Adventures from the Farm, Part 2: Trusting God in the Waiting and the Moving

Hello Victorious Living family. I am Christy Overton Johnson and today I'm coming to you from Central Florida from a farm and this city slicker is hanging out with some cows this morning and y'all yesterday I learned a very very important lesson. So my daughter called all the cows up to the house with the shaking of some food and they came run into the front door a whole like herd of them and I was just so excited I was walking around feeding them and didn't have any shoes on. Yeah that's not smart. I don't know much about farm life evidently and y'all thank goodness I had socks on. I I stepped in some stuff and I'm sorry to just tell y'all I just gotta get it right on out the way but it's a good thing that we weren't filming is all I got to say. It was so nasty. But today I am come out here and I'm sitting to make sure that I'm not gonna step in something while I am talking to you but we have a couple of visitors yeah he's just kind of checking us out and and we'll just see I was like Lord just surprise us maybe one of them will come over and I don't know kiss the camera or something. It's very windy out here today I just filmed something over at the house and saw this beautiful oak tree and if y'all are from Central Florida you know how beautiful these these oaks can be and I just wanted to come sit out here and show it to y'all show y'all some more views here in a minute but the thing is it is very very windy so I'm trying to hide behind this tree but it's not working very good so anyway yeah so I'm with the cows and I have really enjoyed riding on the property and my daughter she we adopted this beautiful young girl when she was just a couple years old from Russia and it's just been the joy of my life watching her become just this beautiful woman but she's a tough one I mean she can build docks she just gets right in there with the snakes and the gators and puts in poles and she's she likes the farm life and working with the cows and all the different things and so it's just been beautiful to ride on this property with her and ATVing and her just giving me a tour and just to see I don't know her life it's been beautiful but I saw the cows and if you look they are chewing can you see that cow right there he's just chewing hey cow sorry for the wind chewing her cud and the cud is if you know if you know much about a

cow which I don't so I'm sure I'll get a letter that will tell me more about the cows stomach chambers but I think they have a couple chambers but they take in their food and then it comes back up and then they chew what's called they're chewing their cud and so yesterday when we were riding around I was seeing a lot of these cows just sitting there chewing they weren't eating they're just chewing and that one's doing it right now look at his mouth he's just chewing the cud so how does that tie in with us perfectly actually glad you asked so the Word of God talks to us about meditating on the Word not letting it depart from us but to meditate on it day and night and the word meditation got an airplane y'all let it pass I'm just hoping when these cows don't let it pass like my dog cruiser did one time all right sorry I'm going back to poop story sorry about that okay plane gone so yeah the Word of God talks about meditating on the Word day and night and let me read that to you from Psalms 1 all the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked or stand around with sinners or join in with mockers But they delight in the law of the Lord Meditating on it day and night So that word meditating in the Bible Means that it you bring it up and you chew on it you digest it Just like these cows are chewing their cut So just like they've eating eaten something that would nourish them They they continue to digest it by Bringing it up and chewing it some more and I've also I've loved that imagery throughout the years because so often we read the word and it's a checkmark Check I read my Bible for the day. I'm even guilty Decades and decades after following the Lord saying oh, I haven't read my Bible today Check I read it now. I can go about my day and feel good about myself, and it's not that at all It's we're to read the word And we're to digest the word and we're to meditate

Chew on it like the cow is chewing his cut. Check him out There he is right there Chew cow chew. Thank you for obeying See how he's chewing that's what we're to do with the Word of God is to bring it up digest it and ask questions like When was this work written who was it written to who wrote it? What were the circumstances going on during that time? What is it saying to me? How can I apply it to my life? So for so long, I would just open up the Bible and I would read it checkmark go about my day Thinking I had really done God a favor Because I knew I was supposed to read it But I wasn't digesting it and it took me going to Bible studies It took me diving in the word on my own, but also getting in a group because There's a lot of things that if someone could just tell you and show you it would make it so much easier to understand simple things and I've done a study on how to read the Word of God how to study the Bible and it is just a Series at its basic level, but just simple things that will help late. I didn't understand How the Bible was broken up in the Old Testament in the New Testament I didn't understand that everything in the Old Testament was pointing to the coming of the Messiah Jesus Christ I didn't understand it everything in the New Testament was About Jesus is coming and then him giving the church the Holy Spirit and how we're to walk out our lives Now post Christ with the Holy Spirit So there's so much I didn't understand. I didn't know that first Peter second period or first Timothy second Peter all of those Were letters Corinthians they were letters Written by somebody to a group of people and so they had a purpose and there was a circumstances behind it I didn't understand that until I was in my 30s y'all So I was raised in the church had absolutely no idea How to study the word how it was broken down What it could mean to me today to me. It was an ancient book with full of rules and regulations and

