Living With Less Podcast

Episode 15 is an interview with a Christian based counselor in Columbus, OH. Heather Nicol joins the show to wrap up the 3 part series on Emotional and Physical Compulsiveness. She answers questions on ways we can better handle our emotions and how to invite God into the moments we feel tempted to give into things to fill the void in our hearts on Christ can fill. A little about Heather - She has a Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work and an undergrad in Social Work and has been working the mental health field since 1996. She started her own practice in 2006, took a few years off to run a non-profit agency in Columbus, and then went back to private practice in 2012. She's been married for 21 years to a fabulously patient and Godly man, and has been blessed with two children, a senior and junior in HS. We attend Grace Polaris Church. In her spare time she loves teaching yoga, working out, playing with her dogs, or reading a good book. If someone finds themselves letting their emotions control them what a

Episode 14 dives into the physical things we use to fill the voids in our heart only God can fill. Living With Less Physical Compulsiveness is something God has been with me every step of the way in regards to overcoming these 3 areas in my life. Sex, food, and spending money. We serve a mighty and forgiving God. Who wants nothing more than for us to turn to Him and begin living a life in pursuit of Him. Romans 12:2 gives us the guidance to keep our feet to God's path as we allow Him to restore our brokenness. Compulsiveness irresistible urge, gripping, uncontrollable We need to first see that these words when not linked with the gospel are NOT good. They are NOT holy. They are tempting and typically devastating to our lives. Nothing should ever be taking over our life other than living out Christs calling in our lives. Sex Using sex not within God's design was all based on insecurity in my life. I was trying to fill a deep desire of feeling loved by a guy instead of seeing I didn't need a mans approval

Episode 13 is the start of a new 3 part series on Living With Less Compulsiveness. This week we are looking deeper into Emotional Compulsiveness. How God has shown me even though this feels like a small area of sin in my life, it still creates a barrier between me and Him. To truly know God we've got to also study the Old Testament. God took me to 2 Samuel 6:6-7 "But when they arrived a the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah rached out his hand and steadied the Ark of God. The The Lord's anger was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him dead because of this. so Uzzah died right therebeside the Ark of God." *This story can be looked at as very cruel but it shows the reverence we're supposed to have for God and His commands. "When we get to complacent in our walk with The Lord our obedience becomes loose." When Uzzah touched the Ark, he probably wasn't doing it to be rude toward God. I think he did it because he'd become to comfortable with his actions around God.

Episode 12 is all about Living With Less Discontentment and what it steals from us. The Lord took me Matthew 6:19-21 and He showed me the earthly things I've been storing up my treasures in. I share a story from a few years ago that continues to rise up from season to season in my life. I hope you leave this episode feeling encouraged to be free of the thief discontentment is, and ask God to show you all you're missing from Him in your heart. Matthew 6:19-21 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Discontentment robs the gift of JOY God so graciously wants to give us. Discontentment is like a leaky valve in your heart, if left unattended it'll send you into spiritual heart failure. How many times have you been robbed of the joy due to

Episode 11 is all about a deeper understanding of inviting Jesus into our anxiety. God showed me I need ask Him to join me in my situation instead of demanding He change it. He took me to 3 parts of the Bible that I believe give so much power and freedom for what He wants for us in this hard place of anxiety. Mark 4:37-40, Philippians 4:6-7, and 1 Samuel 17:20. Mark 4:37-40 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” We've all been in the midst of a raging storm in our life, and we've all probably felt like God wasn't seeing us. (BUT HE WAS!) I love that the disciples in this verse didn't ask God to stop the storm, they woke

CELEBRATORY GIVEAWAY EPISODE! Come listen this week as I interview my husband on this whole Living With Less journey and what it looks like to him. Come here the story of how God used the same 3 words "Live With Less" with him. You'll get to hear is heart on a good place to start this journey in your faith, how he got to see God bring unthinkable to fruition, what trusting God and his goodness looks like. You may also find out how he likes his coffee and some other fun things. What did you think when God laid "Live With Less fear and anxiety" on your heart? As I started to feel overwhelmed I thought that I needed to pause and just pray. In doing so I felt this rush from within, which I know is the Holy Spirit, and in that moment I heard God speak to me, telling me to take a step back, breathe, and to “make one decision at a time, Live With Less fear and anxiety.” It’s so simple, yet so complex. I, like many, I have a tendency to dwell on the current and then project it out to what it cou

Episode 9 is all about the fear we have of surrender. Chelsey takes you through how we can help get ourselves in the posture of trusting God with our most precious things. You'll hear about the need of community as well as our deep need for a constantly active relationship with Christ. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you declares The Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and future. This verse is not a promise to exempt us from trials, this verse is a promise that God will be with us in it all. Surrender This is a choice of free will. There's no bargaining or leveraging with God when it comes to surrender. We have to be willing to surrender all of it. The BIG stuff and the LITTLE stuff. (SO HARD - I know!!!) Trust with Surrender Trust can only come from deep personal relationship, it has to be pursued and active! We can't be in a posture of surrender without a relationship with Christ. We can't expect to trust God if we're not actively trying to know Him bett

