Aug. 27, 2023

Don't Let Expectation Die with James B. Johnson

Don't Let Expectation Die with James B. Johnson
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Empower Your Thinking with C.T. Johnson

On this episode of A Biblical Perspective, Prophet Johnson and special guest James Johnson (his younger brother) discuss the significance of Expectation and its contributions to the successes or defeats of life and how relationships with self, other people, and God dictate specific outcomes.

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Transcript
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Welcome to a Biblical Perspective Podcast where God's point of view matters.

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I'm your host, Prophet CT Johnson.

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This podcast is designed to expand you beyond the mind's cultural and theological limitations

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about the Bible and what it teaches.

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Prepare for the challenge of becoming a critical thinker, analyzing life from God's perspective.

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Boldly and unapologetically, I'll address the ills and issues of our day using scripture

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as the frame of reference.

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Get ready to empower your thinking and change your life.

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Now let's hear what God has to say.

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Well hello family.

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Welcome to another episode of a Biblical Perspective Podcast.

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I'm your host, Prophet CT Johnson, excited about today's podcast, excited about today's

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show.

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I have a very special guest, one that I know you're going to enjoy.

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You're going to be empowered and enlightened by his contribution to our conversation on

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today.

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Very special person to me.

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I've known him all of his life, all of his earthly existence.

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I've known him and so I'm going to introduce him momentarily and you want to ensure that

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you are staying put and you stay tuned to today's episode because we're going to have

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a powerful time with this guest.

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As we discuss the subject of expectation, we're going to discuss it from a position

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and a perspective that you probably haven't heard before.

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So again, you are going to want to make sure that you don't miss the entirety of today's

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podcast as we discuss with this guest the subject of expectation.

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But before we bring him on, I want to encourage you to go to my website, ctjohnson.org and

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pick up your copy of my latest book, Empower Your Thinking, volume one.

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It's going to literally empower your thinking.

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Quotes to shift consciousness, provoke thought, and increase understanding.

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This book is not your common, your usual book of quotes, but it is an interactive book and

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the quotes are designed to take you beyond the superficial as it pertains to how you

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see yourself and even more importantly, how God sees you.

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So I want to encourage you to go to ctjohnson.org and pick up your copy, Empower Your Thinking,

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volume one.

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Quotes to shift consciousness, provoke thought, and increase understanding.

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And also connect with me on social media, Facebook, and Instagram at cterelljohnson.

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That's c-t-e-r-r-i-l-l.

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Johnson, I would love to interact and connect with you there on social media, Facebook,

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and Instagram, cterelljohnson.

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All right.

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Let's bring my guest on as I shared with you briefly just a moment ago.

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This young man, I've known all of my life and we have had wonderful times together.

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We've had some turbulent times together, but nonetheless, we are yet together and this

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young man is none other than my youngest brother, James Brandon Johnson.

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I'm going to give you his whole government name, James Brandon Johnson, and I am so honored

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that he is with me on today's podcast and we're going to have a powerful, powerful time

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and we're going to share, allow you rather to enter into a personal conversation that

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he and I had just earlier this week.

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Just earlier this week, we had a powerful conversation that provoked the idea to bring

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him on the podcast and have this conversation again with you all listening and benefiting

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from it.

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So without further ado, I'm going to bring my baby, my biological.

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This is my biological baby brother, my mother gave birth to both of us as well as our older

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brother.

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There's an older brother, Arthur.

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There's me and then there is James.

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And so James, say hello to our audience and we're going to jump into the conversation

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that we had just a few days ago.

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I'm glad that you're with me, baby brother.

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Yes sir, thank you for having me and definitely looking forward to continuing our conversation

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and above all else, I pray that it would be impactful, empowering and encouraging to others

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as well.

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Absolutely.

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I know that it will be.

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So I want to preface our conversation.

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Of course, this is a biblical perspective podcast, so everything that we discuss, all

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of our topics that we address, we address them from a biblical perspective.

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And so of course, I want to preface our talk, our discussion today out of Jeremiah 17 and

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seven and again, I told you all at the beginning of the show, you're going to hear us discuss,

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dialogue, even teach on the subject of expectation from a perspective that may not be familiar

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to you.

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However, it's going to bless and empower your life.

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But Jeremiah 17 and seven, it says blessed is the man that trusted in the Lord and whose

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hope the Lord is.

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Now as I was preparing for our discussion today and I shared with my brother a moment

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ago before we began the podcast and that is hope expectation is found in the scriptures.

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Obviously what I just read to you in Jeremiah 17 and seven, it says the latter portion and

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whose hope the Lord is blessed is the man that trusted in the Lord and whose hope or

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whose expectation is in the Lord.

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And one of the most common mistakes that we make as it pertains to our hope and our expectation

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is that we place it in everyone else, everything else other than God and his standards, his

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way, his laws.

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And that's one of the main reasons why many people are disappointed as it pertains to

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their hope and or the expectation they're let down because they hoped they expected

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from persons from an organization that's flawed.

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That probably not on purpose, let them down, disappointed them, but you will never ever

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have to worry about your hope, perishing your expectations, being dashed when it's placed

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in God.

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And so I'm going to pause there and I'm going to throw it to you James and just allow you

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to comment on what I just shared and what I just said and then we'll move further into

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how we got to this point of wanting to have this discussion on the podcast.

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So what are your thoughts about what I just shared thus far?

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James Dixon You know, as I ponder that scripture, it comes

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to mind that hope or expectation is really something that's predicated upon relationship.

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I think that it is one thing to be saved or to receive the gift of salvation.

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It's another to establish, maintain a relationship with Christ.

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In the absence of relationship, it becomes complicated to have such great expectations

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of our Lord and Savior.

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If you don't know Him, you can't truly trust Him, but to know Him, you can't help but trust

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Him.

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Neal Bajer That's good.

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That's good.

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Go ahead.

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Go ahead.

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That's good right there.

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Say that again.

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Repeat that last part because that was good.

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And then continue with your thought.

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James Dixon So I was just saying if you don't know Him,

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you cannot trust Him.

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But to know Him, you can't help but trust Him.

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See, I'm able to have certain expectations of you because you're my brother and I know

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you.

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If I didn't really know you, I wouldn't be able to take you at your word because I don't

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know your level of integrity.

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But we have a Savior that has mastered integrity above anyone else.

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Neal Bajer That's good.

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That's good.

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So expectation or relationship rather, relationship is the foundation of the premise, the substratum

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upon which expectation or hope is built upon.

