drawing closer to God
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Hello, everybody. Welcome to another episode of Christ with Coffee and Ice. I am your host, Allie Yost, and it is a joy and an honor to be back with you guys this Friday. I hope that y'all are doing well today. We have our iced coffee, and it looks a little chunky. We ran out of creamer, so I used almond milk that Ashley had in the fridge, and I'm gonna be honest, I'm not obsessed. It's not my favorite cup of coffee, but

Why does almond milk do that? It looks like, it looks like crunchy. Like it looks, okay. Well, but we are caffeinated. We have Christ and we have our caffeine. Amen. Guys, I'm trying a new look. I just got these glasses in the mail and I think they're fun. So we're wearing them. It's giving finale. It's the finale of season three, you guys.

It's bittersweet. It's bittersweet. The Lord really moved in this season, but yeah, we are in the very last episode of season three. But good news, the good news of it is we have decided to actually play reruns for the next few weeks.

until season four starts. So that way it doesn't actually feel like we went anywhere. Granted, these might be messages obviously that you've already listened to, but sometimes we need reminders and sometimes we need a refreshing of certain things that we've heard before. And then when it like hits different, sometimes when we listen to it again. So we're going to do that and you're welcome to listen to them if you want, or if you just want to wait until season four comes out, then wait for that. It'll be in a few weeks. And I don't know the exact date just yet of when season four will come out. I

So follow us on Instagram. We will be keeping you guys posted on our Instagram page when it comes to the exact day. But yeah, I'm really grateful for this season and I'm grateful for y'all. And it's been so fruitful. It's been such a blessing. It's blessed me. And so I just thank the Lord. I thank the Lord. And also guys, the Lord told me that we were supposed to be taking communion together and

which is kind of fun. We've never done that on the pod before, but it's giving family. I feel the Lord telling me that he wants us to commune together as a family. So if you are in a position or if you're in a place where you would be able to grab a little piece of bread and some juice, some grape juice, if you do have wine, so be it. That's how they did it anyway. That's how the Lord did it. But if you have juice and bread or a cracker or something, honestly, even a little bit

little bit of water. The Lord did turn water to wine. So whatever you have, make it work. But I really think we're supposed to be doing this together. And so let's just take some communion, y'all. Let's just honor our dad. Let's honor our savior. Let's just give him

the love and recognition that he deserves for the sacrifice that he made for us on the cross. And let's just give thanks to him. I really feel that heavy that we're supposed to be thanking him. You know, we get caught up in just our day to day and our mundane. And it's really easy to forget that we only get to live this life because of the sacrifice that he made on the cross. And because of the suffering that he endured, where he thought of each and every one of us. And he said that we were worth it. And so, um,

Yeah, let's just do that. So everybody, get your bread and your juice. And we're just going to minister to the Lord and just talk to him. Lord Jesus, I just thank you so much for this community. God, thank you for this family. God, thank you that you know every single child that is listening to this podcast, that is sitting here with their eyes closed with me. That we are here together, Lord. We are slowing down for you. And we are fixing our eyes on you, God. Every other thought will fly away.

It'll flutter away in the name of Jesus. Every other worry, our to-do list, all of it goes away right now. And we just look at your face. We just look at your face. Thank you, God, that you are here. Thank you, Lord, that you are present in this podcast episode. God, you're present in this room. Lord, you're present wherever the listener is right now as well. God, you're right there with them. So Lord, thank you for your supernatural powers that you can be in so many places at once, all at the same time.

God, we just honor you, Lord, and we take this bread together as a family, as brothers and sisters, your sons and daughters, to honor you, God. This bread, that your flesh, the blood, is what brings us together. It's what makes us family because of you, God. And so we thank you for the sacrifice that you made on the cross for us, Lord. We thank you that we got a second chance at life because of your death, that you died to our sins and the shame.

that you endured shame on the cross to also cover the shame of our sins, that we don't have to feel guilty anymore, that your blood covered it all. And Lord, we also repent. We hand over our control, God. We hand over our weaknesses and we just bring it to your feet, God. We bring it to the feet of the cross. Lord, we ask for your forgiveness for the ways that we have fallen short, for the ways that maybe we have ignored you. God, I just ask you to reveal parts of our hearts that need to be fixed.

God, and we ask you to fix them. Thank you, Jesus, that repentance is a gift. Thank you, Lord, that it means freedom. So thank you, God, that you give us freedom, that we are receiving freedom right now. Thank you for your forgiveness, Lord. Thank you for your grace. And so we take this bread now all together in the name of Jesus, God, and we thank you. Okay, Lord, we take this blood. Jesus, thank you for the blood. Thank you that this blood covers all of our fears. It covers our minds.

