The Power of Vulnerability

Some mornings you can feel the day slipping away before you even get your bearings. We start there, with the honest climb out of self-pity and the quiet miracle of remembering what the gospel actually says: through Jesus, we’ve received abundant grace and the gift of righteousness, and we’re meant to reign in life today. Not by controlling everything, not by pretending we’re fine, but by letting the Holy Spirit renew our minds so we stop being ruled by circumstances and start walking with steady hope.

From that foundation, we turn toward a question that changes the way you think about spiritual life: what does community have to do with hearing God and what does hearing God have to do with community? We talk about the church as the body of Christ, built together like living stones, where identity is formed in relationship and spiritual gifts are given for the common good. We also name the hard parts: offense, wounds, misunderstanding, and the enemy’s favorite strategy of isolation. Instead of shame or denial, we explore how forgiveness and reconciliation can become the very places where trust deepens and relationships grow stronger over time.

We then get practical about confessional community, the kind of safe, confidential friendship where you can say “it’s not going well,” bring sin into the light, and receive healing as grace is spoken out loud. We also challenge the stage-only caricature of the prophetic. Many believers are already bringing prophetic encouragement in everyday conversations, because we are temples of the Holy Spirit and God loves to “ride in” on ordinary obedience with extraordinary grace.

If this resonates, subscribe so you don’t miss what’s next, share the episode with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review. What part of community feels hardest for you right now?

Transcript

Welcome To The Hearing God Podcast

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome to the Hearing God Podcast. I'm Anthony Moore. And I'm Dan Lamus. For over a decade, Anthony and I have been diving deep into weekly conversations about the prophetic, the mystical, and the matters of the heart.

SPEAKER_00 0:15

And we invite you into these weekly conversations. We hope you feel like an honored guest at our table.

SPEAKER_01 0:21

So pull up a chair, settle in, and let's get started. Well, here we are.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

Yes, here we are. Here we are. Once again. Once again. Okay. How's it going, Dan? It's going well. It's going well. It's going really well. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 0:38

I um yeah, so uh interesting thing uh was on my heart this morning. I mean, as often happens with me and probably most people who are listening, and most human beings, is you kind of wake up in the morning and you got to get your bearings and and and just kind of recall, okay, yeah, so where where do I find my okay? How do I connect with the thing that makes me feel hopeful for the day and all that kind of stuff? And I was for some reason, it was a bit of a climb this morning or a journey into the mind or whatever. I don't know what it was. But I was I was doing some searching, and uh the the phrase that came back to me from many, many years ago was the idea of reigning in life through Christ.

Grace That Helps You Reign

SPEAKER_00 1:25

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:26

And uh and so I found it uh and spent some time there. And what really spoke to me that I wanted to just mention was it talks about um how those who have received God's abundant provision of grace and his gift of righteousness, yeah, that why you know we should reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Yeah, and it just was beautiful. Just be reminded on this ordinary day, I I'm actually I'm actually intended to reign in this day. Yes, absolutely. And it's because they it's because of the fact that grace is abundant, and it's like it's like there's one thing you could say, hey, grace is awesome and I need a lot of it. Or and you can say, okay, that's abundance, or you could say, you know what, even a small amount of grace works wonders because it is abundant in itself. And it just kind of hit me like wow, like I've been given I've been given lots of doses of this grace that in itself is abundant. Uh and it just kind of encouraged me so much, Anthony, that that whatever wrestle I have today, it's not a wrestle to get on top of stuff. Right. The wrestle I have today is to remember in Jesus, I'm actually reigning in this day. Like well, because I like I transform whatever I walk into totally because of him.

SPEAKER_00 2:52

Yeah, absolutely. And I think that's a that's an interesting thought because I I remind myself, I think this is a good reminder, is like the the things that you were meant, like we were meant to rule over and not be ruled by the things of this life. Yes, right, yeah. Whether that, you know, whether that's uh things that happen to us. And again, like this is I'm not, you know, uh, but it really like I I think it's just like this the idea and the reality, the the sort of I don't even know it's not it's not an idea, it's not a it's like a mandate, I think. It's like back to the you know, the the original mandate from the garden, it's like to you know rule over creation. Right. So that's like uh you know right.

SPEAKER_01 3:40

I remind myself like how much did Adam and Eve actually know right what that what that actually meant.

SPEAKER_00 3:46

And it probably and you know, and again, in principle it was the same, but yeah, the things that Adam and Eve had to rule over were probably slightly different than Anthony Moore in 2026, right? But they had to still have to figure it out. Yeah, like I'm just thinking like time, resource, energy, being a good steward actually means ruling over, like you decide rather than having things decided for you. Yeah, and again, like circumstances and those kinds of things.

SPEAKER_01 4:14

And so you're really you're really zeroing in on what was happening for me this morning was I was I was wallowing in some self-pity. Sure. Stuff didn't go my way, yeah, and I was like, this day's gonna be awful. Yeah, and that's really where the merciful Holy Spirit came and met with me and really spoke the very thing you're saying. Yeah, like Dan, like you, you cannot depend on this stuff to get you through the day. You're actually carrying me into those situations where you don't have to have everything go your way. It's it's really like you're in charge here. Yeah. Like it's it's okay.

Renewing The Mind For Today

SPEAKER_00 4:54

Totally. And that's a prayer that I sort of pray. It's almost like I don't even know if it's a prayer, but it's a prayer/slash declaration. Like it's like I remind myself at times that I was meant to be to rule over, right? And not be ruled by certain certain things in my life, right? Amen. And so yeah, I think that's the that's a good, it's good to, you know, it's a good way to kick this off. That's why I'm doing okay.