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Is that the essence of what you just shared, the connection between relationship and expectation?

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James Dixon Certainly, I think that sums it up perfectly.

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You know, in order to have a hope or an expectation, you have to have a relationship.

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Once you have that relationship with Christ, then the stronger it is, the more you grow

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in Christ, the more you grow in your faith, the greater your expectations become.

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Neal Bajer So is it safe to say that, and this may not

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be true in every instance, but just generally speaking, is it safe to say that where we

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struggle with expectation or our expectations pertaining to certain people or even ourselves,

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is it because we fail to do due diligence in establishing a strong connection with said

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persons or people?

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Is it safe to say that most times we are disappointed where our expectation and our hope is concerned

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because we have placed it in people that we don't know that we have not spent enough time

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with as it pertains to, as you said earlier, learning or coming into the knowledge of understanding

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where they are, integral wise, whether or not they are a person that can be trusted,

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whether or not that they are a person that holds fast or holds true to their word.

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So again, I guess the question I'm asking is the result of, or rather is disappointment

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is being let down, sometimes the result of us prematurely placing our hope and expectations

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in people that we really have not taken the time to vet.

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Is that making sense?

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Neal Bajer Yeah, I think that makes perfect sense.

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I think the greatest point that you just made is spending time with someone.

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So, you know, I'm a person in my personal life, I believe that before I place any expectation

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on anyone, I spend time with that person and I observe that person under various circumstances,

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because circumstances will tend to bring out the true character of a person.

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So if you only observe someone when they're facing joyful times, you don't yet know how

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that person handles adversity, disappointment, frustration.

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And if you place all of your hope into that person, simply because you witnessed how they

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handle joyful times, well, life is not a 100% joyful experience.

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Unfortunately, in this life, trials and tribulations don't discriminate, they will come to you.

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Neal Bajer Absolutely.

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Yeah, go ahead, finish your thought.

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I'm just agreeing with you.

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Neal Bajer No, sir, that pretty much sums it up.

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You know, like I said, I agree with you.

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I think the greatest thing is where you mentioned spending time with the person and as it relates

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to our faith in Christ, our faith in God, I think that's where many go astray.

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Again, I'll repeat, it's one thing to receive the gift of salvation, but having received

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the gift of salvation does not mean that you have a relationship with God.

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Salvation is merely an introduction.

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I've been introduced to countless people, but I only have a relationship with a select

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few and having a relationship is an intentional decision and it requires investment.

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I think that many people seem to think that you accept the gift of salvation and that

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growing in God is just something that happens automatically over time.

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So we have many people that feel, well, you know, I've been in the faith for 40, 50 years.

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That doesn't mean that you have a relationship with God.

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Neal Bajer Absolutely.

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Absolutely.

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Neal Bajer Having a relationship means you've made a

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conscious decision to invest of yourself, to invest your time, your energy, your resources

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into developing that relationship and you have to spend time with him.

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Dr. Charles D. C. Cotter That's good.

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I love that point that you made in regards to salvation does not equate to having developed

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a relationship with God, having matured in your understanding of who he is and even who

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you are in relation to him.

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Salvation is the, I like how you said at the introduction, it is the beginning of relational

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development with Jesus Christ.

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Neal Bajer Exactly.

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Dr. Charles D. Cotter See, that was very, very, very powerful.

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And that's why the Bible talks to us about maturing and growing into the next dimension

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and image of Jesus Christ.

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Because unfortunately, within the church, we have labeled salvation as the end all be

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all as it pertains to once you're saved, once you give your life to Christ and you receive

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your new creation, spirit and your new heart according to Jeremiah, that's it.

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Or salvation alone brings you into a deeper, more in-depth understanding or relationship

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with Jesus Christ.

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No, there is work that is required just like with any relationship.

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You know, Jess and I, next month, September the 13th, will be 20 years that we've been

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married.

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We were married 20 years ago, September 13th, 2003, after the officiate, the person who

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officiated the wedding, once they said, I now pronounce you husband and wife, and we

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kissed and even though we had been engaged, we knew each other or courted for a year and

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a half prior to getting married somewhere in I think a year.

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But once we got married, my point is once we got married, the marriage or the ceremony,

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I should say the ceremony did not manifest a marriage or we did not in the ceremony in

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and of itself learned all that there was to learn about each other.

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It took years in order for the two to become one even though we got married in a day.

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So my point is, like you said, just because you got saved, salvation alone does not equate

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to you having strengthened, developed, matured, fortified your relationship with Jesus Christ

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because you don't know him.

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That's why church attendance is important.

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Bible study is important.

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Reading your Bible is important because reading the scriptures is how we develop and grow

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in that relationship.

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I just love that point that you brought out and that really connects with the scripture

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that I opened up with Jeremiah 17, blessed is the man, empowered is the man, the person

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who trusted in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is.

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Well, trust in God is not, it doesn't manifest by osmosis.

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Your trust and our trust with anyone that we're in relationship with, trust is developed

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over time.

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It's developed by us interacting with each other.

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It's developed through the good, the bad, the times of indifference, the times of disagreement

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and things of that nature.

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So what are your thoughts?

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You know, I think again, I would just reiterate the importance of relationship, having that

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relationship with God.

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You know, you can't trust him.

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You can't have any expectations in the absence of that.

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I think that is so important because all of the promises of God are predicated upon your

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relationship with God and your level of expectation as we were discussing previous, prior this

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week rather, your expectation is what dictates your conversation.

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And your conversation is going to control your level of manifestation because scripture

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says that death and life lies in the power of your tongue.

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So what you're saying is deriving from what do you really expect in life?

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You know, I think as we were discussing, it's one thing to utilize what I refer to as religiously

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correct terminology.

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So we know how to say the right things in the right moment to generate the right response

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that we want to receive.

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But to really have expectations of God's best in your life, as you mentioned, you have to

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get into the scriptures because you have to see all that God has outlined for you.

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Absolutely.

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I love what you just said.

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We're going to take them into, I'm going to allow you to take our listeners into the encounter,

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the moment, the conversation that you and the Lord had earlier this week and how we

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actually got into this discussion of expectation.

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But I don't want to misquote you, so I want you to say it again if I misquote it.

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But you said, how did you say it?

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You said expectation.

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Your expectation dictates your conversation.

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Your conversation.

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Yeah, that's it.

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Did y'all hear that?

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I want y'all to write that down.

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Your expectation dictates your conversation.

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Your expectation dictates your conversation.

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Now, take 60 seconds and explain what do you mean by that statement?

