Part 3: Every Setback Prepares You For a Comeback | Theresa Dedmon | Episode 65

Theresa Dedmon Ministries: Notice that Jesus didn't waste Peter's failure. He used it to strengthen others. So the key insight is the places where you've struggled most often because of the places where God gives you the greatest authority to help others is because of that setback. Hi, I'm Teresa Dedman, and this is Kingdom Create Talks, where creativity and the supernatural collide. Each week I sit down with powerful guests, artists, entrepreneurs, and kingdom influencers who are creating with God and releasing heaven solutions into every area of culture. Together we explore how prophetic creativity breaks fear, shame, and and perfectionism so that you can live fully alive in your calling. If you're ready to unlock God's creative power within you, you're in the right place. Let's partner with the Creator and transform the world together. Well, hello everybody, and welcome to Kingdom Create Talks where we share the good news about how God is moving in our lives to create beauty and life supernaturally that's going to transform the world. If if you if this is your first time joining, woo! We are so glad that you're with us. And if you are a regular ⁓ please subscribe and leave a comment so that we can let you know, like find out how you're doing, where you're from, if you're involved in our KCM family. We just are so excited that you're on with us. And any questions, Jacqueline would love to help you with those questions too. But we're gonna dive right into today. So if you are just joining, we are doing a four part series. Yes, four part series. You are in number three. So you can look at the the different possibilities. podcast previously to this on YouTube and on my Facebook Live and and other places and Spotify. But the first one that we did was the our identity comes before our assignment. So who are we in Christ? That has to be established first, like what happened when Jesus was baptized and the Father said, This is my beloved son, and then the Holy Spirit fell upon him, came upon him. We know like that was his ⁓ the the the place where his identity became secure for everyone to know and then that led into his ministry. So that's one thing that we have to have. We have to know that our identity, who we are in Christ comes first. Number two. So that's part one. If you want it what if you want to see that or listen to that, please look back. The second part that we talked about last week was decoding who God meant us to be. Like who is it? How has God uniquely designed you? Who, who are you in regards to the kingdom of God? Are you a foot? Are you a hand? Are you what giftings do you have? So that's what we talked about last week. Now, this week, drum roll please. We are talking about every setback prepares us for a comeback. Now, I I like that. Because when we're in the midst of the setback, we don't feel like there's gonna be a comeback. Does anybody else understand and relate to that? And so many people discover who they are, but then become discouraged when life doesn't unfold as expected. How many of you are out there? ⁓ we were just talking about like sickness with ⁓ with Jacqueline just a second ago, and that was never something that anybody ever planned for, right? Hopefully not. But God, but we've seen so many people get healed. And we believe we have healing rooms in our Kingdom Creative Movement membership. And so we have seen people get healed. So if you're discouraged, there is a comeback waiting for you. God is not through. He wants to heal us body, soul, and spirit. So in this episode, I'm going to help you understand that setbacks are often God's training ground. For your purpose. Woo! Now that should make you a little happier, right? I can see you out there going, Teresa, I don't like this one. ⁓ you will. You will, because when you have a setback, there's things that you can learn. So you don't want to just toss it, but you want to learn from it. So Romans 8:28, that's our scripture for today, says that as we know that in all things God works for the good. Yes, he works for the good for those who love him who have been called according to his purpose. That means that in all things, he doesn't say in some things that you really like, in all things God works together for good. So let's unpackage that right now. ⁓ so let me ask you some questions. What If there, what if the very thing you wish had never happened is actually the thing God is using to prepare you for your greatest season of impact, whether that's a difficult person or a difficult situation or or something that happened unexpectedly. Hmm, think about that. Many people believe setbacks mean that they've missed God. If that's what you believe, that is not true. God is always working for our good, Romans 8.28. The Bible teaches the opposite, right? God often uses delays, disappointments, failures, betrayals, and wilderness seasons to prepare us for his promises. Now