GraceFilled Community

Navigating Life's Challenges with Faith, Friendship, and Family

• Nicole Cater • Season 1 • Episode 7

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Join us for a heartfelt conversation with Lauren Saulnier as she shares her powerful story of finding spiritual resilience in the face of loss and trauma. Discover how to cultivate a genuine relationship with God, beyond mere church attendance, and explore the importance of community, prayer, and perseverance in faith.

Key Takeaways:

- How traumatic experiences can deepen your faith connection
- The difference between legalism and a loving relationship with God
- Practical tips for incorporating prayer into daily life
- The significance of community support in building faith
- Insights on fostering children's faith in today's world

Connect with Us:
Visit our website at www.gracefilledcommunity.com
Follow us on Facebook: GraceFilled Community 
Follow us on Instagram @gracefilledcommunity.

Connect with Lauren Saulnier:
Website: https://www.herprayersco.com/
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/HerPrayersCo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herprayersco/
Amazon: Lauren Saulnier

Keywords: faith, spirituality, resilience, prayer, community, family, friendship, spiritual growth, personal development, Christianity.

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Speaker 1:

My name is Nicole Cater, your host, founder and servant leader of Graceville Community. I want to thank you for tuning in to Graceville Community Podcast. This is a safe space, a place in which we just share stories of how God has touched individuals' lives all across the world and how they are now impacting the kingdom of God. Thank you for tuning in. Blessings to you. Hi, welcome to Graceville Community, where we have real heart-to-heart conversations about impacting the faith-based community. My name is Nicole Cater, your host and founder of Graceville Community, and I am so excited today to have Ms Lauren Arnn with Her Prayers Company, lauren hi, hey girl, hey everybody, nice to meet you all.

Speaker 2:

I'm so excited to be here.

Speaker 1:

Yes, okay, lauren. So I have actually been looking forward to this. I know we had a couple of days where it's like we're going to do this, but tell me first of all Her Prayers Company. I mean, obviously I'm a she, but tell me first of all her prayers company. I mean, obviously I'm a she and prayers is one thing that I love, so I'm like, give it to me. What is?

Speaker 2:

happening with her prayers company. So my journey started a couple of years ago with two very traumatic birth experiences. With my daughter, I almost lost her multiple times during our pregnancy in utero, and with my son, he was actually stillborn from a silent placental abruption. Through both of those situations, god really showed me how far away from him I truly had been.

Speaker 2:

I've been a Christian my entire life and I was always the person who was like you know, lord, it's okay, the whole world is under your purview. I'm a Christian, I know the rules, you know I'm going to pray to you every day, I'm going to go to church. But like, I've got this. You know you, you set me up good, I got this. And then, whenever I didn't have it, all of a sudden it was like Lord, save me. And then we'd go right back to oh, that was a close one, god, thank you, I got this again. You're good. I got, you were there when I needed you. You're always there with me. But I got this.

Speaker 2:

And then, all of a sudden, I'm in a position where I'm going to the doctor every three days to see if my daughter is still alive and God's like yeah, how far away from me are you Lauren? And it was like, oh, okay, god. And even then my daughter's now seven. She's beautiful, she's healthy, she's vivacious, she's such a warrior for God. Even then afterwards I was like, okay, god, thanks, I got it. I can now hear your voice, we're talking more regularly. I'm going to go to Bible study now on top of church. But I got it Right.

Speaker 2:

And then, when it came to my son, all of a sudden he was still born and resuscitated. I was stuck in the hospital during COVID. He was at a different hospital receiving life giving treatment. There were five days where I didn't know whether he was going to live or not and all of a sudden it was like I thought I had this, I thought I had learned, but that's not having relationship with God. I was still being a wishy-washy CEO Christian where I knew about God, I knew about Jesus, I had accepted him. I was born again, covered by the blood, but I was not walking in faith every day but I was not walking in faith every day.

Speaker 1:

Yes, you know, I do want to pause right there because I mean there's so much context in what you just said, I mean so much that I'm like, oh, my goodness, you know, I think that, especially for those of us I grew up in the church, right, and at some point you get to the stage where it's like it's not just the legalistic side, it's not just like, okay, yeah, I read these confessions and okay, yes, I, you know, just go to church weekly and I'm walking in and I'm walking out and nothing's really changing a personal relationship, right. And so I feel like we have these, what I like to call these God moments where it's the recognition that we're not in control and need the one who is in control, right. And so I think of, like, the suffering with Christ. It's for our own good, actually, that we go through these circumstances. And I mean you definitely have a story to tell.

Speaker 1:

I, as many of our viewers know, lost our first child in a traumatic way and came to a point with like, just like you do, I really know you Do, I really rely on you. And so I love that you speak to this, because I know often I speak to our followers or people that tune in and they're going through hard circumstances and the mindset of like oh God left me or why am I in this? Versus what is there to pull from this, and so I just wanted to pause there because, even in all that you said, I'm like there is so much context, so much goodness of. We need moments like that because it does draw us near.

Speaker 2:

Well, and how much of that is us doing it unto ourselves? You know not to not to say that, like you caused your child to die, or I caused my child to be unhealthy, but these kinds of things stem from sin. They do. That's where all of this hardship, all this hurt, all this death, that's where it comes from, that's where the wages are.

Speaker 2:

And I don't know about you, but growing up in the church, I had always kind of took the repentance prayer. As you know, if I did it, it was covered type thing, and it didn't matter how I did it. And as a mom and you'll know this because you're a mom too when you're teaching somebody about apologies, there are acceptable apologies true apologies and there are not acceptable apologies not true apologies. So that's why I always start with my story, because there was a lot that I hadn't even bothered to repent of. I hadn't even bothered to say I'm so sorry, lord, cover this for me, because I was already covered, I was already saved.

