Pursuing the Heart
Pursuing the Heart Podcast is a Faith Based Podcast. We believe God Pursued Me & Now I Pursue Him. We would like to show how people can have an open Bible discussion in a casual setting. Each episode going through a verse by verse study of the Bible. We will have guest on episodes sharing a personal story of how God has changed their life. We hope you listen and enjoy...KYEOJ!!!
Pursuing the Heart
Galatians 5:18-24 & Adam's Story
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Scott Blewett, Tim Hunter, and Adam Quear have an open discussion on Galatians. Then Adam shares his story. I hope you listen and enjoy...KYEOJ!!!
Hey, this is Pursuing the Heart. And uh God pursued me. Now I pursue him. It's been a little bit. Uh, but we're back, and we're gonna I got a feeling this is gonna be a really good one, and hoping that uh you guys are listening to this. And I got uh Tim back. So he's out of having kids right now, and he's been moved into his house, so he has to be here now.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I have no excuses left, right?
SPEAKER_01I don't think there is an excuse. Well, there was one where you weren't on some trip and you were gone for a week, but now I should do that again. But let me just say, it you have no excuse.
SPEAKER_00I mean, I don't I'm not getting a lot of sleep, so but you know what? I don't need sleep. You know, my flesh, my flesh shall uh be less and my spirit shall be greater. The Lord the Lord gives me my rest.
SPEAKER_01And and today we have a special guest, Adam Queer. What's up, Adam?
SPEAKER_04Hi, my boy Adam.
SPEAKER_01You doing all right? I am tell us how you met Tim.
SPEAKER_00Don't can you censor it a little bit?
SPEAKER_04Lots lots of good stories there. Uh met uh met Purdue or met Tim back in You met Purdue? Uh well we met at Purdue. Yeah. Um we were rushing the he was I was rushing the fraternity he was already in. Um and out of uh out of all the the pledges, uh Tim decided to choose me.
SPEAKER_00It was a special choice. It was he's a special man.
SPEAKER_04Had to have been.
SPEAKER_00Um and uh yeah enough you can say it. I kissed my I guess my boy, I did. That's my guy.
SPEAKER_04Basically, the first time that we we met, he came up and gave me a kiss.
SPEAKER_00We didn't notice that the first time. I just was leaving it out there. I thought we were close friends before.
SPEAKER_01So you guys met in at Purdue.
SPEAKER_04Met at Purdue.
SPEAKER_01All right, and stayed in contact with each other through the years.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, there's a few years where we kind of went our own separate ways. Yeah, Adam a little while.
SPEAKER_00I mean, yeah, and you know, I think anyone goes to this proximity can definitely uh not intentionally drive people apart, uh, but just kind of happens. You know, Adam uh you know, I maybe showed us later, but Adam moved away for some time and I was local. Um, but yeah, you know, I was it was a blessing, you know, he moved back and it was a blessing that we connected right away when he moved back. And um yeah, we I would say that you move back in what year? Nineteen?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, nineteen.
SPEAKER_00And then we've you know, we've been hanging out and our church lives since then. So it's it's a blessing to be um you know having our friendship, you know, in in close proximity again. You know, we had some calls here and there, but yeah, it's it's a blessing to get to see him every single week.
SPEAKER_01And uh Adam, do you have something you want to share with everybody that might be listening that you have uh you're gonna be like Tim kind of super excited about this?
SPEAKER_04Uh yeah, so me and my wife are uh expecting um a baby girl here in about three to four weeks. Um she's 35 weeks right now. And uh so as Tim was talking earlier about uh sleep deprived and um you know, just uh it's coming. I I yeah, I think uh I think that's one thing that uh that I can deal with um just considering everything that uh her and I have been through over this past year. And uh it's just you know uh just a beautiful sign that uh that God has given us this bundle of joy that we can we can sit there and cherish and and grow.
SPEAKER_01So when is roughly the due date? If it's like Tim's, it was two or three weeks later.
SPEAKER_04So beginning of June, so June 5th.
SPEAKER_01All right, okay.
SPEAKER_00Less than a we're a month away. What's that away? Yeah, we're literally a month away.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah. So um Adam will have a little baby pretty soon. Yep. And uh Adam's part of our Friday uh group that comes on Fridays, and he also was in the river the day that we did a bull plunge.
SPEAKER_04I did.
SPEAKER_00We should do a cold plunge in June.
