Deny Yourself Pleasure | Girls Gone Bible

In the 21st century, your home is a symphony of energy. Digital devices, battery backup, EV charging, and you've got the power.
With help from Schneider Home, think about automated energy control. Why do your appliances need a connected system? Well, because your energy use is streamlined, managing power and charging off-peak to optimize your savings and use, which is good for the planet and our wallets.
It's like double savings from your friends at Schneider Home.

Design your system at schneiderhome.com today.

You've got the power.

I think I have to tell GGB gang the truth. Oh, what is that? I have leggings on under this dress.
I look absolutely... I have big socks on.
Like, we are... It's all a mirage.
It's all an illusion. We don't really look like this.
Like, wait, my dress doesn't even differ.

Oh, real nice.

Nice.

Hey, GGB.

What's up?

Happy New Year.

I thought we were saying happy birthday to someone.

I was like, oh, no.

I forgot.

All right, another confession. Ari has the vid.
What vid? The vid. The COVID.
And I'm up in your grill like you don't have COVID. I am risking it all to be close to my friend.
I'm here even when I got the COVID. Tell me I ain't a real one.
You're a real one. I was sick all through, all over the holidays.
Yeah, but the way you handle sickness, I've never seen anything like it. I had COVID for like two months.
I was at Pilates every day. She has FOMO.
She can't, if some, her friends are doing stuff and she's not there, she's sick to her stomach. God's breaking it off of me people pleasing fomo can you pray for

that for me because i really do get fomo i can't stand it i'll be on my deathbed like i'm pulling up to the party i have to i gotta show up how was your holiday without me i know we were apart well my holidays were beautiful i was with my family how were your holidays really good i it's so funny how you, like, you go home, and I'm, like, a grown woman, and I turn into a complete degenerate child. Degenerate.
Degenerate someone who, like, does drugs. Yeah, I was in the mean streets of Massachusetts, negative 16 degrees out.
Oh, no. I'm like, every morning, I'm like, Dad, I need this.
Help me. He's just so rich.
But it was so nice. I actually really got some good time with my mom and dad.
And I spent New Year's with my nan. We watched Cinderella.
Is that demonic? Oh, God.

I get so nervous to say I watch anything because I'm like, are they going to yell at me?

Is Cinderella demonic?

I don't know.

I don't know.

I feel like I can't say boo.

There's a witch and I don't know.

It might be.

They do put witchcraft in the candy.

But yeah.

I'm so sorry what I've done to you.

I'm really so sorry.

I've given you religious MCD. I just want us to be pure so bad i'm just crazy yeah but yeah it was sad i can't believe we weren't together i can't when are we gonna spend christmas together next year well you're gonna be married no okay you know what i can't wait to do? What? Be with our husbands? That too.
Oh. I can't wait.
Yes, 100% together. I can't wait to take Ari to Albania.
Oh! We can't dance on tables anymore obviously. In Albania, you can dance on tables.
Okay, we can. Because it's so wholesome.
We're with my mom. It's not like a crazy dance.
It's like an Albanian dance. Okay.
It's like oppa. Oppa.
Oppa. Oppa.
And so it's completely okay. Do you think they'll think I'm Albanian? A hundred percent.
They will right? They will. Like should I go with it? I don't know because they'll love you for you.
Alright so I'll go with. I'm from Boston.
I'm Dutch and Italian. A Dutch and Italian but ask them.
Say would you let me be an Albanian? They'll die over you. Okay, I'll say that.
Would you let me be an Albanian? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then I'll say.
Why is your thing always coming at you? Yeah. It's the devil.
What's the word that I say? Oh, what's it? No, no, give me a word for Albanian. Word for Albanian.
What? Albanian word I could say to them. Albanian word.
Give me one. What? Give me one.
Albanian word, say, te duashem. A duashem.
Te duashem. Te duashem.
Means I love you so much. Te duashem, my sisters and brothers I love the accent say yes yes yes I didn't sound Japanese right that was definitely your definitely your Chinese tongues.
It was a little bit.

Okay.

I'm so sorry about our Chinese tongues. They just come out whenever they want.
I don't know what it is. I don't know.
You know, I was in Nashville the other day, and this guy who does missions in, like, you know, many different parts of the world, do you know what he said? What? Do you understand? There's like a whole spiritual part, like life that we're not even like, we haven't even touched the surface yet. This man was gifted 17 different tongues supernaturally.
He, oh gosh, you're going to see me. No, you're going to see us.
You know, I can't wait. You have no idea the plans that God has for us.
You and I, when all all of this is over we're going to be in other speaking countries and we're just going to supernaturally be gifted the language so every every single language has that language of tongues is what you're saying well so it's basically like they're given the language like they can speak in the language so an american man who doesn't know any other language other than english is given the spirit by god of japanese japanese yeah just little japanese language yes baby that is god spanish tongues yeah que pasa out of nowhere no dos tres yes maybe you got it i think god just gave it to you. I think I have it.
Wow. Hola.
I can't wait. You have no idea.
You know what's funny about us, ours? We couldn't have just taken the normal, like, cookie cutter, Christian route, like, going to conferences. No.
No. We had to get so weird.
And we are like, we want to see healings. We want to want to see demons deliver like we want to see it all but we also want to go to pilates and we also want to go eat branzino so we're literally the charismatic valley girls like i actually love that are we valley girls though are we down in dirty east coast girls because there's much valley in us, honey.
Oh, baby, I think we have a little bit of both. Yes, down and dirty East Coast, valley.
We're real valley until you start honking at us. Exactly.
You know what I mean? Or start messing with our families. A hundred percent.
But it's like we're literally with our oat milk latte and green juice on our way to Pilates. But we're going to cast out a couple demons along the way.
Oh, I've become a Stanley girl. I forgot to tell you that.
Not sponsored. Not sponsored and obsessed.
So I know it was so. Can you get me one? Yeah, I will.
What color you want? Not pink. Okay.
I okay i'm just not really a pink girl maybe you have no idea i it's changed my life let's go now have had can drink water that's why you're glowing all right well before we get into this episode we might want to introduce ourselves this is the hardest part of the whole episode everybody says it's cringe i'm just kidding one person like one person says something and you always think, you always take that. That hurt me.
What did they say? People have no idea how effective. What did they say? The intro is cringe.
They probably mean us reading the Bible on the beach going Oh, look. Look, book.
Oh, look. Oh, i teach you the book you guys don't know how to read shut up dresses oh sorry anyways we've got to stop self-deprecating so anyways hi i'm anj i'm ari and this is and this is girls gone bible we are a faith-based podcast where we talk about Jesus, the Bible, mental health, relationships.
We love teaching from the Bible, and we just love everything that has to do with Jesus. We love the things of God.
He's changed our lives. He saved our lives.
We were just a couple of lost, blind. I was stupid.
I was foolish. I didn't know nothing, very, very lost until Jesus legitimately saved our lives.
And we always say, come as you are, just don't stay that way. Don't stay that way.
Don't. Ouch.
Ouch. Ouch.
And none of us are staying that way. No.
We are all transforming week by week. Hallelujah.
I feel the Holy Ghost. Can I just say how many – I feel like we always see testimonies, but I've seen so many GGB gang testimonies recently.
I see so many people laying down big sin in their lives. I see so many people getting sober, which is just the – Oh, that—that, I can't.
So many people getting sober, so many people laying down alcohol and smoking weed and all the things that—we're going to talk about it today. We're going to talk about pleasure today, but I just, like, I just want to say I'm so proud of you guys.
This is so cool. Ari and I are so proud of you.
We love seeing your messages. We love seeing you guys follow Jesus and like you're actually following Jesus.
It's so crazy. And just to let you know, seeing these stories puts a fire under us.
And that's why we are so hungry to every single week because we're like, okay, this is working. Yeah.
So, yeah, we're so proud of you guys. I think before we get into today's episode, there's something we need to talk about really quickly.
So, yeah, I have seen a few comments of people asking for us to address something. So I'm not going to say the name of it because I really would rather not like people look at it or look for it.
But I was in a film that I filmed over three years ago that got released this past year, a couple months ago.

