Imperfect People, Perfect Purpose - (#1059 - CST)

Title: Imperfect People, Perfect Purposes – How God Uses Flawed Lives for His Glory

The most extraordinary people in the Bible weren’t perfect—they were deeply flawed, just like us. In this inspiring episode, we explore the powerful truth that God has always used ordinary people with extraordinary weaknesses to accomplish His divine purposes. Murderers, adulterers, doubters, and cowards—Scripture is full of them. And yet, through surrender and grace, they became key players in God’s redemptive story.

We begin by revisiting familiar Old Testament figures:

• Samson – a man of great strength but moral failure
• Gideon – full of insecurity and doubt, yet called “mighty warrior”
• David – an adulterer and murderer, yet still a man after God's own heart

These stories are not cautionary tales meant to discourage us. They’re proof that God’s purpose is not deterred by our failures. Each one reveals how God's grace meets us in our humanity, transforms us, and works through us despite our imperfections.

Our discussion then turns to the New Testament, where we encounter:

• Nicodemus – a religious leader still searching for spiritual truth
• The Samaritan woman – five failed relationships, yet chosen as an evangelist
• The disciples – impulsive, fearful, and often confused, yet handpicked by Jesus
• Paul – once a persecutor of the Church, turned into its boldest missionary and writer

The common thread among all these lives? God didn't require perfection—He required availability. These people didn’t earn their roles in the Kingdom by merit. They were chosen because they responded to God's call, even when they felt unqualified.

This episode speaks directly to:

• Believers who feel disqualified by their past
• Those struggling with present failures or spiritual doubts
• Anyone questioning whether God can still use them

We emphasize this powerful truth: Your past doesn’t cancel your calling. In fact, your greatest weakness might just become the clearest display of God's strength. From the prison cell to the palace, from brokenness to breakthrough, God’s grace transforms stories every day—and yours is no exception.

🎧 Listen now

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Chapters

• 0:21 Welcome to Christian Straight Talk
• 1:42 Samson: Strength with Fatal Flaws
• 3:37 Gideon: From Fearful to Faithful
• 5:49 David: A Heart After God's Own
• 12:51 Jonah and Elijah: Running from God
• 15:41 [Ad] mosaic: Exploring Jewish Issues
• 16:16 (Cont.) Jonah and Elijah: Running from God
• 16:50 New Testament Characters
• 23:34 The Disciples' Imperfections
• 30:11 Closing Encouragement and Book Preview

Transcript

Welcome to Christian Straight Talk

Speaker 1 0:20

Good morning Patreon family. Where are you today? What are you up to today? Thank you for joining us. It is hashtag Christian Straight Talk. We are blessed because of you guys. Simon, good morning.

Speaker 2 0:32

Yeah, it's great to be with you again.

Speaker 2 0:34

the Patreon family and community which we are, as Straight Talk, we're looking to create and you've been with- us on the first podcast, and so this is for the second tier of the guys that are subscribing to us and, uh, we're just going to carry on really from that first podcast, ben and uh, talking about imperfect people in the bible, and and we just say to you, wherever you are, that you know, whatever you're doing, wherever you think of yourself, you know. God made you, uh, perfect and you are perfect in his eyes and never think anything more than that. You know, and if you have a heart for the Lord, he can use you. It really don't matter where you are. What you've done or your past is because with Jesus, you're a new creation, ben, aren't you?

Speaker 1 1:21

Unbelievable, absolutely Following Jesus. So, patreon family family, we welcome you today. Good morning across the world, wherever you are. And as simon just said, all that, we're looking at imperfect people in the bible. How do I look at myself? I'm really imperfect, because the scripture says all have sinned and fallen short of thy glory and the thing has been.

Speaker 2 1:42

wherever you are out there, you'll never be as bad as some of these people, but God has used you. Look, the next one we're going to come on to.

Speaker 1 1:49

Who are we on?

Speaker 2 1:50

It's Samson. Samson, this geezer had strength beyond strength.

Speaker 1 1:55

He was a.

Speaker 2 1:56

Nazirite. He was of good stock. The Bible says he killed I don't know how many Philistines with a jawbone of a donkey, but he had an immense pride on him and he was an adulterer, Ben.