SPEAKER_01That'd be great. I don't think it's cold then, but um Adam and I were the fastest to leave the river when the time was over. We looked, uh Adam goes, I'm glad you're leaving because I want to leave.
SPEAKER_00And I go, Nah, the speedy gun's almost out of there. It does not did not go well.
SPEAKER_04You felt free to I well, I was uh I'm smaller in stature, and I started to float down the river when we first came in.
SPEAKER_00You didn't have the blubber to kind of absorb the cold. I never saw Adam's feet above the water. Did you just see his feet after they're blue for like hours? Yeah, he goes, How are you doing? I'm like, I feel great. He's like, I'm doing terrible.
SPEAKER_01Well, he called, I think he called me too, and I said, Um, on the way home, I turned the heat on in my truck to blow on, yeah, to have the blower blow right on my feet. And then um the they all said, Don't take a shower right away because it, you know, because your your body is still and then I can just tell you, like pretty much the whole day, my feet were good, but my back, it just felt like this cold sensation, like ice cold sensation right on my back, and it would not go away until probably that evening. But it was a fun day. So uh we had fun, right?
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah, that was a great day. I I would totally do it again in February. I would yeah, I would.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00Adam, probably not, but now you'd do it again.
SPEAKER_04I mean, I've water skied in December.
SPEAKER_00Okay. You wouldn't guess it from your reaction in the cold weather.
SPEAKER_04No, no, not at all. We were wearing a dry suit, so it wasn't that cold.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, dry suits aren't allowed. All right. Well, uh, thanks you guys for listening tonight. We're gonna go back into Galatians here, and uh, we're gonna pick up where we left off last time, and uh, we're gonna ask Tim to open us up in prayer.
SPEAKER_00Precious Father, uh, yeah, Scott said earlier a little bit ago before we jumped on this, we were just praying over this, and this this podcast has been completely uh ordained and moved by you. And what a blessing that you uh you chose us and you've chosen each and every guest to come on uh to share you know whatever's on their heart. You know, their transparency, I'm sure, has been able to um affect listeners that we just we don't know who they are, but you do. And you position you've postured and positioned our hearts and minds right to receive that. So I'm grateful that you use things like this for your kingdom, Father, and humbled that you would uh you would choose us. Um but yeah, I know Scott and I, and I know Adam here as well, are just are willing, and that's exactly where you want us, surrendered and willing. Um so Lord, you know, we pray over this every single week, and you know, I just you know the listeners are you know it's it's great. I'm glad they're they're tuning in. But you know, I'm just more grateful that you know they're they're seeking you, and this is just one medium they're doing it. So however they're they're seeking you, whether it's this podcast, um, others in their lives, uh the word, whatever it is, just allow their um their minds and hearts to have the stillness of Christ upon them. You have the peace of Jesus, and the their ears are positioned and ready to listen and uh to what to what you have to say. So I'm just grateful for how you uh pursue us, how you love us, grateful for you and your son and your givea grace in heaven. I pray, amen.
SPEAKER_01All right, so um we've been talking about um Galatians for a little bit and uh appreciate all our guests that have come on and uh talked about uh Galatians. And uh we went through a whole series of the Bond Woman, free woman. We covered that for like two weeks, and that's at the end of four. And then in five, it's just a really good stuff where it talks about more or less walking by the spirit and you're free in Christ. Especially that first verse there in five, one, it says, It was for freedom that Christ set you free, therefore keep standing firm and do not be a subject again to a yoke of slavery. So then he just went through this whole thing about the spirit, what that looked like, and Matt Tully did it, and Tim and I, we thought we did a good job on explaining, I think we did, uh explaining those verses to people so they can um understand that. And Tim indicated that we left off in 17 or 18 is what he thinks. So um I'm gonna go back. This is what I like to do. I just don't like jumping in the chapter, but um I'm gonna pick up in 17. So for the flesh sets its desire against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. For those for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. I'll say that again. For the flesh sets its desire against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. So you get this Paul's laying out here that the flesh and the spirit, they oppose each other. They oppose each other because they both are wanting different things for the for the individual or different things in general. One is seeking godly things and one is seeking from the opposite of that. So whenever you have God, you're always got the opp you got some opposite of that. So this is what this verse, I believe, is talking that I read out of that, it's talking to me about. Tim, did you is that did I miss something there?
