Spirit Stream #57 - Cult Survivor

In this Spirit Stream, Nick Griemsmann shares his raw and powerful testimony of how Jesus saved him, delivered him from a religious cult, healed him from schizophrenia and demonic torment, and filled him with the Holy Ghost.

Nick openly talks about:
• How he got saved then fell into a controlling cult with heavy legalism and performance Christianity
• Battling severe schizophrenia, hearing voices, self-harm thoughts, and deep condemnation
• The slow, supernatural deliverance and healing process through God's grace
• Discovering his true identity in Christ and learning to rest in unconditional love
• The power of the Holy Spirit to break religious spirits and bring real freedom

If you’ve ever felt trapped in religion, battled mental torment, or wondered if God can truly heal and deliver — this testimony will give you hope. The Holy Ghost still sets people free today!

🙏 Watch until the end for prayer and encouragement.

Timestamps:
0:00 - Welcome & Vision for Holy Ghost Television
10:00 - Early Life, Searching for Truth & Salvation
25:00 - Falling into the Cult & Brainwashing
45:00 - Schizophrenia, Voices, Torment & Rock Bottom
1:05:00 - Deliverance, Healing & Discovering Grace
1:25:00 - Identity in Christ & Freedom from Condemnation
1:40:00 - Closing Prayer & Holy Ghost Encouragement

If this blessed you, drop a 🔥 or "Amen" in the comments!

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© 2026 The Father's Friends. All rights reserved. The Father's Friends logo™ and Holy Ghost Television™ are trademarks of The Father's Friends.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 1:13

Hey everybody, Nick Grimsman here. This is uh Holy Ghost Television. This is Spirit Stream number fifty seven. We're on number fifty-seven Spirit Stream here at the Father's Friends Ministry and Holy Ghost Television. Holy Ghost Television is the 24-7 streaming channel uh for the Father's Friends Ministry. We've just we're just starting out with Spirit Streams. We don't really know where this is take where God's taking us. We're just doing like I just feel like I'm just doing what I feel like I'm supposed to do. It might change later on, but this is where uh we're at today. So thank you so much for joining. Um today is gonna be a great day. Hi Martine, good to see you. Thank you for commenting on Facebook. Uh today is gonna uh is a good day, has been a good day, and it's gonna continue to be a good day. Why? Because I'm saved. Are you saved today? Then you're having a good day. You have eternal life. When you have an eternal perspective, the things that happen in your life uh currently and the things that may happen in the future are very small compared to how long eternity is billions and billions and billions and trillions of years. Okay, so encourage yourself with that, that you have eternal life through Jesus Christ your Lord. So when you feel start feeling discouraged, you start going to that negative attitude, you go to that negative place in your soul, you want to lift yourself out by what? Encouraging yourself in the faith. Read the word, read the stories of old, read the book of Psalms, encourage yourself in the faith. A lot of us go through or have gone through really horrible things, trauma, mental illness, addictions, abuse, all sorts of things. But God, through Jesus Christ, can heal you of it all, deliver you from it all, and set your uh feet on his path. And uh today, I don't know what I'm talking about. I'm just I'm just going for it. I want to preach the gospel, I want to encourage you. I don't know how long this broadcast is gonna be, but it's Spirit Stream57. Thank you so much for your support of the ministry. Uh, and in the corner of the screen, if you're watching, uh you can uh click that little QR code. And if like if you're on Roku or whatever, Apple TV, you can you can do that uh uh QR code for the free app. Uh we also have uh one for like a YouTube subscribe, I just put on the screen, as well as Facebook subscribe I just put on the screen. Sorry, I'm going quick, but I just want to let you know it's all available. Our ministry stores available too, and that's at our website, thefathersfriends.org, and you can also donate support and all that stuff there. Okay, so thank you so much for your support, your love, your care for the ministry. Uh, today we just dropped off um uh uh we donated a bunch of uh my arm pets that I created, the stuffed animals, uh, to uh to uh children that get pulled out of homes with domestic violence. So the police department has to take these kids out, and you know, because um you know their parents are getting arrested or maybe there's domestic violence or abuse or whatever. And so the arm pets, stuffed animals that I felt like the Lord had me create, uh, they're going towards some good things. Uh in Christmas time, we gave some to the children's hospital for children there, and we pray over them. We uh, you know, we have them in our ministry store if you want to get one for your child, um, but it goes back into the ministry. Everything goes back in the ministry. Um, I am interested in helping people find hope through Jesus Christ. My life is pretty much that. That's pretty much all I do. Um, I um just dedicated my life to the Lord, or better yet, the Lord has led me to that place. So it really wasn't me. It was the Lord putting on my heart to just give my all to the Lord. A lot of times we're uh we're stuck because we have encased ourselves with the affairs of this life or the emotions that the enemy has tricked us into believing our own. For example, this is what I really want you to think about. Our negative emotions like rejection, rebellion, anger, rage, ungodly lusts, perversion, these emotions that come from your soul area or your flesh, right? So your souls connect to your flesh. Okay, so those emotions and all that stuff are those coming from your new nature or your old nature? And so in uh uh in uh for I think it's 1 Corinthians chapter 10 or 2 Corinthians chapter 10, I think it's first, Paul talks about pulling down strongholds, demolishing high thoughts and imaginations that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. So these high thoughts, these imaginations try to get inside your psyche, your mind, your emotions to get to your will, to pull on your flesh. So