June 4, 2025 • 63 mins
We explore the significant difference between just hearing the Word of God versus truly receiving it into our hearts and lives. True reception of God's Word transforms us from casual listeners into dedicated disciples whose lives truly reflect it from the inside out.
• Receiving God's Word means treating scripture as essential as daily necessities like coffee or brushing teeth
• Scripture should become a core part of our identity rather than just something we occasionally reference
• When we truly receive God's Word, we approach difficulties differently with a stronger foundation
• The story of Jonah illustrates how easy it is to hear without receiving, leading to hardness of heart
• Receiving scripture means it penetrates deeply enough to change our responses and attitudes
• True reception of God's Word guards against deception, especially in challenging times
• Just as we wouldn't leave home without essentials, we shouldn't begin our days without God's Word
• Fellowship with other believers strengthens our reception and application of scripture
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
COVID, I think.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Was there an outbreak ?
No, I wonder.
I didn't get it, though,getting soaking wet.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
All those people over there, oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
All right, we're live , we're live.
Speaker 4 (00:19):
Okay, yeah, how is everybody dealing with the
acceleration of the heat?
We went from what?
57 degrees to 88 degrees withintwo days.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
You know Ohio, we can't just work up?
Speaker 4 (00:33):
to it, we just throw you right in the heat.
Yeah, your body's just don'tknow what to do with itself.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
No, I sent my dad to water, stay home, it was good,
you look like you really gotsome sun.
Well, we were there four park.
You look like you really gotsome sun.
Well, we were there four hours.
You look like you had some fun,though, did you?
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Yeah, we did.
Did you have fun?
Yeah, and she thanked me fortaking him.
You could have been in yourpool.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Mine's not even clean yet.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
I was in my dad's pool Only two hours, but I did
get some sun from it.
Cooper was in there with me.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
I did get some sun from it.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
Cooper was in there with me, you loving it.
Oh yeah, he was like just.
He wasn't like really excited,playing Like he'd splashed
around a little bit finally, butmost of the time he was just
like chilling, chilling out, andhe started kicking his legs
like all right, are you?
Speaker 3 (01:18):
going to learn to swim, you know what?
Speaker 1 (01:21):
He's probably not big enough, but I got one of those
I'll have to get in the closetand dig it out, those buddies oh
yeah around them, and then theyput their little arms through.
Well, because the thing he wasin today, I'm like I think he's
about to be too big for that,like within the next month or so
.
So that would be perfect.
Because I'm like I don't knowwhat he's you know should be in
now, like he's not an infant,like I just throw him in and
(01:42):
hope he swims.
Yeah, my dad does.
Yeah, my dad said he had to dothat to me growing up because we
lived in lock 17 and he put apole in there and he's like you
just didn't listen.
He's like, so one day I justlet you jump off.
And he's like I almost likepurposely waited, just so you
could scare yourself, and then Icame in and got you.
(02:02):
I'm like, oh, he's like, yeah,I don't even think you were four
yet.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
I'm like, oh, gee, wow, sid really sank to the
bottom.
Oh gee, maybe I'll get him.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
That's what's wrong with her roslyn was probably
about four when she was she'sactually was with one swimmy, oh
yeah, but she wasn't payingattention and that she didn't
have one on and she just jumpedright in.
She came up.
I'm like you're fine.
The dog's the one, he wouldwalk the edge of the pool and
(02:37):
then, fall in, then you'd haveto rescue him and take him to
the side and he'd sit there andhe'd glare at you.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
I got pictures, you can tell how mad he was Just
staring at me like how dare you?
Speaker 3 (02:47):
I'm like dude, I didn't do it, he did it.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
I thought dogs would naturally know how to swim.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Well, you'd think him being a poodle, being a duck
dog, that he should know.
But he, I mean he did swim, buthe was mad, just getting wet.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
So then, what you got gotta do is get him out of
there and take the hose andshoot him with the hose.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
See, you don't like to get wet, there you go we got
a kiddie pool for zara probablyfour or five years ago, just one
of those small blue ones forher to lay in while we're
outside.
She looked at it and was likescared of it.
I did the same thing for mineshe won't.
Yeah, she wouldn't get in it.
She was just like terrified ofthe image of it or something
like.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Like you are so goofy listen, when we had the pigs
out at the cabin out of we hadthat cabin out westchester I
went and got him a baby pool atthe dollar store and I got in
there, dug it all out and put itdown and filled it up with
water.
Jarby's like 15 minutes.
I give it 15 minutes andthey'll have it destroyed.
I said I better not.
I just paid $25 for that.
(03:46):
It didn't even last 10.
Oh yeah, because it was thathard plastic.
So they were just flopping andlaying.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Thanksgiving.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
Cracks, thanksgiving and Christmas, that was their
name, that's funny.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
I like that.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Could have been ham and bacon.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
Yeah Right, that's funny.
I like that Could have been hamand bacon.
Yeah Right, yeah, could havebeen Alright, nick, for the
fourth time, can you tell mewhat the topic is?
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Come on.
I asked him Sunday, I gave youone job, one job to do.
I know.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Sunday.
I asked him Today, I asked himLast week, maybe yeah, this
would be the fourth time.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
I think so.
He was supposed to text it.
Was he hiding?
Speaker 4 (04:22):
it.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
We all had it yes.
We never did get that text.
Speaker 4 (04:24):
Oh, I thought we all agreed before we left.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Well, we did, we still wanted that text.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
I'll take responsibility, but I won't take
blame.
So, yeah, what is thedifference between hearing the
word and receiving the word?
And when I think aboutreceiving the word, I think of
billy graham, because he was thebest at saying receiving.
He would throw his whole bodyinto it.
(04:53):
When he said receiving, he, youknow, throw his hands up and,
um, he was very, uh, directabout what it meant to receive
the word of god and he said it'sbasically, that's, that's the
main thing that you need to do,is to receive the word of God.
And he said it's basicallythat's the main thing that you
need to do is to receive theword.
But for many people, if you saythat, I think it would bring up
(05:16):
a lot of questions.
Well, what exactly do you mean?
You can go every Sunday tochurch, you can listen to the
sermon, you can hear the wordover and over again.
That does not mean at all thatyou are actually receiving the
word.
And talking about Billy Graham,I was just reading about him a
(05:39):
little bit and he tells thisstory in his autobiography about
the moment when he truly beganto receive the word.
And this came about because afriend was trying to tell him
that he couldn't trust theauthenticity of the Bible, that
it was just too far-fetched,just too many things couldn't
(06:01):
possibly happen.
So I'll just read you these fewparagraphs here about what
Billy Graham had to say aboutthe moment when he finally
decided to receive the word.
So after his friend tells himhe could not trust the
authenticity, he says, I got upand took a walk.
The moon was out, the shadowswere long and the San Bernardino
(06:25):
mountains surrounding theretreat center Dropping to my
knees.
There in the woods I opened theBible at random on a tree stump
in front of me.
I could not read it in theshadowy moonlight so I had no
idea what text lay before me.
Now it was an altar where Icould only stutter into prayer.
The exact wording of my prayeris beyond recall, but it must
(06:46):
have echoed my thoughts.
Oh God, there are many thingsin this book I do not understand
.
There are many problems with itfor which I have no solution.
There are many seemingcontradictions.
There are some areas in it thatdo not seem to correlate with
modern science.
I can't answer some of thephilosophical and psychological
(07:06):
questions Chuck and others areraising.
So I guess Chuck must have beenhis friend.
I was trying to be on the levelwith God, but something remained
unspoken.
At last, the Holy Spirit freedme to say it.
Father, I am going to acceptthis as thy word by faith.
I am going to allow faith asthy word.
By faith, I am going to allowfaith to go beyond my
(07:28):
intellectual questions anddoubts and I will believe this
to be your inspired word.
When I got up from my knees atForest Home that August night,
my eyes stung with tears.
I sensed the presence and powerof God as I had not sensed it
in months.
Not all of my questions wereanswered, but a major bridge had
been crossed In my heart andmind.
(07:57):
I knew a spiritual battle in mysoul had been fought and won.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Thoughts Deep thoughts, thoughts, deep
thoughts.
Roger's in deep thought he isin deep thought.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
I think the main point.
You know there's all thedifferent chapters in the.
Bible right and of course theyall have authors.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
Whether it be like I I said we talked about jonah
last week.
You know you can talk about allthe gospels matthew, mark, luke
and john.
You have all of these authors,but it is all god's word yes
none of none of this.
Whatever's in the Bible, noneof it comes through basic human
(08:48):
understanding or trying tofigure things out.
Some philosophical meditationfrom a human's experiences.
It is all, no matter who itcame through.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
It is all the word of god and that is the first thing
to remember about it this istheir interpretation of what god
was telling them so I have um.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Hearing is simply listening sometimes to go
further, you can hear.
Sometimes.
To go further, you can hear,but not To go further.
