Battle From The Beginning

Pastor Shaun and the GX3 crew hit the road to Tennessee — but the enemy had other plans. From roadblocks out of Florida to elusive birds in the hills, the battle was real. Tune in as the guys share how faith carried them through and God delivered the win.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

You're listening to the GX3 High Time Podcast. We believe the time is now. Romans 13, 11 says, now it is high time to awake, so wake up, lean in, and let's pursue Christ together. This is the GX3 High Time Podcast. God gone to the game.

unknown 0:38

God gone to gang.

SPEAKER_03 0:40

All right. Welcome in to another episode of the GX3 High Time podcast. I'm Pastor Sean. I'm Bubba. I'm John. And praise the Lord. We are back together again. And this week's episode, we're titling it, and uh this is a real meaningful one, as all of them will be, but battle from the beginning. And I want to encourage you today, no matter what you're going through, and we're going to go over this. No matter what you're going through, God can get you through. And uh just because it's his will doesn't mean that it's going to be easy. There's going to be battles in this thing of going after Christ and God's will for your life. And uh so we're going to open up and kind of tell you what took place right after we really committed this thing to the Lord and went after him. God began to open doors and it was absolutely awesome. We had the opportunity to go up to northwest Tennessee and prepare for Deer Camp Prayer Retreat for the men uh 2025. And this was last spring, and and what a great time it was, but it did not go without battle. And we're gonna go we're gonna go around room a little bit and let you uh hear from everybody, but I'll say this um anytime you go after God, you're gonna feel the fire, and the devil's gonna do all that he can to discourage you and to throw obstacles in your way. Um but we just want you to know that we're real. I mean, guys, we're we're just real. Human like everybody else. That's exactly right. And we face that, and we're all going to face that as long as that we're here. We're we live in a fallen world, and because of the curse of sin, it is what it is. Um but thanks be to God, we're not going by ourselves. But I want to open up a little bit, because this is just real battle from the beginning, and battle over what God birthed in our hearts. And uh it certainly won't be the last battle, but it was the one from the beginning. So I want to go around a little bit. Bubba, you kind of kick us off um kind of sharing your heart of what you were going through during that season.

SPEAKER_02 2:52

Yeah, I mean, it kind of felt like this first trip we did, the planning and getting ready to take it all, it kind of set the tone for kind of the ministry and and the the potential, I guess, of it. Um what I learned through all of it is you can't do it on your own. So that's the first step, obviously, you know. Uh and I think that's kind of what God was showing us was if he's not in it, then it's not gonna work out anyway. So I guess what I'm saying is anything you do, do it with God first because I mean, that's the point of doing anyway. So that's kind of how it got burst, I think this whole trip was um through the the struggles that we had to get there and the battles and and all that kind of it kind of paved the way for us to show us that if God tells you to do something, He's gonna make a way for it. That's right. Even if you do have to battle through it. So I guess that's what I was trying to do. Glory to God. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 3:53

Um so Yeah, I don't know, you want to go into the story of the truck and the Yeah, I mean, because I mean it was like as soon as we committed, like we're we feel God's leading to go and to prepare. Because the thing is, we're gonna talk about a turkey hunt too, but it wasn't even about a turkey hunt. We were really going to kind of scope out the land, map everything out for the hunting trip, check out the cabin, make sure the that we could accommodate and all of those kinds of things. Just planning, really. It was a planning trip and to go to pray and and to just uh see what all this looked like so we'd know what we were working with. Um but you know, it it's amazing. I'll say this before you you you you tell that that story of your truck. Um the devil doesn't know exactly all that God desires to do or will do, but he knows when God is moving, it's going to be big. And we felt that right off the bat, you know, and sometimes you're looking for it, sometimes you're not even expecting it. Um and so when we go into this, you know, life happens to everybody, and God allows that stuff to happen uh so that we draw close to Him. But but what we're about to share, I mean, this just real life. Yeah. Like this is stuff everybody goes through. It it isn't something, you know, after Sean went through, Bub went through, John went through. It we all go through these things of life. So as you're sharing this, you know, maybe there's somebody else that's even dealing with that right now. And my my thing is is hey, listen, hang on and keep going after God. If God's told you to do it, keep going, because this whole thing, this whole episode is about what God can do throughout all of that, you know. It's not an end. So yeah, you go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 5:42