you go make a dumb choice or you go into unbelief. It's actually really simple, guys. Walk in the spirit and you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. The spirit and the flesh fight against each other. So you're in this battle, you're always going to be in this battle. It gets easier as you learn who you are in Christ. So if you are somebody that struggles a lot, right? Let's say you struggle a lot with uh lustful thoughts, lustful emotions, addictions, rejection, whatever, all that stuff. You have to learn who you are in Christ, what Christ did for you. Christ nailed your old, all these old desires and all this sin, all this old lifestyle patterns to the cross. He nailed you to the cross with him. I've been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I that live, but Christ that lives in me. The life that I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God, right? So the life I now live in the flesh. So you do still live in this housing of flesh, right? But Jesus has what? Crucified it with its affections and love. So your flesh is actually not what you're dealing with. It's your soul that tries to get your flesh resurrected again. Think about it. When sin hits you, it's a mind, it's a mind game, right? So you you're you're you got the mindset of let's say I God doesn't love me. I'll never have a spouse. So let's say that mindset's in your head. God doesn't love me, so I'll never have a spouse. And then what happens? You start getting these thoughts of lustful desires, and oh, God, God's never gonna let me uh be intimate with a spouse because he doesn't love me. So you get these mindsets, and then the emotions come in to go do ungodly things, to go look at pornography, to go on dating apps and go try to find your your uh you know, your fulfillment in fleshly desires. So sin starts in your mind, goes into your emotions, and then your flesh flares up like it resurrects your old man. So you've been crucified. So start believing you've been crucified, you've been buried with Christ, you've been risen in newness of life, and you have to learn how to live in the spirit. And living in the spirit is living in faith and living in love and living in joy and living in peace and living in kindness and living in uh prosperity and healing and deliverance, all this stuff. Living in your spirit, live in your spirit. So when you fall, which we all fall at times, right? We're all weak in certain areas or we have weaknesses. Instead of condemning yourself and trying in your own self-will not to do it anymore, agree with the truth that you have been crucified. That part of you has been crucified. You are a new creation, you are not identifying with that behavior or that negative self-talk anymore. You're not gonna uh you're not gonna identify with rejection anymore. You can still go through rejection, you can still go through temptation, go on the computer and look at stuff. You could still be tempted to go drink or go do whatever was your vices. But as soon as you start believing that that's no longer you, you start getting freer and freer. So it's like almost like I always say it's kind of like a video game. You know, you are you are uh you're kind of like you know, Super Mario, you're going through the levels, you got different levels, you got to be different. Uh, you know, uh remember, I think it was King Koopa or something at the end. It was like the it was alligator or dragon or somebody you had to beat in the in the level one four. But you couldn't, you had to get to them. You had to go one one, one, two, one, three, one, four. You beat King Koopa or whatever his name was, the the level boss. And then next you go two, one, two, two, two, three, two, four. What I what but if you lost on two, three, you'd have to go back to two, one. Or so if you lost in one, four, you have to go back to one, one. Remember, you get like a couple lives, three lives, or something back when video games are cool, right? I just young, right? When they were like you actually had lives and you actually lost the whole game. Remember how frustrating that was when we were young? Okay. Anyway, now I'm dating myself. Okay, so anyway, so think of it like that. Like you have a temptation, you go through temptation, let's say, to get angry at your spouse over something stupid, or to say something dumb to your kids or your friend at work, or to talk back to your teacher, whatever, you know, whatever the temptation is. That's one, one. And then the temptation will go to one, two. Sometimes you'll be on one, two. You'll pass one test. Okay, I didn't get offended when that person said that. Then the next day you go to work, and then there's gonna be a bigger, harder temptation. Oh, there's that rejection again. Are you gonna take it? Or are you going to believe that Jesus took rejection for you in that feeling? It's okay to be tempted in your emotions. It's okay to experience negative emotions. We don't want to identify with them that they are ours to hold on to, and that I am a depressed person. I am just a rejected person. Fear is me. I'm a fearful person. See, I am anxious. Most people say I suffer from anxiety, or I am anxious, or I have anxiety. Instead of saying, like, I deal with anxiety or suffer from anxiety, but suffering, I mean, whatever, however you want to look at it. I just would stay away from I am stuff, right? I am anxious, I am, I am uh, you know, I am a depressed person, I am a schizophrenic, I am an addict, I am, I am, I am, I am. Why don't you start saying I am a son of God? I am a daughter of the king, I am healed by his wounds, I am delivered through Jesus Christ, I am beloved of God, I am forgiven, I am righteous in Christ, you know, I am someone that God loves. I am someone with eternal life, I am prosperous, all those things, right? You got to kind of watch it because you will take identity in something negative pretty quick, right? We can take identity and so somebody could say something just to identify right with it. And that's how people get these false personalities, fake feelings, uh, thinking they're just they desire something that's not godly. It's all uh deception. It's because you got the idea, and then it told you to identify with it through your emotions and your flesh because it's real, right? You get rejected, that's a real thing. You