Don't Give Up Season 2 Ep 9: Victory

This week, Howard Stanley of Chicago Band of Praise joins us for a powerful conversation about faith, worship, and where true victory is found.

In this episode, we talk about:

•  Placing your faith where it truly belongs 
•  Finding victory through Christ 
•  Worship in the middle of trials 
•  Encouraging believers to stay grounded in God’s promises 
•  The role music and ministry play in strengthening faith 

Howard shares wisdom, testimony, and encouragement from years in ministry, reminding us that real victory doesn’t come from circumstance — it comes from trusting God.

No matter what battle you’re facing, remember where your strength comes from.

Don’t Give Up.

🎧 Podcasts We Love & Recommend

👉 Aligned Podcast
 https://www.youtube.com/@alignedpodcast2024

👉 The Rev Show Podcast
 https://www.youtube.com/@revhix

👉 The Devote Cast
 https://www.youtube.com/@TheDevotecast

👉 HTY On Air
 /@hty_on_air

👉 Josh Lovell
 https://www.youtube.com/@Josh_Lovell

👉 Good Fight Studios
 https://www.youtube.com/@Indy_Filmmaker

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Alright, so we're back. This is I'm gonna have to turn my phone off. I'm sorry. Are you okay? He needs mouth to mouth. He is not Scotch.

SPEAKER_00 0:13

Huey George says the Roman camera handle the ginger ale.

SPEAKER_05 0:17

Huey George's address is if you want to know what we're laughing at. Patrick Porter just choked on a ginger ale. Confirmed he has zero scotch in his blood. Hello everyone. Welcome to Don't Give Up. I'm your host, Hamilton Smith, your co-host, Bob Brandon. We're a Christian podcast that stirs your soul and strengthens your faith. Join us as we explore powerful testimonies, the history of God's Word, and reveal Him as delivering power over addictions, depression, and life's trials. We'll celebrate success, learn from failures, and ignite your journey to arise in Christ's unstoppable grace.

SPEAKER_03 1:18

We started this podcast because we both experienced God's goodness, mercy, and power to take us from death to life. Our heart is to encourage you that no matter where you are, don't give up. God hasn't given up on you.

SPEAKER_05 1:32

Welcome back to Don't Give Up. Last week we had Brother Eddie Mesker, modern day apostle. He wouldn't tell you that, but I am. He goes everywhere. He was in Nepal, Romania, and he's gonna be going to South America here sometime soon in the future. Please go support his ministry. And today, season two, episode nine, we got brother Howard Stanley, the man, the myth, the legend. I'm not just saying it. My whole life I've grown up listening to Howard, and to have him here sitting on this podcast, gonna minister, sing, is an absolute honor. Everybody, let's give it up for Howard Stanley.

SPEAKER_02 2:18

Thank you very, very much. Thank you, thank you. I'm happy to be here. Um first time I ever did any type of podcasting. But this type of stuff is what I love. I love watching podcasts, I love um getting insight into things. I love the way that you can learn what was behind the song or behind the movie. So uh this is very interesting to me. I love it. What are you gonna sing first before we get into um I think what I what I'd like to sing is a song called Wonderful Merciful King.

SPEAKER_05 2:53

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 2:54

So I'm down here in Florida when I wrote this, and I'm walking around a theme park and I'm on Thunder Mountain with my daughter. And the kid pulls around to the top, and I look down and I see this beautiful land, and I'm thankful that moment that I'm sitting there with my girl beside me, my wife and my boy, and and I said, God, if I stand on a mountain, it's just because you stand with me. That I'm I have everything I have is because you've given to me. Everything I have is because you give it to me. And um the song started from there. So I am on Thunder Mountain and I get the voice memo thing out and it's going around, and I'm saying, if I stand on a mountain, it's just because you stand with me. Wow and we're going through trials, you've proven that you care for me. And this thing's going, you know, this roller coaster's going all around, but when you feel God's given you something, you have to get it down, you know. It's when God has given you something, like these songs, they are from God. It's not just a cliche that I'm throwing out to people like, oh God writes it. No, he honestly does because I don't have any control on when they're written. I just have to write them down as he gives it. And they don't I don't have these songs because I've earned them or I deserve them. I get these songs because I genuinely need them. And without them, sometimes I wouldn't be picked up off the ground. But that's what these songs do. They pick me up off the ground and they tell me, hey, look to Jesus. Amen. And this is what this song is. And pretty much out of all my songs, this is my prayer to God.

