my journey to Jesus (rerun)
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Carl's Jr.'s Big Carl fans know nothing beats the layers and layers of flavor of a Big Carl. Nothing beats that charbroiled beef, American cheese, and tangy Carl's plastic sauce. Nothing. Except getting a second Big Carl for just one dollar.

Big Carl just one-upped itself for just one buck. Then buy one Big Carl, get one for a buck deal. Only at Carl's Jr. Get burger! Get burger. Available for a limited time at participating restaurants. Tax not included. Price may vary. Not valid with any other offer, discount, or combo. Hello, everybody. Welcome to the very first episode of Christ with Coffee on Ice. I am your host, Allie Yost. And I...

I'm a little nervous, but I'm very grateful and I'm feeling blessed and I'm feeling excited. And if you are physically watching, this is definitely not how I think I'm going to keep the setup. I just said, screw it. I have been thinking so long about when it would be the perfect timing to start filming this. And I don't know if it was just the devil or

Or the enemy just trying to keep me and doubting and waiting and postponing until I had like the perfect space or the perfect home or the perfect little nook or corner to film it. And honestly, that is the last thing that matters, I think. I think what matters is ultimately what this podcast is going to be. And hopefully the lives that it can affect or change or give people hope. And I'm not saying that

In a way, like I'm out here changing lives. It's God. And I just want this to be another vehicle or way for him to use me to impact other people. So if you are here and you are listening, I am so grateful for you. Thank you for giving this podcast a chance. And I'm really excited to see where it goes.

And, uh, yeah. So here we go. I have my coffee. I have my coffee on ice. It's right over here in the corner here. Here, let's cheers, y'all. The reason I wanted to call it, okay, so let me tell a little story about how I came up with the name of this podcast. First off, I thought it would just be cute.

to do a little like, you know, Jesus and coffee thing. You know, I'm like, we should be starting off our days like this. So I only hope and pray that this is a podcast that you wake up in the morning after you've done your devotional and you've spent your one-on-one time with Jesus. This is just a little extra dose of Jesus time for you to start your day off on the right foot.

So Christ with coffee on ice, adorable. But I sat down and I felt God talking to me. And if anyone thinks I'm crazy for starting another podcast, I think I'm crazy for starting another podcast. If you're new here and you don't have any idea who I am, a lot of what I do online is encouragement and I've been doing it for years. But talking about Jesus has been new to my platforms. It's not new to my life.

And I would really like to make this episode obviously like a little bit of an introduction, but a bit of a testimony too. Because I feel like the biggest question and the most common question I get on my social media now is how I got close to God and how, you know, my walk with him has gotten so blatantly obvious. I mean, I don't hold back online about it at all anymore. And I think a lot of people's questions is how did I get there? But anyway, before I get into that, okay, I'm jumping around.

Christ with coffee on ice. So I felt Jesus talking to me. I'm sitting down one morning, I'm sitting at my counter over there and I'm like, I just want a space where I can truly just honor him and talk about him and not hold back at all. Not feel worried about, you know, offending anyone or shoving it down anyone's throat. And he spoke to me and he said, you need a platform. You need to create a space where it is just about us, you know, like us and Jesus. And I'm like,

And so I'm online and I'm like, you know, if you do know me, I love puns. Okay. I have another podcast. It's called Girly Popcast. And I just like the pun of it. I love rhymes. I love riddles. I think it's fun. So I knew that I wanted something similar when it came to the title of this one, where it at least rhymed or had like a nice little ring to it and it made you smile.

So I was literally looking up words of what rhymed with God or Christ or gospel or I don't know. What did we say? We did something with my name. And I was like, I don't even want my name in it though. Like I was thinking like,

I don't know something something with Ali Yost and I was like, I don't want it to be about me at all This is about him. I typed in Christ and I was like what rhymes with Christ and ice came up and I was like Wait, I can do something with that. So I hope you guys enjoy the title of this as much as I do I think it's all I think it's awesome. I have been on the internet for a little over 10 years I've been doing the internet full-time for three years and

And it's been the biggest blessing of my life. Now that I see where my life is, it makes sense why God gave me the platform that he did so long ago. And I really think it is such a testimony in itself of how God, he just knows. He just knows your future. He knows where you're going to be in 10 years, 20 years, 80 years, tomorrow, in an hour. He knows everything. He knows exactly where your journey is going to take you and everything.

