Either He’s God… or He’s Not | Jeremy & Lacey Combs

New episode with Jeremy & Lacey Combs is out now — a powerful conversation about worship, testimony, and trusting God through the valley. (Video visuals may look different this week due to technical issues.) 

🎵 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/purpose-in-the-pain/id1866616325
🎵 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2cqi1YmIAdLJfc6asLaFQU
▶️ Full video: https://www.youtube.com/@purposepain

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:10

Well we got some good episodes coming up with a couple men wastey and journey. They may look a little different to you this time.

SPEAKER_05 0:16

Not them all, the episode. They may look a little different to you.

SPEAKER_00 0:22

Oh, they look differently. But the episode may look a little different to you. It's a pretty heavy conversation though.

SPEAKER_05 0:28

Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_00 0:30

But I think you'll find some some some real inspiration. So we hope you join us. Hey everybody, this is uh Tony and Snowman again. We're uh we're glad to be back with uh another episode of Purpose and the Pain and uh just super excited about the guests that we have today, Jeremy and Lacey Combs. What do you have anything to add to that right now?

SPEAKER_05 0:52

Yeah, I'm super excited and I can't wait to see where this goes and what the Holy Spirit has in store and the message that comes forward.

SPEAKER_00 1:00

I do. I believe it's gonna be a good one. I know they're a little nervous, we're all a little nervous, but y'all bear with us as we go through this. This is a little different for me. I wanted to to read a prayer that I had written for them this afternoon, and uh it just kind of came all at one time. So bear with me and we'll read a little prayer and then we'll kind of get started. Father God, we come before you with sincere gratefulness for your precious children, Jeremy and Lacey Combs. They are true worshipers that haven't been anointed through the pains and troubles of life, which they have overcome through your grace. You've counted every tear, and not one drop has fallen without your notice, and yet each tear that they have cried shall be a promise of a blessing into someone's life through their ministry. Lord, wrap them in your presence, let them feel that you have not cast them aside, but have drawn them near, even in brokenness that they have experienced. Speak truth over the lies that they've been told in this world, that they are not forgotten, not defiled, not disqualified. They are chosen, redeemed, and deeply loved. Heal the places where they have been reviolated, where innocence was stolen, bring your justice and restoration, where grief has hollowed them, comfort them with your eternal hope. Remind them that they are fully restored in your presence, whole and radiant. Give them strength for each step, grace for each breath, and peace that passes all understanding. Surround them with people who love them like you love, gently, patiently, and without condition. Let beauty rise from ashes, let joy return, slowly and surely, and may they know, even in the valleys, that you are the God who stays. In Jesus' name. Amen. Well, I just, you know, this afternoon, I know.

SPEAKER_05 2:56

Well, we can call it a wrap after that, probably.

SPEAKER_00 3:00

It just came to me so quick, so I know it was I feel like it was the Holy Spirit that really kind of put those words out and and appreciate that. Yeah. Uh well I meant every word of it. I know he meant every word of it. Well, won't you introduce them and kind of tell them a little bit about who we are and or who they are and how our relationship started and kind of start this thing off.

SPEAKER_05 3:22

Oh goodness. Okay. My friend Lacey, my bestie, her husband Jeremy. My friend. And um was it been about three, four years that we've been friends? Four years? Right. And um kind of met in church and we're going through some things and we didn't really know each other at the time, but nonetheless, I was still pregnant, and um then I had the opportunity to meet. And it will it was instant. I felt it was instant, absolutely. Um just the the humor, the background, the um just the way that we can relate to each other and talk to each other and um worship together. We spend a lot of time worshiping together, and so I'm excited to see where this goes. I had told Tony when we first were talking about having y'all on. Um, I said it's kind of like peeling an onion with Lacey and Jeremy. So I have there's lots and lots of layers there.

SPEAKER_02 4:36

More like cake. It's a big tier cake.

SPEAKER_05 4:44

But um, so I'm excited. Um I'm excited about our friendship, our relationship, our sisterhood. I'm excited for how God is going to use not only y'all, but we get to be part of that. And I'm super excited for that. Who would have ever thought that we would be sitting here and that we would be doing this? Right? Because I never seen that coming at all.

SPEAKER_00 5:08

So well, I would the only thing I would add to that is when we first started talking about doing this with this mission, y'all were the first ones to come. Right. And you know, just y'all have got such an amazing story, such an amazing testimony.

