Participants:
Series Code: IIWC
Program Code: IIWC202210S
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00:36 [pensive piano music]
00:42 >> Hello and welcome to It Is 00:44 Written Canada. 00:45 Thank you for joining us. 00:46 Too often our secular culture 00:49 paints God completely out of 00:51 the picture and has an 00:52 overpowering influence on the 00:54 choices that we make. 00:56 >> This was the case for our 00:58 guests, two sisters, Melissa 01:00 Chamberlain and Christina 01:02 McSwain, who, although they 01:04 loved the Lord and went to 01:06 church and attended a 01:07 Christian school, found 01:09 themselves sucked into a 01:11 culture and influences that 01:14 gradually drew them away from 01:16 their childhood faith and into 01:18 a self-destructive lifestyle. 01:21 Christina and Melissa, welcome 01:23 to It Is Written Canada. 01:26 >> Thank you, it's nice to 01:27 be here. 01:28 >> So, Christina and Melissa, 01:31 can we start with how you grew 01:34 up and how you drifted away 01:37 from the spiritual influences 01:39 of your childhood years? 01:41 >> So we grew up in Oshawa, 01:43 Ontario, Canada and we did 01:44 grow up in the Adventist 01:46 school and, you know, our 01:49 grandma was a really big 01:50 influence on us when it came 01:52 to being a Seventh-day 01:53 Adventist. 01:54 She did teach us how to keep 01:55 the Sabbath and it was just in 01:57 our own homes, we didn't keep 01:59 the Sabbath and we had a lot 02:02 of poor influences in our 02:04 home, we watched television a 02:06 lot and things like that and 02:09 so we just kind of drifted 02:12 away, we stopped going to 02:13 church early on in our 02:15 childhood and we, like, 02:19 television and musicians and 02:21 things like that just became 02:23 our idols instead of Jesus. 02:26 >> How did you feel about your 02:28 relationship with Jesus, like, 02:29 you went to a Christian 02:31 school... 02:32 >> Yeah, so we did love Jesus 02:34 when we were children and we 02:36 used to resolve that we would 02:38 die for Him one day and, you 02:41 know, those influences around 02:43 us took over and we ended up 02:46 straying away from those 02:47 convictions. 02:49 >> I guess it's kind of like 02:50 we forgot about Jesus. 02:51 All those things kind of 02:53 replaced our feelings for Him, 02:56 but I would say that those 02:57 feelings were still there in 02:59 our hearts 'cause I did give 03:00 my heart to Jesus when I was 03:02 young, but those things kind 03:04 of-- those snares that we fell 03:07 into just blinded us to what 03:11 we knew and loved about Jesus. 03:12 >> What was it like in your 03:14 home between your parents? 03:16 >> Um...not good. 03:18 They did end up getting 03:20 divorced when I was eight 03:22 years old so that definitely 03:27 was difficult to deal with as 03:29 a child, of course. 03:31 >> So at what stage did you 03:33 start drifting away? 03:35 >> Um...probably in our teens, 03:39 right, like for me it was my 03:40 teen years. 03:41 I did love Jesus up until I 03:43 was like twelve or thirteen, I 03:45 continued loving Him, but I 03:47 just got pulled into a bad 03:49 lifestyle 'cause different 03:51 people came to our school that 03:53 were more worldly and kinda 03:55 got influenced by them and we 03:56 became closer to those people 03:58 than the ones that were 03:59 Adventist and, like, the good 04:01 influences, so the world 04:03 started seeming more appealing 04:05 and it pulled us away. 04:07 >> And I would say it started 04:08 when we did stop going to 04:10 church, too, it was-- we were 04:12 young children when we stopped 04:14 going to church 'cause our 04:16 parents stopped going so we 04:17 kinda just followed that 04:19 example even though our 04:21 grandma was still going and 04:23 she would invite us to church 04:24 and things like that, it 04:26 just-- we just ended up 04:28 drifting away and then as the 04:32 teenage years came, school 04:34 became more difficult. 