Hearing is simply the act ofperceiving sound, and receiving
is actively accepting, believingand embracing.
It's something that you'reconsciously choosing to do.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Well, yeah, when we receive that word, we're going
to live out the word yes.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
We're going to toughen it in our heart.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
We're going to apply it to our life, and that's when
you see the transformationstaking place.
Yes.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
And let's think about it this way Like every day,
there are certain things thatyou must do that I think every
human being, whether believer,non-believer, you feel like you
have to do.
Most people, when they get upin the morning, they have the
same breakfast they have.
You have to have your coffee.
It's a must, can't go on withthe rest of your.
(10:18):
If you miss your coffee, you'redone for the rest of your day.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
I need to agree.
Speaker 4 (10:29):
Maybe it's every day.
You have to get up and exercise.
You have your exercise regime.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
I do drink in my coffee.
Speaker 4 (10:38):
That's a net harm and left arm and scrolling
on social media.
Yeah, you gotta, you gotta, yougotta catch up on.
You know what the clevelandguardians are doing.
You can't, you know you can'tmiss a game.
Um, even, like, think aboutyour favorite foods.
(11:00):
Like if, if you thought aboutyour favorite food and somebody
said, okay, we, we're going totake that away, you can't ever
have.
You know, you can't ever havepan graziers pizza ever again.
You would, you would probablyyou'd be very upset and you'd be
like, oh, how am I going tolive without that?
So every human being has allthese things every single day,
(11:21):
from what you eat to how youplan your day, to what you wear,
all these things.
But a lot of times nobody'sthinking like I have to make
sure I get my fill of god's word, yeah nobody puts that as as
part of their yeah, no one's toppriority right yeah, it seems a
(11:45):
lot of times it sinks wellbelow all those other things, or
none at all yeah so like weneed to look at it.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Like I don't leave the house if my teeth aren't
brushed.
Like, yeah, right yeah right,like that's how we need to look
at it, yeah no, yeah, yep, youneed my hair Sometimes I'm not
walking out the door without myglasses.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
Yeah, yep, that's the way we need to look at it.
Speaker 4 (12:09):
Yeah.
So receiving God's word is whenyou hear the word.
It is something that you musthave every single day.
That is when you truly receiveit.
That is when you're no longerjust listening to what the
pastor has to say that Sunday,but that you actually receive it
and you tell yourself I can'tfunction in my day, I can't be a
(12:30):
leader, I can't be useful, Ican't be successful if I don't
have the word of God as part ofmy everyday habits.
So I think that's the firstthing, that, uh, probably the
most important thing and I?
Speaker 1 (12:49):
I saw something that said, um, you know, hearing
versus listening or receiving.
I'm kind of listening asreceiving, um, but listening
also leads to learning and youknow, it's not going to be a bad
thing if you learn a thing ortwo, you know, yeah right, it
transforms our mind.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Yeah, yeah, it changes our thought process yeah
, and we have to.
Speaker 4 (13:12):
We have to get to the point where we are mature in
god's word, because if you thinkabout it, like when you're a
kid and your parents tell you toclean your room, you heard them
.
You know, you heard them butyou're like okay yeah, I'll get
it.
I'll get it you know, and theytell you to clean your room.
You heard them, you know, youheard them.
But you're like yeah, I'll getit, I'll get it, you know.
And they tell you again, andokay, in a few minutes.
You know you can hear it, butWe'll do it when we come back.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
Mom, Just let us go.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
Yeah, you're always trying to parlay.
Yeah, you know, just buyyourself a few more hours
without having to do that.
Yeah, we promise.
Yeah, how many broken promises.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
She knew, when she told us, yes, that we were going
to break our promises.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
Yep, so we have to.
I think another important partof it is we have to desire God's
word and we have to make itsomething that is positive.
It can't be something if youfeel like you got to do it every
day, like oh yeah, well, Ibetter go in and sit down with
(14:14):
my Bible for a half hour.
That's not receiving God's word.
You're hearing it.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
You're making it Well , you're just reading it.
You're not even You're makingan effort to hear it.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
But you're really not .
You're not going to rememberanything that you read.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
No.
Speaker 4 (14:31):
You're just going to be like, okay, I got it in for
the day.
I read my couple verses ofscripture, I'm good, I'm good
with God.
It doesn't work that way.
It doesn't do anything for youspiritually.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
Well, I think I can use like last week's lesson on
jonah and the whale I mean in mymind, I thought I knew that
story, and when I got in thereand needed steel toe boots on,
the lord was stomping all overme, showing me some things that
I needed to correct in my lifeyeah, that's when we truly
(15:07):
received it and so I look atthat story all completely
different yeah, absolutely yeahyeah yeah, it's no longer the,
the little, the child tale, thechild tale story that we heard.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
Yeah, yeah, you're not even uh, you're not even
thinking about the whale at thatpoint.
The whale is pretty muchinsignificant to the rest of the
story.
If you can imagine putting awhale in a corner In my mind
it's time Whale timeout.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
The process was the whale was the biggest part of it
, but it had nothing to do withit really.
I mean, it had a big part of it, but yeah.
Speaker 4 (15:46):
Yeah, that was just a God's weapon of choice.
You know that particular momentin time to get Jonah to do what
he was supposed to do.
Yeah, so.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
I don't want him to get my attention quite like that
.
Speaker 4 (15:59):
No, no, you know, and that's and that's a great point
is that's what's going tohappen when you're not receiving
the word.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
He is going to use something like that.
Because he has no other choice.
Something drastic Because again.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
Jonah heard God.
He knew what he was supposed todo, but he wasn't going to do
it, he would not receive hismission.
So you know, God had to get hisattention.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Yeah, he wasn't going to be obedient.
Speaker 4 (16:28):
No, no, god gave him every chance in the world.
Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
But I think when we receive the word, we're obedient
to what he wants us to do.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
Right and we're glad about it.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Yeah, yeah, we're not doing it begrudgingly yeah it's
not doing it begrudgingly.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
Yeah, it's not a push and pull type relationship
where oh, what's God going toask of me today?
You have to because I thinksometimes, when you get into the
word, you'll find what yourpurpose is.
and I think then the more thatonce you know what your purpose
(17:03):
is, and you're even more intothe word, then I think you, I
really think it's like he'll putthe right words of scripture
inside of you to help propel youtowards whatever it is you're
supposed to do.
I think some of those thingswill almost come naturally, like
(17:26):
because the more you get intothe word, it again it it doesn't
matter which scripts you'rereading from, you'll be able to
pull.
Whatever your mission is,you'll be able to pull something
from that.
You know that scripture.
Yeah, that's going to help youin your next step forward.
But you have to be open to whatthat's going to be right.
You know that's going to beRight.
You know again, you can't bebegrudging all the time.
(17:47):
Right, you know just like oh,I'm going to avoid this as long
as possible and, you know,hopefully, you know, either
he'll move on to somebody elseor he'll pick a different
mission for me, you know, orhe'll just some people might
well.
Maybe he'll just leave me alone,you know, or he'll just some
people like well, maybe he'lljust leave me alone, let me live
(18:08):
the life I want to live, youknow?
But um, as we've said manytimes, god uses everybody,
whether you're.
You know, and I was thinkingabout that too after, uh, we
left, you know like he, and goduses some really terrible people
yeah like a lot of those kingsof Israel and some of the stuff
they were doing was like man.
These guys are worst of theworst you know, and yeah, and
(18:30):
yeah, God is still using them.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
Right.
Speaker 4 (18:33):
And I don't know, and I don't know these people, so I
can't say that they didn't knowGod or didn't that.
But maybe, despite knowing God,they were still just terrible
people.
Maybe, despite knowing.
God, they were still justterrible people.
They just couldn't help it.
But if God is going to use you,he's not going to discount you
because of something you've done.
(18:53):
If he still feels that you'regoing to fulfill his purpose,
that's what he's going to do.
What he's going to do, yeah,but uh, I guess I would like to
think that if you do receive theword and you're positive about
it, that he'll make it anenjoyable experience for you.
He'll make it worthwhile yeah,you know you'll get all the
(19:16):
fruits of that back into whatyou're putting in.
So I I think that's uh, that'sanother important part of it.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
In James there's James 1, 19.
My dear brothers, take note ofthis Everyone should be quick to
listen, slow to speak and slowto come angry, For man's anger
does not bring about therighteous life that God desires.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
Therefore, get rid of all the moral filth and the
evil that is relevant and humblyaccept the word planted in you,
which can save you yeah, um, Ithink that probably brings up a
good point that the more you'reinto the word, the less you're
going to be distracted by allthose things yeah, and you know,
(20:02):
I actually I'm like that's notwhat I wanted to read, but it it
was.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
It was relevant, though, but I needed to go on to
22.
Do not merely listen to theword and so deceive yourselves
do what it says.
Anyone who listens to the wordbut does not do what it says is
like a man who looks at his facein a mirror and, after looking
at himself, goes away andimmediately forgets what he
looks like.