SPEAKER_05 5:25

An amazing testimony.

SPEAKER_00 5:26

The one that you're still working through, but gosh, you just your reach is y'all haven't even started to see the things that I think he's gonna un unravel for y'all. Absolutely, and uh how he's gonna touch people with y'all. So uh, you know, one of the things I just really, really, really love is to listen to Jeremy play.

SPEAKER_02 5:47

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 5:47

He has got a true worshipper's heart and uh and a heck of a songwriter and a musician. And Lacey can sing too. Yes, I think. I apologize to everyone in advance, okay? I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_05 6:01

Yeah, don't let Lacey fool you. She um I feel like sometimes you feel like that you're in the background, but you're not. You're not because I can I have, not I can. I have. I have called or text in moments and like I need prayer. I I'm I need it right now, and without hesitation. I know it may be 30 seconds, it may be 30 minutes, but I know that you're praying. Absolutely. Uh we'll send sermons back and forth to each other, uh TikToks, things like that. So you're you definitely you you definitely have a part. Yes, ma'am. A big part.

SPEAKER_01 6:42

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 6:43

Well, why don't y'all share with us?

SPEAKER_01 6:46

I mean, if you want to kind of share about your praise and worship and what drives you there, and and you know well, one thing uh, you know, speaking of doing this is that's the great thing about not always understanding God's ways because the amazing part is when he surprises you. Absolutely. Absolutely. That's the great thing is when he surprises you, and it's like just wow.

SPEAKER_05 7:09

Because it's like for that second, you're like, I was on your mind. Yes. Oh, no, you were thinking of me.

SPEAKER_01 7:14

Or you're standing somewhere and you're like, I can't believe I'm here.

SPEAKER_05 7:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:17

You know, and like and and you don't you you don't believe that you're in a in that position, but I mean, when you really finally let go and let God start working, then you start seeing things that you've never seen before, doing things you never thought you'd ever do before, and and it's better. It's better. I heard a date a thing today and and it really it stuck with me. And and he said, um, God's grip on your life is so much stronger than your track record.

SPEAKER_02 7:56

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 7:56

Yeah. Yeah. That's good. You know that he's th though you've been through walked through so much, he's never let go. Right. He's he's still holding on to you. And um you're you know, you're you know, you're testifying, telling somebody about Jesus or or your daily walk and and and whether you know you're you're giving, you're tithing, you're doing all the things that God I mean I believe that all that is worship. You know, you stay in that worship. Absolutely. And when you stay in that worship, you begin to start feeling things differently. You start seeing things different. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:30

But yours is music. Uh music is a lot.

SPEAKER_01 8:33

Music music has helped me a music has helped me through a lot of my life. You know, we I grew up pretty we were we were not in good shape. You know, we grew up there w uh kind of a depressing time of you know, the eighties with my my grandfather, we was um we was in the old business and stuff, and anyway it we went bankrupt and kind of went backwards, you know, and and had to learn how to live off the land and live off the ground and come up in it you know what I think was what's interesting about a musician that's a worshiper.

SPEAKER_00 9:10

It's like that's almost how you heal yourself. Yes, you know, you've got to you've got to get it out, and as you pour it out, it there's something that comes through that that heals healing. Right, absolutely yeah, and I I might remind of the widow with the oil, you know. Yeah, as you pour out, you're poured into.

SPEAKER_01 9:29

And that's something that I believe that with music, okay, music does have a way of steering things. Whether it's moods or certain situations or you know how people are feeling, you know. And the thing about I was writing I was I was writing music to, I was playing in bars, you know. I was playing in bars and and everywhere and chasing something that I had no business even doing. And and and I and it wasn't just to play it in bars, it was just that sound, playing that sound that I grew up playing, that music I grew up playing. But it's like the song that I wrote is called Crossing My Country. And and that's what it's about, is God literally changed the way that I was playing music. He was like, He knows, you know, I was uh it wasn't the the words I was it was the music that I was I was so drawn to, you know, because I I I love playing it. I love playing it. And so when when he helped me to change what I was saying and still be able to play right what I've played on my life, it's just not what you're it's it's the words you're listening to, it's not the melody. You know, so many people it's it's it's the you know you know change you know it you can have that tune, but change what you're saying. Right. Change change the wording. And I really believe that if we had a lot more of that on radio today, a lot more, you know, than just you know, so so much content, you know, just different genre of music that's reaching out in the spiritual um wording, you know, then I I really believe that it would help a lot, you know, what kids are listening to, what you know what everybody's listening to.

