the secret to being okay (even when you're not)

Marketing is hard, but I'll tell you a little secret. It doesn't have to be. Let me point something out. You're listening to a podcast right now and it's great. You love the host, you seek it out and download it. You listen to it on the train, working out, cooking, even going to the loo. Podcasts are a pretty close companion and this is a podcast ad. Did I get your attention? You can reach great listeners like yourself with podcast advertising from Libsyn Ads. Choose from hundreds of top podcasts offering host endorsements or run a pre-produced ad like this one across thousands of shows to reach your target audience in their favorite podcasts with Libsyn Ads. Go to LibsynAds.com today. That's L-I-B-S-Y-N-Ads.com. LibsynAds.com. Hello everybody. Welcome to another episode of Christ with Coffee on Ice. I am your host, Allie Yost. It is a joy and honor to be here with you guys today. Happy Friday everybody! Happy Friday! What did I miss? How was everybody's Easter? What have you guys been up to? These really are the moments where I wish that I could physically hear you guys responding. I have to wait a while to read the comment section by the time this episode goes live. So anyway, but comment below what you have been up to since the last time that we touched base. How is everybody doing? I hope that we are all in really great spirits today. And if you're not, that's okay. I'm glad that you came here. And I hope that this episode can do that for you. And so as I always say, I just pray joy of the Lord on you today, regardless of our circumstances, regardless of just the trials that we are going through and just like unfortunate things. It could even just be simple inconveniences in our days. I pray joy of the Lord over you. That regardless of those things, you can still find joy in your day today. And joy in Jesus. Like thank you, Jesus, for another day, God, thank you that there is breath in our lungs. Lord, I thank you for today. And also I pray that our hearts are just overwhelmed with gratitude today. I believe that is our portion. Like we should be filled with gratitude. I think I've seen it on, sorry, I am also a little nasally because I'm getting over a head cold. I feel like this happens at least every quarter for me on the podcast at this point. Every couple months, I just sound like this and I end up getting a silly little head cold. But what was I gonna say? Oh, I'm sure I've seen this on the internet, but there's like a legitimate quote of some sort and it actually also might literally be biblical. I think there is a verse in the Bible that says something like this where bitterness and sorrow can't be present and in our hearts at the same time as gratitude. Like if we have a heart filled with gratitude, there's nothing else that can actually fill that space. Okay, so one piece of scripture that comes very close to this statement is Philippians 4, 6 through 7, which encourages us to present everything to God with Thanksgiving and then the peace of God will guard our hearts and our minds, which emphasizes that with gratitude, we're filled with the peace that surpasses understanding. So that means that nothing else is actually needed in that space. So when we are filled with gratitude and we come to the Lord in all things with Thanksgiving, that means that nothing else is needed because in that gratitude, the Holy Spirit gives us a peace that surpasses all understanding. And so when we've received that peace, that surpasses all understanding, meaning when we receive that peace, that honestly doesn't make sense. Like I don't know how I have this kind of peace right now, nothing else is needed in our hearts. So it's a gift actually. It's genuinely a gift from the Holy Spirit, but gratitude and Thanksgiving is the one way to kick out anything else that could be squatting in your heart. You know what I mean? Like I even think about like bitterness and resentment. Sometimes when my heart is overwhelmed with those things, I have to force myself to actually have gratitude and Thanksgiving about that particular situation, person, place, thing, whatever it is, right? And the minute that I genuinely am like, no, actually Lord, I'm grateful for this. I'm grateful for this experience. And I bless whoever that person is if there is like a stirring in your heart of bitterness towards an individual, just as an example. And genuinely like blessing that person and praying for them and thanking God for them. I know, it's wild, but it's a little bit of an uno reverse on the devil and it really like purifies your heart. Coming to the Lord with Thanksgiving in all circumstances, like it's a renewal of our minds and it really like refreshes my soul when I do it. So you don't have to, but I think you should. I think you should. I think we should all come to the Lord with Thanksgiving today. So with that being said, we do have our coffee today. Guys, we have our coffee on ice. We have our Christ and we do have our coffee on ice. I have my Bible back today as we always do though. I don't know why I said that like it's a hello. Of course we do. Guys, this is actually really cool. So I've been sharing Hosanna revival with you guys, which you're not familiar or if you've just tuned in for the first time ever. Hi, welcome. I'm so glad that you're here. But Hosanna revival is the company of which I read all my Bibles from. Every Bible I own, except for the very first one that I bought, which was from Barnes and Noble, she's the OG. My first Bible that I bought all by myself three years ago, she's the OG. But any other Bible I've owned has been Hosanna revival and they are incredible. Their Bibles are beautiful, like so stunning, thoughtful, gorgeous from the inside and out. The designs are just so cute and feminine and pretty much every