WEBVTT

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Hey guys and welcome back to the salt not sweetener

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podcast. I'm your host Danielle Townsend and

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I hope y 'all are having a Wonderful weekend

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as I'm recording this it's Saturday and we are

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gearing up for what the news Says is gonna be

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a pretty Big snowstorm where I'm out. We're predicted

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to get between like it keeps fluctuating but

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the Like most frequent numbers I've been seeing

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are 9 to 14 inches of snow So yeah, I'm gonna

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go ahead and assume that the next day or two

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if that does occur are gonna be days where I

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am staying in and reading the Bible and I'm encouraging

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y 'all to do that too because it is a blessing

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When God allows us to be slowed down, right?

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That's something he's really revealed to me the

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past couple years is when Things aren't going

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the way that I would like them to go when maybe

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plans I've created for myself Doors that I think

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are gonna be open all the sudden clothes God

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will use that as a protection and a redirection

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and for any of those who are listening that are

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expecting to be huddled up in the house the next

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couple days. Maybe you're annoyed that you can't

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go to like your normal routine. You know, maybe

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there's a little bit of frustration of you can't

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go to the gym or like you can't go to church

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or whatever it may be. I do want to encourage

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you to have a bit of a different perspective

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and look at this as the perfect time to lock

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in with the Lord. The perfect time to be in his

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word and get in his presence and worship and

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praise him. I have learned through my walk y

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'all that When God allows things to happen that

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forced me to slow down That forced me to kind

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of have to like take a break and stop for a moment

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The perfect thing to do with that time is getting

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God's presence and it's amazing what he'll do

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with that So utilize this see this as an opportunity

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to get in his presence. Okay, God bless Now the

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topic today y 'all is a topic that's kind of

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hard for people to accept Especially if you're

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a former people pleaser or someone who cares

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a lot about how you're perceived Or you want

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to show everybody love or whatever it may be

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I used to fall into all of those categories and

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still at times I feel conviction But that is

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1st Corinthians chapter 15 verse 33 where it

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says do not be deceived bad company corrupts

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good morals And when I was asking the Lord for

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some scripture, you know, I felt the Lord pressing,

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pressing it on me to record a podcast episode

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today. I really didn't intend to. I wanted to

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put off until tomorrow, but I felt it pressed

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on me and I was like, okay, Lord, give me some

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scripture. Like what, what, what direction are

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we going into with this episode? And it was very

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timely because there's a lot of things that he's

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been speaking to me just in my personal life,

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you know, and he led me to the story. in the

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book of Luke chapter 5 with the man who was paralyzed

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and there's a group of men who brought him on

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a stretcher to be healed and the topic of today's

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episode is who you're with the company you keep

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is so important And it really can affect your

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walk with Christ. The company that you keep,

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the influence you allow in can either really

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propel you, like push you forward, increase,

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encourage your relationship with Christ when

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you're stepping into a calling, or it can do

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the opposite. It can be the thing that destroys

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you, the company you keep. And I'm feeling led

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to him. Give you an example of Solomon. Solomon

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who was the wisest man. He had the wisdom from

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God. He was the wisest man. He was the richest.

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But look at the company he kept. He went a little

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extra. He had, what was it, like 700 wives, like

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300 concubines. He had a ton of women. And in

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his old age, His wives, these women that he entertained,

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turned his heart away from God, and he started

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to worship other gods. The wisest man, the man

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with the most wisdom, the man that God had blessed

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with wisdom, the richest, fell, fell into sin,

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fell into temptation, and the company he kept

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played a large role in that. Now it looks like

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the majority of his life, you know He was able

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to avoid that but eventually the compromises

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you make will lead to destruction It was all

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those compromises over time and he fell into

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that bad Company corrupts good morals. You can

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have a great set of morals. You can be rooted

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in your faith You can believe that Jesus is Lord.

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You can have all these desires to do all these

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things You can have wisdom. You can have read

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the Bible cover to cover front and back Many

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times, you could know everything about the fruits

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of the spirit and putting on the armor of God,

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but you surround yourself with the wrong people

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long enough consistently, you continue to make

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those compromises, eventually you're gonna start

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being led astray and led away. And a lot of times

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you don't realize it's happened until destruction

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is at your door. And I'm speaking from personal

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experience y 'all, I have had to learn God has

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been so thoughtful. Glory be to God with who

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I allow in my life and there's been lots of people

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I've wanted to let in where God's like, uh -uh

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You can't be close with that person. Uh -uh.

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You can't be getting spiritual guidance and advice

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from this person You can't be telling that person

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all these specific things about your walk with

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Christ and at the time I didn't understand why

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and then the times when I wasn't really listening

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to the Lord and He allowed me to get close with

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people or let people in because he knew I would

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learn I saw some of the damage it would do. I

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wanna be so clear with that y 'all and I've shared

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this like in every podcast episode. I'm often,

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I'm not speaking, like literally everything I

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speak to y 'all on. It's not the thing of like,

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and this isn't a thing to be proud of, but I've

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had to learn through experience. I've had to

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learn through trying to do it my own way and

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being hard -headed or not having faith or not

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trusting So when I speak to y 'all on these things,

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it's not even a thing of like I've just read

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it and I'm like I can tell you what I've read

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a lot of it is I'm telling you what I've experienced

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firsthand and I've experienced what it's like

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to You know befriend or get close with people

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that you know God is telling you to have boundaries

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with And I ignore those boundaries and later

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on I see why God called me to have those boundaries

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And glory be to God he helps me get back on track

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But I've learned from experience and Felt very

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highlighted in reading this with and reading

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this part Of the book of Luke. I'm gonna read

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this to y 'all real quick. Just a little short

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It's here. We'll start in verse 17 of chapter

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5 and Luke. On one of those days while he was

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teaching Jesus, Pharisees and teachers of the

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law were sitting there who had come from every

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village of Galilee and Judea and also from Jerusalem,

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and the Lord's power to heal was in him. Just

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then some men came carrying on a stretcher a

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man who was paralyzed. They tried to bring him

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in and set him down before him. Since they could

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not find a way to bring him in because of the

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crowd They went up on the roof and lowered him

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on the stretcher through the roof tiles onto

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the middle of the crowd before Jesus Seeing their

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faith. He said friend your sins are forgiven

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And when I read that immediately what came to

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mind is those are some amazing friends Those

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are some faith -filled friends. Those are the

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kind of people that you want around you those

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and I want to start off with identifying like

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those are the kind of people that we want in

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our circle the people that their faith is so

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strong that they're gonna push you further to

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Jesus like imagine if these friends were lacking

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in faith and motivation imagine if they would

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have said oh the crowd's too big sorry dude we

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can't carry you any further It's getting a little

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rough. Oppositions have risen. I gotta go. Peace.

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A lot of us surround ourselves with people like

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that. Those are the people that we call, like,

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yes -men. Like, fair -weather people. The people

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who are totally down, ride or die as for you.

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Tell you whatever you want to hear. And then

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when the going gets a little rough, they're nowhere

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to be found. They are nowhere to be found. And

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I want to be very clear that I'm not talking

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about the people who support you when you are

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making bad decisions. A good friend is going

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to tell you when you are the source of your own

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pain and suffering. A good friend is going to

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tell you, hey, maybe the reason why you keep

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getting cheated on is because you're picking

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lustful people. I'm not saying that cheating

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on you is a good thing, but can you identify

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that there is a problem in the people that you're

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picking, that you're picking people who are rooted

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in lust? Or someone who's slowed or who's quick

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to anger and keeps crashing out and they find

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they're facing a lot of consequences a good friend

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is gonna tell you hey, I Know dealing with the

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consequences suck. But have you ever thought

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about the crash out mentality? Have you ever

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thought about the quick to anger? Have you have

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you asked God to make you slow to anger to increase

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your patience? Have you prayed for him to help

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you on that a good friend is going to point out

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and identify when like There is a work and an

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effort you can make when maybe you're kind of

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the source of your own pain and suffering, right?

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I'm not talking about a friend or a person that

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will just tell you you do you boo. A person who

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loves you is going to call you out in your sin

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and point you on the path to righteousness. A

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person who truly loves you. A person who's loving

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you correctly is showing you the love of Jesus.

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Okay, because Jesus showed us how to love love

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is patient love is kind we know what love looks

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like and that's the kind of love i'm talking

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about today someone who loves you like the love

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of jesus is going to lovingly point out but when

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you are walking in obedience to christ There

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is opposition that comes along with that. When

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you are serving the Lord, when you are a willing

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vessel, there is opposition. There's hardships

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that are gonna pop up. Jesus literally warned

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us about that, that the world's gonna hate us,

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that we're gonna be persecuted on His behalf.

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We see how many times servants of the Most High

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faced opposition throughout Scripture. We see

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it with Paul. We see it with the disciples. We

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see it with Nehemiah when he's rebuilding. We

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see it with David when he's just anointed to

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become king and Saul's out his throat. And this

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man that we're referring to here in the book

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of Luke needed healing. He needed Jesus. And

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when his friends were faced with the opposition

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of, it's too crowded, they didn't say it's too

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crowded, we gotta stop, we're dropping you off

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here, we gotta go. By faith, they said, we're

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gonna make a way. We're gonna get you through.

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There are a lot of people, and I'm saying this

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to you today because I know I've needed to hear

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it so many times, the people you surround yourself

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with need to be the people that tell you to keep

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going and to keep putting your faith in God.

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that are going to lift you up in prayer. I was

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just talking with someone last night about Moses,

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and I'm pulling this out the depths of my brain.

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It's been a long time since I've read this, y

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'all, but it was when there was a battle occurring.

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And every time Moses had his hands raised, lifted

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up to the Lord, like in our worship stance, a

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stance of praising and worshiping to Lord, every

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time his hands were raised, God's people were

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seeing victory and the enemy was being overtaken.

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But every time his hands lowered and started

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falling down, the enemy started overcoming them.

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So it was Moses' brother, I believe it was Aaron

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and her, that literally lifted his hands and

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raised his hands up. They helped him in that

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moment. And they saw victory. The people that

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you surround yourself with, if you were gonna

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live, Life being a vessel being used by the Lord

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you got to surround yourself with people who

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are going to uplift you in prayer Who are going

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to win when you're telling them I can't do this

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anymore I can't do that who are going to tell

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you to deny the flesh and put your faith in God

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Quit surrounding yourself with the people who

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are telling you well, it's okay to sin Well,

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it's okay to just turn away from God for a little

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bit. It's understandable. It's all these things

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We live in the world that has twisted we live

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in the society today that has twisted what the

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love of Jesus is and Has made us believe that

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love is whatever keeps someone comfortable and

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feeling good But the love of Jesus comes with

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a conviction when we're falling away and there

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are a lot of people who have twisted it and believe

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that love is telling someone whatever they want

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to hear whatever makes them feel good in that

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moment and just being that shoulder to cry on

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and telling them it's okay to go into sin and

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it's okay to go into all these things knowing

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that that leads to separation Someone needs to

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hear this today the people you surround yourself

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with are they people that say get in the word

00:15:22.779 --> 00:15:25.340
Are they people that remind you of what God's

00:15:25.340 --> 00:15:27.539
Word says and who God is? Are they people that

00:15:27.539 --> 00:15:29.620
encourage you to read scripture? Are they people

00:15:29.620 --> 00:15:31.799
that encourage you to pray? Are they people that

00:15:31.799 --> 00:15:34.059
encourage you to deny the flesh? Are they people

00:15:34.059 --> 00:15:36.779
that encourage you to submit your will to God

00:15:36.779 --> 00:15:41.820
and to obey Him over what makes them feel good?

