Walking Through Trials with Joy
Welcome to the Holy Spirit Untethered. My name is Amber Beals, and it is my job and my mission to allow the Holy Spirit to speak through me, to help demystify
Amber Beels:who he is, what his role is, and to deeply encourage you to seek a relationship with him. Alright. Let's get started. Hey, guys. Welcome back to the Holy Spirit Untethered podcast.
Amber Beels:My name is Amber. And I know that I promised you guys that I would have a guest this week, but, unfortunately, he was in the hospital. He's doing good. He's doing real good. But I just decided to allow him some rest because he just got home yesterday.
Amber Beels:So I didn't wanna be like, hey. Now that you're home, let's record a podcast. I just wanted to give him more of a break. He's doing well. Don't worry.
Amber Beels:But, hopefully, next week, Ed will be on the podcast, and I'm really looking forward to that. But in the meantime, you have me. So today, I wanted to talk about trials. I know this is a sensitive topic. It's one that most people don't like.
Amber Beels:I don't like trials, but I feel like a lot of people in my life and, you know, I've gone through my share of trials. And I was asking myself the question today of how does the Holy Spirit play in our life? What is his role in our life when it comes to experiencing trials? And I think that's a really important thing to think about, thing to ponder on, thing to just acknowledge him when you're going through those trials. So that's what we're gonna be talking about today.
Amber Beels:But before we do that, let's go ahead and pray. So if you can and it's safe to do so, go ahead and close your eyes and pray with me. Alright. Dear heavenly father, I just thank you so much for this opportunity to be on this podcast. Holy spirit, I just pray that you would be in the midst of this conversation with me and my microphone.
Amber Beels:Holy spirit, I pray that you your words would come through and mine would fall away. Holy Spirit, I pray that you would just prepare our hearts to be able to just get something from this and allow you to work in our lives the way that you are designed to. So we pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright.
Amber Beels:So trials. It's a touchy subject like I mentioned before, but it is a necessary one. And so I have two different scriptures here that talk about trials. And right now in our life groups at our church, we just wrapped up the book of James, which if you haven't read James, it's a really good book. It's a short book.
Amber Beels:There's only, like, five or six, really six chapters in the whole book. But let me tell you, those chapters are packed full of stuff. Like, if you look at my bible, it is just James is just all yellow because I've highlighted almost everything because there's just so much here. And it's one of those things that it kinda knocks you upside the head because James does not mince his words. He just kinda tells it like it is.
Amber Beels:And sometimes we kinda need to hear things that way. Right? I know for me, I am a recovering people pleaser. And so whenever I talk to somebody, I always try to sugarcoat it a little bit. I never really would just be blunt with things.
Amber Beels:I would just, you know, say the things that need to be said, but said it in a nice way. And recently, I've been trying to be a little bit more forward with things because sometimes, like, sugar coating's good, but it can be taken too far where people don't get the point because you've sugarcoated it so much that all they taste is sugar. They don't taste the, you know, the hurt or the bitterness behind that sugarcoating that you just put all over it. So and sometimes we need that. Right?
Amber Beels:I feel like the holy spirit is the perfect model for that because the holy spirit allows us to be convicted without feeling ashamed. And I think that's super important that the holy spirit convicts for the purpose of lifting you up, not for tearing you down. And so that is the perfect model for us as Christians and as the body of Christ to do that for one another. Right? That we can build each other up and edify one another and not tear each other down, but in a positive way, but in a constructive way.
Amber Beels:And I think James does that pretty well. So we're in James chapter one verse two. And it says, my brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. So there's a lot here, but he basically says, count it all joy when you fall into various trials.
Amber Beels:So when you are going through a tough time, he's basically saying, you need to be happy about it. Or not happy about it, but have a different perspective about it. Right? He wants you to look at it from a different angle. Like, yeah, this sucks, but I know that the Lord is using this in a way that builds me up, in a way that's either teaching me something or he's getting my attention, or whatever the case may be, the Lord is using it.
