Affirming Words Podcast

Proverbs 11 - Danni Synot

Rick Tarrant Episode 2007

Today on The Affirming Words Podcast: Rick Tarrant, our host, is joined by Danni Synot as they read through Proverbs 11, in front of a live Zoom room audience.

Danni is a Christian Speaker, Counselor and Author at Brave Enough (www.braveenough.org) & Radio Announcer at 96Three FM Victoria, Australia.
She is also the co-host with our friend Tom Mann, who was with us just a few days ago on Affirming Words.

It’s a case of stolen identity: The enemy has really hoodwinked us to believe lies that we are not redeemable and that our past will damage our future. The truth is we are created and destined to be amazing butterflies! The transformation from caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly is a great analogy of the Good News of the Gospel. Listen in and learn much more.

Join us at AffirmingWisdom.com

Show intro:

Welcome to the affirming words podcast, where you're encouraged to speak the word renew your mind and transform your life. Here's your host, Rick Tarrant.

Rick Tarrant:

Well, hey there hi there, Whoa, there. You're as welcome as can be, I kind of cracked myself up when I do that, because it's become what we used to call on the radio is a crutch. And then my wife said, well, or your signature. And I was like, Well, okay, that's pretty lame signature. But hey, there, hi there, whether you're as welcome as can be. And if you're of a certain age, you will remember that was the opening to the Mickey Mouse Club, way back in the 50s. So I know nobody in this room is old enough to remember that. So I'll just keep that in mind next time and, and keep those ancient thoughts to myself. So you know what we should do at this point. Welcome to affirming words of abundance, I think we should pray. Father, Lord, help us. Focus our thoughts on you this morning. And while it's a lot of fun, to be silly, and in Your presence, there are also some serious things to talk about. So Lord, help us to navigate the journey this morning, I pray that you would continue us on this path of, of renewing our mind through speaking your word. And a transformed life will be the result of it. So we just commit our time today, to you in Jesus name. And, and away we go. So our guest yesterday was the amazing voice actor has narrated over 300 books in the last 15 years or so, Bob Souer, and I was encouraging just before we went live that our guests today, go listen to this podcast or watch it on YouTube, because it was extraordinary. So if you're just tuning into the podcast for the first time, and you missed our visit with Bob Souer, I highly recommend you go and listen to that not just because he's a longtime friend, but because he just always brings this peaceful, gentle deposit of the Holy Spirit, wherever he goes. And if you'd like to learn more about what we've done in this group over the last year called affirming words of abundance this month, go to affirming wisdom.com Because we're going through Proverbs, and with our our guests, and that is our objective this month is to get more wisdom, because some of us need more of it than others. But let me give let me give you a proper introduction, Danni, our affirming wisdom journey takes us down under to the Land of Oz with Danny Synot. Now Danni is a Christian speaker, counselor, author, founder of brave enough she's also a morning show host I don't know if they call them breakfast show hosts there we'll find out at 96 three FM in Victoria Australia, Danni co host with my friend Tom man, the brave conversations podcast where somehow they just bring people on and just get them to spill their guts about all sorts of things. So welcome, Danni Synot. And in the zoom, you can unmute and just show her some love. And three, three cheers for Danni My grand opening. Hey, hey. from Ontario, on Tech, we have Ontario we have London we have Colorado. And I know we have Boston. So you have to in Boston. Hello. Hello. Yeah, we have we have double double trouble or double blessing inbox. So So Danny, this is our, our lively affirming words of abundance crew this morning. And how it well first, say hi, tell us a little bit about a little a wee bit about yourself before we jump into Proverbs chapter 11.

Danni Synot:

Yeah, so I'm so good to be with you. It's the second time I've been on affirming words and you know, just love it. I don't get to catch it a lot. Especially not live of course because

Rick Tarrant:

the time difference perhaps something to do with that. Just a little. I haven't I haven't told her audio listeners. She just got up at like 255 in the morning. You know, splashed some water on her face and and and this is how the package is just beautiful. So thank you for doing that.

Danni Synot:

Yeah, cameras a bit frosty this morning. But that's alright. It's summer here. Looks more like winter. Yeah, no good. So I as I think he just kind of wrapped up everything I do. Ricky, that was such a great intro.

Rick Tarrant:

You mean I packaged your whole life in like three sentences.

Danni Synot:

Yeah. So on the radio. I'm not on breakfast. I'm on daytime. So that's like the 10 to two slot. Middle of the day. With my co host J. A lot of fun. Yeah, that's okay. I'll forgive you just this one. I'm busy ate my Vegemite toast when they're doing their talking.

Rick Tarrant:

You know, I haven't you I've never tasted Vegemite. You'll have to. Oh, when you visit plane

Danni Synot:

I'm bringing you a jar when we can a video

Rick Tarrant:

And you'll make me a Vegemite sandwich. Yeah.

