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For over 25 years Proverbs 31 Ministries' mission has been to intersect God's Word in the real, hard places we all struggle with. That's why we started this podcast. Every episode will feature a variety of teachings from president Lysa TerKeurst, staff members or friends of the ministry who can teach you something valuable from their vantage point. We hope that regardless of your age, background or stage of life, it's something you look forward to listening to each month!
MELISSA TAYLOR:
Hi, friends. Thanks for tuning in to the Proverbs 31 Ministries podcast, where we share Biblical truth for any girl in any season. I'm your host, Melissa Taylor, and I'm here today with my co-host, Cailah Garcia.
CAILAH GARCIA:
Hey, girl.
MELISSA:
Hello.
CAILAH:
Melissa, you are one of my favorite people, and-
MELISSA:
Oh, ditto to you
CAILAH:
I literally am so excited that we got to have this conversation together today.
MELISSA:
Yes.
CAILAH:
It was so incredible. We had our friend, Oghosa Iyamu, on, and guys, when I tell you, Oghosa is a Bible teacher, preacher, speaker, author, incredible woman of God's word.
MELISSA:
Yeah.
CAILAH:
I cannot tell you how much this conversation meant to us. We talked and dove into Ezekiel 37 today and really talked about restoration, talked about the process of lifting our eyes off of our circumstance and getting our eyes back on God.
MELISSA:
Right.
CAILAH:
The maker of heaven and Earth, the only one who can shift things.
MELISSA:
Right.
CAILAH:
Who can take dry bones and call them to live-
MELISSA:
Yes
CAILAH:
again. You are going to be so blessed by this conversation, and I am so excited for you to hear a little bit more about what we discussed today. So ...
MELISSA:
I am, too. So, hey, everybody. I know you can't wait, so let's go ahead, hear today's episode, and let's dive on in.
CAILAH:
Oh, I'm so excited
MELISSA:
All right, everyone. We are so excited today to welcome Oghosa Iyamo to our show today.
OGHOSA:
Hi, everyone.
CAILAH:
Hi, Oghosa. We're so excited to have you today. Okay, guys, I just have to say Oghosa was just on the show not too long ago.
MELISSA:
Right. Mm-hmm.
CAILAH:
And she shared such an encouraging message. She was on with our friends Kaylee and Meredith, and the conversation was called Does God Really See Me?
MELISSA:
Yes.
CAILAH:
And guys, if you have not listened to this conversation-
MELISSA:
Do it
CAILAH:
you have to.
MELISSA:
Yes.
CAILAH:
Honestly, I highly recommend going back and checking it out because especially if you've felt, like, overlooked or left out-
MELISSA:
Mm-hmm
CAILAH:
this conversation was for you.
MELISSA:
Yes.
CAILAH:
I left so encouraged and challenged, and I was like, "Okay, Lord, you see me."
MELISSA:
I've already listened-
CAILAH:
"You love me"
MELISSA:
to it twice.
CAILAH:
I know, honestly.
Yeah.
CAILAH:
And it has-
OGHOSA:
Aw ...
CAILAH:
blessed me-
MELISSA:
Mm-hmm ...
CAILAH:
so much, Oghosa, and I'm just so-
OGHOSA:
Aw ...
CAILAH:
pumped that you are here today, girl.
OGHOSA:
Yay.
CAILAH:
So, um, I wanted to ask you before we dive in-
OGHOSA:
Mm-hmm
CAILAH:
what is one fun fact about your morning routine that you would want to share with our listeners? Because I don't know about you, but I am a, if I don't have coffee before I talk to someone, I am going to be a little edgy. I don't know about you-
OGHOSA:
Yeah
CAILAH:
but I have to have my morning coffee. It's a must-have. What about you, Oghosa?
OGHOSA:
Yeah. Okay, so this is a funny one. I like to do a, a tomato face mask.
CAILAH:
Tomato.
OGHOSA:
So I do a tomato face mask-
CAILAH:
Okay
OGHOSA:
every morning, and it really helps to kinda tighten the pores.
CAILAH:
Oh, my goodness.