Speaker 1 2:10

He jumped into the arena and he was an absolute warrior. He was so strong, he was so powerful.

Speaker 2 2:23

He even went against his mum and dad's word Totally, but he loved a woman outside of marriage, outside of that, outside of culture.

Speaker 1 2:33

He was an absolute womaniser on every level and he wasn't interested. But isn't it interesting how God calls and when God calls. I tell you what. This is a subject that could really blow your socks off, because the church is always trying to make us perfect in the eyes of religion, when actually we are imperfect. But by the blood washed, uh cross of calvary and by what God has done to us through Christ Jesus, you know we are. We are cleansed by the blood of the lamb. It's really important that, whatever your character looks like, whatever your character is, that we've got to remind ourselves and encourage one another.

Speaker 2 3:11

You know what that God uses imperfect people in, in perfect situations, totally for you know, if you've got a heart for him, he'll use you wherever you are. He doesn't. You don't have to, you know you don't have to be in church.

Gideon: From Fearful to Faithful

Speaker 2 3:23

You don't have to be in church, you don't have to be ill-usual wherever you can Praise God. If you want to know more about the Samson story, he's in Judges around about 16 to 18. And the next one, who's also in Judges? Because they went through a time where you didn't have kings, no kings Judges. The next one, ben. He was very fearful and that was Gideon. And look how the Lord used him. What a timid and he was testing God. You know, with that fleece, wasn't he? Are you sure?

Speaker 1 3:49

Are you sure I'm going to throw a fleece out?

Speaker 2 3:50

Yeah.

Speaker 1 3:50

I want it dry, I want it damp.

Speaker 2 3:52

So God really tested him, couldn't he? Because there was thousands of the enemy out there. Weren't there, ben? But?

Speaker 1 3:59

actually, because the Bible says you can't test God. But when you have a conversation with him, gideon was just saying look, I'm not sure You're calling me a warrior. You're calling me this, you're calling me that, you're telling me I'm this. You're telling me that I'm the least in my clan. He says I am the least of the least, I am nothing. And if anybody's out there this morning thinking that you are the least of the least of the least and you are nothing, don't believe the lie. You are a blood-washed child of the living god. You are a john 3 16 christian. And if you're just uh, in life at this moment, as our patreon family, whatever your life looks like, you might relate yourself to a gideon, you might relate yourself to rayab, joseph abraham. So many characters, your character, your lifestyle might look like. These might reflect them. But God is going to use you and God has saved you. It's important, isn't it?

Speaker 2 4:48

Simon, please take encouragement from these people in the Bible. Just look how God used Gideon and in the end, you know, he tested him ultimately and he cut his numbers down from how many? To just a few hundred and they sent the enemy into mayhem and they defeated themselves in the end. So God used him powerfully. Who else have we got We've got in the Book of Ruth. You're even talking about the widow. She was a widow Naomi, but you know, and obviously in that day and age, ben, widows hadn't got much standing really.

David: A Heart After God's Own

Speaker 2 5:31

But she encouraged Ruth and Ruth became an important member of…. What a beautiful story that is. She encouraged her and then, obviously, moving through the Bible, obviously here's the big one, and this is massive because the Bible obviously is the big one. And this is massive because the Bible actually said that David had a half a God, didn't he? Ben?

Speaker 1 5:49

David, our friend.

Speaker 2 5:51

David, but he was an adulterer and a murderer as well. A liar A manipulator.

Speaker 1 5:58

David experienced everything but what I find fascinating in 1 Samuel, where he was anointed by that great prophet, where he was anointed and David's father disregarded David because he was out in the field, out tending sheep, and his other brothers were there to be anointed and Jess went yeah, I've got one more, but he's the youngest, he's out looking after the sheep. But when that great prophet anointed him with oil, it says that the spirit and the power of God fell on David with great power. It doesn't matter what our family think, it doesn't matter how people think about us. It is what God sees. And when you look at David, there is a character that could hold it, could fold it, that had gone through all the trials and the testings of life, but God allowed his anointing and his spirit to be on him.

