Tell Your Emotions to Vacate the Premises! Lessons from the Beach: Episode 1

Hello, Victorious Living family. I am Christi Overton Johnson, and I am the host of More Victorious Living and also the founder of Victorious Living Ministries. It is my privilege today to bring you to the beach. I try to bring you every year. I haven't been here much this year, but I like to bring you to my favorite spot in the world, and I don't get to come here as much as I'd like, but, yeah, I'm outside of Wilmington, and it is beautiful today. It's early in the morning. I like to come out before all the kids and dogs and people. No, I did not bring my dogs. I have too many dogs, and they go crazy, and I cannot walk them on the leash. I get all tangled up, and it's a mess. But, anyway, I just wanted you to hear the waves for a second. Can you hear them? There's no seagulls yet. We'll hear them, too. Those are interesting critters. If you've ever seen Nemo, you know. Anyway, I have seen so many things as I've walked here that remind me of life, that remind me of God's greatness, and I just wanted to share a few of those things with you as we enjoy the beauty of this beach and as we listen to the sounds that are around us. I wanted to share a few of those lessons. First of all, when I see that ocean, see it's coming, do you know that the Bible says that God determines how far up those waves right there can go. Basically, His hand is keeping that ocean. I mean, think about it. Look how small I am. All it would take was one big thump, and all that water would come up here and take me out. It is God who is protecting me right now.

It says that the waves cannot go any further than what He has commanded. When I look out over this ocean, this is the Atlantic Ocean, and I think about how big He is, how vast He is, and how small I am, yet even in my smallness, He remembers me. That even though I am walking in this beach in Wilmington, that my God sees me and He cares for me because He is a God that is an ever-present help in time of need. He is a God that is always with us. We can't be separated from Him. So, whether I'm here on this beach or you're somewhere else, if you're watching this video, it's probably in jail or prison, I want you to know that God is with you. He is your refuge. He is your place of safety. He is your strength. The guys at the Pitt County Detention Center... Y'all, if I go like that, sorry, I've got sunscreen in my eyeballs, and it's burning. But anyway, we were reading Psalms 46 the other day, and it says that God is my refuge, God is my strength, He is an ever-present help in time of need. And we talked about what a refuge means. It means that it's a place of safety. It's a place you can run to. What does strength mean? Strength means that God gives you His strength to go through and endure what you're going through. Philippians 4.13 says, I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. So, God's strength is perfect. Ours is not. And we run out of steam, and we face things, and we're like, there's no way that I can do this. But with God, you can. So, God, it says in Psalms 46, this is King Hezekiah saying, God, you're my refuge. Like, this king was king. But the king was having a problem. And he's like, you're my refuge.

You're my strength. You're my ever-present help. What does that mean? Ever-present means always. Always there with you. Help means He falls into the place with you. So, right now, God is falling into that place with you. Whoa, I'm not sure what just happened. There we go. He is an ever-present help in your time of need. And like I said, help means He falls into that place with you. Whether that's jail. Whether that's if you were drowning out there. Whether that's in your relationship. No matter what, God says, I am your ever-present. Not just sometime present. Just when you're good present. I am your ever-present help in time of need. And God promises to be with you. to fall into that place with you. It also says that in Romans 8, that when you're praying, you don't know what to pray for, that the Holy Spirit will help you in your weakness. He will fall into that place of pain with you, of trial, and help you. Psalm 46 goes on and says, though the earth gives way, though the mountains fall into the sea, though the seas come up and cover the earth, I will not be afraid.

The king is saying, although all these things, wars and confusion and things that are outside of my control. Maybe today you're facing something, I guarantee, it ain't no baby. Right now you're facing something that is outside of your control. You cannot control your family, your kids, what's going on at home. You can't control what's happening in the world as far as wars. You can't control your sentence. All you can control is, is you. Is you falling at the feet of Jesus. Is you living a life of integrity. You doing the right thing. And not being afraid and not being anxious about all the things that are going on around you. And then Hezekiah goes on and on, but at the end in Psalms 46, Tanny says, be still and know that I am God. Be still means to vacate that thing. Vacate that place of anxiety, that worry, that fear, that anger. Like lay it down, let it go. It actually means to vacate. One of the guys at the jail the other day, he just started laughing, he goes, I like that, like vacate the premises.

