418. Empowering Lives with Purpose, Interview with Keli Hillier

Finding rest in Christ alone is FREEDOM.   After battling 2.5 years debilitated in bed with depression, anxiety and agora-phobia, Keli Hillier sees God show up in a profound way.   Hear Keli's story of the 2 battles of a lifetime. The other was 115 days struggling to live in an ICU unit at the hospital with Covid. Dead for 7 minutes to returning to live for God, you will hear how He brings Keli to a place of "rest" in Him alone.   ****  

Kimberly Hobbs  
Welcome to Empowering Lives with Purpose and I'm your host Kimberly Hobbs. I'm the founder of Women World Leaders. We are so glad you joined us today ladies and today I'd like to welcome our guest Keli Hillier from Michigan welcome, Keli. 

Keli Hillier  
Thank you, I'm thrilled to be here 

Kimberly Hobbs  
We are thrilled to have you. Today we are going to be talking about rest. It's a word that might be foreign to many people. But rest is so important, but the proper rest resting in our Lord. So today, Keeley comes with an amazing story. And before we begin and before I tell you a little bit about Keeley, I just want to tell you that we are so happy to be here together and share in these stories that come from our Lord, to empower one another encourage one another in many different ways. And we believe that each and every one of us have a purpose. And so today, it's our hope by listening that God is going to touch your heart and maybe spark an idea to act upon truth and walk out your special purpose. God says that every believer has received grace gifts, so use them to serve one another as faithful stewards of the many colored tapestries of God's grace. That's First Peter 410 and that is what Keeley has done. Let me share a little bit about her her life and who she is before we get into her story. She is a strong Christ follower since childhood. She's married and attended William Tyndale Bible College and loves her children and her grandbabies. Although Keeley was saved, she was far from joyful or victorious. Keeley has dealt with paralyzing fear, debilitated, debilitating depression, and excruciating panic attacks. I know that is a story for a lot of our listeners. A lot of people suffer from depression and these panic attacks seem to be on the rise. So completely defeated. She returned to bed where she remained for two and a half years. As a Gora phobia dictated her daily life, she watched her world slowly shrinking. In desperation, Keely cried to God who immediately responded and tenderly nursed her to emotional wholeness. Healy wrote a Bible study about her healing to help other broken women, and now she speaks publicly sharing her story. And in December of 2021, Keeley went to the hospital with COVID and there she remained for 115 days before returning home in a wheelchair. She was on a ventilator for 55 days. She was 50 days with a tracheotomy. And she actually died for seven minutes. Does this woman have a story? Yeah. Kelly's partner with her daughter, Amber, and together they speak in churches ministering to women's groups and sharing about her time in heaven. And she currently lives in Michigan with her husband and three dogs. So as I shared with you today, we are going to talk about rest. And Keeley, I would love if you would just start in and just share with our listeners a little bit about your story

