[Music playing] KS: Hey everyone and welcome to Week 5 of
our Hidden Potential Online Bible Study. My name is Kendra. We know who this is, her name
is a WE-PO, she is a dear friend of ours... WP: WE-PO, that's right.
KS: Right, it was natural, it rolled right off the tongue ...
WP: It rolled right off, I saw that, we're getting closer...
KS: We're getting closer. Yeah, it felt very natural. And so, everyone, I'm so excited
for Wendy's teaching today that we're gonna hope right in. And I will say, Wendy, the
question you're talking through today is do my faults exclude me from God's plan? And
this is one that I have struggled with a lot. Because growing up, I thought, if I chose
one wrong step, or if I took one wrong step, then I was out of God's will, and out of God's
plan. KS: So, I'm very excited for you to talk about
that today. WP: Oh.... Yes... Oh wow. I think it's important
that we start right away with knowing the difference between the fault and the frailty.
KS: Okay, yeah. WP: Okay, so I wanna just back up a little
bit to last week and remember that a frailty is something that is part of us. Either a
circumstance, like we read with Meg, she grew up in a home where she didn't get an education...
KS: Right. WP: So, she didn't have anything to do with
that, that was upon her. Something she could have changed, and still can, she's still young
enough to change that... KS: Yes.
WP: And go back to school if she wants to do that. But we saw how God used that, even
though she... and hopefully they listened to her testimony...
KS: Yes! WP: The voice - the audio. That's right, I
had forgotten that, that went out last week. But it's something that she could have changed,
but has chosen not to, and God has used... She surrendered that to God... And God has
used her in a mighty way and continues to do so.
But the fault, is a little bit different. It's something that's a part of us, that can
control us if we allow it. KS: Okay.
WP: Alright, and a fault is, it's um... It's flirting with, "Okay, this is just who I am,
so this is how God made me.". KS: Right, you identify with it.
WP: Exactly. This is just like, we give ourselves excuses - Okay, well, my momma was that way,
my momma's momma was that way. For example, we had this long history in our family of
being CBS Soap Opra-aholics.... Ahhhh confessing! KS: Okay, I used to watch General Hospital
after school. WP: Okay, you were ABC, we were rivals. But
okay, so here's the thing is; my mother would watch it, we would go to my grandmother's
house, she would be watching it, and we would be eating, I promise Kendra, lunch and my
grandmother's table with the aluminum legs, she never got a different table, aluminum
legs and the plastic top. KS: Oh yeah.
WP: And we would be eating our lunch looking, you know, to see what was happening in General
City or Springfield or whatever we happened to be watching... Okay, so I grew up watching
these shows and everything was okay, this was just something very normal, but it was
something that after I dove into God's word and allow God's Word to start shaping me,
I realized it was something that wasn't good for me...
KS: Right. WP: Nothing wrong with it for other people,
but for me, it just wasn't something God wanted me to put into my life at that time. So, I
believe that that's a way that we view ourselves when we get to... Also, here's another thing,
this made me think of this... We get to a certain age, it's like, Oh, well, I'm 30,
I can... KS: Oh yeah, you just kinda give yourself
an excuse to do something right?
WP: Exactly, I'm 40, I'm 50, I'm just too old to change now, right. And that's the way
we look at things. But we have to look at our life in... Through the lens of God's Word.
KS: Perspective. WP: Perspective, I love that word. For example,
the more time you spend with God and the more time you spend in His Word, we've talked about
this already, some during our teachings, the more it kinda gets on us. It gets in us...
KS: Um-hmm... WP: And it starts like, gnawing away at us.
KS: Yes. WP: Right, and one of the things that the
Holy Spirit brought to my attention over the years was a negative and critical nature.
So, it's a fault that I had allowed to just take over my conversation in my communication
with people, so naturally... KS: Yeah.
WP: That I didn't even realize it. Until one day in Sunday school... there's such value
in small group... I remember, gosh, I wish I had written down this reference, but I think
it's Ephesians 4:26 that... Don't quote me on that. “Let no unwholesome word to come
from your mouth, only that which lifts up and edifies... “. Oh, then it goes further…
“benefits those who listen.”. KS: So, maybe that critical nature did not
do that? WP: It is no benefit to those who listened.
