Reverend Ben Cooper's Podcast
Reverend Ben Coopers podcast, offers an inviting space for listeners to explore Christianity and spiritual growth with wisdom, humor, and a deep commitment to biblical truth. Through Rev. Ben's engaging conversations with guests, the podcast not only explores the timeless wisdom of the Bible but also tackles the pressing issues of life, faith, and hope in a way that is accessible, thought-provoking, and enriching. Whether you’re seeking spiritual nourishment, answers to life’s big questions, or simply a place to reflect on your faith, the Rev Ben podcast is a valuable resource on your journey.
In each episode, Rev. Ben guides listeners through profound theological reflections, personal stories, and practical insights drawn from the Bible and the broader Christian tradition.
Reverend Ben Cooper's Podcast
The Truth Will Set You Free - (#1057 - Elim)
Title: The Truth Gap – Finding Freedom in a World Full of Lies
"Wherever you are across this earth, you know Jesus is for you and not against you." With these grounding words, we launch into a bold and timely conversation about truth in an age of deception. As society becomes increasingly chaotic and narratives constantly shift, many are left wondering: What can I actually believe?
This episode addresses the widening "truth gap"—a dangerous void created when God is pushed out of public life, including government, education, and media. Without a fixed moral and spiritual compass, people are left vulnerable to manipulation, fear, and confusion. The COVID-19 pandemic amplified this reality, as conflicting information, panic, and agenda-driven messaging left many spiritually and mentally disoriented.
But in the midst of chaos, Jesus makes a claim unlike any other religious or historical figure: “I am the truth.” Not just a teacher of truth. Not a seeker of it. Truth personified. This foundational truth gives believers a constant reference point, an unchanging cornerstone in a world full of shifting sands.
We explore the consequences of drifting from that truth. Like a pilot flying just one degree off course, we can end up far from our intended destination when we compromise even slightly on biblical foundations. Whether it’s through evolutionary theory, gender ideology, or the distortion of morality in modern culture, society is veering off course—and the cost is high.
Yet, in this episode, we also deliver a message of profound hope and freedom. Quoting John 8:32—"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free"—we explore how Jesus cuts through the lies and offers to remove the heavy backpack of shame, confusion, and bondage that so many carry.
We discuss how the growing crises of anxiety, depression, addiction, and suicide are directly linked to this truth gap. Humanity is searching for meaning, but looking in all the wrong places. When lives are built on cultural trends instead of God's Word, collapse is inevitable. But those who build on truth find clarity, purpose, and true freedom.
truth in uncertain times podcast, Jesus is the truth meaning, John 8:32 explained, what is the truth gap, God and cultural deception, biblical response to gender ideology, COVID fear and faith, how to find spiritual truth, Christian view on media manipulation, freedom from shame through Jesus, truth vs opinion in society, Jesus and mental health crisis
https://www.pastorbencooper.co.uk/
https://www.rbchristianradio.net/
Good afternoon Patreon family. It is Ben, it is Simon of Hashtag Christian Straight Talk. We want to welcome you right now, wherever you are across the globe. We are so blessed that you are with us and we thank you so much for you sowing that seed. Whatever tier that you're on, you know, the Jonathan or the David one we just want to say thank you from the bottom of our heart. We have got a great podcast and Simon, give us some spiel. Where are we? Who are we? What's going on?
Speaker 2:Well, we just want to thank you, as Ben said, for journeying with us, and we believe that this is a journey. This is a journey and on this journey, ben, we will find the truth, and that's what today's podcast is all about. It's about truth and we are in a situation worldwide at this moment in time, where, wired, we believe that the enemy who's out there has created like a truth gap, if you like.
Speaker 1:He's created a big void. There's a big vortex, isn't there? There's a great, big chasm between truth.
Speaker 2:And the thing is, god has been pushed out of government. He's been pushed out of education. He's been pushed out of education he certainly has, and the enemy's running wild really, and he's creating this situation where you don't know, people out there don't know really what the truth is, because we understand now that all the news media, they've all cut the videos to suit themselves and to follow a certain narrative. Ben, they wouldn't do a thing like that?