SPEAKER_01 5:17

That's why I've done the workout this morning.

SPEAKER_00 5:20

Yeah, like we were meant to, and well I'll say this, like, you know, to maybe to a seasoned believer, the you know, the idea that we were meant and made to and will in the future for sure, at least rule and reign with Christ, right? And it's that um it's but we but again, like the reality is is it's not like a a someday kind of like ruling and reigning with Christ is not a someday thing. Yes, it's right, it's sort of like you know, even as like it's eternal life, right? It's very connected, I'm sure, to eternal life, right? It's so the eternal life that God that comes from being in Christ is not a someday thing, although it is, yes, it's not only that's probably the better way to say it, it's not only a someday thing, but it's a present, uh it's a present reality, even as you know that we step into that we live and move, have our being in.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

And so it just this life that we're overly familiar with.

SPEAKER_00 6:22

Yes, that rain in this we are we are meant to rule and reign in that's all right.

SPEAKER_01 6:27

That's so hard because we have so so well-trod and narrow pathways the way we always respond to stuff. Yeah, we just have to own it. Seasoned believers, brand new believers. You gotta work with the Holy Spirit to retrain your brain.

SPEAKER_00 6:41

Yeah, absolutely. You know, it's it's renewing the mind. Because, you know, again, full disclosure, there's lots of times where I find I find myself like being ruled by oh yeah, things. Yeah. And and it's really, and again, it's some of it is uh, you know, whatever circumstances, it's hurts, hang-ups, all those kinds of things. It's like, but we're on the journey, you know, again, we're on this journey where the Lord is trying to teach us how to rule and reign with him. And so that's you know, the giving grace for myself for today. Yeah. You know, giving like being okay, like, but yet pressing forward and allowing the Lord to do his work. So it's good.

SPEAKER_01 7:21

Yeah, thanks, ma'am.

Why Community Matters To God

SPEAKER_00 7:22

It's good. Anyway, I'm glad we had to. Thanks for asking. Thanks for asking. Um, one of the things I I think I wanted to hit today, and we've had a we've had, you know, we've sort of touched on some things over the the last little while here, but um, I we I think we were sort of in the same vein about what to hit today. And I think we want to just touch on um this reality of community. And, you know, we we look at it, you know, this is the Hearing God podcast. So we're gonna hit it, you know, in a way from a obviously from a biblical perspective and even from a prophetic perspective. And what are the strengths? Uh, what are the you know the challenges of being in community? Right. And it isn't not like, you know, maybe we can begin with this, right? This is a this isn't something that we came up with, right? This is a yes, that's right, you know, as a uh the necessity for community, right? Like even from you know, Jesus from his part, uh, you know, that you know, it was like in um oh, it's escaping me now here at this moment, right? Where where they were uh uh you know, where the gates of hell were, you know, in sort of northern Israel. Yes, it's right. So they were yes, there was a literal literal spot, and the name is completely removed. But but it was like it was like, you know, where Jesus says to Peter, who do you say I am? Right, you know, and he says, you know, the Christ is on the and they go through this discord, but what he says, you know, he says, On this rock I will build my church. And the church, like church, the Greek word is ecclesia, right, right. And ecclesia is a it's plural, right? It's like that's right, it's not a singular, although it's in some way is it is, but it is made up of people, like it is a it is a corporate word, right? It is a it is a word that you know it's his government, but it is many people, and yes, you know, even from the words of Jesus to, you know, uh 1 Corinthians 12, where Paul talks about like we're all one body, yes, you know, that this person has giftings, this person may have giftings, this person may have giftings, so all those kinds of things. But his but part of is in the middle of the chapter there, his messaging is we're all part of one body. And then obviously in First Peter, I think it's chapter four, where he talks about we're being built together like living stones. So right, just really this idea, this really this idea of we like what is the community that God had in mind? The fact that we need each other, yeah, right. And you know, again, it's the part of it is connected to love the you know, the first and then the second, you know, the the greatest commandment, and the second is like it that love your neighbor as yourself. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:19

So is it fair? Is it fair to kind of let the question hang in the air? Maybe something like what comes to mind anyway is what does community have to do with hearing God? Oh, that's good. And what does or what and or what does hearing God have to do with community?

SPEAKER_00 10:37

Right.

SPEAKER_01 10:37

And when you're talking about the body, maybe I'll just throw this in here. Yeah, the uh uh uh the Eugene Peterson in the message paraphrase in uh 1 Corinthians 12 says something like this that that that every part of the body gets its identity from the body as a whole, not the other way around. Right. Like part of me understanding who I am, yes, God has designed it that as a part of the body, let's say I was my hand, yeah, I actually find meaning in how I help the rest of the body.

SPEAKER_00 11:14

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 11:14

Like I'm I'm intrigued that okay, so I can I can help my arm by grabbing something off the table or whatever, yeah. Um, and applying that to our relationships with others. I I just like that way he he spun it, that that I find I find more of my identity by thinking about it in relation to the body.

SPEAKER_00 11:36

Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 11:37

And not the other way around. The body doesn't exist to tell me like the body doesn't take its identity from me. Right. I actually understand, oh right, so as I am serving this and that part of the body, and as I receive their help, yeah, I'm like, okay, I actually understand myself a little better. And so anyway, that's it.