04:35 I personally lost my 04:37 concentration in school and I 04:38 ended up dropping out before I 04:40 even finished high school. 04:41 >> Me as well, yeah. 04:42 >> All I wanted to do was just 04:44 watch music videos all day, 04:47 you know, watch movies, listen 04:50 to the rock music and those 04:53 musicians definitely became a 04:54 big idol for me. 04:56 I'd go to concerts all the 04:57 time, things like that. 04:59 [MELISSA] Yeah, there was really 05:00 no government in our home after 05:02 our parents separated so we 05:04 pretty much took care of 05:05 ourselves. 05:07 >> So you were in control of 05:08 yourselves. 05:09 What brought you back to 05:11 the Lord? 05:13 [CHRISTINA] So in 2009 I met my 05:15 husband and then 2013 we had 05:18 our daughter, Siobhan, and 05:21 in 2017 she started school and 05:26 I had determined that I would 05:28 send her to the same Adventist 05:29 school that I went to as a 05:31 child and it was because-- my 05:32 reasoning at that time was 05:34 because I trusted everybody 05:35 there. 05:36 And so when she did start the 05:38 school, memories from my 05:41 childhood started coming back 05:42 when I went into that school 05:44 with her. 05:45 So I heard a song that I heard 05:47 from my childhood that 05:48 actually reminded me of my 05:50 love for Jesus as a child and 05:53 I believe that the Holy Spirit 05:54 started using that to 05:56 influence me and soften my 05:58 sinful heart at that point. 06:01 And then shortly after that, 06:03 very shortly, it was the same 06:04 month, my sister texted me and 06:07 and she texted me saying, 06:10 "Jesus is coming soon, you 06:12 need to get the Sabbath off," 06:14 and so I looked at the text 06:16 kind of confused at first 06:17 because she had been living 06:19 the same sinful lifestyle I 06:21 had and was not keeping the 06:22 Sabbath herself at all. 06:24 So I texted her back and I was 06:27 like, "Well, what do you 06:28 mean?" 06:29 I was like, "First of all, we 06:31 do have time still, why don't 06:32 you think we have time before 06:34 Jesus comes?" 06:35 [MELISSA] Well, yeah, I told 06:37 her, "How do you not see that 06:38 this is different now," 'cause 06:40 I had been getting these 06:42 convictions when I was 06:44 pregnant because I think my 06:45 mind was clear because I was 06:47 no longer drinking or smoking 06:48 and so the Holy Spirit was 06:50 able to reach me and He kept 06:51 using everything that I knew 06:53 for some reason, bringing back 06:54 Bible verses that I didn't 06:56 even know were there, like, 06:57 "Woe to those who are pregnant 06:58 or to those who are 07:00 breastfeeding in those days," 07:01 and I was wondering, like, 07:03 what was going on. 07:04 I thought maybe I was having 07:06 anxiety or something 'cause I 07:07 had had anxiety in the past, 07:09 but I started to recognize 07:10 that it was the Holy Spirit 07:12 calling me so I realized, you 07:13 know, time is short, we need 07:14 to wake up. 07:15 And so I was trying to tell 07:17 anybody I could that Jesus was 07:18 coming soon, I even told my 07:19 atheist husband and he acted 07:21 like I was crazy and I was 07:23 like, "I need to tell 07:24 somebody," so I texted her 07:25 because I was like, "She 07:27 thinks the same as me so maybe 07:28 she'll get it." 07:30 [CHRISTINA] And it took her 07:32 saying it again where she said, 07:34 "No, how do you not see this 07:35 time is different? 