Episode 71
Christ over Theology
The central theme of today’s discussion revolves around the dichotomy of extreme total depravity versus extreme total ability, as it pertains to one's spiritual journey and understanding of salvation. I assert that both extremes engender a self-focused mentality, diverting attention from a Christ-centered perspective, which is paramount in our walk of faith. This episode aims to delve into how these extremes can lead to misunderstandings of the gospel, ultimately affecting our relationships with God and others. We explore the implications of these theological positions on holistic health, emphasizing the importance of accountability to Christ's teachings. Thus, we invite listeners to reflect on their heart posture, ensuring it aligns with the true essence of the gospel, which promotes love, grace, and an intimate relationship with the divine.
Takeaways:
- The distinction between extreme total depravity and extreme total ability is crucial for understanding one's spiritual journey.
- Holistic health necessitates a Christ-centered approach rather than a self-focused ideology that leads to spiritual confusion.
- A thorough comprehension of grace is fundamental, as it is the basis by which we receive salvation and healing.
- Both extremes of depravity and grace can create a distorted understanding of God's love and our relationship with Him.
Links referenced in this episode:
Transcript
Foreign.
Speaker A:Hello everyone, and welcome back to Casting Seeds.
Speaker A:I'm Savannah, your holistic health practitioner and host, and you're listening to the only holistic health podcast that uses God's singular truth to give you individualized discernment.
Speaker A:Today's going to be an interesting episode because I think some people may not want to listen to it or may turn it off before it even gets started.
Speaker A:And I want to let you know it's not going to be what you think about when I'm.
Speaker A:What I'm going to talk about today is the difference between extreme total depravity.
Speaker A:Remember the word extreme is in there.
Speaker A:And also extreme total ability.
Speaker A:So this isn't the difference between Calvinism and Arminianism.
Speaker A:This isn't the difference between free will versus predestination.
Speaker A:This conversation today is going to be about if you believe in either of those things or if you're like me and you actually kind of sit in the middle because God speaks about both and it doesn't matter.
Speaker A:Well, some people think it matters with salvation.
Speaker A:I personally don't.
Speaker A:The only issue to me is that when someone's an extremist in both, that to me is what worries me in someone's salvation walk.
Speaker A:Because, and here's the reason why, either way, on both sides, they both tend to then have a self fulfilled focus and not a Jesus centered focus.
Speaker A:And, and this is where if we're going to tie this also into holistic health and especially holistic health, which is what we aim for in this podcast, I want all of my listeners and even Jeremiah and I and any people in my life to be held accountable to Christ's word and word alone.
Speaker A:They should not be focusing on themselves, on their own ideals, on their own wants and their own desires, but constantly be focusing on who they are doing this for, which is what we mention in every single podcast episode.
Speaker A:Because it is so prevalent, we need to be thinking about who are we doing this for.
Speaker A:If we are doing our walk for Christ, if we are doing our health for Christ, if we are doing our life for Christ, then nothing else matters.
Speaker A:It doesn't matter.
Speaker A:Okay, so I, for people who may be a little bit confused with all the Christianese that I used, just know this may be a little bit more of a heavy Christianese episode.
Speaker A:But I want to encourage all of you individually to look into either Arminianism or Calvinism, predestination and or free will, even though I actually don't think those things are extreme opposites of one another.
Speaker A:Personally, when I sat down with Somebody who deeply affected my walk.
Speaker A:I had what I called a quote unquote godmother for six years.
Speaker A:She took me through the Bible.
Speaker A:Um, I went to a church that was definitely much more free will based when I first started walking with Christ.
Speaker A:And that church actually helped me really fall in love with wanting to read the Word and being excited about reading the Word.
Speaker A:And I still love that pastor to this day.
Speaker A:But at that time, I was definitely outgrowing the, I should say, intimacies of that church and the people I was fellowshipping with.
Speaker A:And it was smaller and I knew I needed something different.
Speaker A:But the new church I was interested in was very like tulip five point Calvinist.
Speaker A:So I was a little bit concerned about, you know, theology and where that was going.
Speaker A:And it was interesting because she definitely had an opinion.
Speaker A:But instead of sharing me, sharing with me her opinion, she did what I have always done with any friends or family who has ever asked about the differences between Armenianism and Calvinism.
