What's In Your Heart? Love the Lord-Part 2

WHAT’S IN YOUR HEART Part 2? Love the Lord

[00:00:00]

Rev. Michele Owes: Welcome. Welcome back to the Teachable Woman Podcast. We're so excited to have you with us today. Thank you for joining us. I am Reverend Michele Owes with Mrs. Dianna P. Cherry, who's also a reverend, and together we are Teachers of Good Things. Mrs. Cherry, please say hello to everyone.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Hello podcast family. You guys are very blessed that we work so hard to do this for you. We really do because we love you and we want you to be the best that you can be and to do the best that you can do. We love you very much, and I'm gonna say this, if you happen to hear a storm in the background, it's natural.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And I hear it. So if you hear it on the podcast, we know it's storming 'cause I'm living in it. We're so [00:01:00] excited to be with you once more and we pray that you'll be blessed by the podcast this evening.

Rev. Michele Owes: Amen. Now to be fair, full disclosure, I did ask Mrs. Cherry if she would like to do this later. I wasn't expecting her to operate in the midst of a storm. However, she chose to sacrifice and record and be with you tonight. That's a very interesting thought, Mrs. Cherry, because we have storms in life.

Rev. Michele Owes: You're having a natural storm right now. We face storms in life, and yet we must continue. Though we're in the midst of the storm, we don't get to quit and lie down and you know. Just focus on the storm, because if we focus solely on it, we're liable to miss what God is doing. And so thank you for using the, for allowing that to be a natural example for us tonight.

Rev. Michele Owes: We must continue to labor [00:02:00] and walk through a storm. There are plenty of things that come in life. Life is not just glee. It's not all joy. It's not all peachy keen. Every day, there are trials and tribulations. Some of the storms are not even in your city. It is somebody else's storm that is affecting you.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: It is so true.

Rev. Michele Owes: We still have to trust the Lord and walk through. In this podcast we have been talking to you about What's in Our Hearts. And we recognize that God truly wants to have a relationship with his creation. He spent great time forming us. He spent time making us who we are; creating our bodies to do the things that it does, so wonderfully well, and allowing us to care for this vessel that he's given us. What he wants from [00:03:00] us is not stuff and things. He wants our heart.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yes.

Rev. Michele Owes: He wants us to love him with all of our heart, with all of our mind, with all of our soul, and with all of our strength. Deuteronomy, the 11th chapter, verse number 13, tells us that in the Old Testament, and then we see it again in Matthew the 22nd chapter. Verse number 37, that's how God wants us to love him. It's literally with all that we are and all that we can amass of who we are in this natural realm. He wants us to love him that way. Mrs. Cherry, talk to us about what it means to love God with all your heart, your mind, your soul, your strength.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: You know, it means that God has got to be our number one priority. I mean, no hold Barr. Jesus died for us. And I, I know this is a common saying, but [00:04:00] the least we can do is to live for him. I know it's a popular saying, but it's so true. I mean, from the bottom of our hearts, where would we be without the Lord?

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: What would your life and my life be like without the Lord? And the least we can do is put aside foolishness and. Trying to identify with the world and be like the world and living a confused life. And I heard a radio station as I was going into the to my exercise class tonight. And they were saying on the radio, it's a shame how we have confused our children to let them think that they have choices that God's word does not allow them to have.

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And we have to be strong. You know, I know that this is 2025 and I know that things have changed and I know that we can't do what y'all used to do when you was old [00:05:00] back in the day, but. God has not changed. Word has not changed. I'm gonna tell you a funny story. Or just a little thing that happened.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Normally when I fill out an application and they ask my race, I put human. I. So the other day a lady called me and she said, oh, I hate to ask you these questions, but that's just what we have to do now. I said, I understand it's pro pronoun questions, right? She laughed. She said, I have to ask you, what is your heritage?