Pitfalls Of Community And Isolation

SPEAKER_00 12:01

But there's a lot of there's a lot, anyways, there's a lot of challenges and a lot of pitfalls to a person coming to grips with that idea, that idea, right? This truth, right? That we are part of a community. It's like it's like, okay, so because it gets, you know, once people get involved, it can get pretty messy, right? There's and there's the there's there's just hurts that can come, there's wounds that can come, there's offense that can come just by being part of a community, right? That's sort of like the the drawbacks, right? And the and the enemy can, you know, for sure ride in on that. Because again, you know, we've we've said this before that the enemy, like one of the things that the enemy loves to do is to isolate. Yes, right. Yeah. Is if he can get you off on your own, right? If he can get you in that sort of lonely place, and I'm you know, you and I probably know that place all too well, but the well, I know I do. Uh oh, but I know that's funny.

SPEAKER_01 13:04

We could have a little this could be fun. We could just do a like tell our tell our uh bemoaning stories here.

SPEAKER_00 13:11

Like yes, I know. Sorry, uh, but but just as this is the one of the things that the enemy is he does, he gets ice, he gets isolating. And so yeah, you know, he'll he'll ride in and leverage whatever hurts. Oh, he can you believe that person said that to you? Right. You they they don't really understand me. They don't, and they obviously had m you know, malicious intent when they said some of those things, just all these. Oh man, you know, again, like can you all that stuff that that the that the enemy you know loves to drive a wedge in not only between you and God, but to between you and your brother, you know, brother in Christ or your sister in Christ. And so just really this thing of this, there's there's a lot of hurt, like there's a lot of pitfalls, yes, right, that come with you know, this reality, this invitation, this maybe the process of being built together like living stones, and just realizing we are part of the same body. Right. And so, and again, yeah, go for it.

Forgiveness That Strengthens Relationships

SPEAKER_01 14:13

And there's and there there's not something that there's there's there's no need to condemn ourselves over the fact that there are pitfalls. Like, yes, like the challenges are there before us. Yes, we need we need to be walking forward in that in grace, learning soaked in grace, that these pitfalls are actually for our strengthening. Yeah, I mean, not that God plans them, God can use the pitfalls, the yeah, the ditches we can get into. He can use those things if we stay surrendered to actually get a stronger connection to one another. Totally. Like like working working through something with a brother or sister when I've either offended them or they've I feel offended, working it out actually builds a stronger connection and deeper trust between us, right? That kind of thing.

SPEAKER_00 15:08

Um, you know, I Well, yeah, like I just just to jump in there, like I just think that like the you know willing being willing to go through that process, and I think this is why, you know, forgiveness and reconciliation is so powerful, because even when there is a wound, you know, when there is a moment of reconciliation, oftentimes that connection with that brother or sister becomes more powerful, right? There's a there's a there's a there's a there's a uh God comes in and he brings that connection and it suddenly becomes healthy and whole and perhaps even stronger than uh than would have been before because you have that history of there's something there's something mystical about that happens there forever. And again, like like this is you know, again, like we would have these moments for sure. Like anybody could sort of attest, or most at least most people could attest to you've had a friend for, you know, again, I've had friends for 30, 40 years even now, right? That that have we've had we've lived long enough, we've walked together long enough to have the you know the conflict, the disagreement, right, the offense. And there's there's a there's a richness that comes from having a relationship like that. Oh yeah, right. That has stood the test of time. You know, people who have been married for, you know, this is a little bit of a microcosm, but people who have been married for decades, right, would attest to this as well. Right. Right. You know, that that over time, like, and I maybe I'm kind of sliding off a little bit, but really what I wanted to focus on is the like the mystical thing of like when when God comes and when there is conflict, when there is hurt, and when there is offense, like the power that is released, the grace that is released into that connection to strengthen it. Yes, you know, as humility and you know, reconciliation come and you know, apologies happen or whatever, like we clear the air, those kinds of things that that there is strength, like a strengthening that happens, right? So that it's like you know what I'm saying, like a a relationship that stood the test of time is stronger than a relationship of five minutes. Right. You know what I'm saying? Right, yeah. So yeah, both awesome, right? But differ just different levels of different levels. And so I just I one of the that's one of those things of of like I think why we need each other, right? You know, the benefits of like needing each other. Like I am, you know, my soul is uh my soul is is encouraged. There's like it's life giving to my soul, right? Just on a purely emotional level, to have these relationships where you know, I have a you know, a friend who I don't have to explain myself to that person. Right. I don't have to, they get me, right? Right, they get all my quirks, they get, they laugh with me, they you know, I don't have to to project anything.

SPEAKER_01 18:25

Yeah, right. They yeah, and one of my favorites, they stay with me in the middle of my cranky funk. A hundred percent. Like they stay with me, like a hundred percent. Like, okay, Dan's cranky today, you know, okay. And I just know that there's certain people that will stay with me. Yeah, absolutely, and they know that I'll come out of it. I might need their help, I might not, but they don't they don't take off, they stay with me, and uh and mutually, yeah, like that that that means uh a lot to me. And I think we we we tend to um feel like that doesn't have a lot to do with the prophetic and hearing God, but it really has everything to do with it, yeah. Because um really the the where where were you recently and you taught us about the word comes for the common good? Like you yeah, I heard you that was no, that was that was actually I think that was last week. Was it last week on our show? Okay, I I I couldn't remember where it was, but but but that was yeah that really stayed with me, and it feels yeah, that common good is um is valuing a member of the body that feels like it's not important, yes.

