Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Welcome to Holy Spirit Untethered, hosted by Amber Beels. This podcast is an exploration of the Holy Spirit's role and His transformative influence in our everyday lives. Each episode, Amber, alongside a variety of guests, shares personal experiences, insights, and lessons about deepening our relationship with the Holy Spirit. We're just ordinary individuals, living our faith and learning what it means to walk hand in hand with the Holy Spirit. This podcast is a welcoming space for men and women who are hungry for a deeper relationship with the Lord. No matter where you are on your spiritual journey, this podcast invites you to join us as we explore, learn, and grow together. Let’s untether the boundless wisdom and love of the Holy Spirit in our everyday lives.
You can find Messenger X HERE: https://messengerx.com/
The Holy Spirit: An Introduction Course HERE: https://link.messengerx.com/HnHLLBBGKrkbSRJX9
Welcome to the Holy Spirit Untethered. My name is Amber Beals, and it is my job and my mission to allow the Holy Spirit to speak through me, to help demystify who He is, what his role is, and to deeply encourage you to seek a relationship with him. Alright. Let's get started. Hey, guys.
Amber:Welcome back to the Holy Spirit Untethered podcast. My name is Amber. And today, we're gonna be tackling a topic that is a little bit more seasonal. As I'm recording this podcast, it is the week before Thanksgiving. And I thought it would be appropriate to talk about gratitude.
Amber:Now if you haven't checked out last week's episode, last week, I had a special guest. His name is Naquan, and he is an amazing person. Like, he doesn't go to our church anymore, but he had moved out of town because of of work stuff, and he was back in town or just for a few days. And when I saw him at church, I was like, oh, I know. He's gotta be on my podcast.
Amber:I have to have him as a guest because I was really stumped. Like, I I didn't have anyone in mind, and I was like, oh, I guess I'm gonna do another solo podcast, but then I saw him, and I was like, yes, lord. Thank you. So last week, we talked about fear and how we navigate fear with the holy spirit and how we're supposed to approach it and how we're supposed to live. Because, you know, fear is everywhere.
Amber:And a lot of people today, they deal with anxiety, which is like the cousin of fear. It's it's all related. Right? And so many people struggle with that. I mean, I did for a long time, and I still do from time to time struggle with anxiety.
Amber:I know that our younger generation, they struggle with that. It's just rampant. And I know that's the work of the enemy just telling us that we can be self sufficient, that we don't need, you know, a higher power God, and that we can just do it ourselves, and we are our own identity, and we can make whatever, and we can manifest whatever, and that kinda puts a lot of pressure on you. If you're in charge of everything, if everything is up to you, that makes it really stressful because everything is up to you, and you make your life whatever you make of it. And, yes, we have free will, but we're supposed to live fully dependent on the Lord, and we're supposed to live boldly and allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives and transform us to have those fruits of the spirit so that we can be more like Jesus, so that we can fulfill our life's mission and purpose, and ultimately, to glorify the Lord.
Amber:I mean, everything we do is to glorify the Lord. As a believer, that should be your goal. And so last week's episode, we tackled that, and it was so good. I think it's one of my favorite episodes that I've done with a guest. So if you haven't, please go check it out.
Amber:It's episode number 23 with Naquan Staten, and I think it's called Faith Over Fear. That's the name of the episode, really, really good. And so this week, I'm kind of going off of that and talking about Thanksgiving. And before I kinda dive into that, let's go ahead and pray. So if you can and safe to do so, go ahead and bow your head and close your eyes with me, and let's let's go ahead and pray.
Amber:Alright. Alright. Dear heavenly father, I just thank you so much for this opportunity to be able to come on this podcast, even have this podcast, Lord. I thank you for all of the listeners on this podcast. I just pray a blessing over every single person that is listening to this, whether it's right when it's released or whether it's years from now, Lord, you are never changing.
Amber:And you are the same yesterday as you are today as you will be tomorrow. So everything that we talk about, everything that I discuss, all the guests that I bring on, it's evergreen because you are evergreen. And I just thank you for that because there's peace in that that you never change. So, holy spirit, I just pray that you would speak through me today. I pray that your words would come through and mine would fall away.
Amber:I pray you would prepare all of our hearts to receive this message and to be able to take this and run with it, Lord, and allow you to use us as vessels, Lord, so that we can glorify you. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright. So thanksgiving.