Danni Synot:

Oh, feel just like lay down under

Rick Tarrant:

will start breaking into I come from the lender. Alright, I think we should jump into proverbs. And we'll we'll get more of your story then. Absolutely. So I've been reading from the message and I don't know what, what you might be reading from today. Yeah,

Danni Synot:

I'm reading from the NLT

Rick Tarrant:

and Lt. Alright, so let's take a look at 11 is not the shortest chapter there. How about if we you read and then I'll reread it in the message and see how that goes. And I'll try to stay in sync with you since mine aren't numbered.

Danni Synot:

That sounds awesome. So the whole chapter? Well, we just can read

Rick Tarrant:

read until you hit a stopping point. And then you know, wherever you think it's a good break, and then I'll look and I'll jump right in. We're just self directing here. No, this is unvarnished and unrehearsed ladies and gentlemen. You want to read six verses and stopped and I'll pick up how

Danni Synot:

sounds good to me. Let's live with Holy Spirit. The Lord detests the use of dishonor scales, but he delights in accurate weights. Pride leads to disgrace but with humility comes wisdom. Honesty, guides, good people, dishonesty destroys treacherous people. I think that's some pretty powerful, isn't it? And I think sometimes in life No, it's been true my journey to you know, we we cry out to God for justice, when things are wronged against us. But you know, God does, why? Why he scales? I think sometimes we wait for justice for a really long time. But the one thing I've learned about God is that His ways are higher than our ways. And his timing always has a plan. I know sometimes in my life, I've had to wait many, many years, sometimes decades to see the fruit of that justice. And often you know, sometimes the test is about us keeping our own hearts sweet during that time, and we don't always do it perfectly. Do we

Rick Tarrant:

know and I think the longer we prolong that the longer the Justice takes to roll around. Well, let me read those first three in the in the message. God hates cheating in the marketplace. He loves it when business is aboveboard. The stuck up fall flat on their faces, but down to earth people stand firm. The integrity of the honest keeps them on track. The deviousness of crooks brings them to ruin your turn

Danni Synot:

the godly a directed by honesty the wicked fall beneath the load of sin. Are sorry of Mr. Verse. Here we go. Riches won't help on the day of judgment, but right leaving can save you from death. The godly are directed by honesty, the wicked fall beneath a load of sin. The godliness of good people rescues them, the ambitious of treacherous people traps them.

Rick Tarrant:

A thick bankroll is no help when life falls apart. But a principled life can stand up to the worst moral character makes for smooth traveling and evil life is a hard life. Good character is the best insurance crooks get trapped in their sinful lust. I think that's where you stopped.

Danni Synot:

Yeah. When the wicked die they hope stay with them for they rely on their own feeble strength. The godly are rescued from trouble and it falls on the wicked instead, with their words the godless destroy their friends, but knowledge will rescue the righteous. The whole city celebrates when the godly succeed they shout for joy when the wicked die. Upright Citizens are good for a city and make it prosper. But the talk of the wicked tears it apart. It is foolish to belittle one's neighbor. A sensible person keeps quiet. A gossip goes around telling secrets but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence

Rick Tarrant:

when the wicked die, that's it. The story's over in of hope. A good person is saved from much trouble a bad person runs straight into it. The loose tongue of the godless spreads destruction. The common sense of the godly preserves them when it goes well for good people the whole town cheers when it goes badly for bad people. The town celebrates when right living people bless the city it flourishes. Evil Talk turns it into a ghost town in no time. mean spirited slander is heartless quiet discretion accompanies good sense. A gadabout gossip can't be trusted with a secret, but someone of integrity won't violate a confidence.

Danni Synot:

Without wise leadership a nation falls there is safety in having many advisors is danger in putting up with security for changes dead. It's safer not to guarantee another person's debt. A gracious woman gains respect, but ruthless men gain only wealth. Your kindness will reward you, but your cruelty will destroy you. evil people get rich for the moment, but the reward of the godly will last. Godly people find life. evil people find death.

Rick Tarrant:

Without good direction people lose their way. The more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances are. I tell my children that all the time. Whoever makes deals with strangers is sure to get burned. If you keep a cool head, you'll avoid rash bargains. A woman of gentle Grace gets respect. But men of rough violence grab for loot. When you're kind to others, you help yourself. When you're cruel to others, you hurt yourself. Bad work gets paid with a bad check. Good work gets solid pay. Take your stand with God's loyal community and live or chase after phantoms of evil and die.

Danni Synot:

The Lord detests people with crooked hearts, but he delights in those with integrity. evil people will surely be punished, but the children of the godly will go free. A beautiful woman who lacks direct discretion is like a gold ring in a pig's snout. The godly can look forward to a reward. While the wicked can expect only judgment. give freely and become more wealthy, be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper. Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. People curse those who hoard their grain, but they bless the one who sells in time of need. If you search for God, you'll find favor but if you search for evil, it will find you trust in your money and down you go. But the godly flourish like leaves in spring. Those who bring trouble on their families Inherit the Wind befall will be a servant to the wise. The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life. A wise person wins friends, if the righteous are rewarded here on Earth, what will happen to the wicked sinners?

