Living BALANCED in a TILTED World | Julie Wilson | EP 105

If you are not filled with joy, if you are upset a lot, if you're worried, it's time to figure out why. God didn't take stripes on His back just for physical healing. That's for emotional healing. Maybe the answers could be found just in being heard and being seen and finding someone else that understands. I was seeing God's hand in the prayers that I was praying for other people. When you are not focused on yourself, it frees you to actually be part of a miracle in somebody else's life. Welcome to iRefresh, where we talk about the power of prayer and God's Word. What did you say? Living balance. Living balance in a tilted world. Okay. Welcome to iRefresh. We're back today with my friend Julie Wilson. I'm Veronica Scott, and we're talking today about how to live balanced in a tilted world. And Julie, you and I have had this discussion on a regular basis, so I'd like for you to share with our viewers today some of the examples that you've run into. Oh my goodness. Isn't it interesting? The world we're living in. Nobody could have predicted what we are going through right now. And I think some of it came because of the pandemic. I think we began to see people become very strong opinions about things, little things, things that really don't even matter, but they become very opinionated. We've got the impact of social media. People can say things or put things out there and... where we used to just speak to each other. Now we're putting our opinions out there. And, you know, it's just like a text. Have you ever gotten a text from somebody and you misread it? You thought they were meaning one thing and because you can't hear voice inflection, you don't see their facial expressions, you misunderstand it. And so the thing I'm finding is that Even with, especially within the Christian community, there's so much division going on and we have lost our focus on what the purpose of us being here is. And so I think it's just something that we need to kind of, you and I can talk about it, but how do we as Christians make sure that we are living our lives in such a way that we're being effective? We don't want to get to heaven someday and think, you did a great job sharing your opinion about this, but I really was hoping you could reach this person. And because you were so opinionated about this, you shut the door on that opportunity that I had for you. Oh, that's good. So I just, I don't ever want to get to heaven and see what I missed. I want to look back and go, God, you gave me this opportunity. You gave me this open door and I took it and you helped me. And this person was transformed. So I think we could just kind of talk about what are some ways that maybe as believers that we can live our lives in such a way that we don't miss opportunities. Yeah. I agree with you. And I think that the Bible has a couple of good scriptures about how to walk in peace. Yes. How to live in peace. And I think that's really what's missing in the chaos of our world today. No, I agree. As we've gone from peace to chaos. Yes. And we know that the enemy, Satan, is the author of all chaos. Yes. That it's not a God characteristic. And it's going to get worse. It's going to get worse, right? That's what we understand. Because he turns the heat up. How does he make us ineffective? Yes. He divides. Right. Right. That's true. What did Jesus pray? That God make them one as we are one. Yes. So when the church is divided, we are ineffective. That's a good point. Now, that's not just within, like, my church or your church, but the church. Yes. The church as a whole. We are the body of Christ. It's like the body of Christ can't be bipolar. We can't have personalities that are so off focus from what God designed us to do. And so, yeah. Do you want me to show the scriptures? Okay. So the first scripture is Hebrews 12, 14. And it, let's see. No, this is Romans 12, 18. And it says, do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Oh, that's really good. What a great scripture for today. So when you're looking at something and you're thinking about saying something or sharing your opinion about something, maybe we sit back and go, you know what? Is me sharing my peace of mind going to have somebody else lose their peace over it? Is it worth it? Oh, that's a really good self-check. Before you say something, think it through and think about how it will be received. Is it worth it? Because like you said, it's so much more important for us to be an example of Christ-like than for us to be opinionated and get our point across. Right. And so many things that we are opinionated about, you know, it'd be really hard-pressed to find it in the Bible. You know what I mean? The stuff that we have a lot of preferences. Right. That doesn't mean that that's... the perfect thing. And so maybe we need to step back and say, are some of the things our preference? How much of the things in my opinion about is a preference? I don't know. And I like what you said about the church. Can you define that again? Because I know we have a lot of different denominations. But as we're called to be the church, who is that? So the church is the body of Christ. Yes. So who's in the body of Christ? It's people who have accepted Jesus as their personal Savior. That's true. Everyone, now that doesn't mean if they're in a different denomination, but they have Jesus as their personal Savior. They are the body of Christ. Yes. And so as the body of Christ, we need to be so careful that we don't let the enemy distract us from what we're called to do. That's what he will do. He will distract. And he does everything he can to cause us to be ineffective. He can't stop us. Because... The gates of hell will not prevail against the church. That's right. That's right. But we can cause a lot of roadblocks ourselves. And I don't want to be one of those people that causes a roadblock. I agree. I agree. I want to be one of the ones charging into his territory. Yes. We can't charge into his territory if we're fighting amongst ourselves. Right. And we are called to take back ground. Yes. We can't take it back if we're controlling. if we're part of the problem. That's right. So I believe you have another scripture about peace. So this one is found in Hebrews 12, 14, and it says, Work, I love that