The Gift of Faith | Building Faith Through Trials

What does real faith actually look like?

In this episode, we unpack the spiritual gift of faith and how God grows faith through trials, testing, testimonies, obedience, and relationship with Him.

We discuss:

🔥 faith the size of a mustard seed
🔥 faith without works is dead
🔥 testing vs temptation
🔥 hearing God through scripture
🔥 false control & trusting God
🔥 relationship over religion
🔥 spiritual warfare & discernment
🔥 community & the body of Christ
🔥 obedience on the narrow path
🔥 building faith in difficult seasons

This conversation is scripture-heavy, honest, passionate, and rooted in helping believers grow stronger in Christ.

We pray this episode encourages you to trust God deeper, strengthen your faith, and keep walking the narrow path with Jesus.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

The enemy likes to sell false control. Yeah. Because we truly don't have control over anything. God has the whole world in his hands. And if you live in the world, you're a part of that regardless. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 0:13

Hello and welcome to an amazing, blessed, fearless Friday. We are so excited to have you here today. I am one of your hosts, Tina, and I am Sarah. And we are working through the gifts from the Holy Spirit. Yes. The spirit of the living God inside of us. And we're just gonna get right into it because we're starting this Bible study. I hope you have, I pray that you have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart open to receive what God is speaking through us to you. Take whatever you receive, test it against the word of God. It is not us, it is God in us. We are reading the Bible, the basic instruction before leaving earth, but you need to do your own work. We are we are teachers, but we are only as good as we can be with what God reveals to us. You have to do your own study, your own relationship. You have to have your own thing. What are we talking about, Sarah?

SPEAKER_00 1:09

Today we are talking about the spiritual gift of faith. And you're probably like, what? Shouldn't everybody? Yes, everyone needs faith because faith is what gets you to believe. You need the belief, the faith, the hope, the trust in Jesus. Um, and Jesus is the greatest hope dealer that there ever was, ever is. And so with that, we just want to dive into more of growing your faith. Uh, James talks about faith without works is dead. Peter talks about additives to your faith in 2 Peter. So it's gonna be a Bible study up in here today. So buckle up, get your spiritual holy chips on, and here we go.

SPEAKER_02 1:47

We're doing a lot of scripture today. So we're gonna start in the one, in the um basic, what I feel it's the spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12, and how the spirit comes upon you and you receive these gifts, whether it's prophecy, whether it's wisdom, knowledge, all the things. This is where it talks about it. So go into 1 Corinthians 12. Super good. Do your own learning, do your own growing. But we're gonna go right to nine. It says, to another faith by the same spirit, to another, the gifts of healing by the one spirit. And I'm just just like hone in on that one sentence, which is God will give you the gift via his Holy Spirit of faith. That's why they talk about faith. We've talked about this faith, the size of a mustard seed, will grow into your garden and take over the whole garden. The whole garden.

SPEAKER_00 2:47

So nobody plants it.

SPEAKER_02 2:48

So have that little bit of faith, plant it. God will make it grow. You water it by reading the word, by being surrounded by sisters and brothers in Christ, by going to a church, by having a community, by singing worship, by staying away from sin, like all the things. So you can have the same spirit of faith, even if you feel like you're a brand new baby Christian, or maybe you've been a Christian for 40 years, but really only a year over and over and over and over again. He can and will build your faith because he is amazing and majestic.

SPEAKER_00 3:21

Amen. Um, I just want to read the definition of faith biblically for you. So it's a belief in trust based on good evidence without total proof. To have faith, we must trust that God is there working on our behalf, even though we can't see him. So just like gravity, you know, I just dropped a pen if you're watching on YouTube. The law of gravity makes that fall down. The wind, you can see through the trees, through the things that it blows, but you can't actually physically see wind. You see it through things. Just like why we say we need to represent Jesus well, is because Jesus is no longer walking among us on the earth in one human form. He walks among us in the Holy Spirit form of other people. So it we are called to represent Jesus in and through the body of Christ well. And that's why sometimes Christians will get a bad rap because we are human beings who are sinners who need a savior, and sometimes we fall we fall short. And so we misinterpret Jesus. And we want to do our best here on this podcast. Why this even exists is to teach people how to represent Jesus well to a society, to a world that so desperately needs to see him represented accurately. Because he's coming back soon, and we want you to be ready. You're either going to one of two places, heaven or hell, and you get to decide it's free will. We don't serve a God who is robotic that told you what to do. He tells you what to do, but you get to decide if you're going to learn, if you're going to listen, if you're going to want to understand how to live here on earth as it is in heaven.

SPEAKER_02 4:59

Yeah, absolutely. And as you're talking, I think about the Romans 10, 17 verse where it talks about faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. So it's a two-part there. So faith comes by hearing. And we are, I'm gonna shoot over to Revelation 12, 11. They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. So we build our faith is built every time we hear a testimony that's undeniable that the things that happen in their life are only because of the grace of God saving them. Nothing they did got them where they are except the grace of God. And then you go to by hearing the word of God. So we have to hear the word. How do you hear the word? You read the word, and then when you read the word, you hear the word, and then the word is part of your life.

