What Season of Life?

Hey, this is Tim Pratt Jr. I want to welcome you to the podcast Student of Life. I pray that you hear something that will add value, shape, develop, and cultivate your faith in order to be the person that God desires you to be, as well as the application to see it through. Enjoy. What's up everybody? So this is season 3, episode 1, Student of Life. Student of Life, we've rebranded to Student of Life. No more This Thing That We Call Life. It's Student of Life. Um, you can go back and refer to the rebranding, what's up, uh, what's coming, and the bonus, uh, I dropped like right before this one. But we're gonna jump into it, and I'm so excited about the rebranding, just the direction that this podcast is going, just to be more aggressive and assertive, you know, getting ready to do vlogs and dropping video content. Uh, like I said, my wife is coming, you know, more so looking for partnerships and sponsors and things like that. And I want to start interviewing. Like, it's just so much that I want to do, man. It's this space of faith, but it's so much opportunity in it. I mean, you have so many people, just the way that, that they're communicating the word. But like I say, the biggest thing is like, you know, not focus so much on their life or my, you know, whoever's. But, you know, yes, I appreciate the, the how effective the word is being communicated. But like I say, the most important thing is preaching it because we have too much teaching and preaching prophesying, evangelism, and so much, so much more without people becoming one with it. And I've heard people say, oh man, they can prophesy, teach like none other, they can preach, or they can do this. But who are we to say that they really can do if God's not pleased? So that being said, let's jump into it. Uh, this is non-judgmental zone. I'm not here to judge, I'm not here to point fingers. Uh, but at the same time, yes, I believe in considering myself, but that doesn't excuse me from the right of telling the truth. Because yes, we all have sin, but all have sin— that doesn't give me an excuse to keep doing things, or it doesn't give me an excuse not to be able to tell the truth now. You know, through one man we all, but through one man we redeem. And so we gotta walk into that, we gotta walk into that and be led by the Spirit and, uh, not identify by those things. And what I like to say about not identifying by is that if you don't identify them by anymore, you shouldn't keep repeating them. You know, it's a process, but at the same time you see growth. So with that being said, let's jump into it. Episode 1 of Season 3, What Season of Life? Now I understand, you know, we, we understand seasons and stuff. It goes back to a fundamental thing back when we were growing up. I mean, you know, you know, you have, uh, what is it, summer with spring, summer, fall, and winter, the four seasons of life. And of course, there's a lot of content out there, you know, where people talk about this when you get into like working out, you know, uh, eating, growing a garden, farming, the harvest, and all that type of stuff. But I want to focus on what season of life— and you can take that wherever you want to go— what season of life are you in today? What season of life are you expected to go into? Or whatever. But in the, the context I want you to read this is that there will be seasons, and you are going to have to discern what season of life that you are in in order to be successful, but as well as get ready to walk into that next one. And so with that being said, let's jump into it. So our foundational text today is Matthew 9:37-38. That's the foundational scripture that we're going to read from. Of course, we'll get into some supporting ones throughout this episode. But it reads, then he said to his disciples, the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Meaning that it's plenty of— it's, it's plenty of harvest out there, it's a lot to be gained and reaped out there, but we don't have enough workers. And of course, in the context of this passage, Jesus was looking at basically like all of these people that were basically needed help. They, they needed to be reached and things like that. And so he was basically instructing people to pray for working hands. But I feel like that's a transferable truth that we can apply to our everyday-to-day life. And it goes on to read in 38, ask the Lord of the Harvest therefore to send out workers into the harvest field. So that's kind of what I just said. So we got to be willing to go out and work, work, work, work. You know, you can go back and listen to Rihanna, whoever you need to, but we gotta have that work ethic within us, man. As I like to say, you gotta have that dog mentality. You know, you got to be— have that hustle sometimes. You have to know, but you also have to know how to hone that because, you know, we'll get into some of those things later, uh, but you gotta know how to rest and all that. But in the context of this, you got to know how to work. And so that being said, once again, let's read it one more time. Then he said to his disciples, the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest therefore to send out workers into