SPEAKER_00 11:16

Yeah. I for some reason I'm just reminded, you know, how it says that uh remind him in songs and spiritual songs. Yes. You know, I just never thought about that, you know. It's like okay, you have some songs that might change your attitude and your upbeat, and you know, or that might you might sing in a way to get out despair or to get out some other some other feeling, whether it be anger or happiness or whatever, but those songs can steer your whole demeanor and attitude. But then you have spiritual songs, you know, that they get added into the mix. One of the things that like that really means a lot to us is you know when you talk about praise and worship, that I don't think people really understand what that is. You know, that praise is you're you're thanking him for everything he's done and you're recognizing everything he's done, but worship is all about him. Right, right, and a lot of the worship in today's society, there's still a lot of I in it. And there shouldn't be any I in it. This is a we're worshiping him. Right. And um that's one thing I've always appreciated about listening to you.

SPEAKER_01 12:33

And see, that's me, I put a lot of that testimony into music. You know, and it's it's just something I've always been writing about life, and and and and now, you know, it's changed my my writing to where he was, you know, before it was just about, you know, it was it was about drinking and and partying and doing all this other kind of stuff, and and but now it's it's either about God or it's about my my wife. Because see, I mean, everything I've ever written, you know, that's it is a mostly pertains to her or or God. Right. And I mean, you know, there's a lot of people that didn't get it. Right. You know, Jesus said he loved your wife just as he loved the church, you know. That's right. Yeah. That's right. And even so much that he died for it. And I would die for it.

SPEAKER_02 13:21

For his bride.

SPEAKER_01 13:22

That's right. And you know, and and there's nothing wrong with playing music about the guy about the woman that I'm in love with and and you know, loving God and I'm gonna be able to do it, right?

SPEAKER_05 13:32

And people need to see strong men, manly men that love their wives and are not afraid to express that, right, to profess their their love and and how much they appreciate their wives.

SPEAKER_01 13:49

And we get we get caught up in that as you know, music and you're trying to chase everybody, you know, they try to chase them stars, you know, them them them neon lights, you know, and and it you've you've got to draw away from that. Sometimes you get caught up in it, then the next thing you know, it's it's all about just performing.

SPEAKER_05 14:10

Right.

SPEAKER_01 14:10

It's not about the music no more.

SPEAKER_05 14:12

Well that's in the church a lot, it's just a performance.

SPEAKER_01 14:14

And see, I've my dad always taught me about the difference between singing for show and singing with heart. Seeing what you're singing, really feeling what you're what you're putting out. And and I've done both. I've done I I've tried I've even I've tried singing for show, and you know what? I bomb. It was horrible. It was horrible, very horrible.

SPEAKER_05 14:38

Because that's not what God created you for. That's what God created for a different purpose.

SPEAKER_01 14:42

I was chasing the wrong stars.

SPEAKER_05 14:43

He created you for a different purpose.

SPEAKER_01 14:45

And that was, you know, and that's been a big, you know, because I grew up playing the classic, you know, the southern rock and roll, classic rock and roll, and and you know, Texas red dirt country music, and of course, you know, the Haggard and Jones and stuff like that, and where there's blues or you know, a couple rock and roll, and then you know, and then a lot of the Texas, you know, red dirt country. And and I know God's working, and it's like, and it and and it's and it's crazy how when you really give into that and and God just made you know give you something like I was coming and it was about a week and a half. It was now I got a song about a billboard sign and a thought.

SPEAKER_03 15:24

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 15:24

Yeah, you know, and and so and and it's a and it's just those things that God God does, and it's it's amazing how He just how he just surprises you in in in ways like that. And especially coming up through so much that we've gone through, you know, and but it's just still trusting God and trusting his process and trusting that he's in control.

SPEAKER_05 15:48

Right, and that's that's a hard part. Like Lacey and I, when we went to dinner the other night, we had some pretty raw, heavy conversation and lightening up with some humor. But um, you know, I was just talking to her about some things that that I've really, really struggled with, and and I told her, I said, when I just and and I'm on the ledge, the only way I can talk myself back off the ledge is I have to look at myself and say, either he's God or he's not. What do you believe? And sometimes it's that simple. Our minds just go in these dark, dark places sometimes, and we just have the hardest time pulling ourselves out of that fear, out of that anger, out of that anxiety. And you just have to stop and you just have to be either he's God or he's not. What do you believe?