This episode is all about leaving behind the parts of us that Christ has redeemed and approach God with our arms wide open for all He has for us. Chelsey shares the way God pursued her and showed her all He has for her. That on the other side of the choice to accept Christ are the greatest gifts you could ever imagine! 2 Corinthians 5:17 gives us hope, redemption, and promise for all Jesus did for us. 2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. Being Judgmental of Our Past If we're ever going to move on with our life we have to stop judging who we once were. I can't outrun and I can't change the sin in my life - I don't get a do over. When I can truly humble myself and accept this verse for what it says I find Gods grace!! Unrealistic Expectations We set the bar so high for who we think we should be, when who we think we should be and who God is calling us to be are two very different things. I'm trying to plan wh

Episode 7 is all about the fear we have in others accepting us. In this segment Chelsey gives 2 questions we have to ask ourselves: 1) why am I looking to be accepted by these people. 2) What kind of friend am I looking for, and what kind of friend am I looking to be? It's in these questions that God began to break the barrier and show that it all begins with prayer and vulnerability. Why am I looking to be accepted? Typical answers are superficial. All about feeling validated. The answer should be we want them to leave noticing something different about me - JESUS. The only thing that can illuminate something like that is a soul rooted in Jesus. Ways to invite Jesus into these awkward situations Ask to do a prayer before the meal begins, doesn't have to be long but just set that tone! Drop little Jesus truth bombs. Talk about what season God has you in, or how God has recently blessed you/seen you through a hard time. Our job here on earth is to point others to accepting Him. We just by His grace get to

Episode 6 is the first part of the Living With Less Fear segment. We're tackling Living With Less Situational Fear this week. Taking God's word and holding it up to the big and small things in our lives we have to navigate day to day. Join me as we hang Mark 5:36 as a banner over our lives! Mark 5:36 - "Do not fear, only believe." We find ourselves so paralyzed with fear in certain situations we can't even find words to pray. If you're here, ask people to pray for you! It was in this place 2 weeks ago, I was so thankful for the people in my life we could call on. Gods Divine Appointments Make no mistake, God will use what He has to in order to get our attention. Not in a malicious way but in a MIRACULOUS way. Help with finding a verse and help to memorize that verse Finding a verse - Go to the back of the bible and seek out the words that fit your feelings. Then find where they're at in scripture and apply the truths to your life! Memorizing a verse - Add your name to the beginning or the end (t

Episode 5 is all about Living With Less Jealousy of Others Blessings. God is showing me that not only does He see me in a beautiful way, but He sees everyone else that way too. He wants everyone to experience His gifts. We're still hanging out in Psalm 139 this week tackling verse 23. I pray God challenges you with the same question He's challenged me with - "Why shouldn't she have it all?" and "Why has what I've (God) given you not good enough?". Psalm 139:23 "Search me and know me, O'God and know heart! Try me and know my thoughts." This is how change begins, we have to ask God to dig into these jealous and critical thoughts. I know this makes God so happy I can hear Him saying , "Shes trusting me in this area and she knows I want more for her life." We don't serve a God who gives us things to shut us up, we serve a God who craves our attention and conversation. Lysa TerKeurst quote - "I've learned to say to myself, I'm not equipped for the bad that comes along w

Episode 4 is looking deeper into Living With Less Destructive Self Criticism. I talk about how God is showing me to change our view of our appearance, our achievements or lack there of, and most importantly the gifts God gave us as individuals. In Psalm 139 we see parts of God's word that we can declare when we begin to see ourselves through worldly eyes and not Godly eyes. 139:4 Before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely. Our Appearance Think of how this makes The Lord feel when we say these things about His creation. He created me perfect and here I am picking it all apart. If we got to live in a world where we all got to pick what we looked like there would be so much perfection we'd drown in it. Claim the truth and the confidence WONDERFUL ARE HIS WORKS. Missed Achievements When our missed achievements get highlighted we feel inadequate and filled with self disappointment. Don't forget that God didn't create us to be X,Y, and Z. These things that WE think we need to be. He created

Episode 3 is diving into Living With Less curiosity of others. Diving into 1 Thessalonians 4:11 we're finding out the reasons God doesn't want us to go searching someones life if we have no desire to have relationship with them. 3 Parts of 1 Thes. 4:11 Aspire to live quietly - Don't make issues for no reason or out of nothing. Mind your own affairs - Don't go digging up other peoples business. Work with your hands - Instead of working to figure out someone else's life, do the work God has called you to do. Do it for His glory. What God spoke to my heart on this matter : "If I don't care to have relationship with this person, I certainly do not have permission to know their business." God could be protecting us from something He doesn't want us to see or taking up residence in our minds. Ask God to give you the discernment to know if you're having Godly curiosity or un-Godly curiosity over a situation. Living With Less Podcast, LLC © 2019. All Rights Reserved

1 Corinthians 14:40 “But all things should be done decently and in order.” 3 questions to ask about your friendships: Do they point me to Jesus? Do I point them to Jesus? How do I feel when I’m done meeting/talking to them? Miss Joyce quote - “If I can’t be the Godly friend someone needs, I need to pray for someone who can be.” 2 most important groups of friendships to have: Your close nit group, (2-5 girls) they are in your season of life and you can share about anything. Mentor friends, the women who have walked the roads before us. Who can serve us with their wisdom! I pray this message can help you see more clearly who God wants in your life, who He doesn’t want in your life, and the type of people He’s desiring for your life. Living With Less Podcast, LLC © 2019. All Rights Reserved

Living With Less Podcast, LLC © 2019. All Rights Reserved