SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hello and welcome to Patriots Commander Brother Jesse Adams Playsville by this church, Enrique Hunter, Bryson and the Whaley Meister, and Chris Catledge, our new addition to the podcast in the room this morning. I'm gonna go ahead and tell you, today's gonna kind of be like a potluck dinner. Uh we brought up a subject, and all of us are looking like which way are you going? Chris, you got your clipboard again.

SPEAKER_03 0:23

You gotta let I was good till Rick through threw me a curveball about 30 minutes ago.

SPEAKER_00 0:30

We're gonna have four points to this message. You remember all the trapper keepers when we was in school back in the 80s? I think Chris got a trapper keeper.

SPEAKER_01 0:37

Brighton, that's all your time. I don't know. What word did you say? I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 0:43

Trapper keeper. That's what we used to call it back in school. Chris got a trapper keeper and nose over here.

SPEAKER_01 0:47

Like, good night. But thank you for tuning in today, man. It's uh was a great Sunday uh Easter, uh week ago, Sunday, and then this was past Sunday we followed up with Jesus being the great shepherd. And so I pray you guys had a great Easter, great time with your family. And we missed last week. We were all pretty much out of pocket. I was out of town. Uh Brother Rick's wife was off. Brother Bryson was around. Chris, Chris, I don't know what you were doing last week.

SPEAKER_05 1:14

We were working.

SPEAKER_01 1:18

Chris is part-time with us, so he's got uh his own business on the side. So we were all kind of out of pocket last week with spring break and uh pretty much uh shut down everything on campus last week due to kids being out of school. So back this morning in the podcast room, we're gonna we're talking today on the path you must walk alone. There are some things in your spiritual life that nobody's gonna be able to help you with. Uh we we can listen to advice, we can get encouragement, people can love on us. People that's been through that same battle can tell us how they got through it. But in reality, when it gets right down to it, you're on your own.

SPEAKER_04 1:54

Yeah. And uh that that's why we're gonna go with a lot of different points today because we all go through our different spiritual battles, whether uh no matter what it is, and uh some of those battles, it seemed like God's not listening. Nobody can help us, and we just don't know where to turn, what to do, and wondering how we're gonna even get up tomorrow and take another step.

SPEAKER_01 2:12

That's exactly right.

SPEAKER_04 2:14

You up, Bryson?

SPEAKER_02 2:15

Oh man, I I was just about to say I was proud of you, Rick, because when when Pastor Jessica looked at you, you didn't hesitate. You went right in, and then now you looked at me. I hesitated. I'm gonna look at Chris and see if he hesitates because I'm still trying to find my place. But yeah, looking forward to the conversation today. And uh there's a lot of places we can go with this, but but this is so true because a lot of times, uh a lot of times in in this spiritual walk, um, a lot of times you're gonna feel um uh you're gonna feel alone, you're gonna feel like um you're out there on an island, you're gonna feel like you're out there by yourself. Um but hopefully today we can just offer some some encouragement um to those of you listening, um, those of you feel like you might be out there just kind of walking by yourself out there, out there um alone in in the journey. And so um looking forward to the conversation today.

SPEAKER_06 3:11

Wake up, Chris.

SPEAKER_03 3:14

I'm here. I was waiting for my cue. Well, I I I just was like I said, I took this in a whole different way, as is uh the road you must walk along, being the things that we personally have to do. And uh I just wanted to start out with a statement uh where I went with it was uh you know, it has to be your prayer to accept Christ and not uh, you know, that's something we personally have to do. Uh we can't be saved by our mom's prayers, our grandparents' prayers, all that, all that's good, that intercessory prayer that we have from our our our family and friends, but but that's something we have to, uh a personal decision that we have to do and what we have to uh do on our own. But I took kind of took it on uh running my own race. Uh, you know, uh said, you know, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. The uh, you know, with that right there, I can't run Rick's race if I did with if I've run my personal race with Rick, I mean obviously I would lose, but I have to run my my race with God on what God's called me and my and my purpose for um for what he's given me. Um but uh no Paul wrote Paul wrote this toward toward toward the toward the end of his life as far as pretty much kind of reminding us as far as the uh how we have to know how we have to live our life and how we have to do things our way, but obviously God's way.

