Christ With Coffee On Ice - you don't need to perform anymore.

Episode Date: September 2, 2026

Hey y'all ! Welcome to another Wednesday with CWCOI ! In this week's episode, our host, Ally Yost talks about the simple parts of being a follower of Jesus and how we shouldn't lose sight of those. It can be easy for us to start making our own plans and try to control everything and sometimes forget to sit with God and ask Him to examine our hearts. "Fear the Lord, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need. Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing." Psalm 34:9-10 _____________________________________________ ☆ PRE-ORDER 'LOVE THAT LASTS' HERE: https://allyyost.com/en-usd/pages/book ☆ OUR NEW MERCH IS LIVE! SHOP AT: https://allyyost.com ☆ MY BIBLE (code 'ALLYYOST' at checkout) ➤ https://hosannarevival.com/collections/beautiful-bibles/products/nlt-notetaking-bible-belfast-theme ☆ TUMBLER LINK ➤ https://allyyost.com/products/cwcoi-glass-tumbler-white _____________________________________________ Connect further with us ! TikTok ➤ https://www.tiktok.com/@christwithcoffeeonice  Instagram ➤ https://instagram.com/christwithcoffeeonice  _____________________________________________ Connect further with Ally ! TikTok (2M) ➤ https://www.tiktok.com/@ally_yost  Instagram ➤ https://www.instagram.com/ally_yost/  ShopMy ➤ https://shopmy.us/allyyost  Pinterest ➤ https://www.pinterest.com/ally_yost1/_created/

Hello, everybody. Welcome to another episode of Christ with coffee on ice. I am your host, Allie Yost. It is a joy and honor to be here with you guys today. Happy Wednesday, everybody. Welcome back. Welcome back or welcome for the first time. If you've never tuned in, hey, I am Allie. I already introduced myself, actually, so I don't know why I'm saying my name again. But, Hi guys. Happy Wednesday. I am very excited for today's episode. And if you guys don't mind, I would love to let you in on my mind lately, just some things that I personally have been having realizations about and just recent aha moments I've had with God. And it's funny. I feel like the aha moments I've had lately, like I don't know if you guys relate to this. I would imagine probably a lot of you do. but I feel like so many times more than not, I actually have to be reminded at the basics of what it means to follow Jesus. And yeah, that's it. That actually was the end of my sentence. Sorry, period. Done. But I genuinely sometimes I'll feel frustrated with myself where I'm like, dang, this feels like so

like foundational, like ground zero. This is where it begins. And so many times I feel like I actually lose sight of like the simple parts of being a follower of Jesus and just loving Jesus and being a disciple of his. And I think that's actually how it is for a lot of us because I think in our human nature we kind of just, it's, it's easy for us to start making our own plans and to kind of go by our own structure and rules. And if we don't catch ourselves, if we're not quick to repent if we're not quick to sit down with the Lord and really ask him to examine our hearts. Like I don't know if I've been doing a lot of that lately, if I'm being honest. Like the whole like, hey God, well, you actually just examine my heart and reveal to me things

that maybe I have not seen or maybe ways that I've been living or thinking that I didn't realize I've been doing or if there's been things I've been putting above you. Like I genuinely haven't done that and I have had to repent of that. being like, oh, God, I am forgetting the basics and I'm forgetting to like let you in and be the boss, you know? And not the, not a boss in like like a dictator way, but I'm just like, I feel like a lot of times I want to grab control. And I think that, and I've been kind of open with you guys about what I've been going through the last couple of months, which I still don't even have full language for. Words are hard when it comes to my feelings for whatever reason, which is something

I'm practicing in therapy, which I'm very excited about. I'm sure that. out with you guys. But yeah, I don't have total language for what it is that I've been walking through with the Lord other than it's been very sanctifying. And that's fine that I don't have language for it because it's not the point of what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that because of the discomfort of what I've been walking through with the Lord with like him just refining me. And this has come back to my mind so many times since doing this episode and doing the research that I did prior. but the episode that we did a few weeks ago about how our brain has to literally, it makes like neuro pathways in our mind and how it's actually so relevant to what scripture says,

where it is only by the Holy Spirit that God renews our mind and that our minds need renewal. Because the truth is, is like the brokenness of this world and, you know, trauma that we've been through relationships that we've been in through whatever dynamics words that have been spoken over us like ways that our body has learned how to protect itself in seeing patterns like that like unhealthy patterns like patterns of brokenness that we've done to the reality of the world that we live in but because of that it's like our brains just they make these neural pathways that we're never actually supposed to be there and so it's such a gift that we have the holy spirit right because he is the only one that can kind of undo those grooves and those paths that have been made in our mind.