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: What is your genealogy? And I thought about it. I said, I can't say human race. And I told her, I'd usually say human. I told her my genealogy is. Adam and Eve, that lady laughs. So, but you know, what will that do in her heart? The fact that I was bold enough to go back to tie my life into the beginning of creation of [00:06:00] mankind, and we all come from Adam and Eve.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: God made one woman and one man. He did not make any mistakes in what he did for us. And when we love God, our love for God can supersede any lust. That we might have. That's contrary to the word of God. And I really believe that if we really love God and really commit and submit these urges, that I'm not denying that we don't have these urges.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: You know, let me make that clear. My husband always used to teach that when Adam and Eve send in the garden. Sin entered the earth and all kinds of perversions came out as a result of that. But God hasn't changed and God is so good to us and so kind to us and so faithful to us, and he gives us [00:07:00] grace to overcome seemingly impossible things.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: He gives us mercy until we can get together and make up our stubborn minds that we can submit whatever it is to him. He's so good to us. Can't we really love him first? He should be above our mates, our children, our situations, our circumstances. God is really a good God. That's not just something that we say, God is a good God.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: He cares for us. He provides for us, he promotes us, he makes us productive. He, and then he turns right around and gives us peace on top of all the other stuff that he gives us. You know, and so I really encourage you to. With all of your heart, put God first. Seek him first. When you wake up in the morning, seek him last when you're lying down at [00:08:00] night.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Seek him all during the day. You know, I, I thank God so much during the day. For instance, I was backing my car out of the garage tonight or when I went back to, to it after the exercise class and I said, Lord, thank you for giving me this car. And I laid my hands on it. I said, I thank you that this car will be kind to me and that it won't fail me because I'm, you know, when I'm out, I'm by myself.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I'm 80, almost 82 years old. And so I just took a minute and thank God for the car.

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Today I fuel for the car and I was looking at the receipt and I said, God, thank you that you have provided for me. And put almost $70 worth of fuel in a car.

Rev. Michele Owes: yes,

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: mean, that's a blessing. And so sometimes we wanna get so deep in God

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: and so deep in prayer, and sometimes we just forget [00:09:00] just to thank Him.

Rev. Michele Owes: The

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Just grateful. Grateful

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes,

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: for every breath you breathe, for everything you hear, for everything you see, for every word you speak. That's when you love him, when you, I mean, he is first in everything for me. He really isn't. I'm not perfect, trust me, but that's what, that's what loving God means to me. He is really my all and all.

Rev. Michele Owes: We are to enter into his gates with Thanksgiving into his courts with praise. And I think when we, I. Acknowledge the fact that whatever we have or are able to do, we didn't get there by ourselves. We weren't able to accomplish it by ourselves unless it was a bad decision. But if it has any eternal weight and value, it was. God who made these things possible for us,

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yeah.

Rev. Michele Owes: education, [00:10:00] our families, our experiences, and so sometimes going to the job and putting in your 40 or your 60 or your 80 whatever is we're required, and getting your paycheck can, can fool us into thinking we're doing this thing. And cause us to forget that he opened the door for us,

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yeah.

Rev. Michele Owes: education, for the opportunity, for all of these things. and we know when we are not loving him with all of our heart, our soul, and our mind, when we withhold from him things that we know belong to him,

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: our lives. We were created with a purpose and a plan. But when we believe that we can make the decisions for our lives and that our decisions are better than God's decisions, we're really not loving him with our whole heart or mind or soul or strength, we are second guessing. It's like, okay, I've got a few letters behind my name. I can, I can take it from here. I'll bring the [00:11:00] tithe into the storehouse, but I'll rule, I'll drive, sometimes we have situations that happen in our lives, Ms. Cherry, that can cause our hearts to be what the Bible refers to as hard

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: heartened of heart. You know, we've had some experiences that we were not able to or would not allow the word of God to ease for us. Allow us to overcome and to grow from those things. Even the worst experience. We can look for God in it. can find out what it is he wants to teach us, what he wants us to know, how he wants us to grow. and it's also to help position us where he desires for us to be. You know, some of the worst situations in my life ultimately positioned me where God needed me. And that to him was more important than the fact that my feelings might have been hurt for a few days, hours, yay, even [00:12:00] months, depending on what it was. But to position us to where he needs us to be because he created us with a purpose and a plan, and he needs us to do our part. I think about loving God with all my heart, my soul, my mind, and my strength. In the, in probably what would be considered somewhat of a carnal way, how much you wanted someone else to love you at some point in time in your life, the way you wanted them to consider you, the way you wanted them to be. The first thing you spoke to in the morning and the last thing at night, how you wanted them to check in midday, how you wanted to make sure that you were their priority. When I met my husband around the time that I decided that he was marriage material and, and I could grow up some and become marriage material, let's be honest. I, I wanted to be his [00:13:00] priority. I wanted to know that I was first. I, I didn't, I didn't wanna have any doubt about where I was. In position in his life. I didn't wanna be a second or a third or a side by side. I wanted to be the one. And I believe God wants to be that with us. The one. The only, the first one we speak to in the morning, the last one we speak to at night. Checking in with him midday or anytime you need to, to pray or speak with him. Commune with him. Lord, help God. What do you want me to say at this hour? I have some things I wanna say. know my thoughts are not your thoughts. So what do you want me to say? If he doesn't answer, don't say anything. 'cause you can't force what he's trying to get out. But I believe God wants that kind of consideration from us

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I think so.

