Sin: Lust & Money

​In this episode, we have the privilege of welcoming MNV's associate pastor, Kerry Lira, to speak on the two sins men are believed to battle with the most: Lust and Money

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

All righty, guys. Thank you for joining in on another episode of the New Life Men's podcast.

SPEAKER_02 0:05

Today we're gonna have Brother Pete Peter praying for us. Yes, sir. Yeah, for those that don't know or tuning in the first time, my name's Pete. I work a lot with the men's group. And today we got Pastor Carrie. But let's go ahead and pray it in and then we'll start the session.

SPEAKER_04 0:18

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_02 0:19

Heavenly Father, we just pray, Lord, that as we use, Lord, what you've given us, Lord, these these place to post on the internet to to grab people, men especially, Lord, that are listening for the first time, Lord. We pray that that it it captures their heart, Lord. That something captures them in the mind, Heavenly Father, and you just draw them close to you, Lord. And Heavenly Father, we just pray for everyone who's listening today, Lord, that the seed is planted, Lord, and then you just speak through all three of us today, Heavenly Father. And you just whatever needs to be said is just said today in truth, Lord. In your mighty and precious name, we pray. Amen. Amen. All right, guys. So, like always, if you're the first time listening, this podcast is basically for men, right? We target men because, you know, if there's a man out there listening right now, young man, old, older, whatever it may be, if you're struggling with not knowing yet, hey, dude, do I want to be part of a church? Do I want to join a group of men, but you're kind of nervous about it or not sure about it just yet, this is what this, this, this podcast is for, right? So just to let you know that we're we're all the same, you know. I know, I know the enemy tries to use different avenues to to basically discourage us from coming closer to God, right? And uh so this is basically what uh what this podcast is for, right? And today we're honored to have Pastor Kerry here. You know, he's he holds a lot of titles here at our church, MNV, New Life Ministries, Minister's Nueva Vida. You want to tell him a little bit about yourself, Pastor?

SPEAKER_04 1:50

First of all, thank you, gentlemen. Like, seriously, thank you for the opportunity to hang out with y'all. It's it's my honor to be here sitting with you guys. And if I can just say in all honesty, just I'm proud of you guys.

SPEAKER_01 1:59

Amen. Thank you, thank you.

SPEAKER_04 2:00

Like for real, man, because you know what? You started something and you stuck with it.

SPEAKER_01 2:04

Amen.

SPEAKER_04 2:04

That's a testimony of its own. You know what I mean? Like, seriously, a lot of times in ministry or whatever it is, people start stuff and kind of get discouraged. There's too much going on, and so they kind of stop running the race, right?

SPEAKER_01 2:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 2:16

But uh, I just want to commend you guys, seriously. You guys have been doing a great job. I do see the post that y'all be doing. So seriously, you guys have been doing a great job, man. So keep up the good work for real. And again, thank you for the opportunity. Uh, like Brother Peter says, Victor says, my name is Carrie Lita. I'm a pastor here at the New Life Ministries, Ministerial Snow Vida. I've been at this ministry. I first came to this ministry when I was 15, became an ordained minister in 2010. So I've been here an ordained minister for 16 years. Did youth ministry the first 13 years here. It's my go-to, man. I loved working with teenagers. And then after 13 years, uh the church transitioned me to work with, you know, adults and families, really honestly to come and help alongside Pastor Chris in that transition. And then, of course, in December, when Pastor Jesse handed the ministry over to Pastor Chris, I was appointed as his associate pastor over the ministry. So that is where I am right now. And honestly, man, it's it's just a pleasure. And it really is an honor to be a part of building the kingdom, man. Um, yeah, so like you said, wear mini hats. I still, you know, make graphics, still make videos, still do a little bit of everything, still clean toilets. I don't think you ever get away from that stuff in the ministry, man. Still do hospital visitations, still do every do a lot of that stuff, man, and still still hang out with kids and teenagers, man. You know, I don't think that'll ever go away. But yeah, so that's a little bit about myself, gentlemen.

SPEAKER_02 3:40

Amen. Yeah. So yeah, like, you know, you you spoke on that. Yeah, I know you've for the for those that got to attend the car show this past uh Father's Day. Carrie actually he designs all the flyers for us every year. Yeah. So man, he's he's he's hats off, you know, because those those flyers, those, they always come out fire. Yes, they come out real nice. Yeah, yeah, they're nice to be honest. I appreciate that, gentlemen.

SPEAKER_04 3:58

Thank y'all so much.

SPEAKER_00 3:59

Yeah, so Vic, I guess you got our topic. All right, so today we'll be talking on two topics. Well, one big topic, but two little topics. Yeah. We're gonna be talking about sin, but I feel that two of our biggest sins are lust and money. First we could talk about lust and then we'll kind of transition over money. One thing I do want to kind of add to this is well, the whole lustful part is I I feel that I mean, men just in general have a big lustful nature. Like at work, at home, whether you're single, married, it's it's around us all. Like there's no avoiding it, especially in today's nature. Me and my wife were talking about this, and I kind of go to her for questions and all that. And she had brought up algorithm. And I was like, you know, how well what do you mean? And she she started breaking it down to me. And social media nowadays, it has an algorithm. Yeah. And she was like, what you see is kind of like, you know, you you you want to see it. You kind of after a while, if it stays popping up on your page, it's because you keep going to see it, you keep going to, and I was thinking, she was she's just going on and I was like, man, you know, that's crazy because if you think about it, you we sometimes we're like, oh no, we're good. But then we see it, and then we're like, oh, maybe just like a little more, and then maybe just a little more. And then after a while, you're back into that, oh man, that sinful nature of wanting to watch pornography, wanting to, you know, lust after women. And I feel like that's a big, you know, a big thing. And so we're talking about algorithm, and I was like, but that's not just social media. It's also the people you bring around you. Because, you know, you have this friend that, yeah, he's in the the world and he's a real good friend, like y'all are close, but he drags you into those worldly things. And you have those friends that aren't in the worldly thing, but you might think they're not as fun because they don't hang out with you as much. And your algorithm is I want to go more to him because he's in the world. He wants to, you know, he's more fun than these other guys. And I feel like algorithm plays a big part in that because I want to be more with them rather than be more, you know, with Christ. And I feel like we gotta really watch where we're standing and who we're who we're around, because sometimes it's that one friend that you think is gonna keep you up is really slowly dragging you down. And I think that's one like you really have to watch your back with that. Would y'all like to add anything to?

