WEBVTT 00:00:00.640 --> 00:00:05.839 Hey guys and welcome back To the salt not sweetener 00:00:05.839 --> 00:00:10.240 podcast. I'm your host Danielle Townsend Now 00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:12.900 I just want to give y 'all a bit of a heads up 00:00:12.900 --> 00:00:15.339 as we're starting this episode You might be hearing 00:00:15.339 --> 00:00:18.399 it in my voice. I might be a little bit slow 00:00:18.399 --> 00:00:20.760 speaking right now You might hear me sniffle 00:00:20.760 --> 00:00:24.699 and cough y 'all. I woke up today. Just I'm not 00:00:24.699 --> 00:00:28.769 feeling my 100 % I'ma be real. I think I'm getting 00:00:28.769 --> 00:00:31.210 a cold. I think I'm coming down with something. 00:00:31.269 --> 00:00:33.810 I woke up this morning with a dry throat and 00:00:33.810 --> 00:00:37.909 I just knew. I just knew cold season has arrived. 00:00:38.829 --> 00:00:42.969 Illness has arrived. And you know, y 'all, I 00:00:42.969 --> 00:00:46.609 work with kids. Like I'm with kids very regularly. 00:00:46.969 --> 00:00:49.590 So honestly, I expect to get sick. I expect to 00:00:49.590 --> 00:00:51.729 get sick because y 'all know kids are always 00:00:51.729 --> 00:00:54.350 putting their hands in their mouth, their nose, 00:00:54.409 --> 00:00:57.689 their eyes. They spread germs are very easy. 00:00:57.909 --> 00:01:02.429 Okay So I've already come into the fall recognizing 00:01:02.429 --> 00:01:05.189 that like I'm kind of being extra exposed to 00:01:05.189 --> 00:01:08.510 germs on a daily basis But I trust in the Lord 00:01:08.510 --> 00:01:13.310 to get me through whatever this illness may be 00:01:13.310 --> 00:01:18.370 Okay But yeah, y 'all I'm having that nausea 00:01:18.370 --> 00:01:22.269 headache my body just feels weak it might be 00:01:22.269 --> 00:01:24.870 more than the cold let's be real it might be 00:01:24.870 --> 00:01:28.290 the flu who knows we'll find out i'm taking my 00:01:28.290 --> 00:01:31.329 cold medication um and we'll we're just going 00:01:31.329 --> 00:01:33.650 to be praying to the lord and hope that he continues 00:01:33.650 --> 00:01:36.709 to move y 'all i plan on going to my young adult 00:01:36.709 --> 00:01:39.829 bible study tonight anyway like we're going to 00:01:39.829 --> 00:01:43.920 keep moving forward life goes on, which includes 00:01:43.920 --> 00:01:47.420 the recording of this podcast episode. And this 00:01:47.420 --> 00:01:50.019 is an episode today that I believe is going to 00:01:50.019 --> 00:01:52.780 be helpful for people to hear, for people who 00:01:52.780 --> 00:01:56.260 are hoping in Christ, but maybe some people who 00:01:56.260 --> 00:01:58.879 are a bit discouraged when it comes to being 00:01:58.879 --> 00:02:02.219 a new creation in Christ and just navigating 00:02:02.219 --> 00:02:07.150 life after being born again. You know, I am I 00:02:07.150 --> 00:02:10.710 am not I am I'm gonna be so honest y 'all that 00:02:10.710 --> 00:02:14.830 I am not The most knowledgeable I cannot answer 00:02:14.830 --> 00:02:16.770 every single question for you. I am learning 00:02:16.770 --> 00:02:21.009 as well Although I was raised when I was younger 00:02:21.009 --> 00:02:22.990 going to church I didn't surrender my life to 00:02:22.990 --> 00:02:26.150 Christ until a little over a year ago guys and 00:02:26.150 --> 00:02:28.530 I'm a little over a year in on this journey and 00:02:28.530 --> 00:02:32.289 I am still learning I am going through the sanctification 00:02:32.289 --> 00:02:35.789 process and I am sharing with you guys what I 00:02:35.789 --> 00:02:38.110 am learning and what the Lord is revealing to 00:02:38.110 --> 00:02:41.270 me as I'm moving through it. I'm speaking to 00:02:41.270 --> 00:02:44.729 y 'all today as someone who is also working through 00:02:44.729 --> 00:02:48.430 it and moving through it. And I had the opportunity 00:02:48.430 --> 00:02:51.949 today to really just like get in the word. And 00:02:51.949 --> 00:02:54.990 today I read through the entire book of Ephesians 00:02:54.990 --> 00:02:59.210 and I started reading through Philippians and 00:02:59.210 --> 00:03:05.509 I really felt the Lord tell me. Today as I was 00:03:05.509 --> 00:03:07.169 reading because it's been the past couple days 00:03:07.169 --> 00:03:10.030 y 'all that I've I've really felt to look focus 00:03:10.030 --> 00:03:14.830 more in on Your life after you surrender to Christ 00:03:14.830 --> 00:03:22.030 Yesterday I felt so called to look in on Salvation 00:03:22.030 --> 00:03:25.090 I was reading heavy on salvation yesterday on 00:03:25.090 --> 00:03:32.180 how we are saved Through faith by grace And I 00:03:32.180 --> 00:03:35.020 was heavily reflecting on that yesterday of how 00:03:35.020 --> 00:03:40.180 God loved us so much That he gave his one and 00:03:40.180 --> 00:03:44.319 only son to die on the cross to pay the debt 00:03:44.319 --> 00:03:47.439 of our sins He did that not because we deserve 00:03:47.439 --> 00:03:50.219 it, but because he loves us that much. It was 00:03:50.219 --> 00:03:54.479 by his grace You know, I was reminded in reading 00:03:54.479 --> 00:03:58.000 scripture that we we are not saved by our works. 00:03:58.000 --> 00:04:02.020 So that way no one may boast It's by our faith 00:04:02.020 --> 00:04:04.620 in Jesus Christ. It's by our believing in who 00:04:04.620 --> 00:04:07.580 Jesus Christ is Believing that he was the Messiah 00:04:07.580 --> 00:04:09.840 believing that he is the son of God believing 00:04:09.840 --> 00:04:13.599 that his death on the cross Meant something that 00:04:13.599 --> 00:04:15.960 it was in fact the payment for our sins and believing 00:04:15.960 --> 00:04:18.939 that if we put our faith in him We are too forgiven 00:04:18.939 --> 00:04:22.399 by believing that he after he was crucified. 00:04:22.399 --> 00:04:24.920 He resurrected from the dead when we put our 00:04:24.920 --> 00:04:29.180 faith in him That that is where our salvation 00:04:29.180 --> 00:04:32.100 comes from so that one day when we are standing 00:04:32.100 --> 00:04:36.160 before God on our judgment day Jesus is able 00:04:36.160 --> 00:04:39.540 to step in and say I have covered this one. This 00:04:39.540 --> 00:04:43.279 one is covered in my blood because of their faith 00:04:43.279 --> 00:04:48.879 their debt has been forgiven and That's not something 00:04:48.879 --> 00:04:52.399 that we can earn right. It's not how much money 00:04:52.399 --> 00:04:55.680 we donate how many hours we volunteer, how many 00:04:55.680 --> 00:04:58.060 good deeds we did, how many good works we did. 00:04:58.259 --> 00:05:01.500 It's not how many prayers we said that we are 00:05:01.500 --> 00:05:03.480 allowed into heaven. It is through our faith 00:05:03.480 --> 00:05:06.360 in Jesus Christ alone, so that way no one may 00:05:06.360 --> 00:05:09.000 boast. No one may go before the Heavenly Father 00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:10.860 one day and say, I did all of these good things. 00:05:10.920 --> 00:05:12.660 I was a good person by all these accounts, so 00:05:12.660 --> 00:05:16.480 I deserve to be let in. No, it's by our faith 00:05:16.480 --> 00:05:22.350 in Jesus and what He did on the cross. That we 00:05:22.350 --> 00:05:25.750 are allowed in and and you know, it was so hard 00:05:25.750 --> 00:05:28.009 y 'all when I once I gave my life to Christ of 00:05:28.009 --> 00:05:32.089 understanding Where do works fit in though? Like 00:05:32.089 --> 00:05:37.209 if we are saved through grace through by grace 00:05:37.209 --> 00:05:42.560 through faith Where do the good works fit in? 00:05:42.759 --> 00:05:45.579 Because y 'all, I grew up understanding the Ten 00:05:45.579 --> 00:05:48.040 Commandments. Like those were heavy drilled into 00:05:48.040 --> 00:05:51.300 me. I understood that like a lot of these different 00:05:51.300 --> 00:05:54.279 things were sins and that God called us to flee 00:05:54.279 --> 00:05:57.420 from these things, right? And to lean towards 00:05:57.420 --> 00:06:00.220 the spirit and away from the flesh. And it was 00:06:00.220 --> 00:06:02.740 so hard for me to understand of like, well, if 00:06:02.740 --> 00:06:05.160 that's not what our salvation comes from, what's 00:06:05.160 --> 00:06:08.839 the point of doing those things? What like what's 00:06:08.839 --> 00:06:11.319 the point of good works? Where does good works 00:06:11.319 --> 00:06:13.540 fit into all of this if you're not saved because 00:06:13.540 --> 00:06:17.060 of your good works? Why do Christians care so 00:06:17.060 --> 00:06:20.639 much about how you live your life and the Lord 00:06:20.639 --> 00:06:24.819 over the past year? Has revealed to me so many 00:06:24.819 --> 00:06:29.139 different reasons And I'm gonna be reading scripture 00:06:29.139 --> 00:06:30.759 to y 'all we're about to get into the book of 00:06:30.759 --> 00:06:32.459 Ephesians in just a minute But the thing that 00:06:32.459 --> 00:06:34.920 the Lord has been placing so heavily on my heart 00:06:34.920 --> 00:06:43.079 recently is you may be the only Bible in person 00:06:43.079 --> 00:06:47.459 reads in their life. The way that you live your 00:06:47.459 --> 00:06:51.800 life as a Christian, the way that you're treating 00:06:51.800 --> 00:06:54.079 other people, the choices that you're actively 00:06:54.079 --> 00:06:59.699 making, once you are glorifying Christ, once 00:06:59.699 --> 00:07:04.720 you identify as a Christian, once you are a representative 00:07:04.720 --> 00:07:10.199 of Jesus Christ, The way that you treat other 00:07:10.199 --> 00:07:12.120 people and the way that you live your life is 00:07:12.120 --> 00:07:14.000 now a reflection of Jesus Christ to people who 00:07:14.000 --> 00:07:16.199 don't know Jesus and to people who don't read 00:07:16.199 --> 00:07:19.379 the Bible. I've shared the scripture with y 'all 00:07:19.379 --> 00:07:21.040 in multiple of these previous podcasts, but I 00:07:21.040 --> 00:07:23.720 want to share it with you again. Matthew 5 16, 00:07:24.100 --> 00:07:26.579 let your life shine before others so that they 00:07:26.579 --> 00:07:29.000 may see your good works and give glory to your 00:07:29.000 --> 00:07:33.019 father who is in heaven. There have been many 00:07:33.019 --> 00:07:36.220 people Especially over this past year that I 00:07:36.220 --> 00:07:38.639 have started praying consistently to God for 00:07:38.639 --> 00:07:41.319 their salvation saying like God I pray that they 00:07:41.319 --> 00:07:44.300 come to know Jesus and I pray that they put their 00:07:44.300 --> 00:07:47.980 faith in Jesus and and you know, like I see all 00:07:47.980 --> 00:07:50.160 of this pain all of the suffering that sin is 00:07:50.160 --> 00:07:52.379 causing in their life and I know that once someone 00:07:52.379 --> 00:07:55.160 knows Jesus I know from experience that once 00:07:55.160 --> 00:07:57.959 you know Jesus and when you start walking with 00:07:57.959 --> 00:08:02.939 him, he does a change in you I'm like I'm praying 00:08:02.939 --> 00:08:05.720 to God so heavily for these people so many times 00:08:05.720 --> 00:08:09.579 of like if they just knew Jesus and Loved Jesus 00:08:09.579 --> 00:08:13.300 and started walking with Jesus this sin Would 00:08:13.300 --> 00:08:15.800 start to fall out of their life like they would 00:08:15.800 --> 00:08:18.920 start to desire To be like Christ more than they 00:08:18.920 --> 00:08:23.569 would desire this sin But God and I remember 00:08:23.569 --> 00:08:26.569 praying so many times for them saying but like 00:08:26.569 --> 00:08:29.310 they're not open in their Bible I'm inviting 00:08:29.310 --> 00:08:31.069 them to church. They don't want to go to church. 00:08:31.069 --> 00:08:32.690 They don't want to hear the sermon Like they 00:08:32.690 --> 00:08:35.429 don't want to hear any of this and God has really 00:08:35.429 --> 00:08:38.789 revealed to me. He's like Yeah, they're saying 00:08:38.789 --> 00:08:41.210 no to going to church. They're saying no to listening 00:08:41.210 --> 00:08:43.350 to these sermons They're saying no to reading 00:08:43.350 --> 00:08:45.629 the Bible, but they are paying attention to how 00:08:45.629 --> 00:08:48.470 you live your life They are paying attention 00:08:48.470 --> 00:08:52.970 to are you forgiving? Are you loving? Are you 00:08:52.970 --> 00:08:55.990 setting boundaries like they are paying attention 00:08:55.990 --> 00:09:00.909 to your good works and Recently all there have 00:09:00.909 --> 00:09:02.889 been so many people's testimonies. I've been 00:09:02.889 --> 00:09:06.659 hearing where There has been breakthrough there 00:09:06.659 --> 00:09:09.580 have been people who I remember my pastor was 00:09:09.580 --> 00:09:11.740 sharing just at our last service But there was 00:09:11.740 --> 00:09:14.240 someone who for the past couple years You know 00:09:14.240 --> 00:09:16.120 didn't do the kindest things to him But he felt 00:09:16.120 --> 00:09:18.059 encouraged by the Lord to continue to show this 00:09:18.059 --> 00:09:19.899 person the love of Jesus and one day this person 00:09:19.899 --> 00:09:23.000 said like Why why have you been so nice to me? 00:09:23.480 --> 00:09:26.960 But why? And my pastor is able to say to him 00:09:26.960 --> 00:09:28.820 because like that that's what Jesus wants me 00:09:28.820 --> 00:09:33.340 to do And that person was able to see Jesus Christ 00:09:33.340 --> 00:09:36.320 through my pastor and through my pastor's actions 00:09:36.320 --> 00:09:38.860 And the Lord has placed on me so heavily some 00:09:38.860 --> 00:09:40.279 of these people although they're not opening 00:09:40.279 --> 00:09:44.039 a Bible Although they're not trying to receive 00:09:44.039 --> 00:09:46.500 the word. Although they're not on their knees 00:09:46.500 --> 00:09:50.279 praying all the time. They are seeing How you 00:09:50.279 --> 00:09:52.080 live your life. They're seeing how you handle 00:09:52.080 --> 00:09:54.299 things differently They are seeing the good works 00:09:54.299 --> 00:09:57.480 that are pouring out of you and they're seeing 00:09:57.480 --> 00:10:02.840 you glorify God they can't help but see God's 00:10:02.840 --> 00:10:06.240 hand and God like gave me that revelation was 00:10:06.240 --> 00:10:08.740 like oh my gosh glory be to God I never thought 00:10:08.740 --> 00:10:12.059 of it like that I never thought that my forgiveness 00:10:12.059 --> 00:10:16.220 my love like all of these things that were not 00:10:16.220 --> 00:10:19.179 me that Jesus instilled in me I shared with y 00:10:19.179 --> 00:10:21.419 'all past testimonies about how the Lord gave 00:10:21.419 --> 00:10:25.649 me a new heart He like radically changed me the 00:10:25.649 --> 00:10:27.629 desires I have now in the way I live my life 00:10:27.629 --> 00:10:31.110 now was not my desires a year or two three four 00:10:31.110 --> 00:10:35.629 years ago The Lord radically changed me it wasn't 00:10:35.629 --> 00:10:41.610 my own works it was the Lord But he that was 00:10:41.610 --> 00:10:44.289 him revealing to me that that is how my good 00:10:44.289 --> 00:10:46.889 works are actively ministering to other people 00:10:47.210 --> 00:10:50.350 Each time I forgive someone, each time I'm showing 00:10:50.350 --> 00:10:52.470 the love of Jesus instead of getting a look back, 00:10:52.669 --> 00:10:54.690 instead of getting revenge, opportunities where 00:10:54.690 --> 00:10:57.529 I could try to deal justice on my own, opportunities 00:10:57.529 --> 00:10:59.830 where I could try to hurt people, opportunities 00:10:59.830 --> 00:11:03.129 where I could do these things, but I choose the 00:11:03.129 --> 00:11:06.909 Jesus way. I choose the Christ -like path. I 00:11:06.909 --> 00:11:08.610 choose the way that the Lord is calling me to 00:11:08.610 --> 00:11:11.370 go every time that I willingly say no and set 00:11:11.370 --> 00:11:13.350 myself apart every time that I'm feeling that 00:11:13.350 --> 00:11:15.549 temptation and they're seeing that they can't 00:11:15.549 --> 00:11:18.649 help but see Jesus Christ too I'm not saying 00:11:18.649 --> 00:11:21.610 I'm perfect by any means guys I'm not navigating 00:11:21.610 --> 00:11:24.210 life perfectly I'm not just like Jesus but I'm 00:11:24.210 --> 00:11:28.539 saying every time I have the opportunity Choose 00:11:28.539 --> 00:11:31.220 the fleshly way to choose the worldly way and 00:11:31.220 --> 00:11:33.799 I choose the godly way. I choose the spirit way 00:11:33.799 --> 00:11:36.820 I choose the Jesus way that is ministering to 00:11:36.820 --> 00:11:42.799 the people who are watching And I'm gonna go 00:11:42.799 --> 00:11:45.779 ahead and I'm going to start reading some scripture 00:11:45.779 --> 00:11:48.980 to y 'all I do want to read to you second Corinthians 00:11:48.980 --> 00:11:54.200 real quick verse Second Corinthians chapter 5 00:11:54.200 --> 00:11:58.419 verse 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ he 00:11:58.419 --> 00:12:01.360 is a new creation The old has passed away and 00:12:01.360 --> 00:12:04.440 see the new has come Everything is from God who 00:12:04.440 --> 00:12:07.340 has reconciled us to himself through Christ and 00:12:07.340 --> 00:12:10.759 has given us the ministry of reconciliation So 00:12:10.759 --> 00:12:13.179 this was the first thing that I want to break 00:12:13.179 --> 00:12:16.779 down with y 'all today is whoever is in Christ 00:12:16.779 --> 00:12:21.629 is a new creation When you put your faith in 00:12:21.629 --> 00:12:26.009 Jesus Christ When you surrender your life to 00:12:26.009 --> 00:12:29.429 Christ when you make that because and I'm telling 00:12:29.429 --> 00:12:34.230 y 'all that When you finally do it If you're 00:12:34.230 --> 00:12:36.529 one of those people who you're like, how do I 00:12:36.529 --> 00:12:38.509 know if I'm living a life surrender to Christ 00:12:38.509 --> 00:12:41.809 or not? I Just want to share from a little bit 00:12:41.809 --> 00:12:46.370 of personal experience y 'all Of how I knew the 00:12:46.370 --> 00:12:49.870 difference I was raised going to church. I was 00:12:49.870 --> 00:12:54.549 raised saying I love Jesus and all of these things. 