Nikki Humphrey (00:00)
Hi, I'm Nikki.
Hope Mangiafico (00:01)
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. 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 (00:41)
Yes, today we're stepping into an agreement, the good, the bad, the ugly about agreements. also what came up when I was thinking about this yesterday is covenants that we make knowingly and unknowingly when we agree to things. So I can't wait to dive into this today.
Hope Mangiafico (00:59)
Yep.
put that into and you know what was kind of fun as I was reading the intro is like here's the truth you've been given great and precious promises by God. So before we even jump in, let me just go ahead and say we're gonna unleash a lot about what we do personally, but God has already actually kept his covenant on his behalf with all his promises. So as we share these things that come to us as we're talking today, know that God's promise is still
withstand and are greater, but we need to bring to light those known and unknown things we've done, right?
Nikki Humphrey (01:34)
Yes.
that makes so much sense. Yes. Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (01:38)
So I really want to emphasize that because it don't mean God's stuff went bye bye and that's the truth.
Nikki Humphrey (01:45)
Right, yes.
And in the Bible, you see time and time again where God has kept his promise, his covenant, his agreement that he's made with others. It's us and our earthly desires, wants, needs, power struggles that we go off and make them something that they weren't ever supposed to be.
Hope Mangiafico (01:52)
Yes.
Exactly, and I think we both probably have some good downloads and I do want to just Just share this on as an entry point I can't shake it and I was like God this almost feels relevant But you didn't give it to me when I was journaling, but ⁓ I was reading Hebrews 13
yesterday and a bible verse jumped at me and I was like, whoa, God, this almost feels like an agreement conversation. But what I feel the conviction of is you're telling me that this is definitely how I have fallen into this trap for lack of a better term, impure covenants and agreements, right? And so was Hebrews 13 five. And I just feel this so heavily, whatever it means for each of us.
Let your conversation be without and be content with such things that you have. For he has said, God has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. And I was like, dang Lord, I know that one. have desired things that were not in front of me. And who knows, know, this scripture reveals the heart, scripture reveals truth.
Is it all rooted in the fact that we don't believe that he never left us, that he never forsook us, that just like you were saying, Nikki, all throughout the scriptures, ⁓ it shows that God keeps his covenant. So we go around, want, want, desire change, desire this, desire that. It's all because we don't believe in God's agreements.
Nikki Humphrey (03:39)
Bright.
Hope Mangiafico (03:40)
I just, couldn't shake that scripture and so I had to just share it right out of the gate.
Nikki Humphrey (03:46)
It's such a good scripture because like you said, it's our desires that mess it up. And how many times have we put somebody else's, and we've talked about this before, expectations on ourselves, ⁓ good or bad expectations, like we've taken them, we've taken them to heart, we've come into agreement with them. And even, I'm thinking like we can make an agreement with ourselves that's just a bold faced lie.
Hope Mangiafico (03:58)
and
Mm-hmm. yeah.
Nikki Humphrey (04:13)
And I was really, that's what really sprang up when you were reading that Bible verse, because I'm just like, yeah. And I was debating what hurts more, like coming in agreement with something else or lying to ourselves and agreeing to that.
Hope Mangiafico (04:22)
⁓
Nikki Humphrey (04:30)
I think.
Hope Mangiafico (04:30)
Yeah, I mean, that's a really good question to ask ourselves because, you know, we all make different agreements, right? Different covenants for X, Y, and Z. I know we're going to cover some of the reasons why I think today. But I know like just using... Full circle moment just realizing this.
One scripture yelled at me yesterday and today I sent a text about something. God was showing me like I was coveting other people's health. And because I've been very unhealthy, like just it's just the truth. If you look at me, you might not know, but my body is screaming all the time. And that coveting is me desiring something else and there which it does. It's mind you.
