Dealing With Criticism

0:00 I Am Yours, I am yours, I am yours, and me, Lord, I am yours. I welcome to the Gospel Center per life podcast. As you're out there on the sidewalk doing ministry, you're going to deal with criticism from all kinds of angles. We're going to talk today about how to deal with that criticism. Stay with us. I felt show passish, touch your heart. Use Me. Welcome to the Gospel Center per life podcast. Appreciate you, guys, joining us and we're going to try to get right into our subject, a subject that really sprung out of some conversations that you, Vicki, had with some of our local volunteers here, as a lot of these podcasts do, these are right situations that we face. People reach out to US v Email and stuff like that and put questions out there, but most of it's kind of like Daytoday, ministering and encouraging our local volunteers, seeing the stuff that they struggle with, especially the relational stuff, how to fight discouragement. We've done podcast about that, podcast about just other subjects along these lines, kind of relational stuff. Yeah, and this is is no different than one of those subjects. This is how to deal with criticism right and it's going to come, if it hasn't already come to you, guys that are listening, whether you again be local volunteers with us or missionaries around the country, around the world or just people get involved in sidewalk ministry, people are going to criticize what you do. Hey, there's a

1:33 lot of context in which they might criticize you. There's a I mean we got social media, all kinds of social media platforms. We've got obviously personal relationships with people, or there's a context where they can criticize us, your relationship with people at Church. So people can criticize you. They got all kinds of methods to criticize you in this that's right, and criticism can can be certainly discouraging and I think it is one of the reasons why some folks stop coming to the sidewalk right and and it was two counselors in one week that came to me and said how are you out there for all these years, that many times a week and deal with the criticism? Specific question on how I dealt with that and I thought, you know, we discussed a little bit right before we started this that we don't really feel like we care much about criticism any more out on the sidewalk, but I think I did more when I was less secure that I knew what I was doing or that it was effective, and also just knew when I was new. Yeah, absolutely, and you know in our walk with the Lord, I mean there's criticisms that come down the pipeline. I am I'm a pentecostal believer. Yeah, might be surprised at that, but I believe in the gifts of the spear it. Yeah, now, now I'm not like in kind of the weird vein. Maybe I am probably to some of you people, to some

3:04 people, you are saying that I'm going to cost. It was weird. But I've gotten criticism because I was saved in a Baptist Church and I love Baptist people. I was man up that one of my well, my accountability Guy, who I meet within a monthly basis, is a baptist preacher. Okay, awesome man of God, and so I don't have any problem with that. But I have gotten criticism from people in my past also criticism from people even now of my beliefs in the gifts of the spirit or things like that. Baptism, Holy Spirit. Hey, and so I think criticism, I say all that to say, is a common theme no matter what.

3:45 Realm of Christian ministry walk with the Lord, whatever life. Yeah, I mean you, you are going to get criticized, whether you're in ministry or not. In learning to deal well with criticism is important. And even as an unbeliever, MMM, criticism is a part of life dealing with people in a fallen world. You're a fallen person yourself. We see, as Paul says, we see in a glass dimly, like we don't see everything perfectly. And Hey, and unfortunately there are some people that think they do see everything perfectly, and those are a lot of times the people that are very critical. But also we have to acknowledge that criticism being a normal part of life. Sometimes criticism is necessary. Like we need what they might call constructive criticism. If we're never open to any kind of criticism at all, that speaks more about us and it does about the people that are critiquing us.

4:40 Right. Yeah, we need to be open and at least here out, I think, if people criticize you for your ministry on the sidewalk, at least here it out. But I think we'll get into more this in depth criticism and people's opinion of you can't be what defined you. Right. Got To be defined by what God says. Yeah, and and, like you said, you're going to face criticism from all parts of life, not not just in ministry, but in in a this kind of ministry, and the very strong feelings of the opposition, the socalled pro choice people, versus the pro life people. The criticism is sometimes very, yeah, very significant.

