When Life Gets Crazy, Make Fruit Punch!
Life has a way of piling on pressures—bills, deadlines, anxieties, responsibilities—that can leave us drained and discouraged. But what if, instead of drinking the world’s bitter Kool-Aid of stress and self-pity, we reached for God’s fruit punch of joy, peace, and grace? In this episode of Heartfelt Conversations with Diana, we’ll talk about how Jesus not only overcame the world but also offers us a refreshing, abundant life right now. With a mix of humor, personal story, and practical truth, Diana shares how to trade pressure for peace, drink deeply of God’s Spirit, and keep refilling through prayer. So, when life gets wild—make fruit punch!
Diana’s Notes
Hello everybody!!! And welcome to today’s episode: When Life Gets Crazy – Make Fruit Punch! Right here on Heartfelt Conversations with Diana.
It feels like it has been forever since we’ve chatted. I took a little time away for some intensive bible studies—I’m still in the thick of it—but I’ve missed being with you. So thank you for letting me be part of your day. That means so much.
Life in the Pressure Cooker
So, how are you really doing? Maybe life feels good right now—or maybe, like me lately, it feels like life is more of a pressure cooker with all the demands and struggles. Bills, deadlines, anxieties, responsibilities… the adult life we all just couldn’t wait to bypass our childhood to get to!! Or am I the only one? Especially when I got into middle school, by that time, I couldn’t wait to be an adult so that no one could boss me around anymore! LOL
Ohhh, if only we knew! Right?
My youngest son used to want me to watch him when he would do a stunt or something he thought was fun, and it scared me to watch.
He would make ramps to jump his bike off of, or sledding on snow ramps he would make, and go so high in the air that I would just cover my eyes. Lol
He would laugh, and I would squirm. lol
Do you remember as a child wondering why your parents, teachers, the adults in your life seemed so tense, worried, grouchy, grumpy, no fun at all!! Full of stress and worry!
Well, maybe they were not enjoying “adulting” either! LOL
Here's the danger: if we let the pressures of this world pile up, we can lose the child within us—the joy, the playfulness God created us for. Remember cartwheels, jungle gyms, and chasing fireflies? No worries, just freedom.
And now… sometimes we find ourselves just like the adults we used to laugh at—grouchy, grumpy, tense. And when life gets crazy like that—listen—that’s when we need God’s fruit punch to refresh our souls.
The Promise in Our Trials
Jesus didn’t sugarcoat it. In John 16:33, He said:
“In the world you will have trials, distress, and suffering… but be courageous! For I have overcome the world.”
The Message puts it like this:
“In this godless world, you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart—I’ve conquered the world!”
So yes, we face trials. But here’s the truth we need to remember: the world hands us a glass of bitter water. Jesus, though? He offers us fruit punch—sweet, refreshing, life-giving.
My Own Struggles and God’s Gentle Work
I’ll be honest with you… I’ve struggled. My story has plenty of pain—teen mom, dangerous situations, and even the loss of my daughter. And because of that, I thought I had every right to sit in the kool-aid of bitterness and say, “Life isn’t fair.”
But God, in His love, began to show me something surprising: so much of my anxiety was actually rooted in pride.
See, pride doesn’t always mean arrogance. For me, it looked like focusing on me—my pain, my injustice, my pity party. I was drinking the world’s Kool-Aid instead of God’s fruit punch.
People who brag about all their accomplishments and have a very overinflated sense of their own importance can drive us all crazy. But there was a pride I carried that made life much more difficult than it needed to be. I had an attitude of self-sufficiency. I was very independent. Like a toddler, no! I can do it myself!!! Laughing
Independence is not bad, but blocking God out because we think we can be self-sufficient without Him is arrogance and pride. And this quiet little enemy leads us away from the humility we must develop so that we can lead the lives God desires for us.
I thought being self-sufficient was a good thing, and it can be! In the right measure.
But it can also cause us to strive for perfection on our own, which we will never have, independent of God. It is only in Jesus that we will ever be all we were created to be.
Jesus overcame everything we would ever face. We can have confidence in victory because of what He has already provided.
And, it’s kinda weird this way, but I have learned that the more we struggle with pride, the more we struggle with failure, the more we struggle with any of our own shortcomings, the more we seem to demand that others tow a line we can’t even do.
