Nikki Humphrey (00:00)
I'm Nikki.
Hope Mangiafico (00:00)
Hi, I'm Hope. Welcome to Equipped Fellowship, where friends become family through Christ. We're two Jesus-loving friends on a mission to share personal stories, resources, and real talk about our triumphs, breakthroughs, struggles, and setbacks. Why? Because we believe you are called to live victoriously, and we're here to equip you with Holy Spirit-led tools and strategies to strengthen your faith, transform your mindset, and walk boldly in God's promises and love.
Because here's the truth, you have been given great and precious promises by God. So grab your coffee, lean in, and let's grow together. It's time to step into everything God has for you.
Nikki Humphrey (00:40)
Right. Today's topic I think is going to be, we're going to see how it unfolds because really it's a tough one. It was tough for me to like sit down and have radical accountability of my part of this topic. And the topic is how do we block God's love? How do we consciously or unconsciously block God's love from our lives?
Hope Mangiafico (00:55)
you
Hmm
Yeah, I like where you're talking about radical accountability because it hurts and it's like it's one of those things one we talk about God's love a lot and sometimes I think we can present it with information that sounds like we are still we're fully bathed in it, you know, and like we're not and I know I'm not too because he this dropped into me yesterday and it was
Nikki Humphrey (01:10)
It hurt.
Hope Mangiafico (01:31)
on the back of him showing me something super convicting about myself and when he showed it to me it hurt but then it was so simple and it unraveled a layer of that blocking and I was like God but I already knew that this wasn't my identity but you're saying this whole time I've been acting like this is my identity what and we talk about identity on the podcast and it's like I'll say it
until the day that I am in heaven or doing some other assignment for the Lord. That like, we will never fully grasp it without his help.
Nikki Humphrey (02:10)
That's right. Amen. Yes. Yeah. And I'm getting emotional now because I was, what I was convicted with last night was like, I block God's love by scrolling through that dang social media. And I see people excelling and just taking off and doing all that stuff.
Hope Mangiafico (02:13)
It's unbelievable.
Nikki Humphrey (02:38)
And then again, and I've talked about this on the podcast before, like, I've missed something from God. Like I'm not fully embracing his love. And whenever I think like he missed out on me, he didn't give me something. I'm blocking his love.
Hope Mangiafico (02:43)
⁓
Absolutely.
Yes. And you know, we again, we've talked about that on the podcast, right? We've talked about comparison. We've talked about these things. They're just so deeply ingrained. And that's kind of some of the points that I have. But just to kind of piggyback on what you shared, what he specifically showed you, he showed me yesterday, I don't have my journal in here, ⁓ that despite me knowing I am not my
wounds, you know, and I'm always like healing. I had my emotional responses, the things that always come out so integrated into my identity that I really thought they were exactly who I was. So the anxiousness, the ADHD type of things, freezing and feeling stupid, they are rooted in trauma or just
for lack of better term, because I can't pinpoint exactly what they're rooted in right now, just from things that have happened that I feel out of control of a certain time in my life. And they became part of me. And so then I accepted them as me.
Nikki Humphrey (04:13)
Yeah. ⁓
Hope Mangiafico (04:15)
And that
blocks him 100%.
Nikki Humphrey (04:18)
Yes, I was shaking my head so much during that because I was agreeing with everything that you're saying. Like my spirit inside was like, yeah, same. I could, when you're saying about things or cycles or like habits, they just go on autopilot, but none of that is good.
Hope Mangiafico (04:34)
Yeah.
Right.
