Real People Real Talk
Relevant conversations that take you from Surviving to Thriving. Our goal is to encourage and empower you to answer God's call on your life and to be all that He has called you to be. This podcast is all about Faith, Relationships, and Mental Health. We keep it real, practical, & Christ-centered, tune in and be inspired! Host Paul Calcote New episodes every other week.
Real People Real Talk
Life Be Lifing, But God Be Godding
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by life's challenges, wondering where God is in the midst of your struggles? "Life be lifing, but God be Godding" isn't just a catchy phrase—it's a powerful truth that can transform how we navigate difficult seasons.
This heartfelt exploration unpacks what it means to acknowledge life's hardships while maintaining unwavering faith in God's unchanging character. Discover how the vicissitudes of life—from minor annoyances to major crises—can coexist with the steadfast knowledge that God remains sovereign, faithful, loving, and good through it all.
Drawing from compelling biblical examples like Daniel in the lion's den, the Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace, and Peter walking on water, we see how God shows up in seemingly impossible situations. When life appears uncertain, we can trust that God is masterfully orchestrating something beautiful, even when we can't see or feel it yet.
The message offers three practical approaches when life starts "lifing'": keep trusting God without trying to figure everything out yourself, keep seeking Him through prayer and Scripture even in tough seasons, and keep watching expectantly for His deliverance. As Romans 8:28 reminds us, all things work together for good for those who love God.
Don't get consumed with the what, how, or when—keep your focus on WHO holds your future. Take one step of faith at a time, knowing God is faithful. His Word will have the final say in your circumstances, and through Christ, the victory is already yours. Ready to experience the peace that comes from knowing that while life be lifing, God still be Godding? Listen now and be encouraged.
Free audio post production by Alphoniccom. Welcome and thanks for tuning in to Real People, real Talk, relevant conversations that take you from surviving to thriving. This is the podcast that goes there. My name is Paul Calcoat and I'm your host. Now let's talk. Well, hello, thriver, and welcome to Real People, real Talk, the podcast ministry that equips you to thrive spiritually, relationally and mentally.
Speaker 1:And today I just want to encourage you with something and just share something the Lord has laid on my heart, and I want to break down a phrase that has been introduced into the vocabulary of the culture of today. It's been around for a little bit, but that phrase is life be lifin, but God be God, stay with me. Now it's actually two phrases, and here's the first phrase. Let me break that down. Life be lifin is all about this, basically saying that life happens, there's ups, there's downs, there's the good, the bad and the ugly. This phrase refers to the vicissitudes of life, the problems, the challenges and the pains that we encounter along this journey that we call life, even the recurring mundane annoyances of the day, maybe a flat tire or bumper-to-bumper traffic or a minor storm that knocks your power off. The phrase life be life can also refer to the more serious trials and tribulations that we may face, the tougher seasons of life, such as the loss of a job, the death of a family member, a diagnosis from a doctor, an issue in your relationships or even an issue in your mental health, or an issue in your finances. Your relationships, or even an issue in your mental health or an issue in your finances. Life can be hard, life can be tough. Life be lifin', but even though life be lifin' and life may be lifin' for you right now, please know that God is always God. There's never a time where God is not God. There's never a place where God is not God. This phrase God be God and refers to the fact that God is consistently acting in such a way that aligns with his characteristics, which are sovereign. God is sovereign, god is faithful, god is loving, god is wise and God is so good. This expression that God begotten is used to convey trust and faith in God's plan, acknowledging that the circumstances may look bleak, but regardless of that, god remains sovereign and active in our lives. Lives God begotten is a statement, or more so, a declaration, that reassures us that God's divine presence is in our lives.
Speaker 1:Allow me to encourage you with some scripture Lamentations 3, verses 21 through 24. But this I call to mind and therefore I have hope the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul. Therefore I will hope in him. This verse reminds me, and it should remind you, to keep hope alive.
Speaker 1:We serve an on time God. It may not come when you want him, because his time is not your time, but I guarantee you he will be there right on time and work it all out for your good and for his glory. God has a way of showing up and showing out and making things right Life. But God be God because he graciously gives us new mercies each and every morning. The fact that you woke up today, god has given you new mercies and he's worthy of the praise for doing such a thing.