00:15:42.620 --> 00:15:44.220
Because that's the thing too, right? Is we live

00:15:44.220 --> 00:15:46.799
a life submitted to Christ. When we die to self,

00:15:46.940 --> 00:15:49.519
we put our fleshly desires aside. And sometimes

00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:52.620
what God is calling your best friend to do might

00:15:52.620 --> 00:15:56.580
not be what you desire, like on the fleshly sense.

00:15:57.519 --> 00:16:00.860
But are you willing to accept what God is calling

00:16:00.860 --> 00:16:04.480
them to do? Are you willing to accept the steps

00:16:04.480 --> 00:16:07.480
he is asking them to take and putting your fleshly

00:16:07.480 --> 00:16:13.820
desires aside? Do your friends do that for you?

00:16:14.360 --> 00:16:16.940
Does the company you're around do that for you?

00:16:17.759 --> 00:16:20.600
Or do they make you feel comfortable in sin?

00:16:21.299 --> 00:16:24.200
Do they make you feel comfortable in being lukewarm?

00:16:24.519 --> 00:16:26.320
Do they make you feel comfortable in gossip?

00:16:26.679 --> 00:16:28.480
Do they make you feel comfortable in being a

00:16:28.480 --> 00:16:30.559
drunkard? Do they make you feel comfortable in

00:16:30.559 --> 00:16:34.500
being lustful? Do they make you feel comfortable

00:16:34.500 --> 00:16:36.820
in putting God a second, third, fourth, fifth

00:16:36.820 --> 00:16:41.059
priority in your life? Because scripture actually

00:16:41.059 --> 00:16:45.240
tells us to seek first God and His righteousness,

00:16:45.320 --> 00:16:47.679
His kingdom, and everything will be added on

00:16:47.679 --> 00:16:50.679
to us. We know. that whatever we need in life

00:16:50.679 --> 00:16:53.500
whatever it is that we're yearning for that we're

00:16:53.500 --> 00:16:57.000
whatever it is that we need that god knows we

00:16:57.000 --> 00:17:00.059
need if we're just focused on him and being in

00:17:00.059 --> 00:17:02.379
his presence and obeying him these things are

00:17:02.379 --> 00:17:04.660
going to be added on to us that's the rest we

00:17:04.660 --> 00:17:06.380
have as Christians we don't have to cook it up

00:17:06.380 --> 00:17:08.259
for ourselves we don't have to create it for

00:17:08.259 --> 00:17:10.920
ourselves we give it to god and we focus on him

00:17:10.920 --> 00:17:12.859
and whatever steps he needs us to take if we're

00:17:12.859 --> 00:17:14.380
in his presence we're going to hear that phone

00:17:14.380 --> 00:17:16.539
call we're going to we're going to hear the call

00:17:16.940 --> 00:17:18.480
That he has for us and we're going to be able

00:17:18.480 --> 00:17:20.859
to answer it and he will give us the strength

00:17:20.859 --> 00:17:25.759
the boldness the faith to answer that call Do

00:17:25.759 --> 00:17:27.660
you have friends who are when you're going through

00:17:27.660 --> 00:17:29.299
a hardship are they telling you to get in god's

00:17:29.299 --> 00:17:31.079
presence? Are they telling you that he can heal

00:17:31.079 --> 00:17:33.140
this are they telling you that he can fix this?

00:17:33.299 --> 00:17:35.319
Or are they encouraging you to rely on your own

00:17:35.319 --> 00:17:38.539
understanding? Are they encouraging you to rely

00:17:38.539 --> 00:17:41.500
on your own ways? Are they encouraging you to

00:17:41.500 --> 00:17:45.279
rely on your own strength? Are they speaking

00:17:45.279 --> 00:17:48.440
fear and death and doubt? Or are they speaking

00:17:48.440 --> 00:17:54.759
life in God's truth? Because this person here

00:17:54.759 --> 00:17:57.559
in the book of Luke, he surrounded himself with

00:17:57.559 --> 00:18:03.299
people who their faith and their desire to obey

00:18:03.299 --> 00:18:07.180
God surpassed the obstacles that the enemy was

00:18:07.180 --> 00:18:15.400
throwing at them. because of who he surrounded

00:18:15.400 --> 00:18:20.779
himself with he received healing because he didn't

00:18:20.779 --> 00:18:24.240
walk himself to Jesus his friends carried him

00:18:24.240 --> 00:18:29.160
to Jesus and that's the thing is there are gonna

00:18:29.160 --> 00:18:31.559
be times in your walk with Christ where your

00:18:31.559 --> 00:18:36.490
prayer doesn't feel like enough And I want to

00:18:36.490 --> 00:18:38.390
be thoughtful with the way I word this okay because

00:18:38.390 --> 00:18:40.789
we are not saved through other people's relationships

00:18:40.789 --> 00:18:44.009
with Christ and God hears our prayers But there

00:18:44.009 --> 00:18:46.250
are gonna be times in your walk with Christ and

00:18:46.250 --> 00:18:49.569
I'm speaking from experience where it feels so

00:18:49.569 --> 00:18:52.710
heavy and Although you're praying and although

00:18:52.710 --> 00:18:55.529
the attacks of the enemy the warfare is picking

00:18:55.529 --> 00:18:58.109
up and there are gonna be times in your walk

00:18:58.480 --> 00:19:02.039
where the prayer of a righteous person, the prayer

00:19:02.039 --> 00:19:03.680
of other people who are in good standing with

00:19:03.680 --> 00:19:06.799
God is going to make an impact. There have been

00:19:06.799 --> 00:19:08.900
times where I have been led to reach out to my

00:19:08.900 --> 00:19:12.400
church prayer team and I could tell when they

00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:14.319
were praying for me y 'all because it was like

00:19:14.319 --> 00:19:18.819
a weight was lifted. I could breathe again. I

00:19:18.819 --> 00:19:20.500
have a couple brothers and sisters in Christ

00:19:20.500 --> 00:19:24.019
that have prayed for me fervently and I have

00:19:24.019 --> 00:19:29.970
felt it. And in all honesty for me, that's kind

00:19:29.970 --> 00:19:32.069
of a rare occurrence of when I reach out for

00:19:32.069 --> 00:19:34.589
prayer Like it's not like every single day. It's

00:19:34.589 --> 00:19:36.710
not like every single week and there's no shame

00:19:36.710 --> 00:19:40.250
and I'm just saying for me personally Up into

00:19:40.250 --> 00:19:43.109
this point that's been more I am in that consistent

00:19:43.109 --> 00:19:45.029
daily prayer life with the Lord But it's every

00:19:45.029 --> 00:19:47.930
so often that gets really heavy and I'm like

00:19:47.930 --> 00:19:49.470
when I'm praying to God I feel like he's telling

00:19:49.470 --> 00:19:51.990
me have some people in agreement and prayer with

00:19:51.990 --> 00:19:58.240
you reach out ask for prayer Man, it has made

00:19:58.240 --> 00:20:01.759
a world of a difference. And maybe someone's

00:20:01.759 --> 00:20:05.259
needing to hear that today. Reach out to your

00:20:05.259 --> 00:20:07.839
church prayer team. Reach out to that brother

00:20:07.839 --> 00:20:10.299
and sister in Christ and just say, I need prayer.

00:20:10.640 --> 00:20:13.160
Don't be ashamed of having people pray for you.

00:20:13.319 --> 00:20:15.880
It's actually powerful when a righteous person

00:20:15.880 --> 00:20:18.579
prays for you. When other people are in agreement.

00:20:22.039 --> 00:20:27.509
And that thing's in God's will, baby. God hears

00:20:27.509 --> 00:20:31.910
Psalm 145 18 the Lord is near to all who call

00:20:31.910 --> 00:20:39.210
on him to all who call on him in truth So we're

00:20:39.210 --> 00:20:42.869
identifying right here y 'all how important it

00:20:42.869 --> 00:20:51.950
is to have Someone praying for you To have someone

00:20:51.950 --> 00:21:02.549
encouraging you It is so important to have those

00:21:02.549 --> 00:21:08.589
people in your life, in your circle. You know,

00:21:08.589 --> 00:21:11.789
it's so interesting. I was going through and

00:21:11.789 --> 00:21:14.970
I was reading Galatians the other day, and I

00:21:14.970 --> 00:21:17.009
felt led by the Lord to do a little bit of a

00:21:17.009 --> 00:21:20.980
deeper look in on what happened in between his

00:21:20.980 --> 00:21:24.019
conversion and like his starting of ministry

00:21:24.019 --> 00:21:26.400
work and evangelizing because when we read about

00:21:26.400 --> 00:21:29.519
Paul's conversion sometimes y 'all it seems like

00:21:29.519 --> 00:21:32.099
zero to 100 real quick that things happened right

00:21:32.099 --> 00:21:36.220
like he's he's spent his whole life persecuting

00:21:36.220 --> 00:21:38.539
like he spent most of his life persecuting Christians

00:21:38.539 --> 00:21:41.099
right and he's going along his merry way getting

00:21:41.099 --> 00:21:44.140
ready to do it on the road to Damascus when he

00:21:44.140 --> 00:21:47.259
encounters God and God reveals the truth of who

00:21:47.259 --> 00:21:51.359
Jesus Christ is to him and he's blinded and then

00:21:51.359 --> 00:21:53.539
he goes through a period where he's like fasting

00:21:53.539 --> 00:21:56.359
and God has someone come and lay hands on him

00:21:56.359 --> 00:22:02.099
and he's healed and it seems and I know it's

00:22:02.099 --> 00:22:05.819
not just me but it seems in reading that like

00:22:05.819 --> 00:22:09.140
he skips to ministry pretty quick right it seems

00:22:09.140 --> 00:22:12.819
like almost immediately after He's walking into

00:22:12.819 --> 00:22:15.180
places and proclaiming that Jesus Christ is the

00:22:15.180 --> 00:22:17.779
way of the truth of life and that people need

00:22:17.779 --> 00:22:20.519
to, you know, repent. And people are like, isn't

00:22:20.519 --> 00:22:22.559
this Paul that was persecuting Christians? Like

00:22:22.559 --> 00:22:24.279
it seems like a night and day change. Like he

00:22:24.279 --> 00:22:26.440
receives the truth and bam, he's ready to go.

00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:33.319
But in doing a deeper dive, Paul was actually

00:22:33.319 --> 00:22:35.339
called into an isolation period. Did y 'all know

00:22:35.339 --> 00:22:40.180
that? It's talked about in chapter one of Galatians.

00:22:41.750 --> 00:22:44.029
We're Paul and I'll pull it up right here y 'all

00:22:44.029 --> 00:22:45.950
I'm in the she reads truth study Bible, which

00:22:45.950 --> 00:22:48.730
is the Christian standard Bible the Christian

00:22:48.730 --> 00:22:52.269
standard version And it says here in chapter

00:22:52.269 --> 00:22:56.069
1 verse 15 Paul says but when God Who from my

00:22:56.069 --> 00:22:58.849
mother's womb set me apart? I want to pause here.