SPEAKER_02 6:12

Well, I know I wanted to ask you, Carrie. Uh being that you were you're in in uh ministry this long, right? So you got to see and probably minister to a lot of men uh and different teenagers and all that, right?

SPEAKER_04 6:24

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_02 6:25

So in your heart or in your experience, should I say, right, do you feel like that was one of the biggest issues, maybe especially with men and the teenagers and and maybe even now like fathers or or or husbands? Do you, you know, do you feel like that's something still pretty?

SPEAKER_04 6:44

So so when we talk about lust, obviously we're I feel like we're talking about sexual temptation less. Yes, that's what we're talking about today, right? So let's look at defining what that word lust means. One of the best definitions I've heard when it comes to lust is desire gone mad.

SPEAKER_01 7:01

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 7:01

Desire gone mad. Where you have a desire for something, but it's uncontrollable.

SPEAKER_01 7:07

Ah, yeah. Right.

SPEAKER_04 7:08

You can't control it. You've gone mad. So, for example, if you're at work and there's a woman at your job who dresses very seducely, you may look at her and be like, Man, she's gorgeous. But when it's that second, third, fourth look, and now you start to visually in your mind undress her. Now it's desire gone mad. Now you're at the point where now you're approaching her, things like that, right? Now you're flirting with her, knowing you're married at home with the family. And next thing you know, now you're in each other's DMs and it's desire gone mad, right? Like to where now it's even gotten to the point where uh we can be very upfront on this part. Okay. Oh, yeah. Now it's to the point where you're masturbating at home about this woman, right? Desire gone mad. Now you're you're visualizing everything to where it's it's gotten completely out of patrol control, right? So we talk lust, we talk about desire gone mad. And is that something I have seen in men in our world? Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely, 100%. It's desire gone mad. And if I may, put myself on the hot seat here. This is an area that I have failed in in ministry. So because this is a men's podcast, and I want to address men here, we're dressing men here. I want to share that not all the details, but I'm gonna share this, my testimony, just for a few minutes. Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_01 8:32

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_04 8:32

When I was, I gave my life, like for real, went all in with Christ at 17 years old. I was living here in Lubbock. I ended up on a my mother put me on a plane in Houston, Texas. So I ended up in Houston. Some you guys somewhat know this a little bit about me already. I worked for what's c what's called a mega church in Houston, Texas called Living Stones. And I was working for their camp as well, and I was basically being groomed to be the next youth pastor in the ministry. By the time I finished my internship, I was 19 years old, I was offered a full-time position. Okay. So I was I just turned 20 and I was full-time, and to me, I was living the dream. Yeah. Right, in all honesty, I was living the dream. I mean, it was awesome, man, to be honest with you. And um knowing that there was more to come, but at the same time, I was battling lust like crazy. Wow, okay. Bad, like bad, yeah, uh and just being honest, open, and transparent. The pastor's daughter, you know, I was 20, she was 19. And we ended up having sex at a wedlock. Obviously, we weren't together, yeah, and we ended up hooking up multiple times. Wow. Right. And it's nothing I'm proud of, obviously. It was looking back, it was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. Yeah. And we we did our best to keep it a secret. But it's amazing how when you try to do that, how God, if you don't humble yourself, God will quickly humble you. And so let that be something that if we could just insert a point to teach on, you may think no one will ever find out. You may think no one knows that you're masturbating about that person. You may think no one knows that you're gonna be texting and sending pictures or nudes or whatever. But let me tell you something, God sees it. And if you're calling on him as Lord of your life, if you don't humble yourself, he will humble you quickly because God will not be mocked.

SPEAKER_02 10:27

Yes, sir. Period. That's right.

SPEAKER_04 10:28

And that was something that I learned the hard way, bro. And so that's what happened. God humbled me quickly because within a month and a half, man, someone found out, and they basically said, if you don't tell, we're gonna tell. And honestly, the only reason I came clean was because I got caught. It wasn't because I was really repentive. Let that be another point to insert right here. Man, if you're gonna come clean, then do it with a real repentance heart. Don't just do it because, oh shoot, I think I might get busted. No, no, no. Man, if God is getting your attention, man, repent immediately. But I came clean and basically, man, everything that I wanted in ministry at that moment was taken from me. So I was fired.

SPEAKER_01 11:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 11:16

That's why I was fired. You know, I don't say that. Yeah, you know, I don't even talk about it because you know it's the past. Yes, sir. And to be honest with you, with my wife, I respect my wife enough to know she knows, right? But I don't like to, you know, make her try to live through that, you know. Anyway, but I just honor her and respect her that much, man. But so I was fired, and man, I was devastated, dude. I mean, devastated. And for the longest time, I think for three years, I blamed everybody else, but I still didn't take accountability for my actions. Yeah, right. That is when I gained a ton of weight for the first time in my life. I ended up moving back to Lubbock and went into drinking and all sorts of stuff, right? But how did I get there? Lust. Yeah. My desire went mad, man. My desire for this individual got out of control. And let's be honest, I'm gonna be honest, there were seas planted before that. I had bikini posters at my apartment. Yeah. So I was visually entertaining stuff, right? This was before Facebook, social media, right? So back in the day, you know, you had the magazines, the posters. I had I had a poster of Shakira like in a bikini on my wall, right? And I would have like friends from the church come over and be like, dude, what are you doing having that in your wall? Like, I wanted to, yeah. And I had multiple posters like that.