00:12:55.690 --> 00:13:02.009 But I didn't change. I continued to willfully 00:13:02.009 --> 00:13:07.070 sin. I continued to put my fleshly desires before 00:13:07.070 --> 00:13:11.129 what the spirit was inclining to do. I continued 00:13:11.129 --> 00:13:14.049 to put my faith in myself and everything outside 00:13:14.049 --> 00:13:18.250 of Jesus. You know I didn't have and the root 00:13:18.250 --> 00:13:21.509 of that, like I didn't have the true faith and 00:13:21.509 --> 00:13:25.210 belief that he could actually take care of all 00:13:25.210 --> 00:13:29.789 of it. I didn't actually have faith that he was 00:13:29.789 --> 00:13:35.210 the son of God, that his word is still living 00:13:35.210 --> 00:13:40.220 and breathing and active. that everything is 00:13:40.220 --> 00:13:44.220 submitted unto him. Like I didn't have that true 00:13:44.220 --> 00:13:47.679 faith or belief in him, right? And because I 00:13:47.679 --> 00:13:50.059 didn't have that true faith or belief that being 00:13:50.059 --> 00:13:53.700 covered in his blood protected me from the schemes 00:13:53.700 --> 00:13:55.639 of the devil, that no weapons that formed against 00:13:55.639 --> 00:13:59.580 me would prosper. Because I didn't truly have 00:13:59.580 --> 00:14:04.019 my faith rooted in him, I was shaken very easily. 00:14:04.480 --> 00:14:06.639 And I put my faith in all of these other things 00:14:06.639 --> 00:14:09.190 and my life looked accordingly. Sure, there were 00:14:09.190 --> 00:14:11.190 some things that, you know, eventually I kind 00:14:11.190 --> 00:14:13.210 of stopped participating in, but I ended up finding 00:14:13.210 --> 00:14:16.590 vices in other areas. My life continued to look 00:14:16.590 --> 00:14:25.269 un -Christ -like. But it was a day in 2024 when 00:14:25.269 --> 00:14:27.769 all of the convictions had finally gotten to 00:14:27.769 --> 00:14:31.250 a point. And I looked at my life and realized, 00:14:31.309 --> 00:14:33.610 like, there's no way out of this except for you, 00:14:33.649 --> 00:14:36.289 Jesus. Like, no one can fix this mess except 00:14:36.289 --> 00:14:39.860 for you. for the first time in my life I truly 00:14:39.860 --> 00:14:43.500 believe that if you want to I know you're able 00:14:43.500 --> 00:14:46.500 to but it's if you will if you want to you can 00:14:46.500 --> 00:14:51.399 change all of this so whatever you ask me to 00:14:51.399 --> 00:14:55.379 do whatever you call me to do I submit to you 00:14:55.379 --> 00:15:00.919 and for me personally y 'all that is how I knew 00:15:00.919 --> 00:15:03.879 the difference that's how I knew like that was 00:15:05.100 --> 00:15:10.279 the moment when I was truly a new creation in 00:15:10.279 --> 00:15:14.259 Christ because I also believed that like I could 00:15:14.259 --> 00:15:16.879 be forgiven for everything that I've done in 00:15:16.879 --> 00:15:20.799 the past. Up until that point, I had said, well, 00:15:20.799 --> 00:15:22.860 I feel like a hypocrite going to church because 00:15:22.860 --> 00:15:26.539 I've had premarital sex. I felt like a hypocrite 00:15:26.539 --> 00:15:29.879 going to church because I had gossiped and I 00:15:29.879 --> 00:15:31.720 had slandered and I had done all these things. 00:15:32.879 --> 00:15:35.059 it was like I believed that I was only truly 00:15:35.059 --> 00:15:37.120 welcome in there or God would only love me or 00:15:37.120 --> 00:15:39.379 be pleased with me if I was clean and I felt 00:15:39.379 --> 00:15:42.299 like well I've already soiled myself and there 00:15:42.299 --> 00:15:47.779 was no redemption but when I truly believed that 00:15:47.779 --> 00:15:52.340 if I put my faith in Jesus and I repented that 00:15:52.340 --> 00:15:56.940 all of that would be washed away in Jesus's eyes 00:15:56.940 --> 00:16:02.100 I was clean in God's eyes I would be clean And 00:16:02.100 --> 00:16:05.440 that was the moment, y 'all, when I truly believed 00:16:05.440 --> 00:16:08.639 that that was my new creation moment. Yes, I 00:16:08.639 --> 00:16:11.980 had been baptized before. Yes, all of these things. 00:16:12.440 --> 00:16:16.019 And these were all outwardly actions. But my 00:16:16.019 --> 00:16:21.659 faith never aligned with those actions. I was 00:16:21.659 --> 00:16:23.580 getting baptized. I was doing all these other 00:16:23.580 --> 00:16:28.340 things to please other people and for the appearance 00:16:28.340 --> 00:16:34.169 to other people. But you could tell that I didn't 00:16:34.169 --> 00:16:37.450 have my faith in Jesus based off of my works 00:16:37.450 --> 00:16:40.049 And that's what we're getting back to right because 00:16:40.049 --> 00:16:43.269 I want to talk to y 'all today about works so 00:16:43.269 --> 00:16:47.289 I could tell That I didn't actually have my faith 00:16:47.289 --> 00:16:51.470 in Jesus because my works didn't change Right 00:16:51.470 --> 00:16:54.250 like when you and I'm just I'm speaking from 00:16:54.250 --> 00:16:56.590 experience right now y 'all with how things started 00:16:56.590 --> 00:17:00.070 to change When I put my faith in Jesus, right? 00:17:00.539 --> 00:17:02.899 Before then, I had tried to control every little 00:17:02.899 --> 00:17:05.059 aspect of my life and I had a backup plan for 00:17:05.059 --> 00:17:08.140 my backup plan. And I would sin if that meant 00:17:08.140 --> 00:17:12.920 survival. And I hit a point in my life where 00:17:12.920 --> 00:17:15.460 Jesus was telling me, you recognize that I am 00:17:15.460 --> 00:17:17.839 the only way that your life is gonna be fixed 00:17:17.839 --> 00:17:19.900 and that things are gonna be changed. So you 00:17:19.900 --> 00:17:21.660 need to submit to what I'm calling you to do. 00:17:21.960 --> 00:17:24.019 And in doing that, I had to submit control. I 00:17:24.019 --> 00:17:26.859 couldn't keep doing the backup plans. I couldn't 00:17:26.859 --> 00:17:29.700 keep sinning. for survival I had to trust that 00:17:29.700 --> 00:17:32.220 God's way doesn't require me to sin and to say 00:17:32.220 --> 00:17:36.380 no to things that were sinful that looked like 00:17:36.380 --> 00:17:39.460 opportunities and it was those instances when 00:17:39.460 --> 00:17:41.579 all the sudden opportunities arise and I said 00:17:41.579 --> 00:17:44.180 no simply because I know that's not what God 00:17:44.180 --> 00:17:47.339 has aligned for me simply because that's a sin 00:17:47.339 --> 00:17:52.859 it was when I started saying no to these shiny 00:17:52.859 --> 00:17:58.769 opportunities Which is a good work right is fleeing 00:17:58.769 --> 00:18:02.430 Temptation is saying no to sin resist the devil 00:18:02.430 --> 00:18:06.809 and he will flee It was in doing those things 00:18:06.809 --> 00:18:11.069 That I started to see whoa Like I actually have 00:18:11.069 --> 00:18:14.509 faith that God is going not only is he able But 00:18:14.509 --> 00:18:17.269 he's gonna take care of me and in the past I 00:18:17.269 --> 00:18:19.109 didn't have that faith so I would try to save 00:18:19.109 --> 00:18:24.230 myself. I would try to rescue myself and All 00:18:24.230 --> 00:18:27.980 of a sudden after consistent prayer life to the 00:18:27.980 --> 00:18:31.259 Lord and Submitting my life to him and putting 00:18:31.259 --> 00:18:33.720 my faith in him and actively working on my relationship 00:18:33.720 --> 00:18:36.460 with the Lord all the sudden even though my Circumstances 00:18:36.460 --> 00:18:39.579 haven't changed my reaction to them has changed 00:18:39.579 --> 00:18:45.160 The things the works of the flesh I used to condone 00:18:45.160 --> 00:18:47.759 before all the sudden I can't condone those anymore 00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:53.700 Because I have faith in who Jesus is like I'm 00:18:53.700 --> 00:18:56.269 also placing my faith that what he's telling 00:18:56.269 --> 00:19:00.250 me to do is the right way and that my ways aren't 00:19:00.250 --> 00:19:03.890 above his ways. I hope this is making sense as 00:19:03.890 --> 00:19:07.509 I'm speaking it out loud. I know not everybody, 00:19:08.150 --> 00:19:11.009 it's very clear in scripture, you know, that 00:19:11.009 --> 00:19:15.549 the word of the Lord is folly. It is foolish 00:19:15.549 --> 00:19:17.970 to those who are in the world. That was what 00:19:17.970 --> 00:19:21.170 I was reading today too in scripture. But the 00:19:21.170 --> 00:19:24.349 Lord heavily reminded me of like people who don't 00:19:24.349 --> 00:19:27.869 believe in God, who aren't rooted in faith. You 00:19:27.869 --> 00:19:31.130 know, the ways of God, the ways of the cross 00:19:31.130 --> 00:19:34.369 are going to be foolish in their eyes. Foolish 00:19:34.369 --> 00:19:38.529 to their ears. But for those of you all who have 00:19:38.529 --> 00:19:42.190 eyes to see and ears to hear, I pray that this 00:19:42.190 --> 00:19:45.789 is speaking to you right now. That was my first 00:19:45.789 --> 00:19:49.190 experience with good works and why they're important. 00:19:49.500 --> 00:19:53.460 right because of course they're not essential 00:19:53.460 --> 00:19:56.180 to our salvation we're not saved by our works 00:19:56.180 --> 00:20:00.779 your works are a sign of your faith right the 00:20:00.779 --> 00:20:04.000 way that you live your life the way that you 00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:06.720 surrender the way that you give things to god 00:20:06.720 --> 00:20:10.839 the way that you submit things to jesus is your 00:20:10.839 --> 00:20:15.299 faith for example your faith that he is almighty 00:20:15.299 --> 00:20:21.150 your faith that he is able To fix whatever mess 00:20:21.150 --> 00:20:25.990 you're in Understanding that his ways are above 00:20:25.990 --> 00:20:30.950 your ways now y 'all I'm gonna read to you Ephesians 00:20:30.950 --> 00:20:36.250 and we're gonna be in chapter 5 starting in verse 00:20:36.250 --> 00:20:39.910 17 therefore I say this and testify in the Lord 00:20:39.910 --> 00:20:42.890 you should no longer walk as the Gentiles do 00:20:42.890 --> 00:20:47.640 and the futility of their thoughts they are darkened 00:20:47.640 --> 00:20:50.640 in their understanding excluded from the life 00:20:50.640 --> 00:20:53.619 of god because of the ignorance that is in them 00:20:53.619 --> 00:20:56.599 and because of the hardness of their hearts they 00:20:56.599 --> 00:20:59.880 became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity 00:20:59.880 --> 00:21:02.579 for the practice of every kind of impurity with 00:21:02.579 --> 00:21:07.059 a desire for more and more i want to stop there 00:21:07.059 --> 00:21:10.059 y 'all reading that scripture today i was like 00:21:10.059 --> 00:21:12.680 wow i feel like i feel like that's perfectly 00:21:12.680 --> 00:21:17.640 describing how life was in the world is with 00:21:17.640 --> 00:21:21.579 the consistently needing more and more and with 00:21:21.579 --> 00:21:23.400 this was something I've been meditating on a 00:21:23.400 --> 00:21:25.480 lot recently y 'all is in the world it's like 00:21:25.480 --> 00:21:30.160 a constant instant dopamine and I think I had 00:21:30.160 --> 00:21:33.299 an addiction to that like constant dopamine hit 00:21:33.299 --> 00:21:35.700 and I feel like a lot of people nowadays are 00:21:35.700 --> 00:21:37.319 right we get that through scrolling on their 00:21:37.319 --> 00:21:40.960 phones through apps through videos through all 00:21:40.960 --> 00:21:43.759 that things we get that instant hit like that 00:21:43.759 --> 00:21:47.299 pleasure sensor in our brain going off. We're 00:21:47.299 --> 00:21:49.599 able to scratch that really easy, right? We're 00:21:49.599 --> 00:21:52.700 able to get that really easy. And I honestly 00:21:52.700 --> 00:21:55.839 feel like, y 'all, that was why I was really 00:21:55.839 --> 00:21:58.680 drawn to new age in the past, and why I was drawn 00:21:58.680 --> 00:22:01.240 to terror reading, and why I was drawn to substances, 00:22:01.339 --> 00:22:05.920 and why I was drawn to, you know, attention seeking, 00:22:06.839 --> 00:22:08.539 getting attention from other people. It's that 00:22:08.539 --> 00:22:12.140 quick, instant gratification you get. Online 00:22:12.140 --> 00:22:14.259 shopping, that quick instant gratification as 00:22:14.259 --> 00:22:17.680 soon as you press that buy button and you know 00:22:17.680 --> 00:22:20.200 what's gonna be here. The instant gratification 00:22:20.200 --> 00:22:23.619 of smoking or drinking. You know that soon after 00:22:23.619 --> 00:22:25.319 you're gonna be feeling that buzz, you're gonna 00:22:25.319 --> 00:22:29.319 be put in a different space. The the attention 00:22:29.319 --> 00:22:31.859 seeking behaviors if it's posting thirst traps 00:22:31.859 --> 00:22:35.700 posting off your body at the gym Like if it's 00:22:35.700 --> 00:22:38.079 saying something for attention like just attention 00:22:38.079 --> 00:22:39.920 seeking behaviors whether you're seeking male 00:22:39.920 --> 00:22:42.519 validation Or just a validation from anybody 00:22:42.519 --> 00:22:45.200 who's gonna validate you. That's a quick dopamine 00:22:45.200 --> 00:22:48.299 hit right? That's a quick sense of gratification 00:22:48.299 --> 00:22:53.359 In the world like we are encouraged to just do 00:22:53.359 --> 00:22:55.960 whatever makes you happy Whatever your heart 00:22:55.960 --> 00:22:58.240 desires now, we know from reading scripture that 00:22:58.240 --> 00:23:00.259 the heart is deceptive, right? But the world 00:23:00.259 --> 00:23:03.339 encourages us to pursue whatever our heart wants 00:23:03.339 --> 00:23:10.099 Yolo You only live once you're Now is the time 00:23:10.099 --> 00:23:13.019 you see so many videos like you know money comes 00:23:13.019 --> 00:23:16.480 back, but only be this age at this thing one 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:19.880 time ever Encouraging you to just live for the 00:23:19.880 --> 00:23:23.519 plot and all of those and I used to live by that 00:23:23.519 --> 00:23:25.859 but the reality is is you're always left with 00:23:25.859 --> 00:23:31.460 one more because at the end of the day and each 00:23:31.460 --> 00:23:33.940 of these things that we're seeking for for pleasure 00:23:33.940 --> 00:23:37.160 or comfort whatever it is we are looking for 00:23:37.160 --> 00:23:40.119 in the well that's going to run dry Jesus is 00:23:40.119 --> 00:23:45.259 the living water right and our wells need to 00:23:45.259 --> 00:23:48.400 be that our wells that are dug should be connected 00:23:48.400 --> 00:23:50.960 to him Well, we are trying to find fulfillment 00:23:50.960 --> 00:23:53.519 and satisfaction and things apart from jesus 00:23:53.519 --> 00:23:55.299 christ We're always going to be left one more 00:23:55.299 --> 00:24:01.160 like we're always going to be left one more That's 00:24:01.160 --> 00:24:03.019 the thing of the world is you want more you want 00:24:03.019 --> 00:24:05.319 more it's good enough You're content with it 00:24:05.319 --> 00:24:08.059 for a while. But now you need more Now you need 00:24:08.059 --> 00:24:10.720 more now you need more and of course when we 00:24:10.720 --> 00:24:15.079 are and and I don't want to um negate growth 00:24:15.079 --> 00:24:18.319 Right because as christians as followers of christ 00:24:18.680 --> 00:24:21.359 The lord is constantly working in us and helping 00:24:21.359 --> 00:24:23.900 us to move forward. He the lord doesn't want 00:24:23.900 --> 00:24:31.799 us to be stuck and stagnant But paul and I believe 00:24:31.799 --> 00:24:38.279 um I believe this was first corinthians No, this 00:24:38.279 --> 00:24:40.079 was actually philippians. I'm so sorry on my 00:24:40.079 --> 00:24:42.339 brain. I told you all i'm sick My brain's a little 00:24:42.339 --> 00:24:45.099 slow bear with me where paul had said that and 00:24:45.099 --> 00:24:49.259 this was right around philippians Is it 413? 