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“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”
Christian Women Over 50 in Transition is a faith-based podcast for women navigating life’s major changes—grief, retirement, loneliness, identity shifts, and rediscovering purpose in a new season of life.
If you’re asking, “Who am I now?” or “What does God have for me in this next chapter?”—this space is for you.
Each episode offers biblical encouragement, honest conversations, and practical faith-filled guidance to help you heal from loss, strengthen your relationship with God, and step into your purpose with clarity and peace.
Whether you are walking through widowhood, adjusting to retirement, healing from heartbreak, or simply feeling unsure about what comes next, you are not alone—and your story is not over.
Here, you’ll be reminded that:
Healing is possible after loss
Purpose still exists after 50
God is still speaking in this season
Your life still carries meaning and assignment
This podcast is your safe place to rebuild, renew your faith, and rediscover who you are becoming with God in this next chapter.
Healing. Purpose. Faith for your next season.
#life transitions, #grief healing, #purpose after retirement, #christian healing, #hearing God’s voice, #faith journey, identity after loss, #healing journey, #purpose in this season, #loneliness and faith, #christian encouragement for women, #widow healing, #trusting God in transition
Episode 17: Is Your Loyalty to God Divided?
Foundation Scripture: Epistle of James 4:8
“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you…” — James 4:8 (NKJV)
1. Opening Reflection
“Have you ever tried to walk in two directions at once? It’s impossible. Yet spiritually, many of us try.”
• We say God is first — but living like He’s second.
• We seek His will — but only if it aligns with ours.
• We want His promises — without surrendering our preferences.
James 4:8 doesn’t say God moved.
It says draw near. (Music)
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2. What Does Divided Loyalty Look Like?
🔹 Double-Minded Living
James 1:8 (briefly reference) describes a double-minded person as unstable.
Some signs are:
• Constant second-guessing what God already said
• Obeying when it’s convenient
• Compartmentalizing faith (Sunday faith vs. everyday life)
Emotional Loyalty to Fear
We say we trust God…
But we rehearse worst-case scenarios more than His promises.
🔹 Loyalty to Image
We care more about what people think than what God requires.
🔹 Loyalty to Comfort
We want growth — but avoid discomfort.
We want calling — but resist sacrifice.
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3. Why Divided Loyalty Creates Distance
James 4 Context:
• Quarreling
• Worldliness
• Pride
Divided loyalty creates:
• Spiritual dryness
• Confusion
• Emotional instability
• Delayed obedience
Matthew 6:24 says No one can serve two masters. You will be devoted to one and despise the other.
God’s response is promised.
But the movement it starts with us.
4. The Hope in James 4:8
This verse is an invitation.
“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.”
Notice:
• The response is immediate.
• There’s no waiting period.
You don’t have to fix everything first.
You just have to come closer.
5. How to Return to Wholehearted Devotion
✔ Examine Yourself Honestly
• What has my heart been clinging to?
• What do I trust more than God right now?
So, now what?
✔ Repent
Repentance isn’t punishment.
It’s realignment.
✔ Simplify Your Devotion
Pray and decide to follow and do the Word of God – that’s faith in action; His way not yours.
✔ Choose Consistent Obedience
Trust God over fear, move when He say move, do it scared.
Resist the urge to do it the way you’ve always done it or what your flesh wants to do. Aka the world’s way.
James 4:7 Resist the devil and he will flee
God said in Deut. 30:19 - Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live.
Now if that was a little too heavy, here’s some good news:
Jeremiah 18: 3-6 – “So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel. But the jar he was making did not turn out as he had hoped, so he crushed it into a lump of clay again and started over.
God is in the restoration business!
And he is more than capable of bringing you to the place called Wholeness.
He knows the plans and he restores the soul.
So, allow the Holy Spirit to produce in you single-mindedness so you may grow in Him.
Closing Encouragement
Divided loyalty doesn’t make you disqualified.
It makes you distracted.
And distraction can be corrected.
God isn’t asking for perfection.
He’s asking for your whole heart.
Draw near.
He promises to respond.
Thank you for being with us on The Word Woman Podcast. If this episode encouraged you, share it with a friend who may need a reminder.
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Until next time —
Remember, God isn’t asking for perfection. He wants whole heart.
God Bless You