And God reminded me of this truth: in Christ, I’m already flawless, perfected by His blood. And so are you.
We don’t have to demand anything from anyone. We can let pride and fear go because we have placed our trust in God. Not ourselves and not others.
We must not let pride keep us from surrendering to God, to our Father Who already has it all figured out. He has the answers. We just might not like them, so pride says. No! I can do it myself. We have to get out of that mentality.
The Lost Plot
Somewhere along the way, the plot of the Gospel of the Good News got lost. We got the Christmas story—baby Jesus. We got the Easter story—Jesus on the cross. But we stopped there. God’s people have not been living a victorious life because, in some cases, no one told us we could! At least that is my experience. I thought you received Jesus, did the best you could, hoping it’s enough for Jesus to convince the Father to accept you. And the Holy Spirit, well, that was just some weird, spooky, ghostly thing that happened in the Old Testament, but really doesn’t apply to today’s world. WRONG!
I was drinking the Kool-Aid!
Friends, The Christmas story, The Easter Story - that’s not the end of the story! Jesus also came to bring a new covenant—a brand-new way of living here and now. His Fruit Punch
Jesus didn’t give up His life to just save us for heaven someday. He gave us a 1–2 punch: defeating the enemy and filling us with His Spirit so we could live free, full, and overflowing. Right now!
That’s the “fruit punch” I’m talking about! 🍓🍇🍊
Love, Joy, Peace, and all the good fruit that make up God’s Fruit punch. Fruits of the Holy Spirit
A New Way of Life
The old covenant was harsh, all about performance. But Jesus came to bring us a zoe kind of life. Zoe is Greek and it means eternal life or "The God-kind of life." A life filled with the divine nature of God; His fullness of love, joy, peace, power, and ability. Life they way God originally created for us.
Don’t become comfortable living a broken, defeated, frustrated life because you think that’s just the way it has to be.
Romans 12:2 says:
“Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out.”
Do you feel like you don’t fit into the world’s definition of happy, successful, whole? That may not be a bad thing; maybe God is inviting you to adjust your thinking. To fix your attention on Him and His ways.
That’s the invitation—spit out the world’s Kool-Aid, and drink from God’s fruit punch of grace and truth.
Prayer and Communication with God
Here’s the key: communication. No relationship survives without it. And prayer? Prayer is our lifeline. It’s not spooky. It’s not outdated. It’s not the least you can do. It’s exactly THE thing to do. Seek God first.
Prayer is how we keep our cup full of God’s fruit punch instead of letting the world drain us dry.
So if you feel invisible, or like life has left you empty—hear me: God sees you. He loves you. And He’s ready to pour fresh joy and peace into your cup.
Three Life Points for us to Take Away for the week
Trade Pressure for Peace – Life will always be crazy, but keep your eyes on Jesus, and let Him refresh you with His fruit punch of grace.
Drink God’s Fruit Punch, Not the World’s Kool-Aid – Don’t conform to emptiness. Let God’s Spirit fill you with strength, joy, and purpose.
Keep Refilling Through Prayer – Prayer isn’t your last resort—it’s your refill station. Talk to God daily and watch Him transform your perspective.
Closing
So, friend—when life gets crazy—make fruit punch! Take the 1–2 punch of Jesus’ victory of the work He already paid for on the cross. Jesus paid for you to live a New Covenant Life, and when we learn to walk in this new life through the surrender of our pride, we will soon begin to live a life overflowing with God’s joy. His peace. And His rest. Forget the Kool-Aid- drink the punch!
To help us get a better grasp of this New Covenant life, I have put a link to Founding Pastor Beth Jones’ teaching: Too Good and So True: How Good is the New Covenant? On our website, heartfeltconversations.com. You will find that link in my notes for today’s episode.
Next week, we’ll begin to dig into prayer—the “scary” subject that’s not scary at all, but the greatest gift we’ve been given to connect directly with God.
Until then: be generous toward others, be kind to yourself, stay rooted in the Word, and choose life—the real, abundant zoe life Jesus offers you. So be comforted and strengthened by God’s Word. Psalms 32 reminds us:
Psalm 32:8: The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.
Will you let Him?