Speaker 1:surely not? Surely the news channels are telling us the truth. It must be the truth, because you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. Actually, that was Jesus, that was Jesus, that was Jesus Christ, and we want to let you know that the truth is with you, brother or sister, wherever you are across this earth. You are a child of the living God and you are a John three Christian. You're born again, spirit filled and always be encouraged. And as we dive into the truth of this scripture you know, simon, there are so many scriptures in there that we could pull out and God speaks. You know, jesus says I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. But the father of lies, who is that? Who's the father of lies?
Speaker 2:Well, it's very interesting because Jesus says it in this John 8 thing and he's talking to these religious leaders, really, that are questioning him.
Speaker 1:Religious leaders? Are you telling me religious leaders would lie? Well?
Speaker 2:back in them days he was questioning these. They were questioning him because they were saying that you know, our father is Abraham and Jesus didn't hang about, he didn't mess about, he just went straight to it. Your father is the enemy. He was a liar from the start. And so he's telling them that their father, because of the way they are, because of the way they act and because they're not believing him, their enemy is the devil. The enemy is the devil and their father is the devil.
Speaker 1:Really powerful bit of scripture that is, you know, and Christ never meshes around with the word, does he? Even when Lucifer is on his case, when he's been in that wilderness for that wilderness for 40 days, 40 nights, you know? And he said straight away it is written. So what was christ referring to? The word of god. So if you are struggling with life at this moment, if you're struggling with news channels and you're, you're, you're just worried about what's coming out seek christ first, because that is the truth and he will give you the ability, he will give you the, the sound, he will take the fear away. You know, the world runs off lies, doesn't it?
Speaker 2:It totally runs off of lies.
Speaker 2:And when we talk about it from a Christian's perspective, when we straight talk about this truth, you can't get away from this. John 8.32 and moving further, because that's where we're going to stay in. And you know, if you go straight to John 8, 32, he said if you abide in my words, you are my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free. Now, free from what? And he goes on to say and they answered him we are Abraham's descendants and we have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say you'll be made free?
Speaker 2:And Jesus comes right back out of my gosh avid, and I love this. He says, jesus, answering most assuredly. I say to you whoever commits sin is a slave of sin, and a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore, if the son makes you free, you are free indeed. So what he's talking about you you know. The truth will set you free from sin, and he is the truth. And Jesus will set you free from sin because you go to him and you give it all to him and you totally commit your life to Jesus, and he will set you free from all of this stuff.
Speaker 1:It's enormous, isn't it? The truth, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. But at the beginning of that, in verse 31,. Makes it so clear, didn't he? If you hold on to my teachings, you're truly my disciples.
Speaker 1:It's holding on to the living word of god. So, as I hold on to the word of god, as I trust him, as I walk with him, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of god. So I've got to hear the word. I've got to walk in the word. I've got to hear the word. I've got to walk in the word. I've got to open the scripture up, I've got to read it, I've got to trust the living word of God. And as I trust it, I start to find something very profound and very prophetic in my life. Is that God's word alerts me more to the lies that are actually out there. Because once we was in it to win it, then suddenly salvation comes along, we have a new mind, we are a new creation in Christ Jesus, and then suddenly, the stuff that we might have been involved in and working with and moving in that was false.
Speaker 2:Well, it's very interesting, Ben, you see, because the world has moved away from the Ten Commandments. You know what Is there? Ten Commandments, there's ten of them. Ben Is there?
Speaker 2:ten of them, and one of them is you know, shall not lie. You know, and the world has moved away from that. So it's okay in certain circles to lie. They can lie. So when you've got a government or a politician, it will tell you one thing one day because that suits the narrative, and the next day… the wind has changed. The wind has changed, it's okay, because… it's okay.
Speaker 2:So, really, if you haven't got Jesus as your rock, as your rudder, as your anchor, then they're taking you all over the place because you don't know what to believe.