You want to desire to be well, to be whole. But when you see other people and you have this little thought of like, I don't have that. Or you come up with all these different excuses or whatever. Maybe again, we're all different. You come into some sort of agreement that.
the spiritual realm, you know, we have all these different realms, we have the natural and the supernatural and all of that. It listens. And so I was sending a text to someone this morning and I was like, you know, I'm realizing, I don't really know what's next. I feel the Lord telling me I need to be content, not even realizing this Hebrew scripture was just a conviction yesterday, that I need to be content because I'm actually keeping myself stuck.
Nikki Humphrey (06:00)
Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (06:01)
And it's God's like, I never left you. I never forsook you. I'm here. My agreement's here. And so anyways, I just, I can't shake that. And I wouldn't have even known that in my heart of hearts, the desire to be well with a sneaky part of comparison, which is kind of what you were saying in a different light and presentation, became an agreement.
that I'm going to kind of just stay stuck, even though those weren't my exact words.
Nikki Humphrey (06:35)
that makes so much sense. And that kind of piggybacks on like what's worse, like those things that you manufacture yourself or things that other people put on you that you agree with. And that's what really was coming up for me too, totally different scenario.
Hope Mangiafico (06:40)
Right, exactly. Exactly.
Yeah.
Nikki Humphrey (06:51)
But I'm just like, I don't know. To me, heart, my conviction in my heart check is like, that's
Hope Mangiafico (06:59)
yourself.
Well, right, because it's like you said, it's a lie and you're under I guess they're all technically a lie, you we how does this come? Well, I guess at the end of the day, it's all our choosing what we come under. there's this. this links to some stuff we talked about, I think a little bit about the self help episode the last episode, the enemy's kingdom's built on self.
Nikki Humphrey (07:10)
It's our choice though, right? We're choosing.
Hope Mangiafico (07:27)
So wouldn't that be the hardest thing to break free of?
That's it. We can break free more easily from others than ourselves. That's what it is.
Nikki Humphrey (07:35)
That's it.
Yes!
Yes, because we don't have, we might not have others coming into agreement, but you have the enemy coming into agreement and he is hard to shake.
Hope Mangiafico (07:50)
Right, because it's your thoughts, right? Yeah,
yeah. Yeah, he talks a lot. ⁓ Even when you're in your home by yourself and there's no one telling you what to do. So I think we answered it, at least for us, I'd be interested to know, know, if the listeners take their time and ask the same question, because again, it will be different for everyone, but I think we all have a piece where it is a lie to ourselves to some degree.
Nikki Humphrey (07:54)
Mm-hmm.
Yes,
and I love that illustration. Like God just waving his hands like no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, got it wrong. You got it. ⁓ Okay, but I'm still here.
Hope Mangiafico (08:22)
you
Yeah, and you know when I was asking the Lord like about today, I'll say I wrote a bunch. I don't know what's relevant, but holy, but I will say this is one thing I heard him directly say. Agreements equals covenants, right? We know that. And I said, I hear God saying, I'm either in them or I'm not. There's no middle ground. I heard that loud and clear.
Nikki Humphrey (08:30)
and
Yes.
That's right.
⁓ that gives me all the, I love that. Say it again, because we need to hear all again.
Hope Mangiafico (08:57)
I hear God saying, I'm either in them or I'm not. There's no middle ground.
Nikki Humphrey (09:05)
That's the truth.
Hope Mangiafico (09:07)
And then I built on that. If he's not in it, it's being built on something false, which is like a lie, Nikki, and unstable. Because there's only two kingdoms. His, which is one of life, or the kingdom of darkness, which scripture all throughout, that's basically death, right? That's how it's often described. And then I did much like, ⁓ you made reference that all through the Bible, there's examples of God.
Nikki Humphrey (09:14)
Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (09:35)
in his covenant and I said a great pure example is you have the Old Testament and the New Testament. Testament actually means covenant. So these are two separate covenants that are God's binding agreement to us. First through the Old Law and second through Jesus and they're all rooted in love.
He never left us nor forsook us.
