Sheila Walsh: Admit You're Stuck and Struggling (James Robison / LIFE Today)

[Music] the following program is sponsored by friends of Life outreach international and I know it's easy to make great faith statements when we've come to the end of the struggle or the end of the trial but here's what I want you to know and I give you my word I had us peace in the not knowing when I didn't know as I'm being wheeled into surgery that morning and I don't know I experienced the peace of Christ Sheila Walsh helps us understand that it's okay not to be okay [Music] hi I'm Sheila Walsh welcome to life today so I have a question for you how are you like how do you normally respond to that question you know maybe you're driving to church on a Sunday morning and you just have this horrible argument with your husband or your wife or your children and you walk through those doors and there's some day their degree you and they ask you how are you and so often we don't tell the truth you know we say what we think people expect we know that sometimes it's just a kind of polite thing people say and they expect you to move on but I wonder if if right now if Christ Himself was sitting looking at you seeing you and asking you this question how are you what would you say you know one of the reasons that I wrote this new book it's okay not to be okay was I got a lot of people writing me and saying you know thank you for sharing your struggle with depression thank you for talking about the darker side the things you've been through it made me feel less alone but then the question that kept coming was whatnot you know what do I do know I feel stuck and so that was really that really was kind of what was behind two years of looking at my own life and looking back through my my entries in my journals looking at the things I'd written in my Bible of how God had but by His Holy Spirit walked me through places where I felt like I was stuck so I wanted to provide something that would give you like eight simple steps for moving forward and I wanted several things I mean I I spent a lot of time asking the Holy Spirit what I should do because I don't take it for granted when you choose to to get a book of mine I don't take that for granted that's a huge privilege so I wanted to make sure it was daily it was doable that rather than me like sitting on a TV screen or on a platform that it would be me holding out a hand and say come on we can do this together it's okay not to be okay because Jesus has made us all right how would that shift your life right now if you understood that that as you are at this moment with the things you don't like about yourself that God looks down in you and says he's mine she's mine we had the privilege a little while ago to invite a bunch of people who have been very faithful supporters of the ministry here at life for some time and we thought you know it'd be kind of fun to have them come into the studio and me to do something a little different but to actually teach the eight steps and kind of walk an audience through so I wanted to share that with you so take a look at this [Music] I think the next step is admit where you're stuck and struggling admit where you're stuck in struggling I read a great quote by Sean Annie quest that I love and here's what she said when things fall apart the broken pieces allow all sorts of things to enter and one of them is the presence of God it doesn't always feel that way though does it traffic is bad in most cities at five o'clock in Dallas certainly is no exception and I just left here one day and left life today Studios now sitting at a red light mentally going through everything I needed to do Christian at that point was a junior in high school and he just hit another growth spurt so he needed new long pants I needed to get my nails done because I was speaking somewhere that weekend which reminded me I needed to pick up my dry cleaning for that weekend and then I looked at the gas tank and and no gas and I remember thinking I'll do all tomorrow by tomorrow list was getting very long so I got home and I was unpacking some things and I turned to get something out of the freezer and in that moment I felt as if somebody had stabbed me in the back I mean I stopped for a bit and held on and and then it seemed to ease so I thought I must have pinched a nerve or something but it seemed to be okay so I didn't think about it I was fine for a few days and then one morning as I was getting out of the car It was as if my back locked I couldn't move I couldn't out the car and I just didn't know what to do so I sat there for a while and I just asked the Lord to help me and the pain eventually moved but it was getting worse and worse I was having it every single day pain shooting down my legs it's about five years ago when it came to the stage that I was having trouble actually walking and burying my husband said babe you need to go and see a doctor well my doctor referred me to a neurosurgeon so over the next few weeks I had you know all the stuff had x-rays I had an MRI then the doctor ordered a scan with colored dye injected into the spine so when he had all the results he called us back and he said yeah I'm really sorry here but you've got two discs that are almost gone and the nerves are being pinched between bone and he was suggesting that I would have back surgery but I've heard I don't know about you but I thought all sorts of horror stories about back surgery a couple of