Welcome And The Series Focus

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Hi, and welcome to our podcast, Revelation Within on the Go. I'm Heidi Bilesma Emerson, one of your hosts, and the owner and lead coach of Revelation Within.

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And I'm Christina Motley, your other host, also a Revelation Within coach, and I'm Heidi's partner in all things Revelation Within. We are so happy to invite you to join us for this episode. Revelation Within.

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We get so silly.

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Well, we are so glad you're here with us today. Oh my goodness. Um, yeah, we've been on a journey for the last eight episode. Yeah, it's been awesome. We're calling this series Loud Longings Holy God, and we've been just diving deep, exploring, you know, what is going on when we keep doing the things that we wish we weren't doing. Kind of like yes, chapter seven, when Paul says, the very good I want to do is not the good I do. Or no, it's not the bad I do. Whatever. The very thing I want to do is not what I do. And the very thing I don't want to do is what I do. And yeah, I don't know about you all, but I feel that a lot. Why am I doing this?

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Right. Yes, yes, yes, definitely.

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Why am I still eating when uh I know I have health problems because of eating, overeating for years? Or why am I spending money on a credit card when I know I'm gonna have trouble paying for it? Or why do I keep whatever it might be, scrolling or watching, whatever. We're looking at what is beneath this, what is deeper than just this tendency we have. A lot of us just say, Well, I'm just rebellious. No, I bet you're not. I bet you love God deeper than you can imagine. And so what we've been doing is seeing that our deepest longings, those very things that we sometimes go sideways trying to satisfy in a way that's a counterfeit, it might be God's invitation to come closer to Him in intimacy.

SPEAKER_01 2:16

That is so, so beautiful. I love that, isn't it encouraging? Well, it is because I think those counterfeits, I mean, it's strong. The pull to those sometimes is extremely strong, especially the ones that have been going on for years. And so it's great to know, you know what, there's hope. I'm not alone, I'm not crazy. Well, I might be crazy, but I don't think I'm crazy. Um, but you know, we're so we're so mean to ourselves, you know. So often we'll say, What's wrong with you that you can't just stop it and turn around and make another choice? Right. But so what we have, the truth is very encouraging. And let's get into it.

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Okay. You know, the things that we often turn to when we're hurting or lonely or empty, afraid, exhausted, discouraged, all those wonderful things. Um, we've discovered that longing itself is not the problem. It's not this desire that I have that's that I go and look and for whatever you know uh can satisfy it. The longing itself is not the problem. In fact, the longing itself might have a message for me that's actually beautiful. Um, yeah, when we ask created things though, to do what only God can do, we're gonna run into a world of hurt. And today we're gonna explore the flip side of that something really beautiful. God doesn't just simply point out, well, you're going to this counterfeit and that counterfeit and yank them out of our grip and then leave us empty-handed. He doesn't do that, he offers us something better, he offers us himself. I'm gonna pray. Okay, go for it. Father God, we thank you for being the God of compassion. Thank you that you never expose our false comforts, our counterfeit comforts, simply to leave us vulnerable and alone and ashamed. You just don't do that. You, Lord, are inviting us into something deeper, something truer, something

God Made Us To Need Comfort

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that that does satisfy. Would you teach us today what your comfort looks like? Yes, and then Lord, would you help us receive it? Open our hearts to your very presence, even right now, as uh the precious listener on the other end of this uh podcast is listening in our car or his office or wherever, to open our hearts to your presence in Jesus' name. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 5:00

Amen. Awesome, awesome. Yay, okay. Well, let's get into it. Um, let's get started with a truth that a lot of Christians overlook. God created us to need comfort. What I thought that I was supposed to pull myself up by my own bootstraps. Um, I thought I was supposed to figure these things out and find a way, and I don't, you know what? God created us to need comfort. That is the truth. Somewhere along the way, many of us have learned a subtle message, and that's this strong Christians shouldn't need comfort, strong Christians shouldn't struggle, strong Christians should just have faith. But scripture paints a very different picture, and this is so important that we look at this. God repeatedly comforts his people. We see it again and again in his word. Why? Because his people need comfort again and again. Needing comfort, it's not weakness, it's not weakness, it's part of being human. Even Jesus welcomed comfort from his heavenly father. Even Jesus sought companionship in his suffering. You know, even Jesus cried out in anguish. Yes, the need for comfort is not evidence of spiritual failure. Nope. It's not, it's evidence that we are just normal human people that are that struggle and are living in a broken world.