I don't know about you, but I'm getting a little bit excited right now. I'm getting excited because God sees something that I don't see. God is moving in my life in ways that I don't understand. So the main point that we're going to talk about is God uses setbacks to build character before He releases impact and influence. ⁓ case in point is Joseph. We all love Joseph in Genesis 17 through 50. ⁓ Joseph received a dream from God about what was going to happen in the future. And he said, Hey, all you guys are gonna bow down. All these ten brothers, you're all gonna bow down, and yeah, so is mom and dad. Ain't it fun? And the brothers who were already ticked with Joseph because his the fat the his father Jacob ⁓ favored him above anybody, ⁓ any of the other brothers. So this this created this rift. So what does God do? He he sends Joseph out to his brothers. They throw him in a pit, they sell him to some Egyptian caravan, right? So he's totally rejected by his brothers. They were thinking about even killing him. And then not only is that, but he's sold into slavery with Potiphar. And then there's false accusations against him from Potiphar's wife saying that that he was seducing her, which was not true. And he was thrown into prison. Okay, so he went from la la la la la to in prison. Okay. Now, if anybody had the right to get a little bit ticked, it would have been Joseph, I feel. But that prepared Joseph for to carry the weight of leadership that he would have with Pharaoh and in saving the Israelites from famine. Now Here's the key insight. ⁓ God is more concerned with who we become than what we will accomplish. Let me say that again. God is more concerned, everyone, with who you will become rather than what you will accomplish. So your setback may be developing humility. That's what happened with Joseph. He did not have humility, patience. I mean he had a long time in in prison, right? Of wisdom. What was he gonna say? What was he gonna do? How how could he help out the the the people that were in charge of the jail? He did. He what he was raised up even in that place. ⁓ compassion, he learned compassion. And he learned dependence on God. That's what I loved at the very when he gets in and he meets with Pharaoh and he interprets the dream. He goes, Only God can interpret dreams. He understood all that he had gone through. He gave God the glory and God elevated him. Now, a lot of you are going, I don't want that to happen to me. Well, I I don't want it to happen to me either, but a lot of us have pressing problems. You might be in a situation where you're not you're distant from your spouse. And they might be in some sort of an addiction. Or there might be like yelling or abuse of language, or there might be things happening where you're not you're not close to your your family or your children, or there's rifts in the family structure, or finances are tight. And you can't go on the vacations that everybody else is going on. You can't get that new outfit. You can't get that, you can't create because you don't have the finances to even buy a canvas, or you can't create over here because you don't have this or that. All of us deal with issues. There isn't a person alive that isn't going through a hardship right now. And so they and they might look Perfect on the outside, but inside there's there's deep pain that's happening right now. And so in that context, James talks now. Now, a lot of times we we don't understand that because we have such a limited perception of life. Because James says, consider pure joy, and this is James 1 3 through 4, because you know that the testing of your faith. produces perseverance. And when perseverance has has had its work, you're not gonna lack anything. So we consider it joy. Now, this is the way I interpret that because a lot of you are going, I do not get joyful when I go through circumstances. This is what I want you to think about. I want you to think about Jesus, who said, For the joy set before him endured the cross. He was thinking of you. He was thinking of the outcome. He was thinking of what he did when he shed his blood and broke off the curse of sin and death. When that happened, he was thinking about you, and that was his joy. So when you're going through this trial, consider pure joy that God is building you up to see his good plan, that he has plans for your family, that he has, and you just think of the joy because you are in the waiting room. You are you are in that place, positioned to see breakthrough. If you keep your eyes on Jesus, you just let go. And you let him take the reins of your life. When that happens, which for all of us, that this is a this is a testing, right? Consider it pure joy. This is a testing. So, and what we need to understand is in this process, God is doing a work that we cannot see. So I'm just gonna rejoice because that's my strength. And when we let go of what we think should be happening. Then God says, ⁓ they're joyful, they're a part of my nature. They