WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:18.920 You know, when I look back in life and in ministry, I think there are certain things 2 00:00:18.920 --> 00:00:27.500 that trapped me and really hurt me when I was starting out with my walk in Christ. 3 00:00:27.500 --> 00:00:29.280 And I want to talk a little bit about that today. 4 00:00:29.280 --> 00:00:33.280 My name is Leanne Friesman, and this is Restoring Word. 5 00:00:33.280 --> 00:00:39.920 I just saw a beautiful scripture in 2 Corinthians, starting in verse 10, and this comes from 6 00:00:39.920 --> 00:00:42.080 the Amplified Bible. 7 00:00:42.080 --> 00:00:48.480 And it was interesting because I had never seen in scripture before where comparison 8 00:00:48.480 --> 00:00:50.960 is not wise. 9 00:00:50.960 --> 00:00:52.880 Let me read it to you. 10 00:00:52.880 --> 00:01:00.380 We do not have the audacity to put ourselves in the same class or to compare ourselves 11 00:01:00.380 --> 00:01:06.840 with some who commend themselves or people who are talking and comparing and looking 12 00:01:06.840 --> 00:01:12.320 at how wise or smart or beautiful they are. 13 00:01:12.320 --> 00:01:17.640 When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they 14 00:01:17.640 --> 00:01:21.720 lack wisdom and behave like fools. 15 00:01:21.720 --> 00:01:24.640 Wow, have you ever thought about that? 16 00:01:24.640 --> 00:01:29.520 I mean, I think especially women have a problem with comparison. 17 00:01:29.520 --> 00:01:36.520 We compare everything, hair and nails and cars and how tall, how short, how skinny, 18 00:01:36.520 --> 00:01:41.080 how fat, how style, our home, everything. 19 00:01:41.080 --> 00:01:47.640 But you know, when you get into comparison, it can really kill your joy. 20 00:01:47.640 --> 00:01:49.200 It can kill your boldness. 21 00:01:49.200 --> 00:01:52.320 It can kill your confidence. 22 00:01:52.320 --> 00:02:00.460 And my word for you today is your unique things that you bring to the table are what really 23 00:02:00.460 --> 00:02:03.200 are going to set someone else free. 24 00:02:03.200 --> 00:02:09.600 I love Joyce Meyer's ministry, and what really liberates so many people when they listen 25 00:02:09.600 --> 00:02:15.920 to her preach is a lot of her weaknesses actually have become her strengths. 26 00:02:15.920 --> 00:02:22.680 It's the thing that she overcame that really helps others in the body. 27 00:02:22.680 --> 00:02:27.160 And that's why I think I enjoy listening to her so much. 28 00:02:27.160 --> 00:02:33.760 Really today, and the word specifically that jumped out at me was wise. 29 00:02:33.760 --> 00:02:41.280 Now wise is a specific Greek word, and it's saphos, and to be wise means to be someone 30 00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:45.600 that's learned, someone who's studied, someone who's academic. 31 00:02:45.600 --> 00:02:53.840 It's used in conjunction with the wise men or Christian scholars or Jewish scholars. 32 00:02:53.840 --> 00:02:59.840 To be wise, it's not wise to compare. 33 00:02:59.840 --> 00:03:01.440 Wow. 34 00:03:01.440 --> 00:03:09.200 So the Holy Spirit here is speaking to us and saying, it's not wisdom to get into a 35 00:03:09.200 --> 00:03:13.640 comparison with someone else. 36 00:03:13.640 --> 00:03:17.280 You know, when we first came down here to Oklahoma and we were attending Rhema, Grant 37 00:03:17.280 --> 00:03:23.640 was at Rhema, I was at ORU, especially music majors have a horrible habit of comparing 38 00:03:23.640 --> 00:03:26.480 themselves to all the other vocalists. 39 00:03:26.480 --> 00:03:32.440 Or someone would stand up and preach and share a word, and young preachers would think 40 00:03:32.440 --> 00:03:39.520 that they would have to somehow act like Kenneth Hagin or, you know, the pastor over at Guts 41 00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:42.920 or Willie George up at Church on the Move. 42 00:03:42.920 --> 00:03:45.280 You know, you are unique. 43 00:03:45.280 --> 00:03:51.800 You bring something to the table that no one else can. 44 00:03:51.800 --> 00:03:57.160 And because of that, you're going to reach people that no one else can. 45 00:03:57.160 --> 00:03:58.520 You have a different story. 46 00:03:58.520 --> 00:03:59.640 You have a different gifting. 47 00:03:59.640 --> 00:04:01.480 You have a different testimony. 48 00:04:01.480 --> 00:04:08.760 And that unique story and testimony is going to touch someone that I never could. 49 00:04:08.760 --> 00:04:09.760 I'm a teacher. 50 00:04:09.760 --> 00:04:10.760 I'm an exhorter. 51 00:04:10.760 --> 00:04:13.760 I put things together in order. 52 00:04:13.760 --> 00:04:15.080 That's who I am. 53 00:04:15.080 --> 00:04:17.140 That's what I bring to Restoring Word. 54 00:04:17.140 --> 00:04:19.959 My husband, on the other hand, he is prophetic. 55 00:04:19.959 --> 00:04:22.079 He flows in the gifts. 56 00:04:22.079 --> 00:04:25.800 I found a beautiful word this week. 57 00:04:25.800 --> 00:04:30.600 And it talks about the flow of the gifts, Reo. 58 00:04:30.600 --> 00:04:34.800 It's a flow like water. 59 00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:36.480 It fills everything in the room. 60 00:04:36.480 --> 00:04:42.680 Well, if you've ever watched someone flow in the gifts or flow in the Holy Ghost, when 61 00:04:42.680 --> 00:04:47.120 they're under that anointing, it just bubbles out of them. 62 00:04:47.120 --> 00:04:48.360 It's a gifting. 63 00:04:48.360 --> 00:04:51.000 It's something that I don't carry. 64 00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:56.700 But I'm thankful for that gift because I see how that gift, when it's done properly according 65 00:04:56.700 --> 00:05:00.000 to the Word of God, it empowers. 66 00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:07.380 and it builds and it strengthens the body of Christ. Be yourself, you know, be 67 00:05:07.380 --> 00:05:15.020 free. Don't get into comparison. Do the thing that you are uniquely created to 68 00:05:15.020 --> 00:05:23.220 do for the body of Christ and don't let comparison of what someone else does or 69 00:05:23.220 --> 00:05:26.500 how they look or how they preach or how they speak or how they sing or how they 70 00:05:26.500 --> 00:05:34.500 lead. Steal joy from your life. You are uniquely and wonderfully made. Your story 71 00:05:34.500 --> 00:05:41.620 and your testimony is uniquely yours and it will help others in the days to come. 72 00:05:41.620 --> 00:05:47.060 Thank you for listening. Please like and subscribe and we hope to hear from you 73 00:05:47.060 --> 00:05:50.580 soon. Thanks.