Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Hey everyone, it's been a long time.
[00:00:02] Let's talk for a little bit, can we?
[00:00:11] God doesn't design us to fit. He designs us to be impactful.
[00:00:20] Hey, this is Ryan Shifts and Ladders. This is a podcast that is here to help people identify their key shifts in their lives to grow and elevate to new heights, particularly to reach their God given potential. Y'all haven't heard that from me at all. And I realized it's been since November actually since we last spoke. So we've had Thanksgiving, we've had Christmas, we've had New Year's, we had everything. So I was like, what's been going on? You know? Did you drop off? Yeah, I kind of did, just for a little bit.
[00:00:54] You know, one of the things about the holiday season that is so important is you get a time to reflect. Okay. And honestly, I was getting a lot of time to reflect, spending time with my family, but also really understanding what matters and also what I'm sharing and what I'm creating here on YouTube and on podcasts. And I took some time, looked over the year and was like, man, I don't think I really share the reason why I made this Shifts and Ladders from Life Refreshed. And you know what, on top of that, I was just talking about business stuff and that's cool. Systems, processes, all those kinds of things. Those are wonderful tools. I'm not knocking them. In fact, I use them every day. But one of the things, and actually the most critical piece is what I actually just shared in the beginning to help people identify key shifts in their life to ignite growth and reach their God given potential. That is really what shifts in Ladders is all about. And honestly, I hate the fact that I had to change it because I liked Life Refresh. It was what I started on doing. And actually that's what everyone wants. They want a life refresh. They want a life that is invigorating because you might be bored with your current one. But honestly, in order to make the change to a life refresh, it requires a shift in some kind of elevation. So what you're going to hear from me now on is more of a focus on really, where does God intervene in all of these situations, circumstances. Because at the end of the day, whether you are spiritually growing mentally, emotionally, relationally and physically, there is some level of intervention that God has going on in our lives and you cannot reach your potential because God is not involved. You just can't. You can do the best you can. You can Read every book that you can best believe. I read a ton of books. And at the end of the day and at the end of the line, I am always finding that what I'm reading is connected to what God has already said. Okay, so I want to take a little bit of time to give you just a quick origin story as to why Shifts and Ladders is what it is. Okay, So I am actually going through. This is the summer I'm getting. I got a new job, and I went through a season of shifting. I went through some, like, what I'm talking about when it comes to shifts and ladders, I've actually gone through, personally. We'll get to that as we go through several iterations of this season. But I've gone through the mental rigor. I've gone through the emotional pain. I've gone through some of the relational damage that comes with that. I've gone through quite a bit of things personally.
[00:03:56] So I know what I'm talking about. I've experienced it. And actually, while I'm on vacation, I'm gonna say I was on vacation. I was actually en route to God. Where was I at? Iowa. I had never been to Iowa, and I had just started changing the name to Shifts and Ladders. I never really got the origin of why I prayed about it. And. And this is what it got connected to. And I'm. For lack of a better for timing, I want you all to read Genesis, chapter 28. Genesis, chapter 28. Because this is where the shift and ladder comes from. Yeah, I said it was a play on shoots and ladders, but this is actually where shoots and ladders comes from. So Genesis, chapter 28, the Bible, believe it or not. All right, so I'm gonna give a quick synopsis of what this actual book or chapter of the Bible talks about. So right after Jacob, who is the son of Isaac, he tricks his dad to. To give the anointing for the firstborn, which is. Which was his older brother Esau. He tricks him into giving his birthright to him. And Isaac couldn't see, so he was blind, and they basically played him. Long story, actually, if you want to know, read 27 and then you can really understand.
[00:05:21] 28. So what ends up happening is he is on the run, and he's trying to run away from his brother because his brother says, imma kill you because you stole this from me. So he's leaving his land of Canaan, and he's going now to Haran, which is where his Uncle Laban is. And while he is En route, he gets tired and he gets exhausted and he finds a place to go to sleep. And he actually, the Bible says he lays his head on. On a rock. So he goes from running and he said, when you're tired and you have to put your head on a rock, that's a big deal. Anyway, so when he is falling asleep, he sees a ladder that goes from earth all the way up to heaven. And there are angels ascending and descending up and down this ladder. And at the top of the ladder is God himself. And what he says to Jacob at that time is the Abrahamic covenant, which says, I will bless you to be a blessing. I will curse those who curse you. I will make your name great.
[00:06:33] Your descendants will be as numerous as the sand on the sea, as numerous as the stars in the sky, all this stuff. So. And then once he awakes from this dream, he's awoken and he said, oh, my God, this place right here has to be holy. So he changes the name, or he gives the place a name called Bethel. It's house of God. He anoints it and makes it holy, and then becomes this. And has this new invigorated spirit about himself. Because now, because he's. Even though he has stolen a promise that was intended for someone else, God still made sure that Jacob knew that the promise that he had given to his father and his grandfather still literally lives with him. Now, I think sometimes what happens is when we have gone through messes or we have actually made our own way, we didn't consult God, we didn't consult a neighbor or a friend. We thought what we wanted was best for ourselves.
