Bonus Episode - Bridging the Gap: Khara Seeley's Testimony

Bonus Podcast Episode – Bridging the Gap

Show Notes

In this episode, Khara Seeley joins Sebra Ferrell for the first ever bonus episode of the Raising Godly Women podcast.  Khara shares her testimony of a recent promise God fulfilled in her life and the challenges she went through while waiting.  We hope her testimony encourages you on your journey!  

NOTE:  During this episode, the Hebrew words “Modeh Ani” are incorrectly pronounced.  Here is a link to the correct pronunciation:  https://www.howtopronounce.com/modeh-ani.  This phrase comes from the document “Elul: 29 Days of Reflection” (p.15).  The link to this document is in the resources.  In recent years, Sebra has been learning more about the Jewish roots of the Christian faith. Her journey  led her to these reflections, which she completed as a way to examine herself, with the help of the Holy Spirit, for growth opportunities in her relationship with God and others.   

In this episode:

• Intro
• Discussion between Khara and Sebra (01:21) 
• Khara’s takeaway (19:42 )
• Sebra’s takeaway (23:45) 

 Scriptures references:

• Hebrews 6:12
• Genesis 3
• 2 Corinthians 10:5  
• Philippians 1:5-6

Resources:

https://donotdepart.com/god-finishes-what-starts
https://www.centralsynagogue.org/assets/downloads/Elul_29_Days_of_Reflection.pdf

Website:  https://raisinggodlywomen.buzzsprout.com/.    

How to connect to the Raising Godly Women Community:

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.  

Subscribe or follow on Apple or Google Podcasts to get notified on new releases.  Other podcast locations can be found on our website. 

Transcript

Bonus Episode – Bridging the Gap:  Khara Seeley’s Testimony

Sebra: [00:00:00] Hi, my name is Sebra Ferrell, and I would like to welcome you to the Raising Godly Women podcast. I know. Why another podcast? Well, Raising Godly Women is about empowering a generation of women to empower the generation behind them. But what exactly does empowerment look like? Our goal is to help you become stronger, to help you become more confident in your everyday life, especially as it relates to your relationship with the Lord.

As daughters of God, I'm sure you've heard about the Proverbs 31 woman and many of us, including me, we strive to be her. But what about the Titus 2 woman? She's that woman who shares what she's learned on her journey. She freely shares the tools God has given her with other women, especially those who are younger, maybe in age, or maybe even in faith to help them also become stronger and more confident.

The [00:01:00] Titus 2 woman, she's what Raising Godly Women is all about. Our goal is to share some of our tools with you in the hopes that whatever God does for you here, that you will freely share it with someone else. So again, welcome to Raising Godly Women. We sure hope you enjoy your journey with us. 

Today, I'd like to welcome you to the first bonus episode of the Raising Godly Women podcast. Sometimes life happens, and sometimes you just have to adjust to when life happens. And today I am very grateful to say that I have Khara Seeley with me, who has been the backbone of getting the Raising Godly Women podcast up.

So welcome. Khara. Welcome. 

Khara: Hi, my love. Thank you so much for having me. I'm glad to be here. I love impromptu. So, we're going to let the [00:02:00] Spirit ride this episode out. 

Sebra: Amen. So, as you heard in previous episodes, we will get to actually delve a little bit deeper into the individual soils and the individual women that we have met. But today it seems like a day to do something a little bit different. And one of the things that God has really been working with my heart on is learning how to be more flexible, learning how to not put myself in a box when it comes to what He wants to do.

So that's how we are ending up with this bonus episode. So, I'm going to ask you Khara, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? What is it that you want to tell people today? 

Khara: I hope that, and God's speaking through me right now, people listening to this episode can feel like they are no longer limiting God based on their imagination.

I really feel as though, for me personally, you do know this is a fact [00:03:00] that your mind is your most powerful instrument. And I always limited God, based on my imagination. I was like, well, I can think about unicorns, and I can think about all these things you've never really seen in person.

So I can only imagine God being this great thing. And I can only imagine God presenting Himself only in the way that I deem something to be great. And in a process of God taking me through all of life and all of these challenges, I always said, " God, You're taking me through all these challenges, and I don't see how it's going to make my idea of You or my want an outcome from You happen."