Speaker A:Am I saying that right?
Speaker A:I didn't say Armenian, did I?
Speaker A:I meant to say ar.
Speaker A:Wait, not Armenian.
Speaker A:Armenian.
Speaker A:Okay, I was saying it correctly.
Speaker A:I'm, you know, I'm on the third trimester.
Speaker A:You guys cut me some slack.
Speaker A:Anyway, what I was trying to say is at the end of the day, she actually printed up the difference between the two and had them side by side.
Speaker A:And I told her.
Speaker A:I actually disagreed wholeheartedly with both.
Speaker A:They.
Speaker A:The base aspects of both totally made sense and both are definitely mentioned in the Bible, especially depravity and dependence on grace.
Speaker A:But I was definitely, I was not a fan though of.
Speaker A:In Calvinism, the last two points felt very humanistic and human based.
Speaker A:And then same thing with Arminianism.
Speaker A:I.
Speaker A:I definitely agreed that we definitely do have some freedom and we do have some free will.
Speaker A:But the last part where like, we can control things, just there are things that just didn't match up biblically in both.
Speaker A:So personally, I loved, I did some research.
Speaker A:This is not.
Speaker A:You guys do not have to agree with me at all theologically.
Speaker A:Okay?
Speaker A:I really loved what Arthur Pink had to say about it.
Speaker A:Actually, I should pull it up before I try to quote that guy, because he's a wonderful man.
Speaker A:And I'm not gonna try to act like I can remember everything right now while being pregnant.
Speaker A:So give me a second.
Speaker A:Okay, so Arthur Pink is the one who mentioned Dr.
Speaker A:Ironsides, who was a pastor.
Speaker A: Arthur Peak is from like the: Speaker A:And then Dr.
Speaker A: literally from like the late: Speaker A:And I loved reading it.
Speaker A:But basically Dr.
Speaker A:Ironside said to him, if we.
Speaker A:He calls it the Ironside Store.
Speaker A:So if you look at a door, it's wide open and above the door it says, whoever will let them come.
Speaker A: So Revelation: Speaker A:So because it says whoever will let them take of the water of life freely.
Speaker A:And then if, you know, somebody walks through that door, then it turn, you turn around and it slams shut.
Speaker A:And it mentions like, let's say like you enter the door.
Speaker A:Then it mentions chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, which is in Romans.
Speaker A:So he was saying that both actually can work intermittently and both work together because that door slams shut when you're saved, you're saved for life.
Speaker A:And that I loved that illustration.
Speaker A:So when people tend to get super like, you know, like Calvinistic or super are like free will based only and everything is, you know, like either way I, it's having that reference in my head of like, man, it really just doesn't matter at the end of the day, like this person saved and that's all that matters, or this person's not saved and am I being called to help pursue and love on them through this?
Speaker A:That's all that matters.
Speaker A:So how does this all.
Speaker A:And again, you guys can totally disagree with that theology.
Speaker A:I'm just telling you, that's where I tend to stem from.
Speaker A:And because I'm not super pro for both, I feel like I can give a little bit more of a free be.
Speaker A:What's a good way of putting it?
Speaker A:A non biased opinion in this.
Speaker A:But who knows, you guys may disagree and that's kind of what's fun about this podcast.
Speaker A:So what I want to talk about today again is the extreme depravity.
Speaker A:Not like depravity in itself.
Speaker A:I think depravity is healthy.
Speaker A:I think that we should have it.
Speaker A:But extreme depravity versus extreme grace or extreme free will, because both of those things are not biblical.
Speaker A:Okay, all right, let's get into this.
Speaker A:So before I say anything, I just want to say the common thread in my opinion of both of these extremes is a misunderstanding of the gospel.
Speaker A:And we'll, I'm going to say what the Mr.
Speaker A:Misunderstanding is, then we'll break it down.
Speaker A:And then I want to under want you guys to understand how this can affect you and your data life with discernment, with relationships and a relation, especially your relationship with Christ.
Speaker A:And then ultimately too how you end up sharing the gospel and how you even look into healthcare, because all of these things are extraordinarily important.
Speaker A:So when we talk about the gospel, we do not want to misunderstand who God is and what grace means, okay?
Speaker A:We want to understand that we are operating from a Christ centered heart, not a self focused heart.