Nikki Humphrey (10:00)
So what I had, so talking about definitions, I wrote that what an agreement is to me is a mental or spiritual contract that gives words, things, actions, permission to take root in your heart. So it be good or bad.
Hope Mangiafico (10:10)
Mm.
That's perfect idea. I actually didn't define it. I'm glad you did because you know, it's kind of like way back when we did the guilt versus shame episode. You're like, hey, we talk about these terms all the time. Let's let's define them agreement to me. I just understand without actually truly going to a definition. I just like I just know as soon as I speak something or do something I'm giving permission for something to take root. Like you said, thank you. Can you say that definition one more time?
Nikki Humphrey (10:42)
Mm-hmm.
Yes.
Agreement, how I defined it for me is a mental or spiritual contract that gives words, actions, insert whatever their permission to take root in your heart.
Hope Mangiafico (11:00)
Perfect.
I think that's so, so good.
Nikki Humphrey (11:05)
Cause it made me think about in previous episodes about the hole and we get to choose what's in there. And I often forget like that hole or our heart or whatever we're letting come in, whatever giving permission, like it stays there until we do something with it.
Hope Mangiafico (11:13)
Yeah.
Well, you know what I was just thinking when you talked about the hole that now we're talking about mental or spiritual contracts, so they're binding that that whole has stitches in it and they're either stitching in the lies and the false or they're stitching in the truth.
Nikki Humphrey (11:31)
Yes.
Mm-hmm.
That's right.
Hope Mangiafico (11:48)
literally binding, bringing together. And that's also, you said, rooted in you, like they do become a part of you. And that can be very hard for us as humans to understand because we naturally have very natural minds of just what's in front of us. But I think it's really important to keep in mind that it's just like you said, mental, which is not physical, and spiritual, which is not physical.
Nikki Humphrey (11:50)
Yeah.
Hope Mangiafico (12:18)
So really, it's not you. You know, they talk about, you know, musicians like signing their life away to the devil. They probably, you know, it's not a literal contract that you're signing. They might do that. Who knows what kind of rituals they got. But I want to make sure just like you're defining it, Nikki, like as a listener, like be aware it is not a physical signing your life away, nor I don't know why I'm adding this one now, because I feel like we're supposed to be talking about taking personal responsibility.
But you may also be dealing with contracts and agreements that people in your generation did.
Nikki Humphrey (12:55)
Yes. Yes. So as you were talking, I think about the spiritual, the mental, spiritual contract that a lot of us agree to, they'll be like, well, you're just like your mom, or you're just like your dad. So if you think about their dysfunction and all of their contracts, their agreements they came into, if you're saying you're just like them, you're taking on everything.
Hope Mangiafico (13:09)
Ugh.
Nikki Humphrey (13:24)
that they agreed to also.
Hope Mangiafico (13:28)
Then you have the double-edged sword where you say I want to be nothing like someone and then you swing on the pendulum on the other end which is also another agreement on something completely different where God is in the in-between.
Nikki Humphrey (13:32)
Mm-hmm. Yes.
That's right.
Hope Mangiafico (13:42)
He goes, hey, I'm here. I'm actually in the middle. I am not here on the end and I'm not here on the other end. At least that's my story. So, yeah, I think, I think that's a good open door to talk a little bit more too about like each of us as individuals because I was thinking about scripture and I was like, man, there's many impure agreements throughout the Bible that don't involve God.
Nikki Humphrey (13:43)
No.
Yeah. No, that's right.
Hope Mangiafico (14:11)
But we should look at ourselves today and that if we're in any agreement with something false, it will lead to detriment and defeat. So we want to really focus on how to not lead ourselves into detriment and defeat.
So question for you, Nikki. You I think you kind of hinted at this already. But one of the first ones that I felt jumped out to me as to why we may have those agreements that lead to detrimental ways, actions, whatever, is that self protection due to something that's happened in our life. And, and you know,
The word that I had learned through different ministries was they're actually internal oaths because of that. So I will never, which is what I was just saying actually in your example of swinging on the opposite end, I will never do X, Y, and Z that I saw a parent do or a family member do or I'll never act this way. ⁓ And that actually destroys you slowly because it was meant to be a one-time protection, not a life.
long lifestyle choice.