SPEAKER_01 12:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 12:40

Just if I can be honest, man, I was being dumb. Yeah. I was being dumb. I was 20 years old, I was young and dumb, dude. I thought, honestly, I thought I was untouchable. I was like, in in a sense, another thing with pride, I was at the top of quote unquote my game, if you could say it like that. Like I said, if you don't humble yourself, God will humble you quickly, man. And so that's what happened, man. And so I with that being said, lust, man, yes, it is a big thing that I have seen that the enemy uses, man, to destroy men, to destroy families. Oh, yeah. I mean, it it's it's it's really, really bad, man. And it's desire gone mad. And if we don't get it in check with the power of the Holy Spirit, it'll be something that will literally separate families, destroy men. I mean, I've seen men who have worked at six-figure income jobs, lose it all, million-dollar yearly salaries, lose it all because they're watching pornography at work on their desktops. You know what I'm saying? It's just our heart, maybe you know something like this, maybe you've seen it before, heard it, read about it, but how many affairs happen in the workplace where men lose all credibility because they can't get a job somewhere else, because they can't keep their desires under control. That's right. That's true. And so, yes, lust is desire gone, man. And it's something that is very, very serious in with men today. And the reason why the enemy comes attacking the men is because we were created to lead.

SPEAKER_01 14:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 14:08

Bottom line, man, we were created to lead. And if he can come and get us to fall, man, it just trickles down. Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_02 14:15

You know what stood out to me, Carrie, when you said that that uh that story, your your testimony, was you won't you won't be able to not the word control, but you won't be able to, I guess you can say control, right? Because as men, we like to say, yeah, I'm just doing this little bit. Like when you said you had the posters, you had, you know, some magazines. Yep. Some of us try to still hold on to something, right? Because they don't want to wanna completely let it go, right? They just want this little bit. And in their hearts or in their minds, right, they think, oh, well, just this little bit's not gonna help or hurt, or or talking to this girl, just that little bit is not gonna hurt. For men listening, it it will lead to something, right? It's gonna lead you down an avenue, and then you're not gonna be able to stop it.

SPEAKER_01 15:01

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 15:01

Because, you know, your emotions get involved, and and you know, that's that's the biggest thing, right? Is once your emotions are involved, that's that's it. And then for the men listening, right, would you agree when we say emotion, it don't mean like emotion, like you love that person, emotion like you have to have that person. Like you have to, you know, like, hey, well, I really want this, right? Yeah. And but that happens a lot, right? Right. I mean, even me, like in my early walk, right? It it was when I came back to the church, I was still wanting to drink a little bit, right? I I was coming to service and, you know, and and doing with my family right here, but I would drink, right? I would I would I would I would have a when I would eat dinner, I would drink, I would still have, you know, and but it it it just, you know, you would tell yourself, no, no, no, I'm gonna slap, I'm gonna stop, I'm gonna slow down, but it didn't. I had to separate myself from that, right? Completely. Because if you don't, it's gonna, it's gonna drag you back in. So like what Vic said earlier about friends, right? That's when I ended up losing like all my friends, right? Like, like I got into that lonely stage, right? Because uh I didn't have nobody no more, right? Like, you know, I stopped drinking, so the friends stopped coming around, right? No, no more friends, no more, hey man, well, now you're taking this church stuff too serious, bro. And and I'm like, well, yeah, in my heart I want to, right? But it just, it just, how can I say, like, then there was times I was like, all right, well, you know what? I'm gonna go back to it. Because I had those friends, right? They were like, come on, man, and even putting the beer to my chest, like, just take a drink, nothing's gonna happen. But it's when I had that total separation, of course, loneliness for a while, but that's when God wanted me alone, right? To to hold me, right? So I say that about that because you know, we we need to separate from that. It has to just be a cold, hard cut, right?

SPEAKER_04 16:57

Yeah, absolutely. And you know, the power of the Holy Spirit, you know, that's what helps us because you talked about control. Really, it's the power of the Holy Spirit, that's the fruit of the spirit, self-control. Self-control. To where, you know, you say, you know what I'm saying? I can't stop looking. You're right. In your own will and power, you cannot. That's why you need the power of the Holy Spirit. That is true. Talked a little bit about that on Sunday, if you remember. Right? I talked a little bit about you, you by faith, you walk by the spirit. And that's why so many men still struggle in this area of pornography, masturbation, and so many other things, because they're trying to do it in their own power. But it's not by might nor by power, but by the spirit of the living God. It is he who transforms us and it gives us the power to have control, right? It's the only possible way. With that being said, to the friendship thing, I agree wholeheartedly. And I like to tell people like this: why hang around people who are trying to resurrect the old you that you buried a long time ago? That's true. You need to be careful and watch your circle. Yeah. Bottom line, I tell people all the time, surround yourself with people who do these four things that are tough with you, right? That are willing to be honest with you, that are, that'll tell you the tough things, right, that are tough on you, that will hold you accountable, that are honest with you, that will encourage you. And then you want people who are yielded to the Holy Spirit. In other words, you want to surround yourself with the right they, T-H-E-Y. Tough, honest, encouraging, and people who are yielded to the spirit. Those are the people that you want around you, not people who are trying to bring the old you back. Like, oh, we missed the old Peter, we missed the old Vic, we missed the old Carrie. That dude's dead, right? He was buried a long time ago, and I'm not bringing him back. That's right. Right. That is true. He was dead, he's been buried a long time, and so this is this I am a new creation in Christ Jesus. That's right.

SPEAKER_00 18:37

That is true. I would like to add, so talking about how, you know, you think you can control it. Well, I I like to think as, you know, you have faith, Jesus says have faith in me as a the size of a mustard seed. Right. But even using that as a, no matter what you're thinking of, if you think of it as a mustard seed, even if it's the smaller, you know, as small as it can be, it will still grow. Like I I think, yeah, I can deal with this because it it's small, it's nothing. It's you know, it's the size of a mustard seed, but it's still gonna grow into something. I mean, you see it as as of right now, it's nothing, but slowly deep inside of you, it's growing and growing and growing. Right now it's nothing, but later on it will get a control of you, it will hold on to you, and it will consume you later on where you lose things that you love, and you're gonna you're not gonna realize it until you lose it. And I think that is one thing to see it as, you know, no matter how small it is, it will grow until you use the the Holy Spirit. And I like to give a little testimony as so there was uh like a while, I want to say a couple years back, I had fasted, and at the time, I was like, in my head, I was, I'm gonna fast for this reason. This is what I like, I'm going into this because this is what I want to happen. And little did I know that's not why truly what I was going into it. But I was going into it with this one thought, I want this to happen. You know, when I was fasting, I was like, I I've heard that when God you want something, you're gonna have to fast. And I went on a full water fast, and I was into it. And then when I came out of it, I thought to myself, why did I do that? There was there was nothing like there was nothing came out of it. I didn't get what I wanted, but little did I know, I actually did get what I wanted because I beat that lustful nature. I don't see women like that anymore. Because before it would have ruined my relationship. I mean, me and my wife, as my wife now, we I mean, fights, scrambles, everything because I had a really bad lustful nature. And honestly, that was the only problem in our relationship was me.

