Finding Joy in Trials, Embracing Faith's Transformative Power, What I Have Learned, & A Prayer for Peace

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After navigating a storm of spiritual warfare and personal challenges, I've found solace and strength through the lessons in the Book of James. This season opener of "The Well" is a heartfelt chronicle of my journey through grief, mental health battles, and the profound realization of the power of faith and trust in God. It's about learning to find joy in trials, and understanding that struggles are not eliminated by faith, but transformed into opportunities for growth and glorifying God. My story is one of recognizing the enemy's voice versus God's whisper, and the importance of rebuking negativity while leaning into divine protection and guidance.

As we reach listeners in 21 countries, I invite you to join in a community of support and reflection. This episode encourages embracing the ongoing journey of deepening one's faith amidst life's adversities. I also guide a prayer centered on mental and emotional well-being, aiming to foster peace, clarity, and spiritual growth. I hope you’ll take a moment to rate and review this episode, as we continue to explore these profound themes and anticipate an exciting guest appearance in future episodes. Join me as we celebrate faith's transformative power and the beauty of being molded by God through life’s trials.

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What is The Well?

Facing trauma is a challenging journey, but I share my story with the hope that it might inspire you to gather the strength to take a step toward progress. Remember, with the presence of Christ, there are no limits to what you can conquer.

Speaker 1: Hey everyone, welcome
to the Well Season 2.

I'm your host, drew Gabrielle,
and I am so happy that you are

here.

I am so excited about Season 2.

It has been like such a journey
to even get to this moment.

It is October the 9th and this
video my launch, was supposed to

be October the 11th, which is
also my birthday this Friday, so

literally in two days.

And, um, it has been a lot of
ups and downs.

I have a flight tonight to New
York for my birthday and we're

making it work.

I kid you not, I have filmed
this video so many times.

The first time I filmed it, I
had no confidence in myself,

like I was doubting myself so
much that I was like you know

what, I'm not doing, this I'll
film on another day.

And it had been a long day
anyways.

And then last weekend I was
like perfect, I'm gonna do this

before my trip.

And I did, and in one take I
was like free flowing, so proud

of myself being used by the lord
.

And then I got home to edit and
my audio was gone.

So love that.

Um, we have a little mic set up
here, so hopefully the audio

does not get lost.

The problem was the cord so
prayerfully.

Everything will work out and I
can edit on my flight and get

this out as soon as possible.

I'm so excited to share with you
guys that I so excited to share

with you guys that I, um, well
the well, god has really done

his big one with this podcast.

Like, I kid you not, when I
first launched season one this

time last year and it was just
an audio version at the time, I

was so scared to like, put
myself out there and just obey

the Lord and go for it, and
simply because I had very little

faith in what God was trying to
do in my life and the gifts of

God that you know have been in
me since birth.

And to say now, a year later,
that the podcast is being heard

in 21 countries around the world
, is mind blowing.

I can't believe it.

I didn't even have a platform.

I barely marketed like this is
completely supernatural.

Um, and I give all glory to God
and I just thank you guys for

even tuning in, because it's not
me.

I don't take this lightly.

This is something that the Lord
has called me to do and I

believe that it's changing lives
and I'm very grateful, and so I

thank you guys for bearing with
me, and we're finally here for

season two.

Um, we have a video version now
, which is a blessing in itself,

so I'm very, very happy about
that.

Um, I don't want to make this
video too long.

There's so many things I feel
like I can say, um, but one of

the things that the Lord has
really put on my heart,

especially in this season of my
life that I feel like are in now

, especially when it comes to
spiritual warfare, have been

real intense and I feel like for
a while, it's just been one

thing after the other and it's
been super overwhelming.

And I remember recently just
going to God and being like Lord

.

What is going on?

Why are all these things
happening to me?

Woe is me right, and I can
remember the Lord whispering to

me James, james, james, the book
of James, and, funny enough,

the first chapter of that book
is about trials and tribulations

and how we, as a believer, are
supposed to greet those things

in our lives that are
challenging when they come up

against us.

And James, the writer of this
book, tells us to greet our

trials and our tribulations with
joy and to have a mindset that

says you know what?

I have a savior, I have an
advocate, I have a helper in God

and I can lean on him.

And for me specifically, my
biggest challenge in my life,

just in general, has been like
being too self-reliant and too

independent that I just don't go
to God altogether.

I become very avoidant and I
feel like I can do it, you know,

and I end up in these periods
where I'm super burnt out and

regretting not going to God and
I'm just learning in this season

to really like slow down and to
really ground myself.