Keli Hillier  
I would love to Well, as you shared, I accepted Christ as a child, my dad was a pastor. So I grew up in the church and I actually don't remember a time when Christ was not a part of my life. The issue was it. I didn't have any concept of God's grace or His luck. So I thought he was angry at me, and distant and judgmental. And I was always trying to earn his approval was all about personal accountability and responsibility. So I married when I was 22. We have three daughters and three years. And in the late 90s, we when I married my husband, he was a multimillionaire. And then in the late 90s, we lost everything including our home business, we were completely wiped out. And so my husband was like, You know what, I just want to get out of here. So we moved out to California, San Diego area. We didn't know a soul and we we move Don't we unpacked and we looked at each other, and it was like, Okay, now what? And we've been having marital problems. And then we lost the business. And I was so broken, I just shut down. And it was like someone went inside my head, and flipped the switch to OFF. And I just would withdrew. And it felt like, I had a belt wrapped around my soul that was squeezed like two sizes too small, and I couldn't breathe. And I would wake up in panic attacks, where I was so frozen in fear, I couldn't even lift my hand and wake up my husband, I was paralyzed with fear. And it got to the point where I was having a hard time going out by myself. Now, if I was with my husband, or kids or friends, I had a smile on my face. I talked about the love of Jesus, nobody knew anything was going on. There was such shame, because they felt like, Okay, you're a Christian, you should be better than this. And so I hit it. And during that time, my world like you shared was just shrinking. And I went to bed for two and a half years. And I finally cried out to God, and I came across this verse in the message. It's Matthew 1128, through 30. And it's are you tired, worn out, burned out, and religion? Come to me, get away with me, and you'll recover your life, I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me. Watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace, I won't lay anything heavy, or ill fitting on you. keep company with me. And you'll learn to live freely and lightly. And when I read that, I thought, well, that's a God, I want to know, I don't, that's not my God. I want to know this God. So I started to focus on his love, and get to know Him not just as my Savior. But as my friend. And the Holy Spirit took me by the hand, like, like you shared, and he led me into my healing. And fast forward to 2021. Now I've, I've written my Bible study, and we've started speaking in churches, teaching about the healing, power and our authority in Christ, and what it really means to be a daughter of the king. So December 1, my daughter took me to the hospital for what we thought was going to be a two day state maybe. And on December 26, at four in the morning, they received a phone call from the hospital that I had actually died. And they used the paddles on me twice, CPR three times. And I was dead for it was almost seven minutes. And they brought me back. And they said when the next couple days are going to be, you know, crucial. She probably has brain damage. We just don't know the extent of her of her, you know, the damage done to her body. The day before on December 25, I had a temperature of 107.8. So they thought I would also have possibly organ failure also. So when I died, I wasn't heaven with Jesus, walking with them. Just talking, I don't remember what we were specifically talking about. But we when it we were walking on a dirt road, and when we rounded a corner, he looked at me and said, Okay, you have your choice. You can either stay or you can go back. It's totally up to you. And I had promised my girls, when the doctor first taught or spoke to me about putting me on event I thought you know what, I might not be coming home. This is not sounding good. So I sent out a text to my family, just saying, no matter what happens, always turn to Jesus never, never turned from him. He has this and my one daughter texted back and said promise you will not give up. I said I promise I will never quit fighting. So as soon as Jesus offered me the opportunity to return I knew. I knew that I had made the promise. I knew that when I came back I would not receive my physical healing completely was going to be a process I didn't think it would be quite as long. I was thinking like, you know, four to six weeks. Here we are over a year later, and I am out of the wheelchair. So that's good. I am walking, it's God, but the healing is coming. It's you know, it's never as fast as we want it to be as it. Never. So I came back and the doctor said that when I returned, so when Jesus said, okay, he said, Alright, we've got work to do. And I came back, the doctor said, it was like, my body did a reset. They said, We have no medical explanation to explain what happened. But when I woke up, I was paralyzed from the chest down. And I could only move my forearms, and my hands in my head. And I was on a ventilator, which I'm obviously still, for those that can't see I'm still on oxygen. But it's getting better. My lungs are improving. So I am starting to get off of that. But the 2022 When I came back, and like spent my time with Jesus, I was like, I'm ready to get back. I want to tell people, I want to, you know, let's go and my family was like, slow down, you can't even stand. And so finally, now we are the together with my daughter, I'm finally getting back to work.

Kimberly Hobbs  
Amen, amen. That is definitely a victory story. And you know what it I like you said there was those times and the depression and the, you know, going back, you know, God spared you back then to bring you out of that darkness. And then fast forward. It's almost like you had to go through that a little bit more you No, but God was building you, building you for using you and God, who said, Let there be light in the darkness has made this light shine in our hearts. So we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ, Second Corinthians four, six, and you experience some of that. So can you tell us why you started your ministry in the first place? I think this kind of the Scripture just starts to fit with that fully. Yes.

Keli Hillier  
When I was in the Depression, like I said, I had such shame because I felt I should be better than this. And I hid it from most people. But there were some times where I would open up to a, with a couple of wonderful, loving Christian ladies. And what I always heard back whenever I did, was, you know what, honey, you just need to cast your cares. Or you need to, you need to renew your mind. And you know, there's 365 Do not fear is in the Bible, for every day of the year. Now, as a Christian who grew up in the church, I know all of that. But don't just tell me what to do. Tell me how to do it. When I am waking up in the middle of a panic attack, and so paralyzed with fear. How do I cast my cares? So God, I am a very visual person, and I love mental exercises, and different different things that I do to, to, to take the promises of Scripture, and to bring them alive in my everyday life. So he, he just taught the Holy Spirit taught me everything. And after I received my healing, I'm like, You know what? I think I want to teach this to other women. So we already so that's why I wrote my Bible study, and started the ministry. And it's very much in applicable teachings, not just the what, but the how. And when we already talked a little bit about the rest of God. So as an example, when I started reading about the rest of God, my kids were in elementary school. And we lived right across the street from the elementary school and when I walked back, I would after I dropped them off, I was fine. When I walked back, the panic attacks would set him because I was alone. So what I started to do is say, Okay, God, I'm gonna rest in you. So I picked a spot where it was my spot to meet with God. I had my Bible, my water, Kleenex and my journal. And I would say to myself as I was walking back, you know what God is waiting for me to meet with me. I'm going to go and rest in here. And I would set a timer so I didn't have to look at my clock. And I would turn on worse. At music, I would sit in my chair, put my head back and I would just rest. I didn't have an agenda. I didn't have anything I was doing. And a lot of times I actually fell asleep. And that's okay. Because I was so physically exhausted. But that is how I started to enter God's rest. Right? We know it's a lot more. But God is now where I continually live, both when I am physically in motion, and when I'm being completely still. But that is how I did it. And it worked for me. And I encourage everyone to, to really pursue that rest.