That's not it at all So the Bible says blessed Like I didn't get that that if I would study the word and meditate on it day and night Like wake up in the middle of night and think about what did I read today? and God bringing up the Holy Spirit bringing up scriptures in my heart and me thinking about it and Lord show me how I can apply that to my life There were blessings in it. Oh my I Thought someone was coming This is so cool, it's cool until y'all see me get trampled there's bulls out here. Hey, buddy This is number eight, I don't know what number eights name is Do you know that you have a name to God? Like its owner has tagged them So they know that he's here and they know that he's missing but oh, he just burped. That's nice. Hey, buddy Anyway, my daughter said one time she was out just resting and sitting and One of the bulls walked over and stood over and she's like, uh-oh Cuz she was just laying down on a quilt out in the field Probably not the smartest thing and the bull came and laid down with her I thought wouldn't that be something if this thing came and sat down? But anyway that the law of the Lord is not given to us to Break us down. Well, I Mean that in an ugly way like to beat us down and make us feel bad. It is to break us down into so that we can be remolded into his image, but the breaking is a beautiful process. His word, it says blessed. Blessed is the one who delights in the law of the Lord. Like you delight in it, you find joy in it. You will be blessed that you meditate on it day and night. You know what it says that if you do that you're like trees planted along a riverbank. Oh he lay down for us. I think they like the word. If you build your life, you chew on the word and you walk in the word and you apply it to your life. It says you're gonna be like a tree planted by the riverbank bearing fruit in every season. Are you in a tough season in your life right now? Are you in jail watching this?

Are you in prison? This word right here promises that if you line your word up, your life up, with the Word of God that you're gonna be blessed and you're gonna be like a tree. Okay there's trees planted by water, it's not a river, but there you're gonna bear fruit in every single season. Every single season. Even a season of incarceration. I think there's so many right now who are thinking, God can't do anything with me. My life has no purpose, but that's not true. It's not true at all. God promises that if you stay close to Him, He will stay close to you. If you draw near to Him, He will draw near to you. If you seek, you will find. If you meditate on His Word, He is going to bless you. It's gonna lead you. It's gonna guide you. It's gonna comfort you. Your leaves will never wither and you will prosper in all that you do. And so let me go back. In our last time together, we studied a little bit of Joshua and we were talking about Joshua 1 where God is telling Joshua to be strong and courageous. And we talked about the importance. If you haven't watched that, we we looked at the clouds together, so make sure you go back. We had a long-distance view of the clouds, but we talked about Joshua and the importance of moving and not moving, but moving out with God and being strong and courageous. But He also says to Joseph, excuse me, Joshua, there I go again. He says in Joshua 1 7, be strong and courageous. That's verse 6. And it says, that's verse 7, sorry. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey the instructions that Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in all that you do. So there it is again. Success, your success in life is tied to your willingness to walk in the Word of God. And it's not just obeying it, like I'm just, I'm gonna be nice to people. It is having the heart of the law. It is having God's Holy Spirit and His Word leading you. And your heart is, I want to walk in this because I want to honor God. And I know that His ways, read Psalms 119. I did a whole study on Psalms 119. How God's Word leads us and guides us and teaches us and instructs us, even at night. And this promises success. I know every single person I would imagine wants to be successful, wants to prosper. Y'all, it's not about having a Lamborghini and that being your prospering. It's about having a fullness of life, having peace and contentment, having joy, having a position where you can touch lives. Not

because you want position to be honored, but you want a position where you can touch lives. And God will give that to every single person. God will prosper you. He prospered Joseph. I keep wanting to talk about Joseph. Let's talk about him. He prospered him in the prison. He prospered him when he was a servant and a slave. He prospered him every place that he was. That doesn't mean it was easy. That doesn't mean he didn't face hard times, but he was prospering, prospering, being used by God, being positioned by God to lead people into the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, to the saving knowledge of God, to the saving knowledge of the Messiah, to protect God's remnant. People he was being used he was prospering like a tree planted by the riverbank and that can be you So study the book of instruction Continually just like that cow These cows were chewing on their cud chew on it night and day be sure to obey and Everything written in it only then will you prosper and succeed This is my command be strong and courageous do not be discouraged That's my task Why do you not have to be discouraged because the Lord your God is with you wherever you are Even in jail even in prison even in a field Even when you think nobody sees you God sees you And his word is alive and it is active wherever you are Let's look at God has reminded me of the verse of Timothy see how it comes up When you put the word in you like these cows God will bring that cut up He don't he'll bring it up so that you can then go share that with somebody and So let me find what I was doing. I'm I Think it's in first Timothy. Let me see it Might be in second, but you see it's coming up It's talking about