feel it, you experience it, but then what do you do with that? Do you identify with that? Do you identify with that, you know, like sin that was taken, you know, uh somebody sinned against you by traumatizing you, rejecting you, abandoning you, whatever. Or you take identity as a traumatized person and a rejected person and somebody that people don't love, or you're gonna identify with Christ that Christ took everything for you. He took all those feelings, he took all those emotions, he understands everything about the situation, and you have been crucified with him. You are one with him, you've been purchased with his blood, and you are filled with his Holy Spirit. And so therefore, you're no longer identifying with those feelings and those emotions that are pulling you into depression, into more rejection, into bad relationships, into bad choices, into sinful behaviors. See, it all starts in your mind and how you're gonna receive it or resist it. Submit to God, resist the devil, submit to God, resist the devil, submit to God, resist the devil. You know, you sit around and you start hearing, you know, you start um hearing these thoughts and these voices tell you, oh, you know, just hurt yourself. You know, just hurt yourself. Life's, you know, you're never gonna have that. Well, you know, whatever you wanted, you know, you're never gonna have that. God doesn't hear your prayers anymore. Uh, you're always gonna be sick. You'll never be happy again. You missed out on life, you're too old. You're not beautiful enough to be married, whatever it is. These things are gonna keep talking to you and keep hounding you with this stuff until you resist it, until you decide with your own self to say no more. I am repenting, I am letting go of this mindset, and I'm embracing Christ and the mind of Christ that lives inside of me. So you have the mind of Christ in you, you have to start believing you have the mind of Christ. Okay, so you know, I I went to a church, uh, you know, I went to a church um recently. Great place, loved it. I didn't hear anything about Christ in us, the hope of glory, Christ in us, Christ in us, Christ in us. Hey, bless the pastor, bless that church. But I want to hear people talk about Christ in our bodies giving us hope for the future, not just, oh, sometimes you go through discouragement and just read the Bible, you'll have hope. Okay, that's good. That's like a baby version of what the truth is. The truth is that hope lives inside of our bodies. And when we realize hope lives inside of our bodies, we conquer depression, we conquer discouragement, we conquer hopelessness, we conquer unbelief. Start believing Christ lives in your body and you'll start behaving differently automatically. Start believing that you are actually crucified with Christ and born again. You have the Holy Spirit, right? So let's go to Romans chapter eight here. Uh, let me uh take this off the screen for a second. We'll go over to Romans chapter eight. Let's go Romans chapter eight. Let's just read a little bit. You know, Romans 7 is great. We can go through that again. Uh, but Romans 8 is wonderful as well. It's all wonderful. Uh, Romans 6, chapter 6, chapter 7, chapter 8 are wonderful. Uh it's a wonderful little um, you know, few uh passages that really have helped me in my walk with Christ to learn grace, to learn that I died to the law, that I died to the world, I died to the flesh, I'm dead with Christ, I'm risen newness of life. I was once married to sin. I was once married to the world, I was once married to the flesh, I was once married to self-righteousness through the law, right? And then I that then I died, and now I'm married with Christ, right? We're married to Christ now in the spirit. Okay, so you're conjoined with Jesus in the spirit, amen. So Romans 8, 1, we'll just go through this real quick. Like I always do, I'm on Bible Hub, um, and I really like how they just have different translations for each word or each uh scripture here, like uh NIV, NLT, English Standard Version, King James Bible, New King James Bible. You got the Greek here. You can look up the Greek meanings so you get some more context than just than just uh than just reading one version and saying, okay, that's exactly what it says, right? You want more context, you want to be able to expand the knowledge of of the words, uh kind of what it meant back then, things like that, on uh, you know, so that you have more knowledge of what really is God saying through his word to you. Okay, and each translator does a little bit different, like the King James Bible uses uh the term damned a lot. Okay, that used to freak me out. I used to be a King James only person when I was in the cult years ago. Some you know, the cult, uh, and they would always um excuse me, they would always uh talk about the uh King James only, and anybody who doesn't read King James is gonna burn in hell, they're damned. You know, hey, you know that that's good. If you want to read King James and your 1611 person, glory to God. You know, that's between you and the Lord. But as for me, I'm gonna read different translations. I'm gonna read the originals, the uh as long as well as the King James 1611, as well as the Greek and Hebrew translations, as well as commentaries, as well as videos. I'm gonna and and as well as praying while I read the scripture and trying to get context and all that stuff so that I am not deceived. I don't want to, I spent too long in Christianity deceived. You know, my Christian walk started with deception. I got saved and then I entered a cult. I entered a cult, guys, a real cult, C-U-L-T. And I was brainwashed by a cult leader, a real cult leader. We lived in a commune, and I was brainwashed by this person. And then, you know, then I get out of the cult, and then I realize that there's a lot of mini cults out there that they don't even realize they're cultish. They don't even realize it. And it's usually somebody's trying to control people. They're trying to control to get money, they're trying to control to get influence over you, they're trying to control you for sexual stuff. I don't know, but there's always some weird control going on, not always, but I've noticed it a lot of places I've been. And so it's okay if you start, if you get red flags about a place, I'll tell you now, if you're getting