word, work, because it's not easy. Work at living in peace with everyone and work at living a holy life. So like work on yourself. Yes. For those who are not holy will not see the Lord. So if we aren't focused on living at peace, why would someone want what you have? If your life is nothing but negativity, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're angry, you're You're disturbed. You have no peace. People want peace. They're searching for peace. I agree. So when we are examples of living as people that trust God. So we talked before about the thing that we try to control the most, and that includes things that we try to force our opinions, are things that we really trust God the least in. That's really good. dissension, we're causing people to be upset. Is it because we are not letting God handle it? That's a really good point. And that brings me to think about what's a practical example of what you just shared for somebody like me that in the evening, I'm watching the evening news. And what I see on the news is causing me to be upset. What should I do? Shut the news off. No, I think, okay, we need to be educated. Good point. We don't want to be naive. but there's a certain point to which it's not healthy. It's kind of like we can have, you know, sweet things to eat, but if we eat a lot of sweet things, we're going to not look good. Right. And so it's the same way with what you let in your mind. If it is poisoning you, if it, if you don't like the person that you become when you watch it, shut it off. And, and, Maybe it's time to spend more time in the word, renewing your mind. Now, when you go at the news, okay, if you can say to yourself, okay, I'm going to watch the news, but I'm going to remember God is in control. Maybe you need to say it out loud when they're saying things that are making you disturbed, say, you know what? Thank you, God. You are in control. I don't have to do, I can't control this. Right. I can't control what people are saying or if it seems like evil is triumphing. You know, in the Bible, how many times does David say, why are you letting evil triumph? Okay, God hears that. So we say, God, I know that you are going to have the final say. Right. And so maybe if you say that out loud, then you can watch news. But if you can't get yourself settled down and it causes you to be disturbed, I think it's time to shut it off for a while. I agree. I agree. And I think that we live in a world today where news is so readily available that we have so much coming at us that we need to be able to separate ourselves. And like you said, renew our mind with the Word of God. Get into the Word. Find those scriptures that really talk about keeping our mind at peace. Oh, you know what else I was thinking about? Okay, so back in our grandparents' day, what news did they have? Just three channels. They had three channels, and they had the paper from wherever they were from. They didn't really know as much as what we have access to. That's a good point. We have instant access to every tragedy, and it's rebroadcast over and over. We see an alert on our phone. We are inundated with bad news. We really are. That's exactly right. And so it's not healthy for us. Right. It's not the way God meant for us. Right. I mean, I think what we have to do is realize we need the Word even more than people needed it 50 years ago. Yeah. I would agree. To help us. I would agree. And I think a good example of that is if you have a devotional or if you want to spend time with your day, whether you choose morning, evening, just to get into the Word and meditate on the Word, which means you basically find those scriptures that really mean hope to you and continue to think on these things. Yes. I know with iRefresh Ministries, our website. Um, www.irefresh.net has great, uh, drop down menu that we have scriptures available. Yes. And those scriptures are divided up by categories, which I absolutely love. And I recommend to all my friends that say it's a great place to start, to get into the word, to find the scripture that pertains to your situation. Right. And I think that's so important in our world that we're in today. And you kind of check your joy meter. And if your joy meter is low. Uh huh. That means you need more fuel. I love that. You're right. So if you need to take post-it notes and put those scriptures all over your house until your joy meter is full, then we need to do it. But I do think that if you notice yourself getting angry and you're short-tempered with people, it really is a time to step back and think, what have I let feed me? Because what's coming out is not good. And that's a good barometer. Looking at how are we approaching what we are encountering in that day. And if we don't have an opportunity to spread joy and, then we need to get into the word and refuel. That's it. So I love that. And be around people that are positive. Good point. You know, there's some people that, you know, maybe it's not the best to spend time with them. If they're negative all the time and they get you riled up and, and they, they just suck the life out of you. It's time to pick some new friends and maybe, yeah, Let that be a little bit. That's a good point. That's a good point. And I think, too, that's such a great lesson for our children, too, because our children were raised, like you said, our grandparents, we know from their example that they were limited on how much news. But our children are living in a completely different world to where, as you said, they are inundated with bad news. Rarely do we hear the good news. So how do we teach our children? Oh, it's so important. Think about it. I was thinking, you know, all these young moms, I have children that have my grandchildren with them and stuff. And I think I'm so glad they don't just sit there with the news on constantly because those little ears, it's amazing. what they pick up from us. We are modeling for them how to trust God in everything. And if we are wigged out by things in the world, in the news, we're teaching them that they can't trust God. But you know what's funny, Veronica? My husband, I travel a lot. Yes. And we are seeing this all over the world. Wow. There is, it's amazing how, The world has the same issues no matter where you are. And I'm on social media, but my main reason to be on social