Kimberly Hobbs  
So beautiful Keli and that rest, I reflect on my own life as you are talking because I had moments in my life where I needed that rest with God. There is nothing like it, ladies, there is nothing like it when you rest in the presence of God. His Word says, oh, Lord, you have examined my heart. You know, everything about me. You know, when I sit down or stand up, you know my thoughts, even when I'm far away. You see me when I travel, and when I rest at home, you know everything I do you know what I'm going to say before I say it, Lord, you go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. That's Psalm 139, one to five. Oh my goodness, just like you were talking about Kili. What? perfect peace and rest. God has for us. We just have to look to Him for that rest. We have to stop what we're doing. realize it's not working for us and turn to him for that rest. So Kili. How did spending time with Jesus change you and help you do what you do now not to strive? You know, you found what kind of a God Jesus is, you know, he's kind and he loves communing with us. Can you share about that time?

Keli Hillier  
Absolutely. What what I found overwhelming was his kindness and his gentleness. He just enjoyed being with me. There was no striving, no feelings of needing to do more or be better. He was just there for me. And I immersed myself in his warmth. And if you would have asked me before COVID, I really thought that I dealt with legalism in my life. But it's so subtle in those roots goes so deep. And sometimes we don't even realize it's there. I always felt like I should be doing more. And doing it better to build the kingdom. And at the root of it was constant striving to earn God's love. But now I live in continual awareness of how much God delights in me. And I rest in that it is foundational for everything. I have found God's rest to be a place of renewal, of warmth, of healing, of innovation. If you are in a situation where you don't have a solution, God has your solution. He's not stumped. And he is so creative. There have been so many times in my life where he has offered a solution that I would have never thought of in a million years. But when we're so busy with things, sometimes we can't hear God. Okay, so he's in innovation, protection. And for me, what's really important is focus and recalibration. Because we have so many opportunities to do things we have, you know, every time we turn around, there's an opportunity for us to get involved in stuff. And you know what church? When I started this ministry, I was leading a small group Bible study, I was on the women's leadership team and I was on the connection team. As I started to do the ministry, you know, we can have all of the desire and all of the good intentions, but we only have 24 hours, right? And some things had to go and I was stretched so thin, that I wasn't doing anything in the things that God were caught was calling me to do. What they were getting pushed to the side. While I was doing other good It thinks, you know the enemy. He knows that I'm a daughter of the king. There's nothing he could do about that. But if he can keep me from my purpose, once, right, then he's going to affect the kingdom building. So you're right. So entering into God's rest, he will do a recalibration and tell you what to do and what not to do.

Kimberly Hobbs  
Absolutely, absolutely. And just like you had just those burdens of, you know, life is a struggle, right? We're always going through these ups and downs of life. It's like a roller coaster. You know, okay, the struggles here again, but God does. Jesus says, Bring your burdens to me for relief from the struggle, come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. He says that Matthew 1128. I love how you look to Him for rest. So clearly, everybody listening right now wants to hear something very loudly today. And that, I think, is that word that you're talking about? And when they have the anxious thoughts rising inside of them, when they their spirit isn't at rest, and they're striving because you went through that in your life, Keeley, you went through the striving, that legalism that you grew up with in the church and all of that striving to do better to be more to you? No, and you just collapsed. And you found rest in God, what is that loud voice that you can share with the ladies that they may be hearing in their ear? To release and rest share a little bit to the woman's heart.

Keli Hillier  
I would say God delights in you. He loves you to the moon and beyond. And whatever you need today, you will find it in his rest. So go to him because he is waiting for you.

Kimberly Hobbs  
Amen. Amen. He is he as he says in His Word. Again, I love using scripture that will confirm things that we just say, within our life and our thoughts. I lay down and slept yet I woke up in safety for the Lord was watching over me. We all have to know that that psalm three five that the Lord watches over our every move. He knows, when we lie down, he knows when we wake up, he knows when we're struggling and we need rest rest in Him. So I thank you so much Keeley just sharing all of this and another scripture, I'd love to share as he gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Isaiah 4029. And when you were laying in that COVID bed in the hospital, he strengthened you, didn't he? I mean, there was no talk about that. Yeah, talk about that