Yeah, and they, before we realize it, they become part of us because we've accepted that instead of his love. There it is. That's it. Oh, it's, and you know, I have to say when I started on just kind of like, hey, Lord, how do you want this to go? I'm a word person and I just wanted to figure out between like looking up on Google and Jeff Strong's concordance.
what the definition of accept and receive is because I thought that would be fascinating to see. And to accept is to recognize as valid or correct. So his love being valid, to consent to his love, to receive willingly his love, to be pleased with his love, and then receive means to lay hold of, to seize and to take. So we have blocks.
to our ability to do all of those things with his love. And I felt that, like every time whatever God highlights to me, it means I not consenting to his love. I'm not receiving it. I'm not pleased with his love. That's kind of like your story of comparing through social media. You are not pleased with the love he's given you, you know? And I I raised my hand on that too. That's definitely not finger pointing. I don't think his love's enough or correct.
And I so therefore I'm not seizing it and laying hold of it
helps to just understand what we're talking about sometimes. You know, like the word block, like what blocks our ability to receive it and accept it. That, you know, you pretty much see it as a wall. And that's good. But accepting that's on our part. What do we do? What's our response, right?
Nikki Humphrey (06:22)
Yes.
Yes, I am, as you know Hope, like I am so good with gratitude, right? And being grateful to God in big and small things that I am constantly going through my day, just saying things that I'm grateful for and what he does. But as you are talking, Hope, I'm just like, I'm never grateful for his love.
Hope Mangiafico (06:38)
You are.
Mm.
Nikki Humphrey (06:57)
I never speak that out.
Hope Mangiafico (07:01)
I mean, I can say the same.
Nikki Humphrey (07:04)
That's a block. I mean, that's a huge block. All the gratitude in the world is not going to help his love to come through if I'm not accepting it and being grateful for that and talking to him about that. I never talk to him about like his love for me.
Hope Mangiafico (07:25)
Well, it makes me think about the downfall of having grad- it's not a downfall of having gratitude, but the way we can approach it is it has to do with what he's given you, not so much of who he is. It says God is love!
Nikki Humphrey (07:38)
Yeah. ⁓
Hope Mangiafico (07:38)
I like feel that like right
here in my chest. That's a new feeling.
That's really good, Nikki, and how often is that the case for all of us?
Ooh, can we like for ourselves and as a listener, like, can you pause and be like asking yourself the question, God, is your love enough for me?
Nikki Humphrey (08:06)
That's such a good question.
Hope Mangiafico (08:11)
And I can even feel it in my heart of like, based off my own actions, I'm feeling a no.
Nikki Humphrey (08:18)
same. It hurts so bad. Just through this I'm like when I was processing this last night I did not ask the wrong I didn't I didn't ask the right question about this.
Hope Mangiafico (08:19)
That hurts!
Nikki Humphrey (08:36)
I didn't make it personal.
I didn't allow him to talk to me about me.
Hope Mangiafico (08:44)
Neither did I. It was, here are the things that we're gonna do today. ⁓
Nikki Humphrey (08:50)
This is folks, this is a real time conviction.
Hope Mangiafico (08:56)
You know, I feel that what I wrote down, they were like, there were five things, that was not intentional, but five things that kind of block. And they had to follow an exercise of like repenting, doing like a holy exchange, declaring certain things, or just like using our sacred imagination. But I feel that that's not simple enough.
because it actually, that question might be what it boils down to and based off what each of us individually hear, then we have our next step of what are we gonna do with what we hear? If it's a yes, go run some laps, man. You should be energized if you hear a yes from the Lord that you have absolutely received his love and said it was enough for you. Literally, you should be fired up. But if you heard a no, like I did.
Then we have to say, what do we do with that? I don't have an answer at the moment, do you?
Nikki Humphrey (09:54)
What do we do with that? We have to take a deep look, a deeper look at our actions. And just through you talking, Hope, like that's how it like, I heard like, you're just so great at gratitude, but you don't even, you're not grateful for my love. You're not even accepting all that I have to offer you in that area. You're taking crumbs. You're being grateful for a crumb.
Hope Mangiafico (10:15)
⁓
Nikki Humphrey (10:22)
When my love, you should embrace that. You should go all in on my love. Don't go all in on gratitude, go all in on my love.