And he's like, the vacate means to just leave it. Leave it alone, get out of there. Lay it at God's feet and let it be. Be still and know by experience, know that He is God. What does that mean? He is all present. He is everywhere. He will not fail you. He will not abandon you. Be still and know that He is God. He's got your back. He's moving forward. He's making a way. Like the Israelites, He's got a cloud He'll put a cloud between you and the enemy. That will happen, I think it's in Exodus 14 or 15 where He put a cloud between the enemy, the Egyptians and the Israelites so the Egyptians couldn't see Him. And it also kept the Israelites from seeing the Egyptians. And God had their back. He led them with a cloud. He encircled them with a cloud. He led them by fire at night when it was dark. They knew how to move forward. That's what God will do. Be still. Be anxious over nothing. Philippians 4, that tells you how to be still.

Be anxious over nothing. But in every season, in everything, go to God. Philippians 4 says, tell Him what you need. And then the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your heart and mind. That will keep you from going crazy. It'll keep you from losing your hope. It'll keep you from doing something you shouldn't be doing. It's what ends you up in the hole. God's peace. And I see that. I see that with my friends at the jail that I see every Thursday. And I watch them go to court and then it'll break for lunch in the middle of their, right before they're going. And they've been waiting for four or five months for this court date. And then they go back and they're sitting with me in a Bible study waiting to get called back after lunch and never get called back. And it's been six weeks and still haven't gotten called back. But yet my friend, saying skinny, is sitting there with complete peace. Why? Because he's being still. He's vacated it. He's given it to God. And he knows God is God and God's got him.

And he's gonna trust God's timing. And I'm telling you, that makes a world of difference. I've seen people in this having anxiety attacks, seen people angry. And then I see when they settle in and they just vacated. And God says, I got you. And he's like, I'm just gonna sit here and I'm gonna continue to better myself. And when God sees fit for me to go before that judge and whatever comes after it, I'm okay. And he's got peace. He's smiling, he's laughing at a crazy time. Crazy time of uncertainty. Though the world has given way around him and though there's things happening that he can't control, he has perfect peace because he's being still and knowing that God is God. And so I hope that helps you this morning. Listen, there are so many things that I'm seeing around me. There's lessons. I've got shells. I was going to do a lesson on this shell. I was going to do a lesson on this uprooted little root, uprooted dead tree that should be thriving and it's not. So I'm going to bring you many lessons this week from the beach and I hope that you enjoy them. I just want to pray for you right now. Father, I thank you for my brother. I thank you for my sister. I thank you for those that are watching this broadcast and I thank you God that you have a plan and your plan is good and your plan is faithful and your plan is not able to be ruined by us. So Father, thank you. Thank you that you love us so much that you died for us.

Thank you that you love us so much that even when we're in the darkest of places, you jump in there with us and you help us. I pray right now for my brother and my sister. I pray Lord that as they look over this ocean, Lord, that they would have the Prince of Peace to settle in in their hearts, that they would know that how big you are and that if you can do all of this God, you can take care of us. If you can keep this from overtaking the world and taking me out right now, you can protect them wherever they are, whatever they're going through. Father, I thank you. I'm going to do a little lesson here, but as I look at this shell and I look at all these shells, every shell is different. And God, we're all different. We're all beautiful. You created us different. Some of us are laying here shattered in pieces, God, but you can take us and you can put us back together. Some of us got holes in us like some of these shells, but Lord, I was thinking today, but a shell with a hole in it can be used as a necklace. And you can take us with these holes in us, Lord, and you can polish us up and just display us before the world as a beautiful necklace and jewel. Father, you're not done with broken pieces. You're not done with imperfect things. God, you just put us back together and create a mosaic out of all of these pieces. Father, you created us different and unique for a purpose because you have a plan for us and you want to use us, God. I pray, Lord, that you will touch my brother and my sister, that you infuse them with your strength, that they'll be able to vacate whatever is in their heart and mind right now that is just so overwhelming that you will help them to vacate that anxiety. And as Philippians 4 says, to tell you what they need and to lay it at your feet and to trust you. Thank you that you promise that right now as they do that, do that. Lay it at their feet. Lay it at his feet. I'm going to vacate my fear over my future. I'm going to vacate my guilt. Some of you carrying a lot of guilt right now. You can't go back and change the past, but you can let God take all these broken pieces and do something wonderful with it. And trust me, I have seen it. I've got a team full of people, including myself, that got a lot of broken pieces that God has taken all the pain and he's using it. And he's displaying it before the world for his