5:27 Yeah, absolutely harsh. Yeah, and I think you were the one that I first heard say this and I thought it was so true. That there's IT. It starts off at really at an attempt to discourage. Yeah, and and you said, I. You said to someone when that is ineffective, when they're not able to discourage, then the criticism moves into intimidation, right, and that really stuck with me because that is true. Yeah, it can escalate and that definitely the criticism that has turned into intimidation is is much harder, yeah, to deal with out on the sidebox. Yeah.

6:10 Yeah. So, yeah, and all of that's designed, especially, like you said, from the quote pro choice pact, which we know are pro abortion people. Right, all of that criticism and all of these really it's accusations that are thrown at us. Is designed to discourage us. Right. And if you talk about the word discouragement, like to explain it in the terms of courage. Right, that's that's the root word of discourage is courage, and to discourage someone is to knock the courage out of you. Right, I have never thought of that. Never thought of that. Well, that that is really good. They want it's discourage, they want to take the courage out of you. And the devil uses criticism to get the courage out of us. Right. And so, as kind of a side notes all of you guys that are involved in ministry, we've got to be intentional with each other, with people there were ministering alongside, to do the best we can to encourage right, because we get it from the pro abortion people, this discouragement, this criticism. You're this, you're that, you're not this, you're not that. Why don't you do this? Why don't you do that? You could do this better, you could do that better.

7:11 We get all of that from the pro choice people. But, as you have in this article that were kind of using as our format here, the most difficult criticism to deal with is not from the pro choice people because we recognize the spirit that thereof. It's really from other Christians. Yeah, and that's what happen. Yeah, you know, I talked a little bit about kind of my background and some of the criticism I've gotten in my walk with God and you know, the the the pentecostal angle. I guess that that, I feel like is in the word of God that I've gotten criticism for that and for alignment with the craziness of Pentecostals or whatever. Yeah, and that's been pretty discouraging from people because, you know, a lot of times criticism from other believers comes from from really just ignorance or heard from somebody, that heard from somebody. And, as it pertains to Sydebalg Ministry, a lot of the cris criticisms that I've heard from other believers really are most almost parenting. Like pro choice people. Sometimes they do ask the same things.

8:16 They they why don't you feel that there's a better way to reach these women? I hear that all the time, don't you it? Shouldn't you be at pregnancy resource centers or or, you know, or showing with your life as opposed to with your words? Yeah, what? What? And sometimes you like these people? Just talk to these pro boorts and get their criticisms and their ideas about criticism and how they could critique us from the pro abortion people. And you know, I don't want to, I don't want to put those people in the same camps together, but I do know that a lot of times the criticisms that come down the pipeline come from worldly sources and people heard it from somebody. You right, you're out there yelling at women and right harassing and shaming people and all that. Yeah, and when I have a believer accused me of that, somebody that know that love Jesus, I'll ask them the question. Have you ever been out there on the sidewalk and in variously next to one of our counselors? Yeah, because if you have, promise you, all the stuff that you're saying is really as accusations as criticisms you're going to see or just just false. So come out.

9:28 That's always my encouragement. Right, come out stand with one of our teams. Now it may be that they've been out to an abortion center, they've seen, you know, other people doing it some way or whatever, but I promise you, if you'd come out and stand with some of our counselors out here. You're going to see a, I believe, consistent, Biblical Really Ministry on the sidewalk that's consistent with the scripture, not just harassing people or, you know whatever, condemning and all that other stuff. You're going to see a biblically consistent ministry and a lot of your criticisms are going to be shown as false actual. Yeah. Now, sometimes I have had people come down to to talk with me when they've been listening for a while.

10:13 Yeah, and they come and say, I'm a Christian, I want to start with that. I I'm pro life and I'm a Christian, but this is I hate what you're doing. Yeah, and they start to quote or what they think are Biblical Commandments, which they're not. The people you mean people that are at the abortion are that may be brought a friend an abortion no, no, actually, I'm thinking of where this last happened, was at an abortion center off of wend over where there are clients from all other things. They're not just, therefore, to walk into the abortion side of there's other businesses there. Yeah, so they they have seen, they've observed and they they actually think they know what's going on there and and they accuse out of what they believe the Bible says. But when they enter into a discussion for any length of time about what the Bible really says, as we turn to scripture and use it as validation for what we're doing, they invariably tend to calm down and agree. So I think sometimes that criticism is coming.