Keli Hillier  
The presence of the Holy Spirit was so overwhelming, that even if I was displaying anxiety externally, I was not experiencing, it felt like I was in the present. I was in the arms of Jesus. And I truly rested in that. I would tell anyone if they've lost a loved ones, or have people or are experiencing themselves when you are in that situation. And in the process of dying. God shows up in a great way. Yes. His the presence and he shows up for everybody. It doesn't matter. I think he does some of his best work when and he reaches and he chases people. And I, I actually, if you've never heard the alarm on event, it's very distinctive. And mine was going off all the time. Then one of the girls got a videotape of it going off. And sometimes I will go back and listen to that sound. Because it takes me back to when there was nothing I could do other than to rest in Him. Wow. And how he showed up. So powerfully formed. Wow. And he shows up for everybody

Kimberly Hobbs  
For everybody, for everybody. More Scripture because I cannot share enough scripture with you all listening. The Lord Himself watches over you. He stands beside you as your protective shade. Psalm 121 Five. Hold on to that scripture because if you are going through something a struggle where you're feeling you may not wake up tomorrow. All. Remember the Lord Himself watches over you. He stands beside you as your protective shade. Everybody, Psalm 120. Please mark that scripture down and hold it. Also the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, just like Keeley was just talking about being in the hospital and bringing her back to that point by a sound, you know, it brought her back to that time where she was so dependent on the Lord. And the scripture says, The Lord is always with me, I will not be shaken for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad and I rejoice in my body rests in safety. Psalm 16, eight to nine. Your body will rest in the safety when you release all your control to the Lord and let him carry this burden that you're going through whatever it is, if you're walking through depression, if you're walking through anxiety, if you're walking in darkness, worried that you're not going to live, you know what your life is in God's hands, leave it there and trust Him, and go on living with what he's giving you right now the day that he's given you right now. This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. We need to be glad in every single day, what we're living in what we're walking through. God has a purpose and a plan and look at Kelly's life. I told her I said, Wow, clearly, God obviously brought you through all that depression two and a half years in bed. Then fast forward to COVID 115 days in the hospital. He saw you through it when you thought you were gonna die when you did die for seven minutes. And liquid he's done. So don't say it's over ladies. And don't throw in the towel. God's not done with you yet. And you just seek His face. And you just rejoice in the day he's given you today and be glad in it. And one step at a time with Jesus right Kili will one step at a time. One study that got you, man he met a man and I just thank you for sharing the story and the story of victory, victory over death in the grave and victory in Jesus. Yes, he's got a purpose and a plan. And I just pray over your Bible study that you wrote, I pray over all the lives that you are touching. Dear Keeley, I thank you for sharing from your heart on today's podcast. And ladies, I also just thank you for being here. And just for listening in and share these podcasts with people who need to hear them and listen to them and bring hope to their life because you're not going through this life alone. You have sisters around you that come together. Ladies, there's so many helpful tools that women were leaders, that we can help point you on the right track, we can help give you opportunity to our opportunity to serve God where you are, you may want to write your story and one of our upcoming books and you won't do it alone, we are going to walk with you through it with other ladies that need to share their stories. So just like Kaylee is sharing with us, and I believe she's sharing in one of our upcoming books. And I am just so grateful that she's said yes to the Lord this way, and is willing to share what she does for Jesus. We also have opportunities through our amazing magazine that God has provided voice of truth. It is filled ladies with encouragement, blessing Scripture, the gospel message of Jesus, you can read it every day, you can read it on our website at women world leaders.com. All the past editions of voice of truth, there is so much in there for you. And I know that God will speak to your heart through this incredible publication. And we also have ways that you can receive it in the mail because it's beautiful. It is coffee table quality and there is something for everybody in this magazine. So if you would like to receive a mailed copy, you can do so by becoming a monthly donor to the ministry. If you believe in what we do for any amount, we will gladly send you a voice of truth and it is like I said beautiful and when you're done we ask that you just pass it along to other sisters who may need to hear all of these amazing messages in this publication. But as we close, Keli thank you so much for being with us today. If anybody wants to reach out to you, how can they reach you?

Keli Hillier  
I have a website which is my first and last name Kel i h i l l i e r dot Calm I'm also on Facebook under that name and my phone number if you want to actually do it the old fashioned way and call is 586-267-7833

Kimberly Hobbs  
And that's the United States number yes so whatever your your country code is our I'm not even sure what ours is. But wow, thank you so much for being transparent to give out your phone number that's that's the type of people that God brings to this ministry, those who have a heart, they trust God, they know that their message is powerful and important that they could pour into others. So if you need to talk with Keeley she has made it free to you to reach out to her and that's beautiful. Thank you, Sister. We love you. We appreciate you and listeners we love and appreciate you and uh, so grateful again that you would join us on these podcasts which you can join us every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for women world leaders, podcasts, all different types. And ladies like we asked please share these podcasts with others they need to be uplifted and encouraged in the name of Jesus. So from his heart to yours, we are women world leaders. All content is copyrighted by women world leaders and cannot be used without expressed written consent. God bless you all and have a beautiful day.