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That's a powerful statement.

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I want to make sure that our listeners understand it.

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Your expectation dictates your conversation because he's not just rhyming you all.

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It rhymes, but it's a powerful statement.

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And I want to make sure that our listeners understand it.

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Because he's not just rhyming you all, it rhymes, but it's a powerful statement and

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I want to make sure that you all understand precisely the point that James is endeavoring

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to make through that statement.

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Because many of you, your conversation, the reason you have not received what you are

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expecting or hoping for is because your conversation refutes what you're expecting.

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Your conversation disputes it.

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Your conversation combats it.

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So your conversation dictates, your expectation rather, dictates your conversation.

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Explain that.

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Well, okay.

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So as we said, you know, this is a biblical perspective so we definitely want to utilize

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scripture.

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Scripture indicates that death and life lies in the power of the tongue.

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So and again, you're correct, it rhymes, but trust me, that's not my intention.

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It just happens to be that's the way it came to me.

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But when I say your expectation dictates your conversation, I'm not speaking about the conversation

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that you say to other people.

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Because that's where we learn how to be religiously correct.

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Those of us that have been in this faith for any amount of time, we learn the right things

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to say.

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But when I say your expectation dictates your conversation, what I'm really speaking of

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is what are you saying to yourself about your situation?

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Because what you're saying to yourself about your situation is what matters the most.

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Because if you're not saying those things to yourself that line up with the scriptures,

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it does not matter that you say those things to other people.

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It's the internal dialogue that's controlling your level of manifestation.

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It's what you're saying to yourself.

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Hold on bro, you said it's your internal dialogue that is the significant aspect of the conversation.

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What you are saying to yourself, the conversations that are going on in your head, that you're

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having in your heart, the unheard dialogue.

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I love that.

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The internal conversation.

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Go ahead, continue.

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That's certainly it, and that's one of the things that God has really shared with me

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recently and I've been able to grow in that area.

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It's those things that you say to yourself about your situation.

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All too often, we speak to ourselves based on our emotions.

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So we respond to the situations and circumstances in our lives when in reality you have to speak

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to yourself based on what God has already said.

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And one thing that I've discovered in life is that situations and circumstances won't

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always line up with what God has said.

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However, if you speak based upon those situations and circumstances, you can expect for them

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to continue.

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That's good, absolutely.

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I want to connect your statement with Numbers 13 and 33.

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I want you to repeat it again for the people when you said it's the internal dialogue.

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Yes sir, it's the internal dialogue, the things that you're saying to yourself.

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I utilize the word dialogue intentionally, not just monologue because some people would

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think dialogue meaning there's an actual conversation going on, monologue meaning it's just one

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individual speaking.

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But how can you have dialogue within yourself?

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Because to be honest, there's oftentimes a conflict going on within yourself because

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there's your spirit that's having a conversation with your mind, your intellect.

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And sometimes we try to intellectualize the scriptures and you can't spiritualize and

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intellectualize at the same time.

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That's good.

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You have to, you know what, never mind.

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My head, my thoughts, my mind is going so many places.

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That was good.

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You said you can't spiritualize or intellectualize at the same time.

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That is powerful.

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You have to either, and you know what listeners, that's very true if you think about it.

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Because it's just like if you are, you really can't talk and have or develop a complete

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thought in your head.

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Because if I'm thinking in my head about whatever I'm thinking about and when I start to speak,

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me speaking interrupts the flow of my thoughts.

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And if you think about it, many times when you're thinking, you're having that internal

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dialogue with yourself and someone enters in the room or enters into your space and

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they start talking and you're in deep thought.

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Most times what do we do?

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We stop them like, no, hold on, let me finish processing this thought.

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Or if you're writing and you're dictating your thoughts or manifesting your thoughts

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through journaling or what have you.

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And if someone, many times I'm writing books or whatever, my wife comes in and starts talking

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to me and I'll say, well, no, hold on, let me finish this thought.

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Because what you're saying is going to interrupt or interject the flow of thought.

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And so we have to be able to calm or settle, settle ourselves.

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And really the truth of the matter is, let me say it this way, the Word of God can't

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be as you said, intellectualized anyway, because God does not speak to us through our intellect.

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Now he uses our intellect, but God speaks to us and converses with us because he is

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spirit.

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God speaks to us spirit to spirit.

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And many times that's where the disconnect is.

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We're trying to intellectualize that which is spiritual, but spirituality supersedes

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and overrides intellectual and or carnal wisdom.

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And so you can't think your way or intellectualize your way into understanding God.

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I hope that makes sense.

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But what I want to connect to that statement, the internal conversations that we have with

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ourselves, it is that conversation that if it's not the right conversation that can be

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detrimental to your life.

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It can impede the manifestation of what you're hoping for, what you're expecting.

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And in Numbers 13 and 33, it says, and there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak who come

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of the giants.

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And we were in our own sight as grasshoppers.

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And so we were in their sight.

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There's nowhere in that passage of scripture or in that chapter of Numbers that we are

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informed that the spies, the 10 spies that went in to the promised land to view, there's

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nowhere in the text where it says that the giants saw them.

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The giants didn't know they were in the land.

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Hence, they were spies.

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They went in undetected.

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But it was that internal conversation that they had with themselves.

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They had already convinced themselves that they were less than, that they were incapable

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of doing, accomplishing, acquiring what God told them they could, what He told them He

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had already given to them, but they were intimidated by the opposition because their perspective

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concerning themselves was less than.

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It says that they were grasshoppers in their sight.

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And so they assumed that because they saw themselves as defeated and as grasshoppers

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that the giants saw them as such.

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But there was no scriptural indication that the current inhabitants of the land saw them

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and said that they were grasshoppers and all of that.

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So my point is to your point that internal conversation, it's your expectation that determines

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your conversation.

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And really, James, we can even flip it.

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It's your conversation that dictates your expectation.

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And many people, their expectation is low.

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Yeah.

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But their expectations are at ground zero because of the conversation, the low self-esteem,

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the inferiority complex and all of the other things.

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So share your thoughts on that.

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And then I want you to take us into, take our listeners into the conversation that you

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and the Lord had in your vehicle and how this subject came about of expectation.

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So share your thoughts in regards to what we just dialogued about or what I just spoke

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about and then take us into that time with you and the Lord.

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Well, you know, I agree with everything you just said.

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I think it can actually be said both ways, your expectation dictates your conversation

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or we can flip it and say your conversation dictates your expectation.

