EP 52 The Power of Daily Obedience to God's Voice - Stephanie Fuson

After a decade of gathering women together for prayer, we are inspired to bring our words of encouragement to you. This is iRefresh. Welcome to iRefresh, where we're ordinary women who desire to do extraordinary things through the power of prayer and God's Word. Today we have taken a totally different look. We actually have this lovely background here, actually beautiful views. I have my friend here, Stephanie. We are new friends, Stephanie B. Hewson from Alabama. Yes, Alabama. So please tell us a little bit about yourself. Well, I'm originally from California. I was born there. And when I was three I moved to Mississippi. And then I came to Alabama when I was 23 and this is where I call home. That's awesome. So, a long time in Mississippi, but Alabama is my hometown now. Okay, so when we got to meet each other, I just like, okay, she has got this wonderful heart of gold, just energy, and just, she's radiated joy, and I just wanted to get to know her. So we got to spend some time together, and I wanted her to be able to share some of the nuggets, the great things that God has been doing in her life. Well, as of late, my position at my job is ending, which is a good thing. Praise the Lord. He's opened up opportunities so I can minister without having to be tied down in the aspect that I was. And what is that ministry? Music ministry, also missions. I was here telling Cheryl, you know, the United States needs Jesus just as much as the country... Third world country, so. But yes, that's been lately what he has been whispering to me, if you want to call it that. And what a gift of music you have. Well, thank you. Love. We got to pray to God, too. But just your heart of worship was just, I couldn't wait to be able to be a part of her leading in worship. But there's a lot of things back behind all of that and what God's been doing in the process. You know, because we have to go through a lot of bumps and whatever to grow ourselves in the Lord. Yes. Can you give us some highlights, some things that God really worked in your life to get you where you are even today? Well, my pastor, who is also my cousin and my best friend, has been my mentor for about 11 years now when I moved... to Alabama from Mississippi. And I was raised in a church, but I didn't really have the passion to serve God like I should. And when I moved to Alabama, I kind of got thrusted into a minister's family. I was in church all the time, and a passion for God just started to grow there. And after that, it's been a continual process. A few years of some lows, a few years of some highs, but as of right now, God has done so much for me in the past three years. I've grown so much moving back to Alabama. I've got such a long story of moving from Tennessee to Alabama to Mississippi. Okay, tell us. What caused you to go to Nashville, was it? Yes. How did you get to Nashville? Well, we moved to Alabama when I was 23. I met my husband on stage playing bass for the church. So I met him at church. You know, yeah, a good place. We dated for a little while. We got married. We were married for a couple of years. And Andrea, my pastor, my friend, and my cousin. She, her and her husband sold insurance, so they went up to Nashville. They said, you guys need to come do this, because I worked at a job that was just a, you know, regular 9 to 5 mostly, and my husband worked at a factory. Okay. And he was starting to get chips in his skin and sparks with flapping his eye, and he'd been there a long time. Mm-hmm. And we said, we're not going to do that. We're not going to sell insurance. Yes. And then a year later. Careful what you say. Yeah. God said, uh, no, you're going to do what I tell you to do. So we actually, the story is, the insurance license is very hard. You know, people will take it, it takes them three times sometimes. We put our two weeks notice in at our job. We both worked a lot. We had 40 plus hours of work. We came home every night and studied a book that thick. and self-taught ourselves, took lots of tests, and then we passed it the first time, both of us did. Really? We had already packed our whole house up. That's so... We had already put our two weeks notice in. That's so... Yeah, yeah, two weeks notice in at work, and we were gonna go, and we did, and we moved up there and lived with them, and that's where our careers really started, and my husband's been working full-time for six years for the company, selling insurance, and I've... been in sales and supervisory but the Lord's moving me out of that. Which you know is awesome is they met at the church and they do worship and I got to hear today even to be a part of worship and the two of them as a team together. I mean both of them have incredible voices. Your husband plays a wonderful guitar. But