Speaker 2:

It was handled by Jesus. He died for it. I don't actually need to beat myself you know self-flagellation or things like that to give it to him. However, we still need to beat myself you know self-flagellation or things like that, to to give it to him. However, we still need to acknowledge that it happened, and that's what Leviticus shows us. Is that's what, what part of that ritual and sacrifice was? It was acknowledgement that we had stepped out of line with the creator and had a desire to get back into alignment with him. So, um it's. It's a heavy thing, you know, and I there. We don't understand the will of god. We don't understand what, what impacts what.

Speaker 2:

It's kind of like the butterfly effect, you don't know you know um, yes, but scripture tells us that what be what befalls the child, is covered by the head of the household in the old. Testament, and so you know we have that responsibility to stand up and say this was mine and I need to repent for it, I need to pray for it, I need to cover my children in anointing. And it's heavy. I mean, both of my children were severely impacted by my lack of faith. They were severely impacted by my lack of prayer and it's heavy to live with. It is it's heavy.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yes, I think of how you know, as you stated, and especially being, I mean, grace-filled community, right? One of the biggest things that I like to make sure that there's an understanding of is yes, is the Lord's mercies new every morning?

Speaker 1:

Absolutely, but I don't want to live off of that mercy, right, because the word says that the Lord is the same yesterday, today and forevermore, meaning that there are still consequences to the actions that we do, and so, although those mercies are new every morning, I still have to understand and take responsibility that there are going to be consequences for the actions that I make, and so thank the Lord that we have a Jesus Christ that sacrificed so that we can come into repentance and we can be in a relationship.

Speaker 1:

But I think that leads to the conversation of, like legalist versus love, right.

Speaker 1:

And when I think of the foundation, like why it's so important to have that personal relationship, as you mentioned, is when we love someone, we do the things that please them, right.

Speaker 1:

I think about, like, my relationship with my husband. We're entering about to enter 20 years and so thank you, and so when I think about it, like in my love for him, is when I don't maybe feel like getting up doing something, but I will. It's in my love for him that I will speak to him a certain way to, because it's pleasing to him, it gives him honor and respect. It's through my love for him, right. And I think that sometimes we have become, um, and I say we, including me, have had times of being fickle with it right, because I want to love him in the same sense of like, oh, I love this tv show because I feel good about it, but we feel good, I love that analogy, um, because I was already kind of pre-thinking, but but that's, that's a fabulous analogy that you know, we just want to um, to exist in love, but that's not reality.

Speaker 2:

That TV show it's. It's not reality. And you know, I love this topic because, like so many topics where the Christian community is so divided, the reality is it's both God and Jesus, they're the same. Legalism and love it's the same.

Speaker 1:

Yes.

Speaker 2:

I love my children, so I put boundaries and rules for their success, for their safety, for the betterment of them into place and, like God, even says okay, moses, I'm going to depart from Israel and I'm going to give you an angel. Don't mess up with the angel, because he is not forgiving. And Moses is like no, have you seen these people? Don't leave us with an unforgiving angel. We need forgiveness, we need you. And then God and Moses go back and forth, complaining about the Israelites to each other.

Speaker 2:

The entirety of the book of Numbers. It's flippant, hysterical. But in order for God to dwell with the people of Israel and not automatically smite them, rules had to be put into place. It's like, in order to not get hit by a car, we need rules for street safety. It's cause and effect and it's it's like gravity what goes up, what comes down. If sin is in the presence of God, it's obliterated, and it's obliterated mercifully. You know. There is no place in the old Testament where things are tortured by God, um, mauled, mutilated, destroyed by God in an in a horrific way. It always says, and they dropped dead, like this was just no more, bye-bye, all done. And so, like you don't necessarily go. Oh well, a whole bunch of death is merciful, but at the same time, we had to get to jesus somehow. Jesus is the mercy. That's where that came from, and there were many times where Moses and Aaron and Joshua prayed on behalf of Israel and God granted that mercy. Many times where Elijah prayed for the people of Israel and God granted that mercy.

Speaker 1:

Yes.

Speaker 2:

So, like, just like you said earlier, he is the same today, tomorrow, forever. He's the same in the old testament as the new testament, and so when we start talking legalistic versus love, jesus preached legalistic too he did absolutely like it's like yes, both I, it is no, that's so true, it is both.

Speaker 1:

And there's this component that we like to say, actually, in all things, that there is a balance, right, which. Thank the Lord for the Holy Spirit that leads us and guides us. You know, when you're speaking of discipline, I can't help, and of course, this is a scripture that comes to mind. Right Like Hebrews 12 and six, for the Lord disciplines and corrects those that he loves, and he punishes every son whom he receives and welcomes to his heart. And we think of it as like a parent, right, like the actual Hebrew word for discipline is Musar, and it refers to correction, instruction, reproof and, particularly in the context of disciplining like a child, right and so, just like the example you gave, like we teach our kids, don't cross the street without looking first, and when you do, there is a consequence that we want to place on you so that the next time you know for sure I will not do this right. And so it's brings me to the concept of God.

Speaker 1:

Even in old Testament, there was legalism centered out of his love. Right, he corrected through his love, and in that he didn't do anything without warning, no, and so you know, I consider the concept of like I mean the term I always love is the Bible. First of all, the Bible is a living story and it is the best story ever. I'm like, if you want entertainment, go to the Bible because there is some drama in there. Right, oh, much drama, yes, but the reality is like, even before he opened the earth, there was warnings, before he flooded and had. No, there were warnings Like. It's not heeding to the warning, it's not heeding to the correction that's given, that causes consequence and punishment, right.

Speaker 2:

I always look at the story of Exodus because in there God says, okay, I'm going to harden Pharaoh's heart so he won't let you go. And the first time I read it as an adult I was like, oh, like, that's mean. Why would you intentionally make it so that they're punished? But you know what? The Israelites had been there for 500 years. They had exposure to the God of creation. For 500 years they had been saved by saved from famine. They had been saved from destitution. They were created, uplifted by God through Joseph and elevated in status to provide for the region surrounding them. God had blessed them and they still went.

