Words of Inspiration - Haters are Elevators!

[00:00:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to The Bible Speaks with your host, Elgin Carelock.

[00:00:42] [SPEAKER_00]: The Bible Speaks is a daily podcast dedicated to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, rightly

[00:00:49] [SPEAKER_00]: dividing the word of truth and learning how to apply it to our daily lives.

[00:00:55] [SPEAKER_00]: You may contact Elgin at the address given at the end of the broadcast.

[00:01:00] [SPEAKER_00]: And now, here's Elgin.

[00:01:02] [SPEAKER_02]: Brothers and sisters, I welcome you, whoever you are, wherever you are, and whenever you're

[00:01:08] [SPEAKER_02]: listening to another episode of Words of Inspiration, where we look to God's word for wisdom, encouragement

[00:01:17] [SPEAKER_02]: and practical insights for our everyday lives.

[00:01:21] [SPEAKER_02]: And today, I am once again joined by Consuelo Shaw for some wonderful conversation on topics

[00:01:31] [SPEAKER_02]: that we know you deal with but don't always have an opportunity to discuss.

[00:01:37] [SPEAKER_02]: So our topic today is Haters are Elevators.

[00:01:43] [SPEAKER_02]: Our inspiration comes from Psalm 23, verse 5.

[00:01:48] [SPEAKER_02]: And reading from the English Standard Version, it reads,

[00:02:02] [SPEAKER_02]: The main thought for today is, sometimes God uses your enemies or your haters as instruments

[00:02:11] [SPEAKER_02]: to elevate you from where you are to where he needs you to be.

[00:02:16] [SPEAKER_02]: So let's explore how God can turn opposition into opportunities for elevation.

[00:02:24] [SPEAKER_02]: We all face challenges and obstacles from people who may not have our best interests at heart,

[00:02:31] [SPEAKER_02]: whether it's a difficult co-worker, someone who criticizes your every move,

[00:02:37] [SPEAKER_02]: or a person who seeks to undermine you.

[00:02:39] [SPEAKER_02]: We often wonder why God allows these haters to be in our lives.

[00:02:45] [SPEAKER_02]: But Psalms 23 and 5 shows us that God is not only aware of these enemies,

[00:02:50] [SPEAKER_02]: he's actively preparing a table for us right in front of them.

[00:02:56] [SPEAKER_02]: This verse reminds us that God doesn't remove every challenge or

[00:03:00] [SPEAKER_02]: difficult person from our lives, but instead he positions us to thrive in a very presence

[00:03:08] [SPEAKER_02]: of our enemies.

[00:03:10] [SPEAKER_02]: The table he prepares isn't just a meal.

[00:03:13] [SPEAKER_02]: It's a symbol of honor, provision, and favor.

[00:03:18] [SPEAKER_02]: The people who thought they could hold you back are about to witness your elevation.

[00:03:25] [SPEAKER_02]: When we think of enemies, we often see them as obstacles to overcome.

[00:03:31] [SPEAKER_02]: But what if they're actually elevators, placed in your life to lift you up to the next level?

[00:03:37] [SPEAKER_02]: God can use their criticism, opposition, or attacks to sharpen you, refine your character,

[00:03:46] [SPEAKER_02]: and position you for something greater.

[00:03:50] [SPEAKER_02]: Joseph's story in Genesis is a perfect example.

[00:03:54] [SPEAKER_02]: His brothers, driven by jealousy, sold him into slavery.

[00:04:00] [SPEAKER_02]: What they meant for harm, God used to elevate Joseph to a position of authority in Egypt.

[00:04:07] [SPEAKER_02]: Genesis 50 and 20, reading from the New International Version says,

[00:04:13] [SPEAKER_02]: You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done,

[00:04:21] [SPEAKER_02]: the saving of many lives.

[00:04:24] [SPEAKER_02]: So sometimes it's the very people who are trying to tear you down,

[00:04:29] [SPEAKER_02]: who end up being the catalyst for your elevation.

