A Journey of Imperfection ~ Maurice F. Martin Ep. 110

Have you ever struggled on your faith journey? Ever navigated what may feel like an awkward relationship with God?  Or wondered how to trust God, when life is challenging? Then you are going to really enjoy our guest today, Maurice F. Martin.  We are tackling these topics and more in this honest, dynamic conversation.

Before we start, I will give you a little peek at something fun... Maurice and Reclaimed Story are teaming up for some giveaways!

You don't want to miss this...  To enter to win a copy of Maurice's book,  or his brand new course "The Authentically Fulfilled Life" simply email podcast@reclaimedstory.com and share something you took away from this episode. Winners will be drawn on October 10th!

Connect with Maurice on social media @mauricefmartin

You can purchase Maurice's book, Your But is Too Big  HERE
Check out more of Maurice's programs HERE
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Transcript

LRL Ep 110 Transcript is auto-generated.

[00:00:00] Denisha: Have you ever struggled on your faith journey? Ever navigated what [00:00:05]might feel like an awkward relationship with God? Or how to trust God when life [00:00:10] is challenging? If so, then you are really going to enjoy our guest [00:00:15] today, Maurice F. Martin. We are tackling these topics and many more in this [00:00:20] honest and dynamic conversation.

Before we start, I want to give you a [00:00:25] little sneak peek at something fun. Maurice and Reclaim Story are teaming [00:00:30] up for some giveaways. You don't want to miss this. To enter to win a copy of [00:00:35] Maurice's book or his brand new course, The Authentically Fulfilled Life, simply email [00:00:40] podcast at reclaim story. com and share one thing that you took away [00:00:45] from this episode.

We are going to draw winners on October 10th. So now. [00:00:50] Let's dive in to this episode with Maurice. [00:00:55] Welcome to living the reclaim life podcast. I'm Denisha. We're glad you're here for [00:01:00] conversations that revive hope, inspire healing, and encourage you to live a vibrant [00:01:05] life with Christ. So grab a cup of coffee as we chat with today's guest.[00:01:10]

I am thrilled to introduce you to Maurice [00:01:15] F. Martin. And Maurice is a two time best selling author, [00:01:20] the host of the Hope Rising podcast, and the former co host of the TV [00:01:25]show, Getting the Word Out. He also works with churches, schools, and businesses to take [00:01:30]their culture and relationships to the next level.

Maurice, we are so excited to have you on the [00:01:35] podcast. Thank 

[00:01:35] Maurice: you so much for having me. I am very excited about this conversation and where it's going for sure. [00:01:40]

[00:01:40] Denisha: After this interview, you guys are going to be like, I need more Maurice. I [00:01:45] encourage you to check him out on YouTube and we'll give you all the links at the end.

But as I [00:01:50] did a little bit of research on your story, Maurice, I saw such a similar passion [00:01:55] of seeing people healed, seeing people walk into their purpose and their [00:02:00] destiny that God has for them and not letting the roadblocks, the things in our [00:02:05] lives. Lie to us, pursuing all that God has for us. And so I think this is going to [00:02:10] be a great conversation this month.

As we talk about faith and I'm like, Oh, all of [00:02:15] this is talking about 

[00:02:15] Maurice: faith. That's it. That's it. I think that I would [00:02:20] start off the conversation by saying that when people get into this journey of [00:02:25] faith, it almost feels like when you're looking at somebody in the journey from afar, they [00:02:30] always get it right.

They always feel the faith, and they always just [00:02:35] have like a glow about them. But to actually be in the midst of a faith walk, it's [00:02:40] hard and it's crushing and it pushes you to your limitations. And so [00:02:45] when I started to realize that, I realized that part of the reason I'm here, right, part of my life [00:02:50] purpose is to be one of God's mouthpieces that says, listen, it's not [00:02:55] necessarily supposed to be easy.

But when you lean on God in the hard moment, [00:03:00] it's transformative, it's transcendent, and in the end, it tends to move you [00:03:05] in the direction of not only affecting the people around you, but the people who are around them, [00:03:10] and the people that are around them. That's the beauty of faith, is that it touches so many lives.

[00:03:15] And 

[00:03:15] Denisha: isn't that true? And we see other people. I love that you said that they look like, Oh, they've got it [00:03:20] together. They're doing the thing they're living in their purpose. But all of us are in some sort of a wrestling [00:03:25] match with our flesh, with our stories. As we step into that purpose of [00:03:30] God, tell us a little bit about your story, because I know this is the reason that you are so [00:03:35] passionate and what God has done in your life.

So tell us a little bit about that. 