SPEAKER_00No, that's spot on. You know, it again we we've said this before, you know, we can read something and get the same get to the same destination, but maybe take a different route because the spirit's talking to us differently, but giving us you know, again, the same baseline. But you know, this year, how I look at this as well, it's it's the spirit doing it rather than you doing it. You know, the the flesh is angered by the spirit. Um not the other way around. You know, Christ gave us the ability to overcome the the desires of the flesh. And you're like, okay, what how do I do that? How do I let the spirit do this rather than me? How do I let him do life for me? And I wish like I think it's last we're on, but it's not like it's not something I would say, like, oh here, just do this and you'll be fine. It it's it's not easy, but it's not complicated at the same time. You know, it's it's a it's true faith, it's true trust. And for me, it's kind of like a a really good um this verse and when I'm talking about the spirit, it's about my story as well. Went through you know a really hard time. But it's no one it to me, it's knowing the father, you know, and I I um I cried out to the Lord in my darkest, hardest part of my life at a point of I was at a surrender point where I just I get I gave up. And Jesus spoke to me and said, and I was crying out to him, I just want to be in love with you. And he said, No, know my father. And you know, that's again, like I said, easy to say, but like I think we over overcomplicate it. And for me, it was just getting into the word, getting intimate with him. You know, reading the word is different than having intimacy and reading. So that's kind of what tells me.
SPEAKER_01So Adam, I'm gonna ask you how does that look like in your life, this verse here? In your daily walk, maybe.
SPEAKER_04Daily walk and even looking back um on this past year and some of the the the moments that uh that I was going through, um and and taking a moment and reflecting back on those those times to see uh how I was able to to get through those those struggles. And my my wife was going through those those same struggles um at the time and just fully trusting and having faith that uh God is leading us down the that that path and and allowing ourselves to just follow follow his his word and his guidance um solely was probably one of the only reasons why we were her and I were both able to get through that. Yeah. And so like just walking by the spirit day in and day out, um, you're right, it's not something that you can just say jump in and go and do this. Um, but it's just having that faith and having that trust that uh that he is leading you down that right path.
SPEAKER_01So um the two verses, 18 and 19. So if you um or not 18, 19, sorry. Um if you read 17 and then you continue 18, 18 kind of goes in because there's a but there, right? Yep. So um buts and therefores, you always just read the verse. Me, this is the way I do it because I'm from Southwest Georgia. I'm a little slower than everybody. Yeah. So I like to go back to the verse and then read the other verse with that verse so I can pick up the understanding that maybe. Oh, yeah. Run on sentences all day long. I had to rewrite a paper one day because I had too many.
SPEAKER_00It was one long sentence.
SPEAKER_01Well, it was a lot of it was one long sentence, yes. I kept on going, and and but, and therefore, okay. So all right, so it says, For the flesh, that's its desires against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the spirit, you are not under the law. So he he's almost there, should be an explanation point there because this kind of settles what he was trying to do when he went all the way back in um in verse 20 of chapter four, where he says, For I'm perplexed about you. And when he says that, that's in my version, I don't know what your versions say, but it uses the words, for I am perplexed about you. This is Paul, and this is talking to the people in Galatia, is they know the truth, they know who Christ is, they know it's Christ plus nothing. And then these people have come in and taught a different gospel that's Christ plus circumcision, Christ plus knowing the Torah, Christ plus doing the law. And so He's basically saying if you have the Spirit, this is Jordan, this is Scott's version of that verse. If you have the Spirit, you're not under the law. So why are you participating in the law when you have the spirit? Because if you are, Christ what he did on the cross was meant for nothing, right? Am I right, Adam?
SPEAKER_04Spot on.
SPEAKER_01Spot on. Anything you want to add there? Good?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I'm good.
SPEAKER_00And you're reading out of the S SBT, the Scott Blewitt translation, right? That's on Amazon.
SPEAKER_01It is on Amazon, and it's uh Yeah, you can buy that copy, but I'm reading actually out of the new American standard.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, no, I I don't have much to add, but I, you know, if we were typing this or we were like doing this today in 21st century America, like I feel like Paul would have taken that piece. You were not under the law. It would have been like all capital letters, you know, get my point across, maybe some exchange points to your point. Um, but some emphasis there. And I imagine like he's he's writing this sometimes, and like you know when you write angrily, like, dude, I've told you this time and time again. I've how many letters have I written you? You're not under the law, it's nothing else.
SPEAKER_01Like, and well, it's said almost in every book he wrote because people were going in and teaching a different thing than what he was talking about.
SPEAKER_00I'm perplexed, I'm surprised, I'm astonished of all these things. Like, dude, you know this.
