Teachable Woman Podcast

The Beginning of Your Confidence -Pt 1

Reverends Michele Owes and Diana P. Cherry

Rev. Michele Owes: [00:00:00] Welcome. Welcome back to the Teachable Woman podcast. I'm so excited to be back with you. I am Reverend Michelle Oates. I am with the one and only Mrs. Deanna P. Cherry, and together we are teachers of good things. Mrs. Cherry, please say hello to our podcast family.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Hello, podcast family. We pray that you're doing well in the Lord, that you've had a wonderful resurrection season, and that all of your prayers are being answered according to His plan and His will for your lives. We love you so much

Rev. Michele Owes: Amen. we're excited to be back with you. We have been talking with you on a number of subjects recently, and this time on today we want to talk about confidence. We want to talk about the fact that Hebrews 3 and 14 says, "For we are made partakers with Christ [00:01:00] if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end."

And I am sharing this scripture with you specifically today out of Hebrews 3 and 14 because I learned via a challenge just a couple of weeks ago that I had not held fast to my beginning confidence to the end. And I want to share this with you. Mrs. Cherry and I are going to walk you through this, and you'll have an opportunity to examine your own life, just to see where you are with the beginning of your confidence and if it is being held steadfast unto the end.

So the scripture said that we're made partakers with Christ, meaning that we are the joint heirs with Christ Jesus, that those things that God has so designed for us that we get to receive. We are partakers with Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end. I don't know about you, but when I first got [00:02:00] saved, I thought God could and would do anything.

I told Him everything. I didn't mind asking Him to do anything for me, and I just believed that He would. And I don't care how difficult the situation was, I trusted that God could and would fix it. I knew Him to be the God who was able And then a situation came before me a couple of weeks ago and I realized that the beginning of my confidence was not held steadfast to the end.

I had become not the person who used to believe that God could and would do ever- anything, but I had become the person who needed to see everything before I would do anything. And I was not happy with what I found. I was not at all at peace about my new discovery. I wanted to, go somewhere and, I believed that it was the unction of the Lord [00:03:00] sending me to that location.

But then I went to check to see how I was possibly going to get it done, and I could not in the natural see how it was going to get done. And God challenged me. "So why do you have to work everything out? Who am I as God who makes a way out of no way if you have to make your own way all the time?

So what do I need the Holy Spirit for? If I'm the way maker, what do I need Him for?" And so I was challenged and I remembered the beginning of my confidence and I realized that I was not that person today, and that really hurt my feelings. it, it caused me to grieve. And so I repented and I prayed, and I told God that if it was His will that I make this trip to do the thing that I believed He was assigning me to do, that I trusted Him to work it out.

And it was amazing, Mrs. Cherry, how He just began to order things and to order my [00:04:00] steps and I realized how much time and frustration I have been wasting in life trying to work out everything myself. Help me out here, Miss Cherry

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I think, I find myself in the same situation sometimes, and I think it has to... I, it doesn't go on a long time for me though. but I might have made a decision, nothing major, nothing earth-shattering, and, for me right now, it might have something to do with school 'cause that's what I'm struggling with right now or enjoying right now. I will maybe do something little and then I'll say, "No, wait a minute. did I pray? Did I ask Him to help me in this situation?" But I think that both of us should take, a little comfort in the fact we find us- ourselves, even though it's been a few years for both of us now, but we find ourselves in this situation we used to run everything by those husbands

Rev. Michele Owes: and they would, they would take it to the Lord [00:05:00] for us sometimes, or we would talk it out together and together we would, get the Lord in the mix of whatever it was.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: So I think that God is really patient with us, particularly because as widow women, He knows exactly what we're going through. And I know that there are some times that, I'm a little bit slow acknowledging Him even though I'm wearing a T-shirt that says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In all of your ways, acknowledge Him and He shall direct your path." And even though I wrote a book called A Woman Directed By God and all these wonderful things, it just happens.

Rev. Michele Owes: Yeah

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Life, catches us sometimes and we're not as in tu- as in tune to making sure we check with Him first.

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Because, you made a statement once that- As a widow woman, you, the Lord spoke to your heart, you're nobody's [00:06:00] priority. and that blesses me almost every day of my life. And I think because I realize that I'm not anybody's priority, and we know that we're God's priority.

Rev. Michele Owes: Amen

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: That's a given. But I think that sometimes because we realize we're, don't have anybody in the earth realm who has us as their per- priority, I think that kind of, causes us sometimes to go ahead and just act, because we are women and we are life-givers, and if we have an idea and we think we know the answer, we will act on it.

Rev. Michele Owes: We will act

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: So I don't think God wants us to be harsh on ourselves, but I do want to, encourage all of us to trust in the fact that when we got saved,

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: beginning confidence was our salvation.