(20:28):
But the man who looks intentlyinto the perfect, into the
perfect law that gives freedom,and continuing continuing to do
this not forgetting what he hasheard, but doing it he will be
blessed in what he does.
Speaker 4 (20:44):
So I mean, it says right there, like we can't just
in year one, you know, in oneyear out the other, yeah, it's
not, not gonna work yeah, yeah,just because you know I, I, you
know you get some people thatI'm not, I'm not, uh,
criticizing anybody, but youknow, you get the people that go
(21:05):
on Easter Sunday, christmas,they go, they hear the
repetition of that type ofservice and they think, well,
that's plenty, that's all I need, I've done what I needed to do.
So I should be safe, I shouldbe good.
I'm good for another six monthsright you know, and, like I said
(21:28):
, that's you know, that's fine.
Um, but as we talk on thispodcast a lot, but think about
how much more you could be yeahreceiving yes, and after the
receiving, how much more youcould be doing?
For the kingdom.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
Like, if you're not a sponge taking it all in.
Then what are you doing?
Yeah, yeah, it's.
I mean, it's just.
That's the way I always thinkabout it Every Sunday that I
come to church.
I'm hoping that I get somethingthat's going to help me in the
coming week, Even if it's onething that Pastor Michael says
(22:14):
when I come to church, that'swhat I expect.
I expect to get the word,something out of it that is
going to propel me forward intothe next week and kind of wipe
all my anxieties away, Kind ofyou know, if I'm tired, if I'm
you know feeling down aboutsomething, if I'm feeling
doubtful about going into thenew week, if you know you've got
(22:37):
a bunch of challenges coming up.
You're busy at work, busy athome.
You know it's hard to battlethat by yourself.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
And let's face it, we live in a world, lots of times,
where nobody really cares howyou feel.
That's right?
Speaker 1 (22:53):
No, no, they don't.
Speaker 4 (22:54):
Because nobody's got time to care how you feel.
You might as well not evenbother telling anybody how you
feel, because it's not reallygoing to do you any good because
nobody really cares.
They know Because, guess whatEverybody else is there too In
the same boat.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
Yes, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
So that truly cares.
Yeah, you know.
If you're not telling yourtroubles to him, you know Jesus
want to say yeah, you'll findrest with me.
Yeah, you know.
But that's and sometimes think,yeah, that's probably the only
true place you're going to findrest, because nobody else has
got the time to pick you up.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
No no.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
You know, but just a different, different destination
.
Yeah, right, yep, we all haveour own challenges and to, and
I've always think that you know,you think like, whatever your
problems are, they're the worstproblems in the world.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Yeah, looking, yeah, but you look at it, you look
around and you see other peoplethat are yeah have more problems
than what you have, so yourproblems seem small and right.
Have more problems than whatyou have.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
So your problems seem small, then Right, you know,
and it's fair.
You know you have to deal withthe problems that are set in
front of you.
A lot of times you can't dealwith anybody else's problems.
You know you have your ownresponsibility.
You have your own things youhave to do.
You can't ignore them becauseyou're not going to go away.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
No, they're not going to go away.
I feel like if Michael wassitting here right now, he would
say yeah, and that's why wedon't have any church volunteers
, because they're all like ohwell, I have this and this and
this I have to do.
Seriously though.
Speaker 4 (24:20):
Yeah, yeah, and it is yeah.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
When you mentioned problems, it just made me think
of Jarvi and his little quotethat he says all the time If
money can fix it, it's notreally a problem.
If money can fix it, it's notreally a problem, he said.
Even if you don't have themoney, if it still can be fixed
with money, it's not really aproblem, he said, because
there's many things out there inthis world.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
Money can't fix.
Money can't fix yeah.
Speaker 4 (24:51):
So, yeah, we have to be, we have to be mindful that,
yeah, the more time we spend inthe word, the less time we have
to get caught up in things thatdon't matter and idleness,
things that are not going toserve us any real purpose, and
that's again in this day and agethat is so easy to do.
I mean, we're I hate to say it,but we're raising a generation
(25:13):
that's conditioned on that ideaof idleness.
Oh, yeah, you know I'm notreally idle on uh what's my call
it?
Speaker 2 (25:22):
uh, they're just on social media scrolling?
Speaker 1 (25:24):
yeah, mindless scrolling or death.
Doesn't he call it deathscrolling?
Speaker 4 (25:28):
yeah, something like that yeah, yeah, but that's, you
know, we're, yeah, we'reconditioning a generation that
lives by that just you knowthere's so much lost time.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
Well, yeah, instead of reaching for your Bible first
thing in the morning, what doyou reach for?
Your phone?
That phone to see what's goingon.
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
Well, and I know that it's not really the proper fast
, but when we give up the fastit was.
I wasn't, I didn't allow myselfon social media until.
I spent my time with God and itwas a challenge.
Oh yeah, and then I felt guilty.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Guilty.
Speaker 4 (25:59):
Well, I've been doing the no cell phone Sunday thing.
Well, last Sunday it was about4 o'clock.
I was watching the Reds.
I like the Cincinnati Reds.
So, I'm watching the Reds.
They start losing badly.
I'm like, oh, that's just so.
You tell margie let's go on awalk.
Well, we're on the back porchnow and I forget what she was
doing.
But I'm like, you know, I'mjust gonna go up and get my
(26:20):
phone.
I want them to got my phone andI'm out there no more than five
minutes and maggie comes out,she goes.
Isn't this the day you're notsupposed to be on your phone?
Speaker 1 (26:30):
14 year old, who was constantly on her phone but she
called me out on it within fiveminutes and I was like yeah, I
know you're right.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
I said she's like I think I might have saw you on it
last Sunday too, and I'm likeno, I don't think you did, but
yeah, it was just and it wasright there.
It was like, okay, I've startedsomething I was doing really
well on it and have a goodpurpose for doing it and as soon
as I went against it.
Speaker 3 (26:54):
It wasn't five minutes, and got called out and
you called out you probablydidn't even give it a thought
that you, it was sunday and thatwas your day, not?
No, I did, oh, I did oh, I did.
Speaker 4 (27:04):
I was just like well, this day's pretty much I think
that was my attitude, becausethe reds are losing what's one
sunday?
Speaker 2 (27:11):
yeah, yeah, I guess it's pretty much over.
Speaker 4 (27:13):
It's close enough.
It's 12 o'clock somewhere.
Yeah, that's a perfect exampleof that sometimes.
But yeah, we have to be mindfulthat distraction is a big thing
and that is probably the numberone killer of not diving into.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
Even connection as a whole, like not only your
spiritual connection but justconnection in general with
relationships, friendships, likeyeah.
Speaker 4 (27:42):
Yeah, yeah, because fellowship is such a huge part
of it.
Yeah, and I think fellowshipprobably goes a long way in
receiving the word.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (27:51):
When you're sharing the word with people you know,
as we do, I think that we havehaving this podcast.
We have a huge advantage thatmost people don't have.
Because we get this, we maketime every week at least one
hour maybe a little more to sitdown and share the word.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (28:08):
Which a lot of people just don't get to do that no,
no, so you know, even ifnobody's listening, which I
don't know we're gonna have totalk about that soon, like what
our demographics are I actuallywas going to get on today and
look and I forgot, but even ifnobody's listening, we're good.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
Work is still being done oh yeah, you know, we're
still sharing in the worldamongst us, amongst us, yeah,
yeah, so yeah and first john,chapter 228 says and now, dear
children, remain fellowship withChrist so that when he returns,
you will be full of courage andnot shrink back from him in
shame.
And 29,.
Since we know that Christ isrighteous, we also know that all
(28:46):
who do what is right are God'schildren.
So when we receive that and wework it out, people see that
through us.
Speaker 4 (28:54):
Yeah, they can see, they should be able to see.
Yeah, people see that throughus.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
yeah, they could see they should should be able to
see you can see christ within us.
Speaker 4 (28:59):
Yeah, yep, yep, yep and uh, and we get to know him
all the more.
He gets to know us even betteryes um.
So I mean, if you think aboutany healthy relationship, that's
the way it's supposed to work,you know.
If you know a marriage isfailing or a friendship is
failing, it's most of the timebecause one or the other isn't
(29:22):
putting in their time right, youknow.
So if we're not putting ourtime in with the word, then
we're definitely.
If, if you know, if it's theword of god, if the bible is
truly the word of god, thenthat's what we're missing out on
.
We're missing out on thatrelationship with him.
As much as I love the historypart of it and dive into that
(29:43):
too, I want to understand that alot more.
Um, I can't take away from thatvery idea that you know.
Even when you know, even whenyou're reading, even when you're
reading the lineage and it'syou know, it can be boring as
page after page of just begatand begat and begat.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (30:01):
But even that is the word of God.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (30:03):
And as important, just as important, as you know,
the more colorful scripture thatinspires you.