Covers our hearts, God. Thank you for the protection of the blood. Thank you that we get to armor ourselves in the blood, God. And Jesus, we just take this blood in covenant, in an agreement that we are yours. God, we love you. In Jesus' name, amen. Ooh, I lost it there for a second, y'all. Oh, I'm just so proud of you guys. Oh, I felt that. Thank you, Jesus. That was so special.

I felt that. I didn't even have to see you guys and I felt that. Ooh, hallelujah. Thank you, God, for the bread. Thank you for the blood. Thank you for your body. Okay. All right. Bye. That's the end of the episode. I'm just like, that's a wrap. That was crazy. Thank you, Jesus. Okay. Let's get a sip of our coffee now. Hallelujah. Thank you, Lord.

Thank you, God, that we get another chance at life because of you. Okay, y'all, you already know what this episode is about to be because we talked about it last week, but we are going to continue to read in the book of James. I forget where we left off last time, Loki. Hold on, let me get caught up. Let me get caught up. Where did we leave off?

Okay, I don't actually remember exactly where we left off in James. I know that we were near the end or maybe completely finished James 3. I'm not sure. But we're going to just pick up at the very end of James 3 where it says true wisdom comes from God. And again, my Bible is the NLT version translation. So let's get into it. True wisdom comes from God. Amen. So this is James 3.13. Okay.

If you are wise and understand God's ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good work with the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you are bitterly jealous, there is selfish ambition in your heart. Don't cover up the truth with boasting and lying. For jealousy and selfishness are not God's kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic.

I think we read this, but it's so fire. We're reading it again. James 3, 17. Let's keep going.

It is also peace-loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. Now James 4, drawing close to God. What is causing the quarrels and fights among you?

Don't they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can't get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don't get it because your motives are all wrong. You want only what will give you pleasure. You adulterers!

Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again. If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. Do you think the scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate, that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him, and he gives grace generously. As the scriptures say, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come close to God and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief.

Wow, I feel like we just did that with communion, y'all. I just have to take this second to make a comment, but I feel like we just did that. We just did that together. Come close to God and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts.

For your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Purify your hearts. The only thing that can purify our hearts is the Lord. The only thing that can purify us is the blood of Jesus. And so when we take that communion and we repent for our sins and we just honor the Lord, we are allowing him to purify our hearts. James isn't saying go purify your hearts on your own. Come close to God and God will come close to you, which is where the purification comes.

He's the only thing that can purify us. We can't purify him before coming to him. And so I just feel like we, the communion,

I feel like that's what just happened. We came close to God. So God came close to us in that moment. We washed our hands with the blood. We are sinners. Purify your hearts for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter and gloom instead of joy. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up in honor. We humbled ourselves before the Lord. And so with that, he does lift us up in honor.

Warning against judging others. We're getting, we're getting in. We're getting in y'all. Don't speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God's law. But your job is to obey the law and not to judge whether it applies to you. God alone who gave the law is the judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?

James 4, 13. Look here, you who say, today or tomorrow, we are going to a certain town and we'll stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit. How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog. It's here a little while and then it's gone. What you ought to say is if the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.

Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans and all such boasting is evil. Remember it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. Right? So this is saying that we shouldn't lean on our own understanding. We shouldn't say, this is what my life is going to look like. I do believe that there's another, there's another scripture where it says that man makes

The plans, but God determines their footsteps. Y'all, what's that? What's that scripture? What is it? I forget. Hello?

Proverbs 16 9 we can make our plans but the Lord determines our steps so I think that there's a really there's a small difference it's just by a hair there's nothing wrong with having plans and having goals for your life especially when you're talking with the Lord about it and you're like all right God this is what I want to do this is what feels right I feel your approval of this but I

It comes down to God determining our steps to that, right? What I believe the scripture is saying is that there's a difference between saying, this is what I plan to do, but I'm going to follow the Lord, like step by step, he's going to determine my footsteps,

Versus this is my plan and this is where my life is going to be and I I have a five-year plan and I know my life is going to be here in a year and then we're going to do this and that like that's leaning on our own understanding versus being like This is my plan, but i'm gonna walk hand in hand with the lord, you know There's a difference and so I don't think there's anything wrong with having plans Actually, that's bible like a man plans in his heart, but god determines the footsteps, you know

And in this scripture, it's using this as an example by saying like, this is us trying to plan our own footsteps by being like, I'm going to be here in a year. How do you know how many footsteps it's going to take for you to get there in a year? You don't know. The Lord might deliver you there in four months, but he also might only deliver you there in like three years, you know? So I think there's, you see the difference. There is a bit of a contrast. There's a difference.