SPEAKER_00 5:44

Yeah, and think about music. That's why it's so powerful when you turn on a worship song, because most of the time, if not all the time, it's based on scripture. It's sometimes verbatim of what the Bible says, and you're just speaking that over your life. So you're hearing it, it's absorbing, you know, your eyes, your ears, your mind, body, heart, and soul. Uh yeah, it's it strengthens that in you. And then what Tina said um when people share their testimony, it is meant to be shared. It's his story. Your history is his story that has got you to where you are right now. That's why we share so much about ourselves on here because it's not about us, it's about what God has done in and through us to get us to where we are right now. That's why we bring people on the pod to share their testimonies of who they were before and where they are now, because God doesn't, he loves you where you are, but he doesn't keep you the same. Amen. Uh, Hebrews 11, verse 1 is now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. I think of the worship song, you know, I see the evidence of your goodness all over my life. It's evidence. You see things and you're like, that only God, that has to be a miracle. That has to be through faith that somebody is here now from where I knew them then. I mean, people and that I went to school with or that knew me 10 years ago don't know who I am now. And I pray to God, like, I don't want to be the same human I was yesterday. I want to be better than who I was, always growing. You know, there's more growth. If you woke up today, there's a reason why we say that often on here.

SPEAKER_02 7:18

Well, yeah, and just thinking about if we knew the power that it took to have the earth rotate so that we could live and breathe on it, so that we could wake up and have air in our lungs. And I don't even think we think about those things, but if you just in your mind, like just capture the that that the world turns every day because God has created it to do that, that in and of itself is a miracle.

SPEAKER_00 7:47

Amen. Everything around is we are walking, talking miracles. It the fact that it takes two people to tango and you're the one that came out of that when there's like millions, like you. We've said this also before. If you have you won the first race you were ever a part of.

SPEAKER_02 8:04

Yep. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 8:06

Plenty of swimmers up in there, but you're the one that planted, you're the one that came to fruition. Yeah, there's a reason why. We say on here also your birthday is the day you are put on this earth by God to solve a problem. Because there's plenty of problems up on the earth. Because a lot of people have gone on without solving the problem that they were created to try to find the solution for.

SPEAKER_02 8:29

Well, and I think that's when people start to feel empty and their faith is weak. And the only way to build that back up is through what we're sharing today, the Romans 10.17, the Revelation 12, 11, the reading of the word. And I think when you have a weak faith, it's because your foundation isn't where it needs to be to be able to build that faith.

SPEAKER_00 8:52

Yes, and a lot of time, you know, on top it looks good. The foundation looks good, but there's cracks in the foundation of there's a little bit of witchcraft in there, there's a little bit of Islam up in there, there's a little bit of love is love up in there, and that cracks the solid, firm foundation because once you give the enemy a foothold, he will go in and he will break that wide open.

SPEAKER_02 9:17

Yeah. And it's, you know, we've talked numerous times on here, and it came up again. Like, I love the statistic you shared. It breaks my heart because there's one million abortions every month, but they're every year. Sorry, every year, but there's two million waiting for adoption every year. And, you know, I think what was the statistic you shared of abortion versus miscarriage?

SPEAKER_00 9:42

Oh, abortion and miscarriage. The same outcome. The difference is one is grieved and the other one is essentially congratulated. Like, oh, yep, women's right, my body, my choice. The difference is that baby was wanted when someone miscarries rather than the baby was taken because they didn't want the baby.

SPEAKER_02 10:03

And so, you know, you hear these things, you hear these stories, and I I think about how okay, well, but I had to do it for this reason. God loves you, God knew that it was gonna happen, but it's not to be celebrated and encouraged. And when that happens, the that going back to the you give the enemy a foothold, when that happens, because you are not in alignment with the word of God, the enemy gets in there and he destroys your mind, he destroys your body, he destroys your life because of that one decision that you thought was my body or whatever it is. And then all of a sudden your life is in shambles, you have no purpose, you you don't know what you're doing, you you can't get along with people, you're you're you have health problems. Insert the issue, right?

SPEAKER_00 10:56

The enemy likes to sell false control. Yeah. Because we truly don't have control over anything. God has the whole world in his hands. And if you live in the world, you're a part of that regardless. Yeah. And so the enemy will say, Well, your body, your choice. So if you don't want this baby, there's a way out. Let me give you the way out. You don't want this, it's gonna burden your life, it's gonna harm you, it's gonna knock you down from all the things that you're meant to do. So then you have the abortion. And then how could you do that? You're you you you shameful, guilty human. How could you do that to your own one and only like the the flip the script as soon as he gets you to do what he wanted you to do, then it's like, how dare you do that? I can't believe you. You're worth nothing. You God'll never forgive you. You are so worthless now. And none of that is from God.

SPEAKER_02 11:49

I have chill, dude, I have chills right now because that is such a this, what we're talking about, is such a great explanation of you can either have faith in God and trust in Him to plan your steps, mark it out for you, make sure you're taken care of, make sure you're provided for, make sure you're loved and honored. If you can't have the baby, the you'll they'll find a home for it, like all the different things, or you go the enemy's way. And we have been around people. We know this story, we're aware of this, we've seen both sides of the equation.