Hope Mangiafico (10:34)
You know, that's a very interesting way to put that because it's kind of on point with what you were saying that maybe our next recording might be on where, you know,
I don't want to try not to say it just because I don't know how it's gonna pan out, but it was like the way you were presenting that before we hit record, it's like gratitude is what the world teaches, which we've talked about before in previous episodes, but wouldn't it be like God to flip it?
Nikki Humphrey (11:00)
Yes.
Yeah, because he was giving me things that block of God's love was like shame, guilt, self condemnation, all topics that we talked about, unbelief, you know, not trusting what the Bible has to say and applying it to us. But that's prescriptive. That's not personal.
Hope Mangiafico (11:19)
Yeah.
Mmm. I see what you're saying.
Nikki Humphrey (11:31)
Like you should probably fit into one of these categories.
Hope Mangiafico (11:31)
Hmm.
Right, well that's kind of how I see my notes too, was like more categorial. Yeah. Even though mine weren't quite like yours, mine was like we are shaped by what happens to us in the world so then becomes like our identity which that was rooted in what he showed me. And then mine was that we consent to be an independent. ⁓ We're afraid of the depth and vulnerability because his love is deep which is why I probably felt it in my chest.
Nikki Humphrey (11:41)
Yeah.
Hope Mangiafico (12:08)
you know, ⁓ as we're talking. And then the last one was like, we use our moment to moment in life, so our second by seconds in life to validate our unworthiness or using your list, the guilt that we feel, the shame that we feel, we use our day to day moment by moment to define things because that's close to us. So then we're saying, ooh, that's constant, instead of saying God's love is the constant.
Wow.
Nikki Humphrey (12:36)
because we were created out of God's love.
Hope Mangiafico (12:42)
And if we could understand that and believe that, let's, okay, let's talk about that. I feel that that's a hard thing for people to understand for a couple of reasons. One, we're so tiny and God is so big. Two, it has often been taught, whether it was seasonally or it has become a foundation of some of the churches, that we are nothing.
Nikki Humphrey (12:45)
Yeah.
Hope Mangiafico (13:07)
And the other part that, you know, really gets people stuck is that, well, if God knew the fall was going to happen, why would he create a shirt and sound like he loves us? If, you know, you see all this yuck in the world. ⁓ And, you know, and what's like coming up for me and even just giving that list is like, no matter what people say externally, the only way
you can truly believe that we were made out of God's love. From love is to give him a chance for you to encounter it even a little bit. We seek questions to help validate our beliefs we already have.
Nikki Humphrey (13:47)
Yes, we have to.
Hmm?
Hope Mangiafico (13:56)
I do that.
you
And so like as much as people probably don't love that sometimes you and I don't answer the direct quote-unquote hard questions, it's because a lot of the questions we have as humans are not the right questions to ask.
They're almost like you were saying, categorical or prescriptive, whereas he wants to answer questions by encounter.
Nikki Humphrey (14:25)
That's right.
Hope Mangiafico (14:31)
And we bought, because we checklist. We want answer. We want, there's four types of Christians. Which one am I in?
Nikki Humphrey (14:45)
Yes, because we want that immediate what we talked about before the we started recording dopamine hit
Hope Mangiafico (14:54)
We were talking about that and that's a very timely point on this.
Nikki Humphrey (14:59)
God will use anything we talk about.
Hope Mangiafico (15:03)
Yeah, apparently I never get used to that, huh? Because I see it every episode. I just, as you're saying that and I'm looking at the title, what blocks our ability to accept God's love? Dopamine hits do. Scrolling on the phone. That is a dopamine hit that is so weird because you're really like numbing out or comparing, which is another weird level of all of that.
Nikki Humphrey (15:20)
They do.