Speaker 2 6:49

It's very important what you said there, Ben. It's very important. It doesn't matter what your family say about you. It doesn't matter what your teachers said about you.

Speaker 2 6:56

It doesn't matter what your bishop says about you or your spiritual director or your pastor says about you, it's what God says about you. What your pastor says about you, it's what God says about you. What is God saying about you? And, believe me, god's not going to say you're a bit of rubbish or you're useless. God is going to say that you are a child, my child, and I made you and, if you let me, I'll use you. And here we are. David became one of the most important, really, men of the Old Testament, didn't he?

Speaker 1 7:25

But with the importance and the leadership and the anointing in the flesh that he walked in. He had failings, Failings all the time, Imperfections.

Speaker 2 7:34

Yeah, I mean, look, even when he was at maybe some of the peak of his powers, he pretended to be a madman, didn't he? When he actually went over to the Philistines, didn't he? He took his team of renegades over there, and at one time it's really interesting, you know, when he was out there in a place called Ziglag, and when they were out, the enemy came in, took all their wives, took all their livestock, and when they went back there, it was empty. It was empty.

Speaker 1 8:05

It was empty.

Speaker 2 8:06

And it says actually says in that Bible. It says, and I think that's in 1 Samuel yes, it says that his men turned on him and they were going to kill him. But then it says Ben, I think it's 1 Samuel, I don't know 36 or something. It says David encouraged himself in the Lord, his. It says David encouraged himself in the Lord. He's got David encouraged himself in the Lord.

Speaker 1 8:29

How important's that been? Very important. And what did God say? Rise up. Rise up. What am I going to do, god? He says stop the tears, rise up. You've looked for me, you've found me. I'm with you, but what do I do in the next stage of this situation? P? I'm with you, but what do I do in the next stage of this situation? Pursue your enemy. What do I do? Overtake them and take back everything the enemy has stolen. You know, the Pentecostal movement uses that line so often and manipulates it. But God is telling you wherever you are, patreon family, whoever you are at this moment, rise up in the living word of God, rise up in the scripture. You are a warrior, you are a John 3 Christian. You are born again, you are spirit filled. God is with you in every situation and if you feel that the enemy has robbed you, stand up in the word.

Speaker 2 9:13

Stand up in the word I'm coming.

Speaker 1 9:14

I'm coming for the enemy.

Speaker 2 9:25

I'm going to pursue the enemy and I'm going to overtake the enemy and I'm going to take back what the enemy has stolen because it's rightfully mine, but do it with the lord, that's it do it. Do it in the scripture and do it in in the way that jesus wants you to do it, because the battle belongs to the lord.

Speaker 1 9:34

Yeah, um, but sometimes you've got to step in the arena, that's right.

Speaker 2 9:38

You've got to step in front of the goliath, you've got to step in front of the, the pharisees and the sadducees, you've got to step in front of pharaoh, and sometimes ben, like david, you can, you know, you, you don't have to, you don't have to go to your, your pastor, your spiritual director, you, you, you just encourage yourself in the lord, your god, yourself, and the scripture. And the scripture says Rejoice not over me, my enemy, for I shall arise and this is where we're at.

Speaker 2 10:08

This is where we want to encourage you. So David was one Ben and Job. We don't like reading that book, job.

Speaker 1 10:15

That book's not in our Bible. I've actually stapled the pages together in Job.

Speaker 2 10:21

I don't like reading that, but he was a bankrupt Ben because they had everything taken away, but in the end he had still had his heart for the Lord and restored in double and treble what the enemy took away. So there you are. That's what you were talking about, ben, wasn't it?

Speaker 1 10:37

And be encouraged because I will restore all the years that the locusts have taken.

Speaker 2 10:43

I will restore. God is the one that restores.

Speaker 1 10:45

God is the one that is in the battlefield of life. God is the one that will work through and take back what the enemy has stolen. But I've got to remember that I'm a child of the living God, so I'm expected to walk this narrow path in faith but understanding. Yes, i've've got flaws, I've got imperfections, but all the way through Genesis to Revelations, the Bible is laced with imperfection, imperfected people, but only one one was perfect.

Speaker 2 11:15

So we take the encouragement from all these people. Ben Jeremiah, who was used the great prophet. He said he was too young, he was about 20 years old.