Rick Tarrant:

What Indeed, God can't stand deceivers but oh how he relishes integrity. Count on this the wicked won't get off scot free and God's loyal people will triumph like a gold ring and a pig snout is a beautiful face on an empty head. The desires of good people lead straight to the best. But wicked ambition ends in Angry frustration. The world of the generous gets larger and larger, the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed. Those who help others are helped curses on those who drive a hard bargain. Blessings on all who play fair and square. The one who seeks good finds delight, the student of evil becomes evil. A life devoted to things is a dead life a stump. A God shaped life is a flourishing tree, exploit or abuse your family and end up with a fistful of air. Common sense tells you it's a stupid way to live. A good life is a fruit bearing tree. A violent life destroys souls. If good people barely make it. What's in store for the bad? This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Proverbs chapter 11. I'm reading from Eugene Peterson's the message. And Danny was reading from the New Living Translation. So Danny, you stopped along the way I could see pondering in your eyes. What was jumping off the page this morning?

Danni Synot:

Oh man so much. I think the overall theme is pretty clear, though, isn't it? You know, follow God and your life will will flourish and things will work out in the end and you know, if you do the opposite troubles gonna come. And I think probably most of you would agree with me that, you know, that's pretty true, isn't it? When we get off course and we do the wrong thing. Things don't turn out so well.

Rick Tarrant:

Well, it's that I was reading in a book by Myles Munroe this morning. That in the world you You're you're grasping for things, you know, to get ahead. You're, you're, you know, struggling up the corporate ladder, you're, you're backbiting you're doing things to undermine your co workers, your, you know, your your skin. Well, it's what was the very first verse and my version. It said, God hates cheating in the marketplace. He loves it when business is above board. But what's also in this chapter, it seems to me is that you, you get you give, you give first, and you receive, you know, it's really upside down. It's like everybody's scratching and scrambling. And yet, it will just be at peace, and be generous, what did it say he who refreshes others, will himself be refreshed? I think that's so we live in this upside, the kingdom of God is diametrically opposed to the ways of the world in so many ways. I think that's why Jesus taught us to pray, Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And that's what you and I, Danny here to be about as ambassadors to make this at least the sphere that we have influence over look a bit more like our Father's kingdom, and less like, like the the Fallen realm that we were in.

Danni Synot:

Yeah, that's right. And, you know, I think that's a journey that each of us have. So individually, Rick, because we all come from different, you know, different backgrounds with different, you know, genetics, different challenges. You know, we don't all get the privilege of growing up in a Christian home. And some people that have the privilege of growing up in a Christian home don't grow up in healthy ones, either. So I think we're faced with that challenge in a fallen world. But the beautiful thing is that we have Jesus, we have a Holy Spirit, who wants to give us life who's there to, you know, just give us that opportunity to turn. Whenever we need to do that. And to get us on the right track, you know, his will is that none of us should perish. And, you know, I love that word, pivot. You know, which is really what the word repent means it means to turn and go in another direction. And that's, I think, the beauty of the gospel, isn't it, that we get that opportunity to turn from the things that are destructive to turn from the things that are broken in this world, and that break us and that we break out those with, because let's face it, hurt people hurt people. And we, you know, we get that opportunity to turn, you know, I love in, in the gospels, too, when it talks about Jesus turning the tables in the temple. And I've had a situation very recently, we've got brought that to me in a situation that I've been dealing with. And he actually called me to stand up and whistleblowing a certain situation. And it was really difficult. But as I read through that passage with the Holy Spirit when he led me to it, and it was really interesting, because he gave me the verse and didn't, I didn't know what it was, I actually went and opened it up. And it was exactly what I needed. I don't know if you've ever had that experience, but it's a beautiful one when God and, and so he took me to this verse, and the other one he talked me to was Matthew 18, about going to your brother in that process of, you know, go to your brother, if he doesn't listen, bring another if he still doesn't listen, you know, go to the church, if they don't listen, hand him over. And so you know, sort of going through this parallel experience, but he takes me to the passage about Jesus turning the tables in the temple. And, you know, you've got, you know, Pharisees in there, they've set up tables, they're using it as a marketplace. You know, there's a few levels of different things going on. I mean, you've got the obvious, you know, turning a sacred space into a marketplace, you've got people in there for their own game for their selfishness, not for the glory of God. And you see Jesus do something which I guess seems kind of out of character for him and in that the Bible talks about his anger. And him being so angry that it almost appears violent and he's turning the tables that he's there with a weapon is driving out the animals and you know, smashing the money off the tables and driving them right out of the temple and He cleans it right out. And you think, man, Jesus lost the stuff like, Wow, is that not sin? Well, no, this righteous anger to righteous when justice isn't being done righteous anger when you know God's name is being dragged through the mud or when somebody has been righteously injured, you know, all of those things. And what really surprised me and what I've never noticed before when I read that passage was that one, Jesus was all about the right thing. He was all about justice. He didn't sit back and watch it happen and let it go. He stood up in a way that was forceful. And yet towards the end of that passage, it says, but the heart of Jesus was filled with compassion for His church. So he didn't go in there, angry and trying to fix the Justice situation, because it was a selfish place. He did it because it was offensive to God. And he was setting things right. And his great grief was about the fact that people were not only hurting themselves, but hurting each other and causing other people to do the same. That God was being dishonored that people were really having that sacred place that place to connect with God and to learn about God and to come together in community was being abused. And it's really interesting, when you look at that parallel of, you know, Jesus, his final prayer for us is unity, its peace, its community. And so often, you know, we let our own selfishness, our own desires, our own wishes about how things should go, and our own grappling, whether it be to get ahead in our jobs, or for money, or our own sense of what we deserve, or, or whatever that looks like, to the detriment of one God's plan for our lives, but to our relationships with one another, right? You know, and God is all about relationship, even the 10 commandments are all about the relationships, you look at the first four being our relationship with God, and the last six are our relationships with one another. And the minute we get that wrong, the minute we put self in front of God or self in front of others, that's when we get this stuff from Proverbs 11, we things going wrong.