00:24:49.359 --> 00:24:53.099 Yeah He said that he learned to be content in 00:24:53.099 --> 00:24:55.359 all situations in the hills and in the valleys 00:24:55.359 --> 00:24:57.579 times when he had nothing and times when he had 00:24:57.579 --> 00:25:02.000 everything That's the thing as Christians though 00:25:02.000 --> 00:25:05.960 is is we can find gratitude and we can understand 00:25:05.960 --> 00:25:10.539 that we lack nothing when we have Jesus and So 00:25:10.539 --> 00:25:13.440 I'm not putting aside goals or dreams or anything 00:25:13.440 --> 00:25:15.279 like that. It's good to have things that we're 00:25:15.279 --> 00:25:18.519 working towards But when your fulfillment is 00:25:18.519 --> 00:25:20.279 coming from the world, you're always going to 00:25:20.279 --> 00:25:22.220 be wanting more. When your fulfillment comes 00:25:22.220 --> 00:25:25.140 from Jesus, just as Psalm 23 says, the Lord is 00:25:25.140 --> 00:25:30.480 my shepherd, there's nothing at that. When you're 00:25:30.480 --> 00:25:32.599 getting your joy, when you're getting your identity 00:25:32.599 --> 00:25:37.599 of who you are from Christ, Jesus, when you're 00:25:37.599 --> 00:25:42.059 pulling from Jesus, you're not going to run out 00:25:42.059 --> 00:25:47.400 like you run out in the world. And we see here 00:25:47.400 --> 00:25:49.180 in Ephesians that we're encouraged that when 00:25:49.180 --> 00:25:52.059 we give our lives to Christ, we are supposed 00:25:52.059 --> 00:25:57.579 to leave the ways of the world behind, right? 00:25:57.619 --> 00:26:00.440 You should no longer walk as the Gentiles do. 00:26:01.559 --> 00:26:05.099 And what's interesting here is how it says here 00:26:05.099 --> 00:26:07.809 in the text that These people in the world are 00:26:07.809 --> 00:26:10.490 darkened in their understanding Excluded from 00:26:10.490 --> 00:26:13.390 the life of God because the the ignorance in 00:26:13.390 --> 00:26:20.150 them is because of their hardness of hearts It's 00:26:20.150 --> 00:26:23.009 so interesting doll and looking at the way that 00:26:23.009 --> 00:26:25.329 I perceive situations when I was in the world 00:26:25.329 --> 00:26:28.490 versus the way I perceive them when I was in 00:26:28.490 --> 00:26:30.950 Christ Jesus once I once I was in Christ Jesus 00:26:30.950 --> 00:26:34.430 and I look and I see I had so much more of like 00:26:34.430 --> 00:26:39.170 a cynical and like a negative and like a backwards 00:26:39.170 --> 00:26:44.390 perspective when i was in the world and i wouldn't 00:26:44.390 --> 00:26:47.869 have said that when i when i was living for the 00:26:47.869 --> 00:26:49.309 world i would have thought that i was actually 00:26:49.309 --> 00:26:53.049 a really hopeful person a glass half full person 00:26:53.049 --> 00:26:56.190 all these things but when i look back i there 00:26:56.190 --> 00:26:59.109 is always some kind of black mentality there 00:26:59.109 --> 00:27:01.440 was always some kind of Hopelessness there was 00:27:01.440 --> 00:27:03.460 always I was always trying to play devil's advocate. 00:27:03.500 --> 00:27:08.019 Like it was always like this a Rebellion with 00:27:08.019 --> 00:27:13.279 it too, right? And like when something bad would 00:27:13.279 --> 00:27:16.460 happen like oftentimes it would turn into The 00:27:16.460 --> 00:27:18.960 end of the world is just over a kind of thought 00:27:18.960 --> 00:27:21.099 process. I would give in to the depression I'd 00:27:21.099 --> 00:27:23.859 give in to the anxiety I'd give in to fear I'd 00:27:23.859 --> 00:27:26.220 give in to the warrior give in to all of these 00:27:26.220 --> 00:27:30.319 feelings Right? And then once I was in Christ 00:27:30.319 --> 00:27:34.720 and I started reading scripture and believing 00:27:34.720 --> 00:27:37.720 it. When I started having a different view of 00:27:37.720 --> 00:27:40.119 these situations, no honestly, like when I started 00:27:40.119 --> 00:27:42.220 looking at situations and instead of thinking 00:27:42.220 --> 00:27:45.880 like, you know, life's over, this is horrible, 00:27:46.140 --> 00:27:47.900 boohoo, poor me, I started looking, what is God 00:27:47.900 --> 00:27:50.390 trying to reveal to me? What can I learn from 00:27:50.390 --> 00:27:53.289 this? How can God sanctify me? How can God change 00:27:53.289 --> 00:27:56.150 me? How can God grow me? I know that God is allowing 00:27:56.150 --> 00:27:58.369 this because there's something that he can use 00:27:58.369 --> 00:28:01.710 with it. What is he trying to do right now? God, 00:28:01.789 --> 00:28:03.230 please reveal to me what you're trying to do 00:28:03.230 --> 00:28:06.589 right now. God, help me to handle this well. 00:28:07.650 --> 00:28:09.930 You know, back in the, I would think, well, it's 00:28:09.930 --> 00:28:12.769 me versus the world. It's just me. And I would 00:28:12.769 --> 00:28:14.650 look at situations of how can I do this on my 00:28:14.650 --> 00:28:16.529 own strength? How can I do this? How can I do 00:28:16.529 --> 00:28:19.559 that? And now when a situation hits, I'm leaning 00:28:19.559 --> 00:28:22.880 more into how God show me what you need me to 00:28:22.880 --> 00:28:25.339 do. I submit this to you. I give this to you. 00:28:26.039 --> 00:28:29.339 I will rest in knowing that you have got this. 00:28:29.380 --> 00:28:33.539 Reveal to me what I need to see. Guide me where 00:28:33.539 --> 00:28:37.420 I need to go. I'm able to look at situations 00:28:37.420 --> 00:28:40.140 now and say God is going to use this for my good. 00:28:40.420 --> 00:28:44.039 I don't know how, but I know that God has already 00:28:44.039 --> 00:28:46.140 expected this. There's nothing happening right 00:28:46.140 --> 00:28:49.950 now that God hasn't already foreseen. That God 00:28:49.950 --> 00:28:52.529 doesn't already have a plan for and that he can't 00:28:52.529 --> 00:28:56.130 use for my good. I Even when I'm faced with these 00:28:56.130 --> 00:28:58.849 hardships There's a hope of knowing God is going 00:28:58.849 --> 00:29:02.029 to use this to glorify him and further the kingdom 00:29:02.029 --> 00:29:06.269 of heaven somehow This will be used for my good 00:29:06.269 --> 00:29:09.890 somehow It's crazy of just being that new creation 00:29:09.890 --> 00:29:13.349 and having that faith how your mind is literally 00:29:13.349 --> 00:29:16.700 y 'all like rewired And they don't know a better 00:29:16.700 --> 00:29:19.779 way to explain it than the Lord literally rewired 00:29:19.779 --> 00:29:23.380 my brain when I started putting my faith in him 00:29:23.380 --> 00:29:28.839 It was a whole rewiring That had been done now. 00:29:28.839 --> 00:29:31.859 I want to move forward. We're still in Ephesians 00:29:31.859 --> 00:29:34.640 We're actually in chapter 4 right now. I said 00:29:34.640 --> 00:29:36.359 chapter 5. I'm sorry y 'all we're in chapter 00:29:36.359 --> 00:29:41.349 4 verse 20 But that is not how you came to know 00:29:41.349 --> 00:29:44.349 Christ Assuming you heard about him and you were 00:29:44.349 --> 00:29:47.970 taught by him as the truth is in Jesus To take 00:29:47.970 --> 00:29:50.509 off your former way of life the old self that 00:29:50.509 --> 00:29:54.490 is corrupted by deceitful desires to be renewed 00:29:54.490 --> 00:29:57.549 in the spirit of your minds and to put on the 00:29:57.549 --> 00:30:01.670 new self the one created according to God's likeness 00:30:01.670 --> 00:30:07.269 and righteous and purity of Truth therefore putting 00:30:07.269 --> 00:30:12.140 away lying Speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, 00:30:12.599 --> 00:30:15.480 because we are members of one another. Be angry 00:30:15.480 --> 00:30:18.319 and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on 00:30:18.319 --> 00:30:20.920 your anger. Do not give the devil an opportunity. 00:30:21.420 --> 00:30:23.460 Now this was the next thing that the Lord revealed 00:30:23.460 --> 00:30:31.240 to me of why your works are important. Is they 00:30:31.240 --> 00:30:33.799 determine whether or not you give the devil an 00:30:33.799 --> 00:30:41.079 open door to your life? I hadn't realized how 00:30:41.079 --> 00:30:44.900 many of my sins were actually giving the devil 00:30:44.900 --> 00:30:50.180 legal access to destroy my life and to mess with 00:30:50.180 --> 00:30:56.559 my head. I've shared this with y 'all before 00:30:56.559 --> 00:31:00.940 that New Age spirituality was a huge open door 00:31:00.940 --> 00:31:06.779 for the devil. Divination is a sin. Witchcraft 00:31:06.779 --> 00:31:12.089 is a sin. God does not condone it. Point blank 00:31:12.089 --> 00:31:14.849 period. We have seen that reading scripture. 00:31:14.990 --> 00:31:17.609 Look in the book of Ezekiel where Ezekiel is 00:31:17.609 --> 00:31:22.349 saying woe to you. You tie those magic bands 00:31:22.349 --> 00:31:26.869 on your wrist. There are multiple instances in 00:31:26.869 --> 00:31:31.210 scripture of God not messing with witchcraft. 00:31:32.410 --> 00:31:35.190 And I am here today to tell y 'all that you can 00:31:35.190 --> 00:31:38.130 repent and be forgiven. your life can change 00:31:38.130 --> 00:31:44.250 i am living proof of that okay but i didn't see 00:31:44.250 --> 00:31:49.509 how many times i didn't realize how many times 00:31:49.509 --> 00:31:54.250 i was giving the devil legal access to my mind 00:31:54.250 --> 00:32:00.009 into my emotions every time i received a tarot 00:32:00.009 --> 00:32:04.710 card reading a psychic reading and I started 00:32:04.710 --> 00:32:08.009 believing that I was coming into agreement with 00:32:08.009 --> 00:32:12.890 things that were not from God I was starting 00:32:12.890 --> 00:32:16.549 to believe the lies of the enemy and I was actually 00:32:16.549 --> 00:32:19.609 starting to submit to them I was planning accordingly 00:32:19.609 --> 00:32:24.369 to these things I was coming into agreement all 00:32:24.369 --> 00:32:28.410 my mental health like the paranoia I started 00:32:28.410 --> 00:32:33.109 going into the the mental battles that were Constantly 00:32:33.109 --> 00:32:35.710 going on in my brain how my depression was getting 00:32:35.710 --> 00:32:38.369 worse how my panic was getting worse how my anxiety 00:32:38.369 --> 00:32:42.250 was getting worse And you know, I'm looking now 00:32:42.250 --> 00:32:45.009 at like I'm looking out scripture and trusting 00:32:45.009 --> 00:32:46.869 that no weapons that formed against me shall 00:32:46.869 --> 00:32:49.730 prosper But when I was a new creation in Christ 00:32:49.730 --> 00:32:51.289 and I was like I thought you said no weapons 00:32:51.289 --> 00:32:53.890 work against me would prosper But it looks like 00:32:53.890 --> 00:32:56.150 these weapons that were forming were prospering 00:32:56.150 --> 00:32:59.650 the devil had my mind for a long time The devil 00:32:59.650 --> 00:33:03.130 was I I I cannot tell y 'all how many decisions 00:33:03.130 --> 00:33:09.700 I made or like things I said based off of paranoia 00:33:09.700 --> 00:33:12.220 or things I believe from tarot card readings 00:33:12.220 --> 00:33:14.720 or psychic medium readings and at first you don't 00:33:14.720 --> 00:33:17.140 think it's that deep but when you're when you're 00:33:17.140 --> 00:33:19.769 doing a reading and someone says like Oh, this 00:33:19.769 --> 00:33:21.950 person is jealous of you or this person plans 00:33:21.950 --> 00:33:25.630 this against you or this whether or not you You 00:33:25.630 --> 00:33:28.289 realize it your view of that person starts to 00:33:28.289 --> 00:33:30.910 be skewed. You start to hold this person unforgiveness 00:33:30.910 --> 00:33:33.569 You start to react differently when you start 00:33:33.569 --> 00:33:36.109 when you truly believe that a thing is happening 00:33:36.109 --> 00:33:39.170 You start to move differently Okay, and when 00:33:39.170 --> 00:33:41.690 I look back and i'm like how many decisions I 00:33:41.690 --> 00:33:45.180 made things I said things I did that were not 00:33:45.180 --> 00:33:47.799 Christ -like or ended up being stumbling blocks 00:33:47.799 --> 00:33:50.079 or delays, and I realized it was simply because 00:33:50.079 --> 00:33:52.339 I was coming into agreement with lies from the 00:33:52.339 --> 00:33:57.460 enemy. And the Lord revealed to me, that is why 00:33:57.460 --> 00:34:00.180 I tell you to stay away from divination. That's 00:34:00.180 --> 00:34:02.220 why I tell you to stay away from psychic greetings. 00:34:02.279 --> 00:34:04.579 That's why I tell you to stay away from witchcraft. 00:34:05.279 --> 00:34:07.660 It's because at first it looks helpful, but all 00:34:07.660 --> 00:34:09.780 it's doing is opening up a door for the devil 00:34:09.780 --> 00:34:14.000 to have access to your life. to influence your 00:34:14.000 --> 00:34:15.860 mind, to influence your decisions, to influence 00:34:15.860 --> 00:34:18.159 your emotions, not even realizing that it's him 00:34:18.159 --> 00:34:23.559 doing it. I've shared with y 'all before, I have 00:34:23.559 --> 00:34:26.320 a sobriety conviction, a 100 % sobriety conviction. 00:34:26.360 --> 00:34:28.940 I don't drink at all, I don't smoke at all. It's 00:34:28.940 --> 00:34:30.820 not one sip, it's not one puff, it's nothing. 00:34:31.760 --> 00:34:34.739 I'm not a social anything, I am 100 % nothing. 00:34:36.079 --> 00:34:37.719 And I know that there are other people who don't 00:34:37.719 --> 00:34:40.519 have that conviction. And I know that scripture 00:34:40.519 --> 00:34:44.260 says that you should not be a drunkard. And I 00:34:44.260 --> 00:34:49.380 know that the Lord warns us against being intoxicated 00:34:49.380 --> 00:34:52.440 Because that again is an open door. I cannot 00:34:52.440 --> 00:34:55.300 tell y 'all how many times when I looked back 00:34:55.300 --> 00:34:56.920 I was like, you know, I wouldn't have said that 00:34:56.920 --> 00:35:00.840 thing if I didn't have the liquid courage If 00:35:00.840 --> 00:35:02.659 I wasn't fried, I wouldn't have said that thing. 00:35:02.659 --> 00:35:04.539 I wouldn't have done that thing. I would have 00:35:04.539 --> 00:35:07.900 reacted differently Whether it would be I said 00:35:07.900 --> 00:35:12.920 something outrageous or admitted like something 00:35:12.920 --> 00:35:15.440 that shouldn't have been said out loud. Like 00:35:15.440 --> 00:35:19.159 when I look back and it's like it just altered 00:35:19.159 --> 00:35:24.239 my decision making in general. And I used to 00:35:24.239 --> 00:35:26.780 say God just doesn't want us to have fun. And 00:35:26.780 --> 00:35:29.119 I used to view Christianity and like the rules 00:35:29.119 --> 00:35:31.099 of Christianity of like what we can't go out 00:35:31.099 --> 00:35:34.960 and get trashed. We can't entertain these things. 