¶ Finding Success With God's Grace
Hello and hello . Welcome back God's diamonds in the rough amen . If you don't know who we are , I am Catherine .
And I am .
Michael , amen Such a grand entrance .
I know .
I love it , though . I love it . So y'all , we are here and ready to do it again . We are helping you to find the diamond in you , amen . God has put a diamond in all of us and you know it can be hard , it can be rough , it can be very difficult at times , but you know there is a diamond , I promise you . We all have value , we all are beautiful .
We all have some have value . We all are beautiful , we all are uniquely crafted , we all have flaws and we're just . You know , we're here to help you to see that , amen , because we're living in a world where , you know , a lot of people are losing hope .
We're talking about children of God , amen , the ones supposed to carry hope and be a light Into darkness . Yeah , yeah . Just yeah .
Yeah .
That's so funny . Alright , y'all , come on . Let's go on and pray before we get into it .
Dear Heavenly Father , our Lord and our Savior , jesus Christ , we just thank you One more time to say that you give us Grace and mercy , love and kindness and tenderness . We beg your forgiveness , christ . We just thank you one more time to say that you give us grace and mercy , love and kindness and tender mercy .
We beg your forgiveness for anything we might have said , done or thought that's not pleasing to your sight . That you're gracious and forgive us and cast us back into the pits of hell where it came from .
We ask you right now just to have your way and that the enemy will be sent back into the pits of hell where it came from , with all the tricks and tactics that he might try to pull we where it came from , with all the tricks and tactics that he might try to pull . We ask you right now just to have your way . Jesus Christ is holy . In Max's name .
We say thank you , we say amen , amen and amen , amen .
Hallelujah . So today , everyone , we are going to prep you for what is coming . Amen In regard to impacting the world . Amen . We're talking about success and what that looks like in the sight of God . Michael , what's your thoughts about success ?
Well , my thoughts about success is this you know , even with something you said in the opening is the way I introduced myself , and you know we got to realize that we gotta give our very best or don't give it at all . Because I say give your very best or don't give it at all because I want your very best .
He don't want you to give halfway , you know , just like he don't want you to give halfway , you know , just like he don't want you to have one foot in the world and one foot in his word . You know , because when you do that , you're slipping , you're going on a slippery slope and nine times out of ten that slippery slope is going to be razor blades .
And I say razor to be razor blades . And I say razor blades because razor blades cut real , not fine , and the slightest little thing that gets in it is going to hurt . So that's why he wants us to give it our very best . Don't half-step with God , but he won't half-step with you .
That's right . I was looking at the dictionary exactly what success means . It means the accomplishment of an aim or a purpose . The key word to that is accomplishment , and the thing about it is that we have to be careful as believers as me I'm talking about as children of God how we define ourselves .
You know , keeping in perspective purpose , keeping in perspective . You know where we're headed to . Because I say all of that ? Because God's idea of success does not look anything like this world . Would you agree , honey ?
I agree .
You know , absolutely doing our best , giving our best , putting our best foot forward in the sight of God is success . Even though we might fall flat on our face , we might lose everything we got In the sight of God , that doesn't mean that we aren't successful .
You know what I mean , In the sight of God , for us to be financially broke as long as we're rich in him , we have everything that we need .
You know , when you say , put your best foot forward in everything you do and just use an analogy of a person who's running a race because we got to understand that we are in a race In the spiritual realm , we are in a race to making sure that we get to glory and when he say , put your best foot forward , you take a race , a jogger or a person that's
on a track event , and even if the person has two left feet and they fall flat on their face , god honors it because he looks at your heart . Your heart has to be . The posture of your heart has to be right . That's what he honors .
But if you just give sloppy agape or something that's just I'm just doing it because I'm supposed to do it how is that going to be pleasing to God ? It's not .
Amen , hallelujah
¶ Focus on True Success Through God
. There's a scripture that kind of stands out to me right now about Philippians 4 , 13 . I can do all things through Christ . Which strength is me ?
I mean , that's really a mind and a heart posture you got to have when you're doing anything is that you know anything that God sets before me to do , I can do it through him and I'm going to be successful Again , whether or not I fall flat on my face or not .
Going to be successful again , whether or not I fall flat on my face or not , if I'm going and I'm going forth to do it in the strength that God has given me , you will succeed . And it might not happen as fast as you want it to happen , and it might not happen the way you want it to happen , but it'll happen .
And in the midst of it , a whole lot of times , you got to be asking God for this strength , what you think I mean . Am I wrong in saying that , honey ?
