Today's Heartlift with Janell
Sometimes the story we tell ourselves is not really true. Sometimes the story others tell about us is not really true. On "Today's Heartlift with Janell," Author, Trauma-informed, board-certified marriage and family specialist, and Professional Heartlifter, Janell Rardon, opens conversations about how emotional health and mental fitness effects absolutely every area of our lives. When we possess and practice healthy, strong, resilient emotional health practices, life is so much better. Read Janell's newest book, "Stronger Every Day: 9 Tools for an Emotionally Healthy You."
Today's Heartlift with Janell
294. When God Repositions You, Part 2
What if you could transform your grief into a reservoir of strength and joy? Join us as we sit down with LaTan Roland Murphy, author of "His Strength, Her Joy," to explore the profound theme of repositioning our lives for greater impact and fulfillment. LaTan shares her personal journey of leaning into a deeper faith experience in order to be a voice in her spheres of influence.
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Speaker 2:Hello, heartlifters, and welcome back to part two of my conversation with the remarkable LaTan Murphy, author of His Strength Her Joy, a book you must have on your Kindle or in your hands because it is for such a time as this. Latan and I, in part one talked about this word reposition. I can't get it out of my mind. I think of that chessboard right that we talked about in part one. Well, reposition means to change the image of, to target a new or alter the position of. I'm honing in on change, the image of to target a new or wider market. Something is in the air, heartlifters. We've been talking about it.
Speaker 2:Post-covid world a land of overwhelm, a land of a lot world a land of overwhelm, a land of a lot. And we, as women of God, daughters of God, as Paige Allen so brilliantly incited us to live into. You know I'm not religious. I said that in part one I am just very much in love with my heavenly Father, who then, through His Son Jesus, invited me to move through my life by following His teachings, by watching the way he did it, and so I just love that distinction and I want to really clarify it today more than ever, because that's who we are heartlifters. We are women who have made a decision to have a healthy sense of self, healthy behavior patterns and healthy communication skills so that we can stand in the center of our lives, our families, our spheres of influence as a wholehearted woman With mental fitness, emotional intelligence, relational intelligence. Yes, we're going to make mistakes, as I so honestly tell you. We're going to face insurmountable trials and difficulties, but we have his strength in our life, which produces joy and strength and courage in our life every day. So we are repositioning ourselves. What does that mean to you? Let's listen in on this part two of LaTan's conversation with us, where she incites us to really, really press in to the fullness of who God is in our daily lives and not to fear it.
Speaker 2:Latan and I pick up where we left off, talking about this bold courage that God is inviting us to live into. Here we go I'm not tooting a horn and it's hard Spend time crying on this floor whatever, any way I can, so that I can become a whole person, a whole woman who can image in front of now the next generation that I have looking at me what it means to follow Jesus, to be whole and to be someone they would want to emulate. And in that moment, to me, I do believe, and it's just coming to me right now, this is fresh. It's like I'm dang proud of myself. You should be, and I know you've had those moments.
Speaker 3:Oh, I'm thinking of so many and I'm thinking of how I feel like part of this repositioning for us is that God wants to speak new things. He says in His Word that in the latter days, we don't know when Jesus is coming back. But those of us who believe that God's word is completely truth and I do, I am one of those women that believe that yes, me too that I know that my Jesus is coming back. I don't know if it'll be in my lifetime or my grandchildren's lifetime or my great grandchildren's lifetimes, but I do believe that he is coming back and in this interim time that we have before he calls you and I home, we are privileged to have all this junk and all the mistakes and messes that we can share and all the vulnerability of our lives that and I wrote about a whole bunch of those of mine in this book you get very real and very raw.
Speaker 3:I do, I do, and it's hard, but you know what I think is necessary and and here's why the Lord wants to speak and give us words of prophecy I do, it's hard, but you know what I think it's necessary and here's why the Lord wants to speak and give us words of prophecy. I don't know how. You know, some of you might not be comfortable with that, but if you're not, that's okay. But I want to challenge you today, if you're listening, to ask God to gift you all that he is not just part of it, but just say I don't understand this whole prophecy thing that we're talking about today. But if you want to speak to me and give me words, to speak over people in the grocery store, in the marketplace, in the parks, wherever I go, then my ears are listening and my heart is ready and I want you to speak to me so that I can write stories across the pages of people's lives, like Posse, yeah.