Amber Beels:And it's not just for naught. It's not just the enemy that keeps beating me down. It is for a reason, and it's for a season. Right? And so that is what James is trying to get at.
Amber Beels:It's not that, yeah, it sucks, but look at it from a point of view that the Lord is allowing this in your life for a reason. So take a step back, take a pause, which easier said than done. When you're in the midst of it, sometimes it's hard to, like, catch your breath or to, you know, be able to take that step back because, well, we all have emotions. And so when you're in the midst of it, when you're in the middle of the funk, it's kinda hard to be able to take a pause, take a step back, and look at it from a more objective view or ask the holy spirit. That's another thing that he's there for.
Amber Beels:Ask him to give you his view, to give you that heavenly lens to be able to see your situation from his point of view and not just from your earthly in the middle of it point of view, and ask the holy spirit for that. He will give you that. And even if you keep going in James, it says, if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God who gives all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith with no doubting. For he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
Amber Beels:So he's basically saying, like, ask the holy spirit for wisdom, especially in the situation that you're in. So if you're in a tough spot or you feel like the world is just beating you down, ask the Holy Spirit, give me wisdom in this situation. Holy Spirit, like, what is it that I'm missing? What are my blind spots? And sometimes you need to ask the people that are close to you for that wisdom.
Amber Beels:The holy spirit doesn't just talk to you directly. The holy spirit uses other people in your inner circle. That's why it's so important to analyze and figure out who is in your inner circle. So important. Like, you wanna make sure the people that you surround yourself with, one, have the same moral values and the moral compass that you do.
Amber Beels:They're Christian, that they believe that the Lord Jesus is their savior and that you are somewhat equally yoked in your walk with the Lord or they're further ahead of you. Because you want the pull from wisdom because they've already experienced certain things that maybe you haven't gone through yet or you're currently going through so that they can speak life into you and give you wisdom and speak into the situations that maybe you're going through currently. So super important that the people around you are people that, again, are people that build you up, people that edify you, people that can pour life into you, and that you can do for them vice versa. It's it's like that verse that iron sharpen sharpens iron. Right?
Amber Beels:Like, you need to be able to surround yourself with people who are like minded or people that you wanna be like so that you can pursue that godly wisdom and pursue that godly life like the people you surround yourself with. So super important. But where I was going with this was asking for wisdom, and the Holy Spirit sometimes will speak through other people. And maybe it's not in your inner circle. It could be just a random person on the street.
Amber Beels:It could be a worship song. It could be however the Lord speaks to you, he can give you wisdom in anything. I mean, man, if Jesus can use a donkey to speak, he can use anyone or anything to give you wisdom and to guide you through this time in your life. Super important. So that's in James.
Amber Beels:The other verse that I wanted to to bring up is in Romans. So Romans chapter eight verse 28. And it says, and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God and to those who are called according to his purpose. When I went through my miscarriage last year, a lot of people gave me this verse. The Lord uses all things together for our good to those who love God.
Amber Beels:And when I was going through it, you know, I questioned this verse a lot because I was like, how can God use this? How can God use the death of an unborn child for good? I don't understand that. And so I really had to struggle with the Lord on that because he works in mysterious ways. He works in ways that we don't always understand.
Amber Beels:And to this day, I don't know if I'm gonna get a full answer. I know that I know that already he has used my trial of last year to help a lot of people. Like, I already know people have been helped through my trial. But for me, I still kinda struggle with it a little bit. Like, why did I have to go through that to help this other person go through this?
Amber Beels:Like and maybe that's the human nature in me. Like, I'm being completely honest with you guys and that, like, I struggle with that. The human part of me struggles with that because I'm like, well, that seems unfair. Like, why did I have to go through that just so this person can feel a little better about their situation, which, you know, I'm still growing. I'm still maturing.
Amber Beels:And when I ask the Lord, please use me. Allow me to be a vessel. Like, I have to be open to those opportunities that are gonna be uncomfortable, to those trials that are gonna be difficult and hard and just things that I'm gonna have to walk through because I gave the Lord freedom to use me. Like I said, Lord, use me in any way you see fit. And so I have to be okay with what he decides to use me.