[00:04:33] [SPEAKER_02]: They push you into situations that force you to rely on God to grow,

[00:04:39] [SPEAKER_02]: and to step into the destiny he's already planned for you.

[00:04:44] [SPEAKER_01]: Wow, that's a lot to unpack.

[00:04:48] [SPEAKER_01]: That's a lot.

[00:04:50] [SPEAKER_01]: When we think about this text in itself, and thinking about preparing the table,

[00:04:59] [SPEAKER_01]: we must understand that preparation takes a little time.

[00:05:01] [SPEAKER_02]: Yes.

[00:05:02] [SPEAKER_01]: Right?

[00:05:03] [SPEAKER_01]: And so what I get with this is that sometimes he has to make sure

[00:05:10] [SPEAKER_01]: that those who need to be at your table are present.

[00:05:14] [SPEAKER_01]: So what does that mean that sometimes it's going to take a little bit?

[00:05:20] [SPEAKER_01]: And while from our position, it appears that it's not working.

[00:05:27] [SPEAKER_01]: But he said he'll prepare the table in the presence of them.

[00:05:32] [SPEAKER_01]: Well, that means he's got to set the stage, not only set the stage, which is your table,

[00:05:38] [SPEAKER_01]: but he's got to call in the audience.

[00:05:40] [SPEAKER_01]: Right?

[00:05:42] [SPEAKER_01]: And so when I think about that, he's setting up an audience.

[00:05:46] [SPEAKER_01]: He's got to allow some time to bring these people to the place.

[00:05:52] [SPEAKER_01]: That means there's going to be something that's going to draw them

[00:05:56] [SPEAKER_01]: to where you are.

[00:05:58] [SPEAKER_01]: Right?

[00:05:59] [SPEAKER_01]: And when you think about at the table, when the table is spread,

[00:06:04] [SPEAKER_01]: they're going to see that you have everything that you need.

[00:06:10] [SPEAKER_01]: There's no lack at the table.

[00:06:11] [SPEAKER_01]: There's no slack at the table.

[00:06:13] [SPEAKER_01]: There's nothing that you need that is not served at the table because he wants them

[00:06:20] [SPEAKER_01]: to understand the God that you serve.

[00:06:23] [SPEAKER_01]: Right?

[00:06:23] [SPEAKER_01]: The God that we serve says, I am your provider.

[00:06:28] [SPEAKER_01]: And when you put me first, I'll give you the desires of your heart.

[00:06:32] [SPEAKER_01]: So some of that stuff is because you just desire.

[00:06:35] [SPEAKER_01]: Seafood is not something that you have to have to be sustained.

[00:06:40] [SPEAKER_01]: But because you like seafood, because you desire, he's going to make sure it's at the table.

[00:06:46] [SPEAKER_01]: And we want to understand when we begin to look at the text that he's saying,

[00:06:52] [SPEAKER_01]: wow, you may go through some things to get positioned at the table.

[00:06:58] [SPEAKER_01]: Right?

[00:06:58] [SPEAKER_01]: There's a process to get to this table because in the David went through some stuff.

[00:07:04] [SPEAKER_02]: Yes, he did.

[00:07:05] [SPEAKER_01]: Right?

[00:07:05] [SPEAKER_01]: David went through some stuff before he got to this place.

[00:07:10] [SPEAKER_01]: David was going through some things.

[00:07:12] [SPEAKER_01]: And so we must understand that because we're going through it doesn't mean

[00:07:15] [SPEAKER_01]: he not going to bring us to it.

[00:07:17] [SPEAKER_02]: That's right.

[00:07:18] [SPEAKER_01]: Right?

[00:07:18] [SPEAKER_01]: He's going to bring us to the table.

[00:07:20] [SPEAKER_01]: But what he's doing in the meantime is building character for the table.

[00:07:25] [SPEAKER_02]: You know, and what it reminds me of when you were saying that is can you imagine when David was

[00:07:31] [SPEAKER_02]: hiding in the caves trying to get away from Saul?

[00:07:34] [SPEAKER_02]: He said, what kind of kingship is this hell?