And when I was studying this
count it all joy, it really hit

me deep because I learned so
much, even after like reading

this passage so many times, like
I learned so much, and I want

to share it because I think that
it's important to know these

things.

You know, as a believer, as
someone who is trying to grow in

their relationship with God,
like we walk by faith and not by

sight, right?

So, although there may be
things that are going on around

us that we really can't explain
or we feel they are super

challenging, right, we don't
live by the things that we can

see, we don't walk by the things
that we can see, but we walk by

sight, the things that are
unseen, the things that we can

have a hope for.

And what I have learned is that
God will use trials and

tribulations, the challenges
that we face in our life, to

expose right, expose our level
of faith in him, not because he

doesn't know, but because he
wants us to know, right, like

there's always work that needs
to be done, there's always

growing to do.

We go from glory to glory, from
faith to faith, and I'm

learning that as a believer, and
I'm learning that I don't have

as much faith in him as I could.

And I think, as a believer,
like, it's so easy to pretend,

like you have it all together,
right, you can know all the

scriptures, you can go to church
and you can pray and all of the

things.

But, like, when you're faced
with a challenge in your life,

how do you respond?

Right, like, how do you react?

Do you have that woe is me
mentality or do you stand up and

you're like you know what?

I have faith in God, that he's
going to bring me through

whatever it is I come up against
.

And that is something that I'm
learning, because I am a very

good complainer, um, and I've
kind of grown like sick of

myself and um, I learned also.

You know the Bible talks about
faith and how it's produced.

And, just being honest, like
the number one question that I

get a lot of the times when I'm
like mentoring people or I'm

ministering, is you know, how do
I grow my faith in God?

Like I just want God to help me
grow my faith in him.

And I'm learning also that
that's a choice that we have to

make right, like if you want to
grow in your faith in God and

you want God to extend that
faith, like that is a choice you

have to make.

The Bible says that faith comes
through hearing, and through

hearing the word of God.

It's supernaturally deposited
into our souls and it only comes

through hearing the word of God
.

So if you want faith, you have
to be in his word and then that

faith will be tested through
trials and through tribulations.

And so I'm learning to greet
them with joy and I think that a

lot of the times it's easy to
be like well, why am I going to

greet my trials with joy, like
when I don't feel like joy?

But again, the Bible doesn't
say to feel like it's joy or to

say it's all joy, right,
counting it all joy means hey,

god like this is really bad.

For example, I was on my job and
like being super understaffed,

working long hours every day.

It's been very, very
challenging, and I've learned,

you know, that God has me there
for a reason at this time, and

so I have to make the most of
the assignment and so, instead

of complaining about my struggle
, I can take that struggle to

God.

See, a lot of the times we grow
heavy and we grow weary because

we're trying to do it all on
our own, without the Lord, and

that is not the way that God
intended for us to live, right?

The Bible says to come to him
all of us who are weary and

heavy burden, and he will give
us rest.

And the Bible also talks about,
in that same scripture, that

his burden is easy and his yoke
is light.

And so we have to kind of take
ourselves outside of it right

and really get to a place where
we are fully depending on Christ

.

And I've discovered, you know,
in therapy and through my own

healing journey, my own
processing, that trust is a big

issue of mine.

I have trust issues, not afraid
to say it, and it's just the

truth.

And so I'm learning that God
will take you through season

after season, and he will do
what he can.

He will go through great
lengths to get you to understand

that you can trust Him.

And I feel like that's where
I'm at right now, man a lot of

fear, a lot of grief, depression
, anxiety, all of the things,

and the root of it all goes back
to trust in the Lord, and it's

so important you know to have
that, because what it does is it

frees you, right?

Everything that goes on in your
life when you change your

perspective and I talked about
this a little bit in an

Instagram post when you change
your perspective from this is

happening to me to this is
happening for me, right?

Because God orchestrates all
things and then he also makes

all things work together for our
good, which means the bad, the

ugly, the messy.

Like he compiles those things
into something beautiful, like

he turns what we feel is a mess
and he makes messages out of

them.

He is amazing.

And when you change your
perspective and you look at

things from those lens, it
starts to free you and you

realize, at the end of the day,
like this ain't even about me,

right?

Like God is doing something and
everything that I go through,

everything that I face and
everything that I go through,

everything that I face,
everything that I experience,

it's for my good, you know, and
it's for me to learn, it's for

me to grow, and it's not even
necessarily like all about me,

right, because, at the end of
the day, if I wouldn't have gone

through the things that I've
been through, I wouldn't be able

to sit here and have a podcast
and be able to speak to certain

things that you may be going
through, and that's the same

thing for you.