SPEAKER_00 19:41

That right, because that's from that's from first first Corinthians 12. Right, right. It was like the the giftedness that comes from the the variations of of the giftedness in the body is actually for the common good.

SPEAKER_01 19:54

Yeah, you know, um it's funny. I have camp meeting memories of these illustrations that evangelists would bring when they were talking about the body of Christ and caring for one another. And one of them was you know, you don't think your little toe is important until you stub it in the middle of the night on the leg of the of the coffee table. Yeah. On the way to the washroom or the kitchen or wherever you're going. And suddenly your little toe is the most important part of your body. And you're having this, you're you're having this, you know, awareness. I have to take care of that little toe because it really sucks when it gets injured. You know, and suddenly the toe is the most important thing in you stop in your tracks and you're gonna take time with a toe, you know, or hitting your thumb with the hammer, yeah, that kind of thing. Like suddenly everything stops and everybody grabs onto thumb. Yeah. It's like you okay? Like, well, a minute ago, nobody cared about the thumb, right? Like it's um, yeah, but but there's a there's a an essence there or an idea there that God is far more intent um when he when he brings his word to a part of the body of Christ and they share it with others, he's far more interested and invested in the effect it has on the body. Like he he wants his he wants his will to be accomplished, but he wants it to happen through the body, not just one body, me, you know, like not just a somebody. Really, he wants the community to be involved in the application of that, I feel. Like it's uh I'm kind of riffing on an idea, but but it's but that is not easy. It's much easier to run with a word and say it from a microphone and then walk off, and I don't care what happens with it. Right. Right. But but if I Oh, that's good. You know, if I share the word in the context of people that could, and this happens often with us around here, that you share the word with a smaller group of people who could actually tell you, yeah, that's Mostly good, but there's some of that that I think is just you and you know, just your imagination. You know, you kind of run off with stuff, but there's a there's a grain in there, and then somebody else will contribute. And suddenly the word I brought, by the time we're done talking, doesn't sound like the word I brought. Right. But I did I brought I I sparked something, and that was great. But just that humility it takes to uh and all that comes through personality, like the times I've had to swallow hard because I don't like the way somebody's expressing the thing they want to add to the word I just brought. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:33

And we've we've said like we've said this before, and this is true. Like to be like to be a prophet somewhere, like to be a prophet anywhere, you have to be a prophet somewhere.

SPEAKER_01 22:42

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 22:43

Right? Right. And that's like uh, you know, that's a with people who know you. Yeah, with people who know you, like the people who who see your your weaknesses that see, you know, how you how imperfectly you may do things. Right. Right. And again, like that's a that is a um that's a dangerous place for uh your uh that's a dangerous place for um self. Yes, that's right. Right, like that's a dang that's a dangerous place for how you for if especially if how you see yourself is out of whack. Right. Right. If you have uh if you have like this, you know, misplaced self-importance, if you have uh, you know, it's really dangerous to to that place, right? It's you know, especially in a health, if it's a if it's a healthy community, right? If you have a day, you know, if you have a anyway, just a sense of self that's just out of whack. But it's all but again, like it's it's also a dangerous place for you know condemnation, like if you're condemning yourself too much, like having a a brother or sister who would just snap you out of it and tell you you're you know, you're the that's a lie, right? Like if you feel like, you know, again, from from all the angles, right? So like I so I just say like a well-placed question, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:14

If I've got an attitude going on from you or some of my other family here in Christ, hey, what's going on? Yeah, sometimes that doesn't feel like a great question for somebody to ask me, but I know you guys love me and you know me. Yeah. And hey, what's going on is an opportunity for me to humble myself and say, actually, this is actually what's going on. And I know I'm not in a good place right now. Right. Like, but but just to uh the the uh learning, yeah. Sorry, I maybe I don't think I took us off track. No, no, I don't think so. In that ballpark of incredibly challenging. Um, I love Watchman Knee's insight on the prayer that Jesus taught the disciples when they said, Teach us to pray. Yeah, the prayer he taught them, including forgive one another as the father has forgiven you. Yeah. And you know, forgive us our trespasses, we forgive those who trespass against us. His theory was Jesus knew these disciples would take him seriously in loving one another. And so he knew if you try to live out this new command to love, yeah, you're gonna have to forgive each other. Yeah. Because you're gonna get close enough to offend each other a bunch. Totally.

