EP 41 Purpose, Passion, Pursuit

In this week's Episode we continue to discuss what it means to live a life acceptable unto God. Through our walk with Him here on Earth we have our highs and we have our lows. But if we constantly realize our purpose and we constantly pursue Him through it then who can be against us. Everyone has a passion, Does it involve Christ? 

Thank you for joining in for another week. As always God's door is always open! 

Bro. Lane, Bro. Zach, Bro. Philip, Bro. Ryan, Bro. David

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:10

Welcome to the Pick It Up Podcast, the podcast where we'll discuss what it means to pick up your cross and follow Christ. Living a life where Christ takes commitment, sacrifice, and ultimately being obedient to his word. Not only on Sundays, but every day. God's word says it, that settles it. So pray about it, practice it, and proclaim it. Let's get into it.

SPEAKER_04 0:37

The boys are back in town.

SPEAKER_03 0:39

Good morning. Good morning. 185 back with us this morning.

SPEAKER_04 0:44

Yep, yep. His mic's not even on or something. Well, I don't know why his mic.

SPEAKER_03 0:51

I don't know why his mic goes muted when we first go live. Got a boot up. We got a green light on it now.

SPEAKER_01 0:59

Well, he's probably down there piddling with me, to be honest.

SPEAKER_04 1:03

He's a piddler. Doodler and then piddler.

SPEAKER_03 1:07

Well, we uh we run a little bit behind this morning. Oh yeah. My bad folk.

SPEAKER_04 1:14

Realize technology didn't catch up to you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:17

Had to do a reset. Preacher sends me a text at 6 o'clock. You coming? Podcast? Question mark. Nobody told me. I hear Zach in the background. I beat Lane here. You done something. That's right.

SPEAKER_04 1:30

I was proud this morning. Zach was a little bit bright-eyed and bushy tail. I don't know about the bushy tail part, but I was here.

SPEAKER_03 1:39

We uh are in the week of 4th of July, holiday week.

SPEAKER_04 1:43

Amen. 250 years. Gonna shoot some fireworks this weekend. Are you? Yep. Cool. Go to my brothers and do some swimming and have a good time.

SPEAKER_00 1:56

I'm gonna be in Katie, Texas. Sure enough, fireworks show down there. I bet there is.

SPEAKER_04 2:03

Yeah. I think the Montello one's Friday night.

SPEAKER_00 2:07

Huh?

SPEAKER_04 2:08

City of Montcala. I think it's Friday night. Is it Friday or the lake? No, it's Friday. Is it July 4th? No, third. Oh, third. What I saw on Facebook. The boot. Where are they shooting from? Ballpark. Complex. Okay. The complex.

SPEAKER_01 2:25

Well, yeah, they're gonna have food trucks.

SPEAKER_03 2:28

Look at Preacher, he's trying not to talk yet. Go ahead, preacher. Take loose, son.

SPEAKER_01 2:32

He ready. I ain't got nothing, man. I hope he's got a direction because I ain't got nothing this morning.

SPEAKER_00 2:37

Well, read this. 1 Peter chapter 2, verse 11.

SPEAKER_04 2:41

1 Peter chapter 2.

SPEAKER_00 2:46

Verse 11. Get us a topic.

SPEAKER_03 2:54

One of us gonna get there for me.

SPEAKER_01 2:58

I don't know. Go ahead, Watson. Well, I say, dear friends, I warn you as temporary residents of a foreigner and foreigners to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.

SPEAKER_00 3:17

Verse 12.

SPEAKER_01 3:19

Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if you're or they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. There you go. I'm just getting you started. Hey, hey, that lines me up with Colossians.

SPEAKER_00 3:49

I tell you, it says to keep away. The King James word is abstain.

SPEAKER_01 3:53

I can't adolep.

SPEAKER_00 3:55

Abstain from the world. I was going to ask what the King James said.

SPEAKER_04 3:58

Yeah, because mine said, oh, keep away from the right place.

SPEAKER_00 4:04

It says, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims to abstain from freshly lust, which war against your soul. And then obviously it's talking about our conversation. You read that word a lot in the King James conversation, but it's talking about behavior, how we live. Why? Why should we be cautious? Because we are living amongst people who have not received the mercy of God. I'll tell you where that comes from. I thought last week there was a question I asked about uh when do you when do you when do you cut uh when do you withdraw uh from either friends or family or neighbors or people you've run with a long time when you've decided to turn over a new leaf, follow the Lord and uh you know break ties with uh people that have negative influences towards you. So I don't know, it's a hard call to make. And it's every every life different. But my my argument would be the Bible teaches us to abstain from the flesh, stay away from it.

SPEAKER_01 5:13

Well, you can abstain from it, but there's no doubt you're gonna come in eventually, Walmart or something, you know. Yep.

SPEAKER_04 5:23

I think it's a case-by-case basis. Like it kind of depends, you know.

SPEAKER_01 5:27

Well, I'm gonna read you my favorite verse throughout the whole Bible. Colossians chapter 4, verse 5. It says, live wisely among those who are not believers and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation, there you go, let your conversation be gracious and attractive, so that you will have the right to respond for everyone. The right response for everyone.

SPEAKER_00 5:54

I guess it would be a question of uh what you consider to be uh the conversation, what's proper, what's right. Would you consider the godly living to be right? Maybe we could even use the word holy, holy living. I think that's what we're all called to. Be holy as I'm holy, which is first here as well. And then in order to maintain that type of lifestyle, you need to stay away from the fleshly lust. Well, where's the fleshly lust come in from? Other words, you hear a lot with teenagers make this comment. We all made it too. Well, I can go to that party and not have to do as they do. I can go to that party and not be involved in the all the extracurriculars. You know, and I can carry myself as Christ, although I'm there. I'm in the midst of it. Yeah, you can if you're strong enough. But Peter's writing here to, as the first part of chapter two says, is newborn babes, desire to sincere and look at the word, right? And uh yeah, if you are a um experienced veteran, I guess you'd say, of uh of a life, striving to live a life that's uh holy unto God, then yeah, you probably have the strength to be able to say no. But uh vast majority of the temptation is too strong. And what you don't realize is it is a war. It was too strong for Peter. It was too strong for Peter, sure was. It's war against the soul. And uh we gotta think, well, all right, anytime you fight a war, you need to be able to identify the enemy and what his strategies are and what he's trying to do. And uh people think they're strong, but man, when you go against uh evil in evil ways, it's it'd pull you in with it. Before you know it, there you are. You didn't give in temptation too strong. So stay away from it. Best thing to do.

SPEAKER_04 7:42

I was that guy in college. I didn't drink, went to the party, but I also wasn't carrying Jesus with me either. But I was I was there, but I didn't drink. But there's other temptations there other than just drinking. Was you tempted to drink? Yeah, I had no desire to drink. Yes, yeah. Yeah, you know, it's kind of like the worst place for a drunk drunker that's trying to quit drinking is the bar. Yeah, for sure. You know, I mean, yeah. There's other things that's other than just drinking when you go to those parties. No, I didn't do any of the bad stuff, but you find yourself self-slipping into the ways of others.