You know it's, it's all thatimportant and I've always been
like I'll call myself out onthis, like I know I can quote
what general.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
Robert E.
Speaker 4 (30:22):
Lee said on the battlefield at Gettysburg
verbatim.
I can quote what he says to whoand when, what time he says it.
But there's not a whole lot ofscripture, I can just fire off.
And I think I should probably bebetter at that, because I think
I read somewhere like, if youcan, if you're, if you can quote
it, yeah, that that means it'spart of your arsenal.
(30:44):
You know, just as when jesuswas in the desert and satan's
tempting him, that scripture washis arsenal.
You know because, becauseotherwise Satan's trying to fool
him, satan's trying to get himto do things he wants him to do,
and if Jesus wouldn't knowscripture, what would he have to
defend himself with?
He wouldn't have anything.
(31:04):
So that's the way we have tothink.
So, even if it's, even if wepick one sentence of scripture
that really affects us and wechoose to maybe just focus on
that one sentence for the wholeweek, then you, you have a
better chance of memorizing thatscripture.
(31:26):
Yeah, because you read it, youput it in your heart, you
memorize it and then you startto use it, and I think once you
start to use it, then you don'tuse it, and I think once you
start to use it, then you don'tforget it.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (31:37):
So I think it's getting to actually using it is
what helps you memorize it,memorize it.
Because you have a purpose forit.
Yeah, you know it's part of whoyou are and what you do.
So instead of just trying to belike, yeah, I'm going to try to
just start memorizing scripture.
That's a good, that's not a badidea.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
Sure.
But I don't think it's not ashelpful, but with no intent,
yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (32:01):
Just for the exercise .
Yeah, okay, great, you knowthat's something, yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:05):
Yeah, because I think once, when Satan's after you
and after you and you can, youknow, throw out those scriptures
to him that sometimes he thinksI'm going to find me a new
victim for a while, right.
Speaker 4 (32:17):
Yeah, this ain't any fun, Right?
Speaker 1 (32:19):
This ain't any fun Tired of messing with her.
Speaker 4 (32:23):
She's not listening.
Satan's on a treadmill.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
Luke 6, 46 to.
Let's just see, We'll start at46.
Why do you call me, lord, lord,lord, and do not do what I say.
I will show you what he is.
I will show you what he is likewho comes to me and hears my
words and put them into practice.
He is like a man building ahouse who dug down deep and laid
(32:51):
the foundation on rock.
When a flood came, the torrentstruck that house, but could not
shake it because it was wellbuilt.
But the one who hears the wordsand does not put them into
practice is like a man who builta house on the ground without a
foundation.
The moment the torrent struckthat house, it collapsed and its
destruction was complete.
(33:12):
Yep, and I'm going to that hasleft us speechless.
I'm going to insert mycharacters now.
It'll be the three little pigs.
That's what I was thinking of.
Speaker 2 (33:29):
My fame is building on that firm foundation.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
That's true, though.
Speaker 4 (33:34):
As it says in Psalm 119, 105, your word is a lamp to
my feet and a light to my path.
So, yeah, you always know whereyou're going, Even in the
darkest of times, the more itbecomes natural.
Like I said, if there's certainscripture that you've memorized
(33:56):
and things that, uh, becausemaybe there's just a certain
area of life you really needhelp, like you know you've got
it all figured out, but maybejust this, you know one weakness
, that you have, one thing thatjust can't quite overcome, one
thing that you truly feel likeholds you back, and you can
focus on that, then that thatdoes become the light to your
path, as you can.
(34:17):
Just you know you're not goingto trip over, you're not going
to stub your toe on the coffeetable right in the middle of the
night.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
You know, because you've got the word of god, so
it's my new one, and I shouldn'tsay but I just have my toe, I
say I'm not gonna swear, jesus,I'm not gonna swear because I'm
stomping my toe trying to yeah,that's the worst cooper is high
chair real quick.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
It's like it's not just a normal height chair, that
the legs go down straight, likethey widen, and so it almost
like expands out.
I don't know, but you thinkthat it could just go straight
down from the chair.
No, there, and I walk past it.
Sometimes it just hit my toeand it's so annoying and then
(35:03):
you get mad at yourself becauseyou're like it sits there all
the time.
You know it sits there all thetime.
You know that's what it lookslike, but you're just too stupid
to remember.
Once in a while you'll have themoments where you know you're on
the path to stubbing your toeon it or hitting your thigh on
it, whatever and you'll actuallymove yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
(35:24):
it's instinctively like.
Speaker 4 (35:25):
Yes, you know like avoided at that time that one
sly move and the next time youforget about it and whammo yeah.
Speaker 1 (35:34):
Yep, I thought it was interesting.
The Hebrew phrase for obeymeans to hear.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
Hmm, let me get to my Bible.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
And furthermore the idea of obedience in the New
Testament is a hearing thattakes place under the authority
or influence of the speaker.
Because at first I read that itwas the hebrew phrase to hear,
and then somewhere else I readit was to hear under, and then
it also had kind of brought inthe new testament stating that
(36:11):
it was a hearing taking placeunder the authority or influence
of the speaker.
Just crazy how it all minglestogether all the time.
Speaker 3 (36:21):
Proverbs 4.
I have to go with 20.
My child pay attention to whatI say, Listen carefully to my
words.
Don't lose sight of them.
Speaker 4 (36:48):
Let them penetrate deep into your heart.
I can add to that sword itpenetrates even to dividing soul
and spirit, joints and marrow.
It judges the thoughts andattitudes of the heart yeah I
had a thought there and I justlost it all these verses that
(37:09):
tells us you know?
Speaker 3 (37:10):
we should have that word in our heart what?
What is our excuse?
Is it we're not in our Biblemore than we are?
Speaker 4 (37:15):
Yeah, Yep, Well, and I think that's the attitude of
the heart is such.
Another important part of it isis the word of God reaching
your heart.
Yeah, or has your heart becomeso hard that you hear it, but
you will not accept it.
You will not.
You will bend it to what youwant, your will.
(37:37):
Or you'll just it bounces rightoff you.
You don't again.
Your heart is so hard that youcan't use the word of God.
You can't use what you'velearned to help anybody, to
console anybody, to helpyourself you know you just, you
know, and that's what we had to,we had to be so careful about,
(37:58):
and I think sometimes that was.
Another problem with Jonah wasthat his heart became so hard to
these people because he, forsome reason, the word of God
started to make him judgmentalthe word of God started to make
him judgmental, and I'm sayingit was the word of God that did
it, but he wasn't totallylistening.
(38:20):
Once again, he conformed it tohis idea of what he felt the
word of God should be and how hecan use it for his purposes,
and it made his heart hurt.
He got to the point where hebecame judgmental because of
those things Instead of, as itsaid, the Word of God is alive.
It is what it is.
Speaker 1 (38:41):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (38:42):
The Word of God is not for you to dissect and to
come up with your own reason andjudgment.
It is what it is.
Speaker 1 (38:52):
And I think that's hard for people to grasp.
It is Because and I think that'sall.
I think that's hard for peopleto grasp, because I just had
someone now she wascomplimenting me about how I'm
true to myself and she said I'mnot going to lie and she's not a
religious person, but she'slike I have been turned off of
religion, you know.
And she said over the past fewyears, and yeah, because people
acting like Jonah, basically youknow years and yeah, because
(39:17):
people acting like jonah,basically you know, and um.
But she said I think the thebeautiful part about about um,
the bible is like the way youinterpret it.
And I'm like, yes, and yeah,because it has been interpreted.
How many times?
However, I feel like the waythat it's been interpreted is
because, like that was, that'san advantage, like it should
(39:39):
have been interpreted from thoseother languages, that way we
can learn it today.
Speaker 2 (39:43):
You know what I mean, but yeah, yeah, I think you
know we have to be humble andmeek and not arrogant.
I mean, we're not going toreceive it when we're arrogant.
We have to be, humble and meek.
Speaker 1 (39:57):
And I think to not get like Jonah is like you just
have to constantly self-analyzeLike am I acting like Jonah?
Am I headed down that road?
If so, you know, lord, help me.
Speaker 4 (40:12):
Like just yeah, yeah, I mean you have to be asking
God to perceive the word in theway that he would have us
interpret it.
That's the only interpreterthat we should be looking for is
how does God himself want?
Me to interpret this scripture.
Speaker 2 (40:34):
I ask him for wisdom and the knowledge and
discernment yeah.
Speaker 4 (40:39):
Because a lot of times we don't know what that is
.
Just as Billy Graham said, hegoes.
A lot of questions were stillunanswered.
A lot of it, you know, can'tfigure out using science.
You know all these things.
A lot of it is just truly byfaith.
So when we're getting into theword and receiving it, we have
to receive it by faith.
(41:05):
We have to believe thateverything that God says is true
to the T and that's the otherthing about the Bible is there's
no to be continueds, there's nocliffhangers, there's nothing
that doesn't come full circle.