[00:07:37] [SPEAKER_02]: Yes.

[00:07:37] [SPEAKER_01]: You're trying to kill me for all this time.

[00:07:40] [SPEAKER_01]: I've been running for a long time.

[00:07:43] [SPEAKER_02]: But because the table is being prepared.

[00:07:46] [SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.

[00:07:47] [SPEAKER_02]: Absolutely.

[00:07:48] [SPEAKER_01]: For his kingship.

[00:07:50] [SPEAKER_01]: Right?

[00:07:50] [SPEAKER_01]: Because he wasn't even king yet.

[00:07:52] [SPEAKER_01]: He knew that the call had been made.

[00:07:55] [SPEAKER_01]: God done called us into some things.

[00:07:58] [SPEAKER_01]: However, just as David, the current king was pursuing to take his very life.

[00:08:04] [SPEAKER_02]: That's right.

[00:08:05] [SPEAKER_01]: Right?

[00:08:05] [SPEAKER_01]: So David had to go through all of that to get to the place where now he is not just

[00:08:12] [SPEAKER_01]: called to King but he's positioned in his kingship.

[00:08:15] [SPEAKER_02]: Yes.

[00:08:16] [SPEAKER_01]: And has a table.

[00:08:18] [SPEAKER_01]: Right?

[00:08:18] [SPEAKER_01]: And just think that when you get to the table, he has built your resilience.

[00:08:23] [SPEAKER_01]: He's built your love.

[00:08:25] [SPEAKER_01]: He's built your compassion.

[00:08:27] [SPEAKER_01]: He strengthened you for everything you need because why?

[00:08:30] [SPEAKER_01]: Just like with David.

[00:08:32] [SPEAKER_01]: David say, while Saul was my enemy, I'm now looking for someone from the house of Saul

[00:08:38] [SPEAKER_01]: that I can bless.

[00:08:40] [SPEAKER_01]: That's right.

[00:08:41] [SPEAKER_01]: Because he will cause you to be in a place that you would bless no matter what.

[00:08:46] [SPEAKER_01]: He didn't have, David didn't have to do it.

[00:08:49] [SPEAKER_01]: But because God had prepared David before he put him in place, right?

[00:08:55] [SPEAKER_01]: That he knew that I loved Saul's son Jonathan enough that I want to bless

[00:09:00] [SPEAKER_01]: somebody from the house of Saul.

[00:09:03] [SPEAKER_01]: And what did he do?

[00:09:04] [SPEAKER_01]: He said, go get Jonathan's son out of Lodobar.

[00:09:08] [SPEAKER_02]: That's right.

[00:09:09] [SPEAKER_01]: Right?

[00:09:09] [SPEAKER_01]: God going to position you in a place where now where we say,

[00:09:13] [SPEAKER_01]: Lord, let me be a blessing to others.

[00:09:17] [SPEAKER_01]: You're going to be able to bless them and you won't have to worry about anything.

[00:09:21] [SPEAKER_01]: But it requires going through the process to get to the table.

[00:09:27] [SPEAKER_02]: You know, it reminds me of a story.

[00:09:30] [SPEAKER_02]: Yeah.

[00:09:30] [SPEAKER_02]: And you know, I had a, a hater here where, where we live and they were pretty,

[00:09:36] [SPEAKER_02]: pretty aggressive with it.

[00:09:38] [SPEAKER_02]: Right?

[00:09:38] [SPEAKER_02]: I mean, I had many people come to me telling me about these

[00:09:42] [SPEAKER_02]: aspersions that were being cast on my name.

[00:09:46] [SPEAKER_02]: But to show you how God works fast forward a year or two,

[00:09:51] [SPEAKER_02]: the person got into a scenario and the only person that could get her out was me.

[00:10:00] [SPEAKER_02]: And because I understand that haters are elevators, I went high.

[00:10:06] [SPEAKER_02]: I not only helped her, but helped her to an exceptional level so that

[00:10:14] [SPEAKER_02]: all that poison and all that stuff that she was trying to spew against me,

[00:10:21] [SPEAKER_02]: she got to see the love of God override all of that.