And I've gotten a few messages about it and, you know, some comments on YouTube and people asking like, why are you in a film this year?

That's like it's a horror film. It's, you know, it has like satanic symbols.
It's like a young adult horror film. And, um, this is obviously like our first time doing this.
So we don't know sometimes like if you address something like this or what you say, like it's in the past, but I think it was really important to address this specifically because since it was released this year, people think I filmed it this year. That is so not the case.
Filmed this over three years ago. And yeah, I just, so this movie that I, that I was in, that I filmed, it's like, as I said, it's a young adult horror film.
And I remember when I got this film, I thought I made it. It was my first big lead in a feature film.
It was like at the time before knowing what I know now, like the subject matter was really heavy and dark. And for some reason, I've always been cast in horror and dark and like psychological thrillers, like always on the dark side, because that's kind of where you can like really showcase your talent and stuff like that.
Yeah. And so anyways, I get this film and I think that I made it.
It's the best thing of my life. I think Jesus up and down.
I wrote a post thanking Jesus for it. Like I just had no, I just didn't know.
I didn't know that this, like, you don't do things that don't glorify God. I didn't know that you don't let yourself be involved in anything that's dark.
Our mission on earth is to bring heaven down and not to bring hell up, to not do things that are demonic or satanic or, you know, provocative or anything like that.

So I just wanted to tell a little part of the story.

So after starting Girls Gone Bible, and even after starting Girls Gone Bible, I still was

holding on to my old life a little bit of being like, I don't even know what it means

to fully let my life go.

I was so scared.

I didn't want to let go of acting.

I didn't want to let go of, I just, I didn't know what that would be like. I didn't know what that meant for me.
And so, um, when I first started Girls Gone Bible and I'm going deeper in my faith and deeper in my faith and I get around really good Christian people and I gain community and I start getting plugged into a church and my eyes are opening to the reality that like you like you can't like there's a standard that you have to live by and holiness and purity and light is the standard and so as I start having this realization all that's on my mind all the time is this movie and I'm like oh no yeah I'm begging God every day please Jesus tank the film tank the film like so often in entertainment like in film things either don't get made or they flop and like no one ever sees it and so I'm just begging God like just don't let it even get made or just let it flop let it tank like don't let anything come from. Like protect me.
That's how I thought I was begging him to protect me in this way. And then one day I got a call that not only did the film get bought, but it got bought by Paramount and like instantly doom takes over my whole body.
And I just feel God press in and be like't get anxious I'm in it I'm in it I didn't leave you I'm in it like I'm in this with you and then a little time goes by and I see the somebody tags me in the trailer yeah and like I see myself in it and it's so crazy because usually like you don't have your past like in your face like that all the time. And it was just like as soon as I saw it, I obviously like got a little anxious right away because I'm looking at a girl who's not me anymore.
I can't even recognize her. And it's like uncomfortable to see.
And I just feel the delight of God, like come over me completely. And I feel him pressing in and being like, look at what I've done.
Look at what I've done. Look at what I've done.
And I start bawling my eyes out, not because I'm ashamed, but because I feel the joy and the delight of God wash over me. And he's like, how are you going to be ashamed at your testimony, the testimony of what I've done, the testimony that I do what I say I'm going to do? I said in my word, I take you out of darkness and I bring you into the light.
And I've done that. And I'm like, okay, God, but what about what people say? And he's like, when have I ever cared about what people say? And that's not to say because Ari and I are in a different position than other people.
We are like leaders in a sense, and we are responsible and accountable and held to a higher standard than like, you know, someone who's not in ministry. But yeah, I just, that is the truth of what went on with that.
And I just want to say to anyone who, you know, felt like disappointed or anything, I'm genuinely so sorry. I'm so sorry.
It sucks. I, anything that's going to discredit, like, yeah, I have to deal with the own shit, my own shame, but then I, it's like so much bigger than that.
I'm like, Jesus, I'm so sorry that my mistakes would ever discredit, like the work that you're doing, the work that Ari's doing. So I'm really sorry.
And you can guarantee I will never be a part of anything that does not glorify God ever again. That was years ago.
And sorry, it just came out. And yeah, I am.
I don't know. I just love you.
I'm so incredibly proud of you. It is so hard to see myself, but to get to see you in this transformation and the fact that you're even feeling this way about your past is just, I'm so sorry that you feel like this.
And I'm just so proud of you. I love you so much.
Thank you. You're so cute.
I love you so much. You really are the best person in the world.
I love you so much. Yeah, it's so.