Think about the things that
you've been through and then

look around you and I guarantee
you you will find patterns.

I come across so many people who
are grieving, who are

experiencing mental health
challenges, because that is my

story, like from top to bottom.

It's my story and I would not
be able to speak to these things

if I never went through them.

God uses us as testimonies for
his glory and he uses us to draw

people to him and, at the end
of the day, that's what our

purpose is as a believer.

That is the only thing that
matters is glorifying God and

leading people to him, and so,
yeah, it's been a journey.

So, yeah, it's been a journey
and I'm learning so much about

those things like, especially
about fear.

It's so funny because there's
this whole thing and I'm not

like saying it's not real,
because it definitely is, but

there's this thing that's been
going around like the mental

health community just about like
intrusive thoughts and what

those are.

And you know there's some
people who like make jokes of it

just to make light of like what
really goes on in the mind.

But it's a very real thing and
I struggle a lot with intrusive

thoughts and overthinking over
and just um, being guilty of

like allowing myself to get
consumed in those things.

And last night, when I was on
my way home, um, from an

appointment, I started getting
like these thoughts in my head.

I was on the freeway and I
started to and it's going to

seem so silly, but like this is
real y'all.

This is just authentic, real,
transparent here.

Um, like I said, I'm getting on
a flight tonight and I started

to like get these thoughts, like
you're going to get on this

flight, like this is what I
started to hear You're going to

get on this flight and you're
going to like not make it.

The plane is going to crash.

And a couple of nights ago I
had a dream about a plane

crashing, completely unrelated
to like what I'm doing tonight

and where I'm going.

But yeah, I just had a dream
about a plane crashing and like

the enemy just kept coming with
these thoughts, like you're

going to die, you better spend
time with your family and

there's a hurricane like you
better be careful, and like all

of these things.

And I sat there and I just said
to myself you know what?

This isn't God Like.

I felt like the Lord was trying
to teach me something in that

moment.

And he did so.

I paused and I rebuked the
enemy because, see, that's what

you have to do when these
thoughts come into your mind,

you have to rebuke them, you
have to take those thoughts

captive and you have to judge
them according to the word of

God.

And it's not always easy to do.

It does take work to bring
yourself to a place of doing

that, but it does shift and
transform the mindset.

And so I was like you know what
, saint, I rebuke you in the

name of Jesus.

I shall live and not die.

God has not given me a spirit
of fear.

And then, as I started to calm
down a little bit, the Lord

taught me something, and he
taught me about his still small

voice and I don't know why, I
feel led to share this.

Maybe it might be, for someone
it might be helpful, but I was

listening to the Lord and he was
like Drew, if that were the

case, right, if, for whatever
reason, I knew what was up ahead

, right, you're my daughter, I
take care of you, I protect you.

Right, my will will always be
done.

But if I did not want you to
get on this plane, couldn't I

just simply say don't go right?

Why would I need to taunt you?

Why would I need to taunt you?

Excuse me.

Why would I need to torment you
?

Why would I need to cause fear
on the inside of you in order

for my will to be done?

And you know what I said.

I said, lord, that's good,
because that is not the nature

and that is not the character of
God.

He speaks in a still small
voice and the enemy just comes

and he loves to just like throw
things at us to get us to be so

fearful.

And, excuse me, I feel like um.

Just over the past couple of
months, like I've said, it's

been like a lot of spiritual
warfare and I feel like the Lord

is really bringing me into a
season of rest now, Um, cause,

it's just been, it's been a
journey, but yeah, I think

that's like sometimes what the
enemy does too, is like he will

come up against you.

When it's like in a moment
where the Lord is like, no, like

, go like, go, rest, go, enjoy
yourself, go be in peace, you

know, to a place of like just
not going or getting on the

plane and just having so much
anxiety while I'm on the plane

for five hours, like, and that
just wasn't going to happen.

And so, yeah, it's, it's a lot
of learning and unlearning.

That's that's going on, not just
for me, but I also feel like in

the body of Christ.

And so I say all this to say I
just really feel like the Lord

is saying to count it all joy to
his children.

And I know that that's not easy
, I know that that is easier

said than it is done, but
there's a reason why God tells

us to do that, and the reason is
because he will use these

trials and these tribulations to
bless us and to mold us and to

shape us and to even work
through us, and when you allow

yourself to be used by God, you
can never go wrong.