Hope Mangiafico (15:33)
But I think about me as an example of having a lot of manifested like ADHD symptoms. ADHD, for example, you go from one thing to another to another.
based off DSM-5 or whatever, there's certain markers for that, but if you actually pull back the curtain and look at it from a spiritual, emotional standpoint, you're hopping around because nothing can keep your tension long enough, so you're going from dopamine to dopamine to dopamine and dopamine, and that's rooted in trauma or things that have not been dealt with, and so your survival is go, go, go, go, go, go.
Nikki Humphrey (16:08)
Amen.
Hope Mangiafico (16:12)
What if all this boils down to dopamine? I don't know. Or distractions. Dopamine is a major distraction used or major block used by the opposite kingdom so we don't have those encounters, which is all that God needs us to have, are encounters.
Nikki Humphrey (16:32)
Yes. Yes. And dopamine will get us into bad relationships.
Hope Mangiafico (16:40)
because it feels good in first or first split second. ⁓
Nikki Humphrey (16:43)
Bad
relationships, bad decisions.
Hope Mangiafico (16:47)
So that's another one. Relationships can block you from receiving God's love. That was not even on my radar.
Nikki Humphrey (16:54)
And we
talked about that in previous episodes, how we would take these influences in these people and buy into their programs. And we would make them our gods for the moment, the season, whatever. And then where was God? He was along for the ride, but he wasn't the main driving force.
Hope Mangiafico (17:15)
Yeah.
Nikki Humphrey (17:16)
And that really blocks love because we're looking from affirmation from that person that we're buying into. We're not looking for love and affirmation from God.
Hope Mangiafico (17:20)
Yeah.
Do you know as you're saying that I just got a vision? So you know how people say like, have this God shaped hole in our heart. God is so big, that means the hole is so big, which means it can fit a lot of other stuff in it.
Nikki Humphrey (17:45)
That's good.
Hope Mangiafico (17:47)
So it's not, ⁓ I replaced one thing instead of receiving the love of God. It's going to be multiple because only God is big enough to fill that whole hole all by himself. So we have multiple things filling that hole.
which is why we continuously get deeper revelation on it because that's a, it's a big hole to fill. And it wasn't just you using that influencer comment. Like for me, it wasn't just one person I was following. There were a lot. And I've shared that before. I someone was like, you've got to, I was just about to say that. And I thought I sounded so cool and official and really important. And I was gonna end.
Nikki Humphrey (18:24)
Yes, we do talk about your mentors.
Hope Mangiafico (18:34)
was changing the world because I was investing in myself.
Nikki Humphrey (18:38)
Yes! samesies
Hope Mangiafico (18:49)
That's bringing tears to my eyes because it's that funny. In hindsight, it's that funny.
Nikki Humphrey (18:57)
Can I get a refund? ⁓
Hope Mangiafico (19:00)
Right. ⁓
I think, holistically, I am due about 10 grand on all I, at least 10 grand that I paid.
Nikki Humphrey (19:13)
Thank you.
Hope Mangiafico (19:15)
That's crazy.
and, but talking about the love of God and God being love, he redeems it all. While we're on this journey of figuring out our blocks and figuring out God, is your love enough? No? Okay. Well, what is the other thing in this big hole that I'm, that I'm filling up with?
Nikki Humphrey (19:22)
Yes.
Yeah, another question would be like, God, what if I filled this hole? What did I put in there that needs to be taken out so I can fully receive your love?
Hope Mangiafico (19:52)
And as you were saying that, compliment to like, or a word to add to that question so that it doesn't feel overwhelming, because you and I are very natural with this, we've been doing it a long time, ⁓ is what needs to be taken out today?
Nikki Humphrey (20:06)
today. Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (20:08)
So it feels more like, okay, God, we can do this. ⁓ And I recently, the reason that even came to mind is Mary. I was talking to Mary and we work with this holistic practitioner. And I was talking to that practitioner as well. And the practitioner specifically said when I was asking her, like, I'm not feeling good. These are the things, blah, blah, blah. She's like, why like to ask the body today what is needed to be addressed? Yes, Hope, you have.
all of these things going on. But not all of these things addressed today are gonna be beneficial for you, are gonna edify you, make you feel better. It's about right here, right now. Making God's definition of today change and redefine what we call our definition of today, which we define them as our moment by moment, second by second actions that we do. And he says, no.