Finding rest in Christ alone is FREEDOM.   After battling 2.5 years debilitated in bed with depression, anxiety and agora-phobia, Keli Hillier sees God show up in a profound way.   Hear Keli's story of the 2 battles of a lifetime. The other was 115 days struggling to live in an ICU unit at the hospital with Covid. Dead for 7 minutes to returning to live for God, you will hear how He brings Keli to a place of "rest" in Him alone.   ****  

Kimberly Hobbs   Welcome to Empowering Lives with Purpose and I'm your host Kimberly Hobbs. I'm the founder of Women World Leaders. We are so glad you joined us today ladies and today I'd like to welcome our guest Keli Hillier from Michigan welcome, Keli. 

Keli Hillier   Thank you, I'm thrilled to be here 

Kimberly Hobbs   We are thrilled to have you. Today we are going to be talking about rest. It's a word that might be foreign to many people. But rest is so important, but the proper rest resting in our Lord. So today, Keeley comes with an amazing story. And before we begin and before I tell you a little bit about Keeley, I just want to tell you that we are so happy to be here together and share in these stories that come from our Lord, to empower one another encourage one another in many different ways. And we believe that each and every one of us have a purpose. And so today, it's our hope by listening that God is going to touch your heart and maybe spark an idea to act upon truth and walk out your special purpose. God says that every believer has received grace gifts, so use them to serve one another as faithful stewards of the many colored tapestries of God's grace. That's First Peter 410 and that is what Keeley has done. Let me share a little bit about her her life and who she is before we get into her story. She is a strong Christ follower since childhood. She's married and attended William Tyndale Bible College and loves her children and her grandbabies. Although Keeley was saved, she was far from joyful or victorious. Keeley has dealt with paralyzing fear, debilitated, debilitating depression, and excruciating panic attacks. I know that is a story for a lot of our listeners. A lot of people suffer from depression and these panic attacks seem to be on the rise. So completely defeated. She returned to bed where she remained for two and a half years. As a Gora phobia dictated her daily life, she watched her world slowly shrinking. In desperation, Keely cried to God who immediately responded and tenderly nursed her to emotional wholeness. Healy wrote a Bible study about her healing to help other broken women, and now she speaks publicly sharing her story. And in December of 2021, Keeley went to the hospital with COVID and there she remained for 115 days before returning home in a wheelchair. She was on a ventilator for 55 days. She was 50 days with a tracheotomy. And she actually died for seven minutes. Does this woman have a story? Yeah. Kelly's partner with her daughter, Amber, and together they speak in churches ministering to women's groups and sharing about her time in heaven. And she currently lives in Michigan with her husband and three dogs. So as I shared with you today, we are going to talk about rest. And Keeley, I would love if you would just start in and just share with our listeners a little bit about your story