SPEAKER_00 12:25

Yeah, this is not something that we're talking about that doesn't have like you've walked through it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:32

So we're sharing this not because we want to point the finger at you and yell at people or be angry at people because they've chosen abortion. We are sharing this because when you choose the Jesus way, when you choose for God to take over control of your life, you will feel a peace that doesn't make any sense and he will walk you through it every step of the way.

SPEAKER_00 12:56

Yes. The truth is also the capital T truth is also convicting. So we're not here to sugarcoat anything. If you like sugar and it being coded and all of that, this is the wrong podcast for you.

SPEAKER_02 13:10

And the wide- There's two, there's two, there's two gates.

SPEAKER_00 13:13

Yes.

SPEAKER_02 13:14

There's the narrow and there's the wide. And you choose, we're telling you, we're showing you what the narrow looks like and what the wide looks like.

SPEAKER_00 13:23

Because I'm sick and tired of the world screaming my body, my choice. I'm sick and tired of the world saying love is love. I'm sick and tired of people saying that this religion is the one. It's like, no, there's not. And let me show you why.

SPEAKER_01 13:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:37

Um, somebody had told Tina the other day, you know, your your podcast episode that I just listened to sounded very similar to a pastor that she also listens to. And I found it like, okay, God, there has to be something to that because nothing happens for nothing. So why did that come about in her pathway? Why did she share that with me? And to find out that this dude, there's, and it's not about the numbers, it's about the impact biblically for the kingdom, for the kingdom agenda to bring and make heaven crowded and bring Christ to the center of everything. And so this dude has like a multi-thousand followers and a mega church, but it's not about that. It's the sense that the he's reading the same book we are reading. So we're reading the basic instruction before leaving Earth. And I got the aha holy woe while God was showing me why he was telling Tina this from somebody else, saying, like, oh, you sound like these people. It's like, well, yes, we should all sound very similar if we're reading the same book, because it's as if we're all in a book club talking about the same thing. We're reading the same book. So of course we're gonna sound like the pastors who are preaching the Bible and sermons that are coming from the word of God because we're doing the same thing. And the difference between other religions and the Bible, Christianity is relationship versus religion of one is man-made books, and the other is a God-breathed book. So one is about a man for man's agenda. So people who believe in uh Mohammed, people who believe in Buddha, people who believe in uh Mormonism, it is somewhat truth twisted for somebody else's agenda, and that is the book that they're following and got other people to follow, and they're all sharing notes of that book. And it all sounds sort of truthful, but guess what? There's false doctrine in it, there's lies in it, and you wouldn't know that if you weren't reading the actual capital T truth, and it'll debunk all of that because it doesn't uh align with one another.

SPEAKER_02 15:55

Well, it it's kind of a side digression of that. You said Buddhism. I was listening to Billy Graham, and he was talking about an interview that they had with Buddhas. He was dying, and he said, I'm still searching. I'm still searching. And I remember before I met the person of Jesus Christ when I was going to church, I had religion. I I thought I was loving the Lord, at least in my mind. And I remember someone saying who was very narrow path walking, I remember her saying, Tina, you always seem to be searching. You always seem to be searching. I'm like, well, yeah, isn't that the point? Is that why we're here? Isn't that what we're supposed to be doing? We're always supposed to be searching. And then I heard the Billy Graham thing, and then I thought, and this was years ago she had said this to me. And now that I have found Christ and I know that he is my Lord and savior, and he died for me so that I could be saved by grace through faith. I'm like, I don't need to search anymore. Now I get to go out into all of the world and talk to people about what I've found. And it's like, that's where just a small digression of like Buddhism teaches you. You're always searching, you're always looking outside yourself. You always need more. You I mean, and maybe he has the little hand symbol and like mmm, like meditation, all the things, but it's the switch, it's the flip, it's the grabbing the little piece of you that is fleshly and sinful and twisting it around to make it sound good, look good, feel good. But it's not the real person of Jesus Christ, who is our Lord and Savior, who died for us. And let me tell you, every religion wants to destroy the person of Jesus Christ because he ended it all by dying on the cross. Yes. Nobody else did that. No other religion.

SPEAKER_00 17:40

And then rose again. We serve a living God, everyone else is dead. Oh, it baffles me and it makes me so sad because the deceive, the deceivement that we're living in and the lies that people are. Truth is absolute. There is no relative truth because if truth was relative, there is no such thing as truth. So that's why there has to be an absolute, which is the Bible. And people are gonna come on here and be like, you guys are crazy. You're reading this Bible and you think it's your truth. Okay, well, you read the Bible and then go read other people's things and tell me the difference in your life reading this, the Bible versus anything else out there. What makes you less bound, more joyful, understood, have an identity, makes you feel loved and understood. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 18:34