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So let's grab a hold of a beautiful passage of scripture. I just love this. And this is found in 2 Corinthians chapter 1, verses 3 and 4. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction. Wow. This is one of my favorites. Um, notice what Paul doesn't say to the Corinthians. He doesn't say God offers you some comfort sometimes when you behave yourself. No, he doesn't say God occasionally comforts, he calls God the God of all comfort. Ooh, every true comfort ultimately originates in him, every lasting comfort flows from him, every healing comfort finds its source in him, and that is part of God's nature. He comforts. Oh, I love that so much.

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Yeah, it's who he is, it's one of his names, he is the comforter, and this is where things start to get really, really important. You know, many of us confuse comfort with escape. Raise your hand if you've ever thought that way. Heidi and I are raising both hands, okay? And toes and fingers and stuff, and toes and fingers confusing comfort with escape. Yeah, we just want the pain to disappear. And we get that. Oh my gosh, we understand that. We want the struggle to stop, we want circumstances to change. Um, and certainly God sometimes does those things, absolutely. Sometimes, boom, he'll change a circumstance or protect us from something we didn't even know was happening. Or, I mean, he does that, but often his comfort works differently. God's comfort, it doesn't always remove us from difficulty. This is a hard world to live in. We've got plenty of difficulty in this world. Um, sometimes his comfort meets us right there in the middle of the mess, in the middle of what we're dealing with, in the middle of our growth, our journey, whatever you want to call it. Think of a child sitting beside a loving parent during a frightening experience. The situation may not change right away. It may not, but everything feels different because someone trustworthy is present. You know what? I feel like that about my husband. I was thinking about this the other day. When we are doing something, we're in some kind of a situation that's making me feel unsteady. If he's with me, I can let go of so much of that anxiety because I know him, he's my best friend, he knows me, he knows our needs, he's on top of things, he's taking care of things, and and it there is, there's just a whole difference in that situation. Um, I remember just a few weeks ago, we were in a snowstorm. I know that sounds crazy, but we were, we were in a snowstorm, and I thought, this is gonna be difficult driving, and you know, the cars were going too fast, there were all these things going on, and and I'm not gonna make it to the airport in time. I was on my way to go see Heidi. And I just because David was there, because he was driving, because he was with me, I was able to just feel that sense of it's gonna be okay. So maybe you have felt that before with somebody that you've been with. And so you can think about well, this is how God's comfort works, his presence changes everything. He's completely 100% trustworthy, he will never fail us, and so his comfort is just so deep, it runs deeper than anything we can imagine.

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David had a really good grasp on this. Um, when you think about it, if you think of Psalm 23, he uh celebrates that

Comfort Is Presence Not Escape

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even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rotten staff, they comfort me. That's verse four from Psalm 23. Notice something I don't know, I think it's pretty significant. The valley didn't go anywhere. Yeah, the valley didn't up and walk away. The danger remained, you know, the uncertainty stayed. Right. Yes, right, comfort was present, and all because God was present. It was because, like Christina said about David, only so much more. God's presence brings that comfort no matter whether circumstances change or not. The source of David's comfort, of course, wasn't the absence of trouble, it was the nearness of God. I know that I've experienced that as well, and I've felt a sense of his presence when I was um in the midst of my health crisis in 2014, which I know I bring up a lot, but I remember just how scared I was. I was laying on a gurney right outside of the OR preparing to go in, and I just remember thinking, you know, you you're here with me. I'm no matter where I am, you're with me, and you happen to be here with me right outside the OR, and you're gonna go with me into the operating room as well. And I just had a sense of peace, and then he gave me a verse from Romans, you know, the mindset on the spirit is life and peace. That was so sweet. I just love that. His nearness brings peace.