OGHOSA:
But also, it's like a natural vitamin C.
CAILAH:
Okay, period.
OGHOSA:
So I- Exactly.
MELISSA:
Wow.
OGHOSA:
And then I can rinse it off and put on my moisturizer and be good to go.
CAILAH:
Oh my goodness.
OGHOSA:
So that- ...
CAILAH:
Okay, that is why your skin is literally glowing-
MELISSA:
Mm-hmm
CAILAH:
Oghosa. Like, guys, if you could see her right now, her skin is so beautiful, so smooth-
OGHOSA:
Aw
CAILAH:
incredibly gorgeous. So-
OGHOSA:
Thank you
CAILAH:
I am writing this down. I'm like, do you make your own tomato face mask? I think we need the recipe. We need you to drop it in the chat-
MELISSA:
Yes
CAILAH:
and let us know-
OGHOSA:
Yeah.
CAILAH:
what face mask you are using to stay so beautiful all day long.
OGHOSA:
Oh, thank you.
MELISSA:
I think the tomato industry-
OGHOSA:
Yeah, I just cut a tomato
CAILAH:
Okay.
OGHOSA:
I just cut it.
CAILAH:
Period.
OGHOSA:
I slice it and just wipe it all over, keep it on for 15 minutes.
CAILAH:
Okay, that is a tip-
OGHOSA:
And then rinse it off
CAILAH:
and trick for the girlies.
MELISSA:
Girl.
CAILAH:
Everyone go out, grab a tomato, put that on your face.
MELISSA:
We just helped the tomato industry, like-
CAILAH:
Right?
MELISSA:
we're gonna be selling out of tomatoes.
CAILAH:
Well, that is such a tip. Um, Melissa, do you have one?
MELISSA:
For the morning?
CAILAH:
Yes.
MELISSA:
Okay. Morning routine. This is kind of a funny one. This is, like, towards the end of my routine when I'm s- ready to start getting ready and putting my makeup on.
Mm-hmm.
MELISSA:
I put my phone up and I watch episodes of Little House on the Prairie-
CAILAH:
Oh, my gosh
MELISSA:
as I'm getting ready
CAILAH:
that's so cute. That's so cute.
MELISSA
Yes.
CAILAH:
I definitely watch makeup tutorials as I'm getting ready in the morning. I- that's just me.
MELISSA
Yeah.
CAILAH:
But I'm, like, a skincare girlie. I have, like, a 15 to 20 minute- skincare routine that I do in the morning with my coffee, and I'm like, "This is my quiet time."
OGHOSA:
Yeah.
CAILAH:
I'll turn on some worship music, and I'm like, self-care, spending time with the Lord.
OGHOSA:
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
CAILAH:
You know, we love to see it.
MELISSA
Yeah.
CAILAH:
So all right, y'all, but we are in for a real treat. We had to invite our girl, Oghosa, back because she blessed us so much last time, and I know she's going to bless us again. And today she's going to be sharing such a special message from a very special book, the Book of Ezekiel. And I know it is going to really speak to your situation right now. Oghosa, we are so excited to learn from you. So I'm gonna pass the mic to you, girl. Lead us through. Lead us into God's word today.
OGHOSA:
Yeah. Yeah, thank you. Well, though I don't know you personally, I do know that you listening, like me, don't have to look very far to see that we are living in weary times. Many of us find ourselves worn down, and dare I say even somewhat discouraged by yet another headline story or the unending trials of many kind that seem to come one after another.
OGHOSA:
Or maybe it's our own besetting sin that weighs us down, leaving us feeling as though all hope has dried up. Whatever it is, I know that we've all had moments where we wonder, Lord, will things ever change? Will I ever change? But dear listener, as you peer out over the circumstances of your life, is there an area that feels dry, hopeless, or depleted?
OGHOSA:
Right now, as you're listening, I would venture to say that it's no accident or coincidence that God has you tuned in at this very hour. You might be driving in your car, folding your laundry, preparing a meal, sitting at your desk, or caring for little ones. But I wanna encourage you to lean in as we lift our eyes toward the God of the universe, who brings restoration not only to this world, but to our very souls.