a red flag about somewhere, someone, some uh church you go to, a fellowship you go. If you start getting a red flag and that thing's not really going away, you might want to listen to it. You might want to pray about that and say, Lord, I'm I'm feeling a red flag here. You know, there could be, you know, some weird stuff going on that only God knows about. I remember years ago, I was watching this uh this uh uh this uh this minister on television or on the internet, and I had a dream that night, and uh the Lord showed me what this minister was doing behind the scenes, and then I think I told my friend about it. I was like, yeah, I had this weird dream, and then I just prayed about it, and then sure enough, a month later, the person got exposed for all that. So, you know, some the Lord knows what's going on with people, he knows what's you know what um you know what he wants you to learn from people, and uh he knows how to speak to you as well. So just just trust him. I don't want you to be paranoid about going to churches or small groups or whatever, but you just want to be aware that there is controlling people out there. I don't even know why I went into that, but maybe I'll help somebody. Romans 8:1. Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Okay, so let's break this down. Therefore, there is now no condemnation to who? Those in Christ Jesus. Okay, New King James or King James. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. So let's look at the Greek of this and let's just look at kind of what it's saying. Okay, so therefore there is now no condemnation, punishment, following, condemnation, adverse sentence, penal servitude, penalty. Why? Why is there no penalty, eternal penalty for those in Christ Jesus? Because Jesus took the penalty, which is death, right? So sin equals death. If you missed any part of the law of Moses, you die.

SPEAKER_01 21:14

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 21:17

If you are uh if you are saying you are righteous because you keep the law, you have to fulfill the whole law, and it's impossible as a human. Only Jesus Christ of Nazareth could do that. That's why he is the Messiah, the Son of God. Blessed forever and ever. Amen. So there's no penalty anymore for you. There's no death. Jesus abolished death. So you have to get that out of your head. They have to be afraid of judgment, you have to be afraid of death. He abolished death. Okay. An eternal separation from God for those who believe. For those who are in Christ Jesus, so you are in. Christ Jesus, why? Because you're a great person? Are you in Christ Jesus because you're a nice person and you did a lot of good works? You went and gave stuff to animals, to kids. That's why you're in Christ Jesus, or you are in Christ Jesus because it's been gifted to you by grace through faith. It's a gift of God. Okay, so you're gifted eternal life. You're gifted being in Christ. So get off of yourself. I'm trying to help you in your brain to let go of your own self-effort and your self-righteousness. Not to get you lazy and just think, oh, I don't have to do anything for God and I don't have to serve God. I don't have to do anything, I don't have to pray. That's not what I'm saying. I'm trying to get you free from being tired of religion. Religion makes you tired. Self-righteousness makes you tired. You feel like you don't have energy, you don't want to go to church, you don't want to pray, you don't want to read the Bible, because you're under what? Condemnation, most likely. Because why? You're believing lies that about self-effort. You're basing your righteousness on your behavior. And once you get off of your behavior and you go to faith, your behavior starts changing automatically. So you will, if somebody truly gets grace and truly understands God's love for them and that they're forgiven, eventually they'll have some good works. You will start seeing their personality change. You don't have to force them to pray. You don't have to force them to read the Bible. You don't have to force them to be a good person. Okay. Romans 8.2. Okay. Isn't that interesting that the original doesn't have that extra part that King James Version has in the Greek? Who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit? I think there that was in a different translation or different uh different um, there's kind of like a people uh people are not argue, but they basically some some translations have that who are who walk in the spirit and who uh walk who don't walk in the spirit or walk in the flesh but walk in the spirit, don't walk in the flesh but walk in the spirit. Some different translations have it and some don't. The original looks like that they use here uh doesn't have it, but even if it does have it, it's basically if you go to it, it's basically walk or to walk around or live in. So if you think of Romans 8 as living, where you're living at. So you're living in the spirit because you're born again. Why? Because through Christ Jesus, the law of what the spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. What's the law of sin and death? What's the law of sin and death, guys? The old covenant law. You sin, you die. The the soul that sinneth shall surely die. The law of sin and death. So what frees you from that? The law of spirit, the spirit. Okay, let's go to King James because I know people like that. For the law of the spirit of life, so there's a law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, which you are, has what made you free from the law of sin and death. So are you free from the old covenant law according to Romans 8? Okay, the law is good, holy, and just. I'm not saying anything against the law, but the purpose of the law is to bring you to the end of yourself so that you find the Messiah, that you find grace, and realize that self-righteousness does not work before God. Okay, all right, Romans 8:3. For what the law was powerless to do, okay. So the law of Moses, New Living Translation says the law of Moses was unable to save us. Why? Because we couldn't do it, because the weakness of our sinful nature, of our flesh, we're weakened by the flesh. So, what did God do? He sent his own son in a body like we have, and in that body, God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving his son as a sacrifice for our sins.