He knows the fate that he has for you. It's just a matter of us listening to him and following it. So he knew he was going to give me a platform a long time ago and he knew where I was going to take it one day, which is today. And so in the beginning, my presence online had always been, I've always wanted to bring people joy. I've always wanted to encourage people. I've always had this light in me, which is Jesus, 100%. Jesus has been a part of my life since the beginning. I was born and raised Christian.

I've always had a desire and a want to make people feel valued and loved and important. That brings me so much purpose. And I think that comes from Jesus. He's always lived in me. He lives in all of us. The Holy Spirit is in all of us. It's just a matter of acknowledging it. And so it started off more so as humor and making people laugh and just being goofy online, which humor is a big thing. I love to make people laugh even to this day. It's a big part of my life.

And then it turned into, you know, encouraging women. And when I really started to go viral back in 2020, mid-pandemic, you know, the world was very dark and scary. And I'm sure a lot of people were questioning God. And I just felt the world needed more encouragement. So I started my series called Hey Girly Pop or Hi Girly Pop.

And I would just get on the internet and I would look the camera in the eye. I would look y'all in the eye and I would encourage people. The thing that people didn't know is that I sometimes would legitimately sit down and pray to God before filming those videos. And I would say, God, I don't know what to say. I can't do this without you. But obviously you're doing something through me. You are helping me encourage others. And I know that this is what you're calling me to do. So just give me the words. I'm going to press record right now.

Give me the words of what people need to hear on the other end of this phone. And I did it. And it went viral. And so the thing after that was people were in the comment section and they were like, Allie, you have no idea how much you mean to me. You give me so much hope. You bring light to my days. You are the one encouraging. You, you, you. And the thing that I want you guys to know now is that I'm not discrediting myself. I'm not saying I'm worthless, but he is the one.

that spoke through those videos. And I keep, I've like said this to my, a few of my friends. He was the director in all of those videos, behind those videos, right? Like, it was God. When people are commenting, you've given me this and that. I mean, it's not, it was never me. I was the assistants, you know, I was the deliverer, but I, I seeked

The things to say from him. Even if you watch those videos and you weren't a believer, I just want you to know that the only place I got it from was God. That's where I got those words to even say. Sometimes I would post those videos on just the first take of me encouraging or giving people hope and telling them to please hold on. Don't let go. Don't give up on your dreams. Don't give up on your life. And I'm like, where did that come from? Where did that come from?

It would be the first take and it was perfect. And I was like, I don't even know how I found those words to say. It was like the Holy Spirit was working through me and I didn't even realize it. I like to, I don't know why I use this analogy, but like I've even, I've talked to my friends about this and my family. And I've been like, I feel like it was like, like the, like Wizard of Oz type, you know, where they pull back the curtain and you see who's been behind it. Like, that's how I felt. I felt like I just was never pulling back the curtain. I was never acknowledging him.

talking about it online because I was afraid and I think that every person that's probably listening to this podcast can relate to that the biggest thing when it comes to speaking about the truth is that it's scary Jesus is the truth God is the truth and I had a hard time acknowledging that in front of the world and you know I

If you're a real loyal follower of mine, I've never not spoken about God, but it was very rare that I would. I went on a podcast last year, a little over a year ago, and one of the questions that I got, it was with my friend Victoria, the real pod is her podcast. And one of the questions she had asked me is like, I can't remember exactly the question, but it was basically along the lines of like, what keeps you going?

