Speaker 1: 0:02

Hi and welcome to our podcast Revelation Within On the Go.

Speaker 2: 0:05

I'm Heidi Biles-Maepperson, one of your hosts and the owner and lead coach of the RevelationWithinorg ministry and I'm Christina Motley, your other host, also a Revelation Within coach and Heidi's partner in all things Revelation Within. We are so happy to invite you to join us for this episode of Revelation Within On the go.

Speaker 1: 0:37

Come on in. Yeah, have a seat, let your hair down put your feet up.

Speaker 2: 0:43

Yeah, exactly, we're going to have some Kairos moments together, I hope. Let your hair down, put your feet up.

Speaker 1: 0:45

We're going to have some Kairos moments together, I hope.

Speaker 2: 0:54

Yes, we are so glad you're here. Whether you're out on a walk, whether you're sipping something warm, whether you're driving somewhere, we're just glad you're here.

Speaker 1: 1:00

Yeah, this month, in our private community, we're exploring a beautiful theme in this very moment, and this week we're kind of leaning into what it means to say a sacred yes, right here, right now, right here, right now, right here, right now, that's exactly it.

Speaker 2: 1:21

So we believe that this moment, this very exact one, well, it's not an accident, it's sacred and it's a space God has already prepared. He's here, we're here, he's ready, not because it's tidy or dramatic, but because he is here, and we know that for sure.

Speaker 1: 1:42

Yeah, for sure. I just want to start us off with a short prayer, real quick. Lord, god, I thank you for your presence in this moment. Yes, would you please still our hearts, open our minds, soften our defenses. We want to be with you and we want to hear from you. Teach us, lord, what it means to say yes in the now, amen, amen. Well, when we think of sacred moments, we might picture quiet mornings or mountaintop retreats. I mean, I just moved to this lovely home. Yes, you did Beautiful.

Speaker 1: 2:25

We're at the top of a hill and there's oak trees everywhere and there's a lovely patio oh my gosh. But that's not all that could be considered sacred.

Speaker 2: 2:37

It's not limited to lovely scenery or a quiet morning, right, yeah, no, a sacred moment can show up in the laundry room at work, when you're on a break, when you're walking around the block in an ugly area of town. A sacred moment can show up at a red light while you're driving. It can really be anytime. It can really be anytime anywhere In the pause before we say something sharp to someone.

Speaker 1: 3:17

How about, in that whisper of I'm here from God? Yeah, a sacred moment, that's lovely. I just have to say that I would rather have my sacred moment out on the patio under the oak grove.

Speaker 2: 3:24

Rather than in the laundry room. Well, but real life, though. I mean real life. You know, some of us don't live in oak grove. Heidi, I can't wait to visit yours. That sounds amazing.

Speaker 1: 3:38

But it's true. It's true when we're in the middle of traffic and when we're struggling with things, when we get that kind of challenging phone call or Kyle walks through the door and is in tears, whatever it might be, you know, any moment can be sacred and we can sense God's presence. We can turn our hearts in a Godward direction. Today we want to ask what does it mean to say a sacred yes in the middle of real life?

Speaker 2: 4:07

Yeah, real life. That's where I want to find those moments in the middle of real life. So a sacred yes is a surrendered response to God's invitation in the now. It's not about getting it right. This is so important to realize. It's not about getting it right. This is so important to realize. It's not about getting it right. It's not about checking the box. It's not about using a particular strategy or something where you're going to be able to do it wrong. It's not about that. It's about tuning in and trusting God enough to respond.

Speaker 1: 4:45

Wow, and that response might look like resting Hint, hint.

Speaker 2: 4:53

For my very active friend. Just about enough of that for one week.

Speaker 1: 4:59

She has been ill and has had to rest a lot, a lot, and with her feisty temperament it's pretty tough for her.

Speaker 2: 5:09

It is tough Anyway, so it might look like resting.

Speaker 1: 5:12

You've been doing that. You've done the sacred yes a lot this week, or it might be forgiving Wow, or choosing stillness instead of fixing Ouch. Let's look at some scripture that points us in this direction a little bit and see what it says. So Luke 1 38 says behold, I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word. That was Mary, who's yes changed everything, and it came in a quiet moment.