Amber:Next week is thanksgiving. At least here in America, next week is thanksgiving. And just a heads up, I am not gonna be releasing an episode next week because it is a holiday and because I normally release episodes on Thursdays. It happens to be that Thanksgiving always lands on a Thursday. So next week, I'm gonna be taking a brief break, but I will be back the following week in December.
Amber:So just a heads up that I will not be releasing an episode next week. But just one week, taking a break, and I'll be back. So just wanted to let you know. But since, again, Thanksgiving is next week, I was thinking about trying to do something a little more seasonal, and it just so happened to, you know, like I said, tag along with what we had discussed last week with Quan. So I wanna start out with some scripture.
Amber:So I am in Psalm 9 verse 12. And it says, I will praise you, oh, Lord, with my whole heart. I will tell of all your marvelous works. I will be glad and rejoice in you. I will sing praise to your name, oh most high.
Amber:And I love that verse, it's very simple. It's saying, I will raise you, oh Lord, with my whole heart, and I will tell of all your marvelous works. There's something about gratitude, and I don't know if you've heard this, but if you are in a place of gratitude, you cannot be anxious. It's like scientifically proven that your brain cannot be in a state of gratitude and be anxious at the same time. It's like the same neural pathways that trigger.
Amber:They're the same ones that are being used whenever you feel one of those emotions. So you can't feel both at the same time. And that's why the scriptures say to always give thanks or bring gratitude because the Lord knew that we would struggle with anxiety. And he designed us in such a way that if we are in a state of thankfulness or gratitude, that it's impossible for us to be anxious. And there's another scripture, and this one's a pretty popular one.
Amber:It's in Philippians Philippians 4 verse 6, and it says, be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and mind through Christ Jesus. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. So he knows. He knew from the beginning of time that we would struggle with anxiety, with fear, with all the things that we deal with on a daily basis.
Amber:I mean, back in the old days to today, I mean, we all deal with anxiety. Maybe it looks a little different, like, nowadays, since we have our smartphones and notifications keep going off. It's funny because, like, I keep all my notifications on because it doesn't bother me all that much, but and we have, like, a door camera or, like, a motion camera in, like, on our driveway. So, like, whenever a car drives by or a person walks by, like, triggers and I get a notification on my phone, and it drives my husband crazy. He's like, can you just stop it?
Amber:It's like buzzing every, like, you know, 3 minutes is buzzing. And he's like, can you just stop those notifications? And I'm like, oh, it doesn't really bother me. But to him, it's just like the worst. And, yeah, I get it.
Amber:Like, those little things can really get to you, especially if you're already stressed. And just having something like that just keep poking you. Yeah. Like, I I can get why that would, drive somebody crazy. But that type of stuff, like that type of environment being in that state of just kind of high anxiety where little things like notifications on your phone that trigger you, like, that's not the state that the Lord wants us to be in.
Amber:Right? And that's not one of the fruits, one of the fruit of the spirit. Right? So as a reminder, the fruit of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, selflessness, gentleness, and self control. And so peace is in there, but anxiety is not.
Amber:Right? Which thank the Lord, because I'm glad that's not a fruit, but peace. Peace is kind of the opposite of anxiety. It's kind of the opposite of a fear. Right?
Amber:You're just in a state of peace. And in that verse that I just read, it says, if you do those things, the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. So to get to that peace, that peace that surpasses all understanding, you have to be in this state of gratefulness, of gratitude. So what does that look like? That's my favorite question.
Amber:Lord, okay, what does that look like to be, you know, in this state of gratitude, to get to this place where peace can come over me, that I can experience your peace, not only your peace, but your joy. There's something that I used to do, and it's kinda weird, but whenever I'd have to go on, like, a long drive, which doesn't happen very often, but sometimes I'd have to go for a drive for, like, 2 an hour, maybe 2 hours. And instead of listening to music, instead of listening to a podcast or whatever, I decided to just say out loud and list all the things that the Lord has done for me, just saying it out loud and saying how incredible the blessings that I have received are, and just listing them out and starting with as small as I'm alive today. Like, Lord, I I have a car to drive. I have a wonderful husband.
Amber:I have a wonderful family. I have a wonderful church. I love my home. I have a home. I have a wonderful senior dog.
Amber:I get to live across the street from my mother. I have wonderful in laws that love me, truly love me, and I love them back. Like, I would just list these things, starting from something super small and going to the big things. Or maybe it's easier for you to start with the big things and then go to the little things. Once you start and you could do this, like, I would say it out loud because I believe there's power in this spoken word, but there's also power in writing it down.