Speaker A:Not through one of entitlement and not through one of shame.
Speaker A:And those tend to be the biggest things when we talk about the extremes, okay?
Speaker A:Entitlement and shame.
Speaker A:And we'll come back to that.
Speaker A:Also, we don't want to avoid in any way, shape or form true intimacy with Christ through the Holy Spirit, through what he did for us on the cross.
Speaker A:And that could be a huge issue.
Speaker A:Like, one can tend to really hide behind their emotions or their wants and their desires and not Christ's wants and desires for you in your life.
Speaker A:And other people can really hide behind guilt.
Speaker A:And so if you guys, I don't know if anyone has really figured it out yet, but one of those extremes really focuses on guilt and shame, and the other one hides behind extreme emotions and through extreme entitlement.
Speaker A:And if you don't already know what I'm talking about, we're gonna get there.
Speaker A:So while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, right?
Speaker A:Romans 5, 8.
Speaker A:My grace is sufficient for you.
Speaker A:My power is made perfect in weakness.
Speaker A:2nd Corinthians 12, 9.
Speaker A:We don't earn miracles or blessings, okay?
Speaker A:We don't earn any type of grace.
Speaker A:We don't earn life whatsoever.
Speaker A:God gave us everlasting life from his love and mercy.
Speaker A:That's it.
Speaker A:This is where my.
Speaker A:I do love every person on this planet, but this is where Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons specifically get it really wrong.
Speaker A:And this is why their gospel is twisted and it is not biblical.
Speaker A:And it doesn't hold a biblical account just on this alone.
Speaker A:There are plenty of other reasons why, but just on the gospel alone, we do not earn salvation.
Speaker A:We cannot earn salvation.
Speaker A:And sometimes Catholics can lead into this as well.
Speaker A:So just be careful.
Speaker A:Um, we aren't also too broken to ever receive them either.
Speaker A:Christ delights in the healing of the broken.
Speaker A:And that means spiritual healing first.
Speaker A:That means coming to salvation.
Speaker A:Like, let's not talk about all those miracles and all those other things.
Speaker A:He delights in it.
Speaker A:And faith isn't about an emotional high or perfection either.
Speaker A:It's about abiding in Christ.
Speaker A:It's about sanctification and dwelling with him 100%.
Speaker A:That is why this entire podcast and everything that we do is a constant check in with your heart posture who are you doing this for?
Speaker A:Because if you are not doing that properly, if you don't understand the gospel properly, you're not going to be able to have a quote unquote holistic journey, what we jokingly call it here, or a holistic journey in general.
Speaker A:If you are being self focused in any way, shape or form, God isn't gonna walk with you through that.
Speaker A:He'll love on you and try to turn you away from that.
Speaker A:But there's a reason why it's called the straight and narrow.
Speaker A:And it's because it is hard to not wanna answer into the flesh.
Speaker A:But guess what?
Speaker A:Every time you turn it away or ask God to help turn it away for you, he can lead you closer on that straight and narrow.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker A:All right, so let's get into this.
Speaker A:If we want to talk about chasing emotional highs or an indulgence in faith.
Speaker A:Okay, just in general, if we want to talk about it, we want to understand that ultimately feeling worthy has nothing to do with grace or healing.
Speaker A:So with this checklist, I really want you to take a step back and listen to what I'm saying and ask yourself if you really do struggle with any of these things.
Speaker A:Because you may fall into the category of basically kind of overly living in free will and over overly living in grace.
Speaker A:I have hiccups, sorry.
Speaker A:So this person tends to treat faith like a spiritual high.
Speaker A:So only in your spiritual high are you doing well.
Speaker A:They can chase miracles, emotional worship signs or prophetic experiences all for answers.
Speaker A:Only this person might believe that a blessing is proof of God's love for them or favor.
Speaker A:And when they do not have a blessing, it means God is punishing them for not doing well.
Speaker A:This person often avoids hard, true hard truths like repentance or suffering or dying to self.
Speaker A:So this can lead to a shallow or fragile faith that crumbles in trials.
Speaker A:This person can also cause confusion to themselves and to others with emotions or fade when God seems silent.
Speaker A:This person also can feel like they're having a customer based relationship with God.
Speaker A:What can you give me?
Speaker A:And why am I not feeling this way?
Speaker A:Or why are you not giving me what I need?