Rev. Michele Owes: the more.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I [00:14:00] think so. That's why the scripture that you started with last week is so significant. It's a scripture that I would encourage all the listeners to put it on your refrigerator, put it on your mirror in your bathroom area when you're getting dressed, but trust in the Lord with all your heart

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: lean not unto your own understanding, but in all of your ways, everything.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: All your ways, acknowledge him and give him the opportunity to direct your path. That's Proverbs three, and that's one of the scriptures that the Lord gave my husband and me when we were called into the ministry primarily. That one was given directly to me one day. I was walking to work, but it was part of our calling into the ministry scriptures.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And when you shared it last week, it just, it always just. Blesses me. In fact, the book I just finished writing about my, my [00:15:00] autobiography is called A Woman Directed by God. Because of that scripture, and you know, since I finished writing the book every day, I said, God, please help me to make sure that I'm being directed by you.

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: any decisions. I don't wanna go anywhere. I don't wanna do anything. You know, I want you to be my number one priority because as you said, you were your husband's number one priority. He was your number one priority. Same with me, and now they're gone. So it's just you and me, Lord. You know, we, we gotta do this thing.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And so, and I know you can be touched with this. And those of you who are out there and you're married, please listen. When your husbands try to explain some of the mechanical things in your home, please listen when they share simple things with you about your automobile, because

Rev. Michele Owes: yes,

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I'm so sorry, I didn't listen [00:16:00] to so much that my husband was saying, and now Reverend O shared this with me.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I'm nobody's priority. And she was saying, saying that she's nobody's priority and it's okay because we are God's priority.

Rev. Michele Owes: I was gonna say I was wrong because we are God's priority.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Right,

Rev. Michele Owes: body's priority, but

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: right. And like I shared with you when you first shared that with me,

Rev. Michele Owes: yes.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Neither should we be, because if we're become anybody's priority, they gonna, they gonna be some expectations that. I am not gonna want to meet. And then I'm sure there are gonna be some expectations,

Rev. Michele Owes: Yeah.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: know, from somebody for you and you're not gonna wanna meet themself.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I'm fine being nobody's priority but God. So

Rev. Michele Owes: God, that sounds good.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I look to heaven and say, God, it's just you and me, babe.

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes. You know, and I will be. From my [00:17:00] perspective, I have never known a greater love than the kind of love that God has given me. It has exceeded the love of my husband, and that was the love of my life. I thought that was the best, and I believe it was the best earthly love for me, but I am saying that God's heavenly love for me. Is greater than anything that my husband ever attempted to do. And, and that is because God knows all about me. He created me and he knows what's best for me. He knows when I'm wrong and when I'm right. And he knows how to get me where he needs me to be and, when. I just don't. When I don't feel like I have the answers, or I know I can just fall in

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yeah.

Rev. Michele Owes: and just fall into his arms and it is God, just you and me, lead me and direct me.

Rev. Michele Owes: And, I would say that even in marriage, [00:18:00] I felt that I had to demonstrate a certain level of strength. There. I don't, I don't, I didn't have many days of just falling in and falling on my husband in tears or whatever, you know? There were some times that we wept over things, but I, I didn't, I didn't have many days like that, but I can. I can fall in with the Lord and he can meet me where my mind is and where my heart is. And through his word, he can draw me to where he needs me to be.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yeah.

Rev. Michele Owes: there are some things that I probably would've never said to my husband. I. God can know that they're in my heart or in my mind and he can minister to me based on what he knows I'm thinking or how he knows I'm feeling. And sometimes we can't even articulate what we're feeling. It's just in there and, and you know, the scriptures tell us sometimes we don't even know what to say, so we say it through gro [00:19:00] groans and uttering, which is, you know, speaking in our

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Spirit. Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: speaking in tongues. sometimes you can't articulate you are,

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: God can meet you

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Oh, yes.