Speaker 1 11:29

He said he was going to. Yeah, I'm not ready yet, but the Lord used him.

Speaker 2 11:33

Yeah, the Lord used him and Jonah ran away from God, didn't he?

Speaker 1 11:39

Imagine that. Imagine that God has called you. God has called you to ministry, to whatever it may be, and mission field and everything, and just your workplace, because our Jerusalem is where we're at, in front of us. God calls you and says, right, okay, I've got this for you to do. And then you go, I ain't having it, I'm running. And then suddenly we run and we disappear and all of a sudden God is, god is behind us. And the Bible says in Jonah, chapter 1, round about verse 4 God brought a furious storm, a holy powerful storm, to his life to get his attention.

Speaker 2 12:13

Well, and I'll tell you this, Ben, that if the Lord's asked you to do something and you run away from him, the enemy will always provide a boat for you, won't he? The enemy will provide a boat, Provide a way for you to run away from the Lord, but the Lord will bring you back Slowly not wear you down, but the Lord will slowly but surely just bring you to that position.

Jonah and Elijah: Running from God

Speaker 1 12:37

And even when we say I'm not doing it, god, I'm walking away, and we run, and we run, and we run, god will provide a fish. He will capture you. When you think that you're in a suicide moment, god will capture you in your suicidal thoughts. God will capture you in your darkest moment.

Speaker 2 12:52

God will capture you in your darkest moment. Interesting point you make there, Ben. Because, look what happened to Jonah in the end. This was the probably the greatest evangelistic story in the Bible, because he turned over the city of Nineveh, which was a right Sodom and Gomorrah place 600,000 people.

Speaker 1 13:13

So when you look at that story alone, you're talking about the greatest evangelist message that ever preached. That is absolutely correct. When you look at these mega churches across the world the name it and the claim it they haven't done anything like it. We hear them saying we're taking the city, we're taking the town oh yeah, we hear that all the time In that name it and claim it. World of all that bizarre stuff. But here we have a true character that was used in an evangelistic way that we know it today, in the time in which we lived. But he refused his calling. But god didn't take the calling from him. No, god, when god calls, we go on a journey of if buts. Whys, I'm not sure.

Speaker 2 13:56

But then suddenly, if we submit to him, he'll find a way where there was no way. That is for sure, a hundred percent. You mentioned something suicidal, that great prophet Elijah. He wanted to kill himself, didn't he?

Speaker 1 14:10

But what had he done just before he had prayed for rain? The rain fell, he'd said to the servant, and to kill himself, didn't he? But what had he done just before he had prayed for rain? The rain fell, he'd said to the servant and to Ahab, run for your life. He was. What I love about that story is that that prophet was running in his miracle. He prayed for the miracle, he ran in the miracle, and then he came out of that and he went and fell underneath the juniper tree and went I've had enough now.

Speaker 2 14:30

I've had enough. I and fell underneath the juniper tree and went I've had enough. Now I want enough, I want to die.

Speaker 1 14:33

Take my life, take my life. But it just seemed the heavens move.

Speaker 2 14:38

So the enemy can come in wherever, doesn't it? Do you know something? I guess it's the same for you. You may have got up on a Sunday and the Lord spoke through you powerfully on a Sunday during your sermons. It happens to me when I do a few talks, but the enemy comes at you. You know, the moment you sit back and think, oh, that was bang you got bang. Something happens in life, all hell breaks loose somewhere.

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Speaker 1 15:08

You step out of the pulpit and then someone goes, and then something happens on the journey, on life, the circle of life, and you think, oh, that would be…. We're back to that circle of life again, aren't we? Yeah honestly, patreon family. I'm not quoting. There is not another book in the Bible known as the circle of life, and I'm not quoting from the Lion King, please. It's just terminology. It is the circle of life, isn't it? From birth to death, the circle that we're walking in and the parochial life that we have.

Speaker 2 16:09

Ben, coming into the New Testament, you know you've got….

New Testament Characters

Speaker 1 16:12

Is there a New Testament? The church told me that… there is in my Bible. It's changing it. I thought the church was changing the New Testament they want to change everything. I thought the church wanted to take out our Father. I thought the church wanted to take out the pronouns of he and him. Are you sure you've got that right? Is it still in existence?