OGHOSA:
Here's what we're gonna be reminded of today, is that God meets weary people in dry places through His Word and by His Spirit to bring restoration, often before the circumstances ever change. God meets weary people in dry places through His Word and by His Spirit to bring restoration, often before circumstances ever change.
OGHOSA:
I wanna pray for us before we get into this word, that God would just bless this hour once again. God, we confess that there is no situation beyond your reach or heart that is too broken for you to draw near. And as we're gonna see today, there is no valley too dry for your restoring power. I lift up every woman under the sound of my voice, and I pray that your Spirit, even now, will be tenderizing the heart so that your Word may fall on good ground.
OGHOSA:
That every person who right now feels hopeless or that they wanna quit or give up because they are weary, God, I pray that they would know deep within their soul that you are the same God who can look out over a valley of dry bones and cause them to live again. And if you can bring life in a valley to dry bones, there is no limit to what your Word and your Spirit and your power can do.
OGHOSA:
I pray that hope would arise even within this hour as we open the pages of your Word. In Jesus' name, we ask this. As we begin, I want you to imagine that one day God gives you a vision, and in it, you find yourself standing in a valley filled with bleached white, dry bones. These bones are very, very dry.
OGHOSA:
They are scattered across the barren landscape as far as the eye can see. The sun reflecting off them is so bright, so bright that it's almost blinding. But you get a little closer, and you look a little more intently, and you realize that these are not fresh remains. No, these bones have been here for a very long time.
OGHOSA:
The scene feels hopeless, depleted, lifeless, abandoned. It's as though a great battle was fought here and lost. Corpses are lying all across the battlefield. This is a vision the prophet Ezekiel stands beholding when we come to Ezekiel, chapter 37. God tells us in Ezekiel 37:11 that these dry bones represent his people, the whole house of Israel.
OGHOSA:
Their sin had led them into Babylonian exile. Their season of suffering and displacement had lasted so long that the people of God had come to believe, "Our bones are dried up. Our hope has perished. We are cut off," Ezekiel 37:11 tells us. In other words, the people of God were plain old tired.
OGHOSA:
Ever been there? Hope feels dried up. Strength feels dried up. Joy feels dried up. And if we're really honest, even our prayers feel dried up. For some of us, it's not hard to imagine what the valley might feel like right now, because we've been in one. But God will not leave His people lying in the valley forever. You see, right in the middle of all of that devastation, God gave the prophet and priest Ezekiel a vision, and in that vision, God asked him a question that quite literally was life-changing.
OGHOSA:
And it's actually a question that I'm convinced still confronts, but also comforts the people of God today. In verse three of Ezekiel says, "He asked me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?'" Can these bones live? God didn't say, "Son of man, are these bones dry?" That was obvious. But he asked whether they can live.
OGHOSA:
You see, God is interested in shifting Ezekiel's view from the condition of the valley to the one who holds the power over it. God knows that from our limited human perspective, it's easy to fix our eyes on what surrounds us, forgetting who it is we serve that stands with us. Oh, but the psalmist reminds us in Psalm 121:1-2, "I lift up my eyes toward the hill. From where doth my help cometh from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth."
OGHOSA:
When our eyes are so settled on our circumstances rather than lifted towards God, it's easy to lose hope. But when we lift our eyes towards God, we're reminded of His unchanging character and the promises He has penned all throughout the pages of scripture.
OGHOSA:
For me personally, I have to cultivate this discipline every single day of reminding my own heart to look to God. Because my eyes can become so fixed on the valley, on the diagnosis, on the broken relationship, on the unfulfilled dream, that before I know it, my entire view is filled with a single word: impossible.
OGHOSA:
I become so consumed with what I can see that I lose sight of the God who stands with me. But God says, "Look to me. Look to me. Look to me." And sisters, I wanna encourage you to lift your eyes from the valley and fix them on the God who sovereignly rules over it all. Lift your eyes from what is broken and look to the one who restores. Lift your eyes from what appears dead and look to the one who still gives life.