understand, you know, joy is medicine to the soul, right? Laughter. And so what happens is God flips it. Because we're seeing it from the standpoint of just the circumstance changing. But He is looking at it from the standpoint of, how can I change you? Now that is a revelation. He wants to change you so that you're conformed to the image of God. And that means that trust is a huge component in going, okay, God, I'm gonna trust in you in this situation. I'm gonna rejoice. I'm gonna turn on some worship music. I'm gonna laugh. I'm gonna consider it pure joy because Lord, you are you are conforming me into your image. So that That doesn't, and this is important that we get that. So, so the world, the system of the enemy says, if something bad is happening to me, that's not good. It's because God is not with me. Or I've done something wrong. No, it's because God is conforming you, He's building you, He's showing you something greater than what you can have if everything goes the way that you want it to go. Trust is only as strong as when you don't get your way. I know I'm speaking to myself out here, too. All right. This is important. So, okay, point number, so let's let's go back. So, point number one: God uses setbacks to build character before he releases favor. All right. The second one is God redeems what the enemy intended for harm. The example is Joseph. Again, ⁓ Joseph eventually, after Getting set free from prison, sharing the what the dream interpretation was for Pharaoh is in the second in command in all of Egypt. His brothers come and he saves his brother and his whole family in that place. So God redeemed what what what the enemy meant for evil because Joseph finally reveals who he is to his brothers, cries. And what he says, and this is Genesis 50, verse 20, which you can look at, you intended to harm me, but God intended it for my good. So let me let me just preface this right now. When we surrender in that setback and we listen to what God is saying and we trust in him with all of our heart, leaning not to our own understanding, in all our ways acknowledge him, then he will direct your path, but he will turn everything around that the enemy has meant for evil for good. I wish I could have seen that. In heaven, I will. They don't know it's Joseph. They have no idea, and of course, he tests them, and then he reveals who he is. This is such a powerful thing. And then he says, You intended to harm, but God. So he was now, because he was perfected, he was listening to what God was saying for his brothers. Now, if man, I'm telling you, if he would have come right when he was in Potiphar's house, probably, and they would have come. I don't think that he would have been tested enough to have his character built in unless he had gone into prison. Now that's God knowing what we need when we need it, right? So ⁓ so think about that. I I love other examples are Moses, who for 40 years he wandered in the wilderness before leading Israel. David was anointed king, but spent years running from Saul. Ruth experienced loss, grief. Her husband died in uncertainty before becoming part of the lineage of Jesus and marrying Boaz. So God is a redeemer. He doesn't merely just restore what was lost, He transforms pain into purpose. Let me say that again. Jesus transforms pain into into purpose. Joel 2 verse 25. I will restore to you the years that the locust has eaten. Who wants that? Now we're going to pray for you. So so hold on. Keep going. Keep listening because we're going to pray for things to be restored. That scripture is very important to some of you out there. Joel 2 25. So this is the question I want us to ask. What if God is writing a bigger story than what I can currently see? What if? I mean I I have a contact lens, and boy, I tell you, when I take it out, everything is blurry. I can't see clearly. If I take off trust from my lens, everything looks blurry. God looks far away. He's where is he? Where is he in this? He's not in this picture. He's not in this equation. So remember that point, everyone, my friends. Remember, God redeems what the enemy. Yes, intended for harm. So let's go to point number three. Your greatest test often becomes your greatest testimony. Ooh, drum roll, please. Come on. Now, my example is in Peter's life. So Peter denied Jesus three times, as we know. and that failure could have defined him. He could have forgotten about following Jesus and just said it's over. But that failure. did not define him because God and Jesus wanted to restore him. So the same Peter who denied Christ became the boldest leader who preached at Pentecost and saw thousands saved. And I love that scripture where he said, Peter, do you love me? When Jesus met Peter after he had fallen. And then he said, Feed my sheep. So the failure The setback wasn't something that would take him away from his destiny because he was connecting back to Jesus. And that's the same for you. The things that have happened, the failures in your