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It really does, and comfort matter, yeah, it does. Well, and sometimes we miss God's comfort because we're looking for immediate relief. And I just I know I've done that so many times, and I I don't want to do that anymore. I don't want to miss it. I I wanna I want to be a part of that, what he offers us. I want to embrace his presence in those moments. I don't want to miss it. We want that anxiety gone, you know. We want the sadness to go away, we want the temptation gone, the loneliness, the grief. But God offers something deeper. He offers his presence, his strength, companionship, peace. He offers his wisdom, his sustaining grace. But the pain may not instantly disappear. In fact, a lot of times it just doesn't. We have to go through stuff. It's it's hard, but we discover we are no longer carrying it alone. We discover that God's presence is all around us and that that's all we need to get through it.

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One of the most wonderful invitations in all of Scripture comes from Jesus Himself, where he says, Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Almost every word in that sentence can be focused on and be an encouragement to me. Matthew 11, 28 is where we find that, of course. Notice, notice where Jesus directs the weary people. He doesn't direct them to, you know, go over there to the fridge and have them or the phantom tree or whatever. And he doesn't direct them toward a strategy, you know, or a diet. He doesn't direct them toward self-improvement, he doesn't direct them toward performance. And he definitely doesn't say, here, why don't you go over to Instagram and scroll for an hour? He doesn't do that, he says, Come to me, come to me. Comfort is found in my relationship with you. Comfort is found in my presence with you, comfort is found in the communion you can have with me. Ooh, thank you, Lord.

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Yeah, I love that. Counterfeit comforts, one of the things that they do is they numb us, they make us numb. So we're not feeling, we're not present. But God's comfort strengthens us. There's a huge difference there, huge. Numbing says, Don't feel, don't think, don't engage, don't face it. Don't. But God's comfort says, I'm with you. You can face this, you can endure this with me. You're not alone. My grace is sufficient, my strength is available, my presence is real. Yay. Yeah, I mean, oh, isn't that a beautiful list just of who God is, the way he speaks to us? So one of the comforts disconnects us from reality. That's the counterfeit.

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Yeah.

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Yep, that's the counterfeit, and says, you know, grab your keys, let's go to the drive-thru. The other equips us to walk through reality and to come out feeling peace. Not, oh, I shouldn't have done that. I messed up again. I I hate that about myself. No, when we go to God, we we come out of whatever we were in, feeling peace and a more intimate relationship with the Lord. I love that.

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Yeah, me too. One of my favorite examples in the scripture um is Elijah. And this is one of my favorite stories, I tell you, it really is. After a huge victory, Elijah, you know, he had he'd gone head to head with the prophet on Mount Carmel. And oh my goodness, it was I can't imagine being there. I can't wait for somebody to depict that in uh like a you know the chosen type of movie. Yeah, it would be awesome to see this. Yes, yes. He had said, Come on, let's you pit your God against mine, and well, our God, of course, won. He won the day, and Elijah, after such a great victory, he became exhausted, he was discouraged, and he was also afraid because there were people threatening his life, of course. Yes, he ran out into the desert. I'm sure he was already in the desert, but he ran even farther into the desert and sat beneath a tree, and yeah, he was despondent. He wanted to give up. He was like, Please let me just go, Lord, let me go. What did God do? Did he say, Are you kidding me? After this amazing victory I gave you, what are you doing? He didn't scold him and he didn't lecture him, he didn't shame him either. You know, like, really? Are you gonna do this again? No, no, and I I laugh because I could just this is the way I think of God so often. I hate to admit that. It's like he's disappointed in me, or he can't believe I'm doing this again and running to other things. No, but God, instead of doing any of those things, he invited Elijah to rest, and he provided him with food, and he provided sleep, and then later, God spoke so tenderly to him. Ah, I love that. How beautiful is that, you know, God cared for Elijah's humanity, he really did. He didn't say, Come on, back up. You're supposed to be Elijah, you know? You're supposed to be some sort of great prophet who everybody's gonna know all down through his up through history, whatever. But yeah, how am I gonna put this story in the Bible? Um I love that that God just he shows us real. Sometimes receiving comfort really begins with receiving God's care for our humanity, for the need for sleep, for the need for food, for the need for for water, even and rest and just a break. Sometimes that's where God goes to supply comfort.