SPEAKER_01 4:39

Yeah, it's uh and I I'm gonna dive straight into the scripture I have this morning. I know Bryson's kind of on a time frame this morning. Um and I'm gonna go to Galatians chapter six. It's a very short verse of scripture, it's a very pointed verse of scripture. And when Paul wrote to the church of Galatia in this part of the chapter, he was talking about mutual bearing of burdens. And in verse number six, this is what he said. He said, For every man shall bear his own burden. And what I mean by that is, you know, in church, as a pastor, Christian, whatever the case may be, church member, you know, we we go through life and let's say we lose a spouse, and heaven forbid that happened, but for me in our church, it's reality. If you lose a spouse, you can get all the encouragement you can handle. You can talk to other people who's been down that road, you can talk to folks, you can attend grief share, all that's good, by the way. But at the end of the day, that's a burden that you got to carry all by yourself.

SPEAKER_06 5:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:41

Nobody can help you get out of that. Um, you know, when you go through spiritual battles in your life and you're trying to get through something, or you're hoping God will answer, and you can get all this and all the encouragement you want, but at the end of the day, that's a battle you gotta walk on your own. Uh and I'll I'll tell you something else that I think is really uh important when it gets to this particular chapter. Many times in life we find ourselves going up and down roller coasters, and we find ourselves in and out of battles, but you know, things are short-lived. But many times, and and I hear people say this and they mean well, but really and truly they don't know what they're saying. And many times when somebody loses a loved one, I hear people say this statement. They say, I've been where you at and I know what you're going through.

SPEAKER_06 6:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:29

No, not really, you don't. And here's why I say that. You know, let's say, let's say you um, let's say you your brother dies, and somebody has to say, I know how you feel when I lost my brother. Not really. Maybe you and your brother didn't have a relationship like me and my brother did.

SPEAKER_06 6:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:45

Maybe you and and your cousin didn't have as close a bond as we did. You know, maybe you and your brother, y'all seen one another three times a year. Me and my brother talked every day. You see what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_06 6:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:54

It's one thing to lose a brother, you may have that in common, but that don't mean you both carry the same burden. That's right. That's right. Because everything's different.

SPEAKER_04 7:00

Yeah. Yeah, when uh loss of a loved one like that, that is a lonely road. Because even if it is similar, it's different. Because, you know, some people can handle grief better than others, and some people have, you know, more deep in relationships and they lose people, and it's very, very hard and difficult. And so it's hard for some people to get over that. So even though you may I try to never say tell anybody I know what you're going through, because you don't. You haven't walked in their shoes, you don't you don't know the dynamics of that relationship. And all you can do is pray for them, be there with them and help them. But it is a lonely road that you have to walk down. And no matter if it is similar. Now, if you've lost someone in that you can minister to them because you do kind of understand where they are, but to know what they're going through, uh, you don't.

SPEAKER_01 7:44

That's right.

SPEAKER_04 7:44

And it comes back to what we're saying. There's a there's a road that you have to walk along, and and death is a part of that.