I like how God, like, brings together that you can be able to even create music together. Yes. Yes. My husband is a bass player. Oh, okay. He plays bass. He's been playing bass since he was 13. Wow. An extraordinary bass player. And I can say that because I'm his wife, but really he is. Yeah. But so guitar is really his, you know, second instrument that he's learned. And he's really gotten a lot better with that because we're in need of music. Right. So it's a growing church that they have here in Alabama and Coleman area. Yes. And yet, what I think is beautiful is what God is doing, and He's constantly, He's been moving you around and doing, but even probably before that, I know there's some really great nuggets of what God has done to really prepare you, because we talked about how you said you were kind of a little strong-willed, maybe, a little smidgen. That was slow. But you know what? I think it's wonderful. Even yesterday, you were telling about a story about you have to be ready in season. Yeah. And Stephanie, it's not just she does it on a Sunday or just prepping for Sunday. You're in that attitude of worship to the Lord. Yes. Highlight some of the things of how God literally captures you when you're out just doing errands or things. Okay. Well, a lot of it does start at home. So I might be in the midst of worship, whether I play music or I've just read His Word. I can get stuck on one verse sometimes. I don't know if you've ever been there before, but you just get stuck on one verse and it can be, God is wonderful and a wonderful counselor. I mean, it doesn't really matter what it is. Or God loves you so much that He did this. And I just get caught there and I just stay there. And I'm like, God. So you could have times of study for five hours or you can have five minutes. It really just depends on the situation for your day. But I was telling that story. I was in the car. I was in the car and I was driving to Publix and I said, Lord, what do you need me to do? What do you need me to do? Do I need to pray for somebody? Do I need to help somebody speak to somebody? And what he did was he told me to look for someone in an orangey yellow shirt and glasses. And I said okay. And I knew she was of a certain age, but so I said okay. So I drove to Publix. I went shopping because you know I was in Publix. I can get lost in Publix all day long. I get my groceries, I get in the car, and then I stop myself and I said, Oh no! I forgot to look for this lady that the Lord gave me to look for. So, I kind of stood in my car for a minute and I just was looking around to see if I could see this person. Of course, they weren't there. So I got back into the grocery store. I looked down each and every aisle. These people were probably like, she just came in here and bought a bunch of groceries. I just saw her. Why is she in here? And why is she looking down all these aisles? You know, you can imagine what people say. And I get to the deli counter, and that's the lady. So I stood there for 10 minutes and waited on her. And she said, can I help you? And I said, no, I'm fine. I'm like, you don't even know. I'm about to go out and get to pray for you or something. Watch out. I know. So after she was done helping everybody, I said, can I speak to you for a moment? She said, yeah. And then we stood and talked, and I prayed for her. And it was really a God moment. And, you know, you just listen and ask the Lord to tell you what He wants you to do for that day. And it could be speaking to somebody that you don't know, or it could be helping someone put their groceries in their vehicle. I mean, it's really the small things. You know, you just never know. Someone could say, Lord, if you're real, this person's going to stop, and they're going to help me put my groceries and take my cart. Because, you know, I physically can't do this. And then you do it, because God told you to. And it sounds strange, but God works like that. I like how God wants to use very practical things in our lives. Yes. And they're, like you said, they're simple. And yet, that act of obedience that we can see if we get some kind of like an unction, there's a nudging and you're like, I think I'm supposed to do something. And it may sound so wild. Yeah. And like, that seems so like not me. There's probably an opportunity for you to obey what God is calling you to do. What a great example of, you know, it's our moments as we're doing, going about our business, that the Lord wants us to be in someone else's business to help to encourage them because they just need that word of encouragement. Yes. And even when you were in another store, you also talked about when you had a God moment as well. We went to Costco. My cousin and I, we love to go shopping there and get those test bread. Oh, Lord, Jesus, help us. Deliver it. We've read