First Anniversary Episode: "Just Grateful"
Download MP3Welcome to a place of peace, hope, and divine encouragement. This is Joy In Every Step with your host, beloved preacher, retired teacher, and faithful faithful servant of the Lord, Sarita Bernadette. Each week, Sarita shares heartfelt messages rooted in the word of God, filled with wisdom, joy, and the gentle reminder that God cares deeply for you. Whether you're walking through the valleys or dancing on the mountaintops, Sarita's voice will guide you back to his promises step by step. So open your heart, settle your spirit, and take the next step in faith with Joy In Every Step.
Sarita Bernadette:I'm Sarita Bernadette, and welcome back to Joy In Every Step. This is episode number 52. I'm glad you're here. Colossians three seventeen And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Personal testimony.
Sarita Bernadette:Back in 1998, there was a revival held in the city where I live. And at the time, I was a member of one of the choirs at my church, and we were asked to minister during one of the nightly services. We ministered in song, and a man of God preached the word. After the sermon, he began to prophesy over the crowd. At one point, I heard him say, young lady, you have a voice that is going to be heard around the world.
Sarita Bernadette:You will preach the gospel and share the word with many. As he was speaking he pointed into the crowd and I looked around to see where he was pointing because I felt like that person was close by. Several of my choir members started calling my name and saying, he's talking to you, Sarita. It's you. He's talking to you.
Sarita Bernadette:When I heard them, I looked directly at him and he said, it's you. I'm talking to you. He walked towards me and the crowd parted. It was like the Red Sea opening up. And he repeated what he'd said.
Sarita Bernadette:I remember hearing the people around me yelling, Amen, and Speak Lord. I was in shock because there were two things going on in that moment. First, it was 1998. The CD era of music was at its absolute peak, and the Internet was powered by those slow 56 k dial up modems that tied up the house phone. Remember?
Sarita Bernadette:Anyone remember that humming and that beeping sound you'd hear? Yeah. So I had no idea how such a thing could even be possible. It crossed my mind that I might someday have a radio show or maybe some kind of television show of some kind. Beloved, God is omniscient and I truly believe that man of God heard directly from Him.
Sarita Bernadette:God knows what the future holds for each of us. The second thing that was going on was that it was clear that the Lord was nudging me yet again. You see, I had been resisting the call to preach. Yep, I admit it. I had been dragging my feet.
Sarita Bernadette:It was fear and doubt and I guess I just wasn't ready. Well, perhaps you've heard the expression, God does not call the qualified, He qualifies those He calls. The Bible reminds us in two Corinthians three and five that we aren't qualified of ourselves to claim anything as coming from us. Our qualification is from God. It took me a while to fully understand that.
Sarita Bernadette:Meanwhile, the prophecies kept coming, and I finally accepted the call, and here we are. Beloved, I am grateful for God's grace and mercy. He was patient with me. Psalm 100 seven:one, Oh give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever. When podcasting first became popular back in 2005, I was a newly minted preacher getting my son off to college and, well, life was just life ing.
Sarita Bernadette:As the podcasting world progressed, the technology seemed daunting to me. Things really took off in 2014 and it was then that the Lord laid it on my heart to write down some goals and ideas related to podcasting. I remember going to a women's retreat down in Myrtle Beach and it was there that I really organized my thinking around it. And then a short time later, the pandemic hit. The world shut down and beloved so did my momentum.
Sarita Bernadette:I remember a poem that came back to my mind and heart at that time. And it was a poem that I'd learned a long time ago in high school. And then when my son was in second grade, he performed this poem along with several others by Langston Hughes in our school talent show. And that one poem was Hold Fast to Dreams. Some of you may know it.
Sarita Bernadette:Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams, for when dreams go, life is a barren field frozen with snow. Don't abandon your dreams, beloved. Hang on tight. Habakkuk two:two-three Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it.
Sarita Bernadette:For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it, because it will surely come it will not tarry. Record the vision that God has given you, beloved. Make it clear and then look forward to seeing it come to fruition. A little over a year ago, a great man of faith, Randy Cloutier asked, When are we going to launch that podcast you keep talking about?
Sarita Bernadette:I'm so grateful to him for lending me his courage and not only having my back but being out in front throughout this journey. That has been invaluable to me. This couldn't get done without Him and I'm grateful. Just grateful. Joyce Meyer wrote a book titled Do It Afraid Embracing Courage in the Face of Fear.