SPEAKER_01 4:55

If I stand on a mountain, it's just because you stand with me, and when going through trials, you proven that you care for me, and in the midst of my storm, get there all alone crying, peace, be still, oh wonderful father, hear my request if you will. Oh my wonderful merciful king. Hear me now, God, give me now. Wonderful, merciful King.

SPEAKER_02 6:37

Can I tell you what God's been to me? Come on, tell it.

SPEAKER_01 6:40

He's been a fourth man in the fire. Yes, blocking every flame from me, and he furnished the table in the presence of my enemy, and I'm set free from the dark, because he heard my call from his holy hill. Oh wonderful father, hear my request if you will let the air that I breathe, my God, let the song that I sing, let it be the worst up to you, Lord. Spirit and truthful, wonderful king, let the day not in until your heart is content with the praise that I've gave and read that you wonderful merciful king. Hear me now, God, hear me now, oh wonderful, merciful king. He's been blocking every flame from me. You wouldn't believe it, but he furnished the table. It was in the presence of my enemies. But I'm set free from the dark because he heard my call from his whole. Oh my wonderful father. Hear my request if you will, and let the air that I bring Let the sun that I sing It's gotta be worshipped to you, Lord, it's spirit and it's truthful, wonderful king. Until your heart is content with the praise that I came and the face that I'll be Oh my wonderful, merciful It No matter what the world may say, my God's works alive and it's living Let the walls crumble, let the earth start shaking. But what God's giving me, devil donuts taken with Jesus. I can stand to anything holding up the promise that he's giving me any promise promised me forever and always guess what? That's up this morning Hallelujah Oh, you gotta believe that today there's still hope that's hope this morning You gotta want it this morning Don't give up And you're still my hope Lord You're still my hope That part of that song when it says fourth man in the fire locking every flame from me if those three Hebrew boys would have had faith into who they are, they would have been consumed.

SPEAKER_02 11:15

But it shows that their faith was in the living God because he said God's gonna save us, but even if you don't okay, I'm not gonna bow my knee to you. So it don't matter what the world sends your way, what will you stand on? Amen. You say don't give up. Don't give up on Jesus. They turn that fire up seven times higher. And seven is God's perfect number, represents what he did at Calvary. And because their faith was in his perfect work, the judgment went on Christ. My judgment today went on Christ. When the enemy sees me, it sees him, it sees his son. And when God the Father sees me, it sees the son. He blocks all the flames for me. Not because I deserve it, but because he's paid for it. I'm thankful for you.

SPEAKER_03 12:09

Hallelujah.

SPEAKER_05 12:10

Thank you, Lord. You know, Bob, you said something earlier today, and we're he was trying to figure you out.

SPEAKER_03 12:17

You know, he was hard to do. Yeah, so but everybody knows you.

SPEAKER_05 12:23

Let me get into this real quick. Because I you do have a lot of questions for him. But I know. I know what he's about. You're about Jesus. You're about victory. You want to be in his presence, and every time I've ever talked to you, I gotta tell this. I'm an open book. I did a video with you years ago in Florida here, and I was I under the influence, and I knew you knew that I was, but he didn't judge me, he didn't make me feel uncomfortable. He did the video and he encouraged me. And I never forgot that. I've always loved you. But after that moment, I says, This is a man of God. You know, and uh thank you so much for coming on here today, brother. You are always been uh you always have been a uh an absolute encouragement, not just to me, but to countless amount of people around the world and our you know, our people. I know Jimmy is a huge fan. I am a huge fan. He's so excited that you're here. Yeah, yeah, we all are. Let's give Jimmy Burns a round of applause, everybody. We love you, Jim.