SPEAKER_03 20:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:32

And I never saw that until after I finished that fast and it hit me. I was like, I didn't go, I went into it for this, but he brought me out like this, and I was like, and I didn't even think about that. I wasn't even trying to aim to that because in me, I thought I had it under control. Yeah. But I never really did. Yep. And when I came out of it, to me, it's a whole different light. Me and my wife, we are like amazing, we're on fire. We're, you know, our marriage has never been better. And we don't argue, we don't fight. And I think no matter what, how much you think you have it under control, you will never have it under control unless you walk through him. I think that's one big thing.

SPEAKER_04 21:06

Yeah. That's right, man. Yeah, that's right. You know, I was thinking about, you know, what you were talking about, the control. We we kind of talked about that. I think about, you know, you were talking about how all it takes is just a little, and it goes back to the algorithm thing that you talked about a minute ago, right? And it's true. If you what I would tell teenagers all the time, and I tell men now, if you entertain it just for a little bit, that's all the enemy needs to see, right?

SPEAKER_03 21:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 21:28

All you gotta do is entertain it just enough with the algorithm thing. If you entertain it just for a little just a little bit, you're gonna continue to see videos, you're gonna continue to see pictures on your on your timeline or or on your FYP, whatever it is, right? Because you've entertained it enough, right? And the longer you entertain it, the more it's gonna come back around, the more the enemy's gonna throw that your way because he knows, hey, God see where their eyes are. You know what I'm saying? And so I believe that's why that's why the author of Hebrews says. That's important that we fix our eyes on Jesus. Yes. Right. And so the answer to our lustful problem is like, hey, we need to, first of all, if you're battling lust right now, hey, humble yourself before the Lord before he humbles you. Right? Seriously. Humble yourself before the Lord. Truly repent, Lord. I'm sorry, my eyes have been looking in places they shouldn't be looking. They have been texting people they shouldn't be texting. They've been flirting with people they shouldn't be flirting. I shouldn't be flirting with. My hands have been touching myself in the way they shouldn't be touching myself. Like it's getting I it's out of control. So Lord, I repent right now and please forgive me. And Holy Spirit, I need you to help me get this under control because I'm realizing I can't do it on my own, right? And then of course, surround yourself with a group of people, man, that are gonna lift you up and hold you accountable. You know, I believe that's so important. And you know, I would tell teenagers, man, and I would tell men the same thing, man. If that means you gotta get rid of your cell phone, go to the extreme. So when I was in Houston, there was this one married couple that I had so much respect for because they they were so consumed with watching TV, right? Like that's that was their thing. They would just sit in front of the TV all day when they get off of work before work, like they and they was to the point to where like they were like not going to church because they had to watch TV. And this was before streaming services. Yeah. Right. So and it was just bad, bad, bad for them. And so they had a really strong conviction to get rid of their TV.

SPEAKER_01 23:34

Wow. Wow.

SPEAKER_04 23:35

So they got rid of their TV, and they were like, yeah, we haven't had a TV in our home for years.

SPEAKER_01 23:41

That's crazy.

SPEAKER_04 23:42

But for some people, that it went to that extreme for them, right? And for some people, look, if that means you gotta get rid of the iPad, if that means you gotta get rid of your laptop, if that means you gotta go for a while without having a cell phone, I mean, you gotta do what you're willing to do, right? You gotta do what the what's necessary to really, like you said, cut the tiles from those things. And you know, get that discernment and grow in self-control to where, okay, now I'm in a better position to where I can have a cell phone or can bring it back with limitations. So like you uh you know how. Because like now it's like even with me as someone who did battle with pornography for years, right? I can have a cell phone and yeah, I haven't looked at pornography in a very, very long time, even though right here, right now, I could search stuff. Yeah, right? Yep, you know, and but grown. I've had a renewing of the mind. There's been a real transformation from the inside out. And so those all play a huge role to really break free from that desire gone mad that we call lust.

SPEAKER_02 24:48

What that reminds me of is that I don't know that the scripture, but I I uh remember that what the scripture says, it's what it says it's better to pluck out your eye, right, than to enter per paradise. Cut off your hands, yeah, cut off your hands, right? So and a lot of people misinterpret that scripture, right? They're like, well, wow, God wants you to cut your hand off. He doesn't want you to mortify your body, right? He doesn't want you to pluck well, it's it's he's speaking like get rid of what you like you just said, get rid of it, go to that extreme, is get rid of what is bothering you, like right, like social media, just you can delete that, right? You can delete it. You can delete it for a while, right? And and like like like me, I you know, I I gotta deal with Facebook, right? And and uh, you know, I know Pastor Chris one time, he he sent me a few deals from TikTok, right? And he was just like, Did you check them out, right? And I was like, no, man. I was like, I don't have TikTok, brother. TikTok, yeah. Facebook, I was like, because I already got troubles with Facebook, man. I was like, I can't if Instagram, TikTok, it would I don't know, I'd probably be busy all day, right? So I was like, no, man, I don't have it. So he, you know, he's like, oh, okay, I'll stop sending them to you, right? Because he was sending them and sending them. I was like, oh, I can't afford to have another one because I do, you know, I can save myself I struggle with it, right? Uh with Facebook, you know, I uh I'm a big car guy. So I'm on there for hours, just looking at cars, right? That that's that's my my deal, right? Yeah. But and I've done it. I mean, like what you just said. Said that to say this is I've I've done that. I've gotten off of social media for months at a time because I would tell my wife, like, man, I it's I again, if it's there, you're gonna you're gonna do it, right? So I was like, I just deleted the app, bro. I deleted the app for like all of two months, man. And and they had friends like, man, where you been at? We ain't seen you on. I'm like, I had to delete it, dude, because I'm wasting too much time, you know, spending too much of my time on there, right? So you go to that extreme. Pluck out your eye, cut up your hand, right? It's what he means is get rid of what's what is making you go down that road.