the impact of the word and what the Word of God does and some of y'all are y'all know exactly where it is and I Wish y'all could tell me Wish y'all could tell me. Oh My goodness It's talking about God's truth stands firm That's not the one I'm wanting to read oh Here it is. Here it is. Yay See it was there. I just had to chew on it for a minute second Timothy chapter 3 verse let's start with 16 all Scripture is inspired by God And is useful to teach us What is true and to make sure? To make us realize what is wrong in our lives Are y'all wondering today? What is wrong in your life? I have to ask that a lot. I you can be in the free world and know something's off. Something's amiss For me. I know that I just haven't I've been going too fast and I haven't been stopping and meditating and chewing on the word and listening and Stopping and being in nature just like I had to stop and do today says The Word of God corrects us where we're wrong and teaches us to do right God uses it to prepare us and equip his people to do every good work Y'all this word here. I cannot Say enough how important it is It's not just a checklist It is something to be meditated on it is something to be brought in to be studied To talk about with people to get in a Bible study It and listen

Maybe you don't have that opportunity where you are There are assets that we create on these tablets read The word study the word along with us get our magazine open it up. You'll notice in that magazine I put scriptures everywhere in that magazine through every article their scriptures Why because I want you to take the time and go look them up and meditate on them Because I want you first of all to see that I'm not just making this stuff up We're not making these stories up in Victorious Living magazine We're not making up promises of God what happened in these people's lives line up with the Word of God and what they experienced We'll put a scripture to back it up So that you can see that what has happened in that person's life that you read about in our magazine It's true and it could happen for you But you have to get in the word I think you have to choose to walk in the word and that's where the rubber meets the Road like whatever you're chewing on and whatever God is bringing up. Are you going to go obey it? Are you gonna let the Word of God be useful to you? Are you gonna let the Word of God teach you? Are you gonna obey what God's saying? Like when he says forgive are you gonna forgive? Are you gonna hold on to that offense? Even though the word says that if you hold on to offense That sin is gonna take control if you go to bed angry that that you're gonna give a foothold to Satan to come in your life God's not telling you to forgive because he's some mean God and he doesn't care what happened to you He cares so much for you that he's saying forgive the person put them in my hands and let me tend to your heart Let me heal you so you can move forward and so that you can You can move forward and you can move forward and you can move forward and you can move forward Be prosperous and you can be like a tree planted by a riverbank that's gonna be bearing fruit in every season But if you hold on to that offense, the word says and you go to bed angry you're given the devil a foothold And so that's what the Word of God will teach you and then it's the Spirit of God that will help you understand the Word Of God that's where this some people will read the word like it doesn't make any sense Well, are you reading it with the Holy Spirit? how do you get the Holy Spirit you get the Holy Spirit by professing your faith in Jesus Christ and Then it says when you profess your faith in Jesus Christ that he sends you the comforter. He sends you the teacher

He sends you the Holy Spirit To reside in you that the very same spirit of God This is where it says in Romans the same spirit that lives in God that that rose him from the dead Jesus from the dead lives in you and gives life to your mortal bodies Does your mortal body need life today? Do you need wisdom? Do you need direction? Do you need comfort? Do you need to know what to say? Do you need the strength to forgive? It will all come from the Word of God It will come as you Chew on it sit down and rest in it and And let God speak to you through it get a journal and That's how I bring up the cud is I get a journal and I write I break down the verses And I'll say okay God it says here and then I'll dive in and study maybe With a study guide or some person or I'll call somebody and say hey, do you know what this means? Always you want to be teaching someone what you're learning But you want to be finding someone who knows a little bit more and Gleaning from them always making sure going back making sure it lines up with this because there are a lot of false teachers out there even on Panda even on Edovo even on TV There are things that I watch and I will always go back and make sure that it's not some Man-made up religion that's using a scripture to try to get it to say what they want it to say You make sure that you're listening to someone who's speaking on the authority of the anointing of God and that's speaking out of an authenticity And it's speaking Not out of a place of pride but a place that loves you You find someone it didn't have to be me. I don't know everything. I will tell you that But I know my heart is to teach this word And for you to have what it has for you and for you to walk into in in the freedom that Christ has for you But all of that will come all the prosperity everything that you want will come through walking and obedience to God's Word and walking with the Holy Spirit and That spirit is available to you today It's as easy as saying God come into my heart. I