SPEAKER_00 13:38

No, I l I uh my dad has had that Chicago Band of Praise tape, that original tape, the two original tapes, the one with the Twilight Zone start on it, and the other one before that, and his truck since I was uh wee boy. And uh and we would listen to it all out to work. He would just let it play and let it play and let it play. So my dad's a big fan of yours as well. And uh you know, I I've known of you for forever, but it wasn't until about like 2015 or so when you come out to Phoenix that we really got to like connect and bond and we jammed on the stage and stuff like that. And uh and me and Howard become fast friends because we share a lot of the the same interests. Uh as far as like the nerdy things, yeah, we are we're big nerds, you know what I mean? Exactly. Movies and movie scores. Yeah, we're proud to be big nerds, so very proud.

SPEAKER_05 14:32

Well, I think that's cool, alright? So I don't say that lightly. I'm not making fun of you guys because I'm a nerd in a lot of ways. But um, you know, when when uh when you the other day over at the Kingdom Chasers uh conference, you started uh doing a voiceover of uh of Marty McFly. Marty McFly. And not just the voice sounded great, but the actions that you know the collar adjustment, the yeah.

SPEAKER_04 15:02

I was like, wow.

SPEAKER_01 15:04

Because he'll tell you how many times yeah, yeah, yeah. You're telling me you built a time machine.

SPEAKER_02 15:15

It's so good.

SPEAKER_04 15:20

I practiced Doc's voice for uh what was it, like an hour or whatever we was on. That's a hard voice, that was good.

SPEAKER_02 15:28

Yeah, I I enjoy I enjoy movies creativity. I I'm fascinated with it. I love it. It is like an escape. Um I don't just watch the movie, I'm like dissecting it, getting into every little thing and why they did this or why they used this lighting and studying the way that they react to it. And one great thing about that is when your your mind is geared that way, you it can also be geared that way in the spirit.

SPEAKER_05 15:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 15:58

You pay attention to the difference that Christ makes his presence walks into a room that you were so overwhelmed with your day. But when you get into the presence of God, you can pay attention to I I'm no longer worried, I'm no longer overwhelmed. Uh the thing that I wanted to do that was wrong. I I I know it's no longer in my heart or in my mind right now. You can pay attention to the difference of what God makes in your life. Amen. And not just your life, but another's life. So when we're doing things like this, you stay with it because it works. He's the only way that does work.

SPEAKER_03 16:34

I love that. That's beautiful. So I have the utmost respect for you. Like I really do. I'm a fan also, but I'm a fan from the tapes, you understand? From the like I didn't have them moments where we hung out because I was the preacher kid parking lot patrol. We were like anything bad we could do as as we were growing up, you know, and you wasn't to your credit. You were you stayed faithful to the Lord, you know, when the rest of us was uh was was and I'm not proud of that, you know, by no means, but we done we done we took a different route to get to this point, you know. And uh and to see you now, you know, when you walk in a room, you know, you're different. Okay, you dress different, you're like Michael Jackson meets, you know, uh uh um men in black meets 50 Cent. You know what I mean? Okay, everybody knows, okay, well, this guy is here, and then you're like you're in church with a hat on, you know, any old school Pentecost, that's one, that's one strike against you right there. It's like, how does he get away with that? You know, I gotta take my hat off, you know, and you got that. So I mean you have a you have a thing, but then and and not making fun of him because listen to this end of this, uh what I'm laying. And I went through all that, but then you get up and you do what you just done right there, and there is not a person on the panel, uh Phil, can tell you right now that that was amazing, you know what I mean? This is so you are anointed and you have uh radio quality, you know what I mean, from the guitar quality from that guitar. If we were sitting on the back of a pickup truck right now, it's like that. So there's not a moment or a dry eye when you get done, and I've never seen you come short of that. Literally made me cry twice today. You did.

SPEAKER_00 18:22

You was playing at the corner and he was like, And his whole life, since he was literally you've got to remember those Chicago Band of Praise albums were really early in his life. He was like, you know, the how old was you, Howard, when you started?