the harvest field. So that being said, we have to understand that every season has a beginning and an end because it changes with time. Seasons change with time. Now I know in today's, you know, since I've been kind of growing up, even lately in the, uh, in the last couple years of my life, it does seem like one minute, oh, it feels like, you know, winter, and then it feels like spring, but then it feels like winter. So I get all of that, but at the end of the day every season has a beginning and an end in its proper context, and it changes with time. So, you know, where I live at now, I get it, you know, and stuff like that in different states. However, even if you look at it from just a pure calendar standpoint, when the first day of summer starts, no matter how it feels, it's the first day of summer. That means it's no longer spring anymore. When summer is over, it's fall, then the winter, even if it's just purely the calendar day. Like I said, I know you have states like Florida and California, things like that. Now, in the context of our lives, I truly believe that you hear people say, I'm just in the season of life, or I'm in extended season of life, which is— that can be true, you know. We all go through things, whether it be health concerns, financial things, so on and so on. Yes, it's times that we can feel like that we are in an extended season, but we have to have the proper discernment because sometimes we just lack self-awareness. It's not necessarily an extended season, actually we're just in the cycle. And so seasons change with time, but cycles change when you do. So remember that, I picked that up from Darius Daniels and it just really stuck and just hit me in a way. So seasons change with time, cycles change when you do. You can go to, you know, Ecclesiastes 3 and read that when it gets into basically like it's a time for everything. But at the end of the day, a lot of times when it comes to a lack of harvest, it's not because it's scarce out there, it's simply because we didn't follow the principle God spoke. And you can go back to our foundational text with Matthew 9:37-38, or you can look into our— one of our supporting ones that we have, Genesis 8:22. In Genesis, God, the word of God, it said, as long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease. So once again, like I said, we have a principle here. We have a principle. And so, principle, they're timeless, they're, they transcend. You cannot follow principles but then expect like the result that you want to, if that makes sense. In other words, that if you want certain results, it's just certain principles that you have to follow. That's just the truth. Now, I want— if I want to be wealthy, can I hit the lottery? You know, can somebody come up on something or come up on an idea? Yes, these things, there are exceptions, but for the most part Many of us have to build it long term, or we have to work our butt off, make smart investments, you know, and balance between short-term and mid— or even like, you know, just short-term and long-term investing. So you might have to create a real estate portfolio, you invest in the stock market, uh, climb the corporate ladder, start your own business, and get into multiple streams of income. But for— like I say, but at the end of the day, it go— it simply goes down to basically understanding the principles and carrying it out, following it. Because like I say, principles transcend. So one thing that I'm learning in life when I approach, whether it be the Bible, reading a book, studying it, just talking to day-to-day people— what is the principle that they're trying to teach? Because although the context of my life might not— the, the content might not be the same, the context is usually is, if that makes sense. So meaning, what I mean by content is that might be a different story, but the overall context of it is basically the same. And that's what I feel like we gotta basically reach out and grab. We gotta understand that because that's what we're gonna— that's what's gonna help us navigate and win, you know, or just be successful on this journey of life. Seeing things the right way, perspective change. So that being said, we first have to break the cycles. Of not respecting the seasons. In other words, if you have a spending problem— think about a financial thing— if you have a spending problem all year long, don't blame it on the seasons or think that you're going to come up out of a bad season or sit up here saying, "I'm in a bad season." It will never change because you have misdiagnosed a season for a bad cycle or habit. That's just the truth. That's the way I have it in, like, kind of my notes. You are mistaken. Like I say, you are mistaking things. You are calling this a season. You're calling it a cycle season, and you're not going to have results. Because like I say, if you're spending money, eating out every day, buying clothes, you always got to go to the club, or you always got to go here, got to go there, and you never basically take a moment of time to just get your save and get ahead of the game, pay things off, invest where those things can turn around and come back and take care of you. You reaping the harvest. See, too