On Track
On track- is a dynamic podcast that was created with the intent of providing guidance to listeners on exploring what a purpose-driven life requires.
Creating a community that is safe, loving, and healing for all that may be lost or may not understand the direction their life is headed. This space is where we dig further into our mind, body, and spirit figuring out our purpose God has intended for our life.
We will cultivate skills required not only to answer these questions, but also assist in navigating everyday obstacles.
We want to provide mentorship, showing vulnerability through personal experiences we've dealt with throughout our life and marriage, and speak with those of influence within our community.
Our Goal is to provide clarity through the storm, cultivate a healthy/ healing lifestyle, and continuing to move forward in the purpose God has provided YOU specifically!
This is our intention behind shepherding the community that's created, and these are the words behind our acronym in order to do so!
S.H.E.P.H.E.R.D
S - Safe
H - Hope
E - Equipping
P - Purpose
H - Healing
E - Encourage
R - Redirecting
D - Dependable
On Track
Armor Against the Enemy: Embracing God's Character
The divine attributes of God aren't just theological concepts—they're the blueprint for authentic living. Brandon and Isabel Dimond take listeners on a profound journey through the characteristics of God and how understanding these attributes equips us to fulfill our purpose while defending against spiritual attacks.
Starting with Ephesians 2:10—"We are God's masterpiece"—the hosts unpack what it means to be created in God's image, designed to reflect His love, mercy, faithfulness, and compassion. Unlike other creations that God simply called "good," humanity was declared "very good"—a testament to our special place in His heart and plan.
What makes this exploration particularly refreshing is the hosts' vulnerable approach. They don't present these characteristics as unattainable ideals but share from personal experience how daily "FaceTime" with God transforms us from the inside out. Brandon candidly shares how this connection helped him navigate depression, restoring his ability to identify and process emotions authentically. Isabel reveals how both hosts, as empaths, have learned to recognize and escape relationships with people who sought to take advantage of their compassionate nature.
The conversation takes a decisive turn when they expose the tactics of the enemy—distraction, dysfunction, confusion, addiction, and idolatry. With remarkable clarity, they reveal how Satan plants seeds of doubt just as he did in the Garden with Eve, asking "Did God really say...?" Their discussion serves as both warning and wisdom for listeners trying to discern the source of various influences in their lives.
Perhaps most encouraging is their emphasis that no one is ever "too far gone" for restoration. God always provides a way of escape from temptation, and in Christ, we become entirely new creations—not with wiped memories, but with rejuvenated souls daily sustained by His presence.
Whether you're struggling to break free from destructive patterns, seeking to deepen your understanding of God's nature, or simply wanting to live with greater purpose, this episode offers both spiritual insight and practical guidance for the journey. Join us next week as we explore practical steps for preparation, planning, and purposeful action.
what we do on a given day. You know, we don't have to earn his admiration and his affection. He is consistent day in and day out, Even if we feel like we're an amazing person or we feel like we've done everything completely wrong. He is so loving and he looks down upon us with a big smile on his face, in a metaphorical sense.
Speaker 2:Hey guys, welcome back to OnTrack Podcast with your host, brandon and Isabel Diamond.
Speaker 1:Hey guys.
Speaker 2:We are so excited to tease apart the attributes of God and how we're able to emulate that within our own life, as we'll understand who the enemy is, what his goal is to steal, kill and destroy. This episode will allow us to become more equipped in defending against any ways the enemy wants to work within our life, and we'll be discussing what we can change to better move in and through the purpose God is calling us into. Sit back, relax and enjoy this week's episode. Yeah, so we're just going to get right into it. We're going to go over some characteristics of God, through scripture first and foremost, and we'll go from there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this is a really fun topic because I think so often when we think about God, we always think about going to him for our needs and our wants and our desires. And it's very rare, I think, for us to go to God and say, oh, let me explore you, let me learn you, let me, yeah, just discover the vastness of who God is or what his character represents, and it almost feels like a transactional relationship or even just a one-sided relationship. Oftentimes we just think, oh, we need God because our life is in mayhem and he's the one that we run to. But you know, there's so much to explore in who God is and that's what we want to explore today, and I think Ephesians 2.10 is a great place to start where it says for we are God's masterpiece.