SPEAKER_04 26:50

So that is true. And if I can, gentlemen, for just a minute, talk to the gentleman who think that you know what? God loves me. Yeah, I'm under grace, and I know God's gonna forgive me.

SPEAKER_01 27:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 27:06

So I'm gonna continue to indulge in in my lustful desires. And I'll never forget there was a gentleman that I knew. He was going to a church here in Lubbock, and he was taught that it was okay for you to watch pornography because God is a God of grace and he's gonna forgive you anyway. Wow. And then I'll never forget there was a pastor that I used to listen to also, a key word used to listen to. Yeah. I'll never forget he had a he did like a an Instagram live with his wife. And this is a well-known pastor, like well known. And he was like, Yeah, when I'm on the road, me and my wife have an understanding. When I'm on the road, it's okay for me to masturbate when she's not around me to fulfill my sexual desires. And my mouth, I was just like, What? Like, wait a minute. Like, did I just and sure enough, dude? He he said, and I was like, What in the world is going on?

SPEAKER_02 28:04

To say it on a pulpit, right?

SPEAKER_04 28:05

Like, like, I was like, what the heck? But how many men who have struggled with pornography masturbation who, when they heard that, were like, oh, dude.

SPEAKER_02 28:14

Green ticket.

SPEAKER_04 28:15

Yeah, I'm good.

SPEAKER_02 28:16

Yeah, I'm good, I'm good.

SPEAKER_04 28:18

If he can do it, and the pastor says that it's okay because I'm gonna be forgiven, how many men who were trying to break free just wound up back in chains again? Oh, man. You know what I'm saying? Because of that. So, with that being said, I just want to encourage the men. Look, if you hear that nonsense, it is exactly that nonsense, right? And I say that because and I'm just gonna be honest here. Jesus didn't masturbate. Yeah. And the Bible tells us to imitate him in everything that we do. That's right. Right? Right. It's bottom line. And so coming from someone who's struggled in this area for years to be free from it is literally like it's so nice to not have to have these thoughts invade in your mind or, you know, whatever it may be, right? To enjoy my marriage, to enjoy my life, yeah, right now, and so yeah, I I would just say, you know, if you're out there and and you're listening to this and you say, well, so and so says okay, I just want to encourage you, man, to really do a self-examination and search the scriptures on that. Because again, that's not self-control. Um, and if and if you're if you're doing that, man, it just goes to show like there is a there is a lustful problem that you're sure.

SPEAKER_00 29:36

I would like to add one thing before we switch over to our second topic. In our first episode, it was follow the right shepherd. We kind of talked about, you know, especially now with all the online preachers and all that. Yeah, right. So if you ever listen to that one, I would suggest go listening to that one to help you out to understand more of that. But now our seventh second topic, money. Sure. So I would like to give a little breakdown. So me and you were talking about this earlier. So I got a new job opportunity, and it is amazing. Pay, it would like beyond what I could imagine. It would really be a blessing. But I would be missing my kids a lot because it's a six to six Monday through Saturday. My only day off would be Sunday, and you know, we're already running around on Sunday because, you know, we have church, and then after church, I feel like there's still always something to do. Right. So these last Sunday and Monday, I prayed about it, and I had to interview Monday, went amazing. I I'm pretty certain I got the job. But I was home that night, and I was like, you know, it's amazing. Like, we we will our prayers will be answered. We'll have the money, we'll have extra money to, you know, live nice. And I was sitting there, my wife was making dinner, I was watching the boys, I was kind of in between the kitchen and the living room. And as I'm watching the boys, I have three little ones: a four-year-old, uh, one turning two in August, and then eight-month-old. And mind you, they're all like houses loud, but it's, you know, it's fun. It's, you know, it's my life. And I'm sitting there watching them, and I turned to my wife, I'm not doing the job. Like straight up, I'm not doing the job. I was like, because I think I my prayers were answered. I was told I was been, I've been asking, is this where I'm supposed to be at? And it takes away very much from my family. And that's one thing I would never want to do is I I want to see my boys grow up. I wanted to be there for anything they do. And I feel, you know, if I had that hunger for money, then I would have been like, oh no, I'm taking this job first thing. Like, I'm going and so be it. They might grow up without me, but we're gonna have money. Yeah. But I don't see it that way. I'd rather be with them without money than without them with money. Yeah. And that's one thing that, you know, really stuck with me is if it if it's for the money, I'm not gonna do it. But if it's for my family, I'm gonna stand behind it like 24-7. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:52

I'll tell you something on that, bro, because when you're saying it, it brought my I got a best friend, and that happened to him. And he's he's he's a worldly guy, right? He's he I minister to him, but he's not, he believes in God, but you know, he's not a church guy, right? But me and him talked about that one time. He he works old field work, right? So plenty of money, beautiful house, beautiful cars. I mean, this guy has a big bank account, buys his kids whatever they want, you know, and buys himself whatever he wants. But that's one thing he told me one time, bro, when we're really, really talking, like I would say intimately. I know people listening are like, oh, you and your friend. No, it's different. So the world uh perverted the word intimate, right? Me and him were like, because we're really good friends for for many years. He told me if he could take it all back, he would, because his kids grew up without him. He would work like two weeks on. Sometimes he tells, dude, I'd work a whole month. He goes, Yeah, I had the big check. He goes, but now that his kids are teenagers, well, his youngest is a teenager. The other ones have already grown and left the house. He's like, dude, they they grew up without me. Right? They he says, like, he told me, he goes, It's crazy to say, like, I know them, but I don't know them. He goes, because they grew up without me, right? You know, he's like, the stuff that they like and they show me. He's like, when did you start liking that? Or when did you he's like, I just missed it all. So he's like, he regrets that part, bro. You know, yeah, he had money, money, money, money, right? But he's like, dude, I can't get that time back no more. It's gone. Yeah, right. So I would, yeah, I mean, you know.