life, the setbacks that maybe you have done to yourself or that others have done to you or that have just happened. Come on. That doesn't define your future. That doesn't take away from who God has called you to be. I remember when my my son Chad, he ⁓ he was doing drugs and Kevin and I, my husband, we were both pastoring in Southern California. And we thought, should we resign the church? Should we like I mean, we were just like, ⁓ my gosh, he was about 14 or 15 at the time. And our friend called Nan and said, Hey, what's going on? We told her. And she goes, Well, Are are you are are you the only ones that have had the the first sinless ⁓ child besides Jesus? And we go, Well no. Did you ever fail? Well well yeah. Well then You don't have to worry. It's all a matter of God testing him and you testing you. And now he's in ministry. He's preaching right now with Heidi Baker this weekend. That's the power about what God can do if we get our eyes on him. Now, in the moment, I could have totally not thought that this setback was something that would ⁓ that God could ever like. get ⁓ say on that that it it would it would define the rest of my ministry. I thought that way. I thought like somehow like this this thing that had happened would take me out of the running of my calling, but it was just the opposite. Now I have compassion for people that have gone through something like that themselves or with their loved ones. So God is in a good mood. I am so glad that you're listening. If you like this, please share this too. So Luke 22 verses 31 through 32 says, When you have returned to me, strengthen your brothers. So notice that Jesus didn't waste Peter's failure. He used it to strengthen others. So the key insight is the places where you've struggled most often, because of the places where God gives you the greatest authority to help others is because of that setback. The place where you I know for me, all that I went through in my life with my with my dad And just the verbal abuse and the things that had happened in growing up and just the physical abuse, like that set me up to get my psychology degree. That set me up to get my my ⁓ my certificate in art and healing that that set me up to do create to be free, which a lot of you out there know about. You can check it out on TeresaDebon.com, but all of that was there because God wanted to bless me. So, my one of my greatest strengths in seeing people get healed is because of what I endured when I was young. So, your wound can become a well of healing. Your battle can become someone else's breakthrough. How could God use your story to encourage someone else? Think about that. How could God use your story of setback to encourage someone, even today? So here we have, I'm gonna, I'm gonna take you on a creative activation because the kingdom ⁓ because in Kingdom Create Talks ⁓ we want to we want to have a creative exercise. Are you guys excited? So this is this is the comeback canvas, all right. I want you, wherever you are, take some time and I want you to create three columns. That's it. Yeah, just three columns on a piece of paper. You can do this afterward, just replay this if you want. But the first column will have my setback. What are the things that you that's that have happened to you that have caused a setback in your life? The second column is what has God developed in you through that process? So for me, we talked about my my ⁓ my son. who was not serving God and now is. So what did he produce in me? Boy man, I was on my knees all the time. I learned to intercede. I also learned to have compassion. That's why I I worked with 12-step programs. I did all different kinds of stuff to help people that were addicted get set free. That was part of what God did in my life. so God developed something in me of compassion, which we talked about. And then so that's column two. And then column three is how God could use this for his glory. So, how could God use this for his glory? For me. Yeah, I I wrote curriculum called Create to Be Free, Art and Healing. And which you can look at on TeresaDebmitt.com. We'll put that in the chat right now. But ⁓ in fact, if you wanted to get those six modules, it's like the first module is on Which it they're so powerful because you create through art and you don't have to have any experience in doing art at all. It's just simple watercolors. It's it's an expressive art form. But the first one is, do I have e identity issues? The second ⁓ the second module is ⁓ am I dealing with any unforgiveness for myself? or for the people that have hurt me. ⁓ the third one is, do I have any losses where I just felt like I can't get over them. The fourth one is issues of abandonment. Did your parents or someone leave you? ⁓ the the fifth one is ⁓ do I do I have any victim issues? Do I feel like I'm a victim all the time because of situations that have happened in my past? And then that last one is like fear of the future and and how you can grow there. So so it if