SPEAKER_02 18:34

Well, I started singing in church when I was six. My mom, she was gonna sing a song in church by tape, cassette tape, a song called The Warrior as a child. Well, she had practiced it all week, and this song had gotten to you know my mind and my heart as a little six-year-old child. And I learned it because she kept practicing it. And she had a recorder set up on the seat to video the service. And when she listened back, she noticed I was sitting beside it and I was singing louder than she was. And she said, Son, you did that great. You know, I'm gonna have you sing the song. I said, Me? She said, Yeah, you're gonna learn that song and you're gonna sing it. You're gonna have it down. So I did. I sung it in church at six. And then about I'd say nine, mom taught me how to play the keyboard, heart and soul, you know, like from the movie Big. And from that I learned that those chords were the same chords as the song your dad sang to him, Amazing Grace. So I said, hold on a second, and I started to sing along to those chords, and that progression is the same. So then I got in church, got up, and I sung that song. And then from there, writing my own songs, like if the horn was to blow. I think I wrote that at twelve. And writing my own music then. But before that, like doing rewrites to the Jackson 5s, I'll be there. Uh doing by the way.

SPEAKER_05 20:06

Just look over your shoulder, my favorite was uh you are now entering into the Twilight Zone. The praise zone.

SPEAKER_02 20:14

Yeah, the praise zone, yeah. You're about to journey into a different dimension, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 20:18

It was so different.

SPEAKER_02 20:19

A dimension of thanks, a dimension of worship. So sit back and enjoy the ride. It was like a movie, though.

SPEAKER_05 20:24

It was a movie. Like I had never I never heard that before. Secular or uh uh gospel, you know what I mean? And then you come out and it's like he he sounds like Jackson 5, and he it's cooler than Jackson 5. I'm not gonna lie. The song was and it's anointed, it's anointing.

SPEAKER_03 20:45

Yeah, that's your worship in, right, exactly.

SPEAKER_02 20:48

The difference between Jackson 5 and you know, listen, not just not talking about me at all. I'll say the anointing of God. When somebody anoint anointed, yeah, that breaks the oak. That don't just make you feel good, but that lets you know that that thing that you're thinking about that's hopeless, it ain't hopeless when it comes to God. Who said God can't do it?

SPEAKER_05 21:08

Well, when David would was brought into the with the harp, I'm sure there's plenty of other harp players out there and as as talented and as beautiful singing as possible, because that's what Israel was known for in a lot of ways, was singing and harps and music. And but God had an appointed time for him to be in the chamber of the king. God had you appointed to our people, right? To the gypsy people to get into the our cars, into our tape cassettes and CD players to to sing worship like that. Into my ears. God appointed you to come sing into my ears at a young age, and it encouraged me. I can't lie, you were the first person uh uh I seen you you were playing the drums up in um Chicago. Chicago and uh Bobby Breyer was playing the red bass, and you made me want to start playing the drums. I started playing the drums at eight at eight years old because of you.

SPEAKER_02 22:09

Yeah, I I I played them very, very briefly. I had a like a wraparound headset that I would try to sing with. But your dad actually, and I I've told him this many times. I had a cassette of him, and uh mom and dad would play it over and over again. I actually we were supposed to be moving and I sat in the two ton and ran the battery dead listening to your dad sing. Um I just kept playing it. Mom tells me one day, she said, You know, son, he wrote all those songs. And I said, Romney Child can write songs for she said, yeah. If you want to write songs for the Lord, ask God to help you, you can write songs. And I said, Oh, okay. Wow. And that's did you know that?

SPEAKER_05 22:52

Genuinely, it's from full circle. He started because of my dad. Yeah, I started because of him. Yeah, but you gotta understand, like, so I was around my dad, and I still don't have your phone number.

SPEAKER_03 23:05

So listen, tell us about from the moment of Chicago Band of Praiser, everybody knowing you, you come boom, you've hit this, and you did. You you've you've impacted a lot of lives to Pastor, Dad, yeah, to now. There's a gap there. There's a gap there. Fill us in.

SPEAKER_06 23:23

I'm interested in this as well.

SPEAKER_02 23:24

Yeah, so this is this is kind of cool because you had you made a comment earlier about how I wasn't doing what the other kids did and and doing things of the world that I stayed true to God. And that's that's mostly true. But here's what people overlook a lot of times is that you have to surrender the bad to God, but you also have to surrender your good to God. So your faith cannot be placed in, oh, I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't run up and down, I'm not painting the town red. Uh I'm I'm somebody because I don't do all these things. Self-righteousness. Self-righteousness. Yeah. And and it's in it's in it, it's in a genuine place though. I wasn't meaning to, I'm better than them, but I was saying, God, I can't live any more holier than what I do. And I'm losing my mind, I got no peace of mind. Wow. And I'm fasting like crazy, trying to get these needs met. I'm another, and I meant no harm in saying this, but I'm doing my part. Where are you? Right, right. And that's and you know, there's a there's a scripture that says, and then they'll say, But didn't we cast out demons and devils in your name? I love this. And he said, Depart from me, you worker of iniquity, for I never knew you. Why didn't they present the blood? Right. Because their faith wasn't in it. Right. Their faith was in the works. In the works, yes. So you have to surrender the good. You can't hold on to the big stumbling block.