Rick Tarrant:

Interesting. I'm pausing to ponder not just to fill the air, because you and I are both broadcasters. So we tend to, we can rush right into the, to fill the void. So as as you're speaking, I'm thinking, well, first thing you brought up an interesting word that I was just reading about this morning. And that's the word repent, or as you said, pivot. And as we've gone on this journey of, or for the last year, in affirming words, of, of taking a verse of Scripture, speaking it out loud, and then turning it into a, you know, maybe an inverted form of that scripture, or more inward form of that scripture and turned it into an affirmation to again, speak out loud over ourselves, and then to listen to the Lord, to hear what his thoughts might be on that affirmation, that and as we journal that, that that can lead to a trans formed life, but it's all about our thinking. And it's about changing the way we think. And I was just reading in Myles Munroe has a book called kingdom principles that I was reading this morning. And what I had highlighted was where he said, Remember, in the kingdom of heaven, we are stewards, not owners. Because of our fallen nature of human reasoning, the principles and keys of the kingdom of God are completely foreign to the way we have been trained to think. That is why the first word Jesus said when he came to announce the kingdom was repent, change the way you think. And that's what this whole process is all about. So as you were talking, I mean, I know that you are, you are fresh on the heels of of yet another challenge in your life. And as you read your bio, you you've had more than your fair share, my dear, I'm really Yeah, you have faced an uphill battle from early early on. And yet here you are helping others to traverse these waters. So I guess my question as you're yet real close to something else, how when you're in the midst of it, then how do you repent and turn your mind more to the kingdom way of thinking and renewing your mind? Yeah, I mean, that's

Danni Synot:

all it is. And I think it's really important to find our own process with God in that because we're all at different stages and yes, you know, journeys, but yeah, I think for me, I definitely have to do the venting first. Like, Oh, good. Like I talk for a living in for ministry. So you know, if I wasn't spilling my guts to God, there be something wrong and, and I think in that too, just being super careful. You know, I think we've all sometimes vented or shared with people who we ought not You know, it's I think finding your tribe, and really like that multitude of counselors, as proverb says, is super important. Find people that will let you vent but won't let you stay there. Yeah, that will let you be honest, but will still hold you accountable and be teachable, always be teachable. We've always got something to learn. So I think yeah, for me, the processes is the venting. Definitely the pivot in the mind, as Joyce Meyer would put it, you know, it's stinking thinking we got to

Rick Tarrant:

get used to say that stinking thinking if you want to, if you want, your altitude is determined by your attitude.

Danni Synot:

That's right. And you know, that whole thing about, you know, might not be where I want to be, but I'm not where I was, you know, remember that job? Yeah, okay. Sanctification is a process. But I think the big scripture for me is, take every thought captive unto Christ, because we can push a thought away. But we do. And then you know, if any of you have had counseling, at any point, you probably know that, you know, we do get unwanted automatic thoughts that pop into our mind and the enemy. You know, he's really great at that. So strategy I've found is not just to push the thought away, because then you can leave an empty void, and then anything can fill it. So for me, and I've struggled with a lot of anxiety in my lifetime, because my trauma so for me, what I do is I use a bit of a phrase. So if I have an unwanted thought, in my head, I just say, Jesus, that's not my thought. Send it back to where it came from. And I bring every thought captive Unto You, I hand it to you, and ask the Holy Spirit to fill that place. I like that. And then sometimes, you know, you have to repeat this. Often, sometimes you're yourself going down a rabbit hole and getting angry and I don't know, dropping an F bomb or whatever that looks like in your own journey. You mean

Rick Tarrant:

fantastic. That's right.

Danni Synot:

You know, it's um, you know, no, don't mean to be crass in any way. But you know, I grew up with all of that stuff. So, you know, that was been really hard to get out of my,

Rick Tarrant:

you're not crass. You're cheeky. It's a new word. Danni's cheeky?