So when you really start to getinto the word, like we said
(41:25):
with with jonah, then you get tojesus and you see the three
days and how it applies to notonly him but then to jesus
christ.
You just realize that there'snothing in there that doesn't
have a purpose, that doesn'tcome full circle.
There's nothing in there that'sjust like oh, he's going to say
this to fill a chapter.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
Yeah, like you might think it's a plot twist, but
it's not, it's all apart.
No, it all comes together.
Speaker 4 (41:48):
Like I said, even the lineage.
If you study that enough, youreally go wow, there is no holes
in that.
You're not going to go in theBible and be like, oh, I can
take this and I can take thisand prove that it's not true,
because I read this at thebeginning.
Then I found this in the middleit didn't match up with what's
(42:08):
in the end.
You can't do it.
Speaker 1 (42:10):
No, you can't, you can't.
Speaker 4 (42:13):
It's just, it's incredible.
Speaker 1 (42:16):
And non-believers have tried.
And then, what do you know?
They become believers.
Speaker 4 (42:20):
Yeah, Right, right yeah.
Speaker 1 (42:23):
Because of that.
Speaker 4 (42:24):
Yep, and and that's the thing too is, you know,
we're going to deal with a lotof non-believers.
If, if, if we're doing our job,if we're into this enough,
we're going to deal with a lotof unbelievers, and if you don't
have the word of God, you'renot going to change that person.
Speaker 1 (42:45):
No.
Speaker 4 (42:46):
It doesn't matter how you feel about it.
Speaker 1 (42:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (42:49):
Like you can have all the faith in the world.
You can love God.
Speaker 1 (42:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (42:52):
But without actually the word.
Speaker 1 (42:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (42:55):
You're not going to change that person.
You can't.
No.
Speaker 1 (42:57):
Yeah, you're not going to change that person.
Speaker 4 (42:58):
You can't, no, you have to have it.
You know, even if they can lookat you and be like, wow, they
got it all together and I wish Ihad that, and you know, you
know, we don't have it all toget.
That's, that's it.
Speaker 2 (43:09):
We don't have it all together we have still.
Speaker 4 (43:11):
You know Christians, you know we never run out of
problems.
Just because we become saveddoesn't mean that you know we're
free of our problems and ourburdens.
Speaker 2 (43:22):
Now sometimes I think we have more.
Speaker 4 (43:24):
Yeah, sometimes.
Speaker 1 (43:25):
I mean I say all the time.
Speaker 2 (43:27):
The enemy works on us harder than he does somebody
that's in his realm.
Speaker 4 (43:34):
But if somebody can see Christ in you, you know it's
more often than not it'sbecause you are exemplifying
what's in the word.
Speaker 1 (43:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (43:42):
It's not just because you're a nice person.
Speaker 1 (43:45):
Right.
Speaker 4 (43:46):
You know it takes a lot more than that.
I mean, yeah, they might thinkyou're a nice person, but that's
not going to change them.
I think that true confirmationcomes from you know.
I think that true confirmationcomes from you know.
I know I've been bringing thisup, talking about that wrestler
that couldn't walk.
Speaker 1 (44:04):
Oh yeah, Confined to the wheelchair.
Speaker 4 (44:06):
Now he's almost walking, is it just?
Speaker 1 (44:09):
incredible.
Yes, yes.
Speaker 4 (44:11):
But it's, and he said , the wrestler that got him to
become saved was his best friend, steve borden, who's better
known as sting and uh.
Sting told him.
He says you know, if thisaccident would have happened to
you before you got saved the oldlex luger, you probably would
(44:34):
have offed yourself.
I truly believe that you wouldnot even been able to handle
yeah what had happened to you,and it's only through being
saved that you know you wereable to overcome this.
And you hear lex luger talkabout it and it's just, it's
just pretty incredible, um, thathe has went.
He went from believing I'mpretty sure believing that he
(44:59):
would never walk again Togetting his faith to such a
point where that faith led himto the right people.
Yeah, that truly could help himwalk again, and that to me is
amazing, but that's a greatexample of how the Word of God
actually works.
Speaker 1 (45:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (45:20):
Like it will move you in the right direction, to the
right people that you'resupposed to be with and to help
you overcome whatever it is thatyou have going on, but
sometimes that's I don't knowhow many.
I know that was a long timecoming.
So you know, the minute he gotsaved it didn't happen right,
(45:43):
you know, like what's life,didn't.
Speaker 2 (45:45):
I mean it.
Just it's a process, it's ajourney.
Speaker 4 (45:47):
And that's the thing.
Even after he got saved, that's, he still had the accident yeah
so, but sometimes you thinkabout.
You think, well, he had a lotmore to learn.
He had so many things in hislife that troubled him that he
had gotten himself into that.
You have to wonder okay, wasthat, unfortunately, just
another part of that process?
Speaker 2 (46:08):
that he had to go through to come to where he
needed to be.
Speaker 4 (46:13):
Because now, when you hear him talk about God, it's
wonderful.
And I'm sure there's a lot ofother people thinking like, well
, I believe I never walk either,or whatever, I never believed
I'd do this, I do that.
Now I see a chance, and I seeit through the word of God, not
because, well, I watched himwrestling when I was a little
kid and I just loved him andyeah, you know that's one thing.
(46:36):
But yeah, I think when you seeit through the word of God, it
just takes it to another level,the prophets.
Speaker 3 (46:41):
How many different things that they suffered
through to build them up towhere God wanted them.
Oh yeah, Amazing yeah.
Speaker 4 (46:49):
Because I you know, that's another thing I was
reading because you know, wewere talking about that with the
deaths of all the apostles.
We were talking about that withthe deaths of all the apostles
and you just think like, okay,these guys truly had the word of
God in them, because it wasn'tnegotiable.
The word of God was notnegotiable, Like they weren't
(47:09):
going to trade it for anything,no matter how much pain and
torture and imprisonment and youknow all these things these
guys had to go through, theygive it all up except the word
of God.
They weren't going to give it up, no matter how much torture
they were going to go through,even at the point of death,
they're like, nope, not going togive it up.
(47:30):
So that's true faith.
By the word and that goes backto what we were saying is you
have to treat the word of God asthough it was something
precious.
Speaker 1 (47:38):
Exactly.
Speaker 4 (47:40):
You know, think about all the things that you, you
treasure in your life.
You know, whether it's familyheirlooms, uh, just things that
you know you've had since you'vebeen a child, just things that
you've spent a lot of money on.
You know that you treasure inyour life.
Um, you know, you may have likea collection you've been
working on your whole life andit's just your whole pride and
joy, but it can't ever be asprecious as the word of God.
(48:03):
That's how you have to look atit.
If I have to give everythingelse up right now, the word of
God is going to be the onlything, not going to go.
Speaker 2 (48:15):
Yeah, our only constant.
Speaker 4 (48:16):
And that's even tough because you guys say, yep, even
family members, yeah, yes, youknow well.
And it says you know we'll loseour brothers and sisters, or
yeah whatever and that's a hardpart of it sometimes you become
a believer and you got yeah,brothers and sisters who don't
feel that way, family don't feelthat way, they'll disown you
yeah, yeah yeah yeah, even lexluger said that about sting.
(48:39):
Like yeah, when he first startedtelling me about this he goes I
was mad at him.
He goes.
I thought I was losing my bestfriend.
He wouldn't go out and partywith me anymore.
He didn't hang out, I lost mybest friend.
And so people can get that waywhen they see you.
It's a strange thing, butpeople do.
I guess they get jealous ofthat, just as any other
(49:00):
relationship.
People have a hard time withthat when you finally decide
like I'm not going to do thosethings anymore.
Speaker 1 (49:07):
Yeah right, they get uncomfortable with you going out
of your comfort zone and beinguncomfortable, like, yeah,
you're uncomfortable too, butlike you're willing to, and
they're like, oh, wait a minute,where's my best friend going?
You know what am I gonna do now?
Speaker 3 (49:22):
yeah, yeah.
I think one important thingabout having the word in your
heart is being able to see thesigns of the time.
Yeah, the antichrist is goingto be coming and he is going to
fool many of us.
So I want that word engraved soI recognize him and I don't
(49:46):
stumble and fall into thosetraps that he is going to put
forth.
Speaker 4 (49:51):
Oh yeah, Because if you don't know, people can tell
you a lot of things.
Speaker 2 (49:55):
Oh yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (49:56):
We could be easily deceived if we didn't know you
know so many things sound goodthat was actually margie was
talking to me and nick on sundayand she's like I'd like for you
guys to do like a revelationspodcast but, I mean it's a good
idea yeah, and that'd probablyhave to be like a two or three
(50:17):
yeah, you really have to break,yeah, yeah
Speaker 3 (50:20):
um, yeah because there's so many different, not
necessarily interpretations, butright how each person perceives
the things.