SPEAKER_01So if you didn't know what the deeds of the flesh are, here we go. He's gonna list them.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, when you get into this, it's really easy to be like raise your hand, like, oh, that's me, oh, that's me. And be like, man, I've and and then you read through all this and you almost have that guilt, shame roll over you.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, but the key thing, the key thing is in verse 21. Come on. So when we read these, you're gonna be like, Well, I I've done that a couple days ago. Yeah, yeah. I've done that today. And but the key ver the key, and we'll read it, and I'll make sure you understand that the key is the key to unlock this so there is no guilt or shame. Because that's what the evil that's what evil wants you to be in, is in guilt and shame. Because if you're in guilt and shame, he's got you because then you will want to give up. There's no reason to do this life. This Christian life is so hard, it's easier for me just to go do what everybody else does.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_01All right, that's my thoughts, that's my Scott version, but I think it's very reliable relatable to everyone. So let's read this. It says, now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are, and they're very evident, immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outburst of anger, disputes, dissensions, infractions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. So if you guys are reading out of the Bible, like a papered Bible, you can underline practice, because practice is the key to understand that verse or understand the deeds of the flesh there. If you practice those things, you got a problem. You shouldn't want to do practice those day because like if I practice something, let's say I was told I I uh read a book one time about Michael Jordan and he wanted to become a great basketball player. He snuck in the gym at North Carolina just to practice free throws, practice shots around the basket to do his art, which was basketball. They would catch him practicing basketball over and over and over and over and over again. And even in the NBA, they would show him practicing, and he would just be taking random shots over and over again at certain points. The other guy for Golden State, Steph Curry, Steph Curry, same thing. If you ever watched him warm up before a game, if you had a privilege to, he's doing the same thing, going around the whole three-point line and practicing. So the whole thing about practicing is if you're gonna do this every day, day in, day out, that's a problem because you are focusing more on that than the spirit, than being than pursuing Christ.
SPEAKER_04I think it's important to point out that uh daily we all struggle with each one of these. Not each one altogether, but one of these on the list that we struggle with um from day to day. But you I you know you said it very well that that we we don't want to sit here and practice those. We're not looking forward to to um here.
SPEAKER_01I'll throw one out. I struggle with sometimes just getting angry, just getting mad at somebody. Or I could be watching Florida State and when they lose. I used to get real angry. People knew that. But I don't do that no more. I don't they don't I mean, they don't cause me to get angry, but I do get angry sometimes at different situations it might come up. That's not what this is saying. Because bits of anger or being angry is like you're always angry. You know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_03You know those people.
SPEAKER_00So you know, you hit on practice, um you know, I'll elaborate there and and kind of couple with something else, you know. Anyone who who's an athlete or who is, you know, a musician or anyone who's got got better at something, yeah, you you you do it with the intention of doing it well. uh doing attention because you have passion behind it or you you love it and you know these these things I mean they're they're word but they have so much more uh so much more depth to them uh because in the world kind of couples in the first one is probably one of the one of the hardest ones and that's why you know the the you know the lust of of men is you know the Lord tells us to run from it to flee from it and it's sexual immorality and you know I I you you mentioned I raised my hand I struggle with this you know that's that was my was and sometimes can be if I allow my flesh to take over my one of my biggest struggles um but you know these all of they have so much more complexity to it because the world though takes all of these things and they almost like they they celebrate these things they celebrate every one of these in some fashion and if you are almost against some of these some of these um works of the flesh or deeds then you know you they they they they they label you as um hateful or label you uh as unaccepting uh or something that now puts you on the outside of these things and being unwelcome where then like now it mixes with with who you are in Christ like okay I Christ tells me to love everybody and it tells me to accept them. Okay there's a big difference in accepting accepting and loving huge difference. Jesus loved everybody but he was he who stood firm in the truth and said I love you but like I don't accept that I don't accept that lie I don't accept that life you know that's contrary that's it's that contradicts to the gospel and to what what I'm here for um like a lot of these you know I could take my life before you know in in before 2022 and look at these like man like I could really live in this shame and guilt because I I used to do all these things and people who knew me before then be like man like you used to be some of these and now like you know you you look different. So like it kind of like get surprised when I I don't want to go and get drunk when I don't want to uh have talk sex you know sexual jokes I don't want to you know potentially go out there and put myself in situations where I'm unfaithful to my wife those things like that where I used to be involved in that and that was just common in my life so now I'm shocked when I don't want to do those things and when you and think about your own your own life when you do stumble and then something like this does happen you know people like oh like it's surprising it's not common for you because when you when you have the seed of Adam these are common things but like your new creation now. So people know you're new creation. So when these things do come out in your life and they get exposed it's like this huge deal because oh they're supposed to be this person. Okay well you recognize I'm different but now you recognize I'm different because now you see how I struggled before you know you didn't want to recognize my difference because of we're gonna get to it my fruit but you realize that these deeds are contradictory towards the fruit of who I really am. Nothing changed about me about my about who my my position with the Lord I just decided I'm gonna choose myself right now and I'm gonna make a a dumb poor decision. So when you if if if you stumble if you fall like it does not change your position with the Lord. Do not get that mixed up and believe that lie. The Lord will look at you he'll be angry but not angry at you he'll be angry at the lie you believed to get you to that point to living in shame and guilt.