Amber Beels:Right? Like, we can't just give him the deck or give him the, you know, the steering wheel and then be like, well, no. I don't want you to turn here. Like, can we there's a better route this way. Like, we can't do that.
Amber Beels:We have to either give him full rein or no rein because that's how God works, and he's a gentleman. He's not going to take it from us. We have to freely give it, and that can be very difficult and uncomfortable. I mentioned this last week, uncomfortable. A lot of the things when you're walking with God is just uncomfortable because, well, we all are a little selfish.
Amber Beels:Like, I I can admit, like, I like my comforts. I like not to have things change all the time. Like, I I'm stuck in my ways, and I'm sure a lot of you can relate, but we have to get used to that as children of God, as the body of Christ and being a part of the kingdom. We have to get used to change him transforming us all the time and stripping things away that don't serve us anymore and just being uncomfortable because the Lord is using us, and that's what we want. That's what we've asked for.
Amber Beels:And so we can't get upset or we have to learn how to control our emotions and make sure that our emotions are subject to God's word. Because emotions, again, don't always reflect reality. They reflect how we're responding to things, but they're not there to reflect exactly what's true. It's just us responding to things. And so the Lord has given us the tools to be able to, yes, have those emotions, and emotions are important.
Amber Beels:But he's given us the tools to be able to pause, take a breath, and then respond to the situation. Instead of react, respond. And, again, easier said than done. Like, super easier said than done, but it's a learning thing. And one of the things that we have to do is really rely on the Lord, trust in the Lord, have faith in the Lord that he's going to be there for every step.
Amber Beels:He's gonna be there for every trial. He's gonna be there for every tear. He's gonna be there for every single thing that's painful and just know that he's gonna use it for good. Know that he's using this for a reason, and we have to have enough faith to trust the Lord and say, okay. What's my next step?
Amber Beels:Lord, give me wisdom. How do I respond in this situation? What do I say in this situation? Where do I go from here? Like, how do I proceed?
Amber Beels:Lord, give me wisdom. Surround me with people that love me and can give me the wisdom that only comes from you because that's the only wisdom that I desire is wisdom that comes from you, and that's so important. And one of the things that I do wanna mention as well is that sometimes, like, trials can happen because the Lord wants to get your attention, and that's happened to me. Back a few years ago when my dog almost died from an infection in her leg that came out of nowhere. Like, I know where it came from.
Amber Beels:Like, the Lord was like, that was just me getting your attention. Like, you loved your dog so much that I needed to grab your attention and be like, hey. We need to have an actual relationship, and I have a lot more plans for you, and you're just kind of floating through life. And I need you to partner with me and do life with me. And that was a huge hit to the face.
Amber Beels:It was like a two by four hitting me because I was like, oh my goodness. One, wow. Okay. I love my dog more than the Lord. That's that's a little embarrassing.
Amber Beels:And two, what am I doing? You're right. Like, I'm just kinda, like, floating through life and just praying sort of here and there, asking the Lord, using him like a genie in a bottle. Like, hey, Lord. It would be great to have this.
Amber Beels:And, yeah, I was a Christian, but I wasn't, like, super diehard or super I wasn't committed. I was lukewarm. Right? And that was the trial that got my intention. And so I wanna encourage you, like, really assess the trial that you're in.
Amber Beels:If you're in a trial, you know, ask the Lord, ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom. Holy Spirit, why am I going through this? I wanna learn this lesson the first time if it's a lesson, or are you trying to get my attention? Lord, give me the heavenly lens to be able to see this the way that you do. And he'll answer.
Amber Beels:Whether it's directly through another person, again, through a song, however he talks to you, he will answer. You might have to ask a few times, and maybe you need to fast or do something different to get him to actually answer you. But that's just showing your commitment to the Lord and being like, look. Something's gotta give in this situation, and I've tried everything. And so now you have my full attention.