friends of ours had gone through back surgeries and instead of them being more mobile they'd actually ended up much much worse so I said to him is there anything else we could try first and he said well I can send you to a pain specialist and we can try cortisone shots but it did nothing absolutely nothing and the thing that was overwhelming to me was I was in a place in life where it seemed like lots of things were lining up I had so many opportunities to go and speak and I was just so excited the path that got it spread up before me and it felt suddenly like a door slammed in my face and I was left in the hallway you ever been there you know it's just everything's going along well and things are progressing the way you hoped and then suddenly out of nowhere a door is slammed in your face and you're left on the hallway I saw that in one of my dearest friends not so long ago she's always struggled with her image and she's beautiful I mean I think she's just amazing but she doesn't see herself that way and then she met mr. right and they began dating for a while and it was so interesting the minute that he placed that ring on her finger It was as if it changed how she saw herself it kind of erased all the other messages should had for years but then he broke off and I watched my beautiful friend like weather like a flower that been taken out of water and everything she'd started to believe of ourselves what's gone maybe you've longed to be a mom I had a really sad letter delivered to me here the other day and it was a young woman and she didn't give me her name and address and I think it's because she wanted to see what she really thought rather than what she thought was the right thing to say she said I've tried for so many years my husband and I have tried to get pregnant and couldn't and then suddenly we discovered the amazing news that we were pregnant and she said we got through my pregnancy and everything was great the baby lived for six weeks and you could I mean I actually found myself a magnesia her letter she could hear the pain etched into every word because our thing was why why would God do that why would God allow me to get pregnant only to snatch that little went away I mean there's so many things that you may have faced you may maybe you're facing them right now the end of a friendship that you really valued the loss of a job maybe a divorce that you did not see coming or maybe one of the hardest things of all a child kind of cutting you out of their life devastating health issues and just showed up out of nowhere one of the hardest things about those times Onis as if a door slammed in our faces we feel alone you know if you have loved ones around they can empathize for a while but people go on with their lives and you're left with reality of what's no longer working so let me finish my backstories I'm obviously still walking in the weeks that followed the cortisone shots not working Thomas of really pouring my heart I've really learned that God is big enough to handle I really feel I don't edit myself with God I just pour my heart oh I had so many questions what if I lose the ability to walk well I'll never be pain-free again what if my life that used to look like a wide-open door it's now gonna because fine so the four walls of my own home and as I've brought every real gut-level honest question to the Lord the answer is the same every time I'll be there I'll be there I'll be there I remember it was still dark when Barry and I arrived at the hospital that morning and you know how it is they take you back and you get into your gown you get your IV all set up and and Barry was right beside me I have to tell you Christ's presence was so palpable I felt as if I could take his hand and I know it sounds easy to say that now because obviously my surgery was successful and I know it's easy to make great faith statements when we come to the end of the struggle or the end of the trial but here's what I want you to know and I give you my word I had a space and then not knowing when I didn't know as I'm being wheeled into surgery that morning and I don't know I experienced the peace of Christ and the not knowing the outcome for you may have been different maybe you've gone through something you're like well I'm happy for you but that's not the way things were for me well again I look to the Apostle Paul here's what he said and second Corinthians 4:17 through 18 for our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all so we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen so what is seen is temporary for what is unseen is eternal so how can we call what you're dealing with right now light and momentary two ways we look around and we look up I believe that God redeems every drop of our suffering I believe that in God nothing is wasted I believe that it's a beautiful thing that God can do with a broken life if you give him all the pieces see some of you been have been through things I've never been I can't help someone who's lost a child I have not been there but if you have you can speak words of comfort and peace that I can't if you lost a job and it was your livelihood you know I can't speak to that if you've been there and you see somebody else who's struggling you can speak to that if a spouse has walked at you and you thought what on earth am I gonna do how am I gonna get through this I can't speak to that but if you have you've been through that and God has met you in the middle