Speaker 2: 5:47

Isaiah 6, verse 8. Okay, this is one that we could just memorize. It's nice and short, but it really packs the punch. Isaiah 6, 8, here I am, send me. That's it, here I am. I'm right here, Send me. And that is a yes that flowed from awe in Isaiah. It's like okay, wherever he was, in that very moment he said God, here I am, Send me. And there's a lot of faith in that statement too. It's like I don't know where you're going to send me, but pick me. His hand was raised.

Speaker 1: 6:27

Yeah, that's a beautiful moment where Isaiah said I see the Lord seated on the throne and the train of his robe fills the temple with glory and the whole earth is filled with his glory and it shook and I mean it's just a beautiful moment. So it was a yes that flowed from a sense of awe, the majesty and presence of God. He had his divine yes moment for sure. Second Corinthians 120 says for all the promises of God find their yes in him. I love that because that's you know, when we say yes, we're basically echoing the eternal yes that Jesus gave the father when he agreed and went to the cross. For us, all of the promises of God are yes in Christ. Yeah, I know, I love that.

Speaker 2: 7:18

Okay. Well, I've got kind of a convicting verse here. It's really good. It's good. Yeah, we'll skip it. No, it's good. James 4, verse 17. If anyone knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin. And so, in this moment, this very moment to obey is right now, not later, If we know exactly what we need to be doing. Now is the time.

Speaker 1: 7:53

Don't wait. This happens to me far more than I want to admit. So I gather my stuff in the morning to go outside or to find a cozy chair to spend some focus time with the Lord, and I've had different seasons where I'm either in a Bible study or maybe I'm distractible beyond imagination and not even doing that. But this happens often. One of the things I have often used, you know, the Bible, is online on our phones or in my iPad, and so my phone is right in my hot little hand and like, okay, I could look up this verse. Oh, but look, there's a notification from messenger. It says that my husband shared a reel with me.

Speaker 1: 8:37

This is real life. It's happening right now. I can tap it right now and it's a star Wars reel that he you know. So this is how it happens with me in the morning, and so I can listen to the Lord. He's nudging me hold everything, let's get back to. I want to talk with you, and so you know it's so cool. When I do stop the scrolling or the looking at the reels that my husband sent me or whatever, I can experience a quieting in my soul that no number of Star Wars reels or videos or whatever could possibly give me it. I mean nowhere close. So you know the sacred. Yes, it may not be about drama, it may not be a dramatic moment, but it's about recognizing God's presence right here.

Speaker 2: 9:30

Yeah, and that's something we can all relate to. I know it's true. That is so funny that I opened my phone and I remember it was happening right then. Well, and sometimes you know, and I know you feel this way too, heidi, sometimes I feel the Lord is inviting me to text someone a word of encouragement or you know, just to kind of stop, just take a break, pause, just breathe.

Speaker 2: 9:57

Those are sacred yeses too. There's all kinds of things, there's all kinds of ways where we can say yes to the Lord even in one moment.

Speaker 1: 10:09

Right, Right. Well, and this can often happen to us where God might. I mean, it did just this morning to me where God prompted me to text a friend of mine whose husband was kind of pushed into retirement early and it was very challenging for her and he wanted me to send her a note and pray for her on my phone and I opened my phone and you know I got distracted and then I started to put my phone down and it's like wait, I picked it up for a reason.

Speaker 1: 10:36

What is that reason? Oh yeah, and reaching out to her matters. It matters. It matters to God, it matters to me, but it matters to her and her husband too, I know it does. So I wonder if you, christina, or those listening, if there was a time when you said yes to something that maybe was seemingly small, but it ended up mattering deeply, maybe, to the person you reached out to. I mean, we know it matters to God, but just consider for a moment how about you, christina?