[00:03:38] Maurice: Absolutely. [00:03:40] I've started this conversation so many different ways, and I often talk about, I [00:03:45] remember I was a freshman in college, Kent State University, and I was there as a [00:03:50] music major. And I remember one day, I sat down in a therapy session, [00:03:55] and the therapist asked me, you know, tell me about your life, tell me about your home life, tell me about growing up.[00:04:00]

And I remember during this conversation, I was just going through the motions of, you know, telling her [00:04:05] stories about what I had been through and what I had experienced with my mother and my father and my brother and all these [00:04:10] things. And she stops me mid sentence and she says, Maurice, can I ask you a question?

And I [00:04:15] said, go ahead. And she said, you keep talking about things like [00:04:20] love and discipline and journey, but I'm hearing stories of [00:04:25] abuse and I'm hearing things that happened to you, not things that happened for [00:04:30] you. She said, when will you put that into words? And I remember [00:04:35] a feeling like maybe I'd got it wrong, I said it wrong, I didn't explain it to her well, no, not [00:04:40] me, that's not what I meant, but in the end it was what I meant.

And [00:04:45] I think I'm like a lot of other people in life that we all defend, develop these defense [00:04:50] mechanisms, we develop coping skills that get us through hard times. And here I was 19, [00:04:55] 20 years old, I had developed such coping skills that I didn't even know the [00:05:00]abuse that I'd gone through. Well, the reality is that for the next 10, 15 years of my [00:05:05] life, I still was unwilling to face some of the things that happened.

Not only that, [00:05:10] but I had more life events happen that I still, that I also wasn't... able to [00:05:15] deal with, wasn't willing to talk about, didn't know how to work through. And [00:05:20]during that time, I became a professional musician and I started traveling the country and playing [00:05:25] these big shows and having these events that sounded great, right?

They're impressive to people. And people go, [00:05:30] Whoa, you did that? I had licensing deals with MTV and VH1 and all these, [00:05:35] and I was miserable. I was heartbroken. I was depressed. I was suicidal. [00:05:40] And it wasn't until 2016, I had a day. I get [00:05:45] into the car, and the truth is I was high that day, I was depressed that [00:05:50] day, and it went across my mind, I don't want to make it to work today.[00:05:55]

I was ready to just run my car off the road and be done with the journey [00:06:00] called life because there was nothing good coming in this life. And I got in the car that day and I [00:06:05] started screaming at the top of my lungs at God, if God was even real, [00:06:10] if you're even really there. Why did you put me into this horrible existence?[00:06:15]

That day was the first time that I ever heard the voice of God in prayer. And it [00:06:20] changed the trajectory of my life. And so, since then, my journey [00:06:25] has been growing and healing. Actually healing from the things I've been through. Not just [00:06:30] saying, oh I'm past that, I'm over that, but Dealing with what I've been through in my life and what I've [00:06:35] even done to others and my things that I've wronged people and learning that the grace of [00:06:40] God isn't just for God to forgive us, but to learn how to forgive ourselves, [00:06:45] that the healing of God isn't just for us to walk whole, but to [00:06:50] bring that wholeness to others, that the courage of God isn't just to [00:06:55] fight the things that are standing in front of us, but to fight against the fears and the [00:07:00] worries and the doubts that are within us.

And that's the journey that I've been on and I'm [00:07:05] still on it and I'm not a finished product, but I'm just thankful that I get to be a product in the hands of God. [00:07:10] And so that's really where I'm at this point. 

[00:07:12] Denisha: Isn't it beautiful how God just intercepted [00:07:15] your story and showed up in such a moment.

Sometimes we think when we're at the lowest of lows [00:07:20] that he's far, those are the moments. He's the 

[00:07:23] Maurice: closest. He's the [00:07:25] closest. I've said many times, I learned that rock bottom was a firm [00:07:30] foundation where I could begin to stand for the first time in my life. And I wish I could [00:07:35] have gone through it another way, but the truth is, when you're doing things in your own strength, [00:07:40] you don't want help from another power.

You don't want help from somebody on the [00:07:45] outside. And it's when you finally realize, my good enough will never be good [00:07:50] enough without Jesus. That's when everything had to shift and change. And it's still a [00:07:55] lesson. Sometimes I try to pick up the weight on my own instead of putting it on Christ's [00:08:00] yoke, right?

I think we all have those moments. And you'll always fall in those moments and [00:08:05] realize that, thank God that God is there to reach out his hand and pick me up again. When [00:08:10] he 

[00:08:10] Denisha: did that, when you're yelling in the car, right? And I love that. That's just such an honest [00:08:15] way. Like, right. That's we can tell God when we're angry, we can tell God when we're hot and mad [00:08:20] because he'll meet us in those moments.

He can handle that when you're expressing that. And he [00:08:25] met you in that moment. Can you talk to us about. That afternoon, the next [00:08:30] morning, because we know it's, we wish he would just pull us right out of that, you know, pit and [00:08:35] place us on that, you know, that solid foundation, but no, we're supposed to bring the pit on the solid [00:08:40] foundation.