No, yeah, you're totally right. And as you read more of this and you start to live more of the basic instruction, you start to feel peaceful, even in the fiery trials, even in the challenges. But that second you you start in that sin path, and we do it, we fall short, we have our own sinly nature as well. But now we're getting to the point where when it comes in and we feel it, we're like, ooh, that doesn't feel like it's from God. Take it to the word, take it to prayer, and it instantly changes. Whereas most of the time, well, I just kind of want to do what I want. And, you know, I just I love this person. So love is love. And we're teaching from the pulpit, like it's okay, everything is fine, sin is okay, we accept everyone. Yes, God does accept everyone, but when you are a teacher, you are held to a different standard. I'm sure I've said that numerous times in my life. And so coming back to the basic instruction, because we're getting off on a million different tangents, but we believe they're all interconnected because when you listen to each one of our stories, it's our faith that has brought us to this moment. It's our faith in seeing one of our sisters in Christ who did have an abortion and she later completely regretted it. She had health challenges, and then she walked alongside of someone who wanted to get an abortion, trying to stop her from it because she knows the havoc that it has done on her life. And so we're trying to, again, stop you from putting your hand on the hot stove if we can. And when life is involved, we feel like it's pretty important.

SPEAKER_00 20:10

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:10

You know, my son talks about the Holocaust and how much, you know, whatever, how many people were killed. And I'm like, well, you know, more people have aborted babies than like they've they've literally sucked babies out of people's body and put them in a tube. And they then there's the burning of people. Like both things are equally horrible.

SPEAKER_00 20:29

The most unsafe place to be right now as a human is in a mother's womb. Which is very sad. That's crazy. And it's because of the deceiving spirits wandering around, waiting to kill, steal, and destroy, and it's all coming from the same power, which is demonic. Because the demonic has power, just like the Holy Spirit has power. One is extreme, like it is the power of all powers, but that is why you can fall for false teaching, tarot cards, witchcraft, palm reading, because it does have power. Uh, Moses talks about this in Exodus, where he's showing Pharaoh God's power, um, turning the water into blood, and so and the sorcerers are coming and doing the same thing, and there comes a point where God's power triumphs over the sorcerers. I think about plague number 10. God killed all of the Egyptian firstborn boys and stopped the Hebrew baby boys from being killed because of the Passover blood of the lamb on the door. And sorcerers could not do those that exact same thing. And that's when Pharaoh's like, get out of here. Your God is greater. I want you gone. You are a threat to us all. Wow. And it's also another foreshadow of Christ's blood because. Christ, you are covered by the blood. It is bought with a price. He died for you. That lamb was bought with a price. It died so you could be saved. How much more are you saved from Christ, God's son? He is son of God and son of man. He is the second Adam, meaning that Adam, the first man that was ever walking the earth, ruined it for us all. He was deceived by the woman, who the woman was deceived by the serpent, the serpent being the devil. And so Jesus came to redeem. Because before that, if you read all of the Old Testament, it is a cycle. It is a sick cycle that human beings were in. They love God, they remember God, they're obeying God. Something happens, they forget about God. So they worship something else and they fall away and there's chaos and destruction. They're crying out now because they remember what good was going on in the land when they were obeying and loving God. So they're like, help us, help us, save us, save us. So God brings up a prophet. The prophet tells them what's going on that turn from your wicked ways, come back to the Lord. God forgives. There's consequences for every action, but he forgives and he saves the generation or the next one. And then they remember God. And then it's just the same cycle over and over and over until a chainbreaker, miracle worker, promise keeper comes up on the land. And Tina, you know who that is? It's Jesus. It's Jesus. And he comes and he breaks the chain and he stops it. But here we are, because we're humans who need a remembering. We need to be reminded. Hey, narrow path. We need to bowl. We need to live life like we have bumpers on the lane. Because the moment you take those bumpers off and you're just like willy-nilly throwing your life into the, you know, gutters to try to hit the pins and bowling, you like could go off the edge and you're like, eh, err, wrong way. It's like, no, you need the body of Christ to be your bumpers. So you stay on the narrow path because Jesus came to give you those bumpers. You got the Holy Spirit inside of you, you got the body of Christ building you up. And so it's up to you if you want to, you know, bowl life strikes with the bumpers on, because you have a way now. I hope that makes sense.

SPEAKER_02 24:14

No, and it does make sense. And it's so crazy because people think like, oh, bumpers, it's the easy way. No, actually, it's the wise way. Okay. And there's times us as adults put bumpers on and we claim it's for the kids, but really it's for us because make smarter, wiser choices because it is that simple.