You have nothing to be ashamed about. I told her that today.
I got so— You get so worked up. I get so worked up over it, you know, because it's so hard.
It's so hard. It's so hard.
You're so ignorant to things. Even sometimes when you're following Jesus, you're ignorant to things.

And it's like then one day you get hit in the face with the truth of it.

And then you have to deal with your past and you feel all this shame.

And God is just like, it's okay.

Look at what I've done.

I think it's just so interesting for us to have like a digital footprint of it's what it is I know you know I know I go through the same things I know even sometimes like I literally I feel like I've gone through so many rounds of my Instagram of like taking stuff down and then I constantly am like how did I not I want to delete it all. I'm like, how did I, you know? So it's just, I just, I just want you guys to know.
And I think that you know this by now, like holiness and purity are our number one things. We care for nothing except being righteous, holy, and pure in God's eyes.
And yeah, this is a testament to God does what he says he's going to do. He changes you.
He gives you a new heart. He gives you a new mind.
He changes everything about you from the inside out. Even sometimes watching our, you know, clips from our first few episodes, like we look different.
Our eyes are different. just everything about us is different and it's like gut-wrenching sometimes I'm like oh she still had so much so far to go like she still like she loved him so much but she was holding on to this false sense of whatever you know and there's some things that still had to die even at the beginning of us starting this.
So just want to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts both of us for the grace that you've given us you've given us so much grace so much you've never judged us that's why it's what we have is special like no other yeah thing like no other podcast or I don't know what other podcasts have but I know with this it's just this family of no judgment and grace and it's it's made us just feel so safe and so accepted and that's why we can share with you our deepest darkest insecurities in life because we trust you and there's nothing better than having trust with a family and you guys just really are our family and we love you so much ggb we are on the girls gone bible live tour it is so exciting to be with you guys on person go to girlsgonebible.com slash tour to get your tickets we cannot wait to be with you in person so as you guys know, we have GGB+. It has been one of the biggest blessings this year starting GGB+, because it gives us a chance to really just go so intimate and deep with you guys, talk about things that we typically can't really share on this platform.
So it is just, it's so, this is exactly what we wanted. We wanted something where we can really go deep and really talk about the nitty gritty stuff.
So you can sign up at girlsgonebible.com slash plus. The run, don't walk, Olive and June is having the biggest sale of the year.
Olive and June's holiday deal consists of 25% off of every product. Olive in June is such a good gift to give during the holidays and sometimes honestly you guys it can be so stressful trying to think of what to get your friends and family.
I know I have a hard time. Olive in June has everything you need for a salon quality manicure in one box.
You customize it with your choice of six polishes. And you guys, this polish doesn't chip and it lasts for seven days or more.
And it breaks down to just $2 a manicure. And I personally love their award-winning cuticle serum, which is so helpful for my dry cuticles in the winter.
And let's not forget their acetone-free polish remover pod that makes removal so easy. And really, this is the perfect time to stock up on your favorite Olive & June products because every product is on sale.
It's the biggest sale of the year. The entire site is 25% off.
And honestly, Olive & June really makes the perfect gift to achieve salon-quality manicures at home. Go check out their gift shop for perfect gifts at any price point.

My mom hates going to the salon and already prefers to do her nails herself with press-ons,

so this is the perfect gift for her. Visit oliveandjune.com slash ggb25 for 25% off your first order at Olive and June.
That's O-L-I-V-E-A-N-D-J-U-N-E dot com slash G-G-B-2-5 for 25% off your first olive in June. You guys, I have to tell you the worst story.
Before one of the most important dates of my life, I had a massive mountain of a pimple in the middle of my forehead. And I really wanted this man to be falling in love with my eyes and not be distracted by the zit on my forehead.
Feeling confident in your skin starts with getting expert care. That's why we're excited to partner with Apostrophe.
Whether you're dealing with acne, signs of aging, or dark spots, Apostrophe helps you get access to the right treatments for your skin. Apostrophe is an online platform that connects you with an expert dermatology team to get customized acne and dermatology treatment for your unique skin.
Through Apostrophe, you can get access to oral and topical medications that use clinically proven ingredients to help clear acne. Simply fill out an online consultation about your skin goals and medical history.
Then you swap a few selfies and a dermatology provider will create a customized treatment plan just for you. Apostrophe offers access to prescription treatments for all types of acne, from hormonal acne to facial acne and any other type of acne.
You treat breakouts from head to toe. I want to improve my skin texture and work on hydrating the skin without causing more acne.
And Apostrophe is finally the answer that I've been looking for. The service experience is really what did it for me though.
They gave me access to an expert dermatologist team, a tailored treatment plan, and it was simple to sign up for my first visit. No in-person appointment or trip to the pharmacy is needed.
We have a special deal for our audience. You guys get your first visit for only $5 at apostrophe.com slash ggb when you use our code ggb that's a savings of $15 this code is only available to our listeners so to get started just go to apostrophe.com slash ggb and click get started then use our code ggb at sign up and you'll get your first visit for only five dollars thank you apostrophe for sponsoring this video all right ladies and gentlemen's get into it.
The meaning of life. The meaning of life.
Get down. So today we're gonna read

from Ecclesiastes. I think when I first started my faith I was calling it

like elastic easies. Elastic easies.
I love that that let's talk a little bit about solomon so solomon wrote ecclesiastes almost 3 000 years ago but his message is probably more relevant today than it even was then um ecclesiastes is like it's like a critical essay or an analysis of life's true meaning sol Solomon was this guy who had all the wealth, all the intelligence, all of the power, all of the everything that you could possibly have as like a normal human. He acquired all of it and gets to the end of his life.
And he writes this whole, this is like his sermon and his entire message is everything is empty without God. And he doesn't realize that until the end.
And so all of the entire book of Ecclesiastes sounds so pessimistic and so sad, but it's on purpose. He's trying to convey the message that this is what life is without God.
Which is most of our testimonies. Tell them.
Yeah. That's all I could.
It's most of our testimonies.