It's a blessing, it's a
privilege and it's an honor.

And I think that's where a lot
of people kind of get mixed up,

especially people who are new to
the faith fight.

They want this relationship
with God, they want to grow in

their relationship with Him,
they want to know how to be

better and they think that once
that happens, their life will

just somehow not have struggles.

And that is just far from the
truth, right, that in this world

we are going to experience
trouble, but it also encourages

us to take heart, because God
has already overcome the world.

Everything that you are facing,
everything that is coming up

against you, everything that
will come up against you, god

has already dealt with it.

Right, he's already dealt with
it.

The issue, or the challenge I
should say, that we have is that

we, as believers, are not in
our word as much as we are

supposed to be.

Right, like I said, those
trials, the things that we face,

they expose our level of faith,
and so I want you to pay

attention in this season of your
life to how you're reacting to

the things that you are going
through.

I got 16 two-year-olds in one
room with just me and another

person, and so I need a lot of
patience.

And so every morning I've gone
to a place where I get up and

I'm like you know what?

I'm fearfully, and I'm
wonderfully made.

Yet he slay me.

I will trust in him, right?

I've never seen the righteous
forsaken, nor his seed begging

for bread.

No weapon formed against me
shall prosper, for he knows the

plans that he has for me, and
what it does is you get strength

, right.

His word gives us strength and
so it's important to know it.

Right.

Open up your Bible or go on
Google.

One of my mentors said this to
me one time, like when she was

going through her stuff.

She was like I would just get
on Google and I would be like,

if I was depressed scriptures on
depression and I would just

write them down and I would
memorize them and I would study

them and I would speak them over
myself every single day until

it freed me.

Because, see, the Bible says
that the word of God is sharper

than any two-edged sword, right,
it cuts, it penetrates deep

into our hearts, it deals with
us, and so, when you speak those

things that are truth over you,
it will free you.

The word of God is freeing,
right.

It frees our minds, it frees
our souls.

It frees our hearts right.

It softens the heart, and so
it's important to change that

perspective on faith and on
being able to count your trials

and tribulations as joy.

I apologize if you hear just a
little bit of background noise.

I've had to have the mic just a
little bit away from me versus

up close because the cord has a
short in it.

That's why I lost my audio the
first time I filmed this, and so

, to avoid that, I've pushed it.

It's like propped up.

My boyfriend propped it up on a
bunch of books or bags or

something like that.

He just made it work.

Bless God for him.

But I want to encourage you guys
in that.

You know, I had so many notes
and I felt like the Lord was

like you know what?

Just free flow, let it go.

Let it go.

I know you're worried about it,
but let it go and trust me,

because that's the season that
we're in Trusting God and

learning how to do so
wholeheartedly.

Trusting God and learning how
to do so wholeheartedly, and so

I know that majority, and even
now I just hear the Lord saying

that that is what season two
will probably be about the most

is trusting God, learning how to
trust in God, and my goal for

the well has always been to just
be real and authentic, and so,

whatever it is I'm talking about
it's because either I'm in it

or I've recently gone through it
and it's fresh, and I think

that's important because I'm
human, just like you.

We have the same God and I I
struggle.

You know I'm not perfect.

I have my moments where I still
deal with the flesh, and even

the things that I encourage
people to come out of.

So, yeah, I pray that this all
came together and I will see you

guys for episode two.

I'm so, so, so excited.

God is doing something so
amazing with the well podcast.

Thank you to all the listeners.

If you haven't already, please
rate the podcast and leave a

review.

I would love, love, love, to
hear from you or what it is that

you would like to see or talk
about.

We do have a special guest that
is lined up for the well, very,

very excited for it, and so you
don't want to miss out.

So let's go ahead and pray.

Father, god, I just thank you,
lord.

I thank you, god, for allowing
each and every person listening

to just be present in this
moment.

Lord, father, I cover their
minds, father.

I cover their hearts, lord, and
I just pray, lord, that your

peace that transcends all of our
understanding, god, will guard

their heart and their mind.

Lord, I pray, o God, that you
would continue to reveal

yourself to them, lord God, that
you would continue, father God,

to prune them and refine them,
lord God, in the ways that you

see fit, lord God, so that your
will, father, would be done in

their lives.

Lord God, I come against every
assignment of the enemy over

their lives, lord God, and I
declare, o God, that they would

have soundness of body,
soundness of mind.

Oh God, in the name of Jesus,
lord God, I ask that you bless

them and keep them, father.

In the name of Jesus, I pray,
amen and amen.

Bye, guys.