 God is like, "The promise I gave you is bigger than your imagination. It's bigger than your idea of what it is. I gave you a promise the way I'm gonna give it to you, the way I'm going to present it [00:04:00] to you. It is going to be only based on how I wanted it to be given to you, not what Khara wanted God to do." If that makes sense. 

Sebra: It makes perfect sense. 

Khara: I got to the promise after celebrating a birthday, and I feel more clarity about the promise to where I'm just like, even though I try to dot my I's and cross my T's all the time, it doesn't even matter, because God can still dress it up in cursive and make it 10 times better than what I thought it was supposed to be. 

That's having to be submissive; it's having to be open. That's having to be humble and say, "You know what God, I don't understand, and I'm going to continue to walk and follow You even though I feel very ignorant and ill-equipped in it, although I'm not, because You said I'm not, and I just have to continue to live to get to that point."

Sebra: I want to go to that, because you said, even though I feel very ignorant and ill-equipped, and sometimes that is such a [00:05:00] defeated feeling. And when we're in that place of feeling ignorant and ill-equipped, that's when the enemy, when the devil, when the person who can plant all these thoughts in our mind other than what God would have us to think, and you even used the word imagination earlier, and the Scripture does talk about, you know, taking our thoughts captive, casting down every imagination, and that's that human part of us that the devil can use against us to cause us to doubt the promise that He has given us. So, that's something to just really take to heart. 

I pray that the person that's listening to this right now will receive that and will take it to heart and will be able to just say, "Thank You, Lord, for that little piece of encouragement that was randomly spoken into my life today, based off a random recording who knew was even going to happen today?"

Khara: God. God knew. He always plots and plans, but yes, you're absolutely right. I remember [00:06:00] this current season, cause it's still fresh. It's not burdening me anymore. As I always try to tell God, "I want to be the best for You." So, I'm like, "God, all I'm asking is that while I'm going through these challenges in this process, You should not make it too hard, cause I want to be able to talk good about You in the end". That's kind of how I go back and forth. I'm like, "God, don't make it too difficult, because I want to make it a good testimony. I want to tell people, here's my praise report," and the harder the challenge, the fact that I overcame it, that's truly a testimony.

Sebra: Yes.

Khara: I'm trying to kind of clean it up. I was trying to make it a semi cakewalk, but now this has gotten to where it's blood, sweat, tears, and then worse. And I'm really not sure how to process the right words to make sure I'm saying God did it. God is good in the end, because my feelings are saying, "God played you. God is teasing you," or the enemy and that discouragement for sure [00:07:00] is saying, "You can't trust this."

And I know that's when I also learned, you can't trust your feelings to be facts. Your feelings are not always facts. Your feelings are important, but that's it because they come, and they go. 

Sebra: Yes. 

Khara: I feel hungry at two o'clock and two-thirty, I ate I'm full. You just have to know your feelings can't always be fact, especially the feelings that come from the enemy, and the feelings that are lies.

 That's why it's good to remind yourself of what God says in affirmations and Scriptures, because that's the truth. That is THE fact. But when you have things that you see or things that may feel insecure, well then, you're trying to negotiate with the truth that's not true, because God said you're not. Yet this feeling keeps coming up. And so you question the truth and I was always telling God, "God, I want to trust You. I want to make it to the promise. I love you. Last time You gave me this, it wasn't as challenging as this [00:08:00] time." It's hard to see this time being growth. It's hard to see this growth being good cause it doesn't feel good. 

Sebra: You know my saying. 

Khara: What's your saying?

Sebra: It doesn't have to feel good. 

Khara: Right? 

Sebra: to be good. 

Khara: This is true. Cause I don't ever want to speak blasphemy or speak the wrong thing about God. When God shows up in my life, I want the proper understanding of what God did. What the purpose was.

Now I'm understanding that it could look like one thing in one season, but then later on in my life, I can see more from that thing. And it was like, "Oh, you didn't just give me fruits of peaches. You also gave me fruits of bananas and grapes and oranges. So, "Okay, Lord. I see how a season and the testimony and overcoming that can continue to grow and impact my life in the future." But I always want to say the right thing from God. I don't want to say, "Yeah, God did this for me." And that was it. When [00:09:00] God was like, "You missed it, and I need you to tell them the truth about it," because if I'm speaking off of my feelings,

Sebra: Exactly.