Speaker A:So these are just things that we want to check in when with our heart.
Speaker A:We want to make sure that we aren't making feelings or miracles the foundation of faith, not Christ.
Speaker A:On the flip side, I want you to pay attention if you're this person as well.
Speaker A:Because some people do live in extreme depravity and almost unworthiness.
Speaker A:And this person believes that they are too sinful, too broken or too far gone for grace.
Speaker A:This person may resist prayer or not believe in miracles in any way, or that God can speak to them intimately, or they even struggle with receiving intimacy with God because of their shame.
Speaker A:This person can almost feel disqualified from God's promises or blessings and they often isolate themselves spiritually, as if they can do it on their own or they have to do it on their own or they have to struggle to be able to be in God's grace.
Speaker A:This can lead to a life filled with guilt and self recognition.
Speaker A:3, 2.
Speaker A:This often can lead to a life filled with guilt and self condemnation or hiding from God, or sometimes the opposite where this person can actually feel like because they are saved, they knew that God was already going to put them through this.
Speaker A:So they don't have to do anything to get out of it.
Speaker A:Like this is just a season.
Speaker A:I don't really have to pay attention or focus because God knew was already going to happen and they God wanted me to suffer like this and this is just the way it's going to be.
Speaker A:It's a distorted image image of God as an angry or withholding God.
Speaker A:But also this person can also miss the truth that Jesus came for the broken and undeserving.
Speaker A:And we don't have to constantly focus on the fact that we are broken and undeserving.
Speaker A:We can still have an intimate relationship.
Speaker A:So the core issue is rejecting grace because they believe that they're beyond it, too far gone.
Speaker A:So let's go back again to the common thread, the common misconduct understanding of the gospel.
Speaker A:Okay?
Speaker A:Both of them misunderstand who God is and what grace means.
Speaker A:So the Hebrew word for grace, I think it's pronounced chest.
Speaker A:C H E S E D.
Speaker A:Chest often is translated to mercy, loving or kindness, like a steadfast love.
Speaker A:So grace favor kindness, for it is grace that you have been saved by through faith.
Speaker A:And it is not from yourselves, it is a gift from God.
Speaker A:Ephesians 2:8.
Speaker A:You are saved by grace and grace alone.
Speaker A:Okay?
Speaker A:But God being rich in his mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions.
Speaker A:It is by grace you have been saved.
Speaker A:Ephesians 2:4 through 5 sustaining grace, right?
Speaker A:My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
Speaker A:That's 2 Corinthians 12, 9.
Speaker A:And the grace of God teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly possessions, which is Titus 2:11, 12.
Speaker A:So Grace doesn't mean that we have a license to sin.
Speaker A:It does not mean that God Is loving you because you're good.
Speaker A:We're definitely not good.
Speaker A:And it definitely doesn't mean it's something that you earn by effort or spiritual highs.
Speaker A:Okay, Grace in everyday life, I don't know.
Speaker A:As a woman and as a wife and assumed to be mother and as someone who navigates pcos and candida and pregnancy, what grace means is that you don't have to be perfect to be deeply loved.
Speaker A:That's something that I've discovered over and over again.
Speaker A:I don't have to be perfect in my health.
Speaker A:I don't have to have a perfect relationship with my family and my friends.
Speaker A:Nothing has to be perfect about me to be deeply loved by God.
Speaker A:God is not wanting or waiting for me to get it right.
Speaker A:In order for him to help me, he's gonna do what he's gonna do in his timing.
Speaker A:But I also have to take a step back and understand that his timing is perfect.
Speaker A:And sometimes it's a season of yes, sometimes it's a season of no, and sometimes it's a season of waiting.
Speaker A:And when I.
Speaker A:I pour into what God's timing is for certain answers in my life, if I'll ever get them, that's where peace surpasses with all understanding.
Speaker A:Also, his strength is available to me exactly where I am and where I feel my weakest.
Speaker A:There's all sorts of scripture that's going to help with that relationship.
Speaker A:And so, yeah, that's something that I've been able to cultivate as someone who struggles and as someone who really did struggle too.
Speaker A:Being in holistic health and not being the healthiest felt horrible.
Speaker A:Not knowing what was wrong with my body, not knowing why I was having miscarriages.
Speaker A:I felt like a fraud.
