EP 46 Where are you at?

Back into the swing of things! Summer has come to an end, schedules are getting back in the rhythm and ultimately you need to ask yourself the question where are you at! What do we mean? In this podcast we tackle the topic of how Grace comes to us. We get in the word of 2nd Corinthians where the Apostle Paul talks brings up, "the thorn in my flesh." 

We want to thank you as always for joining in for another week! God's door is always open if you need us call us. 

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

Transcript

SPEAKER_05 0:11

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 for 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 0:36

Why you wanna change it up?

SPEAKER_00 0:39

I'm gonna lay back and let you boy dominate. I think I'm gonna do the same.

SPEAKER_04 0:45

Is that is that is that biblical for you just to lay down, preach, just to Yeah, I think so. No.

SPEAKER_00 0:53

I will say this. Do you think Paul ever lay down? This feels weird. I ain't been there in a while.

SPEAKER_02 0:58

Throwing in the side. I don't know which one.

SPEAKER_01 1:03

Thorn in the side.

SPEAKER_00 1:06

I feel like this hadn't took place in a while.

SPEAKER_04 1:09

Yeah, we've been off for a week. It's camp.

SPEAKER_00 1:12

Yeah, it's cute. I slept in that morning.

SPEAKER_04 1:14

Yeah, Watson's missed out on the last two. No, he only missed weak. He didn't come last week. None of us did. None of us. We've been off for a little bit. Now we're back on schedule. Well, a little bit. We're doing this on Friday evening. And uh, Philip, which one do you want on, buddy? One a little bit louder.

SPEAKER_00 1:35

There you go. There we go.

SPEAKER_03 1:36

My truck said AM on the way here.

SPEAKER_00 1:38

He did say evening. I don't know what he got going on. I was late, yeah. Friday morning.

SPEAKER_03 1:42

I'm sorry, Lane.

SPEAKER_04 1:43

We're getting back on the schedule.

SPEAKER_02 1:45

Do it on Tuesdays and stuff. Kind of like Park. He ain't used to being downstairs. He said, Alright, we're gonna pray and go downstairs.

SPEAKER_00 1:55

We already hear brother.

SPEAKER_04 1:58

Oh man. Well, uh, school, I guess. All y'all got, well, I guess I did two now, but y'all, school, first week of school been good. What a blessing.

SPEAKER_03 2:06

I've been at school, so what a blessing. I'm gonna tell you something. Tell me. For anybody that the roundabouts at Monticella were done, and that it was a lot of sacrifice during the construction, I get, but man, let me tell you something. One of the best things that is the cat's meow right now.

SPEAKER_04 2:23

Cats meow. They need to do something if you're central.

SPEAKER_03 2:26

If you're north headed southbound, like through Monticella campus, headed towards like the elementary school or maybe even UAM or whatever. Now you got a bit of a line headed there, and that roundabout don't help you none.

SPEAKER_02 2:39

Yeah, if you gotta stop, it don't help.

SPEAKER_04 2:40

But if you ain't gotta stop, but man, I bet that does help you out too, because it it cuts you off probably 10 minutes going to work.

SPEAKER_03 2:47

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 2:48

When you drop off kids, I can cut right through.

SPEAKER_00 2:51

Or he gets on autopilot and then it's on. Only thing about it.

SPEAKER_03 2:55

That's right.

SPEAKER_04 2:57

Well, we uh we uh started back uh not full swing. We uh we started our wanna training for the leaders this Wednesday, registration next Wednesday, lots of them full swinging back. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 3:10

Some good feedback on your little Zach bringing up the roundabouts made me reminded me of our Sunday night thing at uh going to the campuses and praying. Yeah, and uh there at the UAM when we was in the Forestry Resource Center and sing Amazing Grace. That was good.

SPEAKER_04 3:29

Oh, it was.

SPEAKER_03 3:30

Yeah, that was good. That echo, that reverb in there was really good. Yep. What was you saying, Philip? Uh uh.

SPEAKER_04 3:38

You talk about them roundabout.

SPEAKER_02 3:40

Uh all the training y'all did Wednesday night, uh a lot of good feedback about that. The four wanas.

SPEAKER_04 3:46

Just getting them. I like how preacher put it, he said a pepper alley, you know. Peppery. It was good little. There's what it was intended to be, I think. Yeah, just to get everybody motivated, get everybody back on the mindset.

SPEAKER_02 3:58

There's a ton of cars here. People was like, what's going on? I'm missing something. Oh, just wait. Just wait.

SPEAKER_00 4:06

Yeah, we had a good crew back Wednesday night. I really wasn't expecting what we had, but it was yeah, it was pretty good.

SPEAKER_03 4:12

Um prepare for rain.

SPEAKER_00 4:14

It was probably what, 80 or so? Yeah. I don't think it was quite a hundred, but no, it was 95 seats in there, and only seats open was kind of really right in front of me.

SPEAKER_04 4:25

No one wants to sit in front of you.

SPEAKER_00 4:27

Yeah, that's all right.

SPEAKER_04 4:28

Front row. Sorry.

SPEAKER_01 4:30

Were my grandkids here?

SPEAKER_00 4:32

Oh uh yes, they were. They were. I'm not gonna ratt them out here on like no, they were here. They were here.

SPEAKER_02 4:41

Yeah, your daughter was here practicing.

SPEAKER_04 4:44

So I think she helped with the little kids. Anyway, let me ask y'all this question. Let's go get go ahead and get going here. We we're talking about, you know, this time of our lives and everything. What season are you in your life right now? You talking about age-wise? Where let me let me let me rephrase this. No, not age-wise, preacher. We know how old you are. Preacher, you preach a sermon. I'm talking about it's been eight plus years. I can remember it, and I ask you this from time to time. Where are you at right now? Where are you at right now? Recall.

SPEAKER_01 5:15

I ask you that all the time, but I'm in a season of counseling.

SPEAKER_04 5:20

Counseling.

SPEAKER_00 5:21

I'm just trying to get back above water from something. You know, you drown a little bit, right?

SPEAKER_01 5:26

This is a season of counseling. Uh it just there's lots of needs out there. People need to talk. Yep. Well, more importantly, they need somebody to talk to. Yep. So we're listeners.

SPEAKER_02 5:35

Yeah, the right advice advice.

SPEAKER_00 5:38

You know, I agree in the. I hesitate on advice, but you know, you do go through different seasons because there was a time, you know, certain times of year I may go through. I feel like, man, I've just been doing a lot of talking, counseling. You know, and now I hadn't been a part of that in a while. And I don't know, you do go through different seasons.