SPEAKER_01Uh that's good stuff Adam and Tim you had something else it looked like you were ready to say something Adam I don't want to cut this off if you want if you got something else here one of the one of the the things that I should I struggled with in the past um was fits of anger.
SPEAKER_04Just would snap and um you know uh a conversation that that I had with my wife a a few weeks ago or a month ago um had to do with and this goes to the fruits part of it. Or fruit or fruit fruit fruit. We'll talk about that in a second. Yeah um just the patience and and that's that's what uh you know exactly what you you you nailed that one um in terms of uh you know that we we we do struggle with these from time to time um but it doesn't change who you are yeah and it doesn't change your walk with God and it doesn't change how what he did on the cross for us. Right. And so yeah no that's just yeah good stuff.
SPEAKER_00And it's not saying these things are okay to do and that's not what I'm I want to clarify. I don't believe that was um thought but just to clarify it's not saying go ahead and do these things because you're good to go. It's not a license you know you're gonna choose to do something along these lines less and less because ultimately as you get more intimate with the Lord as he becomes from your savior to the Lord of your life like you will choose him more times than you do not. Amen and that is ultimately what he desires is to walk with him where we were in that perfect union that perfect relationship with him we had sin enter the world and now okay he he's trying to bring us back and he's saying like hey I got this for you I got the spirit for you trust it because I'm bringing it back to the garden I'm bringing it back to how it was your flesh is you're gonna battle like I told you it's angry with with your spirit because it can no longer hold you you're out of bondage so it's gonna happen. So don't get so wrapped up in in like the oh I have to make sure I don't do this, this and this today I gotta you know I gotta pray oh shoot I messed up Lord Lord Lord please repent please please forgive me he's already forgiven you it's okay to have that that position of like gratitude that he has done that but he's not desiring you to get on your knees and list off the 10 20 30 sins you just committed in the last five minutes and you're not gonna not make it to heaven because you committed one right before you died like you're gonna choose him more like it's a it's the heart condition. That's what we're seeing here. It's two this binary opposition of works of the flesh and fruit of the spirit.
SPEAKER_01Yeah so like going back into 17 they're at opposition against each other. Yeah they can't stand each other.
SPEAKER_00So then you'll feel that in somebody right yeah you walk in somebody like they are clearly walking see to Adam.
SPEAKER_01Your spirit knows that yeah and so like if when you go into 18 or uh you go into 22 here it says but the fruit of the spirit and these are all opposites of what we just read okay do you have one of these or all of these? I believe we're gonna talk about this come on okay come on uh the key word says but the fruit of the spirit is love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness gentleness self-control and against such things there is no law all right here Scott I'm just gonna explain it the way I understand this all right as I have matured in my faith and I am growing in my faith and I'm pursuing Jesus and the spirit is helping me grow as I read the Bible my spirit is getting fed yeah as I pray my spirit is getting fed. Amen if I hang out with other believers on a regular my spirit is fed I got I got goosebumps talking about so important man if I go in my car yeah and I choose to listen to a good worship song my spirit is being fed as I go around and I'm praising Jesus my spirit is getting fed I don't pray anymore for these individual things because I understand the spirit is all those things. Yeah that's good God is all those things Jesus is all those things so if you have the Holy Spirit inside you you already have these all of them all of them all of them all of them but here every single one come on I don't want to well I'm just gonna say it if you don't open your Bible and you don't read yeah or if you don't pray and if you don't listen to if you don't choose to worship God in your car if you don't hang out with other believers and you don't go and do certain things that God is prompting you to do then you probably are gonna struggle because it