Speaker A:And I never felt that way before the most high king.
Speaker A:I felt that way in front of other imperfect people, which is so silly because if anything, my own sin should make me feel that way when I come to him.
Speaker A:And he doesn't ever make that me feel that way ever.
Speaker A:Ever.
Speaker A:So ultimately, the reason why again I was bringing up this episode is because whether you're living in extreme depravity or extreme ability, either one of those is simple.
Speaker A:And it's not understanding the whole cultivate cultivation of what the gospel means again.
Speaker A:I don't think that people living in full grace and people living in full depravity aren't not saved.
Speaker A:I think that people who believe in free will and people who believe in predestination only, I think that if they're just focused on that alone, then they really are missing the gospel.
Speaker A:But if they have that theology but still love Christ and are doing God's will, which is love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and love your neighbor as you would yourself, then you're fine.
Speaker A:But here's the thing.
Speaker A:I'm not perfect, and I know all of you guys are not perfect.
Speaker A:So at the end of the day, the question is, do you check your heart posture with how you assess certain situations?
Speaker A:So whether it's in holistic health or the way that you are having discussions with your spouse or, I don't know, disagreements with friends or family, are you taking these things into consideration and how you are representing Christ and the gospel?
Speaker A:Because I don't believe that whole thing where, you know, what do people say?
Speaker A:You may be the only Bible somebody reads.
Speaker A:If you're the only Bible that somebody reads, you failed as a Christian.
Speaker A:It.
Speaker A:You should be the reason why somebody questions and wants to open up their Bible.
Speaker A:The best.
Speaker A:The best thing I've ever heard, like, I've heard it twice now in my life, and it was the biggest compliment ever, was, Savannah, you are the reason why I wanted to read a Bible.
Speaker A:You're the one who kind of got me interested in it and made me start questioning things in my life.
Speaker A:And then I tell them it wasn't me.
Speaker A:I was just telling you exactly what God did.
Speaker A:But it was sweet because that person doesn't realize that what they liked in me was 100% the gospel.
Speaker A:And one of those people were my husband at that time.
Speaker A:He wasn't saved.
Speaker A:And he prayed to have a woman like me in his life.
Speaker A:And I'm so thankful that he prayed for that because I love that he's my husband now.
Speaker A:And then the second person was actually a client who actually ended up telling my husband, who is a man, he ended up telling my husband.
Speaker A:Like, I talked to Savannah and the things that she said made sense, and it made me want to start going to church or asking men these questions because I knew that she said that she was a woman and she didn't have the right answers for me, but Jesus did.
Speaker A:So those things you want to be able to help prompt people to be interested in Christ, not interested in you, and which I hope and pray my husband, ultimately, that's obviously what happened because he ended up getting saved.
Speaker A:But first Jeremiah was interested in me, and then when I made it clear it's not me that you like, it's Jesus, he then pursued that on his own, which was amazing.
Speaker A:So to know that that's happened to me twice is the most amazing compliment I could have ever thought because.
Speaker A:Or could have ever gotten because I know that genuinely in two relationships in my life, two people are now seeking Christ, and one of them, for sure, I can say is saved, right?
Speaker A:So, again, that's super awesome.
Speaker A:But here's the thing.
Speaker A:You constantly want to be that person, whether or not you even get that validation.
Speaker A:The fact that I've gotten that validation twice is amazing.
Speaker A:But even if you never hear from someone ever in your life, like, wow, you really helped point me to the Lord.
Speaker A:It does not deter you or stop you from loving on them properly the way that God's called you.
Speaker A:And remember, the two commandments are, love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and love your neighbor as you would yourself.
Speaker A:And I think people get that wrong because.
Speaker A:And let's go back to the total depravity, the extreme depravity, I should say, and the extreme ability, the extreme depravity in that.
Speaker A:When they say, love, love someone as you would yourself, I think they tend to think like, oh, well, that means only accountability and harshness and love and intensity.
Speaker A:And, you know, like, I can meet you where you're at only if you're trying to strive to do better, only if I can see you trying, like, harder.
Speaker A:And yes, I do think that there's wisdom in that.
Speaker A:But also, some people fail over and over again because no one has ever actually given them that hug and said, you know what?
Speaker A:Yeah, habitual sin can be hard.