many of us, man, we want to spend our entire life reaping the harvest, but we fail to realize that our harvest is only as strong as our seed planting, and then the cultivating and trusting in God to bring the rain. If we don't respect the seasons in life, we are automatically operating at a deficiency. That's just the truth. We're automatically operating at a deficiency because we just want to live in harvest. We just want harvest after harvest after harvest. But that's not the law. That's not the law of the harvest because you're breaking a principle. So I really want y'all to get this, man, because with me now, you know, one thing you'll hear me say is that when I was 20 years old, uh, I, I read Rich Dad Poor Dad when I was about 22, 23. And, you know, of course a lot changed for me. Like I told you in previous episodes, I'm just now starting to see those results now. But when I read Rich Dad Poor Dad at that age, you know, I was like, dang, I wish I would have read this maybe like 3, 4 years before that, man. You know, maybe when I was 18 or something, or 19, because it would have forced me to talk to the 30-year-old Tim. I would have looked down the road 10 years from that day So now that I am 30, I'm talking to the 40-year-old version. I want to set that person up by the grace of God. I want to do what I have to do now so the 40-year-old version of myself, Lord's will, won't just be upset and be like, dude, why didn't you just follow the principles? Because you could have set me up to be good. And that's not just me, it's thinking about my wife, you know, my boys, my family, reaching impact. So keep— quit, quit eating up your seed, man. Quit just blaming the fact that you might be in the cycle. You just, you just might just keep doing things. One of the biggest things that keep us from reaping the necessary harvest that we should is that I deserve— I deserve this, why I work this. Now you don't. You deserve— we, to be truthful, we deserve a whole lot of things, but thank God for his grace and mercy. But when it comes to your financial understanding or personal growth, most importantly your spiritual growth, you have to put in the work. Just like with the Lord, man, so many people, you know, they go in there— we collectively, I can say, because I've done this— summarizing other people's content, you still— but you're not becoming one with it. So that's why you're not really seeing results. You're giving off the appearance that you do, but deep down it's really not. And so like I say, you know, we have to stop operating at a deficiency if we want the the proper harvest, we have to basically work the ground and work it hard. But at the end of the day, even in all of that, we can't just solely depend on ourselves because only God can bring the rain. And when God brings the rain, that's what break— that's what helps bring the harvest into the manifestation. So it's not, it's not all on us, but it's a, it's a tandem relationship. Can God just, if he wanted to speak and say, oh, harvest, come. Yes, he can, he's God. But at the same time, he requires— he's given us instructions to do certain things. And like I said, we can go to the Bible, we can go to the word of truth, the word of God, and basically learn that these things, uh, are true. So let me give you an example of this whole thing about operating at a deficiency and so on and so on. Say for instance that I just had a newborn baby, and this is why it's very important to understand seasons of life. But at the same time, I've been wanting to start a business, and I have a great business plan, model, whatever you want to call it, have took the necessary time, the investments, the money, and everything. But I just had this newborn baby, and my wife and I say, okay man, but you know, we want to start this business. We gotta see what I'm saying. We gotta discern the season. We gotta take care of that newborn baby. So it's gonna require so much in those first couple of months for sure, up until that first year or two, you know, of just, just commitment, dedication. Would it be wise for me to start a business in that same time frame? No, no matter how great that business model is. Now, could I have done it maybe a little bit before? I don't know, because you know that the baby is coming. But possibly I could have. But after, you know, I get it, I understand time and all of that, but maybe after 6, 7 months, you know, you and your wife communicate or whatever, those partners, whatever, maybe you can start moving into and starting the initiation phase of it. And stuff. But it's probably why starting a business as soon as the newborn baby is about to come— I don't care how great your determination is, it won't last because you're in the wrong season of life. That's why, like I say, man, if you're not— if you don't hear nothing else from me, discerning the season of life that you are in, it's going to be crucial to your success. It's going to be very crucial to how you navigate this life. But at the same time, long as you don't confuse calling a cycle a season. So you have to make two distinctions. Make sure that you're not in a cycle. And if you understand that you're not in a cycle, because cycles change when