And obviously it takes time. And it doesn't take just one renewing of the mind from the Holy Spirit. It's like over and over again. But eventually there will be new pathways that will be made in your mind. And so that is something that comes to my brain all the time as I'm still navigating and learning and unlearning things. And I feel like that's the season I've been in actually is like I've described it as grief to to you guys where I'm like I don't know it just feels like I'm grieving like I'm in a lot of pain and I'm feeling lost but I don't know what I'm losing and I think the truth is is like I am in a season of God like heavily renewing my mind and and teaching me how to unlearn things that I thought were normal and it's just how my brains operated my entire life and

that's painful like that's been so uncomfortable and so I think what I'm saying is that in that discomfort of having God slowly renewing my mind and like really weeding out all of the garbage that's been in my brain for so long. Like these these roots go deep y'all. Okay. If some of you guys can relate to that, hall, we're in this together. But those roots go deep and it takes time. It's been taking time. Sometimes I wake up and I'm like, God, are we done yet? things sometimes my brain which un- Okay, and then the lessons are endless. Then I feel God being like,

when you go through times of resistance and hardship, Ali, do you just like try to pray it away? Or do you actually look at me and say, okay, God, what are you doing in me in this season where you're allowing this? Because there's a reason you're allowing it and it has to be through your kindness because you are only kind.

But I do. I think a lot of times I'm like, okay, God, I've had enough. like I'm done. I just want to feel better now. I want to feel comfortable. I don't want to feel like this. And it's always about my feelings. I think something God has been showing me too is that my feelings matter a lot to me, which again, feelings do matter. But so many times in my attempts to control, I kind of use my feelings as a compass still sometimes. And it's not the best habit because like we've said many a times here on the podcast. Our feelings are not a good master. Our feelings are not a good god. Our feelings are not a good compass. They're a great indicator, but they are not something to

trust in, you know, like to fully put our trust in our feelings. No, because they're fleeting. They're unpredictable. One minute allie's up, the next minute she's down. And so it is what it is, right? And I think that's another thing Jesus is showing me is that I really, really love my feelings and that can be a good thing. I'm glad I'm a feeler. I am. I'm a deep feeler and I actually do believe that's a gift that the Lord has given me, but I don't want to trust my gift more than I trust the person who gave me the gift. You know, we shouldn't trust our gifts more than the gift giver himself. I'm learning so many things in the season I've been walking through. But with all of that being said like I genuinely I've been trying to grasp onto control any way I can and I've kind of

turned into a Martha I think and if you don't know that story I would love to read it to you guys today but that's what we're going to talk about is the story of Martha and Mary and if you think you are just Mary all the time I have some bad news for you no there's always a little bit of Martha and all of us and that's the truth I've had seasons where I have truly been very much like Mary, for sure. But don't think that you're any better than Martha and you can't be a Martha sometimes because y'all, I have been in my Martha era and it sucks. I have been very sad to realize it, not because Martha isn't a sister and we love her, we do. And her intentions are pure. And that's what we're going to read in the story is that her intentions, I should at least

say, come from a good place. And yeah, I've been a little bummed that I've been a little bummed that I've like allowed myself to get to this place, but I think it's because I haven't been willing to slow down and genuinely ask the Lord to examine my heart because it hurts too bad and I don't like that. And I also have really been thriving, having, yeah, okay, thriving. Not really. But it makes me feel better. There they are the feelings. Okay. It makes me feel better when I feel like I'm in control. So I don't think I've been thriving being in control of my own life because it's actually also been making me miserable at the same time. And I I think that there has been, yeah, there's just been a lot of performance in my relationship with Jesus lately. And I hope that's okay for me to admit and confess to you guys. I have been trying to do my best for Jesus. And then he meets me with a, when did I ever ask you to do your best? And then I'm like, oh, wait, I guess you never actually asked me to do my best. You just asked me and just love you and look at you and let you be my best.

Like there is, it's just, I've fallen into striving and performing to Jesus. And it actually feels so good to acknowledge it and say it out loud and to confess it to you guys. I've already confessed it to him and repented. And repentance is such a gift. I know that that word can sound really like scary. Because I think people have put really scary things on that word, unfortunately, and have used it in a way to make it scary, but it's not. Repentance is actually a gift and it's an opportunity to say, Oh, I see this thing that I've been doing that's actually been putting me in chains. Oh, that's why I've been feeling so heavy. I don't want to do that anymore.

God, I want to do this now. Show me how to do this now. That's repentance. It's just like turning away from the very thing that, yes, is sin. But it's also bondage. It's not freedom. And it's not what God wants for you. So it's saying, oh, oh, oh, I see that.

Okay, ew. Yeah, no, that's not good. Oh, okay, that explains why I've been feeling like garbage. Okay, I want to do this now. I want to do the, whatever the 180 of that is, God, show me the way. I want to do that. I'm turning now. That's repentance.

It's beautiful. It's a gift. And, believe it or not, even in that, you get to grow deeper in intimacy with Jesus because of the gift of repentance. So don't be scared of it. It's awesome. And Jesus is really stoked when you do it because then he's like, yes. Okay.