SPEAKER_05 24:57

Yes. Well, he's curious because uh we did an episode with Larry Dale, I don't know. Uh and shout out Larry Dale. Yeah, love Larry. Him, Josh Lovell, Todd, like all these guys that we've had on here, cousin Richard Parker. Um we celebrate them. Yeah, yeah, that we really do because they're pure. Yeah, you know, and you're pure. You know what I mean? We we never got to go through that.

SPEAKER_02 25:22

We had to go through yes, we totally failed. We went through the mud. I I had to lose me. You know, uh my dad said it one time that that that tree was the knowledge of good and evil. And um you have to also lose the good. And you can't lose the good or the bad unless you place faith where it belongs. So us telling people you have to do better, you have to be better, come out from among them and be ye separate, we say it all the time. They don't have the ability to do that. They don't have it outside of faith place where it belongs. Uh what does it say? Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and everything else will be at it, and it's time. So we first have to not teach them how to turn the radio off. All of that comes when faith is placed where it belongs. If you walk after the spirit, you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. And we're trying to rid them and get them to walk this holy life and look the part. But when God gets a hold of you, he changes your heart. Like the prayer that David cried, the song he cried, create in me a clean heart and renew a steadfast spirit deepen me. Do not cast me away from your presence or your spirit, but restore to me the joy that I may show others the way. We have to get people a faith place in what he did at Calvary. The same work that saves them is the same work that delivers them. And the same work that cleans up their walk. We know to place faith in Christ and what he did at Calvary to save us, but the majority of us aren't told that the way that you sanctify yourself is by placing faith in what he did at Calvary and leaning on his work. His work gives me the ability because he paid for it, I can walk a resurrected life. You know, if I be planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall also be in the likeness of his resurrection. So um it says when I'm weak, he is strong. So we got people we're training them to be strong. So they're going around, they're gonna defeat this, they're gonna do that, and they and nothing wrong with this. But if faith isn't placed where it belongs, then you end up with me where I was, depending on my good God, do it because I done this fast, and now you owe it to me. And this is innocent, guys.

SPEAKER_03 27:53

No, it could easily go this way. And to your point, there's a man, A. B. Simpson, and he was caught, he was trying to, I believe healing he was trying to get a hold of, and he was so caught up with faith and having enough faith, and again, like he turned it into a works. Uh-huh. And to the point where God finally spoke to him, he said, look to Jesus. So he had to not, you know, not be so interested in his faith, but simply to keep his eyes on Christ. And when he done that, he let go his hands, and he's seen finally the miracle, to your point. Right.

SPEAKER_02 28:25

Come unto me, all you heavy labor, heavy laden, and I will give you rest. And the majority of the Christian ministers are working, and they're they're they're trying to do so many things to get God to operate and move in their life. When instead of just coming to him and believing that he is who he says he is, that he really, God, you paid for it. What can't you do, God? What can't you do in this meeting? And and that is worshiping him in spirit and in truth. Not presenting him. All these songs, the songs that God give, they they come to me at a time in my life when I really needed them, and they pointed me to him as an answer. They didn't point me to anything other. They're three minutes, five-minute long songs. They don't have time to play around. You know, they point you to place faith in Christ. You can't do it, but he's already paid for you. Amen.

SPEAKER_03 29:14

Yeah, and they are. They're well written, too. Let's address this uh hat scenario. You're known for this hat, man. Yes. You know, what what is going on? Not this hat in particular. No, but hats in general.