Bible I have, there's a verse on the back too, which is so beautiful. On the back of this one it has Psalm 40, 16, which is, may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you. Joy and gladness, thank you Jesus. They're the best, but okay, what I was gonna say is it's so cool, I had no idea, honestly I had no idea how much you guys were actually responding to just me being like you guys should really shop Hosanna, like they're the best and use my code. But they reached out the other day and they told me how many Bibles have been bought with my code. And I did some math and I'm doing things. And it's about anywhere from four to 6,000 Bibles. What? So anyway, that's just really cool that that many people had either maybe bought themselves a new Bible or I'd like to think it's their first Bible ever. That would be like the coolest thing. But I'm sure there's a lot of people where it's like actually their first Bible. So thank you God for the word of God. Like that just makes me so happy. So anyway, and it's so great that Hosanna is also being blessed by this because they put out really beautiful work and what they do is very important. And so anyway, if you are curious, they also have other really cool like studying tools like journals and things. And they have planners and all sorts of cute stuff. So you can use my code for that. It's just my first and last name Ali Yost. And it'll save you'll be able to save some money at checkout with that. But yeah, so that's the Bible I have. I read the NLT translation, which is the new living translation. So I will say that my skin journey has been pretty interesting lately. 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Once again, that's ver-a-c-i-t-y health.co for up to 65% off and make sure you use my promo code COFFEE so they know that I sent you. I would really like to read some scripture today but before we get into scripture, can I actually give you guys just like a little story time, like life update because this was just the coolest thing ever. So yesterday, that I... Sometimes I get invites, okay, in my inbox from brands and whatever for events and things, right? And a lot of times if I say yes, I'm like, this just sounds like it's fun. And I really am not the kind of person, like this is, I think that this makes me more type B than type A. I've never even come anywhere near type A in my life. And you just tell me where to be, what time, and minor details and I'm there. Like I don't need to really even know the ins and outs. Just let me know when to be there, what day, obviously, time. Maybe what should I wear and that's it. Like I don't know anything else, right? So American Idol invites me, I get an inbox. From American Idol, I get an invite in my inbox. And they were like live recording and it was like a faith themed night, like faith songs. And in my mind, look, first off, that's like pretty much all I knew. I was there, like you're invited to a live recording and it's all like the songs are gonna be like, it's like faith songs. I'm like, cool, I don't know. I did not think, I mean, it crossed my mind for a second, but I was like, surely this isn't like a live recording of the actual show. Cause I've also never heard in my life of American Idol doing anything like this before. Or like any TV show for that matter, like mainstream, like major, I mean, American Idol is like American Idol. We've grown up watching the show, okay? So I was like, surely this has gotta be like some kind of like, and they thought to invite me because obviously like, I love Jesus. And it's no secret that like faith is very much my life. And so I was like, it's probably just like a really cool thing. Like it's American Idol though, so I'm so going. And so yesterday I drove to LA and I get there and they give me like a cool little lanyard. And it says that I'm a part of the crew. I was like, period, I'm crew. And it's a group of like me and four other people, like four other influencers. They're like, that's crazy. Like very small. And so they're like, they're like, okay, come on, come on. We gotta go this way. It was kind of like, it wasn't chaotic. Actually, I was very impressed with how much organ is it? Like American Idol, they like, they got some extra points for me in my mind. I'm gonna be honest, I haven't watched the show in a while. And fun fact, I actually auditioned for American Idol when I was 16 years old. But they have you go through all these like pre-auditions before you actually get to the real judges. And I didn't even make it past my first round of pre-auditions because, well, who, I mean, who knows? I think the Lord's, whatever, the Lord didn't allow it for a reason and I really trust that. But I had woken up the morning of my audition. We drove to, did we drive or did we fly? I think we flew to Texas. My family and I, we flew to Texas. Anyway, I woke up that morning with a head cold and my voice was all scratchy and cracky and I didn't sing very well. So I was devastated. Sweet little 16 year old Allie was devastated. But I think that, I mean, I was really impressed by the way that they ran everything. Super organized, very professional, it makes sense they've been doing it for so long. But anyway, they like pull us, they like take us in and I'm like, I realized this is actually a live recording of the literal show. Oh, oh, I'm here. Live recording of American Idol, the stage that I have watched since I was a little, little bean. Oh my gosh, I used to have, we used to have watch parties as kids, like middle school, middle school. And I'm like, this is nuts. And it's not as big as you guys would think. I think on TV, like everything just looks bigger, like the space and the stage and the audience, it really wasn't that big of a space. But it was literally so fun. It was so cool. And my point to