Keli Hillier   I would love to Well, as you shared, I accepted Christ as a child, my dad was a pastor. So I grew up in the church and I actually don't remember a time when Christ was not a part of my life. The issue was it. I didn't have any concept of God's grace or His luck. So I thought he was angry at me, and distant and judgmental. And I was always trying to earn his approval was all about personal accountability and responsibility. So I married when I was 22. We have three daughters and three years. And in the late 90s, we when I married my husband, he was a multimillionaire. And then in the late 90s, we lost everything including our home business, we were completely wiped out. And so my husband was like, You know what, I just want to get out of here. So we moved out to California, San Diego area. We didn't know a soul and we we move Don't we unpacked and we looked at each other, and it was like, Okay, now what? And we've been having marital problems. And then we lost the business. And I was so broken, I just shut down. And it was like someone went inside my head, and flipped the switch to OFF. And I just would withdrew. And it felt like, I had a belt wrapped around my soul that was squeezed like two sizes too small, and I couldn't breathe. And I would wake up in panic attacks, where I was so frozen in fear, I couldn't even lift my hand and wake up my husband, I was paralyzed with fear. And it got to the point where I was having a hard time going out by myself. Now, if I was with my husband, or kids or friends, I had a smile on my face. I talked about the love of Jesus, nobody knew anything was going on. There was such shame, because they felt like, Okay, you're a Christian, you should be better than this. And so I hit it. And during that time, my world like you shared was just shrinking. And I went to bed for two and a half years. And I finally cried out to God, and I came across this verse in the message. It's Matthew 1128, through 30. And it's are you tired, worn out, burned out, and religion? Come to me, get away with me, and you'll recover your life, I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me. Watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace, I won't lay anything heavy, or ill fitting on you. keep company with me. And you'll learn to live freely and lightly. And when I read that, I thought, well, that's a God, I want to know, I don't, that's not my God. I want to know this God. So I started to focus on his love, and get to know Him not just as my Savior. But as my friend. And the Holy Spirit took me by the hand, like, like you shared, and he led me into my healing. And fast forward to 2021. Now I've, I've written my Bible study, and we've started speaking in churches, teaching about the healing, power and our authority in Christ, and what it really means to be a daughter of the king. So December 1, my daughter took me to the hospital for what we thought was going to be a two day state maybe. And on December 26, at four in the morning, they received a phone call from the hospital that I had actually died. And they used the paddles on me twice, CPR three times. And I was dead for it was almost seven minutes. And they brought me back. And they said when the next couple days are going to be, you know, crucial. She probably has brain damage. We just don't know the extent of her of her, you know, the damage done to her body. The day before on December 25, I had a temperature of 107.8. So they thought I would also have possibly organ failure also. So when I died, I wasn't heaven with Jesus, walking with them. Just talking, I don't remember what we were specifically talking about. But we when it we were walking on a dirt road, and when we rounded a corner, he looked at me and said, Okay, you have your choice. You can either stay or you can go back. It's totally up to you. And I had promised my girls, when the doctor first taught or spoke to me about putting me on event I thought you know what, I might not be coming home. This is not sounding good. So I sent out a text to my family, just saying, no matter what happens, always turn to Jesus never, never turned from him. He has this and my one daughter texted back and said promise you will not give up. I said I promise I will never quit fighting. So as soon as Jesus offered me the opportunity to return I knew. I knew that I had made the promise. I knew that when I came back I would not receive my physical healing completely was going to be a process I didn't think it would be quite as long. I was thinking like, you know, four to six weeks. Here we are over a year later, and I am out of the wheelchair. So that's good. I am walking, it's God, but the healing is coming. It's you know, it's never as fast as we want it to be as it. Never. So I came back and the doctor said that when I returned, so when Jesus said, okay, he said, Alright, we've got work to do. And I came back, the doctor said, it was like, my body did a reset. They said, We have no medical explanation to explain what happened. But when I woke up, I was paralyzed from the chest down. And I could only move my forearms, and my hands in my head. And I was on a ventilator, which I'm obviously still, for those that can't see I'm still on oxygen. But it's getting better. My lungs are improving. So I am starting to get off of that. But the 2022 When I came back, and like spent my time with Jesus, I was like, I'm ready to get back. I want to tell people, I want to, you know, let's go and my family was like, slow down, you can't even stand. And so finally, now we are the together with my daughter, I'm finally getting back to work.

Kimberly Hobbs   Amen, amen. That is definitely a victory story. And you know what it I like you said there was those times and the depression and the, you know, going back, you know, God spared you back then to bring you out of that darkness. And then fast forward. It's almost like you had to go through that a little bit more you No, but God was building you, building you for using you and God, who said, Let there be light in the darkness has made this light shine in our hearts. So we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ, Second Corinthians four, six, and you experience some of that. So can you tell us why you started your ministry in the first place? I think this kind of the Scripture just starts to fit with that fully. Yes.

Keli Hillier   When I was in the Depression, like I said, I had such shame because I felt I should be better than this. And I hid it from most people. But there were some times where I would open up to a, with a couple of wonderful, loving Christian ladies. And what I always heard back whenever I did, was, you know what, honey, you just need to cast your cares. Or you need to, you need to renew your mind. And you know, there's 365 Do not fear is in the Bible, for every day of the year. Now, as a Christian who grew up in the church, I know all of that. But don't just tell me what to do. Tell me how to do it. When I am waking up in the middle of a panic attack, and so paralyzed with fear. How do I cast my cares? So God, I am a very visual person, and I love mental exercises, and different different things that I do to, to, to take the promises of Scripture, and to bring them alive in my everyday life. So he, he just taught the Holy Spirit taught me everything. And after I received my healing, I'm like, You know what? I think I want to teach this to other women. So we already so that's why I wrote my Bible study, and started the ministry. And it's very much in applicable teachings, not just the what, but the how. And when we already talked a little bit about the rest of God. So as an example, when I started reading about the rest of God, my kids were in elementary school. And we lived right across the street from the elementary school and when I walked back, I would after I dropped them off, I was fine. When I walked back, the panic attacks would set him because I was alone. So what I started to do is say, Okay, God, I'm gonna rest in you. So I picked a spot where it was my spot to meet with God. I had my Bible, my water, Kleenex and my journal. And I would say to myself as I was walking back, you know what God is waiting for me to meet with me. I'm going to go and rest in here. And I would set a timer so I didn't have to look at my clock. And I would turn on worse. At music, I would sit in my chair, put my head back and I would just rest. I didn't have an agenda. I didn't have anything I was doing. And a lot of times I actually fell asleep. And that's okay. Because I was so physically exhausted. But that is how I started to enter God's rest. Right? We know it's a lot more. But God is now where I continually live, both when I am physically in motion, and when I'm being completely still. But that is how I did it. And it worked for me. And I encourage everyone to, to really pursue that rest.