SPEAKER_00 24:30

And that's why we need, like spiritually speaking, you need the bumpers on to remind you. Because so often we're human beings who are forgetful humans. We walk into a room and we're like, why am I here? I forgot. Well, why do I believe in Jesus? I forgot. Well, let me tell you about my Jesus sister. Let me tell you about my Jesus, brother. When your faith is being tested and you're in the fiery furnace and you're starting to doubt what you believe, let me tell you about my Jesus who makes a way when there is no way, what he's done for me, what he can do for you, because it's the same God yesterday, today, and forevermore. And with that is why we need each other and why God gave us the Holy Spirit and these gifts of faith to strengthen and build up. So we don't, because so often you are probably like, oh, these Israelites, these people are kooky. Well, we're the same. Oh, absolutely. We are the same. We keep forgetting about God. That's why I mean there was a call to prayer, and there was a national turn back to God uh this past weekend for America. America was built on roots foundation of Christ. You can't tell me that it's not. Go do the historical research of how we were created. There's something different about America because God was founded from in America, the roots, the firm foundation, and we keep plucking them out. Yeah. Slowly. Healthy families create healthy communities. Healthy communities create healthy countries and nations. And if you get the if you get the dad, if you get the the male figure in the family, you have gotten the family. So we are it's a call to action. Women step into your role as women. Men step into your role as men and see the difference and in Christ and see what's coming on because there's so much perversion going on where two people who love each other that are same-sex marriage. One, it's not a marriage, you're mocking what marriage is supposed to be. It's um between a man and a woman in a union, representing what it is for Jesus and the body of Christ to be in union together and then to procreate. Two wombs can't procreate, two seeds can't procreate. But here we are having surrogacy, procreating and giving away, and we're taking away, we're creating more problems for the next generation. And it's time, yes, and it is. I'm so sick of it, it breaks my heart, and I'm passionate about it. And I'm we are here to tell you that that is not the way of God, period. I don't care how much meanness I get, that means I'm doing something right.

SPEAKER_02 26:57

Well, and it's it's going by what the Bible says. The Bible says it doesn't say a man and a man or a woman and a woman.

SPEAKER_00 27:03

So no, it says Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. Okay. And yes, that God loves you. We've had people on here that have struggled with this sin because everyone struggles with something. Yeah. But God loves you, He created you, He hates sin. He doesn't hate the sinner, He hates the sin.

SPEAKER_02 27:23

Well, and yeah, I was listening to this guy, and this man asked him a question, and he said something along the lines of, like, well, you know, if I'm what if I'm attracted to to men? Like, why if I'm a man and I'm attracted to man, why is that bad? And like, how what am I supposed to do about that? And basically it was, I don't, I'm not repeating this verbatim, but basically this other, this guy who's teaching, I think, scripturally sound things, he goes, Well, every day I am faced with sin. Every day I'm faced with a choice. Like when I was younger, I didn't want to be married. I didn't want to be with one woman. I didn't want to use prote whatever it was. And but I had to work with the Holy Spirit for him to change my heart to be able to be married to one woman, be faithful to one woman, have kids with one woman, raise as a kingdom father, a kingdom man in the house, and allow my wife to be the helper. Like every day he struggles with it. Just like this is a struggle for another person. Your struggle is not different than anyone else. That's the thing. We all go through trials, we all go through struggles, but are you gonna give in to every temptation because it feels right in your body? Like, can you imagine if every single person gave in to every single sin? Well, that's just the way I am. No, it's not the way you are. God created you a special human being, unique to yourself, with love and joy and peace and patience, kindness, and goodness, and self-control with faithfulness, because you need it all.

SPEAKER_00 28:54

Amen. Oh, and sorry, go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 28:57

No, I was just saying we're off on all this tangents again, but I was gonna read um in James. So James six, James one, six, but I'm actually going to start at the beginning with number two because it's about testing your faith. Counting all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds. And what we've been talking about, these are all trials that we have encountered or know someone that has encountered them. We are not immune to trials. For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfast. Every time you resist a temptation from whatever that sin is, you you God builds steadfast within you. And let steadfast have its full effect.

SPEAKER_00 29:39

I just want to say that is what we are talking about is being in the spiritual gym. So every time you're resisting, you're growing that muscle. So you the next time it comes about, you're strong enough to go away from it. And I'm sick and tired of the world feeding you all about your feelings. Do whatever makes you feel good. That is a bunch of balogna, okay?

SPEAKER_02 30:00

Feelings are fleeting. And they come and go depending on the weather, your hormones, your testosterone, what you've eaten. If you haven't eaten, slept, not sleep. Yeah, don't go by it. Trust me.

SPEAKER_00 30:09

That's why there has to be an absolute truth, and it ain't relative.

SPEAKER_02 30:12

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him. You have to ask, and he will give it generously. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting. For the one who doubts is like the wave of a sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. The faith comes by seeing and hearing the word of God and people sharing their testimonies, and then it's built. And when you go through the fiery trial, I'm sure someone else has gone through it, and they can walk with you alongside of you, and the spirit of living God in your heart will change you and grow your faith through that experience.

SPEAKER_00 30:56

Amen. And we've talked a lot about what sin looks like in other people. We all have sins. The difference between a Christ follower and somebody who is not following God is they're not gonna want to hear this. They don't want to grow. And they are caught up in their own self because they don't have the spirit with God in of God inside of them.

SPEAKER_02 31:19

I was able to witness a kid um getting baptized yesterday. So I went to a different church because I was asked to go and we support and love those at other churches. And the pastor said something, and I and it totally aligns with what you just said. The closer you walk with God, the more you are hurt by sin.