07:38 The natural disasters are 07:39 increasing, all the birth 07:41 pains are getting closer 07:43 together," she remembered that 07:44 from the Bible from our 07:46 childhood and so she said that 07:48 to me and then I had a 07:49 conviction at that point that 07:51 it was true and that I did 07:52 need to start getting the 07:54 Sabbath of and that Jesus was 07:55 definitely coming again soon. 07:57 >> Christina, did you follow 07:58 up, like, did you get the 07:59 Sabbath off work? 08:02 >> Yeah, so at that point I 08:04 followed my conviction and I 08:06 asked my boss for the Sabbath 08:07 off and at this time I was in 08:09 a management position and I 08:10 had been there for 13 years 08:12 and so if you think about it, 08:15 that is kind of something that 08:18 an employer might think, 08:19 "Well, after 13 years she's 08:20 now asking for the Sabbath." 08:22 But, you know, this employer 08:24 accommodated my request and 08:27 they gave me the Sabbath off 08:28 so I did start going back to 08:30 church every Sabbath and 08:32 that's where my journey back 08:34 to the Lord began. 08:35 >> The Lord was really leading 08:37 you because even your employer 08:39 giving you off the Sabbath 08:42 after so many years... 08:43 >> Yeah, exactly. 08:44 >> It was a miracle, you know, 08:46 so you knew God was in 08:47 control here. 08:48 >> Yes. 08:49 >> So can you tell us about 08:51 your mother getting cancer and 08:53 how that influenced your 08:54 lives? 08:56 >> Yeah, so she came and she 08:58 told us that she had cancer 09:00 which was actually the same 09:02 month that Siobhan started 09:03 school and Melissa sent me 09:04 that text. 09:06 And, yeah, so that happened 09:09 all at the same time and so 09:10 when she told me that she had 09:12 cancer and the type of cancer 09:14 that she had, I was convicted 09:17 to stop eating meat right away 09:19 and the reason is because I 09:21 had recently read an article 09:23 saying that meat, particularly 09:25 red meat, is one of the number 09:26 one causes of cancer, 09:28 particularly for this cancer 09:29 that she has. 09:31 And so that was the last day 09:34 that I ever ate meat. 09:36 So our mom, she had to go 09:40 through treatment and they had 09:42 told her that, you know, they 09:44 were gonna have to do surgery 09:46 and all these things and it 09:47 was gonna be life-altering, 09:49 but-- 09:49 [MELISSA] And they also told 09:50 her they would only be able to 09:52 shrink the cancer about 50% 09:53 and then they would have to 09:54 do surgery. 09:55 >> Yeah. 09:56 >> So they-- we talked to her 09:59 about the meat-eating and she 10:01 actually got convicted to give 10:02 up the meat as well and when 10:04 she gave up the meat, she 10:06 started following the 10:07 treatments and everything and 10:09 she actually surprised the 10:10 doctors 'cause when they went 10:11 to do the checkup, the tumour 10:13 was completely gone so she was 10:14 very thankful for that. 10:16 >> Yeah, so she didn't have to 10:17 have surgery. 10:18 The treatment just shrunk the 10:19 tumour and it was, yeah, 10:21 completely gone. 10:22 >> Two miracles, three 10:24 miracles in one month. 10:25 God was speaking to you. 10:27 That is incredible. 10:29 >> And using all those things 10:30 together to lead us all back 10:31 to the Lord. 10:32 >> Mm-hm, our whole family. 10:34 >> So what other lifestyle 10:35 changes did you make 10:36 personally? 10:38 >> Well, for myself, I had 10:40 always struggled with appetite. 10:43 In my childhood I had 10:45 struggled with over-eating. 10:47 I had always tried different 10:49 diets that never worked and 10:52 all the way up, even after 10:53 I'd met my husband, I was 10:55 trying all sorts of crash 10:57 diets and, you know, I did 10:59 manage to lose about 40 pounds 11:02 before I became pregnant with 11:04 my daughter, and-- but after 11:06 pregnancy I gained it all 11:07 back again so after giving 11:09 birth to my daughter, I was 11:10 nearly 300 pounds. 