Yeah, so I was uh I was looking for a new truck, been wanting one for a long time, but I'm not one to go out and just buy and sell trucks of people that do it all the time. I wish I had that mentality. I wish I could just wear undeal and you know, with no care, but I put a lot of thought and and stuff in the trucks I buy. So this truck that I had bought, there there had been a lot of prayer that went into getting it. And I remember before I bought it, um, I guess God had put put on my heart that I was gonna need a truck for us to go do this to to have a truck to go on these trips and drive it to these places and these hunts and all with GX3. So that was that was on the front of my my mind and in my heart of getting this truck. That was kind of the purpose behind getting it. I knew what God had told me. I wanted a truck for a long time, the door never opened. I felt like this door opened because it was time to get one, and God was gonna allow me to use it for GX3. So that's that's what was on my heart when I went into buying this truck. Um right before our trip, the transmission went out and out. And the crazy man, this is the doubt that came over me in that moment, because I knew what God had told me. And then the transmission went out. So, you know, like you said, we're human, I'm human. I started having all kinds of doubts. And you know, this ain't really what it's supposed to be, and you know, the devil just beat me up over it, over the decision that I made. You know, you went out and did this, and now now look what's happening. You know, you got yourself in a hole. And uh I had pretty much decided between that, and there was some family stuff going on too, uh, that I wasn't gonna go on a trip. I was out. Like I had to figure this thing out, I had to get any transmission. I st I was still driving to work every day, so I had to have a way to go to work. I had I couldn't get away. I couldn't go on a trip when I didn't have a truck to go to work, so I had to in my mind I was thinking I gotta figure this out. And there's no way I'm going on this trip. And then you called me. So yeah, you called me and and was kind of asking about it, and I'm like, man, I'm struggling mentally, I'm getting beat up, you know. I thought I was doing the right thing here, and now this transmission's out, and you know, honestly, like in that moment, I just wanted to just feel miserable. You know what I mean? That's a low point, yeah. Yeah, you get you get beat up a little bit and you just you just want to, you know, give up or whatever. But uh you called and we prayed about it, and I can tell you that when we prayed, I just felt like n the situation didn't change at all. But with you praying and just in that moment surrendering it to God, I said at the end of the call, there's no way I'm not gonna go on the trip. Yeah, nothing's gonna keep me from going on this trip because I believe this is what God is telling us to go do. And he told me to get the truck. So he knows the transmission don't work, so he'll figure that out too. So that's right, that's right. That was my mindset going at that moment I had released all stress or care about how that transmission was gonna get fixed because I just knew it was gonna get fixed.

SPEAKER_03 8:51

So um it's so wild, you know, and I I you know, I hope everybody, you know, grabs a hold of it. It matters who's in your circle. Man, it matters uh who you surround yourself with. And I'm not saying anything special about me or y'all or anything like that. That's not that's not, you know, but we did what we knew we should do. We prayed. And I'm not about to sit here and say that I didn't have I look back at it's emotional for me because I look back at it and I'm not gonna sit here and tell you that I don't have doubts. You know, as a pastor, you know, as a friend, as boy, I'll just a part of this GX3, uh, doubts are real, and the devil he fights hard. He fights so hard. And so at that point, I'm, you know, God, what is your will? God, I need, I just need you to remind me. And and you know, that's okay. It's okay to, God, I need help. God, I need that strength. And so as we went to the Lord, and I and I've told you this, and I was kind of reminiscing uh earlier this afternoon, me and John were sitting here, and I was like, John, you know what's so powerful about this is literally in this room, standing right there, is where I prayed with Bubba over the phone. And thank God you can pray over the phone. Praise God, you know, and I was praying right there, and I can remember just how unsettled my own heart was to going after God, not not doubting God, but just doubting I want to be in his will. We want to be in his way. We don't want to be outside uh of where God wants us to be with GX3 or our personal lives. We don't want our families to suffer or go without or, you know, anything like that. But it was so amazing because as we were praying, it was like God was confirming on our hearts. And so when whenever we the last day men, you're like, I know I'm supposed to go. And I'm like, where are we meeting? I mean, there was like no doubt God had solidified it in our hearts, and and I, you know, that's the power of prayer. That's what God is able to do. And uh, John, I mean, I don't, you know, I try to remember what all was going on for you, and I know you're probably like wondering, what are we, what are we gonna do?