Speaker 2:

I'm going to worship Ra. Now I'm going to worship Osiris. I'm going to mistreat the people that came here under the covenant of God's mercy. We're just going to forget the God of Israel exists, and this was God. Going 500 years is long enough for exposure before he said enough. It is time to separate my people from this people, because this people they're breaking the laws. They know the Israelite laws. They've seen the Israelite sacrifices, they've they've heard of the atonement. It's, it's time. It's time to to make change. And so you know when we, when we look at at reproach, when we look at correction. I always, you know, you hear God is so wrathful in the old Testament. But you know, and especially we talk about it when, when we're talking about the things that are happening to us. You know why did I get cancer? You know god is so wrathful why. Why did, why did my child die? God is so wrathful. In the old testament, god pours out wrath on an individual like twice, two times. The wrath of God is reserved for nations.

Speaker 1:

Yes.

Speaker 2:

And usually it is big fire. Global flooding Plagues.

Speaker 1:

Yes.

Speaker 2:

You know, that's the wrath of god. So we, um, we need to start being a little bit more careful, as the christian church, in my personal opinion, as to the curses that we're bringing upon ourselves with our mouths and what we're speaking into existence, cause, like you know, I I mean, I myself have always been this it's like, oh my gosh, I, I, I really struggle to lose weight. I have such a hard time, the weight's not going anywhere. It's, it's just not, it's not working, it's never going to work. And it's like what, what did I just say there? And it's like what, what did I just say there? Right, not working, so it's not gonna work.

Speaker 2:

And, like you know, there's there's confusion here with manifestation versus blesses and curses, and blessings and curses. But you know, when we got God created with his mouth yes, that's how he created. So when we start talking about ourselves, about our siblings, about our relationships and our communities, we have that power to give that grace, to give that ungrace. And I mean even Moses in the Old Testament. Moses said Pharaoh's never going to go for it. And God said you're right, pharaoh's never going to go for it. And God said you're right, era's never going to go for it.

Speaker 2:

Right, yes, so it's very interesting to me, especially when we start talking about community. I actually have a Bible study coming out right now about our two, about community and the spiritual warfare that we do upon each other. Yes, because you're a spirit being, yes, I'm a spirit being. The church has this concept that spiritual warfare is solely demonic, and it's just not. I can, I can, wreak spiritual warfare upon you Even as a Christian. You can wreak it upon me, even as a Christian. When we come out of alignment with God, we step into into that sin space. I mean you can even pray from a position of sin and it's like well, you know, I can't, I can't have sinned, I prayed and it's like, yes, in manipulation, we can try and manipulate our prayers, which is praying out of sin, right?

Speaker 1:

And so, yes, definitely, you know, I think about um. Scripture tells us that we are image bearers, right, and so when I talk about community, there's a concept of how you see the person next to you, how you see your neighbor, because biblically, we are all neighbors to each other. Like you are my neighbor, this is my neighbor, this is my neighbor, you got it, you got it. You got it Like we are all neighbors. This is my neighbor, you got it, you got it. You got it. Like we are all neighbors, it doesn't matter proximity, right.

Speaker 1:

And so we were all created his image. Now, I may not see outside of you the fruits coming through, but you were creating his image. That means you're an image bearer, and so if there's a concept inside of us that recognizes, no matter what you're doing in the outer appearance, you were created, you're an image bearer, which one of the ways that I look at grace is recognizing that, as individuals, in our humanity, there are past experiences that shape the way we respond to what's happening today, and the grace that's inside of me will allow me to not look and judge you upon what's happening today, but to consider that there was past experience that led you up to today, but you are still an image bearer of God, because that was your creation.

Speaker 2:

Oh, go ahead.

Speaker 1:

Oh no, go for it.

Speaker 2:

When we see that echoed in Jonah. You know Jonah was sent to preach to Nineveh. Nineveh and the Israelites were at war. They were that. Nineveh and the Israelites were at war. They were Nineveh and the Israelites were at war. You know they were sworn enemies. They were killing each other. There were active battles going on. And God's like I want to save the people of Nineveh and Jonah's like well, I don't, so I'm not going. And God's like you're going to Nineveh. And so, and even then, when he gets there, he half-heartedly preaches God's message. Nineveh hears it and turns around, and then he goes and pouts about it and God's like why are you pouting? I saved 200,000 souls yes.

Speaker 2:

I saved 200,000 souls, jonah, and it's like you know, we, we look at the world and there there's this this my enemy versus your enemy, characteristic, which is so anti-community. And, at the end of the day, god's sitting here going my enemy isn't necessarily your enemy. And there's this verse that is so often misquoted and I'm going to level it here we, we often say well, god says vengeance is mine, declares the Lord where's the vengeance in my honor? Just because God, just because you think that God delivers vengeance? That's not what the verse says.

Speaker 2:

The verse says that vengeance is mine. It is mine to dish out, it is mine to give mercy, it is mine to define what vengeance looks like. Define what vengeance looks like just because you view vengeance as smiting, as loss, as pain, injury, you know, things like that doesn't mean that that's God's definition of vengeance, and it doesn't necessarily mean that the person you want vengeance wrought upon is the person who God chooses to wreak vengeance upon.

Speaker 2:

He might look at that and go. You have no idea the demons twisting that person. I'm going to wreak vengeance for both of you on that demon, but you're still going to have to treat this person as a friend, as a brother, as a sister. You're still have to find forgiveness, like Job had to find forgiveness in chapter 42. You're still going to have to pray, blessing, thanksgiving and beg God for forgiveness for the person who hurt you so badly. That's your job.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yes, I like to say you can't be in God and think you can have love and hate together. Hate is not a part of him. We often and we say it so casually like God is love, god is love. Well, guess what? You can't be in alignment with him and have any parts of hate inside of you. No, you can't.