And I was like, well, one of the things that keeps me going is knowing that I have a greater plan, like knowing that my life is planned out by God is what I was saying. And I was like, I just believe that my fate is already written out. And that was her question when she was like, do you believe that like your life is already planned and it's not like a day by day thing? And I said, yes. I said, yeah, I think God.

He knows where I'm about to be. He knows my fate. He knows everything he's created before a plan. And yes, I believe that. And she said that she was struggling with her faith and she didn't believe it. And, you know, it's a hard thing for her to grasp, which I can understand. And I remember telling her, I said...

Honestly, if I don't tell myself that my life doesn't have a greater plan, I don't know if... I said something where I was like, it honestly just keeps me going. Like, that's what keeps me alive. That's what keeps me having purpose. And that's what keeps me having hope. So I said something where I was like, even if it's silly, like, I don't know, it just keeps me going. And it's like, I've always been a believer, but I've always been a little lukewarm about it, I guess. And so...

If that kind of helps you understand my background, I was always born and raised Christian from the beginning. My parents never shoved it down our throats, though. We weren't the family that went to church every single Sunday. I might have gone to, like, Sunday school a couple times. Like, I remember being in it really, really young. Or, like, maybe when my parents would go to church, there was, like, a little part where all the little young kids could go to do, like, arts and crafts with Jesus or something. You know what I mean? But...

Other than that, I mean, I wasn't like involved in the church. I've never been. We would go to church for the holidays, you know, like Easter and Christmas. And then random Sundays when my parents were like, no, we should go to church, you know. But a lot of what I heard about Jesus was in the four walls of our home through my parents who were both religious, right? I wouldn't say we were insanely religious, but we've always had Jesus in our life. My mom and dad have always encouraged me in my faith growing up.

And we would say our prayers at the dinner table and at night before we go to bed. So anyway, I've always been born and raised Christian. And my parents have always told me that, you know, obviously there's importance in believing in Jesus. But I think it was just one of those things for me my whole life where, as we all do, I let the world kind of take over my mind. And I...

Seeked value and validation in culture and yeah, just the world. I just, not that I was lost, but I just, I didn't value him enough in my life. I did. I was lukewarm. I wasn't all in. I had a relationship with him, but there were times where I would go months without speaking to God. Not because I necessarily felt hurt by him or anything, because I know that there's plenty of reasons that people, you know, distance themselves from Jesus. But I...

Just didn't feel like I needed him, I guess. I think it also comes down to maturity. And also, I think I needed to try to do life alone for a while to realize I couldn't do it anymore. You know what I mean? Like, I think I had to go through some hardships. I had to go through some serious heartbreak. I had to go through some serious betrayal and pain to realize that I can't do it without him.

And I was sick of living that way without him. I was sick of not being all in and only acknowledging him here or there and not living as a true Christian, not living the life that he truly wanted for me.

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 gonna 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. When did I decide to dive all in? That's the biggest question. We're going to cry on this podcast. I know it. Because if we cry on Girly Popcast, which we do, we're going to be crying on this podcast. It's just, it is what it is. But anyway, I decided to dive all in in probably December of 2022. I was in one of the darkest places emotionally.

In my life, and it was right before my move to LA. I was still living in Charlotte, North Carolina, and I was in a very bad relationship. I was in a weird situationship with someone, and that relationship was full of sin. I'm not saying we were running around killing people. Y'all chill out. I just mean that relationship was not a relationship sent to me by God. I'm not saying the person I was in a situationship is an evil person either. I'm just saying that

That relationship was really taking me away from God. And again, it's not that I'm saying that the person I was in this situation with was doing it on purpose. I don't think he even realized it. I think we were just two people that were stuck running in circles together. And there definitely was some love in that relationship. It wasn't, we weren't good for each other. And we had a lot of things that were just not in common.

And it kept me from God. It kept me far from him. And there were times that I'd find myself praying to God saying, why am I stuck here? And I think it was because I was allowing myself to stay distracted by that relationship.