SPEAKER_01 11:12

What are we gonna do? But you kind of so I mean, what I remember, I mean, I was having my own battles, um, you know, stuff going on on personally and with work and stuff like that, wasn't sure how it was all gonna work out, and then obviously just come up with Bubba's truck, and I'm like, man, what are we gonna do here? You know, this is our first really thing we're doing as a ministry, and it ain't looking good. But anyway, I remember after you and Bubba had prayed, I had asked about, you know, are we still a goof for this trip? And you said, We're going. I don't know what we're driving, but we're going. I said, Well, amen. Let's do it. Yeah, you know, you're talking about this, I mean, all the struggles and the trials that we went through. And um, for me, what God showed me about this is, I mean, I I understand that a lot of this is the devil, but I do believe that the Lord allowed this stuff to happen to us because I think he wanted to show us right out the gate that, hey, if this thing's going to work, y'all need to rely and look. Keep your eyes on me. And I think he was really trying, this is what I got out of it, that, you know, we got to keep our eyes on the Lord. We got to trust him and obey him. He doesn't want us doing it without him. That's right. And I and I think a lot, a lot of times God will allow the devil to to give you trouble and trials and stuff like that, just to see how you're gonna react. You know, are you gonna are you going to turn to me and depend on me? Because, you know, at the end of the day, that's what what the Lord wants. He wants us to rely on him. And for me, that's what I got out of it. But I mean it. I couldn't see that at the time, but after when it was all through, I'm like, wow, that that's just amazing how God works like that.

SPEAKER_03 12:59

But it really is. And, you know, going, going, you know, kind of thinking back, you know, to that time and what we went through, you know, it brought my heart right back to First Peter 1 Peter chapter 5, verses 8 and 9. And even reading this again is just encouraging all over again, knowing uh knowing what what we went through. And this is what the Bible says in verse 8 be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. He's looking, he is working. That that is his whole goal. You know, it it isn't that um he can consume you as a child of God. You know, you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you, but he can roar. And boy, doesn't he love to roar. And that's those moments of that, you know, because it's just that pressure, pressure, pressure of, you know, and to try to create the doubts in your own heart and mind over the will of God. But it says this in verse 9, whom resist steadfast in the faith. So it goes back to your faith and where you are with the Lord. That's why prayer is so encouraging and strengthening, especially when you can you can have that with others, you know, that you're not just by yourself. And it's wonderful to go to God by yourself, and we should, and we are to have a prayer life, uh a personal prayer life. But man, when you've got guys around you that are gonna lift you up in prayer and not just, you know, pretending to go after God, but really seeking the face of God, it's powerful in your life and it builds you up and strengthens you. And, you know, um, I just the rest of this verse is amazing. Whom resists steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. So the picture is this I mean, we're all going through these things. You know, the devil loves to kind of isolate you and make you think you're the only one going through it and you're the only one battling. And man, you must be a terrible Christian because this isn't working out or that isn't working out. When that's not even the truth at all, to go after God and battle, it means you're going where you should go. And if you're not battling, something's probably wrong in your life, to be honest, uh, because anything we do for the Lord is going to be challenged by the devil. But greater is he that is in me than he that's in the world. And I am so thankful to God that that he's in us, he's going before us. Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord. He he will have his will and he'll have his way. And it's so it's so beautiful and it's wonderful, and uh we did. We packed up, we left, we went to Tennessee, and we went to a land where where we thought there was going to be an abundance of turkeys. Bubba you know talking about defeat after defeat. Right. We hunted, we hunted, and we hunted. And uh, you know, that's the fun part is hunting, but you would like to see something.