Khara: I'm not saying nothing positive. I wouldn't sign up to move forward, because God's going to put you through this, this. This is going to hurt. You're going to cry. It's going to be a long day, wake up with puffy eyes. And that's not me understanding the right purpose of what God wanted me. That's me staying stuck in the problem. 

Sebra: And, as I sit here and I listen to what you're saying and I think about the fact that one, I'm smiling from ear-to-ear, because I have watched you grow up, and to watch you grow and develop into this young woman that you've become has been a true blessing to me.

But I'm also sitting here, and I'm thinking about how everything that you're sharing is something that we all go through. How everything that you're sharing, it represents almost each and every one of the various different soils. And so it also represents each and every one of these different women who represent different seasons in our lives.

[00:10:00] And it all generally starts with something that we're feeling, because whenever God speaks a promise, whenever we receive the truth of His Word, there is going to be a challenge to that. If we go all the way back to the Garden of Eden, they heard a Word; the serpent came and challenged that Word. 

That same scenario is happening even now. You had a promise from God. The serpent, the devil, he came, and he challenged that promise. And you've had to walk through every season of dealing with what you're feeling. What does it look like to obey God in this moment? "How am I going to keep trusting You, God, when this thing is just going and going and going and going, and now you have given me the fruit of the promise." So that is exciting. 

Khara: It is exciting. This is just my honest testimony. "God, all of these challenges for the [00:11:00] fruit. Is the fruit even worth it?" 

Sebra: Yes. 

Khara: "Is the promise even worth it? Will I be satisfied by the time You give it to me?" Because I'm thinking about all of these challenges and how long it's taking. And that's me just not exercising or activating my patience, but how long it's taking to get it. I'm not necessarily thinking of the muscle, the strength that I'm developing in it. And 

Sebra: that's the key. 

Khara: Yeah. It's in your perspective based on your spirit because I'm also like, okay it took a long time, but then. You know. I feel like some of these challenges are traumatic. You're doing something that is so traumatic. Now, I got to focus on getting the fruit and then healing from the trauma. And that's a whole nother nine-to-five. I don't want to do that. "God, why are you doing this?"

And so that's when I was saying, "God, I'm conflicted." Every time I would have a challenge, I would say, oh Lord, I know I'm going to get out of it. Like I know I'm overcome it, rather. " Lord, please let me not [00:12:00] feel burdened by getting to this blessing." And why I would feel burdened would be because I wasn't taking in the proper understanding. Again, I'm thinking of how long it's taking versus the muscle building and training.

And then also knowing that God is greater than my imagination. And I know we have great imaginations. If somebody was to say, " Close your eyes, blank out your mind, and think of a rainbow, and think of you at your favorite place or at the beach. Put your feet in the sand. Hear the water. All of that." Everybody doing that, although there is a vivid picture being described to us, everybody is thinking differently. And it's amazing how we're saying, "Oh my gosh, this is the pinnacle- top- tier- ideal scenario of how I want the promise to be, of who God is to me, of what God is."

[00:13:00] And then the challenges God puts us through is destroying our idea. And the truth is that even though we limit our understanding of God, based on our greatest weapon, our mind and our imagination, God is still like, "I'm going to tear down all of that great idea that you thought, because you had good intentions, but this is THE I AM. I AM. This is THE promise I'm giving you, not the promise based on your knowledge." 

And even though your brain is powerful, and it can go beyond what this world sees, God can go beyond that. We can't comprehend it, so by the time the challenges are coming by the time we're going through week one to month two, it's like, oh God, and year five. We're like, God, just forget about it. Forget it. you're not going to satisfy me, because all I wanted was how I wanted it. And then when God gives it to you, it's better than how you wanted it. It truly is, unless you [00:14:00] choose to stay fixed on everything that you disliked about it. It is not about that, because if you came out of there 15 pounds lighter, stronger, and more confident, but you're just like but, it took so long.