Danni Synot:

Cheeky? Yeah. Well, you know, that can have different meanings to depending on where you're from. So just to clarify in Australia, you know, for someone to be a bit cheeky, it can mean being rude. But it can just mean you know, good mischief. Like, yeah, yeah, good feedback. Like, like,

Rick Tarrant:

like, what you just banter back and forth. Yeah, I wasn't trying to defuse the moment, but maybe I was, maybe I was. Because, well, it is, you know, we deal with some days we get, you know, we deal with we're all dealing with stuff, you know, and it's dealing with it in a righteous way that brings us closer to who we are made to be. And when I was reading it, Paul was talking I think I was in Second Timothy, I probably was because I was thinking about the scripture that says God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power of love and have a sound mind here. Where I think I'm working on another rap song. You've heard you've heard a gangsta rap. I'm working on Giza rap. So but But I digress. What Paul said something profound, and I just, I just, I just blew the moment. So I'll just give you the rap song I'm working on so because we deal with fear, we deal with anxiety, and our children do as well. You know, in fact, our friend John Umstead, owner of the yummylicious cookie company, not a sponsor.com is raising his girls to not be afraid, and he was telling me that sometimes one of his girls gets a visitor in the night so I was thinking about her when I when I pin when I scribbled this dog girl out this morning when the spirit of darkness appears in the night at the foot of my bed to make me feel fright I sit right up get right in his face. Look him in the eye you get out of this place. God has not given me a spirit of fear but of power of love and of a sound mind here God has not given me a spirit of fear but a power of love and have a sound mind micro I

Danni Synot:

think we should try that again. You're ready Yeah.

Rick Tarrant:

Oh, you're gonna give me a beatbox No, I don't you know we could be on to something let's let's get let's get in the studio. You can you can provide the beats and I'll, I'll provide the rhymes I'm not sure what we'll call this dynamic duo. But anyway, the point being that get getting the word in our head. However it takes you well know you couldn't You know, there is a group called foxes and fossils maybe we could go with something along those lines right so zone code foxy lady was there. Okay? I really I really we're really digressing but that's okay. You know if you can't have fun while you're having faith and fellowship then what's the point? Right? And I don't know about you but it helps me to brings some sense of levity to some of the heavier things that we we deal with because at the end of the day, I think you know, it's about becoming more it's not actually it is becoming more Christ like but as our friend Rick Osborn teaches us in the renew your mind. masterclass is that it's actually putting off the old man and putting on Christ, which is what Paul writes about, you know,

Danni Synot:

yeah, and I think to like, in that sense, like, God created us, he knit us together in our mother's womb. So any, anything in our journey where we've been deceived, or, you know, the enemy has given us a false sense of shame and guilt. For things that we've repented for, are things we're learning about our journey. Yes, we need to deal with those, and we need to hand them to Jesus, and we need to repent and move in a new direction and become more like Jesus. But in some ways, I think it's, it's a case of stolen identity. You know, the enemy has just really hoodwinked us to make us, you know, believe lies, that we're not redeemable that, that our past is not, you know, that we're going to be damaged by our past our whole lives and all of that, where, you know, it's actually not the case. It's not who we are. It's not who we were created to been. It's certainly not who we're destined to be. So it's a bit, it's like a caterpillar, you know, you have a caterpillar that crawls around on a life, and it punches through the leaf and goes to sleep and munches some more and gets fat and has, you know, not a lot of motivation or purpose. But it takes a meltdown for that caterpillar, you know, wraps itself up in a cocoon has its meltdown pulls away from the world, you know, I mean that isn't that just like anxiety and depression,

Rick Tarrant:

you know, as you're saying that, are you describing that caterpillar?

Danni Synot:

Yeah, and it's bound. You know, it's so bound. But it's in that place of solitude and obscurity, and meltdown. That God does His His work of transformation on that caterpillar. And he grows it, and he changes it. And then it becomes so tight that the caterpillar can't stand it anymore doesn't even realize it's transformed, and it starts to push and brake its way out. And it starts to pump its wings when it gets out. And it exercises this new life. And eventually it spreads its wings and flies, and you know, a bed of butterfly. When it spreads its swing and flied does then what it was purposed to do. And it's beautiful. And people take delight in it. And it moves around freely, and it brings blessing and beauty and joy to the world. But the thing about the butterflies, it can't actually see its wings, and it can't look back. And you know, I think the butterfly is not actually mentioned in the Bible, funnily enough, but it is probably the most accurate representation of the gospel. And the transformation that God brings us that it probably doesn't need to be because the testimony in its own life, you know what I mean? And I think where that's us, you know, when we're in our mess when we're in our sin when we're in our staff, were the caterpillars. But it's not the end of the story. You know, God God doesn't call us into our brokenness in our sin, God calls us into our potential and into our destiny.