Speaker 1:He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things he has planned for us long ago. And this just kind of expands on the idea that we are created in his image. And it's kind of fun to think back to Genesis, the first book of the Bible, where God created everything and after he created each thing he said it is good, you know. After he created you know the plants and the animals he said it is good. But after he created mankind, he created Adam and Eve. He said it is very good. And so we are his masterpiece, we are his greatest creation. And the reason we're created in his image is because we reflect his characteristics. And yeah, that is all originating from God and yeah, we'd love to explore this.
Speaker 2:The closer we get to the Lord, the easier it is to understand His characteristics and really press into that within ourselves. And he's really steadfast in all the things that he's equipping us to do and bringing us in and through. I think it's just fascinating that he instills in us the things that don't necessarily bring immediate gratification but allows us to gain long-term benefit. Psalm 105, 1,. But you, o Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. This scripture just really shows multiple characteristics in one psalm, one verse.
Speaker 1:It really explores the vastness that the Lord truly holds. Yeah, I love this scripture because, you know, not only does it convey that he is steadfast, which means he's consistent and he's never changing, and regardless of what we do in a given day, you know, we don't have to earn his admiration and his affection. He is consistent day in and day out, even if we feel like we're an amazing person or we feel like we've done everything completely wrong. He is so loving and he looks down upon us with a big smile on his face in a metaphorical sense. And, yeah, the scripture just conveys that he is merciful, like he does not condemn us for doing things that are wrong. He continually has open arms for us to run back to.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think just to give a little bit of context. But merciful is a compassion or forgiveness shown towards someone who is within one's power to punish or harm, and he is a forgiving and compassionate and loving father. 1 John 4, 8,. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love, and that's just, ultimately, who Christ is. He's a big lover, he's a teddy bear, he's a father that will wrap you up in a heartbeat to really empathize with you and the things that you're going through on a daily basis. We live in a fallen world, so I think it's really easy to fall short, and the Lord is compassionate towards that and he will forever forgive you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think, just to keep in mind when we talk through different characteristics of god, like god is the source of all of these characteristics, he is the origin of all these characteristics, which means that we can't forticate them or gain them from somebody else. If we have a significant other and we're like, oh, like they make me feel so loved, that's, that's great, but they will and will fail you. You know, even in the best relationships, people will fail you because they are not the source of love God is.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think that's why I struggled for so many years is I think that's why I failed for so many years is continual search for something that wasn't possessed within a person, but it was possessed within the Lord, and I think that is something that I needed to realize earlier on, but I realized it in the exact moment I needed to.
Speaker 1:I think holds a lot of truth for so many different people. And, yeah, like, what are some other characteristics of God that we can hold on to?
Speaker 2:Some of the big ones are going to be kind, compassionate, generous. He's a faithful, merciful, strong, forgiving, good, righteous, sovereign and shepherding father. He's a healer. He's our refuge and the one who makes all things new. He just continually shows up time and time again for you if you continue to walk alongside him.
Speaker 1:So where do you even start with wanting to? It's like, okay, so we're created in god's image, so we have the ability to live out these characteristics. But all these characteristics just seem super ideal, right, but sometimes we're not in our best mood or having a bad day, or so like how do you actually apply these things? But have it be from a genuine place and not from a place of facade?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I personally believe you're never going to be able to take these characteristics and fabricate them within yourself alone. It's always going to take work from the Holy Spirit and Christ because, as we know, he's the origin of these emotions and thoughts and feelings and characteristics, and if we don't have Christ at the center of our lives, then we fail to understand where these things came from. Therefore, if we're not having continuous, consistent FaceTime, we lose sight of what we're creating within ourselves, and that can lead to irritability anger selfishness, not good emotions that we don't want.
Speaker 2:And so, once we center our minds and sight on Christ and Christ alone, each and every day, that will transform us and allow us to adopt these characteristics that we truly do want deep down within our heart, but may be unable to obtain or reach because of different circumstantial things within our life.
Speaker 1:That's good. I think you mentioned something called FaceTime. What did you mean by that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, facetime is basically just daily devotion to God and it's going to look different for everybody.
Speaker 1:But maybe some things might entail, like reading, scripture journaling.
Speaker 2:Worshiping.
Speaker 1:Worshiping.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's multiple different things. I think journaling is a big one for me. My heart is a lot. I'm able to allow my heart to flow through to Christ through journaling and, yeah, I'm just able to spend my most intimate time with Jesus. Well, I'm either journaling or just being being in his presence, asking him to be in my presence and just revolving myself around him in the most simplest forms.
Speaker 1:Right and it makes a massive difference.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:To start your day off or to find that consistent time with the Lord every day, just yeah, I mean, studies have shown that people that spend daily time with the Lord reading scripture, like statistically, they experience less anxiety and mental health issues and depression and there's just a lot of things that dwindle because the enemy has less control and reign over your life, because you're filling your heart, your mind and your soul with truth yeah, and I think one of the most impactful times was when I was going through depression.
Speaker 2:So when you go through depression, I think a lot of emotions become stuffed deep down in your heart and you're unable to identify different emotions. That's the result of feeling numb and not really able to understand what it is you're thinking, feeling or wanting to understand. And this isn't. None of this is going to be from a clinical perspective, but it's just what I've experienced. And, um, I think the biggest thing is following christ, I'm able to identify, feel and understand my emotions to a greater degree, and it's not perfect. It's a continual work in progress, but knowing I can feel and understand and think of the things I'm feeling, I'm able to better connect with the Lord. In that.
Speaker 1:And you know, I think the best friendship, the best relationship you can ever have is one with the Lord, and the genuineness of that relationship will reflect the way you're able to relate to other people in your life. So it's like our marriage thrives a lot more when we have a really consistent FaceTime with the. Lord Because, yeah, our ability to connect with him and hear him speak to us and gain clarity and direction allows us to be able to love our spouse that much more intentionally, to love our spouse that much more intentionally, and so, yeah, I think that's just kind of a good litmus test, so to speak, to say, okay, my relationships are a little funky, what's going on?
Speaker 1:Okay, I need to go to the source of all of these characteristics that I want to continue to explore and I need to really hone in on the first and foremost, or the most important love of my life.
Speaker 2:Yeah, going into the second thought, how do we even apply these attributes? I think we mentioned earlier FaceTime is going to be really important, because that aligns you with yourself and with Christ, and once those two things are aligned, then you're able to more accurately understand what it is. You need to work. You may not be understanding what's going on, but the Lord knows exactly what's going on within your life and what he's doing within it in order to instill in you different attributes or characteristics that you want to adopt and that he wants to adopt within you, because he's ultimately helping you gain these characteristics for your purpose.
Speaker 1:That's good. So how does all of this tie, then, into your purpose, like, why is it important? Because we're talking about planning for your purpose, right, and I think sometimes we think very practical things, but this is kind of a different, a whole different ballpark where we're talking about, like, our internal self and the way that we process and the way that we, you know, are intimate with the Lord, like why, why does that or why is that important?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think the biggest thing is the Lord has plans that he said before you. Yeah, I think it's really important to understand that the Lord has already written your story and being he's written your story. He's already wrote circumstances that you're going to go through. And it's not the Lord's doing when bad things happen. But the enemy wants to work. He wants to steal, kill and destroy, so he'll do anything in his power to do so. That's why more difficult situations within your life may occur, but also there's going to be trial periods in which the lord wants to strengthen you in a certain area and ultimately will help you and direct you towards the plans and purpose that you have for your life. And, yeah, it's just really important to understand that every child period is a growing period and every circumstance that you deal with is ultimately shaping you into the man or woman he's creating you to be.
Speaker 1:That's really good. So it's almost like all these attributes that we get to grow into are just like building a tool belt, so to speak, for the things to come and for us to actually be equipped to fulfill our purpose.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I think one of the biggest thing is understanding that, whoever you hang around your environment, different circumstances that impact you on a day-to-day basis. They are circumstantial and sometimes it's in your control, sometimes it's out of your control. But when you revolve yourself around an environment that is destructive, that is partying, drinking, doing whatever the case may be to get you off your path, to distract you, to infuse dysfunction and confusion and broken relationships and lies within yourself, that can, in turn, lead you down a path that the Lord doesn't want you to be a part of.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's really good, and I think there's a phrase that says, like you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with, and so I think that's just like a good plug to say, hey, I think you just need to evaluate and we've done this in our personal lives as well Evaluate who am I spending the most time with, because I'm ultimately going to be portraying their attributes and their characteristics and their beliefs, and if they are not pursuing the Lord, then unfortunately, we're going to be dragged into a situation or into a lifestyle that we don't want to.
Speaker 1:And yeah, I think one thing to keep in mind before we segue and this will help with the segue is that oftentimes, the enemy likes to sugarcoat a lot of different things and make things seem enticing, make things seem more fun than being a Christian. And the reality is this is the truth, and this is as true as it can be is that God created everything for our good, and so everything that is of good, that is of genuine fun and genuine pleasure, comes in its best form through Christ. So everything that is manufactured or sugarcoated in the enemy's world is going to leave you feeling worse off and feeling more lost and feeling more confused than you ever have in your entire life. Even if you think like, oh, this seems fun, this seems like it's not going to hurt me, or this seems way better than being a Christian or following whatever, it's actually just the enemy confusing you.
Speaker 2:Who even is the enemy? Like, what are you talking about? Is there good bad? I thought there was just good and bad in the world.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, you could be that black and white. There's a winning team and there's a losing team, if you want to say it that way. But the enemy we're talking about, the devil, he is real and he was actually an angel.
Speaker 2:Lucifer.
Speaker 1:His name was Lucifer, and he was very envious of God and angels. They support and help, and there's so many valuable components to angels, but lucifer in particular did not honor christ, did not. Um, was not obedient and he was very jealous of the ability that God had in ruling over mankind, and so he rebelled, and because of his rebellion, the Lord essentially demoted him and so he was no longer an angel. And that's when he reappears in the first book of the Bible, in Genesis. He is a serpent and he convinces Eve to eat of a fruit that the Lord clearly told her not to eat of, and so, basically, she was disobedient to God, committed the first sin, and that's how the fall happened.
Speaker 1:And so Satan has always tried to wiggle his way in and be crafty. And yeah, we see the devil and then we also see demons.
Speaker 2:What he said was clever, and it was just the slightest. It planted the slightest seed of doubt, and I think that's one thing the enemy is good at doing is planting doubt within one's mind in order to then spiral into a self-destructive manner.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the serpent was like did God really say, did God really say that you couldn't eat of this tree of life? And the enemy, satan, basically wanted Eve to think oh God's holding out on me. There's actually way more that I'll get to experience by just doing my own thing and being disobedient. And then so Satan is, you know, the ruler of the world. You know, god ultimately has the most power and authority, but because of the fall, mankind has free will.
Speaker 1:So, we have the choice to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior or not. Fallen angels that have walked away from the Lord and the demons torment and they pose a lot of destruction and they embed themselves in people and it gets really scary and hairy quickly. But just to kind of framework around what we're referring to when we say the enemy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's absolutely great. Um, and he implants stuff in us through other people, through situations and circumstances, and again, that's where the doubt comes in. But here are some other ways that you're able to discern when the enemy is trying to intervene within your life, and that's through distraction, anything that is taking you away from what the Lord has set before you, disorder, anything that may cause panic or worry or anxious thoughts, dysfunction within a family dynamic or, whatever the case may be, confusion, broken relationships, lies that he wants to instill in you in order for you to continue to lead down a self-depravated route. There's also strongholds generational hurt. There's addiction he loves using addiction as a way in and for a door to be open to your heart. That, or your mind, that isn't stuck yeah, that isn't from the lord.
Speaker 2:Um, unhealthy habits, environmental again, family dynamics and then idolization, I think is a big one, and idolization it it could be anywhere from idolizing celebrities yourself, sex, drugs, money, success I think, those are the most common ones, and yeah, and to kind of piggyback off of um idolization.
Speaker 1:You know, just, you know we were created with a lot of things that are designed to be God's child, right, and one of those is worship. We were innately created to worship Worship. Who Worship God? Right, but people that are not following Christ. They don't know where to put that worship and, again, they don't know this entirely. They don't know that they're created to worship. But what we see? People that are not following christ, they worship themselves and they worship all these other things that brandon referred to sex, drugs, money, success, um, and they put themselves or other people or other things on pedestals, not recognizing like. Worship is a good thing, but it was designed solely for god, yeah, so just to keep that in mind, if you're finding yourself worshiping something other than god, just know, hey, worship was innately placed in you, but not for those things yeah, that's really good, and the lord Lord doesn't want us to conform to the patterns of this world like we're talking about.
Speaker 2:with environments and the people you hang around with. Every temptation is able to be broken free from and that's what the Lord says in 1 Corinthians 10, 13.
Speaker 2:No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure. It Meaning, no matter what it is you're dealing with, no matter the addiction, no matter the circumstances or situations you may be wrapped up in, the Lord will always allow you a way out and he will always allow you to come up with different tools and resources and people to help you escape.
Speaker 1:Yeah, don't fall into the trap that you think you're too you know too far gone. Don't ever think that you've done too many bad things in your life and God will never forgive you. That is again an identifier that is alive from the enemy. Do not fall into that trap.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and I think, lastly, um, yeah, and I think, lastly, um, a big thing is that the enemy wants to use is circumstantial, circumstantial oppression, and what that means is like I had shared in my testimony with my parents getting a divorce in third grade, my cousin committing suicide, me being a part of the party world or falling into these sinful habits and patterns that were not who I was, my alcohol addiction and nicotine addiction. All these things are circumstantial and if we don't choose to participate or be conformed to again the patterns of this world, we're able to change the way in which we interact and live out these different things.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that's valuable to reflect on, because I think there's going to be so many things that trip you up and so many people that trip you up.
Speaker 1:Attempt to Attempt to at least right, and it's really easy to fall victim to things and not forgive and hold on to grudges that will keep you stuck.
Speaker 1:So sometimes you're not again.
Speaker 1:You're not necessarily continually feeling like you're attacked or tortured throughout your life, but there might be some big event that happened in your life that's just weighing you down and you can't seem to shake, and so there are circumstances in life where we need to just be really honest and raw, and Jesus is really the only place to go for total healing and total restoration.
Speaker 1:I think in my personal life, like something that I've discovered within the past several years about myself is that I'm an empath, and so I feel things really deeply. I feel for people really deeply, which is a beautiful thing me too, and brandon as well um, which just creates such a rich marriage, um, but we also both of us actually have fallen privy to attracting narcissists and people that just want to take advantage of us, and we can dive into that topic another time. But there's just, yeah, a long history on both of our ends of people that have just wanted to latch onto us and just make our lives harder, and we've been able to escape from those situations, and it's just been a massive victory. Um so much freedom in that.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So again, it's like you could be like attacked and tortured your whole life, or there could be circumstances that happened in an instant that it's just so hard for you to navigate or figure out if there's like any hope in it, and so the enemy can just latch onto those things and make you feel like there's no. There's no like exciting triumph in your future. But the Lord has so many good things in store for you and, like we mentioned in the very beginning of the podcast, jesus makes all things new and we are new creations in Christ, and so when we decide to give our life to Christ, he actually makes us completely new. And that doesn't mean that, like our brains are wiped and we have new memory cards, but it means that our souls are rejuvenated and filled by the Lord each and every day, and that is what sustains us, and it really is something that is so transformational and really hard to perfectly articulate.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's so good. I'm just going to leave you with this Ephesians 5, 13 and 14. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, and everything that illuminates becomes a light. This is why it is said Wake O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.
Speaker 1:We thank you all for listening in on this week's episode. We have really been enjoying diving into this series Planning your Purpose. In this episode we covered some of the core characteristics of God and how you can grow in those by making God your number one daily priority, and we talked about who the enemy is and how to identify his tactics to kill, steal and destroy, so that we can gain more discernment and wisdom to walk out our purpose. There's so much to explore within these topics and we are just scratching the surface, but our heart is that over time, the culmination of these topics will come together and paint a clear picture of what it ultimately looks like to live purposefully and walk in your identity. We can't wait for next week's episode where we will dive into preparation, planning and taking action in a very practical way. And again, check us out on Instagram at ontrack underscore official. Have an incredible and blessed week y'all Bye.