OGHOSA:
Ezekiel, standing in this valley, lifts his eyes and responds to the question at hand. He says, "Sovereign Lord, you alone know." So what is it that Ezekiel knows about the Lord's ability? Well, it's less about what Ezekiel knows and more about who he knows to be the one asking the question.
OGHOSA:
His confidence isn't in the valley before him, but in the unchanging character of the God who stands with him. Here's what you and I need to know, is that Ezekiel 37 sits right in between two of God's promises on restoration. In Ezekiel 36, God promises a new heart and a new spirit. In the second half of Ezekiel 37, verses 15 through 28, after this vision of the valley of dry bones, God uses the imagery of two sticks becoming one to reveal his promise to one day reunite his divided people.
OGHOSA:
So this vision of the valley of dry bones stands right in the middle of two of God's promises. So here's what Ezekiel knows, that the same God who has just promised to restore hearts and renew spirits is also the same God who is able to restore hope and revive what seems lifeless right in the valley.
OGHOSA:
And so Ezekiel testifies right in that valley, "Sovereign Lord, you alone know." How about us? Do we believe in God's character? Do we know the God who is able to bring life to what is dry and feels hopeless? Do we believe that the God who spoke over a valley of dry bones is the same God who still is at work today?
OGHOSA:
And if we do, then it won't surprise us that the life in the valley comes through the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Life becomes possible in the valley through the Word of God and the Spirit of God. Ezekiel goes on to tell us in verse four, "Then he said to me, 'Prophesy to these bones and say to them, "Dry bones, hear the Word of the Lord."'"
OGHOSA:
Here's the first thing we see in God's work of restoration, His Word at work. It isn't Ezekiel's know-how. It isn't his eloquence or positive thinking in the valley. God's Word has got the power. There is no true restoration apart from the Word of God. The Psalms sing of the restoring power of God's Word.
OGHOSA:
Psalm 19:7 says, "The instruction of the Lord is perfect, renewing one's life." Psalm 119:25 says, "My life was down in the dust. Give me life through your Word." Psalm 119:50, "This is my comfort in my affliction. Your promise has given me life." Psalm 107:20, "He sent His Word and healed them. He rescued them from their traps."
OGHOSA:
Oh, dear sisters, I wanna encourage you, I wanna encourage us to grab hold of God's Word. Read it aloud. Pray it back to God. Write out its words. Meditate on it. Memorize it. Whatever you have to do to get God's Word in you. God may not immediately restore your circumstance, but watch how He restores your very soul, even in a valley.
OGHOSA:
If we long for restoration in our homes, our churches, o- our communities, it must begin with the intake of God's Word. But it's not only God's Word we desperately need, it's also God's Spirit. We read in verse six, God says, "I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord."
OGHOSA:
See, life becomes possible in the valley through the Word of God and also the Spirit of God. By now you may be noticing that Ezekiel's vision calls to mind the creation account in Genesis 1:2. Just as the God of the heaven and Earth spoke creation into being and breathed life into the first man, so His Word is proclaimed and His breath enters His weary, exiled people here in the Book of Ezekiel.
OGHOSA:
The same God who brought life in the beginning- It's the same God who brings restoration to what is hopeless and lifeless in the valley. Life becomes possible in the valley through the Word of God and the Spirit of God. But I wanna show you something fascinating in this text that quite literally has a potential to shift the way you and I see God and even our circumstances.
OGHOSA:
Some of us listening today are convinced that restoration begins when God changes our circumstance. We're convinced that restoration only comes if that relationship is healed, if the diagnosis changes, if the season finally ends, then I'll know that God has restored, that God is a restorer. But Ezekiel's vision tells us a different story.
OGHOSA:
You see, the bones come to life while they are still in the valley. God did not remove the valley first or the bones. The bones rattled and began shaking. Tendons form and flesh appeared, breath enter them while they were still in the valley. The miracle wasn't just that the bones came to life. The miracle was also that God brought life in the valley and hope and exile to his people.