Nikki Humphrey (15:20)
That's really good.
Hope Mangiafico (15:23)
I know I have stories of that.
Nikki Humphrey (15:25)
Yes, yeah. And just like we talked about, like hearing God's voice, like all the things, when it's the right time, God will bring up these agreements that you made. And sometimes you might kick yourself after and be like,
Hope Mangiafico (15:39)
Right.
Nikki Humphrey (15:47)
might have just jacked myself up for a season or something because of what I came to agreement on detoured me so far from God's plan.
Hope Mangiafico (15:54)
Ugh.
Detour is Curly Q, right?
Nikki Humphrey (15:59)
Right?
And just like, okay, I don't know, women are gonna have different feelings about this, but this is what the Lord convicted me of a while ago, like an unconscious agreement that I made. So for so long, I was on birth control, because I didn't wanna be pregnant, didn't wanna be pregnant, I didn't wanna be pregnant. Kept coming into agreement with that, that, that, that, that, And then...
Hope Mangiafico (16:21)
YAY!
Nikki Humphrey (16:26)
And then later on, when I wanted to have Josephine, the doctors told me even before that, that I'd probably never be able to have a baby. And then I had Josephine, so she was like a miracle baby. But I never canceled out that agreement of that I don't want to be pregnant. And so that was when God was like really humbling me. And he was just like, I was just honoring the agreement that you made.
Like I said, not for everybody. That is my situation, but that is something that was hard. It was a hard conviction.
Hope Mangiafico (17:08)
But it shows, okay, so your story is also beautiful because God says, I'm honoring the agreement you made and people are like, why do bad things happen if God's in control? He actually isn't, he gave us free will and because he doesn't turn on himself and he has these spiritual laws such as binding agreements, he can't break his own and so he honors what we choose.
Nikki Humphrey (17:17)
in.
Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (17:33)
That's a great example as to why we may feel stuck or defeated in certain areas. It could have been those internal seasonal... Oaths. Without even knowing it, that's a really good example, Nikki.
Nikki Humphrey (17:43)
Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (17:53)
It's so good.
Wow, that's really, really good. Which also kind of leads me to a second thought that I felt like the Lord gave me as to how these detrimental agreements show up in our life is like careless words, right? Like you will use birth control as an example, careless words or actions either way, but it's what everyone does, right? You take it because in this season, I don't know why.
Nikki Humphrey (18:18)
Mm-hmm.
Hope Mangiafico (18:22)
keep getting the word season coming back and I think it's the Lord highlighting that. Well, thinking back on your life in seasons, in different seasons you're committed to different things. So I think that might be why it keeps coming up. ⁓ But you're like, well, everyone does it to prevent, so I'm just going to do it because I'm trying to prevent. But then just that little hook.
Nikki Humphrey (18:26)
I think it's a good word though. I think it's a great word. Yeah. ⁓
Hope Mangiafico (18:45)
It is different for everyone, Nikki, and you are right about that. Sometimes that hook drives deeper in some of us than others. That hook takes over. And it was rooted in, again, in the spiritual realm, a careless action or choice. that make sense?
Nikki Humphrey (18:47)
Yeah. Yeah.
Yes.
Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (19:07)
And you know, I thought one of your stories that you've shared, I think just with me personally, so I won't share it on here, but it kept coming to mind for this one, was like word curses and people speaking something over you that you feel for years. And that's not a personal agreement necessarily because it came from external, but you can do the same thing by cursing others.
Nikki Humphrey (19:18)
That's right.
Hope Mangiafico (19:34)
by cursing yourself. ⁓ You know, even little words, little, careless of saying like, you're stupid, you're dumb, you're no good. Seems like just one off responses.