Rev. Michele Owes: And even though we might sometimes step out of line a little bit and [00:07:00] some little decisions without, without first acknowledging Him, God understands. knows us. He knows that our hearts really are pure towards Him, and He'll just sit back and laugh at us sometimes and, say, "You realize I'm God,

What?

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I'm God all by myself, right?" And, that's probably what you felt because like this morning, I was laughing. It was either this morning or last night, I was like, "God, you really want me to do this thing", and I- I'll share it with you after we get off of the, podcast. I'm like, "Are you sure? I don't want to do this. Are you sure this is what you want me to do?" And I'm just laughing back and forth with God because I talk to Him just like He's my husband here with me. And I said to Him, I said, I'm not going to do it right away, God." said

Rev. Michele Owes: Slow to obey

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I said, "I really believe that you're telling me to do this, but I'm going to wait a couple of days because I just want to [00:08:00] make sure it's you, 'cause I don't want to do it."

Rev. Michele Owes: and then I said to God, "I know it's you, because when I, when I want to do something, it's my flesh, and I don't want to do this, so I know it's you." But, I have fun with the Lord like that, and I know that I'm going to have to do this thing that He's spoken soundly to my heart to do, right soundly. And, it is easy... It's easy to miss God. It's easy to get off course. But you and I, we know better, and so thank God we're able to get back right in line with

Yes. Yes

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I want to encourage those who might not have that kind of a joking, friendly relationship with God that, God is worthy of our trust.

He

Yes. He really will never leave us nor forsake us. And we don't have to struggle to try to build up great faith or faith or... just wants us to go back to that [00:09:00] simple time that we gave our lives to Him

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: realize that He's still in control. He still wants us to acknowledge Him in all of our ways. He still wants us to know that He's with us. so we... you've come to realize what you should have done, and I've come to realize

Rev. Michele Owes: Yeah.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: have done. And now God is just going to walk us as He walked you through that situation. He's going to walk all of us through whatever it is if we just don't give up on God and keep our faith in Him and keep ourselves focused and tuned to Him. God's with us, and He's never going to leave us, and we just really have to walk in that. But, I agree with you. It is easy sometimes. we think we have pretty good ideas sometimes.

Rev. Michele Owes: Mrs. Cherry is winking at me, you guys. You can't see that, but she is winking

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: 'cause we [00:10:00] do feel like we have great ideas. But I just remembered, Miss Cherry, how many wonderful miracles the Lord just brought forth on my behalf, on, on behalf of my family.

Yes

Rev. Michele Owes: I remember how I never doubted that He could or would do a thing.

my faith was never shaken a- about what I could see. Matter of fact, when I couldn't see something, I was more convinced that He was going to do something. and, and I, I was troubled as to how I morphed into this person that looked first to see what she could see before I decided whether I could obey God.

Now, this was not a pleasure trip that I was taking. This was, I, this, I'm not talking about, going to Bali or something to hang out with the girls. This is not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about doing something that I knew was the will of God for my life. And, just trusting how He was going to work it out [00:11:00] and having to pull myself back and say, "What God wants, He funds, and if this is His will, He'll make sure that it's done.

He'll make all of the ways," 'cause it, funds were not the only detail. There was a whole bunch of details that were involved and He made every way. Once I just agreed, once I submitted, "Yes, Lord, I will go, but here's the caveat. If it's Your will, I trust that You will work out the details." And He did.

He worked every detail out, and I was not-- I am not going to pretend that the enemy was not in there trying to throw his punches in the mix so that I might miss what God was doing, because where there is purpose, there's always opposition. And so the opposition arose, but God had everything settled every time, all the time, and I just had to be patient.

when- whenever I found out whatever the enemy was up to, I could see where God was working. And if I just [00:12:00] kept my heart at peace, and I focused on Him, my mind stayed on Him and what He was doing and just assuring, "God, I know You made this possible, and I know You're going to see it through. I know You made this possible, and I know You're going to see it through."

And He saw it through. and it was a wonderful, purposeful trip. And why God sent me was not the reason that I thought. I happened to just be sitting in on a class, it was a Christian class, where God allowed me to set some things straight that were incorrect. It was a little bit of a crooked understanding of His Word, and He allowed me, by invitation, I didn't just stand up and start speaking, but by invitation to She said some things right in the hearts and the minds of some people that were in the class.

And so that was a blessing because when I was sitting there debating with myself as to whether or not I should say anything, it was like, "Oh, you think you came [00:13:00] for ABC? Oh, no. No, I sent you here for this.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Wow. Wow.