SPEAKER_02 16:01

I remember getting there that night, and I just, you know, you go on a hunting trip, you got all these preconceived notions of how it's gonna play out. You play it out in your head the night before and and riding up there, you know. I just know we're gonna stand on the side of this mountain and I'm gonna hoot on this this this call one time and they're just gonna fire off everywhere, and it's just gonna be, you know, it's gonna be great. We pulled out there by that pond that one night, the the first night we was there, and it was silent. I was not expecting that at all. So you talk about just deflated. You know, I felt like we were all stunned. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 16:34

We're like, uh where they at? You know?

SPEAKER_02 16:38

Exactly. Yeah, I mean we'd tried and tried, tried. I think we did hear one like way off in the distance somewhere. It could have just been a woodpecker, though, because I I'm not too sure that it wasn't after what we seen. We didn't we drove around that entire county the next day and we didn't see a single bird in any, and there's ag fields everywhere. You thought they'd been strutters.

SPEAKER_03 16:59

Yeah, just all over the place. Massive farms all over the place and very rural and all that. And I mean, we we kind of really, you know, not that you ever think like this is a sure thing, you know, but we're thinking it's pretty good.

SPEAKER_02 17:11

No.

SPEAKER_03 17:12

And uh, you know, I'll I'll never forget that one day, I think it was next to the last day we were there, um, but I remember going back to the cabin, and I remember just getting along by myself. We're all just kind of feeling slumped, you know, like, man, is this is this gonna actually happen or what, you know, and and if it doesn't, it's fine. I mean, we didn't go there with the intention of everybody just taking on turkeys and all this, you know. We went there to uh to to check out the cabin, to check out the grounds, to do the mapping for the prayer retreat, because that's where our heart was. Uh, but the beautiful part was is that we had the opportunity to turkey on while we were there doing that. But um I remember going to the to the lake there, the pond that's on the property, and I remember getting on that back side there, and it's a beautiful, beautiful pond, beautiful place, beautiful property, and and God blessed us so much to be there. But I remember just getting along with the Lord, and you know, I said, God, you know, I know you brought us here. I I know, you know, the filming side of GX3. I know that is your will. The way you've put all this together and what it God's put on your heart. And man, I just I know this is your will, Lord, but we can't do it. And I knew only He can do it, you know, and I I just I just remember that prayer, God, if this is gonna happen, it's gonna be because you provide it. Like we've done everything, you know, and I and I think so many times we have to come to the end of ourselves before we can really see and recognize, you know, the work of God. Um, you know, we get down to that next day. John, you remember that next day or that that afternoon, matters of fact. It was that afternoon. We got back together to go down there and and we went to a place that if he said we go down there, we'd probably get lost, right? Wasn't that the direction we went?

SPEAKER_02 19:10

Um He said, Don't go down to that goalie because you might not come back. Right. That's right. He said, Don't turn right and you turn left, but you go down that goalie, you may never come back.

SPEAKER_03 19:22

Yeah, you may never come back. And so we went down there and um you remember the setup that we had, John?

SPEAKER_01 19:29

Yeah, it was right there. We um found the edge of a field right there, and um the best I can remember, we sat there and we talked all through, and then we was gonna come back that afternoon, and um I remember me personally, I mean, at this point, you know, I'm thinking we done drove 12 hours, hadn't heard a turkey, hadn't seen a turkey. I'm like, there ain't no turkeys up here.

SPEAKER_03 19:50

Yeah, by the way, how did we get to Tennessee, Bubba? Do you remember?

unknown 19:56

No.

SPEAKER_03 19:57

What did we end up taking?

SPEAKER_02 19:58

I think it was your your ride.

SPEAKER_03 20:00

The wasn't we took the denali. Oh denali, yeah. That's right, we sure did. Okay, because I'm just thinking we we probably need to piece that together for everybody. Okay, so yeah, we took the denali. That's right.