Nikki Humphrey (20:42)
Mm-hmm.
Hope Mangiafico (21:06)
he defines today as what's going to set my child free and become closer and in more alignment with her identity.
Nikki Humphrey (21:20)
I just need to share this. We asked what needs when you asked what needs to be removed today. You know what I heard?
Me.
Hope Mangiafico (21:31)
Mmm.
I feel that the weight of that.
Nikki Humphrey (21:37)
Yeah.
Yeah.
Hope Mangiafico (21:41)
we get in our own ways so many times.
Nikki Humphrey (21:44)
And
I'm like trying to be the filter in there.
And God's like, my love doesn't need a filter.
Hope Mangiafico (21:52)
Ew. Whoa.
Wow.
That's beautiful. Hard.
Nikki Humphrey (22:05)
hard because I always felt like I never trusted love from other people close to me.
Hope Mangiafico (22:11)
Yes.
Yes.
Nikki Humphrey (22:15)
And so I filter it and I try to protect it. And I want to be loved the way that in my head, like I want to be loved. But God doesn't love like that. I don't need to filter his love because his love is perfect. It's not worldly love that I've been hurt. I've been hurt by worldly love.
Hope Mangiafico (22:30)
Bye.
I see what you're saying. It's making sense. Because all you've had is your own lens. And own experiences. And even though in this compliments what I've said, but also shows how deep it goes. You've had so many encounters with the Lord. But if we don't ask him the specifics, we continue to block it. And so what just happened, using your example right now,
Nikki Humphrey (22:40)
Yes.
Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (23:03)
is it was yet another encounter where you had ears open asking specific to go even deeper.
And I feel so much of what you shared as a true reality for all of us, because that was kind of my first thing. We are shaped by what happens to us around us and our decision, which distorts our ability to see our true identity and God's love. That is a true reality and we have to actually accept that that is true.
but see those as directions to point us back to the Lord, to open ourselves up to asking him for truth.
Nikki Humphrey (23:50)
Yeah, and I had something similar that I had written for RidePoint One. And then I put Jeremiah 31.3. I have loved you with an everlasting love. And that word everlasting just, it expands time, right? It's from the beginning to now and moving forward forever. It's everlasting.
Hope Mangiafico (24:01)
Mm.
Hmm. Hmm.
Nikki Humphrey (24:21)
It will never stop.
And yeah, and I was blocking the receiving that thinking it was conditional wasn't everlasting.
Hope Mangiafico (24:27)
That's so hard to your head around.
Mmm.
That's probably one of the hard things too, Nikki, is we have our life experiences and then you read a scripture like Jeremiah 31.3 and it's like, but God, that's so hard to comprehend. And as I'm thinking through that just for myself, and I guess I'm being repetitive at this rate, but I'm honestly just thinking out loud, he's like, I'm not trying to get you to comprehend it, I'm trying to get you to experience it.
And that's very helpful for me because I do still tend to want to put it in a box. a part of that, thank you Lord, gaining revelation from just a thought I had last night. I feel that I am of the utmost use to the Lord by being able to teach other people in very definitive ways about Him.
And there are people, know, like there is a gift that is being a teacher, but it is not being able to say God's love is this.
And I think I've still tried to put myself in that category, which is furthering the hole and the void and my inability to accept his love because I'm so fixated on it fitting into a perfect, beautiful sentence equation however you want to say it so I can all in the name of Jesus, give it to other people.
but it's not.
Nikki Humphrey (26:16)
It's those encounters, like you said from the beginning.
Hope Mangiafico (26:19)
Right, and I can't believe and I know I feel like I'm being repetitive. I'm like, God, you're that simple that it's just encounters.