Now I can show you. Freedom. I've already washed you. You're clean. My blood's already covered it. You don't have to, like, perform anymore. Trust me out. you're good you've done enough performing sister you don't need to do anything else to make up for it

repentance is enough just turn from it and look at me and so anyway that feels really good to get off my chest because it's been something i've been doing and i didn't see it and i didn't see it because i haven't been sitting down to say god show me is there anything in my heart rate i think it's it's really dangerous when we feel like we could be in a good place where we don't have anything to repent for because it's just not true there's probably something there's got to be something why because we're flawed not because you're a loser not because you're a failure but because you're flawed and so i think before our brains go to spiraling down into the i can never do anything right and i just always have to repent there's always something wrong or there's just always an opportunity to go deeper with jesus and to receive

freedom from him which is the best feeling in the world so you know pick your perspective but that's Another thing God has been showing me is perspective. And I think every time that I get to this place of being like, oops, okay, I failed. I feel like God's been like, yeah, okay, that's a perspective. Or do you think maybe that this is actually an opportunity where I get to now sanctify you further and like you get to look more like me? It's an opportunity where I get to teach you more. And you actually even get to experience more parts of me that you've never seen before.

because there's so much more of Jesus to experience. I've been really clocked by the Holy Spirit about perspective. Can I actually read something to you guys? I posted this on Instagram and I put some thoughts in a reel that I posted. Okay. And what I put on the real was you only have as many good things going for you in life that you're willing to notice. I'm using myself as an example because this is just what I've been walking through.

And I just hope that if anyone else is walking through something similar, that you also feel seen, heard and loved in that. Like, you're not alone. We're in this together. All of us are. Have you guys ever walked through a really hard season? It could feel more spiritual or it could feel more whatever. But like, whatever that looks like, whether it's God like literally pruning you or life is just lifing really hard. But it's tough and you're uncomfortable. And it's lasting a lot longer than you had hoped. You were hoping maybe it would only last a day or a week. Worst case scenario a month, but it's been months. Maybe it's been years, okay?

And you're like, wow, when am I ever going to get out of this? And then it's really hard to even, I think perspective is really important when going through times that are challenging, when you're feeling resistance in your life. And something that the Lord has been showing me is that my perspective has not been awesome when I face resistance. And that's been humbling. in a lot of ways I feel like he's growing me up and maturing me that way, but I can be a little bit of a negative Nelly. And I think the only way that God can actually strengthen us spiritually and strengthen our minds is by allowing us to go through hardships and saying, okay, and so what perspective are you going to choose?

Are you going to choose the perspective that's like, okay, everything is going wrong? I just want to get out of this already. I don't like this. I don't feel comfortable anymore. Like I haven't felt comfortable in a long time. I thought this was going to be over by now. When is it going to end God? Seasons where you're genuinely even probably questioning the character of God.

I don't think that we can grow deeper with Jesus and just become stronger, spiritually, mentally, all of that without facing seasons like that. Without facing seasons where we genuinely are questioning the character of God or questioning if you'll ever get out of it, you know? And that is real, but there is a perspective in that. I think that Job did a great job at this where I'm sure he questioned a lot. But at the end of the day, he still decided to have a perspective of like, but my God is good. And I haven't been awesome at that. Some questions that I think have been really challenging me lately just in the last few months. Honestly, in the last couple of weeks, these are the kinds of questions that I've felt the Lord kind of

prompt me towards but questions like when life gets uncomfortable are you more focused on getting out of it or on who Jesus is forming you into through it i don't always have the perspective of like okay god what are you forming in me because obviously i'm feeling resistance this is very uncomfortable i'm going through a really hard season but instead of just saying how uncomfortable i am or trying to figure out ways of how to get out of it by grasping control myself instead of doing those things instead i feel like those are the things i do more of than actually genuinely asking jesus what he's doing like i'm like forgetting that he's sovereign over all of it and he's allowing it and so if i remember that and i know that then it immediately leads me to the question of okay so what are you doing in me god

another question is what if the things you keep calling a setback or a failure is actually Jesus in his kindness inviting you to be sanctified through it and I think even me finally getting to a place of being like okay god examine my heart show me the things that don't please you or show me the things that are keeping me in bondage and then he shows me it sometimes I can fall into this place of like oh and I'm a literal failure because I should know better than this like this is giving basic basic foundational ways to live our lives as Christians like these are the things that I first learned about how am I already forgetting it but I think something that is so the character of Jesus is him being like hey or you could just not look at it as your failure

and look at it as an opportunity or an invitation in my kindness for you to be sanctified through this you know and i think yeah i'm just i've been really quick to be like and you failed and that's actually probably not the case every time it's like or god is just like this setback or this thing that you feels like a huge failure on your shoulders or it's the very thing that god wants to grow you in you know and that sounds so simple it sounds a little Pinterest board you know like a Pinterest quote or a quote you'd see in hobby lobby like i don't know but it could sound a little basic but it's so true. I've forgotten that.