Rev. Michele Owes: and, and love that he demonstrated to us through his son Jesus Christ even, and a continuation of that love by filling us with his Holy Spirit so that we might keep his commandments because he knows that what he's planned is best for us. That kind of love, the, the, the love that can forgive me when I'm wrong and yet encourage me to get up daughter and keep, keep running the love that can see me going the wrong way and say, no, daughter, not that way. We, we, we making a right, right here or no. It's time to be quiet. Don't, don't say another word. Just that kind of, know, my husband had a way of, if I was saying something [00:20:00] particularly to the children and he, and he thought it was enough, he would just look at me and blink, hold it, hold his eyes closed for a minute and just do like a half, half of a shaking of the head. It wasn't a whole thing, it was just a blink and a turn the head to the side, and I knew that he was saying That's enough. I'd stop. That was all he had to do. he would, you know, because as he knew that sometimes young men, there's a certain way that you should talk to them and a certain way that you have to manage a situation with a young man because he's gonna grow into who he is. And sometimes we have expectations of a teenager that we, you know, that. We have 40, 50-year-old knowledge and we expect the teenager to make the same kind of decision. So, okay, I'm guilty my husband knew how to just tell me enough without yelling enough. Just a blink and a [00:21:00] half a nod. and I would know and.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: It.

Rev. Michele Owes: I want to e even have less than that from the Lord. I wanna be able to, when he tells me something, that the moment I feel the dis easement of not being in his will to correct myself,

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: love him back like that get into position with him according to his will.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I mean, sometimes I say just dumb things to the Lord. I mean personal dumb things. Just, Lord, would you believe that I did this? Would you believe that or, or would you believe I did not do this? It could be. Very personal and he is just there. He understands and I laugh with God, you know, I joke with him. I think, God, can you believe I'm such a, I'm such a dud.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I just, you know, I just have fun with God. I really do. And [00:22:00] you know, I'll say oh, let's just make up some, God, do you realize I need to change the sheets on this bed? I've been kind lazy here and I need to get it together. Or, God, look at my kitchen. It's a mess. I need to get this baby together.

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes, yes.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: You.

Rev. Michele Owes: I was on my way to the county appraiser's office on Tuesday, and it was way too far to even say it was still in my county. I was sure it wasn't, but apparently the county is a whole lot bigger than I know, I was protesting the level of taxes because. In most states you are by law allowed to protest appeal their assessment of, you know, your property and whatnot and whatnot.

Rev. Michele Owes: And so, you know, as I was working through the paperwork, I said, you know, Lord, reveal to me what I need to know. do I need to say? What is it that I'm not understanding? And [00:23:00] so, He reminded me of a conversation that I had with some of my neighbors when I went to a, a breakfast with them and they were saying that my home was built and five of them on the side of this side of the street, but nothing was built because this was the first five homes and then there was the housing bubble. And then after the housing bubble, there was some you know realtor correction kind of things taking place, but. Long story short, the house across the street from me was, was built seven years after mine, and so that was it. The Lord reminded me of that conversation that the comparables that they are using are seven years younger. Than my house. And so I have been assessed, you know, for all of these years at the wrong rate because those houses are seven years

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Right,

Rev. Michele Owes: than mine.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: right.

Rev. Michele Owes: are newer, so you know, [00:24:00] it just once. He reminded me of that conversation and we were just having a basic conversation. I would've never thought that that was something needful for the day. you know, I'm, I'm gathering my comps and, you know, comparables and, and that's like, and I stopped and I was like, God, what do I need to know? And that's what I needed to know. He reminded me of just a common conversation and that. It allowed them to take $80,000 off of the valuation, and I was like, God, you are so good. Because all the comps that I had gathered out of my knowledge, they wouldn't use them. They said they only go 18 months back. But no, I wanna prove to you that for the last five years you've been taxing me wrong. I only go 18 months back, so everything that I had gathered up until the moment I said, God, what do I need to know [00:25:00] was no good. It was what he reminded me of. the kind of father that we have that if we will yield, just yield and ask. And I mean, anything he said, cast all of your cares

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: for you. And I think in our last podcast I said that our casting. Arm is not strong enough

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yeah.

Rev. Michele Owes: we're holding onto too much and we're not casting enough.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: right.

Rev. Michele Owes: have the strength of a pitcher's arm

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yes.