[00:07:42] Sometimes we wonder and we run off and we start doing our own thing and like, well, I hope God blesses it.
[00:07:48] And to hear nothing for a while and to be scared on the run, not knowing what's going to happen if you could be dead.
[00:07:57] I don't have any siblings, but I could only imagine when it comes to a birthright, there's more than fisticuffs involved, right? So sure that Jacob felt in some way, shape or form at peace in some way to know that God was still with him. So I'm going to break this thing down in two pieces because there's the shift and then there's the ladder. Okay? And then we're going to jump right into what we're going to talk about coming up in the next few episodes. So the first piece is the shift, okay? When Jacob is on the run, he is upright. He is doing what he needs to do. But in order for him to get a new perspective, he has to lay down horizontal, he has to go to sleep, he has to change his perspective.
[00:08:47] Ladies and gentlemen, the only way you can make a shift in your life is if you are willing to change your perspective. Sometimes you have. Either you're willing at one point or you have to because you're made to lay down. You're exhausted, you're tired, you're lethargic, you can't see what you're. You can't see where you're going. You have to. Sometimes God makes you have to lay down. The Bible says he makes you lay down in green pastures, actually, for your own good.
[00:09:18] Sometimes we don't get the biggest revelation.
[00:09:22] We don't get it unless we're resting, when we have nothing to worry about, where we're trying to rejuvenate ourselves, when we're trying to rest up.
[00:09:35] That was the only way God was going to get his attention. And he gets his attention in a very mighty way. Okay? So. And then on top of that, his head is on a rock.
[00:09:48] So sometimes you have yet to be between a rock and a hard place in order to get a revelation from God, Okay? So that is what shifts entail. Okay? Now the latter. The ladder goes from Earth to God.
[00:10:06] And at that point, he is seeing angels go up and down this very ladder. Okay? Now, there is a scripture that says this. All promotion. Again, I'm summarizing this, but all promotion comes from God, okay? Every level of elevation comes from God. I don't care if you thought you were the smartest person in the world to do it, if you had the best strategy to build it, if you had the connections to make the thing happen. I don't care what you think your circumstance is. Promotion comes from the Lord. It comes from the north, comes from Him. Okay? You're not that good.
[00:10:48] You think you've done the work. There's also a saying that says, pray like it's all on God, but do everything like it's all on you.
[00:10:57] And sometimes what happens is we think that we are so good that we twisted God's arm to make it happen for us.
[00:11:05] I'm sorry, that's not the story. God is just that good.
[00:11:10] So if you are experiencing goodness in your life, the Bible says that every good and perfect thing comes from above. It comes from God.
[00:11:19] So whether you are believing in Jesus or believe there is a God, you have to understand, at the end of the day, it is up to him that gives you the promotion and the elevation for what you are experiencing in your life, okay? And honestly, the latter symbolizes this connection between heaven and earth, you and him. And as you continue to grow and build up the ladder, you get closer to God in that process.
[00:11:58] Okay, I'm telling you, Shifts in Ladders podcast was designed to help individuals realize that we are going through in every point of our lives some kind of shift.
[00:12:14] Some kind of shift. And in fact, you can, you can count on it.
[00:12:22] You were young at one point, you might be getting older. Well, if you're, you're good, you're getting older, period, your kids are getting older, your job might be changing, your, your family has different circumstances, your relationships change, your work shifts, the whole climate of what's going on in the world, politically, socioeconomically, all that stuff, it changes. So the thing is, what is the most important thing that you can do? You can be ready to shift. And also when you're in the shift, find ways to position yourself for elevation.
[00:13:00] And that is the reason why shifts in ladders exist.
[00:13:05] God wants to help you elevate and experience your God given potential. If we continue on with the story of Jacob, there's another point where he has another dream where he's wrestling with God and he's wrestling with God on his identity, on his identity, who he is. He had done a whole bunch of crazy stuff, things that he wasn't proud of, but he did not want to let go until he experienced a blessing from God.
[00:13:41] So at the end of the day, folks, you know, Shifts and Ladders exist for that very purpose.
[00:13:49] We're going to talk about Jesus, we're going to talk about the Lord, and we're going to talk about some very solid and very applicable principles that are found in His Word to really take your life to the next level. God just doesn't want you just here.
[00:14:08] Thank God that you're here at this time in this place.
[00:14:13] But there's a lot better ahead of you.
[00:14:17] And we're going to talk about what that's going to look like ahead of you in the next podcast. So if you could do me a favor, I need you to share this video to YouTube if you are on any podcast, Apple, Apple, Podcast, Spotify, share this, subscribe and like, because we are going to go down deep into these conversations about what it really takes to experience the best that God has for you. All right, keep it locked here and we'll see you in the next one. Peace.