Maturity Means Living For Common Good

SPEAKER_00 25:31

Totally. And I think I think there's a there's a journey that you even I would just just where my mind is going right now. I think there's a journey that people go on as they grow up. Like even, you know, anybody who's parented kids, right? Like there is a there's a process, even as your kids reach maturity, where because there's a there's a very real reality, uh, a real reality. That's a good word. That's a good word. Some realities are nuts. Yes, but there's this thing that happens with your kids where it's like they look at the world in a very self-centered way. Yeah, right. Everything is for them, right? Yeah, and a lot, and in a lot of ways, as they well, not our kids. No, no, no, but even as like kids, like they're like because of the dependence, right? Because everything, you know, at stages in life, you know, especially like things are handed to them, right? Things are given to them, like and out of necessity, right? Yeah, obviously feeding, clothing, putting a roof overheads, providing for they're sort of like, you know, they're growing up and being the reciprocal of like, like my kids are this recipient of my generosity, right? You know, I obviously I'm not gonna kick them out, I love them, those kinds of things, but but they're there going through life. And I've you know, that me and my wife, you know, are my wife cooks and she makes sure that you know, clothes and you know, at times she's doing all these things for them. And as as they grow up, they learn to then hopefully in a healthy way transition to looking after those things for themselves. And here's here's what I want to get at is that there's a way that um there's a way that even as a young person or even as an old person who isn't matured in this, but let me let me say maybe less attached to age, but more to maturity, let's call it that. Um, because I think I don't want to just there's not directly connected, but even from an immature way that we can view community, the immature way is to is to view it as a very self-centered. This community exists to benefit me. Right. Right. Yeah, and while there is some truth to that, the mature angle also, you know, also uh, you know, the mature mind also knows that that I am here to benefit the community. Yes, right. That I am here to offer myself to the community. Right. And this community is strengthened because of me. Same thing as like, so when I'm I am here to benefit my family, like my wife, I'm here to serve her and to lay down my life for her. Same, I'm here to protect my kids, I'm here to, you know, those kinds of things. And it's the same is true for the body of Christ. Like my existence here is to benefit not from uh my expertise necessarily, but from uh from my service, right? Right. Not it's not I don't want to come in from above, I want to come in from below. That's what I want to get at, right? It's not me lording over the community, doesn't benefit like the the body of Christ, at least here in this house, the body of Christ doesn't benefit from my coming in over the top. It comes in from like as I as I go low and I serve my brothers and sisters, there's there's the benefit of it. And so I and I and I just want to I I want to take it from that, it moves from an individualistic, you know, perspective into a like here we're here for the common good. Right. I'm here for the common good. Like when when I'm doing, you know, when I'm uh a healthy member of this community, I'm loving well and I'm serving well. I'm walking in humility. Yeah. I'm not, you know, again, like I'm not, I'm being careful, you know, and I'm apologizing, but I'm also like I'm also encouraging. Yeah. I'm also I'm also leading well. I'm also right, casting vision well. Those kinds of things. It's like that's wow, you know, there's a there's something in there for for every believer. And this isn't just because, you know, whatever, I have a title associated to my name. We all know, you know, that titles only mean so much, right? And if you lead by leveraging your title, that's terrible leadership.

SPEAKER_01 30:12

Right. Right. So yeah, sooner or later it will fail you.

SPEAKER_00 30:16

Right.

SPEAKER_01 30:17

And it'll be evident to everybody that that's what you're doing.

Confessional Community And Real Healing

SPEAKER_00 30:20

Absolutely. And so the point is, is that it's like it's that I'm here for the common good, right? Right. The Holy Spirit, yeah, right. My existence here in this house is for the common good. Yeah. And so it's a it's a two-way transaction, obviously. Yeah, because you're here for the common good of which I'm a benefit of. And so, you know, and so is you know, John, John Doe, right? So they're here for the common good, and I'm gonna benefit from their existence in this community. But yeah, I'm loving it. I'm probably sliding off a little bit, but I really wanted to just move from like as maturity comes, right? We do move from this place of an individual into a more where we care more about the common good. Right. And so yeah, I want just maybe if we can just like keep that in mind, but I I do want to get to the the confessional part of it. Okay, right. And I and I think this is something that we're you know, I think you're we both see, but I mean I think you're really passionate about this, is like this idea of confessional community. Right. And just maybe just the value of the value of yeah, and the yeah, the the just this the health that comes from it, yeah, the sheer importance of it.

SPEAKER_01 31:38

Yeah, yeah. Well, you know, I um the being able to hear God for the sake of supporting the body. Yes. Like there's one place where Paul talks about the supporting ligaments, you know, supporting tendons and ligaments in the body. Like it's uh the challenge to all of us, how often do we listen for the sake of like I want to hear from you, God, so that I can bring health to the body, yeah, so that I can support what the rest of the body's doing. Um so the the knowing that that um knowing that the community that I'm part of is growing in our awareness and our acceptance of the fact that that we don't we don't serve, we don't do the works of the kingdom in order to become sons and daughters, we don't do the works of the kingdom in order to become good enough for God. It's actually the other way around. That we are his workmanship first, he loves us first, he makes us new first so that we can do the works of the kingdom. You know, because we're his sons and daughters, we walk in obedience and accomplish the works of the kingdom together. And so in there is this need for all of us to be able to have that place where we can talk about how it's going. Yeah, that we can honestly share in a safe place it's not going well. Um I've been disobedient in this area of my life. Uh I know I'm really not going to leave, I'm not gonna be able to let go of that until I can share it with you, my brother or sister.

SPEAKER_00 33:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:32

And we take on this ministry with each other of reminding one another, you are forgiven. Yes. Um, and we offer forgiveness, the forgiveness of Christ to one another on behalf of Christ, because he's present with us. But that dynamic of okay, if we are a group of 20 people moving in relationship together in Christ as a community, um, we all understand we're supposed to operate out of our identity as sons and daughters. Yeah, you know, we've been made new in Christ Jesus, our life is now hidden with Christ in God. Yeah. You know, yes, we're righteous before him in the name of Jesus. Um, but none of us are perfect in keeping that all intact. So from day to day, we disobey, we sin, we we we get off track. You know, I love what Tim Keller talks about when you're a daughter or a son of God in Christ Jesus through the gospel, receiving the gospel by faith, surrendering to that, repenting of your sins. I'm with you. I'm I receive this sonship, this daughtership. Okay, from then on, yes, you are gonna sin, yeah, but you're gonna sin as a daughter. You're gonna sin as a son. Yeah, you don't become an orphan because you've sinned.