of the mess then you absolutely can now if you struggle with depression or suicidal thoughts I'm your woman see the thing is nothing's wasted with God when we offer up our brokenness to him he meets us there and then as second Corinthians said we are able to comfort others for the same comfort with which we've been comforted Paul goes on to write that's why we never give up this is 2nd Corinthians 4 16 through 18 that's why we never give up though our bodies are dying our spirits are being renewed every day for our present troubles are small and they won't last very long yet they produce for us a glory that far outweighs them all and will last forever so we don't look at the troubles we can see now rather we fix our gaze and what we cannot see for the things we see now will soon be gone but the things we cannot see will last forever so acknowledge your struggle tell God how it feels the door slammed in your face if you're in a place right now and you think where are you tell him and then hear God say to you I'm here I'm here I'm here Jesus is the Redeemer in the hallway [Music] that's the truth wherever you find yourself right now maybe you feel like you're stuck in that hallway and you've heard the slamming of the door and you think God where are you what what I know in my own life what I've walked through in my own life is that the moments seem like the darkest like the least hope filled some of the places where I encountered Christ in the most incredible way so that was a little bit of that teaching but in this book it's okay not to be okay moving forward one day at a time I'll walk you through all these eight steps so that together that we can be the men and women that God has called us to be you know there's something about the way we are as a nation at the moment the often I find myself really grieved because we hear so much there's so much anger so much discussion so much rhetoric that's really negative and polarizing the one thing that should be a constant is the body of Christ in this nation in any nation we should be the ones who are a city set on a hill you know a light shining that's not covered up no matter who is in office no matter who's in the White House no matter what's going on in the nation no matter what you hear in the news we do not take who we are from any of that we take who we are from the Word of God which lets us know that God is in control even when it seems like it's he not God is in control he is sovereign he's got your back he knows your story and he will never ever leave you if we as God's children begin to live like that I love when Peter and his letter says always be ready to give an answer for the reason of the hope that's within you that implies that we have to live differently as God's children that people would want to know what is about you but everything else in society is falling apart you're different so I'm going to tell you in a little bit how to get hold of this book I want to send it to every single one of you but before that I want to tell you about something that is so dear to my heart and to all of us here as a team at life you know we've had the opportunity we call it a rescue life to go to places where young girls young guys are being held captive and if we as the body of Christ on this planet at this time don't do something then who will it's our heart that we want to go to the darkest places and reach those young people and then we want to rescue them and then we want to see them restored so that they know who they are as a child of God so it's a very very moving it's very exciting so I want you to watch this but like that malloy sorry [Music] they took that home don't look no way I feel I thought you might need a new plan Gator anyway [Music] Piper hey home but Petco did much was nearly I will meet them I gave I know my pain what to do [Music] okay I don't nothing it I do video to gain is a lockdown [Music] it's clear to me today more than has ever been but I know nothing nothing of suffering compared to this beautiful girl and thousands and thousands like her it's really overwhelming it's overwhelming because in Southeast Asia she's not alone there's thousands of girls like this and the only hope it's not the government stepping in the only hope is the body of Christ and Luke chapter 19 verse 10 jesus said the Son of man came to seek and to save those who are lost that's why Jesus came and that's why you and I are on this earth we can't wait for somebody else to move in and help it's our job is our responsibility the sex traffickers are not sitting back thinking well you know we'll take a day off they are there they're relentless and if we as the body of Christ don't care more than they care that God have mercy on us [Music] that trip literally changed my life I couldn't get the images of those girls out of my mind and I thanked the Lord for that it´ll God forgive me if I ever forget about them when you sit with these young girls but there's something is is getting a sense of the bigger picture of the evil that's going on this is like a billion-dollar business it's huge and the people behind it are very organized and they're very clever but there's something else going on here let me remind you what Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus Ephesians chapter 6 says this a final word be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil for we are not fighting against flesh and blood enemies but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world