Speaker 1:

I think about an aspect too of and I actually pulled it up because I wanted to make sure I'm blank Ephesians 1 and 11, it says in him we are also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of his, of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will. And so the word works out, which you know we're talking New Testament, so I'm gonna give the Greek word right, which is energeo, and it actually means energy and energizing force, right? So, essentially, when I look at that, I'm like God is the energy and the energizing force behind everything. There's not a moment that happens on this earth, there's not a detail that happens that he does not have to allow. I mean, even when we think about the story of Job, like Satan came with the angels, by the way, satan came into God's presence and had to get permission to touch, job. There's not a thing that happens that the Lord does not allow. And so I know that that was a hard concept, like when I lost my child and I'm like Lord, I'm serving for you, like my husband and I are youth pastors and you took this away Like what occurred, right, and so, in all that confusion of all that, like sitting and fighting, getting to a place where I just authentically and we're going to talk about prayers, right, but having an authentic prayer of like the thing that you already know about my hurt, my anger, my upset, that I'm just going to cast it up to you and let's deal with this, like, let's go at it with this, right, but in that, that was the hardest concept of God. You had to allow this to occur.

Speaker 1:

But I think when we sit in a position you mentioned earlier of thinking like, oh, I got cancer, oh, I got this, I like the term and I see we, you know, we see it sometimes on social media, we see it in different ways the term like oh, but God, yeah, yet there's a reality. But God, you know, I look at I mean we look at people all throughout the Bible. If I look at, I mean we look at people all throughout the Bible. If I look at Joseph, like Joseph, his father's favorite Dakota, many colors, all of that and goes through like the worst times slavery, prison but then comes out on top right, that's a but God. And I think if we stop and recognize the but God moments, it helps us increase our faith so that when things come up, we recognize Lord, you're still in this, you had to allow it to happen, so there's a purpose that's according to your will for this. So, oh, I have cancer, but God, god is a healer. Oh, my job made cutbacks, but God, god is my, jehovah Jireh, he will provide. Yeah, and so it's in those things that I think you know we have to sit and really enter into relationship of prayer, to be open and honest with God. I mean, he already knows and I say that often like the concept that we think, like, oh, maybe if I don't say this out loud, or maybe if I don't talk to him about this, yes, so just the concept of trusting God, yeah, I mean it's trusting him and it's having open, honest communication with him.

Speaker 1:

Hey, let's take a quick break to tell you about Grace Filled Community. Grace Filled Community is an organization that focuses on the primary principles of the Church of Acts, centered around building communities that impact the kingdom of God. We do this through three core extensions. One, graceville Church Network, where we empower churches and nonprofits for God's success and growth. We offer tailored growth strategies rooted in biblical principles that will help you expand your reach and impact your communities. Just like the early church, we focus not on attendance and numbers, but on discipleship, providing leadership teachings and trainings to today's ministry leaders. Our second extension is Project of the Grace Field, where we provide biblical counseling, mentorship, workshops and events that are dedicated to encouraging individuals to live a life filled with grace and purpose, rooted in the understanding that all have fallen short and are a working project. Let us help the individuals in your community grow as they walk with God and experience the fullness of his love.

Speaker 1:

Our third extension is Grace-Filled Business. Grace-filled Business is here to help small faith-based business owners develop their business in a way that honors God, that brings increase and allows them to pour back into his kingdom, through marketplace ministry and financing his kingdom. We do this through our 15 years of experience of virtual administrative work, digital marketing, business development and consulting. Welcome back I really want to jump into, because I mean her prayers company. I want to jump into, like, because I mean her prayers company. I want to jump into, like what is it that you do that's impacting?

Speaker 2:

the community to in prayer? Yeah, no, I would absolutely love to dig into that. So, as I was saying, you know, I almost lost both my kids. I was in the hospital alone and just rediscovering and reconnecting with God, and throughout the next couple of years the last six actually, you know the Holy Spirit just kept telling me little tidbits. Here and there I read a Bible verse and all of a sudden, like an explosion of understanding would happen, and so I'd write down this little paragraph here and a little paragraph there, or I'd be doing the dishes one day and my mind would be wandering and all of a sudden the right analogies would click.

Speaker 2:

And all of a sudden I'm like, oh my gosh, my entire life I've been chasing happiness because I've been depressed for 20 years. I don't need happiness because it's a lie, oh my goodness, because anything that is just is. If it is not, then it is a lie. And so I was like, oh my gosh, I've been chasing this concept of happiness, this lie, my entire life, when I should be chasing the joy of the Lord, which means that it doesn't really matter what comes and what goes. If that happiness flees from me. I'm still fine Cause I have that joy.

Speaker 2:

And so, like uh, last year and um, in May, god finally was like, okay, lauren, where are all those little writings? Where'd they? And I was like, oh gosh, I don't know. And so I had to dig through my text messages, my iPhone notes, my Facebook messenger posts, my email drafts, like I'm my notebooks and journals, I'm pulling everything everywhere and I throw it all into a Google Doc. And it was 64 pages, pages of content, just this massive amount of writing.

Speaker 2:

And I'm just like, uh, okay, now what? You know, you told me to find all this stuff. I'm supposed to do something with it, right, right. So I'm staring at it and doing a little editing here and there and my mom's like, oh my gosh, look at what you've written, it's wonderful, it's a, it's a mommy blog. You know, my girlfriend's like you should monetize it. You know, this is great writing, you can help people with this, and I'm like that just doesn't. It doesn't feel right. I'm gonna sit on it and finally, in July, god said these are Bible studies. There are seven of them and as I started tearing them apart, I and putting them in their different categories, I noticed a theme and it was how to pray without ceasing.

Speaker 1:

Yes.

Speaker 2:

Because I have always looked at that Bible verse and gone. That is such a ridiculous expectation. How is that even a possibility? Like I got a life to live and of course you know you hear the only type of prayer you hear really talked about. Besides, what is displayed for you in church is going into your secret place, going into that prayer closet, locking yourself in there for hours, and I'm like the two do not go hand in hand yes I have a four-year-old Just recording. This is dangerous, yes, like. Explain this to me, god.