And Moses had a problem with his speech as well, he had a different speech problem. But
it was something that I allowed to just become part of my nature.
KS: Yeah. WP: And without realizing it probably had
hurt people's feelings, had misrepresented God and probably wrongly mis-represented myself
as a child of God. KS: Yeah.
WP: Because that's not at all, who God is. So, let's take a look at two things that we
need to think about as far as transformation. And it's not. cause the fault, we don't want
the fault to control us, we want to be in control. Rather, we want the Spirit to be
in control of that because it does take quite a bit of time.
KS: It takes discipline, time, effort practice. WP: Exactly! So, turn to John 14, and we looked
at 16 and one of the other weeks, a similar verse 16:7-8, talking about The Holy Spirit.
But let's look at 14:26. "But the counselor, the Holy Spirit and the Father will send in
my Name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything.". I love that because
the older I get, have problems, remembering things. Um, He will remind you of everything
I have said. Now we're gonna go to the right and flip over... Cause that's our teacher.
And then, let's look at the text, 2 Timothy 3:16-17. And I just chuckle with this because
this is one of the first scriptures my son memorized when he was little, and it was,
it says, "All scripture is God-breathed." And when he was little, he just said it, "All
scrip-sckure is God-breeved.". KS: Oh, isn't that sweet, yeah.
WP: So that's how I have to read it. All scrip-sckure. All scripture is God breathed, and it's useful
for teaching, rebuking...Oh that’s a hard word... correcting and training in what? In
righteousness. So, that the man of God, in our case, woman of God, may be thoroughly
equipped, for what kind of work? Both: Every good work.
KS: Yeah. WP: So, we have to allow God's Word to get
into us. Here's the thing Kendra, it's more than going to church on Sundays.
KS: Um-hmm. WP: I love my pastor, but I have learned through
my study of God's word on the other six days of the week, then I put way too much responsibility
of my spiritual maturity on his shoulders. KS: Yeah.
WP: And our tank should be filled up on Sunday or topped off...
KS: Um-hmm, yeah, yeah. WP: Not filled up, topped off. So, we have
to allow God's Word in these words; rebuking, correcting and training. They're not so fun.
KS: No, they're not fun and they're not natural and...
WP: They're not natural at all. KS: Yeah.
WP: But that's the only way that God was able to prick my heart, to call me out and say,
"You know what, some of the things that you say aren't nice.". Well, nobody wants to hear
that. Or, some of the things that you say are really critical. And I found myself, even
coming out of church, on Sunday mornings, when my tank dad been topped off, and I had
had this worship experience with the Lord, complaining about the music. It was too loud,
or it wasn't the right beat or... KS: Yeah.
WP: Or I've heard that sermon on Jonah so many times, he didn't teach me anything new.
That was who I was, and I don't like that person, and I had allowed that to get a hold
of me. And boy, did it keep me from living free.
KS: And Wendy, what I find interesting about your story is you had to be at a place of
humility... Right, to accept those words. And so, I'd like to think, that the time that
you spent reading God's Word and just sitting with Him, kinda prepared you for that correction.
WP: It did, it did. KS: And so, hopefully through reading God's
Word and studying this book, in your words, it can kinda get us ready.
WP: Right, and going back to the very beginning of knowing, trusting, and believing God.
KS: Right. WP: That it's for our good. And this says,
it's for a good work. So, the training is for a good work.
KS: Yeah, and we all wanna do good works... WP: We wanna do good work, exactly...
KS: That's great, that's right. Well, thank you Wendy for that teaching and thank you
for preparing us for Week 5 studies. Everyone, we are just so great before you are thankful
that you're joining us and about to read Chapter Five, we have our last possibility profile...
WP: Right.
KS: That's gonna be sent to you at the end of the week so you can listen to it for your
weekend.... Yes, and so we're very excited for that and everyone... Wendy is teaching
out of the Bible, and so it's something that we truly believe here at Proverbs 31... That
when you know the truth and live the truth. it changes everything. So have a wonderful
week, everybody.