[00:10:27] [SPEAKER_02]: The Lord said vengeance is his.

[00:10:29] [SPEAKER_02]: So there's no reason for me to act ugly.

[00:10:31] [SPEAKER_01]: Exactly.

[00:10:32] [SPEAKER_01]: Right?

[00:10:32] [SPEAKER_02]: He sent her to me because of a particular set of skills that I have.

[00:10:36] [SPEAKER_02]: And in the name of Jesus, I implemented them.

[00:10:41] [SPEAKER_02]: And it was just so funny because if she thanked me one time, she thanked me a hundred times.

[00:10:47] [SPEAKER_01]: Wow.

[00:10:48] [SPEAKER_02]: Okay.

[00:10:49] [SPEAKER_02]: That's how he did it.

[00:10:49] [SPEAKER_02]: She was just beside herself and see to me that's the, that's part of the table that he prepares.

[00:10:54] [SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.

[00:10:55] [SPEAKER_02]: You know, cause, cause humble pie looks great on the plate.

[00:10:58] [SPEAKER_01]: Yes.

[00:10:59] [SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.

[00:11:00] [SPEAKER_01]: Absolutely.

[00:11:01] [SPEAKER_01]: And I think even when we reference to the story of Joseph, right?

[00:11:06] [SPEAKER_01]: Everything that he went through, you know, the brothers, you know, selling them out and then,

[00:11:10] [SPEAKER_01]: you know, making it appear that he's dead, he's in a pit and then he goes to prison

[00:11:14] [SPEAKER_01]: and then he's at Potifers house.

[00:11:16] [SPEAKER_01]: Then he get to go back to prison and yet and still again process to get you there.

[00:11:22] [SPEAKER_01]: But in the end, Joseph says, I'm going to feed all of my family.

[00:11:28] [SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to feed all of them.

[00:11:29] [SPEAKER_01]: Even the ones that dropped me in the pit, the ones that allowed them to capture me.

[00:11:35] [SPEAKER_01]: Right.

[00:11:36] [SPEAKER_01]: And so that's the beauty of allowing ourselves to, to remain steadfast and unmovable and allowing

[00:11:45] [SPEAKER_01]: ourselves to clean going to every word.

[00:11:48] [SPEAKER_02]: Cause God knows the end and we don't.

[00:11:51] [SPEAKER_02]: And so, so says he knows the end and we don't then we have to be always willing

[00:11:59] [SPEAKER_02]: to be used by him.

[00:12:01] [SPEAKER_02]: No, your haters may have plotted against you, but they're also witnessing your victory.

[00:12:06] [SPEAKER_02]: God's blessing is public.

[00:12:09] [SPEAKER_02]: It's something that can't, that can't be hidden when he annoys your head with oil.

[00:12:14] [SPEAKER_02]: He's setting you apart, marking you with favor that cannot be denied.

[00:12:20] [SPEAKER_02]: But here's the key.

[00:12:22] [SPEAKER_02]: We must trust God's timing.

[00:12:25] [SPEAKER_02]: It is easy to want immediate relief from the criticism or opposition we face,

[00:12:31] [SPEAKER_02]: but God is preparing something greater for you.

[00:12:34] [SPEAKER_02]: The very presence of your enemies is a sign that you're on the brink of something new,

[00:12:39] [SPEAKER_02]: something higher.

[00:12:41] [SPEAKER_02]: God is working behind the scenes to turn their negativity into your elevation.

[00:12:47] [SPEAKER_01]: And we have to remember that even as we see it, we perceive it and we,

[00:12:51] [SPEAKER_01]: the way we look at it looks like it's negative.

[00:12:54] [SPEAKER_01]: Like it's not working.

[00:12:56] [SPEAKER_01]: It looks like it's not coming together, but we remember have to recall the word that even says

[00:13:01] [SPEAKER_01]: in Romans that he's employed everything to work together for our good, meaning God has

[00:13:09] [SPEAKER_01]: hired this thing, right?