Speaker 2:And you do that. You do that like nobody's business. You do it like nobody's business. You always have.
Speaker 3:Well, I went through a season you know, janelle, if I'm honest of grief.
Speaker 2:Please be honest. Oh, yes, yeah, tell us a little bit more.
Speaker 3:Yeah, in the process of life, you know where you're grieving or you've lost something whether it's for some of the listeners, they've lost a marriage that they invested in their whole lives, or they've lost a child, or they've not been able to bear a child and that was their big dream, or there's there's a whole list we could go through. Whatever it is for you, you can lose a part of yourself as you knew her, and so his strength becomes that girl's joy, her, her joy. Then it opens up a whole another realm for you. Because I've got chills rushing right now, because I feel god's presence so near and you know what it was for me that stripped that grief off of me was pressing into worship every day, putting on worship music and just sometimes I didn't feel anything.
Speaker 3:Yes, I couldn't feel, because that's what it does to you, is life sometimes numbs you down to where you can't feel. Your feeler is broken for a little while. Yes, okay, because if you just keep pressing into God and what he is and who he is, and you read the word and you say God, it doesn't matter who I am or what I'm going to be tomorrow, but what matters is who you are, active and alive within me.
Speaker 2:How do?
Speaker 3:you want to reposition my life so that I can move like a daughter of kings. We come from royalty, you guys.
Speaker 2:We do.
Speaker 3:Is there a?
Speaker 2:particular. Oh go ahead, I'm so sorry, I don't want to ever.
Speaker 3:I don't want to stop your flow. Is there? You were going to ask.
Speaker 2:Is there a particular song?
Speaker 3:I know I have one, it was top of my Spotify list last year. I've been soaking in this song and I literally sent it to a friend this morning. It's a Cece Winan song.
Speaker 1:It's called Holy.
Speaker 3:Forever Holy, forever Cece Winan. And you have to put it on auto-repeat.
Speaker 1:I will.
Speaker 3:If you're in a place where you feel like you are the most weak and lifeless and the most undone version of yourself that you've ever been, put this song on and just let the Lord envision him placing himself and covering you with all that he is, and then, as Janelle put so beautifully, that he's lifting you to your feet and repositioning you in this stance, that is strength, yeah, his strength, his strength, which, you know, we both, as followers, we know His strength is our strength and our strength is, you know, we're supposed to be one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's right. I love this scripture that you have 2 Timothy 2, 17. It is really going to be one that I add to my journal, but I also sit and really soak in and take a part, but the Lord stood with me. You just gave me scripture that defines that whole experience, but the Lord stood with me and gave me strength.
Speaker 3:I can't get over this whole conversation. Like you and I did not plan a thing, no, not a thing, and I'm so in awe of God and how he just ran a scarlet thread through it. All right, it's amazing.
Speaker 2:Which means he's up to something which means he's up to something, because it's never about an individual although it is, of course but in the long haul, it's about the advancement of His kingdom, and the only way we're going to be able to do that is if we are unified as women, and you and I have been pounding the table over that subject for decades over a decade.
Speaker 3:We have to be each other's biggest cheerleader.
Speaker 2:We do.
Speaker 3:If we grasp that what happens for you that strengthens the body of christ happens for me, and that what happens for me that strengthens the body of christ happens for you. But you see, we've lost sight of that. It has been so much of it I had. I asked the lord to forgive me because I said, lord, so much of this has been about me yeah and if I really got real with myself, I would be honest about it.
Speaker 3:You don't realize we fall into that in this world and you know. Just to come back to that place where we're centered right there in the middle of the room, where everything that surrounds us in our mind and heart, and we close our eyes and we envision that God is all around us, he's above us, he's above us, he's below us.
Speaker 3:And the beautiful part is because of the cross. He's within us. We carry him within us everywhere we go. So beautiful and you guys, I really believe the Lord wants us to live in the supernatural, Not just in the natural, and I had a situation a few weeks ago at a coffee shop where a girl behind me just noticed me. As you said, this lady's noticed you. God is going to shine a holy light down on you, my sisters that are listening, in a way that you have never had attention drawn to you before.
Speaker 2:Ooh, say that again. That is absolutely a prophetic word. Say it again.