Come on, what did that journey look like for you? Talk to us about the days following. Cause [00:08:45] I think some people listening can relate to that. 

[00:08:48] Maurice: Yes. I love how you said [00:08:50] that. So the reality is. I'm driving in a car or something's [00:08:55] driving the car. I don't know if the angels took hold of the wheel because I actually had a vision and I've told this many times, but I [00:09:00] literally had a vision sitting in the car, driving down the highway and in the vision, [00:09:05] I was standing on a stage and I was preaching the word of God [00:09:10] and I could hear it and I could see it.

And I remember I was standing on the back left of the stage, [00:09:15] moving towards the front, right of this day. And I saw it so vividly. And then I began to hear his voice. Well, [00:09:20] after that moment, now I have to go to work. Now I have to go home and tell, [00:09:25] at the time she was my girlfriend, now my wife, something happened to me today, [00:09:30] right?

And what you said was so important. Many [00:09:35] people think that when you have the, you know, your own Damascus Road moment, like, you know, like Paul [00:09:40] in scripture, when you have your moment, now everything is just going to be better. Well, the [00:09:45] reality is, I have learned from my own study of scripture, That we often [00:09:50] foolishly believe that the story is done simply because the Bible story moved [00:09:55] on, right?

In other words, here's what I mean. When you were praying right before we started, [00:10:00] we had a prayer between each other, and you referenced reaching out to touch the hem of [00:10:05] Christ's garment. Well, sometimes I think about The woman with the issue of blood, as [00:10:10] we call her from that scripture, she'd been hurting for 12 years, and then she gets [00:10:15] healed.

And we think, like, now her whole life is better and over and everything's [00:10:20] fine, but, like, she has to go live the rest of her life. And the rest of her life cannot [00:10:25] be perfect, because if it was, she would never need [00:10:30] So she's going to have to go to places that have maybe considered her an [00:10:35] outcast before.

She was looked at as unclean in those stories, in those times of scripture. [00:10:40] So she's still going to need to pray to God, to want to know God. Oh my God, you gave me this [00:10:45] healing. Now what? Now can I get to know you? That was my journey [00:10:50] that now everything is better, but everything is not better. I mean, [00:10:55] I had been drunk and high for years, and now I have to build a relationship with [00:11:00] my girlfriend.

Who's going to become my wife who I had burned some bridges. there. I was working [00:11:05] at a job that clearly I hated, and I was going to have to figure out, well, then what am I meant to do [00:11:10] from here? I had to start to face many of the things I was running from in my [00:11:15]journey. So yes, I've heard God and yes, I've experienced the power of his presence.

[00:11:20] Now here comes the rest of my life. Now is the hard work of walking [00:11:25] with God. And I think it's really important for people to know if he's touched you. [00:11:30] Beautiful. Amen. Hallelujah. Cherish the moment. [00:11:35] Let it be everything that you need it to be as a catalyst and know that now the journey [00:11:40] begins of walking with Jesus.

Here's the last thing I want to say, because this is so [00:11:45] important. We're talking about faith and fear today, and I sometimes think about the people who [00:11:50] actually walked with Jesus. They were scared. Multiple stories in [00:11:55] Scripture. They're like, Jesus, wake up. Don't you care if we live or die? They were [00:12:00] with Jesus, and we believe that because we're walking with Jesus that we can't see.[00:12:05]

Jesus, that we can't reach out and touch, that we're not supposed to be afraid ourselves. [00:12:10] I don't think that's realistic. I don't think that that's what Christ expects of us. He expects [00:12:15] us to act like little children in need of a father. And I think that the beauty is when we [00:12:20] reach out and say, Daddy, I can't do this on my own.

Please help. 

[00:12:23] Denisha: So true. That's [00:12:25] so true. And that moment for you is kind of like an anchor to hold on to [00:12:30] when those waves came and hit when reality hit, when you had to go back to that job, you know, [00:12:35] that day or the next day you got to go, okay, there's something to hold on to here. There's an anchor. [00:12:40] There's more for me.

And you have to hold on to that hope that fate. [00:12:45] One of the things I watched on your YouTube channel, which I loved was the [00:12:50] way you depicted Peter walking on the water. And that is faith over [00:12:55] fear, right? That's, I see you, you saw him in that vision. He showed you a purpose, a destiny, [00:13:00] right? But you still had to walk on the water.

Would you go into that [00:13:05] story a little bit the way I love the way you shared that in your video. Sure, 

[00:13:08] Maurice: absolutely. I can't [00:13:10] pretend I can do it the same way, because those are those Holy Ghost moments, right? But, the reality [00:13:15] is, we think sometimes about this moment of Peter saying, Jesus, if that's [00:13:20] really you, tell me to come, and I will come walking on the water, right?