Sebra: People train a lifetime for one shot at the Olympics. Some are blessed to go more than once, but they train their whole lifetime to get that one shot to go. And if we think about it, right here, right now, this is our training. And our one shot is to spend eternity with Him. So, everything that we go through here prepares us to be in His presence for eternity. So everything that we go through here takes us into a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him, through his Son, Jesus, so that one day, we can look at Him and [00:15:00] just be in awe. 

Khara: Be in awe. What is that saying you said in Hebrew, "I am grateful." 

Sebra: Modeh Ani. 

Khara: Modeh Ani. That's how I choose to come out of every situation, scenario.

Sebra: I am grateful.

Khara: It sounds good to say. I'm grateful, but it's a different thing to live in it, and I'm learning how to live in it. Cause I've been convincing myself to speak positive, even if I don't feel positive. When in reality, my emotions, my heart and everything else is saying something completely different. And 

Sebra: Can I give you a way to reshape that? 

Khara: Yes. 

Sebra: Because I think you spoke earlier about your feelings. And one of the things that I've learned is that my feelings are my best friend. They may hurt. I may be in a place of trauma, but even if, in that place of trauma, I can acknowledge the feeling, "Yes, God, I am hurting, but."

Because that way I'm recognizing, [00:16:00] and I'm acknowledging what's going on in my soul. And my soul is getting the attention that it needs, because that's what those feelings are telling me. I need something right now, and I'm not getting it. So now I know by acknowledging it, I can take that thing and say, "But God, this is what You say about it. Now, what does it look like for me to walk this out? 

Khara: So, I need to ask the, what does it look like for me to walk this out? 

Sebra: Yes.

Khara: Because I do acknowledge it. I just don't like to dwell on it. "You okay?" "No. What's wrong." All right. Well, let's practice. Let's write it down. Maybe, let's put it somewhere, so we can say we addressed it.

We didn't act like it wasn't there. But I still want to say more positive things, only because I know like a contagious sneeze, when you start talking negative and you're in complaining mode, it's "This itches. I'm uncomfortable. This smells." 

Oh my gosh, everything is now just a problem. And if I couldn't do my [00:17:00] best to make my tongue say more loving things, just strengthening that muscle, then that tells me all right, this isn't as bad as it is. There can be things that are very bad, and it just needs to be set in the dress, but I'd rather focus on me finding a way to not stay stuck in complaints. 

Sebra: Exactly. And I totally understand that, because there is a difference in, okay, this is how I feel, and now I am in the pity- party- pit of despair, and I don't ever come out versus this is how I feel. I'm going to acknowledge this. I'm going to take this to the Lord in prayer. And then He and I are going to walk this thing out together, as He leads me, according to what he has already spoken to my heart from his Word. And sometimes I have to go get a fresh Word, because nothing is coming up, but in all of those circumstances, in all of those situations, I don't want to stay in the [00:18:00] pity- party- pit of despair. Say that five times in a row. 

Khara: Pity party, pit of despair, pity party pit of despair. 

Sebra: Yeah. You know, I don't want to stay there, but I need to acknowledge that somehow, I fell in there, and now how do I get out?

Khara: God's the homie. That's Jesus. God. We're just like that. And that's different to everybody, but I will say, for God being the homie, God hears me complain. Cause I'm like, "God, we walking, and I heard the promise, but did you just have to let that happen to me? Did this just, why would You? I'm trying. Don't you see me trying, and then you adding more to my plate."

Then like, 

Sebra: I've heard some of those conversations too.

Yes, yes 

Khara: you have. And I'm like, okay, "God, let me get it together. I want to be the good friend that You are to me. Not that I can be You." That's the thing, and I believe it's like this with everybody, but it may show up different. My relationship with God is truly, He is perfect yet, I am always adjusting, and sometimes [00:19:00] I feel, why can't I be the perfect one? And God is like, "This is the exact reason why. 

Sebra: If you were perfect. 

Khara: Right? 

Sebra: Why would Jesus have needed to come and die for you? 

Khara: Right. 

Sebra: And that thought, right there, is the one thought that whenever I keep drifting over into being perfect 

Khara: He puts you back in place. 

Sebra: He puts me back into place. "That's what my Son was for...” So, if there's one thing that you would like to say to kind of take all of that, wrap it up, and put a bow in it into one short sentence or something, what would that takeaway be for the person that's listening? 