Speaker 2 16:30

They don't like the Old Testament, do they? That's for sure. But, ben, when Jesus was walking around, there was Zacchaeus, who was a tax collector. He was very small and he was very wealthy and and uh, the Lord used him. He's in the Bible and Zacchaeus in.

Speaker 1 16:48

Luke 19 what an interesting little character man. He was all for himself. Give me, give me, give me, tax collector. Did he hand over all the taxes, I wonder?

Speaker 2 16:58

well, he said he did, didn't he? He said, I wonder, well, he said he did, didn't he? He said he had double or something. He said he'd give them back. But the Lord used him. He's in the Bible. He used him. He came and Jesus came and ate at his table. You know, and a big one for us, really, ben, a real big one for us, is the old Nicodemus, isn't he? And John 3, you know, nicodemus, really that John 3 is really pivotal in in the Bible, in the New Testament, very powerful.

Speaker 1 17:24

It's pivotal now.

Speaker 2 17:24

Nicodemus Ben. What was he? He was a religious leader. He was a great teacher.

Speaker 1 17:29

He had all the bells and whistles. He was a great man. That could I'm not lifting up the man, but when I mean a great man, a great man because because Christ said to him you are Israel's teacher. You've got everything, nicodemus, but you are lacking everything. You've got everything, but you lack more than you've got.

Speaker 2 17:48

So he just sat there, Ben, like a little child, didn't he Listen to Jesus? What have I got to do? But he was. What have I got to do? But, as you said, he'd have all the robes, he'd have everything Of the living God he crumbled.

Speaker 1 18:08

He was like a little boy. He crumbled and he became a child.

Speaker 2 18:12

And we'd invite you read that John 3, because that goes from being born again all the way through to John 3, 16, which many of us know pretty well, and Jesus is having that conversation with this man, nicodemus, and he used him powerfully, but Nicodemus wasn't brave enough to say come to my house in the daylight. He had to come.

Speaker 1 18:35

Jesus had to come at night. He went to Jesus at night, in the darkness, in the ducking and the diving, and you can imagine that Nicodemus, in the notoriety of the Yad and the lair that he lived at the area of his life, he would have had people around protecting him and walking with him, so he would have just had to have dodged everybody.

Speaker 2 18:54

Well, he would, yeah, he'd have what you call your angers on people blowing smoke of his backside. Oh definitely.

Speaker 1 19:03

People. You know. Whatever he said, oh yes, nicodemus, yes, nicodemus. So he was a man that was well respected in academics and teaching. We see them, ben, don't we? We see them in Christian ministry, in Christian ministry, you know they've only got someone's, only got a post.

Speaker 2 19:15

Oh, that was great, that was wonderful. You're great, you're mighty Thanks, it's all me, it's all me and whenever again you know, we'll take the example of Nicodemus, but patron family out there. Whenever you read, I more than we Be out there whenever you read, I more than we, be careful of the eye, be careful the eye christianity. The eye christianity is a real red flag.

Speaker 1 19:37

It's a real red. I built the church. This is my ministry. I'm doing this, I'm doing that, I'm here, I'm there. This is my photo. This is. You know, everything we do is always christ-centered. You know, it's not's not about us, it's about Jesus working in us and through you, and Jesus working in you and through you and everything. And as you watch this and listen to these podcasts and these videos that we push out on Patreon, you know you never give up, because God knows your character. God created you. The Bible says I knew you, I formed you before the foundation of the world. I knitted you together in your mother's womb. Yeah, jeremiah, he knows us.

Speaker 2 20:16

Ben, three women really in the Bible who were great followers of Jesus. There was a Samaritan woman who Jesus met at the well. Now she was a Samaritan, now the Jews wouldn't speak to Samaritans, and not only that, she was divorced, so she was sort of marked Five times.

Speaker 1 20:34

Yeah, when you look at that, when she come up to Jacob's well again. So Jacob comes back into the arena in the New Testament. So Jacob's well. Jesus said you keep coming to Jacob's well. It's dry, it's deep and it's empty. I can give you living water.