Speaker 3:God is going to draw a light, a holy light that is his, and he's going to shine it down on you in the days to come, and he's going to draw people to you by his power, for his purpose to be used in a way that you've never been used before.
Speaker 2:That's exactly right, it's going to be all about Him, it is.
Speaker 3:It's going to be inescapable, knowing that we had nothing to do with anything. It was all Him honoring us to participate in something so much bigger than us that we'll see later and understand later. But at a coffee shop the other day there was a girl behind me that the Lord just drew her to me.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 3:I was kind of in my own little world. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah for sure.
Speaker 3:And she tapped me on the shoulder and she said this really sweet thing that I personally needed to hear.
Speaker 2:I want you to say it out loud. Just share it with us.
Speaker 3:Come on, I needed to hear it. I and you know we don't feel beautiful. We feel far from beautiful.
Speaker 2:Oh yes, my sweet sister, all the things that we are not when you're standing naked in front of the mirror.
Speaker 1:it's like oh my gosh, you hear that song the hills are low.
Speaker 3:We just found the music, but it's pretty off key. Yeah, oh golly day.
Speaker 2:Let's not go down there.
Speaker 3:Well, it opened a conversation. It was just God's purpose and his will and plan, because we talked for a minute and then we said we should get together for coffee. And she's much younger than me. But here's what I want you older women to realize is that there's a whole bunch of women out there that are going to be drawn to you because they need an older woman in their lives.
Speaker 3:To be honest and transparent and to share the bathroom poop stories, to just let your life be all that it can be for God's glory and to use every story the good, the bad, the embarrassing, the humiliating and just give it to God and say Lord, how do you want to use this, how do you want to use this part of my life to strengthen some other woman? And so we talked for a minute and then exchanged phone numbers and we are going to get together for coffee. And later I stood there and I was ordering my cappuccino and the Holy Spirit whispered go back to her and tell her that this man that's making her feel uncomfortable it's okay for her to move away from him. Oh, what a divine meeting.
Speaker 3:I can't even tell you and I'm going out on a limb to share this today yes, you are. Because these are things that I don't share publicly often.
Speaker 2:No no, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 3:I get it, but I feel like I'm supposed to, because this is a challenge for all of us. Holy Spirit didn't speak to me because I'm special, because I have the benchmark of something that other people don't have. He has enough supply of who he is for all of us, and he wants us to move in this supernatural way to where we're not just going to a coffee shop, we're going on a mission and we're available, and maybe some days we won't have to do anything or say anything to anybody. We can sit there and have our coffee and enjoy conversation. But maybe God wants to give us a minute with somebody that's exactly right and that it's life-changing. And so I don't.
Speaker 3:I know when God speaks to me. For so many years during my grief journey, I couldn't hear his voice, and then I would push back on these directives that I would feel from him. So I'm sure I missed a whole bunch of blessings by talking myself out of it and saying, oh, but Tan, you're just thinking that yourself. Oh, she'll think you're crazy if you go with her and I would talk myself out of it, janelle.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's so true, it's absolutely true.
Speaker 3:That day I said Lord, I'm not going to talk myself out of this, I know this is your voice. And I walked over to her and I said listen, you're going to think I'm crazy. The Lord just spoke to me and he wants you to know he loves you and that you're safe. There's nothing in this that you need to feel unsafe about, but you do need to get away from this person. I said is there somebody making you feel uncomfortable? And she just melted immediately and she said yes, and you guys, it was somebody in leadership that was making her feel very uncomfortable. And I said God wants you to move away from that.
Speaker 3:However, whenever God wants to use you and I. He wants to reposition us, and then he wants to use us to help reposition others.
Speaker 2:I think that's the whole reason. Honestly, where I'm coming from in my own wilderness journey is is that that is the whole reason. Like I'm going to go back to that is my God, my God powered. Fulfillment once looked like the world's fulfillment. Me too, and I've been chasing trophies and chasing awards and chasing this and that and the other. Fill in the blanks for yourself. What have you been chasing? That is not, and I don't you know for my younger ladies here. I don't want you to be 64 and figure it out. That's where we're going back to you, right? That's why Lutan and I are here. We've lived long enough and learned enough things to be able to call back and say we want you to not look back at, perhaps, like LaTan said, regrets or wasted moments, and God doesn't waste a thing. But I certainly get what you were saying. I certainly get what you were saying Missed opportunities or oh, that wasn't really his voice.