Rev. Michele Owes: this is my will right here. you got to do what you needed to do or wanted to do, but this is my will right here."

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And we never know what God, has planned for us. But, as I live my life, I find almost daily God gives us opportunities to, share His will, share His word, to stead- to stand steadfastly on what we believe and how we believe and what we've been taught, to really trust in Him in everything that we do and say. we might sidestep once in a while, but God knows our hearts, like I said earlier. And God knows that sometimes it might take Him a minute to get our attention, 'cause we are women,

and sometimes He has to put up a fence to just stop us and like just stop us in our tracks so that we will [00:14:00] turn from where we're going and acknowledge Him.

So sometimes He will do things like that, and you just know it's the hand of God stopping you. Sometimes you can almost feel like a has grabbed you in the back of your shirt or your coat and say, "Hold on, mama.

Rev. Michele Owes: Joking you up. Oh

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: had a plan, but that's not my plan." And I think the thing is we have to know that God, as I said earlier, God never leaves us. He never forsakes us. He is faithful. He

Rev. Michele Owes: I see it

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: God yesterday, today, and forevermore. Hebrews tells us that. And if you find that you might have veered off course a little bit and start trusting your own ideas and your own magnificence, just take a seat back He knock you down. Just sit back down. Just take a step back and just say, "God, I'm sorry. I'm [00:15:00] so wrong,"

Rev. Michele Owes: "and you know what's best for me, and I do trust you." And that's what God wants from us. He wants us to be like little children. Little children so repentant when they've made mommy or daddy unhappy, and they'll come with the tears and, and say, "Oh, I'm sorry, Mommy." That's the way it is with God. God wants us just to acknowledge

Yes. Yes

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: everything that we do and admit that we've missed Him, admit that we've blown it a little bit. and He's so faithful, and He's so just,

Rev. Michele Owes: ये।

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: just sitting there waiting for us to, come to our senses.

Rev. Michele Owes: 'Cause that's really what it is. I, when I really came to the realization that I was so far removed in my mind from the person at the very beginning of my confidence who just believed Him for everything and trusted Him for everything, [00:16:00] and now I've morphed into someone who has to see things work out, and that was painful.

And I'm going to church every Sunday and in Bible study as often as I can be there on Wednesday nights, most Wednesday nights, and I am, I'm in the activity part, but God wants to know where my heart is. Where is your heart toward me in our relationship, in what I can, and how much are you willing to trust me like you did at the very beginning?

When, the definition of confidence, the original definition out of Hebrews 3:14 is to set under its assurance and substance. And so we're talking about confidence, and it really, it takes me back to one of our definitions of hope, which my

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Hope.

Rev. Michele Owes: one, I know we have three, but my favorite one is [00:17:00] confidence in the outcome.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And the outcome.

Rev. Michele Owes: And so the beginning of my faith was confidence in every outcome. In whatever was going on, I trusted God to do right for me according to His will in every situation.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And now I'm trying to work things out right in every situation. But that's my confidence in what I can do. That's not His. And that was the awakening a week or so ago that I had with the Lord.

Rev. Michele Owes: It's you've shifted. now you're working on what you can do to work a thing out instead of what God will do to work a thing out. And so I love the fact, I was so happy to cast the whole care on the Lord, understanding that He cared for me. I was so happy to let Him open the doors and not feel like I [00:18:00] had to try to open any or bust through any doors myself.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: was so elated, first of all, to find the problem and to get the answer and to be able to go back and just say, "Ah, I see where I missed it." I'm excited to get back to where it was. That was the better relationship, and that's what God wants from me.

and it can be so subtle.

Rev. Michele Owes: Yeah

didn't even realize that it happened. It-- you thought everything-- You thought you were clicking on all cylinders, you didn't realize that the engine was misfiring, I was trying to fire the engine myself, and I'm not in charge of anything. I am a child of the Most High God. I'm a joint heir with Christ Jesus, but I'm not in charge of anything. My life belongs to the Lord. And I-- returning to the beginning of my confidence, another wonderful thing that it did, the whole thought of returning to the beginning [00:19:00] of my confidence, is to remember all the beautiful things that God did in the beginning.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: of the things that I-- just so many wonderful, miraculous things throughout the course of my Christian life.

Yes

Rev. Michele Owes: and sometimes when I tell people some of the things that God does, "You gotta write a book. You have got to put that down. Nobody would believe it." God did some miraculous things. And that beginning level confidence, when I think about it, it makes me, it gives me joy.