SPEAKER_00 31:38

This is why I this is a passionate, fiery episode because it grieves my heart so much of what's going on with the next generation. Yeah. They are being stripped away of rights before they're even out of the womb into this world. And then sometimes when they come into this world, they have they're not even allowed to know what a mom and dad is like. They're not allowed to know what real love actually is supposed to be, because there is a supposed to be, it's a male and female, and so I want to read this. This is James chapter two, verse 26. It says, Just as the body is dead when there is no spirit in it, so faith is dead if it is not the kind that results in good deeds. Faith without works is dead. However, you can come to church and hear before you believe. So you can belong before you believe, but in that bridge, once you start to believe, it's because you see people who are working out their faith of Jesus because of the good deeds that they're doing from the faith that got them to believe in the first place. It's not by accident. Um, and you know, James talks about going back to your sins, everyone falls short. That's why there is so much grace and mercy and forgiveness every single day. The Bible says his his mercies and joy is every morning. You know, there'll be joy in the morning.

SPEAKER_02 33:16

His um his mercies are new every morning.

SPEAKER_00 33:18

Yes, his mercies are new every morning because God knows that we can't do this without him.

SPEAKER_02 33:23

Um I don't want and I don't want to do it without him. No, I I can't. I tried for 36 years.

SPEAKER_00 33:32

It's it's not I yeah, I tried until my frontal lobe was developed in 20 when I turned 26 and I realized that I was going the wrong way. And I was believing in God and going to church and in Bible study and doing checking off all the boxes, and I was learning. Don't hear what I'm not saying. I just wasn't uh walking in that as much as I could have been. But I forgive me for I know not what I was doing then. And it all led me and led Tina to where we are now. We weren't growing in our faith, we were just going through the motions. Yes. So I want to read this because it's talking about temptation, and this is also in James, this is chapter one. Um, I'm gonna go up to chap uh verse number 12. It says, Happy is the man who doesn't give in and do wrong when he is tempted, for afterwards he will get as his reward the crown of life that God has promised those who love him. I gotta pause because we don't do these things because we serve a dictatorship. We don't serve a God who's giving us orders and we have to follow these things, and they're such rigid. It's boundaries so you can get the strikes. It's the bumpers on the road, so you can get you know the bullseye. Because he's so good and he loves you that much that he's telling you these things to do and not to do, so you don't fall short, so you don't go the wrong way, so you don't put your hand on the hot stove, so you don't walk in front of traffic.

SPEAKER_02 35:02

Well, and it's I I am hearing the it's probably in Psalms, like he will direct your paths, and and it's showing like this is the direction, this is why you go this way, this is what happens when you go this way, and this is what happens when you stray off. And it again, it's not to it, it's because God is a God of order. If there was no order, it would, it's gonna start to look like how it looks in the world today. Okay, this person going that way, this person going that way, confusion, chaos. Like, oh, I'm only this church is gonna be like Disneyland, and we're gonna, you know, bring everyone here and they're gonna have fun and they're gonna feel good and they're gonna feel warm and fuzzy inside and you know, all the things. It's like, no, that that kind of sounds right. I mean, it's a church, so that's good, right? And he talks about some things from the Bible, so that's good, right? No, no, no, no, no. Like God has you on the straight and narrow because you need to hear the truth. You need your your faith is built up when you, okay, holy wall. So if you are taught, have if you have a relationship with someone, right? And they're telling you the truth, your faith in that relationship grows because they're telling you the truth. All of a sudden they lie to you. And you're like, ooh, I don't know, I don't know if I can trust them because they lie to me. And so it's like shattered, right? But if it's such a common thing, like, well, what's truth and what's a lie? What's truth and what's a lie? Your faith is wavering because you have no idea what's truth and what's a lie. And that's his that's exactly what is happening today. And that is why, coming back to how I originally started this with the narrow path, if you're walking, if you're watching on YouTube, like the the bumpers on the bowling lane, and why he's doing this is to have you enjoy the peace and the joy of the gifts of his Holy Spirit that make sense and are clear. So they don't waver.

SPEAKER_00 36:51

So you have wisdom, knowledge, and revelations of what to do, what not to do while you're living on earth as it is in heaven, bringing heaven down on earth and showing people the way. And it's through conviction because the Lord disciplines those he loves. Your parents, I'm sure, if you had loving parents, they disciplined you when you tried to put your hand on that hot stove. They disciplined you when you ran out of traffic, they disciplined you when they're you're walking on the wrong side of the road. There are these things put in place, not because they're mad at you, but because they love you so much and they don't want to see your life in harm's way. A loving father does that, and that is God. Let's keep going. This is um verse 13. And remember, when someone wants to do wrong, it is never God who is tempting him. For God never wants to do wrong and never tempts anyone else to do it. So as soon as you're being tempted, guess who that's from?

SPEAKER_02 37:47

The devil.

SPEAKER_00 37:48

Yes, and guess what? The devil can't have me or my family leave. This is an eviction notice to the enemy. There's chain breakers in the room. There's no telling what he's gonna do. Yes, because temptation is the pull of man's own evil thoughts and wishes. These evil thoughts lead to evil actions and afterwards to the death penalty of God because God's wrath is coming for you.