doesn't feel you're not being fed. Well Tim what's the thing I don't feel joy so I need to go home and pray that God gives me joy. There's a reason for that and so because you didn't pray for that it's the reason is you're being selfish probably and all of those all of the the fruit there they all have direct opposite feelings of the world. Right and it's not a feeling I just want to say that clearly as clear as day it's not a feeling if you're there's some days I might not feel joyful but guess what if I pray that spirit's getting fed and then all of a sudden oh I am thankful I am joyful for what my what my circumstances are even in the chaos right even in chaos my life right now is a lot of chaos people say I shouldn't be that joyful but I am full of joy heart posture that's it heart posture yeah and and I just wanted to camp out here for a second because there are so many sermons and so many teachings that have been said from the person teaching it you need to go home and practice joy this week you need to go home and practice kindness this week you need to go home and practice goodness this week man that's some stinking thinking and I'm gonna say it and I'm just gonna tell you that's not what this is saying because not one time after these does it mention practice because you ain't got a practice because the spirit's inside you the spirit is inside you the spirit is going to work within you if you're not growing spiritually you are going to struggle and it's like this man you here's what here here's what I heard one time and I'll I'll lay down Taylor Welch again he talked about the mustard mustard seed a mustard seed is a very invasive plant in the Middle East and it grows if it grows on the ground it's growing and it spreads when I accepted Christ into my heart he gave me the spirit if I'm feeding that spirit and leaning in on that because I you know I was immature in my faith and I did a whole bunch of crazy things.
SPEAKER_04The spirit was there saying you're good you're righteous you're a child of God remind me who I was and as I started growing in my faith and pursuing him more and understanding who he was his love I chose not to do those crazy things that were listed in the three verses before two verses three verses before I'm I'm choosing to live in the spirit and here's the thing I was told by a a great guy Keith asked this question in his house when we were doing a Bible study on this when you wake up in the morning are you in the spirit or in your are you in the flesh you're in the spirit you're in the spirit when you wake up in the morning you have you're in the spirit because the spirit is in you it's that choice right you walk in the spirit or you don't walk in the spirit and as you grow in your faith you're going to choose less and less jump to my one of my favorite books um Ephesians um I think five eight um does a really good job of going through and like touching on this exact same thing. For you were once darkness but now you are light in the Lord live as children of light for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness righteous and truth and um yeah when you when you follow your flesh you're following the darkness and when you just when you when you take a look and see um and just trust in him um and and fill your body up with the spirit day in and day out um the the patience comes the joy comes um the love it's all it's all there yeah Adam you're a light bearer Scott you're a light bearer sure I am light on the hill but you I am I know I'm a light bearer it's within me ain't going out so there's there's a lot more to hit here and you know it's a great verse to you know give that because what does light do?
SPEAKER_00Light fills a room light touches every piece of you know it's its container and you are that vessel. So it's gonna pour out of you and this fruit we just talked about is meant to be enjoyed by others. All of these things here it's you know the the the everything encapsulated is meant for you to okay let me walk out here and just live in the spirit and let the spirit do the work let me be less let spirit do this and allow it to be enjoyed.
SPEAKER_04And the cool thing about that is is wherever there's darkness and light shows up the darkness goes away real quick every time. So when you're walking when you're walking down the street and you walk into the gas station and the person across the counter is not in a good mood you can see that you know that um and you're that light and you walk up there and and that just you can just see everything changes.