00:22:58.910 --> 00:23:02.869
Okay. This is a reminder that when God is Creating

00:23:02.869 --> 00:23:04.609
us in the womb like it's referred to in the book

00:23:04.609 --> 00:23:07.170
of Jeremiah Before I formed you in the womb like

00:23:07.170 --> 00:23:11.730
I knew you I had a plan for your life God already

00:23:11.730 --> 00:23:14.670
had a plan to use Paul and this is your reminder

00:23:14.670 --> 00:23:17.690
today that When you were like before you're informed

00:23:17.690 --> 00:23:21.490
in the womb God had a plan for what he wanted

00:23:21.490 --> 00:23:23.730
to do with your life There is a calling for you

00:23:23.730 --> 00:23:26.150
to step into so don't be sitting around today

00:23:26.150 --> 00:23:27.690
thinking that you don't have a calling or you

00:23:27.690 --> 00:23:30.150
don't have a purpose but the way you're gonna

00:23:30.150 --> 00:23:32.750
identify that is through private time with the

00:23:32.750 --> 00:23:35.890
Lord and Seeking him fervently and asking him

00:23:35.890 --> 00:23:39.660
to reveal his call for your life his purpose

00:23:39.660 --> 00:23:46.019
for your life what does he want you to do but

00:23:46.019 --> 00:23:50.079
moving on it says and called me by his grace

00:23:50.079 --> 00:23:53.019
was pleased to reveal his son in me so i could

00:23:53.019 --> 00:23:56.400
preach him among the gentiles i'm gonna pause

00:23:56.400 --> 00:24:01.579
here okay so we we can see that not only like

00:24:01.579 --> 00:24:05.619
like when god revealed to paul the truth of jesus

00:24:05.619 --> 00:24:09.490
christ Who Jesus Christ was he also revealed?

00:24:10.710 --> 00:24:14.190
Paul's calling and saying like I want you to

00:24:14.190 --> 00:24:17.809
preach to the Gentiles I want you to speak to

00:24:17.809 --> 00:24:19.930
them. That's your target audience God kind of

00:24:19.930 --> 00:24:23.069
showed Paul. This is your target audience Paul

00:24:23.069 --> 00:24:26.950
Paul was anointed to go and speak to the Gentiles

00:24:26.950 --> 00:24:32.750
to the people who didn't know God He wasn't being

00:24:32.750 --> 00:24:34.990
sent to go and proclaim it to the Jews and convert

00:24:34.990 --> 00:24:37.049
all the Jews No, he was sent to the Gentiles

00:24:37.049 --> 00:24:43.190
to help them integrate right So God revealed

00:24:43.190 --> 00:24:45.829
that to Paul and I'm someone who I can speak

00:24:45.829 --> 00:24:48.109
from personal experience y 'all I've shared with

00:24:48.109 --> 00:24:51.569
y 'all testimonies on this of when I Started

00:24:51.569 --> 00:24:54.690
seeking God when I was in the middle of the desert.

00:24:54.769 --> 00:24:58.470
It was just me my Bible and prayer time And the

00:24:58.470 --> 00:25:00.670
Lord started revealing to me truths I had never

00:25:00.670 --> 00:25:03.430
seen in scripture before and like my heart started

00:25:03.430 --> 00:25:05.670
shifting and started changing. It felt so radical

00:25:05.670 --> 00:25:08.130
transformation. God revealed to me the calling

00:25:08.130 --> 00:25:11.769
that he had for my life. He gave me a dream of

00:25:11.769 --> 00:25:18.109
things I was going to do one day. God can do

00:25:18.109 --> 00:25:21.109
that for you. He hasn't changed. He did it for

00:25:21.109 --> 00:25:24.569
Paul. He's done it for me. I've heard many testimonies

00:25:24.569 --> 00:25:26.880
of other people that he's done that for. Where

00:25:26.880 --> 00:25:28.819
he says I'm going to turn your pain into testimony.

00:25:28.839 --> 00:25:32.759
I'm going to use you But you have to ask God

00:25:32.759 --> 00:25:37.619
You have to be willing to receive that from him

00:25:37.619 --> 00:25:39.740
and that comes from private intimate time with

00:25:39.740 --> 00:25:43.400
him you are not going to receive Like clarity

00:25:43.400 --> 00:25:45.299
on your calling and your purpose from everyone

00:25:45.299 --> 00:25:47.720
else's revelations and everyone else's relationships

00:25:47.720 --> 00:25:50.299
with christ It's wonderful to go and listen to

00:25:50.299 --> 00:25:53.670
sermons on sunday. It's wonderful to listen to

00:25:53.670 --> 00:25:55.730
other people's testimonies. It's wonderful to

00:25:55.730 --> 00:25:57.589
listen to those podcasts. I'm glad y 'all are

00:25:57.589 --> 00:26:00.670
listening to my podcast. But this is supplemental.

00:26:01.349 --> 00:26:03.890
This should not be your relationship with Christ.

00:26:04.470 --> 00:26:06.190
Your relationship with Christ should be one -on

00:26:06.190 --> 00:26:08.890
-one. These things should help you to understand

00:26:08.890 --> 00:26:11.750
Christ better. These things should help you.

00:26:12.190 --> 00:26:13.789
You know, there are times when God will speak

00:26:13.789 --> 00:26:15.289
through other people to you, where you'll be

00:26:15.289 --> 00:26:16.529
listening to something and you're like, oh my

00:26:16.529 --> 00:26:18.190
gosh, that's what God's been trying to communicate

00:26:18.190 --> 00:26:21.369
to me. But this, my podcast, should not be the

00:26:21.369 --> 00:26:23.970
only way you know Jesus. This should not be the

00:26:23.970 --> 00:26:25.809
only way that you feel conviction. This should

00:26:25.809 --> 00:26:27.450
not be the only way that you're learning scripture

00:26:27.450 --> 00:26:29.750
Your sermon on Sunday should not be the only

00:26:29.750 --> 00:26:32.650
way Your pastor and church should not be the

00:26:32.650 --> 00:26:35.190
only what I'm not gonna listen to any other voice

00:26:35.190 --> 00:26:40.009
Your pastor should not be an idol Your religion

00:26:40.009 --> 00:26:43.069
should not be an idol Someone needs to hear that

00:26:43.069 --> 00:26:47.410
today. Okay, we are one body Christians are followers

00:26:47.410 --> 00:26:50.609
of Christ not followers of a denomination if

00:26:50.609 --> 00:26:55.210
you have more loyalty to your denomination then

00:26:55.210 --> 00:27:00.009
you do the bible in its entirety it's entirely

00:27:00.009 --> 00:27:06.009
entirety y 'all know what i mean not a not a

00:27:06.009 --> 00:27:09.029
piece of the bible should be being left out or

00:27:09.029 --> 00:27:16.029
discounted your loyalty should be to jesus and

00:27:16.029 --> 00:27:18.509
i i think that that whole thing is a whole other

00:27:18.509 --> 00:27:20.470
podcast episode for another day that i'm sure

00:27:20.470 --> 00:27:27.539
we'll go in on at some point But going back to

00:27:27.539 --> 00:27:29.660
the point of this y 'all is all these things

00:27:29.660 --> 00:27:32.380
are supplemental But they should not be your

00:27:32.380 --> 00:27:35.160
relationship. You are not saved off of your parents

00:27:35.160 --> 00:27:37.220
relationship with Christ You're not saved over

00:27:37.220 --> 00:27:39.799
your pastors relationship with Christ and you

00:27:39.799 --> 00:27:43.119
can actually receive Words and understandings

00:27:43.119 --> 00:27:46.140
from God alone. It doesn't have to come through

00:27:46.140 --> 00:27:49.500
your pastor It doesn't have to come through that

00:27:49.500 --> 00:27:53.839
one podcaster If you spend intentional time with

00:27:53.839 --> 00:27:57.839
God, seeking Him with your heart, humbling yourself

00:27:57.839 --> 00:28:01.460
before Him, praying to Him, being in His Word,

00:28:01.759 --> 00:28:07.720
He will reveal mysteries to you. He will answer

00:28:07.720 --> 00:28:10.240
you. You will hear from Him. You want to know

00:28:10.240 --> 00:28:13.400
what your calling is? You want to know what your

00:28:13.400 --> 00:28:17.180
spiritual gifts are? Like, what's a better way

00:28:17.180 --> 00:28:20.529
to word this, Lord? we know that there are gifts

00:28:20.529 --> 00:28:28.650
of the Holy Spirit that God will give us to carry

00:28:28.650 --> 00:28:30.869
out our calling. I want to be so clear, y 'all,

00:28:30.990 --> 00:28:32.710
that the gifts that God gives us aren't things

00:28:32.710 --> 00:28:34.910
for us to build ourselves up. It's not for us

00:28:34.910 --> 00:28:36.710
to receive glory. It's not for us to receive

00:28:36.710 --> 00:28:38.589
money. We're not meant to be using our gifts,

00:28:39.089 --> 00:28:41.349
the gifts that God gives us. It's like a gift

00:28:41.349 --> 00:28:47.640
of knowledge, for example, wisdom. It's not meant

00:28:47.640 --> 00:28:49.660
for us to use to get ahead in life and do whatever

00:28:49.660 --> 00:28:56.539
we want to do Our gifts are to be used to further

00:28:56.539 --> 00:29:01.380
Christ Jesus To build up the body of Christ which

00:29:01.380 --> 00:29:05.039
is the church To bring other people closer to

00:29:05.039 --> 00:29:09.700
Christ God gives us a calling For our life if

00:29:09.700 --> 00:29:12.460
that's teaching if that's evangelizing and then

00:29:12.460 --> 00:29:19.130
he gives us gifts to help us to carry out that

00:29:19.130 --> 00:29:23.490
calling, right? So if you're teaching, if you're

00:29:23.490 --> 00:29:25.569
called to teach people, God may give you that

00:29:25.569 --> 00:29:27.609
gift of knowledge. He may give you that gift

00:29:27.609 --> 00:29:29.390
of wisdom. He may give you a gift of discernment,

00:29:29.470 --> 00:29:35.789
whatever it is. But you're not gonna know that

00:29:35.789 --> 00:29:38.130
just through your pastor's relationship with

00:29:38.130 --> 00:29:40.589
Christ or through the videos you watch on YouTube.

00:29:45.099 --> 00:29:49.039
God will reveal those things to you through personal

00:29:49.039 --> 00:29:52.500
time and intimate time with Him. Amen. Okay,

00:29:52.880 --> 00:29:56.079
so just how we can see how God will use. It's

00:29:56.079 --> 00:29:58.039
important y 'all that we stress just how much

00:29:58.039 --> 00:30:00.700
God can use with your personal intimate time

00:30:00.700 --> 00:30:03.259
with Him and how other people's relationships

00:30:03.259 --> 00:30:05.160
with God and their testimonies and their points

00:30:05.160 --> 00:30:09.720
of view are wonderful, but that's not your relationship.

00:30:10.539 --> 00:30:13.869
That's something that can be supplemental. We're

00:30:13.869 --> 00:30:15.490
gonna continue to read this. Okay, cuz we're

00:30:15.490 --> 00:30:17.549
gonna see how this is so important in Paul's

00:30:17.549 --> 00:30:20.990
walk I think we can all agree that Paul was used

00:30:20.990 --> 00:30:23.970
by God in some pretty amazing ways, right? He

00:30:23.970 --> 00:30:28.349
wrote a lot of books in the Bible And there's

00:30:28.349 --> 00:30:30.910
a lot of the New Testament that we quote today

00:30:30.910 --> 00:30:38.430
we refer back to today Paul was redeemed in some

00:30:38.430 --> 00:30:40.970
pretty awesome ways. He was used by God in some

00:30:40.970 --> 00:30:44.099
pretty awesome ways Paul suffered on the behalf

00:30:44.099 --> 00:30:46.019
of the gospel in a lot of ways that a lot of

00:30:46.019 --> 00:30:49.960
people aren't willing to suffer. He humbled himself

00:30:49.960 --> 00:30:53.640
to the point of being imprisoned, stoned, like

00:30:53.640 --> 00:30:54.960
there was a time when people thought he was dead,

00:30:55.119 --> 00:31:00.500
right? And he popped back up like, it's crazy.