SPEAKER_01 8:36

Let me let me ask you a question, because I know you've told me a little bit of your background history there. Did you not want to drink because we, you know, we've been talking about the generational curse deal. Did you decide just I ain't doing that because of what you've seen in the past?

SPEAKER_04 8:53

Yep, because my family, absolutely. They drank when they woke up and I seen what it done to our family. Yeah, I didn't want to have no part of it. Didn't want to have no part of it. I knew if I figured if I did, that I wouldn't want to put it down, that would ruin my life too.

SPEAKER_00 9:12

That's uh that's a very important point to make. Uh you say you wouldn't have any part of it because you knew what it could do. But yet there's a big crowd out there that does not see the harm in drinking two, three, four beers a day, the evening. And I I wouldn't I don't know if that's necessarily bad. I understand what they're saying, but it's it's what can happen. Yeah. And what it can lead to.

SPEAKER_04 9:39

And what we've seen happen, you know. Exactly. And and heard and everything else. My the the drinking that I was around was not the social drinking. It was the desired drinking because get drunk. Yeah, get drunk and drown your feelings away. Get drunk, get ignorant. Yeah. And there's other things involved, pills and things of that nature.

SPEAKER_01 10:03

Here's another side of that, and I'm I may be looking at this wrong, is you take those that's that you know say ain't nothing wrong with it, you know, three or four a day, and I'm not gonna argue with you, that kind of thing. But it still is that part, if you got to have three or four a day, even if it's not carried over into being drunk, that's still an addiction. Yeah, it is.

SPEAKER_04 10:25

If you feel like you gotta have it, because it's like a time clock. Yeah. Five o'clock. Five o'clock hits, I gotta have me one. You know, kind of, because it's it's like somebody taking a it's no different, it's a drug. It's no different than any other drug. It is a drug. So it ain't no different than somebody.

SPEAKER_00 10:44

That's a lot of the arguments. What's the difference between that and taking a pistol? It's poisonous. But that's what they say. What you go to the doctor and they put you on a prescription of some drug.

SPEAKER_04 10:52

It changes your chemistry in your body. That's that's exactly what it does. Any drug, alcohol, prescription drug, it changes the chemistry in your body and makes your body just do something different. Whether you know it or not. Some people know it because it's instant, some people don't because they're tolerant to it.

SPEAKER_01 11:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 11:14

So when you get the tolerant person, oh, it's not that bad.

SPEAKER_00 11:18

Yeah, where where it used to be three or four, now it's six or eight. Yeah. And then it's a 30-pack.

SPEAKER_04 11:24

Yeah. Especially when you're social drinking.

SPEAKER_01 11:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 11:28

You done went too far.

SPEAKER_00 11:30

You know what's interesting too how um not just addicts, but uh people have a plan. People have a plan. Like uh, I don't know, somebody was saying this the other day, I don't know who it was. That one of their parents, you know, that what they remember growing up is, you know, on Friday you go to the thirst store and you get two 30 packs, one for Saturday and one for Sunday. You know, so you just didn't want to run out because the thirst door closed on Sunday. Right. But basically, what you see in that is this person's planning. Well, like I don't I don't think those of us who desire not to live, you know, like that, do we have a plan as well? Is it important to have a plan? A game plan, a living life. So you got the weekend approaching, a lot of people approach it differently. Well, I'm gonna go to the lake, I'm gonna go to that. You gotta have a plan. If you're gonna go fishing, you gotta have a plan. Right. Well, consider this fact if you're gonna live a life that's pleasing and acceptable unto God, you need to have a plan. People just assume, well, I'm gonna save child of God, it's just gonna come to me. No, you need to be intentional. You need to think about it, you need to have yeah.

SPEAKER_04 12:46

Thought about bringing that out. It's no different in my meal prepping for each day of the week. Yeah. I know what I'm gonna eat for breakfast, I know what I'm gonna eat for lunch, I know what I'm gonna eat for dinner, I know the times that I'm gonna do it. I know when I'm, you know, gonna be at work, I ain't gonna be able to do it.

SPEAKER_00 13:03

So same thing. And I think when a person gets to the point where they're passionate about it, the way they live intentionally, where they're passionate about fishing, they're passionate about baseball, they're passionate about whatever it is, hunting. You know, you're gonna have some plans. You you apply that same passion to living for Christ. Living for God. Yeah. And then you'll have you'll you'll be able to plan it out. And then that plan's gonna be, well, I'm I'm not doing that, I'm not going there. I'm not gonna participate in this. You had a plan. You say, I'm just not uh my family's not gonna live that type of lifestyle. But we can't just live, you know, by the flying by the seat of our pants. And I think a lot of Christians fall into that trap. You know it's like I said they don't plan. Needs to be intentional.

SPEAKER_04 13:46

Need to be intentional. And you said it really good right there. You know, I think ultimately Jesus just wants Jesus just wants your heart. He wants your heart more than He wants your heart to desire him more than the food, more than the alcohol, more than the lustful desires of your eyes, more than any sin that you're tied to. He wants, and that, you know, we were talking about generational curses this past Sunday, last week, and you know, not to go down that rabbit train. But that's how that's how those addictions break is the love and the passion of you pursuing Christ through that journey, you see those addictions start to fall off because you no longer love that more than him. You know, you you love Christ so much that you want to obey be obedient, that you want to follow in his steps, and those things just start falling away, you know? And it takes a leap of faith and it takes trust, and a lot of people can't can't understand it, can't see it, and so they don't want to buy in on that.

SPEAKER_01 14:53

Well, you know, we we look at addictions. This is where my mind is going this morning. It's alcohol, drugs, or something like that, but it's so much more. Yeah you know, and and it may be from people may have an issue with being addictive to food or food is addictive.

SPEAKER_00 15:13

Yeah, and and more than I think what what Zach's saying, yeah, I didn't mean to interrupt you, and I just did. I apologize. But in the along the same line, that uh that addiction thing that drives you, passion is the same thing. And when you have a passion for Christ, a passion for doing things for the Lord, it shows up in your life. I'm gonna read you read your text here I received. You make time for it. Uh here it is. See it yesterday. Thank you for training up and mentoring three great young men. Ryan, Zach, and Lane are awesome young men of God. Worship is important. Zach does a great job leading the congregation presence of the Lord, preparing us to be fed for the word. Ryan and Lane both preach the word with such passion that they retain the congregation's attention even if they go over LOL. They are doing a great job with our kiddos. They're doing a great job with our kiddos, pouring into the next generation. We're proud to be a part of this church. Amen. Love you guys. But I I read that and say this it's noticeable. Yeah. When you are passionate about what you're doing and you have prepared, you know, it's a plan. And it's noticeable. And that applies as well to the opposite. If you if you are the opposite of that, if you are passionate towards other things, it's noticeable. People see that. Well, how important is the Bible tell us to have a good conversation, good behavior, the way you live your life, because there are people watching. And my point this past week, I really didn't want to give a point, is we think about all those around us and our peers, but we gotta think about you, the next generation, the influence we're having on the next generation. They're watching. We don't think these eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve-year-olds are watching. They're watching. Oh, yeah. They're watching what you say, they see where your passions are, where they lie, what's important. And that's very influential in their lives. Point I try to make.