Yeah, I know.

I wrote down these words, empty, futile, which means useless, hollow, nothing. This sounds really sad and disappointing, but that is how most people experience life.
Vain. And so vain.
Yeah. They are running around grasping for power, for pleasure, for purpose, for all of these things, and come up short every single time because you can't find it in anything other than sweet Jesus.
That's right. So we're on Ecclesiastes 1.1.
Everything is meaningless, says the teacher, completely meaningless. What do people get for all their

hard work under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again.
The wind blows south and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles.
Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full.

Then the water returns again to description. No matter how much we see, we never are satisfied.
No matter how much we hear, we are never content. History merrily repeats itself.
It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.

Some people say here is something new, but actually it is old.

Nothing is ever truly new.

We don't remember what happened in the past and in the future generations.

No one will remember what we are doing now.

We're going to skip ahead.

Ecclesiastes chapter 2 verse 1, it says the futility of pleasure. I said to myself, come on, let's try pleasure.
Let's look for the good things in life. But I found that this too was meaningless.
So I said, laughter is silly. What good does it to seek pleasure? After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine.
And while still seeking i clutched at foolishness that is what is like that is truly what it's like being in the world you whenever you try to be wise apart from god you end up being foolish in this way i try to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world the only happiness that most people find during this brief life in this world is a type of happiness that is empty, fleeting, momentary, and does not bring true satisfaction. I also try to find meaning by building huge homes for myself.
Listen, this is literally 3,000 years ago and it's the same today. It is so crazy.
I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees.
I built reservoirs to collect the water, to irrigate my many flourishing groves. I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household.
I also owned large herds, flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces.
I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines, which means an endless amount of intimate physical pleasure. I had everything a man could desire.
So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. Anything I wanted, I would take.
I denied myself no pleasure, which by the way is the opposite.

That is in direct opposition to the message that Jesus teaches. Jesus says, deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow me.
Solomon said he denied himself no pleasure. Everything that he wanted, he could have.
I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. but as I looked at everything I'd worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless, like chasing the wind.
There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere. Drop it.
Drop the mic, Solomon. It's crazy.
It's crazy 3,000 years ago how is it when somebody tells me that the Bible is outdated and it was written so long ago and times changed nobody the word of the Lord stands forever it's the same like it applies even more today it's so crazy I want you guys to understand that and I want you to listen to me so closely. This is literally my story.
Like I, when I read this story, I said, wow, this is my testimony. This is, and sometimes we have no, we have no idea even what we're doing.
This is what we think life is.

I am so unbelievably sick of it now that I'm on the other side of it. I need everybody to listen to us.
I spent my life searching for love and peace and fulfillment. And I come to LA and I'm like going to the bone in this acting industry and trying to make something of myself and fighting for a career.
Because I think once I'll get there, I'll finally have security and peace and love. And I think once I get to that relationship and I finally have that person, I will reach to the point of feeling secure and loved.
and I will be, once I get that house and once I get, we're all sitting here creating vision boards and putting houses and cars and all these desires that we want. And we're manifesting.
Now we're trying to manifest. Now we're watching TED Talks on how to manifest things and think in your mind.
And we are living in deception. And that is why everybody is empty and depressed, and they wake up and they're living, but they aren't truly alive, because that is what the world is now.
There is nothing that you should truly desire more than Christ. I'm saying that because I lived it.
And especially for the young people, I look back at my 20s and I'm like, it went in a blip. I am chasing these things that ended up making me feel so empty.
And let me tell you something. I had it.
I had the career. I had a relationship.
I had it. And I had never felt so empty and depleted.
And I'm like, man, I have this stuff, but why do I feel? This is why I preach about peace so much because I never, not for even a second, maybe a fleeting piece of the world when I was living in sin or when I had that fun relationship or I was going out, then I get home. The feeling in your stomach.
You guys know I always preach about this. I never felt any peace.
It was chaos 24 hours a day in my mind, just eating me alive everywhere in my body my whole life. And I know so many of you guys feel that same way, but this is why.
Because you think if you get to this place and you're going to get to that place and listen to me and listen to me carefully, you are going to be so empty in your soul. The only thing that you should desire is Christ.
It's the only thing that will ever fulfill you. You get to a point where it breaks your heart so badly that like you just can't like you can't even be around it anymore.
Like the priorities that people have. And this is like, I am not even remotely judging by any means.
I know how hard this walk is. I know what the world pushes on us.
I know how difficult it is. So I am not coming from a place of condemnation even slightly.
And neither is Ari. We literally just want you guys to know that there's so much more, that so much more that God has for you than the things that you're chasing right now.
And we are just we pray for you guys every single day that your eyes would open to the truth of the reality of the world that we're living in. Because truly, we live in a world of complete self-indulgence.
It's completely self-centered. It's completely centered around pleasure.
And I'm here and Ari is here to let you guys know that pleasure is not the meaning of life. It's not the meaning of life.
The meaning of life is seeking Jesus, obeying God, pursuing the things of God, not pursuing the pleasures of life. I heard a pastor say that chasing pleasure is like chasing a beast.
When you corner it, it turns around and it devours you. That's what pleasure does.
That's what succumbing to the flesh does. Our flesh is, I want you guys to understand something.
So yes, the devil is at work. Satan is at work trying to tempt you, trying to do this, but it's not just Satan.

It's your flesh.

Your flesh has desires and wants and needs.

And all of our flesh is hardwired to go towards pleasure.

We want pleasure.

We want what feels good.