SPEAKER_01 6:00

It's coming because everybody I've talked to recently, I said, Well, you need to call Brother Ryan sometime. Well, I appreciate that. He got all time in the world. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:08

I appreciate it. What about y'all two gentlemen? I I feel like I'm just kind of I don't know. Kind of coasting doing day to day. I don't I don't really know if I'm you coasting or are you setting on go? I guess I'm sitting on go. I'm I'm ready. But I don't know. I just I don't feel like I'm at a at a high or a low. I just feel like I'm going to work and doing what I gotta do. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 6:40

You still on autopilot with your game?

SPEAKER_03 6:44

No, I I'm in a I'm in a I don't know, it's I guess really like a like a set, I'm not setting on go, I'm going. Yeah. You know, like my my wheels are turning. Uh everywhere I go, you know. Always doing something.

SPEAKER_00 7:02

And uh I'm laughing because if you when we all turned and looked at Zach, he just sitting there grinning, like, oh y'all want me to say something?

SPEAKER_03 7:10

I didn't know who was I didn't know if Ry was gonna jump in there, Elaine, or who.

SPEAKER_01 7:15

Well, this time of year, everybody gearing up for hunting, does it pick up for you guys? Oh man.

SPEAKER_03 7:18

It does. Um it picked up first part of this week, to be honest with you. Um lots of sales and stuff come in. But September 1st are like a light switch day. Yeah. So that wraps up, gets real busy, you know, and uh heavily involved in our football organization, youth sports here in town, and that ramps up big time. And when you're board member and you gotta do all the paperwork and registration and the jamboree planting and all that, that's a lot of fun. And then when you're out there with them kids and you know, discipling them and coaching them, and that's a lot of fun as well. That's it's going, going, going, and then we're up here at church and sharing the word on podcasts. I mean, it's just 6 30 in the morning. Yeah. Uh about 6 42 for me, Philip.

SPEAKER_01 8:09

You said something there, I I'll ask you a question. And uh, because you said disciplined, discipling his kids, not only teaching them football, but you know, being a role model to them. Right. So uh that's one thing I mentioned Wednesday night, uh, pointed out to people you can't be a disciple unless you have been discipled, right? Right. And so generally there's somebody in our lives that you know we we we kind of attached ourselves to and learned from, like a carpenter would with a master carpenter. So who was it in your life football wise or sports wise that you think back to that seemed made an impression on you saying, you know what, I'm gonna be that one day?

SPEAKER_03 8:48

Well, there were several. Um but um you know I I loved the sport and I loved the game growing up, there's no doubt. And even in some instances later in my years, I possibly maybe that may have been become an idol in my life. You know. Little G God? Yeah, for sure. But um I can remember all the way back to uh Coach Frizzell and Jeff Frizzell and Jimmy Hawkins at Star City up there. We we practiced on a little old grass field there next to Farm Bureau. It's kind of off the highway there at the north part of town. And um they had round up the lines in the field so they didn't have to paint them every week. I remember it was bare dirt, and then over the course of playing there three or four years, it was little humps where those lines were, you know. And but I can remember all the way back then. I mean, those coaches set a standard. I never saw them really get out of line or treat a kid wrong. I mean, they took time with us and they taught us how, and they loved on us, you know, they were very respectful, their mouths weren't filthy, you know. They were they were good Christian role models on the football field of what a coach should be, in my opinion. And um, Kenny Pace played a big role in my life in junior high at Monticello. Uh Blair Brown, he was our junior high coach there at Star City before he came here and was the athletic director, and he moved his career here. Um, so got to play with him under him, and and of course, Kenny Pace and uh meet some kenny Coach Young and oh That's interesting how it calls him. So Steve Fleming, Coach Fleming, um Matter of fact, uh he out he doesn't coach anymore, but one guy that kind of I guess he was interned was BJ Nolan.

SPEAKER_01 10:42

Right.

SPEAKER_03 10:43

Um BJ was interning and was kind of helping out with the coaches, or maybe he was coaching there. And uh I think it was maybe like his first year, he was right out of college and stuff, and he kind of me and him kind of connected, you know. He would take me over on the sideline during the heights of the game or my lows of the game, you know, and tell me, hey, calm down, everything's gonna be alright, or hey, good job, keep getting them, you know. We'd throw and stuff back and forth. But I mean, there's a whole host of coaches, and then of course my career at Cabot, all Mike Mallham, Coach Brandon J, Mike Bryant, all those guys up there. And I know that's a lot of guys that maybe nobody around here may know, but I mean, I can remember all of them, and I can't I can't think of of one that didn't take the time to, you know, encourage me or lift me up or you know, or correct me when I'm wrong with gentleness. You know, I remember getting my butt chewed out a couple of times. I remember eight each time, and I probably deserved every one of them. It was it was because I did something I deserved on it. But I mean, you're discipling somebody whether you realize it or not. That's exactly right. You know, uh the kids are looking. I remember every single football coach I ever had. I remember their demeanor, how they acted, what they were about, and um and we make that same impression on other people.

SPEAKER_01 12:07

That's right. You know, the reason I mention that is, you know, just cause you and everybody else listening to us think about that. You know, you don't. I don't know that we think about that occurring while we're in the moment, you know. But uh those four, fifth, sixth graders you're dealing with now are laying and his baseball and all that. It's you know, you fast forward 20 years, and when they're 25 and 30 years old, somebody's gonna ask him that question, and your name's gonna come up. You know, you don't you need to we need to keep in mind that that what we're doing is going to impact the future, whether we realize it or not.

SPEAKER_04 12:41

Well, you know, Greg brought that up Wednesday night in our training about him being a carpenter, you know, and building a lot of cabinets and coming in on the final days of it, you know. He started thinking about it, he said, man, you know, the most important job of a building a house is the foundation workers. And they don't even get to see the finished product most of the time. They don't get to see the inside, they don't get to see the you know the joy that comes from a family when they move into their house for the first time, you know. And how that's okay, you know, that's what he said, you know, it's okay. I'm okay with that because I know that down the road, what I'm discipling, what I'm putting into their lives, will ultimately not only they remember, but I think it really resonated with those people that are dealing with the four and the five-year-olds.

SPEAKER_01 13:28

Yeah. You know, you think they can barely talk, right? Walk, but how am I impacted them, you know, for the next 20 years? Tremendously. But that that's exactly what he was trying to say. What you're doing now will pay dividends when they're fifth graders. Yep. And they're seniors. They'll remember that.

SPEAKER_00 13:43

And it goes on to finish product. That's right.

SPEAKER_04 13:47

Well, it goes back to that question, all right. Where are you at right now? Are you at a point in your life, and I think it goes for all of us, and I think you even made the comment when he's the night, preacher, you know, yes, us as pastors, we have the ability to, or not the ability, but we have that that's part of our job description, I guess you could say. Like we are, it's everybody's job to do it, need to be doing it, but you know, we do it on a regular basis. Where are you at and Zach and Philip? Y'all the only ones here that you know where are y'all at in your life to decide. And Zach's in the same position. So Philip, you left that, but so he's decided. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 14:24

I I can speak on Philip. Like he probably don't even realize the impact he's making on some coworkers.