No , I mean because you think about it .
And one thing that corresponds with the Philippians 4.13 is a scripture that I like also in Philippians 4 , is a scripture that I like also in Philippians 4 , which I think is Philippians 4 and 8 , which says Finally brother , whatsoever things are pure , whatsoever things are just and this is paraphrasing whatsoever things are pure , whatsoever things are just , whatsoever
things are lovely , whatsoever things are of good report if they're being appraised , if they're being in virtue . Think on these things . He's letting us know look , our heart has to line up with the way he sees us and he sees us giving our very best .
Did you say the verse that you was referring to just now ?
Philippians 4 and 8 .
Yeah , that's the one . Philippians 4 and 8 . Yeah , that's the one , definitely . That scripture by itself just speaks a lot about our outlook . You know what I mean Our outlook on life and what is happening in our lives . Because the thing that you focus on the most is what becomes greater , bigger . You give it more power when you focus on it .
You know if you I mean it's anything . If you take a new look at something long enough , you can't see it from a distance , but if you squint your eyes a little bit , it'll become bigger to you , to where you can see it . And when I think about that particular verse , you're talking about honey . That's what I think God is saying to us .
You focus on what is right , focus on what is just , focus on what brings a good report , focus on , you know , the things that are pure . You know , and if there's any virtue or any truth to it , praise it . You know what I mean . Success is something that you have to put some confinement around .
You know what I mean Because if not , you'll begin to measure your success through the eyes of the world . So you got to make sure that your idea of success is rooted in the word of God .
And one more word that stood out to me in the definition of success that you read was and it lines up with that is aim . You have to be focused on that thing , Put that thing in your crosshairs and get a clear picture of it , Because if not , you go shooting all around it .
When you have a target , if you're not focused , if it's not directly in the center of your crosshair , the thing that you're going after , you wind up missing the mark .
Yeah , so you got to know that preparation is key yeah yeah for , and that's , that's a part of that the um aim for preparing for it . You know , like you said , you don't just just be shooting at everything that comes across your path . You gotta be specific . You , you got to have things . You got to have what you're shooting at in focus .
Focus , focus , focus . It's so important in success . I can't say it enough Do not allow yourself to define your success by what the world says , because if you allow the world to define it , you'll never succeed , because it's always . You think about a phone . Since cell phones , mobile phones , started . Every year is something a little bit better .
Every year is something a little bit better . Now , imagine if you tried to attempt to get a phone a year a little bit better . Now , imagine if you tried to attempt to get a phone a year and them phones , the nicer phones that you know where you get , all of this extra stuff you're going to spend at least $1,200 for you .
Imagine doing that every year on a cell phone . Mm-hmm , yeah , every phone , I mean every year . And then they call themselves giving you a free phone to entice you to come and get . But you don't really get that phone free because you got to pay for that phone over two years , yeah , and if you break the contract and you're in a contract , it's even worse .
But the world defines okay , you're successful if you're walking around with a $1,200 phone and meanwhile my credit is shot . I can't buy nothing with cash because everything is on credit . Come on somebody , you heard me . But you're successful if I got this 2024 Volvo XC90 . I got a 2024 . They look at the fact that I have a Volvo and I'm successful .
Come on , you don't know that . I got a $700 car payment that goes along with it . Come on somebody , you heard me . Amen , do not try to keep up with the Joneses .
It's almost like you know , leave you bankrupt . It's almost like you know the world has you set up for this made-up , fictional success that unless you have a Lamborghini in your driveway , that you're nothing . But you got to understand .
Okay , you might have the Lamborghini in the driveway and then you might look successful in the world's eyes , but how are you successful in your own heart ? Because you can have all the things in the world , but if you're not happy , it's almost like you don't have it .
Or it becomes a curse . Yeah , it can become a curse to you all of those things , you can become consumed by it . You have people that seems like , from the world view , they have everything , they have success or they have .
Let me change that , because the world defines success as if you're successful if you have a name for yourself Okay with God , that's success to have a good name . But if you got the most recent cell phone , you're successful . If you have , you know you're the CEO or whatever have you of your company or whatever , that's successful .
If you have the latest vehicle , that's success . If you have the latest , you know , the huge house with all the rooms and nobody but you in it , that's success . If you , you know you can make a call and get this done and get that done , you're successful . I mean you got all of these things that you do .
You physically are doing that the world says you're successful , but in your heart , as Michael said , you're bankrupt . You ain't got nobody there to share what you have with . You ain't got nobody there to love but yourself . If you love yourself , you got all of this money and no influence you got . You know you got all of this money and no influence you got .