Kimberly Hobbs   So beautiful Keli and that rest, I reflect on my own life as you are talking because I had moments in my life where I needed that rest with God. There is nothing like it, ladies, there is nothing like it when you rest in the presence of God. His Word says, oh, Lord, you have examined my heart. You know, everything about me. You know, when I sit down or stand up, you know my thoughts, even when I'm far away. You see me when I travel, and when I rest at home, you know everything I do you know what I'm going to say before I say it, Lord, you go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. That's Psalm 139, one to five. Oh my goodness, just like you were talking about Kili. What? perfect peace and rest. God has for us. We just have to look to Him for that rest. We have to stop what we're doing. realize it's not working for us and turn to him for that rest. So Kili. How did spending time with Jesus change you and help you do what you do now not to strive? You know, you found what kind of a God Jesus is, you know, he's kind and he loves communing with us. Can you share about that time?

Keli Hillier   Absolutely. What what I found overwhelming was his kindness and his gentleness. He just enjoyed being with me. There was no striving, no feelings of needing to do more or be better. He was just there for me. And I immersed myself in his warmth. And if you would have asked me before COVID, I really thought that I dealt with legalism in my life. But it's so subtle in those roots goes so deep. And sometimes we don't even realize it's there. I always felt like I should be doing more. And doing it better to build the kingdom. And at the root of it was constant striving to earn God's love. But now I live in continual awareness of how much God delights in me. And I rest in that it is foundational for everything. I have found God's rest to be a place of renewal, of warmth, of healing, of innovation. If you are in a situation where you don't have a solution, God has your solution. He's not stumped. And he is so creative. There have been so many times in my life where he has offered a solution that I would have never thought of in a million years. But when we're so busy with things, sometimes we can't hear God. Okay, so he's in innovation, protection. And for me, what's really important is focus and recalibration. Because we have so many opportunities to do things we have, you know, every time we turn around, there's an opportunity for us to get involved in stuff. And you know what church? When I started this ministry, I was leading a small group Bible study, I was on the women's leadership team and I was on the connection team. As I started to do the ministry, you know, we can have all of the desire and all of the good intentions, but we only have 24 hours, right? And some things had to go and I was stretched so thin, that I wasn't doing anything in the things that God were caught was calling me to do. What they were getting pushed to the side. While I was doing other good It thinks, you know the enemy. He knows that I'm a daughter of the king. There's nothing he could do about that. But if he can keep me from my purpose, once, right, then he's going to affect the kingdom building. So you're right. So entering into God's rest, he will do a recalibration and tell you what to do and what not to do.

Kimberly Hobbs   Absolutely, absolutely. And just like you had just those burdens of, you know, life is a struggle, right? We're always going through these ups and downs of life. It's like a roller coaster. You know, okay, the struggles here again, but God does. Jesus says, Bring your burdens to me for relief from the struggle, come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. He says that Matthew 1128. I love how you look to Him for rest. So clearly, everybody listening right now wants to hear something very loudly today. And that, I think, is that word that you're talking about? And when they have the anxious thoughts rising inside of them, when they their spirit isn't at rest, and they're striving because you went through that in your life, Keeley, you went through the striving, that legalism that you grew up with in the church and all of that striving to do better to be more to you? No, and you just collapsed. And you found rest in God, what is that loud voice that you can share with the ladies that they may be hearing in their ear? To release and rest share a little bit to the woman's heart.

Keli Hillier   I would say God delights in you. He loves you to the moon and beyond. And whatever you need today, you will find it in his rest. So go to him because he is waiting for you.

Kimberly Hobbs   Amen. Amen. He is he as he says in His Word. Again, I love using scripture that will confirm things that we just say, within our life and our thoughts. I lay down and slept yet I woke up in safety for the Lord was watching over me. We all have to know that that psalm three five that the Lord watches over our every move. He knows, when we lie down, he knows when we wake up, he knows when we're struggling and we need rest rest in Him. So I thank you so much Keeley just sharing all of this and another scripture, I'd love to share as he gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Isaiah 4029. And when you were laying in that COVID bed in the hospital, he strengthened you, didn't he? I mean, there was no talk about that. Yeah, talk about that