00:35:34.960 --> 00:35:36.719 Why can't we entertain these things and Lord 00:35:36.719 --> 00:35:38.699 has really revealed me It's like because when 00:35:38.699 --> 00:35:40.739 you entertain these things you are opening up 00:35:40.739 --> 00:35:44.719 the door for the devil every time I was intoxicated 00:35:44.719 --> 00:35:48.219 Every time I was tipsy Every time I was turned 00:35:48.219 --> 00:35:52.659 like that My decision -making was skewed my boundaries 00:35:52.659 --> 00:35:55.460 were moved the things I would usually say no 00:35:55.460 --> 00:35:57.320 to things that were usually red flags became 00:35:57.320 --> 00:35:59.659 yellow flags the things that I would usually 00:35:59.659 --> 00:36:01.440 say no to all of a sudden I found myself saying 00:36:01.440 --> 00:36:06.949 yes to Things like my the way that I viewed things 00:36:06.949 --> 00:36:11.769 was off my discernment was off People could take 00:36:11.769 --> 00:36:14.190 advantage of me when I was in that space and 00:36:14.190 --> 00:36:16.869 the devil doesn't play fair he takes major advantage 00:36:16.869 --> 00:36:22.769 y 'all He waits He doesn't play fair. He will 00:36:22.769 --> 00:36:26.349 he will tempt you into getting drunk And take 00:36:26.349 --> 00:36:30.619 advantage of you the second you do it And have 00:36:30.619 --> 00:36:33.460 I had so many opportunities to drink, to go out, 00:36:33.559 --> 00:36:36.440 to get turned to do those things? Yeah. And have 00:36:36.440 --> 00:36:39.559 there been past temptations arise? Like in the 00:36:39.559 --> 00:36:41.380 past stress, anxiety, things like that would 00:36:41.380 --> 00:36:43.500 tempt me to go do it. Sure stress, anxiety, and 00:36:43.500 --> 00:36:45.260 things like that have arisen, but now I put my 00:36:45.260 --> 00:36:47.280 faith in Jesus. Now when I'm dealing with stress 00:36:47.280 --> 00:36:49.300 or anxiety or those things that go to the Lord, 00:36:49.699 --> 00:36:51.579 and I submit them to him instead of submitting 00:36:51.579 --> 00:36:53.559 them to a bottle. Instead of submitting them 00:36:53.559 --> 00:36:56.000 to a bee that you like. Instead of submitting 00:36:56.000 --> 00:36:58.719 them to these things that will only be temporary. 00:36:59.710 --> 00:37:01.670 The fix will only be temporary and then you'll 00:37:01.670 --> 00:37:03.449 be left with the same problem. I give it back 00:37:03.449 --> 00:37:05.469 to the Alpha and the Omega I give it back to 00:37:05.469 --> 00:37:08.510 the person who has the answers who can change 00:37:08.510 --> 00:37:18.110 things The reason why God calls us to live this 00:37:18.110 --> 00:37:20.369 way isn't because he doesn't want to have fun 00:37:20.369 --> 00:37:22.829 Isn't because he wants us to have a hard life. 00:37:22.869 --> 00:37:27.329 It's because following these ways of life that 00:37:27.329 --> 00:37:32.170 he gives us Close the door for the devil y 'all 00:37:32.170 --> 00:37:35.869 the hard one for me to swallow was honesty And 00:37:35.869 --> 00:37:38.730 we we just read this one in Scripture here was 00:37:38.730 --> 00:37:41.730 speaking the truth I was someone who I I would 00:37:41.730 --> 00:37:44.369 tell the little white lies all the time. I would 00:37:44.369 --> 00:37:46.190 tell people what they wanted to hear I would 00:37:46.190 --> 00:37:48.030 tell them what makes them feel better. I didn't 00:37:48.030 --> 00:37:51.690 want the uncomfortable conversations. I also 00:37:51.690 --> 00:37:53.750 didn't want to hear anyone have something to 00:37:53.750 --> 00:37:57.289 say about my actions like And the Lord took me 00:37:57.289 --> 00:37:59.489 through a season where he cleared the air on 00:37:59.489 --> 00:38:02.670 everything. Where there were some things I was 00:38:02.670 --> 00:38:05.449 forced to live in the truth. And before you knew 00:38:05.449 --> 00:38:09.130 it, it was crazy. When I started being asked 00:38:09.130 --> 00:38:12.210 questions and things started coming up and there 00:38:12.210 --> 00:38:15.610 were things in the past I would have lied about. 00:38:15.909 --> 00:38:20.190 I would have twisted. I would have like tried 00:38:20.190 --> 00:38:22.590 to maneuver around. I straight up told the truth. 00:38:23.860 --> 00:38:26.420 It was actually crazy watching how God moved 00:38:26.420 --> 00:38:28.139 off that truth I cannot tell y 'all how many 00:38:28.139 --> 00:38:30.179 times after telling someone a truthful statement 00:38:30.179 --> 00:38:34.320 I was blessed Even though it might make me look 00:38:34.320 --> 00:38:36.239 bad I thought well according to the world like 00:38:36.239 --> 00:38:37.900 this actually looks kind of bad if I tell the 00:38:37.900 --> 00:38:40.400 truth in this there's one time off of me telling 00:38:40.400 --> 00:38:43.440 the truth and Then spreading the gospel with 00:38:43.440 --> 00:38:47.719 a person I got financially blessed Was one time 00:38:47.719 --> 00:38:50.960 off of telling the truth being honest about my 00:38:50.960 --> 00:38:54.360 past and what God had done in my life. God used 00:38:54.360 --> 00:38:56.239 as an opportunity to glorify him and I ended 00:38:56.239 --> 00:39:01.760 up being a job position. God blessed me telling 00:39:01.760 --> 00:39:05.179 the truth. Don't be mistaken though, like you 00:39:05.179 --> 00:39:08.719 will see sometimes where God will move off of 00:39:08.719 --> 00:39:11.659 you obeying. I'm not saying that you do the works 00:39:11.659 --> 00:39:13.780 to get blessed. There have been lots of times 00:39:13.780 --> 00:39:15.780 when I'm doing what God calls me to and it's 00:39:15.780 --> 00:39:18.300 not like I see some big supernatural thing, but 00:39:18.300 --> 00:39:20.699 there have been instances of me moving by faith. 00:39:21.889 --> 00:39:25.369 just obeying the Lord even when it doesn't feel 00:39:25.369 --> 00:39:27.650 very good to a flesh and I see him use that and 00:39:27.650 --> 00:39:31.809 bless that but I cannot tell y 'all how many 00:39:31.809 --> 00:39:35.570 times that getting caught in white lies or having 00:39:35.570 --> 00:39:38.389 to pull back in my brain and think what was that 00:39:38.389 --> 00:39:41.750 lie I told what how'd I twist it how'd I do that 00:39:41.750 --> 00:39:44.309 how many times actually caused a lot of problems 00:39:44.309 --> 00:39:46.469 in my life I cannot tell you how many times the 00:39:46.469 --> 00:39:50.429 devil has moved off of anxiety and fear you know 00:39:50.429 --> 00:39:52.510 when you tell a lie and you feel like you're 00:39:52.510 --> 00:39:55.269 really close to getting caught and that anxiety 00:39:55.269 --> 00:39:58.090 that comes up and that fear that comes up and 00:39:58.090 --> 00:40:00.670 that overthinking and then all of a sudden you're 00:40:00.670 --> 00:40:03.409 digging your hole even deeper I used to end up 00:40:03.409 --> 00:40:10.010 in that so many times and now because I'm living 00:40:10.909 --> 00:40:13.829 I know I'm not absolutely perfect, but like, 00:40:13.889 --> 00:40:15.949 my life now y 'all looks radically different 00:40:15.949 --> 00:40:17.710 compared to what it used to look like. And it's 00:40:17.710 --> 00:40:20.610 like now that I'm walking in the truth, now that 00:40:20.610 --> 00:40:24.110 I'm just speaking the truth, I don't have to 00:40:24.110 --> 00:40:29.469 worry about stories and about upkeeping. Sure, 00:40:29.469 --> 00:40:31.389 there's a chance someone's gonna be mad or offended 00:40:31.389 --> 00:40:34.250 at the truth, but I submit that to God. I give 00:40:34.250 --> 00:40:37.690 that to God. I know he's already planned accordingly 00:40:37.690 --> 00:40:46.670 for that. Let's move forward y 'all This was 00:40:46.670 --> 00:40:49.030 one too don't let the Sun go down on your anger 00:40:49.030 --> 00:40:50.849 and don't give the devil an opportunity. There 00:40:50.849 --> 00:40:54.610 are so many people That are living in anger and 00:40:54.610 --> 00:40:57.150 unforgiveness and don't realize that they that 00:40:57.150 --> 00:41:01.230 is a big open door for the devil I didn't realize 00:41:01.230 --> 00:41:02.949 that that was an open door for the devil I had 00:41:02.949 --> 00:41:06.429 for so long and I thought I was a forgiving person 00:41:06.429 --> 00:41:08.289 and I thought I was a loving person. I thought 00:41:08.289 --> 00:41:10.369 just because I'm not posting about someone on 00:41:10.369 --> 00:41:12.710 social media or because I'm not trying to destroy 00:41:12.710 --> 00:41:14.369 their life or because I'm not always talking 00:41:14.369 --> 00:41:18.269 bad about them, I forgave them. I wasn't angry 00:41:18.269 --> 00:41:22.989 at them. But when the Lord started bringing up 00:41:22.989 --> 00:41:25.150 these people and I had to start facing some of 00:41:25.150 --> 00:41:27.469 the feelings this feeling I started having to 00:41:27.469 --> 00:41:29.889 recognize when this person came to mind my first 00:41:29.889 --> 00:41:31.829 thought wasn't you know, I hope that they're 00:41:31.829 --> 00:41:34.849 blessed I hope that God works in their life. 00:41:34.849 --> 00:41:36.670 I hope that they submit their lives to Jesus. 00:41:36.670 --> 00:41:38.849 I hope that they're healed I hope all these things 00:41:38.849 --> 00:41:41.289 my mind first are coming to I wonder what they 00:41:41.289 --> 00:41:43.150 think about me. I wonder if they feel guilty 00:41:43.150 --> 00:41:46.849 I wonder if they feel bad. I wonder if they see 00:41:46.849 --> 00:41:53.420 the wrong now Like, I wonder if they... all these 00:41:53.420 --> 00:41:55.139 thoughts that were coming up where it was like, 00:41:55.400 --> 00:41:57.500 that's not actually really forgiving thoughts. 00:41:57.980 --> 00:41:59.280 Each time I thought about these people, I was 00:41:59.280 --> 00:42:01.579 wondering like, do they feel guilty yet? Do they 00:42:01.579 --> 00:42:06.099 feel bad yet? Do they feel stupid? Like, do they 00:42:06.099 --> 00:42:08.940 feel this way? Do they feel that way? When people 00:42:08.940 --> 00:42:10.400 would bring them up, I would want to start talking 00:42:10.400 --> 00:42:12.760 about the bad things that they did to me. I was 00:42:12.760 --> 00:42:16.239 wanting to smear their character. You know when 00:42:16.239 --> 00:42:18.579 they reached out to me and like tried to apologize 00:42:18.579 --> 00:42:21.019 and stuff. I wouldn't even want to hear it Like 00:42:21.019 --> 00:42:24.059 and that's not to confuse forgiveness with letting 00:42:24.059 --> 00:42:26.960 down boundaries. That should be up Okay, we're 00:42:26.960 --> 00:42:28.599 supposed to forgive everybody. We're not meant 00:42:28.599 --> 00:42:30.760 to be close with everybody There is a difference 00:42:30.760 --> 00:42:32.960 y 'all and I had to learn that one the Lord put 00:42:32.960 --> 00:42:34.980 me through learning that one There were some 00:42:34.980 --> 00:42:37.480 people that you know called to forgive but hey, 00:42:37.539 --> 00:42:39.519 they're not repentant They're not submitted to 00:42:39.519 --> 00:42:42.000 to Christ. So if I let them back in they would 00:42:42.000 --> 00:42:44.889 just do the same hurt all over And I would have 00:42:44.889 --> 00:42:46.670 to go through the same recovery process all over 00:42:46.670 --> 00:42:48.590 I can love them pray for them I can shuttle love 00:42:48.590 --> 00:42:50.690 of Jesus through the way I live my life and not 00:42:50.690 --> 00:42:53.530 be talking to them every single day Not be filming 00:42:53.530 --> 00:42:56.929 them in on my daily life and that is okay But 00:42:56.929 --> 00:42:58.809 this is a big one that so many people are dealing 00:42:58.809 --> 00:43:01.650 with there are so many people dealing with unforgiveness 00:43:01.650 --> 00:43:06.090 That is a big open door for the devil When you 00:43:06.090 --> 00:43:08.690 are resentful towards somebody when you're feeling 00:43:08.690 --> 00:43:11.050 some type of way towards somebody it's really 00:43:11.050 --> 00:43:13.210 easy to start believing the lies of the enemy 00:43:14.199 --> 00:43:16.480 You know when you already when you're already 00:43:16.480 --> 00:43:18.119 upset or feel in some type of way It's really 00:43:18.119 --> 00:43:19.980 easy for when the devil starts whispering and 00:43:19.980 --> 00:43:22.579 they're probably doing this to you, too And they 00:43:22.579 --> 00:43:25.199 probably think this and they're probably saying 00:43:25.199 --> 00:43:28.119 this and they're probably da da da da da And 00:43:28.119 --> 00:43:29.780 you know the reason why you're dealing with this 00:43:29.780 --> 00:43:31.599 is because of them and the reason why you're 00:43:31.599 --> 00:43:34.280 dealing with this is because of them and the 00:43:34.280 --> 00:43:36.199 reason why you have this problem isn't actually 00:43:36.199 --> 00:43:38.119 an area you need to take accountability you can 00:43:38.119 --> 00:43:40.340 actually blame it all on them and before you 00:43:40.340 --> 00:43:42.480 know it unforgiveness is also a way for you to 00:43:42.480 --> 00:43:45.840 shift accountability off yourself right and before 00:43:45.840 --> 00:43:47.480 you know it a thing that jesus has been trying 00:43:47.480 --> 00:43:49.059 to tell you you need to heal this you need to 00:43:49.059 --> 00:43:50.559 work on this you don't see it as your problem 00:43:50.559 --> 00:43:53.480 you see it as the result of someone else Before 00:43:53.480 --> 00:43:55.639 you know it you're defending your sin. I have 00:43:55.639 --> 00:43:57.239 seen that y 'all so many times in my life the 00:43:57.239 --> 00:43:59.519 unforgiveness caused me to defend my sin I'd 00:43:59.519 --> 00:44:02.380 say well, I do this because of my trauma and 00:44:02.380 --> 00:44:04.780 because of my pain. So it's actually this person's 00:44:04.780 --> 00:44:06.619 fault So I have a just reason I'm not going to 00:44:06.619 --> 00:44:10.940 change it Unforgiveness and we see it right here 00:44:10.940 --> 00:44:14.119 in scripture is an open door for the devil Anger 00:44:14.119 --> 00:44:16.380 is an open door for the devil to take advantage 00:44:16.380 --> 00:44:21.219 of you And to have legal access to your life 00:44:22.699 --> 00:44:27.039 to your mind, to your connections. I'm gonna 00:44:27.039 --> 00:44:30.420 continue reading this. Let the thief no longer 00:44:30.420 --> 00:44:33.539 steal. Instead, he is to do honest work with 00:44:33.539 --> 00:44:36.039 his own hands so that he has something to share 00:44:36.039 --> 00:44:38.420 with anyone in need. And this right here is, 00:44:38.960 --> 00:44:41.659 you are able to be transformed just because you 00:44:41.659 --> 00:44:45.179 did it in the past. Doesn't mean you have to 00:44:45.179 --> 00:44:48.179 keep doing it. If anything, you're called to 00:44:48.179 --> 00:44:52.239 do different. It says right here, a thief, which 00:44:52.239 --> 00:44:56.480 is someone who is known to steal, a stealer, 00:44:57.320 --> 00:45:00.420 someone who commits theft, is now called to do 00:45:00.420 --> 00:45:06.960 it no more. So if you were a fornicator, you're 00:45:06.960 --> 00:45:11.440 called to stop fornicating. And I'm not speaking 00:45:11.440 --> 00:45:14.300 from some high mountaintop. I just confess to 00:45:14.300 --> 00:45:17.039 you all in this podcast that I had sex before 00:45:17.039 --> 00:45:20.969 marriage. That was a problem for me. And the 00:45:20.969 --> 00:45:22.969 Lord had to be so for real with me and get so 00:45:22.969 --> 00:45:26.309 real with me I have made it very clear that that 00:45:26.309 --> 00:45:27.750 is not something you're supposed to do outside 00:45:27.750 --> 00:45:33.309 marriage So just because you did it in your past 00:45:33.309 --> 00:45:35.869 doesn't mean you're clear to do it now People 00:45:35.869 --> 00:45:38.670 with kids who are single just because you have 00:45:38.670 --> 00:45:42.309 a kid does not mean you can go and continue to 00:45:42.309 --> 00:45:45.630 fornicate People who have been married and now 00:45:45.630 --> 00:45:47.590 you're single you've been divorced just because 00:45:47.590 --> 00:45:49.429 you've been married in the past doesn't mean 00:45:49.519 --> 00:45:51.860 Okay, now I'm okay to fornicate some people have 00:45:51.860 --> 00:45:53.360 this thing in their mind Well, they're like well 00:45:53.360 --> 00:45:55.920 since i've already done it or like since I have 00:45:55.920 --> 00:45:59.099 a kid or since i've been married in the past 00:45:59.099 --> 00:46:02.960 like And I know i'm speaking as that was my thought 00:46:02.960 --> 00:46:05.480 process y 'all growing up. I I started thinking 00:46:05.480 --> 00:46:08.599 well now that i'm not technically pure What's 00:46:08.599 --> 00:46:10.619 the point of waiting? Because in my mind you 00:46:10.619 --> 00:46:12.619 were just saving yourself for marriage and that 00:46:12.619 --> 00:46:16.059 was the only point So like if that's no longer 00:46:16.059 --> 00:46:20.400 able to happen What's the point of like staying 00:46:20.400 --> 00:46:22.440 away? I know there are some people who are in 00:46:22.440 --> 00:46:25.119 their mind thinking well We're called not to 00:46:25.119 --> 00:46:26.579 have sex outside of marriage because then you 00:46:26.579 --> 00:46:28.539 might end up with kids But since I already have 00:46:28.539 --> 00:46:31.019 a kid and since it's obvious to the world since 00:46:31.019 --> 00:46:34.539 I have a kid that I'm not a virgin I might as 00:46:34.539 --> 00:46:37.940 well do it There are people that well that was 00:46:37.940 --> 00:46:39.500 just for a first marriage since I've already 00:46:39.500 --> 00:46:45.440 been married You know, what's the point? When 00:46:45.440 --> 00:46:48.380 you know you've