A WOW Moment with Vicki & Tara

Brittany is on. Hi Brittany. Brittany my darling. We're going to give it just a few minutes and let some people get on. Excuse me. We are in a different time zone than what we're used to being in. My phone didn't switch over time.

My watch is still on Memphis time. Tara's smartphone is on Atlanta time. So hi everybody from Atlanta. It's because you don't have your settings right in your phone I'm sure. I just don't. It's fine with me.

That's why I ask you all the time what time is it? Because I get confused. Well if you change the settings they would do it. Just saying. For future references. It's gonna be fine. But anyways welcome to our Bible study.

We are in Atlanta Georgia and we came here. I kept having this feeling that I needed to make a trip to this area and so I got with Tara and I said I think it's time to make that trip. She's been wanting to do a girls trip for a while and of course she was ecstatic because she's been telling me you need to get out of town.

You need to get a break. So I said now's the time. We really haven't done much. We got in yesterday and we took a Walmart trip. Got water and coke for the refrigerator and some snacks and stopped and ate and then came here and stayed here.

Today we slept in and then we got out and about. Got something to eat. Did a little shopping and came back here. I had hopes in having a guest on from this area tonight but as circumstances have it she was unable to meet with us.

And that's fine. You know things happen and there's really nothing we can do about it. It just wasn't meant to be. But I'm hoping that she does get on here and I hope that she does watch tonight because I had already picked out the scripture that I wanted us to talk about tonight and I sent it to Tara what last week I guess.

And I just feel like it's something that we all need to really sharpen our tools on because it's something that we need to do more of. I myself personally find myself struggling with it a lot of times and what that is, is prayer.

I tell people all the time well have you prayed and you know and it's not one of those things of well I need to pray about it because I don't need to pray about it. If somebody asks me a question it's something that I just need to give a response to.

It's not I need to pray about it. I need to do whatever I need to do to serve the Lord. So but I'm talking about prayer and I'm what I mean by that is hardcore taking time out of your day and setting it aside for the Lord.

And I'll be honest with you not a lot of us don't take that time out. I know that there are days that I struggle with it myself so I'm not pointing a finger at anybody in particular except for to me. But I just felt like that it's something that needed to be discussed and we need a better understanding of it and how we're to do it.

And no I'm not going to go over the Lord's prayer because I think everyone knows the Lord's prayer. The model of prayer rather that's in Matthew 6 so we're not going to cover that we're just going to cover basically where and how to pray.

We're also going to talk a little bit about fasting. That is something that I personally have not touched into within my spiritual life. But I do look I am looking into doing such very soon and adding that into my spiritual life.

So when I read over we're going to be Matthew 6 verses 5 through 8 when I was reading over that then I wandered over and read Matthew 6 16 through 18 which is about how to fast. Everybody does the prayer whenever they're driving down the street Lord just you know I pray that I have a good day or Lord I pray that my kids don't get in trouble at school today or I mean that's that's prayer because you're talking to the Lord but I think that there needs to be more in-depth and with our country in the situation that it's in of things being so up in the air.

I think that as we as Christians need that need to be turning to God more than we need to be turning to anything or anybody else. If that means sitting your phone down for an extra five minutes at night and just spending time in the bathroom praying.

I have a story about that. She told me about it today and I wasn't trying to take it from you but a lot of people that's the only place that's the only private place they actually get to go to. Especially a lot of young we have a lot of young mothers.

That's the only place they can go and then sometimes that's not even you can't even go there. No because you got a little fingers going mommy mommy mommy. Right right Caden. So you know just so it's tonight we may not go a whole 30 minutes.

We may we may go over I don't know. We'll see what the Holy Spirit has to show us tonight and you never know you know it's it's something that's just this is his show not mine. This is we we're here to serve him and whatever he calls us to do.

So if we go if we start on prayer and we end up somewhere else then just put on your seatbelt and enjoy the life with us. But I hope that it's I hope this is something that you're able to get something out of as we talk about it discuss it.

We have not discussed it this whole trip really because I told Tara it was a bathroom somewhere. Yeah um Cracker Barrel. At Cracker Barrel and I said we don't study it before I study that's why we study during the study.