SPEAKER_02 38:12

Well, that's crazy because I was talking about the testing for me and for her. The testing of your faith in James, and you're talking about the temptation of sin. Like I highly, highly encourage you to study the difference. If you can really receive the gift of wisdom and discernment in the difference of testing of your faith and the temptation of sin, whoa, you will have your faith will be massive because being able to understand the difference in the two, it's beautiful. It's absolutely beautiful. And I think honestly, that's been a huge part of our journey through this podcast is knowing what's from God and knowing what's from the enemy. And it's becoming more and more and more and more and more and more clear. The more we read the Bible, the more we go out to go out into the world to make disciples, the more we have studies, the more we listen to worship music, the more we Pilates and praise, like the more things we do for the kingdom, the clearer it becomes faith or sin, temptation or testing.

SPEAKER_00 39:14

And it's faith with the work. You're up in here, like, okay, God, I'm I'm lifting these muscles, I'm lifting up the love of the Lord, I'm lifting up faith from you, I'm lifting up kindness and self-control. Like, I can't do this without your Holy Spirit helping me move this stuff and lift these things because on my own it's too heavy.

SPEAKER_02 39:33

And faith without works doesn't mean you're gonna do all this work to get into heaven. We are talking about faith without works. So when you do the work, your faith is built. It's not to get something, it's because God is a God of order. Faith, works, grow.

SPEAKER_00 39:50

Yes. So that's why on the narrow path, you see when somebody gets saved, they're on fire. They're telling everyone about it. And most of the time, especially, I mean, if they are truly like the Jesus in the Bible they're following, not long after that, they're called to get baptized. It's an outward expression of an inward uh decision and change in their life. And then through that, you start to see them serve in places or they're kinder other places and they're more giving. And it's because the spirit within them is moving them towards those things that left to their own before Christ, they probably weren't doing. They could have been a great person, but great people that do good things don't get you into heaven. It is the faith of God's son lived, died, rose again, and is coming back. And you believe that he's the way, the truth, and the life. And it's one way, and it's Yahweh. Okay, I gotta I gotta wrap this 114 up. So this is yes, James. This is 15. The um, I'm sorry, 16, because we ended with these evil thoughts lead to evil actions, and afterwards the death penalty of God. And God has love and God has wrath because there's actions for consequences. So you wanna be encapsulated by God's love because he loves you. There's forgiveness, uh, endless, bountiful forgiveness, grace, and mercy for you. You get to decide which side you want to be on because there will be a day when judgment day is coming. So, 16 says, So don't be misled, dear brothers, dear sisters. This podcast exists to help debunk things that are going on in the world, to show you the hot Jesus way, not the done with lukewarm. No, Icky, get out of here. We don't want to be lukewarm anything.

SPEAKER_02 41:46

Well, yeah, and I, you know, we have people who have shared with us how, you know, it's really challenging or it's hard to see the people that they're around not walking the narrow path, and how like they try to speak life, the word of the the word of God over them, and they're shunned for it because of um, because it's too harsh. And I have to continually remind them, and I will remind you they persecuted a perfect man, they will persecute you in his name. It is promised in the Bible. You don't answer to that person, those people, that group, that crowd, you answer to one person, and that's the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. So know that if you are persecuted, if you are, you know, if you lose friendships, if whatever it is, insert the pain, the heartache, the loss from someone who couldn't receive what you were trying to give them in love, even if it came out as judgment. It wasn't judgment, it was love because I I know these people and at least as well as I can. And God loves you so much, he's going to discipline you. And so know that you, the only person you answer to is him. And if he's given you words to speak, if he's opened your heart to receive him and share it with the world, do it because you will be persecuted in his name.

SPEAKER_00 43:10

And it's never you, it's Christ in you. That's where all the power is. So they don't hate you, they hate the God within you because he's powerful. You want to be a power person, you talk to the Holy Spirit.

SPEAKER_02 43:23

And we don't wrestle against flesh and blood. No, we wrestle against spirits and principalities within the air, and it can attach themselves to people. And I'm sure I've had uh in the past, I'm sure I had them attached to me as well. Like, rebuke it out in the name of Jesus, covered in the blood. Thank you, God, for saving me. Like, there's so much to this episode. There's so many things that we have shared, so many little tools, so many little stories. Like, these are all things that we have gone through. Everything we're sharing is because we've gone through these things. And the best way is Yahweh.

SPEAKER_00 43:58

And it's also in real. Real time, you see you just like look outside and see the protest, see the chaos, see the confusion. It doesn't take long to see what the enemy's doing if you have eyes to see and ears to hear. And we don't want you people, we don't want to be people who are deceived for the wrong thing because there's only two teams, but there's only one way. Yahweh. Yeah. Okay, I gotta, we gotta wrap this up pretty soon, but I I gotta keep going with this whole faith thing real quick. This is James.

