What's In Your Heart? Part 4-Is this Pleasing to God?

What’s In Your Heart – Part 3- Is This Pleasing to God?

Teachable Woman Podcast

Reverends Michele Owes and Diana P. Podcast

[00:00:00]

Rev. Michele Owes: Welcome, welcome, welcome back to the Teachable Woman Podcast. We are so excited to be with you again today. It is our honor to share with you. I am Reverend Michele Owes. I am with Mrs. Reverend Dianna P. Cherry, and together we are Teachers of Good Things. Mrs. Cherry, please say hello.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Hello, Podcast Family. We are teachers of good things. You are hearers of good things, and guess what? You are doers of good things. That's our prayer.

Rev. Michele Owes: Amen. Amen. So, faith without works is dead is what Mrs. Cherry is sharing, early in the podcast. Go out and do something, woman or man.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yeah.

Rev. Michele Owes: Right. I used to tell my husband, or I would share with him that my job was [00:01:00] to keep my palm in his back, which was to gently keep moving him forward. You know, it was also my job to make sure I never pushed him over.

Rev. Michele Owes: But, so to hear you say that we are doers of the word that reminded me, that is about a palm in the back, right in the middle of the back, pushing us forward. And we thank you for it. We have been sharing from a series titled What's In Your Heart, just helping us to know that God is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: What we think about is in our hearts. Our hearts could be full of love. Our hearts could be bitter. Our hearts can be confused just based on all that we've allowed to enter in. It can be without us knowing it, our hearts could be as though we're gathering [00:02:00] so many different things and. Without knowing it, we can't find our way around the things that we've gathered in the world.

Rev. Michele Owes: We refer to that as hoarding, that we gathered so many things that we can barely get out or move around the house, or we can't invite others in because there are so many things in there. Without knowing it, we can be the same in the condition of our hearts. Maybe things that happen to us in our childhood, things that happen to us as young, young adults. Maybe some disappointing relationships, marriages ending, people going home to be with the Lord. Everything, rather than casting the cares upon the Lord. We can carry it [00:03:00] ourselves, and it can weigh us down, and so our hearts can be crowded. It's difficult for God to reach us when there's so much that He doesn't mind getting through to us, but we can't get through to Him.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: And so that's why we're talking about this series. What's In Your Heart? We know that he is a discerner of the thoughts and the intents of the heart. Know that God wants us to give him our hearts, and that's what we covered in the very first session. Ms. Cherry talk with us about what happens when our heart is that crowded, when there are so many things in there that it's hard for God to get to us.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Well, it means that we're, we've stuffed in too much stuff. And we have so much stuff. It's out of the stuff that we've been exposed to as my son often teach, is, and I often say it's out of the stuff that we've been exposed to, that we make choices, we [00:04:00] make decisions. And so if our heart is cluttered and crowded with other things other than the word of God and and God and his plan and purpose for our lives, what are we doing?

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: With that kind of congestion, there's a congestive heart failure, and I think congestive heart failure comes from having too much stuff in the natural, in the heart, too much phlegm and too much irritations and things like that. So really we could suffer a spiritual heart. Condition because we've allowed so much in the heart that we don't have clear paths to God.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And I think one of the things that we have to do is clean up our hearts and make sure that our, because remember we said the heart is the seat of reasoning.

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: is where the will intellect and the emotions are. So just think that's enough in your [00:05:00] heart. Your will.

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: doozy. The intellect. The intellect is everything that we read, we see, we do, we hear, and the emotions.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And for many of us, they're all across the board. So we have to really guard when we've shared this before, guard our hearts with all diligence. The word of God teaches us because. Out of the heart flow, all of the issues of life. So if we're having problems with issues, maybe we have just an overcrowded heart and maybe instead of our heart being solely, purely directioned and focused on God, maybe we have too much, you know, too much jammed up in the heart and we're we could really suffer a spiritual heart attack and we don't wanna do that.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: So.

Rev. Michele Owes: So what would, what do you say to a person who believes [00:06:00] that hearing the word of God or having an answer to every issue in life from the word of God? And they think that there's no natural answers. We have no natural solutions to their issues. All we talk about is the word of God and lead people back to the word of God.

Rev. Michele Owes: What would you say to that Mrs. Tier?