SPEAKER_02 7:50

Yeah, um, just uh a scripture that kind of came to mind, just kind of kind of looking at this at the end of um Paul and at the end of this uh letter in 2 Timothy. Paul Paul Paul says these words. Um, 2 Timothy um chap chapter 4, verse 16, he says, At my first defense, and this is it doesn't start out encouraging, but it it turns into some encouragement here. He says, At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. And so that doesn't sound super encouraging. Paul's kind of going through it, but he says, it says, May it not be held against them, but the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And so I know it's coming from a different little bit of a different different angle there, um, but just to realize that listen, the Lord, the Lord is with us. And no matter what where we are, where we go, where we walk, no matter what we go through, um, it is super encouraging to me um that that that though I might feel like I am alone, um, that the Lord is always with me. And so I think that's that that that is something to be reminded of, to be encouraged about. Um and if you might be listening, um might be going through ri really the worst of times, um, because the reality is, and we were just talking about this before we got on the podcast, we don't we have no idea who's listening. That's right. I mean, we have no idea um where this podcast reaches. We know there's people in our in our ministry and in our church who who listens to the podcast, and we're super grateful for that. We're super grateful um that we get nagged by those people when we don't do the podcast, uh, and when we are when we're when we're slack, um, and when we had uh several uh weeks and even months where we uh we were not faithful in in doing it and we were um in in that way. But um listen, we don't know who's listening today, um, and we don't know where this podcast reaches, but just to be reminded that the Lord is with you. Uh the Lord is with you wherever you go. Um and the Lord is the Lord is walking right beside you. Um and as Paul had to remind himself of that as everybody seemingly deserted him, no one came to his defense. But he said, But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength. And that's just such an encouragement.

SPEAKER_03 10:11

I think as far as you know, just kind of hearing what y'all said, I just think back in time to my life when trials when it just seemed like though to most people, you know, I had people, you know, just different things went on in my life, said, Man, I don't see how you how you made it. I don't see, you know, the uh I mean I've had you know people tell me said, you know, it's it's a wonder you didn't kill yourself, and just things of that nature. I mean, just being honest. And and uh but to me, I think it really depends on uh, you know, no matter what has gone on in my life, I always felt had the peace of knowing that God's gonna work it out. And and and I guess as believers, in a sense, it's easier to walk this road alone if you have a personal relationship with Christ. I don't see how people make it that doesn't have a personal walk with Jesus as far as I mean it's it's good to have a friend or or a family member who can help you and talk to you during these times when things are going on, but it's it's a it's a different piece when you know that you're not walking this road alone.

SPEAKER_02 11:17

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 11:19

And the thing about it, you know, we talked about death, we talked about losing people, we talked about struggles and battles, but I'll even go to the whole other end of the spectrum. All right, we talked about death and battles and struggles. Let's talk about life. You know, you can go into a revival service, man, and God just sit down. I'm talking about swinging from the chandeliers or be making two laps from the building. I'm talking about hooping and hollering, chunking people out the window. I'm talking, you can be in a Holy Ghost setting and just absolutely be on top of a mountain. But guess what?

SPEAKER_04 11:48

You walk out the door.

SPEAKER_01 11:50

Sooner or later, that service is gonna come to an end.

SPEAKER_04 11:52

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 11:52

Now you gotta go home and you gotta live it on your own. That's right. So it doesn't matter what end of the spectrum you go to, in reality, your Christian life, regardless of how bad the struggle or how good the moment, you always gotta stand on your own two feet.

SPEAKER_04 12:06

Yeah. Exactly. I want to bring in these scriptures here before we run out of time because we've talked about going through hard times and everything, and Bryson mentioned about God standing with you, and it does start a salvation where Chris started. It's a personal decision when you get saved, but then Christianity is really up to you on your own. And uh, you walk with brothers and sisters in Christ, you have people in your life that God has put there and everything else, but you are gonna run into some times. I always tell people when they first get saved, this is not gonna last. Your your joy and all. You're gonna go through battles, you got an enemy now that's gonna attack you. And David is no um no stranger to it. I just want to read the portions of three Psalms that he wrote, and uh, one of them was Psalms 13. He says, How long, O Lord, will you forget me forever? David said, he thought God had forgotten. It's one thing for a friend not to be there, but it's another thing when you don't have friends, family, nobody knows what you're going through, and you're crying and heaven is shut up like an iron gate, and you don't even hear from God. David said, How long, O Lord, will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? Then in Psalms 22, David says, Um, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Now we know who uttered those words. Jesus was hanging on the cross and said those same words. Everybody deserted him, and he was hanging there thinking God had deserted him. And then of course David writes Psalms 23, and he said, Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. So all of these Psalms, David found himself in a situation to where family couldn't help, friends couldn't help, and he even cried out to God, and it seemed like God was silent. And so those are those times when those roads that you have to walk along. And the only thing that I can encourage you to do is don't give up on God.