SPEAKER_04 14:29

In the DOT department, that's right.

SPEAKER_01 14:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:31

I mean them trucks you pulling over. I saw yesterday. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 14:35

Man, you got some good eyes.

SPEAKER_01 14:38

So I mean, it's uh it's uh it's a ever you you don't have to be in a church setting or a you know anything like that to be that for Christ everywhere we everything we do.

SPEAKER_02 14:48

Well you you bring that up if you if you live a certain way and people go go through something, they're gonna look at you because they can see the fruits. Right. And when like I said, when they're going through something, that they know who to go to because they they can see a certain aspect of somebody's life.

SPEAKER_00 15:10

I well I've said it here lately, and and you know, I believe people are searching for truth all over this world. And they can see truth in people, you know, if you're being that godly example, so they're gonna come to you.

SPEAKER_01 15:22

Right. And something really making an impression.

SPEAKER_00 15:26

Yeah, there's something authentic about you, you know. Yeah, exactly right.

SPEAKER_01 15:31

And that that calls them asked that question, what's what's different? What's different about you? What's up with this dude? Yeah, you know, or this girl. What what they got that I ain't got kind of thing.

SPEAKER_02 15:41

And what they have to realize is you probably went through something too. Yeah, you know, to get there.

SPEAKER_01 15:46

God may he may very well. We it's hard for us to see this this perspective, you know. He may allow you to experience some some tough times in life just to use you in the future. I mean, I I I'll I'll feed Zach here since it's on his mind in Corinthians. Paul had thorny flesh. We don't know what that is, but it's quite possible that God used that. You know, whatever that whatever that ailment was or disability was that he had, no doubt there people looked at him and said, Well, look at this guy. Look what he's doing. I don't hear him complaining.

SPEAKER_00 16:18

Yeah, well, and Jesus said that to him. He said, My grace is all you need. My power works best in your weakness. So whatever you're dealing with. My grace. Yep. Whatever you're dealing with, I'm working through it, buddy. And people are seeing it.

SPEAKER_03 16:33

The rest of that verse, so now I'm glad to boast about my weakness so the power of Christ can work through me. That right there is what kind of that right there Wednesday night is kind of what the what hit me between the eyes. My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness. So now I'm glad to boast about my weakness. Yeah, you know, when you are discipling and you are and you are weak, I mean, people try to hide it all the time. I mean, I'm guilty of it. Um, you know, everybody's got problems, and nobody wants to be the guy that's always talking about all of his problems, and you know, people don't feel uncomfortable with sharing their problems and what's going on, their pride gets in the way, you know, and that's the very thing that can be a stumbling block there. But what did Paul say right here? He said, I'm going to boast in my weakness. And most of the time, you know, like we have a relationship right here in this room where we have right relationships with people that are around us. We know when they're weak.

SPEAKER_02 17:48

Yep. You can tell it.

SPEAKER_03 17:50

You know, you don't they don't have to say nothing for nine times out of ten for us to know that they got something going on, you know. They're acting a little different, you know, or maybe they're not saying much, or maybe they got this, yeah, maybe they got this look on their face, you know, or this slump in their shoulders, or whatever it is. But how cool is that as a testament that when you know somebody is weak and yet they still boast about the goodness of God and that this is Christ's work in me. Yeah. You know, so that's peculiar, that's weird. That's not like we that's not the ways of the world.

SPEAKER_00 18:27

You know, we were talking about counseling earlier, and it it usually goes like this: you have two different types of people. You have someone that comes in that needs help but don't want to admit it almost like like, oh, I'm not really struggling, you know, I'm good, this and that. Put it off on somebody else kind of thing. And then you have that person that's just broken. Yep. That says, Man, I I am, I'm just struggling there. I need some help. And they realize their weakness. And that's what I was trying to do with the teenager Sunday or Wednesday night is saying, hey, we all have something. We all have a weakness. We're gonna talk about this a little bit, we're gonna be real with each other. And that's kind of where we're going next week with this. And I'm gonna, you know, talk about some things in my life, but but we all have that weakness. And I believe, personally, I believe that what Paul was dealing with here was a sinful thing because it's brought up in Romans. But it was a sinful thing, and the reason I believe that is because he, and I I told this to you, preacher, he uses the word grace here. Well, grace is only needed when you fail, right? Grace is provided when you fail. So it's it's it's a sin issue.

SPEAKER_01 19:45

Yeah, I think you include mercy in that too, but yeah, maybe I ought to spend some time talking about those who think grace and mercy, but and the difference, but either way you go. It it's a source and a power from somewhere else. That's not in you. That's grace, and that's mercy as well. And that's what you need. When you're somebody like Paul and you tap into that, it shows up in your life, and people look, well, how in the world is he dealing with this, but yet he's still boasting in the Lord.

SPEAKER_00 20:15

Well, you're talking about grace and mercy. I've I've heard it said like this Grace, you go to the prodigal son. Grace is when the dad hugged a son when he got back. Said, I love you, son. Mercy is we finna throw a party because you're here. You know. That's that's the how you can wrap it all back together.

SPEAKER_01 20:36

But I used to have a really good definition for the difference between those two. The way you had it was a couple of months. But I cannot remember it.

SPEAKER_04 20:46

You had it a couple months ago because you preached about it. I can't I had it on a sticky note up there on that table.

SPEAKER_01 20:53

Yeah, it's really cool how it works out, but I can't remember it.

SPEAKER_04 20:56

Well, I think you gotta realize something about grace too. You know, you mentioned grace, but you get grace comes when you do something wrong. I think grace also comes when you least expect it. Right. I mean, one of that one of Paul's main things in every single one of his letters, and even Peter, first thing he says, Grace to you. Grace to you as a church.

SPEAKER_00 21:16

Yeah. All right. I think there's only one time where he says, mercy first.

SPEAKER_04 21:20

Yeah, right. But he says, Grace to you, mercy to you, peace to you, you know. When he's coming to you, hey, listen, I'm bringing this gift of salvation, but this gift of what Jesus Christ has given us on earth, a breath of life, I'm bringing it to you right here. You need to be listening to me, you know. And I think it comes when we least expect it.

SPEAKER_00 21:40

Well, I've seen a different side of Paul as I've been studying throughout some of these different books. And I think Paul could have a tendency, here it says it in 2 Corinthians here, what we were studying.

unknown 21:51

I got it, preacher.