SPEAKER_02 29:27

Your style, yeah. Yeah, so when I was about I don't know, I'd say 18, I started to lose my hair. So it was going pretty quickly. And uh it's just like a self-conscious thing, it started out as where I would always wear a hat. And then I mean I had bandanas. I had at one time I had a bandana under the hat. In case someone snatched a hat, I still had a bandana not to show that my hair was thinning. Yeah, I've seen you with that bandana on, yeah. I made that a fashion thing too. Right. And it's one of those things people look at and like, what is what is he about? Right. But uh so when I get up in church, and there's times he tell you it at our church I don't wear a hat. And I'll get up and and I'll have uh what's left of my hair kind of lined up, and I'll get up and preach and sing without it. But there are times when I get up, like I just sung at the revival there. I had a choice. I could take the hat off and then worry about the lights, or the lights on me, or or people saying, Oh, he don't have no hair and be a distraction. I I can't worship freely in spirit and in truth without people distractions. Yes. What is what is my goal? My goal is to worship in spirit and in truth, have no distractions, and usher the presence of God in there. Now, if I take the hat off and I say, God, you're gonna move because I'm getting up here in front of all these people here, and now you're gonna you're gonna move because I took the hat off.

unknown 31:03

Right.

SPEAKER_02 31:04

Well, I was wearing a hat when God gave me the song.

unknown 31:07

Right.

SPEAKER_02 31:08

You know? And uh now I'm gonna get up and think that God's gonna move because of something I did. Right. Well that I don't want that, you know? And the truth is it don't matter.

SPEAKER_05 31:17

You can keep your mind focused.

SPEAKER_02 31:18

I can keep my mind focused. And if anyone out there is thinking, like, oh, he's wearing a hat, and who does he think he is? Everything that I say and every song that I sing points you not to look at me or you. It gets you to look to him. And hopefully by the time that the song's done, they realize that. They're like, oh man, the presence of God was was in there, and I felt hope. And life ain't about hats or you know, ties. And uh no one else is wearing a tie but me. I'm the only one in there with the tie, and people worry about the hat, you know? I'm basically in a tuxedo. Right, right. Everywhere I go. Now the tuxedo seems to be. And they focus and they focus on the hat. Yeah, true.

SPEAKER_03 32:06

So it's just it's just what people want to But you're right. As soon as you open your mouth, all that goes out the window. It don't matter. That it does happen that way, and that's why I wanted to say, because I I didn't watch the guys coming off beating. No, no, no, not at all. And and I and I went through all that because that is the truth. When you and I'm thinking just recently when you got up at the convention, you know, you come around the corner and and you got up, you gotta, you know, and these are some of the older men, you know, is is it does have a strict code like that. But it don't it really don't matter. It doesn't matter. When you when you I mean to tell you uh there's not a better quality, the a GT couldn't come up with a better quality.

SPEAKER_02 32:44

These great men I respect them, I love them, and I mean no no disrespect, you know, to any leader about what I'm saying. I don't think anybody's taken. No, I don't believe so either. But these these men are on the side of the roads in work attire, leading people to God every day in the presence of God. If you if you spend any time with them like your dad, I seen him at the movie theater the other day, and he's just talking to me and looking at me, and I can feel God off of him so strong. He's wearing a hat, you know, in there. And uh I'm honestly I had to stop myself from crying just how much I felt God off of him. So, you know, the a lot of these things are outward. Yeah, but as ministers, we have to train them how to get the inside of the cup clean, and that's done by faith placed in Christ and what he's done at Calvary. That's the difference. I love that. I'm not depending on me, I'm depending on him. And he's the only thing that works.

SPEAKER_00 33:39

Can I can I remind everybody too about Romans 14? You know, uh, do you know Romans 14? So it is. You know, there's a part, I won't give you the whole thing. It says, for we don't live for ourselves or die for ourselves. If we live, it's to honor the Lord. And if we die, it's to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. Christ died and rose again for this very purpose, to be the Lord both of the living and the dead. So why do we condemn another believer? Why do we look down on another believer? Remember, we all stand before the judgment seat of God.