OGHOSA:
God's restoration had already begun before his people physically saw their circumstance change. Some of us may be waiting for God to remove the valley before we'll praise him as restorer. But all throughout scripture, we see that God often begins his restorative work long before his people can physically see the outcome.
OGHOSA:
In Philippians 1:6, the Apostle Paul reminds believers, "I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it out to completion until the day of Jesus Christ." God's restoration is not only something we celebrate after the valley, it is something we trust that he is accomplishing while we walk through it.
OGHOSA:
Interestingly though, the imagery of bones appears elsewhere in scripture. In the Psalms, David writes that his bones wasted away because of unconfessed sin, Psalm 32:3. That there was no health in his bones because of his iniquity, Psalm 38:3, and yet he prays, "Let the bones you have crushed rejoice," even before he saw God's restoration He prays in Psalm 51:8, "Let me hear joy and gladness.
OGHOSA:
Let the bones you have crushed rejoice." So I dare you sisters to praise Him in the valley. I dare you to trust Him in the valley. I dare you to believe that God is at work in the valley, not because the valley itself brings life, but because the God who walks with you there is faithful to complete the restoring work He has begun.
OGHOSA:
Ezekiel 37 reminds us that God's greatest work is not merely changing our location, though He would one day bring His people back to their homeland as promised. But God's greatest work was in transforming their condition, moving them toward restoration, and we serve that same restoring God. The valley may remain for a season, but the people of God do not have to remain lifeless within it.
OGHOSA:
And that should encourage us today as believers, because this story that we read in Ezekiel 37 is a lot like our story. You see, Ephesians 2:4-5 tells us that though we were dead in our trespasses, God, being rich in mercy, made us alive together with Christ, and we have been given the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.
OGHOSA:
And yet, while every Christian today is indwelt with the Spirit of God, Scripture continuously calls us to walk by the Spirit, Galatians 5:16. Be filled with the Spirit, Ephesians 5:18. Set our minds on the Spirit, Romans 8:5-6. Not quench the Spirit, 1 Thessalonians 5:19. And to not grieve the Spirit, Ephesians 4:30.
OGHOSA:
So even when we find ourselves feeling hopeless or weary or defeated by life circumstance, or maybe even our own sin, we grieve, but we do not grieve without hope. We lift our eyes. We lift our eyes, even though they may be filled with tears and heaviness, and we return once again to the Lord, clinging to the promises of His Word to restore us because we are thoroughly convinced that His commands brings life So we keep trusting, we keep obeying, and we keep looking to God, believing that the good work the Restorer has begun in us, He will not abandon.
OGHOSA:
He will bring it to completion, to wholeness, to full restoration. Life becomes possible in the valley through the Word of God and the Spirit of God. So here's a reflection I wanna leave you with in closing. There's a repeated phrase throughout this passage of Ezekiel 37:1-14.
OGHOSA:
Ezekiel 37:6, "Then you will know that I am the Lord." Ezekiel 37:13, "You will know that I am the Lord." Ezekiel 37:14, "Then you will know that I am the Lord." Sisters, it's about knowing Him. Every area of our lives, the valleys and the mountaintops alike, is an open door to know the God of the universe more intimately, to know our God, to pour out our heart before Him and say, "Lord, I lift my eyes to see you.
OGHOSA:
I wanna see your restoration, but even more than that, I want to encounter you. I wanna know you as my Restorer. I believe in you and I trust in your character." Some of us may need to pray that again and again until our heart catches up with our words.
OGHOSA:
So we pray for circumstances to change. We pray for the healing to come. We pray for restoration of that relationship. We pray for the prodigal to come home. We pray for the diagnosis to improve. We pray for the valley to end, but we remember that ultimately, we don't have to wait for our circumstances to change in order to experience and know God as Restorer. If you woke up this morning and there is still breath in your lungs, God is not finished with you. He still has purpose for your life.
OGHOSA:
Lift up your eyes. From where your help cometh, your help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and Earth. Turn to Him, that you might know that He is the Lord
CAILAH:
Whoo.
MELISSA
Amen, sister. Whoo.