Amber Beels:I'm I'm giving up this certain thing, so please speak to me. And I promise you he will. He is faithful, and he always will answer you, which you can have hope and hope for that you you can stand on that. And I can tell you from experience, he has always answered. It may not have been in the timing that I wanted.
Amber Beels:A lot of the times, the Lord works in the eleventh hour, which drives me crazy. But, again, he does that for a reason. He does that to increase your faith. He does that to make sure that you are completely reliant on him. If you if you call on him and he answers you immediately and you just kind of expect that all the time, then you might take him to grant for granted.
Amber Beels:So, like, he doesn't always do that. So you have to just be on the Lord's timing and wait. Just hurry and wait. Can't tell you how many times that's happened to me where I've been given a promise or I've been given a word, but it's not for a while. And the Lord sends people in my life, and it's like, hey.
Amber Beels:Remember that promise? Remember what I said? Like, I want you to remember it. And not just not only remember it, but believe it, not just in your head, but in your heart, and stand on it like it's already done. Like, thank me for it as if it's already accomplished.
Amber Beels:Because in his eyes, it is. Because the Lord's outside of time. So according to him, the promise that he's given you is already done. It's already sealed. So go ahead and celebrate.
Amber Beels:And that's a hard thing, I think, for us who live in a linear dimension where we are confined by time to kinda grasp our head around because, like, for us, it hasn't happened yet. But the Lord wants us to view things from his perspective or at least try because from his perspective, it's already done. And you can act like it's already done because it's the Lord that told you. And if he tells you something, it's as good as done because he's God. There is no other explanation that you need.
Amber Beels:It's just because he's God and he knows. And his word is worth everything. So, yeah, just going back to, you know, the whole pain thing. Like, if you're going through something and it's really, really tough, really assess what the Lord is doing in this situation. Is he getting your attention?
Amber Beels:Is he stripping something from you? Maybe he wants to get rid of a personality trait that you picked up along the way that was never yours, and maybe it was a coping mechanism for you from past hurt or whatever whatever it may be that you've taken as your identity. And the Lord's like, no. That's not you. That's not who I created you to be.
Amber Beels:That's just who you picked up along the way, and I need to take it away from you now. And so that can be uncomfortable as well. You know? Something that you've always been known for as the funny person or the sarcastic person or whatever it may be. Like, for me, I used to be way more sarcastic.
Amber Beels:Like, my family knew me as this like, as a sarcastic girl. Like, well, if he knew my family, they all are very sarcastic. Like, we just are cut from that cloth. And I as I've gotten older and as I've, you know, I got married and I have my own family, like, I've realized that it's probably not the best to be so sarcastic. Because, again, there's there's power in the spoken word and what you say even if it has a sarcastic tone and you're just being you know, you're just having fun.
Amber Beels:You're poking fun. Like, there's weight in your words. Even if you don't mean it, there's weight. And especially when you're talking to somebody who's young, like a child, because you're speaking those words over them. Again, even though you're just kidding, like, it's gonna do something to them.
Amber Beels:You're you're speaking that into their life, and that's that's probably not the best thing. So you wanna make sure that everything you say is gonna be positive, uplifting. You're building each other up. You're building your child or your nephew, your niece, whoever, like, that young person up, everything should be positive and good. And we're gonna fail.
Amber Beels:Like, it's it's not gonna be perfect. They're gonna have trauma. Everybody has trauma, but it's what we do with our trauma. Right? And once you're an adult, it's up to you to deal with your trauma and to bring it to the Lord and be like, alright, Lord.
Amber Beels:Let's work through this together because it's my responsibility now. Yeah. Maybe it wasn't my fault that those things happened to me, but it's now my responsibility as an adult as I walk through life to not carry these things and not allow them to be strongholds in my life because I have the power from God to be able to handle these strongholds, to be able to handle this trauma, and to be able to process it in a healthy way so that I can be more like Jesus and not be held down by my past experiences. Because we all have past experiences that we think shaped us, and they did to an extent, but it doesn't have to stay that way. And that's what the Holy Spirit's for.
