When Self-Awareness Still Feels Stuck

SPEAKER_01 0:52

So let me ask you something really real. Have you ever sat in a place in your life where everyone knew what was going on and everyone knew what you were going through, including you, but nothing changed? Like, you could explain it so well. You could tell people, yeah, I've been dealing with this. This is what's happened. This is why I feel this way. And people could look at you and say, Wow, you know, you're very self-aware. And deep down you're thinking, like, I'm self-aware, but why am I still stuck? I'm laughing, not because it's funny, but because I have been there. There have been seasons in my life where I wasn't confused about the problem. I was just comfortable explaining it. And you know what? That is a very dangerous place to be. You know what I've realized? Sometimes we get so good at telling our story that we stop rewriting it. I recall a time in my life that I could tell you everything that went wrong. I could tell you what hurt me, I could tell you who hurt me, what I lost, what I didn't get, and I was not lying. It was all real. But if I'm honest, I was rehearsing my pain more than I was responding to God. I had a language for my problem, but no movement towards my healing. And that's when God checked me.

The Man Who Waited 38 Years

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That's when I remember about the man in John 5. And it hit me really, really different. This man had the same condition for 38 years. Y'all. You know what? He didn't say yes. Instead, he gave an explanation. Sir, I don't have anybody to help me. Every time I try, someone else gets there before me. In other words, he had reasons why he was still stuck. And wait a minute, don't even try to judge him. Let us be honest. How many of us, if Jesus asks us the exact same question, will respond with stories instead of a decision? We would say something like, Lord, I would move forward, but you know, these bills and and what excuses will we come up with? God, I would start, but I would heal, but you don't understand what's happened to me. And God is just like, I didn't ask you for your explanation. I asked you for your willingness. Let me say something that might just respect you a little bit.

Awareness Is Not Deliverance

SPEAKER_01 4:54

Awareness is not deliverance. Awareness is not deliverance. One more time for the people in the back. Awareness is not deliverance. Just because you know what is wrong doesn't mean that you're doing anything about it to make it right. We can go to therapy, we can journal, we can pray, we can talk about it, and still not move. Because at some point, our healing does require also our action. And I'm speaking not from a place of judgment, but a place of understanding. Why? Because I've seen this in my own life. There's been moments where people have warned me, where I knew I needed to make a decision, where I even felt God nudging me. And I delayed. Not because I didn't know, but because I just didn't move. And let me tell you something that I had to learn the hard way.

Delayed Obedience Extends Pain

SPEAKER_01 6:00

Delayed obedience is extended pain. Extended pain because I was delayed in my obedience. I stayed in cycles longer than I needed to. Not because God wasn't ready, but because I wasn't willing to move when he said move. Y'all, this is just so real to me. And then comes the moment.

Rise Up And Walk Anyway

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Jesus looked at this man and he said something that changed everything. He said to him, Rise up and take your bed and walk. No pool, no help, no explanation at all. Just a command. Can you imagine this? After 38 years, he had a choice to stay the same or to respond to the word. And the Bible says immediately he got up, y'all. Immediately, this man got up after 38 years. That means that thing didn't change for 38 years. It changed in one moment. Something that didn't change for 38 years changed in one moment because of one word.

Permission To Stand Up Today

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So now I have to ask you, what have you been sitting in that God has already given you permission to stand up from? What conversations have you been avoiding? What steps have you been delaying? What healings have you been explaining instead of walking into? Because here is the truth. Some miracles are not waiting on God, they're waiting on your movement because God has already given you permission. This is just really, really real for me today, y'all.

Small Steps That Count As Movement

SPEAKER_01 7:58

Movement doesn't always look big. Sometimes movement looks like making a phone call, scheduling an appointment, setting a boundary, starting over, letting go, showing up afraid. It's not about perfection, it is about obedience. Obedience. Are you willing to be obedient today? I pray that you are. Something you're willing to do. Just one. Declare it. Say, I will move in what? Because we're not just talking about change. We're walking into it. Amen.

Trust God In The In-Between

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Amen. Thank you for listening, and I pray that this has touched your heart today. Thank you so much for listening to Between the Prayer and the Promise. If this episode encouraged you, we'd love for you to like, subscribe, and share it with someone who needs to hear it. Your support helps us reach more people who are walking through their own season of waiting. But here's what matters most. Remember to trust God, not just when the answers come, not just when the blessings show up, but right here in the waiting, right here in the silence, right here in the in-between. He is faithful. He sees you and he's working even when you can't see it yet. Until next time, keep believing, keep trusting, and keep holding on. I'm Lenny Sleeds, and I promise you, God is faithful.