00:31:01.940 --> 00:31:05.759
We can agree that Paul was a vessel being used

00:31:05.759 --> 00:31:13.400
by God. and if you want to be used by God in

00:31:13.400 --> 00:31:17.140
mighty ways you have to be willing to go through

00:31:17.140 --> 00:31:22.119
the pruning and the requirements that God the

00:31:22.119 --> 00:31:25.019
qualifications is a better word because before

00:31:25.019 --> 00:31:27.599
Paul was able to be used by God in the ways he

00:31:27.599 --> 00:31:31.859
was he had to be qualified by God right and we

00:31:31.859 --> 00:31:35.480
know that Paul had like the pharisaic teachings

00:31:35.480 --> 00:31:38.380
right because he was a Pharisee at one point

00:31:38.380 --> 00:31:41.140
so he had the law but he didn't know anything

00:31:41.140 --> 00:31:46.779
about like faith in Jesus and that is what God

00:31:46.779 --> 00:31:51.319
took him through personal revelation let me see

00:31:51.319 --> 00:31:55.000
here we're gonna go back to reading here in the

00:31:55.000 --> 00:31:56.740
scripture Galatians 1 we're going to go back

00:31:56.740 --> 00:31:59.880
to verse 16 it says to reveal his son in me so

00:31:59.880 --> 00:32:02.480
that I could preach him among the Gentiles I

00:32:02.480 --> 00:32:05.740
did not immediately consult with anyone I did

00:32:05.740 --> 00:32:08.180
not go up to Jerusalem to those who had become

00:32:08.180 --> 00:32:10.720
apostles before me instead I went to Arabia and

00:32:10.720 --> 00:32:15.099
came back to Damascus when Paul was converted

00:32:15.099 --> 00:32:17.460
when he received the truth of Christ he didn't

00:32:17.460 --> 00:32:19.759
immediately go through he didn't immediately

00:32:19.759 --> 00:32:22.900
go into ministry He didn't immediately go into

00:32:22.900 --> 00:32:27.279
evangelizing. He went into isolation. God told

00:32:27.279 --> 00:32:32.079
him. God called him away from the path that most

00:32:32.079 --> 00:32:36.299
people would normally take. He said here most

00:32:36.299 --> 00:32:38.059
of the apostles would go up to Jerusalem. That's

00:32:38.059 --> 00:32:40.779
what most of them did. But that isn't where God

00:32:40.779 --> 00:32:43.680
called him to be. God called him to be somewhere

00:32:43.680 --> 00:32:45.799
else. God called him more in the space of isolation.

00:32:45.880 --> 00:32:48.059
He said, I didn't immediately speak to anyone

00:32:48.059 --> 00:32:51.000
about this. I didn't immediately go and start

00:32:51.049 --> 00:32:53.670
asking everyone else for their opinions and asking

00:32:53.670 --> 00:32:55.490
everyone else for their understandings, who they

00:32:55.490 --> 00:32:58.170
thought Jesus was, who they thought Jesus, who

00:32:58.170 --> 00:33:01.170
they know Jesus to be, what they think I should

00:33:01.170 --> 00:33:05.490
do, who they think. No, what Paul did is he had

00:33:05.490 --> 00:33:08.029
his intimate time with the Lord. He didn't speak

00:33:08.029 --> 00:33:15.410
to anyone. He was speaking to God. And I can

00:33:15.410 --> 00:33:17.829
speak to that personally all when I remember

00:33:17.829 --> 00:33:21.230
it was 2024 in August when I really started seeking

00:33:21.230 --> 00:33:23.569
the Lord and praying and being in scripture and

00:33:23.569 --> 00:33:26.569
it wasn't until October that the Lord moved me

00:33:26.569 --> 00:33:30.109
out of that desert area and it wasn't until I

00:33:30.109 --> 00:33:35.829
think like The end of November beginning of December

00:33:35.829 --> 00:33:39.349
when I even started like branching out and like

00:33:39.349 --> 00:33:41.970
slowly making like a friend or two in the christian

00:33:41.970 --> 00:33:44.930
community it was very slow that the lord was

00:33:44.930 --> 00:33:47.710
allowing me to add influences back into my life

00:33:47.710 --> 00:33:54.450
that's something that he did with paul all those

00:33:54.450 --> 00:33:58.069
years ago and he's still doing with people today

00:33:58.069 --> 00:33:59.670
because i'm speaking from experience y 'all that

00:33:59.670 --> 00:34:03.869
he did it with me too and it's in scripture where

00:34:03.869 --> 00:34:08.659
jesus says like My sheep hear me and my sheep

00:34:08.659 --> 00:34:12.219
know my voice But y 'all if you're so busy listening

00:34:12.219 --> 00:34:14.579
to other voices if you're so busy listening to

00:34:14.579 --> 00:34:17.219
what your pastor is saying God sounds like if

00:34:17.219 --> 00:34:20.360
you're so busy listening only to and If you're

00:34:20.360 --> 00:34:22.219
so busy listening to what your friends or your

00:34:22.219 --> 00:34:24.059
family to what everyone else on social media

00:34:24.059 --> 00:34:26.940
says God sounds like but you never Really sit

00:34:26.940 --> 00:34:28.780
down the presence and hear God for yourself.

00:34:28.880 --> 00:34:31.300
It's gonna be really hard to discern the voices

00:34:31.300 --> 00:34:33.739
It's gonna be really hard to discern what is

00:34:33.739 --> 00:34:36.380
God and what isn't because we know that the devil

00:34:36.380 --> 00:34:39.460
masquerades as an angel of light and especially

00:34:39.460 --> 00:34:40.920
the closer we get to end times there's going

00:34:40.920 --> 00:34:42.760
to be a lot of false teachings there's going

00:34:42.760 --> 00:34:44.460
to be a lot of wolves in sheep's clothing there's

00:34:44.460 --> 00:34:46.260
going to be a lot of people who say things that

00:34:46.260 --> 00:34:49.659
sound but call it Christian and it sounds good

00:34:49.659 --> 00:34:51.900
to your ears but if you know God's voice you

00:34:51.900 --> 00:34:53.539
know his word and you know his character that

00:34:53.539 --> 00:34:56.559
doesn't hold true Paul warns us about people

00:34:56.559 --> 00:34:59.119
who are preaching a gospel contrary to the one

00:34:59.119 --> 00:35:05.760
we've received And if you don't know the scripture

00:35:05.760 --> 00:35:10.800
for yourself, if you don't know God's voice for

00:35:10.800 --> 00:35:14.579
yourself, if you don't have that consistent relationship

00:35:14.579 --> 00:35:17.480
with him, it's going to be really easy for you

00:35:17.480 --> 00:35:20.320
to listen to the deceptive voices. And oftentimes

00:35:20.320 --> 00:35:22.239
that's going to come out of the people you have

00:35:22.239 --> 00:35:25.380
closest to you. And if you don't know God's voice,

00:35:25.719 --> 00:35:27.239
you're not going to be able to trust it when

00:35:27.239 --> 00:35:30.579
you hear from him. I remember you all going through

00:35:30.579 --> 00:35:33.940
the period of when I was... Again, it was so

00:35:33.940 --> 00:35:35.699
important that I had those couple months of when

00:35:35.699 --> 00:35:38.280
it was just me, my Bible, and the Lord in prayer

00:35:38.280 --> 00:35:40.500
time because I really had to work on discerning.

00:35:40.699 --> 00:35:42.159
When I would feel like I'm hearing from God,

00:35:42.219 --> 00:35:44.320
I would have to learn how to like, what does

00:35:44.320 --> 00:35:47.019
God's voice sound like? And does this hold to

00:35:47.019 --> 00:35:49.099
the Word of God? Does this contradict His Word?

00:35:49.599 --> 00:35:53.420
And there were times when I was hearing things

00:35:53.420 --> 00:35:55.760
that were not from God. And I was able to be

00:35:55.760 --> 00:35:57.739
like, this is a deception of the enemy. This

00:35:57.739 --> 00:36:00.840
is a lie of the enemy. This is a trap. And then

00:36:00.840 --> 00:36:02.039
there are times where I'm like, no, this can

00:36:02.039 --> 00:36:03.519
be held to God's word, and this is God's voice,

00:36:03.539 --> 00:36:06.000
and this is something that's from God. Someone

00:36:06.000 --> 00:36:07.579
needs to hear this, too, y 'all. The enemy will

00:36:07.579 --> 00:36:10.019
present you opportunities, too. Look at Saul

00:36:10.019 --> 00:36:14.519
and David. When David was in that cave, and Saul

00:36:14.519 --> 00:36:17.400
went in there to take a whiz after Saul had been

00:36:17.400 --> 00:36:20.460
trying to kill David, the people behind David

00:36:20.460 --> 00:36:22.500
were hyping him up, saying, God's delivered him

00:36:22.500 --> 00:36:24.340
into your hand. Now's the time to take him out.

00:36:24.340 --> 00:36:26.590
Now's the time to get revenge. David didn't do

00:36:26.590 --> 00:36:28.449
it, and he actually felt grieved for how close

00:36:28.449 --> 00:36:32.030
he got to doing it. Because he understood that

00:36:32.030 --> 00:36:34.150
that wasn't what God was calling him to do. God

00:36:34.150 --> 00:36:36.210
wasn't telling him to, now's your time, make

00:36:36.210 --> 00:36:38.750
yourself king, do it yourself, take out the one

00:36:38.750 --> 00:36:41.730
who had once been anointed and chosen. David

00:36:41.730 --> 00:36:43.590
knew that God was going to do it in his own timing.

00:36:45.510 --> 00:36:48.130
But if David didn't know God's voice and didn't

00:36:48.130 --> 00:36:49.909
know God's character, he might have believed

00:36:49.909 --> 00:36:54.039
what his friends were telling him to do. That's

00:36:54.039 --> 00:36:56.500
why I'm telling y 'all today your personal relationship

00:36:56.500 --> 00:37:00.719
with Jesus is so important and it is very important

00:37:00.719 --> 00:37:05.239
To have trusted pastor like that the pastor that

00:37:05.239 --> 00:37:06.699
the person that you're listening to the Sunday

00:37:06.699 --> 00:37:12.059
sermons That you know that they have a relationship

00:37:12.059 --> 00:37:14.659
with the Lord and that you see the fruits like

00:37:14.659 --> 00:37:18.670
that is very important pastors Our pastors are

00:37:18.670 --> 00:37:22.190
often ordained by God and anointed by God and

00:37:22.190 --> 00:37:24.570
I'm not at all discounting their relationship.