SPEAKER_00 34:51

You don't revert back to being a sinner. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 34:54

Like you, you, you, yeah, like you still have your sonship, daughtership. And so what we're what I'm saying is the importance of not doing that solo. Yeah. Like like everybody needs the the health that comes by having a trusted one or two people that that is completely confidential relationship where you can share it's not going so well, guys. And for for you to be able to together, yeah, yes, of course, you have might have an opportunity to to actually confess like in prayer with that brother or sister to Jesus. But more importantly, is that brother or sister saying, you know, I'm on behalf of the body of Christ, you're forgiven. Yeah, you know, and you and you you didn't stop being part of us, and we're all a little bit healthier because you got your skeleton out of the closet, you you got the you got your your dirty laundry out here, and we're getting it washed clean in the blood of Jesus. Yeah, you know, and we're gonna press forward. We like to say to each other, if I get in touch with you and say, Yeah, I had a moment, Anthony, and and I know, I know that I sinned there, and I just I just need to share it with you, my brother, and you'll say, Grace to you. Like grace, grace. Yeah, you know. Um that that is so vital to my health and to our health together. Totally. Uh so that I just so it's uh it's this confess your sins one to another that you may be healed. Yeah. You know, that the healing that comes to us as a community where we don't um I guess it's like this you know, we we work together on a team at King's Church. We're gonna be in and out of the offices today, we're gonna run into a bunch of staff members. Yeah. I believe throughout our whole staff, there's an assumption, and and this may sound a little crass, but whatever. I know every staff person I come up against is trying hard to be good today.

SPEAKER_00 37:01

Right. Right.

SPEAKER_01 37:02

And I also know they're probably not as good as they're presenting to me. Right. But I have grace toward that. Like I know they're you know, they're a mixture. You talk about a mixed bag last week. Like they're they're a mixed bag of are my motives all perfect? Well, maybe a bunch of them are, but there's probably some that are a little, you know, whatever. There you might be trying hard to be good for some of the wrong reasons, and I'm not gonna judge you for that today. Yeah, I'm gonna support you.

SPEAKER_00 37:30

It's really good.

Prophetic Encouragement In One On One

SPEAKER_01 37:31

Even if that means tomorrow you come back and say, Man, yesterday was a mess. Like I was just really off the whole day. And I might even say, Well, okay, I wondered about that, but I don't condemn or judge or increase their shame about that. It's like, hey yeah, why don't you talk to me about why you felt so pressured to do that? Why did you feel, why did you feel so much pressure to try so hard yesterday? That messed you up. It's really good. They can share, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:56

Yeah, and I just is thinking, like I was thinking as you're talking, I was just like, how much you know, how much more is the prophetic gift needed in context or in this context? Right. Right. And I and I was just wow, I just like yeah, we we have this a little bit of a misplaced uh vision at times. I know, I know I can slide off into this a little bit, but we think it's gonna be like if you're going to exercise your prophetic gift, it's going to be in front of people. Yes. Right? Like, or or whatever, like, or just in the like people are gonna sit around and watch you, right? Yeah. And I think you know that's so real, but it's true.

SPEAKER_01 38:45

It's literally.

SPEAKER_00 38:46

And you just think the you think of again, and I'm and I'm I'm not I'm not um, I don't want to dismiss the value of that because I think there's a corporate benefit to, you know, exercising a prophetic gift in front of people because I think you're modeling something. Right. Right. But let's not misplace what we're modeling. We're not modeling, we're not modeling the form. Like we're not modeling this, like it has to be in front of people. Oh, I love where you're going here. Right. But it is, but it is something like the prophetic gift uh is exercised powerfully in a one-on-one confessional community. Oh, man. Right. And I and I'm gonna just I'm gonna, I'm gonna throw, I'm gonna throw something out there that uh that I don't know. I'm just gonna just think out loud for a second. Like, I wonder if like people are exercising their prophetic gift even without even knowing it, simply because they're in a one-on-one conversation with the people that they love, and their their heart is for that person. Wow. And they are also temples of the living God. And I'm sure that God is helping them with that conversation. And he's going to be giving scripture, he's going to be giving encouragement, he's going to be speaking into identity in those spots, right? And I just was like, I'm just saying, I wonder, I wonder if there, you know, there may be people who don't believe they have a prophetic gift or that the prof prophetic uh that sort of thing, whatever they have in their mind for what they think a prophetic gift is. I wonder if that, if that is not true about someone. I wonder if that might be true about people who are who just are sitting with a friend over a coffee or in a, you know, whatever, over a on a phone call or whatever, uh somewhere, and that person is like in the in the in the middle of something. Yeah and their heart is moved and they're praying and they're you know, they're asking the Lord for help. Yeah. And I wonder, you know, that they're uh they're operating in a prophetic way, yeah. And perhaps even a a word of, you know, again, like a scripture verse, a a thought that, you know, that wells up within them. Wow, you know, and then so I just I'm just I'm just I'm just chewing on it, right? Like, and again, like I'm just wondering, and I I I believe there's some truth to that. Um, because I think I think part of the people, part of the hang-up that people have with a prophetic gift is having a caricature of what they think it looks like. Yeah, that's right. Right. And most times, like again, like I think the controversial stuff can come from a place of you know, a man or a woman on a platform with a microphone, right? Right, saying this, this, and this, right? And you know, I'm I'm saying that's that's not exclusively, yeah. And dare I say, that's not even like the majority of the way that prophetic ministry works. Right.

