Fixing the Holes in Your Bucket || Victory Church [Book of John Roundtable #2]

I don't want to stay the same and I don't want to go back and God was so tangible and he was like, I am the God that saves and I'm also the God that keeps. So we are in the book of John as you know Pastor Johnson brought another amazing word this weekend and so we're gonna talk about it a little bit and before we do I want to share the scripture with you just to remind us all about one of our key scriptures from the weekend. So this is John 4 21 through 22 and it says, Jesus replied, believe me dear woman the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship while we Jews know all about him for salvation comes through the Jews. Jesus's name means Yeshua which is God saves right so when you think about this can you remember a time when Jesus showed up to save you? Before I came to the faith in Christ I remember that I was just out here living life I was living day to day that I felt very empty I was agnostic at the time and had a Christian faith growing up and so I remember once that every day felt no different than the other I just wake up go to work do the same thing go out with my friends and so that I remember one night I was like this cannot be life like it just can't there has to be more to life than just to wake up and then go back to sleep and at that time I was dealing a lot with like mental health struggles and I remember that I was like okay well I grew up in faith so I'm God if you're really real like I need you to really reveal yourself if not life is not worth living for it's just not and so I remember that I ended up just writing a whole entire plan I was like okay by the end of this week God if you don't show up in a certain guy like if you just don't show up not even in a type of way if you just don't show up it's not really worth living for and I remember at that time that I was looking for a trade school to go into surgical technology and I remember talking to the directors and they're like sorry the program's not gonna open up until like December this was like in June I was like okay cool I remember that day that I was just like okay well one more day

what's gonna happen they sent me a letter saying hey we want you to be part of the school that's opening up within a month I'm like okay this is sure coincidence right as must be coincidence and I know I found a church which went by Victor Hamilton Mill because a friend was a hey come on over and oh it's so cool I went in and I was sitting and I was a bench warmer for a very long time just like listening and and being there and I remember I was like it gave my life to the Lord and I remember I was like okay well life must mean more I don't want to stay the same and I don't want to go back and God was so tangible and he was like I am the God that saves and I'm also the God that keeps and so from then on there he just you know he showed his face and you just have them showing up I love it you were you were thinking you were looking for an option with school and just some direction in that and he had so much more for you spiritually a church that you probably wasn't even on your radar we saw the visual of the holes in the bucket right so it was like things were being poured in and they were just coming right out because there were holes in the bucket so gaps of unmet needs in our lives they create these gaps and these holes and so even people around us with good intentions maybe trying to you know do their best to give us the things that they can but we're still not being fulfilled right and it's because God has to fulfill everything all he has to meet our needs right we can't leave that to someone else one of the questions or one of the the statements that Pastor Johnson made was that we all have these four needs these four areas of needs right and so one of them it's acceptance security identity and purpose and only Jesus can truly meet those needs so we can't expect someone else to do that so we're gonna just kind of talk here about which areas we feel God is wanting to speak to us and speak about in our life in those areas where he wants to show up and meet that need versus us relying on someone else to do it when you think of those four areas is there one that particularly stands out to you And that really stood out to me. And I actually apologized to my wife afterwards, um, was acceptance.

Cause we, a few days ago had a conversation of like, Hey, I just be like, again, you know, with a, or a baby's about three months, three and a half months. So we were just trying to figure that out. And I was like, I just feel like you don't want me. Uh, I feel like I want you to want me, um, and desired me. And she's like, something I don't, you know, don't want you. Um, I love you. I love you deeply. I want you more than anything in the world. And we just kind of had a conversation about that. Uh, and then I'm listening to pastor Johnson say that. And the Lord just kind of touched on my heart. It's like, you're trying to get acceptance, um, from your wife. He's like, Hey, inviting me back to his presence. So I can fill up that bucket that I just feel like I've constantly been leaking in my entire life. When I was in third grade, we just went to America. Um, and you know, this was right after nine 11. So everyone, all the jokes, all the, uh, racism, all the, you know, all that stuff was happening. And I was like, how do I fit in? I don't know. Um, and I was naturally good at sports. So it was in Ohio. Um, and I think we were playing football or something like that. I got hurt once. And so when I got hurt, everyone gave me attention. Say what's wrong with it? Like, let's go check on him. I was like, Oh, like if I did this, maybe then people will accept me

or at least choose to care for me. And so I think, yeah, from there, I've always been leaking, leaking acceptance. I just need to continue to run to the Lord with that because no one's going to be able to fill it for me. Right. My would be identity. All of my life I would hear a, you know, you are not good enough, or they would tie a tie titles to my name and be like, okay, so I am not good enough. Okay. Or I, um, I can't do this right. Or, you know, like I am lazy or I insert whatever the case is. And so I grew up, um, without a father figure in my life. And so I just have my mother and my brother. And so there was like a constant, like trying to find who I am trying to find, um, grab onto what the world was telling me that I was right. And so, or my, or my friends and be like, Oh, well you're totally a party girl. Or, Oh, you know, you're great at just going out and having fun with us. And I was like, okay, yeah, that's who I am. No, that feels pretty empty. You know, like after, after a certain amount, I was like, no, that doesn't, that doesn't feel right. Like in the deeper part of me, um, or my friends are like, you're a great friend or you suck as a friend. Oh my God, I suck as a friend. Like it was just the constant grabbing of titles, grabbing of who I was. But in his kindness and goodness, he's been so patient in being like, I want to show you day by day that you are my daughter, that you are special, that you are unique. And it's a, it's a walking, it's a walking journey, as you said, Abe. I am just so, I feel the gratitude and thinking how he has continuously

spoken identity in my life. I love it. I love it. When, but listening to both of you guys, um, sharing, it was reminding me just in seasons of my life where I was pressing into God and seasons when I wasn't, right? That God was always there. And, uh, when I was looking for him, he was already waiting for me. And I think that's so encouraging that, you know, no matter where we're at in our walk, like our time, always, if we're putting, if we're committing to put the Lord first, we're going to find him every single time because he's already waiting for us, right? To show up. And, um, so anyway, I enjoyed talking with you both today. Thank you for sharing all the things that you shared. And I look forward to this coming week's message.