you do, seasons change with time. So no matter how rough it is, trust me, I truly believe it might not be how we want it, but through the grace and power of God, it's going to get better, and somehow, some way, it's going to make sense. You can go back and listen to the episode I Got Insight of how basically all I'm basically communicating with in that episode in season 2 was that when we're in the day-to-day trenches, it's so easy to keep moving by sight, like, okay, Lord, I'm trusting you, I'm trying to trust you, but right now— but then as soon as we come out of that situation, they say hindsight is 20/20. We start to see the lesson in it. What was God doing? So like I said, no matter how determined you are, it will not last if you're in the wrong season of life. So I mean, you've heard it all the time, you know, you see workout people, you see here that summer bodies are built in the winter. But think about that in the context of our lives, you know. Most people try to build a summer body when spring get here, like Summertime ain't ready, you know what I'm saying? All this type of stuff. Summer 2020, you know, all this type of stuff. But you in the gym— I'm not saying it can't be done, you know, you can, you can overdo it or go super hard and stuff like that and grind, grind, grind. But at the end of the day, when I look at real deal bodybuilders and stuff that I see— I'm not one, I mean, I like to work out, but I'm not a bodybuilder. But when I see them, you know, once I respect and I talk to Uh, I mean, truly they've been working all year round, but they really went in that grind during the winter because they know, they understand the seasons of life. I'm in the preparation phase, I mean, now I'm going to move to that cultivating phase, and then for them, harvest, you know. So it's just, it's just understanding the nature of it. And so I want to close out this episode with something that I read, and it was inspired by Jesse Maxwell, but you know, kind of make it my own. And it was, it was primarily inspired by him, but I think I've heard it one or two times through, uh, I Believe My Father in Love before. And then just kind of, you know, growing up with my dad, my grandfather, and some of my uncles and stuff like that, seeing it on the farm. It's very true. But like I said in the beginning of the episode, we know that we have four seasons: winter, spring, summer, and fall. But think about this when it comes to your life. Sefirah Winter is the dreaming and planning phase. So you're dreaming, you're dreaming, you're— God is revealing all these things to you, you know, where you can see yourself down the road, this, this, and that. You know, you are writing down things, you know, in your journal and stuff like that. And then you move to more of the planning. So you start putting goals, as Dave Ramsey say, you start setting goals, you start planning, because goals are basically dreams with work clothes on. I like that. So you have this set up, so you dream and you've done your planning, and you say, okay, you pray over that. You pray over, say, Lord, you know, I believe these dreams, you know, just listening to you, visions or whatever, they were directly from you. Now I've put goals to them, because there's nothing wrong with that. But also at the same time, even in your goals, still make sure that you're dedicated to continuous growth. Because sometimes we can hit goals and pull up, pull our foot off the gas. But if you're dedicated to growth, you're going to keep hitting goals regardless if you have them set or not. But goals to me, just, it helps— specific goals helps give us basically measurable results and stuff. And so once you— so say, for instance, like I say, we're in winter and you've been dreaming and plant, uh, planning, and so now you're getting ready to move into spring. Which is going to be your working season. That's the planting. And keep in mind, you don't want to wait on this. You don't want to extend your winter season too much because it will reduce your harvest. Let me explain it a little bit. It's just like they tell you all the time with people, 401s and investing. A lot of reason why people are not seeing results in their 401s that you hear people calling from like Dave Ramsey and, uh, some of the Anthony O'Neill and them talk about is simply because they wait and they wait and wait. So if you can start at 18 at $25, $50 a month, start. You know, if you can start at 22, 23 after your career, or this is up in there with this and that, start. Because when you do that compound interest, so the earlier you start, man, it's the more you giving yourself to have a bigger harvest. But when you wait and wait, so if you wait to 25, then 30, then 35 to start investing in your 401k and making investment, I'm not saying you can't make it but you, you make it harder. You have to, you know, unless something by the grace of God happens— I'm not saying it can't because you cannot account for the favor of God— but for many people, don't put off what you can do today. Just stop. You know, I think one of the proverbs is, what's the best time to plant a tree? Uh, 20 years ago. When is the next best time to plant? I might be quoting, jacking this