11:22 They have seen what happens at an abortion center and even with with what I believe our good ambassadors of the Lord if on the pro life side. But they they have not really examined what God has to say about speaking for the unborn or holding back those who are on a path of destruction. So yeah, I mean a lot of the criticisms that come from fellow believers come from a place of just really be and disciple by the world and the world's mentalities. Yeah, and I think that's where we need to listen to those criticisms and then come back with scripture graciously right and say well, actually, kind of like the thou shalt not judge, you know you're out here judging people or whatever. Here it all the time and heard all the time.

12:07 Obviously we hear it from people who professed to be Christians that are not. I mean, they're going in to kill their children, so obviously they're not Christians. Right, at least they're backslidden in their opinions. Don't really hold a lot of weight with me, to be honest with you. Yeah, but when there are genuine Christians that come and that say that thing, that sort of thing, we shouldn't judge and that sort of thing, I'll ask a few questions about what Jesus said about judging and about what we as believers should we judge certain behavior, and then I kind of like to break down that kind of I guess I think it's a biblical dichotomy of judging, which we are called to do, Bible says the righteous man judges all things, and then being judgmental, which is what we're called not to be. Right, we're not called to be judgmental writing people off and saying that there's no hope for them because they're doing sins that we're not committing or whatever. We're also not supposed to be hypocritical right, judging people for doing things that we ourselves are doing. Yeah, but we all call to make judgments, and so I'll in those times where I'm being criticized for being judgmental or judging and all this other stuff, I'll take the time to disciple people and really what the Bible says, giving analogies and things like that. Like when you're driving down the road someone slams on breaks, you make a judgment at that moment.

13:24 Yeah, not just that person is an idiot. You might make that judgment too, but you make a judgment. They're slowing down at a pace that I can't handle unless I'll slow down as well. Right and judgments and making judgments is a everyday part of life. We assess behavior and we do things or we respond in appropriate manner. So when we assess the behavior of abortion killing children, then we have to in our lives, make adjustments that coincide with the reality of what's going on, and that's why I'm out here speaking against the murder of innocent children. Yeah, yeah, so it is. It's not pleasant. But when criticism is leveled at us, you've exed, you've told US rightfully, that we can use that as an opportunity to help lead others that claim to be believers to a closer relationship with God, or we can steer people who don't know the Lord into what is truth, Biblical truth. But but it is definitely not an easy issue. Yeah, I get it when these new counselors call me and say I just go home feeling battered. I do too sometimes. I mean we are, we're being battered, sometimes by by certainly by the opposition, and so we wanted to talk in this podcast about, well, are there strategies, things that we

14:58 can do to not necessarily shield ourselves from criticism, because that's not going to happen right, but can we respond in ways that glorify God and help us to come unscathed off the sidewalk and not take it personally, not take it home and not make it become something that keeps us from returning? And one of the first things I know that I will tell new counselors when they say I just I just don't want to be go back, and I remind them, well, where, where is that spirit of criticism coming from? Is is that coming from God or is that coming from Satan? And if it's to discourage you from coming back and you don't come back, who did you just hand the victory to? Right, and I think that's important for all of us. That helps me to remember no matter what they throw at me, if I if they successfully discourage me to the point where I don't return, then I've just given Satan the victory, and I hate Satan yes, so much that I will do anything in my power to prevent giving him any kind of a victory. Yeah, I mean, I think one of the most central principles here with criticism, accusations and things like that that we deal with is to not take it personal. Right, because when we begin to

16:29 take it personal and we think this criticism is just about us personally, we internalize that and the devil can really have a heyday with our mind. And I think also understanding, like what what we're actually coming against, like really grappling with the reality that abortion is child killing. I get it's killing innocent children. That's what they're doing inside of that building and that we're responding in an appropriate manner and it doesn't matter. It it be like being in front of a daycare where MOMS are bringing in there two year olds and they're being slaughtered and their precious little bodies are being burned in in the cenerator. Yeah, and we know that and it's happening in our city and we're standing there and we're trying to respond appropriately, we're pleading with those moms not to do that, and someone comes along says she'd really be yelling at those people.