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I think that while it can be said both ways, the main focal point is your conversation,

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having the correct conversations within yourself really is the main, I guess, the main meat

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of what we're attempting to convey here.

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As I was sharing with you earlier this week, you know, I'm a trucker, so my occupation

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allows me to spend the majority of my day alone.

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And I usually start my mornings off listening to some gospel, praying and meditating.

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And one of the things that God has really taught me over the course of time is that

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it's not so much that when I pray, I need to say what I have to say to God, but I need

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to be silent for a period of time and allow Him to speak to me.

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So during this time on a particular morning this week, I was just listening to some music.

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There was a song playing by Reverend Clay Evans for the rest of my life.

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And as I was just listening to it and began to ponder on some things and God began to

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speak to me about expectations, what do you really expect in your life?

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Because as I mentioned, one of the things that we as Christians, we learn how to be

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religiously correct.

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We learn how to put on a facade.

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We learn how to do church.

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Unfortunately, in this day and age, for many Christians, church has become nothing more

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than a learned activity.

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That's true.

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So just to have some time again with God, just speaking to me and asking me, what is

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it that I really expect in life?

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You know, on a personal note, man, there are countless situations in life right now that

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I am confused about, that I am praying to God to provide relief in.

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So God began to check me because one of those situations, I had to adjust my conversation

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about that situation.

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Because while I'm praying and asking that God would provide relief in that situation,

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my conversation was still rooted in my frustration.

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And if your conversation isn't lining up with what God is attempting to do, then what you

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are saying is actually counteracting what God is doing on your behalf.

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That's why there's a terminology of supernatural.

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God is doing his super, but you're not doing your natural because your conversation is

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still rooted in your frustration.

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So I was just listening to God and I began to ponder, okay, what is it that I really

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expect in life?

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And one of the things that God shared with me is you have to really expect the best out

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of life.

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You have a right to expect the best out of life.

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You have to expect great things to happen to you.

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You have to expect to be blessed.

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And one of the things that God showed me is that one of the reasons why so many people

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have low expectations is because at some point in their life, they had high expectations.

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And what they were praying for, what they were expecting, it didn't happen.

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And that's traumatizing.

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It's disappointing.

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It hurts.

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So what most people do, especially us as men, we tend to internalize our trauma.

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And when you internalize it, you don't effectively process it.

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And unprocessed trauma will cripple you.

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So most people have crippled faith.

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So their level of expectation has been crippled.

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And because they don't want to experience that hurt and disappointment ever again, they

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simply decide that instead of expecting all of these great things to happen to me in life,

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I'll just settle for mediocrity.

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I'll settle for average.

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And if God wants to do exceeding and abundantly above all that I could ask a thing, then sure,

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He can go for it.

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But I won't expect that.

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And that's not a philosophy that's rooted in Scripture.

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And that's not the way that God wants us to think.

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God wants us to expect the best things out of life.

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00:36:21,380 --> 00:36:28,060
But in order to be in that position to do so, again, it necessitates that you effectively

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process and deal with past traumas.

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00:36:32,540 --> 00:36:36,180
And I can't speak for women because I'm not a woman, never have been, have no desire to

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be one.

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I think that's necessary to see in this day and age that we live in.

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However, I can speak as a man.

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We tend to internalize our trauma and mask it because we think that defines our masculinity.

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And suppress it.

447
00:36:55,580 --> 00:36:56,580
We suppress it.

448
00:36:56,580 --> 00:36:57,580
Exactly.

449
00:36:57,580 --> 00:36:58,580
Go ahead.

450
00:36:58,580 --> 00:36:59,580
Go ahead.

451
00:36:59,580 --> 00:37:06,860
So, you know, I was just, again, you know, driving along, letting God download some information

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into me and just pondering on life and, you know, the various adjustments that I need

453
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to make in regards to some situations.

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And another thing that God shared with me, you know, we think of opportunities, man.

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And as opportunities come in life, you know, I'm certain that we would all agree that some

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opportunities are short-lived.

457
00:37:25,260 --> 00:37:32,100
And that being said, you need to take advantage of the opportunity and the life of the opportunity

458
00:37:32,100 --> 00:37:36,100
because some opportunities only come once in a lifetime.

459
00:37:36,100 --> 00:37:37,780
And I was pondering on that.

460
00:37:37,780 --> 00:37:45,620
And as I pondered that, God enlightened me to the fact that in all actuality, every day

461
00:37:45,620 --> 00:37:52,180
is a once in a lifetime opportunity because every day you see is a day that you've never

462
00:37:52,180 --> 00:37:54,180
seen before.

463
00:37:54,180 --> 00:37:57,980
And once it comes to a close, you'll never again get to see it.

464
00:37:57,980 --> 00:37:58,980
Right.

465
00:37:58,980 --> 00:38:00,980
And tomorrow is not promised.

466
00:38:00,980 --> 00:38:01,980
Exactly.

467
00:38:01,980 --> 00:38:08,420
So, understanding that it's imperative to make the best out of each day, you know, even

468
00:38:08,420 --> 00:38:12,180
on yesterday in particular, I encountered a situation that was somewhat frustrating

469
00:38:12,180 --> 00:38:13,180
to me.

470
00:38:13,180 --> 00:38:16,660
And I was reminded of what God has shared with me.

471
00:38:16,660 --> 00:38:23,020
And I said, well, you know, I'm agitated, I'm frustrated, aggravated by this situation,

472
00:38:23,020 --> 00:38:27,340
but I'm not going to let this define my day.

473
00:38:27,340 --> 00:38:31,980
I'm going to make an intentional decision that I'm going to continue to have a good

474
00:38:31,980 --> 00:38:35,460
day because I was having a great day up until this occurred.

475
00:38:35,460 --> 00:38:36,940
It's already occurred.

476
00:38:36,940 --> 00:38:37,940
I can't change it.

477
00:38:37,940 --> 00:38:41,420
So I'm simply going to move on from it.

478
00:38:41,420 --> 00:38:43,940
Now, that's good.

479
00:38:43,940 --> 00:38:49,580
So that's another thing that God had just been, you know, just sharing with me again

480
00:38:49,580 --> 00:38:52,980
about your level of expectation.

481
00:38:52,980 --> 00:39:02,540
And you have, I guess I don't want to speak as though I'm speaking at people because again,

482
00:39:02,540 --> 00:39:08,820
these are things that God spoke to me and adjustments that I recognize that I needed

483
00:39:08,820 --> 00:39:11,540
to make.