CAILAH:
I, I have no words right now. I just feel so blessed, Oghosa. I literally-
OGHOSA:
Oh
CAILAH:
was looking over at Melissa and I said, "I don't know if you see the goosebumps on my arms right now," but the Holy Spirit was here with us-
OGHOSA:
Aw
CAILAH:
right now.
OGHOSA:
Amen.
CAILAH:
And I needed that word because I, I know so many of the women listening, including myself, are walking through difficult things that may feel like they've been in a valley season for a really long time. With me, it's my infertility journey, and my husband and I having been married for 10 years and having no biological children and trying to trust the Lord That promised good things to us, but not-
OGHOSA:
Yeah
CAILAH:
seeing the fruition of those things.
OGHOSA:
Yeah. Wow.
CAILAH:
And I know so many other women are walking through their own situations.
MELISSA
Right.
OGHOSA:
Yeah.
CAILAH:
Their own pain, their own heartache, their own disappointment, and saying, "God, where are you in the middle of this? I'm looking at this valley, and all I see are dry bones."
OGHOSA:
Mm.
CAILAH:
"How could they live again?"
MELISSA
Right.
OGHOSA:
Yeah.
CAILAH:
And I love what you said. God didn't remove the valley. He spoke life-
OGHOSA:
Yes
CAILAH:
into a dry place.
OGHOSA:
Yes.
CAILAH:
And restoration had begun before
OGHOSA:
Yes
CAILAH:
their circumstance had changed.
OGHOSA:
Yes.
CAILAH:
And so I wanted to ask you, Oghosa-
OGHOSA:
Yeah
CAILAH:
what is one practical way that you can help recommend us to recenter our eyes on God today, in the middle of busy schedules, in the middle of unimaginable-
OGHOSA:
Mm.
MELISSA
Right
CAILAH:
situations.
OGHOSA:
Yes. In the middle of what seems to be these impossible mountains that will just not move, what is one practical step we could take-
MELISSA
Yeah
CAILAH:
today to say, "God, I'm shifting my eyes from this impossible situation and onto you"?
OGHOSA:
Yep. I think one of the things that has been so beneficial to me, and I've seen in so many other women's lives, is to read over these psalms.
CAILAH:
Yeah.
OGHOSA:
So many of the psalms help to express what we're feeling. They help to give us language around our grief, but they also, so many of them, end in lifting our eyes toward the one who is able to bring change, but also to take us deeper in knowing him. So I would even say to get honest with God.
CAILAH:
Yeah, that's so good.
OGHOSA:
In those moments where we feel, "Man, God, I'm upset. I'm angry." "I'm frustrated." Being able to go to God and say, "This is how I feel." "But God, I lift my eyes. From where my help cometh from?" "And I know that my help cometh from the Lord." And so to be able to express how we feel.
CAILAH:
Yes.
OGHOSA:
To be honest with God, but then turn and say "But I lift my eyes towards you."
CAILAH:
Yes, that's so good.
OGHOSA:
And I think that the psalms help us, give us language, but I think we also have language in the depth of our soul that we've been carrying.
CAILAH:
Yes.
OGHOSA:
We can express to God about how we feel and what we're going through. So I would say expressing our grief toward God and lifting our eyes toward him, and then I think borrowing language from the psalms, and reading through them and helping us to shift our eyes toward the one who we know is with us, standing in that valley.
CAILAH: Yes.
OGHOSA:
But he's also able to bring life and restoration-
CAILAH:
Right
OGHOSA:
through his Spirit and through his Word.
CAILAH:
I love what you just said there, because you said It's so important to take a moment to get honest with God.
MELISSA
Yeah.
CAILAH:
And yesterday actually in our staff meeting-
MELISSA
I was thinking about this.
CAILAH:
I thought it, this is crazy because
MELISSA:
I can't. It's such a God thing right now.
CAILAH:
It really is. It really is because Melissa actually shared our devotion yesterday
OGHOSA:
Wow
CAILAH:
in our staff meeting, and Melissa, I, I want you to share a little bit about what you had shared at the beginning about what you do to get honest with God.