SPEAKER_01 17:13

Yeah. Amen.

SPEAKER_03 17:16

I think you gotta ask yourself the question though. Is it something that you can live without? Because when it gets to that point that I can't live without this beverage every afternoon, I can't live without this prescription drug, I can't live without this, you know, whatever little Debbie, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:36

Well, can you live without the word of God now?

SPEAKER_03 17:40

Where you're at in line? Me personally, I only can answer myself. No, not at all.

SPEAKER_00 17:45

Very good, very good point.

SPEAKER_04 17:52

But would you so we're we're saying other words addicted and things like that, but hey man, but speak into your microphone. I would say I was trying to, I couldn't see preacher, so I hadn't looked on the uh it's an idol, is what it is. It's a god, little g god, yeah. Yeah, it's an idol. And and if you're fixated on those things, whether it's food or drugs, alcohol, things that turn your attention away from God, it's an idol.

SPEAKER_00 18:29

When somebody cla when somebody accuses you of being too religious, you think you're better than me because of the way you're living. You know what I'm saying? Well, you go to church, you read a Bible, you just think you just think you're all this. But well, usually that comes out after you have maybe made a point. Yeah. You made a point, you use the word of God, and that convicts them. But basically, in their eyes, you're you're doing evil by accusing them of you being self-righteous. You think you're better than me. When the truth of the matter is you don't think you you know you're a sinner just like they are. You just defending maybe your God, your the word, but yet you're listed as an evildoer. I use that word because that's the one that comes up in in my Bible. But uh I think back to last week's conversation, especially when it comes to family. It's one thing to choose to change your friends, and a lot of that has to happen, especially if you're an addict, you need to change your environment, get away from, stay away from, right? Well, you can't necessarily do that with family. So that's that's where most of the conflict comes from, is uh whenever you have family members who aren't living a life that you believe that is, you know, needs to be right, and you know that you don't want your children exposed to that kind of influence, therefore you're staying away. And the family might say, Well, why are you staying away? Well, because I know you you I know what's gonna be happening down there, and I don't want my children associated with it. I don't want to be influenced by it. Well, that that's where they're gonna consider you to be an evildoer. Just because you're speaking truth and you're doing what's right. Yeah. That's the way it it's viewed.

SPEAKER_04 20:16

How many movies have we seen to where that's the case? Like the brothers say brothers were grew up the same, one brother left. Well, now that brother's son wants to be with his uncle and have a good time and partake in whatever he's doing because my uncle's cool. You know, how many movies have we seen like that to where that influence? Yeah, that influence has pulled the children in when this father's been doing nothing, uh everything he can to prevent that from happening.

SPEAKER_01 20:51

Yeah, you know, happens every day. I'm gonna throw out something personal to y'all here. So the Bible tells us to pray without ceasing, and I struggle with that, but I try, you know. And what my my thought of that is just talk to him throughout the day, you know. And I've something that I've always tried to do, and I'm getting better at it as I get older, is thank the Lord for the situations I'm in. And that may be all I say is Lord, thank you. You know, I think that's praying without ceasing, kind of. Lord, thank you. I'm talking to him. So I and it may be, Lord, thank you for my eyesight, thank you for the ability to see this, thank you for you know letting me be here at this moment. I may just say something short like it. But if I can't thank God for the situation I'm in or what I'm fixing to do or what I'm doing at the time, I probably don't need to be involved in it.

SPEAKER_03 21:45

Well, I was gonna say you kept saying it's short there. Thank you for the the almost like the little things. Yeah. Yeah, those aren't little things. Those are big things.

SPEAKER_01 21:52

Yeah, but but like let's just say I'm looking at this concrete we're fixing to pour right out here.

SPEAKER_03 21:57

Right.

SPEAKER_01 21:58

So I remember, you know, thinking I say, Lord, thank you for allowing me to be a part of this, you know? And that that might have been all I said because of the ability he gave me. You know, why if you take that into an addiction mode or something like that, if you you can't thank the Lord, Lord, thank you for giving me these five alcoholic beverages, you know? And some people for that. So therefore, if I if it's not bringing him honor and glory, I don't need to be a part of it.

SPEAKER_04 22:27

You say that. There's probably some people that do.

SPEAKER_01 22:29

It probably is, but I don't know. I'm trying to make it make sense in my own mind here and say it out loud at the same time.

SPEAKER_04 22:36

But well, when you sing that story, I think for your average person, and I say my average person, the person that's that's not around the church every day. That's yeah, that's not around the word every day. You know, when you sing all that, I I was thinking of myself, it's like, how hard is it to put Jesus in my day? Yeah. When you're not around it. You know, out kind of out of sight of it. It is. It's out of sight, out of mind, kind of deal.

SPEAKER_00 23:09

Lane Lane could probably speak to this better than any of us because it's on his mind he preached it Sunday night. But that's where you mentioned the evildoer. Yeah. And Paul told Timothy, he says, I'm that's what I'm viewed as. You know, I'm suffering. I'm by in my bonds because, you know, I'm not sure. He's in there with the best of the evildoers of the world. Exactly. And yet he's thanking God for it, just like Watson said. How in the world? Are y'all who sent the video? Somebody showed a video of a fella's deaf. I don't know. I didn't get it. But uh I don't know, and he praising the Lord that he's deaf. He said, I don't want to wait.

SPEAKER_01 23:44

I don't think oh, I love that video.

SPEAKER_00 23:46

I want to wait till I get in the presence of Jesus. Go watch a video after it. I didn't get it yet. I just didn't.

SPEAKER_01 23:51

Let me say this. He said that you know people wanted him almost to feel sorry for himself. He said the only voice, the very first voice I'll ever hear is Jesus.

SPEAKER_04 24:03

Jesus saying my name.

SPEAKER_01 24:04

Yeah, and I thought, wow.

SPEAKER_04 24:06

Jesus, saying my name, Richard. Yep. Man, that that's it.

SPEAKER_00 24:10

So you thank the Lord. Praise the Lord for being deaf. Yeah. Praise the Lord for being a paraplegic. Praise the Lord for being an evildoer, viewed as an evildoer. Yeah. Praise him. That was my conclusion of my sermon Sunday morning. You need to, you want to figure out a way how to get through something, overcome something, break the chains, you know, of bondage, especially generational sin. Praise your way through. And the reason I say that is because that's the principle I learned in the life of David years ago. You know, he was still in his circumstances, but he said, I will praise the Lord. My lips should continually praise the Lord. I will not cease. And then he started becoming the cheerleader. Join me. Praise the Lord with me. Let us exalt his name together. Then he gives that testimony. I sought the Lord and he heard me. And they looked on him, verse 5 says. And they were changed as a result of this man's life. Praise him in the storm.

SPEAKER_04 25:10

I watch all that and I think, man, what's my excuse? You know, what's holding me back from being like this guy? You know, I see I see fish, I see people fishing that don't have arms and legs, and I'm thinking, how in the world are they tying a knot?