been living an act of sin and 00:46:48.380 --> 00:46:51.159 now you have the knowledge that that sin is wrong 00:46:51.159 --> 00:46:56.219 you are called to sin no more just because you 00:46:56.219 --> 00:46:58.300 were a fornicator in the past now that you are 00:46:58.300 --> 00:46:59.820 a new creation in christ you are called to be 00:46:59.820 --> 00:47:03.199 a fornicator no more you were a liar in the past 00:47:03.199 --> 00:47:04.699 now that you're a new creation you are called 00:47:04.699 --> 00:47:10.840 to lie no more quit lying be a truth teller you 00:47:10.840 --> 00:47:12.659 were a diviner in the past now that you're in 00:47:12.659 --> 00:47:15.340 christ you divine no more you fortune tell no 00:47:15.340 --> 00:47:19.320 more you do these things no more And someone 00:47:19.320 --> 00:47:21.019 needs to hear this today. I want to pause here 00:47:21.019 --> 00:47:24.199 because I have seen so many people Who I have 00:47:24.199 --> 00:47:26.840 seen this so much online of people who are like 00:47:26.840 --> 00:47:29.519 in new age who are like terror readers and psychic 00:47:29.519 --> 00:47:34.820 mediums and things like that and They believe 00:47:34.820 --> 00:47:36.539 they have this prophetic gift right and they're 00:47:36.539 --> 00:47:38.460 like well I feel the convictions I'm not supposed 00:47:38.460 --> 00:47:40.840 to do this, but how else am I supposed to use 00:47:40.840 --> 00:47:43.960 my gift? How else am I supposed to use my gift? 00:47:44.609 --> 00:47:46.630 They're like I'm gonna use my gift. God gave 00:47:46.630 --> 00:47:48.409 it to me. I'm gonna use it God is very clear 00:47:48.409 --> 00:47:49.989 about this in Scripture to y 'all and I believe 00:47:49.989 --> 00:47:52.929 this is in Ephesians and I can get to this to 00:47:52.929 --> 00:47:57.550 where God We have these gifts, right? This is 00:47:57.550 --> 00:47:59.389 the gift of communication. This is the gift of 00:47:59.389 --> 00:48:01.610 prophecy whatever the gift of teaching whatever 00:48:01.610 --> 00:48:04.230 these gifts are Yes, they are given to us and 00:48:04.230 --> 00:48:06.309 we are meant to use them, but we are meant to 00:48:06.309 --> 00:48:10.599 use them To further the ministry of Christ Jesus 00:48:10.599 --> 00:48:13.059 everything that we do with these gifts should 00:48:13.059 --> 00:48:16.880 be pointing back to Jesus and only Jesus To be 00:48:16.880 --> 00:48:18.980 pointing back to the kingdom of heaven only the 00:48:18.980 --> 00:48:22.679 kingdom of heaven. We are given these gifts To 00:48:22.679 --> 00:48:26.139 bring people quote to spread the gospel and to 00:48:26.139 --> 00:48:31.400 bring people to God We are not meant to be using 00:48:31.400 --> 00:48:34.340 these gifts to point to ourself to our own intuition 00:48:34.340 --> 00:48:36.519 I'm doing quotation marks with intuition right 00:48:36.519 --> 00:48:40.739 now to point to any spirituality anything outside 00:48:40.739 --> 00:48:44.659 of christ jesus I just want to make that very 00:48:44.659 --> 00:48:46.719 clear we we are given the gifts that we are given 00:48:46.719 --> 00:48:48.860 for a reason yes we are called to use them but 00:48:48.860 --> 00:48:51.579 we are called to use them we are all parts of 00:48:51.579 --> 00:48:56.039 one body it is not meant for our own glory for 00:48:56.039 --> 00:49:02.519 our own whatever it is meant for the kingdom 00:49:02.519 --> 00:49:04.860 of heaven and only the kingdom of heaven Okay, 00:49:04.860 --> 00:49:07.159 guys, I just want to say that very clearly. Someone 00:49:07.159 --> 00:49:10.619 needs to hear that today. Now, let's move forward 00:49:10.619 --> 00:49:14.760 here. No foul language should come from your 00:49:14.760 --> 00:49:17.460 mouth, but only what is good for building up 00:49:17.460 --> 00:49:20.219 someone in need so that it gives grace to those 00:49:20.219 --> 00:49:22.840 who hear. And don't grieve God's Holy Spirit. 00:49:22.900 --> 00:49:25.179 You were sealed by Him for the day of redemption. 00:49:25.599 --> 00:49:28.039 Y 'all, that was a heavy one that I saw change 00:49:28.039 --> 00:49:29.780 in my life. Once I started giving my life to 00:49:29.780 --> 00:49:32.579 Christ, I stopped cussing and it wasn't at first. 00:49:32.960 --> 00:49:36.360 Like at first, I was still saying the f -bombs 00:49:36.360 --> 00:49:40.960 and the holy s -word. Like those, I was used 00:49:40.960 --> 00:49:43.760 to cursing like a sailor and I would say every 00:49:43.760 --> 00:49:46.559 word in the book and didn't care. And it started 00:49:46.559 --> 00:49:48.820 with conviction. It started with when I started 00:49:48.820 --> 00:49:50.559 saying those words, I started realizing, oh, 00:49:50.599 --> 00:49:54.219 those aren't, those aren't good. I'm not supposed 00:49:54.219 --> 00:49:57.159 to be using that language. Like it started with 00:49:57.159 --> 00:49:59.699 a conviction. Right? And how we've seen here, 00:49:59.719 --> 00:50:02.219 don't grieve the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit 00:50:02.219 --> 00:50:05.139 that dwells within us, right, reveals things 00:50:05.139 --> 00:50:08.639 to us, convicts us. And we grieve the Holy Spirit 00:50:08.639 --> 00:50:12.500 when we ignore the revelation and when we ignore 00:50:12.500 --> 00:50:16.760 the conviction. And I'm giving y 'all that example 00:50:16.760 --> 00:50:18.860 with cursing, with cussing for me. I used to 00:50:18.860 --> 00:50:23.820 cuss like a sailor. I didn't care. And I would 00:50:23.820 --> 00:50:26.320 listen to all the shows that curse profusely 00:50:26.320 --> 00:50:30.969 and have like the crudest kind of humor. You 00:50:30.969 --> 00:50:34.250 know, all those animated shows that if it were 00:50:34.250 --> 00:50:35.789 real people saying those things or shows would 00:50:35.789 --> 00:50:38.250 be canceled in like one episode, those were my 00:50:38.250 --> 00:50:41.710 main shows. I watched all of those shows. And 00:50:41.710 --> 00:50:43.550 it started with a conviction of I would be saying 00:50:43.550 --> 00:50:45.449 those words and I'd be like, this doesn't feel 00:50:45.449 --> 00:50:48.429 good coming out of my mouth. Like it's coming 00:50:48.429 --> 00:50:51.849 out naturally, but I feel convicted. I know that 00:50:51.849 --> 00:50:54.809 this doesn't glorify God and I don't hear other 00:50:54.809 --> 00:50:59.000 Christians talking like this. And it started 00:50:59.000 --> 00:51:02.019 with me making the active decision to listen 00:51:02.019 --> 00:51:04.239 to that conviction. And at first it started with 00:51:04.239 --> 00:51:05.860 when those would come out, I would like say a 00:51:05.860 --> 00:51:07.559 quick prayer of apologizing to the Lord, like, 00:51:07.599 --> 00:51:10.800 forgive me Lord, help me to quit cussing. And 00:51:10.800 --> 00:51:15.039 he answered my prayer through conviction. I started 00:51:15.039 --> 00:51:17.960 feeling a conviction. And over time, I started 00:51:17.960 --> 00:51:20.659 just actively choosing to use different language. 00:51:21.590 --> 00:51:23.849 Like when I would go to start cussing I would 00:51:23.849 --> 00:51:26.369 find myself able to stop like kind of mid -sentence 00:51:26.369 --> 00:51:31.949 and redirect and choose another word And for 00:51:31.949 --> 00:51:33.829 the longest time I didn't see a problem with 00:51:33.829 --> 00:51:37.809 the f -bomb or anything like that And it was 00:51:37.809 --> 00:51:39.889 hard for me to see like well, how does this separate 00:51:39.889 --> 00:51:44.289 me from grace? How does the devil use this? But 00:51:44.289 --> 00:51:46.769 it became enough for me of being able to read 00:51:46.769 --> 00:51:52.239 scripture like this I'm like not using not not 00:51:52.239 --> 00:51:55.300 using and recognizing and I want to be so thoughtful 00:51:55.300 --> 00:51:57.000 the way I word this that when Peter was trying 00:51:57.000 --> 00:51:59.239 to separate himself from Jesus he spoke a curse 00:51:59.239 --> 00:52:02.280 and I know that there are people with different 00:52:02.280 --> 00:52:03.980 interpretations or people who interpret that 00:52:03.980 --> 00:52:05.780 as curse words and there are people who interpret 00:52:05.780 --> 00:52:09.400 that as a word curse like more witchcraft word 00:52:09.400 --> 00:52:14.659 curse speaking death but I felt very convicted 00:52:14.659 --> 00:52:17.239 of just using that kind of language as a way 00:52:17.239 --> 00:52:20.250 to relate more to the world and to separate yourself 00:52:20.250 --> 00:52:21.769 from Christ. And I don't want to be separated 00:52:21.769 --> 00:52:23.769 from Christ. I don't want to look like the world. 00:52:23.829 --> 00:52:25.349 I want to look like the Lord. So if he tells 00:52:25.349 --> 00:52:27.449 me that one of the things I need to adjust and 00:52:27.449 --> 00:52:29.449 fix is foul language, although I can't see all 00:52:29.449 --> 00:52:31.789 of it, I'm just going to accept that I'm not 00:52:31.789 --> 00:52:33.530 supposed to be cursing or cussing. And actually 00:52:33.530 --> 00:52:36.110 now, y 'all, when I hear people cuss, like I 00:52:36.110 --> 00:52:39.150 cringe. I was the other day around someone who 00:52:39.150 --> 00:52:41.369 was like cussing like a sailor and I kept cringing 00:52:41.369 --> 00:52:43.730 every single time. And I actually wanted to stray 00:52:43.730 --> 00:52:47.340 away from the conversation. And I wasn't like 00:52:47.340 --> 00:52:49.340 judging that person. I'm saying like, you know 00:52:49.340 --> 00:52:51.079 judging their relationship with Christ or anything 00:52:51.079 --> 00:52:53.480 But it was like I just naturally I didn't like 00:52:53.480 --> 00:52:55.320 those words like those words to me were like 00:52:55.320 --> 00:52:57.460 nails on the chalkboard and a couple years ago 00:52:57.460 --> 00:52:59.920 they wouldn't have been and that's how I knew 00:52:59.920 --> 00:53:02.539 that the conviction was hitting and the conviction 00:53:02.539 --> 00:53:05.679 was sticking and this has been the understanding 00:53:05.679 --> 00:53:08.059 that the Lord has really given me with grieving 00:53:08.059 --> 00:53:10.059 the Holy Spirit where he says do not grieve the 00:53:10.059 --> 00:53:13.920 Holy Spirit like do not ignore the Holy Spirit 00:53:13.920 --> 00:53:17.639 don't ignore the conviction. Don't ignore the 00:53:17.639 --> 00:53:19.460 revelation. One thing I've noticed over time 00:53:19.460 --> 00:53:21.320 y 'all because there have been sometimes at first 00:53:21.320 --> 00:53:23.900 when I tried to ignore conviction and that's 00:53:23.900 --> 00:53:25.900 a dangerous game to play because at first the 00:53:25.900 --> 00:53:28.920 conviction is really loud and the more you ignore 00:53:28.920 --> 00:53:32.380 it the quieter and softer it's going to be and 00:53:32.380 --> 00:53:35.659 that's what it looks like to defend sin and to 00:53:35.659 --> 00:53:38.179 become comfortable in sin right. At first when 00:53:38.179 --> 00:53:41.730 you start that sin You feel great where you're 00:53:41.730 --> 00:53:43.050 like, I shouldn't have done that I shouldn't 00:53:43.050 --> 00:53:44.590 have gone into it But when you start to find 00:53:44.590 --> 00:53:48.150 good reasons to justify it and you start to continue 00:53:48.150 --> 00:53:51.409 to do it anyway It starts to become more a part 00:53:51.409 --> 00:53:53.989 of your daily life and it gets really dangerous 00:53:53.989 --> 00:53:57.769 when you start entertaining the flesh Over the 00:53:57.769 --> 00:53:59.429 spirit when you start putting the conviction 00:53:59.429 --> 00:54:03.230 aside and the Lord we are warned so heavily To 00:54:03.230 --> 00:54:06.050 not grieve the Holy Spirit to not ignore the 00:54:06.050 --> 00:54:09.980 promptings of the Holy Spirit Let's move forward. 00:54:10.760 --> 00:54:14.039 All right. No foul language should come from 00:54:14.039 --> 00:54:15.739 your mouth, but only what is good for building 00:54:15.739 --> 00:54:17.320 up someone needs. Someone needs to hear this 00:54:17.320 --> 00:54:19.280 say too. We're really breaking this down, y 'all. 00:54:19.699 --> 00:54:21.199 The things that come out of our mouth should 00:54:21.199 --> 00:54:23.940 be constructive, not be constructive. And I wanna 00:54:23.940 --> 00:54:26.119 be so clear with this, that this doesn't mean 00:54:26.119 --> 00:54:31.739 that you are... Like outwardly lying or rose 00:54:31.739 --> 00:54:34.239 -colored glassing things. You shouldn't be putting 00:54:34.239 --> 00:54:37.539 on rose -colored glasses when you look at situations 00:54:37.539 --> 00:54:41.420 But you need to be thoughtful right of not speaking 00:54:41.420 --> 00:54:44.539 death And this was something that the Lord had 00:54:44.539 --> 00:54:47.960 to work on my heart So heavily and is I wouldn't 00:54:47.960 --> 00:54:49.840 I was one of those people who would say yeah 00:54:49.840 --> 00:54:52.699 This person's just a liar or this person's just 00:54:52.699 --> 00:54:54.639 a this and they're never gonna get better and 00:54:54.639 --> 00:54:56.500 they're never gonna Heal and they're never gonna 00:54:56.500 --> 00:54:59.760 be this and they're never gonna be that It's 00:54:59.760 --> 00:55:02.000 like instead of looking at because that's me 00:55:02.000 --> 00:55:04.099 condemning someone right? That's me closing the 00:55:04.099 --> 00:55:05.820 door and saying this is who this person is and 00:55:05.820 --> 00:55:07.559 there's no hope and they're never gonna change 00:55:07.559 --> 00:55:10.019 and I felt the Lord Convict me so heavily of 00:55:10.019 --> 00:55:12.360 instead of saying that you can recognize. Okay. 00:55:12.360 --> 00:55:15.119 This person has a problem with lying This person 00:55:15.119 --> 00:55:17.159 has a problem with deceiving. This person has 00:55:17.159 --> 00:55:19.280 a problem like there's a lot of wickedness coming 00:55:19.280 --> 00:55:23.260 out of them But I know through my transformation 00:55:23.260 --> 00:55:25.360 in Christ Jesus that transformation is possible 00:55:25.360 --> 00:55:28.480 for them. So I'm gonna start building them up 00:55:28.559 --> 00:55:30.420 I'm gonna start taking them to the Lord. I'm 00:55:30.420 --> 00:55:32.780 gonna start saying Lord I recognize that they're 00:55:32.780 --> 00:55:35.380 they're dealing with this thing, but you are 00:55:35.380 --> 00:55:38.059 bigger than this thing So I welcome you into 00:55:38.059 --> 00:55:39.940 their life. I am praying for them and I pray 00:55:39.940 --> 00:55:42.860 that you intercede on their behalf You know when 00:55:42.860 --> 00:55:45.480 someone's coming at me and saying I'm dealing 00:55:45.480 --> 00:55:47.780 with this financial thing and like it just seems 00:55:47.780 --> 00:55:49.780 like I keep getting hit and hit and hit and like 00:55:49.780 --> 00:55:52.300 someone who's so Angry and so negative about 00:55:52.300 --> 00:55:56.179 the situation the Lord has given me the ability 00:55:56.179 --> 00:55:59.059 many times to speak life into it instead of saying 00:55:59.059 --> 00:56:01.800 hey I know this is painful and I know this is 00:56:01.800 --> 00:56:04.840 rough but this is an opportunity for you to lean 00:56:04.840 --> 00:56:07.820 on the Lord right now this isn't this is opportunity 00:56:07.820 --> 00:56:11.099 for him to work a real miracle in your life I 00:56:11.099 --> 00:56:14.539 know it looks hopeless but God is bigger like 00:56:14.539 --> 00:56:16.599 take this to God is there something he's trying 00:56:16.599 --> 00:56:18.219 to show you right now is there something he's 00:56:18.219 --> 00:56:22.119 trying to do and I have seen people's And this 00:56:22.119 --> 00:56:24.699 wasn't me. This was God speaking through me. 00:56:24.739 --> 00:56:27.159 God giving me the words. And this was them going 00:56:27.159 --> 00:56:30.099 to God and Him working. I have seen people see 00:56:30.099 --> 00:56:33.099 miracles and people see breakthrough and people 00:56:33.099 --> 00:56:35.039 see things like that after those discussions 00:56:35.039 --> 00:56:37.119 and they turn to the Lord. And again, that is 00:56:37.119 --> 00:56:39.360 no credit or no glory of mine. God was simply 00:56:39.360 --> 00:56:42.480 using me as a messenger in that moment. But that 00:56:42.480 --> 00:56:45.440 was an example of speaking things that build 00:56:45.440 --> 00:56:50.429 someone up instead of tearing someone down. I've 00:56:50.429 --> 00:56:54.849 had so many opportunities to destroy someone 00:56:54.849 --> 00:56:58.429 with my words, but I felt convicted by the Lord 00:56:58.429 --> 00:57:01.469 of instead tell them what's possible