11:12 I didn't want to be that 11:14 heavy, I wanted a solution and 11:17 so when I did come back to the 11:19 Lord, I noticed that anytime I 11:23 tried to read His word, my 11:25 mind would be foggy and I 11:26 wouldn't be able to understand 11:28 what I was reading in His word 11:29 and I prayed and asked the 11:30 Lord how I get close with Him 11:32 if my mind is so foggy and He 11:34 led me to the health message. 11:36 And so I started studying 11:39 about how to eat healthier. 11:41 I had already given up meat, 11:42 of course, at that point, but 11:44 I gave up alcohol, I gave up 11:45 caffeine, and I gave up, well, 11:48 I had given up tobacco a few 11:50 years ago. 11:51 When I say "give up," I don't 11:53 mean that immediately I was 11:54 able to to say, "OK, this is 11:56 done," like I was with the 11:57 meat, it was a little bit 11:59 harder, particularly with 12:00 caffeine. 12:01 So one day I was studying and 12:03 a question popped into my mind 12:05 and it said, "Why did Jesus 12:06 fast in the wilderness?" 12:08 And I was like, "Yeah, why did 12:09 Jesus fast in the wilderness?" 12:11 So I looked it up and what it 12:13 said was, "The Lord endured 12:15 the fast in the wilderness." 12:17 He knew the hold that appetite 12:19 would have on the human race 12:20 and He knew that we would 12:23 choose indulgence of appetite 12:26 and it would actually replace 12:27 God in our lives. 12:29 And then I read that we can 12:31 overcome our appetite through 12:33 Jesus because He already went 12:34 through that fast in the 12:36 wilderness for us and He 12:39 overcame on the point of 12:41 appetite so that we could 12:42 overcome through Him. 12:44 So I now was able to overcome 12:47 my eating habits through Jesus 12:49 and I grabbed onto that 12:50 promise really quickly because 12:52 of how badly I wanted out of 12:53 the trap of my obesity and so 12:58 I started prayerfully changing 13:00 my eating habits and asking 13:01 Jesus to help me every time 13:03 I'd get tempted. 13:04 So it started with the caffeine 13:05 'cause that was a struggle so 13:07 I'd asked the Lord-- any time 13:08 I was tempted, I'd say, "Lord, 13:10 please take this temptation 13:11 from me," and each time I 13:13 would resist, I would get 13:16 stronger for the next time. 13:18 And, you know, there's 13:20 sometimes setbacks, I would... 13:23 give in and then I would have 13:26 to struggle harder the next 13:27 time, but I learned that, I 13:30 learned that I had to struggle 13:31 harder when I gave in so I 13:33 stopped giving in so easily 13:35 and I would fight harder with 13:37 Jesus and He helped me gain 13:40 the victory over those things. 13:43 >> So what does that look 13:44 like, fighting harder with 13:46 Jesus? 13:47 >> More prayer, so asking the 13:50 Lord to help you resist the 13:53 temptation because He has 13:55 great power to help us come 13:58 out from under the power of 13:59 the Enemy, which is Satan. 14:01 Satan's power is so great and 14:05 he has a hold on us. 14:07 We in our own strength can't 14:10 defeat Satan's power, but 14:12 Christ has a power greater 14:14 than Satan's power. 14:15 And so when we turn to Jesus 14:17 and we ask for help, He can 14:19 take us out from under Satan's 14:21 power and so that's the only 14:23 way that we can do it, we 14:24 can't do it on our own. 14:26 >> So, Melissa, can you tell 14:28 us about the struggles that 14:30 you were experiencing? 