Speaker 1:You don't know what to believe. And this is what's happened from COVID Right up before COVID. And then everyone was just bobbing along, weren't they moving in life, and everything looked great and wonderful, the sun was out, booking holidays, doing this, and all that, suddenly, covid, this plague, hit the world. Then, suddenly, from that, it gave the world a clear runway to literally lie to us through its front teeth, through through media, and suddenly now we're being exposed to all this stuff. So it's very difficult who to believe, what to believe, where to stand. But if you are a john 3 christian, you know the living word of God and we want to encourage you to keep in the truth, because that truth will bring freedom. And that's what we're lacking, aren't we? We are lacking freedom in the UK.
Speaker 2:And across the world, because we've been held captive, really to scientists and goodness knows what.
Speaker 1:Mathematics, mathematics and reasoning, policies and all that sort of thing.
Speaker 2:See, jesus said this and he said I am the truth Now. He didn't say I know the truth. He didn't say let's find the truth. He didn't say I'll lead you to the truth. He said I am the truth and he's the only listen, he's the only leader of a religious movement that says I's the only leader of a religious movement that says I am the truth, I am Buddha's looking for the truth.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and they're looking for it. Science is looking for the truth.
Speaker 2:They're all looking for it. The humanists don't care about the truth.
Speaker 1:No, because there's no hope. So if you're a humanist, you might as well just curl up and just sit there and fester until you die.
Speaker 2:It doesn't matter, you can lie, because there's no comeback, is there? There's no consequence?
Speaker 1:No, no, no, you know like the poor old atheists and all that. What a life to be in. But if you are a born-again, spirit-filled believer and you are standing on the living word of God, you will have a challenge in your life because even in your workplace, your home life, even within your own thinking, you will be challenging areas of life because there are lies spinning out. They're like bullets from a machine gun parliament, business, education look at the lying education. Oh, look at the darwinistic lie. Look at the, the humanist way, look at the transgender stuff that's coming out been ever since the garden.
Speaker 2:Really, we've got it there's been. There's been a Ever since the garden, really the garden, there's been a tear. You know, Did God really say that? No, you're going to be a little god. No, you can. You can be a god. You can be that, if you take this, you can be as powerful as God himself.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we're in a crisis within the UK and if you are living in the UK or you're in the Americas or wherever you are across the world, we want to say thank you again for partnering with us, walking with us, because we all walk in the truth and we need to get this message out there.
Speaker 2:The gospel of Jesus Christ, yeah, I mean and Ben, you know that is the truth. And where will you find the truth? You'll find it in the Word of God, which is in the Bible. And where will you find the truth? You'll find it in the Word of God, which is in the Bible. And who is the Word of God? Jesus. And the thing is, the Bible now has been discredited. It's been shoved into a corner. It's covering dust in a lot of places. But here's the deal. See, the Bible tells you the truth, the straight and narrow truth. It cuts through. We've spoke about Jesus. He don't mess about with his words, but we've only got to be one degree or half a degree out from the truth. And you know, you can imagine getting in a plane in london being one degree out, and your destination is paris or somewhere and you're going to end up in in iceland or somewhere one degree, one degree of error.
Speaker 1:So it's a biblical interpretation, biblical, uh, theology, biblical understanding. We've got to be careful of knowledge as well. So what do we do? How do we get to this truth? We've got to pray through it, we've got to meditate on the word, we've got to rest in the word, we've got to lean in the word. So many ways to look at getting the truth. We know that God's word is the truth, but I've got to get this word in my innermost being. Yes, we understand that greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world. So he's living within us. But now I've got to change my mindset, my thinking, my focus with the truth because very possibly, before being a believer, lying, cheating, saying it was the way of the world, but it's never been put like that.
Speaker 2:Ben, listen, you know I was a police officer and you know I thought I was a good guy. But I'd lie through my teeth. I'd lie through my teeth in my job. I'd lie through my teeth to my family. I'd lie through my teeth, you know, to yourself, to myself, because I thought I was doing a good job. I thought I was, you know, yeah, yeah. So there's two sides to it.