you join KCM Kingdom Creative Movement, you get this ⁓ this like this whole course. Plus, you get more courses for free just by joining. And we have a special. Don't you love specials? I I love specials. I'm always looking for deals. But if you join now and you use the code KCM 1010, we'll put that in the chat. That's KCM, the letters, the word triple, and then the number 10. Go to TeresaDebman.com and you can join KCM. You can get this. You can get this ⁓ this whole crate to be free six module besides others as well, free. And you pay only ten dollars per month, not for one month, not for two months, but for three months. Can you imagine? That's like one Starbucks. Per month you could get all of my teaching, all of my replays of my webinars, free book clubs. I mean, there's so much. We have also ⁓ we have a healing room. We do we have everything you could imagine there, and so, but just check it out. But we just wanted to bless you with that. So, so that's what I want you to do. I'm gonna tell you it again the creative action plan. The first thing I want you to do is write down your setback. What are the things that the enemy keeps taunting you about? Your identity, anything and everything. The second column is what is God developing in me because of that? What am I learning? The third one is how could God use this for his glory? Maybe it's to counsel somebody you know, whatever it is. So I want you just to take some time, take 10 minutes, do that exercise after this is over, and let me know. In my Facebook or in my podcast, how that helped you. I want to know the fruit of this exercise. So So a great action plan, another action plan, would be to write down three significant setbacks from your life. Maybe just look at your life chronologically and then ask, what did God teach me through each one? Like for me, because that was when my son was young, I have other setbacks that the enemy tried to do. So I could cry I could do that which I have and see what God did through that. ⁓ and then you can also find the gold, identify one strength that emerged from that difficult season. Was there compassion like I talked about? Did you build resilience? Did you did courage arise? Did faith arise? Did wisdom arise? And then I want you to thirdly, if you have time, rewrite the narrative. That's right. And you're going, what? Yes. Replace this happened to me s to God is working through this for his purposes because and study if you have time, Joseph is Joseph's life, Ruth's life, David's life, Peter's life, and journal what resonates with you with their story of comeback. You know, you can share your story on my Facebook. You can share your story on my podcast. Like just begin to pray and declare. And this is a declaration that I would say daily until we meet next week for the last part of the series is my setbacks do not define me. Woo! Let me say that again. My setbacks do not define me. God's purpose defines me. All right. So every challenge is producing strength, wisdom, and maturity. God is redeeming every part of my story for his glory. Woo! I hope that that resonates with you. So, so how can we connect all of the all of these series? Number one, episode one: identity becomes before assignment. You have to know who you are. And that's what Joseph had to learn. That's what Moses had to learn. ⁓ and remember episode two, decoding who God meant you to be, defining that. You discovered how uniquely God has designed you. You can go back if you haven't listened to that and listen to that ⁓ on my podcast. Number three, and this is important, is every setback prepares you for a comeback. You learn that God's design is often forged through difficulty. Ooh. That your setbacks are not evidence that you've missed your destiny. They they are often part of the pathway toward your destiny. So in this, I'm gonna pray for y'all. Have you guys enjoyed today? ⁓ I I think that one of the things that I love about our time being together, being family on Kingdom Creative Movement is that so many people they get stuck in creating because they've had a setback. Because something has happened that has been Very hard for you to deal with. It could have been somebody putting you down because you created something. It could be a loss that you've had, which create to be free, that art and healing ⁓ module will help you with. Whatever that place is. That right now is a place where the Holy Spirit can come in through the encounter I'm gonna do and show you that he is with you and that you just have to hold on to his promises that he has something good. I I couldn't even imagine what Joseph would have gone through in that prison, especially when the person who he told that the right dream about like what was going to happen. to him that he was going to be elevated and that Pharaoh would save his life. And so Joseph said, Well, could you please help me out? Could you tell him I'm down here and I need help? And he forgot. And so I could I couldn't even imagine how long