a flight. Listen, it is a bread of life, okay? But we had checked out. We were going to walk out and this little lady was standing there checking the receipts. If you were going to Costco, they check your receipts. And her name tag, and I'm going to name her Suzanne because I don't remember her name. And I always look at people's names on their name tag. I always address them by their name because I just think that's personal and you get to know people that way. And they take a double look when you say their name. How do you know me? Do I know you, Prinslomer? Well, we're trying to... Exactly. I said, thank you, Suzanne. And she said, can you pray for my neck? And I was like, well, yes, I can. So I walked over and I just put my hand on her neck and I began to pray for her. And there were people lined up behind us. and coming through and checking out. And she was marking their sheet while I'm praying for her neck. And this gentleman just kind of stopped and looked at us for a few minutes. And then he went outside and waited for me. And he said, what were you doing? And I said, well, she asked me to pray for her neck. So I did. And I stopped. And he said, well, that's what I thought. And then he just walked away. And I said, OK. But yeah, I mean, well, the thing is, is when you spend time with the Lord, and you allow Him to minister to you when there's nobody looking. People say prayer closets, you know, wherever you can kind of get along with the Lord and let Him speak to you and minister to you. And it empowers you, feeds me. So whenever I need to go and when I need to be whatever God needs me to be, I can. Those moments when that happens, as me, as the child of God, there's nothing better. Because I think, well, what about me? Does she even know that I would pray for her? But when you spend time with the Lord, people can tell there's some kind of difference. They might not always know what it is. Exactly. But they do know there's something. You know what it is when you've been in God's presence, that it's nothing that we have to do. I think sometimes we try to think that we have to, well, I don't know the verses, or I don't know. Right, or I'm going to do this, this, and this. Yeah, like I don't know the three steps to help lead to the Lord. And it can get overwhelming, but I don't really think that we realize sometimes it's the simplest things. Yes. When we just allow ourselves to be the hand and feet of Jesus. Yes. What that looks like. Yes. And, you know, Stephanie, for those who are listening on podcasts, you're going to have to watch it also on YouTube because she's just got a glow and a joy. And there's just that energy of the Lord that comes out of her that is something that's just a draw. And that's what God wants us to be, is just what it is, is being present for someone on the other side of receiving. Like you said, though, you do get a blessing, and it does something in you. Yes, yes, it does. Well, it makes faith arise, for one. Yes. And the connectivity between a stranger... And the love that when you're ministering to someone in their time of need, and you're showing them who Jesus is, and like we talked about, about salvation. I mean, people are dying every day that don't know the Lord. And they have a lot of family members that don't know the Lord. And so we pray for them. I mean, I called my brother, and he was living in a bad lifestyle. And we said, come back to God. He's serving the Lord now. And that's the thing is we have to love people enough to go minister to them. Whether it be someone I know or whether it be someone in the grocery store or somebody says, I need you to do this for me. Okay. And you just really have to be the hands and feet of Jesus. But you were willing because she was in the car, the other one. She was in the car and then she remembered. I didn't want to be disobedient because the Lord said you're going to do this and I didn't want to be like well I missed it this time so I'm going to leave now but you missed out on the blessing had you went ahead and just like okay I'll catch you the next round And that obedience, if you haven't done that, we want to encourage you, is what has God prompted you to? Like, what is it that nudge that you've thought before, but you kind of maybe overthink it or you, like, that's not really God. Try and see what that prompting is and walk it out and see what it will do on the other side. You know, God wants to use us as we are at the moment we are in. Is, like, what will He do in our lives to really cause each step of obedience to, to maybe take us even toward maybe if it's more difficult. Have you ever had a time, though, that like, well, this is a harder one? Now, sometimes they're just kind of easy little promptings and you walk with it. But sometimes like there's a wondering of a pondering or waiting