media is so that after I make an acquaintance on a trip, they may get on to look at our pictures or something like that. But then I'm always posting a good message, a scripture verse, something to get them to see why I have joy. Why I'm different, because I think when they see you and they see you having a good time and you're, you know, things don't worry you. They wonder why. Right. Well, then they can get on and see that. And it's easy for them to do that. It's not preaching at them. Right. They're eavesdropping in on my life. And another thing I feel like when we are so caught up with the world, we are missing opportunities to share our story. Mm hmm. Right. And so a friend of mine developed a thing. It's called the Faith Story app. And if you go to faithstoryapp.com, you can put in information. They'll ask you questions. It'll spit out a five-minute copy of your testimony. So it's like a quick little thing. If you're on an airplane and someone asks you, like, tell me about yourself. And they, you know, I don't, I don't ever bring it up. It's amazing how God has had given us opportunities where they're talking about being stressed out about being a parent. And I said, well, you know, when I was raising kids, if I didn't have a relationship with God, I don't know how I would have survived. Well, then they want to know, what do you mean by that? But it gives you an opportunity to use every time that God opens a door that you're ready to share. I agree with you, and I think that's such a good point because I had a friend tell me one time about looking for God encounters. And I remember when I heard her say that, my thought was, wow, I want to experience those. And she helped me understand they're all around us. But sometimes we're so busy or wrapped up in ourselves, we miss them. And so that's such a great example of how you can experience a God encounter with somebody and you're still going through your daily routine. Right. And you just ask them questions. Asking questions. Like you see somebody and you ask them about like, I see you have a lot of tattoos. What was your first tattoo? And I had one gal one time say to me, well, my first was a cross, but I covered it up. Oh, yeah. So then you say, that's telling. So, so, so what made you do that? I mean, you're not, I mean, it's just the, it's there. And then you can find out what happened, you know? And so it's, it's so easy if you're just open. And the thing I've started doing is God opened my eyes to opportunities every day. Give me eyes to see where you're already working. And it's not up to us to lead them to Christ. Our job is to give, somebody said, put a stone in their shoe. Give them something to think about. So maybe all you're doing is you just say, you know what? I understand what it's like to be a mom. And, you know, you're doing a great job, you know, and just encourage them. But lead them a little closer. Move the needle just a little bit sometimes. That's all it is. And I like that because what you're experiencing there is that little bit of witness. It's not, like you said, it's not preachy, but it's real examples of real life. And how does the Word, how does the instructions that Jesus left us, how do they apply to today? I think that's one of the... challenges that we have in our environment today is, I can read the Bible, but how does it really apply to me? And I think that's such an important question. And what you've just shared are examples of how it applies to us and to our daily activities. And when life doesn't go the way we planned, instead of getting upset about it, realize that maybe there's something better. God has something else. Like, for instance, you're planning to have a picnic outside and it starts raining. So do you get upset and just that ruins your whole day? Or do you say, okay, God, what's plan B? What am I missing? What did I not expect that you're going to do? Because God's always got little things planned for us that we have to just look for him. I love that and that's such a great example. So as we recap on today's podcast, what would you share with our viewers just to do a quick summary of what we just discussed on how to stay confident in this tilted world we're in? I think the first thing is to look at yourself, look at your barometer. And if you are not filled with joy, if you are upset a lot, if you're worried. It's time to figure out why. And if it's watching the news, shut the news off. If it's negative friends, then you may need to set some barriers up for that for now. You know, you can only influence people so far. And if you are depleted, you're not going to be a good witness to them. And always look at what God is doing. I feel like we are missing things. so much by getting caught up with what's going on in the world that we're missing what God's doing. Lots of good things are happening. You're not going to see that on the news. You're not going to hear about people's lives are being changed. And just be available to who God wants you to talk to and encourage to move them one step closer to him. And let's stay focused on the goal. If it's That's a very good point. You know what I mean? Yes. Like, let's focus on what the end goal is. And our goal is to advance in his kingdom and to take back what the enemy's taken from us. Stop focusing on the infighting. Be at peace. Yes. Try to think about how is it possible I can live at peace with all people as much as is possible for me. Right. Or what does it say? As much as is possible. Mm-hmm. then you live at peace with people. And just real quick, let's recap that one of those two scriptures again, just to help people to have a starting place on where they can go to recapture. So I have it on my phone. So, okay. The first one that we said was Romans 12, 18, and it's do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. And then Hebrews 12, 14 is work at living in peace with everyone and work at living a holy life. For those who are not holy will not see the Lord. So let's do what we can to live at peace, to work on ourselves being holy, being more Christ-like. And let's see people come to know Jesus through our lives. Amen. I agree. Because that's why we're here. I completely agree. And I thank you so much, Julie, for being with us today and for sharing your words of wisdom. Thank you. You're welcome.