Rick Tarrant:

As you're saying that I'm thinking, my cocoon I was in the caterpillar stage for a long time after a loss and and a hurt and I'm not proud of that. Don't like it going and like talking about it, but here we are. But what I do like talking about is when I found a cocoon where I felt safe, and I felt no judgment in coming forward and and sharing my story at that time, you know, through tears because it hadn't been told, it had just been locked up, just locked up and mixed with shame and, you know, anxiety and, and then fear of, you know, and then all those things that make for a very bad nasty cocktail, you know. And then when I found this cocoon, which was a community, and oddly enough, an online community, involving zoom, and Facebook and things like that, where, you know, I could just tell my story without judgment, and people came alongside it, what was amazing to me is that there was other people in a similar situation. And as I began to make some progress and was coming, you know, as some wings were starting to develop, you know, people would notice and go, Hey, how did you make it through? Because, because I'm in that same boat, you know, and it's been quite an interesting experience. So I feel like for the last two years, plus I've been in, in a cocoon. And finally, it's like, the, the chrysalis is, you know, it's, it's happening, it's opening and the wings are beginning to, to spread. And I'm beginning to see in my own life, who God made me to be, which had been shrouded for so long. So thank you for that analogy. I love the I mean, I've thought of the butterfly, but I never saw it quite that way. Because in that, in that cocoon is where you have a safe place to develop and grow and, and begin to begin to emerge. Right? So thank you for that.

Danni Synot:

No, can I just speak into that to Rick, just because I like we probably had our first chat about 18 months, two years ago, I didn't mean you, you were just finding your feet with affirming words. At that point. We had you on our podcast, Tom and I. And, yeah, yeah, so you had like a super painful experience, a lot of injustice, you know, everything that happened. But, you know, I look at where you are, even now, in this Zoom Room, with everything you're doing, and the blessing that you're bringing to so many people, and even did prior. But the, you know, the the, I don't know how to put up without saying too much. But you're, you know, the project that you used to be involved with that you started that, you know, you I mean that, that reach so many people, including myself in my early Christian journey, like that was influential for me. And, you know, I guess, you know, when you're talking that you're involved in, you know, Christian music and those things, you know, for me it late 90s When I was just coming to faith, and to be able to have contemporary Christian music and learn about artists and, and listen to that program that was really pivotal to the point that I'm now a DJ on Christian radio. Sorry, blaming that on people's lives. No, but it was part of my journey, and I didn't even know you, do you know what I'm saying? And so to, to then come to that side, where you've just emerged out of a cocoon and having the opportunity to, to speak into that and you know, we've shared things about our own journeys in that because you can't take someone any further than what you've been yourself, right. You can't give someone what you haven't already received. And, you know, having the privilege of being able to speak into each other like that was, was pivotal and to now see you another 12 months down the track with everything you're doing, and and Rick with just your voice, like you reading scriptures, Rick, it's a gift. There's a calmness and a peace, that that is just the voice of God in and through you. And even in my anxiety when I've heard your voice, there's just this flooding of calm that comes right over my spirit. And that you may he play it down, but your your gift is an incredible gift of ministry. It is. It's a prophetic thing that God uses in you and I think it's going to take you a lot, a lot further and there are going to be so many more lives that are reached because of what you're choosing to do. In coming out of that cocoon and pumping your wings and you had you not had that 10 year experience. You wouldn't be here right now. That's ministering to all of us and doing what you're doing and being such an incredible influence and you know, a man of wisdom you know, especially within the music industry, I mean your experiences I mean they significant really significant. You know, we love you my friend.

Rick Tarrant:

I can feel the love and I see the hearts on the on the Zoom Room can't see it in the audio podcast, but you know, there's there's hearts there's hearts to surrounding me. You know what I really have first of all say like my friend Bob sours said on the program yesterday he said if there's anything good there it's Jesus but what I also really love is that you said you know through some projects I was doing that I was speaking into you and then here you know 20 plus years later you're speaking into me and I love that and then back to Robert Okay He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed so maybe in some way I was refreshing you at that time and and now here you are doing the same for me so I think that's a beautiful thing.

Danni Synot:

Yeah, it is and why would it be cool when we get to do that in person?

Rick Tarrant:

Yes when we can actually you know get on airplanes and fly places without you know worrying about you know, anything anyway. But actually I go back to my my my memorization projects in my in my fossil rap rap project. So I do also go around saying no disaster shall be following no disease come near my tent. I've been in the secret place. It's time well spent. So just paraphrasing Psalm 91. When I feel a little twinge is like no disaster shall be follow me. No disease come near my tent. No, thank you. See you later, you know, and continue that process of speaking the word renewing the mind getting it from my mouth into into my, into my heart and being transformed, right. So yeah. Hey, you know, I'm looking at the clock. And I know that I have to honor your time since it is the middle of the night and you do need to go probably get some some. Although I don't think you need a beauty sleep. I have to be careful.

Danni Synot:

I'll be staying awake my friend.

Rick Tarrant:

But I did want to see if anyone in the in our zoom. Audience wanted to interact with the inevitable the one the only the Danny Senate from the Land of Oz. So if you want to raise your hand, open your mic, come forth on Heather, engage in the conversation before we send this young lady on her way. I see we have Oberhiri and Jackie and Lonnie, and Judith and Jackie must say oh, we have Michelle in Sandy Lynn. I don't know who all is. Got their cameras off her on but I'm gonna call on somebody I was about to call on over reread.