SPEAKER_01 16:38

Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_05 16:40

And and that's that's where I've been for a long time, you know. And um, I just keep having to tell myself he is God. I do believe that, I do know that. It's not something that I just believe, it's something that I know. And no matter what comes, he's the same yesterday, today, and forever. And he's never ever gonna leave my side. You know, we leave him, we leave right, right, because we get so too soon. He doesn't leave us. He doesn't leave us. And so sometimes it's just that simple promise, and we sometimes we try to make things a lot bigger than what they are, and we take the simplicity out of it.

SPEAKER_04 17:17

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_05 17:18

I don't think that God meant for it to be as complicated as we make it sometimes. And it just sometimes might be that simple statement. Either you're God or you're not, and I choose to believe it.

SPEAKER_01 17:35

That's right.

SPEAKER_05 17:36

That's right. And there's sometimes that's all you can do because you're frozen. All you can do is be still because you are absolutely frozen in that fear or that anxiety or depression or whatever, whatever it is that sometimes grips us, and we have to um call our friends, or we you know, we just have to but I've I've found that just going back to that either you're God or you're not.

SPEAKER_02 18:08

Right.

SPEAKER_04 18:09

And we know he is, we know in the triumph, in the trouble, in the situation, there's always that, okay, where are you now? Where are you right now in this moment? But truthfully, he's still standing. I mean, he's literally right there. Always. We just get so side-trifted that we just we forget he's right there and we let go in all of our emotion and all the turmoil that's going on in our hearts and in our minds right then.

SPEAKER_05 18:33

So right, because those seem more tangible, they seem more real, they seem more powerful than the presence of God. Yep, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 18:44

Well, I believe one thing that gets us in trouble a lot, and I know it's I know me particularly, is that we have we want this, we want a microwave relationship.

SPEAKER_05 18:53

Oh, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 18:54

We want it. We want it like right off the bat. Yeah. And when you we pray and ask for God for something, it's like we expect it in this in the next 20 to 30 minutes. Right. Or just right then, you know, or you know, right. And and you know, and and it's and and the thing I've seen it learn is here in this here recently is that you know, when I'm praying for something, and there's times that I mean I do. I'm like, I need it now. Like, yeah, I'm I'm I I need you to fix this right now, but I mean, at the moment you're asking him for it, he's already working on it.

SPEAKER_05 19:29

Right.

SPEAKER_01 19:29

And it's like three or four days later, and then all of a sudden, bam, right, it's right there.

SPEAKER_05 19:34

And sometimes it's not three or four days. Yeah, sometimes it's three or four years, but you have to, he loves us enough that he knows if we if he were to give us whatever that is at that particular moment, that would not be right for us. No, because there's still so much to learn, there's still so much to walk through, there's still so many things that he wants to teach us in that particular lesson. And we don't want we don't want that. We don't because it hurts sometimes.

SPEAKER_04 20:02

It does. And sometimes we forget to ask that. What are you trying to teach me? I I never, ever, ever, and I'm so glad you said that as a reminder, because I never ask that. I never stop in my turmoil to say, what are you trying to teach me right now? Right.

SPEAKER_00 20:16

I don't know that anybody really does. No, but that should be an everyday.

SPEAKER_05 20:20

It should be because I want to know what you're trying to teach me. Because one, I don't want to keep going round and round this country.

SPEAKER_00 20:25

I want to have a lot of people.

SPEAKER_05 20:26

I don't want to be like the children, you know, I'm not trying to stay here forever. Go ahead and learn what it is you want me to learn.

SPEAKER_04 20:34

Bandate all whatever it is, you know. Right. Absolutely. That was good. That was really good. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 20:40

You know, you said you said a statement earlier that just really meant a lot to me, you're talking about how you know worship should be everything you do. And one of the big turning points for for me professionally was shifting the focus from how much money I'm gonna make on this deal, and I used to do that. I used to calculate all right, if I get this deal done, this is how this is gonna work. I turn that off. And now legitimately every day it's about okay, whose life can I impact for the better, and who can I serve today? Yes. And when that to me is is a major part of my worship is how do I serve others? It might be driving a truck, which is what you do on a day-to-day basis. It could be your singing, it could be your worship, but it really it's like how do we honor him with our gifts, talents to impact the lives of others. So man, that that hit me really hard. I just wanted to tell you thank you for sharing that. Because I I'd never really thought about it that way. But in all honesty. But you mentioned that there was a time that it s it's It was. Tell us, kind of walk us through like what you you mentioned just a little bit yelly being really, really, really man. He skimmed the surface about his childhood. He went, he lived in some pretty rough conditions and has experienced life that I would probably venture to say would rival what some people experienced in the 20s and 30s in the Great Depression. And modern day people just do not know. Am I right? You're right. Gonna, y'all, you know, this we want to hear from you. Tell tell us a little bit. I want to hear from Lacey though, too.