SPEAKER_00There's still like something there's something different about you. Every time or they're gravitating towards you like and it's not you it's Christ within you. So when I was reading this little thing that I was I I was like man that's interesting. So go back to go back to 19 works of the flesh the plural and we said fruit of the spirit singular so the spirit God is one being three and one but one and it's it's all encapsulated in one like you said. Opposite of that what what is it what do the demons say when Christ called his name out we are what we are many. So all of these all of these these things right here these works of the flesh they all have something over it a a a spirit a spirit of sexual morality a spirit of impurity spirit of sensuality they're all focused on this because it all plays into everyone's life and they they f they they get hyper focused on these things because that's where that's where they've been assigned and this is going more spiritual than many people want to go but it's there everything is spiritual I just thought it was really interesting that these are plural and then the fruit is not yeah and um go ahead go ahead yeah I you have someone on that part because I have one more thing I just get jacked about because like I I when I was reading this I've heard you know we've you've heard these things before you probably read this where you were taught to be bad theology on some of this before oh I've been I've sat in many of in many of sermons or teachings and might have sat through one recently where I looked at my wife and I said this is some bad theology yeah and I'm like she's like yeah it is yeah and uh it was it was bad and but if you don't know scripture you you're going to practice those things practice joy yeah but then the day that you're not joyful you are defeated then you have guilt and shame take over and that's what that's they've they won. Yeah and you know I said this a second ago you know that's spot on because how you're able to come to that that point is because the Lord legendary because of the intimacy you have with him you have discernment to see oh man this is contrary to what I know to be true. So I can say that not be offensive but I here's what you can do with it go back and read the word and read exactly what's being taught like that that doesn't make that doesn't that doesn't line up and you know this right here he's doing it for you like for me I read this I'm like this is his love his joy his peace his patience his kindness his goodness his faithfulness his gentleness and I wrote a little note in here I know you're supposed to not change scripture I wrote Christ's self-control I don't want to be in control I want him to be in control so I can change that just for my own you know I won't be in there 24 says now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its sinful with its passions and desires if we live by the Spirit let us also walk by the Spirit so if you believe in Christ you have crucified those fleshly desires you've crucified them now you are pursuing a life you're pursuing a life through Christ if you're not pursuing him on a daily you can start to feel defeated because you didn't have joy or gentleness or kindness or self-control or love um you could feel those yeah so I know like you know we can go more on this and I I'm sure I believe that there's this fruit piece and I know Adam kind of mentioned earlier there's a part of his life where this wasn't being lived out and I think we can all look at that.
SPEAKER_04Yes so like you know I'm curious you know to give maybe give this the scripture a little more picture a little more color from your all your life you know when was this going on in your life where it you had that the conflict flesh and spirit and then you know maybe walk us through that yeah a lot of that was a lot of that had to do with uh with my my first marriage um was married for about eight years the uh there you know God was not a part of that um of the marriage the marriage yeah and and you know that that uh there wasn't a walking by the spirit that was just not a part of our daily lives um were we joyful were we patient yes but not in the sense that uh that we were we were following um his his footpath or his footsteps and and his path um so yeah you know shortly after that i you know i was able to to move back here reconnect with you you put me in in a you had given me the opportunity to to get back on track um the company that i had uh moved back for to work with um they were their the whole company was was a good christian christian company and uh they also were all a part of it and you know i as i look back in the decisions that i made um to to move back uh you know to to indiana um that was a very good sign of the path that he had laid in front of me and the decisions that I had made to follow that path so that's kind of like it's always just important to look back on on the the decisions that you've made and the and the path that you're walking to to see to see kind of where your life is um in terms of your walk with God.
SPEAKER_00Yeah so yeah I mean I I know I know some of the depths of you what you shared with me about your your previous marriage and knowing your um your previous wife you know I I understood Like we we both grew up and came from the world of college and that champions a lot of those works of the of the flesh quite a bit and promotes it. Um so I know like you know going from there, going j going right into marriage, you know, there wasn't a lot of pursuit of the Lord. And again, I didn't know the intimate levels of your relationship, but you've shared that enough where no, like it just wasn't it just wasn't a priority. And then you coming back, you know, still wasn't, I would say, a peaceful time. You know, the peace of Christ wasn't upon you. I know in talking with you, um, it was chaotic in a lot of ways, and it was lonely, and it was hard. Um, sorry for sharing too much. No, no, you're good. But yeah, I I remember conversations we had, and uh the conversations we had around it you know were um weren't and they had enough depth to them. They had some, but not enough because I wasn't in a position either where I was walking spirit first. So we were two two men just you know still loving each other doing life. But man, the spirit was not evident in connecting with us. So I know there was a change in you though where the f you're you were denying your flesh to let your spirit walk before you. But there was still chaos, right? There was still that loneliness at times. Is there anything you can share on that um that time in your life that you're willing to share?
SPEAKER_04Whatever you whatever come to mind, you know, and yeah, just uh, you know, per pursuing relationships for not the not for the right reasons. Um I I like yeah, I I look back and and now look looked as I am today, married, kid on the way. Um both of us, both her and I are just running towards him. Um we're looking we're looking in in absolutely every single direction and we see what has been provided to us. Um we see that uh you know, four years ago, um she was told that she there it was impossible for her to have a kid. Um and you know, as as her and I continue to walk and continue to travel this. Yes, he will. Yes, yes, he will. Um, yes, he will. And so yeah, no, as just as we continue to travel down this road, we just we see the we just see everything being laid out in front of us, and and just that trust that uh that it's going to be there is is fantastic.