Confess that I am a sinner and I need a Savior and that your Savior is Jesus. He died for my sin So I'm trying to let the wind go by You know, the Holy Spirit is likened to the wind It moves The Bible says this is coming up in my spirit is coming up from that chamber and it's it's I'm gonna chew on it for a minute But the Bible says the Holy Spirit is like the wind and you can't see the wind But can you hear it? Can you see it moving The things that the moss hanging off the trees You can so, you know, it's there Can you feel something right now? Like it's not always about a feeling but do you feel a quickening sometime in your spirit? That you know something's wrong or that you know That maybe God's calling you into a direction That is the wind of the Holy Spirit getting your attention and trying to move you in that direction You can't see it, but you know, it's there You know, it's there When you dive in this word with God It'll come to life. I promise you that That's why I get so excited because it's like the Lord will bring things to my remembrance And I know it's not me because y'all on the normal day. I Barely know my name I've been sick for days And it's been tough but one thing I know is that When I sit with the Lord and I meditate on his word he speaks to me whether I feel sick or whether I'm completely well Whether I'm on the go and I'm tuned in to him or whether I'm sitting in a field. He's there And I want y'all to experience that because if I need You know, on the outside, I can't imagine the loneliness and things that you must experience on the inside. And I know that what he did for me

and what he did for our team members, he will do it for you. And that cow just said, boo, like, amen. And, but every person that I know that is walking with God and having success with him, success meaning their life is full. They have peace. They're walking with God. Does it easy? No, but they walking with God and their experience, this newness of life, it all came from their studying of the word of God, meditating on it day and night, chewing on it in their private time with God and chewing on it with others. And when you do that, God will nurture you. He will give you the nutrients you need. He will speak to you. He will guide you and direct you. So Father, I bring this to a close. I thank you. I thank you for this, Lord. May we just sit with you right now. And may we know that you see us. May we just park ourselves right where we are and enjoy the quiet of your word, the way that we can just get in it and meditate on it. Your word says that you love us. Your word says that you are with us. Your word says that you go before us,

that you hem us in. Your word says that everywhere that we place our foot, that you are there with us. Your word says that if we walk in the ways of God, that we will be blessed in all that we do. Your word says that we have a choice to follow you or follow our own ways. But God, your word says if we choose you, if you will far exceed our expectations, Ephesians 3.20 says that, that the power of God will work through us. Thank you for this mighty wind right now that's blowing through. I pray that my brothers and sisters that are watching right now, they feel it. That you will blow through their cell. You will blow through their bunk. That you will blow through the prison yard. You will blow through, God. And I know I'm gonna get testimonies that say I was watching this and the mighty wind of God blew through. And that is them knowing a coolness, a warmth, something that they know right now, God, would you quicken their spirit to know that you were there, you see them. Some of them, they grew up on a farm and just the fact that they're getting to hang out with cows right now, God, you're speaking to their heart. Maybe some have always wanted a cow, to see a cow,

or have just wanted to just hear the birds. God, you're answering a prayer right now. And those little things are showing them that you see them. Just like that bird, Lord, we call out to you, you answer us. Your word says that there's not a bird, there's not a star in the sky, you don't know them by name. And Lord, our life is here today and gone tomorrow, but you built all of this for us. That is amazing to me. You built all of this for us. You built this tree for us. You gave the cows, the milk, the food for us. Lord, you created this world and you put everything in it, it says in Genesis, and then you gave it to man. And we are just a breath, Lord, but yet you chose to walk with us and talk with us. You chose to save us, to give your best to us. Will you not give us everything else that you need? That's what the word promises. That's what the word of God promises. And I just thank you, God, that you're with us and you love us. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen. I pray this has been a blessing to you. I'm gonna put some video up of the cows, so stay tuned. It'll be in with this segment. We're gonna show the cows running to us

and just know as I was filming, I was stepping in all sorts of stuff just for you. That's how much I love you. God bless you and have a wonderful day. Bye-bye. Chew on the word of God, just like this cow is chewing his cud. Amen. PO Box 2751 Greenville, NC 27836 or email us at Hope at VLMag.org. To view Victorious Living magazine in its entirety, please have your chaplain contact us at 352-478-2098 or email us through our website at VLMag.org. We are happy to provide our Victorious Living magazine free of charge, in bulk, with or without staples.