SPEAKER_01 13:56

That's right.

SPEAKER_04 13:57

Because it'll you wanna because I've gone through several times in my life to where I didn't know what to do, didn't know where to go, didn't know where to turn, prayed, read the Bible, did everything I was supposed to do, and it was just completely silent and dead. But eventually God does pull through, God does speak, God answers, does answer, and he pulls you through that valley of the shadow of death and gives you hope again.

SPEAKER_02 14:19

Yeah, I think I think reading reading the Psalms is I I think I I think it is it it could be it we just get such a a real sense of of of David and it could be so it it could it could be so encouraging to us as the believer to know David, a a man after God's own heart, David, this this hero of the faith. Um David, somebody that that we look up to in in scripture. David Um Am I on? I think so. Okay uh David, uh somebody that I mean I mean, just just this giant. I mean, I mean, giant killing, I mean, I mean, this king.

SPEAKER_04 15:02

A sweet psalmist of Israel.

SPEAKER_02 15:03

I mean, yeah, I mean, this is David, this is David we're talking about, but yet he went through these dark valleys. Yeah. I mean, yet he went through these times where he felt like God was so far away, God was so distant where he felt like he was walking alone. Like he was, he was, he was alone as alone gets. And so that serves as an encouragement to me, serves as an encouragement to us, it serves as an encouragement to anybody listening that we are not alone. Like, like what I mean by that is like we're not alone in feeling alone, if that makes sense. So, like, like if you feel alone, like like like that's okay. Like, like we all go through those moments and those seasons um in our spiritual um walks with the Lord, and we all go through those times where like yeah, you're gonna go through times where you feel alone. You can go through those times like like David did where he felt like super lonely. And so, I mean it serves as an encouragement to me to see this this guy, David, that we look up to, that we that we know as this king, giant killing. I mean, all this kind of things, as we've mentioned even today, that he had these moments where where we and we and we see it as he pins these these psalms and these these words, um, where where he and we and we and we almost get that that that first inside look into his mind and what he's what he's thinking and going through. It should serve as an encouragement to us that he he was walking alone as alone gets.

SPEAKER_03 16:31

Chris, you know, I'll wait for you to chime in.

SPEAKER_01 16:35

No, it's uh I'm we got a little zigzag thing going in to return. I'll be honest, I'll be honest with you. I'm glad y'all talked about David because the scripture I turned to a while ago is exactly where I'm where I wanted to kind of wrap up my scripture-wise. But if you know anything about 1 Samuel chapter 30, you know, the the Amalekites had spoiled the nation of Israel. They had taken their wives, taken their stuff, and the Bible says, and listen to this. The Bible says in verse number six the people wanted to kill David, they wanted to stone him. Verse 6 says, And David was greatly distressed because the people talked about stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters. But listen to this last part of the verse. But David encouraged himself and the Lord his God. Sometimes the only thing you can do is encourage yourself. Sometimes you don't need to be on the phone, you don't need to call somebody, you just need to get your Bible, get outside with a glass of sweet tea, and just and just encourage yourself. Now the question is, how do you encourage yourself? David reminded himself, number one, what Bryce said why I go, he wasn't alone because God was with him. He realized number two, I don't know why God allowed this to happen, but something good is gonna become of it. And so sometimes you got to, you know, get off of social media, quit calling people, quit looking for answers, quit getting on Chat GPT, trying to find some kind of secret formula. Sometimes you just gotta encourage yourself in the Lord.

SPEAKER_04 18:11

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 18:12

Exactly. And the key word is he can encourage himself. It's within you.

SPEAKER_04 18:17

Yeah. And I'm sure in that encouragement, David looked back to the victories he had. Yes. And so the longer you walk with God, you'll have victories that you can look back on. Sometimes that's all you have. That's right. You say, God did it then, I know he's gonna do it again.