MELISSA:
Yeah, well, first of all, it was like a, a two and a half year wilderness for me. And I consider myself a strong Christian woman, but I kind of wasn't doing all these things that you've, you've shared with us, and, um- I just started writing letters to God. I couldn't really pray. And I wasn't opening the Word. So I just started writing letters to Him, and I filled a whole notebook over the course of a year writing these letters to God.
MELISSA:
And what I found is that just communicating with Him like that
OGHOSA:
Yep
MELISSA:
at least I was communicating with Him. It doesn't replace getting in the Word and things like that, but it was something that I could do. But then I listened to this devotion, and, um, I realized also through my letter writing there were so many things I needed to confess to God.
MELISSA:
And I had always looked at confession as something God wants me to do so I would do it, but not really experiencing what it did in my heart. It wasn't just, "Hey, God." He already knows what you've done, right? But, um, confession changed my life. And it actually helped me see the beauty in the wilderness.
MELISSA:
And it helped me face things about myself I hadn't really faced in a, I guess a positive or healthy way before. And even though there were circumstances, I wa- didn't just fall into a di- a ditch and stay there. There were circumstances that I think helped me to get there. But wow, when I started confessing, and then I got back to my structured quiet time and getting in the Word. And all of that just helped so much.
MELISSA:
And Oghosa, I just know there are women out there, and they're gonna listen to this and then they're gonna go "Oh, how do I get the energy to get started?" And I'm so glad you shared all these scriptures. I couldn't even write them down fast enough.
MELISSA:
I bet you shared at least 50 today. I'm-
CAILAH:
Yeah.
MELISSA:
It was a lot.
CAILAH:
I was like, God's Word is all
MELISSA:
Yes
CAILAH:
on this lady right now. I love it
MELISSA:
So I would say if you're listening and you didn't get all that, listen again and listen again, and write down those scriptures. That way you don't have to just open your Bible and go “where do I start?” You've given us such a great place to start because you opened this by going over things that are really weighing. They're real things that are weighing on us. Even if it's not a health problem-
CAILAH:
Totally
MELISSA:
or something else. It, it... There's just trials and tribulations everywhere.
OGHOSA:
That's right.
MELISSA:
And so-
OGHOSA:
And I love what you s- oh, you go ahead. I'm sorry.
MELISSA:
No, you go ahead. You go ahead.
OGHOSA:
Oh.
MELISSA:
I wanna hear from you.
OGHOSA:
And I, I really appreciate what you said because so often we don't realize that that thing that we're holding, that we're not confessing is, is, is almost like this barrier-
CAILAH:
Yes. Totally.
OGHOSA:
there, you know? It's so amazing that once you confess, you're like, "Oh, I was able to kinda get back to that quiet time with God and wanting that." Yeah. Because sometimes that can be standing in that, the way of us really getting intimate with God, and I think a lot of times we kinda feel like we have to have these sanitized prayers-
CAILAH:
Yeah
OGHOSA:
or-
MELISSA:
Right
OGHOSA:
um, you know, we have to come to God a certain way. But God wants us in every season that we're walking through, the highs and the lows. And when we're upset and when we're angry, like, our God is big enough to, he's big enough to carry all that. And when we go to him with that, we're saying, "God, I trust you with this. ButI believe that you're big enough for my emotions, for my feelings, for how I am seeing this situ- Like, like, I trust you." And it takes, I think, I think that takes faith, too. It takes faith to go to God with the things that are bothering us or making us angry or frustrated. Like, that takes a lot of faith to be able to say, "I'm gonna go to you when I'm not-
CAILAH:
Totally
OGHOSA:
happy about this, and I and I feel like you could change it, but you're not." You know? And so, and so that, that's a faith move, too. And so I was just really encouraged by what you're sharing because God wants us to be honest, and He's like, "I know how you feel already. Just come."
CAILAH:
Yeah.
MELISSA:
Right.
OGHOSA:
"Talk, talk to me about it."
MELISSA:
Right.
CAILAH:
Yeah. I, I think it's insane that one of the most used tactics of the enemy is to use shame to silence us.