Then it's go study. Right. So anyways Tara are you going to read Scripture? I didn't even ask you if you were going to read it. I mean I'm not Mercedes. But her and Justin's anniversary is coming up. Yeah thanks Justin you're watching.

All that stuff they're going around town. She gave it up she gave that she chose that over us. I mean come on now. I guess yeah. My anniversary is the next day after theirs. You're not as young as they are Tara.

Justin's not that much younger than we are. Sorry Justin. I am. I am young. Look Mercedes is still. I know she's a baby. She is a baby. We love you. We really do. That was great Tommy. It was. We didn't even plan that.

No. And you are being missed. We have missed you. Okay so we're gonna go on and we're gonna read now that we've done apologize for calling people out. It'll still happen. We're gonna read Matthew verse 6.

No. Matthew chapter 6 verse 5. There we go. Set go. Whenever you pray you must not be like the hypocrites because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by the people.

I assure you they've got their reward. But when you pray go into your private room shut your door and pray to your father who is who is in secret. And your father who sees in secret will reward you. When you pray don't babble like the idolaters since they imagine they'll be heard for their many words.

Don't be like them because your father knows the things you need before you ask him. Okay number one a lot of people when they and I'm gonna call somebody out on this because I love her and she has such the sweetest heart and that is Jordan.

Oh yeah. Jordan is a young lady at our church and she's a young lady. She's what 21? Something like that. Yeah 21 I think. And I love her. Like we do a circle of prayer on Sunday mornings. Our men get together and they do a circle of prayer and I when I became the women's director I said we women need to start praying if nothing else we need to be praying for our men that are praying.

So but a couple of Sundays ago I guess or last Sunday there was a couple of there was a Sunday that Jordan was in the circle and if my thoughts aren't all together or if I have just been approached by someone that I'm dealing with that's just not and I'm not mentally there to pray I will call upon a lady in the circle to pray and I'll tell you what Jordan I called on her and she she just kind of looks at me for a minute and I bowed my head and that young lady led a group of women in prayer.

She wasn't comfortable at first doing it. You can tell she kind of hesitated but people this is the thing our Father God knows what's already what you're going to be asking for. He knows what's on your heart I think more than you do because He knows your needs.

He knows what you're needing. He knows what the people around you need and when we pray in this circle to all the ladies that are in the circle I will remind them that each one of them knows someone that's struggling with something and each one of them knows someone that is probably struggling with their salvation.

We all know somebody that lacks and during the time of prayer I encourage each one of those ladies to either be thinking of them of those people or that person or to pray at the same time because Scripture says for when one or more than gathered one or two or more.

That didn't come out right. Right when there's more than one when two or more than gathered then he's there also. I mean it's just the so well he is also there but but he hears all of them that's that's the point I'm trying to make.

It doesn't matter if you're in this in this group and in to the women of Witten I'm speaking directly to you now. When you're in that circle in the mornings bring your prayer requests with you but don't expect everybody else to be praying for your prayer requests.

You need to bring it to the table and you need to pray for it. I want to know your prayer request because then it's something that I can pray for during the week. It's the only reason why we talk about them in the circle.

So other people can pray when they go to their secret room or when they have their prayer time but at that point in time you need to be praying for that in particular thing yourself. I'm going to challenge all of you to seek time during your day.

Set aside time during your day because if you don't have it then what's he going to have to take from you for him to get it? Because honestly if you don't if you don't if you don't mind his word then you're gonna go through a whole lot for him to get your attention to where you do mind him and and I think it's a it's hard rocky road and it's for some people it's very devastating for them because they don't understand why they're going through the stuff they're going through.

When when I want to look at him and say have you prayed? Have you talked to him? Have you told him? Well the Lord already knows how I feel but have you voiced? Have you used the words from your mouth?

Have you used this tool he gave you to speak to him and not just speak to everybody else around you? You're standing here telling me about your problems. Have you told him? It's it's pretty cut-and-dry.

In this scripture it also says that the hypocrites that they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on street corners to where they're seen by the people. God doesn't care about you being up front in front of the crowd preaching or teaching or he cares that he's he's happy you're doing it if you're doing it for the right reasons.

Excuse me, I had a root beer, but when it says I assure you let me put these back on. When it says I assure you they've got their reward I can guarantee you their reward was not from the Father above because it's a self-pleasing reward because they feel like they've done what they and they and they and not he.