Speaker 2 20:51

And she wanted that living water and Jesus told her her sins were forgiven.

Speaker 1 20:57

And he prophesied, he spoke over her life and he knew who she was, he knew her relationships, but he didn't condemn her character, he didn't condemn her and she was truthful with him and she was open and honest and truthful.

Speaker 2 21:10

It just shows you there was something about this Jesus.

Speaker 1 21:14

What is it about Jesus?

Speaker 2 21:15

So you know. So from the great this is interesting Ben so from the great leader to the lowest Samaritan woman saw something in Jesus.

Speaker 1 21:28

And Jesus was able to communicate with everyone from that great leader Right the way down, right the way down.

Speaker 2 21:38

Mary Magdalene, who was a great follower of. Jesus he had seven demons removed from her.

Speaker 1 21:45

She was a demon-filled woman, but Jesus don't reject Imperfected people with imperfections and all the blemishes of life and the scars of life. Yeah, god never turns us away. No, never turns us away, and the Holy Spirit is on us and on you and within you.

Speaker 2 22:04

And another woman, ben was. Well, we had two really, mary and Martha. But Martha was, she was the busy one, wasn't she? She was a busy buddy, she was the busy one and she got the hump a little bit because Jesus was spending a bit more time with her sister. But Jesus said to her, didn't he? He said you know, martha, you know, I know your heart, I know what you're about, you know. And we may feel like that at times, we may feel like we're you know, martha.

Speaker 2 22:37

In that situation that we're running around doing this, that and the other. We've got to be careful of that, haven't we, ben?

The Disciples' Imperfections

Speaker 1 22:43

We have. Yeah, we've got to be very careful. You know, now is the time in the hour in which we live we are living in the last hours, the end days and everything that goes along with that To be a Jesus follower. To follow Jesus, not look at your character, not look at the flaws, not look at the issues and that, but just be a Jesus follower. So, wherever you are, patreon family, it's really time to get in the word of God, and we're speaking to ourselves. We're speaking to ourselves.

Speaker 2 23:08

We're speaking to ourselves and we'd really encourage you to look at John 3 and really, are you a John 3 free Christian, which is, are you born again? So, coming to the last couple, ben, but they're not the last couple, because there's a continuous more.

Speaker 1 23:24

But Ben all the disciples really all the disciples, all of the disciples.

Speaker 2 23:28

All 12 of them, If you had all the CVs of all the disciples.

Speaker 1 23:33

Ben, there's only one you'd choose, yeah.

Speaker 2 23:35

It's Judas, because he had the best CV out of everything you know. But yet this fellow was stealing from the pot, wasn't he? He was slippery, he was dodgy, as they come. He was bought with money, and we know what he did in the end, didn't he?

Speaker 1 23:53

We know Judas Iscariot.

Speaker 2 23:55

So you know Peter, you know, we know Peter's story. He denied Jesus, didn't he? Three times at the fire bin. Left that courtyard Left, that courtyard crying Wept bitterly.

Speaker 1 24:09

Imagine what it was like to lock eyes on Jesus. If you imagine what it was like to lock eyes on Christ across the courtyard. Christ has prophesied what you're going to do, but Christ also told him when you come back, see again. Christ does not reject.

Speaker 2 24:25

No because he knew Peter's heart. He knew what the Father had put into Peter. He used that. You know, thomas was a doubter, wasn't he Ben?

Speaker 1 24:38

What a great character, open and honest, when they come to him and said we've seen the Lord, we've walked with him, we've seen him and Thomas went. You know what I don't want to know anymore? Don't tell me anymore about Jesus. Unless I see, unless I touch, I will not believe.

Speaker 2 24:54

I will not believe. And you know you've got James, haven't you James? Yeah, james and John are the two brothers, weren't they? Bo and Urges, you know? And they were fighting over who wanted to be Fiesty, who was going to be the right. I'm having it, it's me. Every one of those disciples, and, of course, the real one of the real big characters, who actually wrote the New Testament, was Paul Ben, and he persecuted Christians, didn't he? If you look at he said he was the worst of all sinners. In 1 Timothy 1, 15 he says you know, christ came to save all sinners, of who I am the chief, he said he was the chief of sinners because he persecuted.