against mighty powers in this dark world and against evil spirits in the heavenly places it was so clear to me as we walked those streets and sat with so many of those girls and put our arms around them and prayed for them and you know we asked some of them do you know that there is a God in heaven who loves you and then being able to pray with some of these girls and lead them into relationship with Christ but it made me realize that you and I we have to do two things we have to reach out and do something and do something now and then we have to commit to be praying people to get on our knees and pray that some of the the evil strongholds in these nations would be broken but it starts with you and I doing something our heart is that we wanted we thought we would be able to reach 2500 children this year but then some of our friends said no we care about this so our $320,000 matching gift came in said that means that you and I in this season we can rescue 5,000 children 5,000 it used to be that if you gave 128 dollars you would rescue one child but now there's gonna be a matching gift so if you can give a hundred and twenty-eight dollars you're gonna rescue two children her literally right now begging God to help if you could only do $64 now with a matching gift together with a brother or sister in Christ you've rescued a child let me read you what I read in Psalm chapter 10 just today Lord you know the hopes you know the hopes of the helpless surely you will hear their cries and comfort them that's why we are here we are not here to sit and wait to get rescued we are to be those who reach we're to be those who rescue and we're to be those who restore and we come in the name of Jesus if you and I decide together that we're gonna do something now we have the possibility of rescuing 5,000 children please go to your phone make the best gift you possibly can behind the bright lights there is a darkness where a world of violence and sexual abuse runs rampant scarring the souls of millions of young children with their bodies broken and hopes crushed these children are trapped in a never-ending nightmare with your help mission rescue life can shine the light of God's love in this dark world to reach rescue and restore children and young people to the beauty God designed for them to enjoy with a generous opportunity of a $320,000 matching gift your gift of $120 to help rescue a child will be matched to help two children your sixty four dollar gift will be matched to help rescue one child from the horrors of human trafficking and a $32 rescue gift will be doubled to sixty four dollars with her gift of any amount today we'll send you the names of God prayer journal from adenine to Yahweh this journal is filled with beautiful photographs to help you reflect on 31 different names of God found throughout scripture with your gift of 128 dollars or more you'll receive the names of God Bible this special edition NIV large fret Bible is engraved with the many names of God a beautiful reminder that the God we serve is infinitely good finally please consider a gift of twelve hundred eighty dollars which will now help rescue 20 children and you may request a beautiful bridge of faith frame canvas print by Thomas Kincade please call write or make your gift online I'm standing in the middle of a slum area where the homes are actually built on top of floating garbage I've been told that people come here and offer them others hope for their children in the way of a job giving them some type of work trade so that they can send money here and help their family but in reality they're sold into trafficking they become slaves somewhere we're asking you to consider helping us to educate these families so they know how to say no we're asking you to help us rescue those children that have already been sold into trafficking please go to the phone or go online and make the very best gift that you can to catch the urgency of this I pray you do this is happening right now in this day so many young girls are struggling and they need us to help and if you give 128 dollars we're gonna send you this names of God Bible and this journal for any gift at all but I get to send you my own book it's okay not to be okay moving forward one step at a time together you and I can change this world it's not too great for God and when you and I joined together say yes we're gonna do this we're gonna let people who don't even know there is a God in heaven no because we come and we help them first we reach them you rescue and we restore them in Jesus name thanks so much for being with me in life today I'm Sheila Walsh god bless you [Music] and on to don't you worry having on that you call [Music] how it was a time in my life where I felt God's grace most profoundly find out what slowed down the fastest American woman in history Sanya richards-ross tomorrow life today is made possible by the supporters of Life outreach International your gift will be used exclusively for the exempt purposes of life the ministry features specific outreaches as examples of the program's it supports and conducts gifts are considered to be without restriction as to use unless explicitly stipulated by the donor the ministry is a member of the EC FA

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Keywords: life today, james, robison, christian, television, tv, interview

Id: 8GkKCj-qQq4

Length: 28min 30sec (1710 seconds)

Published: Mon Nov 05 2018