484
00:39:11,540 --> 00:39:18,940
But it's just, at least for me, it was a matter of, I know God, you know, I often tell people

485
00:39:18,940 --> 00:39:23,220
this and people laugh at the way I say it, but I'm just me when it comes to God because

486
00:39:23,220 --> 00:39:28,500
I don't believe that you got to try to be this extra double, triple spiritual person

487
00:39:28,500 --> 00:39:30,340
and use all these big fancy words.

488
00:39:30,340 --> 00:39:35,740
And I don't make a mockery of that because I think that's one of the errors of this generation.

489
00:39:35,740 --> 00:39:40,660
We make a mockery of how some people speak of God or relate to God.

490
00:39:40,660 --> 00:39:41,660
I'm not that person.

491
00:39:41,660 --> 00:39:45,940
But I oftentimes tell people, you know, the thing with me is I'm really down with God

492
00:39:45,940 --> 00:39:46,940
like that.

493
00:39:46,940 --> 00:39:47,940
Right.

494
00:39:47,940 --> 00:39:51,580
And most importantly, I know He's down with me like that.

495
00:39:51,580 --> 00:39:54,380
You understand what I'm saying?

496
00:39:54,380 --> 00:39:59,780
So I have a great level of confidence that, you know, the situations in my life that are

497
00:39:59,780 --> 00:40:08,460
a nuisance to me, that are a source of aggravation, frustration, even disappointment, I trust

498
00:40:08,460 --> 00:40:09,460
God.

499
00:40:09,460 --> 00:40:13,060
I really trust God like that because I've seen what God does.

500
00:40:13,060 --> 00:40:20,800
So my trust in my faith in God and my expectation of Him is not predicated upon what someone

501
00:40:20,800 --> 00:40:23,940
told me God did for them.

502
00:40:23,940 --> 00:40:27,700
But I know what He's done in my life and what He's continuing to do in my life.

503
00:40:27,700 --> 00:40:31,500
This man that I've become now, this has been a process of evolution.

504
00:40:31,500 --> 00:40:38,300
And although I'm not perfect, I humbly say that I applaud myself for the progress that

505
00:40:38,300 --> 00:40:44,020
I've made in life on a practical level as well as spiritually.

506
00:40:44,020 --> 00:40:51,060
It's been a process of growth and I applaud myself and I'm grateful.

507
00:40:51,060 --> 00:40:54,580
So because of that, and because of the growth that I've seen in myself, I know what God

508
00:40:54,580 --> 00:40:57,580
is capable of doing.

509
00:40:57,580 --> 00:40:58,580
Absolutely.

510
00:40:58,580 --> 00:41:00,860
That's where the expectation comes from.

511
00:41:00,860 --> 00:41:06,380
You know, when we were younger growing up, you know, older folks would say, I tried them

512
00:41:06,380 --> 00:41:07,380
for myself.

513
00:41:07,380 --> 00:41:08,380
Yes.

514
00:41:08,380 --> 00:41:12,820
And that's the best way that I can put it when I speak of having expectations.

515
00:41:12,820 --> 00:41:16,100
You got to try God for yourself and really see what He do.

516
00:41:16,100 --> 00:41:20,840
Don't just base your expectation off of what my brother and I are sharing, but you really

517
00:41:20,840 --> 00:41:22,940
have to try God for yourself.

518
00:41:22,940 --> 00:41:23,940
Right.

519
00:41:23,940 --> 00:41:29,820
Going back to developing your own relationship with the Lord Jesus.

520
00:41:29,820 --> 00:41:30,820
Exactly.

521
00:41:30,820 --> 00:41:31,820
Because...

522
00:41:31,820 --> 00:41:35,580
As the scripture says, all taste and see that the Lord is good.

523
00:41:35,580 --> 00:41:36,580
Yes, sir.

524
00:41:36,580 --> 00:41:41,780
And that's a powerful point that you made.

525
00:41:41,780 --> 00:41:48,340
Again, tying it, directing it all back to relationship.

526
00:41:48,340 --> 00:41:58,980
That is how we opened up today's show and laid the foundation that your expectations

527
00:41:58,980 --> 00:42:07,580
for God, for yourself, for individuals, that expectation is built upon the foundation of

528
00:42:07,580 --> 00:42:09,900
relationship.

529
00:42:09,900 --> 00:42:19,460
It's based upon the time and the experiences that you have encountered with that person

530
00:42:19,460 --> 00:42:23,420
getting to know them, them getting to know you.

531
00:42:23,420 --> 00:42:34,820
And so people whom we don't know our expectations pertaining to them, they are low or minimal

532
00:42:34,820 --> 00:42:37,500
because we don't know them.

533
00:42:37,500 --> 00:42:43,520
But for those whom we know and our knowing of them is positive.

534
00:42:43,520 --> 00:42:44,840
We know that they're punctual.

535
00:42:44,840 --> 00:42:46,260
We know that they're dependable.

536
00:42:46,260 --> 00:42:47,800
We know that they're reliable.

537
00:42:47,800 --> 00:42:49,980
We know that their word is their bond.

538
00:42:49,980 --> 00:42:57,980
Our expectation for them is higher than those that we do know.

539
00:42:57,980 --> 00:43:00,940
However, what we know about them is that they're not punctual.

540
00:43:00,940 --> 00:43:02,540
They're not dependable.

541
00:43:02,540 --> 00:43:05,860
They're a liar.

542
00:43:05,860 --> 00:43:08,860
They tell you they're going to do something and they don't do it.

543
00:43:08,860 --> 00:43:09,860
Right.

544
00:43:09,860 --> 00:43:19,780
So my expectation for you is not where I would want it because what I know about you is that

545
00:43:19,780 --> 00:43:27,700
you can't follow through or carry through with what you have.

546
00:43:27,700 --> 00:43:32,820
Your word is not your bond and that's not of course the Lord Jesus.

547
00:43:32,820 --> 00:43:38,060
And what I want to as we get ready to close it up here, it's been, I'm telling you time

548
00:43:38,060 --> 00:43:39,700
flies when you're having fun.

549
00:43:39,700 --> 00:43:43,340
This has been a very powerful conversation.

550
00:43:43,340 --> 00:43:51,820
But I want to go back to the word you use intentional and or intentionality because

551
00:43:51,820 --> 00:43:58,740
you were vulnerable a moment ago and you shared how just this week there was a situation that

552
00:43:58,740 --> 00:44:01,980
didn't pan out as you expected.