OGHOSA:
Yeah. That's right.
CAILAH:
He wants-
OGHOSA:
That's right
CAILAH:
to get us into this cycle where we, we feel ashamed, so we don't go to God.
MELISSA:
Right.
OGHOSA:
Right.
CAILAH:
We feel ashamed, so we don't bring God
OGHOSA:
That's right
CAILAH:
the things that we're scared that He might judge us for-
MELISSA:
Right
CAILAH:
or condemn us for.
MELISSA:
Right.
CAILAH:
But God is a loving father. Yes, He is a judge, and He is just, and He is perfect, and He has a standard, but the blood of Christ covers-
MELISSA:
He's forgiving, yes.
CAILAH:
and He is forgiving. And every time we come to Him, and we open our hands and lay our burdens at the feet of Jesus-
OGHOSA:
Yep
CAILAH:
the blood of the Lamb washes us clean when we confess. And I love what scripture says. He is faithful to forgive us-
OGHOSA:
That's right
CAILAH:
our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.
MELISSA:
Right.
OGHOSA:
Mm-hmm.
CAILAH:
Ooh, that is, that is the part hat gets me every time.
MELISSA:
Yeah.
CAILAH:
I'm like, every time I fail, every time I fall, God is- When I bring it to God, He cleanses me-
MELISSA:
Right
CAILAH:
and restores me-
OGHOSA:
That's right
CAILAH:
and makes me new.
OGHOSA:
That's right.
CAILAH:
And oh, my goodness, I am just so encouraged. So I wanna challenge every woman who's listening today. I want you to re-listen to this podcast. So don't just listen to it once. Put it in the car. Listen to it another time because this was too good not to get. And I want you to get a stack of sticky notes. I want you to write these scripture references on them, and I want you to put them on your mirror this week because I know when we get God's word in front of us it changes everything.
MELISSA:
Right.
CAILAH:
And so I just want to say- What an incredible conversation today. And I am so excited that we had Oghosa here today, so thank you, my friend. This has been such a gift, and I know our P31 audience wants to connect with you girls. So where can we find you? What socials? Where can we follow you?
OGHOSA:
Yay.
CAILAH:
'Cause we gotta, we gotta-
MELISSA:
Yes
CAILAH:
stay in touch, girl.
MELISSA:
Yes.
OGHOSA:
Yes, we do. Well, I have my website, which is my first and last name.
CAILAH:
Yes.
OGHOSA:
Oghosa Iyamu, O-G-H-O-S-A Iyamu, I-Y-A-M-U.com. I am also on Instagram. Um, my name is on there. It'll be two I's, so it's Oghosa-
CAILAH:
Gotcha ...
OGHOSA:
O-G-H-O-S-A I, and then Iy for my last name, Y-A-M-U. Um, yeah, so I'm kind of, I'm kind of everywhere.
MELISSA:
All right.
CAILAH:
All right. Give our girl a follow. Give our girl-
MELISSA:
Yes
CAILAH:
a follow because if you have been blessed today, she has incredible content that you will not want to miss out on. And I just wanna say thank you, guys. Thank you for being here today. Thank you for leaning in, and thank you, Oghosa, again for being such a gift to not only our audience, but the gift to women all over, over the world who are just hungry for God's word. And thank you for being such an incredible steward of God's word.
MELISSA:
Amazing, yes, yes. And if this podcast has helped you in any way, well, first of all, tell your friends about it, okay?
CAILAH:
Yes, please do.
MELISSA:
Yes, share. If you know someone who's struggling with this and you've wondered how you could help them, this could be such a blessing to help them begin to come out of that so that they will know that He is the Lord as we heard so many times today. But also, we'd love to know about it if this has helped you. So please consider leaving us a written review on Apple Podcast or writing us using the link in the show notes below because we really do cherish reading all of the impact stories that come through, and we cannot wait to read yours.
CAILAH:
Well, friends, that is all for today. At Proverbs 31 Ministries, we believe that when you know the truth and live the truth, it truly changes everything