SPEAKER_02 34:17

Love it. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_00 34:19

You know, and and we I think a lot of people it can get in, it's very works-based, I think, one could argue, to criticize, you know, uh what someone gets convicted about or someone doesn't get convicted about. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 34:33

I've seen it before. I wore this hat, this hat in particular, the different meet meetings, many meet meetings where preachers have been up and they've been preaching, and I've noticed their message go a little into folly, where they were given some things that didn't really matter. Didn't matter. Yeah. And then they looked over at me and they said, if someone wants victory, they've we've we've got to go to Calvary. We've got to look to Calvary. And all of a sudden, yeah, that message found its focus. Yeah. And when I get up there, I know what hat I'm wearing, you know? And it reminds me to focus. Why, why, Howard, why do you think God can move in this service? Because God, you've already paid for the victory. Do you God let me let me say this really quick? There was a time in the Bible when they had two, they were hungry, and they had two fish and five loaves of bread. Okay. And this young man comes to God and he said, What's what's the problem? And he says, Everyone's hungry. We don't have what it takes to feed them. He says, Well, what do you got? He said, I've got these two fish and these five loaves of bread. Now, two is a number of agreement. If any two agree on anything, okay. And then five is the number of grace. And the bread is a type of the word and Christ. So when he asked the young man, he said, Everybody's hungry, what do you got? I just got this agreement that by your grace, your word can feed the multitude. Oh, wow. That's still there. Christ says, Bring it to me. Yes. Christ says, bring it to me. Yes. So, like this right here reminds me when I get up there, what do you got? What do you got? Do you got faith in the fact that you took off your hat? Or do you got faith in the fact that I paid for it all at Calvary? What do you got? God, I got faith that you did it at Calvary. Amen. Bring it to me.

SPEAKER_04 36:33

Bring it. I feel like Tyson Fury. Get up there, my boy!

SPEAKER_03 36:38

We found a way to make a message from the hat. I mean, it really does, because you know what? It does, it burns in your eyes, victory. Yeah. When you're up there, it does. It's like you can't stop looking at it. You know, it's so don't give up victory. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 36:52

I know we don't have a lot of time with Howard, but see how he's ministering there. His songs minister that way. 100%. You know what I mean? And I think that's kind of what's different of Howard specifically with his music, is that song Believe, I love. You know what I mean? And it it just it is a compel, a compel to the uh, you know, it compels the bul the unbeliever to believe. You know what I mean? And it's just so anointed and so powerful.

SPEAKER_05 37:18

Uh you mentioned earlier about uh uh come to me all who are weary and I will give you rest. Right? And um they'll tell you, I it seems like I never stop, and it's not me praising myself at all. It's I just I can't focus. I got I can't sleep. I just I gotta go. But I'm not tired.

SPEAKER_02 37:40

Right.

SPEAKER_05 37:41

I have peace. I've got a peace that passes all understanding. We've never stopped, Bob, Jim. You know, we've we've been on revivals nonstop and and uh podcasts and and and going and doing, and Jimmy's constantly editing. And if you are if God's occupying you, he will give you the energy.

SPEAKER_02 38:02

Right. When faith is placed where it belongs, then the work becomes his work. Amen. That's why you're not worn out, because it is actually his work that goes to work for you.

SPEAKER_05 38:14

Amen.

SPEAKER_02 38:14

The Bible says that which is not of faith is sin. We talk about being, you know, proper and following commandments and everything. That which is not of faith is sin. So when we do all this outside of faith and try to produce a work of God outside of faith and victory that he's paid for at Calvary, then this becomes a work of the flesh. The works of the flesh become manifest in you. Yes, you're trying to do a good thing, but there's only one way that he works. Christ is on his knees crying, sweating drops of blood, and he asks the Heavenly Father this if there be any other way, let this cup pass for me. And guess what? If there was another way, if you could be a way or I could be a way, then that cup would have passed, especially from his son who's asked for it.