Be encouraged! Chin up!! Eyes on Jesus!! LOL
Bathe in the goodness of God and rest in His Amazing Grace!
God bless, and I will see ya next time! And watch the video!!!
The link to Founding Pastor Beth’s message:
Songs to inspire you
Trust In God (feat. Chris Brown) | Elevation Worship
In Jesus Name (God Of Possible)
Praise (feat. Brandon Lake, Chris Brown & Chandler Moore) | Elevation Worship
Encouraging Verses:
Isaiah 42:16: God’s Word Translation
I will lead the blind on unfamiliar roads. I will lead them on unfamiliar paths. I will turn darkness into light in front of them. I will make rough places smooth. These are the things I will do for them, and I will never abandon them.
Isaiah 54:10: Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”
Psalm 119:105: Your word is a light unto our path and a light unto our feet.
Isaiah 54:17: But in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the LORD; their vindication will come from me. I, the LORD, have spoken!
Isaiah 52:12: (EASY) But you will not have to hurry and run away.No, the Lord, Israel's God, will keep you safe.He will lead you at the front,and He will be your guard at the back.
Matthew 7:11: So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!
1 Peter 2:23 tells us - When He was insulted, He did not answer back with an insult; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but placed His hopes in God, the righteous Judge.
Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."
1 Peter 2:12 says, “Live such good lives among the pagans that… they may see your good deeds and glorify God.”
The New Living Translation reads it this way: Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.
Deuteronomy 30:19-20: "I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Now choose life."
Luke 6:37 “Forgive, and you will be forgiven”.
Matthew 6:14: If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.
Romans 8:31 in the AMP Bible tells us: What then shall we say to all these things? If God is for us, who can be [successful] against us?
Psalm 65:11: You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.
Psalm 32:8: The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.
Proverbs 15:3: The Lord sees everything, whether good or bad.
1 Peter 5:7: Cast all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.
Foundation Verse
Romans 8:11
The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, He will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living in you. “
Additional Resources
These Two Resources Changed My Life:
Beth Jones: Getting a Grip on the Basics is a great resource to help you get the basics of how vital you are to God and how good He desires to be to you: https://www.thebasicsuniversity.com
Joyce Meyer: The Mind is a Battlefield - https://joycemeyer.org
Additional Resources:
Steven Furtick: Triggered Taking Back Your Mind in the Age of Anxiety
JimmyEvans: The time is Now to Change Your Attitude
https://endtimes.substack.com/p/the-time-is-now-to-change-your-attitude
Prayer of Salvation
Jesus has given salvation, healing, and countless benefits to all who call upon His name. These benefits can be yours if you receive Him into your heart by saying this prayer:
Heavenly Father, I come to You admitting that I am a sinner. Right now, I choose to turn away from sin, and I ask You to cleanse me of all unrighteousness. I believe that Jesus rose again from the dead so that I may be justified and made righteous through faith in Him. I call upon the name of Jesus Christ to be the Savior and Lord of my life. Jesus, I choose to follow You, and I ask that You fill me with the power of the Holy Spirit. I declare right now that I am a born again, child of God. I am free from sin and full of the righteousness of God. I am saved in Jesus’ name. Amen.
This prayer and the comment above, were taken out of the book:
Secrets to Powerful Prayer - Discovering the Languages of the Heart
By Lynne Hammond and Patsy Cameneti
If you have just received Jesus as your Savior, please write Lynne Hammond Ministries at:
PO Box 29469
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55429-2946
Or, email one of the ministries listed on the Additional Resources Tab and let them know that you are a brand new Christian and need some direction on the next steps for your new life in Christ.
Or email us here at Heartfelt Conversations with Diana and we will pass along your information for you.
Congratulations if you are a brand new Christian or if you have Returned Home! Welcome!!! Get in God’s Word and get it into you!
Diana’s Home Church:
Valley Family Church - Pastor’s Eric and Alexa Jones
www.valleyfamilychurch.org
Other recommended Jesus-centered churches who teach the True Word of God:
Elevation Church - Steven Furtick
https://elevationchurch.org/
Joseph Prince Ministries - Joseph Prince
https://www.josephprince.org/
Joyce Meyer Ministries
https://joycemeyer.org/