SPEAKER_01 25:27

Yeah, I I've I've thought that same thing because I get those same creeps and how are they taking the fish off the hook?

SPEAKER_04 25:33

You know? But making them smiling ear to ear.

SPEAKER_00 25:36

More importantly, how are they maintaining that mental perspective? Exactly.

SPEAKER_04 25:41

Matter of perspective. And I never will forget that video we played before we uh we sang a song. What a day that'll be. Yeah, what a day that'll be. I'm thinking like he said, God's still working on me. Yeah. I'm still in the oven. Even the oven. David did. David Green. The oven. Yeah. And I'm thinking, man, he is praising God and got all these things wrong that he can't do. You know, and I'm thinking like, what is it?

SPEAKER_01 26:12

Well, let's go back to that fisherman sitting in that boat with no legs, no arms. Yeah. Because I've had that thought, would I even enjoy fishing if I couldn't? But yet he's ate up with it. Yeah. And you take these. Does it for a living? Yeah. Professional. And there's people all over the world that may not have the ability to do something, but they see the, you know, their glasses full instead of half empty.

SPEAKER_04 26:35

Yeah, people with no arms shooting bows with their feet.

SPEAKER_00 26:38

Yeah. Tell you you want to be encouraged. You think you're having a bad day. Look, look that name up, David, David Ring or Green. I'm going to look at it. Anyway, Phil is an amazing. He's amazing. He's a preacher. Preacher. Yep. With civil policy, but he uh I mean, just it's just good. Same way with that guy. I don't know where you throw a rod and reel.

SPEAKER_01 27:02

Oh, you sing he'll hold it with his arm and cheese shoulder and cheese.

SPEAKER_04 27:06

David Reign, R-I-R-G. You know, we were talking about when we first opened up, you know, Independence Day's coming. Been a free country for 250 years. I wonder sometimes, you know, you think about in Acts and all the apostles that went out and spread the word, and Apostle Paul and and Timothy, and you just think about that day and that time. It wasn't popular. People had to hide. I mean, even today, there's people over the world that in foreign countries that can't express their religious beliefs without being persecuted. I wonder how many Americans would continue to proclaim Christ if we lived in a country where we were persecuted for it.

SPEAKER_01 27:57

I like to think I would, but that's one of the biggest blessings that you could that we have to be able to do that.

SPEAKER_04 28:07

We don't realize the freedoms we have.

SPEAKER_00 28:10

There's a weird, there's a weird way to look at that. And my military background comes to mind here, but you find yourself thinking these thoughts. I hope I have the opportunity one day to do, like Lord you said, to sure enough take a stand. You know, maybe be threatened with imprisonment or whatever from preaching truth. You know, kind of the kind of attitude, yeah, y'all try to silence me. Let's just see what happens. And would I count myself worthy to suffer for the cause of Christ? I would like to think so. But until you truly try and put in a position, you you never know you know how you're gonna respond. I like to think I would.

SPEAKER_04 28:50

Where where was it? Was it Australia? Just like I saw a few weeks ago where a pastor got arrested, maybe in Australia, got arrested for preaching, pretty much. It was somewhere.

SPEAKER_00 29:05

Well, Zach said it, it happens all around the world. Yeah, yeah. We don't realize what we have in this country. We we really don't.

SPEAKER_04 29:11

We take it for granted. I say that to make a point. I mean, there's there's gonna be somebody that listens to this podcast that may not that may have not breathed a word to a coworker or anyone at work yesterday about God, or that won't today and might not tomorrow. But yet we live in a free country where we can proclaim Jesus all day, every day, everywhere we go if we want to, with 100% total freedom. Now, doesn't mean you're not gonna be looked at, maybe labeled a Jesus freak or whatever, but it ain't like they're gonna throw you behind bars for it. You know. Um so what's holding him back? We're talking about David Ring, you know, and man with no arm, no legs, fishing, you know. I think that kind of goes back to what I said a while ago is you know, if out of sight out of your mind, you know, until that his heart's pricked or he's you know got the um notion to do it, he's not gonna do it.

SPEAKER_01 30:18

Well, I'm gonna say this. I think there's another side of this as well. If there was consequences to doing it, you know, people may be more apt to do it.

SPEAKER_03 30:30

Be more rebellious towards it.

SPEAKER_01 30:31

Yeah, like, hey, there's a chance that you're gonna get arrested. Well, I don't care, I'm gonna do it anyway. A little more attractive. Yeah. And the reason I say that, because I remember when Steve Boland was in here with us, he made a comment that he said, uh, you know, if it costs $10,000 to get into heaven, people be writing checks all the time. You know, and I thought to myself on that, how real, how real is that? You know, I'd do everything I could to make the money, not just for me, but my wife and my kids to make sure they got into heaven.

SPEAKER_05 31:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 31:00

And and, you know, there's something, effort to it, kind of thing. And now here we are, anybody can be saved, but they're not pursuing it because it's so easy, maybe. I don't know if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_04 31:15

Yeah, it makes sense to me because you it's too good to be true. Well, if you write that check, it's like almost guaranteed. Guaranteed gonna be in heaven. I think a lot of people would write that check because they they want that guarantee so they can live however they want to. It's all for me. Yep, I've done my part. But the truth is you've par already done it. And it's already you've already been bought. That's the truth.

SPEAKER_01 31:44

Yeah. Well, yeah, I mean, the price has already been paid.

SPEAKER_04 31:47

Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 31:48

That's the wrong thing.

SPEAKER_00 31:49

And that's the only way.

SPEAKER_04 31:50

You you take that version of you writing that check. Well, Jesus wrote that check. He done wrote the line at the bottom. Except there's more than $10,000. I mean, you know. We talked about that Sunday school in Parks class, and we're talking about how grace is free to us. But it wasn't, it's not totally free. Somebody paid the price. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:13

Same way with our country. We live in a free country, but it wasn't free. It wasn't free. Well, it's blood.

SPEAKER_04 32:20

Yeah. We were talking about the fireworks and stuff and all the different shows and everything, and but a lot of times we just get caught up in the lights and the pretties of it and the ahs and oohs and stuff, but really they they shoot fireworks because of that representation of that war, you know. And that's a thought that sometimes slips our mind, you know. The rockets regular.

unknown 32:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 32:48

I thought he was about to say them them fireworks aren't free. We sacrificing our bodies out there on Memorial Day.

SPEAKER_00 32:57

Well, we're bought by the blood of our forefathers in this country. And we're bought by the blood of Jesus in the heaven. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 33:06

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 33:08

It makes it better though, if you do, if it does cost you something. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_03 33:12

Yeah. Is it worth it? Perfect example, preacher. We building that couch yesterday. What'd I tell you? I said, you know, I could have gone and bought spent twelve hundred dollars on an outdoor furniture couch. And you said that comment, you said it. You're gonna appreciate this way more than what you would have if you just went and buying it.

SPEAKER_00 33:27

You build it yourself.

SPEAKER_03 33:28

Yep. Yeah. Very true.

SPEAKER_04 33:29

You said it does cost it would it is better if it cost you something. What does it cost you to follow Jesus? Everything. What is it costing? It's for everybody, it could be something different.