That's why the Christian walk is completely geared toward and centered around crucifying the flesh. You know what I've been doing recently to overcome temptation? I swear I've done this.
When I'm having moments where I am so about self-sacrifice right now, my word for 2025 is sacrifice. I want to sacrifice.
The way is getting more narrow. Every day, it's more and more narrow.
And the things that we take with us, there are things that aren't even inherently evil, but because it's getting so small, there's so much that we can't take with us. And so I am learning to sacrifice everything, everything that is not something of God, everything and anything that does not lead me towards Jesus, I have to get rid of.
That's people, that's things, that's movies, music, desires, that's everything, everything, ways of living, ways of dressing, ways of speaking, everything has got to go. Because it's the little compromises and it's the little things that we do that inhibit us from reaching our full potential in Jesus, in our relationship with him.
So I have been taking, I metaphorically, I say, God, I'm taking my flesh. I'm taking it and I am nailing it to the cross.
And I nail it and I say, kill it. Kill my flesh, Jesus.
I don't want it. I am governed by the spirit of God.
I am not governed by the desires of my flesh because my flesh is inherently sinful and it wants the things of this world. And the truth is that God has so much for all of us.
He has so much He wants to show us. He has so much He wants to speak to us, but He cannot get to us if we are choosing things of pleasure over the things of God.
If we are prioritizing the things of the flesh, the things of the world, the things of pleasure over God, then we are at enmity against God and He cannot speak to us. He can't answer our prayers.
He can't do the things that He should be doing for us, that He wants to do for us because we have put a barricade between us saying, I'm choosing the things that feel good momentarily instead of the things of God. And this is what we're here.
This is why we're so fired up because we know what it's like to choose sacrifice. We know what it's like to say, you know what? There is a massive Christian world out there that says, you can, you'll get to heaven.
You can have a relationship with Jesus and we're not, none of us are perfect. And that's okay.
God knows that. Yes.
But also then you get to a place of maturity where you say, I am abandoning the things of the world. I am forsaking all others.
And I'm giving myself fully to you, God, because all of us want power from God. If you don't want power from God, you're missing a major part of your faith.
God, the Holy Spirit is here to empower us and release power, but God can't give you power if Jesus doesn't have the affections of your heart. You are robbing yourself of so much that God has for you when Jesus doesn't have your heart fully.
Jesus, he's a jealous God. I was literally just in Deuteronomy this morning where he's talking about he is a jealous God and he, God will not share his glory with idols.
He will not share his glory with anything. He wants you fully.
He wants your heart. He wants your affection.
He wants your desire. And the best, safest place that you can be is when you give yourself fully to God.
And these little moments of denying yourself pleasure, that's why fasting is one of the best things you can do. That's why waking up earlier than you normally would and sacrificing an hour of sleep to spend time in the Word, spend time abiding in the presence of God, sacrifice.
Life is not about pleasure. Life is about sacrifice.
And then you get pleasure when you sacrifice. That's why I love in verse 14, he goes on to say, God's purpose is that people should fear him.
And that is, for me, that is when, in you, that's when our faith really started is when we began to fear him. And that he says that all throughout the Bible.
I pray that you will fear me because when you fear him, when you have that revelation of, oh, my gosh, I want to live for you. What have I been doing this whole time? I'm chasing all these things.
I love you when you, and you fear him by spending time with him. How can you respect someone you don't know? How can you fear someone you don't know? How can you fear someone you don't spend time with? And I'm not talking about, you know, a couple hours on Sundays.
I'm not talking about, you know, 20 minutes in prayer or a couple of verses here and there. I'm talking about when I stopped making vision boards of these goals that I wanted.
I'm so passionate about this because this was literally my life. And so when I really got to the place of, okay, who are you? And I started to really ask him, can you show me who you are? Can you reveal yourself to me? And he started to heal me through these scriptures.
He started to change my whole mind. And he took me out of the pit through his word.
And I was like, he loved me through even like when I was acting up in Girls Gone Bible from the beginning. And I'm like, I love you.
How have I been acting this way? And so when, if you are someone who is still like your mind, and I understand because I was, even when I started Girls Gone Bible, I was still chaotic. I was still chasing.
I was still searching for things. But it wasn't until I had the revelation of, I respect you.
I love you. I want to live for you is when everything started changing.
And the way to do that is instead of devoting your time to money and wealth, I talk about money because that is what society is all about now. It's about wealth.
And when you devote your time to him, you don't care about anything else. And that's when you're free.
That's when that peace. I have lately been going through some things.
And do you understand what it's like to be going through hell, but still be in peace in your mind? That's the gift that we get when we decide to lay everything down and devote ourselves to him. We get him.
We get salvation. We get freedom.
And we get eternity with him. We're suffering right now here.
Like everything is such a blip, but we don't think about on the other side of when we die.

Yeah.

And so eternity is so much longer than this life that we're living right now.

And that is what, that's what we should be living for.

We should be living for how am I doing right now to get, how can I be the best person I can be to get a well done that when I am standing face to face with him, I am going to go to eternity with him. Yeah.
Honestly, GGB, I can't even begin to imagine all the money that we've all spent on skincare and beauty products over the years to battle issues like acne, damaged hair, eczema, change in hair color, rashes, etc. But I recently realized that I was completely overlooking the most fundamental step, the water I shower in.
We all know how important it is to filter the water we drink, but why don't we think the same way about the water we shower in? Clean water is the first step to an effective beauty routine, and it's a step that I completely overlooked overlooked and I'm being so honest when I say that the Jolie shower head has legitimately changed my entire life. I will never be the same again you guys.
My hair grew exponentially after using the Jolie and I can honestly tell how much less soft it is when I'm traveling and not using it and I'm being serious. You will see a difference in your hair softness and texture and not to mention my skin is way more hydrated after using the Jolie.
Jolie is a beauty wellness company that purifies the water we shower in for better skin hair and overall well-being. Jolie's filtered shower head is best in class for removing chlorine and heavy metals and it's the only lab tested and clinically trialed filtering showerhead on the market.
The Jolie is clinically proven to reduce hair shedding in 81% of people. It's lab tested to reduce hair frizziness by 40%.
It's lab tested to maintain color retention and it's lab tested to protect the hair's surface layer. Chlorine is added to our water systems to disinfect it and kill bacteria, but chlorine is damaging to our hair, our skin, and it fundamentally causes issues.
Jolie fixes this. The Jolie shower heads have a beautiful sleek design, the perfect combination of form and function.
Jolie still gives strong water pressure and it fits all showers as the plumbing pipe size is universal. Jolie will give your best