Rev. Michele Owes: based on how God wants us to cast things up on him. But instead, you know, our arms are under exercise 'cause we're holding on

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yeah.

Rev. Michele Owes: much.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: That.

Rev. Michele Owes: so just no matter what it is, the, the, the, the little, the great of it, the whatever the situation.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: knows and

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yes.

Rev. Michele Owes: the answer and he will give it to you if you inquire of him.

Rev. Michele Owes: And with the right purpose of heart, I wasn't going in there [00:26:00] trying to treat, cheat the appraiser's office. I wasn't accusing them of mis appraising me. Just saying, I have some more information that you might want to consider in the process of your appraising.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm. It's amazing.

Rev. Michele Owes: then I'm, she looked at me really strange like, wow. She might have something here. And then she started pulling up some other kinds of, you know, they had a number that they were set to offer me with when I came in. And I, I, I wasn't happy with that number, so we had to work a while. So when I, when I was at peace with the number that we got to. It was like my husband winking at me or closing his eyes and turning his head to the side saying, that's enough. It was like the Lord said that's enough. And I was like, okay, well that's enough. I said, we did good work here today. I will accept that offer, but you get to appeal every year. So you know, I'll go back next year with a whole bunch of other stuff I'm thinking about that I ask of the Lord. [00:27:00] everything, everything.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: That's, that's that,

Rev. Michele Owes: in everything,

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: That's that scripture. Again, in all thy ways, acknowledge him and he will direct your path. That's the power of that scripture. And we just, we, our part is to recognize him and his part is to, to do his will, you know, concerning it. And that's just another perfect example of the importance of acknowledging him in all our ways.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: You know, if you're having a situation. You are in a situation where you don't know what to do, acknowledge him. He's waiting right there to hear from you son, and you daughter. Seek him. Seek him. Seek him. Put him first in your life. And I know that your life will a different [00:28:00] life and you'll have a different course.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: So don't be afraid to acknowledge him.

Rev. Michele Owes: Amen. Even if you think your course is good, even if you think your life is successful in terms of earthly measures, he still be the one directing your path.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: We still should acknowledge him in all of our ways and, and I will just be transparent when I don't acknowledge him. He, I, it is clear he's not directing my path.

Rev. Michele Owes: 'cause you know, the trouble you end up with, you know, just more, I, I was shredding some papers at work the other day and I knew I put in more papers than I should have. And that shredder got so jammed that. I asked a young man to help me get the paper out. He couldn't get the paper out. We had to unplug it and empty out the trash thing.

Rev. Michele Owes: Nobody could get the paper out. We were cutting it down. We were cutting it down. We [00:29:00] turned it on, turned it, and in total it probably took three hours. To get the jam out, and God was just ministering to my heart. When you don't do what you know you're supposed to do, there's time, there's energy, then you got other people involved in your mess.

Rev. Michele Owes: You're calling other people to see if this strong, young man can pull it out, and somebody else can help you cut it down and you know, it's just time, energy, a waste. When we don't obey.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Amen.

Rev. Michele Owes: When we don't obey, so what we want to be, what we want in our hearts is to love God with all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our mind, with all of our strength,

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: and let God demonstrate to us who he is.

Rev. Michele Owes: What we don't wanna have is a bitter heart. What we don't wanna have is a treacherous heart, and we don't want treasures to be in [00:30:00] our heart. We want God and his son Jesus Christ to be the greatest treasure that we have,

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Amen.

Rev. Michele Owes: how we love God with our whole

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Amen. Amen. That's right. Amen.

Rev. Michele Owes: Well, that brings us to the end of this podcast. Before we go, we want to thank all of you who have registered for the 2025 Teachable Woman Retreat. We are so excited about the fact that you are coming. We have so much planned for you. It is going to be a tremendous time in the Lord. I am calling it due from Heaven already. Because it's going to be beautiful.

Rev. Michele Owes: So set your expectations, share with your friends. There's still some time to register. The hotel has extended our registration deadline to July 11th. If you haven't made your hotel reservation, you don't have to book a different hotel; you can still register at the Weston Post Oak. Just go to our website, [00:31:00] teachablewoman.com. Everything you need to know is there. We love you. We'll see you on our next broadcast.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: We love you. God bless you. Don't forget to acknowledge him in all your ways, and he will direct your path.

Rev. Michele Owes: Amen.