553
00:44:01,980 --> 00:44:08,340
But you realized, okay, I can't change what has happened, what has transpired, but I am

554
00:44:08,340 --> 00:44:15,340
making an intentional decision not to allow the disappointment that I may have experienced

555
00:44:15,340 --> 00:44:27,140
regardless of what it was, but I'm intentionally not allowing the disappointment to strip me

556
00:44:27,140 --> 00:44:35,500
of my future hope and or future expectation because as the old gospel song, trouble don't

557
00:44:35,500 --> 00:44:40,740
last always, Timothy Wright and or this too will pass.

558
00:44:40,740 --> 00:44:48,100
And I love how you talked about trauma, how men in particular, we internalize our trauma

559
00:44:48,100 --> 00:44:50,060
because it's just true.

560
00:44:50,060 --> 00:44:57,020
Men generally speaking, most men are not as conversational as women.

561
00:44:57,020 --> 00:45:04,580
Most men don't freely discuss their feelings and things of that nature because we have

562
00:45:04,580 --> 00:45:16,140
been taught most men from children, men don't cry, men don't reveal how they feel.

563
00:45:16,140 --> 00:45:20,100
Like you said, internalize it, we keep it to ourselves and things of that nature.

564
00:45:20,100 --> 00:45:29,400
But that really has destroyed the confidence and the expectation in most men pertaining

565
00:45:29,400 --> 00:45:31,140
to themselves.

566
00:45:31,140 --> 00:45:40,380
But I love what you said, again, how you made an intentional conscious decision to move

567
00:45:40,380 --> 00:45:44,860
beyond and move past what happened and what transpired.

568
00:45:44,860 --> 00:45:56,260
And you did not allow that moment of disappointment to rob you or strip you of hoping in the future.

569
00:45:56,260 --> 00:45:57,620
Now talk about that.

570
00:45:57,620 --> 00:46:06,180
How that is important when you don't experience what you've expected for whatever the reason,

571
00:46:06,180 --> 00:46:16,180
how not to allow that disappointment to rob you of hoping and expecting in the future

572
00:46:16,180 --> 00:46:21,380
because that's where many people are at and you even touched upon it early on.

573
00:46:21,380 --> 00:46:23,220
That's where many people are.

574
00:46:23,220 --> 00:46:35,820
You are stuck in your moment of disappointment and so you are deceived in thinking that because

575
00:46:35,820 --> 00:46:41,940
what you expected didn't happen this time that nothing you expect or nothing you hope

576
00:46:41,940 --> 00:46:46,980
for will happen or you keep pushing it, you keep prolonging it.

577
00:46:46,980 --> 00:46:53,580
And as the scripture talks about in Proverbs 13 and 12, hope deferred, make it the heart

578
00:46:53,580 --> 00:46:54,580
sick.

579
00:46:54,580 --> 00:46:56,420
You keep deferring your hope.

580
00:46:56,420 --> 00:47:04,140
Well, it'll happen one day or I'll address it one day or I'll get back to it sooner or

581
00:47:04,140 --> 00:47:11,340
later and you keep pushing your expectation further and further and further away, not

582
00:47:11,340 --> 00:47:19,780
realizing that deferring your expectation is what is continuing to feed the sickness

583
00:47:19,780 --> 00:47:26,780
and the illness of disappointment, discouragement, loneliness and all of that.

584
00:47:26,780 --> 00:47:33,620
So talk about that as we get ready to close but talk about that.

585
00:47:33,620 --> 00:47:41,100
How important is intentionality, not allowing the disappointment to incarcerate you and

586
00:47:41,100 --> 00:47:45,220
confine you but to hope and expect again?

587
00:47:45,220 --> 00:47:46,220
Go ahead.

588
00:47:46,220 --> 00:47:49,220
You know, I think it's imperative.

589
00:47:49,220 --> 00:47:50,220
It's essential.

590
00:47:50,220 --> 00:47:51,220
It's necessary.

591
00:47:51,220 --> 00:47:56,020
Intentionality is even necessary to receive the gift of salvation because you must first

592
00:47:56,020 --> 00:48:03,940
make an intentional decision to do so as it relates to our present discussion here.

593
00:48:03,940 --> 00:48:12,180
I think that one of the things that most people fail to realize is that life happens and it

594
00:48:12,180 --> 00:48:14,500
happens to everyone, all of us.

595
00:48:14,500 --> 00:48:17,340
It does not discriminate.

596
00:48:17,340 --> 00:48:24,900
Life will throw you some unexpected situations and circumstances that you probably could

597
00:48:24,900 --> 00:48:27,260
never have even imagined.

598
00:48:27,260 --> 00:48:37,420
Still, yet, you have to make the intentional decision to hold on, to not give up, to persevere,

599
00:48:37,420 --> 00:48:42,580
to continue to expect great things in this lifetime.

600
00:48:42,580 --> 00:48:43,580
Adversity comes.

601
00:48:43,580 --> 00:48:47,060
Even the Bible tells us, think it not strange.

602
00:48:47,060 --> 00:48:54,100
So we were forewarned that you're going to experience adversity in this life and experiencing

603
00:48:54,100 --> 00:49:00,980
such adversity is in no way indicative that God has left you.

604
00:49:00,980 --> 00:49:03,620
That's good, sir.

605
00:49:03,620 --> 00:49:07,420
Adversity is a part of life that you are going to experience.

606
00:49:07,420 --> 00:49:15,140
You have to make the intentional decision to allow God to carry you through it.

607
00:49:15,140 --> 00:49:20,580
Something that Steve Harvey oftentimes says, and I like the way he says it, there is no

608
00:49:20,580 --> 00:49:25,140
situation in your life that God hasn't carried you through.

609
00:49:25,140 --> 00:49:31,820
And if he hasn't carried you through it, he's currently carrying you through it right now.

610
00:49:31,820 --> 00:49:36,060
And the proof of that is that you're still here.

611
00:49:36,060 --> 00:49:41,180
So I think that intentionality is medicine-perative.

612
00:49:41,180 --> 00:49:45,900
It's the only way to get through the trials and tribulations of life.

613
00:49:45,900 --> 00:49:52,140
You have to resolve in yourself that this is something that I am going to do.

614
00:49:52,140 --> 00:49:53,980
I will trust in God.

615
00:49:53,980 --> 00:49:56,460
I will place my faith in God.

616
00:49:56,460 --> 00:49:59,820
I will allow for God to carry me through this.

617
00:49:59,820 --> 00:50:03,100
I will lean on His grace.

618
00:50:03,100 --> 00:50:05,100
As Scripture says, His grace is sufficient.