Amber:I've never done this writing it down, but maybe I should. Maybe I should switch it up and try it out. But basically just listing out everything that you could possibly be grateful for. And I would do that for like a full hour of just listing things out. And I think some people struggle with even coming up with, like, three things that they're thankful for.
Amber:So it may be, like, a little hard for you in the beginning of starting it, but I find that once you start listing a couple of things, again, I'm alive today. Thank you for the air I breathe. Thank you for my sight that I'm able to drive. Thank you for my health. Thank you for and you just keep going.
Amber:And once you start that list, it kind of becomes like a snowball effect where you start listing things and more things start coming to mind and more things, and you just start saying them. And every time I've done this, I've done this probably 2 or 3 times, I just get filled with so much joy. Like, I think joy is the only word that I can really bring to mind. It's it's incredible because knowing who I am and what I deserve and what I don't deserve and what like, truly what I deserve, like, the Lord has blessed me beyond any sort of measure. Any measure, like, way beyond what I deserve.
Amber:Like, I deserve to not even be in eternity with him because I am a sinner. But because of what Jesus has done and I've accepted that gift, he has not only given me the gift of eternal life with him in heaven, but he has given me all these gifts here on earth. There are so many, they're countless. And when you sit there and you start listing them out, it's incredible, the amount of love and joy that fills your heart. Like it brought it brings me to tears every single time that I do it.
Amber:Every single time that I do it, because I don't realize how much I've been blessed until I recognize it, until I intentionally list all the things or I speak them out loud that I'm like, wow, Lord, you are incredible. You are an amazing father. Like, this is beyond anything that I deserve or could have asked for, and he continues to do it. Even though I'm blessed beyond measure, he continues to bless me, and that just blows my mind. It blows my mind.
Amber:And when you start thinking about those things in your life, and I can guarantee you that you've been blessed, even if you live a hard life, there are blessings in your life, you just have to look for them. You just have to recognize them, and that takes intentionality of being in that place of looking for the good things. I think we are trained as a society to constantly look for the negative things in our lives, the inconveniences, everything that is not to our liking. That those are the things that stand out to us. And a lot of the times we complain about it, and it's always out loud.
Amber:And again, there's power in spoken word. What you speak is what's in your heart. Whatever's in your heart comes out. And so if you are constantly complaining or you are constantly finding the negative things in your life, that's all you think. That's all you're gonna think about your life or about you, is that all the bad things always happen to me.
Amber:I have the worst luck in the world, but that's not true. The Lord is in everything. You just gotta look for him. He's there. And it's actually pretty obvious.
Amber:It's just, we are so blinded by our own negativity and our own filters of what life should look like, that we don't recognize the heavenly blessings that are bestowed upon us every day. Every day, we are blessed beyond anything we deserve. And it just takes that intentionality for us to recognize those things. And that's where the Holy Spirit comes in, because the Holy Spirit, one of his roles is to remind us of what Jesus did for us. And I believe that he also reminds us of all the blessings that we receive every day.
Amber:Like the best gift that we've gotten is that Jesus died for us and he chose to become the lamb of the world, to become the sacrifice because he so loved the world, you. If you're in the world, he loves you. He did that for you. And it's just incredible when you really sit and think about it, the suffering and the torture that our savior went through because of us, because of everything we did. He substituted our punishment.
Amber:He didn't deserve that. Not at all. He was perfect. He was God. Not only was he God, he became man.
Amber:Like, we don't know what he was like in heaven, but I'm sure it was a lot better than being a human. You know, being limited by time, having to sleep, having to endorse pain and suffering, like all those things, because we created this fallen world. But he subjected himself to come here and go through what he did intentionally because he loved us and because he wanted us to spend eternity with him, or at least give us the opportunity to spend eternity with him because it's our choice. We choose where we wanna spend eternity, either with God or without, and it's scary to think about living eternity without him, because the Lord is light, he's love, he's life. So if we don't have that for eternity, what is life gonna be like?
Amber:Because you and I are eternal. We are created to be eternal. And like, after this life, it's not just over, like we have a place to go and we were designed to spend eternity with him. But if we chose not to, then we're going to a place that was never designed for human beings. It wasn't designed for us, and that's scary, scary to think about.