SPEAKER_02 20:11

You said we'll we'll we'll all pack in here and we'll put all our stuff in it, and we'll we'll get there. And we had that thing loaded down.

SPEAKER_03 20:16

We did, we did. Yeah, it's the XL and it was loaded. The XL was loaded.

SPEAKER_01 20:20

Yeah, so yeah, we got to the edge of the field and come up with a game plan, and we was gonna go back that afternoon and hunt it. And um, anyway, I remember going back and I was down in the dumps. I'm like, man, we've done come all this way. There ain't a turkey. We ain't seen a turkey, ain't heard of turkey. I'm like, and I'll be honest with y'all guys, and I I believe I told y'all this. There was one point that I wasn't even gonna go back. I wasn't even gonna go on the hunt that afternoon. I was like, man, this is just I didn't even take my gun.

SPEAKER_02 20:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:50

You didn't take your gun. I didn't take my gun. That's a waste calls, you know. There ain't no sense at this time, you know, we done walked this whole property, which was huge, you know, we're not used to these hills, but anyway, I decided to go along anyway, and then you can pick up from to take us completely out of the equation, also, the wind was absolutely horrible.

SPEAKER_02 21:09

Oh yes. So I've I mean, when I'm calling, I feel like I'm just calling five feet from me because the wind.

SPEAKER_03 21:15

And who knows where that call's even going.

SPEAKER_02 21:17

I mean, it I maybe that was just another aspect that God threw in there just to say, hey, just in case you ever doubt that maybe your call and brought these turkeys in, they couldn't even hear you. So yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:26

And so, you know, we're down there together. I was next to you, and you were back behind the camera there, and uh I'll never forget getting the gun up, and we had our you know, makeshift blind there that we made, ground blind. And John, you were kind of down like down the little like the little goalie there, yeah. Yeah, it kind of dipped off there, and you were there. And I'll never forget I look up, and like after all this time, the wind is just rolling. We had a decoy out there. We did have the decoy. Yep, we had that strutter decoy. And you had that uh fan on it. I think it was a real fan, right? And that wind just had that fan. I mean, it was rolling. That thing was moving all over the place. And I'll never forget it. It was so amazing. Because there to our right, if if everybody can, you know, kind of thinking back and imagine this, to the right of us, ahead of us, there's a road, a paved road, that opens up to a gate where that big field is, it's probably what, a 200-acre field or so. It's huge. Oh, it's pretty big, massive field. And uh, and lo and behold, here comes two Longbeards, and man, they come down. I think there was a hen maybe that was ahead of them. Yep. And they come in and uh they look to the left, their left, and there we are. Of course, we're covered up, and that strutter and that fan is just blowing in the wind. And it's like as soon as they caught it, they were like captured by that fan. It was amazing. They didn't come in mad. Yeah, they did. It was like two butter balls running through the field, right? I mean, they were like full sprint. Yeah, yeah. So here they come, they're running full strut, they're bouncing back and forth, and and uh they get down there, and it like you could not have scripted it any better for that moment. They get down there and they cross each other, and I was I'll be on it. Like, I was waiting, John. I was waiting on you because I was gonna like take a shot right after you did, and you're down in there, and like I'm like, where's John? Like, what is he doing? What is John doing? And you didn't even have a you couldn't see, could you?

SPEAKER_01 23:38

I was sitting in like a little goalie. I was on the left side above them where I was at. I couldn't, I couldn't even really see the turkeys yet. I mean, they yeah, I was too low. Yeah. So you never could see them once again. You know, yeah, and all, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 23:55

And then, you know, I think you Bowie, I think you were in the video, you were like, all right, go ahead, go ahead and take him, you know.

SPEAKER_02 24:02

Yeah, they were coming in, they got got right up close to the decoy, and you can kind of tell they kind of changed moods right there at the end. And it was like, do it now, or yeah. So I didn't have to hear much more after that.