SPEAKER_01 41:52

I agree with you, right?

SPEAKER_00 41:53

Like it will work, like, and I know that we you and I, you know, as we pray for people, we're always leaning in and looking for what the Holy Spirit might be saying, you know, to that person through through you or me. Like that's just a posture that like that's a default posture. But um I really love that.

SPEAKER_01 42:11

Like I just um as you're as you're as you're talking, I'm just like thinking of um thinking of the embracing the fact that that when I'm with a friend and I'm and I'm listening, they're sharing like something they're ashamed of. They they're sharing a way that they've they've sinned, they've gotten off track, and my heart's I'm for this person. Um maybe searching for a thing God might want to say, but here's the way my mind might think. I'm saying, but I'm gonna say this other thing in the meantime. Yeah. Yep. But it really hits this person like, oh my soul. Maybe they start to tear up. Maybe they're like, oh, that's so encouraging. I man, that's so great. Could you say that again? Like, that really helped me. I need to realize that that the Holy Spirit probably rode in on that moment. Totally. And I didn't even realize I was getting a prophetic word for this person. Yeah, I was just trying to listen. I thought it was just me talking, yeah, but the Holy Spirit just rode in on that. Totally. And the reason I think that that happens is we're designed for him to do that. Totally. Whether you think it has to be a special sending a memo to the Holy Spirit, he sends a memo back, we quote the memo to this person. Sometimes it's just the way he's designed us.

The Holy Spirit Lives Within You

SPEAKER_00 43:38

Like we we lose, we lose sight of this. And again, I I lose sight of this. You we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Yes. Yeah. And and and it begin, and again, like you know, it begins and ends with that. Like, because we are in Christ, the Holy Spirit dwells within us. Yeah. And we We only have, I think, at times partial understanding of through like the implications of that. Yeah. That reality. Yeah. Right. We it's a lot more than happens if we aren't. 100%. And it's like, you know, uh, even as it relates to holiness and like we think the Holy Spirit exists only to make us behave ourselves. Oh yeah. Right. Right. And and that's not that is not that's his favorite part of us.

SPEAKER_01 44:32

It's like totally. He's like, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_00 44:34

Yeah, right. Like, so but it's right, it's the it's the Holy the Holy Spirit exists, you know, within us for a bunch of things, right? There's actually, there's actually many purposes to why the Holy Spirit exists, right? Like, you know, again, I'm gonna I think I'm gonna call at least to mind, like he exists. According to Ephesians, I think, one, he exists in our in us as a seal and a promise for a greater glory. Yeah. So that's not just behaving yourself. He exists, his his sheer existence, one of the one of the purposes that he just resides within you as a seal and a promise to a greater glory. The the other one of the other things is Rome Romans 8. He exists within us to bear witness that we are children of God. Like the like the spirit of adoption, right? The one that cries out, Abba Father, right? That he he lets us know that we are children of God, right? And he exists. Jeepers, I'm I'm really going off here. John 16, 13. Like when the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. Yeah, like he and he, you know, it's like uh I'm gonna I'm gonna try to fumble my way through the cruel. When the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you in into all truth. And he won't speak on his own except what he hears, right? And he will tell you things that are to come. Yeah. Right. So he's he's within you to speak to you, number one, all truth. Right. So there is like, there is it's almost like the you're gonna be, you're gonna be able to discern with the Holy Spirit what's true. Yes. Right, what's eternally true. And I think you you we know this, right? Like, you know, again, like we'll out of the blue or in the middle of a sermon, someone will say something that that just is, it might be a little controversial, but in our spirit, there's something that goes a deep yes. Yeah, right. Like there is a there's a bearing, a bearing, quote unquote, like a bearing witness to to the truth that we have just heard. Right. Right. Yeah. And so, and then, and obviously there's the prophetic part of like, you know, you know, this is the Hearing God podcast. We know that. But I think I wanna, I just at least there's more. I know there's more, but that like I'm just thinking those are just three that are just recalled to mind. Like the presence of the Holy Spirit exists, like he lives within us in a multifaceted, like he's doing all kinds of things, right? As he lives within us, right? And one and and again, I'm probably I just probably slid off a little bit, but really it's like it's like uh he's he's here to work through you in ways that maybe you don't even know.

Grace Released When You Share

SPEAKER_01 47:23

Yes, I agree, right? There something earlier when you were talking about, you know, where when you're in a place where where you where you're being encouraged to share in front of other people your the the word that the Lord's bringing to you, and maybe you feel awkward about it, and you're like, oh, this is you know, this is too much for me. And yet and you were saying, which I love it, uh, we're not witnessing the gift, right? You know, but there is something real going on there, totally. And and I was trying to find it on my phone, but I'll just reference it. And if people want to look it up, they can. But it's in one of the letters, uh, Paul encourages the person he's writing to, everyone should use their spiritual gift to serve others. Yes. Like learning within the body of Christ, everybody should learn to use their spiritual gift to serve others. And then he says, uh, just distributing the the spiritual, uh, the grace of God in its various forms. Is is is the is a phrase he uses, that the grace of God getting communicated and experienced in its various forms. And I heard one author uh say um it that when you show up and do something in the midst of community, it doesn't matter that just that the job's getting done. Yeah, that's great the job's getting done, but what matters is you showed up to do it because God displays his grace in a unique way through you because of the way he's designed you. Yeah. And he put it into that, he put it into that concept. And so just reminded me when you're when when anybody, any of you, anybody who's listening here, anybody, any one of us in a group of people shares a word from the Lord, it isn't just about the word of the Lord. Yeah, it's the fact that you're sharing it. Like you, there's a grace that gets released in that community, big or small, because you're the one who shared it. Yeah. Like a case in point, yesterday morning in our worship gathering, uh, Anthony, you you shared a word before a prayer ministry moment in our gathering out of uh my yoke is easy and my burden is light. Come to me, all you who are weary and need rest. You know, you're gonna find rest for your souls. I'm gentle and humble in heart. And you you shared that, and we saw a beautiful response. People coming forward receiving prayer from our prayer ministry team. There was a grace released because you were the one who shared that. Right. Like you weren't completely out of the picture there. Like it didn't matter how well you presented it, how well you didn't. By the way, you presented it very well. Oh, thank you. But but it wasn't, but you could have presented it poorly, but the grace that it was the Holy Spirit and you because he gave it to you to do, yeah, that released a certain grace in the room. And I'm just saying that in the fellowship of being Christians together, we haven't we need to get more comfortable with that.