It makes me happy. And I know that's where God wants me to return, because that's when I'm a partaker with Christ Jesus. I've been partaking of my own decisions. Eh. No fun at all. I'm going back to being a partake- going back to being a

partaker with Christ Jesus, and returning to that beginning confidence. And I want to hold that steadfast until the end. Until I take my very last breath on the earth, I want that confidence to walk with me until the end

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: and when that happens, you have such peace. that, that statement, [00:20:00] peace that passes all understanding. When you're in that place with God, you just have... you just know, as my husband used to say, you know

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: knows." And it's a place where you can just relax. and that's a- another,

in John chap- in John 14:1 it says, "Let not your heart be trouble."

Rev. Michele Owes: My husband wrote in his Bible, "Relax." and that's what God wants us to do,

Yeah

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Him, to relax, to know that He's got it and we don't have to take it. But once again, you and I, and widow women, we have to realize that we've been put in a position where all of a sudden we've had to do things, say things, plan for things, try to meet responsibilities that we've never had to deal, never before had to deal with. And we're human. And so I don't think that God is angry with us when we do, put Him on the back burner for a minute until we come to our [00:21:00] senses. Like I was last night saying, "God, let me be honest with you. I don't want to do this. I don't like the idea that you gave me." I just said...

This is last night, I just said to God, "I don't like this. I don't l- want to do it. think it's fair that I should do it." I just, I'm serious. I just talked to God flat out that I was not pleased at all. But the bottom line is I chuckled, looked up at Him, I looked up towards heaven and, the sky, the roof, and said, "You know I'm going to do it,

Right?

But I just don't want to do it."

Rev. Michele Owes: I just want you to know how I feel about it. I'm going to do it, but I want you to know how I feel

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Right. I am not a happy trooper that you asked me to do this. I don't agree with it at all, but going to do it because I don't ever want, I don't ever want to, I don't ever want to put God on a back burner,

and I don't want to, for God to [00:22:00] ever... was going to say feel like God knows everything.

Rev. Michele Owes: Yeah

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I don't ever want to be in a position where I feel like I've betrayed God's trust

or I have, overstepped what I know He wants me to do. And so I really try hard to live my life with that beginning confidence. But you do lose some of the zeal, some of the zest, and you do have to step back and fine-tune things and get yourself back in

Rev. Michele Owes: Yeah

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: narrow place with God. But, for our listeners, have some fun with God. Tell Him you don't want to do it.

Tell Him you don't like it. He's a big God. He's a, He's going to change. He's just going to be right in that same position, and when you come back down to that position, He's going to say, "You're still going to do this." "I'm not changing." And when we obey Him, that's a demonstration of our trust in Him. So I'm going to do this, but I don't want to. I really

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: to. [00:23:00] It's a difficult thing that I have to do, but I know better than not to do it. there's a clip that I have of my husband. He says, "Y'all say you want to have great faith like Pastor Terrel. I ain't got no great faith. I just do what God tell me to do, whether I want to do it or not, because I know I'd rather do what He tell me to do than not do what He tell me to do it, because the consequence of not doing what He tell me to do is much worse than if I do it." He... It is such a interesting little clip that I have of him, and sometimes I play that, and that's where I am now, and that's where, We can get to that point, but we just have to stop and realize that God is God. He's always going to be God, and He is the same today, yesterday, and forever, and we have to put our trust in Him because there is nobody like God, and there's no place like being in His will, no peace like the peace that He gives us that passes all understanding.

So [00:24:00] if you stepped outside and gotten into yourself a little bit, just stop, get back in position, and then let's keep on moving.

Now I'm going to end with this. Hebrews 10:35 says, "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, you might receive the promise." Yes.

Rev. Michele Owes: having to wait on the Lord and to hold that confidence because you're not seeing what you want to see at the very beginning, which is

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yes

Rev. Michele Owes: oftentimes what causes us to feel like we need to go work a thing out 'cause we don't see how God has worked it out, so we're going to try to work it out ourselves.

But we have need of patience that after we've done the will of God, we've o- we've obeyed, we're going to do what God has asked us to do, we receive the promise. So we [00:25:00] don't want to cast away the confidence. we're going to talk more about our confidence in the Lord. Oftentimes we have developed some self-confidence.

We have confident in, confidence in our abilities, confidence in our thoughts, confidence in what we're able to do. But we want to have confidence in the Lord. We want to have confidence in what He's able to do and confidence in His will. And so we're going to talk about the difference in those things in our next podcast.

So you stay tuned with us. And Mrs. Terry, I believe that this is our time.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: All right. God bless you. We love you. Continue to pray for us as we're moving through life with these decisions that we're making, and we'll continue to pray for you. And like I said before, if you don't hear from us, it's not that we're not trying, we're just busy. God bless you. I love you. We'll talk next time

Rev. Michele Owes: All right. Amen. See you on our next [00:26:00] podcast