SPEAKER_03 24:13

It pulled the trigger and boom, there it was, and and what a beautiful turkey. And of course, it's GX3 turkey, and we, you know, I had that one uh mounted, and it's gonna go uh, you know, to all the shows and events with us and all that, and so how exciting, one of the biggest birds, you know, that I've ever been able to, you know, see, and um, and certainly um harvest, right? It's absolutely amazing. Um, but you know, not only, you know, thinking back on this, not only was there battle before we ever left Dakota, Tennessee, and and right there but the day before, but then there was battle when we got there, you know. So not only is there battle whenever God tells you what to do, and and you make that step of faith, but there's the battle, there's the battle even in the work and and and even what he tells you to do, you know, and and it was a struggle, you know. And but then we got to sit down with Phil, and of course, next episode everybody's gonna get to hear his his testimony, and that's gonna be awesome. Uh, I can't wait for you to hear that. And just a great man of God, uh, pastor for many years, still the mayor, still the pastor in the town and and mayor there, little little town, little spot on the map. And uh, but God no doubt uh used that land and that property as you're gonna find out in in coming episodes too, what all God did in our hearts there on that place and in that cabin, you know, absolutely amazing.

SPEAKER_02 25:44

Um Some people might say, you know, that's silly. You know, you really think God can use a transmission out of a truck or a a turkey, you know, you killing a turkey to do anything. But I think people miss out a lot when they don't key in on those little things. Yeah. You know, I believe if it if it can draw you closer to God, he'll he'll use anything. So I believe I believe that turkey was meant for that trip and it accomplished its its will, and that truck was same thing. Yeah. Like I know what's done in my heart for my faith and the you know, the building blocks of faith that was added just through that trip and through the truck.

SPEAKER_03 26:23

So I I you know, I literally, you know, and and I don't care what people think, because I know like you just said, you know, I know what God's done. I know what God has solidified in my heart. Um it's concrete, it's there. You can never change my mind about it because I've seen his hand. Um not just what I have felt in my heart, you know, and what he has spoken, but I've seen him do it. And I've seen him do it time and time again. And it's as if literally God just lowered his hand down with those birds in it, and he dropped them off right there on the side of the road and said, Go ahead and go down in there, you know. Those those were for us. Yeah, there's no doubt about it. Um, God had those set aside just for us and he provided them. And so, to be honest, it really doesn't matter how bad something looks or how bleak it is. God gets the last say-so over this stuff. And the devil can fight and he can battle, and he can do all that he wants to do. He can. He's he's got he's got enough rope, uh, he's but he's only got the amount of rope God has given him, but he's got that rope and whatever come, and come what may, God gets the last say-so on every single thing. You know, if we would not have had those two birds come down in there, listen, we still going.

SPEAKER_02 27:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 27:46

We're still doing Deer Camp 25 prayer retreat. There's no doubt about that. Because we know that was God's will, you know, but how sweet it was to know that God thought of us and that he answered that prayer when we prayed and asked him to. And it just shows that sometimes it is yes. You know, sometimes it's yes, and sometimes he's gonna do that and and you know, put it right there in front of you. So it's absolutely amazing. Couple passages of scripture I want to share on this episode, uh, coming out of uh 2 Corinthians um chapter 10, verses 4 and 5. I want to share this with us uh here. This is what the Bible says. This is Paul writing to those at Corinth. He says, For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. You know, it is uh it's amazing what God does when he has everything, when he um it's amazing when we uh turn aside what we may see around us happening. Like the transmission, like we could have just we could have fell apart on that. You know, I mean I don't know what a transmission runs these days. I know you might have an idea. 12,000 yeah, that's for most people that that's not an easy thought, right? For I would say the majority of people, that's not an easy thing to think about as an expense. I know if you just bought one. Yeah, you just bought the truck. Yeah. And it just seems in unsurmountable. I mean, how do you get it past this? How do you get through this? You know, and we know God's got a plan. We know God's got his will in it, but it's hard. And so literally to lay that aside and say this is going on and we know it, we're gonna, we're gonna, we're gonna still go after God. We're gonna still wrap our minds and our hearts around his will and what he's desiring for this thing. And we have to do that. And and and I'm talking about every single day of our lives, not just in the moment of those big times or big trips or whatever, but in every detail uh going after God and giving that to him. James uh chapter four in verse seven, uh James writes this, uh, verse seven, and and this is the key for every single one of us, this is what he writes, submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. You know, that's not just like a nice little thought. You know, that's not a that's not a Hallmark card. You know what I'm saying? This is the word of God, and that's a promise that God has given that if we'll submit ourselves to him, not to anybody else, or not to anything else, not to the situations and circumstances of life, but if we'll just submit ourselves to God, that means our full focus is on him. We're gonna do his will, we're gonna do his way, sin. Step aside, you know, we're not gonna be, we're not gonna tolerate these things in our life. And this is so true for us as men, especially. Man, when we go after God and we get in the will of God, we've got we've got his authority in our lives. Not that we have authority, but he has authority. And when he's in full control, the Holy Spirit of God leading us and guiding us, submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil. Man, tell him to flee. You know, and that's what we did that day. I mean, we turned our hearts and our minds towards the will of God, and even during that trip and even during that battle, we turned our our hearts to him, and and you know, it means everything.