When you face resistance, do you immediately think something's wrong? Or could you consider maybe God is actually using this to grow you? Clocked me. Clocked me with that. The statement that God has really been drilling into my mind lately is that the way we experience life is heavily shaped by the perspective we choose. And I think the perspective that we choose in life is also where our actions, come from, you know, or like bleed out of. It's like our perspective actually shapes everything. It shapes the way that we show up in life. It shapes the way that we act, the way that we trust God,

the way that we even see him. And yeah, I think my perspective has really stunk lately, which is then put me in a place of feeling like I have to perform for God because I'm not remembering that he's sovereign and that he allows things actually in his kindness, even when it doesn't make sense. I forgot that. And I've been trying to grab the steering wheel of my life. I think that's very much a Martha move of me to make. Is trying to run around and do all of these things to be perfect for God

when he never asked me to do that. Ever. Like when I genuinely, when I go to the Lord and I'm like, okay, God, this is all the things I've been feeling and I just want to do this and I just want to be the best I can and I just want to do that. It's so wild how his response is always so simple and it's when did I tell you to do that? Okay, Allie, can you tell me the moment in which we sat down together and I told you that that's what I wanted from you? And then I'm like, oh right, you're right.

I actually don't remember that moment. I think I made that up. Or I think an external voice actually told me that. So the story of Martha and Mary, I would love to read it to you guys. I also would love if you guys read along with me. I'm going to be reading out of my cute butter yellow Bible from Hosanna Revival. We're going into the gospel of Luke. This is Luke 10, chapter 10, verse 38 is where it starts.

And just to give you guys a little bit of background, we see Martha and Mary also in the book of John a couple of times. we see them again where Jesus raises their brother, Lazarus, from the dead. And then again, in John chapter 12, where Mary anoints Jesus' feet with expensive perfume, while Martha serves a meal. Okay. And so that actually is the same story that we're reading out of the gospel of Luke. But first let's read the story. Then let's talk about it.

Let's talk about the contrast. Let's talk about why we love both of these women so much. and what Jesus asks of both of them. And just a teenyy bit more information about Martha and Mary. So Martha, Mary, and Lazarus were obviously all siblings. And they lived in Bethany, which was a village just outside of Jerusalem. And we aren't told exactly how they first met Jesus or when their friendship began. But the Gospels make it very clear that Jesus had a particularly close relationship with this family.

So we don't really know where this deep friendship between the four of them started, but this is a family that is very dear to Jesus and they're all really close friends. So we are going to verse 38. Jesus visits Martha and Mary. And just for context, too, I am reading the new living translation, an L.T. As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Marry. Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, Lord, doesn't it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work?

Tell her to come and help me. But the Lord said to her, my dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all of these details. There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it and it will not be taken away from her. So in this story, it's clear that both Martha and Mary care deeply about Jesus and him visiting and being there. But they're both doing two very different things. Like in Martha's world, the thing that was the most important to her was making sure that everything was done. Everything was ready. Everything was taking care of. And that her, the dinner that she was going to be hosting for everybody, including Jesus, would be ready. Meanwhile, Mary, in her mind, what was most important was actually just sitting at the feet of Jesus and hearing

about what he had to say. And Martha was so frustrated that she was running all around. I mean, imagine she's like probably sweating. She's making all the food. She's cooking bread. She's cleaning everything. She's like trying to make things perfect for Jesus. Right? good heart she cares but she's so frustrated that mary wouldn't help her with that and so she feels like all the weight is on her shoulders where she's like sorry god lord don't you think it's a little unfair that i'm like running around like working my tail off right now and my sister just it gets to sit here and then enjoy all the fruits of my labor as i worked so hard to make the most perfect night and jesus is like martha mary actually has to

discovered the very thing that matters and no one's going to take that from her. I love you, but you're not right in this moment. And I think that something that's very real about what Martha is demonstrating for a lot of us because we're all guilty of this at one point in our journey with Jesus. And it's that we can be serving Jesus and still be distracted from him. And that's what Martha was doing. She was serving him. Everything that she was doing was coming from a place of being like, Lord, I want to make sure this is perfect for you. What do you mean?

You're so important to me. The fact that you're even in my home, like, this is such a huge deal. So she's serving Jesus, but she's totally distracted from him. Martha wasn't out doing something sinful. She was literally serving him. That's what makes this story so convicting. sometimes the things competing with intimacy with God are good things. That could be ministry.

It could be work. It could be the way that you're investing in relationships, you know, to try to bring them closer to Jesus. And it's not that Martha's problem was serving. Like that wasn't the issue, right? It wasn't actually an issue that she was preparing the home and preparing a dinner and doing all that she could. Luke says here that she was distracted with much serving.