17:26 She did. You would be raising your voice giving you don't know what's going on in that that woman's life. Yeah, and think about how ridiculous we would we would think that that kind of criticism is right, that's ridiculous. They're killing two year olds inside of that place. Well, if we really believe that abortion is murder, if we really believe that what they're doing inside of that building is actually killing human beings, and we really leave that a two year old in a two month old in the womb have the same value in the sight of God, then in the same way we can okay, people are going to have their criticism, they're going to have their opinions, but they're killing children in there. Yes, doing what I can. Yeah, you're raising you're raising a really good point that at the basis of handling any criticism, particularly in this kind of a ministry, is to make sure you are solid in your motivation and your purpose and your goal. Yeah, and why you're there and who has called you to be there, and that alone is a wonderful shield against against taking that personally. Yeah, I remembering the importance of what you are doing. Yeah, and I think keeping the main thing, the main thing, also keeps US focus. And what is the main thing you talked about? You you hate the devil. You should hate the devil. Yeah, right. We hate abortion, we hate plant parenthood. We don't hate the people. Right. We're supposed to love people.

18:48 We supposed to love even our enemies. So we love the people, want them to come to the Lord. We hate these things that are wicked, that are evil, but that can't be our primary motivation, right. Our primary motivation has to be a love for God, and we keep that central, like we're out there because we love God. We're out there because we love God. He loves US and he loves these children and we minister out of that and it doesn't matter what comes along that tries to shake us out of that. If we're focused and centered in a love for God and out of that love a love for our neighbor, all these other criticisms can really fall to the ground because, after all, I appreciate your criticism, but I'm here because I love God. Yeah, and I want to serve him out of a love for him. I'm out here right right. Really good point. Today one of the pro choice people looked at me and said that outfit just doesn't work for you, because it's like I was like the first thing out of her mouth. And and I and I. It made me think of sometimes how petty the the criticisms are in comparison to why we're there and who we're serving out there, and to have someone point out what I'm wearing as a something to worry at all about. So when one of the first points that when I was writing this article, that I thought were

20:18 you've raised some really great points that I did not put in this article. So everybody, you're just going to have to remember them because they're not in the article. But one of the first things is that there are some things that are under our control and there's a lot of things that are not. Yeah, and how others are gonna Criticize, respond what they do and say, not under our control at all. Yeah. So our response to criticism is but but in terms of where that criticism is coming from, we can't control it. Just accept it. Yeah, one phrase that I live by, and it has to do with really criticism and every area of my walk with the Lord is simply you can't please everybody. Hi, may as well try to please the Lord. Right. Yes, I have been criticized as far as ministry on the sidewalk from every angle over the years I've had people that come along and say you're too soft, like you talk too much about the love of God, you talk too much, your tone is too soft.

21:18 They're killing children. You should have a harsher tone, you should yell louder, whatever. I've had that criticism. I also have had the criticism of you're too harsh, right and and you speak, you call abortion murder. You really really shouldn't come across as being judgmental in all this. And these are this is from Christians, these are from people who think that they're trying to direct me in the way that I should go. And I appreciate it and listen. I never right off people's criticisms initially, like I want to hear what they have to say, I want to take it in, I want to process it based on what I see in the scripture. But if it doesn't line up with the word of God, I'm going to throw it out and if it doesn't line up with what God's called me to I'm going to throw it out. Yeah, I'm going to take it. I'm going to respond graciously. Again, from both angles. I've had, you know, people hit me from both angles. You're too harsh, you're too soft, and you know I appreciate it. I say that I appreciate your criticism. I'll think on it, I'll pray on it, but at the end of the day I've got to do what God has called me to do.