SPEAKER_00 33:32

Yeah, that's one thing that I'd rather be with him. Cause I mean, I was just sitting there watching them, and yeah, they were probably fighting each other. These these boys are not gonna be able to get the boys will be boys, man. Yeah. And they were, man, I was sitting there and I it just stopped me, and I was sitting there just watching them and I was like, no, I don't want the money. Like, yeah, we're we're we're good where we're at. Yeah. Why am I gonna leave more just to bring more in so they can what have more toys to break? I was like, no, we're we're I mean, they have a bunch of toys they can break now. Why am I gonna go? Yeah, I think that's one thing that's been, you know, I'd rather be with my family, being the time rather than the money. Because I mean, money is time.

SPEAKER_03 34:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:07

You gotta spend your time to make that money. And yeah, I think your time is more important, especially with your loved ones.

SPEAKER_02 34:13

Yeah, bro, like you that's definitely I've I've had that before. I've uh in my line of work, they've they've offered me stuff like that, you know, I'll be gone more, right? Amarillo or or Odessa. And I was like, no, and that's that's my wife was like, no, because you're gonna always be gone, right? So I was like, yeah, it's it's it's true, right? You know, I mean you you gotta kinda how much do you love money? And and for the guys listening, right, it's not that money's bad, right? We're not trying to say the money's bad, but I think when the Lord's gonna truly bless you, right? He's gonna bless you the right way. Yep. You know, not not robbing you of time. I think he's gonna give you both. You know, a balance. Yeah, he's gonna balance it out because also too, and the scripture says that you know, we're we weren't made to live in overabundance, right? Like, you know, like not to yearn for all that stuff because I mean it's gonna stay here. Anyways, I mean, because you look at it like that friend of mine, he he he purchased all these things, whatever, and now it doesn't matter, right? His time was was bought by those things, and half that stuff he bought in heaven no more, right? Like it's it's it's gone somewhere, right? So you kind of put your life with with that stuff, and I think you kind of balance it like, well, was it worth it, or should I just, you know, spend my time with my loved ones? And it's true. What would you say, Carrie? What do you think?

SPEAKER_04 35:33

You know, man, I think of two things in scripture. You know, I think of what Jesus says first when he says you can't serve two masters. Yeah, that is true. You're either gonna love one or love the other, and he was talking about money in him. So either you're gonna love God and hate money, or you're gonna love money and hate God. And that's the reality of it. And then I think of what Paul says for the love of money, I think that's the key word. The love of money is the root of all evil. A lot of people say, Oh, you know, money is the root of all evil. That's not true. The love of money is the root of all evil, right? When you love money, yes, it can be a huge problem. So, you know, hearing both you guys' testimonies, I mean, how many people do we know who have we talked about lust a few minutes ago, a few minutes ago, but it's the same concept even with money. You can have such a lust, a desire gone mad for money that you will completely abandon your family, right? You will completely abandon your wife, you'll completely abandon everything you've ever known because you need money. And let's be honest, a lot of times it comes from men or women who grew up in poverty homes.

SPEAKER_00 36:42

Yeah, that is right.

SPEAKER_04 36:43

So they they chasing the bag, right? They want what they didn't have when they were kids or growing up, right? And then, you know, well, I want to make sure my kids don't have to go through it, right? You know, so I'm gonna do everything I can. Don't get me wrong, I agree 100%, you know, if you don't work, you don't eat, is what scripture says. Yeah. So yes, lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper. I 100% agree we should be working, 100% agree we were created to work, especially as men. However, we're meant to be providers for our family and not abandon our families, right? That's true. We're supposed to provide, and and and honestly, what a better example for your children and for your wives to see, you know, hey, I'm not gonna love money more than us, right? I think too, man, at the same time not to be naive and to be careful. So for example, with me in ministry, I'm I'm also employed here at the ministry, right? And so one of the greatest exam one of the greatest uh pieces of advice my mentor gave me before he passed was he shared when he launched out his own church in Neederland, Texas, and he was doing it full time, right? But his family was struggling, right? Didn't have no money, they was barely making it by, but he was pastor of the church and wasn't doing anything else just that, but they could hardly get by, man. And he invited the senior pastor from Livingstones to come down to minister for like the weekend. So he came and had them, and the senior pastor saw you know his living condition, saw how his kids didn't have much, and saw how they were struggling to pay their bills and stuff like that. And he pulled him aside and he says, Listen, tomorrow you need to go out and find a job. Right. And he said, But Pastor, I'm called to preach.

SPEAKER_01 38:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 38:47

I'm called to pastor this ministry. And he said, I understand. He said, but if you don't go out and get a job, your kids are gonna grow up thinking God is poor.

SPEAKER_01 38:55

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 38:56

Man, when he told me that, that stuck with me.

SPEAKER_01 38:58

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 38:59

Like seriously. And you know, we're believing for kids right now, man, and that's one thing that I do not want. I don't want my kids to grow up thinking God is poor.

SPEAKER_01 39:07

Yeah, oh yeah, right? Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 39:09

I don't want them to grow up thinking God is poor because he's not, yeah, obviously. Right. He's a reward for those who diligent to seek him. And he is a he is someone who delights in the prosperity of those who serve him. He really, that's biblical, yeah, right. But I uh if I can speak to the flip side, for those of us who are so we want to serve, serve ministry, man, we have a responsibility to our families at the same time to be providers. That's right. But at the same time, like you said, balance doesn't mean we should go to the extreme and completely be have such a lustful desire for money that we abandon our families. So you guys use the right word balance. You have to be led by the Spirit, be yielded to his voice, not so gun-houled to where I'm doing ministry, but I can't provide for my family. Yeah. But at the same time, vice versa, to where I'm so gun-ho to provide for my family that I'm completely abandoning my faith and my family and everything in the process. That's true. Oh, yeah. And you know when finances have gotten out of control in your life, when you won't even tithe.

SPEAKER_01 40:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 40:07

Like you got all the money in the world, but you won't even honor the Lord with it. That's a problem. That's a hardship.

SPEAKER_00 40:11

That's true. That's right. That's right. I would like to give a shout out to my mama. Because I mean, like testimony growing up, we were six kids, and my mom alone. And yeah, we I mean, there was times where we lived in a one bedroom, all six kids, and that was, I mean, that was it. But it was always a fun time. It was always a loving comb. Yeah. It was always Christ put into that home.