this, okay? Really cool experience. Everyone was lovely. I felt like it was actually a very healthy environment. If I'm going to be so honest, like a genuine, like everyone was being treated with care, it was gorgeous. I loved it. All the contestants on live television, this is American Idol, were singing songs about faith. And like, I felt like more than half of them were like genuinely like hardcore believers, like singing about the blood of Jesus, how it covers us up our sins and washes us clean. Like we're not talking like, believe in something. It was like, believe in the fact that Jesus Christ died on the cross for you. Those were the kinds of songs people were singing. I was beyond. I was like, I'm at church. I'm literally at church. Never in a million years would I have thought that one day I would be at a live recording of American Idol, period. That's the end of the sentence. But then apparently it keeps going. And it's a faith themed night where everyone is singing about Jesus. Almost everybody's singing about Jesus. I nearly lost, I was up out of my seat praising Jesus. It was so cool, you guys. I genuinely was like, Lord, I'm obsessed with whatever you're doing in the world right now. He's doing it guys. I need you to know, I'm sure you do. Cause the body, I mean, he's talking to all of us, right? He's doing it. Now, do I know exactly what it means? No, I think I have an idea, but I'm pretty sure I don't. I don't know what he's doing, but he's doing it. Okay, I do know what it is. It is his way. He's doing it. He's having his way right now. The Lord is literally moving everywhere. You know it's God when it doesn't make sense. Like, American Idol is owned by Disney. I'm just like, and this has never been a thing. What do you mean? Carry on to what is like, I felt the Holy Spirit in here. And I'm like, yes, sister. Like, what do you mean we're on American Idol right now talking about the Holy Ghost? Yeah, I was crazy. And here's the thing, okay? Cause then my discernment or like my skepticism, I guess. I don't know if it's discernment. There is a part of me that goes, are we just doing this though because faith is becoming a little bit trendier? Cause that's kind of the truth, right? I think that our generation specifically has gotten fed up with all the fake stuff and we want the real thing and we're finding it. This generation is finding the real thing and it's Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life. That's who he's always been. That's who he is today. And that's who he is forever. The alpha and omega, okay? He's always been the truth. This isn't new news, but it is becoming a little trendy. And so maybe there's like a business perspective from American Idol where they're like, I don't know, I mean, this Jesus stuff is really taking off. People really love faith right now. Let's do it. I could be so wrong. I could be so wrong, but even that guys, let's say that is why, oh, but they're just doing it because okay, fine. But we'll take it, right? But we'll take it because it's still the name of Jesus being proclaimed on a stage like American Idol for millions of people to see nationwide. There's that verse. We've talked about it, I think. I've brought it up plenty of times on the podcast. Guys, this verse is also in Philippians. I think that's what we need to read from today because what are the odds that both of these verses that came to my mind are from Philippians? This is Paul talking to the church. It says Paul's joy that Christ has preached. This is Philippians 1-12, we're gonna start in 1-12. And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the good news. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God's message without fear. It's true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry, but others preach about Christ with pure motives. They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the good news. Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. But that doesn't matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice and I will continue to rejoice. For I know that as you pray for me and the spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance. So what Paul is saying in the scripture, well, first off, he's acknowledging that some people preach Christ out of envy or selfish motives. So Paul is saying, yeah, guys, I know that not every person who's out here preaching the gospel or being like, yeah, I love Jesus. Oh no, Jesus is great. Yes, Jesus is my everything. And they don't actually have pure hearts. That's not a mystery. It was a thing then, it's a thing now. It's unfortunate and it's actually kind of scary for that person, you know? Like whenever I feel or witness that, a fear of the Lord really falls on me, like for that person. And it honestly is an opportunity for us to intercede and pray for that person to realize like what they're saying or what they're doing. But Paul's conclusion is that regardless of the motives, if Christ is proclaimed, he rejoices. In other words, he's saying, even if their hearts aren't perfect, what matters is that Jesus is preached, amen? So that's where I'm at is I'm like, you know what? I don't know what their motives are with it. It could be totally pure. Honestly, the hearts of American Idol, who's leading American Idol, it could be like, you know what? Yeah, we do need more of this in the world. It could be genuine, but it also could not be. It could be a money grab. It could be an opportunity where it's like, oh yeah, well, you know, faith and Christianity and like hope and Jesus is trending. So let's do it. Doesn't matter. The gospel's being proclaimed all over the world. And the Lord will use it. That's the thing is like, the Lord will use the pure of hearts, but also if he has to use people who have impure hearts, he's gonna use that too. He's in charge, okay? He's the one that's sovereign. It was beautiful. I thought it was amazing and it was a really good experience. And it also kind of made me go, I don't know, do I audition for American Idol again? I literally, I was sitting there and I was just like daydreaming. I was like, what if I just tried again, like 16 years later? Is it 16? No, it's 15 years later. 