Amber:So that is the greatest gift that we could have ever received, was the Lord dying for us. So that's the number one thing we should be grateful for, is for his sacrifice, for his willing sacrifice. Everything else is icing on the cake. Right? Like all the blessings that he give us gives us on a daily basis of having a place to live, having a car to drive, having pets, having family, having a job, having provisions, having a community, having church, having air to breathe, having clothes to wear.
Amber:Like, it can be super small, and yet it should be something that we give thanks for. And when you start being in that state of gratitude, intentionally being in that state of gratitude, it does something. It does something to your heart. It changes your perspective. It really does.
Amber:It changes your outlook on life, and it makes things lighter. Life doesn't become as heavy because you stopped focusing on the negative and you are now focusing on all those blessings that the Lord has given you, and the Holy Spirit helps you do that. He reveals the things that the Lord has done for you and continues to do for you. He reminds you of where you started and where you are now. He's the one that ignites once you have that feeling of gratitude and you start being just overwhelmed with the presence of the Lord, because he will show up when you are intentional about being thankful for who he is.
Amber:Because once you start realizing all the stuff that he's done for you, you start realizing who he is and how he could have done all those things because he's almighty God. Of course, He can do those things, and He wants to do those things, and He wants to do even more of those things, even better things. He wants to bless you because He loves you, and He loves to bless His children. And the Holy Spirit guides us to remind us of all those things, to remind us of the character of God, to remind us that the Lord loves us, to remind us of his love, and why we pursue a relationship with him, why we pursue this journey, this race to make sure that we glorify the Lord, that we are in right standing with the Lord, that we are constantly renavigating, readjusting because life gets in the way and negative things happen. It's not to say that bad things don't happen.
Amber:They do. Bad things happen. But the scriptures say, we are to rejoice in the Lord in all things. I was just looking at back in Philippians right before Philippians 46. In Philippian 4, it says, rejoice in the Lord always.
Amber:Again, I will say rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice.
Amber:Always rejoice in the Lord even during the hard times. Even during those times when it's really hard to rejoice or to worship or say thank you, there's always something to be thankful for. There's always something to be thankful for even if you're in the midst of whatever. Like, when I went through my miscarriage, it was really hard. And I tried.
Amber:I really tried to maybe not rejoice, but still be thankful for something, to still praise the Lord because he created life. And I don't know the reasons why he he took it away. I don't know the reasons why, especially at the time, I didn't know. And there was anger, and there was resentment, and there were all the emotions, and you're still gonna feel those emotions. It doesn't mean those emotions don't let they go away, but you choose to recognize the good in the situation because there's always good in some situation.
Amber:That's hard. Easier said than done for sure, but it's doable. And so I wanna encourage you guys sometime this week or next week, how about next week? Since we're taking a break from the podcast for a week, how about next week, Spend an hour. Maybe if you like to journal, write it down.
Amber:Maybe you just wanna say it out loud in your car like I like I've done in the past. Maybe you go on a prayer walk for an hour, and you just say all those things. Again, I I think it's so powerful to say it out loud, just to say out loud, all the things, all the wonderful things that the Lord has done for you, all the things that the Holy Spirit has transformed in your life. Oh, and partner with the Holy Spirit when you do it. Just ask him like, Holy Spirit, I wanna be in a state of gratitude right now.
Amber:Please reveal to me everything that you have done for me in my life so that I can recognize it and just bask in your greatness because of all the amazing things you have done for me and that you are continuing to do for me. Like, please just bring to mind all the things because I wanna praise you right now and recognize every single thing you've done for me because you deserve the recognition. Because if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have any of these things. You are the reason that I get to live, that I even exist. And so I wanna praise you for that.
Amber:I wanna rejoice in you. And so help me, Lord. Help me, Holy Spirit. Guide me, guide my thoughts, lead me to things that even I wouldn't ordinarily think about. Allow me to be grateful even for the little things.
Amber:Yeah. I think that would be a really healthy exercise for you guys. I'm gonna do it too. I'm gonna challenge myself. Maybe I'm gonna write it down this time instead of just speaking it out loud.
Amber:But because one thing about writing it down is that you can reflect back on it and be like, wow, look at all the stuff that the Lord did for me in that season of my life. It's kind of like a record that you can keep. If you have kids, I encourage you to do this with your kids. Start them young. Allow them to start thinking of things to be grateful for.
Amber:Only good things can come from that. The Lord will only bless that if you start start that with your kids young. I know my husband, what he'll do is he has this form that he fills out every morning. And one of the things that asks him is, what am I grateful for today? And it's three things.