Now, in [00:13:25] this moment, Peter is now the second human in history To [00:13:30] walk on water. And the first is standing on the water at the same time. This [00:13:35] is the most breathtaking, captivating moment in history. And [00:13:40] Peter, in his boldness, steps out onto the water. [00:13:45] And in that moment, you would think that he would be so confident, that he would be [00:13:50] so, so full of faith and belief that he would make it all the way to [00:13:55] Christ.

And the problem is that he begins to walk and the scripture says, [00:14:00] I love the version that says, but seeing the wind, there's other versions that say, [00:14:05] but seeing the effects of the wind. But I love the versions that say, but seeing the [00:14:10] wind, he began to sink. Sometimes when we're walking towards [00:14:15] Christ, we see the wind.

We see something that's supposed to be a visible, but [00:14:20] I've seen grief like you'd never think I've seen pain like you'd never think you would [00:14:25] experience. I've seen the darker sides of life. You see the wind [00:14:30] in the pursuit of Christ. And if you fixate on it, if you focus on it, you'll [00:14:35] find yourself beginning to drown.

The beauty of that moment, the beauty [00:14:40] of that revelation is that even if I begin to sink. [00:14:45] If I just remember to lift my hand towards Christ and say, please save me, [00:14:50] I will end up in his hands. I will end up in his presence. [00:14:55] I will end up wrapped in his love. And I love the most loving [00:15:00] thing that Jesus said at that moment.

He didn't say, son, it's all right. He didn't say [00:15:05] Peter, it's okay. He said, why did you doubt? [00:15:10] Jesus, what did you think Peter was gonna do? Well, clearly Jesus knew Peter [00:15:15]was capable of walking on that water. Because he's walking towards Jesus. [00:15:20] He's trying to let us know, if now we have the Holy Spirit within [00:15:25] us, I'm inside of you.

I'm directing your path in front of [00:15:30] you. I'm behind you, protecting you. You're in my shadow under my wings. [00:15:35] Psalm 91. If I'm in you, all around you, in front of you, behind you, [00:15:40] Why did you doubt? Why won't you just keep walking and [00:15:45] keep your eyes on me? And I think that is just the most beautiful lesson that we can [00:15:50] have.

Yes, it's scary. We're walking on water. There really is a [00:15:55] storm there. It's not that we're supposed to pretend there's not a storm. It's we're supposed to know [00:16:00] that God is greater than the storm. 

[00:16:03] Denisha: I can see your story in [00:16:05] Peter story. I can see your story of Jesus saying, this is what I have [00:16:10] come. You saw yourself on a stage, you saw yourself speaking to people just from what [00:16:15] I've seen in just our conversation before this.

That's not a boastful moment of, Oh, [00:16:20] God's going to give me this platform. That's a responsibility. There's a weightiness to that. Like it's kind of [00:16:25] terrifying. Right? Yes. Oh my goodness. To hold that responsibility. [00:16:30] And so God, he gives you this vision in a moment of just down, right? You're [00:16:35] down. He gives you this vision to anchor yourself to.

And just like Peter, it's like him saying, [00:16:40] come and you had to take those first couple of steps. What did that look like to you? Cause like you said, you had to [00:16:45] go back to that job. You had to repair relationships after the repairs, after the [00:16:50] immediate, what did that look like for 

[00:16:52] Maurice: you? Such a good question.

I would [00:16:55] say in some ways it looked just like it looks now. It looked like a gift of imperfection, as [00:17:00] Brene Brown would call it. It looked like imperfection. The first couple months [00:17:05] after that moment, I still struggled to not get high. [00:17:10] Sometimes I even got high when I prayed. I mean, I was a mess and I was going [00:17:15] through a process and joined a church and I then had some [00:17:20] accountability and it looked like learning how to pray.

And how to listen. Well, [00:17:25] if I heard you once, what else are you trying to say? And when do you speak? And [00:17:30] how do you speak? What's the right way for me to talk to you? And which script? Everybody [00:17:35] says, well, just start reading the Bible. Well, the Bible's real big, and it has lots of books. [00:17:40] And which book? Some, they say, just read the Bible.

And you start reading, and you're like, I'm not sure [00:17:45] how in numbers in Deuteronomy that this is gonna help me in this walk today, right? [00:17:50] Because you don't know where the revelation is coming, and how the revelation is coming, and when the [00:17:55] revelation is coming. And so it looked like a journey of imperfection.

And [00:18:00] what I'm so thankful for is that there were some mentors around me, and some people around me in those days, [00:18:05] some of whom are still there. that walked with me. And some people were [00:18:10] even just there for like a blink of an eye and they would pull me inside and they would say, Maurice, [00:18:15] you have an anointing and I can see it.