Nikki Humphrey (26:25)
Yes, he is. Like if you read
some of like the miracles that Jesus, it's so simple.
Hope Mangiafico (26:32)
Yeah, we talk about that all the time,
but you can see it's still hard to actually believe. And you know, Nikki, I'm so grateful that real time in our episodes we have encounters, and this is a really good one of expressing that, because that's one reason now I'm feeling in this episode he ever told us to do this podcast is because we were only supposed to be vessels for people to encounter him.
Nikki Humphrey (26:37)
Yes!
Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (26:59)
Because as we can build our history book with encounters, then we're gonna see our lives be in more alignment with all that he has for us because we will actually be truly, eventually, fully washed in his love.
Nikki Humphrey (27:18)
Yes.
Yes.
And wouldn't it be better to experience that everlasting love now than just wait until we get to have it.
Hope Mangiafico (27:33)
And that's possible. And that's something I believe someone needed to hear, Nikki, is like, heaven's talked about so often and historically, I mean, that's all that has been emphasized. And it's like, nah, it starts now.
Nikki Humphrey (27:47)
Yes, on Earth as it is in Heaven.
Hope Mangiafico (27:52)
Someone needed to hear that because you know, I'm sure you've had encounters with people or interaction I'm gonna use the word interaction now that we've been using encounters so much You've had interaction with people where they're just waiting for heaven because they think heaven is the best heaven is so good But do not sit and pass your time here waiting for that That is I don't think there's a scripture saying wait, wait, wait
Because guess what Wait Wait Wait does? It blocks blocks blocks
Nikki Humphrey (28:24)
It does. It really does. Yeah.
Hope Mangiafico (28:28)
And I mean, there's a time.
Nikki Humphrey (28:28)
I just think about like my
life, how different it would be if I just experienced his love now fully.
Hope Mangiafico (28:37)
right.
And his timing is perfect for gaining that revelation, you know? And I always have to remind myself of that because, you you make your own statements of that where it's like, man, if only I knew this sooner, if only X, Y, and Z. And he doesn't tell us to do that, even though it's so easy because we have finally had that encounter to taste and see and to feel that goodness.
But because he is Redeemer and you know, I don't know which book of the Bible it's in, but it's like, you know, restoring what the locusts ate up. it's never too late. And I would, I would tell people to be careful, no matter if you are 15, 30, 45, 75, whatever, to not let your thoughts wander backwards too long.
because then you're still missing out on what all he has left while you're actually living in the revelation of love.
Nikki Humphrey (29:48)
And you know, the Bible talks about how his perfect love cancels out fear and all of that. And I'm just like, maybe I wouldn't be so fearful about situations if I just
went all in on God's Cause perfect love will cast out fear. And just like when we're loved well in the earthly terms, we just act better, do better. You know, like we're almost elevated because of that person's love. It's just fact. Like, I don't know anybody who's loved well, who didn't have a little easier time in the moment, but think about
Hope Mangiafico (30:08)
Yes.
Yeah.
Nikki Humphrey (30:31)
if we accepted God's perfect love and didn't block it? How would we feel? Like talk about an upgrade in the armor.
Hope Mangiafico (30:40)
Yeah.
That's a really good question. How would it feel to fully accept God's love?
Nikki Humphrey (30:50)
And what would that change? What would I do that I'm not doing now?
Hope Mangiafico (30:59)
⁓ Be a little more restful and peaceful.
Nikki Humphrey (31:04)
Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (31:06)
Yeah.
I mean, I'm still honestly, Nikki, I'm chewing on what he showed you about you being in the way and being a filter because.
I think all of us can relate to that ⁓ and like defining, like being the filter based off of our life experiences. And I haven't been able to put that down despite our conversation moving on because it carries into even the last question you just asked of like, how would I handle things differently, know, day to day?
Nikki Humphrey (31:40)
Yeah.