SPEAKER_01 40:36

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 40:37

I mean, there was times where it was kind of swayed away, or you know, but it was always, she was always there for us. No matter what. She was working two jobs, but she still happened to show up for everything. Yeah. She still happened to, you know, be there. And I think that really helped me, you know. Right now, I mean, I'm not living in the best house, I'm not living in the richest, but I'm very well taken care of. Yeah. And I'd rather be there for my family because that's what my mom showed me is you be there because the time, I mean, like he said, I can't get that time back. I'm not going to be able to see them grow up again. And I I mean, that's just a shout-out to my mom because she was there for us, even though she had to work for herself plus six other little kids that ate everything. I'm not a little boy. So, you know, two of me, me and my brother, we were, I mean, big boys. So growing up, we ate a lot. So I think that was, you know, a big, you know, helpful mindset that, hey, she did it for me, but she also still had time for us when we needed her. That I want that I mean, that's a big thing for me.

SPEAKER_04 41:33

Yeah. And I think too, if I can speak to the gentlemen, because you know, we are talking to men here.

SPEAKER_00 41:37

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_04 41:38

Let me let's talk to the gentlemen who are lazy and don't want to work. Yeah. Right? Because how many kids have grown up right now? So I worked at the Boys and Girls Club before I was a youth pastor for six years. So I worked at the one here in the Arnhem Benson and I worked at the one on 58th Street. I was actually the director of that one for a few years, and then I came over here. But I can't tell you how many kids I would see who would come in wearing the same oh man, same stuff for like three years straight. But dad was coming in in New Jordans, chains, rims on the car, mom just got her hair did, right? But you could tell that young lady been in the same clothes for a while. Yeah. Right. And I'm just saying, like, again, to even the men out there, man, we were created to provide for our families, right? Yeah. At the same time, how many young men and women who, because let's be honest, it's even it's even a big deal in our culture today where men don't want to provide, so they just they put everything on the women.

SPEAKER_01 42:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 42:48

Right? And so, yeah, government as well, as well. And so, man, I just want to encourage the men. I want to encourage you. Man, you were created for so much more. Yeah. Like seriously, you were creative for so much. You were created to lead and provide for your family. And this is why you see that cycle happening in our culture today, because how many young men grew up seeing that and they just, oh, that's how it's supposed to be. So I'm gonna do it too. So I'm gonna do it too. Right? And so I just want to encourage you men out there, man. Listen, if maybe you're listening and that's you, man, you were created for more, bro. Yeah. You're created for more. God has given you a gift to lead and provide. It's a privilege. It really truly is. It's a privilege to do that. It really truly is, man. I mean, I think of when me and my wife first got married, we started out in a little video apartment and we upgraded during the pandemic. Thank goodness, because I couldn't imagine grinding out the pandemic where we've started. And we stayed there for ye for about five years, I think it was five years, and then twenty twenty twenty twenty four, in November twenty twenty four, man, we bought a four bedroom home.

SPEAKER_01 43:56

Amen.

SPEAKER_04 43:57

And brand new, new construction. I'm just saying, man, like seeing the smile on my wife's face, right? Like it just it meant everything, man. Yeah. And again, it's one of those things like God created us as meant to provide for our families. He created us to work. And it's so important. And but at the same time, like I have not been consumed with chasing the bag to where I neglect my wife. Because at the same time, my wife's love language is quality time.

SPEAKER_01 44:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 44:28

Right. And so if I just am working, working, working, working, working, right? She's not gonna I like the illustration of like she's like a vehicle, and like if I don't put gas in the love tank, it's gonna she's eventually gonna stall out. Like there's gonna be a death in our marriage. And so quality time is so important to her. That's right. And so like if I'm just out chasing the bag, doing side hustles like crazy while I'm not doing stuff here at the ministry, man. I'm gonna and what what kind of example am I setting, you know, as a as a pastor and a leader in the ministry to all the men here? That is true. Right? In all honesty. And so yeah, I just I I believe wholeheartedly the love of money is the root of all evil. And again, what Jesus said, you can't serve two masters because you're gonna love one and hate the other. So my question for you today, which which one do you love and which one do you hate? Right. So that is true.

SPEAKER_02 45:26

That is I think that's another fruit of the spirit, right? Is patience.

SPEAKER_04 45:30

Yeah. Love, patience, peace, kind of, self-control.

SPEAKER_02 45:33

When you don't want to be patient, that's why you're you're grinding so much, right? You know, you you want it real fast, but if you if you wait, right? If you're patient, that's that's basically that's what you you touched on being in a small apartment. Yep. Vic, you jogged my mind because you said your wife, I mean your mom had six kids, right? That's that's my household right now, right? I got I got six kids, man, and and me and my wife, that's what we're believing on right now is a four-bedroom, right? Yeah. You know, we're we're we're somewhere decent, we're a three-bedroom, but we want to we want a four-bedroom. But it's patience because I could do that. That's what you said. Like I can grind, right? I can go right now, take on a second job. Yeah. But what will happen? You know, no more men's groups, you know, probably no more podcasts, right? And definitely cut into my church time.

SPEAKER_04 46:16

Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_02 46:17

No fellowship with God in the morning like I used to, because I'm gonna be on the run because I'm doing it on my time instead of on God's time.

SPEAKER_04 46:25

The danger with that, also, too, if I can say this, the danger with all that too is if you do it in your grind, your time, your hustle, you begin to take the glory. Yeah, that's right. And it's like, oh, I did this. Yep. I made this happen. And you completely push God out of their picture. That's right. Right. And what does scriptures say? He gives us the ability to create wealth, but we become so selfish and we begin to worship ourselves. Where it's not like now we're completely taking God out of the equation. And that's dangerous.

SPEAKER_00 46:53

That's crazy because uh on the ability to create wealth. So I I mean, I have a side hustle. I do a little mobile mechanic. And when I first started it up, I was like, I don't want to do this because I don't want it to, you know, think it's gonna take too much of my time. Well, I was making the post and I was like, you know what? This is all I'm gonna do. I'm gonna make a post, I'm gonna let Jesus deal with it. If if he wants people to come to me, then so be it. If not, then I mean I'm I'm okay where I'm at. This is just a little extra money. And so I one post I've ever made about it. And literally, whenever I need the money, he sends those people. Like my son has a birthday party coming up in August. My wife just, hey, so we're gonna have to pay for this pool. And I was like, whoa, what do you mean? We got bills to pay. And literally, as she was saying that, I was getting text messages, hey, you know, I need this done. Hey, I need this done. And my down payment for the pool was right in the next three days given to me. And I was like, hey, I'm not working crazy with it, but when I need it, I can see that he he pulls them in and it's 30 minutes here, hour here, and that's it. It's nothing like six hours here, seven hours here. Yeah. And I really thank God for that because it's still, you know, I I put that trust in him, like, hey, you know, you know when I need it, yeah. So here's this. I'm gonna work for it, but you just know when you need to provide and it has a cousin consumed you where you abused it.