Speaker 2: 11:16

Yeah, well, you know, just a few weeks ago I was really struggling with kind of some big things that I was trying to hold on to that I didn't want to let go of. You know, I've shared a little bit about my youngest daughter living at our house with her two best friends and they were moving out at the time. So they've been out for, I think, five weeks, which feels like an eternity to me. I miss them terribly, but it was a huge, positive, amazing step for them and even though they're five minutes away, you know I wasn't I was struggling with letting go of are they okay? I was struggling with letting go of? Are they okay? What do they need? Will they be able to save enough money for rent? What about work? What about this, what about that?

Speaker 2: 12:02

And I was kind of consumed by it really, and so I felt like God was inviting me to come to him late at night, when everybody was in bed. It was quiet and dark. I felt like God was saying you're not asleep yet for a reason, christina, get up out of bed and come talk to me. And part of me wanted to, and part of me just wanted to go to sleep and not really think about this. But I felt gently, lovingly, but firmly invited. So I went into the other room. I actually laid down on my other daughter's bed my daughter who is across the world right now and I just started kind of crying and just talking to him about Lord. I'm just not sure about this. I'm not sure. I'm not sure I want to fix it. I want to be sure. I want to run over there and make sure they're okay.

Speaker 2: 12:51

And God was was so clear you know how he speaks to us in our thoughts sometimes and it's so clear Like there's no doubt. I heard him say trust me. And that was so clear. And then the next, the next two words were trust David, trust your husband, trust him. And then the next one was I have the girls. And he was telling me that it is really safe to let go. It's safe to let go. I have everything in hand. That's what he was saying to me. Christina, I have everything in hand. You don't have to run over there, you don't have to provide every answer, every solution, you don't have to fix it. 25 years I've been a mom and I'm not used to letting go. I'm not used to, I'm used to saying let me help, I can show you. Oh I'll, I'll come with you. That's what I'm used to.

Speaker 2: 13:53

But, God is calling me to let go and let them, and that's really different. So that was a big yes.

Speaker 1: 15:04

Yeah, it actually was.

Speaker 2: 15:05

That conversation was huge for me, and that was a few weeks ago. And now, when I am feeling unsettled about the girls, that's what I say to myself, that's how I renew my mind. I say, christina, trust me, trust David, I have the girls. That's awesome and that sets me straight again.

Speaker 1: 15:26

Thank you for sharing that. Yeah, and you know, it wasn't a perfect time to say yes to God, because the girls were gone, I mean, and that's just it. The truth is, god's invitations to say yes to him, to open our hearts to him, to recognize his presence, rarely come with ideal conditions. Right, that's true, they might kick us in the feet, they interrupt us, they show up when the kitchen's a mess.

Speaker 1: 15:50

Oh yes, when the inbox is full, but those are still holy moments. Let's look at some scriptures. Christina, you want to read the first one.

Speaker 2: 16:00

Proverbs 3, 5, and 6. Trust in the Lord with all your heart. There it is. Trust me, he will make your path straight. Trust, not certainty, is what we're talking about here. I want certainty, don't you? I want to know for sure, but God says no, you don't need to know any more than I've given you right now.

Speaker 1: 16:26

I've got this trust not certainty. Ecclesiastes 3, verse 1, says there is a time for everything. Well, the time to say yes might be right now right now, I mean even listener as you're listening, is there a yes God is inviting you to make right now, to say right now, yeah, right now.

Speaker 2: 16:50

Psalm 119, verse 60, I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands. So what does that mean? Let's hurry up and obey. Let's not wait, let's not hesitate, let's not wait for everything to kind of line up and all your ducks to be in a row, because you know you can't even find half of them. That's what I feel like, anyway. Don't wait for perfection. Don't wait, don't delay. Listen to God. He has only his best for us.

Speaker 1: 17:25

And John 10, 27 says my sheep listen to my voice, they follow me. This is a lovely example of how we are invited with Christ to be in a relationship of response to him. We hear his voice and we follow him. There's a divine yes that we are invited to make as we sense his presence, as we sense his invitation. Yes, Lord, here I come.

Speaker 2: 17:52

You know, I remember a season actually plenty of seasons but I remember one in particular when saying yes felt really, really scary. When I first got sick with chronic Lyme I didn't know what I had. I had 14 months with no idea what was wrong with me. Heidi walked me through every day of that.

Speaker 1: 18:14

I remember it well it was so scary.