14:33 >> Yeah, so when I had Emilia, 14:35 my first daughter, I obviously 14:38 gave up drinking and smoking, 14:40 but I had an addiction to 14:42 those things, but when I got 14:44 pregnant I gave them up and 14:46 after I gave birth to her, I 14:47 was looking forward to going 14:49 back to those things and so I 14:50 did continue on that path 14:51 after having my first 14:53 daughter, obviously it wasn't 14:55 as crazy as it before, but I-- 14:58 and I also had an awareness of 14:59 how bad it was 'cause I would 15:01 shamefully hide it from her, I 15:03 didn't want her to ever see me 15:04 smoke and I did say a silent 15:06 prayer at that time that, 15:07 you know, "Lord, please help me 15:09 to stop smoking, I don't want 15:10 my daughter to see me 15:12 doing this." 15:13 And then when I got pregnant 15:14 with my second daughter is 15:16 when I got the conviction to 15:17 come back to the Lord and so I 15:19 was no longer looking forward 15:20 to doing those things after 15:22 giving birth to my second 15:23 daughter and when I continued 15:27 on that path with the Lord, I 15:29 had to start overcoming those 15:30 things and I didn't right 15:32 away, unfortunately. 15:33 I gave up smoking right away, 15:35 but the drinking I still drank 15:36 a little bit here and there 15:38 with my husband and, you know, 15:40 I was trying to read Prophets 15:42 and Kings at that time and I 15:44 was looking forward to reading 15:45 it that night and my husband 15:47 asked me, you know, "Let's go 15:48 out and drink rum on the 15:49 porch," and so I had gone out 15:51 to drink with him and I just 15:52 got this terrible guilt 15:53 feeling in my gut, I was like, 15:55 "I need to stop doing this, I 15:56 can't do this anymore." 15:57 So I worked up the nerve to 15:59 tell my husband, who was an 16:01 atheist, you know, "I can't do 16:03 this anymore, I need to get 16:04 back-- get closer to the 16:05 Lord." 16:07 And he understood, thankfully, 16:09 'cause, you know, he did know 16:11 me prior to having kids and me 16:12 and him actually bonded 16:14 together over our drinking. 16:16 I used to drink, like, five 16:18 times a week and I would get, 16:19 like, so drunk that I would 16:20 fall asleep type drunk, like 16:22 it wasn't just light drinking, 16:23 it was like a real problem 16:25 that I had so thankfully the 16:27 Lord was able to take that 16:28 away from me pretty easily 16:31 after I surrendered it, so I 16:32 did have to surrender it to 16:34 Him and come to that choice 16:36 myself. 16:37 >> Did you ever have problems 16:38 with eating as well? 16:41 >> Yeah, so I struggled with 16:44 body image my whole life, I 16:46 starved myself and I just had 16:48 this terrible relationship 16:50 with food, I hated food and so 16:52 my struggle with food was kind 16:53 of the opposite of hers where 16:55 I really just didn't wanna eat 16:56 it, I didn't-- I thought it 16:58 was bad and after I came back 16:59 to the truth, you know, I had 17:01 to surrender vanity and all 17:02 those things and just 17:03 redevelop my relationship with 17:05 food and so now I see it so 17:07 different, I see it as 17:08 something that nourishes me 17:10 and heals me and so, yeah, 17:12 I've made a lot of changes in 17:13 that regard as well. 17:14 >> So when you hated food that 17:16 means that you would starve 17:17 yourself? 17:18 >> Yeah, I could go for like 17:19 10 days at a time without 17:21 eating and then-- but then I 17:22 would bounce back and, like, 17:24 eat too much and then I would 17:25 go back to starving and, like, 17:27 it was a big struggle I had, 17:29 yeah, I wanted to be really 17:31 thin and now that I see how 17:33 really thin people look, like 17:34 anorexic people, I'm like, 17:36 "Why was I thinking that?" 17:37 Like, I would aim to look like 17:38 a skeleton, that was like my 17:39 dream, but the Lord changed my 17:41 whole way of thinking. 17:43 >> So you and your husband 17:46 kind of bonded over drinking. 