SPEAKER_04 48:13

So like if I can really quickly just if I can brag on my brother, you know, he he started. So my father has his landscaping business, right? And then my brother, he started a landscaping business on like separate, right? Now he started it last summer, right? And this summer it has grown significantly. Wow. Like the yeah, like he's in such high demand right now. Wow. To where like it's I'm proud of him. But here's here's here's what I'm so proud of him about is that since last year he like really got serious about his faith in Christ. And like he goes to church faithfully, he serves, he's involved, and he's doing all these outreaches. But the biggest thing that I've seen about him, because I used, and he knows this, I used to jokingly call him Uncle Frank from home alone. The stingy type uncle who didn't want to pay for nothing, who always was a kid. Yeah, he was doing everything like that. I was like, yo, Uncle Frank's home for Christmas, like, right? And everyone would laugh. That's who he was. He's become one of the most generous dudes I've ever met in my life. Amen. No, seriously, I'm not joking. So, like, the youth just had their event this past weekend. Yeah. He won't, he didn't ask me to share this. As a matter of fact, he would probably be like, dude, I didn't want you to share that. But if I can for a second, as an example, he paid for 15 kids to go to that. And he also paid for all the food Friday night from that business. And I know for a fact he sows generously to ministries and things like that. And I'm just saying, like that is someone who obviously wants God to get the glory, but at the same time, in his work, it's not consumed him to the point to where he's like, it's all about him, right? Yeah. But he's doing it also in a sense to where he he gives generous because he he sees what God is doing, and I truly believe that's where I was going, thank you, Holy Spirit. Because he's been generous, that's why he's got so much clientele and work coming his way. Like keeping it, yeah. Taking it. Like he he literally, and he's got dudes stepping up to work for him, to where, which I'm happy for, man. I'm really proud of him, you know. And so it's the same with my father, too, man. It's crazy how both of their businesses have just in the past year have just flourished. But again, it's because they don't have a love for money. Yeah. You know, they love the Lord, and it's like Christ said, when you seek him first, he'll take care of everything else. That's true.

SPEAKER_02 50:55

They're not uncomfortable about letting it out, right? Kind of like what Sam said, Pastor Sam, I don't know his last thing. He came down. Segundo. Segundo, there you go. That's that stood out to me how he said it. He was like, God trusted you with a little. What he was saying is like when you get it, you're not hoarding it for yourself. It's like as soon as you get it, you're like ready to let it go because there's no love for it, right? So he's gonna keep letting it flow to you because he knows what it's not gonna stay there. Yeah. He's gonna this this this brother's gonna try to do it. He's showing his love. Yeah. Yeah. He's using his love. That's the difference between not loving money and knowing what money's for. It's just a uh, what would you call it, uh, a tool for God, brother? Yeah, that's true, sir. Amen. Well, I think guys, we uh we reached our hour, Mark. I just kind of wanted to recap, right? For the men that are listening. One thing that did stood out, Pastor Kerry talked earlier. You got many credentials. You know, I know you love the Lord big time. I've I've always loved to listen to your your sermons because I know they're Holy Spirit. I know you don't like to take credit for them, you know. You're the vessel, right? But what I was trying to skip with that was men, don't be ashamed to enter a church and lay your sin down at the altar. Because Carrie, he struggled with it, right? And and the first thing the enemy wants to do is shame, right? Fill you with shame. Don't go into that church, and once they find out what you did, they're just gonna look at you different. They're gonna look at you different, or they're gonna that they're gonna want you there. No, that's a the biggest lie. The church wants you there. They want you to lay that sin down, so don't let the enemy fool you into thinking there's shame there. There isn't. There's no shame there, you know. Secondly, we don't put down money. We know it's a tool, like we said earlier, it's a tool for for God, right? To to use. There's not there's not a sin in having money, it's just the love of money. Yep. It's what makes you want to hoard it. You want to hoard it, you want to hoard it. But once you know that there's no love for the money, you know, then you know, you start spreading it. Start spreading it out, right? So, man, I just hope y'all were encouraged. I mean, I always I like I love hearing you. You gotta you always have a lot of insight. You actually, I stole a little snippet from you on uh what was it Wednesday? Was it Sunday? For for my because I gotta I get to preach on Thursday to the to the parrots. Oh, nice, bro. And it's on it's on illumination, right? So what one of the things you said about how people see you walking, oh yeah, that stood out. Yes, sir. That stood out. So we may hear that Thursday if you're gonna be able to do it, sir.

SPEAKER_00 53:21

Oh man, I'm gonna have to drop out and help in the goalistic. I need to take a little break. There you go. Man, you got anything to finish? You want to close this out with anything?

SPEAKER_04 53:31

I just want to encourage you guys, man, keep running your race. Like, seriously. And I'm gonna believe that this is just the first step for y'all. You know, I know we talked for a little bit before, but man, as you were talking, I'm like, man, you really have an anointing where you're doing this right now. Both of you do. I mean, I've seen it on you for a while, and you've helped me able to see a f and things like that. But man, I just want to encourage you, gentlemen, keep your eyes on Jesus and man, just keep serving. And you know what? I'm just thankful that, first of all, you guys also had me here today. I really don't take it lightly. And then secondly, man, just again, I want to commend you guys. Like, seriously, I really do mean that. You guys have been doing a great job, so keep up the great work. And to the gentlemen listening, fight the good fight of faith.

SPEAKER_00 54:13

Amen.

SPEAKER_04 54:14

And the enemy will do whatever he can to get you out of walking a life of faith, but keep fighting every day. Stand firm in your faith and run the race that God has set before you.

SPEAKER_00 54:22

Amen. Thank y'all for listening.