skin and hair guaranteed. Head to jolieskinco.com slash ggb to try it out for yourself with free shipping.
And if you don't like it, you can return your Jolie for a full refund within 60 days, no questions asked. You guys will not regret getting the Jolie, I promise you that.
Typical children's vitamins are basically candy in disguise filled with two teaspoons of sugar, unhealthy chemicals, and other gummy additives growing kids should just never eat. And that's why Haya created a super powered chewable vitamin.
While many children's vitamins are filled with five grams of sugar, which is known to contribute to a variety of health issues, Haya is made with zero sugar and zero gummy additives. Yet it tastes great and is perfect for picky eaters.
Haya fills in the most common gaps in modern children's diets to provide the full body nourishment our kids need with a yummy taste that they love. Formulated with the help of pediatricians and nutritional experts, Haya is pressed with a blend of 12 organic fruits and veggies.
Then it's supercharged with 15 essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamin D, B12, C, zinc, folate, and many others to help support immune system, energy, brain function, mood, concentration, teeth, bones, and more. It's non-GMO, vegan, dairy-free, allergy-free, gelatin-free, nut-free, and everything else free of the things that shouldn't be in our children's vitamins.
Every single batch is third-party tested for heavy metals and microbioles in a qualified GMP-compliant lab using scientifically validated testing methods so you know that the product is safe and nutritious. Haya is designed for kids two and up and sent straight to your door so parents have one less thing to worry about.
My niece Sierra is obsessed with Haya. I've told you guys before but they're the only vitamins that she'll take.
She loves the taste and she loved decorating the bottle with the stickers that come in the first order. And are you tired of battling with your kids to eat their greens? Because Haya now has a Kids Daily Greens and Superfoods, a chocolate flavored greens powder designed specifically for kids, packed with over 55 whole food ingredients to support brain power, development, and digestion.
You just have to scoop, shake, and sip with milk or any non-dairy beverage for a delicious and nutritious boost your kids will actually enjoy. And guys, we've worked out a special deal with Haya for their best-selling children's vitamin.
You can receive 50% off your first order. To claim this deal, you must go to HayaHealth.com slash GGB.
This deal is not available on their regular website. Go to H-I-Y-A-H-E-A-L-T-H dot com slash ggb this deal is not available on their regular website go to h-i-y-a-h-e-a-l-t-h dot com slash ggb and get your kids the full body nourishment they need to grow into a healthy adult i'm really similar to ari to where i have spent my whole life just begging god in prayer so selfishly every single one of my prayers were so unbelievably selfish jesus give me this j, give me that.
Jesus, I need to be successful. Jesus, I need to book this job.
I need to make this money. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
And God, I'll never forget when Socrates said to me, he goes, I called him and I was like, Socrates, I need to book this job and you have to pray for me. And Socrates is like, you need to let God's will be done in your life.
That's right. You need to pray.
He's like, I don't even want you to pray for things for yourself anymore. I want you to just pray, God, what would you have for me today? That is when my entire life changed.
And I just want you guys to know that, like Ari said, we live in a world that is so money-driven and so money-hungry. And I'm not going to sit here and tell you that money and success and amazing things brings you no satisfaction whatsoever.
Of course it does. Of course it brings a level of fulfillment.
Of course it brings a level of confidence. But it is not sustainable.
That's the point. It is you reach a certain level of success or money or fame.
Ask anybody who has accomplished anything in their lives that it's great for a moment, and then it's not enough, and then you're chasing the next thing, and then you have to go higher, and then it has to be more. And I just want to speak from personal experience.
We've clearly had success with Girls Gone Bible. It's been so special.
It has given me a level of fulfillment that I never thought that I would acquire in my life. It has given me purpose.
It's made me feel like I know why I was put on the earth. And the more success that we've had, the more I beg God to be close to me.
Because the more success we have, I am telling you guys right now, the emptier it feels. The more eyes you have on you, the more insecure it makes you.
And I beg Jesus, like Ari said, no matter how much success I will ever have, nothing compares to those moments where God touches you. Nothing that I did in my day today that was successful or that was an accomplishment or an achievement.
Nothing compared the moment where I woke up, I get in the secret place and God immediately shows up. And I can tell I have no idols.
I have nothing that's standing in between me and God right now. And he came immediately.
That is success. Nothing comes close to a touch from God.
That is all that matters. And there have been moments in this time of doing Girls Gone Bible and of everything where I've been really tired.
I've been, you know, I've never lost my first love. I love Jesus with everything that is in me.
But there have been moments where I've been really tired. There have been moments where I've almost gotten to spiritual burnout.
There have been moments where I was at capacity. And there were moments where I felt like I couldn't get to him.
And I can't tell you how many times,

every time that that has happened to me, that I feel like because of the things he's given me, I can't get to him. And it's like this weird thing because the more blessing, it's felt sometimes like the more blessing that I've had, almost the further I've gotten from him and I yell and I scream and I say, take every bit of it away.
I am not going to have the blessings of God without having God. I don't want it.
If this is what it feels like to have everything, but to not have you and having everything means literally nothing. And I'm in the most pain I've ever been.
Bye. No, absolutely not.
And I'm not, this is not false humility. This is not us being like, this is what the Bible says.
This is the God honest truth. If tomorrow I am living in a cardboard box with no success ever for the rest of my life, but I have the presence of God, the very presence of God that changed my entire life, that met me in my bedroom when I was 25 years old.
If I don't have that, I don't want any of this. But if I have nothing else, but I have the presence of God, I don't need anything else.
And I'm good. I'm good.
It's true. And I love that you say that about you have felt so empty because the same.
And like people say, what does it feel like to be, you know, to be on stage and to all these things? And I said, nothing compares to when I am in that room on my hands and knees and I feel him touch my heart. That is when I feel fulfilled.
It's not, and it's the craziest thing because it's what I've wanted my whole life. You know, I've dreamed of this.
And we say this because it's the truth. We are living it right now.
It's like there's nothing like when you are by yourself just with him. You know that you're maturing as a follower of Jesus when your passion for him is growing more than your desire for pleasure.
Yeah. Like you know that when you start wanting, when you know when you start to love obedience and you start to love sacrifice, that's when you know you're doing something right.
Yeah. And it's okay if you're still in a time where you're still holding on to your life, and you're still not there yet.
It's okay. It is a journey.
We didn't get there overnight. But our whole point in doing this is for you to know about the heart of God and the character of God and what He's really like and what He wants from you.
And this is what He wants from you. You're going to get to a point, and I'm going to speak this over you guys.
You're going to get to a point where you're going to love sacrifice so much that it's going to feel good to do the things that don't feel good, as opposed to giving into the things that do feel good to the flesh and to the mind and the pride of life and the lust of the eyes and the lust of the flesh. Instead of giving into those things, because that feels good, you're going to get to a point where sacrificial self-sacrificing obedience is going to feel so good because you're going to know and it's different and it's a satisfaction that builds you up and it empowers you every time that I make.
And there's so much that I wish I could talk about that I just can't talk about yet. But I've made some decisions in my life that have been so crazy, so hard.
And I never thought that I'd get to this point. And do you know what it's like to get into like the secret place and look God in the face and be like, I never thought that I could do this.
I never thought that I'd be this person. I never thought that I'd get to this point.
But I literally love you so much. And you, you, you, because it's not out of my own love.
I'm not, I'm not this person because I can love you enough to do it because you love me as much as you do. Your love has changed me.
Your life has transformed me. It has washed me.
It has clothed me in righteousness. So I have become this person who chooses sacrifice and things that are painful over the things that seemingly feel good because nothing feels better than looking God in the face and being like, I know you're nodding at me right now.
I know you are. And that's why we told the story in the beginning about with that in the film and everything.
It's hard and life is hard. And you might be in a situation where your past is so, so prevalent and so heavy in your