Hope Mangiafico (31:42)
If I wasn't so busy trying to be like, well, I want to make sure it fits this way because then I'll feel like I'm coddled or I'll feel like I'm safe or I'll feel this. Well, then you're tired and you're like, you're trying so hard to make it suit you. ⁓ It's exhausting.
Nikki Humphrey (32:03)
I just when I experienced the filter, just when I got to receive that download, it wrecked me. So I was just like, gee. But I was thinking back, Hope, because you and I both got different revelations for this, how it was going to go. And then I was thinking, why did you do that, God? I'm like, he's so intentional, because he knew he was going to give a different download to me today.
As soon as you record, it was like a whole new thing. So I would know the difference for myself in that moment. And then that's how I would know it was from him because it was so off base from what I wrote out yesterday.
Hope Mangiafico (32:52)
Mm.
Nikki Humphrey (32:54)
when I was putting my worldly
lens on it and trying to make it a teachable moment.
Hope Mangiafico (32:59)
Well, and I'll be honest, Nikki, as beautiful as this looks on paper, it wasn't easy to produce, which we know that when we're really flowing and it even comes out as a teachable moment, which has happened recently for when I was talking about the journey of obedience. ⁓ That came out so naturally, I didn't try. This one I tried a little harder, which to your point, he was showing.
the more of like, hey Hope, this is how you can interfere. And what you shared just validated something that I came across, it's probably been close to a year ago. I've talked about day trading, I've talked about my journal, whatever. I was going through my notes today, I was like, it's time for me to reevaluate where I am in this process. And I had on half a page, one sentence and it said, I am not hearing him wrong, I'm just learning.
And it sounds so goofy, but like I was getting so upset with myself because I'm like, God, I'm not hearing you right. So I'm making dumb mistakes. It's like, who said he's not guiding my mistakes so that I learn the lesson that needs to be learned? Who said that?
Nikki Humphrey (34:10)
Yes. And then it didn't replace that word with loving. He is not loving me wrong. I'm just learning how to receive his love.
Hope Mangiafico (34:20)
wonderful.
And I really like that because you're reframing, yeah, reframing puts it on God, whereas my question was actually through my lens of still feeling dumb and stupid and unable to do things, which was, again, my point one on this thing had to do with I was so deeply ingrained and thinking my identity was rooted in my trained habits, right?
And so that's that right out of the gate was the wrong perspective because it was rooted in me.
Nikki Humphrey (34:55)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Hope Mangiafico (34:59)
and you just whoop, put it back on the father, which is exactly what he wants. I was reading, I think it was in, yeah, it was in Hebrews today. Again, can't tell you the chapters. But help with my chapters, they aren't Roman numerals. I have a really hard time remembering them. But I think it was somewhere between Hebrews five through seven, and it was revisiting how with Abraham, God made the covenant on himself.
in my interpretation of that was like, one, he loved Abraham and all the future generations so much, he didn't want to risk it going wrong. And he knew he was the only dependable vessel. And so he took it upon himself to ensure that his kids, which he made out of love, from love, would have all the things that he promised them.
And so think it's a really good challenge, to, which we would say this anyways, but on a new level, to when we catch ourselves saying something or acting away or scrolling in comparison or whatever it may be, pause and be like, are my thoughts and things I'm saying pointing back at me?
I can't handle that.
God's love can handle that, so let me point it back to him and reframe. I can't give another example, but you know what I'm saying? It's like, let me flip that script and do like he did with Abraham and making the covenant on his behalf and not even incorporating Abraham's abilities or lack thereof or his mistakes
Nikki Humphrey (36:39)
Right, no, yeah.
Crazy.
Hope Mangiafico (36:44)
And we have to accept that though, that's the hard thing.
Like, God, you're calling me to go do this thing and you're telling me that I just have to trust that you're gonna be there for that whole duration. He's like, yeah, that's all you gotta do. If you don't do it, there's gonna be little blocking.