00:37:24.750 --> 00:37:27.130
I have gotten some amazing guidance from pastors

00:37:27.130 --> 00:37:29.190
who have spoken wonderful things into my life

00:37:29.190 --> 00:37:32.570
and like I There are some that I truly I'm like

00:37:32.570 --> 00:37:35.329
I admire your relationship with Christ and like

00:37:35.329 --> 00:37:37.329
when they speak something when they give advice

00:37:37.329 --> 00:37:40.329
I listen Because I know that they have a relationship

00:37:40.329 --> 00:37:44.449
with Christ But I wouldn't be able to identify

00:37:44.449 --> 00:37:46.449
that if I didn't first have my relationship with

00:37:46.449 --> 00:37:49.320
Jesus, right? It's hard to identify who does

00:37:49.320 --> 00:37:51.079
and doesn't have relationship with Jesus who's

00:37:51.079 --> 00:37:53.719
giving you advice It's hard to test the spirit

00:37:53.719 --> 00:37:56.820
if you don't know the spirit in the first place

00:37:56.820 --> 00:38:00.940
Because we're supposed to test prophecies that's

00:38:00.940 --> 00:38:03.159
another thing we're warned about Right, and I

00:38:03.159 --> 00:38:05.460
believe it's first Thessalonians because the

00:38:05.460 --> 00:38:08.199
Thessalonians are losing their minds y 'all because

00:38:08.199 --> 00:38:10.780
they're they're believing There are some people

00:38:10.780 --> 00:38:12.780
in the church who are basically convincing them

00:38:12.780 --> 00:38:15.679
and this is just my rundown summary. Okay But

00:38:15.679 --> 00:38:17.500
there are some people who are freaked out that,

00:38:17.500 --> 00:38:19.619
you know, like the second coming of Christ has

00:38:19.619 --> 00:38:21.980
already happened and they've missed it because

00:38:21.980 --> 00:38:23.780
there are some false prophets that have already

00:38:23.780 --> 00:38:25.800
kind of slipped into the church and are saying

00:38:25.800 --> 00:38:29.679
things contradictory. And because they don't

00:38:29.679 --> 00:38:33.340
have the discernment, because they're not rooted,

00:38:34.360 --> 00:38:37.519
because they're not rooted in God's voice, they're

00:38:37.519 --> 00:38:39.420
believing any voice that comes and says it's

00:38:39.420 --> 00:38:48.559
from God. And they would have saved themselves,

00:38:48.699 --> 00:38:51.219
you know, Paul corrects and like, I believe it

00:38:51.219 --> 00:38:53.119
was, yeah, was it? It's been a while since I've

00:38:53.119 --> 00:38:56.139
read this, y 'all, but he, they're getting corrected

00:38:56.139 --> 00:39:00.219
and they're being spoken to. It's saying, I plead

00:39:00.219 --> 00:39:04.579
with y 'all. Basically, like to guard your guard,

00:39:04.880 --> 00:39:07.440
your hearts, like be discerning of the voices

00:39:07.440 --> 00:39:10.739
that you are entertaining and listening to. They

00:39:10.739 --> 00:39:12.579
would have saved themselves a lot of panic if

00:39:12.579 --> 00:39:16.679
they would have just been discerning. And someone

00:39:16.679 --> 00:39:18.940
may need to hear that today. You're gonna save

00:39:18.940 --> 00:39:22.519
yourself a lot of pain unnecessary pain and heartbreak

00:39:22.519 --> 00:39:25.300
that God didn't intend for you to go through

00:39:25.300 --> 00:39:31.179
If you spend more time knowing his voice and

00:39:31.179 --> 00:39:34.340
discerning and moving by faith there are people

00:39:34.340 --> 00:39:38.099
who like Believe that they're just born with

00:39:38.099 --> 00:39:40.099
this. I want to be so thoughtful with the way

00:39:40.099 --> 00:39:47.440
I word this y 'all That God will gift you, that

00:39:47.440 --> 00:39:49.719
is one of the things God can gift you with, is

00:39:49.719 --> 00:39:54.380
an extra level of discernment. But discernment

00:39:54.380 --> 00:39:57.480
comes through knowing God and knowing His Word.

00:39:59.119 --> 00:40:02.280
How can you discern what is from God and isn't

00:40:02.280 --> 00:40:09.480
from God if you don't know God? How can you discern

00:40:09.480 --> 00:40:13.940
good from evil? If you're not using God who is

00:40:13.940 --> 00:40:19.519
good as the guideline, right? So just food for

00:40:19.519 --> 00:40:23.280
thought y 'all your your relationship with Christ

00:40:23.280 --> 00:40:27.119
is so important is so important is so important

00:40:27.119 --> 00:40:32.159
We're gonna go further in here right Where Paul

00:40:32.159 --> 00:40:35.579
Paul is not consulting with just anybody he's

00:40:35.579 --> 00:40:37.960
spending time getting personal revelation from

00:40:37.960 --> 00:40:41.059
Christ personal revelation from the Lord the

00:40:41.059 --> 00:40:43.539
Lord is revealing things to him in his one -on

00:40:43.539 --> 00:40:46.019
-one relationship and then we see here in verse

00:40:46.019 --> 00:40:48.739
18 then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem

00:40:48.739 --> 00:40:51.159
to get to know Caiaphas and I stayed with him

00:40:51.159 --> 00:40:56.880
15 days but I didn't see any other apostles except

00:40:56.880 --> 00:40:59.280
James the Lord's brother I declare this in the

00:40:59.280 --> 00:41:01.639
sight of God I am not lying in what I write with

00:41:01.639 --> 00:41:08.670
you and we see here that God was selective over

00:41:08.670 --> 00:41:11.949
who Paul was allowed to be close with who Paul

00:41:11.949 --> 00:41:14.489
was allowed to receive spiritual guidance and

00:41:14.489 --> 00:41:19.510
instruction from Paul wasn't allowed to be besties

00:41:19.510 --> 00:41:22.309
with all the apostles Paul wasn't allowed to

00:41:22.309 --> 00:41:25.730
go and like be in that huge group and I'm getting

00:41:25.730 --> 00:41:28.130
guidance from all of you and I want to hear I

00:41:28.130 --> 00:41:30.250
want all of you to give me your two cents and

00:41:30.250 --> 00:41:32.329
your thoughts and your opinions he wasn't sharing

00:41:32.329 --> 00:41:34.550
his personal walk and his personal revelations

00:41:34.550 --> 00:41:40.059
with all of them either Says here after three

00:41:40.059 --> 00:41:42.500
years. I did go up to Jerusalem and get to know

00:41:42.500 --> 00:41:48.199
Caiaphas three years He was spending time with

00:41:48.199 --> 00:41:52.000
God three years before God allowed him to make

00:41:52.000 --> 00:41:57.000
friends with Caiaphas And it says here that he

00:41:57.000 --> 00:42:01.099
was only with him he only stayed with him 15

00:42:01.099 --> 00:42:07.889
days And there was one other apostle he kind

00:42:07.889 --> 00:42:10.210
of kicked it with, James. Other than that, he

00:42:10.210 --> 00:42:17.610
wasn't close with everybody. God was being very

00:42:17.610 --> 00:42:21.969
mindful with who Paul was allowed to listen to

00:42:21.969 --> 00:42:24.730
and receive from, but also who he was allowed

00:42:24.730 --> 00:42:28.949
to share with. And I've seen this in my personal

00:42:28.949 --> 00:42:30.809
life, y 'all. There were a lot of people that

00:42:30.809 --> 00:42:32.409
I wanted to be friends with, and I just wanted

00:42:32.409 --> 00:42:34.510
to be besties with, and God called me to have

00:42:34.510 --> 00:42:36.980
boundaries. or God actually closed that door,

00:42:37.079 --> 00:42:38.679
wouldn't even allow me to take a step through

00:42:38.679 --> 00:42:41.219
it. It was really hard for me, y 'all, when I

00:42:41.219 --> 00:42:43.920
was just trying to make community as a Christian.

00:42:43.940 --> 00:42:45.519
It was hard for me because I felt like I was

00:42:45.519 --> 00:42:47.599
just rebuilding in general and getting to know

00:42:47.599 --> 00:42:49.900
people. And like, it was really hard. And I felt

00:42:49.900 --> 00:42:52.940
like the doors kept getting closed. Like, every

00:42:52.940 --> 00:42:54.539
door kept getting closed. And I was like, God,

00:42:54.599 --> 00:42:56.219
do you not want me to have friends? Do you not

00:42:56.219 --> 00:42:58.699
want me to have a community? Like, what's going

00:42:58.699 --> 00:43:01.019
on here? And every time the Lord revealed to

00:43:01.019 --> 00:43:03.239
me, he was like, I have done such a work in you.

00:43:04.300 --> 00:43:09.679
And I want to use you But that also means that

00:43:09.679 --> 00:43:13.079
you can't just be around everybody and I know

00:43:13.079 --> 00:43:16.159
it's painful and I know it's lonely at times

00:43:16.159 --> 00:43:20.280
But one day you'll understand why I had to do

00:43:20.280 --> 00:43:22.500
it you'll understand why I'm doing what I'm doing

00:43:23.909 --> 00:43:26.550
I can't tell y 'all how many times I had to say,

00:43:26.550 --> 00:43:29.150
God's my best friend, Jesus is my best friend,

00:43:29.429 --> 00:43:32.210
Jesus is my person I confess to, Jesus is my

00:43:32.210 --> 00:43:34.809
person I pour out my emotions to, how many times

00:43:34.809 --> 00:43:36.210
I was going through it and the only person I

00:43:36.210 --> 00:43:40.789
could really call up was Jesus. But that was

00:43:40.789 --> 00:43:42.929
so important because Jesus is the only one who

00:43:42.929 --> 00:43:45.210
could heal. Jesus was the only one that could

00:43:45.210 --> 00:43:48.030
fix. Sure, when I call up friends, if they're

00:43:48.030 --> 00:43:49.849
very good friends, they're gonna encourage me

00:43:49.849 --> 00:43:54.460
to go to Jesus. They're gonna speak the word

00:43:54.460 --> 00:43:58.400
of God back to me But in that time period the

00:43:58.400 --> 00:44:03.699
only person I could go to was the source And

00:44:03.699 --> 00:44:06.539
I got so used to going to Jesus now eventually

00:44:06.539 --> 00:44:09.019
when I did start getting close to people and

00:44:09.019 --> 00:44:14.639
When I would like vent It would be very noticeable

00:44:14.639 --> 00:44:17.480
to me the second like my It wouldn't sit right

00:44:17.480 --> 00:44:19.260
with me when I would notice, oh, they're encouraging

00:44:19.260 --> 00:44:21.059
me to go to the world instead of encouraging

00:44:21.059 --> 00:44:23.179
me to go to God. Maybe this isn't the best friendship

00:44:23.179 --> 00:44:25.280
for me. Maybe this isn't the best connection

00:44:25.280 --> 00:44:30.360
for me. I wasn't able to do that until I had

00:44:30.360 --> 00:44:32.579
spent so much time going to God that it was abnormal

00:44:32.579 --> 00:44:35.780
for someone to recommend me to not go to God.

00:44:36.159 --> 00:44:37.820
And it was actually a red flag when they would

00:44:37.820 --> 00:44:39.599
start recommending I go to other places or do

00:44:39.599 --> 00:44:47.639
other things. Look at how God used Paul. But

00:44:47.639 --> 00:44:51.260
he had to have an isolation. He had to be selective

00:44:51.260 --> 00:44:54.780
with his circle. If you want to be used by God,

00:44:54.940 --> 00:44:56.559
there's a very good chance he's going to call

00:44:56.559 --> 00:45:00.780
you to do the same thing. We know that bad company

00:45:00.780 --> 00:45:02.860
corrupts good morals. We know that we're supposed

00:45:02.860 --> 00:45:05.980
to guard our heart. We know that we are supposed

00:45:05.980 --> 00:45:12.480
to be testing the spirit behind things. We know

00:45:12.480 --> 00:45:14.820
that we're supposed to have boundaries as Christians