life.

And you're feeling like, you know what?

I don't even know if I can get to that point because I have so much shame and I've chosen

pleasure for so long.

Right now, in this very moment, wherever you are, at whatever time you're watching this

now is the most beautiful moment for repentance and turning towards the things of God in a way from pleasure right now is the best moment it's never too late you're never too far gone he loves you so much and he's been waiting for this very moment with you to say here I am here you are we're turning around and we're pursuing the things of God together because it's just so worth it. And that's what we did.
And, you know, some of us are struggling right now. And you're like, but I am struggling with money, but I need a job, but I need a career.
But I am I have been single for so many years. And it's it's coming to the time of I need to meet someone.
I know I have been there. I have been in the trenches of being 30 and being like, I have nothing.
What now? God literally stripped every single thing to like everything. He took it away and he took it away all at once.
So I know what it feels like to feel like I have nothing to live for. I don't have a job.
I don't have money. I am struggling struggling.
And that, I want to just let you know that that is the place that he gets to work. Sometimes he allows these, these, like these storms and these struggles to come into your life because it's the only way that you will find him.
That's the only way that he can get to your heart is through these storms of struggling with money, of struggling in your

singleness. If he didn't do that with me, I would have never found him.
I would have never, like, it's so funny. I know I always talk about Job, but Job at the end, he said, I have heard about you, but now I see you with my eyes.
When you go through these dark times and you learn how to suffer well, you see him with your face and you say, I want to live for you.

That is why I feel for people that are struggling because I was in the worst place of my life.

I almost didn't make it, but it ended up being the greatest thing that ever happened to me because that is how I found Jesus. And that's what kept me hungry to stay dependent on him.
And so, um, so that is, yeah. So just, I know it's hard.
I know we all have been there. We all chase him.
We've all been, we've all, we've all done it. We're all guilty of it.
We want you guys to get to the place where you are free, free of depression, free of anxiety, free of trying to live by your own will, free of trying to make a God out of money and being your own God in your own life, just free of it all.

When you are free of that, you live a life of peace.

We are not supposed to be just barely hanging on in life. He called us higher.
We are supposed to live for him. Do you know the freedom of not living for yourself? It's freedom.
It's peace. I talk about peace because when you have peace, you know how to live well.
You know how to suffer well. You know how to handle things.
You know how to navigate life, even when you're in a difficult time. And so when we start to lay all that down and make him focus on him before all these other things, that's when life begins.
I love that so much, R. Like, seriously, I'm, you know, as you're talking, you know, it comes into my mind.
I'm thinking this moment right now, as weird as this might sound, like your destiny is connected to this moment. In this moment, if you receive the revelation of what it means to crucify your flesh, abandon your desire for pleasure, and pursue the things of God, you can ask yourself in this moment, like, do you want the things that are momentarily pleasurable? Or do you want your destiny? Because the two, like, you get to a point where if you really want to live, like you want to live the life that God intended you to live and you want to get to a spiritual place like spiritual success spiritual riches are the success of life it is not how much pleasure you can experience but it's about how much spiritual gain you can acquire and so you have to ask yourself is this moment of pleasure more important than my spiritual destiny and my life's destiny? Because every moment you have a choice, every moment that you forsake pleasure and you choose Jesus, I'm telling you something, there's something so significant for every little sacrifice that you make, every little moment of obedience.
there's so much blessing and favor and God's goodness that follows. And that is what I'm here to tell you today, is that forsaking pleasure and choosing Jesus opens you up to the life that God intended for you to live.
And that's what happened in our lives. It's when we completely said, okay, we don't know.
And we say this all

the time, but we'll say it one more time. He will lead you into the path of where you're supposed

to go, the purpose of what you're supposed to do, who you're supposed to be with. But you have to

lay it down and stop trying to be your own God and follow your own will because you're always

going to end up living in a disaster. So good.
It's so good. And you know what that reminds me