Speaker 1:

Oh yeah.

Speaker 2:

But that's the thing is that it's not that we are supposed to remove ourselves from our lives, it's that God is supposed to be so in our life that everything we do turns into prayer, everything we do turns into worship. We have invited him in so explicitly and intrinsically that we are walking through the grocery store with the Holy Spirit and having his anointing on us to the point where we touch a thing that we are not supposed to buy, our hand is repelled, so that in and of itself is her prayers code. There are seven to eight answers when somebody in church is asked to pray and only one of them is yes. And most of the time we're standing awkwardly in a circle staring at one another, seeing if anybody's going to have the gall to say yes. Lord, I want to talk to you right now.

Speaker 1:

But, no.

Speaker 2:

Do you see people in church fighting for the opportunity to pray over each other and bless each other? No, you don't. Why? Why we should be battling it out to talk to God. Yes, but we're not. So, god, put it on my heart, tear apart these lies. This is a cry for shepherding, this is a cry from the God's community saying I don't know, I'm not comfortable, I don't have words. And we, as a church's response is it's okay, do it anyway. Like it's so condescending and so demeaning and so invalidating. Yep, do it anyway, it's fine, you'll figure it out, it's good, it's good.

Speaker 2:

And I myself have been that person where I've been like no, no, no, you know, the only way you get better at praying is to pray. So who? Who cares about the pressure? Who cares about the words? Just just do it. Go out of your comfort zone, your feelings don't matter. Connect with God. And what we're actually saying is God doesn't care about your feelings either. What we're actually saying is God doesn't care about what you pray. We're saying that God doesn't care, and what we are meaning is that God's not going to hold it against you. But what they're hearing is that there is no relationship between God and I, because if he doesn't care about my feelings, if he doesn't care about me, then what is the point? So we are creating spiritual warfare while trying to encourage people to pray.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yes, yes, so I think about so. When I was geez, let me tell you. So I have now three teenagers, and so at a period of time, I had three children all under three, all in diapers, yes, and I remember someone telling me like you need to get your hour of prayer in every morning. And I'm like, do you know what life I live? Like I would like to not be the feeder for an hour. How about that? And so it was just like that's so unrealistic.

Speaker 1:

And I started carrying this guilt and shame of, like I'm not getting up, I'm not getting my prayer time in, I'm not sitting there with all of my confessions laid out to say this and this to the Lord, which really, I mean what God wants is relationship, right, and even, as we talk about community. That's why prayer is also so important, because the first example of what relationship should look like comes from God's relationship with us. It shows me what forgiveness should look like, shows me what mercy looks like, shows me what grace looks like, love, kindness I mean, let's just go through the fruits of the spirit Like. It shows me what relationships should look like, and so it's important that I can enter into that and I value cause. You're absolutely correct. If we don't give people guidance or even what prayer is, what prayer means and, yeah, I think, even some instructions on like, how do you start entering into this, we are kind of discrediting their feelings, and we have a saying in our house that feelings may not be factual, but feelings matter.

Speaker 2:

They do they do.

Speaker 1:

Feelings will create the actions that you do if you don't address those appropriately, and part of prayer is addressing the emotions and the feelings Emotions which I like to say that God did create.

Speaker 2:

He created emotions. Yes, it's like biting my tongue going. I want it. You know, God made everything with a purpose. Yes, the first devotional we put out is a devotional for brand new mommies. Because, just like you were talking about, where is God when I got a kid attached to my body? Where is God? Where I'm still trying to figure out how to bend over, like how am I supposed to hit my knees? And it's like you're not.

Speaker 2:

You're not, but there is no reason you can't pray while you nurse there is no reason you can't put some worship music on while that baby is napping, because it is calm and it is soothing.

Speaker 2:

There is no reason why I mean gosh, I found god in pooplosions like god is there in pooplosions and the beauty is he will speak to you in the name of that poop right, which I feel like it's just like our lives. You know, I'm watching you on butts and throwing in bathrobes and I'm like, is this just how you view me, god, just covered in my own poop all the time, my own mess, my own unworthiness and selfishness and the silliness that I get myself into. And it's like, yes, lauren, that's how I see you, covered in your own mess. But you know what I love you anyway, just like you love that baby anyways, just like you want to clean that baby anyways. That's what I want to do for you and so like and that's that's the entirety of the ministry is, wherever you are, god is there and it is my job to encourage you, to put sometimes enable you and sometimes to educate. So it's kind of a trifle.

Speaker 2:

In the beginning, god said that man was not good to be alone. He needed a helper suitable, just like god has a helper suitable. With the holy spirit. We are in the family unit, the holy spirit representative. We are the lionesses of judah, god says, because your mother was so great and she stood at the entrance of the den protecting you. We are the spiritual warfares of our warriors, of our house, and this generation of women have forgotten and the generation who were so founded in prayer that you could not shake them are dying off. They're going to be with the Lord. God is calling his army forth right now. He's calling you, he's calling me, he's calling my daughter, he's calling the daughters of the king to stand up, go to battle against this world and against the wages of sin, against the demonic, against ourselves, and to take ownership of what comes out of our mouths. For the Lord.

Speaker 1:

Yes, yes, I love it. I love it, and of course, I can just hear from your heart, your passion behind what it is that you're doing to impact God's people, impact community. And when I say God's people, know that every one of his creation is his people. There there is, I mean we. We find often, especially in church, we can hear a separation like, oh, god's people, as if this is just those that are sitting here week by week. But he created and he loves all of his creation, and so in our aspect of loving him to the point of obedience unto death, right Then we should love all of his creation and by love, using that discipline that we talked about earlier, to speak truth to them, to correct them, to guide them, to educate them, to enable them all the things that you said, and especially in the prayer. And so I love what it is that you're doing and so appreciate all that you're doing to impact community as a whole. You know. One more question that I just have is you brought up something that is very near and dear to me.