Hey guys, how's it going? Are we loving this pod episode? Is it our favorite? Is it absolutely blessing us? Thanks God, you're the best. So this is going to kind of give a commercial moment y'all, but I really just wanted to let you know that there is a way to give to the podcast and help support it financially. We've already been doing this, but we've considered and taken in some of your guys' feedback and we believe that this is going to be the easiest and

and simplest way to give to the pod if it is something that you feel led to do. So we're gonna do it through PayPal, and you guys can give at www.paypal.me/cwcoi. It will also be linked in all descriptions below the episode, as well as in the link in our bio on our social media. If you've already given to the podcast in the past or you decide to do it after this episode, I just want you guys to know that it means the world to me. Thank you for your generosity,

And I just appreciate and love y'all so much. Okay, now let's get back into the episode. How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog. It's here a little while and then it's gone. What you ought to say is if the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that. Otherwise, you are boasting about your own pretentious plans. Remember, it is a sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

It is a sin to know what you ought to do and not do it. It is a sin to know that we are supposed to be relying on the Lord for our footsteps, but not doing it. I mean, that actually can apply to so many things. But if we know we're supposed to be doing one thing because the Lord tells us to do that and we decide not to, remember, it is a sin to know what you ought to do and then you do not do it. That's a sin.

It's not always like we don't do what the Lord had planned for us and we truly didn't know. We learn, right? But if we know for a fact that the Lord has spoken to us, he said it in his word, he said it to us personally, we've done it in experience, we've already gone down this route and then we decide to do it again, even though we know we're not supposed to do it and then we do it, that's what makes it sin.

James 5, look here you rich people, weep and groan with anguish because of all the terrible troubles ahead of you. Your wealth is rotting away and your fine clothes are moth-eaten rags. Your gold and silver are corroded. The very wealth you were counting on will eat away your flesh like fire. This corroded treasure you have hoarded will testify against you on the day of judgment.

For listen, hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the Lord of heaven's armies. You have spent your years on earth in luxury, satisfying your every desire. You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. Oh my gosh. You have condemned and killed innocent people who do not resist you.

You have fattened yourselves for the day of slaughter. That's crazy. Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord's return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You too must be patient. Take courage for the coming of the Lord is near.

Don't grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look, the judge is standing at the door. For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give greater honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end.

for the lord is full of tenderness and mercy but most of all my brothers and sisters never take an oath by heaven or earth or anything else just say a simple yes or no so that you will not sin and be condemned the power of prayer this is james 5 13 now are any of you suffering hardships you should pray are any of you happy you should sing praises are any of you sick

You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has greater power and produces wonderful results.

Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years.

Then when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops. My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back from wandering will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.

I love how much the Lord refers back to just real experiences and things that have happened in the Bible. Like even with him bringing up Elijah, saying Elijah was as human as we are. And yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years. But then when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

And I just think that's the reality of what the Lord shows us when we pray in faith though, okay? Because listen to this part. This was James 5, 15 reads, such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Such a prayer offered in faith. Like everything comes down to our faith. We have to have faith.

Because there are even times where I've prayed and I don't pray with much faith at all. And they're not answered because I don't have faith in God's sovereignty. I don't have faith in his power.

Sometimes I doubt it, which is crazy because I've seen the way that he's performed miracles. But for some reason, my flesh always still falls to not believing that he can do it, even though I've already seen it. I don't know what it is about our brains. Like, I don't know what it is about the human mind, but also that's not new. Like there's actually nothing new under the sun because we even saw John the Baptist do that when he was locked in prison.

I don't remember which book it was in. Was it in Luke or Matthew where he sent people to ask Jesus if he was actually the Messiah that they've all waited for? And it's like, even people like Peter, Peter literally saw the Lord perform miracles and then denied him three times. I mean, these people walked with Jesus and knew him personally in human form and still would doubt him, which is crazy. So,

It's just like nothing's new. We do that. Sometimes we forget or we I don't know why our brains do it.

But we have to pray in faith. We have to believe that he is sovereign and we have to believe that he will do it. We have to believe in the word of God. Like truly, actually, that's what it is all rooted in is believing in the word of God. We have to believe that everything that is written in this book is the truth and it's a promise and it's not dead. It's alive. Believing in the word is what comes first and then having faith. I don't know if we can just get faith. Like we get faith from the promises of God. We get faith from the Bible.

Faith is produced in the word of God and reading the promises of the Lord and understanding his heart. How can we have faith in something that we don't know? How can we have faith in something that we don't have a personal connection with? How do we have faith in something that we've never read? How can we have faith in God if we've never actually tried to read his word? Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick. That's crazy. Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God?