of the... Stop trying to be your own God and follow your own will because you're always going to end up living in a disaster.
So good. It's so good.
And you know what that reminds me of, living in a disaster? Yeah. I have a couple of examples from Scripture of people in the Bible, mighty people of God who decided I'm choosing God over pleasure.
This is my favorite episode we've ever done because this is our, I get a kick. I get, I, I, I, I, I love, I love this.
I love this because for me personally, I love anything that the world says to do. And then we do the opposite.
It's the little rebel in me. It's the Peter in me.
It's the little, like my rebellious nature was always, it's so funny. He, whatever the enemy meant for evil, God truly uses for good.
My rebellious nature growing up in my whole life got me into so much trouble. But then the second Jesus gets ahold of me, he says, I'm going to take your weakness and I'm going to fine tune it.
And I'm going to use it for your good in my glory. And like, whatever the world tells me to do, whatever the world says, this is good.
Indulge, do what makes you happy. This is the way to life.
Like I saw the Golden Globes the other day and I'm just like, I didn't watch it, but I'm, I saw it like, you know, on Instagram and I'm watching them with no judgment whatsoever. I pray for these people because I love them.
They're God's children and I want them to be saved. But I'm looking at these people.
It is so self-glorifying, so self. Just, and okay.
And I just want to say one thing really quickly. This episode is all about forsaking pleasure and pursuing God.
That does not mean that life can't be fun or good or pleasurable in a sense. It's simply about what your idol is, what you're prioritizing and what matters to you and where your heart is.
Where your heart is, that's what matters. It's the state of your heart.
If I've learned anything in the last couple of months of my life, I've learned that it's all about the heart. It's not about what you do, what you say, where you go.
It's about what's in your heart. And is it pure? Is your heart pure in this? This morning, after a lot of traveling, I went to, I booked a session to go to the sauna to decompress and take this time.
It's like a luxury of life for sure. I got to do this whole thing.
That was pleasure. Like that was like a luxury of life.
That was pleasurable. But that is not my priority in life.
Do you guys understand what I'm saying? You can enjoy nice things. You can go nice places.
You can wear nice dresses. You can like, it's just about your heart.
What has your affection? What has your attention? Who is on the throne of your heart? That's what matters. Who's on the throne? If Jesus isn't on the throne, we have a massive, massive problem.
I think about Joseph. Joseph is a servant in Potiphar's house.
We know this. Potiphar's wife tries to seduce Joseph, tries to come on to him, tries to do all this stuff.
Joseph flees. And Ari and I always say, when temptation arises, you flee.
And by the way, temptation will always arise. Even Jesus was tempted, and we'll get to that.
Temptation will always arise. But it's about having the power and the maturity to flee from temptation.
When temptation arises, you pursue God's purposes over power and pleasure. And so Joseph refused Potiphar's wife saying, how then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God? And Paul, I love this so much.
Paul had once been a Pharisee and he had a position of prestige and respect within the Jewish community. Like he was a very successful religious person and he gave up everything to become a slave for Christ.
He always says that he always says, I am a slave for Christ. And he is so happy.
And he's so happy. He went from having a very pleasurable, powerful life.
And he said, I would rather follow God. And he always says that he considered everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus, his Lord.
So spiritual riches, again, over earthly gain, it's more important for what is happening in us spiritually than what is happening in us earthly and in our material possessions and all of that stuff. And the last one really quick, Jesus Christ, The perfect example of choosing the things of God over pleasure.

You guys know that Jesus is fasting for 40 days in the wilderness, and he's obviously very hungry. Satan knows that.
He comes and he tempts him, and he says, command this stone be turned to bread. And Jesus replies and says, man shall, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
Jesus is tempted three times, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. All three ways he fights with scripture.
And we know this. And I know you've heard this probably in a thousand sermons that he fought him with scripture.
But if Jesus fought with scripture, how much more should we be fighting with scripture? Satan always wants to come. His middle name is shortcuts.
No, his first middle name is loser. His second middle name is shortcuts.
Satan, loser, shortcuts. He loves shortcuts, but God loves the long road, the righteous road, that you don't just get things when you want them and how you want them.
But Satan will always present power, pleasure, and glory to you with a shortcut. But God says, pursue the things of me.
Pursue what I'm asking you to do. Prioritize my purposes, my plans for your life over pleasure and power.
Thank you, Jesus, for your word. This is not opinion.

If we gave you our opinion, it would mean nothing. This is the word of God who has given us everything and taught us how to live.
We were chasing the things of the world, relationships, careers, thinking it is going to fulfill us. And it always left us aching and leaving us empty and searching.

And now, though we struggle and though we go through pain, we know how to handle it well. And we still have the peace of

God that is within us because we know the truth. We know the truth and the truth is not in chasing

these things that are fleeting, that aren't going to last, that you cannot bring with you to eternity. Sorry, I was thinking, I'm so sorry.
You said we struggle more now. I was thinking to myself, I don't know, I struggled a lot when I was drinking.
No, no, no, no, you're right. I just had a vision of me when I was drinking.
I was like, she was struggling. But the truth is, guys, she was struggling.
Me too. But the truth is, guys, it's sacrificial.
And you think I have to give up all these things and it's not going to be fun. You guys have no idea what you're missing out on.
You're missing out on the fruit of life. I promise.
I just love you guys. And yeah.
We love you guys so much. And just to wrap everything up, life is about sacrifice and obedience.
And if I can encourage you with anything, it's to every single moment. I pray right now that God would open your spiritual eyes to see when there's a fork in the road.
And I pray over you guys right now. And I know that this is going to come up a lot in your life.
So get ready for it. Receive it.
God is going to open your eyes to these moments of forks in the road in your life where you have an option to choose pleasure, to choose your flesh, to choose the desires that your body and your mind and your pride wants. and then he's going to give you an option for sacrifice and obedience and he's going to show you and he's going to train you

how to distinguish these two things

because sometimes you don't even know.

Sometimes things are innocent and you don't even know that you have an option for obedience. But God is going to open your eyes and he's going to do this for you and he's going to train you.
This is your training season. I love you so much.
I love you. Can I just say one last thing? If you made it to the end, you're a real one.

And I just want to ask you guys, would you be praying for us? If you could be praying for us, for the podcast, first of all, just for our own hearts, for our own minds, just protection over us and over the tour. If you guys could intercede for us, that would mean the world.
Like on days, if you see we have a tour day and we're like on tour that day, that weekend. And if you could be interceding, if you could be praying for us, that would mean everything to us.
Like literally, I'm asking you, I'm asking you as a friend, if you could be praying for us, if you could be interceding for us, because we need it, we need you. May the Lord truly bless you and keep you.

May Jesus make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.

May he turn his face towards you and give you peace.

Peace.

Shalom.

Shalom. Thank you.
In the 21st century, your home is a symphony of energy. Digital devices, battery backup, EV charging.

And you've got the power.

With help from Schneider Home, think about automated energy control.

Why do your appliances need a connected system?

Well, because your energy use is streamlined,

managing power and charging off-peak to optimize your savings and use,

which is good for the planet and our wallets.

It's like double savings from your friends at Schneider Home.

Design your system at schneiderhome.com today.

You've got the power.