through 00:57:01.469 --> 00:57:06.070 Christ Jesus. Tell them the truth, the spiritual 00:57:06.070 --> 00:57:11.269 truth. And I have seen the impact it has made 00:57:11.269 --> 00:57:16.150 on some people's lives. Glory be to God. Let's 00:57:16.150 --> 00:57:19.170 move forward y 'all. So that it gives grace to 00:57:19.170 --> 00:57:21.769 those who hear and don't grieve God's Holy Spirit 00:57:21.769 --> 00:57:24.349 You were sealed by him for the day of redemption 00:57:24.349 --> 00:57:27.690 Let all bitterness anger and wrath shouting and 00:57:27.690 --> 00:57:31.869 slander be removed from you along with all malice 00:57:31.869 --> 00:57:36.190 The way that you react the crash out isn't Christ 00:57:36.190 --> 00:57:41.190 like and y 'all have heard my podcast episode 00:57:41.190 --> 00:57:43.809 on here before of crash out where i was a crash 00:57:43.809 --> 00:57:46.750 out where the way i responded was i'll raise 00:57:46.750 --> 00:57:49.250 my voice and i'll get louder and i'll act in 00:57:49.250 --> 00:57:51.070 anger and all these things and the lord has put 00:57:51.070 --> 00:57:53.289 me through so many situations where anger is 00:57:53.289 --> 00:57:57.110 stirred up when put in very very similar scenarios 00:57:57.110 --> 00:57:58.789 where in the past i would crash out and have 00:57:58.789 --> 00:58:02.329 a big reaction but this time instead i prayed 00:58:02.329 --> 00:58:05.469 for them this time instead i showed them love 00:58:05.469 --> 00:58:09.139 this time instead i took it to the lord And that's 00:58:09.139 --> 00:58:11.780 not an easy thing to do. And that's not something 00:58:11.780 --> 00:58:13.860 that happens overnight. And that's not my own 00:58:13.860 --> 00:58:16.719 strength. That was God. And that was God. Jesus 00:58:16.719 --> 00:58:19.639 first showing me how much He loved me, I wasn't 00:58:19.639 --> 00:58:22.360 able to show this love to others until I experienced 00:58:22.360 --> 00:58:25.780 it for myself. I wasn't able to react that way 00:58:25.780 --> 00:58:28.420 and handle others that way until I had first 00:58:28.420 --> 00:58:30.579 been dealt with like that from before. When I 00:58:30.579 --> 00:58:33.360 was in a space of deserving no love, deserving 00:58:33.360 --> 00:58:36.719 no grace, but He showed it to me anyway. And 00:58:36.719 --> 00:58:39.860 that was how I was able to recognize it and eventually 00:58:39.860 --> 00:58:43.960 show it to other people. And we are called to 00:58:43.960 --> 00:58:46.840 live that way, right? To not be slanderers, to 00:58:46.840 --> 00:58:50.380 not be gossippers, to not be in anger and malice 00:58:50.380 --> 00:58:52.780 and shouting, to not be trying to get our revenge 00:58:52.780 --> 00:58:56.340 or our look back, to not be manipulators. And 00:58:56.340 --> 00:58:59.119 these are all things that naturally we are flesh 00:58:59.119 --> 00:59:03.900 is inclined to do. And this is one of the things 00:59:03.900 --> 00:59:07.380 that When I would be looking at Christians and 00:59:07.380 --> 00:59:09.619 I'd be like, so we're expected to be doormats? 00:59:09.920 --> 00:59:11.940 So we're expected to just be walked all over? 00:59:12.059 --> 00:59:16.639 No, no, no. When you take things to the Lord, 00:59:16.679 --> 00:59:19.239 let me make this very clear. The Lord will tell 00:59:19.239 --> 00:59:20.840 you what to do and sometimes the Lord will tell 00:59:20.840 --> 00:59:25.780 you set a boundary. Love this person from a distance. 00:59:27.880 --> 00:59:30.079 God is a heavenly father and he loves us. You 00:59:30.079 --> 00:59:32.239 best believe he will step in and do what he needs 00:59:32.239 --> 00:59:37.010 to do. but it requires a level of humility, right? 00:59:37.469 --> 00:59:39.949 Our anger and our lick backs and all of these 00:59:39.949 --> 00:59:42.690 things, a lot of times the root of these is a 00:59:42.690 --> 00:59:45.210 lack of humility and pride, of wanting to prove 00:59:45.210 --> 00:59:46.889 that we're right, of wanting to prove that we're 00:59:46.889 --> 00:59:48.269 strong, of wanting to prove that we're this, 00:59:48.389 --> 00:59:51.369 of wanting to prove that we're that. And submitting 00:59:51.369 --> 00:59:55.510 something to God and taking it to God and allowing 00:59:55.510 --> 00:59:59.730 him to handle it is a real, it takes a lot of 00:59:59.730 --> 01:00:04.539 humility, y 'all. Because sometimes people don't 01:00:04.539 --> 01:00:07.099 want to let you go in grace there sometimes the 01:00:07.099 --> 01:00:08.599 entire time you're walking away to give it to 01:00:08.599 --> 01:00:10.400 God that person's laughing and making fun of 01:00:10.400 --> 01:00:13.440 you and Poking you and poking you and poking 01:00:13.440 --> 01:00:16.239 you look at Jesus when Jesus was going to the 01:00:16.239 --> 01:00:19.000 cross. He was being humiliated and mocked and 01:00:19.000 --> 01:00:23.119 laughed and The entire time he was he was only 01:00:23.119 --> 01:00:26.880 do it wasn't that he deserved any of that He 01:00:26.880 --> 01:00:29.179 was doing what God called him to do and he was 01:00:29.179 --> 01:00:34.559 handling it humbly with a meekness and the lovingness. 01:00:36.500 --> 01:00:38.079 I want to make that very clear that God doesn't 01:00:38.079 --> 01:00:41.179 call us to be doormats or to be stepped on or 01:00:41.179 --> 01:00:45.800 expect us to like be like this like scum of the 01:00:45.800 --> 01:00:48.119 earth that we first imagine but he does expect 01:00:48.119 --> 01:00:50.360 us to humble ourselves and give it to him to 01:00:50.360 --> 01:00:52.599 handle because his ways are higher and keep in 01:00:52.599 --> 01:00:54.380 mind that those those people who are hurting 01:00:54.380 --> 01:00:56.920 you that you want to hurt those are God's children 01:00:56.920 --> 01:01:00.769 too and he loves them too. So you best believe 01:01:00.769 --> 01:01:04.309 that whatever justice he's doing for you, he's 01:01:04.309 --> 01:01:08.409 also gonna make sure that it's capable of helping 01:01:08.409 --> 01:01:10.690 them as well, right? Because he loves them as 01:01:10.690 --> 01:01:14.309 well. And I'll tell y 'all, I just wanna drop 01:01:14.309 --> 01:01:17.010 this in. If you're having troubles with forgiveness, 01:01:17.269 --> 01:01:19.980 the first step is... I've learned in personal 01:01:19.980 --> 01:01:22.139 experience with the Lord is praying for them. 01:01:22.380 --> 01:01:24.800 The second I would find myself cursing someone 01:01:24.800 --> 01:01:26.960 or someone who did something wrong came up to 01:01:26.960 --> 01:01:28.719 mind. I would start wanting to speak death and 01:01:28.719 --> 01:01:30.900 getting angry and upset and wanting to like pray 01:01:30.900 --> 01:01:33.420 that the worst things happen to them. When those 01:01:33.420 --> 01:01:35.019 thoughts would start coming up, I'd feel convicted 01:01:35.019 --> 01:01:37.699 of, okay, now pray for them. And I would feel 01:01:37.699 --> 01:01:39.639 convicted to start saying God bless this person. 01:01:39.960 --> 01:01:42.300 Heal this person, whatever is going on in their 01:01:42.300 --> 01:01:46.320 life that's causing them to be this way. Heal 01:01:46.320 --> 01:01:49.110 that. You know if I dealt with someone who is 01:01:49.110 --> 01:01:50.650 lying or being deceptive I would start praying 01:01:50.650 --> 01:01:52.489 to God God I pray that they live their life in 01:01:52.489 --> 01:01:55.030 truth I pray that they submit to you that they 01:01:55.030 --> 01:01:58.070 know you and that they live a life of truth like 01:01:58.070 --> 01:02:00.230 I would start praying that they are blessed by 01:02:00.230 --> 01:02:05.150 his presence in their life and Over a time my 01:02:05.150 --> 01:02:07.530 heart placement towards these people truly shifted 01:02:07.530 --> 01:02:09.469 and change I'd be I can't tell you there were 01:02:09.469 --> 01:02:11.130 some people y 'all I was praying to God like 01:02:11.130 --> 01:02:12.829 a hundred times a day of God helped me to forgive 01:02:12.829 --> 01:02:14.929 them God helped me to release them helped me 01:02:14.929 --> 01:02:19.829 to give them to you and I'll tell y 'all that 01:02:19.829 --> 01:02:22.449 it wasn't all those feelings went away immediately, 01:02:22.570 --> 01:02:28.329 but God did a work in me. And as followers of 01:02:28.329 --> 01:02:31.750 Christ, we are called to let those hateful feelings 01:02:31.750 --> 01:02:37.190 go and to submit them to the Lord. I'm gonna 01:02:37.190 --> 01:02:40.110 move forward here. It says, be kind and compassionate 01:02:40.110 --> 01:02:42.949 to one another, forgiving one another just as 01:02:42.949 --> 01:02:46.070 God also forgave you in Christ. Therefore, be 01:02:46.070 --> 01:02:49.769 imitators of God. as dearly loved children and 01:02:49.769 --> 01:02:52.829 walk in love as Christ also loved us and gave 01:02:52.829 --> 01:02:55.610 himself for us a sacrificial and fragrant offering 01:02:55.610 --> 01:02:59.389 to God that sexual immorality and any impurity 01:02:59.389 --> 01:03:02.550 or greed should not even be heard of among you 01:03:02.550 --> 01:03:07.389 as is proper for saints obscene and foolish talking 01:03:07.389 --> 01:03:10.989 or crude joking are not suitable but rather giving 01:03:10.989 --> 01:03:14.980 thanks Just for anyone here who was wondering 01:03:14.980 --> 01:03:17.260 what's wrong with listening to those crude shows 01:03:17.260 --> 01:03:20.019 Listening to I love those shows. What's wrong 01:03:20.019 --> 01:03:22.239 with them? I'm just saying right here and I'm 01:03:22.239 --> 01:03:25.019 reading out of the CSB the she reads truth Christian 01:03:25.019 --> 01:03:30.380 standard Bible That we are called to to flee 01:03:30.380 --> 01:03:34.519 right from these Obscene and foolish talking 01:03:34.519 --> 01:03:37.440 or crude joking the things that we entertain 01:03:37.440 --> 01:03:42.260 on social media the people There have been some 01:03:42.260 --> 01:03:45.300 people, y 'all, that I felt convicted to not 01:03:45.300 --> 01:03:47.079 have as many frequent conversations with them 01:03:47.079 --> 01:03:48.840 or to not hang out with them simply because of 01:03:48.840 --> 01:03:52.019 their sense of humor. Because the things that 01:03:52.019 --> 01:03:53.659 they were taking joy in, the things that they 01:03:53.659 --> 01:03:57.599 were, to me it felt like slander, and it felt 01:03:57.599 --> 01:03:59.619 like gossip, and it did feel crude. There were 01:03:59.619 --> 01:04:03.079 things that I was like, I felt convicted. Whereas 01:04:03.079 --> 01:04:05.320 like, I can't participate in these conversations. 01:04:06.079 --> 01:04:09.909 These crude conversations, these... crude jokes 01:04:09.909 --> 01:04:14.309 these and that was a hard thing to do right because 01:04:14.309 --> 01:04:15.510 i would have to look at the lord and be like 01:04:15.510 --> 01:04:17.730 but they seem like good people in all these other 01:04:17.730 --> 01:04:21.510 areas god it's just the sense of humor it's it's 01:04:21.510 --> 01:04:24.710 just these things and it doesn't glorify you 01:04:24.710 --> 01:04:26.690 and it doesn't feel like it brings me closer 01:04:26.690 --> 01:04:29.909 to you um and i would feel convicted to keep 01:04:29.909 --> 01:04:33.449 a distance because the lord which has so heavily 01:04:33.449 --> 01:04:36.429 brought me back to scripture y 'all that bad 01:04:37.230 --> 01:04:39.130 company corrupts good morals and that you can 01:04:39.130 --> 01:04:40.730 have that good set of morals but when you're 01:04:40.730 --> 01:04:43.789 around that bad company every day you can start 01:04:43.789 --> 01:04:47.769 to be influenced and it's not if bad company 01:04:47.769 --> 01:04:50.050 corrupts good morals it's bad company corrupts 01:04:50.050 --> 01:04:55.230 good morals that eventually that is going to 01:04:55.230 --> 01:04:59.110 rub off on you and I've seen it happen times 01:04:59.110 --> 01:05:02.010 already when people and their responses when 01:05:02.010 --> 01:05:04.329 I'm with them every single day and their thought 01:05:04.329 --> 01:05:07.110 processes where although it doesn't like fully 01:05:07.110 --> 01:05:09.389 push me away from the Lord I notice that starts 01:05:09.389 --> 01:05:13.190 to be an active struggle to stay right. You know 01:05:13.190 --> 01:05:15.010 like I'm going on the path I'm supposed to be 01:05:15.010 --> 01:05:17.650 on and it's like being around that consistently 01:05:17.650 --> 01:05:19.630 every day is almost like someone like you're 01:05:19.630 --> 01:05:22.150 buying bumper cars and I feel like they're constantly 01:05:22.150 --> 01:05:24.809 kind of trying to push me into the side or onto 01:05:24.809 --> 01:05:26.730 another track or kind of like off the edge and 01:05:26.730 --> 01:05:29.110 I'm having to do like exert that extra effort 01:05:29.110 --> 01:05:31.809 and that extra work consistently to like stay 01:05:31.809 --> 01:05:35.840 on the right path. And when it comes to planting 01:05:35.840 --> 01:05:38.139 seeds and everything like that, yeah, like that's 01:05:38.139 --> 01:05:40.860 important, right? To be able to stand firm in 01:05:40.860 --> 01:05:43.179 your faith and to go into environments and be 01:05:43.179 --> 01:05:46.260 able to plant seeds and step out. But we're talking 01:05:46.260 --> 01:05:50.559 what you're with consistently, right? Like when 01:05:50.559 --> 01:05:52.280 that is your daily life, what you are allowing 01:05:52.280 --> 01:05:55.159 in your daily life, that starts to rub off on 01:05:55.159 --> 01:05:57.079 you. The way that you respond, before you, for 01:05:57.079 --> 01:05:58.920 me personally, all of a sudden I would notice 01:05:58.920 --> 01:06:01.099 my patience running out a little bit quicker. 01:06:02.860 --> 01:06:05.440 my view of my day when I wake up was just like 01:06:05.440 --> 01:06:08.440 a little bit more cynical than it would be before 01:06:08.440 --> 01:06:12.380 or like I would just feel less inclined to love 01:06:12.380 --> 01:06:15.260 less inclined to these things like it was like 01:06:15.260 --> 01:06:17.920 constant having to extra push it out and extra 01:06:17.920 --> 01:06:21.320 effort it and there were times when I go into 01:06:21.320 --> 01:06:23.199 spaces and the Lord calls me to love people where 01:06:23.199 --> 01:06:25.739 it does feel like a little bit extra but he has 01:06:25.739 --> 01:06:27.619 really revealed to me like that wasn't meant 01:06:27.619 --> 01:06:30.619 to be my life every single day That wasn't meant 01:06:30.619 --> 01:06:33.079 to be my close friend group every single day, 01:06:33.880 --> 01:06:37.639 right? And that was slowly corrupting, although 01:06:37.639 --> 01:06:39.800 it wasn't fully pushing me away from the Lord, 01:06:40.280 --> 01:06:43.099 or I wasn't fully walking. There were areas in 01:06:43.099 --> 01:06:45.260 my life that were starting to be a bit corroded. 01:06:45.519 --> 01:06:48.239 then we're starting to be a bit tainted and we're 01:06:48.239 --> 01:06:50.500 starting to be a bit corrupted and i don't know 01:06:50.500 --> 01:06:53.219 what they would end up being if that was my consistent 01:06:53.219 --> 01:06:56.300 influence a year from then glory be to god i 01:06:56.300 --> 01:06:59.219 didn't quench the spirit i i didn't deny the 01:06:59.219 --> 01:07:03.619 holy spirit and i listened and someone needs 01:07:03.619 --> 01:07:07.280 to hear that today right that those things those 01:07:07.280 --> 01:07:12.760 influences it's important who you're around y 01:07:12.760 --> 01:07:16.289 'all it's important what you take in As a Christian, 01:07:16.909 --> 01:07:20.630 the media, there's lots of accounts and lots 01:07:20.630 --> 01:07:22.730 of things I was consuming every day that I don't 01:07:22.730 --> 01:07:25.050 consume anymore. There are lots of TV shows and 01:07:25.050 --> 01:07:27.150 lots of things that I don't consume anymore. 