Nikki Humphrey (19:47)
Yeah.
Right. But it plants the seed, right? And so stupid and dumb was a word curse that was said over me a lot. And it was almost like I took that word and put it on a needle and just like sew it in. And so if I ever got a bad grade or didn't understand something, what did I think of automatically? Well, I'm stupid. Well, that's why I didn't understand that. I'm dumb. That's why I failed that test. And that over and over and over again.
I thought that and it's probably not until, I don't know, I started to repair my relationship with Jesus that I was just like, I'm not stupid, I'm not that, I'm really smart. I can learn things really quickly and I can absorb knowledge. But I was blocking all that. I made it so much harder on myself than it had to be.
Hope Mangiafico (20:25)
you
I love that you use the stitching because that goes back to what the Lord showed with the binding. It's stitched together, it's binded in that hole. Lies. And there are lies, but they still stick. And I like that you also called it like the seed being planted because again in scripture there's talks about seeds.
Nikki Humphrey (20:50)
Mm-hmm.
Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (21:04)
They will get watered one way or another if you're not mindful. We want good seeds watered, but unfortunately the bad ones can get watered too.
depending on a lot of factors really.
And I thought this was kind of ⁓ neat, neat, you know, God's cool. So he links all of his truths together. It's probably the right way to say it. But when the careless words concept came up, I thought the Lord was saying like, it shows what we believe in our hearts because Matthew 12 34 says, let what we believe in our hearts pour out in our words.
Nikki Humphrey (21:22)
Thanks for that.
Hope Mangiafico (21:39)
So what we are deeming as careless the spirit realm sees as our core belief in covenant and act on it
And I think how many times, Nikki, have yourself, myself, or you've heard other people when they say something, you're like, you know, you just said this, I didn't mean it. So if you didn't mean it, it's careless. But based on scripture, it's actually a core belief system within you, and it needs to be dealt with, which as you lean into the Lord, like you said, in your personal journey of redeeming your relationship with Jesus or working on that, when you catch that, that's your time to be like, whoo.
I just did something. And go into it with the Father because I believe your sensitivity to him is the Holy Spirit saying, catch it right now. Let's stop bringing detriment into your life.
Nikki Humphrey (22:34)
I can relate to so much as like those careless things that come out of the mouth, it's a people's mouth. And I also see a lot I'm currently teaching at a high school and just like the passing comments in the hallway.
Hope Mangiafico (22:48)
comments.
Nikki Humphrey (22:50)
you know, like somebody who said like, that's just my anxiety or that's that's just my ADHD or that's just like, whatever. Or people are zinging comments like you look so ugly. Just kidding. You know what I mean? Like, you're you're blah, blah, blah. Just kidding. Like
Hope Mangiafico (23:07)
All the just kidding
love to shred ending sentences with just kidding and throw them in the trash in the pit of hell forever. Because I when I finally had my own revelation of what that meant, I was like, that has no right in any of our mouths.
Nikki Humphrey (23:27)
Right. Yeah. Because that doesn't land. What lands is what becomes before the just kidding.
Hope Mangiafico (23:34)
Right, it's just like saying a sentence and then you say, but that's the flip-flop version of that. that's really, that's really good. ⁓ it's so painful to think about and heartbreaking because as we've grown up, Nikki, and matured with our walk with Jesus, we know what it's doing to the other person.
Nikki Humphrey (23:37)
Yeah.
Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (23:59)
And that's what breaks my heart.
Nikki Humphrey (24:02)
Me too.
Hope Mangiafico (24:03)
That's so sad. that leads to so beautifully to Proverbs 18, 21, where there's life and death in the power of the tongue.
Nikki Humphrey (24:13)
Of course I that one down too, yes.
Hope Mangiafico (24:16)
I mean, there's a reason that it's in our tongue. It's because we're God's creation. And so our words create, even if the concepts don't involve his character, they still create. He wants living water to pour out of us and pour out of our hearts, which is John 7 38. But our beliefs, aka our true covenants within us,
They must be with the Father through Jesus only. We must be sanctified. So those core beliefs to come out as living water have to be in alignment with the Father and that happens through sanctification.