Oberhiri Atori:

Danny, this is cheeky. Well, I'm going to ask for a request, please. I'd like to hear it live. Do you know what I'm going to sayto do the jingle jingle that you did put for watch. They just love the way you say rot. But

Rick Tarrant:

oh, she wants to hear the alternate version of the affirming words. Introduction. That's quite interesting. Well, I tell you what, Oberhiri, she probably doesn't remember it. So I'll play it for you.

Danni Synot:

Okay. Good. Welcome to the Affirming words podcast are in trouble. You're encouraged to talk God stuff. Stop thinking rot and get a life a better one. Here's my mate Mike, Rick Tarrant. I can help myself.

Oberhiri Atori:

Just so beautiful. It's so beautiful.

Danni Synot:

Do you know I did it off the cuff. So I sort of had the script. I was just interpreting it as I went. That yeah, no.

Rick Tarrant:

God stop.

Danni Synot:

Trying to put all the the Australian lingo in there, get a mate pay gallon. They set close enough.

Oberhiri Atori:

time I heard it. I couldn't quite make out what rot was and then Rick gave. Oh, okay. But that was beautiful. Beautiful.

Danni Synot:

Yeah. It's a bit like Robbie Shea. Yeah.

Rick Tarrant:

So Danny, Oberhiri has been has been in a chrysalis of her own and she's been you know her she's begin flexing her wings just a little bit. She's actually I think on the on the beginning stages of that. Would you have some? Would you have some words of wisdom for when we're just beginning to feel you know, just getting enough courage to even think that we even have any wings to flap would you have a word for ovary as she pursues this? Because you know, she's gonna run into opposition?

Danni Synot:

Absolutely. Yeah. Oberhiri the minute you start working on your stuff, the enemy, oh, take flight. But you know what, God is bigger. God has a purpose and a plan and God has protection. And I would just say, trust God, and trust who yours God is love. God is yours. Savior, God is your Redeemer. God is your rock and your salvation. I would get yourself a bunch. No, I think I've actually got some that I could send you just a words about who you are in Jesus, who you are in Christ. And really, you know, use Rick's method with that, speak it over you over yourself. And believe it because it's a word of God and its truth. And just what we talked about before, you know, about you know, taking those thoughts captive to go if this something whether it's in a negative thought, or it's something from your past that comes up to say, God, this thought doesn't belong to me. Or God, you've forgiven me for that. Send that thought back to where it came from, I'm a child of God, I am Beloved, I am redeemed, I'm called by name, and I am yours, I belong to you, I'm in the palm of your hand. And declare it. And you know, those who refresh others will also be refreshed. You know, we talked about that in Proverbs. So when you have that, that temptation to look inwards, and you know, I've been depressed and anxious and couldn't leave the house and, you know, bad, like debilitated, couldn't drive the car, like, bad, bad. And coming out the other side of that, you know, when we're overly anxious, or depressed, it's not just a matter of not trusting God, because sometimes there's trauma. And there's things going on with our nervous system that, you know, it's a real physical response. But at the same time, what the enemy does with that is he makes us really inward thinking, to the point that we go, we ruminate, and we go around and around on our own thoughts and our own feelings, to the point that we can forget about those around us, and those in our family and those other people who need us. And sometimes the best thing you can do when you can't help yourself is to help someone else. And it does two things. One, you're living out your Christian journey, you're doing what God's commanded you to do in loving God and loving others. You're motivating yourself to get outside of yourself, and you feel good for helping someone else. And that does bring that refreshing in that healing. So the minute that you feel like there's something you can't resolve in yourself, do a random act of kindness, drive through MacD's and get the person behind your soft serve or pay for their order, or help someone across the street or, you know, if there's a mom with a screaming toddler in the supermarket, you know, pull a silly face or dementia, you know, help them help her load or groceries? Or do you know what I'm saying? Yeah,

Rick Tarrant:

get out of your own head, get out of your own space and

Danni Synot:

being intentional, like wake up in the morning and go God, who is it about today? Who would you have me blessed today. The other thing I would say is, is find some godly people around you like really trustworthy people. And, you know, you only need one or two, like, this rubbish that we have these days about, you got to have a bunch of people around you and a bunch of friends. You know, if you have two or three people that you can really trust you know, do that and, and honestly be there for other people too. I think sometimes. All I know, for myself, so I can only speak for me. You know, there have been times where I've so needed pouring into, you know, or I'm so depleted, that the temptation can be that, you know, we do talk about your stuff all the time. And there's, there's a place for that. Like to process it out. As long as you're also putting some practical steps forward in place. If it gets to a point where we're draining from others all the time. And pulling into ourselves. That enemy will use that to just get you down the gurgling. Rick, I know you know what I'm talking about. They're

Rick Tarrant:

going down the girdle. Yeah.

Oberhiri Atori:

Thank you.

Rick Tarrant:

I've been in that spinning whirlwind.

Danni Synot:

But if you have a specific question, you know, I'm happy to answer that too. I mean, I'm talking very generally because I don't know your situation.