SPEAKER_02 31:47

Yeah, I think it's important. You gotta go back to the promises that God made you. You know, I feel like I felt like in that moment that I was doing everything in God's will. Felt like I was doing everything right. And then things went downhill, things went bad. Wanted to give up, but you just you gotta go back to what God what God told you. And having that confidence, I think, and knowing that you're walking in his will and what what he's called you to do, I think that's what gives you the the strength to be able to do that. Now, in that moment I did not want to do that.

SPEAKER_03 32:22

Right.

SPEAKER_02 32:22

In that moment I had told uh Brittany she was asking what I was gonna do. I said, I don't know, I guess I'm gonna have to figure something out. Um but that's the importance, like you had said earlier, about having that circle around you. Because in that moment I didn't want to go pray. And I didn't I knew what I needed to do, but I didn't want to. And that's real, you know. Exactly. I just wanted to give up. But uh having that circle around you that's willing to carry you sometimes or get you where you need to be, that's that's priceless. It means everything.

SPEAKER_03 32:50

Yeah, it means everything. To know people who know God, like you know God, and it means everything. That's exactly right. And we're not without, we're with. You know, I think sometimes we think uh we think we're going without or that we don't have what we need. And God over and over again shows us we we're exactly where we need to be, and he's giving us exactly what we need for every single moment of this life. Glory to God. Glory to God. He's been good to us, guys. He's been so good to us, and and I think everybody would agree our faith has grown through this process. Oh, absolutely. And seeing his hand, you know, and um I love it. I love it how God just shows his self evident time and time and time again. So I want to encourage, you know, everybody. This you know, this episode's a battle from the beginning, and it was a battle from the beginning. It was but God got the glory. God provided and God did what only God could do. And we can we can sit and testify of it today. You know, how wonderful our God is.

SPEAKER_01 33:59

I just like to add too far as the turkey hunting part of it. Um so like I said, I mentioned earlier about me just didn't even want to go that last evening. But you know, um what I seen out of that, you know, this land was supposed to be just covered up with turkeys. We get up there, don't see none. We we hunt a couple days, didn't see anything. And then as you talked about, you got along, went down there to that lake, and you prayed to God, and then God turned around and brought them two birds in. And look, since then, we know that there are piles and piles of turkey on that land that we did not wasn't aware of. But here's the thing God was waiting. I truly believe this with every fiber of my body. God was waiting. I didn't have I didn't have the faith. I didn't even think about praying, you know, because a lot of times you think, well, you know, God don't care about the little things. But you know what he does, and that's what I learned through that, you know. You obedient to God, you went down there and prayed to God, and that's what I think that's what God was waiting for to see if any of us was going to say, you know, have you asked me? And it just it really touches touches my heart. Yes, the surrender, I think.

SPEAKER_02 35:09

He wants to see that surrender, yes, and he's like, All right.