And so I think the biggest thing I could say to y'all is that if there's anything in your life that you feel is keeping him from him, it's not sent by him then, you know? Which sounds pretty straightforward, but you don't realize it until you're in it. And then you're like, wait a minute. I decided. I said, okay, well, I know I'm moving to LA. I had made that decision. And it's going to be a fresh start. And I'm going to be alone across the country, away from all of my friends and family. Everything I've ever known. I've only ever lived on the East Coast. I've never lived that far away from family or anybody.

And so if I'm going to do this, I need a fresh start. I'm sick of living like this. I'm sick of living in a world where I just feel like I get dealt a bad card after bad card after bad card. In the sense of like just relationships and like where I'm going. I was like, I just, I'm sad. I don't want to accept this life anymore. And I don't want to continue to seek comfort in this.

and food and drinking and other people and partying. It's not even like I was a big partier, but it's like I would go out on the weekends to just get away from it for a second and just feel drunk and happy and whatever. And I feel like any time as us humans, when we do that, that is our soul seeking God and we are just masking it and trying to find it in other things. Like our souls need him. And instead of just going straight to him, we go to other things for temporary comfort. It's so silly, but we do it.

I just got to a point where I was just, yeah, I just said, I don't want to, I want a fresh start. It's going to be January. You know, first of the year, I'm moving across the world. The world. Well, it felt like it. I'm moving across the country. Fresh start. I'm done. I need Jesus. I'm going to be moving so far from everything I know. I'm going to need him. So it's kind of like a New Year's resolution, but also like fresh start, like New Year, New Year's resolution, whatever.

I need Jesus. I want to prioritize him. I want to know what it feels like to really know him. Me and funny enough, this person that I was in a situationship with went to Barnes & Noble and I said, I want a Bible. I want a brand new Bible and I want it to be cute and I want it to be cute enough for me to want to pick up. Whatever, it's girly, it's pink, it's got flowers on it and it makes me so happy and it's the best thing that's ever happened to me. So I went to Barnes & Noble, I got the Bible and

And I did start reading it a little bit before. Uh, yeah, I guess it was right in the beginning of January 2023. That was it. And so I started in Genesis. By the way, I never tried to really pick up my Bible and ever read it. There might have been one other time when I was like 15 years old where I told myself I was going to start reading the Bible. And I just didn't. I just didn't care. I was lazy. I said too many words. Sorry. So, uh,

When people ask me, where do I start in the Bible? I had those same questions nine months ago. I didn't know where to start. My best friend was Google. I said, Google, where do you start in the Bible? And it's funny because as I started typing it, it popped up. Like, I'm not the first person to Google this, you know? And then after I read Genesis, I kept Googling. I said, what else do I read? And the internet said the best place to start is in the Gospels.

So what is that? Luke, Matthew, John. I then decided to read John. And this was in... Maybe I started Matthew as well. I think I was jumping in between Matthew and John. I love John. I love Matthew. I love the Bible. Bye. Everything's great. I highly suggest it. Five stars. But so, yeah, so I was in John...

Maybe I read a little bit of Matthew. I was in John. And this time, so now it's April. Okay, so I've been reading the Bible for about three months now. Like prioritizing reading the Bible. I'm not reading it every single day, but I'm prioritizing it. Okay, and I've got a version of the Bible too that's fun where there's like side notes. So I'm writing notes. I'm reading the Bible a couple few times a week. And so April rolls around and I'm going to Coachella. And, um,

having a great time, whatever. I run into somebody that I have not seen in over 12 years, 12 years probably, which is insane. This is a friend of mine that I had known from high school. So I run into him and just the odds of that happening was just insane to me. And I believe that this was all God sent. Every single part of this was so God sent. And so I run into him and we're just both like,

We haven't even seen each other in over 10 years. And this person meant a lot to me at one point 12 years ago. And, you know, life and everything. And, you know, we've both lived in multiple states since then. And so he also... We just started speaking... We just started talking about Jesus in the middle of Coachella, which is so funny to me. Of all places. Jesus is everywhere. But it's just of all places. So we start talking about our faith. And...