Khara: To do it on the spot, I would say that God's perfection is, it's supposed to be evident in your purpose. God's perfection is supposed to be present in your purpose. That doesn't mean that you're [00:20:00] perfect, but because of your imperfection, as a human being, He being perfect can still show through you and connect to others and heal others communication. You having the Word that God put in you. You could be a broken person, but still have purpose.

You're a broken person, but still have value. That's not logic. And you've never seen that created through technology and orchestrated by another human's hands. It's only God who runs that. 

Sebra: Yes. 

Khara: So, I would say that's my sentence. God's perfection should be present in you in your purpose.

Yes. And I want to say one more thing, because I did just get through something, and God took me to the other side. I'm like, well, I'm at the promise. And, it was a great experience, but it happened quickly. Thursday. Friday. [00:21:00] Saturday. It just happened to where the promise came and everything wasn't forgotten in the process, but it wasn't as heavy on my heart as much as the promise was.

And so I would say for whomever is in a long season of trusting God, and they believe that their relationship is growing, and their faith is stretching, but they may feel like they're just truly struggling and that they'll never get out. And even if that is that God took you from A to B telling you that C's the promise, but even if He took you to A to B and then took you back to A, and you're terrified out of your mind, like "Why would you do that, God? Who could put me back into A, when You put me to B." And you feel maybe God's teasing you, the enemy is telling you that you can't do it. That it's a joke. I just want to tell you, again, there's Bible verse that says before God even put you in it, He started with you complete. So you got to C before He even got you to A. 

You [00:22:00] already are done. You're finished in it. You're whole, complete, and lacking nothing. When He takes you back to A, it may be the matter of growing your faith. It may be the matter of seeing you trust in Him just a little bit deeper. 

 I know you may not want to hear that, and you're like, why isn't what I'm giving enough, but because you're older now, you're wiser now, it is imperative for wherever C is that you know C's never going to leave, because God gave you the promise, and don't love God just because of the promise too. That would be one thing I will say. When God took me from A to B, took me back to A, I thought, oh my God, what, who? Huh. And God said, "I just want to make sure you love for Me is that ,

Sebra: It's for me, it's not because of what I'm going to do for you. 

Khara: Not cause of C.

Sebra: No one wants to be in a relationship with someone who only loves them for what they can give them and what they're gonna do for them. 

Khara: And how are [00:23:00] you going to buy me this and that? That's not purpose. There's no value in that. So that's all I can say. 

Sebra: Well, that was good. And that was encouraging. And that was all of the women in one experience. So, as we go forward into the future episodes where we do look a little deeper at each woman, hopefully as someone who listened to this episode who listens to one of the future episodes, she'll be able to say, " Okay, that was a Wendy moment," or "Okay. Wow, that's when she hits GiGi". 

So those are the kinds of things that I hope these bonus episodes, because I hope this isn't the last one. It was totally unplanned, but very purposeful. And so the thing that was impressed upon my heart today is be flexible. Be prayerful, and be flexible in how God answers your prayer, because it may not always look like you think it should. 

Khara: Right. [00:24:00] 

Sebra: And that is something to ponder.

Khara: Thank you for listening to the Raising Godly Women podcast and taking this journey with us to be the Titus 2 women. We pray that the seeds of God's Word shared today fell on great soil, and that soil is in your heart. Now, we hope that through these pearls of wisdom, that you have gained the tools to help you become stronger to help you become more confident in your everyday life, most especially as it relates to your walk with the Lord. We also hope that you will share your tools with those who are younger in age, or even maybe younger in faith to help them become stronger and confident as well, so that they can help share with other women passing the baton to the generation behind them.

Just imagine the ripple effect our sharing can have not only in our generation, but also the generations to come to build and strengthen the body of Christ as we all come together to empower each other. So, until we meet again, feel free to join the Raising Godly Women community. Let's talk about your connection with this [00:25:00] episode on social media in the comment section. You can find us on Facebook and Instagram at Raising Godly Women. Be sure to tag us because we love to have you connect and be a part of the family. And on that note, may the Lord hear from you and keep you, may He make his face shine upon you and be gracious onto you. May the Lord shine His face towards you and give you peace. Shalom, daughters of God. Shalom.