SPEAKER_00 33:44

Yeah, and what is that if you had to put a price tag on that, you know. What if it cost you your life?

SPEAKER_01 33:51

Yeah. Well, I'm even social status. I'm even going back to the addiction thing now. You know, it may have cost you an addiction, you know, to put something down. And I'm not just talking about beer or drugs, it could be, you know, anything. Get rid of something. To follow God.

SPEAKER_04 34:11

Yep. And I just thought of this wh why does everybody when they get in trouble or they're in a bad way? What's the first thing they normally think of?

SPEAKER_01 34:22

When they're in trouble or need help? Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 34:24

They go to yeah, whether you're in your deathbed or you done got put in jail or you you know.

SPEAKER_00 34:32

First thing. Well you don't you don't give uh you don't give a lot of thought. It's not part of your plan to have God in your life until you until it's a 9-1-1 situation. Yeah, you you get an emergency. So you you ain't hurt somebody six months, but they call you and they in the hospital needing prayer. Yep. You know, that happens all the time. Yep. You know, so they only call upon God. They treat God as an emergency, as a 9-1-1 call, really. Well, it's just like when if you treated him if you had him in your life daily like that, you you're missing out. You don't you don't realize what's available to you.

SPEAKER_04 35:09

That person that's done that, do you think they're worthy? Like, do you think like it's worthy of you going to that room to talk to them? Like you'd be like, I know you've heard this before. I mean, why why am I here?

SPEAKER_01 35:22

Yeah, you leave the 99 to go after the one. Is that what you're saying?

SPEAKER_00 35:26

Yeah. I think you're saying when's enough, enough. Yeah. Yeah. You know, you dealt with this person for 30 years. It's the same thing for 30 years.

SPEAKER_04 35:34

Now you're now on your last minute. You know you're wanting to speak the name of Jesus.

SPEAKER_01 35:40

Well, you I had that conversation a while back, and I'm not gonna go into detail, but I ain't heard from old boy in a while, and he called me up, and I I was just real with him. I said, uh, you call me because of who I represent.

SPEAKER_04 35:53

Right.

SPEAKER_01 35:53

You know? I said, and he was talking about some issues in his life. I said, You know what fixes it because you knew the first person or the who to call to get it fixed. You know, I'm like, why this is how you got here. Because you're leaving out God from the beginning. Now you want him to fix it all. You know.

SPEAKER_04 36:17

Well, I said that to say this. We we have to remember that when Jesus was on that cross and that thief was next to him. What'd he say?

SPEAKER_01 36:31

Today you'll be with me in paradise.

SPEAKER_04 36:33

Remember me. Yeah. Oh, who what did he say to Jesus?

SPEAKER_01 36:36

Yeah. Remember me.

SPEAKER_04 36:38

Yep. As you enter your kingdom. Yeah. So I mean, I think we I think we just have to realize that God's gonna accept them one way or the other.

SPEAKER_01 36:49

Yeah, from the beginning to all the way to the end.

SPEAKER_04 36:51

Exactly. Yep. I think that's why y'all do what you do when you go to the hospitals and prisons and jails and things like that. Even they're they're at their worst. They still deserve.

SPEAKER_00 37:03

Yeah. Let's talk about that a minute, and uh, I'll get y'all's take on it. Uh, coming from that perspective of the thief on the cross. And so the way that happened, the reason Jesus responded the way he did and said, Today you'll be with me in paradise is is uh is because of what the thief said. Whenever he said, Remember me when you come in your kingdom, therefore, he admitted and confessed and accepted the fact that this was the Son of God. Yeah, right. This is this man sitting beside me has the power you know over death and a grave. And uh so he he took that unto himself, right? And you apply that modern day. And for a person in order to have those same opportunities afforded to them, you'll be with me in paradise. You take your last birth, you'll be to be absent from the body and be present of the Lord. You have to take that. You have to appropriate Jesus unto yourself, right? Through salvation. Y'all know what I'm saying. In order to be saved, you gotta tell you before you say, I can't be saved for you, you can't be saved for me, you gotta do it for yourself. Go one step further. And I did not do a good job of it Sunday, but uh, in order to be delivered, salvation is one thing. Getting to heaven is one thing, you know, and being forgiven is one thing, but living that way, living in that freedom, living in that, you know, how do you how do you appropriate that unto yourself? There's so many people that, you know, are saved as a child, you know, maybe it's through the wana program or whatever, when they're eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve years old, and then by the time they're 18, 19, 20 years old, they're not living for Christ. And at 30 years old, you find yourself strung out, addicted, you're a child of God. You you know you've been forgiven, you're going to heaven, but you're living a life, obviously, that's against who you are and what indwells you, and there's conviction there. So what how do you break that chain? What do you do? You have to take it again. You've you've received salvation, right? Well, how do I receive this freedom to live unto Christ? That makes sense?

SPEAKER_01 39:12

Yeah, I like that word you said, delivered.

SPEAKER_00 39:15

How do you how do you get it?

SPEAKER_01 39:21

You realize it's available. Crickets. I guess you just first thing you gotta do is realize it's available.

SPEAKER_00 39:27

I think you have to break yourself. Well, we sing a song, you know, and that's an awesome song, Chainbreaker. He's a wave maker, you know. Uh if you believe, you believe, I believe, I believe, I believe. You know, and it's it's almost when you get passionate about it and you understand I have been bought, I have been redeemed, I have been rescued, I have been freed from this sin, from living this life, from this generational curse, what did that? The blood of Jesus did that. And you I've been bought. This reason you hear the words the way the particularly Paul writes it, you know, this life that I live is not my own. It's not. I've been just a vessel. Yeah. And you start living that way, and man, you you do. You begin to experience that that deliverance. And you're not really delivered from your circumstances. That old boy that's deaf, praising the Lord, he's not delivered from his circumstances. The guy that's fishing without any arms, he hadn't, he's still living in his circumstances with his difficulties. But how in the world do they live that way? How do they live delivered in freedom and know it? It's a it's a perspective, it's a mind thing. And if we will focus on, try to, strive to, have the mind of Christ. Think on these things. You know, not on these other things. And I think that's a wonderful example of the when when people who saw Jesus and lived on this earth while Jesus was there, and they were afraid of everything around them. They were afraid of the storms, they were afraid of but whenever they seen the one who was in control of that, then they became afraid of him. I made that last comment Sunday. I said, Well, you got the disciples in the boat with Jesus. The storm is raging, they all freaking out. We're fixing to die right here, and Jesus picks his head up and speaks to the storm and glass. Complete silence. Now they're no longer afraid of the storm, but they're looking at this man who just called the storm. I'm thinking about this fella right here. This is the one that I want to reverence. This is the one I want to fear. This is the one I want to follow because I know he's in control of all of it. I know, I'm just rattling, but y'all see what I'm getting at. It's a hard it's hard to put your finger on that aspect of making a conscious decision to choose to follow Christ. Pick up your cross and follow Christ. You have to do it. Just like being saved, you have to accept Jesus as your personal savior. Nobody can do it for you. You have to accept the fact that you've been bought and paid for and set free from the sin that does so easily beset us.