Nikki Humphrey (24:45)
Hmm?
Hope Mangiafico (24:58)
And Nikki, as that was coming out and like you said, you had Proverbs 18, 21 as your scripture too. It's a really good reality to realize and also I guess the Lord had me write sanctification as part of this because it's not a, it is a law, but it's not a you need to be perfect right now.
He wants to remind us of his truth, of what his laws are, his covenants, so that as we're walking out this journey, we pay more attention to our words. So it's like a full circle moment with that of, we're just bringing to light what causes detriment here.
so you can walk with him more fully.
Nikki Humphrey (25:50)
Yes. And then I had Matthew 12 37 and it kind of complements what you just said. By your words, you will be justified and by your words, you will be condemned. He wasn't condemning us. He was warning us because words shape our worlds.
Hope Mangiafico (26:03)
Mm.
Mmm.
that's good, Nikki. That really does feed so well into what I just said. Not a condemnation. Not condemning, but warning.
Nikki Humphrey (26:19)
Right. And words like we've been saying this whole episode so far, they shape our world. Are we big picture? Are we small minded? You know, do we think one way because the seed that was planted and it comes to that question like who are we really? Who is the creation that God created us to be?
Hope Mangiafico (26:40)
as you're sharing that, I think what Nikki just shared is the biblical foundation of where the law of attraction comes from. Okay, guys? Just so we get that, speaking of self-help in the last episode, ⁓ law of attraction exists because we are his creation and we have these abilities so he warns us so we are aware of what we're bringing forth in our life.
Nikki Humphrey (26:50)
Yes.
That's right.
Good.
Hope Mangiafico (27:10)
Now, I got another question. This is the last one that he kind of highlighted to me. Have you ever made an agreement out of fear?
Nikki Humphrey (27:12)
Mm-hmm.
Yes, all the time.
Hope Mangiafico (27:24)
I was like, because that was the last one that he highlighted to me. And I wrote down that God is love and his covenants were made from love, which I already mentioned that it's all New Testament, all Testament rooted in love and perfect love cast out fear, which is first John four, 18. So his pure covenant and words cannot be received because of fear. And fear leads us to those self-protection, careless words. ⁓
mindless things that we have given ourselves over to.
Nikki Humphrey (27:59)
Yes, I've done that a lot to protect myself to almost instead of setting myself up for a victory, it's setting myself up for failure and being able to be okay with that failure. Like I'm giving myself an out. I'm coming into agreement with something to give myself an out out of that situation. So then when it doesn't things don't go as planned, you already have your script ready for what you're going to say.
Hope Mangiafico (28:02)
Me too.
Hmm
Nikki Humphrey (28:29)
of why it didn't work out.
Hope Mangiafico (28:32)
perfectly said because you just said that so concisely to where I feel in my mind it's like almost like a memory bank just opened up of how many times in different words God has highlighted that to me and you know what's really interesting? Every time God highlights something new to me, so let's just say my most recent endeavor has been about abandonment, okay? ⁓ With all kinds of different roots to it.
But it's not just abandonment, what's always placed in front of it. The fear of abandonment, not just abandonment, it's not just that, it's always rooted in fear. And so anyways, I have a lot going on in journaling with that guy, but just holistically, when that comes up, it is often because of something that's happened and you self-protect and you want a way out at the end of the day. Or even...
Nikki Humphrey (29:12)
Hmm?
Hope Mangiafico (29:29)
Let's be more, less emotional. I know we often get very heavy and that's just kind of how we operate because we understand how God works and that these are the things that keep us bound. But let's just make it a little more lighthearted, okay? What about talking about a way out and having fear being an extreme prepper for worst case scenarios, you know, end of world, you know, whatever it may be. It looks like you're a really good preparer, but what's actually in the heart?