glory. And that's what he wants to do with you. So vacate that guilt. You can't move forward with God carrying all that guilt. Vacate the guilt. Vacate the shame. Vacate the fear. Some of you carrying a lot of hate, a lot of anger. You're ready to take somebody out. We got a letter recently. I'm a man, and you're going to read this in our issue three, one. I can't remember. I worked so far ahead on these publications, Victorious Living Magazine. Don't you love how I just go from a prayer into talking to you, and now back to the story. But this man was talking about how he had been shot multiple, multiple times 22 years ago. And he'd carried around that anger and that hate. And he said, if I ever see that guy that shot me, I'm going to kill him. Well, this man had surgery. This man was in medical isolation. Y'all know what that is. Just only time he could get out was like an hour on the weekend to go to church. And so he was not a churchgoer, but he Decided I am desperate for an hour out. So he went and He said he's listening to the pastor or the preacher and all of a sudden the preacher goes anybody got anything they want to say He said all of a sudden the man behind him stood up and said Preacher I got something to say I've been carrying something around with me for 20 some years 20 some years ago. I shot somebody And I prayed to God give me the opportunity to tell him I'm sorry and today that man is in this service And the man that wrote to us, I believe his name was John Turned around and looked forgive me if it's not John I'm going off some memory here, but he turned around and looked and there was the man who just shot him and The man was just asking for his forgiveness was weeping And John forgave him he said I forgive you John became a believer God used that even that medical isolation to Walk calls John to want to get it He says made me want to get out so bad that I'd even go to church and I did not want to go to church And there God got a hold of him the goodness of God, but here's what he said He said it felt so

good Not to hate anymore The reason I brought that up is because some of us are carrying a lot of hate and anger and bitterness and Vengeance in your heart like I'm gonna get revenge I'm gonna take that person out and it is consuming you and those were his words it feels so good Not to be living with all that hate I am free The Bible is so clear that the reason we're supposed to vacate that is because you go to bed angry you open up the Door for the enemy to come in your life and destroy you That's why it felt good to John to have it gone To forgive and to let it go to vacate it because now all of a sudden it shut the door to the enemy The enemy no longer had access to John's life Wasn't even about the man who shot him. Yes. He extended that grace and forgiveness, but it released John Because he vacated it it released John who's now ministering he said to 500 I Can't remember what he said turning men and boys into soldiers for Christ And he said I'm so glad that I went to church that day Because his life was forever changed all because he vacated He was being still vacating whatever he was holding on to Acknowledging He forgave he acknowledged that he needed God he prayed and He was still and knew that God was God and gave God that situation Was obedient to what God would have him to do and it freed him up to live a life To be productive to be fruitful to have joy That's why God said vacate it gonna bake let your emotions and your hate and your guilt and your shame and your fear go on a Vacation and never return may they get lost on that vacation Listen God gives us emotions, but there's emotions are not meant to

Control us you will get angry But you're not to react in your anger you to give to vacate it to God and let him help you work through it and that's where you save yourself a lot of pain a Lot of pain that keeps you to guard your heart and mind like Philippians 4 says that peace Guards your heart and mind Keeps you from doing crazy things and then it also Gives you this peace and joy and protects your body in your mind Emotions deadly emotions kill us 85% of All sickness and disease and Sheridan could touch more on this, but it comes from an underlying emotion Maybe you feel abandoned by your father you have hate for your father or your mother Or some girl or some gang leader or something that did you dirty? And you're hanging on to it. Maybe you feel like a nothing you you feel Shame-filled you're shame-filled with shame full of shame And it is eating you up, and it impacts your mind it impacts your body It's jealousy the Bible says it's like a cancer. It rots the bones It impacts you So I'm so thankful God led us on this journey today to be still and to know that he is God And there's no more beautiful place for me than here, and I'm so glad that you got to – look at the sun coming up – to visit here with me today, and I hope to bring you many more videos this week. I'm going to spend the whole week here and thinking of you always everywhere I go. I love you. Can't see you. God bless you. Bye-bye. Thank you for watching our broadcast. Are you an incarcerated brother or sister who needs encouragement? Write to us at Victorious Living Correspondents, P.O. 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.