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It is, it really is. Well, and when you think about the people in your life that are really, really safe and trustworthy, think about this and think about how God is. One of the deepest forms of comfort is being fully known and fully loved. So think of you know, your very best friend or person who you feel so safe with and comfortable with and and comforted by just by being with them, and then multiply that by a bazillion. Um, and then let's read Psalm 139. Oh Lord, you have searched me and known me. And that's from verse one. Think about that for a second. I mean, whoa, it just blows my mind. God knows everything, He knows every fear, every struggle, every disappointment. He knows my longings, my secrets. He knows when those tears fall and how many fall. And he remains near. I mean, that's

Elijah And The Tenderness Of God

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extraordinary comfort. It is many of us fear being fully known, but God knows us completely and loves us completely, no matter what.

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Yes, yes. Oh, I just I just want to sit in that truth for a moment, but um, yeah, Jesus gave us another remarkable promise. He promised the Holy Spirit, God's own spirit, and in many translations, the Holy Spirit is called the comforter or helper. Think about that for a minute. God refers to his spirit as the comforter or helper. I love that. And one of the primary, yeah, one of the primary ministries of the Holy Spirit is to comfort God's people. He also reminds us of truth, he reassures us of God's love, he convicts without condemning, he strengthens us, he guides us, he helps us. We are never abandoned. There is never a moment or a place where we can go or be that the Holy Spirit is not with us if we belong to Christ. That's just such a beautiful truth. God Himself dwells within His people. Inside His people. I don't get it, I can't imagine, but it's True.

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Blows the mind. Blows the mind. Yeah. You know, yesterday, um, Heidi, I was watching one of the videos for one of the classes that we have that are starting up soon. And I looked at myself, and my face was big and puffy, and I could just tell that I wasn't feeling well. And that took me all the way back to last year when I was in the middle of chemo. It was in the fall that we made those videos. I was in the middle of chemo, and I felt just so sick. And I remember feeling so puffy, puffed up from the chemo, swollen. Um, and it just took me right back. And I thought, you know what, Lord? You were there. You were there for all of it. And his comfort was his presence. You know, there were days that I felt so bad. I spent all day in bed, not able to really do anything. And I remember just feeling like, as long as you're here, Lord, I'm okay. Like, just get me through this. And he did. There wasn't anything anybody could have given me really to fix it. Right. And the counterfeit comforts that I usually go to were like nothing. They were like completely ineffective. Um, and I remember just thinking, Lord, as long as you're here, just just be here. Then I'm gonna get through this. And he did, he got me through all of those impossible days. I'm just so grateful, so very grateful. So, how do we actually receive God's comfort? You know, how do we receive what he's offering? So, here are some simple ideas. Sometimes comfort comes through scripture, you know, a verse suddenly speaks directly to your situation. Um, I know people that enjoy listening to scripture, you know, and that is so it ministers to their heart, um, no matter what they're going through. Sometimes comfort comes through prayer, you know, not because circumstances change immediately, but because your heart is like, oh yeah, God is here. I can talk to him, I can pray, and he's going to interact with me through prayer. Sometimes comfort comes through worship. You know, you might want to be singing or humming or listening to worship or playing an instrument or just saying who God is out loud. Sometimes comfort comes through silence, through tears, sometimes through a trusted friend. I mean, that's that's a big one. That's so important. How about a walk outdoors in God's creation? Comfort often comes to me outdoors, but sometimes through remembering God's faithfulness, that's a big one. Let's go back and remember how faithful God has been. Sometimes comfort comes through simply sitting quietly and saying, Lord, I'm here. But what's always the same? The source. The source is always, always God. The means may vary, but the source is always God.

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I think one of the biggest sources of comfort for me, I mean, obviously it's God who's a source, but how do I receive it? The way I receive it best is when I renew my mind. Especially if I'm in the midst of challenging circumstances and I need his comfort the most, by asking him, what is true about this? What is true is that you have something so amazing to teach me through this difficult situation, I cannot even imagine it. I am sure you're going to, you know, cause great growth in my life. And I'm thankful for that for that. I'm thankful I can trust you that you're gonna do that. This will not be for nothing. And other things like that, that that as I renew my mind, what God, what are your thoughts about this difficult circumstance? Wow, I receive his comfort as nothing else can comfort me. Nothing else. The circumstances don't need to change uh in order for me to experience that. I just experience him and his presence in the midst of it. And he so very often reminds me, this is happening to you, my child, against the backdrop of the cross of Christ. God, I gave my son because I love you so much that I wanted you to belong to me, and whatever I'm experiencing, it I if I view it in that context, it takes on a whole new meaning and the comfort job flows. It's really beautiful.