[00:13:10] [SPEAKER_01]: He's employed it.

[00:13:11] [SPEAKER_01]: All things work.

[00:13:13] [SPEAKER_01]: Work says you're employed.

[00:13:16] [SPEAKER_01]: Right.

[00:13:16] [SPEAKER_01]: So God has employed all these things to work together for our good.

[00:13:21] [SPEAKER_01]: Do we really trust that it's working?

[00:13:24] [SPEAKER_01]: We can't see it, don't understand it, don't like it, may not agree with it.

[00:13:28] [SPEAKER_01]: And then a lot of times when we're looking at it, it doesn't line up with what he's saying.

[00:13:33] [SPEAKER_01]: And so whether they say the math ain't math and God, right?

[00:13:37] [SPEAKER_01]: So you said it's working together.

[00:13:40] [SPEAKER_01]: But it doesn't appear to be.

[00:13:43] [SPEAKER_01]: But when we really allow ourselves to get in that place where we say, okay, God,

[00:13:49] [SPEAKER_02]: you said, that's right.

[00:13:52] [SPEAKER_01]: Okay.

[00:13:53] [SPEAKER_01]: You said all things will work together for the good of them that love you and are called according

[00:14:03] [SPEAKER_01]: to your purpose.

[00:14:04] [SPEAKER_01]: And you didn't bring me here without purpose.

[00:14:08] [SPEAKER_01]: Right?

[00:14:08] [SPEAKER_01]: And so I have to trust even if I'm crying, I got a trust that is going to work out.

[00:14:16] [SPEAKER_01]: And while they may be saying what they're saying, doing what they're doing,

[00:14:20] [SPEAKER_01]: the haters may be going about their business and it seems that they're prospering.

[00:14:25] [SPEAKER_02]: That's right.

[00:14:26] [SPEAKER_01]: Right?

[00:14:26] [SPEAKER_02]: That's right.

[00:14:27] [SPEAKER_02]: Well, and the verse continues with my cup overflows.

[00:14:31] [SPEAKER_02]: And this is not just the promise of provision.

[00:14:35] [SPEAKER_02]: It's a promise of abundance.

[00:14:38] [SPEAKER_02]: God doesn't just give enough to get by.

[00:14:41] [SPEAKER_02]: He blesses you in ways that exceed your expectations.

[00:14:45] [SPEAKER_02]: And often the very opposition you face is what positions you for this overflow.

[00:14:51] [SPEAKER_02]: When God prepares a table for you, he's not just feeding you spiritually.

[00:14:56] [SPEAKER_02]: He's giving you more than you need so that you can bless others.

[00:15:02] [SPEAKER_02]: The overflow isn't just for you.

[00:15:04] [SPEAKER_02]: It's for those around you.

[00:15:07] [SPEAKER_02]: Your enemy may have tried to block your blessing,

[00:15:10] [SPEAKER_02]: but they can't stop with God has already ordained.

[00:15:16] [SPEAKER_02]: So the next time you face opposition, criticism or someone who seems to want to hold you back,

[00:15:22] [SPEAKER_02]: remember this, your haters are elevators.

[00:15:27] [SPEAKER_02]: God can use their actions to move you from where you are to where he needs you to be.

[00:15:34] [SPEAKER_02]: Psalm 23 and five reminds us that God prepares a table of favor.

[00:15:40] [SPEAKER_02]: Annoyance us with his presence and causes our cup to overflow all in the presence

[00:15:47] [SPEAKER_02]: of our enemies.

[00:15:49] [SPEAKER_02]: So don't be discouraged by the haters in your life.

[00:15:53] [SPEAKER_02]: Instead, trust God is using them to elevate you to the next level of your purpose.

[00:15:59] [SPEAKER_02]: And he's turning your challenges into stepping stones for growth, blessings and victory.

[00:16:08] [SPEAKER_02]: I thank you for joining us on today.

[00:16:11] [SPEAKER_02]: And I look forward to our conversation on tomorrow.

[00:16:14] [SPEAKER_02]: Until then, God bless.

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