He was like, you know, what was the last book you read? And I was like, the Bible. And then we started talking about the Bible. And I had no idea that he was, like, religious like this. I mean, granted, like, we haven't spoken in a really long time, but I had no idea that he, like, valued Jesus in his life like this. And so, you know, he's showing me his notes app, and he's got, like, all of these devotionals and, like, notes and stuff that he's taken from, you know, studying the Bible and going to church and everything. And I was just so impressed. And I...

He felt like such a slice of home to me too because he's where I'm from and my hometown. And it's just cool to run into people from your hometown when it's been so long, you know? So not only does he feel like such a slice of home to me in that sense, but also, you know, I care about him. I think he's such a great person. And...

yeah and then to also just talk about Jesus with him it was really encouraging especially where I was at in my walk of faith like I was just just starting to prioritize Jesus and it's just you know when you just run into somebody and you just talk about Jesus and you're like this is amazing it's like my favorite conversation to have you know so I feel like that that whole run-in with him

was such a blessing. And to this moment, I'm so grateful for him for that because that also helped spark such a light under my butt for Jesus. After that, it was like I already was, I already was pursuing Jesus and had such a hunger for him. But that moment was such a pivotal moment in my faith. And I don't even think he'll ever realize that or know that, but it really was for me.

And after that moment was when I started to talk more about God online. I started bringing it to my platforms on TikTok and Instagram and I just never went back. I feel like when the Holy Spirit has you and has a hold on you, there's just no going back. I don't want to ever go back. It's been the biggest blessing in my life. And when you catch the Holy Spirit, you want to just tell everybody because truly, you

In the deep depths of my heart, I wish every single person in the world could feel this because it's so good. And if you don't know where to start, I didn't either. Pray about it. Pray to him about it. Google it. Get a Bible. Read the word. The thing is, is like, I think the word also is what sparked so much in me. Like the fact that I started to prioritize the Bible and read the Bible, that is the juice.

Like that is the potion. That is the magic wand. That is it. You will always be lukewarm. You can do as much as you want. You can listen to as much worship music. You can journal to Jesus as much as you want. All of those are such important ingredients to your faith. Don't get me wrong. I do all of it. And it is so important. But the juice is the word. And so that is also why I think that my faith has absolutely skyrocketed.

is because I've prioritized the Bible. So if you don't know where to start, open the book. Also, stop putting so much pressure on yourself of like when you're supposed to open it or like where you're supposed to open it. The other thing too is sometimes I just eeny, meeny, miny, moe.

Sometimes I just eeny, meeny, miny, moe. The thing about the Bible and when I started Genesis, this is how I treated it, is I treated it like a normal book where I was like, I have to start it from like start to finish, like from cover to cover. But I don't believe that anymore. I think that every part of the Bible will change.

speak to you no matter what season you're in you want to know why because God knows what you need to hear and he will make things speak to you as you're reading them without you even really anticipating it you're going to read parts of the bible and you there's going to be things that are going to go right over your head but it's okay because they're supposed to go over your head it's all right

It is supposed to go over your head. If it's going over your head, it's because God does not want you to understand that just yet. Or it's not significant to your journey yet. But if something speaks out to you and jumps out to you, it's for a reason and that's Jesus. And...

You could read the same scripture again 10 years down the road and it can mean something totally different to you or the thing that went over your head once upon a time doesn't anymore because you're meant to understand it now that you're at that season in your life and your journey. Does that make sense? It all comes down to trusting him and also allowing your heart to be open. If you are the 15-year-old version of me where I tried to open my Bible and I was just like,

snoozing about it. I wasn't taking it seriously. I had no interest. I didn't care. Y'all know what it was like to have no interest in like a subject in school. You just didn't care. You're like, whatever, I'm just getting by. You cannot treat the Bible that way. If you treat the Bible that way, and if you treat Jesus that way and your faith that way, he will never be able to get to you. You have to fully surrender your heart to him and say, God,

I want to feel you. I want to feel overwhelmed by you. I want you to show your presence to me and I want my heart to be open to that God. Help me open my heart to you. If you feel like even that is hard, pray to him. My answer to any of that, whatever worry you have right now or whatever excuse you feel is holding you back from your faith, pray to him about it and tell him to remove it. Then tell him to remove it.