15 years later, it's kind of nuts. Okay, that was my little life update. And I will say that my faith was a boosted. My faith was like genuinely boosted after that. I'm like, I kind of feel like I was at church. Also another wild part, I'll just say this, is and I didn't know, again guys, I didn't even know that this was actually like a live recording. So I just showed up like any old day. I looked like it was just any old day. And I showed up and they're like, by the way, like we're gonna, you guys are gonna go up there and meet the judges and take a quick picture with them. There it is. There we are. Freaking carry on with Luke Bryan. And Lionel Richie. What's going on? I couldn't really look at Lionel and say hi to him. He was like all the way over there. I said hi to Carrie and Luke. And I was like, hey guys, I'm Allie. I've seen you both live. It's crazy. Anyway, guys, thanks for letting me up. So cool thing about today's sponsorship is I have already been using this product. Unfortunately though, it was introduced into my life when the fires broke out in LA and the air was heavily polluted at that time. And so air purifiers were heavily encouraged. And so the air doctor is the only air purifier that I trust. It has made such a difference, not only in the experience of me living in my home, but literally the quality of my life. I'm sleeping better. I'm breathing through my nose again. There's no lingering smells of dog in my house. Like the air doctor actually has powerful three stage filtration that captures extremely small particles about 100 times smaller than what typical air purifiers can remove. It captures airborne contaminants that you don't wanna be breathing in. 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To find out how much you could earn, download the free upside app and use promo code COFFEE to get an extra 25 cents back for every gallon on your first tank of gas. That's an extra 25 cents back for every gallon on your first tank of gas using promo code COFFEE. Let's talk more about Jesus. Okay, but the other thing that I wanna say, the other thing that I want to encourage you guys in is the Lord is doing something. He's moving. He's having his way in more ways than one. He's doing it all over the world. Like he's encountering people all over the world. The Bible sales have never been higher. People are desperate for the truth. And so I think as the body of Christ, genuinely all, this is the Lord inviting us into it to help him. I believe that there is something happening in this generation, in this decade, and the Lord is inviting us into it. He's saying, do you wanna come with me? Do you wanna help me? And so I say, we all say yes. I don't know what it is, but I'm in. And so I also think it'd be really cool if you guys were like, yeah, I'm in too, God. Whatever that looks like, whatever that means. But I'm so excited to continue to watch whatever he does. But also he has to have our yes. Like he has to have willing vessels. And so that's us, right? Okay, let's read in Philippians. Why not? Let's do it. If you guys are near your Bibles, I know you guys never really know what to predict from me considering sometimes we read straight from the Bible, sometimes we just be yapping, but today I think we should read a little bit. I mean, Philippians isn't even that long actually. Like I said, I'm reading NLT, but if you guys, yeah, if you're near your Bibles, open them, let's read it together. I think that that would be really good. Obviously, if you're not in a place to read your Bible, that's totally okay. I'm happy to read it to you, but if you can, I would suggest it. I don't know, at least for me, like having the physical word of God in front of me, tangible, like my hands are on it, and I'm reading it and I'm highlighting and I'm scanning. It's just a lot more powerful that way. So Philippians one, we'll start right from the top. I just realized too that we just read the book of Philippians like, well, like four months ago, maybe almost five. So it's been a long time. For a second, I was like, do we read the book of Philippians again? Like we've technically already done that on the podcast already, but I also recognize that maybe there's a lot of new listeners who haven't been listening that long, but also like the word of God is always relevant. So even if we did four months ago, y'all, we need to read it again and again and again. So we're gonna start from the top. Like I mentioned, I am reading the new living translation and we're gonna start right at the beginning of Philippians. Chapter one, verse one. This letter is from Paul and Timothy, slaves of Jesus Christ. I am writing to all of God's holy people in Philippi who belong to Christ Jesus, including the church leaders and deacons. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace. This is Paul's Thanksgiving in prayer. So this is Paul speaking right now. Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy. For you have been my partners in spreading the good news about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending the truth of the good news. God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus. I pray that your love will overflow more and more and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding, for I want you to understand what really matters so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation, the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ, for this will bring much glory and praise to God. And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the good news. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God's message without fear. It's true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry, but others preach about Christ with pure motives. They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the good news. Those others do not have pure motive as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. But that doesn't matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, this message about Christ is being preached either way. So I rejoice and I will continue to rejoice. For I know that as you pray for me in the spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead me to my deliverance. For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don't know which is better. I'm torn between two desires. I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me, but for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. Knowing this, I am convicted that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith. And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me. Now we are on verse 27. Live as citizens of heaven. Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the good news about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together in one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the good news. Don't be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved even by God himself. For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting Christ, but also the privilege of suffering for him. We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past and you know that I am still in the midst of it. Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another and working together with one mind and purpose. Don't be selfish. Don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges. He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest power and gave him the name above all other names. That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Now we are in chapter two, verse 12. Just so you guys are caught up. Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I'm away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation. Obey in God with deep reverence and fear, for God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Do everything without complaining and arguing so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people. Hold firmly to the word of life. Then on the day of Christ's return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service isn't offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy. Yes, you should rejoice and I will share your joy. If the Lord Jesus is willing, I hope to send Timothy to you soon for a visit. Then he can cheer me up by telling me how you are getting along. I have no one else like Timothy who genuinely cares about your welfare. All the others care only for themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ. But you know how Timothy has proved himself. Like a son with his father, he has served with me in preaching the good news. I hope to send him to you just as soon as I find out what is going to happen to me here. And I have confidence from the Lord that I myself will come to see you soon. Meanwhile, I thought I should send Epiphroticus back to you. He is a true brother, coworker and fellow soldier. And he was your messenger to help me in my need. I am sending him because he has been longing to see you. And he was very distressed that you heard he was ill. And he certainly was ill. In fact, he almost died. But God had mercy on him and also on me so that I would not have one sorrow after another. So I am all the more anxious to send him back to you for I know you will be glad to see him and then I will not be so worried about you. Welcome him in with the Lord's love and with great joy and give him the honor that people like him deserve. For he risked his life for the work of Christ and he was at the point of death while doing for me what you couldn't do from far away. Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things and I do it to safeguard your faith. Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those mutilators who say you must be circumcised to be saved. For we who worship by the spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. Rewelie on what Jesus Christ has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more. I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin, a real Hebrew if there ever was one. I was a member of the Pharisees who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church and as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord. For his sake, I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law, rather I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I wanna know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I wanna suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another, I will experience the resurrection from the dead. Here at Christ with Coffee and Ice, we obviously talk a lot about purpose here, about finding the path God has set for us, and when it comes to education, that path should lead to a future that matters. That's why when I heard about Grand Canyon University, I was so impressed because they are a private, nonprofit Christian university in beautiful Phoenix, Arizona that believes education shouldn't be a privilege, but an affordable path forward for everyone. GCU is grounded in Christian truth. They are working to empower the next generation to lead with integrity and serve with purpose, and they make it accessible. Did you know GCU has kept tuition at the same rate on its traditional campus for 17 years? Plus in 2025 alone, they awarded over $404 million in institutional scholarships. Whether you're looking for a degree on campus or online, find your purpose at GCU, private Christian affordable nonprofit. Visit gcu.edu to learn more. And just for reference, we are in chapter three, and now this is verse 12. I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection, but I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing, forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead. I press on to reach the end of the race and to receive the heavenly prize for which God through Christ Jesus is calling us. Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things. If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you, but we must hold on to the progress we have already made. Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine and learn from those who follow our example. For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conducts show they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their God is their appetite, and they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth, but we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives, and we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control. Therefore my dear brothers and sisters, stay true to the Lord. I love you and long to see you, dear friends, for you are my joy and the crown I receive from my work. Now I appeal to Eoria and Sintiqi, please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. And I ask you, my true partner, to help these two women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the good news. They worked along with Clement and the rest of my coworkers, whose names are written in the Book of Life. Always be full with joy in the Lord. I say it again, rejoice. Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember the Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing, fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right and pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you've learned and received from me everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn't have the chance to help me. Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little, for I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty. As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the good news and then traveled on to Macedonia. No other church did this. Even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent help more than once. I don't say this because I want a gift from you, rather I want you to receive a reward for your kindness. At the most, I have all I need and more. I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with epiphratitis. They are a sweet smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God. And this same God, who takes care of me, will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Now all glory to God, our Father, forever and ever. Amen. And then this is Paul's final greeting at the end of Philippians. It's not a very long book, but he says, give my greetings to each of God's holy people, all who belong to Christ Jesus. The brothers who are with me send you their greetings. And all the rest of God's people send you greetings too, especially those in Caesar's household. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. I think what is so special about the book of Philippians, and honestly what makes it so powerful is that it actually teaches us and is such a reminder of how to have deep joy, peace, and purpose, even when life isn't going how we expect it to. And it's so sweet, like you can genuinely feel the tenderness throughout the entire book. It's a whole letter that Paul is writing to this church, but you can feel the tenderness and the love and the encouragement and just the pride that Paul has for the people of Philippi. Hopefully I'm saying that right, but the Philippians. But I think a big theme in this book is that joy is not based off of circumstances. And honestly, that could be exactly why the Lord led us to this book today, because that's what we were talking about. Like it wasn't even prompted at the beginning of this episode, that little tangent I went on in the beginning, but it's true, joy isn't based on our circumstances. It's actually about having joy regardless of our circumstances. Our circumstances don't determine whether we have access to joy or gladness. I mean, it's said in Philippians 4-4, specifically, it said, rejoice in the Lord always. So joy isn't about what's happening around you. It's about who you're anchored to. What are you anchored to? So if we're allowing circumstances to be the anchor of our joy, you're never gonna know how you're gonna wake up that day. That feels like a very unstable, unpredictable thing to be anchored to, because circumstances are like unpredictable, right? But you know who is predictable, who we can count on. No matter what, you know what you're getting every day from Jesus. You're getting His mercies that are new every morning. You're getting His joy. You're getting His peace that surpasses understanding. You're getting His steadfast, His faithfulness. He is the same every day. You know what you're getting when you are anchored in Him. Another thing that was really standing out to me in those scriptures too, was how Paul was speaking about what we should keep our mind focused on, right? There was that part in Philippian 4-8 where he said for us to keep our minds on whatever is true, noble, right, think about such things. Think about those things versus whatever the opposite is of that, right? So I think it's also like Paul is reminding us that what we dwell on will form us. I think that this can come down to anxiety, comparison, or looking back at the past, right? Like don't focus on the things that honestly, none of that is actually productive, but what is productive is keeping our mind set on the things that please God, that