22:22 And I will point to as I'm talking to someone about their criticisms of the ministry or whatever, I'll point to the fruit of the ministry and I'll say, you know, we've seen somebody baby saved. Now. Fruit is not always evidence of the fact that you're doing, you know, the right thing or whatever. Sometimes God will just gracious to give you fruit even though you're maybe not doing it the right way, and God's gracious and all that, but it does point to a lot of times the fruit that we've borne points to that we're obeying God. You're reaping the benefits of applying God's word. So I won't point to the fruit of the ministry first. First I'll point to what the Bible says, like here's I'm doing this because here's what the scripture says. Yeah, but I think the fruit is just kind of like icing on the cake. So, yeah, yeah, and not to say you have to respond to all the criticism. It would not have been super fruitful for me to respond to her criticism that I was not wearing an outfit that she felt was flattering. So, but sometimes the criticism does have truth in it that can be used. And so so, you know, it's good to have an open mind that maybe someone's maybe that criticism can be used to help you. Yeah, but another thing, another point is I was thinking through this was and encourage meant to me and facing criticism. There's not a single great Bible hero that didn't face significant criticism. Yeah, and

23:55 struggle. Yeah, absolutely. So, you know, I thought we've listed some of them, but Jesus comes right to mind. Absolutely. I mean this is the eternal son of God who is perfect in every way and he faced probably more criticism than anybody that we see in the scripture. Ultimately, he was he was criticized unto death, right. Yeah, yeah, and we see the mean the life of David, David being criticized from all kinds of angles and being. He's criticized by even his own wife. Yeah, at one point. Yeah, Hum, I mean Moses. Yeah, think about Moses, criticized by his own brother and sister. His people grumbled and here he lives out of the leading out of the House of Bondage, out of slavery, led them out of slavery. And Yeah, seem like all they could do is criticize him. Yeah, and God. They criticized God.

24:48 How Dare God bring his out into this wilderness not give us anything to eat? We'd be better off back in Egypt. You know so well. You know what this that raises a good point that I that I think a lot of times the criticism, particularly if it's coming from the opposition, but even sometimes from fellow believers, is a tactic as old as humanity itself. When they first faced Satan in the garden of Eden, what was his mode of of trying to get people to do what he wanted them to do? Yeah, I mean, in essence it was it was criticism of the word of God. They did God really say? Question Really, can you really trust God's word? It's almost like you know God. And again it's a critique against God. God's holding something back. He knows that in the day of you eat of this tree, when you eat of this tree, you'll be like him. Yeah, and it's criticize and critiquing God. In God's getting you to doubt God. And that, I think. As I was thinking about that, I was thinking so much of the criticism that we get out there on the sidewalk is really aimed at putting seeds of doubt. Seeds of doubt that we're actually doing what God would have us do. Yeah, seeds of doubt that what God has asked us to do is actually even worthwhile.

26:08 Yeah, and and then seats of doubt in the methods that were using to to accomplish all that. But it really does boil down to did God really tell you to be out there right, and it God really tell you to harass women and scream at women this way? And it's the same thing, it's the same thing that happened in the garden of Edo. And so I think knowing that helps to disarm in your own heart the effects of that criticism against you. This is an old tactic of Satan. Yeah, and Satan doesn't attack those that doesn't need to attack. So he's only going to be criticizing and trying to discourage and intimidate those who are faithful and doing the work of God and are a threat to Satan. So again, I think keeping that in your heart helps help send how to handle that criticism. Yeah, you have here all the heroes of the Bible face criticism and then all those heroes turn to God and recognize their struggle is not against flesh and blood, right, yeah, recognizing we're in a spiritual battle. Yeah, and again the devil uses criticism to discourage, to bring draw the courage out of us, that we're deflated and recognizing that, knowing that, knowing that you're in a spiritual battle, knowing the fact that what we're dealing with at the abortion centers is the number one moral evil of our day, right, that child killing is happening in our cities. Yeah, and the Devil's going to