Speaker 1:It was rotten. There's two sides to us and when we come to Jesus Christ, when we come to the King, I want to remind my brothers and sisters, the Patreon family, you seed sowers, you, brother and sister, maybe you're finding faith. Maybe you've just dropped onto patreon and you just found these two crazy christian blokes that, uh, I don't like that word bloke. You've got to stop me using that word bloke, because the scripture don't use bloke. No, it talks about men and women, and I need to change my, my thinking, and you may have just dropped onto this, this, this platform, and searching and seeking and listening to podcasts across all different uh areas and cultures of life. We want to encourage you that, wherever you are across this world, you know Jesus is for you and not against you and whatever your life looks like, the truth is with you, because God created the heavens and the earth. Now, look, there's a lie, isn't there there Creation. Look at the schoolchildren.
Speaker 2:Evolution.
Speaker 1:The string theory. It's huge, the string theory Darwinistic approach. So education is blatantly even the age of the earth is blatantly telling us figures that don't even categorically exist, because it is a theory.
Speaker 2:They're driving a narrative, Ben. They're all driving a narrative, and the narrative is that really there's no God.
Speaker 1:There's no God and we are billions of years old and we've come from this and the dinosaurs got extinct because of that great fire bomb that come out of heaven. My question is if it only killed the dinosaurs, what happened to all the other animals? Why was dinosaurs just ripped off the earth when you've got the frogs bumping around? Because it's a lie and also, Ben.
Speaker 2:They're trying to tell you that the earth was created by a big bang and all of that sort of stuff, and you know if any of you has got children out there when you hold your child in your arms? That little child didn't come from a monkey did it Ben, I don't know. No, I've seen a few hairy babies.
Speaker 1:Sorry to all the hairy babies out there at this moment in time.
Speaker 2:Yeah, but what we're saying is you know, we have to. It's a minefield and it's being taught in our schools. It's being taught in our universities. It's being taught in our schools. It's being taught in our universities. It's being taught through life. The truth is in the Bible.
Speaker 1:Ben, yeah, the truth is in the Bible. Our children are being taught that you can be any gender you want, evolution, darwinistic stuff. So no wonder the world is teetering on, almost breaking beyond a point of repair. But when you get in the Word of God something I've realized over the years and and god reveals the scripture to us god reveals it more and more and more. And when he reveals it sometimes you've got to hold your place, because when he reveals the truth, suddenly you think I've wasted four, five, six, seven, eight years living a life of a liar.
Speaker 1:But all things work together for good, and I think we're all of us are on a journey of this Christian journey, walking with Jesus. And as God speaks and God deals with us, we know more of the truth. And he says this something so profound. As he said to John on the island of Patmos don't be afraid. I think that's important to take on as well, because when it's like Saul saw when it why did you persecute me? He was given blinkers, and when the scowls come off, you see different.
Speaker 2:I was just going to say that, to be honest with you, when the curtains are lifted, you can see things so much more clearly and and you just say, wow, that makes so much sense. And then when you start to to marry up with what's in the Bible, it all just opens up and and you can see how the old Testament relates to the new Testament and how the new Testament um you can't separate them.
Speaker 1:You can't separate them.
Speaker 2:And and you can, you, Simon, you can't separate them. And you're right, Ben. The whole thing is so encouraging. It's so encouraging and each scripture encourages us not to give up, not to listen. If you think, if you've failed out there, if you think you know things are pretty tough and it is pretty tough for a lot of people out there, Listen, you only quit if you completely give up. Don't give up.
Speaker 1:Never give up.
Speaker 2:It's not about failing. It's how you move forward. After that, it's how you pick yourself up. Yeah, and this is why we're here this is why we're here.
Speaker 1:This is why we're here. That's why we're here.
Speaker 2:This is why we're here. We're here to walk this journey with you. We want to lift you up, pick you up through the word of God Amen, cutting through the religious nonsense that you hear all the time and getting straight into what the scripture really means.
Speaker 1:And lift you up, help you get back up on your feet and move forward for the kingdom with Jesus, with the Holy Spirit, and be part of what we hope is going to be a real, powerful patreon family that's right and encourage one another in the truth, because I believe humanity is really weary because of what we're hearing through political agendas, through finance, through stock shares for education, through every agenda that the world is driving and we're told this at this moment then it changes and you can't literally cope with it. We are seeing people more I don't like to use the word, but we know, because this is where we are and it's a secure platform. More suicides than ever before, more people depressed and anxiety got anxiety running through life and it's the truth, people are running to different.