that I think it was a couple of years, how long that process was for him to give up his hope, right? But it says that he he learned, he learned something in that process. He learned something that we can't see by what the scriptures say. But it's defined by what he said when he was called up to meet with Pharaoh. He was humble. He said, only God can interpret dreams. He gave glory to God. And because of the character that was established in him, he said, you're going to be second in command. So the things that you are dealing with. You know, Joseph never asked for that. Joseph, it doesn't say anywhere in scripture that, yeah, I want to be second in command, right? He didn't say that. There was no indication that he was even looking for that. He was just honoring the way that God had created him. to interpret dreams and to be humble and to wait upon the Lord in the midst of a long journey. And you can do the same, my friend. I don't know what your journey is. I don't know if it's cancer. I don't know if it's divorce or it's separation. I I don't know if it's ⁓ a loved one, a daughter, a son who's not walking with the Lord, or if it's a situation where you've just lost hope in the ability to create because of things that have happened and you just don't know who you are. You've gone through a hard time at your church. Whatever the situation is, I I don't know, but I do know. That God is going to turn that around for good. And I don't know the time frame of God, but I do know that every promise is going to come to pass in your life. I can guarantee you that God is constant. God does not change his mind. God does not say, Well, I loved you yesterday, but I don't know about today. No, he loves you completely. And And he's for you. And I know that. And so I want to take us on an encounter right now. That means that you just close your eyes and you just let God speak to you in whatever way that He wants to. For me, I know that we have a sanctified imagination. We have a place where we can meet with God because we're seated in heavenly realms in Ephesians. So therefore. We get to see, well, Lord, show me what that looks like. And then you just trust your first impression whenever we go on this encounter. So I always want you to close your eyes. Except if you're driving. And I want you just to say, Papa God. These setbacks are hard. And I'm not sure where you are. Will you show me that you're with me? Will you show me that you're gonna turn this around for good? And then if you can just say, Papa God, I trust you. Now I'm going to pray for you. So keep your eyes closed in that moment. Thank you, Father, that nothing in their journey is wasted. That you are redeeming what was broken, you're restoring things that were lost, and you're transforming our pain into your purposes. Please help us to see that setback from your heavenly standpoint, your perspective. Give us faith to trust the process, encourage to keep moving forward. We declare that our greatest comeback is still ahead because you are writing our story. Not us. You are writing our story. Okay, you can open up your eyes. Wow. ⁓ there is so much in this episode. I am just so honored that you are with me today. And thank you for keeping into the the spirit of of joy, because the spirit of joy will break off that spirit of heaviness. And share this podcast with people that you know need to understand. about what God can do in the midst of suffering, pain, or setbacks. And I'd love to see you on my KCM membership. So don't forget about the the amazing discount KCM triple 10. And we do have informational meetings for our Leadership Academy, which is nine months. It starts in September, goes to me where I'm with you. So you can check that out and our KCM Thrive Life, which is included in the membership. And is where I'm with you every single Thursday. And that's from 9 to 10 on Thursday morning in the a.m. Pacific Standard Time or 7 to 8, whatever works for your schedule. But you can check out everything that you get on my community at TeresaDebman.com. So enjoy today and keep encouraged that God is turning it around for a comeback, everybody. And we have the last one, the last the last part next week for our last four part series. Blessings everybody. Can't wait to see you next week. Bye. See you soon. Thanks for joining us on Kingdom Create Talks. I hope this episode awakens something fresh inside you because what you carry is deeply valued and needed. If you're hungry for more, come join our creative community at Kingdom Creative Movement, where prophetic creatives just like you are finding their tribe, growing in boldness, and creating with God to impact every sphere of culture. You can find out more on TeresaDedman.com and connect with others who are bringing heaven to earth through their passion and gifts. And don't forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who needs it. Keep dreaming, keep creating, and always stay connected to the one who makes everything new.