27:38 use every angle he can. Now, I don't mean to say that if you're getting criticized by believers in the Lord that they have a demon or something like that. I don't mean to say that, but the devil does use all kinds of people he does. And even unwittingly, sometimes we can be used by the enemy to discourage and to bring disunity and things like that. So we have to be careful ourselves not to be unnecessarily critical, right, but just recognizing the plan of the enemy is helpful and seeing, okay, that's what this is. This is this criticism. You know, I think when a Chris criticism comes our way, I think I already said this, but I'll say it may be again in a different way, and criticism comes our way, we should immediately like process it, right. I don't think we should just have a wall up and take it personal and say, why are they even critiqueing me? I'm not going to listen to what you have to say. I think we do need to listen to that criticism, but then we need to process it through the word of God and then when we have assurance through the word of God that what we're doing is in line with his word, that it's in line with what he said, then we can take that criticism and we can we can cast it to the side and say, I thank you for your criticism, but as for me, in my house, will serve the Lord, will obey God. And since you're probably going to need to process that pretty quickly in a urgent situation like in front of an abortion center, part of the preparation of being on the sidewalk is know the word of God. You know so that you can bump it up

29:11 pretty quickly against well, what does God say? Yeah, and and then you can either pretty quickly reject or accept and maybe even take in that criticism to grow. Yeah, but it is I think criticism is more difficult when you're in a situation where a life is on the line. Yeah, and and so part of I think, as I was processing through what to do with criticism again, looking at the how the heroes of the Bible dealt with it. Well, they they didn't give up, they didn't back down, they still pursued God's purpose as they and call in what they were called to do. And and so maybe you won't be able to thoroughly process the criticism in terms of is this valid? Is it not by valid? But you will. You should know what is God called me to do and no matter what's being flung at me, what arrows are being shot, am I still able to continue faithfully to do what I'm out here to do, and certainly the model for us throughout the Bible is don't back down. I'm thinking of because we're studying has a KIA, or just finished a study of Hese a Kiah in in church, and he was just the brunt of so much criticism.

30:38 Yeah, and yet he kept building the wall. Yeah, he didn't back down until the wall was finished. mean the Amia, that is who I meant. Okay, just criticize you. Thank you. Yes, but notice I was able to quickly not take it personally, admit I was wrong and move into the correct see, I grew. I grew from that little bit of criticism. So that was a good process criticism. But you're exactly right. Yeah, yeah, so they so be like those heroes. And and one of the verses that that I actually use a lot. I think of this a lot. Submit that, therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Yeah, and that that's James for seven.

31:25 Don't don't back down from what you know God has called you to do. Exist Satan, and and that's how you fight him. Yeah, yeah, I think one of the ways, and you don't have this in the article, but I know that personally, one of the ways that really the devil can deflate you and get you discourage through criticism is if your motivation is off. Right now, so I'll talked a little bit about our motivation has to be a love for God, and that's absolutely the case. That has to be our central motivation for everything we do in ministry, in our walk with God, is it flows out of a love for him. Right, and if you're motivated, I'll say one of the ways you can certainly get really discouraged is if your motivation is a political one. I know the people that are involved in pro life ministry, Pro Life Work, even on the sidewalk. Their primary motivation is really a political motivation. You're going to get deflated real quick. Criticism is going to get at you. You know, politics is the art of compromise. Politics and politicians want to please the world and want to look good in the eyes of the world. Listen, if you're going to serve God, if you're going to obey God, you're going to have to be settled in your mind that they're going to be times when people don't understand you. Yeah, and that's okay. Yeah, listen, Jesus was the most misunderstood person that ever lived on the face of the planet, but he was not deterred from his missions, not even single laser beam.

32:52 Focus on his purpose. Yeah, it kind of goes along the lines with kind of your first point here. You can't control what other people think and right, can't control what other people do and all of that stuff. Yeah, you've got to be resolved in you got to have that resolve in your mind that you're out there to serve God, that you're not there to please people and you know you're you're focused on God and your purpose out there be in obedience to God. Your mission, if you're in abortion ministry on the sidewalk, you are mission is to of course, first serve and obey God, but to save unborn lives, those unborn lives at that last moment that they're alive. And yes, there are billions of other ministries you could be involved in then, many of them that might greet, you know, stop a mother at an earlier point, but that's not the mission you're on.