And all the churchianity, by the way, all the Christian [00:18:20] words, I didn't know what any of them meant. Maurice, you're anointed by God. [00:18:25] Okay. And how do you know what a person who's anointed looks like? And what is an anointing? And I'm [00:18:30] asking these questions. Then they're laughing like. You really are a babe in Christ who's just been touched by God.[00:18:35]

Yes. Right? And so, the journey was [00:18:40] getting to first know God the King, getting to [00:18:45] know the God of the Bible, who I just understood that the fear of Him was the beginning of wisdom [00:18:50] in my life. In the last year and a half of my life, it has [00:18:55] looked like learning God as a Father. Right. So there's been a [00:19:00] transition from awkwardly trying to figure out who God is and how to worship him and how to [00:19:05] pray to him to getting to know God with intimacy, because I'm the type of person [00:19:10] I grew up in my childhood when your parents say, do what you do it.

So I don't [00:19:15] necessarily need to feel loved. to do the right thing. I can walk [00:19:20]submitted. I can walk what looks like holy, but I started thinking about scriptures [00:19:25] like here's one of my favorites, the scripture about how good things come to those who love the Lord and are [00:19:30] called according to his purpose.

And I just kept reading the scripture and reading the scripture and [00:19:35] saying, Holy Spirit, I've got questions. This says here [00:19:40] that you will take the bad things and work them out for our good. But my love [00:19:45] is required. I don't really know what love is. I mean, I know what I [00:19:50] think love is, but I seem to be very imperfect at this whole love thing.

And so how [00:19:55] will you ever take the bad and turn it out for my good and work it out for my good [00:20:00] if I can't figure out how to love you the right way? And then when I realized that the [00:20:05] grace of God comes because of his love, and [00:20:10] it's better than my imperfect love, then I started to understand the heart of [00:20:15] God.

And so I just, I would say, you know, this entire journey, it's been an imperfect journey. [00:20:20] I like to say, when you hear me speak, you hear the power of God come out of my [00:20:25] voice and it could mask how unqualified I am to speak this way. I have [00:20:30] stood and preached and I have discipled people and I have laid hands on people and I've been a [00:20:35] part of experiencing miracles happen.

None of these things are because of my training, [00:20:40] because of my pedigree. It's only because of the goodness and the grace and the mercy [00:20:45] of God. I can't take any credit for it. And that's the most beautiful kind of a [00:20:50] journey, but it also opens you up to criticism and it opens up to people staring at you and people wondering.

And I [00:20:55] think that has been the hardest part of all this. is embracing the [00:21:00] journey, embracing the experience, and thinking about what James says when he says, consider [00:21:05] it pure joy when your faith gets tested, because this is maturing you, it's growing you up, [00:21:10] and this is the only way you're going to grow in Jesus, is to allow yourself to [00:21:15] lean in when it's hard.

I often 

[00:21:17] Denisha: joke. I was in jewelry for 20 years and then [00:21:20] became a pastor, right? So I joke that I know jewelry and Jesus. We were just talking about that. But [00:21:25] acts 413 is one of my favorite passages. It just goes right along with what you just [00:21:30] said. And that the disciples were uneducated men who had been with Jesus.

Yes. [00:21:35] Yes. Maurice, that. Is what has qualified you is you have been [00:21:40] with Christ and that's what qualifies all of us. 

[00:21:42] Maurice: You know, I remember a moment, this is a [00:21:45] true story. So the moment I explained about was 2016 and it [00:21:50] was either the end of 2016 or 2017. My wife and I were, she was at that point, my wife and we were sitting on [00:21:55] a couch and I said, you know, I know that God is taking me somewhere, but I [00:22:00] don't know where.

And I know that I have an assignment and a call on my life, but I don't know what it is. And my [00:22:05] wife starts to pray. And she writes down three scriptures. And that [00:22:10] scripture was one of the three scriptures. And I'll never forget reading it. [00:22:15] And I remember Holy Spirit saying, This is you. And so when you say you [00:22:20] see Peter and me or me and Peter, I see that too, right?

The other moment I think [00:22:25] about within those same scriptures in the book of Acts, it talks about how as Peter [00:22:30] and the other disciples, they were going and they were performing miracles and they were preaching and teaching and [00:22:35] discipling. And scripture says that people started just taking the sick out into the streets, [00:22:40] that they might just get hit by Peter's shadow.

Because that's how powerful the [00:22:45] miracles were at that point. And one day I was reading that scripture and I heard this from Holy Spirit. It [00:22:50] was like a Holy Spirit download. And he said, The you of today [00:22:55] is the shadow of the you of your destiny. Never [00:23:00] forget what I can do with a shadow. Oh, [00:23:05] that's so good.