SPEAKER_01 18:29

Yeah, encouraging yourself is one of the greatest things you can do because you're reminded the only the only thing I really need is what I got, and that's the Lord. Don't mean the battles and storms aren't gonna come, but sometimes just get along by yourself and remind yourself of who you are. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:44

Yeah, I I kind of, y'all both kind of hit kind of some of my thought process on the on this one, and I just made a note right here, uh, and this is kind of taking it in a different area. It's head of household and a man leads his family. And I'm just gonna go ahead and read the scripture that I read that made me think about. That said, it's Joshua 24, 15, and it said, and if it seemed evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your your father served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites and whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And I thought thought about that, you know, you talk about you have to encourage yourself, and you talk about victories that you've you've had and you've seen where God brought you through something. I think a lot of it helps to have your church body, and as a father and as a grandfather, that you kind of lead your family silently when your family and your grandchildren see how you handle trials and tribulations that come to you. And uh so it's not necessarily things we say sometimes to help somebody walk through a certain path. It's our actions that they see us take, how we react to things that happen in our life. And and uh uh, you know, if if you're if your child child or your grandchild or or just any child that you're that's in your circle uh sees you react the wrong way, and you know, you you know, maybe you start throwing words you shouldn't throw and and uh and and and and acting out ways you shouldn't act. Our children are watching that, but also they watch how uh God has delivered us from things and how we've made it through things in our life. And it kind of helps when it kind of helps them say, well, hey, maybe I I didn't have a victory today, or maybe I hadn't had a victory in my life in a while, where I feel like God has answered my prayer or done something for me, but I can look and I can see, maybe I can look and see my dad how God's delivered him. Maybe it was something where you hear cases all the time where somebody was sick and now they go to the doctor and the doctor can't find something, you know. Uh but maybe when I'm down, it helps me to see other believers in Christ and other people have victories.

SPEAKER_01 21:04

All right. Y'all um y'all gonna enclose the scripture you want to use?

SPEAKER_04 21:09

I was just gonna use one more because uh one thing I wanna I want to understand, uh everybody understand, and have to remind myself that God never wastes to hurt. When you go through a storm, God's got you there for a reason. There's something he's gonna teach you through that. Really more dependence on him. But I thought about the story of Jesus and his disciples when they went through the storm. They went on to see if Galilee the disciples didn't know the storm was coming, of course, Jesus did because he's God. They get out on the middle of the sea where they're hopeless, and then a storm comes up. But there was a ministry on the other side of the lake that Jesus had to get to. There was a there was a demon possessed man that needed healing, and that's why he was going over there. And so, in the midst of going from peace to that man, there was a storm. So that tells me that sometimes you have to go through a l go through a storm before there's a ministry on the other side. God does something. Now it wasn't Jesus that had to experience it, but his disciples had to experience that storm and trust in God and then see that that storm was nothing but something that God allowed into our life to test us and he has to pull away from us in the process. But there's ministry on the other side of every storm. Because when you go through hardships and difficulties, uh you can understand uh when somebody else is going through it and and help them to see that there is there's fruit on the other side, there's help on the other side, there's joy on the other side, and there's ministry on the other side. So at the end of your storm, whatever it is, uh God's got something waiting for you. The only way to get there is through a storm.

SPEAKER_03 22:39

Well, hey, Rick, you'd made me take some notes over here, man.

SPEAKER_02 22:41

Yeah, I'm about to.

SPEAKER_03 22:42

Bro, you got enough notes over here. Rick, Rick, give me some more ammo. I'm taking another direction over here.

SPEAKER_02 22:52

Yeah, um, you might be walking through a valley, but the Lord is with you. Um, I would just just encourage you with that. Um, and just just in just encourage anyone listening that, hey, even the the heroes of the faith, um, they they at one point felt like they they were walking alone as well. Um and so um, but uh but also going on the other end of the of the of the extreme, as we've even mentioned today, um sometimes you do have to own your faith and walk alone and on that other extreme as well. And so um, yeah, just let this serve as an as an encouragement to you today.