Speaker A:How can I help you through this?
Speaker A:How can I love on you?
Speaker A:Or how can I give you grace that you just don't really deserve?
Speaker A:So they can see that, you know, through a Christian and not just through God.
Speaker A:And then on the other extreme, where someone has extreme ability with the as you would yourself love someone as you would yourself, they can sometimes give too much grace where it's like, oh, it's okay, just mess up.
Speaker A:You can just repent again on Sunday at the altar call or do these things over and over and over again.
Speaker A:And then they actually can help people sin more habitually instead of holding them accountable.
Speaker A:So you can see, like, the two opposite extremes, they need to both come together in the middle when it comes on practically living them out in life.
Speaker A:It doesn't mean that you can't morally have that background of man, yeah, I'm a sinner and I need the Lord to be able to love on me and lead me.
Speaker A:Or, yeah, you know, I'm so thankful that God has given me the ability to be able to choose to walk with him every day.
Speaker A:Like, those two things are both beautiful and both amazing.
Speaker A:But you can't go past that.
Speaker A:You can't go into the extremes of where it's actually going to not just hinder yourself, but sin always hinders other people around you.
Speaker A:And that is the hardest part.
Speaker A:Especially if you're married, it's super easy to see if you have kids, very easy to see.
Speaker A:It can be harder sometimes to see as a single person.
Speaker A:But I mean, if you have that humility and acceptance of when someone can hold you accountable to it, listen to your friends and your family and your loved ones and your church body who are holding you accountable.
Speaker A:So with this all being said, how then does this affect you in holistic health?
Speaker A:We talked about it relationally with Christ and with your friends and family and how that can pull you away from the gospel itself, which is the most important.
Speaker A:That's why I've driven it home more than anything.
Speaker A:But how can this affect you when it comes to health care and trying to take care of yourself and your body and where God wants you?
Speaker A:Well, when we talk about holistic health or holistic health, we want to understand that at the end of the day, let.
Speaker A:Okay, let's talk about my baby, right?
Speaker A:Or my miscarriages.
Speaker A:At the end of the day, when we thought that we were miscarrying possibly, all I could do was pray.
Speaker A:There was literally nothing else I could do.
Speaker A:I don't have control over life.
Speaker A:I am not God.
Speaker A:Only God has control over life itself.
Speaker A:So when it was clear that we were possibly starting to miscarry, but it could have just been a really heavy bleed or whatever, literally all I could do is get on my knees and pray.
Speaker A:And at first, because I can actually struggle with more on the depravity end, this is something that I struggle more with.
Speaker A:At first, I actually felt really guilty praying for my baby to stay alive or praying for my baby to be healthy, because at the end of the day, I know that I can't control that.
Speaker A:And also, God knows what's best.
Speaker A:And I think it was a bad thing that I felt guilty for wanting to pray for life, wanting to pray for my baby to be healthy, wanting to pray for everything to be okay.
Speaker A:I think the reason why I felt that way is just because I.
Speaker A:I know in my heart and soul that I.
Speaker A:I kind of do, like, the depravity end, and I do like the idea of like, like, I don't know, just kind of letting go, like God's just in control of everything.
Speaker A:So I don't have to worry if I don't even have to pray these things because God already knows it can be really easy.
Speaker A:Which is so funny because I don't do that to my friends or family.
Speaker A:When someone asks to pray, I'm like praying non stop for that person.
Speaker A:I think about them all the time.
Speaker A:I'm praying about the situation because I love them.
Speaker A:But I can tend to not do that for myself because it's hard sometimes to face those feelings and it's a protective state.
Speaker A:So when you talk about that in holistic health.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:If you're not praying over those things and not asking God, like, where do you actually want me?
Speaker A:What's going on in health?
Speaker A:The same way that even when I found out that I had Candida for the first time, or there was one time where right before I found out I had Candida, Jeremiah was praying over my womb and he said, you know, Lord, please help heal my wife.
Speaker A:And in my head I literally heard a male voice, a random voice, say, don't worry, Savannah, you'll be healed.
Speaker A:And I, to this day, it's hard for me to believe that God, like an amazing, omnipresent, awesome God, would want to talk to me intimately like that.
Speaker A:He would want to say something like that to me.
Speaker A:I doubted it forever.