Speaker 3:I don't, you know, I don't know, the good thing to remember is that in those times when we missed it or we didn't, just like, he said you know, okay, moses, you don't want to do that I'll use, I'll use Aaron, he will use somebody else. God will have his mission fulfilled. So we don't, we don't have to fret, there's no shame.
Speaker 2:There's no fret shame. There's no pressure, no guilt.
Speaker 3:Nothing he invites us in moment to moment and what we are willing to participate in he's pleased by. But if we miss it, his will will be done, with or without us.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so where can we start? Let's, we've got to bring this to a close, but I will revisit you soon. Oh, my goodness, cause this is really important.
Speaker 3:I love having conversations with you. I feel like we need to have part two or something.
Speaker 2:Cause we will have a. This might be part eight.
Speaker 3:I. I feel like we need to have part two or something. We will have a. This might be part eight, I don't know, but we will A 10-step program, starting with us, right?
Speaker 2:Yes, well, you know One thing, one thing one thing one way, just right now, today, that everyone who's listening and then please share this message because it's so vital that we can begin living in that his strength, her joy, mindset, stature, posture, position. How can I begin repositioning myself today?
Speaker 3:I really want you guys to go and sit in a quiet place and listen to CC1 in song.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's good, I like it Forever.
Speaker 3:And soak in it for about a week, maybe a month.
Speaker 3:However long as it takes, however long it takes and if it requires you just getting in the floor face down or wherever your safe spot is your chair, your sofa, your chaise, whatever, whatever position yourself there and just let God fill you with all the holy that we are not, you know.
Speaker 3:Let him just pour it in like all the holy into all the unholy things that we deal with in life, and watch in your mind as you're doing this. Practice him flush out all the unpleasant trees that he's not pleased with. And he's just washing me from the top to the bottom like an empty vessel that's now flowing with these life-giving properties that he promised the woman at the well when he said I'm going to give you some water, girl, that you're going to never thirst again. And you know there's a power force in water and there's a power force in this vision that we're talking about, just envisioning God's spirit flowing through us and cleansing, purifying and resetting us from the inside out. And I cannot wait for you to get in touch with Janelle and tell her how God has repositioned your life and how he has redirected you in your daily to experience his strength as your joy. Yeah, wow.
Speaker 2:Let's fan and we're just repositioning ourselves for real, true joy. That's really what it is. We can just get out of the way of our own lives and let Him really flow through us. Oh my gosh, it will be God-powered fulfillment for sure. Thank you so much and we will have you back very, very soon. Thank you for having me. Thank you.
Speaker 3:I love, love, love conversations with you, my little deep well friend.
Speaker 2:Oh, heartlifters. I'm going to close with these beautiful words in LaTan's new book His Strength, her Joy, she has shared with us. 2 Timothy 2.17. So let's take some time to really consider these words written in the New Testament.
Speaker 2:But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength. Boy, what a beautiful intention for our days. God stands with me and gives me strength. She writes oh, how we need his strength. Oh how his strength can bring us joy in moments that matter.
Speaker 2:It's a beautiful thing how God goes ahead of us to prepare our paths with his supernatural strength, ahead of us to prepare our paths with his supernatural strength. How he reaches gently, in unconventional ways, to captivate our hearts, teaching us small lessons to carry us through our big life struggles. But I'm learning to be mindful of posturing myself in his presence to experience his strength. One thing for certain God will not waste any part of our journey or any experience if we will allow him into our situations. Above the noise, god knew we'd need his presence because we need his strength. As we experience God's presence, we will experience the joy of his strength. Right, the joy of the Lord is our strength.
Speaker 2:Being mindful of his presence means we have it within us to refocus our hearts, to look beyond our audacious daily plans and dreams, to see God working all around us and for us, giving us unique strength and joy His presence provides in every here and now. Oh, my goodness, thank you, thank you. Thank you, latan, for being the wise, remarkable woman of God that we needed today. Heartlifters Heartlifters, I love and care for you so much.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening today. Please meet Janelle over at Heart Lift Central on Substack at Heart Lift Central, where we can keep this remarkable conversation going. Please share today's episode with a friend and invite them to become stronger every day. Heartlifter, always remember this you have value, worth and dignity.