You know you got all of these things and you're left broken . It can kill you , amen . Look at Whitney Houston how did she pass away ? Look at Robin Gibbons how did he pass away ? You so many people . You look at their life and you're like , oh man , they got it all . Michael Jackson you know they succumbed to drugs .
You know when they were found , when they had passed away , they found out that they had passed a drug overdose . But they got all the success . They got all you know . They got all the hype . They got all these things that got all you know . They got all the hype . They got all these things that people are chasing after .
Why , why did these people pass away from drug overdose ? Come on , you know , I mean , it really is something to think about . What are you serving ? Because the reality is what you serve will serve you .
Yeah , and if you serve things like alcohol and drugs and you know you allow those things to , and you know money and wealth and you allow this stuff to consume you , they become your god people , even they become your god . What happens when you get in trouble ? Can that god bring you out of it or will it bring you deeper into it . Come on somebody .
That's a word , ain't it ?
yeah , okay , we gotta think look , we can . We can have all this in life and look successful to people in people's eyes , but if you're suffering inside , who and I'll use this lightly who's going to save you ? Who's going to save you if you're using people or money or cars or houses as your God ?
How can God , god , save you if you're putting somebody else before him or something else before him .
I remember there was a story in the Bible the young man who had the storehouse . You remember that story . I don't know exactly where it's at , but he had the storehouse . You remember that story . I don't know exactly where it's at , but he had the storehouse full of goods . And he came to Jesus and asked him how can I make it into the kingdom ?
And Jesus responded give away everything that you have . And the Bible tells us that the young man was sorrowful because he didn't want to let go his stuff in order to follow god . And I believe that a lot of people will are walking away from walking away from jesus because they don't want to let go of their stuff , because the stuff says I'm successful .
Stuff says I'm somebody . The stuff says I can do this and I can do that . But what happens when the stuff is gone ? What are you going to do ? And at the end of the day , you know we defy failure . We can't stand to fail . We can't stand to not have . But I'm going to tell you what happens when you don't have . Stand to not have .
But I'm going to tell you what happens when you don't have , when you're trying to figure out how to make it from point A to point B . There's one that becomes our hope , there's one that gives us life , and that's Jesus . Amen . I'm going to tell you what . As a child of God , it ain't always easy and it makes you turn to him .
Ain't always easy and it makes you turn to him . Out away from him , it makes you turn to him .
You gotta look at you know , really real success and the type that is not surrounded by you comes from him you know , and you know that that relates to you know , and just with that scripture , you to you know , and just with that scripture you was mentioned about , and just put that in perspective , how can somebody be blessed with the more ?
If you have , let's say , for instance , a five hundred dollar check in one hand and a $1,000 check in the other hand , I can God bless you with a $10,000 check if you don't want to let one go .
I like the symbolism of that Amen , because you know somebody trying to be smart . They say , oh well , just put it in the other hand with the other one , you know . But I get where you're going , because the essence is is that letting go of one thing allows for the more you know , letting go of what you think , what I'm looking at right now .
I'm thinking this is all I got . You want me to let that go , this is all I got . But when you're trusting in God and he tells you to do that and you let it go , he gives you more . So I get it absolutely 100% .
¶ Success Through Faith and Impact
There's a scripture that says and this is the English Standard Version , just because I'm looking at it on the computer right now not the King James , but it says commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established . That's success .
When I look at that scripture , that's successful because you've put it in the one who is able to author and guide your steps to get done what you want done . Amen . Committing it unto God , amen . You got to commit it unto your , unto the one who's able to show you the way . The scripture says lead God in order .
He said I will lead God in order your steps by my word . I believe that's in . I think that's in Proverbs 37 somewhere .
I don't know exactly where but 37 .
And actually here's the one . In Psalms it says delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart . You know what I mean . So it all begins with him , amen . It begins with Jesus .
You know , and I also like that . That's because in James 4 and 10 it says humble yourself before the Lord and he will exalt you . That's letting you know that , look , you have to turn to God . Let God exalt you . Don't try to exalt yourself , Because when you try to exalt yourself , I'm try to exalt yourself .
I'm gonna tell you you're gonna wind up finding yourself by yourself by yourself , absolutely so .
Um , we are excited about what is coming . We are coming down to the last few minutes , uh , of the show . Um , we got three powerhouse men coming . Last time . We did three men , four men , right back back to back . People was very much encouraged by it .