SPEAKER_01 26:27

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:29

So, New King James, let's do that one. For what the law could not do, so the law of Moses could not do what he could not save us through the law of Moses. The law could not save us because it was weak because we couldn't perform it. Because remember, God's standard is one sin, you're dead. That's God's standard of holiness. So, like all these world religions, oh, they're a good person, they they meditate 10 hours a day and they they're vegans, or they're this really religious person that lives up in a mountain or something, right? It doesn't matter, guys. Without Christ, they're hopeless. That's what you have to understand. One sin condemns the person to death. One, and we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The glory of God, sinless perfection, holiness. So you have to understand the beauty of the gospel, the wonder, the wonderful wisdom and grace of our Savior. That we were when we were still sinning, Christ died for us. And when we were enemies of God, he cleansed us from all unrighteousness and sat us together with him and called us his friends. When we were enemies of God, isn't that amazing? So remember, the law, one sin, you're dead. One time. Okay. So then Jesus came and condemned sin in the flesh. In order, so why? In order that the righteous requirement of the law, so the remember, the righteous requirement of the law is sinless perfection, would be fully satisfied, fully uh satisfied, sorry, for us. For us. So the righteous requirement of the law, perfection, was satisfied for us. So that's why there is no longer condemnation for you. Because the the law, the good, holy, and just law couldn't save us. Jesus came and fulfilled it. Remember, he said, I didn't come to abolish it, I came to fulfill. So what does it say here? That it fully satisfied, he fully satisfied the righteous requirement of the law of Moses. Does that make sense? Ten commandments, everything. He fully satisfied it. Who no longer follow our sinful nature, but instead follow the spirit, or a new international version, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, we live according to the flesh, but according to spirit. Then it goes on for they that for the flesh. So what is that talking about? For those who live according to the flesh, let's look this in up in the original. Those who live exist, okay, those who exist according to what the flesh, the body, the physical body, set their minds, they direct their mind, they care for on the things of the human nature, material, material, material, material idity, okay, and so flesh, body, human nature. But those who live, remember, live here is exist, which you exist, those who exist according to being born again, right? According to the spirit, set their minds on the things of the spirit, on the spirit. So you're born again, you have been given the mind of Christ. Now you now you think of God, you think of prayer, you think of the Bible, you set your mind on what things of the spirit, and then you grow from there. But remember, there's that war inside your soul that wants to get you to think fleshly, that wants to get you to think carnally, like hold on to unforgiveness, or judge your brother for something little, nitpick your kids, uh, uh get mad at your spouse over little stuff, get angry at your pastor because he, you know, he didn't uh talk to you that long after service or whatever it is, these little gossipy things, all that stuff. See, the enemy's always trying to get you to think like a human, but you're born again, you're supposed to think like Christ, supposed to think like God. You're supposed to, that's how you're supposed to think, and the word of God helps transform that. I hope this is helping somebody out there. Praise God, helping me. Romans 8:6. The mind governed by the flesh is death. So then, King James, for to be carnally minded is death. Then it goes on here, Berean, for the mind of the flesh is death. Okay, English Standard Version, for to set the mind on the flesh is death. What does that say? For the mind set on the flesh, the carnal mind equals what? Death. But to set the mind on the spirit is life and peace. But to be spiritually minded is life and peace. So you're moving from uh living in death because the world is fallen and it's all death and destruction, right? The devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Now you don't have to live in your carnal mind in the same way that you used to. You can live in your mind of Christ, which is transforming your carnal mind to think more like God. That's a whole transformation process. So you want to start believing the truth and letting go of how you used to think. You used to think it was impossible for God to buy you a house. Well, today you need to renew your mind the truth that God can change your life in one second. Think of the lady with the issue of blood. She was struggling for 12 years. I think it was 12 years. She was bleeding from her uh her private area for like 12 years, I think. And then she touched the hem of the garment of Jesus and she was completely healed instantly. Totally healed. So when you go from living in that realm of death, which is the carnal mind, thinking about things in the world and worrying about the lust of flesh, lust, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life in there, and just transitioning into your real nature, which is Christ in you, which is the mind of Christ in you. And you start resting in that place, then your miracles take place, then your healings manifest, then the peace comes when you start actually believing the truth as a Christian. But if you just hold on to, oh, I'm just a you know, I'm a I'm just a sinner saved by grace. I'm always