Speaker 2: 18:17

It was one so scary it wasn't the scariest. The scariest was when my daughter was having a hard time, but it was really, really scary not to know what was wrong with me. And we were going through the tests and the scans, and more tests, and more scans and there were no answers in sight. But I was so sick I couldn't work, I couldn't even function. At that time I remember sensing an invitation. I did. I didn't want to miss it, but I was so afraid. But again and again and again, I had to say yes to God's invitation to let him carry me through that. And he's still carrying me through it right this very moment. He's carrying me through it. But that's what opens the door to deep healing is when I say yes Right now. Okay, in five minutes. Yes again Tomorrow at three o'clock. Yes again, yes, again and again. Allow him to.

Speaker 1: 19:24

Sometimes obedience is quiet, but there's no doubt it's always powerful, it's always a good choice.

Speaker 1: 19:33

I mean, and it's not just a good choice because God is calling us to it. It's a good choice because he knows what's best and we operate best at our fullest when we are responsive to him. And oftentimes it's the now, this moment, that holds that invitation. Yes, so what do you find, Christina, keeps you from saying yes to God in the moment? I mean, for me, I think it's doubt. It's just whether I'm doubting others or whether I'm doubting him. I must admit, there are times when I doubt okay, what are you going to do in this? Are you going to let this be one of those times when you use something to hurt me and then you're going to heal me? I know, but you know I mean. So how about you, Christina? What keeps you from saying yes to God in the moment?

Speaker 2: 20:23

You know, I think a big one for me is weariness 'm just. I get tired. I just get tired, and I know that so many of you listening feel this way. It's like, okay, that's, that's too much, lord, I'm tired. That's too long. It's been going on too long. This situation, or whatever it is, I'm weary, I'm weary, I'm tired. But then I have to renew my mind and tell myself the truth. Saying yes to God will release me from weariness.

Speaker 2: 20:54

That's so true it will actually give me strength, it will give me energy, it will build my capacity to persevere. And so I do want to say yes, but in the moment I'm just like, oh gosh, I'm too tired to say yes to anything, but again telling myself this is the one, the one guy I can say yes to, and that's God. I want to say yes to him in the moment, because his yes will bring life to me.

Speaker 1: 21:28

I know we already quoted this verse, but let's just not forget. Psalm 118, verse 24, says this is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Speaker 1: 21:40

Oh I would just love to do some scripture word focus on this, but we don't have time to do that today, but it would be fun. So, if you know that tool, this might be a verse to return to and focus on each word, one at a time, and see how it impacts the meaning of the verse. It's not yesterday, it's not tomorrow, it's this day, this moment. This moment is the one that the Lord has made and given to us. What can we do in it? Lord has made and given to us. What can we do in it?

Speaker 2: 22:06

Yeah, so so good, Such a beautiful truth. Okay. So let's think for a minute. All of us, what is your sacred yes today? What might it be? Maybe you don't know yet, maybe you're just beginning to think about this whole idea, but maybe there is something that's come to mind while you've been listening. Is it stillness? Is it releasing control? Is it a hard conversation? Is it something at work? Is it something with a relationship? Is it a health issue? What is it? There could be so many things. Whatever it is, god is with you, and here's the truth that I love so much. He delights in my yes, in Heidi's yes, in your yes.

Speaker 2: 22:57

God delights in our yes. He's just waiting for us to turn to him. He's ready.

Speaker 1: 23:03

He's ready. Deuteronomy 30, verses 19 and 20,. Choose life. Love the Lord, your God. Obey his voice and hold fast to him. We really want to say yes to Jesus today, not out of fear or pressure, but because he is trustworthy. He helps us to see the sacred in this present moment, right now, and he helps us to respond with courage and to trust that he is holding every yes that we offer him, kind of like that divine marble jar we spoke of in the last episode. He is holding each moment that we surrender to him. Oh, that's beautiful.

Speaker 2: 23:56

Okay, that was wonderful. That was just what I needed today Me too. We're so glad that you've been here with us as well, and we sure hope that you join us for our next episode of revelation within. We will see you next time. All right, bye for now.