SPEAKER_03 35:13

There's no way the way that worked out that any of us, not that we would, but none of us could take glory. Oh, yeah. And none of us would be able to. And God, I think many times he lets that happen so that he will get the maximum amount of glory out of the circumstance. And and glory to God, man, how he shows up in a big way. And those are God turkeys, you know what I'm saying? Like those are god turkeys. I look up, and that turkey as soon as you walk in my living room, because y'all know my living room and my kitchen are like one big space, and I get to wake up and come out of my bedroom every day and walk into my house at the end of the day, and I look up and there's that Tennessee turkey, you know, and it's just phenomenal. Because it tells a story.

SPEAKER_02 36:00

It does.

SPEAKER_03 36:01

It tells a God's story, and it's huge.

SPEAKER_02 36:04

Every time I get in that truck, I say, that's God's truck. That's right. That's God's truck. Full circle. So full circle of the transmission, just so we don't leave everybody on a cliffhanger. Yes. I got back and took my transmit or took my truck to a different dealer that uh we bought some vehicles from and had them look at it. They said, Well, you don't need a brand new transmission, we can rebuild it and update it, you know, to the new whatever they got in it. Uh and end up only paying like 50% of what the rebuild cost would even be. So now I've got a brand new transmission in a truck that we use to pull the trailer up to Tennessee for our deer trip. That's right. So yeah. I mean it could win either way, but I believe God used that to show me, like, hey, I told you to get this truck. Now I'm gonna make it a little bit better for you. Yep, that's right.

SPEAKER_03 36:51

So And he provided even to be able to get it done. Yeah. And glory to God. Glory to God for that. Yeah, it's absolutely amazing, amazing. So battle from the beginning. You're gonna battle, but you better just trust, obey him, and you'll see the blessing in the end because God always comes through. God always comes through. Um I want to remind everybody too, before we uh close episode today, that um we got some events coming up, some exciting things uh for GX3, and as we go along, we'll announce new stuff that's coming. And so um want to let you know that July uh the 24th and 25th July 24th, 25th, we're gonna be at the uh trade show Georgia Outdoor Blast, and uh that's gonna be a great and exciting time uh together.

SPEAKER_02 37:46

And so come see us. We should have this episode out before then, so yeah. Well, you know what booth we are? We'll have a booth.

SPEAKER_03 37:56

We will be there. God blind us. We will be there, and uh there'll be turkeys present, yeah. And uh maybe an alligator head or something, so yeah, maybe a gator head. But it's gonna be a great time, and we're going, listen, we're going to share the gospel too. Uh you know, we're gonna talk about GX3 and what it means, and every and everything about it is all about the Lord, but we're gonna share the gospel as well, you know, and so anybody that's listening, um, you know, I wanna I want to make sure too, number one, that you have a relationship with Jesus Christ. And if you're listening and you don't know you're saved and you're not sure and you can't go back and remember a time when you gave your life to Christ, man, I'd beg of you, you know, consider where you are with the Lord. Um, because the time is ticking and God wants to be a part of your life right now. And he is setting up and doing things. And the very fact that you may be listening to this very podcast, God has put that, he's made a way for that and he desires you. And uh every single one of us stand in need of Christ, right? We've all sinned and come short of the glory of God, but God commended his love, he put it on display that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. He loves us, he really does. And we wouldn't be sitting here today if we didn't have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. And all this blessing that we talk about and these promises uh opposite of the battle that we face, they're all from God. Christ has done that for us. He's carried us through, and we've won the battle. We've already won the battle, and it's all because of him. It's all because of him. So if you don't know him personally, you can believe in your heart and confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus Christ, asking him to forgive you of your sins and to be your Lord and Savior. And this is what I know because he did it for me. He'll save you. He will save you. And he loves you today. And if you're sitting on the sideline wanting to get involved with GX3, don't be shy about it. Come on board and come be a part. We love you, man. We man, we want everybody in and to take part. And so uh as the events come and we're we're doing things, we want you to come apart, be a part, and get in. And more stuff's coming. You know, we've got more stuff on our heart that God's gonna be putting out in the days to come. So come along, join the journey. Join the journey. The GX3 High Time Podcast.