00:45:14.820 --> 00:45:20.380
To love people in a Christ -like way which comes

00:45:20.380 --> 00:45:27.269
with boundaries so of course of course God is

00:45:27.269 --> 00:45:29.269
gonna call you to be discerning with who you

00:45:29.269 --> 00:45:31.309
allow yourself to be close with on a daily basis

00:45:31.309 --> 00:45:33.210
because that's gonna determine the direction

00:45:33.210 --> 00:45:35.329
you go in and there's a reason why we're called

00:45:35.329 --> 00:45:38.030
to be equally yoked and People there are a lot

00:45:38.030 --> 00:45:39.989
of people who only see that as relationships

00:45:39.989 --> 00:45:42.130
like romantic relationships, but that's what

00:45:42.130 --> 00:45:50.070
businesses that's what friendships to The people

00:45:50.070 --> 00:45:53.130
that you call your best friends or your closest

00:45:53.130 --> 00:45:57.219
confidants the people that you should you should

00:45:57.219 --> 00:46:00.820
be able To go to them in times of stress and

00:46:00.820 --> 00:46:02.659
struggle and hurting and trust that they're going

00:46:02.659 --> 00:46:06.760
to lead you closer to Christ I'm not saying that

00:46:06.760 --> 00:46:08.579
they're gonna be perfect or that they're gonna

00:46:08.579 --> 00:46:11.119
handle things perfectly But these should be people

00:46:11.119 --> 00:46:13.480
that lift you up that pick you back up not people

00:46:13.480 --> 00:46:21.579
that tell you it's fine to stay down Who you

00:46:21.579 --> 00:46:28.179
surround yourself with Can be detrimental or

00:46:28.179 --> 00:46:33.320
very encouraging And as we said in the beginning

00:46:33.320 --> 00:46:35.380
of this episode if you need just an example of

00:46:35.380 --> 00:46:47.199
someone we have Solomon We have Solomon who fell

00:46:47.199 --> 00:46:51.099
into that temptation with his wives after years

00:46:51.929 --> 00:46:54.650
dancing on the line after years of there's a

00:46:54.650 --> 00:46:56.610
reason why he wasn't supposed to have all those

00:46:56.610 --> 00:46:59.550
wives so he was disobeying God in the first place

00:46:59.550 --> 00:47:04.769
having that many and we've talked before in the

00:47:04.769 --> 00:47:07.449
past y 'all episodes about open doors to sin

00:47:07.449 --> 00:47:09.789
and how that gives the devil more legal access

00:47:09.789 --> 00:47:14.429
to your life and there were things that Samson

00:47:14.429 --> 00:47:16.710
was that not Samson I guess we'll talk about

00:47:16.710 --> 00:47:18.070
Samson in a minute y 'all I'm feeling like to

00:47:18.070 --> 00:47:21.619
talk about him too There are things that Solomon

00:47:21.619 --> 00:47:26.820
did that went against what God wanted him to

00:47:26.820 --> 00:47:29.800
do, like one thing, taking all those wives. Also,

00:47:29.820 --> 00:47:32.000
he was getting kind of lazy with the sacrifices,

00:47:32.719 --> 00:47:36.179
too. He was making compromises in these areas.

00:47:36.440 --> 00:47:39.960
He was making excuses for sin. And saying, well,

00:47:40.019 --> 00:47:42.079
I honor God in these other areas. So it's okay

00:47:42.079 --> 00:47:44.340
for these areas to fall short. And I think that

00:47:44.340 --> 00:47:46.840
speaks to, you know, the cheap grace that we

00:47:46.840 --> 00:47:48.380
operate out of today. I've talked to you all

00:47:48.380 --> 00:47:50.199
about this in previous podcast episodes about

00:47:50.199 --> 00:47:52.719
cheap grace versus costly grace, where a lot

00:47:52.719 --> 00:47:55.460
of us nowadays operate on that cheap grace of

00:47:55.460 --> 00:47:57.119
like, God will forgive me. I can send as much

00:47:57.119 --> 00:47:58.980
as I want and do whatever I want to do. And they

00:47:58.980 --> 00:48:01.659
don't see that that disobedience is an open door

00:48:01.659 --> 00:48:04.730
for the devil to run rampant in your life. There

00:48:04.730 --> 00:48:07.670
have been multiple people I meet now as a Christian

00:48:07.670 --> 00:48:10.809
this has been a running one and I can't you know

00:48:10.809 --> 00:48:12.650
I'm not speaking from the place of judgment because

00:48:12.650 --> 00:48:15.190
I didn't always wait until marriage or intimacy

00:48:15.190 --> 00:48:17.690
before I gave my life to Christ That was not

00:48:17.690 --> 00:48:20.869
like a boundary I had but it's interesting about

00:48:20.869 --> 00:48:23.309
a couple years leading up to giving my life to

00:48:23.309 --> 00:48:26.110
Christ I started feeling conviction about intimacy

00:48:26.110 --> 00:48:28.670
with someone I wasn't in love with By the time

00:48:28.670 --> 00:48:30.670
I gave my life to Christ, I'd already been abstinent

00:48:30.670 --> 00:48:33.469
for a while and I'm abstinent until marriage.

00:48:33.590 --> 00:48:35.090
I've been abstinent for years and I recommend

00:48:35.090 --> 00:48:37.170
that for anybody else because I believe that

00:48:37.170 --> 00:48:39.030
that's what God calls us to, that we're not called

00:48:39.030 --> 00:48:41.690
to physical intimacy outside of marriage for

00:48:41.690 --> 00:48:44.670
good reason. And that's a whole episode for a

00:48:44.670 --> 00:48:46.289
whole other day. But there are a lot of people

00:48:46.289 --> 00:48:48.949
who call themselves Christian that don't honor

00:48:48.949 --> 00:48:52.230
that area. I have literally talked to people

00:48:52.230 --> 00:48:54.230
firsthand that they're like, yeah, no, that doesn't

00:48:54.230 --> 00:48:58.300
work for me. There has been there was one person

00:48:58.300 --> 00:49:02.760
y 'all who and I I want to be I'm gonna try to

00:49:02.760 --> 00:49:05.380
It'd be very thoughtful with the way I wear this

00:49:05.380 --> 00:49:07.099
there is a person who's really interested in

00:49:07.099 --> 00:49:09.519
pursuing me that found out that I was waiting

00:49:09.519 --> 00:49:11.519
until marriage and they're like Well, don't you

00:49:11.519 --> 00:49:13.539
do will you do other things outside of marriage?

00:49:13.539 --> 00:49:20.360
I said no like I'm I'm full -on like No, that's

00:49:20.360 --> 00:49:22.880
not happening and they said well that's not my

00:49:22.880 --> 00:49:24.980
personal belief is that I can do that and like

00:49:24.980 --> 00:49:27.119
God will forgive me like he's graced me to do

00:49:27.119 --> 00:49:30.139
that and that's a perfect example of cheap grace

00:49:30.139 --> 00:49:32.460
y 'all of like some areas you're like I'll obey

00:49:32.460 --> 00:49:36.280
God other areas it's like God understands I'm

00:49:36.280 --> 00:49:38.639
not even gonna try to deny myself I'm gonna try

00:49:38.639 --> 00:49:43.460
to do it God gets it and a lot of people operate

00:49:43.460 --> 00:49:45.880
out of that but operating out of that leads you

00:49:45.880 --> 00:49:49.710
to being Solomon For how many years did he make

00:49:49.710 --> 00:49:52.210
an excuse of marrying all these wives that worshipped

00:49:52.210 --> 00:49:56.309
gods that weren't even God? All these false idols.

00:49:56.769 --> 00:49:58.590
Not only was he marrying a plethora of women,

00:49:58.610 --> 00:50:02.070
but these women didn't even believe in God. It

00:50:02.070 --> 00:50:05.150
was like a double whammy. Lust and idolatry.

00:50:07.409 --> 00:50:10.030
But then also he started slacking on the offerings.

00:50:12.889 --> 00:50:16.639
And he got so used to making excuses. for doing

00:50:16.639 --> 00:50:19.139
that that just became a part of his life that

00:50:19.139 --> 00:50:21.519
by the time he fell like eventually of course

00:50:21.519 --> 00:50:26.780
he fell in to just that full -on disobedience

00:50:26.780 --> 00:50:30.780
worshiping other gods it wasn't he woke up that

00:50:30.780 --> 00:50:32.679
day and start worshiping the other gods it started

00:50:32.679 --> 00:50:34.760
with those compromises of who he allowed around

00:50:34.760 --> 00:50:37.139
him and the things that he started saying god

00:50:37.139 --> 00:50:39.340
has graced me to send in this area god has graced

00:50:39.340 --> 00:50:44.150
me to be disobedience no he hasn't His grace

00:50:44.150 --> 00:50:45.670
is shown in the fact that he hasn't struck you

00:50:45.670 --> 00:50:48.630
down and taken you out, but that doesn't mean

00:50:48.630 --> 00:50:51.489
that he agrees with what you're doing. And that

00:50:51.489 --> 00:50:53.449
doesn't mean that there is not going to be suffering

00:50:53.449 --> 00:50:56.590
for what you're doing. Speaking from experience,

00:50:56.769 --> 00:51:01.269
y 'all. But look at Solomon and what happened

00:51:01.269 --> 00:51:08.489
when he wasn't discerning, and when he just let

00:51:08.489 --> 00:51:10.849
anyone around him. I encourage y 'all to go read

00:51:10.849 --> 00:51:13.230
about Samson and Delilah. It's been a while since

00:51:13.230 --> 00:51:15.389
I've read about Samson and Delilah, y 'all. But

00:51:15.389 --> 00:51:18.250
long story short, Samson was, he had supernatural

00:51:18.250 --> 00:51:20.969
strength from God. And God gave him a couple

00:51:20.969 --> 00:51:23.369
different covenants. I believe one was not to

00:51:23.369 --> 00:51:25.550
cut his hair. Another one was he couldn't be

00:51:25.550 --> 00:51:32.130
around dead bodies. He gave him a couple different

00:51:32.130 --> 00:51:33.670
covenants. The other one I believe it was he

00:51:33.670 --> 00:51:34.949
wasn't allowed to drink. He wasn't allowed to

00:51:34.949 --> 00:51:39.369
be around wine. And he had this strength. And

00:51:39.369 --> 00:51:42.710
there was a woman, Delilah, that started getting

00:51:42.710 --> 00:51:44.809
all up around him and he started entertaining

00:51:44.809 --> 00:51:50.150
Delilah. But Delilah was working against him

00:51:50.150 --> 00:51:52.210
and she was looking for ways to take him down.

00:51:52.269 --> 00:51:54.550
She was playing in his face. She was being nice

00:51:54.550 --> 00:51:58.309
and kind to his face while actually just trying

00:51:58.309 --> 00:52:00.110
to figure out his weaknesses of how to take him

00:52:00.110 --> 00:52:04.119
down. And someone may need to hear this today,

00:52:04.219 --> 00:52:05.900
too. You need to trust in what God is speaking

00:52:05.900 --> 00:52:07.980
to you over what you see. I cannot tell y 'all

00:52:07.980 --> 00:52:11.260
how many times that before starting a connection

00:52:11.260 --> 00:52:13.079
with somebody or getting close to someone and

00:52:13.079 --> 00:52:14.619
like I'm taking it to God and God's telling me,

00:52:14.619 --> 00:52:17.480
nope. Set boundaries. You can't be close with

00:52:17.480 --> 00:52:19.460
this person. And at first I'm like, why God?

00:52:19.519 --> 00:52:21.239
They seem nice. They seem like they care. They

00:52:21.239 --> 00:52:22.480
seem like they want to be friends. They seem

00:52:22.480 --> 00:52:23.980
like they'll be supportive and all these things.

00:52:24.340 --> 00:52:26.380
And God's like, just trust me. I cannot tell

00:52:26.380 --> 00:52:28.059
y 'all how many times I've come up in prayer

00:52:28.059 --> 00:52:30.320
of like, there's been a lot more times where

00:52:30.320 --> 00:52:32.599
God tells me to have boundaries and to close

00:52:32.599 --> 00:52:34.539
a door than He says to open a door and let someone

00:52:34.539 --> 00:52:38.519
in. A lot more times He tells me to close a door.