Speaker 4 (50:27):
Yes, yeah, yeah yeah, that's pretty hot, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (50:30):
that's it's pretty heavy stuff yeah yeah actually I
was just listening to a um apodcast today and they were
talking about when pa Paul waswriting the things, that's, who
wrote Revelations.
I questioned myself once.
I said it.
He did a lot of that while hewas in prison, yes, and so a lot
of those things were written inthe words.
(50:52):
So, because those papers weregoing out, he wrote them.
So the Roman soldiers didn'tintercedecede.
Speaker 1 (51:00):
They would read it and didn't really know what he
meant I think I might have seenor read that somewhere yeah,
that those that were in christ,that they were going to, were
able to understand it.
Speaker 3 (51:10):
And then some of the things that god showed him were
things that he just didn't knowthe words for so you're trying
to say, like it was some, it waslike cryptic.
Speaker 4 (51:19):
Yeah, like he would explain things in a way that
they'd be like oh, this is justlike he must have had a bad
dream.
Speaker 3 (51:25):
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
But yeah, when the letters gotto the churches or got to they
actually understood theyunderstood Huh.
Speaker 1 (51:34):
Huh.
Speaker 3 (51:34):
No, whether that's true or not.
Speaker 1 (51:36):
No, I've heard that somewhere too it made a lot of
sense.
Yeah, yeah, it does yeah.
Speaker 4 (51:40):
Because you think about that.
Yeah, how did he get it out ofthe prison?
How would they let him do that?
Speaker 3 (51:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (51:50):
If he was writing about the very thing that put
him there in the first place.
Speaker 1 (51:52):
Yeah, how would it escape those four walls?
How does he get the word?
Out if it was sostraightforward, especially more
than one book multiple books.
That's interesting yeah, so Iguess we'll have to do
Revelations not right away, thatmight have to be it maybe that
can be that can be our summerschool project.
(52:17):
That can be on the back burnereach week like we'll, we'll do
some studying, but then that's,yeah, our big project for the
end of the summer.
Speaker 3 (52:24):
I don't know right, yeah because it's a lot we can
tackle it.
Yeah, school, yeah, schoolproject for the summer.
Speaker 1 (52:32):
There you go, there's your homework for the summer
our 4-8 project, we get to go tothe fair.
Speaker 3 (52:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (52:44):
He's got a whole pile of papers here.
He does.
Speaker 4 (52:48):
Like I said, I just did not have the study time, and
so this one.
It had all these differentverses.
Speaker 2 (52:59):
I was like well, I'll at least print that out so I at
least have some verses that Ican find because I didn't have
time to go through the Bible.
And Jesus reminds us, when hewas being tempted, that life is
sustained not only by bread, butby every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.
Speaker 4 (53:10):
Yes, or in hopefully I get this one.
Hold on, let me see if I'm onthe right page here.
I think this is Isaiah 55, 11.
So is my word that goes outfrom my mouth.
It will not return to me empty,but will accomplish what I
(53:34):
desire and achieve the purposefor which I sent it.
So when you're working from theword of God, you're not going
to be deceived.
Speaker 1 (53:45):
You're not going to be going down the wrong path.
Speaker 4 (53:47):
You're not going to waste any time on an effort or
project that you're going to go.
Oh well, that was a waste oftime.
Speaker 1 (53:55):
Yeah, right.
Speaker 4 (53:56):
Because it was a dead end.
Yeah, you know, didn't fulfillthe purpose that I hoped it
would.
Speaker 1 (54:02):
And I know we keep saying that the Old Testament
and New Testament all cometogether.
But I mean truly it does.
Speaker 4 (54:08):
Like we've just said so many different verses all
night and like, yeah, they werea good mix of Old and New
Testament, you know, like Well,and I think a lot of times
people have a problem with theold testament because you're
like well, here's this wrathfulgod that says you can't do this
and you can't do that.
Nothing is forgiven, and youknow, every, everything is just,
and it seems like they theyfocus so much on that that they
(54:31):
don't see how much of the loveof god is in the old testament
yes because it truly is, uh, butit kind of gets overshadowed by
the harsher part of hisjudgment and his wrath, you know
, and the lessons that aretrying to be taught there.
And so sometimes they try to usethe Old and the New Testament
as that contradiction to say,well, you can't have both.
So that alone is like.
(54:52):
Well, you know, he says onething in the Old Testament and
Jesus comes along and it's awhole new thing.
It's like, yeah, that's exactlyright, that is, that's the
point.
Speaker 1 (55:00):
That's the point.
Speaker 4 (55:01):
You know, yes, god is giving us, you know, a new
direction and a new relationshipin which we can be saved for
our sins, instead of all theseother traditions.
And you know sacrificing.
You know and all that kind ofthing.
So that is the point, um, andthen, of course, when jesus
(55:22):
himself is all his parables,everything that he's saying it's
not coming from, it's comingfrom god.
Yeah, you know, jesus is not aseparate entity.
That's coming in, uh in additionto I think I can't quote it,
but I think he says he's notcoming to change anything.
Yeah, he's not coming to changeanything, he's just confirming
(55:46):
the word of God.
Yeah, but I think he's puttingforth the love part of it.
Speaker 2 (55:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (55:53):
He's putting that out at the front for everybody to
really see, and not just for theJews but for the Gentiles he's
giving.
So he's giving it to everybody,which, of course, is a new
thing yes, for sure and that'sthe one thing like jonah
couldn't accept, that, you know,in his time he couldn't accept
it no that this is just for us.
This wasn't supposed to be foranybody else.
Um, so yeah, he's making itclear through god's word, all
(56:18):
those things you know are goingto come to fruition and
everybody has a chance to knowhim and have a relationship with
him and be saved through him.
And that was the last.
When we went off the air lastweek, first thing that came to
my mind was you know, thecriminal on the cross next to
Jesus.
(56:38):
Like he's the he's like thefirst one, yep, that we can
clearly see what God was tryingto tell Jonah.
It's like everybody has thatequal chance.
Speaker 1 (56:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (56:48):
Up till the very end.
Yeah, if it's truly in theirheart, they can be saved.
Doesn't matter if they neverknew me beforehand, as long as
by faith, yeah.
Speaker 1 (56:58):
Right.
Speaker 4 (56:59):
And by the word they can be saved in that very moment
.
Speaker 2 (57:03):
What is simple as VBS as long as you knew your ABCs.
Speaker 4 (57:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (57:09):
Admit, believe and confess.
Speaker 4 (57:11):
And that alone is no coincidence that that happens.
It's not a coincidence that heis hung on the cross between two
criminals one that's going tolaugh at him and one that is
going to believe it, except himyes, yeah, you know.
There's no coincidence in that,whatsoever no, no, I mean right
up to the end.
Speaker 1 (57:31):
You know everything has purpose, purpose, yeah, yeah
, right up until his last breath, yep.
Speaker 4 (57:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (57:40):
Yep, I have Proverbs 3.3, but you almost have to go
back to the beginning.
My child, never forget thethings I have taught you.
Store my commands in your heart.
If you do this, you will livemany years and your life will be
satisfying.
Never let loyalty and kindnessleave you.
Tie them around your neck as areminder, write them deep within
(58:05):
your heart, it says.
Then you will find favor withboth God and people and you will
earn a good reputation.
That's irrelevant, butsatisfying life.
When you're walking with Christ, you're happy, you are.
Speaker 2 (58:19):
All your needs are being met Well and not only that
, even if we do have troubles,we have that foundation that
lets us endure our troublesuntil they pass.
Speaker 4 (58:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (58:30):
That we know who to go to Exactly.
Speaker 4 (58:33):
Yeah, I mean I, you know I can never guarantee this,
but oftentimes I think when yousee somebody that loses their
cool really, really quickly andit will show nobody compassion
whatsoever in, you know,difficult times, I doubt that
God's word is in their heart.
Speaker 1 (58:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (58:55):
You know, I don't think it's made it there yet.
No, no, not to say that they'renot trying Right, right, you
know I would never say that,yeah, you know, I don't think
it's made it there yet.
No, not to say that they're nottrying Right, right, I would
never say that, but I think youknow just I think that's God's
word can change things like thatin somebody.
I think that you know not to say, you know nobody's ever, you
can never say, well, I'm nevergoing to lose my temper.
Yeah, because I have the wordof God in me.
Speaker 2 (59:16):
Now you will, oh, you will, you will, you will
Absolutely yeah, yeah, you willdo it less but you will do it
less every now and again.
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (59:24):
And you will think about it before you do it.
You know you will.
You will be more, I think, onthe able to understand.
You know why your life is theway it is.
You know, that's, I think, forpeople.
A lot of people will questionGod, like why is this happening
(59:48):
to me?
You know, why did God let thishappen?
And they're talking about Godas and this is a perfect point
they talk about god as he is aseparate entity from themselves.
So you're, you're basicallysaying, well, he's not in me.
Because when you say, why isgod letting this happen to me,
(01:00:09):
you're talking about him as ifhe's yeah, another person.