Speaker 2 25:42

He killed Christians and when they were stoning Stephen, he was holding the coats and encouraging. You can imagine him. He was encouraging the scripture says wasn't he?

Speaker 1 25:51

and encouraging. You can imagine him. You can imagine the scripture says that the ones that done the stoning laid their coats at the feet of Saul and he watched the Holy Spirit descend on Stephen, Stephen looking up to the heavens. You can't imagine what a stoning looks like or even sounds like. We can't even go there. But this man stood there calmly watching.

Speaker 2 26:15

That's interesting, ben, because you know what were they doing. Did they throw stones? Or I've seen actually I've seen something on a program where they actually picked up the stones and actually went and hit the person.

Speaker 1 26:28

They hit the person and they get big anyway. Anyway, a stoning is the most brutal.

Speaker 2 26:34

And he's winding them up. He's holding their jackets A murderer. And he was actually on his way to do some more persecution he wanted the Christians In Damascus.

Speaker 1 26:45

God spoke, and when God speaks again, hundreds and uncountable characters in the Word of God that were imperfection didn't have any perfect way about them, because you can't be perfect, you look at the most powerful way that God has used each and every single one of these people that we've mentioned, because they had a heart.

Speaker 2 27:11

So what we're saying is he's not overlooking the imperfections. He doesn't overlook that because he doesn't wink at sin. We can't just naturally go out and intentionally sin. That's off the table. But if you've got a heart for God, if you continually fall, which we do every single day and you are repentant of that, god will use you. God will use you powerfully in ways that you'll never really understand.

Speaker 1 27:43

No, I think that we've all got to be encouraged here as we click out of this. You know, Patreon family, we are so respectful to you and we thank you so much for for walking and sewing and to partnering with us what we're doing. And and these scriptures today have given me a new hope to see that these, these characters, were flawed on many levels. They was imperfect. They was just human beings living their lives, even living without Christ and without God, and God called them and God strengthened them and God used them. And it's the same again, isn't it being on the potter's wheel? On the potter's wheel, On the potter's?

Speaker 2 28:17

wheel yeah.

Speaker 1 28:18

In the master's hands. In the master's hands, simon, we are out of here. What do you want to say to our family online through the Patreon, brothers and sisters, and wherever you are? We just want to give you the thumbs up and say thank you so much.

Speaker 2 28:29

We want to give you a thumbs up, we want to encourage you, we want to give you a big clap and we'll really welcome you into the Straight Talk family, because we're not perfect. We're not perfect, far from it, and if you journey with us, then you'll see just how imperfect we are and you know, hopefully we're going to get you a copy of uh of our book ben, which is uh, fear took. Our new book was out. It's all about. It's all about fear, fear and overcoming fear.

Speaker 1 28:58

Really, yeah, you can. You can grab that from amazon, or you can grab it for us and we'll get you it, and and there are other ways of getting this. But this is about overcoming fear. It's not written and talking about us. It's talking about walking with christ. Fear is not an option. Stand still. Giants will fall different spirits. Fear is a liar. The fear of god. And keep your eyes on jesus. It's all about jesus. So, brothers and sisters, wherever you are, you never give up, because there's always hope, and we thank you so much we thank you so much for partnering with us and um.

Closing Encouragement and Book Preview

Speaker 2 29:29

We've got some great content coming down the line and we've also want to show you, in some short videos that are coming, that we've got planned to come out where your subscription is going, because it's not just going to me it's not just us two chatting.

Speaker 2 29:47

It's going out to people in the community that really, really need this. So we thank you again and we just want to encourage you to get in touch with us and we will look after you. In the Straight Talk family, in the Straight Talk community, we're going from strength to strength, and so we thank you and we want to pray over you, and if any of you want us to pray over you and if any of you want any of us to pray over you for any specific reason, then get in touch with us oh, please just get in touch with us.

Speaker 2 30:17

We want to encourage you and strengthen you and we want to say, above all things never give up never give up.

Speaker 1 30:23

Have a great day wherever you are, patreon family. God bless in jesus name, we will see you soon. God bless.