Amber Beels:He's there to transform you, to take away those past hurts, to help you forgive the person or the people in your past, and to be able to live a new life. That person is dead now. Your old man is dead, and now you are a new person. The Lord had you be born again into his new kingdom, and things are different. You don't have to act the same way.
Amber Beels:You don't have to talk the same way. You don't have to be around the same people that you were around. The Lord gives you that freedom to be able to be more like him and to just be lighter. Even when you go through trials and tribulations, like James says, count it all joy. You can go through trials and still have joy.
Amber Beels:And I know that sounds counterintuitive, but I think that joy and happiness are different. Like, happiness is I am happy in going to Disneyland, like, you know, type thing. It's just it's a happy feeling, but it's fleeting. Joy is more of a deep seated kind of happiness. It's something that's outside of you.
Amber Beels:It comes from the Lord. And so even though you could be going through a hard time or a trial or whatever, you could still have joy. You could still be in pain and still have joy, which is so counterintuitive to what society and how we live our lives today. Right? To be in so much pain and yet still have joy.
Amber Beels:It's because we know who our father is, and it's because we know where we're going, and we know that this life is so short. This life is so short. I think I mentioned in the last episode that, like, we are eternal beings, and this life is only so many years, and we're designed to live forever. So it's like, okay. Yeah.
Amber Beels:This sucks right now, but I get to spend eternity with my father in heaven in a body that's perfect, and I don't have to experience pain ever again. So if the Lord can use this pain in a way that is for good, then use it. And that's, again, very counterintuitive to how most of the world thinks nowadays or even most Christians because, like, when we're sick or we have pain, we ask for prayer, and that should be our go our go to thing is to, you know, be like, okay. I I need help. I I have pain or I'm I'm going through this.
Amber Beels:I'm going through loss. I'm grieving. Whatever it is, like, we should ask for prayer. Absolutely. That's what the body of Christ is there for.
Amber Beels:It's, you know, we we celebrate with one another and we weep with one another because that's what we're designed to do. The Lord wanted us to be a body of Christ, not an island. And so we're supposed to help one another and and give wisdom to one another and and encourage one another and do all those things. And so we should be praying for those things. But at the same time, when we ask for prayer, we should be doing it from a from a standpoint of joy.
Amber Beels:And I'm talking to myself too. I'm preaching to myself right now because, like, that it should be our go to, like, thing because of who we are in Christ, because of our inheritance in Christ, because of who who we were born, reborn to be. Like, it's a privilege. It really is, and it was free. And we did nothing nothing to deserve that.
Amber Beels:And so it's something that we definitely should not take for granted, and it's something that we should be reminded of every day. And I'm just kinda, like, reminiscing and being like, yeah. I should remind myself every day when I go and open my Bible and I pray that you the Holy Spirit, you know, speak to me today. Allow this to your word to speak to me about who your character is. Show me who you are, Jesus.
Amber Beels:This isn't all about me. This is about you. I want to know more about you, not necessarily for you to speak into my life, though I love that. That's not the point. When we read scripture, that's not the point.
Amber Beels:It's to learn more about him and help me do it with a feeling of joy, with that stand of joy because the joy of the Lord is our strength. Right? That's that's in the Old Testament somewhere. I forget the I forget the verse, but it's in there. So, yeah, trials are hard.
Amber Beels:Trials are hard. Pain is hard. Grieving's hard. All the things are hard. Life is hard.
Amber Beels:The Lord did not promise us that we were gonna have all rainbows and sunshine here on Earth. It's actually quite the opposite. And there is a verse. Let's see if I can find it. Yeah.
Amber Beels:It's in John, let's see, sixteen thirty three. I have told you these things so that in me, you have peace. In this world, you will have trouble, but take heart. I have overcome the world. He even says, in this world, you will have trouble.