Is that not this moment, right? I'm on a podcast, [00:23:10] and I'm talking about these early moments of my infancy walking with Christ, and I'm still just a little [00:23:15] kid in Christ, really, but, and now I'm helping people find [00:23:20] healing and salvation and miracle signs and wonders, the power of [00:23:25] God, because God can use our shadow.

He can use our story, you know, as it [00:23:30] says in Revelation, by the blood of the land and the telling of their testimony. Right? [00:23:35] My testimony is the past bringing forth healing into the present. And I'll never forget [00:23:40] that moment. You know, I really do believe in the prophetic, that God can speak to us even [00:23:45] now and he can not only give us instruction for the moment and knowledge and wisdom, but also he [00:23:50] can give us direction for the future that can really help chart our path and our course.[00:23:55]

[00:23:55] Denisha: So good. I love this conversation. I love your [00:24:00] vulnerability and your honesty. It would be very easy to look at you and think, Oh, he's got it all [00:24:05] together. He's walked, you know, he must've had Bible verses on his diapers, you know, he's [00:24:10] got this walk figured out, but you're so honest with us about the journey.

And I [00:24:15] appreciate that so much because that's where we all are. We're all in this journey and we're [00:24:20] all locking arms together to take that next step. You know, I just love [00:24:25] that. So I'm curious, what would you say? So let's [00:24:30] say there's a gal listening and predominantly, you know, we have women listen to the [00:24:35] podcast, but we know there's some men out there too.

But if someone were listening and saying, I'm in that [00:24:40] moment, I'm in the moment in my car where I'm yelling in my car, what would you say to them? [00:24:45] What would you encourage 

[00:24:45] Maurice: them with? I would simply say, God can [00:24:50] handle your honesty. It's interesting because sometimes when you are [00:24:55] in religious context, when you're in church settings, you can hear people trying [00:25:00] to deliver wisdom, and sometimes the wisdom has been taught over [00:25:05] time, and I understand where some of the lessons come from, but sometimes it's not biblical [00:25:10] necessarily.

And so there's a lot of people who will only speak about reverencing God when you [00:25:15] speak to God. But when I read the scripture, I see people, when they talk to [00:25:20] God, God is more than okay with them asking questions. God, you want me to do that? [00:25:25] God, you expect this of me? I think about Gideon. Gideon says, first of [00:25:30] all, you're saying God's here with me?

Well, where has God been when the destruction [00:25:35] of my city has been taking place? The destruction of our people. What do you mean God is with [00:25:40] me? And God is strong enough. To handle our honesty. [00:25:45] Now that doesn't mean that we're supposed to be disrespectful to the Lord. It doesn't mean that we're supposed to be [00:25:50] venomous to God.

And I'm not trying to say that. But I am saying that God is [00:25:55] strong enough. Big enough. To handle the honesty that you have. Give Him [00:26:00] your real tears. Give him your real anger, give him your real frustration, and you might [00:26:05] even find that when you tell him the story that you believe about your life, [00:26:10] he then will have the permission to shed the light on how [00:26:15] he sees your life.

God showed me things about my past that I [00:26:20] never would have known had I not gone to the light of the world with my truth. [00:26:25] I hate the saying, live your truth. That's like a very worldly thing. All you gotta do [00:26:30] is live your truth. I don't need to live my truth. My truth, sometimes, is a [00:26:35] lie or a half truth.

What I need to do is take my truth to [00:26:40] the truth. And when the truth, being Jesus, shines the light on my [00:26:45] truth, he shows me you were hurting then. And I was standing with you. [00:26:50] You were broken then, and I was picking up the pieces. Somebody [00:26:55] harmed you at that point, and I needed you to be crushed because it showed you a sign of [00:27:00] life you needed so that you could be used in my operation and in my hands.

There's something [00:27:05] that God does, and is, and always will do in our lives that we [00:27:10]can't see. Without his revelation, I always have a [00:27:15] God sized gap in my life, hard times, painful times, beautiful times. Even [00:27:20] I always have a God sized 

[00:27:21] Denisha: gap. You just got right in with us and sitting in the [00:27:25] living room, giving just friendship advice on how to take that next step.

[00:27:30] Thank you for that. So welcome. Well, in talking about, as you mentioned, [00:27:35]there's that God size gap. We have to talk about your book. [00:27:40] I have to tell you, that was one of the things I was just so excited about that God size gap. [00:27:45] It's those moments when we go, this is impossible, but God. And [00:27:50] so you have a book that just captured me.

We have a jewelry line in our [00:27:55] ministry. And one of the pieces that we have at our manufacturing company is one that says, but [00:28:00] God. And so the name of your book, which I love this so [00:28:05] much, but is too big. Your butt is too big. And tell us [00:28:10] about that because that's that God size gap, right? That's that saying, this looks impossible, right?