gonna be sinning all the time. I can't quit drinking because I'm an alcoholic, but God loves me. Okay, yeah, God loves you. But let's move on from being a baby Christian here. So that's uh that that's this message. Let's move on from being baby Christians and just believing every wind of doctrine that comes our way, believing every preacher that talks. Why don't we start believing what the Bible says? That's why I have the Bible open here. I'm trying to help you understand the truth that has helped me overcome mental health issues, overcome addictions, overcome self-hatred, overcome wanting to hurt myself, overcoming deep depression, overcoming nightmares, overcoming ungodly lusts, overcoming ungodly desires, wanting to look at computer stuff, uh, all sorts of stuff. God has delivered me from all sorts of smoking, addiction, all sorts of things. He's delivered me from being uh, you know, he's delivered me by uh the Holy Spirit delivering me from, let's say, evil spirits attached to me. And he's also delivered me through the truth, the gospel, right? So he's delivered me from his through his word and through the spirit touching me like in a service. I've been delivered from things in my heart, I've been healed that way, as well as revelation. So revelation is how you keep your deliverance. You know, truth from the word is how you keep your deliverance. You know, you want to be delivered from anxiety, so you go forward and you get prayer, and the anxiety comes out but it starts creeping back in. Well, you need to know that you have a spirit of peace. You need to know there's nothing to worry about when you're in Christ. So you need to renew your mind, you need to fill yourself up with the truth of who you are and start resisting the devil. My dog's about to bark because he sees his friends uh out the window. I can tell he's gonna start, uh, he's gonna start barking because he really wants to go uh to the dog park. Uh so uh sorry guys. I hear you. Thank you, thank you, little Timmy. I know, I saw him, I know, it's okay. He really wants to go, he's trying to tell me, but he just went to the dog park earlier today, so I don't know what his deal is. Okay, all right. So I think he's gonna start bargaining. Little Timmy. Hey, it's okay, buddy. We love you. Come here, come here. Okay, so anyway, okay, so uh that's uh uh Romans 8 6. Let's keep going. Sorry, guys, I got uh I got distracted. Romans 8, 7. Okay, so then it goes on. Uh New King James Bible, because the carnal mind is an enemy of God, is an enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither can it be. Okay, so that the law of God, your mind, okay, your thought, your purposes of the flesh, so your human nature, your mind of your human nature, your your uh uh your carnal mind is hostile. It's a reason for opposition, it's an enmity or alienation, hostility towards to God. It does not submit, so your mind does not obey to God's law. Okay, remember, remember, no one can keep the perfection of the law, so your mind can't do it. Okay, your mind wants to go rebel or believe lies or unbelief or whatever, okay? It can't, it cannot do it. Okay, so your carnal mind cannot keep the law of God because it's part of your flesh, right? Okay, then it goes on. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Okay, so those who are what in the flesh. Well, who would be in the flesh? That would be somebody who's not born again, right? So somebody who is in the flesh cannot please God. I don't care how long you meditate or how long you fast, how many orphans you feed, you cannot please God. Why? Because you're in the flesh, Romans eight, nine. New King James Version, but you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit. So where are you? Are you in the flesh? You're looking at your behavior like I'm in the flesh. Well, okay, yeah, I understand that. But all together, like your true identity. I'm talking this is identity stuff, right? Not day-to-day mess ups or how you feel. I'm talking about your true identity. It says, but you are so apostle Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, talking to church at Rome. Now you are not in flesh, but in spirit. Okay, you, however, are controlled not by the flesh. That's Berean standard, New American standard. However, you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit, if indeed the spirit of God dwells in you. So that that word there, if, is very important for you to get. If the spirit of God dwells in you, lives in you. So a true Christian is someone that has the Holy Spirit in their heart, in their inner man. They are no longer in the realm of the flesh, they're in the realm of the spirit, according to Romans 8. And so when you see people who are uh fleshly, they're acting in the flesh, lust the eyes, lust of the lust of uh, you know, lust the eyes, lust of the flesh, pride of life, they're uh materialistic, they're things like that. They're either not born again or they're baby Christians. Okay, a real born-again Christian who is maturing in grace, maturing in Christ, is identifying with the spirit and what God says about them. And as you identify with the spirit, you will start loving people, you will start being aware of when you're posting things that offend others. You won't be that type of person that easily offends people all the time. You will care about people, you will care about the lost, you will care about your community, you will love your spouse more, you will have patience with your children as you grow in grace and in the knowledge of God who lives in your body by faith or by grace through faith. It's a gift of God. So give yourself a lot of grace when you're growing out of your diapies, right? Your diapers. Give yourself a lot of grace. Hey, you know, I'm learning what it