So we're going to do it again and they're going to be talking about success and what God is doing through them . For the next three shows after this one and then following those three shows , we're going to be talking about spiritual warfare .
So we are impacting , we are being intentional about how we impact this world as men and women of God and , as I said , and we've been saying that we are just excited about how God is guiding this podcast . I can say I couldn't have imagined doing this ever , you know , but God has made this a part of who I am .
Amen , and you know we've been getting a lot of feedback in regards to how this show is impacting them and it's , you know , it's just like it humbles me , you know . Does it humble you , honey ?
It really does , and not only does it humble me , it gives me just another notch in my belt of the wisdom that God has put in us , because we got to understand . Look , if we keep quiet and keep it all to ourselves , how are we impacting somebody else ?
It's true . I mean , how are you ? You know , it's exciting to me because you know we don't have a large following . But the people who listen , they say they have been impacted by it and at the end of the day , that's what matters . It's not about numbers , it's not about having a lot , it's not about all of that . A whole lot of folk .
They make it about the numbers and they make it about the money . They make it about this , that and the other . Yeah , to have a huge following , that's great , but are they being impacted by it ? You know what I mean ? It's like having a megachurch . How many , out of that megachurch , you got ? 10,000 people in your congregation .
How many people are really being influenced and impacted by what is happening in the church ? I bet you it's a handful . You know what I mean . It's probably 10% of however many come . You know what I mean . You want to make a difference in somebody's life . You know , as a child of God , this is what matters and this , for me , this defines success To me .
I believe that this podcast is very , very successful . We don't have , um , a regular thousand people that listen a month . We don't . We don't . That's just being honest . But the ones who do listen and are continually listening , every single week .
They're being affected by it , and that is what matters most and something you just said , just briefly , something you said about the numbers that we don't have a lot of followers , but you got to understand that even Jesus himself left the 99 and went out to the one . So it's not about numbers .
And you know , just to piggyback off of that , he only had 12 that was with him , all of those people that were following after him trying to get a piece of him . He didn't have the 12 that he was really invested in in regard to doing what he was doing . Do you understand ?
And that's big , because you know everybody that's following behind you ain't necessarily for you , a whole lot of the folk that's following behind you , they're doing it because you have something they want , but they ain't willing to give themselves for you . While they want some of you , they ain't willing to give something to you . You know what I mean .
They want to receive it , but they ain't ready to give it . Do you know what I mean ? See , that's how a relationship works . Relationship is give and take . You give , they give back and forth , and you got people that just want to get something from you and then they don't want to give none of themselves . That's not a relationship .
Do you understand what I'm saying ? And the 12 , they gave and took Gave and took Gave and took Hallelujah . So that's it . I mean , look forward to the three men Paul Zolman , who was the second person , I know the last . The third one was Stephen Capps and he's looking . He's looking . Y'all , give me a minute .
He's going to tell you who the other person is . Yeah , Jason .
Paul Zolman , jason Perry and Stephen Capps . Yep , so those are the three . That's coming after this , one for the next , so we got four straight in a row , and then after that , we're going to be talking about spiritual warfare and the fact that it is real , so absolutely a real thing .
So , about the next two months , it's going to be on fire , on fire , as it always is , amen . So , honey , you have any final thoughts ?
Y'all come back and listen because it's going to be very powerful . I had a Michael moment for this . I had like a brain fart .
I can see . I've seen it too .
Yeah , I had a brain fart , but I encourage each and every one of y'all come back and listen because you know , like Catherine said , it is very .
Catherine .
Catherine .
Oh , okay , all right .
My honey .
Uh-huh .
It's a very powerful impact and you know , yeah , it changed my way of thinking when we was listening . Recording is you know , I just got to check it out .
All right y'all , so let's go ahead and pray . Father , we thank you so much for your grace and your mercy . Thank you , god , for allowing us this time and this opportunity to be able to commune with one another and commune with you . We pray for every diamond that is listening .
Bless them where they are , whomever they're praying for , whatever's going on in their life , you would just show up and show out God . We thank you so much and we bless your name . In Jesus Christ's name , we do pray , amen , amen .
Amen , I'm just sitting over here laughing y'all .
Why Y'all got to excuse me what you laughing at . Because I say , akron , he is so stupid y'all but I got to love him , amen y'all . But I gotta love them , amen y'all , gotta love us . It's all good , all right y'all .
So there it is , go on , get it , michael until next time , remember you are a diamond in the rough amen , we'll see y'all next week .