Speaker 1:

In our home we do these things called family talks, and with those family talks, one of the um, they rotate like week by week, like what's the question for the week? And you know we come back around to them and so forth. But one of them is, like you know, in a concept of representing and understanding the representation that god the father represents in the home, would be the male party right, the husband, and the Holy Spirit, that lovely comforter, helper, guider, the one they're a lot of partner with, is mother role, right, and Jesus, our brother, who sits on the right hand, like interceding, like right, like hey, I'm partnered with her. Okay, father, give her mercy in this right. That is the role of sibling, right, and so that's kind of how we present like how the things should be happening in our home. Let's get aside from like. Does that mean that you know, my husband can't do the dishes? No, by all means, please do those dishes, okay.

Speaker 2:

Who said that God didn't do dishes? He flooded the earth. He cleans up.

Speaker 1:

Yes, he was smart enough to create some automatic systems. Right, he's clean after Right. But all that to say like it doesn't, it's not about the responsibility, it's not about like a gender role, but what it is about recognizing what is inside of us, what was created in us, and how we carry out this mannerism of God's creation Right. And so I love how you, brought up as women, we need to be doing the spiritual warfare, not only as how we treat each other, which is one of my caveats, is the whole like women can't get along. Yes, women can get along. Right, women should get along.

Speaker 2:

We used to be tribal to the point where we would raise each other's children and we would. That's a whole other right.

Speaker 2:

I'm like but yeah, no, that's it, it's 100%. What you were saying is that it's not a role, it's a gift that we have gifting. If you look at women, we are more intuitive, we are more emotional, we see to the heart of the issue and not the the surface level presentation. And that is 100% what the Holy Spirit does. It is the gift of discernment, and if you talk to most women, they will have the gift of discernment in terms of spiritual gifting, because that is the Holy Spirit in and of itself.

Speaker 2:

And so when we walk through our house, we need to be able to look at our children and go. You are under spiritual warfare and I'm going to pray for you. I'm going to go anoint this house, I'm going to anoint your bed, I'm going to write scripture on your backpack to keep you safe wherever you go, because God is with you and I want you to see those things and be able to declare them upon yourself throughout the day. And I learned this personally because we actually had a spirit of fear tormenting my daughter. She was having night terrors. We had a spiritual, a spirit of anger tormenting my husband. We had a spirit of insecurity tormenting myself, and once I started routinely anointing the house in oil and declaring this space as the space of the holy spirit. Um, because that's what they did scripturally for the time. It is, oh, absolutely, uh, going what I'm not doing. Hooey, hooey right it is biblical.

Speaker 2:

It is biblical, absolutely yes, biblical yeah I I gotta say that because whenever I start talking in oil people, uh, talking about anointing in oil people go, ah, like right, you're putting up some like witchy barrier or something, and I'm like no, no, it's a symbolic invitation for the holy spirit. It's not. There's not. There's no spells, there's no charms, there's no nothing. You don't even need to use oil.

Speaker 1:

The music doesn't matter.

Speaker 2:

Anoint in sweat, yes, use some water In Passover. They anointed with blood, like there are different kinds of anointings in scripture. And so when we start looking at the invitation of the Holy Spirit, that is 100%, what 99, that's 99% of my teaching right there is invite him in. We are so busy trying to take care of everything ourselves. We're so busy getting advice from Dr Google, from our parents, from our best friends, from chat, gbt, parenting books, the dictionary. We are so quick to diagnose and define and determine, but we are not praying, we are not anointing, we are not saying oh, I rebuke that statement over my household. I'm so sorry, I rebuke that statement over my child. My child is not having a hard time learning. They learn differently and there is a difference between my child learning differently and my child not being able to learn. And I'm not going to receive that word. We're going to receive these words and so you and me, we're going to come up with a way to reach my child, not declare them broken you know.

Speaker 2:

And so when we start walking in the Holy Spirit as spiritual warriors, when we start walking as lionesses of Judah, we start viewing the world as acceptable and biblical and not acceptable non-biblical. And that's where you start to make those decisions and discernments of we're cutting this out because it's not good. We're cutting that out because it's not good. We will accept this because it is good. And especially when you've got little people like you're, at the point where you're, you are passing the mantle. You are teaching your sons to view these things for themselves. You are teaching them to stand up in prayer for themselves and to accept what is and is unacceptable for themselves. You're kind of letting go, but that doesn't mean you're not praying anymore. That doesn't mean that you're not. It never stops, right, right. Yes, you are still at war. Yes, still defending your household, even when another woman comes in and right you're now praying for that woman.

Speaker 2:

Yes, you're praying for your grandkids. You're still praying for your family line, and I learned this from my dad. He's like if you look at abraham, you look at isaac, you look at jacob, the blessing doesn't stop with one generation. No, abraham was still blessing, is still blessing, jacob still blessing. Yes, out the Old Testament.

Speaker 1:

There's a reality, Like. Like you said, I'm at the stage of passing the mantle right. So it's no longer like do this because I say right, or that I show because I'm a firm believer of like let me show you right, Not just say it, let's do both. Let me show you through my actions. If I'm telling you that we should get up and start reading with our Bible, then I need to get up and start reading with my Bible, Right and so and not just on my phone, because you see me do everything else on my phone.

Speaker 1:

So I need to physically like the Bible and let you see that I know how to open this Right.

Speaker 1:

I can read a book this book and I can like jump from one book to another. Yes, I do know how to get there, but there is this aspect of when they were smaller. There was the foundational things that, like we don't listen to certain music, we don't watch certain TV shows, we don't go with those people, not because we don't love them, but because we are not in agreement with the actions that happen in that location. We don't go clubs, we don't do this, and so, in that I remember them being young, being like man, we don't do anything, or my friend does this, or this person does this.