SPEAKER_00 21:52

He said, Uh, I'm putting this thorn in your side, pretty much so you don't get arrogant of what you've just seen. You could boast and be very prideful about what you were just able to see. And he's talking about Paul had a had a chance to see the future. He seen heaven, right? He had to put him back in his place and said, All right, you're gonna have a thorn in your side to keep you in humanity, right? And uh so you see in Philippians and these other books where Paul addresses the fact that he's humble, right? And he said, I haven't yet achieved these things. Meaning, I'm not I'm not perfect. I'm just a human being, just like you. And I and he as he's saying it here, I'm gonna boast about my weakness. Because through my weakness, you are made strong.

SPEAKER_02 22:44

Right.

SPEAKER_00 22:44

And it's all about Jesus in the end.

SPEAKER_03 22:48

I got it right here. We were in 2 Timothy, and uh it was the end of verse 2 where it says, May God the Father in Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace. And you went into there talking about that. And grace, I've got it wrote down, is receiving blessings that we don't deserve.

SPEAKER_01 23:08

That's it.

SPEAKER_03 23:09

And mercy is God withholding the punishment we do deserve.

SPEAKER_01 23:15

That's right. Yeah, it's profound, man. What we do deserve.

SPEAKER_02 23:22

Goodness. I can't help thinking about that song, Through the Fire. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 23:28

Here, I got another thing.

SPEAKER_00 23:31

I got another thought here while we on this. And this is Zach's fault. He brought it all up, so here we go. Um, whatever this was that that Paul was going through, this thorn in the side, you know, other people, a lot of people have different speculations on what this is. But whatever it was, this thorn in his side, it says three different times I beg the Lord to take it away from me. I beg the Lord three different times to take this away from me. And it's almost as the Lord said, No, I'm not taking it from you, because that's where my grace is made strong. Or that's where people are seeing me in you. So I've I've been guilty in the past, and I I told you this the other day, I've been guilty in the past. Lord, this is what I'm struggling with, this is what I'm dealing with. Take it away from me. Make it where I don't even a part of it, you know. Don't have no option to even be a part of it. And if he takes that away from us, are we are we uh building our faith? You know, he says, wait a minute now, that's where I'm made strong, is in your weakness. Absolutely. Let people see that you're growing through me in your weakness. That's my thought.

SPEAKER_01 24:42

All right, here we go. I had a man say this one time, I never forgot it. And uh that he was a uh he's a squalor. You know, he had the position of the pastor, stood up in the pulpit and preached a lot, but he got really emotional a lot. And it embarrassed him as a man, you know, as a young man. And so he prayed and asked God to remove those tears. He's saying it as a weakness. Yeah, and then later on in life, he said it's the worst thing I ever did. Worst thing I ever did is because I became insensitive, you know, and it it removed a very important part of me, you know, in speaking. And uh he was saying it as a testimony, but also as a word of advisement to others. Don't be ashamed of that. That's not a weakness. And it the way he said it, tears is a language God understands. So whenever you are in that position, you're praying God remove something from my life, what you just said, then you need to think about that a little bit. That's good advice.

SPEAKER_00 25:44

It is real good advice. And I I was thinking along the lines of a sin, you know.

SPEAKER_04 25:50

I understand. Well, here's here's a here's an example, a perfect example, I think. I think if he was here, he'd speak to it. We take Duke Wayne, for example. He has spoken to this multiple times, you know, the the sin of addiction, you know, what he's gone through his life, you know. Ultimately, he's given that to God and he don't want to look back on it. Hey, he's that where he's where he needs to be in his life. He says, you know, I just need to keep on going, you know. Now, yes, granted, someone hearing my testimony will use it, or God will use that. Yeah. But I don't even want to think about it. I don't even want to go back. Right? I've given it all to God.

SPEAKER_00 26:26

Why should he would say the words, that ain't gonna take my peace from me? That's right.

SPEAKER_04 26:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 26:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:33

Sometimes I think that we get so caught up on the the result. We want the result, but we don't want to go through the process. That's exactly right. Yep, yep. You know, we don't want to embrace the waiting, the hard times, you know. I mean, we talked, Lane, you asked us where you at? You know, Philip setting on go. You know, my legs, I feel like sometimes they're gonna fall off. I'm going, you know, and they're there are thorns in my side whenever I am looking through the lens of the world and observing my life and going, man, I don't have time to think. I don't have hardly time to take a shower in between this. And God, I'm just wore out, you know, and this is a thorn in my side. And, you know, why am I going through this and stuff? And then you read 2 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 8, three different times I beg you, Lord, to take it away. And he says, My grace is enough. Yep. My power is works best in weakness.

SPEAKER_01 27:41

I've experienced it and I've seen it. And I can tell you an instance, a specific instance. I think I could probably say you and Philip both on this because you're on stage, you know, playing the guitar or whatever you're doing. But you know, you you're going through those things and nobody knows it. God knows it. And here I gotta perform. I gotta get up, you you know, you approach it that way.

SPEAKER_06 28:03

Right.

SPEAKER_01 28:03

And then you hit you hit that first thing and you get going, and you know, you get get to singing and it just it just evaporates. Yeah, it does. You know, it just evaporates. So it kind of God is gracious enough to put us back in that perspective. Yeah, you know. So yeah, life may be tough and maybe hard. You're going through a lot, but you can't like practice. It's wrapped up in the praises.

SPEAKER_00 28:26

I think about you, preacher, on, and I ain't gonna, you know, give you a life story out, but there's been times where you've had to stand in the pulpit and not really want to be there at that moment. Oh wow. And because of certain circumstances as it took place, and and I can, you know, that's when God said, You do what I ask you to, and I'll you knew you had to, you had to you had to do it. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:50

You couldn't not. And you my grace is sufficient. I'll give it to you. And you look at after that, it's just another step. You know, you just you just progress to a little different level in an understanding of what God can do and what he will do for you if you just simply be faithful to him. I knew what he had, I knew what I had to do and what he wanted me to do, and I didn't want to, but I did it anyway. Yeah. That's when I experienced him.

SPEAKER_04 29:17

You go you go back to what you just said right there, all right? Let's go to this question now. You you figured out where you're at in your life right now. Where you're where you're at. Now what do you do with it? What figured out that you're how you're gonna do it?

SPEAKER_01 29:30

You've got to embrace it. You can you can you can you can approach it, all right. What did I say here? You asked me, I'm in a season of counseling. In the back of your mind, you're thinking, you know what, I'd love to be sitting in my chair right now. Or I'd like to be doing what I want to do, or I can be out bush hogging some deer lanes or whatever, but I'm up here talking to these people who are not getting it, and da da da da da.

SPEAKER_03 29:50

You can view it as a thorn in the side.