Speaker 2:If you haven't got God as your centre, if you haven't got Jesus to hang on to, you're going to run to all various other things. And you know, there's a figure that came out the other day and Ben, I saw it there's 100,000 deaths a year in the United States through a drug called fentanyl, which is a painkiller, and they're mixing this drug with normal stuff and people are just taking it and they're killing them outright. 100,000 people a year are dying. We've got to stand on the rock. We've got to because they're hope. Where's the hope? They're running for hope in places where it's going to take them to dark places. And, yeah, you might have a bit of fun for a little while, but the wages of sin are death, the wages of sin is death.
Speaker 1:So as a human being, we are looking for that button, that life. I need this adrenaline rush. I need this adrenaline rush. I need this fulfillment that is of the flesh.
Speaker 1:But the spiritual fulfillment as a believer can only come from the living word of God, because the scripture says man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that perceives out in the mouth of God.
Speaker 1:So if you are hungry and you've been caught in addictions and caught in the world, and suddenly God has worked in your life and suddenly you've had this explosion of the Holy Spirit and it's almost like an anger grenade and you're not sure who you are, because when you become a believer, suddenly the scales have come off. As we've said, you see different, you walk different, you look different, you analyze different and then I think, as a believer a new believer, because the church isn't preaching the truth you can get almost not lost completely, but get almost in a woke position, because that is the point when you need disciples around you that will strengthen you in the truth and you're in a very vulnerable position. So if you are a new believer, even if you're a believer many years down the line. We still have this understanding that we've got to encourage one another. You've got Barnabases, you've got the Jonathans, you've got the Davids. You've got to encourage one another.
Speaker 2:You've got to encourage one another. Yeah, ben, and there's an old saying. I don't know if you've heard it out there, but there's an old saying there's no free lunches in life. Is there, isn't there? There's no free lunches in life. Although you might have had a couple, I've had a few, but I paid the ultimate price. You pay a price for it.
Speaker 1:I felt the collar lifted.
Speaker 2:You pay a price for it. You know a verber down the line, yeah, and so the euphoria is only momentarily, that's it, the chemical, the adrenaline, the euphoria, that moment you know.
Speaker 1:But there is something so different about following Jesus, oh man. You will know the truth and the truth will set you free from crime, from worry, from fear, from doubt, from temptation, from fear, from the biggest addictions in your life. You will know the truth and the truth will set you free. And the Bible also says where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
Speaker 2:And what we've said before on this particular platform, ben, is that it's like walking around with a rucksack. You know, a backpack, all packed up, all packed up. Loaded every burden's in your back, all them burdens, all them stuff. And Jesus comes along and says give it to me and you go. No, I want to hang on to this. I want to hang on to this. Jesus, you don't know, you don't know how bad I am.
Speaker 1:He just goes come to me, all of you that are weary and heavily laden. I will give you rest. I'll take your backpack, I'll take your suitcase. I'll cut that backpack. It'll fall off. Love it.
Speaker 2:The truth will set you free.
Speaker 1:That's what he's talking about, and he'd done that through the cross of Calvary, through salvation. All those backpacks, all that pain, all that hurt, all that worry, all your transgressions were now to the tree. They're gone. They're gone, they're gone. But my mind grapples with truth and fear and guilt, and fear and doubt as a human being. We are human beings, we are humanity. God created the human race. The scripture tells us.
Speaker 2:Well, talking about fear, our second book is out now on Amazon $8.99, and it's all about fear talk. Our first book was men talk all about stuff to do with men. This is about fear talk, and fear book was men talk all about stuff to do with men. This is about fear talk and fear do not be afraid is 365 times in the Bible, so pretty much you know the Lord doesn't want you to be afraid, does he?
Speaker 2:Every day and we've got. Fear is not an option. Stand still. Giants will fall different spirits. Fear is a lie, the fear of God. Keep your eyes on Jesus and if you're struggling with fear, struggling with doubt, struggling with anxiety, get hold of this book and it will turn your life around.