SPEAKER_01 42:15

If you're a saved child of God, what keeps people from from being delivered? I'm gonna go back to that word delivered. What keeps people from being delivered? If you're a saved child of God, well, here's my two thoughts. Is it just selfishness? Knowing it's there but not taking it, the the the part of being delivered, or is it not realizing what you truly can tap into?

SPEAKER_00 42:42

You're asking the formal question. Go ahead, Lane.

SPEAKER_03 42:44

Well, I was just gonna say you go back to the thief on the cross. He always, of course, I'm not a big reading in between the lines, but you gotta think about it. How many times did he witness this man Jesus throughout the weeks to come to their death? Of man, do I need to tap into what he's talking about? Do I really need to believe in what he's talking about? And then he gets to the point of death, he's like, Yeah, this is what I've missed out on.

SPEAKER_00 43:08

This is the man.

SPEAKER_03 43:09

Yep.

unknown 43:09

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 43:10

Yeah, we don't like you.

SPEAKER_00 43:11

I'm no longer fearing his cross or even death. I'm fearing him.

SPEAKER_01 43:15

That's exactly right. You wonder about that lane, because you talk about reading between the lines. Was that the first time he had witnessed or seen Jesus? Or was it did he have multiple hear about him throughout the weeks or or no?

SPEAKER_04 43:30

He did hear about him because he uh did he not say Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's right. He uh uh they say who you say you are.

SPEAKER_01 43:39

Well one of them one of them said that. One of them was on the cross and said, Hey, if you are who you say you are, get us off here.

SPEAKER_04 43:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:46

You know. But was that the first instance he heard that about him?

SPEAKER_04 43:51

Probably not.

SPEAKER_01 43:52

Or had he heard it multiple times?

SPEAKER_04 43:56

He's been to every city. He probably already

SPEAKER_00 44:00

He's already up hanging on the cross, right? And here Jesus walks up the hill carrying his cross. With everybody behind him. And he witnesses the whole thing. What everybody's saying, what the soldiers are saying. They he watched as they drove the nails through his hands and his feet. They lifted the cross up. He watched it all. So, you know, what what kind of experience did he have? He heard Jesus say, Father, forgive them. What kind of man does that? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:29

That other thief fair says, Hmm, I gotta get tap into this. I gotta get a hold of this. Remember me, Lord.

SPEAKER_00 44:35

Yeah. I like that phrase. I think Lane said at first, tap, tap into. Y'all generation. Y'all's generation can your generation can uh Yeah sure did. You can grab a hold of that concept, you know. Of tapping into something. How do you tapping into that kid and start tapping into Jesus, right?

SPEAKER_03 44:58

Amen. How do you, as a saved child of God, how do you not necessarily progress. We know how to progress through our life with Christ. You gotta be in his word. But how do you, I guess, keep on going? So we talk about these people who are deaf or don't have any limbs, you know, and I don't, you know, we don't know about his personal life story and testimony to everything else. But as a saved child of God, you know, the word of God says, but we've grown on this earth. We sigh, our bodies sigh on this earth. But yet what we have in our life and what we have to go back again, tap into is we have the Holy Spirit to get us along through. There's times we just want to say, Well, you know what? We're done, we're going to heaven, we're good to go. You know, I'm ready, I'm ready to get this life done with so I can get to glory. How do you keep on? How do you keep on? Well, I've already said the the answer, but go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 45:52

Yeah. Additional to that, I think the Bible teaches that uh we are not in this alone. That's the significance of the body of Christ, that's the significance of the church. It's a difference of the Holy Spirit. Exactly. That's where it's evident. And that's where it's gonna be realized. That's where you're gonna be encouraged, that's where you're gonna be loved unconditionally, that's where you're gonna be accepted, that's where you're gonna be truly experience forgiveness. When you realize and recognize, okay, these people know what I've done for the past 10, 15, 20 years, you know. Uh, and I'm gonna go to church. Really? Well, how are they gonna treat me? How are they gonna and what they don't realize is is the love of Christ. They ought to meet the love of Christ there, you know, and how we interact with people is huge as to their success and following Christ. If we need some how-to's, how-to is just accept the fact that all right, I I'm I'm I'm no different than anybody else, and they're no different than whether you're an adulterer, whether you're a methamphetamine addict or an alcoholic, you know, or you're a preacher. We're all the same. God is not a respecter of persons, He's gonna judge. Let him judge. Not only in the afterlife, but in this life. Between him. I was rattling there too, but I don't know if there's a there's a there's a lot of how-tos. I try to include that in most of my talks, is uh there's a how-to section. Because everybody here is, all right, I got you. I see what the Bible says here, but now give me some practical. Give me some how how do I do this, how do I appropriate this, how do I make this work in my life. I understand the importance of studying the scripture and I understand, but I just can't do it. You know, I may get up, I may read a couple of chapters in the Bible every morning, but it's not even talking to me. How do I how do I change that? One, you're not considering it. Yep. And you're not it's not you're not considering it as food. Thank you. It's nourishment. And you need to read it once, you need to read it twice, you need to read it again. And you read it often. And it'll come to you. I got a feeling there's probably a bunch of people listening to us right now that think, well, all right, I've heard you guys, I like listening to you guys, and I'm trying to read my Bible, but I don't know, I just ain't getting a whole lot out of it. You know, what where's what's the difference? How do I how does it how do how does it change? When does that change occur? It's just repetition, it's commitment, you know, and over time you you can't live without it. You know? You can't live without it. Consistency. Consistency is a big one. Commitment and consistency.

SPEAKER_03 48:37

Well, I we go back to this alcohol, alcoholic, whatever deal. We have we've been bringing it up because it's a problem. People can argue with us what they want, it's a problem. If you say it's not a problem, it's a problem. But uh I we go back to what we said a while ago. When does it get to a point of, hey, this is just my normal deal? It's kind of being consistent of what I'm gonna do every afternoon when I get off at five o'clock. All right, well, then why don't you make consistent of what you're gonna do at five o'clock in the morning or six o'clock in the morning? Get up. Have a plan. Have a plan. All right, yeah, you can read the word of God. Oh, okay, yeah, I do read the word of God. But this afternoon, I'm gonna drink a beer. Well, guess what? Are you reading the word of God or are you considering it? Are you studying it? Are you because I guarantee if you are, that alcohol beverage ain't gonna, you ain't gonna worry, you ain't gonna think about it that afternoon. Reading it. Because you can get you're gonna get in so much of the word of God that you're wanting to get back into it when you get home. You wanna go tell somebody.

SPEAKER_00 49:35

It's like at lunchtime, you're gonna go buy your bag of ice and put it on, put it, put it, put the eyes in the ice chest ready for when you get out of work. That's a plan. And it's the same principle applies to the word of God. Have a plan. And and and work the plan. God has a plan. Yeah, he's had a plan all along.

SPEAKER_05 49:54

That's right.

SPEAKER_00 49:54

And he's got a plan for you, each and every person. And I tell you, it ain't a better place to be than in the will of God. We've heard those actions. I've forgotten many a time about something. I was trying to put recently, you know, getting in the will of God or where the place where you know God wants you to be.