33:53 And and so I get all the time, all the time I get offers to go do all these political things. All are good, you know, pro life things, rallies, whatever. Someone showed up today with with all kinds of information to pass out, and that's not my purpose. At my purpose is there's babies today, right now, that are going to die and I've been called by God right now to speak, not to hand out political tracks, not to show up at a rally. I'm here now and that's my calling. Yeah. So, so I think that helps with criticism too, because a lot of the criticism I get is I should be doing something else or I should be doing all those other things in addition to what I'm doing, and if I pay attention to those voices I will burn out in a day like I could not. I could not do what I did, and it really takes that laser focus. What does God call me to do? Right, let me focus on that. Yeah, all the other things that vy for my attention or that criticize, that try to get me off track. One of the things that we talked about in from the Amiyah, actually the book in the Amiyah, within the Ministry of Love Life, God really gave Justin this this model of rebuilding the wall from the AMIAH, right first couple of chapters. Yeah, and one of the things that Justin has been really saying recently is there's going to be things that come along that try to get you off the wall right here there building the wall. They're

35:23 going to be things that try to discourage you, distract you whatever, to get you from being where God has called you to be, building the wall. You have to really wage a warfare against those things and criticism is one of those things that try to tries to get you down from the wall, get you worried about other people's opinions and really just derail you right I was called you to right. So there are practical things, as as one of the the people that contacted me a couple weeks ago. She said what specific what do you do? What do you do to fight this? And we've talked through kind of, I think, in a almost more philosophical way, on on some things that help to show us up against criticism. But there are some things that practical things that I that I do anyway to fight discouragement, and I know some of these we've said over and over and over again, but one of the first things that I think is critical is that you need to have some way where you are going to be able to reconnect with God kind of detox from. Yeah, what you have just phased. For me, that's kayaking or bicycling or going on a long walk and in nature and alone. Yeah, being alone in a beautiful, usually natural place with God. And I have found that that if I do that as many afternoons as I can after I leave the abortion center, that's where I process what

36:57 has happened and kind of dust the all the terrible things that happened off off of my mind and me, you, yeah, and am able to refocus for the next day, and I think that is very important that everyone have something like that. Yeah, because, like I said, the criticisms that come, and they will come, are not what like other people's opinions are not what defines me. Right, what defines me is what God says. Yeah, what defines me is what he's called me to, not what other people feel like I'm called to. Yeah, what he's actually called me to. That's what defines me. Yeah, and so there are times where I need to get kind of, for lack of a better term, recentered, yeah, by spending some time with the Lord and allowing that fellowship with him to just remind me of my relationship with him and how my relationship with him defines me. I'm defined by the fact that I am a child of God, that I belong to the Living God. Yeah, I'm defined by the fact that he's called me to a particular ministry. I'm defined by those things, not by other people's opinions and criticisms. Right, it does take sometimes just getting along with God to for him to remind you of that. It does. And kind of similar to this, but different is that all of us that are on a team together, all of us that are in that ministry together, can recognize how sometimes that criticism does start to seep into our identity. Yeah, and to encourage each other by countering that negative and false

38:35 narrative of who we are. And I love how we have one of our coworkers, Sarah, whenever she sees me, particularly back when. Right now the criticism and the pro abortion crowd is not quite as rough, but there was a time when I was being mercilessly name called and just and one of the things they would call me a key vicky over and over again and be just slamming every part of me, and whenever I would walk in the office, Sarah would say it's vicky wonderful, radiant, kind, compassionate, and she would just list I can't remember exactly what she would say, but she would counter all of those criticisms with a positive image, and I it really helped. Yeah, it really knows. That's really the opposite of discouragement.

39:22 Your discouragement is to get the courage out of you. Yeah, encouragement is to put courage in you. Right, and we do that edify one another. Yeah, typically the best way to edify somebody is to speak well of them. That's right, to talk them up, to encourage them, but courage in them. You're a child of God, you belong to the Lord. That's where we need to be, as I said earlier, intentional about encouraging each other. Encouraging each other, yeah, locally with our local volunteers, but also even nationally, like if somebody puts out a post on facebook or something where they're out there on the sidewalk and God has done something amazing, then glory, and that the Bible says we should rejoice with those who rejoice. Rejoice with them, even if they're maybe not a part of love life. For whatever minister, you're part of a still will encourage people.