Sarita Bernadette:And that, beloved, is what we did. We took some time to plan and we took a step of faith. Today we're taking another one and we're moving ahead with year two. Thank you so much for walking with us. We appreciate our faithful listeners and supporters.
Sarita Bernadette:We enjoy hearing from you too and we invite you to keep tuning in weekly. We're excited about what the Lord is doing in our lives and in the lives of our listeners. It's been an absolute pleasure to come to you each week with a teaching that opens up the Word of God in ways that allow all of us to learn more, to see ourselves, and apply the lessons we're learning to our lives. We can't be doers of the Word if we don't understand it. I've learned so much in this past year and I pray that you have as well.
Sarita Bernadette:I truly believe it's important to take time for reflection. Reflection is a powerful tool for personal growth. It's invaluable. Taking time to pause and look back on our actions allows us to evaluate decisions that we've made and to avoid repeating past mistakes. Looking back allows us to recognize the progress we might have missed in the moment.
Sarita Bernadette:And it boosts our confidence and it fosters gratitude. More importantly, the process equips us to move forward with clearer vision and purpose. I pray the podcast has encouraged you. It has definitely been encouraging to me. As each message comes, God allows me to see it with certainty through conversations with those I'm close to and even through chance encounters in the grocery store.
Sarita Bernadette:It's absolutely amazing. Through this podcast God has enhanced the spiritual gifts of teaching and exhortation in me. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to come alongside you to encourage and comfort you and hopefully to motivate you as well. Philippians three verses 13 through 14. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have laid hold of it, but one thing I have laid hold of.
Sarita Bernadette:Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal, toward the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. The Message version reads, I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. I am well on my way reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong. By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal where God is beckoning us onward to Jesus.
Sarita Bernadette:I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back. The Apostle Paul is saying a few things here in these verses. He tells us that he knows he doesn't have it all together yet, and he acknowledges that there have been some mistakes, but he says he is focused on what lies ahead tunnel vision. He refuses to spend time ruminating over the past. What a powerful call to strive toward whatever God calls us to do with enthusiasm.
Sarita Bernadette:And remember, Paul had a strict religious background. He was educated among the elite. He was well on his way to becoming a rabbi before his conversion. Yet, he says he's forgetting those things that are behind him, and that includes the things that may have been good at the time. Think about that.
Sarita Bernadette:He probably lived well back then. So what am I saying? Beloved, it doesn't benefit us to opine for the good old days. They're gone. Ecclesiastes seven ten Do not say why were the former days better than these, for it is not from wisdom that you ask this.
Sarita Bernadette:Beloved, our memories can be very selective, and we might have a tendency to romanticize the past. We should spend our energy using the wisdom we've gained to make the most of today and plan for tomorrow. Selah. Lamentations three twenty two-twenty three. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.
Sarita Bernadette:His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. Each day arrives full of God's grace and offers hope for a fresh start. Let's embrace it, beloved.
Sarita Bernadette:If you've been following this podcast for for the year, you know that I I live by this particular quote from the apostle Paul and this verse comes from an epistle he wrote to the church at Philippi while likely under house arrest in Rome. The church at Philippi was the first Christian church established in Europe and I believe Paul wanted to anchor this group of believers with the understanding that there is joy in every step of a Christ centered life. Philippians four and eight, This is the amplified version. Finally believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God's word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things. Center your mind on them and implant them in your heart.
Sarita Bernadette:Paul tells us to think about the things that are true and right and confirmed in the word of God, even in the midst of suffering, there's always something to be grateful for. I believe God still has work ahead for this podcast. All believers have been commissioned with commissioned, excuse me to spread the gospel. We've all been commissioned to spread the gospel across this globe and we will continue to do our part here at Joy In Every Step until all have heard. You have an open invitation to join us as we take the next step, whatever that entails.
Sarita Bernadette:It's been a wonderful first year, and we're just grateful. Beloved, may the God of peace, who brought up our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. This is Joy In Every Step. I'm Sarita Bernadette I'm grateful you chose to spend some time here with me.
Sarita Bernadette:Feel free to share this episode with someone you know would appreciate it. You can find Joy In Every Step wherever you listen to your podcasts and give us a follow there. Do check out the website at joyineverystep.org. See you next time.
Creators and Guests