are holy, that are righteous, right? Things that are noble, right, true. Which honestly is Him. It's just Jesus. Another thing that's talked about is humility. So when Paul was talking about how Jesus humbled himself and became a slave, AKA like he came down and became in human form and humbled himself, became human, and then died on the cross, speaks to how Jesus is the ultimate example of humility. And that is something I will be learning from Him for the rest of my life. And we honestly all will be. Is how to be humble like Jesus. His humility is something I will probably never be able to fully understand. But He is the example. Like that is the humility that we are called to walk in. True strength in God's kingdom looks like humility, not self-promotion. I think another cool moment too was when Paul was talking about, like right there at the end, when he was thanking them for just their generosity and the gifts that they had given him. And also he speaks on how they were the only church who like supported him financially. But I think what was really powerful and what he said was that he's like, and I'm not saying this because I want like any more gifts from you guys. I'm not like, thanks so much for the gifts guys in hopes that you'll like give me more. Because he's like, cause honestly, I'm content and I've learned to be content in all circumstances. I just thought that was really cool that even Paul had to learn that. He had to learn how to be content no matter what. He was like, I've learned how to be content when I have everything and I've learned to be content when I have nothing at all. I've learned to be content in the Lord when I have an empty stomach and I don't know when my next meal is coming. And I've also learned to be content in the Lord when I have a full satisfied stomach. In Philippians 4, 11 through 13, he said, I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances. And so contentment is actually learned. It's not automatic. And I think sometimes like we can kind of beat ourselves up and be like, God, why can't I just be content? I know I'm supposed to be, but it really is like it's something to be learned through God. As a father, he'll guide us and he'll teach us. And even Paul, he had to go through the same process of learning how to be content with Jesus and Jesus alone and the strength of God. Being content with the Lord only and nothing else was something that he had to learn. So a few things that I'd love for us to take away and we should write these down. If you're in your pen and paper, write these down. I think they're very powerful. Number one, this is our first takeaway from reading these scriptures. Is joy is not the absence of hard things. It's the presence of God in them. Number two, what you constantly think about will eventually shape how you live. Number three, God isn't asking you to perform. He's inviting you to abide. There also was that major, major part actually. Okay, we just gotta read this book again and again and again. It's filled with so much wisdom. There was that other part where Paul was saying that it's not by his works anymore. And he said also to be careful about false teachers. He's talking about people who say that you have to be circumcised to be saved, which is like how things used to be before Jesus, new covenant. Okay, we don't have to do those things anymore. It's not by our works. It's not about abiding by the law anymore. It's about what Jesus did for us. And so Paul was talking all about that where he was like, I'm not a fool. I'm not gonna live. Like he's like, trust me, I should know of all people. He's like, I was that. I was a Pharisee. Like I lived, I was like the guy to the stereotype. That was me. He's like, but now I put my trust in Jesus. And I know that he's already taken, he is the new covenant. He's taken care of all of it. I don't have to go off of my own strength and performance anymore, right? Which honestly, we could have never achieved anyway. So God isn't asking you to perform. He's inviting you to abide. Just abide in him and have faith in him. It's not by your works, but it's that we can do all things through Christ. That's what Paul said. He said, no, it's actually, now I know that I can do all things through Jesus, that I get my strength from him. Okay, number four. Peace doesn't come from control. It comes from surrender. And lastly, number five. You don't have to go back to what broke you. God is doing something new. Yeah, that's good. You don't need to earn God's love. It's not about religious performance or having it all together. It's about grace and relationship, not striving. That's good. That's really good. Okay guys, well, I loved today. What a great little reminder. And again, sometimes it's like, okay, sure, we've heard these things before, but also Lord, I thank you that each time we hear scripture, it is as if we have heard it for the first time again. And so I pray that this episode blessed you and it was exactly what you needed to hear from the Lord and it encouraged you in ways that you needed encouragement. And I just bless you guys. I pray for your weekend. I hope that it's so lovely. Happy Friday. I hope you have a beautiful Sunday. I hope that you find rest in your weekend. Please prioritize rest. Please. If you haven't done it in a long time, I totally get it, life is busy. If you're a parent, I have no idea what that's like, but try to find rest somewhere. And I pray that you will. Okay, I love you guys. I'll see you next time. I'll see you at the same place. Same time, same day, one week from today. And also, can we do something cool today? Can we show somebody how cool Jesus is? Can we walk more like Him, talk more like Him, be more like Jesus today? Let's be His hands and feet, y'all. I'm so proud of you and I will see you next week. Bye.