Speaker 1 (01:00:13):
He's not, he's not the holy spirit.
Yeah, he's not inside of you,yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:00:17):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:00:19):
Yeah, that's a good point.
Speaker 4 (01:00:20):
And it's.
You know.
That's an easy thing to saybecause it's almost in our world
.
Speaker 2 (01:00:25):
It's almost a cliche thing to say yeah for sure.
Why does God let this happen?
Speaker 4 (01:00:30):
But does you ever sit back and think, well, when's
the last time I talked to God?
When's the last time I actuallygot the word out and made a
true effort to receive it?
A lot of times, that's wherethe shortcoming is.
It's really never on God's sidethat there's a shortcoming.
Speaker 2 (01:00:49):
It's usually us 100% it's us Not usually.
Yes, 100% it's us.
Speaker 3 (01:00:55):
There's something we're not.
Speaker 4 (01:01:03):
That's a tough hurdle , I think, for people who, you
know, have not considered beingsaved, have not considered truly
trying to be one with God'sword.
Speaker 3 (01:01:16):
Well that's a deep subject be one with God's word.
Speaker 1 (01:01:20):
Well, that's a deep subject.
Yeah, it was very deep, deepsubject and I think we got deep.
No questions today.
Speaker 4 (01:01:33):
No, no questions.
This was more of just going tobe a conversation.
Speaker 1 (01:01:36):
You warned us at the beginning.
Speaker 4 (01:01:39):
And I didn't plan on having questions for this one.
Yeah, honestly this is more ofa conversation.
Speaker 1 (01:01:46):
Something to dissect, all right.
Well, who prayed?
I prayed.
Speaker 2 (01:01:54):
Was it Dawn?
Speaker 1 (01:01:55):
Okay.
So, beth, if you're ready, letme see if I can get you ready.
Speaker 3 (01:02:03):
Dear Heavenly Father, we just thank you for the
opportunity to come together andtalk about your word and have
it.
We want you to apply it to ourheart, dear Father God, we just
don't want to hear it, dear Lord, we want to receive it.
Yes, lord.
Heart, dear Father God, we justdon't want to hear it, dear
Lord, we want to receive it.
Yes, lord, and we ask that youjust fill in each one of us that
(01:02:26):
desire, that desire every dayas you give us a new day that we
want to dive in our Bible so wecan receive your word, dear
Father God, and we ask that yoube with each and every listener.
We ask that you be with all ofus as we travel home tonight,
dear Father God, and you blessus with your grace and your
mercy and your safety as youguide us home.
In Jesus' precious name, I prayamen.
Speaker 2 (01:02:45):
Amen.
COVID, I think.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Was there an outbreak ?
No, I wonder.
I didn't get it, though,getting soaking wet.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
All those people over there, oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
All right, we're live , we're live.
Speaker 4 (00:19):
Okay, yeah, how is everybody dealing with the
acceleration of the heat?
We went from what?
57 degrees to 88 degrees withintwo days.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
You know Ohio, we can't just work up?
Speaker 4 (00:33):
to it, we just throw you right in the heat.
Yeah, your body's just don'tknow what to do with itself.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
No, I sent my dad to water, stay home, it was good,
you look like you really gotsome sun.
Well, we were there four park.
You look like you really gotsome sun.
Well, we were there four hours.
You look like you had some fun,though, did you?
Speaker 3 (00:48):
Yeah, we did.
Did you have fun?
Yeah, and she thanked me fortaking him.
You could have been in yourpool.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Mine's not even clean yet.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
I was in my dad's pool Only two hours, but I did
get some sun from it.
Cooper was in there with me.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
I did get some sun from it.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
Cooper was in there with me, you loving it.
Oh yeah, he was like just.
He wasn't like really excited,playing Like he'd splashed
around a little bit finally, butmost of the time he was just
like chilling, chilling out, andhe started kicking his legs
like all right, are you?
Speaker 3 (01:18):
going to learn to swim, you know what?
Speaker 1 (01:21):
He's probably not big enough, but I got one of those
I'll have to get in the closetand dig it out, those buddies oh
yeah around them, and then theyput their little arms through.
Well, because the thing he wasin today, I'm like I think he's
about to be too big for that,like within the next month or so
.
So that would be perfect.
Because I'm like I don't knowwhat he's you know should be in
now, like he's not an infant,like I just throw him in and
(01:42):
hope he swims.
Yeah, my dad does.
Yeah, my dad said he had to dothat to me growing up because we
lived in lock 17 and he put apole in there and he's like you
just didn't listen.
He's like, so one day I justlet you jump off.
And he's like I almost likepurposely waited, just so you
could scare yourself, and then Icame in and got you.
(02:02):
I'm like, oh, he's like, yeah,I don't even think you were four
yet.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
I'm like, oh, gee, wow, sid really sank to the
bottom.
Oh gee, maybe I'll get him.
Speaker 3 (02:13):
That's what's wrong with her roslyn was probably
about four when she was she'sactually was with one swimmy, oh
yeah, but she wasn't payingattention and that she didn't
have one on and she just jumpedright in.
She came up.
I'm like you're fine.
The dog's the one, he wouldwalk the edge of the pool and
(02:37):
then, fall in, then you'd haveto rescue him and take him to
the side and he'd sit there andhe'd glare at you.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
I got pictures, you can tell how mad he was Just
staring at me like how dare you?
Speaker 3 (02:47):
I'm like dude, I didn't do it, he did it.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
I thought dogs would naturally know how to swim.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
Well, you'd think him being a poodle, being a duck
dog, that he should know.
But he, I mean he did swim, buthe was mad, just getting wet.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
So then, what you got gotta do is get him out of
there and take the hose andshoot him with the hose.
Speaker 1 (03:08):
See, you don't like to get wet, there you go we got
a kiddie pool for zara probablyfour or five years ago, just one
of those small blue ones forher to lay in while we're
outside.
She looked at it and was likescared of it.
I did the same thing for mineshe won't.
Yeah, she wouldn't get in it.
She was just like terrified ofthe image of it or something
like.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Like you are so goofy listen, when we had the pigs
out at the cabin out of we hadthat cabin out westchester I
went and got him a baby pool atthe dollar store and I got in
there, dug it all out and put itdown and filled it up with
water.
Jarby's like 15 minutes.
I give it 15 minutes andthey'll have it destroyed.
I said I better not.
I just paid $25 for that.
(03:46):
It didn't even last 10.
Oh yeah, because it was thathard plastic.
So they were just flopping andlaying.
Speaker 1 (03:54):
Thanksgiving.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
Cracks, thanksgiving and Christmas, that was their
name, that's funny.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
I like that.
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Could have been ham and bacon.
Speaker 1 (04:05):
Yeah Right, that's funny.
I like that Could have been hamand bacon.
Yeah Right, yeah, could havebeen Alright, nick, for the
fourth time, can you tell mewhat the topic is?
Speaker 4 (04:11):
Come on.
I asked him Sunday, I gave youone job, one job to do.
I know.
Speaker 1 (04:15):
Sunday.
I asked him Today, I asked himLast week, maybe yeah, this
would be the fourth time.
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
I think so.
He was supposed to text it.
Was he hiding?
Speaker 4 (04:22):
it.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
We all had it yes.
We never did get that text.
Speaker 4 (04:24):
Oh, I thought we all agreed before we left.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
Well, we did, we still wanted that text.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
I'll take responsibility, but I won't take
blame.
So, yeah, what is thedifference between hearing the
word and receiving the word?
And when I think aboutreceiving the word, I think of
billy graham, because he was thebest at saying receiving.
He would throw his whole bodyinto it.
(04:53):
When he said receiving, he, youknow, throw his hands up and,
um, he was very, uh, directabout what it meant to receive
the word of god and he said it'sbasically, that's, that's the
main thing that you need to do,is to receive the word of God.
And he said it's basicallythat's the main thing that you
need to do is to receive theword.
But for many people, if you saythat, I think it would bring up
(05:16):
a lot of questions.
Well, what exactly do you mean?
You can go every Sunday tochurch, you can listen to the
sermon, you can hear the wordover and over again.
That does not mean at all thatyou are actually receiving the
word.
And talking about Billy Graham,I was just reading about him a
(05:39):
little bit and he tells thisstory in his autobiography about
the moment when he truly beganto receive the word.
And this came about because afriend was trying to tell him
that he couldn't trust theauthenticity of the Bible, that
it was just too far-fetched,just too many things couldn't
(06:01):
possibly happen.
So I'll just read you these fewparagraphs here about what
Billy Graham had to say aboutthe moment when he finally
decided to receive the word.
So after his friend tells himhe could not trust the
authenticity, he says, I got upand took a walk.
The moon was out, the shadowswere long and the San Bernardino
(06:25):
mountains surrounding theretreat center Dropping to my
knees.
There in the woods I opened theBible at random on a tree stump
in front of me.