Speaker A:And then when I had flare ups happen, I was like, see, I wasn't healed.
Speaker A:It was just me wanting it so badly.
Speaker A:So I actually told Jeremiah to stop praying for me for those things.
Speaker A:So as someone who struggles with more of the total depravity aspect, I want you guys to know that being in that state of mind when it comes to holistic health can be so limiting, so unbelievably limiting.
Speaker A:Because someone like me who wants the facts and wants to get down to the nitty gritty, I tend to kind of pish posh feelings and like, okay, yeah, I may feel this way, but let's see what the actual blood results say.
Speaker A:And you know, God has other plans.
Speaker A:So I need to check in consistently and make sure whenever I'm going through something in holistic health that I'm letting.
Speaker A:I'm not just letting God lead and checking out that I'm letting God lead, but I'm also checking in and making sure I'm doing the right things and getting true discernment from him and not pish posing like that a miracle genuinely could happen.
Speaker A:Like I shouldn't I.
Speaker A:Why would I ever do that?
Speaker A:God could snap his fingers and Decide.
Speaker A:I, I don't know.
Speaker A:He could decide that amount.
Speaker A:I mean, think about it.
Speaker A:The faith of a mustard seed, like he could snap his fingers and a whole mountain could grow in an instant, right?
Speaker A:So I don't want to limit God in that way in my life.
Speaker A:Not that I could if I wanted to, but I don't want to limit it to the point where I don't see it.
Speaker A:And that's the point I'm trying to make.
Speaker A:I don't want to miss God's glory and amazement because I refuse to see it.
Speaker A:And I refuse to believe that an awesome God would do those things for me and he would love me that much.
Speaker A:On the flip side, this is something that I used to struggle more as a baby Christian.
Speaker A:Also, I went to a church that was more like that.
Speaker A:I, when it comes to holistic health, don't want to just put all of my faith into like, healing oils and prayer.
Speaker A:Like, not that prayer isn't amazing, but like, when somebody lays their hand on you and says, like, God's gonna do this in your life, great, thank you for that.
Speaker A:But also, don't command, don't tell me, you know, like, you can't command God what to do.
Speaker A:And that's something that can be hard for me when I hear it in prayer circles, like in Jesus name, this is going to happen to you.
Speaker A:We don't know that.
Speaker A:You know, even if someone is getting that discernment, like, hey, I think God's leading you this way.
Speaker A:It shouldn't be an automatic.
Speaker A:This is going to happen.
Speaker A:I have prophesied it.
Speaker A:You haven't.
Speaker A:If God has spoken to you, you would be giving that glory to him.
Speaker A:So again, I, you can hear that.
Speaker A:I definitely do lean more towards depravity because of that.
Speaker A:Not, by the way, not in a Calvinistic way, but depravity in a way where I'm like, I'm not worthy to hear those things.
Speaker A:Or like God has.
Speaker A:It has the control, not you and not me.
Speaker A:But I also know that people who tend to lean more into miracles and to prophecy and to all of the kind of woohoo y, exciting, emotional part of Christianity can really, really miss the foundational understanding of God's word and not just how much he loves us, but truth as to where you actually are supposed to be.
Speaker A:And then when that person is faced with like, well, like somebody told me, like I had three people come up to me and tell me that I was supposed to get pregnant or like, God was really leading me and telling me that I'm going to have like four kids.
Speaker A:Because, you know, I had.
Speaker A:I actually had dreams that I was going to have four kids.
Speaker A:God was telling me that I was going to have four children by this time.
Speaker A:And man, then all of a sudden you start losing your trust in God when it isn't God's fault.
Speaker A:You didn't back it up with scripture at all.
Speaker A:Jeremiah looked at me funny.
Speaker A:I didn't think I was gonna have four kids by a certain time, by the way.
Speaker A:I just had a few dreams that Jeremiah and I were going to have four kids.
Speaker A:So we joked that we were going to have four children.
Speaker A:And little did I know after we had our four miscarriages.
Speaker A:I didn't realize until after that that I did have four children.
Speaker A:But it's not in the way that I expected.
Speaker A:That's actually kind of a cool side note.
Speaker A:I have a post about that.
Speaker A:It was cool because I never held those babies or really got to even give birth to them.
Speaker A:They just kind of were presented to me and then taken away one by one.
Speaker A:And I.