01:07:27.420 --> 01:07:30.559 At first it was because God because I felt God's 01:07:30.559 --> 01:07:33.380 Word told me not to consume these things and 01:07:33.380 --> 01:07:35.780 then over time I could start to see how yeah 01:07:35.780 --> 01:07:38.460 long -term exposure actually kind of shifted 01:07:38.460 --> 01:07:41.780 my perspective and shifted my view and like kind 01:07:41.780 --> 01:07:45.199 of like shifted my boundaries Just to give you 01:07:45.199 --> 01:07:47.800 all an example. There was one TV show I loved 01:07:47.800 --> 01:07:51.880 before I was a new creation in Christ and I tried 01:07:51.880 --> 01:07:55.159 to go back to it and at first I felt convicted 01:07:55.960 --> 01:07:58.820 But I continued to watch it anyway, and I continued 01:07:58.820 --> 01:08:00.659 to put it on anyway, and there were a couple 01:08:00.659 --> 01:08:02.699 things that the reason why I didn't want to watch 01:08:02.699 --> 01:08:05.579 at first I felt solidly convicted on. The more 01:08:05.579 --> 01:08:07.739 I was watching it, I started kind of making some 01:08:07.739 --> 01:08:11.059 excuses for it, and being like, well, it's actually 01:08:11.059 --> 01:08:13.500 like this kind, it's really not that bad if you 01:08:13.500 --> 01:08:17.880 look at it this way, and as long as I know God's 01:08:17.880 --> 01:08:20.899 way isn't this way, then it's not really that 01:08:20.899 --> 01:08:27.029 bad. And I felt convicted. y 'all I felt convicted 01:08:27.029 --> 01:08:30.310 and I was like isn't it funny how a couple weeks 01:08:30.310 --> 01:08:33.300 before you had a much stronger stance against 01:08:33.300 --> 01:08:35.560 this thing but now that you've been consuming 01:08:35.560 --> 01:08:38.739 it consistently and around it consistently um 01:08:38.739 --> 01:08:41.199 you're starting to make excuses for it and you're 01:08:41.199 --> 01:08:43.779 starting to defend it and you're starting to 01:08:43.779 --> 01:08:47.000 in your own talking about me all in my own pride 01:08:47.000 --> 01:08:50.260 and in my own self -assuredness saying well as 01:08:50.260 --> 01:08:52.380 long as i know who got i can stand in this and 01:08:52.380 --> 01:08:54.779 not be affected i can stand in this and not be 01:08:54.779 --> 01:08:58.619 and um Even saying this out loud y 'all is very 01:08:58.619 --> 01:09:00.779 convicting for me of like I need to be more thoughtful 01:09:00.779 --> 01:09:04.619 because that's a very slippery slope If you all 01:09:04.619 --> 01:09:06.659 listen to my new age testimony that I shared 01:09:06.659 --> 01:09:09.539 before I actually got in and gotten a new age 01:09:09.539 --> 01:09:12.380 years ago by it was like Movies I was watching 01:09:12.380 --> 01:09:14.659 where I was like, huh that sparked my interest. 01:09:14.699 --> 01:09:16.340 Let me try it out And before then I'd always 01:09:16.340 --> 01:09:18.619 said it's not real. It's not real but in the 01:09:18.619 --> 01:09:20.680 things I was consuming I actually started to 01:09:20.680 --> 01:09:23.680 be more open -minded to it And that was actually 01:09:23.680 --> 01:09:26.260 an open door for the devil just food for thought 01:09:26.260 --> 01:09:29.699 for that one for y 'all going on it says but 01:09:29.699 --> 01:09:33.199 sexual immorality or any impurity or greed should 01:09:33.199 --> 01:09:36.359 not even be heard of among you as proper for 01:09:36.359 --> 01:09:38.840 saints saying like and i just want to pause here 01:09:38.840 --> 01:09:42.579 y 'all but the things that god clearly says are 01:09:42.579 --> 01:09:45.539 sins we should not even be entertaining the possibility 01:09:45.539 --> 01:09:50.039 of those things like we we shouldn't be joking 01:09:50.039 --> 01:09:55.149 about it or making excuses for it entertaining 01:09:55.149 --> 01:09:57.729 the idea of participating in it. If you know 01:09:57.729 --> 01:10:02.670 God has said no, turn away from it. Sexual immorality, 01:10:03.130 --> 01:10:06.050 turn away from it. Impurity, turn away from it. 01:10:06.369 --> 01:10:08.930 Greed, turn away from it. Don't even be entertaining 01:10:08.930 --> 01:10:14.569 it in discussion. That's not saying that you 01:10:14.569 --> 01:10:17.810 know we can't be in a Christ -centered discussion. 01:10:18.460 --> 01:10:20.939 Talking about it right of like hey, this is harmful 01:10:20.939 --> 01:10:23.659 and this is bad like that This is how it's gonna 01:10:23.659 --> 01:10:25.739 lead us in the separation or anything like that, 01:10:25.880 --> 01:10:30.800 but just gossiping about the gossip about it 01:10:30.800 --> 01:10:33.380 Entertaining the idea finding ways to defend 01:10:33.380 --> 01:10:38.500 it That shouldn't even be a topic of discussion 01:10:38.500 --> 01:10:44.739 in our circles Obscene and foolish talking or 01:10:44.739 --> 01:10:46.840 crude joking are not suitable but rather giving 01:10:46.840 --> 01:10:50.420 thanks for no one recognizes every sexually immoral 01:10:50.420 --> 01:10:53.460 or impure or greedy person who is an idolater 01:10:53.460 --> 01:10:57.359 does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of 01:10:57.359 --> 01:11:01.920 Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with 01:11:01.920 --> 01:11:04.880 empty arguments for God's wrath is coming on 01:11:04.880 --> 01:11:07.159 the disobedient because of these things therefore 01:11:07.159 --> 01:11:10.840 do not become their partners. For you were once 01:11:10.840 --> 01:11:13.359 darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. 01:11:13.680 --> 01:11:16.180 Walk as children of light. For the fruit of the 01:11:16.180 --> 01:11:18.460 light consists of all goodness, righteousness, 01:11:18.699 --> 01:11:21.680 and truth, testing what is pleasing to God. Do 01:11:21.680 --> 01:11:24.060 not participate in the fruitless works of darkness, 01:11:24.100 --> 01:11:26.899 but instead expose them. For it is shameful to 01:11:26.899 --> 01:11:28.800 even mention what is done by them in secret. 01:11:29.260 --> 01:11:31.859 Everything exposed by the light is made visible. 01:11:32.359 --> 01:11:35.060 For what makes everything visible is light. Therefore 01:11:35.060 --> 01:11:37.930 it is said, Get up sleeper and rise from the 01:11:37.930 --> 01:11:40.109 dead and Christ will shine on you. I want to 01:11:40.109 --> 01:11:46.289 go back to this. Do not be their partners. Reading 01:11:46.289 --> 01:11:48.829 back even a little bit further. Let no one deceive 01:11:48.829 --> 01:11:52.130 you with empty arguments for God's wrath is coming 01:11:52.130 --> 01:11:54.890 on the disobedient because of these things. Don't 01:11:54.890 --> 01:11:56.649 entertain those arguments of people saying, but 01:11:56.649 --> 01:11:58.649 what about this? But what about this? We know 01:11:58.649 --> 01:12:04.029 what God's word says. We know that the wage of 01:12:04.029 --> 01:12:07.890 sin is. No matter how people want to paint up 01:12:07.890 --> 01:12:10.430 why they're doing this and what the sin is how 01:12:10.430 --> 01:12:14.109 it's defendable how whatever No matter how our 01:12:14.109 --> 01:12:16.529 flesh wants to paint it up and tempt us into 01:12:16.529 --> 01:12:20.250 it We know that the wage of sin is death meaning 01:12:20.250 --> 01:12:23.689 the payment that we receive is separation from 01:12:23.689 --> 01:12:29.489 is separation The wage of sin is death is spiritual 01:12:29.489 --> 01:12:37.649 death not saying here do not become their partners 01:12:37.649 --> 01:12:42.729 and I want to make this so clear y 'all we have 01:12:42.729 --> 01:12:45.409 a responsibility as followers of Christ to plant 01:12:45.409 --> 01:12:49.010 seeds I just said earlier in the podcast we use 01:12:49.010 --> 01:12:51.310 our gifts to lead other people closer to Christ 01:12:51.310 --> 01:12:54.890 to point other people closer to Christ that is 01:12:54.890 --> 01:12:57.229 our job as Christians is to plant seeds it's 01:12:57.229 --> 01:13:02.220 God's job to to change their hearts work in ways 01:13:02.220 --> 01:13:04.699 we share our testimonies we talk about scripture 01:13:04.699 --> 01:13:09.100 we plant seeds and I was having a discussion 01:13:09.100 --> 01:13:11.180 with someone not too long ago which was a really 01:13:11.180 --> 01:13:13.000 good discussion the Lord had been bringing up 01:13:13.000 --> 01:13:18.800 to me that scripture of bad company corrupts 01:13:18.800 --> 01:13:20.779 good morals and he had recently given me a little 01:13:20.779 --> 01:13:23.439 life example where I had in the morning gone 01:13:23.439 --> 01:13:25.609 in like I had fresh strawberries in the fridge 01:13:25.609 --> 01:13:26.909 and then the morning I was going to get those 01:13:26.909 --> 01:13:29.989 strawberries out and there was this huge moldy 01:13:29.989 --> 01:13:31.369 strawberry. All of a sudden it was covered in 01:13:31.369 --> 01:13:33.229 mold. It wasn't the day before when I bought 01:13:33.229 --> 01:13:36.170 it. And the two strawberries next to it were 01:13:36.170 --> 01:13:38.250 starting to get mold and I felt the Lord so heavily 01:13:38.250 --> 01:13:41.630 that day speak to me. Bad company corrupts good 01:13:41.630 --> 01:13:45.770 morals and it happens this quick. You just bought 01:13:45.770 --> 01:13:48.329 those strawberries yesterday. There was no mold 01:13:48.329 --> 01:13:53.319 yesterday but today there's mold. And today, 01:13:53.359 --> 01:13:55.539 it's already spreading. These other two strawberries, 01:13:55.640 --> 01:13:57.560 it's touching. They're not completely molded, 01:13:57.560 --> 01:13:58.859 but you can already see where they're getting 01:13:58.859 --> 01:14:04.600 mushy. And they've already been impacted. Sometimes 01:14:04.600 --> 01:14:07.380 that company that corrupts our most doesn't look 01:14:07.380 --> 01:14:11.600 like bad company at first. Just like, yo, when 01:14:11.600 --> 01:14:14.939 I bought those strawberries, the date says they're 01:14:14.939 --> 01:14:17.739 fresh. The outward things, the outward sign says 01:14:17.739 --> 01:14:20.039 they're good. They were big, shiny, red, plump. 01:14:20.189 --> 01:14:22.270 The date was fresh. The people had just been 01:14:22.270 --> 01:14:24.510 stocking them on the shelves. Everything about 01:14:24.510 --> 01:14:28.470 it said it's safe. It's good to go. And I bought 01:14:28.470 --> 01:14:34.949 them. But in the morning, I take a look and I 01:14:34.949 --> 01:14:40.390 cannot deny that that is mold. I could say, well, 01:14:40.390 --> 01:14:42.250 I just bought them. Well, all of these other 01:14:42.250 --> 01:14:45.329 things. all these outward signs say there should 01:14:45.329 --> 01:14:47.529 not be mold there should not be corruption here 01:14:47.529 --> 01:14:49.810 but when i'm looking at the strawberry i'm seeing 01:14:49.810 --> 01:14:53.310 mold and i'm seeing corruption i'm seeing sin 01:14:53.310 --> 01:14:59.170 i am seeing corruption i am seeing what god tells 01:14:59.170 --> 01:15:03.869 me to look for i'm checking the fruit and the 01:15:03.869 --> 01:15:09.050 fruit ain't good And I'm looking at the fruit 01:15:09.050 --> 01:15:12.229 around it and although these fruits are not that 01:15:12.229 --> 01:15:15.510 level yet, there's already some squishiness. 01:15:15.569 --> 01:15:18.789 There's already some like gray weird, you can 01:15:18.789 --> 01:15:25.210 tell that it's spreading. And I don't know if 01:15:25.210 --> 01:15:27.010 this is what you're supposed to do or not, but 01:15:27.010 --> 01:15:29.590 this is what I did y 'all. I threw those strawberries 01:15:29.590 --> 01:15:31.970 out. I kept the rest of the bunch. That looked 01:15:31.970 --> 01:15:34.399 fine. that we're not touching those strawberries, 01:15:34.819 --> 01:15:37.460 that we're not impacted. I threw those moldy 01:15:37.460 --> 01:15:39.939 strawberries out and guess what? The rest of 01:15:39.939 --> 01:15:44.000 the strawberries, fine, no mold. I don't know 01:15:44.000 --> 01:15:45.960 if that's what you're supposed to do being raised 01:15:45.960 --> 01:15:48.819 in the Midwest. I was raised in kind of the country 01:15:48.819 --> 01:15:52.640 way where the rest of them don't have the mold. 01:15:52.760 --> 01:15:56.500 You can eat the other ones. And the strawberries 01:15:56.500 --> 01:15:58.699 have been good now. It's been a while since I've 01:15:58.699 --> 01:16:00.079 had them. It's been like a week since I've had 01:16:00.079 --> 01:16:02.060 them and they're perfectly fine, plump, fresh 01:16:02.060 --> 01:16:05.600 looking strawberries. Everything is Gucci. Everything's 01:16:05.600 --> 01:16:09.539 good. But it was because I threw out those moldy 01:16:09.539 --> 01:16:12.180 strawberries. If I kept those moldy strawberries 01:16:12.180 --> 01:16:14.840 and the bunch and said, I'm not gonna believe 01:16:14.840 --> 01:16:17.399 that there's mold on them. I'm not gonna believe 01:16:17.399 --> 01:16:19.100 that's mold. I'm not gonna believe that's corruption. 01:16:19.159 --> 01:16:21.000 I'm not gonna believe that's sin. Because the 01:16:21.000 --> 01:16:23.060 rest of these strawberries were fine. The rest 01:16:23.060 --> 01:16:24.680 of these strawberries were good. The date says 01:16:24.680 --> 01:16:27.020 they should be good. Everything says they should 01:16:27.020 --> 01:16:29.039 be good. If I would have kept them in there, 01:16:29.359 --> 01:16:31.319 that entire thing of strawberries would have 01:16:31.319 --> 01:16:34.060 been molded. And a lot quicker than I probably 01:16:34.060 --> 01:16:36.760 would have expected. Because buying those strawberries, 01:16:36.819 --> 01:16:38.500 I would have thought, well, not touching them, 01:16:38.640 --> 01:16:41.199 it would take a couple weeks for mold. It was 01:16:41.199 --> 01:16:44.340 less than 24 hours. And there was already, the 01:16:44.340 --> 01:16:48.079 corruption had already spread. The mold had already 01:16:48.079 --> 01:16:51.859 spread and I could not eat those strawberries 01:16:51.859 --> 01:16:55.779 anymore. Once there were signs, I couldn't trust 01:16:55.779 --> 01:16:58.479 to eat those strawberries anymore. I had to throw 01:16:58.479 --> 01:17:05.659 them out. And I remember ensuring that... going 01:17:05.659 --> 01:17:07.500 back I was sharing that strawberry testimony 01:17:07.500 --> 01:17:09.039 and someone said well you know the interesting 01:17:09.039 --> 01:17:11.659 thing with that scripture and I kind of cut them 01:17:11.659 --> 01:17:14.359 off and I said yeah I know what I think I know 01:17:14.359 --> 01:17:16.840 what you're gonna say is it's about being the 01:17:16.840 --> 01:17:19.479 influencer and not the influencee because this 01:17:19.479 --> 01:17:21.600 person loves the Lord and I can tell that this 01:17:21.600 --> 01:17:25.840 person loves to spread the gospel and I can see 01:17:25.840 --> 01:17:27.720 God really moving through this person right I 01:17:27.720 --> 01:17:32.340 can tell that this person Is in a stage of really 01:17:32.340 --> 01:17:34.279 taking people who are struggling in their walk 01:17:34.279 --> 01:17:36.079 with Christ your unbelievers under their wing 01:17:36.079 --> 01:17:38.199 and not immediately turning people away Which 01:17:38.199 --> 01:17:42.340 is so important, right? It is so important I'm 01:17:42.340 --> 01:17:45.659 gonna speak from what? The Lord has shown me 01:17:45.659 --> 01:17:48.220 personally in my personal walk and whoever you 01:17:48.220 --> 01:17:50.939 are listening to say a hope the Lord speaks to 01:17:50.939 --> 01:17:55.359 you through this there is a difference right 01:17:55.359 --> 01:17:59.039 and Being the influencer and being the influencing 01:17:59.039 --> 01:18:01.539 when you are influencing we are meant to through 01:18:01.539 --> 01:18:03.619 our actions and through our words lead other 01:18:03.619 --> 01:18:06.260 people We're supposed to plant seeds, but it's 01:18:06.260 --> 01:18:09.399 not our responsibility to actually do that work 01:18:09.399 --> 01:18:13.619 It's God's job to do the work right and by planting 01:18:13.619 --> 01:18:16.380 seeds We're planting seeds by our action to glorify 01:18:16.380 --> 01:18:19.100 God the words we say, you know If someone's asking 01:18:19.100 --> 01:18:20.979 for advice give them advice if someone's asking 01:18:20.979 --> 01:18:23.960 for help give them help We plant seeds by we're 01:18:23.960 --> 01:18:28.630 being the hands and feet of Jesus, right? But 01:18:28.630 --> 01:18:31.310 when it comes to someone establishing that in 01:18:31.310 --> 01:18:33.670 their day -to -day life when it comes to how 01:18:33.670 --> 01:18:37.449 someone is routinely That is not our role and 01:18:37.449 --> 01:18:40.270 our responsibility. That's God in their life 01:18:40.270 --> 01:18:42.250 I had a real problem in the past y 'all that 01:18:42.250 --> 01:18:45.390 God really convicted me of I Started to take 01:18:45.390 --> 01:18:48.109 on the Savior role and other people's lives which 01:18:48.109 --> 01:18:50.350 actually really started to hurt me and this was 01:18:50.350 --> 01:18:52.729 my problem actually long before Christ when I 01:18:52.729 --> 01:18:54.510 thought I would have advice and I'd have the 01:18:54.510 --> 01:18:57.979 answer I would tell someone, but then I would 01:18:57.979 --> 01:19:00.279 kind of overexert myself in