17:48 >> Yes, we actually go drunk 17:50 on our first date and we would 17:52 drink every night together, it 17:54 was like the thing we would do 17:56 and when I got pregnant with 17:57 my daughter, he promised he 18:00 would stop drinking, but, you 18:01 know, he couldn't do it in his 18:02 own strength so there was a 18:04 lot of conflict there, but as 18:06 my influence started 18:08 impressing upon him when I 18:10 came back to the Lord, he has 18:11 now given up drinking, he 18:13 hasn't drank in over a year now 18:15 and he also quit smoking as 18:17 well so I'm very thankful for 18:18 that as well. 18:19 So the Lord's working on 18:20 him, too. 18:21 >> And I understand he's been 18:22 doing Bible studies. 18:23 >> Yes, he actually did Bible 18:25 studies with me for about a 18:26 year and he no longer is 18:29 atheist, he does believe in 18:30 the Lord, he just doesn't know 18:32 yet how to develop that 18:34 relationship so we're still 18:35 praying for him and... 18:37 >> And, Christina, did you 18:38 also struggle with alcohol? 18:40 >> I, yeah, before my daughter 18:42 was born, I had similar 18:44 struggles as Melissa with 18:45 alcohol and I could drink 18:48 really strong alcohol, I used 18:52 to drink Jack Daniels and 18:54 tequila would be my main drink 18:56 of choice, mixed together, and 19:00 I basically had a stomach of 19:01 steel where I could just 19:03 handle anything. 19:05 I just didn't feel anything, 19:06 right, so... 19:08 So yeah, I had those times as 19:09 well, but when my daughter was 19:11 born, it did help me stop that 19:15 heavy drinking and then I kind 19:17 of just moved into red wine in 19:19 the evening. 19:20 >> So you struggled with 19:22 eating, how did your daughter 19:24 relate to that, like did you 19:25 feed her well? 19:27 >> I did, I did my best to 19:30 feed her as best as I could. 19:31 It was easier for me when she 19:33 was still a baby. 19:34 I did nurse her for three 19:35 years and that definitely 19:37 helped with her health and her 19:38 immunities, she was not 19:39 ever sick. 19:41 And I also, her first foods 19:43 were very healthy, I fed her 19:44 avocado and all those things, 19:48 natural foods. 19:50 But as she grew and she 19:52 started wanting to mimic me 19:54 and wanting to eat the things 19:56 I ate, it then became harder 19:58 to keep her on track with 19:59 eating healthy. 20:01 So I would give her healthy 20:02 things, but also she would 20:03 want what I was eating, too, 20:04 and so she started developing 20:06 those wrong habits as well. 20:08 So I was trying to keep her 20:10 from it the best I could in my 20:12 own strength, but of course I 20:13 needed the Lord to help me. 20:15 >> You had influences on your 20:18 husbands, on your children, on 20:20 your mother, what about 20:21 your dad? 20:23 >> Our dad was very influenced 20:25 by us. 20:27 It actually started with 20:28 Facebook, I was posting quotes 20:30 about the Lord coming soon and 20:32 things like that and he was 20:33 kind of separated from us at 20:34 that point, he kept his 20:36 distance because he was an 20:37 alcoholic and he was still 20:40 drinking and trying to keep it 20:41 from us, I guess, and so when 20:43 we started posting those 20:44 things, I think the Lord 20:46 started softening his heart 20:47 and he started wanting to, you 20:50 know, turn back to the Lord. 20:52 He always loved Jesus as well. 20:54 When we were kids, he used to 20:55 always say prayers with us 20:56 and, you know, he loved 20:58 the Lord. 20:59 So I think our influence just 21:01 brought him back to that 21:02 realization and, you know, we 21:04 were praying for him, he was 21:05 praying for a way out, and 21:08 something did happen to wake 21:10 him up and he ended up 21:11 surrendering to the Lord and 21:13 the Lord took alcohol from him. 21:14 All he had to do was 21:15 surrender it. 21:17 He asked the Lord, you know, 21:18 "Take