SPEAKER_01So I have a question for you that maybe others that are listening could help help them. What actions or decisions or how did God clean up some of the chaos out of your life?
SPEAKER_04Surround yourself with a community?
SPEAKER_00Come on.
SPEAKER_04Okay, just surround yourself with a community of of brothers in Christ and sisters in Christ that that uh um that are also looking for the same things.
SPEAKER_00Can I expand on that expand on that question in reference to what you just said though? Who told you to do that?
SPEAKER_03You just sought it. What led you to that?
SPEAKER_04I got asked to go to the the great banquet, and that's kind of what that's that's kind of what uh what kind of just laid everything out in front of me to You went that weekend, you heard Jesus the whole weekend, and then it kind of impacted you.
SPEAKER_01And then after that, when you left there, you made decisions.
SPEAKER_04Made a decision to to to to be a part of that community, and then showing up and being a part of that community, um I saw what they were what everyone was providing to me that I could see that I could provide that right back to others who that are in who are in need. Um and it was just kind of I I it's about the best way I can explain that.
SPEAKER_00Okay. All right, yeah. I know in uh in our community of uh brothers on Fridays, we've had so many uh men come through and I being one of them who were at hard points in their life and just got got thrown in by hey, you need to come to this thing, or hey, you should come hang out on Fridays. And like you were, you know, one of them who chose, yeah, you chose to come uh to Friday Bible study. And seeing, you know, Scott can probably for sure say this because we've all had front row seats of seeing the change in men that the Lord's done. And like the question was, you know, who led you to that? The Lord led you to go to the Lord led you to come to Friday Bible study, the Lord has led every point of this life, so even in the hard moments that I can think about where you're struggling, and I don't even know you're struggling, but there's times where the Lord knows and he knows what you need in those moments. And even in the chaos, he's still pursuing you, seeking Adam. I have a better thing for you. Don't live in this, focus on this, focus on me.
SPEAKER_01Well, thank you, Adam, um, for sharing. Uh, I can tell you that I have seen you growing in your faith uh through the Friday morning studies, going to church with you on Sundays, and seeing the struggle of going out of a relationship into a relationship, and knowing that that's what God wanted you to be, where God wanted you to be, and that he had you in a spot and he wanted you to rest in that spot, and now you have a baby coming. And you could have easily made other choices, other decisions, um, but because of your passion for Christ, that has led you into some things that you probably were like, Oh, I didn't think I would ever be a part of something like this. And I'm not putting words in your mouth, but no, you're you're right. And and we we love you coming on, or love you coming on Fridays and adding salt into the Bible study, asking questions, getting more comfortable of asking questions and not being quiet. You and Russell probably have the same kind of demeanor. And we sit next to each other, so sit next to each other, so it's like dead silence the whole time. But I do see you and Russell taking notes and highlighting. So, um, but you do guys ask questions, and it it's gotten really really fun, and and I'm just getting an enjoyment out of that.
SPEAKER_04It's been it's been incredible to to go every Friday morning, and the first day that I started back in January of 2025 was Genesis 1.
SPEAKER_01It was, wasn't it?
SPEAKER_04It was the very first time. And we just finished we've just finished Genesis. And we just now finished Genesis.
SPEAKER_01We're starting on Exodus, and uh last week we only made it through 10 verses.
SPEAKER_04That's more than we made it on the first time that I was there because I think it was one one.
SPEAKER_01We only went through one verse the very first week of Genesis. I didn't I and I camped out there for a while. Um, but anyway, um, thank you for coming on the podcast. Uh hopefully someone listened tonight that maybe doesn't have a relationship with Jesus, and they listened to this, and now they want to have a relationship with him. Maybe someone was thinking about walking away from their faith and they listen to this and they're like, Man, I don't I don't think I need to now, or I think I'm just gonna make a decision not to, and that would be awesome. And if it's just for the person that's listening that wants to grow in their faith, that's great as well. Because pursuing the heart is, and I said this beginning of the podcast, God pursued me, and now I pursue him. And Tim pursu him, Adam pursues him, and every one of these dudes that come on, or women that come on, they are pursuing him wholeheartedly, all in. And uh just pray that um you got touched tonight about this. And what's our tagline, Tim? We haven't said it in a while. What what is that? We say it every week. Well, every week, but it's been two weeks. Sure, sure.
SPEAKER_00Keep your eyes on Jesus, baby.
SPEAKER_01Is that K Y E O J? K Y E O J. Just remember K Y E O J Keep Your Eyes on Jesus, and we'll be back next week.