[00:28:15] How this is my job, my relationships. This is where I'm sitting in my life right now, but [00:28:20] God, 

[00:28:21] Maurice: that's it. So cool. Cool. Cool. First I'll [00:28:25] explain, you know, the premise behind my book, which it's really a book, the healing of God. [00:28:30] And then I'll kind of tell you where it came from in my own life, you know, the revelation that I [00:28:35] received.

So I told you that after everything happened in my life, the journey became. And what am I [00:28:40]meant to do? What am I supposed to do? And that journey took me into becoming a counselor and then [00:28:45] becoming a life coach and now obviously an author and a speaker. And so [00:28:50]one thing that I realized after I started counseling people and I started coaching people and I started working with [00:28:55] people is the power that the past has on our lives.

And so what happens [00:29:00] is, especially in American culture, you know, we live in a beautiful country, but we do [00:29:05] have some things that are taught. In our society, and it's things like, you know, we don't [00:29:10] have time to sit and think about our problems and worry about our issues. We got work to do, right? And [00:29:15] we have a tendency to stuff down our problems and stuff down our issues and push them to the side.[00:29:20]

And one of the realizations that I had was that eating food is very [00:29:25] similar to healing in life. In that, if I consume a whole bunch of food, [00:29:30] And it doesn't get processed fully the right way in my body. I begin to then carry [00:29:35] unneeded weight through my life. And that, if that weight can affect my heart, it can affect my [00:29:40] mobility.

It affects who I am as a person. It can even live it, the quality [00:29:45] of life that I have. In the same way, if you've been through major [00:29:50] moments in your life that you have, maybe I call it trauma, drama, and [00:29:55] pain that has scarred you, or maybe you're not even scarred, you're still wounded, all [00:30:00] of the things that you have not processed in your life begin, become [00:30:05] heavy weight that you carry with you through your journey.

And so now the [00:30:10] question is, will I keep looking at life through the [00:30:15] failure, the frustration, the pain from the past, or will I allow [00:30:20] myself to heal so that I can begin to look at my future through the lens [00:30:25] of God? Because God sees hope in my future. He sees [00:30:30] beauty and strength. And network and good things in my future.

[00:30:35] Well, my past is gonna tell me everything that I'm not. My future in God shows me [00:30:40] everything that I am. I can do all things in Christ through gives me strength. And so, [00:30:45] you know, the real revelation that I had was, I was working at Mega Church [00:30:50] one and I was having, honestly, it was a great learning experience.

I was the TV show host. They had a [00:30:55] TV show, they were on TV in Cleveland Monday through Friday, and my face was on the TV and I [00:31:00] was doing announcements and I was producing. the show. And my wife and I had been [00:31:05] feeling like I feel like we're about to be in the midst of a shift, but not just yet. And my wife [00:31:10] was actually at that point, seven months pregnant with our second child.

And [00:31:15] we went on a trip. And while we were on the trip, I was sitting on a bed [00:31:20]talking to her. And I heard the spirit of the Lord say so clearly. [00:31:25] leave. It's time to move. And he wasn't talking about get out of this place. [00:31:30] Like it's about to be on fire. It was situational. And my wife was mid [00:31:35] sentence. And I said, stop it.

Do you hear Holy Spirit saying anything now, you know, that was probably not [00:31:40] going to work out and she was going to just say something different. Right. And she said, leave. I heard [00:31:45] leave. And I went, Oh my God. And as you can imagine, I was very similar [00:31:50] to some of the people in the Bible, like Gideon, who I just talked about, or like Moses, [00:31:55] my immediate reaction was.

But God, this doesn't make any [00:32:00] sense. But God, how are we going to do that? But God, where will we, [00:32:05] but God, and I was so stuck on, but God, this can't happen, [00:32:10] that I didn't understand, but with God, all things can happen. [00:32:15] And so when I had the revelation and the realization and it was like he downloaded those [00:32:20] scriptures in my spirit, those and Jeremiah, where he says, Jeremiah, I need you to go over [00:32:25] here and preach to these people.

And Jeremiah says, but I'm too young. God [00:32:30] says, don't tell me you're too young. Before you were formed in your mother's womb, I knew you, [00:32:35] I knew your spirit. I knew who it is that I intended you to be before you [00:32:40] ever breathed. Before you were, I am. Right. That's the lesson [00:32:45] before all of us were, I am, and sometimes [00:32:50] we will say, but God, my situation is so bad, but [00:32:55] God, I've been through so much, but God, this hurts.

And when [00:33:00] we learn how to say, but because of God, he'll make me stronger for it. I [00:33:05] might not understand it, but he'll use it. I might not get it. But he's walking with [00:33:10]me. When we surrender that much, we find out about the true power of [00:33:15] God. And I am yet and still seeing the power of God in so many areas of my life.[00:33:20]

And I just encourage people, replace your but God with a but God. Replace your no [00:33:25] I can't do it with yes I can do it if you say I can. Yes. 