SPEAKER_04 50:16

No. I've been staring at this verse for about 20 minutes now, and I've been itching. Uh it's in Romans 6 and starting verse 15. It says, Well then, since God's grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not. Don't you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. Thank God, once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. That's good stuff. And one of the things that I that jumps out of the page at me, you know, is that old song we sang, He never promised that the cross would not get heavy. Yeah, and the hell wouldn't be hard to climb. You know, you're a slave to righteous living. I mean, Paul references being a slave to righteous living here. All right. Well, I I I really think that underlying meaning there is that he's saying that it's not gonna be easy. You know. But it's not it's not easy being a slave to sin. You know? People say, Oh, I have these addictions or I have these problems. It may it's a sin problem, you know. We were born into it. It's just as hard to follow Christ. It's not gonna be easy. And I think a lot of people when they okay, they they realize they're a sinner. They realize they have a problem, they realize the sin in the world, they realize the sin in themselves, and that they need a savior. And then they get to the other side of this thing and they kind of don't know what to expect, I guess. Maybe maybe they feel like that, all right, my road is just easy from here on out. And then in some ways it gets harder.

SPEAKER_00 52:11

Oh yeah. You know, and so you try to warn people that, yeah. But they have to experience it for themselves. That's right. And that's when they need me and you behind them, like, come on, come on, you know.

SPEAKER_04 52:22

But that's where the power of the cross comes in. You know. I'm if you're if you're a sinner you're and you don't realize you need a savior, you're bound to death, you're bound to eternal hell. You know, it don't end well. The only difference in in us boys sitting here at the table and a lost man out there in the world right now today is that we know where we're going when we're cross. The difference is across the difference is across. I remember what I was going to say. The cross makes the difference. And that gives you hope and faith to press on. You know. And we we were talking the other day about um you've been asked how how do you get up there, you know, Bible. Sometimes this is not speaking to me. I'm not getting it. You know, sometimes you go on you go on that stage and it's been a rough week. You've been a rough week, and you and you're trying to get into it, and just for whatever reason, you can't, and you come out there. I mean, what do you I've been asked, what do you do? You worship through it, you know? You preach your way through. You know, you you you utter his name anyway. I mean, it's not always easy. Yeah. But and like you said, that consistency, that repetition, you know, it it doesn't always feel like like it's right, you know, and and then maybe God's shaping you in that moment. Maybe he's testing you. Maybe that's part of those trials and that and that fire and that that you're being molded by, you know, at that time. I get this, and it applies to what you're saying. The closer you get to Jesus, or the closer you get to God, the more of a rotten sinner you know you are. The worse you feel. Every day. Even when you're gonna be able to get to the city. The closer you get, yeah. The closer you get to him, the more you realize, hey man, I ain't right.

SPEAKER_01 54:08

Yep. Yeah, I agree a hundred percent. And and you may be fixing things along the way, but he keeps pointing things out. And that ain't a bad thing. Right. You know, he's fixing you, he's molding you.

SPEAKER_04 54:21

It may start as the most obvious things that you gotta take control over in your life. Yeah, but as you get closer to him, you gotta he start you start to think, man, I that too. You know.

SPEAKER_01 54:32

I read something on that or something. This guy was getting closer to God, and every step he took, he was like, Man, I feel like I'm getting, you know, worse at this. And it was just God was pointing other things out.

SPEAKER_04 54:46

Right. I think that's the mindset we gotta take in every day. Like, you know, I want to be closer to Jesus. I need to take this sin out of my life. Give it to him.

SPEAKER_00 55:00

And don't let it control you. Exactly. Set free from it. And it's uh it's knowing that, knowing I've been set free from it. I thought of a word when Zach was reading those words in Romans 6 there a while ago. Y'all need to do a little research on emancipated. Started emancipated. Oh, yeah, there you go.

SPEAKER_03 55:26

Emancipated? Emancipated. Is that like you're talking about like emancipation? Death.

SPEAKER_00 55:36

You've been a you've been emancipated. I've heard that word before. I know these old boys.

SPEAKER_03 55:42

They go like in politicians, like presidents or something. Read it too.

SPEAKER_04 55:46

Emancipated. To be emancipated means to be freed from legal, social, or physical restraint, control, or the power of another.

SPEAKER_01 55:55

I'm just amazed you kept it that quick. He said, is that where you well?

SPEAKER_04 56:00

I couldn't figure out if it was started with an I or an E.

SPEAKER_00 56:06

I don't need to poke that one into the you think a little bit about history, you know. Uh Abraham Lincoln was that president, you know, emancipation proclamation. That's where I've heard it. Setting the slaves free, right? Yeah. And uh it's the same principle of being free from sin. It's realizing it. You know that old story that I often tell about Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln attending a slave auction. Remember back in the day when you have slave auctions, people being sold. Young lady comes across the stage and he bids on her and buys her. And he sets her and he and he buys her. So she is now his property. And she comes to him and and he says, or she asked the question. She said, So you bought me, yeah? So why'd you buy me? Set you free. And she says, free to do what? Free to do whatever you want to do. Free to go where I want to go, free to go where I want to go. Say what I want to say, say what I want to say. You mean I'm free. He said, You're free. I bought you and paid for you, I've set you free. And then she made a decision. She said, Well, if that's the case, I'm going with you. I'm following you. You know, but it's that idea of being set free from, being emancipated from.

SPEAKER_04 57:19

We've all been set free by Jesus, but are we following him?

SPEAKER_00 57:24

I'm with the man who bought me.

SPEAKER_04 57:26

Exactly. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 57:27

And Jesus bought us with his blood. You go with him, you can't go wrong. You go against him, you're going wrong.

SPEAKER_03 57:39

We are coming down to the end of another week.

SPEAKER_00 57:44

Well, Paul said, You mean I've been set free until I can sin? He said, God forbid. That's right. So you better check that right there. And people have that attitude. I know I'm going to heaven when I die. I can live where I want to. Get out of jail free. You go right ahead.

SPEAKER_03 58:00

Yeah, playing Monopoly with God. You can get out of jail free, cord. Making deals.

SPEAKER_00 58:07

Yeah, we gotta wrap this up. Watson got to do some concrete work.

SPEAKER_03 58:11

Are they out there right now?

SPEAKER_01 58:13

No, I gotta get ready for them though. Heard some backing up while I go.

SPEAKER_03 58:17

Well, let's go around the table. Let's go around the table and do our last words of encouragements. Last words of last words. Last words of the word of God. Watson, we'll start with you.

SPEAKER_01 58:30

You know, I've probably said it before recently, but it's on my mind. Philippians, it would just be the words that Paul said. You know, he he was struggling with the past things, but he was moving forward. And he said, I haven't yet achieved everything yet, but I'm working toward it. And I think that's my heart. Where I'm at right now is man, I want to do what's right. I'm trying to do what's right. I hadn't achieved it all yet, but I'm headed that way. I'm gonna struggle along the way, but I'm headed that way.