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Huh, well, since I'm just finishing writing my autobiography, and it's entitled A Woman Directed by God, I think that we should, in all of our ways, natural ways, spiritual ways, acknowledge him and give him the opportunity to direct our path. And I think that people who say that they don't want to hear what, what we're saying because they don't want to change their lives and they can know that what we're saying is best for them and they can know that what we're saying is [00:07:00] from God and they can know that we are.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: That everything we do and say it's not. It's not the Bible, you know? They can know that. But then I just feel that a lot of people who respond to us like that, they're trying to put a heavy on us. They're trying to make us feel guilty because we do indeed trust in the Lord with all of our hearts. And we do indeed lean out to our own understanding, and we do indeed, in all of our ways, acknowledge him and we do indeed allow him to direct our path.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: I have somebody really close to me and I'm praying for him. Been praying for him for a long time and he likes to tell me, well, I won't say what he calls me. 'cause then you'll know who it's, I know the Lord. I went to the Christian school. I accepted Jesus in my heart. But he just, he just would just tell me.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: He said, [00:08:00] you went cross country with this guy. Did you preach to him all the way across? Talking about my driver. I said, no, we talk about a lot of things. He just can't imagine me.

Rev. Michele Owes: Talking about anything,

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: right, right. So I, I think that more than them trying to lay a guilt trip on us and us receiving it, I think that it's just a cop out for them because we know who we are.

Rev. Michele Owes: You know, it is so good to know who you are and to be at peace with who you are in Christ Jesus. at all saying perfection. Not at all saying God at all together, but saying, I'm in Christ Jesus. And that's enough. We were, I'll share this story. I was coming home from church last Sunday and my son happened to be riding with

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: So.

Rev. Michele Owes: And. There was some beautiful clouds in the sky, just absolutely beautiful. They were thick and, and they just like, looked like castles and, and rolls of [00:09:00] cotton and you don't get that kind of cloud structure everywhere in the country. But that was, it was just so remarkable. And as. Said to my son, I said, look at those beautiful clouds. then you could see like a, a little bit of a hole in the clouds and you could see the sun. And the sun was on its job. And I, I shared with him, I said, son, said, can you see the sun picking out of the clouds? And he said, yeah. said, well, the SUN is always in position. I said, A lot of times we say, well, when the sun comes out. I said, but the sun is always out. there are often things in the way of the sun, like the clouds, and we can't see that it's out, but it's out. It's on its job. I said, it is the earth that revolves on its axis.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: we say when the sun comes out or so, and so I said, but the sun is always out even when it's raining, even when it's snowing, it's doing its [00:10:00] job.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: said, I always want you to remember Jesus Christ. Just like that. He's always on his job. Even if you can't see him moving or acting at any point in time in your life, he is always there. And he said to me, are you doing? I said, excuse me. He said, did we just not leave the church house? And pastor taught a really good lesson.

Rev. Michele Owes: I got all the points, and on my way home, you are taking me back to church again. We gotta hold another lesson. He said, you know my quota, it's church one day out of the week and you time to get two weeks in one day in one session.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: That's funny. That's funny.

Rev. Michele Owes: has a excellent sense of humor.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yeah.

Rev. Michele Owes: And he can find joy and laughter in many, [00:11:00] many things. And so when he said that, of course I cried. I'm laughing so hard, I'm crying because that was not what I expected from him. I thought he was gonna say, wow, mama. That's something nice, but he was saying don't gimme a second sermon. I have been to church, but I never even thought I was giving a sermon. I was sharing a perspective about God, something natural that he created. And sometimes as we share, as when we share as Christians. We're just sharing based on who we are and who Christ has made us to

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: Because it, if it were not for Christ, I would say I, I'd be glad when the son comes out, but because I know Christ, I know he's always on the job.

Rev. Michele Owes: Right.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: so we ourselves in situations like this [00:12:00] It is always the remedy. Love is always the answer. Love is the purpose that Mrs. Cherry and I have. It is the condition of our hearts as we share with you on a regular basis. When people have difficulty receiving and hearing the word of God, sometimes it's because their heart is crowded. Sometimes they've had a church hurt, if you will. And as the founding EP used to say, ain't no hurt, like a church hurt. And so we, you know, and we may have had more than one church hurt and it's in our heart. And so we did not associate the quote, church hurt with the people who hurt us. We just associated it with God. And that's a wrong thing to lay at his charge because that's people.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: be people in his house, it's still just people. It's not God who did it.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: [00:13:00] Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: if we can help you clear out some of that bitterness and clear out some of the hurt and clear out your perspective so that God can plant in your heart. The things that he so desires.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: will lead us to performing his will in the Earth. I was reading something this morning in the word of God, and I wanna share it with you today. I, I think it, it will help

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: and it comes out of John the eighth chapter. It's verse number 28 and 29. And it says, then said Jesus unto them. When you have lifted up the son of man, then shall you know that I am he and that I do nothing of myself. But as my father has taught me, I speak these things and he that sent me is with me. The Father have not left me alone [00:14:00] for, I do always those things. That please him. And that last line just burned in my heart this morning.