Speaker A:It's a really sweet story.
Speaker A:So that's on my Instagram if you guys want to read it.
Speaker A:Anyway, yeah, I didn't think that I was gonna have four kids by like 30 or something.
Speaker A:Anywho is looking at me so confused.
Speaker A:I'm just trying to use these examples because I will catch my friends and family and myself doing these things where they don't even realize that they start leaning on ultimately both of these sides start leaning on selfishness.
Speaker A:And a lot of people will think that being selfish is only probably more so the grace side, like, oh, I, I want this, it's my desire and God's doing this, yes, that is definitely a part of it.
Speaker A:But also the selfishness on the depravity side is how I'm denying Christ on the cross and his like what he did for me on the cross and I'm not worthy for it.
Speaker A:I'm not good enough for it.
Speaker A:That's telling God that he wasn't good enough to die for you on the cross.
Speaker A:Both of them are super sinful and not biblical based at all.
Speaker A:So at the end of the day, when you're looking at holistic health, when you're looking at your relationship, when you're look relationship with people here like worldly relationships and if you're looking at your relationship with Christ, both extremes are unhealthy.
Speaker A:And it's just something that when we consider being healthy Christians in holistic health and in health in general, if These are things that we can check in on and know.
Speaker A:Like, hey, I know I struggle with more depravity issues or I struggle with like, grace upon grace upon grace, baby, I get to do what I want, when I want.
Speaker A:It's good to have that and have trusted friends or family hold you accountable to those things.
Speaker A:Especially when it comes to your wants and your desires or your lack of want and your lack of desire to want to spend time with the Lord or what the purpose is of the of those lack and are of those desires.
Speaker A:Are you doing them just because you think God's going to give you a gift?
Speaker A:Or are you doing them, you know, to, oh, you know, holy and meek me?
Speaker A:I'm not deserving.
Speaker A:Both of them are just so selfish at the end of the day.
Speaker A:And I know a lot of those people who live that way chronically and claim Christ.
Speaker A:I also know a lot of those people who walk 99.9amazingly and then struggle on either side of those.
Speaker A:Either way, you're living in fear and not in love.
Speaker A:And perfect love casts out all fear.
Speaker A:So with that, I just wanted to have an episode that hopefully this all made sense and if it was too confusing and I need to hone it in a little bit, better let me know.
Speaker A:I just, I think there lot of, you know, when I get a lot of questions on casting seeds or on Instagram or on Facebook about the podcast or about things, I can tell immediately some of the people's hearts behind it as to why they're doing the things that they're doing and their fear that they have when they're asking questions.
Speaker A:And when I do intimate appointments with people, whether it's online or in person, one of the biggest things I try to break down is what are your healthcare goals?
Speaker A:And then what are your fears?
Speaker A:What's your worst fear for this outcome?
Speaker A:And ultimately doesn't matter if you get it or you don't get it, is that going to affect your walk with Christ?
Speaker A:Because the answer should be no, it doesn't either way.
Speaker A:So with that, you guys, I pray that this episode was casting seeds into your heart.
Speaker A:Planting seeds, casting seeds, all the good things.
Speaker A:And if it felt like it was casting pearls for you, I'd love to hear why.
Speaker A:I love you guys either way.
Speaker A:And remember, you don't have to agree with my theology and you should always challenge and question it and look into it.
Speaker A:All the people that I mentioned, all of the verses that I mentioned, check if it's in the context that you agree with or I should say that God ultimately agrees with.
Speaker A:Do your research.
Speaker A:I love gotquestions.org they have a really great non biased way of representing the gospel and in a very truth and fact filled way.
Speaker A:So you can always use that as a great reference.
Speaker A:And until then you guys, I love you and I'm always praying and as always, keep casting seeds.
Speaker A:We hope you enjoyed learning how to cultivate God's creation from a Biblical perspective.
Speaker A:Holyistic health is to prioritize whole person wellness through Christ like and comment on what topics were casting seeds or casting pearls.
Speaker B:If you found this information provided useful, subscribe to our podcast for future updates.
Speaker B:Leave a review to help us improve and share this episode.
Speaker B:We would like to remind you before we leave that perfect health cannot be attained in this world.
Speaker A:Only spiritual salvation through sanctification and repentance to God and turning away from sin.