this from me, I'll 21:19 surrender to You, I'll do 21:20 whatever You want, 21:21 just help me." 21:22 >> And then to stay on track, 21:24 he started reading his Bible 21:26 every day and he read Steps to 21:28 Christ and a bunch of books 21:30 that helped him draw closer to 21:31 Jesus and learn about the Lord 21:33 more and more. 21:35 >> So, Melissa and Christina, 21:37 you are both very good cooks 21:40 and Mike and I know because we 21:42 have tasted your delicious 21:44 food. 21:45 Were you always good at 21:46 preparing food? 21:48 >> No... [laughs] 21:50 Not at all. 21:52 Before I came back to the 21:53 Lord, I would just order food 21:55 all the time and never 21:56 bothered with cooking. 21:57 It was when I was wanting to 22:00 eat healthier that I learned 22:04 how to prepare food and I had 22:06 to do it very prayerfully and 22:08 there was a lot of mistakes 22:09 made and a lot of learning to 22:11 be done, but the Lord helped 22:12 us both become good cooks. 22:15 There's a way to make 22:17 healthful food taste amazing, 22:18 you don't have to have 22:20 stimulating, harmful foods to 22:22 have your food taste good and 22:24 have you relish your food. 22:25 So the Lord, what He did is He 22:26 taught us to replace all 22:28 harmful articles of food with 22:30 healthful articles of food. 22:32 And so we eliminated 22:33 everything out of our diet 22:35 that's stimulating or harmful 22:37 in any way and we applied that 22:38 to our cooking. 22:40 >> So you also started a 22:42 business where you're selling 22:43 your food and making meals for 22:45 other people. 22:46 >> Yes. 22:47 So we have a health kitchen, 22:49 it's called Country Carob 22:50 Kitchen, and we sell 22:53 plant-based baked goods like 22:55 plant-based cheese cakes and 22:57 date squares and carob tarts 22:59 and things like that. 23:00 We don't sell chocolate or 23:02 anything. 23:04 We've replaced the chocolate 23:05 with carob and we also sell 23:09 bread and there's a-- we sell 23:12 meals as well, 23:14 healthful meals. 23:15 >> So you also have a media 23:16 ministry called Overcoming 23:18 Through Christ. 23:19 You started some big things, 23:20 was that kind of scary 23:21 for you? 23:23 [CHRISTINA] Everything is scary 23:25 unless you depend on the Lord. 23:26 [laughs] So... 23:27 [MELISSA] Especially for us. 23:29 [CHRISTINA] Yeah, so we just 23:30 let the Lord lead with that. 23:31 By nature, I don't get up 23:33 there and speak in front 23:34 of people. 23:35 It's definitely something that 23:36 the Lord leads me to do and He 23:39 had us start that ministry 23:41 and, you know, He wants us to 23:43 share what we know, He wants 23:44 us to share with people what 23:46 He's done for us and no matter 23:49 what our feelings are, we 23:50 should go ahead and do what 23:52 the Lord would have us do 23:53 'cause it brings glory to Him. 23:55 >> What I like about the two 23:56 of you is you're sisters, but 23:58 you pray together. 23:59 Like, if you're struggling 24:00 with something or you get an 24:02 idea and you're just like, 24:03 "Ahh! Should I do this?" you 24:05 kinda call each other and you 24:06 say, "Hey, can you pray with 24:07 me about this?" 24:08 >> Yeah. 24:09 Yeah, we do do that and, you 24:11 know, we're getting a lot 24:12 better at doing that. 24:14 There's still a work in 24:16 progress in some areas, but 24:18 definitely if I get a 24:19 conviction on something then 24:21 I'll say, "Melissa, you should 24:23 also pray to the Lord and ask 24:25 Him about it as well," so that 24:28 she's on the same page and 24:29 things like that. 24:30 >> And how do you feel about 24:31 that, Melissa, do you get ever 24:32 offended? 