40:08 Still give them the the heart thing or the thumbs up or praise God. All right, then in the comments whatever, just because I know how discouraging this ministry can be. We need other people encouraging us as we're going throughout what God has called us to do. Yeah, and one of the self help things for depression that I've read is not that I am depressed or need I give you the wrong idea, but I do read a lot about how to help others and one of the best ways to help yourself out of discouragement depression is to go encourage others. So if you're the brunt of a lot of criticism, sometimes the way to deal with it, and I know I do this, is to go to your teammates and remind them how wonderful they are and how wonderful they are in the Lord and how faithful and obedient they are in the Lord, and that helps lift not only them but it also helps to lift you. So well, some of the other things are that I think we've said thousands of times. Pray, be in the word, be in church. Those things, of course, are given. Those will always help you to fight whatever battles that you have out there on the sidewalk.

41:30 But another specific thing that I that I know that I do and and that I did share with that counsel that was particularly the struggling was I go to the sidewalk expecting to see God. Yeah, expecting to see his miracles and, even when it's not, something like a saved baby, trying to find out and to think about and to seek and search for. Where did God show himself today? Yeah, keeping that positive focus. Yeah, I think in the face of so much negativity. Yeah, I don't one of the things that you have here is prepare for the battle. Yeah, understanding, like we talked about earlier, this is a spiritual battle and there's going to be discouragement that comes from the enemy. Putting on the armor of God.

42:20 We've talked about that. I did a podcast about that. But on that armor of God because the criticism, again, the main source of criticism, is the pro abortion people and as they fling those fiery darts, and the Bible says that shield of faith will quench those fiery darts, even as other believers people, they misunderstand what you're doing and why you're doing. What you're doing is they fling those fiery darts knowingly or unknowingly, that shield of faith, believing what God says. You're defined by him, you're defined by his word, extinguishes those things right away, right. So be intentional about putting on the armor of God. Yeah, yeah, and I do now. I do. I mean I always did, but I did it kind of just thinking through effician six, but now I do what what you do? I acted out on my putting on the helmet, putting on the Buckler of truth, putting on the you know, the breastplate of righteousness. Yeah, and I'd say it out loud and put it on the way that you kind of describe how you act it out, because I do find it reminds me as I go through those actions, it reminds me I'm protected. Yeah, I don't have to worry about what they're going to throw at me, because greater is he who is in me then he who is in the world.

43:30 Yeah, yeah, Amen. Well, I mean, I think wrap this thing up, there's an article that will have out on the sidewalks for life website that you guys can check out. That's kind of the framework that we've gone by, like we often do. I do want to encourage you guys we're coming up on our hundredth podcast. Believe it's amazing. That's hard to learn, to fathom one hundred podcast. So our hundredth episode we want to try to make special and we're not going to yet reveal what that's going to be. How we're going to make it special. We kind of got some ideas and I think we're putting some of those ideas into into practice, but I do feel like it'll be an encouragement to you guys. So just be listening for our hundredth episode. Hopefully it will be an encouragement to you and be a blessing to you guys. Hopefully this podcast has been a blessing to you. There's certainly a lot that we could touch on and dealing with criticism and dealing with accusations and dealing with discouragement and all that, and we could go on endlessly, but we got to wrap this up at some point.

44:30 So we are going to wrap it up, but we do encourage you guys to reach out to us. You can reach out to me at Daniel Love Life Dot Org. You can rek reach her, Vicky, at Love Life Dot Org. Give us some suggestions. Let us know what you think. About this podcast. Give us a review on itunes or apple podcasts. Yes, it is. Any other way that you receive these these episodes? Subscribe on Youtube and know a lot of people listen through YouTube. We have our our basically audio going out into sort of a video format on Youtube and people partake in that manner. So subscribe. Let folks know, share the podcast with people so that we have more folks listening, more folks getting encouraged, and I think with that wrapping this thing up. So until next time, God bless, God bless. Give me our love for love, give me our love for gratitude. I know it will cost me my life.

45:37 Nothing's too precious in some you