means to love people. I'm learning, like I'm learning what it means to believe past what I see. You know, I'm really learning a lot of things like I'm just gonna believe the Lord. You know, I used to be afraid to go to the doctor. I didn't like doctors, you know. I didn't want to get diagnosed with something, I didn't want to have to take medication or whatever. I God has delivered me from that. He's blessed me with the ability to go to a doctor for a checkup and not be afraid. Why? Well, my carnal mind, my old self was afraid of the big diagnosis. But my spirit man knows that Christ lives in me and that God gives life to my mortal flesh. So it doesn't matter what doctors or anybody says about my health, the Holy Ghost is going to make sure I fulfill what God has for me on this earth. So you can have peace when you start believing who you are in Christ. Amen. And what the word of God says. Okay, so if indeed, right, let's go back. If indeed the spirit of God dwells in you, now here's in the King James. Now, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. New King James version. Now, if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his. Okay. NLT. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Christ, the Spirit of the Lord, they do not belong to Christ. Okay. So that is a real Christian in Romans 8:9. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. That defines who's not a Christian, right there. So anybody who has the Spirit belongs to Christ. And he lives in you. So your message to people should be about Christ in them, the hope of glory, and how the Holy Spirit is working to change them. So, like when that person comes up to your ministry, let's say, uh, let's say you minister to homeless people, they come up and they're Uh saying, you know, I'm addicted to this, I'm addicted to that, and I need help, blah, blah, blah. And, you know, I've been a Christian for years, all that stuff. You start, you have to, and and they're sincere. Let's say they're sincere. Let's say they got baptized in jail five years ago. They've been homeless since and they're dealing with drug abuse and they've just been through so much stuff. Are you going to condemn that person and oh, you got to stop doing drugs or God's not going to love you? Or are you going to talk with them like they're a babe in Christ? And let's say they're sincere people and they confess Jesus as Lord, but they're really struggling. They don't know who they are anymore or uh yet. So, like, think about it. So they're they're they're in that carnal mind. So the enemy wants you to live in that carnal mind. He wants you to continue to live in how the world thinks. He won't, because there he can condemn you because your mind can't fulfill the law of God, which is perfection. So, what is he gonna do? He's gonna drill perfection in you. Oh, you screwed up again. Oh, you smoked a cigarette, oh, you lied to that person accidentally. Oh, look, you looked at that girl or that guy. Oh, look, you you drank too much coffee today. He's just gonna keep pounding you with condemnation. He's gonna keep, he's gonna keep abusing you, basically. The devil's gonna keep trying to do that to you. So you got to say, nope, I am born again, I am delivered, I am free, I am healed, and I am one with Christ. And he lives in my body, and I surrender to him. And then you start learning. Start learning from the word of God and through the Holy Spirit. Submitting to God, resisting the devil. Submit to God. You know, there's parts of your life you don't submit to God. Why? Because you you want control, really. It's a control thing. You know, finances is a perfect example. People want to control finances. You know how many people I pray for for finances? You know, people will call, I need I need finances, I need a job, I need this. They freak out. But the Bible says that God shall supply all your needs in Christ Jesus. That with food and clothing, we shall be content. God will never leave you nor forsake you. You can boldly say he is your helper. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lay down by green pastures, he makes a table, he prepares a table before me in all in front of all my enemies. Beloved, I pray you be in health, you prosper, just your soul is prospering. So God's heart for you, as like you have for your children, is for them to prosper and be of good health and to live a good life. So when you're dealing with stuff, instead of seeing it as, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, God's forsaking me. Okay, Lord, this is a good lesson for me. What are you teaching me here? And then perseverance is going to produce what character. You got to learn how to love, you got to learn how to have more faith. You got to learn, you got to be built up and encourage yourself. You got to be an encourager to your spouse, an encourager to your children, encourager to your mom, your dad. You got to be that encourager because people are carnal, they're living in their mind, their carnal mind, lust of flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life. Okay, they're not humble. Humility is a fruit of the spirit. You see a Christian that's not doesn't have humility, a humble heart, they're a baby Christian. Okay, if they're really born again, right? They're I see a lot of ministers, very prideful individuals, but beams, it just beaming on the on the internet. I'm like, whoa, baby Christians living in the carnal mind still. Okay, so humility is a fruit of the spirit, being humble, being gentle, and being kind to people is a fruit of the Holy Ghost. Okay, amen. So if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. So somebody says, Oh, they're a Christian, you know, oh, I'm a Christian, and they and you know they don't have the Holy Ghost