You know I think praying out loud I really struggle with that because I do feel like it's like all eyes are on me or it's all about a show like not all about a show but more so not personable you know even though I know what I say is what God needs to hear or what God hears but and what I need to say but I still it's like I don't I don't want to be put on like in the center I feel like being right but what you've got to also realize here is that when you pray just don't babble like the idolatrous because don't don't repeat yourself over and over again.

He only needs it. That's my problem. Where am I here? Yes. I saw something wrong. But you don't keep you don't can you don't say the same things over and over again. You don't have to use big words. I don't have big words.

You don't have to you don't have to use these extravagant religious just talk to them. Just talk to them. And I didn't realize like how obedient it was to like pray going off to your own place you know like I was telling you earlier about I'm not even sure I've ever shared this but back in 2007 2006 and 7 my husband was deployed to Iraq and you know when you're raising small children husband in a combat zone it's it's scary you know so I had a lot of anxiety and depression over that because there were times where I would sit at my front window looking out the window just waiting for them to come and tell me something happened to him.

January 2007 I got a call that my sister was on life support and they were about to pull her off and then I need to get super low so I didn't make it before she passed and I had only met my sister not long before that but for that year I just struggled with alright so my husband's in Iraq if something were to happen to him would I be able to financially provide for my children again like I said I had two young children now they're grown at the time but so I did a lot of praying a lot of praying whether I needed to stay at the job that I had or I needed to go to school or Lord you know just Lord what what is your will for me and I'll never forget one day again I've been praying nobody knew.

I didn't really have anybody that I was extremely close with at the time either but I was at work and my boss now asked my mother where was I and she said in the nursery she said well if if Tara's looking for another job or if she ever thinks about it I'm hiring.

I was like hmm mom told me about it that afternoon I went home and I'll I tell you like there was this thing that I was in the bathroom because again the only time I can have by myself in a room you know where nobody's around I just fell to my knees like totally fell to my knees and cried out to the Lord Lord what is your will for me what you make away.

Like I literally had tears falling and I was verbalizing it God what is your will for me. What do you want me to go to school. Do you want your Lord. It's your will whatever your will be done. So I wrote a note for my boss now and put it in her child's cubby.

And almost 14 years later I'm still there the God God provided. But I didn't realize how obedient was just going into your own place. Yeah yeah I mean it's I mean it could be anywhere. It could be on your front porch.

It could be in your car. In your car. I did all that in the car. Oh I pray every morning in the car on the way to work. Yeah a lot of times I'll just sit in my car when I get home from work. But yeah I didn't realize that I how obedient I was being.

Yeah. But you need to do that every day every single day. Oh yeah. Most definitely. Definitely. Sometimes two or three times a day. Sometimes every five minutes. Sometimes it doesn't matter. He's always there.

You know he never hangs up he never sleeps and nor does he slumber. So now let's look at how to fast. And Matthew 6 16 through 18. Tara let's let's let's learn how to fast whenever you fast. Don't be sad.

Face like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive. So their fasting is obvious to people. I assure you they've got their reward. But when you fast put oil on your face on your head and wash your face so that you don't show your fasting to people but to your father who is in secret.

And your father who sees in secret will reward you. So again you don't need to advertise it because you advertising it then you're gonna gain a reward that is not of the Lord I can like because that's what I feel like.

It's saying here is that when it says I assure you they've got their reward exclamation mark. And then when it says your father who okay and put your father who sees in secret will win and your father who sees in secret will reward you.

That's the kind of reward I want. It's not even fasting isn't just necessarily food. Something fasting is giving up something that you love. Giving up something you enjoy. Giving up something that brings you pleasure.

Giving up something. Let's say I enjoy chewing on the on the pins. Let's just let's say that's something that I did all the time. I'm gonna watch and see if you do that actually. But let's say that was something that I did.

This is something I did. Well if I said I'm gonna fast away from chewing on pins and use the time that I would use of chewing on a pin and praying to the Lord that's fasting. Yeah I'm like video games.

Right. Need I say traveling. Well honey let me tell you. And they're playing. I prayed it's fun and I'm praying on the way home landing was kind of steep but yeah my break wouldn't work. Tara had her brakes on and we was on third fourth row.