for God's timing of what you're supposed to do. Like I've learned even with me is sometimes I ask God, is it my prayer assignment? Yeah, that's good. And maybe sometimes it's more of that. Yeah. You know, something that's when you're prompted to do something. And one of the things I've also listened is one of the ways that the Lord speaks to you is you do, what, drawing? Yes, I do draw. I love it. You hear that? Yes. Tell me, because I'm like, that's a fascinating thing. Well, since I was probably, you know, old enough to start writing. I'm left-handed, by the way. I'm going to say that's something to mention because, you know, I think in my right mind, speaking for real. No, but as an artist though, if you're left handed, you get the side... Interesting. Pen marks and everything. Oh, yes. The lead. I'm just trying to think. The pencil lead on your arm. But anyways, I started drawing people. And to talk about it out loud a long time ago would have probably never happened because, you know, it's one of those things that people just are like, what, you did what? They're not anybody that I know. It's just... images that come in my mind and I just start to draw. I gave them names, I gave them families, you know, and I did this for hours and hours every single night in middle school and high school. Really? Yes. And so I was actually at a friend, a minister, Laura's house and one of the girls that was there said, you know, why don't you draw a picture? We were just talking about what do you do and what do you like to do? What's your hobbies kind of thing? And I don't really draw that much anymore unless it's specific. Okay. So I said, okay, I'll draw something. So I draw this girl. I gave her blue eyes and brown hair. Now this is a pencil, so I just label her eyes are blue and her hair is brown. And her name is Olivia. I gave her a name like I always do. And I found out not too long after that. that one of the girls that Laura ministers to, who she's ministered to or reached out to either one, looks just like my picture and her name is Olivia. Wow. So that really sparked something inside of me because what is God going to do in my artistic ability because He gave it to me. He gave me my artistic ability. Not everybody could say I make people and draw them and I give them names and families. You know, you kind of have to be able to be creative and imaginatory. If that's even a word, I don't even know if that's a word. Imaginatory. I don't know if that's a word. I think it's a great one. I'm going to add that to the dictionary. I'm not counting it because it sounds good. I don't know if it is good. You can check. I make up words all the time. Anyway, so he gives you gifts and you are to use them. And so, you know, that was just a preparation for, I can draw them pretty fast too, probably like in five seconds. Really? Yeah, it doesn't take me very long. They're not extremely detailed. I'll draw you one later. That's amazing. Just so you can see what it is. That was something that was started at a very young age. Because now my dad was an addict. And my mom took us to church. They were unequally yoked. He was not a believer, and she was. It's a whole long story about that. So there was a lot of. you know, chaos in my home growing up. There was a lot of fighting and a lot of things like that. So looking back as an adult, I can say that was probably an outlet for me to just kind of disconnect myself from my environment and kind of get along and do what I want. So it kind of helped you to get into your own, maybe, world, or maybe a safer place for you. Yes. In your imagination, your artistic ability. Yes, and I've never said that before. I've never realized that before, but talking about it makes me realize that that was an outlet for me because I could disconnect myself from everything that was around me. And how God developed that into what He wanted it to be. In the gift. Yeah. And the way that God wants to speak through you. Yes. You know, and the way that God speaks to each one of us, it's not always even the same each time. Right. You know, because I get, I like, I call it the movies in my head. I get these images and I'm like, okay, and it's almost like a boomerang. It's like, maybe it's like a five second or like a two second little thing. I'm like, what is that about? So I just begin to ask the Holy Spirit, what does that mean? Yeah. And who's at four? Yeah. And what's, do I just tell them it? Or like, what am I going to do with it? And the Holy Spirit's good to teach us. Just like He directs your hand. Yes. And how your gift of artist, you know, artistry is that He will design not only your hand, but your mind, your spirit all flowing together. Oh, yes. I can just shout. someone. Someone needs hope. The girl that I drew looked just like her. She has blue eyes and brown hair and