast