More of Him and Less of Me

Welcome back to our blog where our goal is to help people delight in God's word. In this chat-style blog with Mentor Mama and Chelsey DeMatteis we are going to be talking about a topic of, "More of Him and Less of Me", and really the Biblical truths and concepts that will help challenge, change and shape the way that we think of living a life that's more focused on Christ in this me-centered world. You know, this me-centered world begins with our own thoughts that are pervasive in our minds from the minute we wake up in the morning until the minute that we fall asleep. In fact, research shows that we actually have over 6,000 thoughts in a day, and what if we just shifted even a portion of those thoughts from this 'me' mentality to pursuing God fully and wholeheartedly. Our guest today, Chelsea DeMatteis is going to help us explore why and how we can shift our thoughts to more of Christ and less of us. You will see that when we are saturated with God's word and fully see who He is, we will actually be in awe of God's character, and that will lead us to want to know God more and follow Him, serve Him and be a light in this world. So you're going to see a shift in thinking away from how we can help ourselves to how God can transform our lives if we let Him.

Mentor Mama:

Chelsea DeMatteis is a wife, mom of two littles, homemaker, and devotional writer. She just released her first book, "More of Him, Less of Me: Living a Christ-Centered Life in a Me-Centered World." She hosts the "Living With Less podcast and writes devotions for Lifeway women, Ibelieve, Crosswalk, and YouVersion.

Chelsey DeMatteis:

Hello. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to talk about all of this.

Mentor Mama:

We are thrilled to have you on our blog today because your entire message just is in such alignment with our mission here at Coffee and Bible Time. So, let's start with the concept that your book stems from, which is John 3:30, which says, He must become greater, and I must become less. You know, this verse gives us a clear indication that this life is and will always be about the Lord and His glory. So, help us understand, what does a Christ-centered life in a me-centered world look like?

Chelsey DeMatteis:

I always preface this by saying when I became a follower of Jesus, which I surrendered my life to the Lord in my early twenties, and I came from a very rebellious background, and so, for me, I knew when I became a follower of Christ, my life should look drastically different because of what my past was like. And so sometimes it's easier for me to say my life did a 180 because some people don't have the same rebellious past and it doesn't feel like a total change, but I love what you started with about how often we think of ourselves. And that truly when we're living for Christ, our mindset should shift, not just the things we do, our attitude, the way we serve people, but the way we think should change. And when I committed myself to the Lord and He worked in my heart in incredible ways and I realized as I grew in my knowledge of the Word, which I know we will get to that, I had the best Bible study teacher who just really taught me to love God's word and to be reverent to it and to honor it, and as I came to know the Word more and was studying and landed in John (chapter) three, I love the book of John. The Lord really, really convicted my heart over John 3:30 and realized, what does that look like? Even as a believer? What does it look like when He must increase and I must decrease in all facets of my life? And so, the podcast was how that first started and truly Him just really taking apart every single area of my life and looking at it through that perspective of, how do I honor the Lord in this space? And what does that look like played out from a Biblical standpoint, not just how I think or how I feel, but what does the Word say? And then it translating into the devotional when all of that happened, then it was even more sense of conviction on really living these things out, these truths out, and I think we live in a time too, where we are served the message of "me" all the time, and I just really felt led to really dig into, what are all the areas in my life that I serve me and how can I hold those before the Lord and look at my life through a Biblical perspective through that John 3:30? And what I wanted to say also is if you go into John 3:30, I always say we have to read it within context like what you guys talk about too. So, for everyone listening just for time's sake, but go read John 3:30. It is so amazing to see what John said and how he was so authoritative and also joyful in the fact that Christ is it, and that He should be exalted and glorified.

Mentor Mama:

Yes. So true. And I really appreciate your authenticity in saying that, yeah, I'm right there with you, in my younger days too, my life really better show a complete U-turn. So, I can resonate with that. Well let's further explore this, so, we live in a culture that's sort of screaming this loud message of "me." The world tells you that you can be who you want to be, you can do whatever you want to do and you should be led by your feelings, and even this way of thinking has infiltrated the church. So, what do we do with all of this? How do we keep, what is sacred, sacred?

Chelsey DeMatteis:

Oh, I love talking about how to keep God's word sacred, because I think that's something in the culture that a lot of people might know some scripture, but it doesn't seem to take shape in their life. You don't see them living it out, but I first wanted to talk about, again, just from my experience, from my background and my past, I took the bait of the world and I lived for myself, I lived for the way they said women should live and it was such a sweet season for me when I landed in my first Bible study like I said, I had the world's greatest first Bible study teacher. She's still one of my mentors today. We text every single week and she taught me what the Word was and that was it. There was none of this, adding feelings to it, which I'll get to that too, we should feel things when we're in scripture, but she didn't make it pretty for me, it was, here's God's Word, and this matters, and this is true, and she didn't beat around the bush. She never tried to make it sound like something that it wasn't. One of the phrases she always said to me was, God hasn't changed His mind. She still says that to me today. And when we're immersed in his Word, we see that God never steps outside of his character. When we know what His Word says: we know who He is, we know that He's just, He's always good, He's always loving, but He's also full of wrath, He's full of mercy, He is the extender, the creator of the gift of grace, and that list goes on and without knowing God's word, we can't know who He is, and when we don't know who God is when we don't have even a slight concept of His love for us, of what mercy is, of what grace is, it's easy to take the bait of the world. And like I said, it's even infiltrating the church. When we hear one thing on Sunday, but then people go live another way or they're preaching from the pulpit to serve yourself, to serve your dreams, it's all about you and what God can do for you. And that breaks my heart, especially coming from what I came from. I'm like, no, I don't want anybody living for themselves because we're reckless. We are. And if we don't know what God's word says number one, we can't keep his Word sacred. We don't even know what He calls sacred, and for me, I finally got to the point where I was like, okay, I want to know who God is. Who is He? I know He loves me. I know, because Jesus went to the cross and because I believe in Him as my Lord and Savior, I know those things, but I want to know who He is and what is His character. And so, you have to be in the Old Testament, you can't just stay in the New Testament. I loved going through the Old Testament because that was really where I saw how to keep things sacred. Yes, we don't have all the rituals and all of the laws and all of those things, but it's such a beautiful picture of the reverence that people had for what God called Holy, to be Holy as He is Holy. And I know we'll get into that about Leviticus, but I think for us in this culture of me, me, me, and what serves me, we have to go back to, who is God? What does He want for His people? What does He desire for us? And then when we see what is sacred, one thing, and I know this is like a hot topic, but purity; being pure, sexually pure, being pure in our minds, all of these things we read and see, but if somebody doesn't have an understanding of why God calls us to hold those things so sacredly, people get flippant with it. And so, when you see why God has these boundaries and parameters for us, we can actually hold to what He calls sacred. And that changed my life when I realized, wow, He doesn't just want certain things for me, it's, He loves me so much and desires me to be Holy as He is Holy, to seek Him and His ways, that I want to live that way because I love Him. I have a relationship with Him and knowing too, that He looks at me as sacred, is such a gift and that I want to live in that way.

Mentor Mama: Absolutely. Just a few follow-ups to that is, you were spot on when you say like getting involved in a Bible study or having a Bible teacher that can really, even if you're brand new and you don't know anything about it. I think that's like such a tremendous place to start is just by getting into a good Bible study where you can focus on God's Word and start learning all of these things. Because honestly, I'm the same as you, like, I had heard and grown up my whole life in a Christian home, but it did not resonate with me fully until I understood the Old Testament and understood that God is Holy and perfect, and we can't be in His presence unless we are, and that's why Jesus came and because of what He did that brings us back into community with God. So, understanding that whole concept, and you're going to touch a little bit more on that later, but so critical. So always, always back to God's Word, and it's okay if you feel like, I don't know anything, because you have to start somewhere and even if you're not in a Bible study, I encourage any listener that's listening today, start with a book of the Bible, maybe it's Psalms, and just learning about who God is. Well, feel-good messages seem to be what women are just constantly bombarded with these days, and it seems as if all women are offered, you know, these concepts that stir up emotions, but they don't have the heart change. So how can we change this?

Chelsey DeMatteis:

Well, first of all, I actually have a devotion in the book that's titled, Fighting Falsehood. There's another one that touches on this, that I can't think of the title off the top of my head, but this is something that I am just so passionate about again because I had been sucked up into some of these things where I was having all of these emotional experiences, but they would fizzle out, so first, we do just have to say that it is true that often what takes place is feel-good messages. This happens for men and women, and they do nothing more than wet the palette. And it's not that they wet the palette because they want more of who God is, but it's wanting more of what makes me feel good or what can God do for me and when we have that view of the Lord, it is so backward and it's so damaging. It really is damaging to somebody's walk with the Lord. Thankfully, we have His grace and mercy, and conviction to bring us back when we get caught up in those things. But I mean, I have been to several conferences that left me so fired up. And then as soon as I got home, the plane tires hit the runway and I feel like it fizzles out and I don't know what to do with it. I'd sit there and go, oh, I lost the fire. I lost the luster, when, really, it's because I had an emotional experience without foundational teaching. And it's not to say there aren't good things that people can say, but if you have no foundational truth, or if they're on, I call them half-truths, even though we know that if it's not true, it's not true, it's false. It just creates this emotional response, and what I do want to say is yes, when we are in God's Word, I don't want somebody to think, okay, this is like legalism or anything like that because it's not. When we are in God's Word, we will have an emotional response. I have laughed. I have cried. I have had to wrestle with the things that I have read, so I don't mean that we shouldn't sense our emotions, God obviously created our emotions, but emotions should never be the basis on which we crave more time with God and His Word because all I know is on days when I am exhausted, I don't have the emotions to go get in God's Word. I get in God's Word because that's where I need to be. That's what I might not desire at that moment, but that's what's most important. So back to that question of how do we change this? How do we shift this perspective for women? And truly women need to just be top foundational truth. And when we look at God's Word, it tells us to be Holy as He is Holy, that's in Leviticus 11:44. And we have to note, this is a command of God, this isn't just a, I say, it's not something that he's just recommending. He's not just saying, you can try and be Holy as I am, no, you are to be Holy as I am Holy, we are to seek that, and most women, and I too have been here when I walk away from teachings, I'm not often reminded of that. I'm often thinking of, oh, I feel so relatable to whoever was talking. My life can relate in that way and that's good, but we also need to be walking away not thinking of the person we were listening to, but thinking of a Holy God and what He's done and what He desires for us. Another place that is extremely important for women, I think, to study is the book of Acts. It's so good to read about the early church and what that looked like, and I wanted to point out Acts 28:31. I thought it just summed it up really well, but proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. And again, this is why, in context, we have to go through and read everything, but it's so nice when you can point out what does that say specifically? And it says that we should be teaching about the Kingdom of God, leading other young women alongside us. I love that you're the Mentor Mama, we need people in our lives that are being bold with us and that are walking out truth, and also without hindrance, there's no hindrance in what they have to say. And so, women need to hear messages that point them to the Word again, to see who God is and what He desires for us, but then, how do we live this out? That's why I think Acts is so great, I mean, every book in the Bible is, but I love Acts because you see how this plays out. Also, in First and Second Corinthians, Paul gives so much direction to believers, but when you're in there to see, how do I live this out? How do I apply this? And I think a great place to start is again, in that book of Acts. And then also in the Old Testament, in Leviticus, I know those books can be really hard to get through, but there's so much that really changed my heart in the way I realized, wow, like this is what it means when God says, be Holy as I am Holy, and so when we're pointing women to have bold faith, that's rooted in Christ, and not just emotional teachings, things that drum up our emotions and how we feel, it does change everything. It does not just change us, but it changes our homes. I know for me, my home is far more peaceful when I am in the Word and I'm truly living out my conviction and what God is teaching me. But then beyond that, it just truly changes the way we see life, and like the ripple effect, it starts changing everybody around you.

Mentor Mama:

Yes. That's very well said, and I think you provided some great places for our readers to explore if you haven't already. Even when you get into Leviticus and you learn about all the different laws, I mean, God created those things to help us, that's because He loves us so much that if we go outside of those things, that's where we start to get into trouble. So, if you can think of His teachings in that way, it really does help you experience more of the love and why He's said those things.

Chelsey DeMatteis:

I often hear people say, which it's true that this is like a love letter to God's people. Right? But, I always say it's a blueprint for life. Literally. As you said, it's a blueprint, and to look at it that way, we need this to get through every single day.

Mentor Mama:

Yes, our pastor, who just retired after a very long time at our church, used to say the Bible stood for Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. The B I B L E. I always thought that was so great. Okay, so, your focus on your book, God's Word tells us that we must decrease, and He must increase. This is very countercultural today, but you share about celebrating and treasuring the gift of sanctification. So why is this?

Chelsey DeMatteis:

So again, going back to my story, just my life and the way my life was before Christ, it is just such a gift because knowing that I have the Holy Spirit to guide me and lead me and convict my heart, is truly such a gift and such again, a 180 from how I was living before. But the fact that I lived so unaligned with the Lord, again, it's a blessing when you can see when you have a drastic difference, it is just really nice where you're like, wow, that is what life is like unaligned and this is what life is like aligned. But again, if you don't have this crazy, come-to-Jesus- moment in your life, that's okay too, because I'm sure there are habits in your life that were unaligned with the Lord that now you see, you know what, I don't really struggle with that anymore, and that's because I've given that over to the Lord. So again, it doesn't need to be these big, big moments. So much of what God does in our life, I truly believe it's small things, it's small things that have such a great change in our hearts, in our life, that overflow into everything around us, but one of my favorite scriptures to talk about, and there's a devotion in the book also about this, but in first Thessalonians 5:23 and 24, it says, "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, He will surely do it." So, this is a scripture that gets so taken out of context. I feel like probably a lot of your listeners here have probably seen people's t-shirts or like the little Instagram stories will say, won't He do it? And, they're taking it as in, won't He do what my dream is, what I'd like to do? And that's not at all what this is about, it's truly Paul talking about us being sanctified completely. And he's praying that for us. And I just love looking at this scripture to go through and see, it matters so much. Our sanctification and walking in conviction matters so much that it's in Scripture and that's something that's so important to realize, it's not something to overlook and it's not something that's recommended, but truly commanded by the Lord. And so one of my hopes truly is that the devotional will just cause women to see it as a gift and to see conviction as something that we should celebrate. Like when you feel that nudge by the Holy Spirit that you need to go repent, or you need to go ask somebody for forgiveness, that's a good thing. And I think so often the enemy condemns people in that space and people start thinking, oh, I'm just a terrible person. No! When you feel conviction, say thank you, Lord. I mean, it may not always feel like we want to say thank you, but it's truly a gift.

Mentor Mama:

Thank you for those thoughts, Chelsea, and the process of sanctification. I know that is much for me over the last 20 years and looking at how God has sanctified me in that process. Not only is it very humbling, but, it is truly like one of the greatest gifts that God gives you is that He cares enough to want to walk with you through this process. You don't do it alone. He walks you through this process of sanctification, making you each day more and more like Jesus. So excellent stuff.

Mentor Mama:

Okay, so we're living in a time where hope seems lost for many people. We know hope is rooted in Christ. How do you cling to the Lord as your hope in this time?

Chelsey DeMatteis:

Oh my. So, I do think, and I sometimes hate because I feel like we have beat a dead bush, and all the

things that are going on in this world that is just heavy. It's a lot. And there are especially, believers that feel hopeless. But we know where our hope comes from and, sometimes we just need to be reminded of that. But also, there is a lost world out there and there are so many people that truly are hopeless. And for me, hope and peace go hand in hand. And when I don't have one, I oftentimes don't have the other. And so, when I am having a sense of hopelessness or no peace, it's because I've lost who I'm looking to as my sustainer. I'm looking at my circumstances or I'm looking to my husband or I'm looking to myself, and Psalm 54:4 says, "Behold, God is my helper, The Lord is my upholder of my life." He is the only sustainer-He truly is. And I know sometimes that can sound very Christian-esque and kind of like, well that doesn't fix my problems, that doesn't give me hope. Well, it should give you hope, it really should. Another one of my favorite scriptures is Micah 5:5, that He will be our peace, and Isaiah 9:6, which is, I know from Christmas, but when you look at the names of God and who He is, and to remember that He is my sustainer, and He is the only giver of hope and peace. And again, these last two years have really done a number on me, like I'm sure they have done on everybody else, but one thing, one of the good things that have come out of all of this has truly given me a deeper dependence on him and a hunger for Him, and that He is the only person that I should be looking to for peace and for hope and that if there is someone listening to this feeling like I am hopeless, or I have no peace, go to God's Word and study, study on who God is and the character of God, but study peace and study hope, and you will see that He is the giver of those things, that they come from Him. And another reason why we just have to be rooted in the Word, is because it reminds us when we are in the seasons that are really hard, of who He is, and again, that He doesn't step outside of his character. So, if He is sustainer, if He is the upholder of our life, He was at the moment you were born and He's still that today.

Mentor Mama:

That's so great. You know, I recently have been having like these emotional ups and downs. I think it's just part of the normal part of menopause, but I got to this point where I was just feeling really low and I think this directly ties into what you said from the very beginning when you're getting to a low point and you're wondering, oh, why me, God, or why am I going through this? How come you are allowing this? And it's all focused on me, me, me. What I had the opportunity to do is I just, I kind of laid on my bed and there's an app called pray.com. and you can listen to Scripture read to you, or they have different pastors and teachers and things, and I was listening to one and by focusing off of me and back onto something that is more scripturally based and does give us hope and peace, and really, it wasn't that long that I was like, okay, I can do this. Get back up. But I think it's fair like they did in the Psalms, it's okay to lament. It's okay to say, why is this happening? Or why do I feel sad? Or why downcast my soul? But then put it into God's hands and allow Him to do the work that only He can do. Well, you talked about being challenged and changed and shaped often. How has the Lord done this and how has it changed your desire to live for Him?

Chelsey DeMatteis:

So, I feel like everything in my life has gone through that double-edged sword, right? God's Word is a double-edged sword. And I feel like, wow, it has truly just changed all the areas of my life. It's changed my marriage, it's changed, I should say it's convicted me, in motherhood often. You talk about sanctification, wooo! It has sanctified me, but it's changed all of these areas of my life, and my heart has just been constantly just leaning into these tensions between, okay, but I desire this God, but I know you desire this, or I don't know what you're doing Lord, and I know that I need to just trust in you, I know I need to lean into you. And so again, every single day, it's like we're met with these fleshly desires, these tensions, and it's always turning back to the Lord. And so, for me through learning his word, which I want flip here to the Psalms real quick and Psalm 119, let me get here real fast. That was one of the first Psalms I had ever been through. There was a young gal in my CrossFit class that knew I was a new believer and she told me to go learn Psalm 119 and to write it out, and I've absolutely loved it, but let me pull this up here, it is also a very, very long Psalm. So, in Psalm 119, I really felt led yesterday, I was like, I need to share this, so in verse 65, it says, "you have dealt well with your servant, Oh Lord, according to your Word, teach me good judgment and knowledge for, I believe in your commandments. Before I was afflicted, I went astray and now I keep your word. You are good and do good. Teach me your statutes." And right there, I feel like that just takes all of that end of challenging, changing, and shaping. It talks about before I had affliction, I went astray. That was my life. That truly was my life, but also, I want to have good judgment. Well, I can only have good judgment. I can only have wisdom and knowledge and understanding, if I'm allowing the Lord to change who I am from the inside out, and I love going into Psalm 119. I highly recommend studying it. It is long, so I would definitely find like a study plan to go through it with, but for me, that's one area of Scripture that the Lord has really used to remind me of the cost of grace, to hold fast to what God says, and again, it just points out if you keep reading too, it talks about those that are trying to lead you astray, it goes on through there, and it reminds me too, of, we need to not be seeking what culture says, and I say this loosely because it's okay to go to your mentor or somebody that you trust to ask their opinions and for them to pray, but when you are seeking somebody's opinion or seeking somebody to pray for you and with you, make sure it's somebody that is rooted in the word and not somebody that's going to pray and say, well, you know what? I really think you should do this. And it isn't aligned with Scripture, so just be sure that if there is somebody that you're going to, which we do, and we should, that they're also walking closely with the Lord, and truly my entire life's perspective has also just been changed to seek a kingdom perspective everywhere I go, there was actually a season I should get back to doing this, but when I would go to the grocery store, instead of just saying like, have a nice day or hello, to the people that were working, the Lord convicted my heart that I need to say their name. Like I need to call them by their name when I'm seeing Paul at the banana section, I need to say, "Hi, Paul, hey, so how are you? And it is so wild and it makes me want to cry; when you call somebody by their name, especially in the grocery store, somebody that might not feel very significant, his face would light up. And the Lord just reminded me that you need to have a Kingdom perspective at the grocery store, not just at church, not just when you're serving, not just in your home or at Bible study, but truly everywhere you go, and that changed so much for me, and God just really reminded me that if every moment matters to Him, every moment of my life matters, the significant, the insignificant, mundane, amazing, that they need to matter to me too. And that the people that are around me in those moments matter so much to Him, and to make it a point to live with that view of the world from a Kingdom perspective, and that's something that will change as you come to know the Lord, you can't help but see the world through that lens, and we should, we should have a Biblical worldview. If you are a Christian, that should be how you view life. And I know I don't get it perfect. As I said, I need to get back to doing that at the grocery store, but I want to always seek to honor the Lord everywhere I'm at, and so, it's seeing what does that look like? It's going to be different for everybody, but for me, it was so specific- call them by their name.

Mentor Mama:

And truly that just reminds me of what Jesus did when He was here on earth. He always reached out to the least of these. He looked people in the eyes, He called them by their names, and that really is the personal, loving, caring, nurturing side of Christ. Well, to wrap this up, why is this message so important to you that you felt called to write an entire book on this topic?

Chelsey DeMatteis:

It's just so important to me that our acceptance of Christ in our lives truly should change everything. I think, especially right now with, I'm a millennial, so I just turned 30, and then with Gen Z trailing behind us, so many things are emotional, they're emotional experiences, and so, my desire is that this devotional, this message, will help change that, and that you realize, okay, so this isn't just a, I raised my hand on a Sunday or I accepted Christ. This is everything now, and my life should be changing because I love the Lord and I want to do what His word says, and I want people to see that when you're accepting Christ, it's not just something in a quick moment, that you've truly just accepted and entered into an eternal covenant, eternal life and grace, and mercy, redemption and joy. The list can go on forever. But right now, this is something also that God is really impressed on me, and I do want to just preface by saying every single thing that I wrote about, is something that I have truly walked through. There is not a single word written in there from a place of, I'm telling you so, it's I have lived this, and so, I want you to feel like there's someone that can come alongside you because there was a season where I knew more famous Christian author's quotes, then I could quote Scripture, and we see that going on a lot right now, and that's so alarming to me. It was so convicting to me when I could spout off what several of these popular Christian authors said versus what God's word actually said. And I see that now, and it alarms me, it bothers me because it was something that I really struggled with, and so, I felt deeply in my heart through that season that I need to know what He says. I need to take these people off the throne of my life. And they're people just like me, but we have to know what God's Word says, because how are we going to go out into the world and respond to what's going on? Me quoting what John MacArthur said, I love John MacArthur, but me quoting what John MacArthur said, that doesn't mean anything to somebody, but when you go with God's word to respond to somebody again, it's a double-edged sword and no, we don't sling it around to hurt people. God's word is offensive enough. We all know that we have all walked through conviction, it doesn't need any extra help severing our hearts, but it changes things when you're bringing God's Word into the culture. And also, another prayer of mine is that we will just truly live out what Jesus commanded, when He said to His disciples in Matthew 28, and he said to teach the things, to instruct these people with what I have taught to you and - the great commission - But when He said that to his disciples, that is a command that came from his mouth and the flesh. And we can't instruct anybody with anything if we don't know what the word says. And so again, just, I want women so badly, that's why each devotion scripture that it starts with, it has a takeaway at the end of each week, and then it also has a podcast episode that goes along with it, because the podcasts are far more scripture heavy because the devotion is so short, but that's just my desire, that women will be able to confidently and boldly, without hesitation, answer to cultures lies and answer with God's Word.