Rick Tarrant:

Well, and I would give you this word over reread, because it's it involves singing but you know, Paul written Second Timothy said, I remind you stir up the gift of God, which is Amen. And in this scripture, it says, I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands, but I think that's a good word. for any of us to stir up that gift, for some given, you know, various gifts, some administration's and prophecies, some teaching some, you know, generosity or service, but stir up that gift. And then the very next verse is For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and have a sound mind. So from that perspective, we can say, look ourselves in the mirror and say, I am powerful. And that's just not some feel good phrase, it's based on this word, God has not given me a spirit of fear but of power. So in that regard, I will look in the mirror and say, I am powerful, and before ovary opens her mouth to sing, she can say I am a powerful singer,

Danni Synot:

man. And I would add to that Rick, that that is another major key in recovery, any new journey is that we're not made to be consumers, as Christians, we're told to go into all the world, and our ministry and our calling look completely different. For some people, it's a very one to one thing. But it should never be a stagnant thing. You know, we don't always reap the harvest, but we always should be sowing seeds. And when we feel like we don't have a place, when we don't feel like we belong, or we don't feel like we have purpose, we don't move forward towards anything. You know, like with the lack of vision, the people perish. And so if you've never done a spiritual gifts, test, even, there's a website called gifts test.com, I think it's called you can just Google it, spiritual gift test, you can do it online, it's free, and they give you a report about what your top five gifts are. And that that's a really, really good thing to do. Because sometimes, and I know it did for me, when I first did it as a young Christian, it actually released me, then there was sort of like, ah, actually God's, you know, sometimes we feel like we don't have permission to step into what God's calling us to do. We feel like our people will judge us or think we're silly or not qualified enough or not this or not, that, you know, throw that straight in the garbage, or rot. It's a bunch of rocks. I mean, it is, it's a big, big, fat lie. You know, God is, God is the God of truth. The devil is a liar. Fear is a liar. And I tell you what, you know, your freedom and your future are worth far more than the price you're paying for fee, my friend. You know, just, yeah, yeah. Do it. Just do it. And be be confident in the fact that you know, what, when change when God said, When Jesus said, and it's his own words, and the last thing he said to humans before He ascended go into all the world. You know, teaching baptizing, you know, Jesus, all around the world. And look at us now, you know, Jesus loves the little children, red and yellow, black and white.

Rick Tarrant:

To North America, to the UK to Canada.

Danni Synot:

That's it. I mean, we are literally fulfilling prophecy right now, right there. And God's got a place for you to do it that's unique. Where you are when no one else is, with your personality, with your journey with your experience with your heart that is so unique that none of us no other person in the world can do what God's called you to do in the place in time. And he's called you to do it. And that's now. Excellent. Amen. So be Thank you.

Rick Tarrant:

Well, I want to be respectful of your time. So how would somebody want to find out more about any Senate and your ministry or your radio show? How would we find you out there in the world wide web?

Danni Synot:

Yeah, probably braveenough.org is the best space. That's the website of our charity here in Australia. You find lots of interesting things. We help people get unstuck. That's pretty much what we're about. So yeah, we've got different elements to that. We've got life topic pages, where you can find information on you know, just different videos and books and references and resources there. We've got won't be relevant for you guys. But we have a national Careline to call Caroline connections. So people call up for carrying conversation or prayer or referral to a Christian counselor anywhere across Australia. I believe you guys have the American Counseling Association where you can do that.

Rick Tarrant:

We all sorts there's the brave conversations podcast.

Danni Synot:

Podcast. Yep. So you can hook into that too. We've also got our Brave to go devotionals which are video devotionals they also air on some of the radio stations here in Australia as well. And we're just about to launch brave radio, I've put it up on the website. And so yeah, that's like contemporary Christian music, a little bit of secular music, but only very selected positive stuff like things like true colors and, you know, good songs like that

Rick Tarrant:

brave radio, all that is braveenough.org That's awesome. I gotta find out a few places. I do browse out Danni,

Danni Synot:

do you Father in heaven, I just want to thank you and praise you for joy and for laughter in for who you are God, you are so gracious to us and and you just take us from nothing and lead us straight into your love and your purpose. And it's just the best place to be in. So Father. Each of us come this morning with our own unique challenges and our own unique callings. And finally, we just ask a blessing upon that we just repeat the enemy in the name of Jesus, he has no place here, no place in our minds in our thoughts, or in our futures or in our present. And so we just rebuke that now. Father, we ask your Holy Spirit, and your love to just feel this place. And as we go about our day, Father, we just pray that we can be a blessing to those around us, a blessing to you. And Father, we just want to thank you also for Rick and for affirming words, Lord, that just pause so beautifully into us through Your Holy Spirit. say bless Rick, and bless Christie and their family. in Jesus precious name we pray. Amen. Amen.

Rick Tarrant:

Thank you, Danni. And I will leave you with this. Speak the word, renew your mind, transform your life. Or, as Danni might say.

Danni Synot:

Get a welcome to the Affirming words podcast. This is where you're encouraged to talk God stuff, stop thinking rot and get a life a better one.