And even in this moment, Jesus is not rebuking Martha for serving. He's not saying that that's actually the problem of like what she's doing. But what he actually did was he pointed out what her serving was doing inside of her, which was she was anxious and she was troubled and she was stressed, right? She was so stressed that she looks at Mary and she's like, you're not going to help me. Like I'm anxious. I'm trying to make everything perfect. performing. She's trying to make everything right. And so her external busyness or like striving

had now become an internal unrest where like the her insides, her her her her, her, her, uh, her soul was not at rest. And that's what Jesus was pointing out in the situation. But what Mary did, which is something that I bring all of this up because this is what I need to be centered back to. This is the simplicity of a relationship with Jesus. This is the simplicity of the gospel. Is that Mary chose being present with Jesus instead of performance, instead of productivity. She chose sitting at the feet of Jesus instead of trying to be as productive as she could. Because believe it or not, I think like anytime I'm trying to be super, super productive for Jesus and like,

There is actually nothing wrong with productivity. But if I'm like really trying to make sure that I'm being productive and I'm doing everything right, I'm making the most of all of my time. I'm multitasking. Sometimes that like intimacy with Jesus can be really lost in the sauce of all of that. And what's interesting is that Mary's heart posture with just sitting at the feet of Jesus is she's also not trying to. prove anything to Jesus. She's not trying to impress him. She's not trying to strive, perform, perfect. She has nothing to prove to him. She's simply sitting at his feet and receiving from him.

She's just like, I just want to be a sponge right now. And that was her priority. There's something beautiful in the idea that Jesus doesn't only want what you can produce for him. He wants you. And what's also interesting to notice in this dynamic between Mary and Martha is with Martha doing all of what she was doing, she also becomes a little bit resentful. Like you can hear it in the tone of what she says. She's like, don't you think that this isn't fair of my sister? Like she's a little bitter. She's a little irritated. She's a little resentful.

And so I think a very realistic observation. And again, this happens in all of us. but we can actually kind of become resentful when we're doing things that Jesus never actually asked us to do. Martha eventually says, essentially, Jesus, don't you care that I'm doing all of this alone?

Tell Mary to help me. She's not even like resentful at her sister. She's resentful at the fact that Jesus would allow her to sit at his feet, seeing that she was doing all of this for him. So actually, yeah, that changes everything. She looks at Jesus and she's like, Jesus, she's resentful at him being like, I'm doing all of this for you.

Like, it's my joy. I love it. Like, I'm so except. But, like, also, it doesn't seem very fair that you're just letting Mary just sit there. That doesn't feel fair for me. But then Jesus is like, but I didn't ask you to do that. And I feel like that's what Jesus has been clocking me with lately. I have been performing for him.

I've been trying to do all the right things. my biggest desire as of lately, which is a good thing. Like it's a good thing that this is where my heart has been. And it's a good thing if this is where your heart has been too, okay? But like my heart has been in a place where I've been like, I just want to represent you so well, Jesus. I want to steward the things that you've given me well. I want to impact people well.

I want it to honor you. I want to do it humbly. I don't want to mess up. That last one though. That's impossible. But I've really, I've fallen into this like Martha Brain, where I'm like, I'm running all around the house and I'm trying to make this perfect dinner and I'm like, I want to do a good job for him and I want him to be impressed. Okay.

Jesus can't be impressed with us. But it's just like, he's God. You can't really impress God. There's nothing you can be like, he sees everything. He sees more than we see. So that's just like a funny concept in itself that we want to impress him, you know? And I've been doing that. I've been doing that.

and it's been slowly eroding my, my spirit has not been at rest. And that's what Jesus has been pointing out in me. That's what he pointed out in Martha, thousands of years ago when he walked this earth and he's still doing it through his spirit for us today. Hallelujah, thank you, Jesus. Oh my gosh, thank you, God,

that you don't actually have to physically be here to still do that for us. We are so grateful for your spirit, Jesus. Thank you. But he's still doing that today. Where he's like, yeah, so the unrest you've been feeling in your soul, Al, the reason you're so anxious, the reason that you feel like you can't take a break or you can't

catch a break is because you're doing the most and I never even asked you to do it. And then sometimes we want to wag our finger at God like Martha and be like, hello, I'm doing all of this for you. And he's like, yeah, I love you, but like didn't ask you to do all that for me. Martha's service had gone from generosity to anxiety to comparison to resentment. and sometimes resentment is worth examining. Have I taken on something God actually asked of me? Or am I exhausting myself under expectations that I created? And I think that the simplicity too of what Jesus is saying to Martha is that we really do convince ourselves that so many things are urgent.