[00:33:29] Denisha: Oh, [00:33:30] you know, you shouldn't yell on a podcast, but I kind of,[00:33:35]

it's so good. So I love the lessons that God has [00:33:40] given you and that you have walked out. You're not speaking from someone who has studied this in word. [00:33:45] This is somewhat, you are someone Maurice who has walked this out in the trenches, in the [00:33:50] real, in the life. I feel like there's so many things that you have given us today that would be [00:33:55] so helpful.

So. Thank you. What I would love to do is offer a free copy of your [00:34:00] book. Can we do a giveaway? Is that okay? So I would love to give away a [00:34:05] free copy of your book. And here's all I want to know. If you would email [00:34:10] podcast at reclaim story. com. And just tell me one takeaway from today. [00:34:15] What is something that Maurice has said that you're like, I'm right there.

Whatever that is your [00:34:20] past, your future. If you're in a pit, if you're looking, if you're holding on the hem of his garment, [00:34:25] if you're like Peter and you're standing in the water and you see the wind. Wherever you are in your [00:34:30] journey right now, drop us a line. It can be as detailed or as non detailed as you want it [00:34:35] to be, but podcast at reclaim story.

com. And we're going to take that for the [00:34:40] next two weeks until the next episode comes out and we'll do a drawing and we'll contact the winner and [00:34:45] give away a free copy of your book, because I feel like your journey Maurice is so many of our journeys. [00:34:50] The particularities of our stories might be different, but our journey, our walk with [00:34:55] God, those moments of wonder, those moments of revelation, we've all been [00:35:00] there.

Those moments of crying and not knowing what is next. And so I love that your [00:35:05] victory can be a victory for other people. And I also love that you're real and honest about [00:35:10] that journey because we need to hear that. So I want to give away a copy of your [00:35:15] book. So again, podcast at reclaim story. com, but Maurice, I really feel like [00:35:20] there's just such a connection to what we do and the different things that you provide.

So [00:35:25] tell us how to find you after today's episode. 

[00:35:28] Maurice: Absolutely. You know, there's a [00:35:30] couple of ways. I have actually two websites. So, one of them is marisefmartin. [00:35:35] com. If you go there, that's where you'll see I have my books there. If somebody wants to book [00:35:40] me to speak at their church, at their business, whatever, you can find me there.

And then my other website is [00:35:45] yourbutt, that's one T of course, yourbuttistobig. com. And on there I actually [00:35:50] just finished filming my first course. It's called The Authentically Fulfilled Life, and so that [00:35:55] will be posted on my website very soon. And then I just have other information on both of those [00:36:00] sites.

You can find me on social media, at Maurice F. Martin. And I always [00:36:05] tell people, look, I am approachable. DM me, ask me a question, if you need prayer, [00:36:10] you literally can inbox me and say, Maurice, would you and your wife be praying for us about whatever it might be? [00:36:15]Because I believe that everything that I do, It is a ministry.

Yes. I have a business. [00:36:20] Yes. I'm trying to provide for my family. But in the end, what I have is a ministry [00:36:25] and I am just trying to be the hands and feet of the Lord as we're all supposed to do. 

[00:36:29] Denisha: Oh, [00:36:30] Maurice, I love your heart. And you also recently started a podcast, hope rising. [00:36:35] So I want to encourage you guys, check out hope rising, make sure to subscribe there as well, [00:36:40] because I think we're going to want to stay in contact with you.

This is not the last from [00:36:45] Maurice. So we'll thank you so much, Maurice. I look forward to having you on in two [00:36:50] weeks as well, and we're going to see where the Lord leads that conversation. It's going to be awesome. Awesome. Awesome. I [00:36:55] can't wait. Me too. Me too. Well, guys, don't forget. So it's [00:37:00] www.

yourbuttistobig. com. That cracks me up. That was bold, [00:37:05] friend. And so true. Well, we look forward to having [00:37:10] you on again in two weeks and stay connected with Maurice. In the meantime, we'll see you [00:37:15] same time, same place in two weeks. Thanks for [00:37:20]listening. I pray you found hope in today's conversation and maybe.

Even [00:37:25] feel a little less alone in your story. Stay connected with us on Facebook and Instagram [00:37:30] at Reclaimed Story. Want to learn more about living a reclaimed life and [00:37:35] how you can be a part of our growing community of reclaimers? Check out our website at [00:37:40] reclaimedstory. com. All of those links and more will be in the show notes.

And [00:37:45] if you enjoyed this inspirational podcast, be sure to subscribe, rate, and [00:37:50]review. Not only will you be the first one to know when new content comes out, but it is [00:37:55]also a huge help in helping us reach more people to live the reclaimed [00:38:00] life.[00:38:05]