because they have zero fruit at all. They're they're just a Christian in name, there's tons of them, okay. Uh celebrities, politicians, all these people in name. Okay, they're just in name a lot of them. Okay, they just say they're Christian. It says the devils believe that there's one God and they tremble. So the devils can believe, okay. But they just have knowledge, they don't have they can't have heart transformation like we can. Okay, so but if Christ is in you, so but if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, so your body is subject to death. Why? Because you sinned in your body, your body cannot inherit the kingdom of God, flesh and blood does not inherit it. The spirit gives life because of righteousness. Okay, so your spirit is giving life to your flesh because of righteousness, because it is righteous on account of righteousness, okay? Romans 8, 11. And if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, okay, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life life to your mortal bodies, because of his spirit who lives in you. So why is he going to give life to your flesh? Because you're this perfect person and you fulfill the law of Moses all the time by your great works, or because you have the Holy Spirit living in your body and you're agreeing with the truth. Okay, the Spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead, right, lives in you. So this is a main point of Romans here in Romans 8. Paul is telling you through the Holy Spirit that Christ lives in your body and he will give life to your flesh. Okay, so if you're dealing with issues in your body, maybe just put your hands on your heart and just thank the Lord that he lives in your body. The Holy Spirit lives in your body and he gives life to your flesh. Lord, I pray for anybody out there today that is dealing with sickness, disease, torment, uh, issues with uh DNA stuff or generational things or just long, long uh, you know, uh they've had long-term illnesses or maybe they've had some sort of death sentence, cancer or something. Lord, I pray for them that they would they would rest in knowing that the Holy Spirit lives in their body and he gives life to their flesh. Holy Spirit, thank you that you give us life, life to our flesh. Not because we do a bunch of good works, but because Jesus Christ is Lord. Not because we're these great people all the time, but because Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus of Nazareth is Lord. Jesus is King, He is Lord. Thank you, God, that you have mercy on us and that the righteous requirement of the law of Moses has been fulfilled in us. Praise God for Jesus Christ, the bravery of Jesus, the bravery of Jesus of Nazareth to be able to endure the cross, the bravery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, to endure the cross, to go through the spitting where they spit on him and beat him and mocked him, knowing he could call down a legion of angels to save him. But he didn't because of his great love, Lord, for mankind. Thank you, God, for sending your only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Jesus shall never perish, Lord. We will never perish. We have eternal life, and that's what matters, eternal life through you, God. Thank you that as we walk in the light, we walk with an honest heart towards you in truth. You cleanse us from all unrighteousness, and we have fellowship one with another. You are wonderful, God. We worship you, we worship King Jesus, we worship you, God. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for filling us. Overflow. Thank you, God. Thank you for fixing us, delivering us from this mindset of carnal thinking, transforming us, and letting us go from glory to glory to glory to glory to glory. Praise God. Thank you for prospering us, healing us, setting us free, loving us, being our best friend. Thank you, God. In Jesus' name, I pray for your people watching this. Let them feel your presence, let them be encouraged and let them receive from you in Jesus' name. Amen. All right. Guys, I think I'm just going to quit there. We will go back to this uh another time, but maybe this is for you to finish up Romans 8 there. Um, thank you so much for your support of the ministry. If uh the ministry blesses you and you want to uh you want to help us out, um, you can always become a monthly supporter, and you can uh uh you can do that uh um you can do that at uh thefathersfriends.org. And thank you so much. We're gonna continue to expand the ministry, continue to win souls for Jesus. We're gonna continue to love our neighbor can. Amen. So check us out sometime. Love you. Bye. We want to help you grow as close as you can to the Lord Jesus, as well as grow in your identity as a son or daughter of the most high God. We have books and resources on our website as well. If you go to our online store, you can get my book, Defeating Mental Illness. Uh, I have it in uh uh English, Spanish, Hmong language, Ukrainian, and French, okay, currently. And then we also have Become God's French, which is my autobiography. I have in English and Spanish for you, as well as an e-book and audiobook, and 30 Days to Believing Right, which is a devotional, which will help, uh, I believe will help you with your identity in Christ Jesus and believe correctly about who you are. Okay, because God really loves you, He cares about you. Uh so check out our website, thefathersfriends.org. If you feel led to become a monthly partner, you can do that at the website. Or if you just like to give a generous one time offering, you can do that too. We're a nonprofit and we care about people. We're trying to expand the ministry, help people, help more people, grow closer to the Lord. Thank you so much for your support. We love you. Have a great day.