and so many times Jesus meets us in that feeling of urgency and panic and freak out in anxiety and performance and wanting to do everything right and he says nothing's actually urgent nothing's on fire because I never asked you to put out of fire I never asked you to do any of this Jesus simplifies Martha's world by saying there are many things demanding your attention but only one who ultimately deserves the center of it and that's him him again i i don't want to villainize martha because i actually think she really rocks i love martha and i can't wait to meet her one day in heaven and mary everybody everybody we've been reading about i can't wait to meet them and so we love martha and this isn't like a don't be a martha and be a mary

situation we should be both because martha also had beautiful faith in jesus and loyalty to him what jesus is has been teaching me and he's been reminding because again I think this is something I've always known and this could be something that we've all always known and then we just we kind of end up making the same mistakes that we've made before and it can feel a little juvenile and it can feel a little wow I should like I already know these things but it's okay he has grace and he has patience for that he will remind us of the same things a million times and that's okay that's why we needed the Bible actually and that's why we need to read it over and over and over again because we forget but he's bringing me back to the basics and he's bringing all of us back to the basics that it's actually his presence

that has to be first like being present with him first it's it's the order of which he's realigning it in our hearts is that we we can't serve and perform and and steward and do all of the things first and then it's like no being at his feet and having our eyes be fixated on him and all else will follow like seek first the kingdom of god and his righteousness and all else will follow and that's true like you wanting to steward your life well is not a sin. And what Martha was doing wasn't a sin. But she needed the things in her life to be in a bit of a different order. Things just needed to be realigned for her.

So what he's showing us in this is intimacy before activity. Let what you do for Jesus flow out of being with Jesus. How did I forget that? That's like literally, that's the simplest thing ever. but I forgot it. I have been letting being with Jesus flow out of what I was doing for Jesus. Backwards, Al. That's not right.

It's the other way around. We actually have to let what we do for Jesus flow out of being with Jesus. So a question that I think all of us can ask ourselves is, have I been so busy building a life for Jesus that I've forgotten to actually sit with him? Have I forgotten to actually ask him to examine my heart? Have I forgotten to just let him know how much I adore him? And then even let him tell me how much he adores me. When was the last time that we've actually slowed down and asked God what he thinks of us?

Ask Jesus why he loves us. And any time that Jesus is correcting us, you know, it's obviously always from a place of kindness and love. And so I think even in this scenario, with Martha. This was Jesus talking to Martha inside an already loving relationship. Like they are already best, they're great friends. They have a really intimate relationship already. And Jesus isn't saying to Martha, like, you're terrible for serving me.

He's essentially redirecting her attention from what she's doing for him to being with him. And here's the thing that I think we also have to be mindful of where, like i think sometimes we could be in this mindset of performance based for so long that then we go okay i'm going to start getting into the secret place and going and sitting at the feet of jesus more so that i perform better and i think that if if that's like the center of where our hearts are at still it's still not in the right place because you're still looking to go to the secret place to be able to perform. Performance is still at the center of your heart, you know? So I think something that we have to remember also when it comes to like getting back to

the feet of Jesus and being in intimacy with him and just commuting with him and just being in friendship with him. Like the truth is is that the goal of sitting in the presence of God, the goal of sitting with Jesus isn't simply so we'll perform our responsibilities better afterward. I mean, like, yes, that is, that is a symptom, I guess, of spending time with him. But it's actually that being with Jesus in itself is formative. We learn his heart, his character, his priorities, his voice. Then we go out to serve.

We're not merely doing things in his name. we're increasingly doing them in his likeness. Wow. And isn't that so true? Like, I feel the difference. When I am genuinely just going to his feet and I'm like, nope, I'm just going to enjoy this. I'm just going to be a sponge. I'm just going to soak up whatever he has for me today.

And I'm not going to have an agenda. I'm not going to have a plan. I'm not going to have, you know, expectations of if I get at his feet, then I'm going to be able to do everything that I want to do today better. Like, I actually just want him. And I'm just curious. Like, I actually just want to be curious about Jesus today. I want to be curious about what he has for me and what he wants to say to me.

And it's actually in that that you'll get the very thing that you were striving for before when you were like, okay, I'm going to get at his feet so that I can make sure that I do this, that, and the next. Like, you actually get the very thing you were hoping for from the beginning by just being at his feet and enjoying, just enjoying him, his presence, his love, his kindness. And so you're not merely doing things in his name. We're increasingly, after that time with him where you're genuinely just being a sponge, like that is actually where you increasingly do things in his likeness.

And because now you're in his likeness, you are doing everything better. It is so much less complicated than we make it sometimes. But that actually is as simple as it is. honestly I think it's almost like sitting with Jesus and letting him be your therapist but like sitting down and being like okay and really reflecting and saying how I've been feeling lately when I've been doing things for God what are the things across my mind where is my heart at what are the things that I'm feeling and I think that if you're being really honest with yourself listen if you're in a good place then I feel like the things that you could be feeling is peace the things you're doing is probably just simply being a obedient, you're loving, you have humility, you have joy, no matter the circumstances, your discernment, you know, you're hearing from God, you have confidence, patience, some signals to maybe striving and trying to perform. These are things that I've been feeling lately, but anxiety.