Nikki Humphrey (37:01)
Right.
Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (37:11)
Simple, not easy.
Nikki Humphrey (37:13)
Simple, easy. Yes. Yeah. And even if we do a little blocking, it can have a big impact.
Hope Mangiafico (37:22)
I was gonna say a little block goes a long ways, yeah.
Nikki Humphrey (37:24)
Yeah,
just like Satan twists something, just a little micro particle. And it just knocks everything else off kilter.
Hope Mangiafico (37:33)
That's the truth.
Yeah, a 1 % of a lie can ruin a whole nation.
It's really good point.
Which leads me to this last statement I or that I wrote, because what you said just fed into that so well. I said, we have, without realizing it, become pleased with just getting by. We take that, we seize that as sufficient, and we believe it's as good as it'll be, missing the fullness of God's design for our life.
We have become okay with our small blocks because we're still surviving. We're still getting by.
Nikki Humphrey (38:21)
Yes.
And we're doing all the things that we think a good Christian should. We're in our Bible and we're trying to be like Jesus and we're trying to hear, but we could do all those things and still be blocking God's love.
And that's, think the call for today is look inside what is in that hole, that God shaped hole in us. And what's the one thing like you said, Hope, what's the one thing that needs to be removed today?
Hope Mangiafico (38:55)
Yeah.
And then whatever he highlights, you can repent, use your sacred imagination. Honestly, Nikki, with yours that you gave, I literally just saw like in a heart shape, which I know that it's not real, it is what the, like what your sacred imagine forms as the image doesn't really important. It's actually the follow through on the sacred imagination part. So I saw like a heart and almost like a filter right between where like the two halves meet. And like I saw as simple as it seems,
just lifting the filter so there's a free flow.
Nikki Humphrey (39:26)
Mm-hmm.
Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (39:30)
It can be that simple. And just that almost like starts that rewiring of your brain. So without you understanding, because it's through God that actually helps you redeem that, recover from doing that for however many years, he's gonna change your thinking.
Nikki Humphrey (39:31)
could be that simple.
Right, and it's a good, funny, it's a good heart check. Did I put the filter back in? Is the filter back in?
Hope Mangiafico (39:57)
Yeah.
Yeah. And you could probably, now that he's highlighted it to you, you'll be more sensitive to it. That's like the natural thing. He highlights, you say, okay, God, I received that. And then your sensitivity level, which might be even uptick in your upgrade and armor. Sensitivity, I feel like, directly correlates with your armor upgrade.
Nikki Humphrey (40:20)
Yes, for sure.
Hope Mangiafico (40:22)
And that's
how you remove your blocks.
Nikki Humphrey (40:24)
Mm-hmm.
Hope Mangiafico (40:27)
So I couldn't agree more, It's God is your love enough, yes or no, and then what needs to be removed today.
Nikki Humphrey (40:38)
That's so good. Remember before we recorded, I'm like, have a final word. I kind of went with everything.
Hope Mangiafico (40:44)
Yeah.
Yeah, I figure you're I when you said that your final words to me are always always
Nikki Humphrey (40:51)
I don't
know if it went with what I wrote, but it went with what we covered. So I'm gonna read it now. You can't stop God from loving you, but you can stop yourself from receiving that love. And he's inviting you today to lay down every wall, every I'm not enough and every what if he's disappointed in me? Because here's the truth.
He isn't disappointed, he's delighted. He isn't withholding, he's pouring out. He isn't waiting for you to be perfect, he's waiting for you to be present. You are deeply loved, fully forgiven, chosen on purpose. The love of God is already yours. All you have to do is open your heart and say, Father, I receive your love.
Hope Mangiafico (41:41)
I had in my end, said, say out loud, father, I receive your love. I love you.
That'll do it.
Nikki Humphrey (41:52)
That'll do it.
Hope Mangiafico (41:55)
until next time, be blessed and may you have so many encounters with the Father's love.