Speaker 1:Psalms 46 one says God is our refuge and strength. He is a very present help in trouble. You may be in some type of trouble right now, but we serve a God as omnipresent. In other words, he's everywhere, at all times and he's with you right where you are in the hospital bed. He's there in the courtroom. He's there going through a custody battle. He's there in the midst of the the brokenness of your marriage. God is there in the debt and the financial struggle. God is there in the midst of a brokenness of your marriage. God is there In the debt, in the financial struggle. God is there In the midst of a difficult season in your career. God is there.
Speaker 1:I remind of Daniel, who found himself in some deep trouble as he found himself in a lion's den, but the lion of the tribe of Judah, our great God, was right there as well and protected Daniel. I'm also reminded of the three Hebrew boys as they found themselves in trouble, as they was thrown into a fiery furnace. But God is the all consuming fire and he was right there with them, protecting them from the dangers of that fire. And thirdly, I'm reminded of Peter, who started out walking on water as he saw the Lord. Then he began to sink and nearly drown, but he called on Jesus right there in his trouble and the Lord saved him. I dare you to just call on the Lord and watch him work it all out, as the Bible tells us in Romans 8, 28,.
Speaker 1:And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, but those who are called according to his purpose, even when life may seem uncertain, we can trust that God is masterfully, wisely, strategically orchestrating something beautiful in your life, even if you don't see it now, you may don't even feel it now, but God is working it out. God is working it out. So, thinking about Daniel, thinking about three Hebrew boys, thinking about Peter, if God was there for them, if God showed up for them, if God was guiding in their lives, surely he can do the same for you, my friend, because he changes, not as the Bible declares. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. We serve a miracle working God. That's why it's imperative that we be in God's word, because reading God's word, reading the Bible, it would keep our faith high. It would keep our spirits high as we read about God's faithfulness, as we read about God's power demonstrated in the lives of other believers.
Speaker 1:So, when life starts lifing, I want to encourage you to do these three things. Number one keep trusting god. Proverbs. Chapter 3, verse 5 and 6, says to trust in the lord with all your heart. Lean not to your own understanding and in all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths. Hebrews 10, 35 says cast not away, therefore, your, which has great recompense of reward. So keep the faith my brother and keep the faith my sister. Don't try to figure it all out, but trust God. Yes, do what you can, but trust God to do what you can't do.
Speaker 1:Secondly, I want to encourage you to keep seeking the Lord. Lamentations 325 declares that the Lord is good to those who wait for him and to the soul who seeks him. Please don't forget about God, please don't neglect him, even in your tough seasons. Keep praying, keep reading your Bible, keep going to church, keep seeking him and spending time with him. Amen, because he's the only one that can make it all right. So keep trusting God and keep seeking God and, lastly, keep watching God. We serve a God that never fails and never loses, so keep your eyes on him and watch him work it out. If God can show up for Moses and split the Red Sea, then surely he can show up for you. If God can show up for Lazarus and raise him from the dead, then surely God can show up for you. If God can show up for theus and raise him from the dead, then surely God can show up for you. If God can show up for the shepherd boy David and help him to defeat the giant warrior Goliath, then he can and he will show up for you. So keep watching God.
Speaker 1:Exodus, chapter 13, verses 13 and 14 says Moses answered. The people said do not be afraid, stand firm and you will see the deliverance that the Lord will bring you. Today. The Egyptians you see, today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you. You need only to be still. Oh God's word is so good for you. You need only to be still. Oh God's word is so good.
Speaker 1:While we face challenges in this life, we can still hold on to the promise of eternity. Romans 8, 18 says I consider that our present sufferings are now worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Our struggles are temporary, but our God is eternal. Eternal, and this perspective should help us to endure. So, all in all, god is bigger than that thing that you're facing right now, and he's already lining up solutions to your problems, because, at the end of the day, you may not know what your future holds, but you know who holds your future.
Speaker 1:And. And so don't get so consumed with the what, with the how, with the when, but keep your eyes on the who, and that is God, our faithful, loving and good father. So be at peace, my brother, and be at peace my sister. And be at peace my sister. Taking one day at a time, one step of faith at a time, one act of obedience at a time, god got you. So, even in your darkest moments, god's light can and will shine through.
Speaker 1:Once again, let me encourage you with the characteristics of God. God is faithful, god is powerful, god is sovereign, god is good and he's going to work all things out for you to receive that truth today, my friend. Receive it in your heart and receive it in your spirit. So I leave you with this God's word is going to have the final say. First Corinthians, chapter 15, verses 57 and 58. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm, let nothing move. You Always give yourself to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor is not in vain. God gives us the victory. So life may be lifing, but God still be God. The victory is yours today.