I've been really bad at comparing myself. Comparison has been kind of taking over my brain a little bit. but when doing for Jesus flows out of being with Jesus, the fruit of what we do changes. And so peace instead of anxiety, I think is number one, right? And even in the story of Martha, when she was serving and like, you know, getting the place ready for this dinner, it was coming from a place of being anxious and troubled about many things. So time with Jesus actually settles us before we step into what he's called us to do. do. Another thing is obedience instead of striving. So if you feel like you've been striving,

it's probably because you've been trying to do things out of your own will. You've been doing things out of your own logic instead of actually slowing down and listening to God and being like, Lord, how can I actually be obedient? What do you want me to do? Because I feel like I've been doing a lot of things that you didn't necessarily, I actually don't remember you asking me to do these things. So what do you, what are you asking of me today? when we've been with Jesus, we're more able to discern, did God actually ask me to do this? Rather than constantly doing things because we feel like we should. We feel like it's what God would want from us.

Again, I think that's like when it's a lot of trusting our feet. It's like, well, okay, maybe you feel like that's what God would say or you feel like that's what God asked you to do. But did he actually? And that is when like reflection, but yes, discernment to be. like, oh, I'm actually going to discern it. I'm going to wait a second and I'm going to say, huh. That was something that Eve did not do in the Garden of Eden, right? She didn't discern. She didn't go to the father. She was just like, oh, yeah, okay. Yeah, the fruit looks good. I guess you're right. But had she discerned and went back to God, things would have been different. And so, yeah,

I think that when we're with Jesus and we're prioritizing that before we do anything, we are quicker to discern, you know, did God actually ask me to do this? Or is this just what I think he would want me to do? Love instead of obligation. We stop serving because we're trying to prove our devotion. Like we're trying to prove ourselves and our devotion and our dedication to Jesus. There's a lot of works in that which he died on the cross for. We are not, we do not need to prove ourselves or our devotion to Jesus. we don't need to impress him we don't need to earn we don't need to strive that's the opposite of the gospel so when there's love instead of obligation in our hearts we stop serving because we're trying

to prove our devotion and begin serving because we've already received his love we don't work for his love we work from his love and so i think that's that's a really quick indication on whether you've actually allowed yourself to receive the love of Jesus that day and to receive the truth of what he's done for you and continues to do for you. Like if you haven't allowed yourself to do that, you're just naturally going to fall into this place of striving and proving your devotion and feeling like you have to do, do, do, do, because you haven't taken the time to receive. Another thing is humility instead of comparison. And in this situation, Martha does actually compare herself to Mary. She starts to look at Mary and say, tell her to help me. So when our eyes are fixed on

Jesus first, we're less consumed with what everyone else is doing. And I think that somebody else's peace of being able to just sit at the feet of Jesus, it'll seem less irritating to us. Because we're no longer running around like a chicken with its heads chopped off when no one asked us to do that. So you're not irritable. You're not comparing. And like somebody else's peace doesn't offend you anymore because you're not. are also sitting in that same piece. We're less consumed with what everyone else is doing. We're just focused on Jesus. Joy instead of resentment. So service that comes from depletion can eventually sound like, why am I the only one doing everything? Being filled by Jesus allows

generosity to come from abundance rather than bitterness. Discernment instead of unnecessary busyness. This is really good. Being with Jesus helps us distinguish between what's good. and what's actually God assigned. Not every good opportunity is an assignment from him. That, I feel like, could be an entire episode. But that is so real. I think that there are always going to be opportunities for us to be busy. There's always going to be opportunities for us to serve.

And there's always going to be opportunities that feel like on the outside. And honestly, maybe it could even be a really great thing for you to do, especially if it's in the name of Jesus and you're like, no, this is a great opportunity. But I think that if we are not prioritizing sitting at the feet up Jesus, us and becoming familiar with his spirit and his voice. And the gifts that come with that, like discernment, we could be saying yes, over committing, doing way too much than what he ever asked us to do. And so now we're no longer discerning like what are good opportunities, which they could be,

but then what is actually God assigned, like ones that you are genuinely supposed to commit to and say yes to. another one is patience with people i think that when you've received grace gentleness and patience from jesus you have more of it available to give away and if we're not again sitting at his feet and receiving that because that's another thing like if we're going to soak up everything jesus wants to give us for the day like a sponge like mary was doing it's not just his wisdom it's not just okay god what do you want me to do today let me know yes sir got it it's also like just taking in his grace like his gentleness his patience his love that

day he wants to pour it all out on you and so if that is something that we are also prioritizing at the top of our days and we are prioritizing that before we do anything else we are going to be like an overflow our cup will be overflowing with the grace and gentleness and patience of jesus We'll have endless amounts to give everybody that day. And lastly, sustainability, you can only pour out for so long without being filled. This honestly piggybacks to what we were just saying, right? Jesus doesn't merely give us assignments. He is the source from which we're supposed to carry them.

And then I think one of the biggest things and most important things that can happen for us when we make sure to prioritize just loving him and being in factuated with him and being at his feet and being obsessed with him is that we just become more like him, which is like the best thing ever. And honestly, I think everything we just said is becoming more like Jesus, right? Like the goal of sitting at Jesus' feet isn't simply so that we'll perform our responsibilities better, right? Like we said, it's like we just get to be more like him.