SPEAKER_01 44:30

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 44:31

So Bible study, buckle up real quick. What happened to Peter? I know. I we this has gotta be a part two. James is just talking about the faith and how important it is. Yep. And then we'll get to um 2 Peter next time. It's all talking about the additives to your faith. But this is James 2, verse 17, and so on. So you see, it isn't enough just to have faith. You must also do good to prove that you have it. Faith that doesn't show itself by good works is no faith at all. It is dead and useless. But someone may well argue, you say the way to God is by faith alone, plus nothing. Well, I say that good works are important too. For without good works, you can't prove whether you have faith or not. But anyone can see that I have faith by the way I act. You walk it like you talk it. Okay. And then let's keep on keeping on. Are there still some among you who hold that, quote, only believing is enough. Believing in one God will remember that demons believe this too. Oh, we said this last one. Demons believe and disciples believe. One obeys and the other one trembles. And I said, Which one are you? And somebody's like, which one are you? And I'm like, lol. Persecution. Okay. Says believing in one God will remember the demons believe this too so strongly that they will tremble in terror. Fool exclamation mark. When will you ever learn that, quote, believing is useless without doing what God wants you to do? Faith that does not result in good deeds is not real faith. Faith. And it talks about Abraham. Father Abraham had many sons, and many sons had Father Abraham. I am one of them, and so are you. So let's praise the Lord. And he is the first person who left everything behind. His wife and Abram and Sarai left everything to follow the one true God, Yahweh. The one way, Yahweh. And so if they didn't have, if they wouldn't have done that, God would have found somebody else to have the promised land. But we don't sing and talk and preach about everybody else. We talk about Abraham and Sarah. And then we could go on and on about them because there is some so much that happens. We've had a whole episode about Sarah, Hagar, and Abraham and what an Ishmael happened and the Isaac and all the things, different types of people. I'll read your Bible, man.

SPEAKER_02 46:55

This is this is juicy and good and exciting and amazing. It's so juicy.

SPEAKER_00 47:01

Full of fruit.

SPEAKER_02 47:02

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 47:03

Really mature fruit. Okay, let's uh, you know, just read all of James. It ain't that long, everybody. It's only five chapters.

SPEAKER_02 47:12

Well, at the end of that one, it's 26. It says, for as the body apart from the spirit is dead. Yes. So also faith apart from works is dead.

SPEAKER_00 47:22

Dude, and we started with that. We gotta, we're gonna end with that, but we gotta shelf this because verse number three or chapter number three is don't be too eager too eager to tell others their faults. For we all make many mistakes. And when we when we teachers of religion, we should know better, do wrong, or our punishment will be greater than it would be for others. And if you follow Tina or myself on social, Tina just went off on false teaching because it is not of God, especially if you're claiming the name of Jesus and you're twisting it to bring others astray.

SPEAKER_02 47:58

Yeah, and it's not, I mean, if you want to do whatever you want to do, that is between you and God, yo, you have to answer to your life to Father God Almighty. I am not judging your life. What I'm saying is you are confusing people when you are teaching false things in the name of God on a podium or a platform. Yes. Don't do it.

SPEAKER_00 48:19

Don't do it, girl.

SPEAKER_02 48:20

Because you're gonna be judged to a different standard. You're gonna be held to a different standard. What? Go.

SPEAKER_00 48:25

This is so good. Let's just punch it one more time. All right. This is James chapter 15.

SPEAKER_02 48:31

This is what happens when you pray before your podcast.

SPEAKER_00 48:34

Verse number 17. Remember too that knowing what is right to do and then not doing it is sin. So partial obedience is disobedience. Delayed obedience is disobedience. Wow. We want to be people who obey, which is listen. I just said did this in Sunday school. Obedience is listening. Just like your parents want you to obey them when you're little children. God wants you to be little children of Him and obey and listen to Him because He knows the way, the truth, the life. He knows it all. He knows what you're gonna do tomorrow at nine o'clock. He knows what you're gonna do next week at 2 p.m. He knows what's gonna happen in 15 years from now. I don't, you don't, sorcery people do not. They can pretend all day long, but it's false. And we want you real.

SPEAKER_02 49:19

We don't want you confused. Yes. And anytime you enter into practices that are not of God, confusion enters in and there is delay in what God is doing.

SPEAKER_00 49:29

Yeah. Okay. All right.

SPEAKER_02 49:31

That was a lot everyone. That was a lot. We love you.

SPEAKER_00 49:34

I hope you had a fun time.

SPEAKER_02 49:35

Well, we're grateful that you are still following up with the subject.

SPEAKER_00 49:40

Thank you, Holy Spirit activation station mode. Thank you. All right. Praise the Lord. Let's pray. Dear Jesus, thank you for everything. Thank you for the gift of your word. Thank you for making it come to life. I pray for the person listening to this, our brother and sister in Christ, Father God, that they have gained wisdom, knowledge, and revelation of you and are excited and grateful. And thank you for another day. Just do what only you can do in and through each and every one of us as your special vessels created royal for such a time as this. Keep us at your feet. Keep us as, you know, the utilized vessels of nothing special, only in the eyes of you, Lord. In Jesus' name and everybody said.

SPEAKER_02 50:22

Amen. Have a beautifully blessed and highly favored fearless Friday. Until next time.

SPEAKER_00 50:29

Bye.