SPEAKER_01 29:52

But then you realize, yeah, you know, after the even after the counseling session or whatever, you realize that that was the Lord's will. That's right. God wanted you right there at that moment. That's right.

SPEAKER_00 30:03

Oh, yeah, and when it's all said and done is when you sit back and think and go, I'm sorry, God, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 30:09

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:10

I almost missed it.

SPEAKER_01 30:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:12

I almost missed it.

SPEAKER_02 30:13

I knew it because I'd experienced it before, you know. Zach, when you're talking about, you know, going and doing and just rushing everywhere you're going, you know, you're probably thinking, man, I just need a day. Give me a day. Yeah. Hey, it won't be too long. I'm right there with you, the kids and everything. There's gonna be a day where we're like, man, I wish there were some kids here. You know?

SPEAKER_03 30:31

Yeah, oh yeah, absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 30:33

You know, we're going through the season of rushing and doing and going, and then we're gonna be like, well, they gone.

SPEAKER_03 30:39

And you know, the only time that you can slow down is, and I'm gonna tell you what does it for me, is come to church Sunday morning. You know, come to church, come and sit around this table with you guys, this podcast. You know, slow down when Wednesday night. Look, God used God didn't Ryan didn't know this, but God used Ryan Wednesday night, and it just spoke to me. All right. I appreciate it. I don't it spoke to me. God spoke right to me, right through you, brother, Wednesday night. And this this is lifting my spirits this week, you know, because I have I've been in that season. I'm in the thick of it right now, and I'm like, oh man, Lord, I don't know if I'm ready for another round of this this year, you know. And uh, and I can view it as a thorn on my side, but you know, when you open up this book and you read it and you let God's word speak to you, and it doesn't change your situation, but it changes your perspective.

SPEAKER_04 31:35

All right, let's talk about this for a second. There needs to be some attitude adjustments going on in some people's lives today. Do y'all agree?

SPEAKER_03 31:42

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 31:42

I don't know what you're talking about. Calm down over there.

SPEAKER_01 31:48

Before you get too gone, let me let me say something that tap into what what Zach said about sitting and listening. You know, you may not realize what you're fixing to hear is exactly what God needed you to hear. But I experienced some of that Wednesday night, you know, and talking on the subject of discipleship. I think some people come to that training though. I heard a preacher stealing my thunder here. So that's what I was about to say. You gotta sit here for an hour, hour and a half, da-da-da-da-da. And then all of a sudden it gets going and they hear something and they're they're intrigued and they're pulled in, you know. Yeah. And that's it. And then when it's all over with, you think, man, I could have missed that. I could have come up with an excuse not to come thinking this is gonna be boring. I don't need that. But at and then on the next breath, God fed me. I need to hear that.

SPEAKER_00 32:32

Yep. So Lane, are you saying that's so Lane, are you saying you have some workers that need an attitude to do that?

SPEAKER_04 32:40

Absolutely, 100%. I ain't scared to say it. But that my point going down this, that was gonna be my second point going into it. But you take Zach, you know, he came in Wednesday night. What you have to do on a Wednesday night by the leading worship, getting teenagers ready, but and then after you've been out of days full of work, getting your own kids here, you know, but having the attitude, hey, I'm coming here not for anything but for the Lord. That's right. Everything's got to disappear. I'm here for the Lord. I I wanna be still. That's right.

SPEAKER_00 33:13

I want to bring Zach up here for a minute because he does work uh, you know, an eight-hour, ten-hour day, whatever, before you get here on a Wednesday night. All right. And I'm sure you come in like a day like Wednesday, hot, hundred and something degree weather. Oh yeah. And uh, and when you get here, you got what, eight to ten teenagers looking at you. We've got a pretty good sized band now.

SPEAKER_03 33:38

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:39

And they're like, oh, you know, you got to you almost got to put on that good mood, you got to put on that good personality, you got to, you it don't matter what took place at work, you got to be different here.

SPEAKER_03 33:50

Oh yeah, there's been some days you roll in, you pull in that parking lot, you get out of the truck, you know, run home, shower, and this time of the year, look, I'm hot-natured guys, so you come home after on a hot day, you get in that shower, it's like I never quit sweating. You know, I just I get out of the truck, I'm just like, oh my Lord. Yeah, it's just Lord help me. You know, like I'll take a breath and go on to the next deal, you know. And uh yeah, I mean it it it it's tough and it's challenging, you know, but hey, I feel like God has placed me through certain things in my life and has led me up into this point where where he's got me in this season and and and he knows he's he's using me, you know. And and I realize that his grace is enough, you know, and I hope that we I can pour into these teams and shout out to the band, they did awesome, you know. We've they practiced hard. We've had three hard practices this summer and we've gotten to know each other, and and they did they did awesome Wednesday night as well. But it yeah, it is uh it is challenging.

SPEAKER_02 34:57

Then you turn around and practice for Sunday morning.

SPEAKER_03 35:00

Yeah. But I'm gonna tell you something, guys. In the evening. I those rehearsals, those, those laid back practices, you know, kind of getting things right, yeah, we're we're using our talents and blessings and trying to get everything as as good as we can get it, you know, to uh to be excellent, you know, to strive for that. And I don't think there's anything wrong with that. But hey, look, on those nights, man, sometimes you have to feel it it's a it's a praise session, you know. It it is, you know, you especially just as good as Sunday morning. Oh yeah. Yeah, it is. And next thing you know, you look up and it's nine o'clock, you're like, man, we got to we got to go. We gotta go.

SPEAKER_04 35:44

But if they go back to work tomorrow, if you did not have the attitude of that, would it reflect what comes out Sunday?

SPEAKER_01 35:52

Everybody'd see it. Right, absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 35:54

Right. So therefore, when you don't have the attitude to come to when you come to church and you don't have the attitude to disciple, worship, preach, even, is it gonna reflect your life, your walk? Absolutely. And so I I just when you brought that up a while ago, you know, when you said yeah, you came in here and God spoke to Ryan or God God worked through Ryan on Wednesday night, you know, and he spoke to you, but just having the attitude, the right attitude.

SPEAKER_01 36:23

Apply the same principle, Lane, to the the people listening to us that's going to work. They're not going to the pulpit, they're not going to perform, they're not going to minister, they're not going to preach, just going to work. All right. And having that bad attitude, and everybody around you know this. Something ain't right at home, something ain't right with that individual. You can identify another people. Yeah. What's what's the word for them?