Nikki Humphrey (29:59)
Mm-hmm. Yeah. Right.
Hope Mangiafico (30:01)
fear of not having enough.
So you got an easy way out just in case something happens. Like these truths, even though Nikki and I, because of our personal experiences, we have a lot of heavy examples, we can't make light of the everyday normal ones we see.
Nikki Humphrey (30:22)
Right. Yeah.
And I think even in my life, like the heavier ones overshadow the smaller ones because the smaller ones are so easy to deal with. And the heavy ones, like you really have to sit down and contemplate, be with your father, talk to him, see what's going on, getting the word. it's...
Hope Mangiafico (30:33)
Hmm.
Nikki Humphrey (30:47)
For me, it's trying to like dismantle all those roots. So it's a little bit more work.
Hope Mangiafico (30:53)
It is, and that's why it's a sanctification process, you know? You know, it makes me think about the scripture, can't tell you where it's at, but where it says Jesus learned obedience. And I think it's really helpful to keep that in mind that he was fully human and fully God and he still had to learn things. And...
I think an obedience is a big deal and it's a hard one to do. And so just be encouraged that Jesus had to learn that, which makes you think about man, he did not sin, which still is really hard to understand how all that works, but he didn't sin, but he was presented with so many things. And he somehow
and we get this power too now which is great didn't choose fear as his agreement
I think Nikki in previous episodes you have mentioned before, one, him being simple, which is a big key. And then two, I believe you've mentioned, and it is true in scripture, he often pulled away to be with the Father. And how can we know what our Father's agreements are? Not just like the New Testament, Old Testament, so Old Law versus Jesus, but like there's so many examples of little personal ones in this Bible too.
Nikki Humphrey (32:09)
Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (32:27)
How can we build up and become that sanctified person without pulling away like Jesus? I like God's saying that is the key. Pulling away like Jesus to be like him and not having fear or other things bind you into different agreements.
Nikki Humphrey (32:50)
That makes sense.
Hope Mangiafico (32:52)
Yeah.
Nikki Humphrey (32:53)
Because if we never quiet ourselves, we're just going to let outside noise take over.
Hope Mangiafico (32:58)
⁓ And I feel like he was in so much noise because people were always coming to him for healing but boy he removed and I assume of course you have a lot of assumptions in the Bible but like that it was real quiet when he would go up on a mountain or whatever it may be
Nikki Humphrey (33:19)
And this is an example of things that we can come into agreement with not even knowing this. I see this with the high school girls I teach all the time, constantly. They're like scrolling social media, all like TikTok, like, you are coming to agreements with some of those things that you are just seeing in a flash and you don't even know it. Yes. Right.
Hope Mangiafico (33:40)
Or hearing, right? That anxiety trend.
Nikki Humphrey (33:45)
different things, different words, and it just sparks all those things because your brain's too quickly saying you're this, you're not this, you're like this, you're not like this person, you need to do that, and you're just like, yes, yes, no, yes, no, yes, and those are agreements.
Hope Mangiafico (34:03)
you had said something earlier talking about the high school students hearing my anxiety my ADHD when you said that it was one of my first parts of my journey of not saying things like my diabetes my X Y & Z which is very similar to so going back to that audio trend that was on social media a stupid dance with like what's I can't remember now, but I never like I try not to listen to it, but it goes my anxiety and so
Nikki Humphrey (34:06)
then.
Hope Mangiafico (34:30)
You you take ownership when you use the word my but just like you're saying I bet it is more sneaky than that. We're just we have again the heart has our core belief so it's running all the time which would be probably in traditional psychology the subconscious. So it's running while you're doing that scrolling making some kind of agreements because like you said
Nikki Humphrey (34:39)
Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (34:59)
it becomes our world, our words become our world and our words are thoughts which also become our world. Thoughts are things is something that I was once taught. So not to be scary. I feel like I say this disclaimer all the time, not to make you afraid.