SPEAKER_01 22:38

So I well getting, you know, when it switched from me for the music is whenever we played, uh, we were ahead, we went to Dumbleweed and Houston, and we were uh doing a uh we had a spot there before uh Shenandoah came on, Marty Rayburn. And Marty Rayburn, I've followed him for man, many years, and I love the man. He's so down-to-earth, and I I think he's one of the most down-to-earth artists out there, and and so we got we done ours and we watched, you know, Marty and we watched Shannando play, and and that was a highlight because I loved him like man. Yeah, that was pretty busy. You know, at the end of it, I'm like, can y'all rewind and do it again? You know, but um, but the thing is, is he's he stopped, he's like in the middle of his his his show there, he starts talking about God and really breaking out scriptures and you know my religious mind back, you know, because you know I'm still stuck on the you know, having that religion thing that was too many years ago.

SPEAKER_05 23:50

Were you raised like Pentecostal? Were you raised um assembly God?

SPEAKER_01 23:55

Bapta Baptacostal Yeah, I gotcha. Yeah, okay. All then we start talking about God right there in the middle of the still. I'm like, man, that is awesome. But the thing is, you know, he could do that because he's already been there. He's already been, he's already made his stance. And this is my mindset back then, because I wasn't nowhere close to serving God the way I am now. And I'm like, man, that's cool. Like, I want to do that.

SPEAKER_02 24:22

Right.

SPEAKER_01 24:23

Be able to just be able to start speaking about God and and change and but but then moments, anyway, it wasn't, but well, since after after we went through a storm we went through, and God showed me, like, remember that you asked me about? Like you wanted to do something. Well, you're gonna do something, but it's gonna be in this way.

SPEAKER_02 24:44

Right.

SPEAKER_01 24:44

But you're not gonna play that, you're gonna play this.

SPEAKER_02 24:47

Right.

SPEAKER_01 24:47

You know, so I started, and it just, I mean, it was like three o'clock, four o'clock in the morning. I was getting up and having to write stuff down. And I was waking her up, you know, and there's times I even had to go in there and grab guitar and start getting because I've got to get it's and it's eat you up until you get it out. Yeah, it's just like when God gives you a word, you want you've got to you need to write it down. He's like, you know, you know, or or you know, sometimes, you know, in the wee hours of night, he's trying to talk to you. You know, you've got to talk. Right. And so I started writing just people, and now I've I mean, it just that's all I know, that's all I do now.

SPEAKER_05 25:25

Just play his uh and you know, and and the word tells us that he'll give us the desires of our heart, and your desire was music, but yet now your heart is his heart. Right. That's where it changes. That's where it changes. And so he's given he's given that to you, and he he loves that. He loves to hear it from you. That's what he craves. Yes, he craves to hear from his children.

SPEAKER_01 25:56

And he's giving you that that gift and and well, and and the thing about it is also you know, a lot of things I've gone through in my life I was able to write about. But actually put it through my my testimony, my music. And I mean one of them, and even the song Crossing My Country, it it I even stated like I almost I almost lost her. Right. Through this this whole time because again, I let the the thought of me playing this music and chasing this thing that I you know, I let it consume me. It was it was it got and my dad always taught me it's like when it becomes a job, it's time to step down and walk away. And it and it was around that time that I had to step down and walk away. I mean, there was one night we had a full house coming. We had a full house coming and had the gig, had everything, had bands, I had to can't I canceled it last minute. That was the last one that I would have that's the last time I'd have been standing on a stage. Matter of fact, the last time I stand on the s stood on a stage with a band and doing that was when my mom passed. You know, it w what turning what was what we were gonna do here ended up turning into a benefit. Right. To to raise money, to you know, take you know, take care of the services and stuff of my mom.

unknown 27:21

But