Being with his spirit in itself is formative. And you know what's funny? I was talking with Jesus yesterday about a lot of this stuff. And one of the things that I, I felt him show me was, well, I first was like, God, I just, I just want to do a good job. Like, I want to be a good Christian. I want to be a good daughter. I want to steward the things that you've given me in my life well. And I want people to see you in my life. I want them to see you in me, you know, when I speak to them and I just want to be a reflection of you. I want to make sure that that's that's always a priority to me and I remember a version of me when I didn't I would just look like Jesus and I wasn't

trying to look like Jesus because I was just sitting with him every single day all the time I couldn't get enough and I still can't in a lot of ways but I felt like the Lord had showed me this but then I immediately get this scenario this like picture in my mind of two people talking and have you ever been in a situation where you've been talking to somebody and they stare off somewhere or they're looking at something and you just naturally look over to wherever they're looking because you're curious? You're like, what is it? What's over there? Or even if you're out in public and you see a couple people and they're like looking at something, it is in our instinct that we want to know. I don't know if it's FOMO. It's just simple curiosity. But I do believe it's in our human nature that if

one of us is looking at something intensely another one of us wants to know what it's all about and i felt god be like alley everything that you want right now will come if you just stare at me like just make sure that your eyes never come off of me keep looking at me keep being in love and curious and wanting more and just keep looking at me and i i i promise that you are going to point more people to me by just making eye contact with me and not breaking it, more people will be curious about why you haven't broken eye contact with this one area that they will want to look to. And that's actually all it is.

It's not about like saying the right things or doing the right things or encouraging people to look at you to be like, hey, and look at how much Jesus is in me. it's like, no, actually it has nothing to do with me. And all I have to do is just look at him. And anyone who looks at me is going to go, what is she looking at? Done. That's it. Our only job is to make sure that we are aligned with him and looking at him.

And that he is the center. And that's how he'll be the center. Believe it or not, no matter how much your brain has been telling you otherwise, no matter how much my brain has been telling me otherwise, doing all that you can for Jesus isn't, actually what's going to point people to Jesus. It's just looking at him that will. I'm not saying all those things can't point people to Jesus. But I think that in the ways that you want it to be effective, it'll be so much more effective than you think if you just keep looking at him. But it will be a lot

more impactful. I know. It almost sounds too simple for it to not work, but it does. And I know it's true because there have been times in my life where I have literally locked eyes with Jesus and I haven't looked away and in that i've there have been people were like wow i was really curious about how you genuinely couldn't stop looking at that one spot and so i started looking there and then all of a sudden it was like affecting me too and then i couldn't stop looking either because i was like whoa i've never felt a love like this before either and i'm i'm like mesmerized by this man named jesus that i saw you staring at and now i'm staring and i can't stop staring and then another person sees that person and then the group just grows and it's all these people who are just staring at this one spot and

like that's how it's done hello like that's that's That's how an awakening happens in a generation. That's, we all follow, right? We're all sheep. We all influence each other and we impact each other more than we realize. And if we just get back to the basics of just staring at Jesus, everything else will follow. You're going to feel lighter because you're no longer going to be in bondage of trying to perform and do all the right things. If you just look at him, you're free.

And you're going to do everything, quote, right, because that's what we're called to do. just supposed to be in relationship with him, intimacy with him, and to just be with him. And that'll impact everyone more than we could ever imagine. It's that simple. It's just him. Him. He's doing it. Okay, I love you guys a lot. I love you. And it's okay if we've been some Marthas. We love Martha. She rocks. But we just, you know, sometimes things just need to be relined. And we're grateful for that. So thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Holy Spirit. I hope that you enjoy today's episode, guys. If it was getting back to the basics, then great. I did it too. You know, sometimes we do need to get back to the basics. I love y'all. I will

see you guys in just a couple of days. I hope you have a beautiful rest of your day. I'll see you on Friday. But before we go, can we do something really cool today? Can we show somebody how cool Jesus is? And guess how we're going to do that? Guess how we're going to show somebody how cool Jesus is by looking at him and spending time with him and staring at him and learning from him and being a sponge? Because when we are in his presence, it's like when Moses came down from the mount after encountering and he was glowing. They said that his face was glowing. That's actually genuinely what it's like after we spend time with Jesus. And so you are going to show everybody how cool Jesus is by just being in his presence because you're going to glow. And you are no longer going to be

striving from a place of what you could do for him and you're just going to be doing everything from him. is just going to flow out of you. It's crazy. It's supernatural. It's his spirit. It's a miracle. But show somebody how cool Jesus is. Let's walk more like him, talk more like him, be more like Jesus today. And the only way that we can do that is by being with him. I love you guys. I'm really proud of you. And I will see you on Friday. Bye.