implementing it in 01:19:00.279 --> 01:19:02.020 their day -to -day life. Like whether it would 01:19:02.020 --> 01:19:04.500 be trying to set habits for them, trying to set 01:19:04.500 --> 01:19:07.119 routines for them, I would start making myself 01:19:07.119 --> 01:19:09.859 accountable a little bit too much of the decisions 01:19:09.859 --> 01:19:15.500 they were making, right? And I would start to... 01:19:15.500 --> 01:19:16.819 Holy Spirit, give me the words. I'm gonna be 01:19:16.819 --> 01:19:19.760 so thoughtful with this. I was taking on the 01:19:19.760 --> 01:19:23.380 role of like savior and work and not just seed 01:19:23.380 --> 01:19:26.829 planting. And it's really easy for us to do that 01:19:26.829 --> 01:19:29.130 when we're championing for the Lord, right? It's 01:19:29.130 --> 01:19:34.180 really easy for us to. not stop at planting seeds 01:19:34.180 --> 01:19:36.880 and want to go further. And before you know it, 01:19:37.000 --> 01:19:38.819 we're carrying the spiritual weight that this 01:19:38.819 --> 01:19:41.199 other person should be carrying. Before you know 01:19:41.199 --> 01:19:44.199 it, our inner meaning and our inner seeding is 01:19:44.199 --> 01:19:46.439 taking away lessons that this person should be 01:19:46.439 --> 01:19:48.359 learning and opportunities for them to go to 01:19:48.359 --> 01:19:51.600 God. Before you know it, we are the savior instead 01:19:51.600 --> 01:19:53.680 of God. And when we're always there with the 01:19:53.680 --> 01:19:55.260 scripture to give them, when we're always there 01:19:55.260 --> 01:19:56.920 with this, when we're always there with that, 01:19:57.260 --> 01:19:59.539 what room are we leaving for God to step in and 01:19:59.539 --> 01:20:02.510 work, right? What room are we leaving for them 01:20:02.510 --> 01:20:04.869 to get in the Bible and seek it out? What room 01:20:04.869 --> 01:20:07.810 are we leaving for them to pray and receive clarity 01:20:07.810 --> 01:20:09.890 from the Lord? What room are we learning for 01:20:09.890 --> 01:20:13.029 them? We know as followers of Christ that not 01:20:13.029 --> 01:20:14.850 all of our lessons came from someone else feeding 01:20:14.850 --> 01:20:17.909 it to us. Our lessons oftentimes came from experiencing 01:20:17.909 --> 01:20:19.689 and having to learn from the Lord. I want to 01:20:19.689 --> 01:20:21.409 be so clear here that we are supposed to help 01:20:21.409 --> 01:20:23.630 people and we are supposed to plant seeds. And 01:20:23.630 --> 01:20:25.609 scripture does tell us, we know that when someone 01:20:25.609 --> 01:20:28.260 asks for food, feed them. when someone asks for 01:20:28.260 --> 01:20:31.159 help like help them we are supposed to do that 01:20:31.159 --> 01:20:35.800 um but there is a difference of doing that and 01:20:35.800 --> 01:20:38.239 picking up the weight that someone is supposed 01:20:38.239 --> 01:20:41.880 to be learning how to give to god right um and 01:20:41.880 --> 01:20:43.960 in doing that and i'm going to be so thoughtful 01:20:43.960 --> 01:20:48.590 with the way i word that in doing that There's 01:20:48.590 --> 01:20:51.329 often times we can also start to overstep a line 01:20:51.329 --> 01:20:54.489 where it comes into excusing sin, right? And 01:20:54.489 --> 01:20:56.550 when it comes into excusing things and how we 01:20:56.550 --> 01:20:59.090 talked earlier about how flags that were once 01:20:59.090 --> 01:21:02.310 red suddenly start to become yellow and boundaries 01:21:02.310 --> 01:21:04.149 that in the past you wouldn't allow to be crossed. 01:21:04.210 --> 01:21:05.770 All of a sudden you're kind of allowing to be 01:21:05.770 --> 01:21:08.869 crossed. The Lord really instilled to me in my 01:21:08.869 --> 01:21:12.029 life. that that became a problem, right? When 01:21:12.029 --> 01:21:14.869 I was so thoughtful on, I'm going to influence 01:21:14.869 --> 01:21:16.890 this person, I'm going to be the influencer, 01:21:17.510 --> 01:21:20.090 I started allowing boundaries to be crossed. 01:21:20.989 --> 01:21:22.890 I started allowing things to be said that I normally 01:21:22.890 --> 01:21:26.970 wouldn't put up with being said. Actions, there 01:21:26.970 --> 01:21:29.630 were some things that the Lord had worked on 01:21:29.630 --> 01:21:31.810 instilling in me, but all of a sudden I wasn't 01:21:31.810 --> 01:21:34.069 holding so strong in those things, and I was 01:21:34.069 --> 01:21:36.050 making excuses for, well, I'm trying to help, 01:21:36.090 --> 01:21:37.689 and I'm trying to do this, and I'm trying to 01:21:37.689 --> 01:21:40.510 do that. And the Lord had to be so, had to really 01:21:40.510 --> 01:21:43.350 get real with me of like, but did you ask if 01:21:43.350 --> 01:21:44.770 you're supposed to be doing those things? Because 01:21:44.770 --> 01:21:46.710 if you did, I might have given you a bit of a 01:21:46.710 --> 01:21:48.850 different way to handle things. Yes, you're showing 01:21:48.850 --> 01:21:51.409 love, but you're also starting to hurt yourself. 01:21:52.390 --> 01:21:55.449 Because I was so focused on I'm the influencer 01:21:55.449 --> 01:21:57.890 and I was looking for the outward signs of, well, 01:21:57.890 --> 01:22:00.189 I'm still going to church and I'm still praising 01:22:00.189 --> 01:22:01.989 God and I'm still doing all these things. I'm 01:22:01.989 --> 01:22:03.829 not being led astray. I'm not being led away. 01:22:04.229 --> 01:22:06.149 But then I started looking at the closer I was 01:22:06.149 --> 01:22:12.439 like, But mmm This boundary that the Lord established 01:22:12.439 --> 01:22:14.100 in me I'm laying this person kind of crosses 01:22:14.100 --> 01:22:17.039 boundary and I have noticed myself being a bit 01:22:17.039 --> 01:22:20.020 more quick to anger I have noticed that my prayer 01:22:20.020 --> 01:22:22.060 life has kind of changed my career life has kind 01:22:22.060 --> 01:22:25.159 of shifted I'm starting to rely a bit more on 01:22:25.159 --> 01:22:27.140 my own strength than I should be. I'm starting 01:22:27.140 --> 01:22:30.939 to rely a bit more on my own And a big thing 01:22:30.939 --> 01:22:33.560 is I realized how much more of an extra fight 01:22:33.560 --> 01:22:36.659 I had to stay rooted in my faith compared to 01:22:36.659 --> 01:22:39.859 before and Where the Lord really led me with 01:22:39.859 --> 01:22:44.039 this was we are meant to plant seeds Right that 01:22:44.039 --> 01:22:46.100 we are not meant to isolate. We're not meant 01:22:46.100 --> 01:22:49.439 to step away from people You know, we are meant 01:22:49.439 --> 01:22:51.939 to plant seeds with those who are lukewarm and 01:22:51.939 --> 01:22:54.949 people who are totally cold But when it comes 01:22:54.949 --> 01:22:57.270 to what we implement in our day -to -day life, 01:22:57.430 --> 01:23:00.170 what is consistently influencing us, what's consistently 01:23:00.170 --> 01:23:02.369 a part of our thought process and our emotional 01:23:02.369 --> 01:23:06.750 process, our daily life process, should be things 01:23:06.750 --> 01:23:09.850 that are edifying us, right, and bringing us 01:23:09.850 --> 01:23:14.590 closer to the board. And I realized, and the 01:23:14.590 --> 01:23:16.229 Lord had really convicted me, that the people 01:23:16.229 --> 01:23:18.250 that I was supposed to be, that I felt I was 01:23:18.250 --> 01:23:20.590 just influencing, and the people that I was meant 01:23:20.590 --> 01:23:23.529 to be planting seeds, and then going back to 01:23:23.529 --> 01:23:27.390 my private time with the Lord, I had turned into, 01:23:27.409 --> 01:23:30.890 and this is just, I'm not saying this literally, 01:23:31.529 --> 01:23:36.130 but became my daily life people, right? Where 01:23:36.130 --> 01:23:39.090 it was no longer I go and I plant seeds and I 01:23:39.090 --> 01:23:42.329 go to my private space. These people became my 01:23:42.329 --> 01:23:45.310 day -to -day life These mission these things 01:23:45.310 --> 01:23:46.970 that were supposed to be more assignments for 01:23:46.970 --> 01:23:51.010 me to plant seeds Became my day -to -day influence 01:23:51.010 --> 01:23:52.909 the Lord really revealed to me that there was 01:23:52.909 --> 01:23:56.489 a line that needed to be drawn there Okay, and 01:23:56.489 --> 01:23:59.010 that was really where the bad company corrupts 01:23:59.010 --> 01:24:01.189 good morals came in as I thought well since these 01:24:01.189 --> 01:24:02.909 outward things I'm still praising the Lord. I'm 01:24:02.909 --> 01:24:05.050 still doing these things. He revealed to me. 01:24:05.050 --> 01:24:09.409 He's like, but you're This assignment has not 01:24:09.500 --> 01:24:11.979 It has shifted from an assignment to a lifestyle 01:24:11.979 --> 01:24:15.319 and it has now become a stumbling block for you. 01:24:15.680 --> 01:24:21.560 It has now become a blockage in a way. It's become 01:24:21.560 --> 01:24:25.159 a resistance that it was not meant to be. This 01:24:25.159 --> 01:24:27.579 was not meant to be your daily life and I pray 01:24:27.579 --> 01:24:29.859 that this is freeing for someone to hear today. 01:24:29.859 --> 01:24:31.699 I know it will be for someone to hear today. 01:24:31.979 --> 01:24:34.220 I know it would be freeing for me to hear too 01:24:34.220 --> 01:24:36.479 and it's good to just say out loud that there 01:24:36.479 --> 01:24:39.409 really is a difference with that, right? and 01:24:39.409 --> 01:24:41.829 we have to be so careful because it's really 01:24:41.829 --> 01:24:45.510 easy to step into a self -righteousness when 01:24:45.510 --> 01:24:49.109 we feel like I can't be tainted I can't be influenced 01:24:49.109 --> 01:24:51.149 or like these type of people can't influence 01:24:51.149 --> 01:24:54.189 me or these type of things because oftentimes 01:24:54.189 --> 01:24:56.970 we're looking just for those big signs of influence 01:24:56.970 --> 01:25:01.090 but really we start off with smaller signs and 01:25:01.090 --> 01:25:03.510 for me all the smaller signs again were my boundaries 01:25:03.510 --> 01:25:08.010 being crossed and me accepting things I normally 01:25:08.010 --> 01:25:10.189 wouldn't accept or me excusing things or condoning 01:25:10.189 --> 01:25:12.630 things I normally wouldn't excuse or condone. 01:25:13.750 --> 01:25:16.069 And me looking at things that the Lord clearly 01:25:16.069 --> 01:25:18.170 says are not fruits of the spirit and just making 01:25:18.170 --> 01:25:23.189 excuses. And it, my patience was weird on a lot 01:25:23.189 --> 01:25:27.489 of things. And glory be to God, once I came back, 01:25:27.569 --> 01:25:30.170 like he helped me. But it takes a while and you 01:25:30.170 --> 01:25:32.210 have to fight by faith to get some of those things 01:25:32.210 --> 01:25:36.510 back, right? So I pray that this is helping someone 01:25:36.510 --> 01:25:39.390 today and I just want to circle this back Y 'all 01:25:39.390 --> 01:25:42.430 to works Because that was what our episode today 01:25:42.430 --> 01:25:45.350 started with is how do works tie into being a 01:25:45.350 --> 01:25:47.909 christian? And the big answer i'm going to give 01:25:47.909 --> 01:25:51.789 y 'all Is like the all -encompassing is works 01:25:51.789 --> 01:25:57.890 are a sign of your faith Works are not your salvation 01:25:57.890 --> 01:26:01.390 Your salvation is not dependent on your works. 01:26:01.390 --> 01:26:06.779 Your salvation is By faith through grace we are 01:26:06.779 --> 01:26:09.260 saved by our faith through God's grace, but your 01:26:09.260 --> 01:26:15.699 works are a sign of your faith Wow guys this 01:26:15.699 --> 01:26:19.220 podcast episode went on a lot longer than I thought 01:26:19.220 --> 01:26:22.060 it was gonna go on I was recording this and sorry 01:26:22.060 --> 01:26:24.039 all the recording stopped because I had an alarm 01:26:24.039 --> 01:26:26.840 go off to tell me it's time to get ready for 01:26:26.840 --> 01:26:29.739 my young adult group and I looked down and saw 01:26:29.739 --> 01:26:33.470 that we're close to we're right At like close 01:26:33.470 --> 01:26:36.649 to an hour and a half So this was a really long 01:26:36.649 --> 01:26:40.609 podcast episode, but I do pray that this episode 01:26:40.609 --> 01:26:42.689 blesses you guys and I was actually getting ready 01:26:42.689 --> 01:26:45.909 to close this episode out and I just want to 01:26:45.909 --> 01:26:50.029 take a moment to glorify God because These things 01:26:50.029 --> 01:26:52.489 I shared with you all today. I didn't wake up 01:26:52.489 --> 01:26:55.579 today planning on recording a podcast episode 01:26:55.579 --> 01:26:58.500 or even talking about this. This was completely 01:26:58.500 --> 01:27:01.920 God -led in my scripture reading today, and these 01:27:01.920 --> 01:27:03.939 revelations that He was giving me and these reminders 01:27:03.939 --> 01:27:05.840 that He was giving me today are entirely God 01:27:05.840 --> 01:27:07.159 -led. I want to make this so clear that this 01:27:07.159 --> 01:27:11.000 is not my own wisdom, y 'all. I have learned 01:27:11.000 --> 01:27:14.840 through experience from God. It's because of 01:27:14.840 --> 01:27:17.909 Him. that I have this perception, I have this 01:27:17.909 --> 01:27:20.210 view. And if you're someone right now who you 01:27:20.210 --> 01:27:22.689 really are struggling with where works fit in, 01:27:22.789 --> 01:27:24.430 maybe you've been kind of cynical and maybe you've 01:27:24.430 --> 01:27:27.109 been disregarding works, I just wanna say I was 01:27:27.109 --> 01:27:29.449 in that space too. And the way that I'm speaking 01:27:29.449 --> 01:27:31.529 to y 'all today and the place I'm speaking to 01:27:31.529 --> 01:27:34.189 you from isn't meant to be on a mountain top 01:27:34.189 --> 01:27:38.890 and speaking down at you or in any kind of condemning 01:27:38.890 --> 01:27:40.689 way, I'm speaking to y 'all as someone who I've 01:27:40.689 --> 01:27:44.090 been in your position. And I've had those thoughts, 01:27:44.350 --> 01:27:46.149 and I have also had those thoughts that there's 01:27:46.149 --> 01:27:48.149 no way, like, this seems way too complicated, 01:27:48.310 --> 01:27:49.710 this seems like too many rules, this seems like 01:27:49.710 --> 01:27:52.409 too many things, and I just can't live my life 01:27:52.409 --> 01:27:57.329 that way. And God has proven me wrong. A lot 01:27:57.329 --> 01:27:58.770 of things I thought I was never going to be able 01:27:58.770 --> 01:28:03.100 to do, I was able to do. a lot of things and 01:28:03.100 --> 01:28:06.279 it was just natural through my walk with Christ 01:28:06.279 --> 01:28:07.680 and through my relationship with Christ. And 01:28:07.680 --> 01:28:11.060 I want to encourage you today to don't close 01:28:11.060 --> 01:28:15.140 your mind to being able to do these things. To 01:28:15.140 --> 01:28:17.800 flee temptation, to flee immorality, to flee 01:28:17.800 --> 01:28:25.920 crude jokes, to, you know, to flee greed and 01:28:25.920 --> 01:28:29.619 gluttony, to die to self. Stop cussing to these 01:28:29.619 --> 01:28:32.119 different things. Don't mark it off as impossible. 01:28:32.199 --> 01:28:36.340 I used to mark it off as impossible Until I want 01:28:36.340 --> 01:28:39.220 this today to be your encouragement to be open 01:28:39.220 --> 01:28:42.239 -minded and whatever it is that you feel God 01:28:42.239 --> 01:28:45.319 is convicting you of But you're feeling like 01:28:45.319 --> 01:28:47.340 it's impossible pray to him and he'll show you 01:28:47.340 --> 01:28:51.039 that it's not impossible It's possible through 01:28:51.039 --> 01:28:55.520 him And I pray that this is kind of opened your 01:28:55.520 --> 01:28:59.319 mind regards to the topic of works and the discussion 01:28:59.319 --> 01:29:02.479 of works and I do pray that this has given you 01:29:02.479 --> 01:29:05.579 a new perspective and a fresh perspective and 01:29:05.579 --> 01:29:07.859 a perspective that leads you closer to Christ. 01:29:08.600 --> 01:29:10.220 I want to thank y 'all thank you so much for 01:29:10.220 --> 01:29:12.640 listening to this episode today and I do ask 01:29:12.640 --> 01:29:14.199 that you hit the subscribe button wherever it 01:29:14.199 --> 01:29:18.060 is you're listening to podcasts and that you 01:29:18.060 --> 01:29:20.380 share it with somebody a friend a family member 01:29:20.380 --> 01:29:23.060 share it on your social media whoever the Lord 01:29:23.060 --> 01:29:24.739 is putting you on your heart with today to share 01:29:24.739 --> 01:29:29.119 it I pray that you share it with them. Have a 01:29:29.119 --> 01:29:31.880 blessed week, guys. God bless.