SPEAKER_04 36:45

Well, this is I heard this, this is a testimony I heard last night. Man said that he seen his wife in the Word every morning. She gets up, do her makeup, breakfast, whatever, you know. And he's like, Why can I do that? I've got to go to work at five o'clock. And most times I don't get off till 6 30, 7 o'clock after working in a, you know, uh no air conditioner place such as Zach, like like where he works. You know, hot, sweaty, ready to get home, just tired, wore out, going to bed, get back up, do it again tomorrow. So where can he step in to ultimately hear the word of God? Or have the attitude, hey, I need to be in my word. And ultimately, he found time. And that time was, hey, I ain't doing nothing but you know, working, I'm putting some headbutt uh earbuds in, I'm gonna listen to a podcast, this podcast, or I'm gonna listen to the Bible app reading me the Bible, you know. That's where I'm gonna find time. He found time, but he had to make the effort to. And then the result from it was hey, salvation, you know.

SPEAKER_02 37:45

There's there's different um avenues you can take. Like you gotta get sometimes you gotta be a little creative on how you listen to the word. Because I I do it when I'm at the gym. I put K love on, or I um listen to a podcast when I'm working out, you know, and then when I'm working, actually working. I mean, I'm saying I'm surrounding myself with the word, yeah, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_01 38:13

Saturating your life with it. That's that's a disciple. That's I don't know if I brought that out the other night or not, but but get as close as you can get. Saturate, dog. And I that's the one in counseling, that's something I point to everybody to. I said, you know, an hour a week listening to a sermon is not gonna get it to you. That's right. You're never gonna grow, you're never gonna get to the place you definitely desire to be. You have to fill your life, fill those voids with God, some way, shape, form, or fashion. Be creative about it. But expose yourself. And I told one couple, I said, quit quit dropping your children off. Yeah. You park your car and get out and come with them. That's right. You know, that's if you really want God to show up in your life and your marriage and your parenting ability and all that, then intentionally put yourself in that position.

SPEAKER_04 39:02

There you go. It goes back to that too, but you gotta go back to 1 Peter chapter 2. You've got to try to figure out a way to taste and see it. And continue to taste and see it.

SPEAKER_01 39:12

Amen. Figure out a way. Yeah. It ain't rocket times.

SPEAKER_02 39:18

And I'm like you, I think once they taste it, oh man. They taste the goodness.

SPEAKER_01 39:26

Is that one of our jobs as pastures, sheep, shepherds? But it's provide atmospheres and opportunities for people to taste, you know, God's goodness, God's grace, God's mercy, all those things. Yes, it is. And be creative in doing so. There's people who would take issue with that.

unknown 39:44

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 39:45

But uh, I'm not too worried about them people.

SPEAKER_03 39:51

Well, you know, here's another thing though, I don't mean to cut you off here, but you can prepare the finest meal and put it all out there on the plate and set it right in front of them. But at the end of the day, preacher, they're the ones that gotta eat it. They gotta eat it. Yeah, yeah. Exactly right.

SPEAKER_01 40:07

And that's where you gotta trust God for the results. That's right. You just do your own.

SPEAKER_03 40:10

Only God can handle that part. That's it. You know.

SPEAKER_01 40:13

I'm gonna sing this song, and I'm gonna sing it from the heart. Ain't about how they receive it out there or if they participate, that's between them and God. Yeah. You know, you make your effort, y'all stand up, let's get into this, let's pray to the Lord, and da da da da. And they sitting there looking at you like, they're the ones losing. Right? You trust the Lord to work on that heart. You ain't nothing you can do about it. You've done all you could do. There's only one person raising their hands, that's a preacher. That's it.

SPEAKER_02 40:40

Or hollering, uh, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 40:44

I can't be quiet about it. That's just me.

SPEAKER_02 40:46

Let me tell you, when you do that and we're on stage, that that is a real big encouragement.

SPEAKER_01 40:52

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 40:53

I've heard him say, Yep. Right in the middle of the verse, yep.

SPEAKER_04 40:57

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 41:01

I don't know about you. I was preaching one Sunday night, I remember that, and he yelled out, thank you. That must have been pretty good.

SPEAKER_03 41:12

Well, I mean there you go.

SPEAKER_01 41:13

You need an Amen corner.

SPEAKER_03 41:15

To see it, to see, to see results, you know, is definitely big encouragement. Very true. There's no doubt, you know. Very true. It's so easy to get down. It it's it's it's really tough to trust God, you know, during heaven or hell, and you've been up here, you know, six, seven, eight hours, and it's getting into those wee hours in the morning and that bell hadn't rung yet. You know, or you know, you've prepared all week. Are we really making a difference, sir? Yeah. Yeah, you know. Anybody getting this? Those thoughts kind of tend to creep in and it can be discouraging, there's no doubt. But hey, my grace is all you need, you know. And uh you just be faithful.

SPEAKER_01 41:58

Let me take care of the rest. You just be faithful.

SPEAKER_03 42:01

Well, I just feel like for that worker going to work today, and for the people that are out in the world, you know, that your situation that you're in, God has you there for a reason, and your perspective can mean all the difference in the world. If you're looking through the lens of Christ, and you're looking through the lens of what the Bible has has to offer and to teach you, and you're in God's word, then you're looking through a biblical lens. You're not looking through a lens of the way the world views our secular lives. And that is your sights being on heaven. You know, we're gonna face death. All right, that's the wages of our sin. Nobody's gonna escape that, and nobody's looking forward to it. You know, everybody there's a lot of people in survival mode that they're focused on the thorn that's been placed in their side, and you know, they're they're comparing their lives to the others around them and and all these worldly views that we easily get caught up in, and I'm not excluded in that whatsoever. But when you set your sights on heaven and you say, Hey, there's gonna there's treasure stored up there for me, you know, and aside from all of that, I'm gonna praise and worship my God for eternity. And none of and all of this goes away. This pain, this suffering, this sorrow, all the things that this world has to offer me, which is just that, you know. All this goes away. Everything I own returns to dust. This is what I've got to look forward to. When your perspective changes to that part, then hey, you can have joy in your heart. You got that right. True joy.

SPEAKER_01 43:49

You know, I think one of the greatest ways I have found to try to get people to grab a hold of that perspective you mentioned. And that's humongous. Is this, uh, because everybody's looking at obstacles. Everybody's looking at these, whether whether it's uh an illness, a cancer, or a job, or a boss, or a a spouse, even, or kids. How am I gonna get this 15-year-old raised, right? These obstacles. And you realize this though, the greatest obstacle any of us face is death. Well, that's been took care of. So if we've already conquered the greatest obstacle that stands before anybody, what are these little things? They're not. Don't look at them that way. See the opportunity in it. That's right. That's a perspective that's so hard to get people to grasp, but it's so true. You know, there is no obstacle. There are only opportunities for the child of God because the greatest of obstacles, which is death, has been took care of. So we don't have anything. That with that perspective right there will free you up and allow you to live in a way that is unusual, peculiar, strange to the world around you. I see my little my little wife, and she's just amazing. But for instance, all right, we're at Car Time on Monday morning and thinking, uh, here the cancer's coming back, kind of thing. Every reason in the world to just be in your feelings and in yourself, and I mean she she's getting other people's phone, taking you know, they I mean she's in county, she's just because it's who she is. Just uh I I seen I come walking down the hall having a cup of coffee and she's taking a picture of another lady who has cancer, you know, that's wanting a picture with this beautiful painting up here and just interacting. You know, the furthest thing from her mind is is thinking about her situation. And that's a hard, hard thing to do. But the only way you can carry yourself and live that away is by having that perspective. This is that attitude thing that God's put there's something, Lord's doing something here. I don't know what it is. No. And I'm not gonna try to figure out what it is, I'm gonna trust. Amen. And I'm just gonna be.