Amber:Like, three things that I'm grateful for today. And he writes them down every morning of the things that he's grateful for because it's just a really good reset for the day to focus on the positive, to focus on the blessings that the Lord has given you rather than the mountain to do list that you have to do for that day. Start with what am I thankful for. I'm thankful that I have a to do list. I'm thankful that I have this form to help me keep me organized.
Amber:I'm thankful for, you know, the fact that I get to work from home. I'm talking from Eric's perspective, my my husband. But, again, just once you start that exercise, it starts to kinda steamroll. It's like a snowball effect where you start thinking of more and more things, and you just become overwhelmed with gratefulness. And, again, when you're in that state of gratitude, you can't be anxious.
Amber:So if you're ever anxious about something, maybe try that. Maybe, like, you're super anxious about something. And like for me, I I have a little bit of anxiety right now because I have my first appointment tomorrow with my doctor. I announced last week that I I'm pregnant again, and I'm I'm super grateful for that. I'm super thankful for the Lord that I have no troubles getting pregnant, that it it happens pretty quickly.
Amber:And, I'm super grateful that I'm further along this time. I'm super grateful that I get to see a doctor, that I have insurance to go see a doctor tomorrow. And I'm a I'm a little anxious because I just want good news. Right? Because I I had, like I have mentioned, I had a miscarriage before, and I don't wanna go in tomorrow and get a sonogram and see that, you know, my baby hasn't developed or, you know, there's so many things.
Amber:I mean, pregnancy, there's so many things that can go wrong, and I'm learning that. But I'm also learning that the Lord is good. And even though there's a seed of doubt or a little bit of anxiety that I just think of all the good things that the Lord has done for me in the past, and I just hold on to that promise that the Lord gave me in saying that you're gonna be a great mom because I've I've seen it. And so if he's seen it, that means it happens. Right?
Amber:It's gonna happen. I can't guarantee it's gonna be this one, but I'm very hopeful that it is, and I have a good feeling about it. And when I think of all the positive things, when I think of the Lord and his promise and his love for me, and, you know, how he was there for me with that with that miscarriage and how he helped me through it. And I know that the Lord's gonna be there for me now. Even if it you know, God forbid, something's wrong, he's gonna be there for me.
Amber:And I can depend on that because he has a good track record. He has always been there for me, and I can rely on that. I can depend on that. I can stand on that. And I also have an amazing community, church, and friends, and family, and all the things, and I know I have a lot of prayer on me.
Amber:And that is what keeps me hopeful. It it's what keeps me grounded that the Lord's gonna be there tomorrow during that sonogram. The Lord's gonna be there in that appointment, and, there's a peace that comes on me when I think about that. And so I just wanna encourage you, if there's something that is giving you anxiety or you have fear about something, just think about all the good things that the Lord has done for you and ask the Lord. I mean, you can always pray.
Amber:And that's something that I've really been learning lately in the last few weeks is that prayer is so important, and prayer is so powerful. I think I mentioned it last week that sometimes I feel like prayer is a cop out. Like, oh, we'll just pray about it. And I'm like, well, can we can we do something else? Like, to be honest, like, that that's kinda like my go to thought, which is which is not good.
Amber:And the Holy Spirit is working on that with me, and he's like, no. Prayer is powerful. And I'm like, but you already know. You already know everything that's going on. And he's like, but I want you to talk to me about it.
Amber:I want you to bring it to me and lay it at my feet and let me take it from you. That is what prayer does. It's powerful when you pray for other people, and prayer can bring the promise to life, because you're speaking it out loud. You're talking to your father, and you're saying, Lord, I thank you for this promise that you have given me. I thank you in advance for it.
Amber:And it just brings it to you because you're affirming it, and you're thanking the Lord in advance for what he has promised you is gonna happen. So it's super powerful. But anyway, guys, I hope that this message blesses you. Again, I will not be releasing an episode next week, but I will be back the following week, the 1st week of December. I hope all of my friends in America that they have a great Thanksgiving, that they're able to fellowship with their families, eat lots of food, and just really enjoy the time that they have together.
Amber:And again, you have homework this week or next week, and that's to do that gratitude exercise and really allow the holy spirit to work through you and just allow him to reveal things to you about all the blessings that the Lord has done for you. And I promise you, it's gonna be amazing. Alright, guys. Well, I hope you have a great Thanksgiving, a great week, and I will see you the following week.