Rev. Michele Owes: That's really what I want in my heart. I want a heart that desires to please God. And when you get to that frame of mind and that willingness to work to do so, really doesn't matter to you what other people say. You because it's easy to be misunderstood, but you know what your heart intent is God is a discern of the thought and the intent of the heart.

Rev. Michele Owes: So he is not, concerned about what someone has to say. He's concerned about what was in our heart when we did said the thing.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: That's good. That's good. So it would be good to you know, we've given you the assignment to think about what you're thinking about, so. [00:15:00] We wanna tell you today to think about what you're getting ready to do. Is it gonna be pleasing to the Lord? And that is that can be a real stopper and that can be a real direction setter for us as we're getting ready to say something, think something, do something, go somewhere we can.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Just a little challenge. Is what I'm thinking. Pleasing God. It's what I'm getting ready to do. Gonna please God. I had an opportunity to be with a young lady today and she's becoming a new homeowner. And she shared with me, she thanked me, you know, for being with her. And she said one of the things that I'm determined to do is this house is gonna glorify God.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: She says, I've gotten my life together off center, and you know 'cause I know some things about her and some things she's gone through and she said. I am planning and purposing in my heart

Rev. Michele Owes: Amen.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: this house is gonna [00:16:00] glorify God and that blessed me so much. So she was examining, is what I'm getting ready to do is gonna please God?

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And if she has that as a desire, God will her to bring it to pass. And it's, yeah, it's kinda like what we often hear, what would Jesus do? I think that we could turn that around and say you know, what am I going to do? What am I thinking about? Is what I'm getting ready to do gonna be pleasing to God?

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Because whatever Jesus does, it's gonna please God.

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: like to use that as a little slogan, but I think a better twist on that is what will I do?

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: You know, examine ourselves is what I'm thinking. Pleasing God is what I'm getting ready to do. Gonna please God, is what I'm getting ready to do, gonna make a difference, a positive impact in somebody else's life.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: So I think it, I just love the fact that you, God gave you that scripture, [00:17:00] and I think it's incumbent upon all of us to not only, as we always say, think about what you're thinking about, but. Whether what you're about to do, say, think. Whether it's gonna please God and we wanna live. Yeah, we wanna live our lives being pleasing to God, being acceptable to God, and that loving and that flows out of loving God.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Loving God has got to be our number one priority in life.

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: He might be cute, he might be fine, but it is no love, like the love of God. I love God and his love, you know, for us. So that's a wonderful thought. Is what I'm doing pleasing God?

Rev. Michele Owes: I agree with you and, and I agree that it will keep us out of a lot of trouble. You know, as a wife. Before I speak to my husband, is what I'm about to say. Gonna please God. It may get out what I'm thinking. will it please God

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: what I'm about to say to [00:18:00] my children or my coworkers or anybody that I know, will God be pleased with what comes outta my mouth or my actions? Will he be pleased with it? and those you are right When you ask that question, it will stop you from doing and saying so many things because first of all, you're stopping to check. the momentum that you had to go do your thing, now it's been interrupted we have to go through the pages of our mind and, okay, what does the scripture say relating to this?

Rev. Michele Owes: What do I know about God's word that, you know, tells me I can or cannot do this? And when you get there more, more likely, more than likely, it's going to stop you. All together, not just the time to weigh the situation, but we already know God's not gonna like it while we're thinking about it. It was just something we thought might be entertaining or fun or whatever. You know, how many times have we had the discussion with ourself when not open the door to this house? [00:19:00] I'm not gonna fuss. house is not clean or the dish is, is dishes are not washed, or the things that I thought should be in order, or the husband didn't pick up the dry cleaning or didn't bring me flowers on the anniversary or greet me the way I wanted to be greeted on my birthday.

Rev. Michele Owes: What all of the things that we've done over the years, the children acting like, you know, they switched the armbands at the hospital, all of those kinds of things. Those things that we say, I am not gonna fuss. I'm not gonna, I'm just gonna walk in the house and I'm gonna be who God needs me to be. And three minutes later we forget that commitment

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Right.

Rev. Michele Owes: in a full, or did I not ask you to do this?