SPEAKER_04 46:04

You know exactly what it is, it's the will of the Father. Ryan, read that sign that's behind Philip. That's up on there on the wall. I've been been trying to shut up about it, but read that sign.

SPEAKER_00 46:13

The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you.

SPEAKER_01 46:22

Oh man. Figuring out the will of God. My goodness. All right. It's the sovereign will of God, there's the moral will of God, there's the permissive will of God, there's the particular will of God. All of that needs its own sermon, right? I mean, there, and none of those things are easily figured out. But there's one of those things that you don't have to worry about figuring out. That is the sovereign will of God. You know, because it's written in his word, what you're to do as a man, as a woman, as a son, as a daughter, as a brother, as a sister, as an employee, you know the sovereign God wants you to do this, so you don't have to figure that out. And you focus on being in that, being in the sovereign will of God. Those other things, the moral, the permissive, the particular, is gonna take care of itself. That's right. Just focus on the sovereign will of God, doing what he says in his word for you to do. That's a good place to be. Amen. Okay. I'm done now, fellow.

SPEAKER_02 47:21

Well, that's that's twice this week I've heard you say uh perspective. I think that's that's real interesting. If you take that different perspective of what you're going through and and looking through the end the lens of our Father, Jesus, and applying that in your life. I mean, I I think it just does does a 180 for everybody.

SPEAKER_01 47:47

That's what counseling is. Yeah. It's trying to get people to see their situation, their circumstances from a different perspective. And most of them see it as, oh my gosh, how am I gonna get through this? I gotta talk to somebody, dah dah da, and that's fine. But then your job is to try to get them to see it from a different light. You know, yeah, it may be bad, and I don't want to diminish your circumstance, whatever it is, but I can guarantee you it ain't close to death. And death's been dealt with. But really, what you got before you is an opportunity for you to get back to God. Turn around. The Lord redirecting your life. Allowing you to experience some things, even in a marriage relationship where we're on the verge of divorce. Okay. Look at it from a different perspective. Is it really that bad? Is it something you can't overcome? I mean, you've overcome death through Jesus Christ. What else? How how can it it can't be that bad? And just having that perspective.

unknown 48:43

Anyway.

SPEAKER_01 48:45

I'm not gonna I'm not gonna say, all right, I'm done, I'm rattling because Kim gets on to me. She said, You say that on every podcast.

SPEAKER_02 48:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 48:51

So what I talk too much.

SPEAKER_02 48:52

Well, people come here or come to this podcast to listen to you, so. No, they don't.

SPEAKER_04 48:57

He said he's gonna lay down and then uh be in this podcast. Well, take it easy.

SPEAKER_00 49:02

Well, I'm sitting here listening to y'all, and I'm thinking about weaknesses and stuff that people may be going through. And I'll reveal one of my biggest ones. And it I would say my biggest weakness, one of my biggest weaknesses is regret in life. And what I mean by that is I had, you know, I things in the past that I regret doing, and no one else may ever think about them, you know, but I do. And I think to myself, man, how in the world? Why? You know? But I've also learned that God uses those regrets that I went through or did to help somebody else. You know, you talk about counseling and stuff like that, you know, it it grew me. It helped put me into a spot. And I maybe that's what Paul's talking about here is, you know, in my mind, I'm like, Lord, just I don't even ever want to think about that again. Get that out of my mind. But he's like, hey, that's where I was made strong. Absolutely. Because of where you're at now. So I guess encouraging someone, you know, you may have things in your life where you're like, I wish I'd never even had to think about that again.

SPEAKER_01 50:17

Well I messed up big time.

SPEAKER_00 50:18

Yeah. And God may be like, I'm using that in you. Don't. I'm not gonna take that away from you.

SPEAKER_03 50:26

That's a big key part of discipleship, I think, is when you are the one doing the discipling, it's it's hard to confess or expose those weaknesses. Yeah. But it's vital because that's that's the key part of your personal testimony that you may not share. And that's that's the key, that's the whole key point. It's not your testimony as a Christian is not about what you did, it's about what God brought you through. And when you omit or leave out that part of that weakness, and then you're basically watering down the magnitude of what God brought you through. You know, that's the kind of the whole point of sitting down with a young person or Ryan, you and I having a conversation out in the parking lot because, you know, hey, I'm struggling, this is what I'm going through right now, you know. Well, if I'm sharing a testimony about all of the things that I messed up or my sin and when I was indulging, if I leave all of that out, then they can't see just how big God played a role in my life because they go, Wow, here you are now, yeah, and I'm seeing who you are now. I'm seeing the light in Christ in you now, and and how God has blessed you and poured his blessings out upon your life, but you were there, and he brought you through that.

SPEAKER_00 52:03

Well, you know, you take Paul for an example here. Maybe his thorn in his side was who his past, you know, who he used to be. He's regretting, he's remembering, man. I used to, you know, what was he known for? He was known for uh killing and pointing out Christians that believed in, you know, people that believed in Christ. And all the way to their death, right? With what correct me if I'm wrong, but he was the one that made the stoning of Stephen happen, you know. He allowed it. He allowed it. And he maybe that was his thorn as he's going to these other churches, he's going to these people trying to lead them closer to Christ. And in his mind, he's thinking, well, they remembered what I used to do.

SPEAKER_01 52:50

And when somebody hears that, if you're vulnerable enough to, or that ain't the right word, if you're strong enough to share your past regrets, your past mistakes, and how God brought you through that, then man, that's a that's an aha moment for a lot of people. I identified that, I don't remember what the circumstance was or what he was even talking about. I remember a particular kid that uh Lane was talking and he mentioned of the fact that and he said something, well, I know my parents went through a divorce. And for them, for them to know, oh, you've experienced this, it's kind of shocking that to them that they would think you yeah, you can identify. But no, now you got a listener because you can you can identify they can identify that you have been there. So when you talk, you know what you're talking about. Yeah. Makes sense?

SPEAKER_04 53:43

Logan brought up the the phrase of being identified or identifyable identifiable. Is that what he said there in camp?