SPEAKER_00 59:02

I'd say confidence. That'd be my last word, because that's what I think about when you say that. Paul had his mind made up, mind made up, perspective. And having that confidence in Christ, confidence in God, confidence in the word. I would say even confidence in the things we're saying here this morning, we don't try to say anything that's not backed up by the principles of scripture. So if you heard something here this morning that you think, you know, I can buy into that, I can tap into that, have the confidence that it's true, and give it a try. And you'll be amazed at what God can do in your life.

SPEAKER_04 59:38

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. What's the next word? Thy kingdom. Or if you're in L T it says, your kingdom come. Realize today that realize today that this is God's kingdom. The air you're breathing right now belongs to him. Everything in it, the house that we're the church house we're sitting in here, made of wood, made out of the trees that he made. Wasn't for him, we're not here. We're we're in his world. Um bring somebody, do do something to magnify and glorify and grow the his kingdom today. That's good stuff. Go ahead, Philip. Move with a purpose.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:25

Hey, we ain't fishing today, huh? Do something.

SPEAKER_00 1:00:31

Move with a purpose. Action.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:33

Yeah, move with a purpose. What is your purpose today?

SPEAKER_01 1:00:38

And be thankful for it all.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:40

Yep. Amen. All right, I gotta mention this because I gotta give God the glory for it. You know, of course, Brother David and Ryan, y'all know what I'm talking about. When you get ready to go, you know you're about to come up and preach Sunday. You gotta think, all right, what's God got for me this Sunday? You know. And of course, Brother David, you're a little bit different circumstance. You preach on a regular basis every Sunday morning, so you kind of stick along to the same lines maybe some Sundays, whatever, but I I Ryan asked me yesterday, what you preaching on Sunday? I said, Man, I just don't know. I I'm off different subjects. Really want to go to heaven aspect, but nobody last night started studying about the thief of the cross. And I'm not lying to y'all. Started thinking about the thief of the cross. Then I started thinking about being in the tent. Being being not the tent that rhymes in. But being intent with an earthly body that we have in the struggles and in my through what I'm going through life right now with raising kids and wife and everything else, I need help. And realizing that, hey, I'm in a great position in my life, but I need help. And there's two verses. Well, there's more than two verses, but I'm only gonna read two different types of verses. Uh verse 33 of Matthew chapter 6, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself and its own things, sufficient for the day is the day, its own trouble. And in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, it says this. Now he who has prepared us for this very thing is God, and all who also has given us the spirit has a guarantee. So we are always confident. There's your confidence, preacher. We are always confident that we are while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. If we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased, rather be absent from the body and be present with the Lord. And then when it just all comes to light, and I'm just like, man. Oh, yeah, all of it coming together.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:35

Zach says he speaks to the kingdom.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:37

You know?

SPEAKER_03 1:02:38

I saw a speaker right there, and then you said confident. Yeah. Watson brings up the thief on the cross.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:43

We're gonna sing Lord with Sunday. You said Matthew 10, 33. I immediately started singing that.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:53

But I mean, you just think about it.

SPEAKER_00 1:02:56

Come on, boys. Everything I'm gonna push this mic away. Dang it, boy.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:05

I know the Lord will prove that.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:08

Come on, Philip.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:11

I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:13

You don't need K104, just turn it on. That's right.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:16

You need help find the Lord, getting the word.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:19

It really is amazing. God can take a bunch of old redneck boys. Yeah, that has no idea. We sometimes we don't know whether we're coming or going, but we get around this table and and Lane is sitting here. I'm sure I got goosebumps all over me right now, you know, thinking about you know what you're going through and trying to get prepared, having that heart, and that get trying to get your mind prepared and your heart right, and and um and God's working. You know, his plan's working, and none of us knew about it, and we just come to the realization of it right now. Pretty cool stuff. Pretty good stuff. Didn't have a clue what we're gonna do.

SPEAKER_00 1:03:54

I got one more. Can I say one more thing? Sure. Don't turn me off yet, Lane. And that's this, because I really appreciate what the young man said. So for 30 years now, more than that, I've been uh having to perform, I guess you'd say. Sunday's always coming for the preacher. And on your you do get in a series every now and then, so that kind of dictates you, but being where Lane's at right now and thinking about preaching Sunday and knowing how to come up with something. And you do it. You can sit down and read the Bible, and you're like, I don't know where to go, I don't know where to go, I don't know where to go. But you stay at it and you stay with it, and you stay in prayer, and before long, God gives you the confidence, he gives you the conviction this is what he wants me to do. And you talk about getting, so you go from you go from that feeling of I don't know what I'm doing, to, oh my goodness, I can't wait to share this. Prepare for a funeral. One of the hardest things to do is sit down and try to put together some words and thoughts about somebody, and you're preaching to a crowd, and the crowd's different every time, and you think to yourself, What am I, but you stay at it, you stay in the word, you stay, and what happens is the Lord begins to give you these exact words. And then time is all said and done, you fixing the stand to deliver, you are full of it, and you are ready to let it rip.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:06

I love it when it happens, and when you say it or even write it down, you're like, whoa, that's some good stuff right there.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:11

The same thing applies to everybody, not just the preacher, yeah. But just stick with it, be be committed to it, you know. Don't just read it to be saying I read it, but get something out of it. Pray for God to open your eyes, and He will. He'll show you what He won't say. I think I think Lane is probably confident now and know the direction.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:30

Oh, yeah. But you go back, we keep on going here, but you say stick to it, you know, be confident in it. That will come, but you've got to do the first thing first, which is what? Seek first the kingdom of God. Amen. Then everything else after that. Man, it's a breeze. Take care of itself. Yeah. So hey, we will mention the uh we won't mention, never mind, just go ahead. Love that. I was about to say about Sunday services, but we'll go we'll go rock and roll.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:58

Y'all be flexible. We'll just say that much. Be really be careful.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:03

Yep. Philip, we're good to have you. You back on what we what we at? Ones and eights. I know the little and eights.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:11

I'm gonna be singing that the rest of the day. Two and eighths.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:13

I don't know what you go to. Twelve to eighths. Uh oh. Y'all work that long. It's eight hours. Next week. Paying some taxpayer dollars. I'm just kidding.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:27

Well, I worked 12 yesterday, so that's why I'm here today.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:30

Well, praise God for you. Yo, shut up. We need to. Well, I was gonna let Philip pray for us. He won't remember. Shut up today.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:38

I am gonna say this. Sunday, Sunday night. Zach looked at me and did this right here. I was like, what's up? I didn't know what he wanted. He's like, you will pray. Oh, okay. I got you. Anyway. Let's pray. Then our father, thank you for this day, Lord. Thank that for this breath of life that you provided us today that we can go out and say your name freely and um speak the name of Jesus, Lord, and um lead others to you. And Lord, just uh take everything we have, Lord, and provide us a way, Lord. Hold our hand. We want to follow you, Lord, and in every step that you provide us, Lord. Lord, we ask you to be with us through the rest of the week and and um be with our family and our friends to keep us safe, Lord. We love you. We thank you for your son, Jesus, that died on the cross for us, Lord, and shed that blood. Your son's present name we pray. Amen.