Speaker 1:

This is it which is why I've learned that it is so important in community, right, not that we try to create this bubble, but in those foundational pieces, when they are developing and recognizing their identity in the one identity in Christ, that when you keep a stewardship over the honor and the gift that you have to upbringing, that, when you do that, when they get to the age where I am with these teens, right, they start having conversations like I get why you did that, I appreciate why you did that, I see, you know what I see this person who was doing this and now it didn't work out good for them Right. And so then it opens up for you know again relationship right, and community definitely starts. Community starts with your relationship with God vertically, and then the relationships in your home, right, we can't do community outside the home if we're not taking care of what's happening in the home right.

Speaker 2:

100% Exposure is acceptance. Yes, starting from a young age, and so I'm really careful what I expose my kids to, and if I cannot find a way to point it back to God, then I don't expose them. And just like you were saying for those who are in my stage, where I've got little people, you know, I started explaining to my daughter that I have a job here. I'm not just your mom, I have a job. There are four things I have to do for you. The first is I have to keep you safe and healthy. Yes, so if what you want goes against the premise of keeping you safe and healthy, it's a no, I'm sorry. That's my job, it's my rules and they weren't made by me. Right, I didn't make my own rules. That's not the concept of adults make their own rules. That's not true, it's a lie.

Speaker 1:

We're not going to even teach that lie, I have a boss.

Speaker 2:

The boss is God, yeah. And then the second one is I need to help you be the best person you can be morally, ethically, you know, balanced emotionally, spiritually, like there, there is a requirement of refinement. I am to refine you, you know. That gave me some great raw material to shape and that's my role, my job. And then the third one is I'm supposed to help you explore and experience your world, create foundational experiences that broaden your horizons, teach you about yourself, make you think about things differently, and if I absolutely can, I will try to make you happy. The fourth one, but it's not required not required not required.

Speaker 2:

And so now we're at a place where it's like, okay, this is what disrespect is. It's anything that goes against, though, that that premise those four rules. When you speak against the four rules, that's disrespectful. When you um throw fits against the four rules, it's disrespectful. It's not that I don't want you to be obedient it to the point where you don't think for yourself, like you're allowed to ask questions, get clarity, find understanding. What you're not allowed to do is go. I don't like your answer. So you know that's too sassy, frassy for me.

Speaker 2:

And then now, when you're at your point, because you've put in that foundational work of this is what? How you think for yourself, but we're going to think for ourselves through mom's rules. Because, guess what, eventually, mom's rules will become your rules. Right, is this safe and healthy for me? Is this going to push me to the best of gods that god has for me? Is this going to give me good experiences or bad experiences, and how do I view those things? And so, since you put in that foundational thought process, they're now able to go wow, mom, thanks. And it's so beautiful.

Speaker 2:

I love the, the concept of you know and not like. Those things don't just come from us. No, they come from our church members, they come from our neighbors, they come from our grandparents. And um, that, to me, that is why the enemy is pushing so hard on unforgiveness, boundaries and barriers right now is because if he can destroy generational knowledge, he destroys the family, and if he destroys the family, then he destroys the future generation. For god and it's like I can't even tell you how often right now I'm preaching forgiveness, because the world is so anti-forgiveness for every little thing- yeah.

Speaker 2:

Don't get me started, that's a whole other podcast.

Speaker 1:

I'm like we have a few we can like. We're definitely going to have to come back. I'll definitely have to invite you back on Cause I feel like we have so many things that we could discuss and I mean definitely topics to go into. I mean, when you mentioned the anointing oil for our listeners I don't want to assume all the time that they may know, so I actually want to clarify some scriptures that do lead to anointing.

Speaker 1:

You know, as we talk about like the previous generation, and the Bible talks about the older women teaching the younger women, right when I was newly married and about two to three years into my marriage, we went some, I mean tough times Okay, and so I yeah, I'm like usually, yes, I recall having a, I'll say, more seasoned, more mature woman in the church that was so kind to me and say, hey, you know what, take that anointing oil, put it in his shoes, put it, put it on his socks, put it under his pillow, like, and at first I was like, okay, now I'll use wisdom, because now, this, this, yes, I'm going to tell you guys. I went right over to Costco, I got the biggest bottle I could find of olive oil and she probably should have told me to use maybe a little bit discreet discretion before I just started dumping, because I was like, oh, we gonna get this, but does it take all that? Go ahead and get a dab.

Speaker 2:

I'm sorry that was that. That is the best story for anointing, I think I've ever heard.

Speaker 1:

Oh gosh, it's so good, my friend and I have a joke about me going to costco and get an oil because I'm like we, we ain't gonna run dry over here.

Speaker 2:

Okay, no, no, heck, no yes.

Speaker 1:

But if we look scripture wise and going back to that, like she gave me that piece of wisdom and she told me like, use that oil, pray over it. Like you know, anoint the places that he would touch. And let's go even further Anoint the places that you will touch. Anoint your children. Anoint the places they will touch. Anoint your home, anoint the door that evil cannot forget.

Speaker 2:

Anoint, yes, anoint, and so everything but yes. Well, the takeaway for this is that there is a time and a place. If you're struggling somewhere, that's where you grab that anointing yes, because when we say anoint your whole dang house, I mean literally, you could anoint your entire house.

Speaker 1:

But I'm not recommending you go get yeah, don't get.

Speaker 2:

Go get a paint roller and start rolling. Usually just to clarify, blessing bottles are about this big of oil. All you're doing is getting a little bit on your finger. You can just draw a smudge, as I said, dab it on and really the power of it is to stop and intentionally pray over something, to stop and use that action to keep your mind focused. Um, I don't know about you, but when I'm praying, sometimes it is so hard to stay on one topic oh yeah, down to pray over your husband.