her name is Olivia. I mean, when does that happen? God. Laura said she needed some confirmation from the Lord. And I draw a picture. I had no idea at the time that's what was happening, but He just uses it. But that's what God wants to do is for us, when we need that extra confirmation. The Lord wants to talk to us every day. That's why He wants us to be in His Word. And that we would be begin to know Him, to know His character and who He is, so we understand even better who we are and how He identifies us as lovely and that He wants good things in our lives. And the way that He also then does is He'll use us, if we choose, to yield, to listen and obey those promptings to even confirm with each other of like, yes, you are hearing, and maybe yes, you're supposed to do something, and we want to ignite the fire within each of us. I mean, it's about fanning the flame. It's cheering each other on. Yes. That's the great thing too is, as women, there's no reason to compete or compare. Right. It is to spur each other on, to challenge each other to be what you're supposed to be. Exactly, exactly. And be together in partnership. Oh, exactly. Everywhere around the world, not just in one little spot. One of the things that really stood out to me, it's been about three and a half years ago, it was a time where I was actually, I worked, I had a position at a little boutique, and I was able to sit there and read my Bible all day long because it wasn't a busy story. I mean, that's not good for business, but it was good for my spiritual business because I sat and I read. I took advantage of it. I did, I took advantage of the time I had. And I read in it, and it was in Exodus, and it was talking about Moses and God calling Moses to be the mouthpiece. And he said, oh, I just can't, because he wasn't eloquent in speech. And so he said, what about Aaron? Well, one of the things that stood out to me was it said the Lord's anchor was kindled. Oh, wow. It was a phrase like that. And I thought, oh, goodness. And I have a Jimmy Swagger Bible, and it's got a lot of commentary in it. One of the things it said is talking about not discounting yourself because you're not who you think God can use, and you're not perfect, and you're not this person or that person. Maybe you haven't been to school. Maybe you've never been to college. Maybe you just have your GED. Maybe you've never graduated, and you think that I can't be anything because I didn't get a degree in that. That doesn't matter with God because if He's called you to do something, He's going to equip you to do it. And I thought to myself, I will never, and I'm saying never, because I don't want to ever. Tell God, well I'm not doing that because of this, that, and the other. If He's calling me to do it, then I'm going to do it. And then He equips us. He equips us and He gives us all the tools we need. We have the Holy Spirit who teaches us in all things. Exactly. So, after I read that, that was a big moment in my Christian life. my relationship with the Lord was I don't want Him to be angry because I would not let Him use me in the capacity He wanted me to use me. Because it's all for His glory anyways. It's nothing that I can do. It's all about Him. That's why He uses people that are ordinary or people who think that are nobody. You know, it's all for His glory. You know, that's what's great about it, because if we thought we were all that, He'd probably be checking out and using somebody else. Yes. You know, I mean, really, sometimes it's overwhelming when you see so many influencers these days, and even in the Christian realm, there's so many amazing, gifted, musical, Bible teachers or whatever they're so gifted I'm like but you know everybody has what they're supposed to do and there's Influence so many different people But yeah, there's some people around us still that we can be impactful and encouraged and We need to stay in our lane to be all God called us to be yes, yes Because we don't know that our act of obedience is so critical to influence and touch other people's lives. If we don't, each one of us, do not obey what God called us to, we don't recognize that it affects more lies than we don't realize. Yes. So it's... That's so true. It is true. Yeah. So I'm, one, it just charges me up just to hear like how you just walk through it. And she's got a great holy boldness about her, which is great. I mean, honestly, what it does is it helps, I believe, even those that might even be timid. You can do this with the help of the Lord. Yes. Because if you get the prompting, then He's going to help you be bold enough to rock it out. Exactly. That is true. You have to just allow the Lord to use you. And once you start yielding to the Lord and let Him... use you in whatever capacity he wants, the next time is easier. Yes. It just is. Now, I'm not saying