Keli Hillier   The presence of the Holy Spirit was so overwhelming, that even if I was displaying anxiety externally, I was not experiencing, it felt like I was in the present. I was in the arms of Jesus. And I truly rested in that. I would tell anyone if they've lost a loved ones, or have people or are experiencing themselves when you are in that situation. And in the process of dying. God shows up in a great way. Yes. His the presence and he shows up for everybody. It doesn't matter. I think he does some of his best work when and he reaches and he chases people. And I, I actually, if you've never heard the alarm on event, it's very distinctive. And mine was going off all the time. Then one of the girls got a videotape of it going off. And sometimes I will go back and listen to that sound. Because it takes me back to when there was nothing I could do other than to rest in Him. Wow. And how he showed up. So powerfully formed. Wow. And he shows up for everybody

Kimberly Hobbs   For everybody, for everybody. More Scripture because I cannot share enough scripture with you all listening. The Lord Himself watches over you. He stands beside you as your protective shade. Psalm 121 Five. Hold on to that scripture because if you are going through something a struggle where you're feeling you may not wake up tomorrow. All. Remember the Lord Himself watches over you. He stands beside you as your protective shade. Everybody, Psalm 120. Please mark that scripture down and hold it. Also the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, just like Keeley was just talking about being in the hospital and bringing her back to that point by a sound, you know, it brought her back to that time where she was so dependent on the Lord. And the scripture says, The Lord is always with me, I will not be shaken for he is right beside me. No wonder my heart is glad and I rejoice in my body rests in safety. Psalm 16, eight to nine. Your body will rest in the safety when you release all your control to the Lord and let him carry this burden that you're going through whatever it is, if you're walking through depression, if you're walking through anxiety, if you're walking in darkness, worried that you're not going to live, you know what your life is in God's hands, leave it there and trust Him, and go on living with what he's giving you right now the day that he's given you right now. This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. We need to be glad in every single day, what we're living in what we're walking through. God has a purpose and a plan and look at Kelly's life. I told her I said, Wow, clearly, God obviously brought you through all that depression two and a half years in bed. Then fast forward to COVID 115 days in the hospital. He saw you through it when you thought you were gonna die when you did die for seven minutes. And liquid he's done. So don't say it's over ladies. And don't throw in the towel. God's not done with you yet. And you just seek His face. And you just rejoice in the day he's given you today and be glad in it. And one step at a time with Jesus right Kili will one step at a time. One study that got you, man he met a man and I just thank you for sharing the story and the story of victory, victory over death in the grave and victory in Jesus. Yes, he's got a purpose and a plan. And I just pray over your Bible study that you wrote, I pray over all the lives that you are touching. Dear Keeley, I thank you for sharing from your heart on today's podcast. And ladies, I also just thank you for being here. And just for listening in and share these podcasts with people who need to hear them and listen to them and bring hope to their life because you're not going through this life alone. You have sisters around you that come together. Ladies, there's so many helpful tools that women were leaders, that we can help point you on the right track, we can help give you opportunity to our opportunity to serve God where you are, you may want to write your story and one of our upcoming books and you won't do it alone, we are going to walk with you through it with other ladies that need to share their stories. So just like Kaylee is sharing with us, and I believe she's sharing in one of our upcoming books. And I am just so grateful that she's said yes to the Lord this way, and is willing to share what she does for Jesus. We also have opportunities through our amazing magazine that God has provided voice of truth. It is filled ladies with encouragement, blessing Scripture, the gospel message of Jesus, you can read it every day, you can read it on our website at women world leaders.com. All the past editions of voice of truth, there is so much in there for you. And I know that God will speak to your heart through this incredible publication. And we also have ways that you can receive it in the mail because it's beautiful. It is coffee table quality and there is something for everybody in this magazine. So if you would like to receive a mailed copy, you can do so by becoming a monthly donor to the ministry. If you believe in what we do for any amount, we will gladly send you a voice of truth and it is like I said beautiful and when you're done we ask that you just pass it along to other sisters who may need to hear all of these amazing messages in this publication. But as we close, Keli thank you so much for being with us today. If anybody wants to reach out to you, how can they reach you?

Keli Hillier   I have a website which is my first and last name Kel i h i l l i e r dot Calm I'm also on Facebook under that name and my phone number if you want to actually do it the old fashioned way and call is 586-267-7833

Kimberly Hobbs   And that's the United States number yes so whatever your your country code is our I'm not even sure what ours is. But wow, thank you so much for being transparent to give out your phone number that's that's the type of people that God brings to this ministry, those who have a heart, they trust God, they know that their message is powerful and important that they could pour into others. So if you need to talk with Keeley she has made it free to you to reach out to her and that's beautiful. Thank you, Sister. We love you. We appreciate you and listeners we love and appreciate you and uh, so grateful again that you would join us on these podcasts which you can join us every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for women world leaders, podcasts, all different types. And ladies like we asked please share these podcasts with others they need to be uplifted and encouraged in the name of Jesus. So from his heart to yours, we are women world leaders. All content is copyrighted by women world leaders and cannot be used without expressed written consent. God bless you all and have a beautiful day.