SPEAKER_01 23:26

Amen. And I just want to use in closing today, and I I thought about this scripture a few moments ago. You know, there were two men in the scripture that, excuse me, that had thought they had just had the worst day of their life. And they're walking home one day in the text, and we refer to it in the theological world as a road to a mess. But they didn't know that they weren't alone. Jesus was right behind them. And when he finally spoke to them, you know, they asked him, Do you not know what happened in Jerusalem today? And Jesus played dumb, like, nah, what's what's going on today? Man, you don't know they killed Jesus in Nazareth in town?

SPEAKER_04 24:09

No, they didn't.

SPEAKER_01 24:11

They thought they had just had the worst day of their life and had no clue that Jesus was one step behind. So remind yourself, we're we have to walk a path alone, but if we're born again, we're never alone. Now we may be alone and battling this journey, walking this journey, fighting this journey, charting our way through this journey, but in reality, we're never alone.

SPEAKER_06 24:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:35

Because he's always right behind us.

SPEAKER_06 24:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:37

And as Paul said, he deposits himself inside of us. And so the Holy Spirit lives in us. So uh don't take the topic we're speaking on today, walking alone literally. We're using it figuratively because you do everything on your own in your Christian life. But Jesus is never ever gonna leave you. That's right. Because He He is He is part of who we are, He He dwells inside of you and I. Uh He He dwells in us, around us, protects us, meets our needs. And so we're never alone. But it wasn't until Jesus spoke to them at the table that the Bible said their eyes were open. So eve now listen, even when he was there, he never revealed who he was till it was time to go. He still let he still let them keep thinking they were just talking to a stranger.

SPEAKER_06 25:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:25

Not realizing they were talking to the Son of God. And then what'd they do? Ran back to town and said, Y'all ain't gonna believe what happened. So that you're gonna have those battles in life where you're walking a path all along, but you'll have those moments in life where you can't wait to tell somebody.

SPEAKER_04 25:42

Yeah. And yeah, the reality of it is uh there are times you walk alone, but just remember you're not alone. Because Hebrews says, God will never for leave us or forsake us, quoted in the Old Testament. So regardless if the heaven is silent, regardless if friends can't help and you're going through something overwhelming and you don't know where to turn or what to do, the promise of scripture is God is there. That's right. He's with you. Even though he's not speaking in a given direction, he's watching over you, and he cannot leave you because he'd break his word.

SPEAKER_01 26:11

That's right.

SPEAKER_04 26:11

So he'll never leave you or forsake you.

SPEAKER_02 26:14

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 26:15

Any closing words, Brother?

SPEAKER_03 26:18

Back to Chris. Well, I I was just thinking on this. I mean, I know there's people out here that's that's going through trials, and uh, you know, we talking about battling this alone, and we and Rick talked about you that we we know we're not alone. But I think it's hard as a man sometimes to, or just anybody in general to want to open up and tell somebody, yes, we we fight, you know, we we fight our battles alone, but we got to realize sometimes we got to get somebody else involved, and we need to, whether it's you know, asking a brother or sister in Christ to pray for you, but we don't need to be so afraid to let people in. Uh and it might just be an encouraging word someone can give you, but sometimes we have to be man enough and woman enough to know that we need some help. And uh obviously God is our our our ultimate helper, but sometimes it's just encouraging just to get a encouraging word from a brother and sister in Christ to let you know, hey, you're you're not you're not in this alone, even though there might not be anything personal I can do or Pastor Jester anybody can do, but sometimes it feels good to know that maybe you're not in it on your own.

SPEAKER_01 27:29

Amen. So in closing, uh hold tight, keep close to the cross. Uh we do have to challenge uh ourselves many times in life. We do have to realize that these battles are there, every storm is temporary, it's gonna pass. Keep our eyes focused. We're not alone, and the Lord Jesus Christ is always close by. So uh it's 1982. 16-year-old bus driver. What path does he have to walk along? Any thoughts? Y'all, y'all look thinking when he smacks a kid in the head and he's gonna walk into the principal's office and say, You ain't gonna believe what I did today. But in 1982, the principal would give him high five. You gotta get it, you gotta get the day, but I