00:52:39.059 --> 00:52:43.719
And I listen to that and obey that. And there's

00:52:43.719 --> 00:52:46.519
a lot of times when later on I start saying,

00:52:46.760 --> 00:52:50.730
uh, that's why. I'm glad I listened in God because

00:52:50.730 --> 00:52:52.369
if I would open up that door that would have

00:52:52.369 --> 00:52:53.849
been a whole situation that would have been a

00:52:53.849 --> 00:52:56.170
whole lot of unnecessary pain and suffering and

00:52:56.170 --> 00:52:57.530
you know there have been times when I didn't

00:52:57.530 --> 00:52:59.710
especially in the beginning where I didn't obey

00:52:59.710 --> 00:53:02.769
that and found out for myself the reason why

00:53:02.769 --> 00:53:04.489
I have such a fear and such a reverence now I

00:53:04.489 --> 00:53:06.809
have learned through experience I have learned

00:53:06.809 --> 00:53:08.650
it's better to just trust God and what he speaks

00:53:08.650 --> 00:53:11.050
to me than to play around and figure it out for

00:53:11.050 --> 00:53:13.250
myself and I'm not perfect and I'm not perfect

00:53:13.250 --> 00:53:17.809
but I'm learning and Samson is a wonderful example

00:53:17.809 --> 00:53:20.619
of that Cuz I wonder how differently it would

00:53:20.619 --> 00:53:22.599
have been if he would have just like been sitting

00:53:22.599 --> 00:53:25.300
consistently in God's presence instead of relying

00:53:25.300 --> 00:53:27.699
on his own pride and his own desires and his

00:53:27.699 --> 00:53:30.460
own understanding and just really submitted it

00:53:30.460 --> 00:53:34.559
to God and Instead listen to God's warnings and

00:53:34.559 --> 00:53:38.880
God's promptings, you know It happened for a

00:53:38.880 --> 00:53:41.739
reason like got God used it God knew how it was

00:53:41.739 --> 00:53:48.400
gonna happen But that's another example There

00:53:48.400 --> 00:53:50.480
are some times, and I'm saying this in the most

00:53:50.480 --> 00:53:52.420
loving way I can, that people are being nice

00:53:52.420 --> 00:53:56.880
to your face and playing in your face. And the

00:53:56.880 --> 00:53:58.980
only way that you're going to know to set boundaries

00:53:58.980 --> 00:54:01.559
with them is by listening to God, because everything

00:54:01.559 --> 00:54:04.219
that you see might say this is a safe person.

00:54:04.539 --> 00:54:07.679
And God may be the only thing saying, stay away.

00:54:08.840 --> 00:54:11.420
And you have to trust in God, stay away, over

00:54:11.420 --> 00:54:15.780
your flesh's desire to allow it in. Lovingly.

00:54:21.409 --> 00:54:25.030
lovingly obey God obey what he's warning you

00:54:25.030 --> 00:54:28.730
about and calling you to do obey in his guidance

00:54:28.730 --> 00:54:36.030
and his instruction and I want I pray that this

00:54:36.030 --> 00:54:39.670
is you know if you're having conviction and listening

00:54:39.670 --> 00:54:43.170
to this that there's hope in this too Okay, because

00:54:43.170 --> 00:54:46.989
the qualifications to be used by God, it's so

00:54:46.989 --> 00:54:49.670
important to understand y 'all that an anointing

00:54:49.670 --> 00:54:53.409
comes along with a crushing. God anoints you

00:54:53.409 --> 00:54:56.949
with what? Oil. When David was anointed to become

00:54:56.949 --> 00:55:00.690
king, he was anointed with oil. When God anoints

00:55:00.690 --> 00:55:02.610
you for something there's oil, but how do you

00:55:02.610 --> 00:55:07.289
receive the oil? Oil comes through a crushing,

00:55:07.489 --> 00:55:11.139
through the olives being crushed. So God will

00:55:11.139 --> 00:55:13.000
anoint you for something. He will anoint you

00:55:13.000 --> 00:55:15.280
for a position. He will anoint you to be like

00:55:15.280 --> 00:55:17.440
with David to be king. God may anoint you to

00:55:17.440 --> 00:55:19.579
speak to a group of people. God may anoint you

00:55:19.579 --> 00:55:23.980
to do a thing. But before you get there, there

00:55:23.980 --> 00:55:27.480
is a qualification he puts you through. His own

00:55:27.480 --> 00:55:30.280
qualification. It's not about the degree that

00:55:30.280 --> 00:55:33.739
you get. You can have all the biblical knowledge

00:55:33.739 --> 00:55:36.219
in the world and you can have a master's degree

00:55:36.219 --> 00:55:38.199
You can have a doctorate you can have all these

00:55:38.199 --> 00:55:40.679
things But if God has not anointed you for it,

00:55:40.679 --> 00:55:42.559
if God has not called you to do it, you're not

00:55:42.559 --> 00:55:46.320
going to see God's hand But you can see someone

00:55:46.320 --> 00:55:48.280
do that very same thing that the person with

00:55:48.280 --> 00:55:49.900
the doctorate and the master's degree is doing

00:55:49.900 --> 00:55:53.340
and they will excel way over that person Simply

00:55:53.340 --> 00:55:56.400
because the hand of God is on their life because

00:55:56.400 --> 00:55:59.309
God has anointed them for that thing And someone

00:55:59.309 --> 00:56:02.289
needs to hear this today. You cannot duplicate

00:56:02.289 --> 00:56:04.750
an anointing if God hasn't anointed you for that

00:56:04.750 --> 00:56:06.829
thing You are not going to be able to mimic what

00:56:06.829 --> 00:56:13.369
that other person is doing Jealousy and envy

00:56:13.369 --> 00:56:16.449
over someone's anointing and someone's calling

00:56:16.449 --> 00:56:21.150
Can cause people to throw away what God has planned

00:56:21.150 --> 00:56:24.289
for their life God has created you when you were

00:56:24.289 --> 00:56:26.409
formed in the womb. He already had a calling

00:56:27.480 --> 00:56:30.619
anointing for your life. Quit spending time being

00:56:30.619 --> 00:56:32.760
jealous of what God has anointed someone else

00:56:32.760 --> 00:56:37.199
to do, and called someone else to do, and ignoring

00:56:37.199 --> 00:56:39.519
what you could be doing for the kingdom of heaven

00:56:39.519 --> 00:56:41.780
right now. But understand that it comes with

00:56:41.780 --> 00:56:46.960
a crushing, a qualification. For example, if

00:56:46.960 --> 00:56:49.320
God's gonna send you to speak to people, He's

00:56:49.320 --> 00:56:51.159
gonna take you through seasons where you're gonna

00:56:51.159 --> 00:56:53.639
get used to being rejected first. and you're

00:56:53.639 --> 00:56:55.260
gonna have to go through walking by faith, you're

00:56:55.260 --> 00:56:56.400
gonna have to go through all these things and

00:56:56.400 --> 00:57:00.400
it doesn't feel good. Y 'all, even for me to

00:57:00.400 --> 00:57:02.039
be able to speak to you on the things I've had

00:57:02.039 --> 00:57:04.059
to speak to you today, how I just told y 'all

00:57:04.059 --> 00:57:05.599
I have learned all these things through suffering

00:57:05.599 --> 00:57:08.519
and experience, that is part of a crushing. The

00:57:08.519 --> 00:57:11.199
way I am even able to speak to y 'all today didn't

00:57:11.199 --> 00:57:12.699
come through me being able to wake up and do

00:57:12.699 --> 00:57:14.780
it, I suffered a lot to even be able to speak

00:57:14.780 --> 00:57:16.420
to y 'all on the things I'm speaking to you on.

00:57:17.619 --> 00:57:20.940
Where I'm so casually mentioning like trials

00:57:20.940 --> 00:57:22.980
and tribulations. I've been through it didn't

00:57:22.980 --> 00:57:26.480
feel casual There are pains and sufferings. I've

00:57:26.480 --> 00:57:28.420
been through the other people would be crumbled

00:57:28.420 --> 00:57:31.539
by and I didn't get through on my own strength.

00:57:31.659 --> 00:57:38.670
It was God If you are going through a crushing,

00:57:38.769 --> 00:57:40.230
if you are going through a period where God is

00:57:40.230 --> 00:57:42.429
telling you no, and he's being selective with

00:57:42.429 --> 00:57:44.449
who you're around, and he is closing a lot of

00:57:44.449 --> 00:57:45.489
these doors, and maybe you're going through a

00:57:45.489 --> 00:57:47.210
lot of pain, a lot of suffering, stop looking

00:57:47.210 --> 00:57:48.829
at it as pain and suffering, start looking at

00:57:48.829 --> 00:57:52.409
it as God is qualifying you. If you know the

00:57:52.409 --> 00:57:54.510
calling God has for you, you know that there's

00:57:54.510 --> 00:57:56.210
an anointing on your life, know that it comes

00:57:56.210 --> 00:58:00.730
with crushing, and know that God will use it.

00:58:00.949 --> 00:58:03.329
So I want this to be encouragement for you today.

00:58:06.260 --> 00:58:08.960
That though it feels like he's he's giving you

00:58:08.960 --> 00:58:11.880
some very difficult things to work through and

00:58:11.880 --> 00:58:14.719
move through that this is qualifying you but

00:58:14.719 --> 00:58:17.699
this is the crushing that he is going to use

00:58:17.699 --> 00:58:22.840
and the wisdom and the experience that God will

00:58:22.840 --> 00:58:25.380
give you through his crushing and his anointing

00:58:25.380 --> 00:58:28.059
is a lot more than you're gonna get in that master's

00:58:28.059 --> 00:58:29.639
degree in that doctorate degree and that's not

00:58:29.639 --> 00:58:33.260
saying that that it and that is not at all to

00:58:33.260 --> 00:58:35.440
say that those are unusable or unnecessary because

00:58:35.440 --> 00:58:41.800
God will call people to that too but God's requirements

00:58:41.800 --> 00:58:47.309
and God's qualification Matters a lot more than

00:58:47.309 --> 00:58:49.909
the worldly requirements and the worldly qualifications

00:58:49.909 --> 00:58:53.289
We have constructed systems now of like this

00:58:53.289 --> 00:58:55.630
is what you need to be qualified to speak on

00:58:55.630 --> 00:58:57.710
this This is what you need to be qualified to

00:58:57.710 --> 00:59:00.409
hold this position. God doesn't that's not how

00:59:00.409 --> 00:59:06.409
God moves That's not how God moves And if whatever

00:59:06.409 --> 00:59:08.190
season you're going through is how God has just

00:59:08.190 --> 00:59:13.489
what has decided he's gonna qualify you Submit

00:59:13.489 --> 00:59:16.619
to it want this to be your encouragement y 'all

00:59:16.619 --> 00:59:18.840
and someone needs to hear this today may need

00:59:18.840 --> 00:59:21.099
to hear this when we're on the topic of you know

00:59:21.099 --> 00:59:23.960
not being jealous or envious don't be jealous

00:59:23.960 --> 00:59:27.119
or envious of like seeing the calling that someone

00:59:27.119 --> 00:59:29.000
else has or stepping into that because you don't

00:59:29.000 --> 00:59:31.179
know the crushing that they had to go through

00:59:31.179 --> 00:59:37.699
you don't know the suffering and you might not

00:59:37.699 --> 00:59:41.260
be able to withstand the suffering Just like

00:59:41.260 --> 00:59:42.719
they're suffering that you may be going through

00:59:42.719 --> 00:59:44.500
that other people wouldn't be able to withstand

00:59:44.500 --> 00:59:48.159
or get through Don't be jealous of someone else's

00:59:48.159 --> 00:59:49.519
calling because you're being jealous of that

00:59:49.519 --> 00:59:51.699
suffering, too And that might be suffering that

00:59:51.699 --> 00:59:53.579
you don't want to sign up for and the most loving

00:59:53.579 --> 00:59:55.440
way possible and I felt convicted of this as

00:59:55.440 --> 00:59:59.059
well y 'all I Felt convicted of this as well

01:00:03.170 --> 01:00:04.989
I believe I'm really speaking to someone today

01:00:04.989 --> 01:00:07.710
of stop paying attention to other people's callings