Speaker 2:

You sit down to pray over your kids. All of a sudden, you find yourself complaining about them to god, which is perfectly fine. But that wasn't the goal. The goal was to sit down and bless them. The goal was to sit down and bring forth the things from the Holy Spirit that you hope is is grown within them from the seeds that you're planting. And so you know, it's not that we're sitting there going. Oh, I want to see more kindness. So, lord, make them more kind. It's's, it's lord. Help me plant those seeds that. Help them grow kindly yes lord, help me.

Speaker 2:

Help me view my children honestly, not through my own corrupted eyes, but from your eyes, and guide the prayers and the anointings in the holy spirit, so that we're not trying to create automatons that just listen to us, but we're trying to, you know, create, create, uh, warriors and people of god that that believe in morality, that believe in scripture, and it's not just, you know, be afraid of hell and, and you know you don't want to go there.

Speaker 2:

so we're gonna, we're gonna pray over you and're going to you know you're three years old, so say Jesus, jesus, I want, I want you know it's not out of fear, it's out of love, it's not out of fear, it's abundance.

Speaker 2:

And you know, being able to stand there in the Holy Spirit and define not an automaton, being able to stand there in the Holy Spirit and define not an automaton, but somebody who will walk towards the Lord because he understands the Lord is good. Yes, that we have created relationship with him. Because we've taught our children not to recite scripture, not just to pray a singular prayer, not to recite something by rote as far as worship goes, but we have introduced them to the God that created them. We have shown them his love through us, through relationship, through answered prayers, through the power of worship that we have stood at the doorway and said this is God's will for me, what is God's will for you, and taught them what that looks like, because we've had enough generations who know things by rote and have walked away from God.

Speaker 1:

Right.

Speaker 2:

That's why people walk away is because we've only taught them about, we haven't introduced them to.

Speaker 2:

And when we start focusing on what prayer is. That's the heart to heart with God. Yeah, that's the whole point. And I look at my little girl. She had a nightmare and she came up to me and she's like mama, where's the oil Got to anoint my bed? Yes, I'm going to go pray over my dwelling space. I'm going to war with the enemy. And it's like let mommy come with you. You're only seven. Let mommy come with you. Yeah, we're not going to let you take on the Right, the darkness by yourself. I'm still your shield girl. Yes, right, by yourself, I'm still your shield girl.

Speaker 2:

Yes, but you know, um, we have a job and god's told me that my job is to just talk about our job. My job is to write books that help you do. Your job is to to simply shine a light that says hey, you know, I didn't know, I was a wishy-washy christian, are you? I? I don't know, you can't, I can't answer it, you can't answer it. But I do know that typically, most of my conversations circle back around god, because I'm just so excited I can't help but talk about it. Our role here is first to be a prayer warrior and have that good of a relationship with god that we can go to war. Secondarily, it's to spread seeds for the holy spirit to grow but prayer is where it all starts.

Speaker 2:

You know people go. Oh, you know, I don't want to get into ministry, I don't want to be a pastor. We are all supposed to be in ministry, right, but ministry isn't just pastoring yes ministry can be as simple as a god bless you at the end of every transaction at the grocery store. Ministry can be a lord keep them safe after a car accident. Ministry can be a simple go before them when they enter that school. Yes, that's ministry. Yes, and it's beautiful. God is so good. I've loved him.

Speaker 1:

He is. Oh, I have really truly enjoyed our time together, lauren. I mean, again, we got to bring you back out because I feel like we could go so much more, but that's what it is right. We talk about the goodness of God and being people that recognize the impact that he's made on us and wanting to share with others, because I want you to see all that God has for you, all that God is, all that God is. And so, listeners, I encourage you to go find Lauren, follow her. We will plug in all her socials and website and details below, and even how you can get her studies and so forth. Please, please, please, go find Lauren, follow her, connect with her.

Speaker 2:

We're on Amazon, we're on TikTok, we're on lightly on Instagram, because I don't really like Instagram. There's not enough talking on Instagram. I'm a talker. We're heavily on Facebook the website's herprayerscocom or herprayerscom and just come talk to me. If you do not see a resource that you need, tell me what you need, we'll make one for you. Yes, yes, because that's that if you need it, someone else needs it too. Yeah, so tell me what you need and we'll make it happen.

Speaker 1:

Well, thank you, lauren. Thank you so much, followers. I also want to say if you have questions, I am here for it. We are here for it. If you are watching this and you're like, or listening, and you're like, hey, I have questions, what about this, what about that? Plug them in. We are here to be a resource and if we don't know answers, we know the Holy Spirit, and so we will go to him for direction and guidance on where to help you get those answers. If you have questions about anointing oil, I do want to tell you James 5, 14 through 15, this passage talks about anointing the sick with oil. Exodus 30 and 25, it talks about the sacred anointing oil. Luke 7, 44 through 46 talks about Jesus scolding Simon for not anointing his head with olive oil. And so Mark 6, 13, genesis 28, 10 through 22, we can give them to you. Love you all. Thank you for tuning in to Graceville Community and always be reminded to love God and love his people.

Speaker 2:

And pray.

Speaker 1:

And pray and pray. Thank you for tuning in to today's episode of Graceville Community Podcast. We would like to invite you to visit gracevillecommunitycom. Graceville Community is all about doing church the way Church of Acts did, Using five main principles that we see in the book of Acts Sharing resources, as believers pooled their possessions and resources to support those in need, as we see in Acts 2.44.

Speaker 1:

Through hospitality the early Christians practiced hospitality by opening their homes to others, as we see in Acts 2 and 46. By financial aid the church in Antioch sent financial aid to believers in Judea during a time of famine, as described in Acts 11 and 29. Prayer and encouragement they supported each other through prayer and encouragement, as we see in Acts 4 and 24. And finally, spiritual guidance the apostles and elders provided spiritual guidance and teaching to help strengthen and build the community, as we see in Acts 15 30. The community, as we see in Acts 1530. I would like to encourage you. If any of those areas are areas in which you are in need or can contribute, please reach out to Graceville Community. We are working together across the world with ministries and individuals alike to help bring back the Church of Acts.

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Nicole Cater

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