619
00:50:05,100 --> 00:50:06,100
Yes, sir.

620
00:50:06,100 --> 00:50:07,100
God knows it.

621
00:50:07,100 --> 00:50:12,060
But it's all about what you intentionally decide to do.

622
00:50:12,060 --> 00:50:20,940
And I know some may say you overutilize that word intentional, but I do so, again, intentionally

623
00:50:20,940 --> 00:50:21,940
because it's necessary.

624
00:50:21,940 --> 00:50:22,940
It's a decision.

625
00:50:22,940 --> 00:50:25,260
It's not something that just happens.

626
00:50:25,260 --> 00:50:32,020
It's not something that, you know, you just snap your fingers and all of a sudden you

627
00:50:32,020 --> 00:50:36,260
just have the resilience necessary to get through everything in life.

628
00:50:36,260 --> 00:50:38,380
No, it's an intentional decision.

629
00:50:38,380 --> 00:50:40,900
I will trust God.

630
00:50:40,900 --> 00:50:42,180
It's complicated at times.

631
00:50:42,180 --> 00:50:48,740
At times it conflicts with my natural human emotions because me being a man of faith does

632
00:50:48,740 --> 00:50:50,940
not nullify that I am human.

633
00:50:50,940 --> 00:50:52,540
I still feel disappointment.

634
00:50:52,540 --> 00:50:53,700
I feel hurt.

635
00:50:53,700 --> 00:50:54,700
I feel let down.

636
00:50:54,700 --> 00:50:55,700
I feel anger, frustration.

637
00:50:55,700 --> 00:50:56,700
Absolutely.

638
00:50:56,700 --> 00:51:03,980
But in spite of those natural human emotions, I've made a decision that I will allow God

639
00:51:03,980 --> 00:51:04,980
to carry me through.

640
00:51:04,980 --> 00:51:12,260
As I oftentimes say to people, something that God has taught me is in this life, you have

641
00:51:12,260 --> 00:51:20,260
to learn how to not be at peace with the situation, but yet and still choose peace within the

642
00:51:20,260 --> 00:51:21,260
situation.

643
00:51:21,260 --> 00:51:22,260
Now that's good.

644
00:51:22,260 --> 00:51:24,780
And that's where I am in life.

645
00:51:24,780 --> 00:51:31,060
There's many situations in my life right now that I am not at peace with, but I have chosen

646
00:51:31,060 --> 00:51:36,180
to be at peace within the situation as God works it out.

647
00:51:36,180 --> 00:51:42,380
Because when you've thrown money at situations, when you've tried to talk your way through

648
00:51:42,380 --> 00:51:48,900
it, you've tried to flick your way through it, when you've tried all else, then you come

649
00:51:48,900 --> 00:51:55,220
to the realization that this is one that only God can fix.

650
00:51:55,220 --> 00:52:01,580
So then for me, I took my hand off of it because if I take out my phone out of my pocket and

651
00:52:01,580 --> 00:52:06,900
I give it to you, I haven't given it to you because I've extended it to you in my hand.

652
00:52:06,900 --> 00:52:11,340
I haven't even given it to you because you put your hand on it.

653
00:52:11,340 --> 00:52:14,500
I've only given it to you once I take my hand off of it.

654
00:52:14,500 --> 00:52:19,500
And once I take my hand off of it, then I've relinquished control of it.

655
00:52:19,500 --> 00:52:21,340
I no longer have control of it.

656
00:52:21,340 --> 00:52:25,300
You have control of it now because I've taken my hand off of it.

657
00:52:25,300 --> 00:52:31,260
So one of the things God taught me is a great indicator of your level of faith and trust

658
00:52:31,260 --> 00:52:36,420
in God is can you take your hand off of that situation?

659
00:52:36,420 --> 00:52:38,700
Can you stop trying to fix that situation?

660
00:52:38,700 --> 00:52:43,740
Because sometimes as Christians, we have an inaccurate understanding of the scripture

661
00:52:43,740 --> 00:52:46,220
that says faith without works is dead.

662
00:52:46,220 --> 00:52:51,260
That doesn't mean you all the time need to be doing something physically in this situation.

663
00:52:51,260 --> 00:52:57,420
Sometimes the work that's required is having the discipline to take your hand off of it

664
00:52:57,420 --> 00:53:01,980
in spite of your emotions telling you to try this, try that.

665
00:53:01,980 --> 00:53:06,180
The work sometimes is having the discipline to take your hand off of it and not touch

666
00:53:06,180 --> 00:53:10,980
it anymore and wait for God to give you the next set of instructions because your good

667
00:53:10,980 --> 00:53:16,500
intentions are not the equivalent of God's instructions and God is only required to honor

668
00:53:16,500 --> 00:53:18,180
his instructions.

669
00:53:18,180 --> 00:53:23,820
Many things in life I've done in situations having great intentions but ended up making

670
00:53:23,820 --> 00:53:28,460
the situation far worse than it already was because that's not what God instructed to

671
00:53:28,460 --> 00:53:29,460
do.

672
00:53:29,460 --> 00:53:33,740
Sometimes we try to move prematurely.

673
00:53:33,740 --> 00:53:35,740
That's true.

674
00:53:35,740 --> 00:53:37,300
Absolutely.

675
00:53:37,300 --> 00:53:48,460
Well, James, this has been a wonderful, delightful, insightful, powerful and empowering time.

676
00:53:48,460 --> 00:53:55,620
I have so enjoyed this dialogue with you and thank you for being my special guest.

677
00:53:55,620 --> 00:53:56,620
Yes, sir, man.

678
00:53:56,620 --> 00:53:58,100
Thank you for having me.

679
00:53:58,100 --> 00:54:00,180
Listen, this is not the last time.

680
00:54:00,180 --> 00:54:02,900
It's the first time but it's not the last time.

681
00:54:02,900 --> 00:54:08,980
We're going to have James Johnson who is my baby brother.

682
00:54:08,980 --> 00:54:14,460
He is the youngest of the three of us boys that mom had.

683
00:54:14,460 --> 00:54:20,980
I am the middle and so I'm not his eldest brother but I am his older brother.

684
00:54:20,980 --> 00:54:27,220
He's the baby of the group and I'm so proud of you and I've told you this personally and

685
00:54:27,220 --> 00:54:36,180
I'm saying it publicly and persons in 43 countries are listening and or will listen and I'm proud

686
00:54:36,180 --> 00:54:42,500
of the man that you have become, the father that you are and I have seen his journey from

687
00:54:42,500 --> 00:54:48,740
birth up into this present time and we're going to have him back and who knows what

688
00:54:48,740 --> 00:54:56,820
we're going to discuss in dialogue about in the future but this young man has a powerful,

689
00:54:56,820 --> 00:54:57,820
powerful testimony.