it doesn't get harder as far as the tasks and the things he's asking you to do, because that's what you asked earlier. Yes. I'm not saying it doesn't get more difficult as far as maybe what I would think would be difficult. Right. But he's really just preparing me to be what I need to be in a few years or like tomorrow. It just doesn't really matter. I love Daniel Kalinda. I don't know if you've ever seen him or watched him. He was with Ryan Hart Monkey. And he has those crusades and millions of people. have been saved, but he would have a crusade with hundreds of thousands of people, and he doesn't get to touch half of them as far as touching and praying for them. But he gives them the gospel, and he prays for them. And they're healing. And it's like... The most amazing thing I've ever seen, some guy was laying on a park bench. He missed his bus or his train. He wasn't supposed to be there. He couldn't hear. He couldn't hear for two years. He lost his hearing. He lays down on this park bench, and Daniel Clinda prays and says, If you need your healing, and he just speaks a prayer over them. And this man starts to hear everything around him. He walks up to the stage. Really? Yes. I just was healed. And he was a Muslim. He said, I was just healed. I was just healed. I can hear. And he got saved right there. And the Lord just healed him while he was laying on a park bench. My goodness. I mean, when you start encouraging yourself in the Lord like that, when you start seeing the mission field, whether it's in Africa or anywhere around the world, or like I said, America. Yes, we need it. We need the true power of God. And we need to see that. That's what everybody needs now. Totally. They don't need all this, Jesus, He can help you make money. I mean, whatever you want to say, we don't need all that. He just wants to transform our lives. He does. And it really is true. It starts with that all would know Christ is His Lord and Savior. Yes. You know? Yes. And so, the why that God wants to talk to us, one, He wants a relationship with us. And then some of the great things that Stephanie was talking about, too, of how God's shown her how to know the promptings, how God shows her specifically things. He doesn't talk to me that way. But yet both of us do the same thing as walking in that obedience and seeing how God will use our lives, which just can make me, like, totally excited. Yeah, it really does. Yeah. It really does. I mean, it... I can't tell you the number of times, you know, I was in the grocery store and I heard the Lord tell me to pay for the lady. No, she was an elderly lady and to pay for her food. So she got, I said, Lord, if this is you, my Lord, this is you. Make it to where it's a smooth transition. You don't want to offend anybody. You don't want people to think, well, you don't think I can pay for my groceries? Right, right. You don't ever want that, you know, because you're really just trying to do what the Lord tells you to do. Yes. And bless someone. And she kind of was moved. She was writing a check. That's what it was. She was writing a check. And so I kind of scooted on over by the card machine. Right. Just stuck my card in there because she was still writing her check. Oh. I was like, oh my God, oh my God, it worked that out. So I put my card in there and I paid for it. She didn't even know what happened until she tried to give her check. And the lady's like, no, she just paid for your stuff. And she was like, what? Cried? And then she began to open up to me about some things in her life. Just right there at Walmart. Wow. Checkout. That did happen at checkout counter. That's awesome. And then I paid for my stuff and we went off to the side and I just prayed for her. Wow. I did. I mean, you know, that's the thing is you just don't know. We don't know what people are going through. You don't know. Yeah. You know, as we recap, it's a great way for us to just, there's so many nuggets of great things that God has done through Stephanie's life. And even if you heard some of the difficult times. that in spite of all that, it's really refined her and has caused her still to lean into God, to know His Word, get into knowing His Word. And, you know, I think even the way that God has shown her how to hear His voice and that creative way to speak into other people's lives, it truly makes a difference and inspires people. We would love to hear from you, too. You know, like, if you would subscribe, leave comments, whether it's on our podcast or if you're listening on YouTube, share... what you heard to encourage somebody else. Just give a link. Let somebody else be encouraged. Like, yes, you can hear from the Lord and He wants to direct your path. He wants relationship. He wants us to be united in the Lord to help each other on in our path. Until then, go change your world.