SPEAKER_06 39:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 39:03

But he proves there that there is no other way. Because if there was, he asked for it. Right. Amen. And it wasn't given. So it has to be faith placed in the work he did at Calvary because there's no other cup. He said, if you wanted a sacrifice, I'd have brung it to you. But a broken and contrite spirit, you won't turn away. Amen. It is finished. I love that. It is finished. It is finished. It is finished. I want to answer one of the questions that you asked earlier. Um so that there was a time when I believe God had to separate me and take me away from for a little bit and give me a revelation of how he operates and how he works. Because I I learned that I don't work, because there was that time in my life where I was saying, God, I'm doing all of these things, and yet I don't have peace of mind. If you don't help me, I'm gonna lose my mind. Yeah, because I can't live any more holier than what I do. So uh God gave me the revelation that He has paid for all my needs at Calvary. So once I got that understanding, I seen where all the songs He gave me pointed to that work. He was trying to tell me all along, right? But I wouldn't get out of the way. Yes. And since since then, because I didn't get married until I was 27 years old. I was so scared I was gonna pick the wrong person. And then once Jerry Seinfeld. Yeah, after after I got this revelation of what Christ paid for at Calvary, my confidence went to him. You know, he's the lifter of my head. Not, oh God, what if I do this and all this is worry and chaos, confusement. Right. No, he there was a surrender to him. God, if I'm supposed to be with Brittany, you gotta let me know it. And then before it wasn't a month later, I was head over hills for Britney. Yeah, and then I knew I was to marry her, married her, have two kids, uh now Shy and Howard and Pastor in Chicago. Um we've been having meetings there for over ten years, but everything's really come together probably the last four or five years.

SPEAKER_03 41:08

Your girl's beautiful. I've seen the video with the Kermit.

SPEAKER_02 41:10

Yeah, she loves Kermit, and uh she sings, she's gonna have an album come out. God's gave me songs to give her to her. Yeah, and it's amazing the gifts in her to write as well, because she'll bring me songs. God gave me this then. Yeah, and she'll help me write some of the newer songs.

SPEAKER_03 41:29

You know, we do uh tend to undermine the the struggle that uh people go through, no matter if you're you've you've gone into the world or if you stayed in the church. We was talking about the Larry Dale, and that whole journey you went on is not an easy journey, you know, and like you said, you had to completely find yourself. He found himself in a field in Arkansas, but you found yourself, you know, in Chicago, just being in peace and quiet, trying to figure life out, yeah, you know, and to come back and only to make yourself stronger and and to uh to do this.

SPEAKER_02 42:00

I learned this that if you the the good that you present, if it takes away from the good he did, it's not good. Right. So I have to always be at zero. Yeah, the ground is level at the cross. Yes. Yeah, no matter what. No nobody is better than anybody. That's right. And we're all depending on Christ a hundred percent. Yeah, very good. Well, it's been a pleasure. I've enjoyed it, guys. I really have.

SPEAKER_05 42:26

Well, there you have it. Brother Howard Pastor, Howard Stanley. If you're struggling with addiction, you're struggling with depression or anxiety, and you don't know where to go, you need victory. Don't give up.

SPEAKER_02 42:41

You want one more song again? Alright. You do know it's weird for a 41-year-old to be singing about teenagers. Okay, well then. No, no, no, I got it for you though. I got it. I just don't expect the teenager voice. It doesn't, it doesn't matter. You can sing uh my dad's talk. No, no, I got it, I got it. It's just comical.

SPEAKER_05 43:06

I love that song. I think we're all gonna sing it again.

SPEAKER_02 43:09

All right, here we go.

SPEAKER_01 43:20

Can I talk for a minute? Well, that is the window to me. It's a normal life. Well, it may look fine in your mind, but how's it look in the eyes of Christ? Well, it may look fine in your mind, but how's it look in the eyes of Christ? I'm not trying to be rude, it's just that I care about you. Don't wanna see hurt in any way. I don't wanna see a letter straight. Girls wanna be loved, so they chase the boys around. Girls won't find peace until the Lord is found. Boys running around, wanna paint this town. Some play too long and now they're gone, and it's just too late now. Tell me in the club that you don't lust. Tell me you can see guys straight alcohol, tough, cigarette in your hand, tryna be the man. But are you being a witness? Tell me that it's alright. Tell me how it's a normal life. Well, it may look fine in your mind, but how's it look in the eyes of Christ? Well, it may look fine in your mind, but how's it look in the eyes of Christ? Teenager, won't you wake it up? What you think? Thinking that you don't need God, well, you're dreaming. Fighting, cussin', drugging it up, but where's it leading? Teenager, enough is enough. Start the leading. And don't it, don't it, don't it make you wanna say da da is bad.

SPEAKER_04 45:42

Oh yeah. That was awesome. I enjoyed that. I enjoyed it. Remember, guys, don't give up.