Rev. Michele Owes: That you know, but is what I'm doing pleasing the Lord, is what I'm about to say. Something that will please him. Are my thoughts pleasing him at this moment

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: am I allowing the enemy [00:20:00] to take me down a rabbit hole of despair? 'cause I just finished listening to the news and I don't even know how to deal with all of the emotions that are coming up. what's gonna please my father? For me to trust and rely on him and for me to keep my heart clean so that when I hear from him that it will be his will that's done in my life. It will be his thoughts come to my mind. And, and I will say this for those who might think that all we say are things that are in the Bible or we talk about scripture. We shared before it was because of our love for God first our love for you, that we didn't want to just offer you our opinion. Because our opinion can be wrong. the, the scripture again tells us that our thoughts are not his thoughts and our ways are not his ways. And if [00:21:00] we just gave you our thoughts and shared our ways that God has even had to correct us from then we don't know that you could grow.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: We do know that if we think about what we're thinking about and we make sure that our love for God and our love for you is the primary motivation for what we share, that if your heart is in the right place, grow.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And I tell you just to think about is this gonna please God? That is a showstopper.

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: a word stopper.

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: That's a deed stopper.

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: if we just, just stop and think, am I pleasing God? I. You know, I think I shared this on the podcast many months earlier. I asked the women one time, if we were married to Jesus Christ, the righteous son of God, and we had to send him out to do his daily ministry, what kind of day would he have, you know, what kind of food would [00:22:00] he be in?

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: So thinking about what you're thinking about. Examining things before you do. Don't. My mother used to say, I just flew off the handle. Well, what is that? What handle? Where's the handle and fly off of some handle? I mean, really.

Rev. Michele Owes: Right,

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: So, you know, the, the days of we live in a, a very tedious time.

Rev. Michele Owes: Yes.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And the words, the, the, the times have just.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And letting your emotions go crazy, they're gone because nowadays somebody, you

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm. That's true.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: people have no patience, no understanding, no knowledge, no wisdom, no nothing.

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And we're going to have to really realize that it's up to us to control situations and circumstances, and we can control situations and circumstances by controlling what we think.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: And a good way to control what you think is to [00:23:00] ask that question, is this pleasing to God? And if you know it, you have to stop and think about it, though you can't say it. And then.

Rev. Michele Owes: That's right. Right. It's a mood changer, too. It changes your mood in a nanosecond.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yes. Yeah, it will. So we have to do that. That, that's a wonderful thought. Am I pleasing God? Am I pleasing God? I'm gonna be walking that one and living that one and really making that alive in me, you know?

Rev. Michele Owes: Amen. And you will see that alive in us as you join us for the Teachable Woman Retreat. We are so excited about all of you who have signed up, that you're trusting us with your time and your treasure for July 20. I'm sorry, July 17th through 19th here in Houston, Texas at the Western Oak Hotel. We are preparing for you. I'm telling you, we are going to laugh, laugh, laugh. We're going to cry [00:24:00] some. We are going to. Mrs. Cherry and I are not going to do all of the work. You are going to be in workshops and you will be applying what you're learning and having answers to take back home. We are excited that you'll gain practical experience in the areas we're discussing as well. In addition to that, for those who are bringing their husbands with you, you're going. They're going to join us on our last session. We'll tell you more about that and they will pray us out and that last session will be live-streamed.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Live.

Rev. Michele Owes: So those of you who may not be able to make it for health reasons or other challenges stay close to your phone 'cause we'll send you a QR code so that you can log in and see the last session.

Rev. Michele Owes: So

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Oh.

Rev. Michele Owes: about being able to share that with you. So. you have decided that you want to be with us, go to teachable woman.com and all of the information for the retreat will be right there. Click on the button that says [00:25:00] register and we'll see you just a couple of weeks. Can you believe it, Ms.

Rev. Michele Owes: Cherry? It's

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yeah. I'm telling you this. And in the meanwhile, don't forget, be the best that you can be and do the best that you can do. And think about what you're thinking about and is what you're thinking about pleasing to God?

Rev. Michele Owes: Mm

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: His heart happy just because you're his child and he's looking down on you and beaming, and his chest is poked out and he's saying, that's my baby.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: That's my girl. That's my gut. So.

Rev. Michele Owes: I love that. That's my baby. Oh, I created her. I created him unto

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Mm-hmm.

Rev. Michele Owes: I love that. I love that.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: Yes.

Rev. Michele Owes: All right. We are thrilled that you have joined us today. Please share our podcast with others, with family members, friends, and associates. You don't have to think about whether they want to hear it or not.

Rev. Michele Owes: Just share it. [00:26:00] We also encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel, which is at Teachable Woman, and we will talk to you on our next podcast.

Rev. Diana P. Cherry: God bless you. We love you. Goodnight.