I was like that's the accelerator Tara the brakes on the other side. Unless they're anyway be sure to know that Saturday on our way home I'll be praying. But I just wanted to. This is just something I wanted to cover tonight.

I just wanted y 'all to to really look into prayer and fasting. And I I wanted to make sure that everyone understands how important it is. And I really really really hope that you start scheduling time with Lord.

If you want to call it a scheduling or if you want to call it setting aside time. Or some people are so busy they need to put it in their calendar. That's fine. But I'm gonna tell you something if you do that and you do it for the right reasons.

And you know what I mean when I say the right reasons he will reward you. But do me another huge favor. Okay. And this is gonna be the end of it. Make sure that you pray for his will. Yes that's the big thing.

Don't pray for what you want. Pray for what he wants for you. Or for what he wants for whoever you're praying for. If you're praying for someone that's sick and they have a disease that is terminal pray for the Lord's will.

Because his will is gonna be done. And just because you say okay Lord it's your will. So your will be done. If you don't really feel that in your heart he's gonna know. Because I'm sorry I'm just I cannot be selfish with any with with people's lives.

If it's their time and the Lord's ready for them to go. He's gonna take them. He's gonna take them. So anyways that's about all we got here from Atlanta tonight. We wanted to represent Atlanta. We went out today and we were going to buy some Atlanta Brave shirts.

Guess what. We couldn't find none. Now mind you we are on the outskirts of Atlanta. We're not in the heart of Atlanta. Because me and Tara being the women that we are don't want to be all caught up in Atlanta traffic and all that.

No yeah. And I don't want to be looking behind me every time I go to the store. I don't know I don't know how Atlanta crime is. But I mean you know just a big city. I don't want to take that chance. So we're staying right on the outskirts of Atlanta.

But it has been a nice getaway. It's gonna rain tomorrow. We may not even get out tomorrow. The hotel we're staying at. They serve breakfast and then they serve dinner. Really like barbecue tonight. We're having barbecue and baked beans and chili.

Baked broccoli. Chili and broccoli may be a little dangerous. It'll be all right. But I mean that's what we have for dinner tonight. And they they provided it. So we're very blessed with that. So I hope that y 'all have enjoyed tonight's study.

I've enjoyed tonight's study. What are you asking where we are. I told him we were in Atlanta but he said where. Pastor I'm not gonna tell you on this Facebook feed where we're staying. We're at a hotel.

Can't you tell by the brick wall behind us that we're not at home. This is the new room in the Witten. Right. Kidding. I love you so much. I wonder if we did not tell you we were coming to Atlanta. Sorry.

Sorry. Glad I was being smart. Oh I'm sorry I just got in. No I think she's telling you smart because you didn't tell her where you're staying. Oh thank you. She's not telling you you're being a smart deal.

Calling you a smarty-pants. I'm so scared. I'm gonna get in trouble. Not. But she could wait cuz she couldn't make herself wear Georgia Bulldog shirt. I could not wear a Georgia Bulldog shirt. That was not happening.

And then Tara found some NBA basketball. She says we're not wearing the Hawks. So not. No no. So we didn't have any. There's no brave stuff. So we didn't. We didn't wear any of that. I've got on a Witten shirt.

So I love you pastor. You're awesome. We're awesome because you're awesome. Thanks for not watering down the gospel with lesser gospel. No less lesser Christians. In other words you're speaking truth.

Well that's because that's what he's taught me to do. Thank you Ayesha. Ayesha's gonna tell him where we're at. Okay. Thanks guys. I love you very much. We're gonna get back to watching some cooking shows.

Oh yes. On Food Network. Because being two women in a room we can watch chopping show. I mean pray for us. Maybe chopping shows. Chop is a show on the cooking channel. Anyways we're gonna watch chopped.

So I love you guys. And I hope everybody has a safe night. And y 'all pray for us. We're coming home Saturday at noon. I think our flight leaves at noon and it gets there at noon. We leave here at noon and we get there at noon.

So and we're on for spaghetti Sunday. Yes I saw that MLG and W lifted everything. So we're good. Anyways I love y 'all have a great rest of your week. We're gonna stay in tomorrow and probably stay in the bed chat for now.

Terry you gonna push a button. Which where's the button. Oh where it says. Thanks guys. Love y 'all. Am I there. Okay did it do.