Mentor Mama: Excellent. Well, what would you say to your younger self?

Chelsey DeMatteis: Oh, this question made me cry. Oh, my word. So, to my younger self, I would tell myself to not wait on giving my life over to the Lord. Surrender your life to Jesus, run full throttle into the arms of the One who saved you. And then, I loved learning about obviously different people in Scripture, and so I really felt this all in my heart, but to go to Him with your questions, like Nicodemus, ask for forgiveness, like Paul, trust him like John, serve Him like Martha, sit with Him like Mary and share your God-given gifts like Timothy, and to stand firm in your faith, being a doer, not a hearer like James, and lastly, to keep sacred what God called sacred. I think it's just so important to know God's people, they've wrestled with things forever, but to truly just sit before Him in all of these ways and to find all of these people in Scripture, that's what I love, I can flip to Nicodemus' story when I'm wrestling with things, and I have questions. And so, that's what I would tell myself.

Mentor Mama: I would add one more, at least for me, is just David and having a heart after God's own heart. And you could do that with every character in the Bible, and you know, God's put them in there to help us see that they were human just like us and can help guide and direct how we live our lives. And so, I love how you put all those into a personal way that we can relate to. Well, Chelsey, thank you so much for sharing with us about your devotional. You're so passionate. How can people find out more information about you?

Chelsey DeMatteis:

So, I'm on Instagram. That's my only form of social media and that's @livingwithlesspodcast. And then my website is chelseydematteis.com, and then you can get the devotional at Amazon or Barnes and Noble, and that's really it. I will say I have been on a pause with my podcast airing episodes since the summer just having a newborn, and all of that. We're just paused on that right now, but there are, I think 129 episodes there, so you can listen to things there, but again, with the devotional, it has a weekly podcast that goes along with each one.

Mentor Mama:

That's so cool. I will definitely put all of those links in our show notes. Before we go, Chelsey, I just want to ask you a couple of questions about your favorite Bible study tools that we like to ask all of our guests. What Bible do you use, and which translation is it?

Chelsey DeMatteis:

I use the ESV. I don't have my study Bible in front of me, but I love my ESV study Bible. I got it from Crossway Books. Crossway typically has a good sale on that too, if you're a member, I think you get like 20% off your purchases. Then I call her old glory, a regular ESV Bible that does not have study notes in it, but I highly recommend everybody get a study Bible that has the footnotes. I also just got, I don't have it in front of me, but it is John MacArthur's book on doctrine. I cannot think of the name of it. I will send you the link to it. But it's fabulous. It basically breaks down doctrine in a way that you could actually sit and read through a book. It's not something that feels like it's an encyclopedia of doctrine, so I highly recommend that too.

Mentor Mama:

Oh, excellent. Okay. Do you have any favorite journaling supplies that you like?

Chelsey DeMatteis:

I laugh, I actually have to write with a soft ink pen. A black soft ink pen. I would say that's my go-to.

Mentor Mama:

You take a lot of notes. That's cool. Okay, how about your favorite app or website for Bible study tools? What would you recommend?

Chelsey DeMatteis:

Gotquestions.org. It's so helpful, and it breaks down every topic you can think of. I always laugh that their website is called gotquestions.org. I'm like, that sounds not Biblical, but it's so solid, and it's been super helpful for me.

Mentor Mama:

Excellent. Okay. Well, I will include all of those links as well. Chelsey, thank you so much for being here today to share your heart on what it really means to fully embrace our relationship with God and to change the way we think in terms of a life that's more focused on Christ and less focused on me and for our readers pick up a copy of Chelsey's devotional called, "More of Him, Less of Me." You can find a link in our show notes, and I just want to encourage anyone reading to also watch this podcast on YouTube to post a comment down in our video comment section on how you avoid the trap of our self-centered culture to live a life that's more centered around Christ. I love learning from you, and we can all learn from one another. Lastly, head over to the Coffee and Bible Time website for our prayer journals that will help guide and document your prayer life at coffeeandbibletime.com. Thank you for joining us today. We hope you have a blessed day.