SPEAKER_00 50:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 50:31

That that if a person is sharing a word, there's a grace that's getting released. Let's not miss that. Yeah. Like, how well do they deliver it? Well, they didn't okay, but yeah, but there was something there that this is good, and it matters in to encourage all of us, you matter as the Lord gives you a word, like it matters that you bring it, regardless of how it's accepted. Yeah, get released to grace there.

SPEAKER_00 50:56

Can I because again, like there is a place, like there, there is a it's we're not dismissing excellence, right? Because excellence does matter, but it isn't the thing, it isn't the thing that we're that we really want to happen. Right. Right? We want the eternal moment to happen. Yeah. Right. And so the obedience, dare I say, the obedience uh is the part that releases the eternal thing that the Holy Spirit rides in on your obedience, your yes, yeah, as opposed to, you know, whether or not you executed the moment perfectly. Right. Right. Yes. Again, like for sure. Like even I walked off that moment going, oh, okay, I probably could have done this or this a little bit better. I get it. That's not the point. The point is, okay, so I can take that and learn that. That's part of the excellence part. Yeah. But the, but the, but the eternal part that was released was the fact that, you know, uh that earlier in the week, I was like, okay, Lord, what do you want? Like, how should we pray for people? Yeah. Right. So it's like, so it's like, okay, and then I heard, I felt like I heard in my heart, I'm gonna lift burdens. And again, that came out as okay, where is that in scripture? Right. Right there in Matthew 11. Yeah. Um, I think it's no, sorry, yeah, no, that's right. Matthew 11. Um, so that's where it came out. And so just that, and then so I I have to have the faith to believe that all of those mechanics, right? All of those moments throughout the week were were unto creating the space for that eternal moment to happen, right? For that transaction to have, for people to come and meet people, like for people to come and meet God and do that exchange, right? I'm going to exchange my heavy burden for your easy yoke, right? Your light burden, right? That he says later on. But so just to that's that's uh hopefully that's helpful. But I and I I really feel like you know, I was thinking like, I feel like, you know, if you made it this far, congratulations. Your coffee's probably almost done. It's almost done. But um, I'm just I feel like I just get getting a kick out of like I just some sometimes when we have these conversations, I feel like we, you know, I'm glad like we do get somewhere, and there's purpose and I all all along the way, but I really feel like we we got somewhere really good today. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, me too.

Prayer For Healing And Closing

SPEAKER_01 53:20

Yeah, for for for everybody listening, you you you bring something to the body of Christ that we all need. Oh, that's good. Like we all need it, and so just we just want to be agreeing with the voice of the Holy Spirit over your life, that that the enemy is a liar, and any thought that you don't matter to others is a lie. Yeah, and we just encourage you to to bring that lie to the cross of Jesus, yeah, and say, I know you're not mad at me for believing that lie, God, but I have believed it. Please forgive me for believing that I don't matter. Yeah, it's not cool, it's not okay. Yeah, I surrender at the cross, I let go of it, and Holy Spirit, come and show me how I matter. Come and come and help me in my relationships to show up knowing these other people actually need me to be present here. Yeah, I have something to offer.

SPEAKER_00 54:19

Yeah, and and I feel like you're I feel like you're praying.

SPEAKER_01 54:23

I I I did. I went I went into praying there.

SPEAKER_00 54:26

But I just want to and again, I want to agree and I want to just uh just pray this as well. That God, would you bring healing to hearts, especially where there is woundedness, Lord? Uh, even in even as it relates to community, and maybe there's uh there are people that are are walking in offense or people who like have legitimate, legitimate wounds that need healing. God, would you bring reconciliation? Would you bring healing to hearts? Yes, Lord, even here in this moment, Lord. So we just we give this conversation to you, Lord. Would you just take it, Lord? We just thank you, God, and just believe that that there are people who are going to be encouraged, minister to, and like and touched by this conversation. So we just we just thank you, Lord, for this time. We just bless you. We just thank you for your presence all along the way, God. Lord, I just I just pray that people will hear how valued they are, that they are sons and daughters. And so anyway, we just love you, Jesus. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 55:27

Amen. Love it. Well, that's a wrap on this episode. It's been a privilege to have you as an honored guest as we all learn to hear God better.

SPEAKER_00 55:38

If your time with us has been encouraging and you think this conversation will be helpful to others, we would love it if you could share this podcast with the people around you. Until next time.