24:33 >> No, no, not at all. 24:35 It works out for us 'cause, 24:37 you know, I get some 24:38 convictions that I have to say 24:39 the same thing to her about 24:40 and, you know, it just goes 24:42 both ways. 24:43 >> Final question, a Bible 24:44 text, do you have a favourite 24:45 Bible text or one that really 24:47 motivates you? 24:48 >> Yeah, so Matthew 6, verse 24:50 33 has really helped to change 24:53 my own life, it's... 25:01 The first time I heard this 25:03 verse is when I came back to 25:05 the Lord and I was actually 25:06 attending a meeting at the 25:08 church and this verse came up 25:10 on the screen. 25:11 My mind was cloudy at that 25:12 time, I didn't fully 25:14 understand it at the time, but 25:15 when I read it and tried to 25:17 understand it, it convicted my 25:19 heart of my sinful nature and 25:21 I knew I had to change and 25:23 seek the Lord and I was like, 25:25 "How could I ever put the 25:27 kingdom of heaven first before 25:28 these things that I'm in?" 25:30 Like, even just thinking about 25:32 my job, like, how could I put 25:34 that first? 25:35 And so I was just really 25:36 trying to understand and 25:38 understand what it meant. 25:39 And so I went home and I 25:41 prayed and I asked the Lord to 25:42 forgive me of all my sins and 25:44 to help me get closer with Him 25:46 and to do everything He could 25:47 to get me to heaven and from 25:50 there on I just kept seeking 25:53 the Lord and His righteousness 25:54 and seeking to do exactly what 25:57 His will is in all things and 26:00 it's definitely working out. 26:03 >> So, Melissa and Christina, 26:05 we have come to the end of our 26:07 program, but before we let you 26:09 go, Christina, I wonder if you 26:11 could pray for our viewers. 26:14 There might be some that are 26:15 watching that are struggling 26:17 with alcohol and tobacco and 26:21 maybe even over-eating or 26:24 under-eating, an eating 26:26 disorder, I wonder if you 26:28 could pray that they will be-- 26:30 gain victory in Christ just 26:32 like you and Melissa have. 26:34 >> Yes, of course. 26:38 Dearest most precious heavenly 26:39 Father, I thank You, Lord, so 26:41 much that we were able to be 26:43 on It Is Written and share 26:45 with the viewers what You've 26:47 done for us and how You've 26:49 helped us to overcome. 26:51 Father, I ask that You please 26:53 bless the viewers and anybody, 26:55 Lord, that's struggling with 26:56 any of these things that we've 26:58 spoke about. 26:59 It's only our characters, 27:01 Lord, that we bring with us to 27:03 heaven and, Father, just, I 27:04 ask that You please prepare us 27:06 and help us, Lord, to be ready 27:07 for Your kingdom. 27:09 I love You so much. 27:10 In Jesus' name I pray, amen. 27:12 >> Amen. 27:14 Melissa and Christina, thank 27:16 you very much for coming on 27:17 It Is Written Canada. 27:19 [BOTH] Thanks for having us. 27:23 >> Friends, freedom of choice 27:25 is one of the most precious 27:26 gifts God has entrusted to us. 27:29 Unfortunately, we too often 27:31 make poor choices which may 27:33 lead to destructive habits 27:35 that enslave us, damage our 27:36 health, and even ruin 27:38 our lives. 27:40 >> Our free offer for you is 27:42 the special Steps To Christ 27:44 Recovery Edition. 27:46 This powerful book includes a 27:48 12-step recovery program, 27:51 empowering you to overcome 27:53 harmful habits and addictions. 27:56 Above all, you will come to 27:58 know Jesus Christ, the only 28:00 One who can heal and restore, 28:03 strengthen and encourage, as 28:06 well as bring true balance and 28:08 meaning to your life. 28:11 >> You, too, can experience 28:13 the fullness of life found in 28:14 the words of Jesus when He 28:15 said, "It is written, 'Man 28:17 shall not live by bread alone, 28:19 but by every word that 28:20 proceeds out of the mouth 28:22 of God.'" 28:23 ♪♪ |
Revised 2023-01-10