Nikki Humphrey (35:07)
on
Hope Mangiafico (35:19)
But a world wouldn't exist if this wasn't a true fact.
Nikki Humphrey (35:23)
and our algorithm follows our thoughts and our preferences.
So if we're thinking these things consciously or unconsciously, or made these agreements.
Hope Mangiafico (35:35)
People have been saying they feel like it's reading their thoughts now, actually. I don't know if that's where you were going with this, but... Yeah.
Nikki Humphrey (35:38)
Right. But I think it's our choices. And it's like, how long
do we stay on a page? How long do we look? How long do we listen? How long do we? And I think that's where it's like picking up on those nuances of pausing or going faster, whatever.
Hope Mangiafico (35:46)
See ya.
I think that...
your point of sharing about social media and the main being like don't be afraid. I think the key is, which Nikki and I try our best to do, is to remind you that, like God said, there's no middle ground. And that's something to be aware of. Our thoughts, our pauses, our reading on, you know, our screens, it's either edifying God into pointing us that way or in the opposite kingdom at all times. And I think that's
That's the thing to be reminded of time and time again, episode for episode, right? Like God's making it more and more apparent. There's only two routes.
Nikki Humphrey (36:38)
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Hope Mangiafico (36:41)
And it's that simple.
Nikki Humphrey (36:44)
Not easy.
Hope Mangiafico (36:45)
Thank you for finishing our, we need a t-shirt with that one. So yeah, I think, I think that's a great thing. And it made me think about even fear, something that we don't even have to really elaborate on because I think everyone, at least in America, know that fear is on the screens, on the TVs. And there's a reason why they put that on there because they know that it's going to make you come into an agreement of some sort of an agenda that they have.
Nikki Humphrey (36:50)
What?
Yes.
Hope Mangiafico (37:16)
and I can just leave that there. Because no one can argue that one with me.
Nikki Humphrey (37:24)
That's the truth.
Hope Mangiafico (37:26)
That one got me good. I'm like, well, God, you made that real simple.
Nikki Humphrey (37:32)
and
Hope Mangiafico (37:35)
Sorry, that one really got me. Sometimes he's like, you've said this to me before, Nikki Hope I don't have to be that complicated. So there's a prime simple example that all of us in America can understand and hopefully bring to light that that is the dark way and God has a better way.
Nikki Humphrey (37:54)
That's right. I love it.
Hope Mangiafico (37:58)
So this really feeds really well into the last little bit that I felt like the Lord gave me. And everything that we've said, Nikki, this is why encountering God is so important. It's so we can believe in His words and in His love. God made an agreement, slash covenant, that depended on Him. All we have to do is align with that one.
and stop the ones we keep giving power to. It is that simple, but isn't easy because it is part of the sanctification process. But God wants to encourage you today by saying,
Getting out of old agreement is a process because there's many you've made, but coming into mine is as simple as choosing me every day so that I can lead you, my child, back home. Will you agree to be my child today? Yes. He's such a good father.
Nikki Humphrey (38:58)
Yes.
is, I think that'll do it.
Hope Mangiafico (39:10)
I think so too. So that's the question that we end on. Will you agree to be his child today?
And I'm not sure why this is coming to me now. And this might sound really weird.
because he's God our Father. But we were talking about, wow, this is really bringing me into tears because it's really beautiful. And we were talking about Jesus removing himself to spend time with the Father. And as God asked, will you agree to be my child today? I got this image of it being more like a mother-child in the womb scenario.
where you are safe in him. And that means there is no separation. Everything he does you feel. Every move he does, every gentle touch and word, you feel it all.
So he's our father, but if you can walk away saying yes and picture yourself as a mother holding a child in the womb and you are the child receiving all his nourishments.
Nikki Humphrey (40:22)
good picture.
Hope Mangiafico (40:23)
I hope that encourages you today and we will see you in the overflow.
Nikki Humphrey (40:30)
That's right.