SPEAKER_01 53:49

That's it, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 53:50

Yep. You know, he ever all the kids were referring to him as delivery man, UPS man, right? He said, Oh, that's fine, that's great. I mean, that's what I do. But that's not what I want to be identified as. I'm gonna be identified as a sinner saved by grace. Amen. You know, let God use that. Yeah. So what what how much time we got? We got about six, about five minutes.

SPEAKER_00 54:16

So I want to give my encouragement here. I'm gonna give my encouragement.

SPEAKER_04 54:20

Yeah, go ahead. We'll go ahead and go around. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 54:22

And I learned this at camp and I shared it with y'all, but something that really, really hit me, and I think these listeners, you know, can can take something from it wherever you're at in life. If you're thinking about regret, if you're going through something, cancer, just sin, whatever you know you may go through. Brother Roy said this one time, and man, it stuck with me. He said, just be still. Be still and realize what God's doing. Be still. And that's that verse. And what is it? What verse is that? I don't know, but he says, Be still and know that I am God. Yep. I'm doing something here in your life.

SPEAKER_01 55:02

Psalms.

SPEAKER_00 55:03

It's Psalms something. Yeah, I know. But he says, I'm doing something in your life. Just be still and don't hurry up and get through it. Don't, don't Psalms, it was Moses. No.

SPEAKER_01 55:17

Speaking to the children on the edge of the Red Sea.

SPEAKER_00 55:20

Okay. I'll take your word for it. I I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_01 55:22

Before the waters parted, he said, be still, know that I'm God. Be still and watch what's gonna happen.

SPEAKER_00 55:28

Yeah. Well, he may have said it.

SPEAKER_01 55:29

And he parted the waters.

SPEAKER_00 55:31

Yeah, you're right. Anyway, he he said, be still. Just be still. If you're in this situation, if you're in cancer, if you're going through regret, if you're, you know, just be still. And wherever you're weak, I'm major. That's my encouragement.

SPEAKER_02 55:50

I got one. So if you're you're thinking, I'm not seeing God. I'm I'm not I'm praying. I got unanswered prayers. I'm struggling. You're not tasting it. Yeah, I'm struggling. Where where is he at? You know. Um God said he'll never leave you or forsake you. But God is always on time every time.

SPEAKER_04 56:21

Remain faithful.

SPEAKER_02 56:23

He's always on time.

SPEAKER_03 56:24

Amen.

SPEAKER_04 56:25

Remain faithful. Zach, what you got?

SPEAKER_03 56:29

I'm gonna echo verse 10 and keep on going right here because it just keeps getting better. Yeah, he said, that is why I take pleasure in my weakness, in the insults, the hardships, persecution, and the troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I'm weak, then I'm strong. Through Christ. That's right.

SPEAKER_04 56:57

I am weak. Amen. But he is strong. Yes.

SPEAKER_03 57:04

That's not it. We sang a camp and um sang it a couple times here now. We sang it. Um it's not watching work. Watch him work. That song, the course of that song, the very first line says, watch him work all things together like he said he would. Like he said he would. What kind of awesome faith, you know. Have that kind of faith because in your weakness you were made strong in Christ. So just be still, watch him work.

SPEAKER_04 57:33

Brother David, what you got to finish us off for today?

SPEAKER_01 57:36

Oh, I'm gonna tap into what uh these boys just finished with, particularly Philip. He said, God's always there. There's three-point sermon to that, Philip. And one is God is able, God is available, God is always right on time. That rolls right off your tongue, you know, with them A's. Abel, available, that comes to Daniel chapter 3. That famous text where the three Hebrew boys, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendigo, stood before the king. Said, If it be so, King, you can throw us in this fire. If it be so, our God is able to deliver us from this burning fiery furnace. He's available, he's able, available, and always right there. Amen. Trust him. But he still know who he is.

SPEAKER_04 58:20

I'm gonna finish on a verse I preached on Sunday night, and not saying that I failed in no means. It's just not what the Holy Spirit, you know, really hit home with me. But after reading it more and more and just seeing it, I really wish I'd have honed in a little bit more on verse one of chapter four. I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing in his kingdom. And that word charge there, just having the mindset, the attitude, go back to the attitude, perspective of, hey, one day I'm gonna stand before we all are gonna stand before the Lord God Almighty, dead or alive, and uh ultimately he's gonna be the judge. Therefore, I've got a job at hand. My job is this, you know, go make disciples.

SPEAKER_01 59:04

I charge you. I charge you.

SPEAKER_04 59:07

Man, how important it is. So good stuff, boys. Good stuff. What do y'all got planning for the weekend?

SPEAKER_01 59:14

Uh, don't know. Thanks, y'all. Thanks for listening to us. Anybody who is hearing this podcast.

SPEAKER_04 59:19

Absolutely. Hope it's a blessing. Who wants to close us out this morning? Zach.

SPEAKER_03 59:24

Go ahead. I'll pray. Dear gracious Heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you for your grace, Lord. For it is sufficient, Lord. We thank you for working through us, Lord, when we feel like we're incapable. Lord, we just thank you for showing up in mighty ways when we are weak. Lord, for when we are weak, we know we are made strong by you. Lord, I just pray for all of our listeners, Lord, all of our church body that is out in the in the world today, Lord, and they're starting their day, Lord. I just pray that uh you just put your guiding hand around them, Lord, lead their steps. Lord, we have a mile-long prayer list, Lord, and you know every single name and every need there. Lord, and I just ask that your will be done in those situations, God. Lord, I just thank you for our leaders, Lord, our pastors here in this church, Lord. I ask that you just continue to fill them with your Holy Spirit until their cup runs over, Lord, so that they can pour out into the lives of the congregation, Lord, and and as they get go through the world, Lord, and and they uh just are shining lights, Lord, and just beams of light, Lord, and showing Christ in every situation that they go for, Lord. Just give us the strength and the courage, Lord, to change our perspective, Lord, to get in your word and allow it to speak to our hearts, Lord, so that it can change the way we think, Lord, and that we are focused upon heaven, Lord, and what you have in store for us there, Lord, and we're not investing in this world and the things that it has to offer, Lord. Lord, I just pray that Satan will flee, Lord, in the name of Jesus, God, Lord, that um he will get off of our backs, Lord, and we can put him behind us, Lord, and that we know that you have already defeated him, Lord, when you you are risen out of the grave, God, Lord, and I just pray that we always come back to the cross, Lord, and what you did for us on Calvary, Lord. We're forever thankful, Lord. I ask that you forgive us of our many sins and our failures, God. Lord, and that you just go with us throughout the rest of the week. Bring us back on Sunday, Lord, so that we can praise and serve you together. Lord, I ask all these things, your son's name, Jesus. Amen.