Speaker 1:And it will bless you, it really will. And what's really important, patreon family, is that there's no mention of us. We have not made an authorship through that book of bigging ourselves up. Everything that we do is Christ-centcentered and we are talking about Jesus. How Jesus changes me, so we're not elevating ourselves through any of these platforms. What we want to do through the authorship, through the podcasting, through the visuals from other stuff that we do, is that we want to encourage you to be followers. To be followers not in front of Jesus, because there are a lot of religious leaders that think that they're in front of Jesus and some think that they've had that time when they've gone up to the heavens above and they're seated at the right hand of the Father. But Jesus is at the right hand of the Father and we've got to be so on the button with the scripture. We've got to be in the word Wherever you are across the world. We've got that. Six minutes, simon. I tell you what there's so much to try and cover all through this stuff.
Speaker 2:It's very difficult, isn't it? But our big thing really is. In a world where people just don't know where they are, they're not sure what's going on, in a world where there's stuff coming out all the time, we want to encourage you to be, as part of our hashtag, christian Straight Talk, patreon family. We want to encourage you to stick together, to stay together, to never give up, to pull yourself out of the muck, to pull yourself out of the mind, to put your feet on the rock which is Jesus Christ and the Word of God, and be with us, and we will help you, believe me, in any way that we can, to move forward and be that citizen of the kingdom which God made you to be, and through this freedom, you'll be able to do the things that God made you to do, because all of a sudden, he'll look at you and go, wow, wow, did you see that person over there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and like you're saying, also the snare, watch out for the snare layers, the snare layers. You know the hunters that are trying the enemy and all that getting into don't. We've got to be careful because the time is not on our side on this one. But when you become that John 3 Christian, that spirit-filled, born again, blessed and highly favoured, you become a target for the enemy. Now the enemy can only infiltrate and try and get near us externally, but remind yourself that Christ is your fullness. You are filled to the fullness. So if you are struggling with just areas of life of worry and doubt, just come to Jesus like never before and rest in the scripture. The enemy is out at large. You cannot be taken. You know you are grafted in. God has saved you through the power of Jesus Christ, through the living word and the truth has set you free you are free today.
Speaker 2:You can't be snatched from his hand. That's the truth. And as we come into the land, what we're going to say is this is that this is truth one, really, and truth two is on our other platform, which is the David platform, isn't it? Yeah yeah, yeah, we'll be continuing this truth study as we go into the David platform, but that's exclusively for that platform, ben, that's true.
Speaker 1:We're so grateful. So how do we sum this up? How do we do this? So what do I do as a believer? How can I, as a man or a woman living within the world, not partaking of the world? But maybe we work in ivory towers, maybe we work for an organization that's really brutal, trying to let your light shine? We just have to pray our way through. We have to even fasting.
Speaker 2:You know well fasting and prayer and meditating in the living when it's in the word and and that's and remembering and and having some scriptures that we remember, because there's no compromise. There can't be compromised with jesus, because we can't have one foot in the world and one foot with Jesus. Balancing trying to balance the two.
Speaker 2:No, we can't jump. As I said before, you know you can't be if you're married or with a partner or whatever you are out there. But you can't be 90-odd, 5% faithful to your wife or your partner, can you Ben? You've got to be 100% faithful. You've got to be 100% to Jesus and you've got to be all in for Jesus, and if you're all in for Jesus, he's all in for you.
Speaker 1:He loves you and that is so, so important that Christ loves you. You know, through the power of the living word and all of our sins, everything the truth went to the cross for us, because I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. It opens up so much in it, the scripture, the truth, the living word of God, and we want to encourage you more and more and more to follow the truth, to follow the way of the word. You know the Psalmist in Psalm 119, I believe. He says your word is a lamp unto my feet, a light for my path. You know, science is very clear on light and darkness. Darkness only exists because it has the absence of light. And you carry light, we carry light, we are carrying the light of the world. And let your light shine, Let the truth shine in your workspace, your home life, your relationships and whatever you do, do it to the best of your ability because Jesus Christ is with you.
Speaker 2:And you're with Hashtag Christian Straight, Talk our Patreon family, and we're going to say Ben, we're going to say we're going to say See you next time.
Speaker 1:Hang on a minute, let's get this right.
Speaker 2:Cheers, see you next time Take care. God bless you.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much In Jesus' name Amen.