And you want to know what's crazy is like he is God. He can do anything and he will remove it. If it is something you really want. If you said, God, you know what? I really want to feel you. I want to try this. If he can do it for me, he can absolutely do it for you. He removed it for me.

I said, God, I don't want to feel, I don't want to be lukewarm anymore. You don't deserve it. I want to know you. I want to feel you in my life. I want to pursue the life that you have planned for me. I don't want to do this half and half baloney anymore. Okay? So whatever worries, whatever you feel is blocking you is valid and I understand and we are all human and you're going to feel that way. But ask him to remove it and he will. Tell him to reveal whatever it is that's making you wishy-washy and remove it from your life.

Anyway, that is my testimony and that's my story. Do you guys know that I literally had to Google what testimony meant when I started my faith journey? People were saying, what's your testimony? What's your testimony? I said, what does that even mean? I don't think you guys realize how new, like, like I've always, like I've always had a relationship with him, but there were parts of me that just was so clueless to Christianity because I never allowed myself to like really dive in.

So, you know, just I don't want you to feel silly or stupid if you don't even know what some words mean. We are in this together. And that's what I want this podcast to be. My vocabulary will probably expand as I grow in my faith. And you guys will see that live in action. You've already been watching it.

There are words that I know now that I didn't know. Testimony. Okay. I didn't know it a few months ago. I didn't really know the depths of what that meant when people said, what's your testimony? But that translates to, how did you find God? What's your story? Tell us about how you found Jesus. That's what it means. But I didn't know. But like, let's just grow in our faith together. And that's what I want this podcast to be. Forgive me if I'm not perfect. I am happy to be corrected with kindness.

But I don't want there to be any judgment here. I don't want there to be any, yeah, no judgment. So these are my little flashcards. I've been making flashcards because I would really like to start memorizing the Bible. I have plenty of Bible verses that I like that are in my head, but I could never, like, it's hard for me to be like, oh, Exodus 14, 14. I know Exodus 14, 14 because I've been praising about Exodus 14, 14 since I was 20 years old.

It was the first tattoo I got on my side, on my body. And then I've always had it hanging in my home. It means the Lord will fight for you. You need only to be still. But for real, that was like the only Bible verse I had memorized. So when people ask me what my, it's a good one. Don't get me wrong. It's a great one. But anyway, I'm trying to, I'm trying to get better about memorizing scripture. So this is 1 Peter 3, 8 through 9. And it is, be sympathetic to

Love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. Repay evil with blessings. Like how cool is our God? Our God, that's a God I want to follow. A God who says, do not fight fire with fire. There is no eye for an eye. There is no revenge. There is no getting even.

You will repay evil with blessings. If anyone is unkind to you, there is no insult for insult. If somebody is unkind to you, if somebody is not compassionate with you, if somebody doesn't have patience with you, if somebody is hateful, how about someone flicks you off on the highway and you want to just cuss them out and flick them back? We're not doing that. We're going to pray for them and we're going to respond with unkindness and evil with blessings and kindness.

Because that's what God wants us to do. And I love that. I love my God. I love my God. So anyway, I guess that's where we can end this podcast episode. Thank you guys for being here. I hope this was a great introduction to what's to come. Beautiful things are coming for this podcast. I can feel it in my bones. God has such big things here, y'all. He has such big plans here. And I am so grateful and excited that you get to be on this journey with me.

Let's do it together. Go spread God's kindness and love. Show someone why Jesus is so cool today. Just walk like he would. Show them how cool Jesus is. I love you guys so much. I hope you have a blessed week and I will see you next time. Bye.

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