01:00:07.710 --> 01:00:09.530
and other people's anointings in the way that

01:00:09.530 --> 01:00:14.469
they're carrying it out. I used this analogy

01:00:14.469 --> 01:00:19.469
years ago, and I stopped using it, but it's something

01:00:19.469 --> 01:00:21.170
I'm feeling the Lord in this moment kind of put

01:00:21.170 --> 01:00:23.750
on me to speak up on again today. I used to use

01:00:23.750 --> 01:00:25.849
the saying that it's like you have a garden,

01:00:25.969 --> 01:00:28.449
right? And you're supposed to be watering your

01:00:28.449 --> 01:00:31.010
garden. You're supposed to be tending to your

01:00:31.010 --> 01:00:34.010
garden. so that in due time, you are going to

01:00:34.010 --> 01:00:36.869
reap a harvest. But there are people who have

01:00:36.869 --> 01:00:39.690
a garden in front of them, seeds, like they can

01:00:39.690 --> 01:00:41.789
be working on that garden, but they're looking

01:00:41.789 --> 01:00:43.869
over at their neighbor and they're paying attention

01:00:43.869 --> 01:00:46.210
to how that person's tending to their garden

01:00:46.210 --> 01:00:48.150
and how it's watering and they're watching that

01:00:48.150 --> 01:00:50.829
person's garden grow. And they're so busy paying

01:00:50.829 --> 01:00:53.230
attention to what that person's doing and to

01:00:53.230 --> 01:00:56.710
what that person's focusing on and what their

01:00:56.710 --> 01:01:01.480
harvest looks like. That they have neglected

01:01:01.480 --> 01:01:05.039
their own When you are too busy focusing on what

01:01:05.039 --> 01:01:06.900
someone else is cultivating and what someone

01:01:06.900 --> 01:01:08.440
else is doing and what someone else is growing

01:01:08.440 --> 01:01:10.179
You're gonna be watching that and you're not

01:01:10.179 --> 01:01:12.000
gonna be tending to your garden and when harvest

01:01:12.000 --> 01:01:15.019
time comes, what are you gonna harvest? Because

01:01:15.019 --> 01:01:16.940
you haven't been you haven't been spending that

01:01:16.940 --> 01:01:19.300
time with the Lord You haven't been asking him

01:01:19.300 --> 01:01:20.920
to reveal to you your purpose and your calling

01:01:20.920 --> 01:01:22.639
You haven't been walking in obedience of what

01:01:22.639 --> 01:01:24.880
he's calling you to do in your personal So how

01:01:24.880 --> 01:01:27.139
can you be upset that you don't have a harvest

01:01:27.139 --> 01:01:30.969
when you haven't even been investing? Time with

01:01:30.969 --> 01:01:34.170
the Lord and obeying him if you're so busy watching

01:01:34.170 --> 01:01:36.809
other people you're gonna watch them reap harvests

01:01:36.809 --> 01:01:39.030
and You're gonna turn around and have nothing

01:01:39.030 --> 01:01:45.190
in your garden And here's another thing too is

01:01:45.190 --> 01:01:47.630
God knows what you need in your garden God knows

01:01:47.630 --> 01:01:49.369
what's gonna work for you God knows you like

01:01:49.369 --> 01:01:53.309
lemons and you like pumpkins and you like Peaches

01:01:53.309 --> 01:01:55.349
so he's growing that in your garden. He knows

01:01:55.349 --> 01:01:57.769
that those are gonna be the things That you're

01:01:57.769 --> 01:01:59.719
gonna sell the best that are going to be the

01:01:59.719 --> 01:02:04.079
best for the kingdom of heaven but you're looking

01:02:04.079 --> 01:02:05.500
over at your neighbor and you're seeing them

01:02:05.500 --> 01:02:07.860
grow watermelons and you're seeing them grow

01:02:07.860 --> 01:02:10.880
corn and really tall sunflowers and that looks

01:02:10.880 --> 01:02:14.699
cooler and that looks better and all of a sudden

01:02:14.699 --> 01:02:17.920
you have no gratitude for the specially picked

01:02:17.920 --> 01:02:21.239
out for you peaches what was it peaches and pumpkins

01:02:21.239 --> 01:02:26.920
and lemons you don't even like sunflowers you

01:02:26.920 --> 01:02:30.159
wouldn't even be good Selling watermelon. Why

01:02:30.159 --> 01:02:34.159
are you? If you're paying so much attention y

01:02:34.159 --> 01:02:37.019
'all to what other people are harvesting and

01:02:37.019 --> 01:02:38.820
having a jealousy over that you're gonna lose

01:02:38.820 --> 01:02:41.719
appreciation and gratitude for what God has specifically

01:02:41.719 --> 01:02:44.800
Cultivated and created and selected for you before

01:02:44.800 --> 01:02:47.840
you were formed in the womb He chose this for

01:02:47.840 --> 01:02:53.300
you We are all parts of the body a foot, you

01:02:53.300 --> 01:02:55.559
know, the ones an eye once a foot once a hand

01:02:55.789 --> 01:02:57.730
One part of the body can't say to the other,

01:02:57.809 --> 01:02:59.710
I don't want to be this, I want to be that. God

01:02:59.710 --> 01:03:03.030
has selected you for a reason. Every one of us,

01:03:03.170 --> 01:03:07.550
our purpose should be to boost Christ and to

01:03:07.550 --> 01:03:12.389
bring people closer to Christ. And I encourage

01:03:12.389 --> 01:03:15.090
you to focus on that. Focus on your relationship

01:03:15.090 --> 01:03:19.590
with Christ and ask Him what you can do to step

01:03:19.590 --> 01:03:21.929
into your calling to guide you in obedience.

01:03:22.849 --> 01:03:25.210
This is my encouragement today to focus on your

01:03:25.210 --> 01:03:27.889
relationship with the Lord and stop paying attention

01:03:27.889 --> 01:03:30.130
to what other people are achieving and what pace

01:03:30.130 --> 01:03:31.750
other people are moving at what they have going

01:03:31.750 --> 01:03:34.929
on and Just focus on your relationship with God

01:03:34.929 --> 01:03:36.769
and trust that the steps that you need to take

01:03:36.769 --> 01:03:38.989
if you're seeking first the kingdom and His righteousness

01:03:38.989 --> 01:03:41.389
I'll be added on to you. I am someone who has

01:03:41.389 --> 01:03:43.289
fallen into the distraction I know other people

01:03:43.289 --> 01:03:45.130
do of looking at what other people have going

01:03:45.130 --> 01:03:47.010
on around you The enemy loves to distract you

01:03:47.010 --> 01:03:49.500
with envy and jealousy and fear because sometimes

01:03:49.500 --> 01:03:50.980
you're not watching other people because you're

01:03:50.980 --> 01:03:52.519
jealous sometimes you're watching other people

01:03:52.519 --> 01:03:54.840
out of fear that they're gonna try to like steal

01:03:54.840 --> 01:03:57.139
your harvest or take your harvest i went through

01:03:57.139 --> 01:04:00.340
that season y 'all because i i had to go through

01:04:00.340 --> 01:04:02.639
that where i had people literally trying to sabotage

01:04:02.639 --> 01:04:06.639
what god was trying to do in my life and the

01:04:06.639 --> 01:04:09.860
enemy wanted me to be so fearful that i was spending

01:04:09.860 --> 01:04:12.760
all my effort and all my energy trying to block

01:04:12.760 --> 01:04:15.780
that and trying to like fix that myself and do

01:04:15.780 --> 01:04:17.920
all that, that I would stop having my intimate

01:04:17.920 --> 01:04:19.559
time with Christ and I would stop working on

01:04:19.559 --> 01:04:22.340
things. That I learned that if I just focused

01:04:22.340 --> 01:04:24.880
on my relationship with Christ and spent intentional

01:04:24.880 --> 01:04:26.880
time with him, that the weapons of the enemy

01:04:26.880 --> 01:04:28.880
would fall to the floor in God's timing. That

01:04:28.880 --> 01:04:32.500
I don't have to defend myself or to block these

01:04:32.500 --> 01:04:35.139
things, that God will do it for me. The enemy

01:04:35.139 --> 01:04:37.760
wants you to focus all your energy on trying

01:04:37.760 --> 01:04:39.659
to protect yourself and do these things yourself

01:04:39.659 --> 01:04:46.690
when all you need is the blood of Jesus. I believe

01:04:46.690 --> 01:04:52.150
that was in the book of Exodus. Be still. He's

01:04:52.150 --> 01:04:53.989
like, I will fight for you. You need only be

01:04:53.989 --> 01:04:57.550
still. God will do the fighting. God will do

01:04:57.550 --> 01:05:00.650
it. That's in his character. It's what his word

01:05:00.650 --> 01:05:05.050
says. That's one of the biggest distractions

01:05:05.050 --> 01:05:07.070
of the enemy is having you fearful of the plots

01:05:07.070 --> 01:05:10.079
of The schemes that he has going on and trying

01:05:10.079 --> 01:05:12.260
to protect yourself and plan accordingly when

01:05:12.260 --> 01:05:14.599
you realize that you don't need to plan for all

01:05:14.599 --> 01:05:17.920
that because God already has and Your obedience

01:05:17.920 --> 01:05:20.500
to him is also going along with whatever he has

01:05:20.500 --> 01:05:23.400
planned for a lot of fear is gonna fall away

01:05:23.400 --> 01:05:26.480
and you'll see yourself being able to water your

01:05:26.480 --> 01:05:30.519
garden again and In God's timing a harvest whatever

01:05:30.519 --> 01:05:32.679
that looks like. I don't know God's purpose in

01:05:32.679 --> 01:05:34.960
calling for your life I don't know what God's

01:05:34.960 --> 01:05:36.119
trying to bring out of you. I don't know what

01:05:36.119 --> 01:05:38.360
he's trying to do with the suffering But I do

01:05:38.360 --> 01:05:39.699
believe that's going to lead to the fruits of

01:05:39.699 --> 01:05:48.699
the spirit. Joy, peace, patience. I pray that

01:05:48.699 --> 01:05:51.739
this episode is encouraging as well as convicting.

01:05:53.159 --> 01:05:54.699
And some of the things I'm saying to y 'all I

01:05:54.699 --> 01:05:56.559
needed to hear today and I needed to be reminded

01:05:56.559 --> 01:06:00.019
of too. And I pray that God blesses you with

01:06:00.019 --> 01:06:02.500
this and that you are brought in closeness with

01:06:02.500 --> 01:06:04.260
him. And I thank y 'all so much for listening

01:06:04.260 --> 01:06:07.099
to this episode. This was the Salt Not Sweetener

01:06:07.099 --> 01:06:09.119
podcast and I'm your host Danielle Townsend.

01:06:09.400 --> 01:06:11.079
And I do ask that you hit subscribe wherever

01:06:11.079 --> 01:06:13.519
it is you're listening to this podcast. Leave

01:06:13.519 --> 01:06:16.300
a review. It's really helpful if you like you

01:06:16.300 --> 01:06:18.559
can rate it if you're on Spotify. If you're on

01:06:18.559 --> 01:06:21.059
Apple you can actually do reviews. You can leave

01:06:21.059 --> 01:06:23.460
comments on the episode. I see your guys's comments.

01:06:24.260 --> 01:06:28.119
Leave a comment. Share this with people. Share

01:06:28.119 --> 01:06:30.420
it on social media. Share it in the text. That

01:06:30.420 --> 01:06:37.760
is helpful too. And have a blessed day. Bye guys.