When I read that scripture, I don't see the Lord being like, you're my enemy. I see it actually like it's being reversed where when people are in the world and they are a friend of the world and they are living in the ways that just that they want, they're living selfishly, they're living in their feelings. You know, I lived that before I knew the Lord. And it's not that like the Lord's like, you're my enemy. But when you're living in the world, you can't like when you look at God, you

you kind of assume like it's, it's actually us looking at him as our enemy. I heard from a friend, he was breaking down Genesis, Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. And the minute that they took a bite of the forbidden fruit, oof, this is a word. I want to bring this to the

the forbidden fruit from the tree, right? That the Lord said, this is all yours. Everything in this garden is yours. You can have it all except for this one tree. You can't have it. And I used to have a hard time understanding why the Lord would put a tree in the Garden of Eden that would hurt us. Why would he put like a bad tree? And the way that this friend broke it down for us

was he was explaining when we think about God and we think about the things that he creates, he creates all good. Like things that come from the Lord are only good. So it actually means that that tree in the Garden of Eden was not bad. It was a good tree because everything that comes from the Lord is good. So if we believe that, we have to know that that tree wasn't bad. It just wasn't for us. That tree was just not for us.

Everything else in the garden was for us, but that tree was not for us. And so by God telling Adam and Eve to not touch, it was actually out of his love. You know, when you think of a child in the kitchen going up to a stove and they want to touch it because the fire, it's pretty and it sparkles and it's orange and ooh, the Lord was like, don't touch that. Everything else in the kitchen is fine, honey, but just don't touch that. It's going to hurt you.

A stove is good. There's nothing evil about a stove. Stove is good. It heats up our food like it's useful, but it is not for us to be touching, especially a little baby. Right. So when you think of that, it makes it makes a lot more sense. Like it's good, but it just wasn't for us. And so by the Lord telling them not to touch it, don't eat it.

Don't indulge in this. It was actually out of love and protection, right? But we do have free will at the end of the day. And so that's what Eve did. Eve went and she decided to take the fruit, brought it to Adam. Adam didn't say anything. Also decided, hey, sounds good. And then after they did that, they realized that they were naked. All of a sudden they were aware of themselves and they were aware of shame themselves.

Because they didn't have a care in the world up until that point. They had complete freedom. They didn't know they were naked. They didn't know that there was anything to be embarrassed or ashamed of. They were in complete freedom. But sin, going against what the Lord told them in protection and love, is what caused them to go, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. And shame. They started to cover themselves with leaves and then they hid from the Lord. They immediately were convinced that they were an enemy to God.

Not even because God was like, you're an enemy to me.

But it's like, that's what sin does to us. It makes us think that we are an enemy of the Lord. Like being in the world and living the way that we want to live against what the Lord tells us, we are an enemy to God. But it's like, it's because that's what sin does to us. It literally physically puts a wedge between us and the Lord. And it does make us an enemy to God because we are convinced that

We're an enemy to God. Sin is like brainwashes us. It, it, it flips us because then God was like, where are you? And it's not that the Lord didn't know exactly where they were. Of course he did. He's sovereign. He knows all, he knew exactly where they were hiding. He said that for them. He said, where are you for them? He went seeking them and wanted to meet them where they were at for them. Cause they, he knew they needed their dad. So this isn't in like a

I just read this and it's not in a, like, you're an enemy to me now. Like, that's not what the Lord is saying to us. Friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God. It's because sin makes us convinced that we're an enemy. Like, when we go against the word of God, we're not in full relationship with God. Adam and Eve weren't. They like ran away from him. They were hiding. They were convinced that the Lord, they were an enemy to the Lord. But he gives grace to the humble.

So if we're humble enough to come to the Lord in our sin and recognize when we've fallen away from him, he gives grace to the humble. That's a promise. It's written right here, but gives grace to the humble. That's a promise. He's never going to turn his back from the humble. He's never going to turn his back from the people who put their pride away and say, God, I messed up. I need you. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up in honor.

Yeah, guys, I love the book of James. How fun was that? Even though we read through it together, I think it'd be really great for y'all to just do that again on your own and just read it again and again and again and again. And new revelations will come each time. Well, I love you guys. I love you. Sorry this episode was a little shorter. I didn't realize how far in we were in James. We didn't have that much left. But...

I love y'all. I'm grateful for you guys. And I'm so proud of y'all. I'm grateful for the Lord. This season has blessed me. I pray it's blessed you. We will continue to see you guys in the next few weeks. They will be reruns, but we will keep the routine going every Friday. So I will see you guys next Friday. I love y'all. Have a blessed few weeks.

And I'm really excited for season four. It's going to be so exciting. And yeah, I'm just blessed. I love y'all. I adore you. I bless you in the mighty name of Jesus. I pray protection over you and your families in Jesus name. And yeah, let's just do something really cool today. Let's show somebody how cool Jesus is.

Let's spread the gospel. Let's spread his love, his light. We're not spreading judgment. We're not condemning anyone, but we are going to love them in the mighty name of Jesus. Guy, show somebody how cool Jesus is today. I love you guys. I will see you next time. God bless y'all.

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