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Wow, that is so beautiful, Heidi. Thanks for sharing that. Sure.

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Well, so as we wrap up this week, when you notice yourself needing comfort or seeking comfort, try asking the Lord, Lord, what am I needing right now? What is hurting? What feels heavy? How might you want to meet me here? And then pause. This is an important part to it because if we wanted to stifle the need, we go to our counterfeit comfort. So we might ask the questions, and then I'm just gonna take care of this. No, we want to pause, and really, when we pause, it's abiding, it's waiting on him, even if it's for just 30 seconds. Maybe it's just in it. Take a breath and just pause there for a moment, invite him in. You don't need the perfect prayer, you don't need polished words, you just need honesty and turn your heart and eyes in a Godward direction. Oh, it's it's richly rewarding to do that.

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It is. Let's go to Isaiah for a minute, and this is Isaiah 66, 13. As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you. What a beautiful picture this is. God intentionally uses one of the most tender images available for this. He wants us to understand his comfort is personal, his comfort is compassionate and gentle. It's not

How To Receive Comfort This Week

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reluctant, he delights in caring for his children, he delights in that. He longs for us to come to him.

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So as we close, let's just consider these questions. When I need comfort, where do I usually turn first? And it's not to produce shame. Nope, nope, nope. God is not the author of shame. Um but it's God might bring conviction. Conviction is very specific, and its source is the Holy Spirit, and there's a solution when there's conviction. So just be willing to ask him, Lord, when I need comfort, where do I usually turn first? And then what do I believe your comfort should look like? Now it doesn't mean it will if I land on an answer, but it's really good to have an idea of what am I expecting in those moments if I do wait on the Lord? And then ask him to show you, Lord, have I confused comfort with escape? We have a five-month-long class escaping from secrets and strongholds because it's such a common problem or challenge. It is that we would, ah, you know, I want to escape from feeling, I want to escape from this and that. So, how have I confused comfort with escape? And then can I identify times, Lord, when you have strengthened me, even though circumstances remained difficult? You might want to journal about that. And what might it look like to receive God's comfort this week? Today, maybe today. Yeah, yeah, right now. You can take time to journal about these questions, bring them into prayer, and let God meet you there.

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So, we want to leave you with um these words from Psalm 34. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. That's Psalm 34, 18.

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You know, God's comfort isn't reserved for people who have everything together, and that's a good thing because there aren't any of those. That's a good thing. His comfort is really available to those who know they need him. We want to stay in that humble place of recognizing our need, and and we know we need him, we're weary, we're grieving, we're discouraged, we're overwhelmed, lonely, frightened, broken hearted. That's a long list. It is, and it goes on into perpetuity. Good list, though. The invitation remains. Come, bring your longing, bring your weakness, bring your need, and discover the comfort of God's presence.

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Oh, I love it. I'll go ahead and pray, Lord Jesus. Thank you for being the God of all comfort. Thank you that you do not shame us for our need. No way, not ever. Thank you that you draw nearer to us when we are brokenhearted. Teach us, Lord, to recognize your presence. There it is. Teach us to recognize it. Help us to receive your comfort and help us, Lord, to trust that you are enough even when the circumstances remain difficult. May we learn to rest in your love, Lord. May we learn to find refuge in your presence. And may we discover that true comfort is found in you. And I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

SPEAKER_02 32:16

Thanks for joining us for this episode of Loud Longings, Holy God. Next time is our final episode of this series. We're calling it holy nearness. We're going to discover that beneath every single longing, every ache, every search for comfort, and every desire for more, there has always been, always been a deeper invitation, the invitation to know and enjoy the presence of God Himself, the one who is the lover of your soul, the one who gave himself for you. Until then, may you experience the comfort, tenderness, and faithful nearness of our loving Father. See you next time.

SPEAKER_01 32:59

See you next time. We're so glad you've been here. And we hope that you'll join us next time.

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Only twin.