690
00:54:57,820 --> 00:55:02,580
I'm not even going to allude to what it is but it's a powerful testimony and we're going

691
00:55:02,580 --> 00:55:06,740
to have him come back and he may share that.

692
00:55:06,740 --> 00:55:12,780
He may discuss and share something else but at some point we're definitely going to have

693
00:55:12,780 --> 00:55:19,660
James back on a biblical perspective so that he can share that powerful testimony and help

694
00:55:19,660 --> 00:55:26,940
build your faith and your expectation and let you know that as he has already eloquently

695
00:55:26,940 --> 00:55:34,220
stated throughout our conversation, if you maintain your relationship with Jesus Christ

696
00:55:34,220 --> 00:55:39,180
and do your part as it pertains to the maintenance thereof because we know God's going to do

697
00:55:39,180 --> 00:55:40,180
his part.

698
00:55:40,180 --> 00:55:41,180
Certainly.

699
00:55:41,180 --> 00:55:42,860
He always does.

700
00:55:42,860 --> 00:55:50,460
There's us that fall short but if you maintain your relationship and ensure that your hope

701
00:55:50,460 --> 00:56:00,620
and your expectation is in God, his word and you are operating, complying, abiding therein,

702
00:56:00,620 --> 00:56:04,620
that it doesn't matter what happens in your life.

703
00:56:04,620 --> 00:56:11,600
My brother is literally proof that God can restore you.

704
00:56:11,600 --> 00:56:20,860
God can literally raise you from the dead and he can reestablish your hope and your

705
00:56:20,860 --> 00:56:28,620
expectation not only in him because in most cases, in some cases it's not the expectation

706
00:56:28,620 --> 00:56:32,100
and our hope in God that is rocky or shaky.

707
00:56:32,100 --> 00:56:38,620
It's our hope and expectation of people and even more importantly really of ourselves

708
00:56:38,620 --> 00:56:48,820
and God has a way of helping you to reestablish faith, trust and hope in yourself.

709
00:56:48,820 --> 00:56:56,820
Many of you listening under the sound of our voice, your issue is not with people or God

710
00:56:56,820 --> 00:56:58,460
as it pertains to expectation.

711
00:56:58,460 --> 00:57:01,420
Your issue is with you.

712
00:57:01,420 --> 00:57:09,100
You don't expect the best out of your own self anymore.

713
00:57:09,100 --> 00:57:11,420
You don't expect things to get better.

714
00:57:11,420 --> 00:57:14,560
You don't expect progression.

715
00:57:14,560 --> 00:57:17,140
You don't expect things to pick up.

716
00:57:17,140 --> 00:57:23,260
You don't expect progress to develop in your life because as James said, you are internalizing

717
00:57:23,260 --> 00:57:24,260
your trauma.

718
00:57:24,260 --> 00:57:30,260
You're holding on to your trauma and sometimes in order to receive the help, to receive the

719
00:57:30,260 --> 00:57:40,820
release, to receive the healing, you have to go to the professionals, the psychologists,

720
00:57:40,820 --> 00:57:49,980
the psychiatrists connecting with the spiritual to help you receive the totality of the deliverance

721
00:57:49,980 --> 00:57:54,620
that God wants for you and that Jesus died to provide.

722
00:57:54,620 --> 00:58:00,700
So we're out of time but I again am so grateful to my baby brother James Johnson for being

723
00:58:00,700 --> 00:58:03,220
with me, my very special guest.

724
00:58:03,220 --> 00:58:11,460
I am just, listen, I'm just hippopotamus happy as they say, you having decided to be my guest

725
00:58:11,460 --> 00:58:16,860
on today and I know you all were blessed and empowered by this dialogue.

726
00:58:16,860 --> 00:58:23,820
I want you to do me a favor and connect with me on social media if you are not already.

727
00:58:23,820 --> 00:58:30,820
See Terrell Johnson on Instagram and Facebook and also go to my website ctjohnson.org and

728
00:58:30,820 --> 00:58:36,940
pick up my newest book, Empower Your Thinking, volume one, quotes to shift consciousness,

729
00:58:36,940 --> 00:58:41,500
provoke thought and increase understanding.

730
00:58:41,500 --> 00:58:47,540
Don't allow your conversation to be rooted in your frustration.

731
00:58:47,540 --> 00:58:50,540
That's a powerful quote by James.

732
00:58:50,540 --> 00:58:58,780
Don't allow your conversation to be rooted in your frustration but allow your conversation

733
00:58:58,780 --> 00:59:08,500
to be rooted in your expectations, expectations of progression, betterment, the favor of God,

734
00:59:08,500 --> 00:59:13,020
the blessing of God, the fruitfulness of God.

735
00:59:13,020 --> 00:59:27,700
Note what God's word says and allow his word, his expectation in his word to dictate your

736
00:59:27,700 --> 00:59:28,900
conversation.

737
00:59:28,900 --> 00:59:32,140
Speak life not death.

738
00:59:32,140 --> 00:59:34,500
All right, connect with me.

739
00:59:34,500 --> 00:59:39,340
I love all of you until our next podcast.

740
00:59:39,340 --> 00:59:44,980
This is Prophet CT Johnson with my very special guest, my baby brother James Brandon Johnson.

741
00:59:44,980 --> 00:59:47,500
We want you to know that we love you.

742
00:59:47,500 --> 00:59:50,580
Be empowered.

743
00:59:50,580 --> 00:59:53,700
Thanks for listening to a Biblical Perspective podcast.

744
00:59:53,700 --> 01:00:00,420
If today's episode empowered you, subscribe and rate the podcast at cpnshows.com, Apple

745
01:00:00,420 --> 01:00:03,140
podcast or wherever you listen.

746
01:00:03,140 --> 01:00:10,100
For more information about CT Johnson Ministries International, visit the website at ctjohnson.org

747
01:00:10,100 --> 01:00:18,340
or text CTJM to 54244 to stay in the know and connect with me on Instagram and Twitter

748
01:00:18,340 --> 01:00:24,100
at CTRL JOHNSON on Facebook and YouTube at CT JOHNSON MINISTRIES.

749
01:00:24,100 --> 01:00:33,380
Tune in next time as I continue to empower your thinking from God's perspective.