Amber Beels:Like, it's to be expected that we are gonna have trials, that we're going to go through suffering. I mean, if you look at the Old Testament hey. I finished Jeremiah, by the way. Finally finished Jeremiah. And in Jeremiah, the you know, there's a lot of suffering.
Amber Beels:There was a lot of, like, hey. You did this thing, so now you're gonna suffer. You worshiped other gods, and now you're gonna, you know, be taken into captivity and be slaves and be taken out of your land. Like, there's a lot of that. But I feel like since we're under the new covenant, the Israelites were under the old covenant.
Amber Beels:But in the new covenant, you know, when bad things happen, it's not be it's not a punishment. It's not like, oh, you did this, so therefore, you have to go through this. Like, this is your atonement for this thing. And that's that's not true. That is not how the Lord works.
Amber Beels:Jesus died on the cross for your sins. He's already paid for your sins. So whatever trials you're going through, it's not because you did something wrong. It's not because of your sin. It's because you like I said, either the Lord's trying to get your attention, and he's trying to strip something away from you that no longer serves you or or one of the above.
Amber Beels:Like, he's doing something. He's showing you a lesson. He's teaching you something, or he's he's having you go through something so you can help someone else down the line go through the same thing. Like, he works all things together for good for those who love God. So as long as your heart posture and I know I say this a lot, but it's all about your heart posture that you love the Lord, that you truly want the Lord to be able to use you in all aspects of your life.
Amber Beels:You have to be willing to suffer and to go through some pain so that he can even use those areas in your life. It's not always gonna be, like, at the pulpit preaching or evangelizing or winning souls or whatever. Like, though all those things are good, but I feel like not everyone in the body of Christ is called to those things. We all have a purpose. We all have a calling on our life, and he mentions that.
Amber Beels:It says in Romans eight twenty eight, he says I'll just start from the beginning. And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. So we all have a purpose. We all have a calling. We all have something that he has in store for us in our lives to be able to use us for.
Amber Beels:Right? And that's gonna look different for everybody. I mean, for one person, it may just be a stay at home mom. Like, and that's not just when I say that, I don't mean just a stay at home mom. Like, you have souls that you are raising to be mighty men and women of God in the kingdom.
Amber Beels:That's a huge calling. That is not to be, you know, snub your nose at. Like, that's a big calling. Other people, it may be like to be an accountant for small businesses or maybe an accountant for churches or maybe it's, you know, it is preaching from the pulpit. Whatever it is, the Lord's calling on your life is just as important as the next person.
Amber Beels:It doesn't matter what it looks like. It's his calling for your life. And so no matter what you're going through, no matter what trial, no matter what season, he's using it for your purpose. And you can take that to the bank. Like, everything that you go through is to be used for your calling and ultimately to serve his kingdom.
Amber Beels:Because that's the point is to grow the kingdom, to spread the good news, and get as many people saved as possible because this is what the Lord wants. The Lord wants all of his children to spend eternity with him, not only just a select few. This is for everyone. And so he's using us to be able to spread the good news and allow us to be able to be the salt and light of the earth so that people can come to Christ and be able to spend eternity with him and know who their creator is, their father is, and know true freedom under his love. And it's it's good.
Amber Beels:It's really, really good. So I hope this message blesses you guys. I hope that this helps you in some way. And if it did, I wanna ask that you share this episode with somebody that you think it might help. Maybe somebody who's going through a trial, maybe somebody who's going through it right now, whatever it is, share it with a friend.
Amber Beels:And if you can leave us a rating, you know, leave us. It's me. Leave me a rating on Apple or Spotify, wherever you listen to podcasts. It really, really helps just allow this podcast to be heard around the globe because that's that was the purpose of this podcast. The Lord said, do it, and I said, okay.
Amber Beels:So help me out, and I would really appreciate it if you could do that. If you have any episode topics that you wanna do, please shoot me an email. I always love to hear suggestions from people. If there's something that you want me to touch on regarding the holy spirit and all the things, that would be awesome. Alright, guys.
Amber Beels:Well, I hope you have a blessed week, and I'll see you next week.