all the way up, but right now So yeah, it's probably— you look back and say, man, I wish I would have done this 5 years ago or 10, 15, 20 years ago. That's true, I get it, I understand. We all wrestle with it. But at the end of the day, don't let another 5 years go by and you still saying the same thing because you could have done what you needed to do that day, today. So don't wait, it will reduce your harvest. Work, plant, plant the seeds. Moving to the summertime, that's cultivating. This is where you learn how to apply and continue to work the ground. You're applying your learning, your wisdom. You're cultivating, you're making tweaks and things and adjustments. That's all it is, man. You're just— you're continuing to work the ground, but now wisdom is coming. You're learning how to transfer these things. And because it's not just all theory, you're not sitting up always planning or talking, you got to do Yes, be hearers of the word, but also be doers. And so this is where the wisdom comes from. Continue to work the ground over and over and over. Then the fall comes, it's the reaping of the harvest. So now you take some from that, you enjoy your harvest, but you also use some of that harvest in order to start this process all over again. So every year, boom, I'm adding a little and little and little, and by the time you look up, the harvest is taking care of the harvest. The harvest is taking care of you. You could pass it down. You can teach these things and say, look, by the grace of God, with my hard work, and most importantly, just God bringing down the rain, look at what we've been able to make happen. I can't remember who I heard it from, but it was, uh, through— it was a story being told. I want to say it was Jerome. It was talking about how So this guy, you know, he went and it was like this field, it was like a mess and it was just stuff all over the place and it was just rain, rain, rain, but nothing grew. And so he started working the ground, cultivating it, studying and learning how to get things in proper, lined up proper, you know, studying how to, I forgot the word I'm looking for, I'm searching for it, but basically He learned how to work the ground, to cultivate the ground and things, and then he planted the seeds. And then as it rained and rained and rained, it harvest became, you know, basically things started to grow, crops and things like that. But the point I'm making is, you know, it's like I said, the point I made about a tender relationship is that somebody was like, man, wow, that's amazing, man, look at what God did. But he said, you also should have seen it before. Corny. You could say it's corny, but the lesson in it was that it was raining, but God didn't magically just make this stuff come up. I had to do something. So I played my part, and I trust in the Lord to do his. Tan the relationship. So we have to do something. And that's one of the biggest excuses that just growing up in a local church that I've seen for years. We have to work, man. But like I said, most importantly is trusting in God to bring forth the rain. So listen, what season of life? That's why I want to leave it. This was episode, uh, episode 1 of season 3, Student of Life. What season of life? If— of course I have an outro, but I gotta share this. If this episode is such— you, man, because we're gonna dive deep, we're gonna get into like practicality and so on and so on, because just with me spending time with my content and communicating it through the grace and power of the Holy Spirit. If this has touched you, you're going to hear it again on the outro, but share. I need you all to share, man, and push me because this is not about me. This is stepping into— yes, I know a lot of people are in this space, but I want to just share my heart and reach people. And I'm challenging myself to grow and just be more diligent. And you, like I say, just in my interpretation of things and my understanding but at the same time spending time in it in a way that— because I wanted to impact people. I want to work with the youth. I want to work with people and show them that no matter where you are in life, this stuff can be done. And so this is the first episode of season 3. Look, it's been a lot of growth. Season 1, season 2 were very challenging for me because I, of course, had never done this, and now I am. And so that being said, I'm here. I'm ready to go 15, 20, 30+ seasons strong, whatever the Lord leads me. And we're just gonna share this, man. We're gonna push it. And if you need to contact me or whatever, like I said, go to www.timothypratt.org and it'll show you how to get in touch with me and contact. We need to have a one-on-one conversation, you know, so on and so on. I'm here. So what season of life Are you in? Hey, so I want to thank you for taking the time to listen to this content today. If it has impacted you in any kind of way, I want to encourage you to share it on your social media feed with family and friends. And if you desire to connect with me on a more deeper level, go to www.timothyprattjr.org where you'll get more information on how to do that. With that being said, continue to have a blessed day, and Lord's will, I'll see you next time.