I could not read it in theshadowy moonlight so I had no
idea what text lay before me.
Now it was an altar where Icould only stutter into prayer.
The exact wording of my prayeris beyond recall, but it must
(06:46):
have echoed my thoughts.
Oh God, there are many thingsin this book I do not understand
.
There are many problems with itfor which I have no solution.
There are many seemingcontradictions.
There are some areas in it thatdo not seem to correlate with
modern science.
I can't answer some of thephilosophical and psychological
(07:06):
questions Chuck and others areraising.
So I guess Chuck must have beenhis friend.
I was trying to be on the levelwith God, but something remained
unspoken.
At last, the Holy Spirit freedme to say it.
Father, I am going to acceptthis as thy word by faith.
I am going to allow faith asthy word.
By faith, I am going to allowfaith to go beyond my
(07:28):
intellectual questions anddoubts and I will believe this
to be your inspired word.
When I got up from my knees atForest Home that August night,
my eyes stung with tears.
I sensed the presence and powerof God as I had not sensed it
in months.
Not all of my questions wereanswered, but a major bridge had
been crossed In my heart andmind.
(07:57):
I knew a spiritual battle in mysoul had been fought and won.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Thoughts Deep thoughts, thoughts, deep
thoughts.
Roger's in deep thought he isin deep thought.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
I think the main point.
You know there's all thedifferent chapters in the.
Bible right and of course theyall have authors.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
Whether it be like I I said we talked about jonah
last week.
You know you can talk about allthe gospels matthew, mark, luke
and john.
You have all of these authors,but it is all god's word yes
none of none of this.
Whatever's in the Bible, noneof it comes through basic human
(08:48):
understanding or trying tofigure things out.
Some philosophical meditationfrom a human's experiences.
It is all, no matter who itcame through.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
It is all the word of god and that is the first thing
to remember about it this istheir interpretation of what god
was telling them so I have um.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Hearing is simply listening sometimes to go
further, you can hear.
Sometimes.
To go further, you can hear,but not To go further.
Hearing is simply the act ofperceiving sound, and receiving
is actively accepting, believingand embracing.
It's something that you'reconsciously choosing to do.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
Well, yeah, when we receive that word, we're going
to live out the word yes.
Speaker 1 (09:48):
We're going to toughen it in our heart.
Speaker 3 (09:49):
We're going to apply it to our life, and that's when
you see the transformationstaking place.
Yes.
Speaker 4 (09:56):
And let's think about it this way Like every day,
there are certain things thatyou must do that I think every
human being, whether believer,non-believer, you feel like you
have to do.
Most people, when they get upin the morning, they have the
same breakfast they have.
You have to have your coffee.
It's a must, can't go on withthe rest of your.
(10:18):
If you miss your coffee, you'redone for the rest of your day.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
I need to agree.
Speaker 4 (10:29):
Maybe it's every day.
You have to get up and exercise.
You have your exercise regime.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
I do drink in my coffee.
Speaker 4 (10:38):
That's a net harm and left arm and scrolling
on social media.
Yeah, you gotta, you gotta, yougotta catch up on.
You know what the clevelandguardians are doing.
You can't, you know you can'tmiss a game.
Um, even, like, think aboutyour favorite foods.
(11:00):
Like if, if you thought aboutyour favorite food and somebody
said, okay, we, we're going totake that away, you can't ever
have.
You know, you can't ever havepan graziers pizza ever again.
You would, you would probablyyou'd be very upset and you'd be
like, oh, how am I going tolive without that?
So every human being has allthese things every single day,
(11:21):
from what you eat to how youplan your day, to what you wear,
all these things.
But a lot of times nobody'sthinking like I have to make
sure I get my fill of god's word, yeah nobody puts that as as
part of their yeah, no one's toppriority right yeah, it seems a
(11:45):
lot of times it sinks wellbelow all those other things, or
none at all yeah so like weneed to look at it.
Speaker 1 (11:53):
Like I don't leave the house if my teeth aren't
brushed.
Like, yeah, right yeah right,like that's how we need to look
at it, yeah no, yeah, yep, youneed my hair Sometimes I'm not
walking out the door without myglasses.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
Yeah, yep, that's the way we need to look at it.
Speaker 4 (12:09):
Yeah.
So receiving God's word is whenyou hear the word.
It is something that you musthave every single day.
That is when you truly receiveit.
That is when you're no longerjust listening to what the
pastor has to say that Sunday,but that you actually receive it
and you tell yourself I can'tfunction in my day, I can't be a
(12:30):
leader, I can't be useful, Ican't be successful if I don't
have the word of God as part ofmy everyday habits.
So I think that's the firstthing, that, uh, probably the
most important thing and I?
Speaker 1 (12:49):
I saw something that said, um, you know, hearing
versus listening or receiving.
I'm kind of listening asreceiving, um, but listening
also leads to learning and youknow, it's not going to be a bad
thing if you learn a thing ortwo, you know, yeah right, it
transforms our mind.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Yeah, yeah, it changes our thought process yeah
, and we have to.
Speaker 4 (13:12):
We have to get to the point where we are mature in
god's word, because if you thinkabout it, like when you're a
kid and your parents tell you toclean your room, you heard them
.
You know, you heard them butyou're like okay yeah, I'll get
it.
I'll get it you know, and theytell you to clean your room.
You heard them, you know, youheard them.
But you're like yeah, I'll getit, I'll get it, you know.
And they tell you again, andokay, in a few minutes.
You know you can hear it, butWe'll do it when we come back.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
Mom, Just let us go.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
Yeah, you're always trying to parlay.
Yeah, you know, just buyyourself a few more hours
without having to do that.
Yeah, we promise.
Yeah, how many broken promises.
Speaker 3 (13:47):
She knew, when she told us, yes, that we were going
to break our promises.
Speaker 4 (13:53):
Yep, so we have to.
I think another important partof it is we have to desire God's
word and we have to make itsomething that is positive.
It can't be something if youfeel like you got to do it every
day, like oh yeah, well, Ibetter go in and sit down with
(14:14):
my Bible for a half hour.
That's not receiving God's word.
You're hearing it.
Speaker 2 (14:19):
You're making it Well , you're just reading it.
You're not even You're makingan effort to hear it.
Speaker 4 (14:24):
But you're really not .
You're not going to rememberanything that you read.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
No.
Speaker 4 (14:31):
You're just going to be like, okay, I got it in for
the day.
I read my couple verses ofscripture, I'm good, I'm good
with God.
It doesn't work that way.
It doesn't do anything for youspiritually.
Speaker 3 (14:45):
Well, I think I can use like last week's lesson on
jonah and the whale I mean in mymind, I thought I knew that
story, and when I got in thereand needed steel toe boots on,
the lord was stomping all overme, showing me some things that
I needed to correct in my lifeyeah, that's when we truly
(15:07):
received it and so I look atthat story all completely
different yeah, absolutely yeahyeah yeah, it's no longer the,
the little, the child tale, thechild tale story that we heard.
Speaker 4 (15:20):
Yeah, yeah, you're not even uh, you're not even
thinking about the whale at thatpoint.
The whale is pretty muchinsignificant to the rest of the
story.
If you can imagine putting awhale in a corner In my mind
it's time Whale timeout.
Speaker 3 (15:37):
The process was the whale was the biggest part of it
, but it had nothing to do withit really.
I mean, it had a big part of it, but yeah.
Speaker 4 (15:46):
Yeah, that was just a God's weapon of choice.
You know that particular momentin time to get Jonah to do what
he was supposed to do.
Yeah, so.
Speaker 3 (15:57):
I don't want him to get my attention quite like that
.
Speaker 4 (15:59):
No, no, you know, and that's and that's a great point
is that's what's going tohappen when you're not receiving
the word.
Speaker 2 (16:09):
He is going to use something like that.
Because he has no other choice.
Something drastic Because again.
Speaker 4 (16:14):
Jonah heard God.
He knew what he was supposed todo, but he wasn't going to do
it, he would not receive hismission.
So you know, God had to get hisattention.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Yeah, he wasn't going to be obedient.
Speaker 4 (16:28):
No, no, god gave him every chance in the world.
Yeah, you know.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
But I think when we receive the word, we're obedient
to what he wants us to do.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
Right and we're glad about it.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Yeah, yeah, we're not doing it begrudgingly yeah it's
not doing it begrudgingly.
Speaker 4 (16:43):
Yeah, it's not a push and pull type relationship
where oh, what's God going toask of me today?
You have to because I thinksometimes, when you get into the
word, you'll find what yourpurpose is.
and I think then the more thatonce you know what your purpose
(17:03):
is, and you're even more intothe word, then I think you, I
really think it's like he'll putthe right words of scripture
inside of you to help propel youtowards whatever it is you're
supposed to do.
I think some of those thingswill almost come naturally, like
(17:26):
because the more you get intothe word, it again it it doesn't
matter which scripts you'rereading from, you'll be able to
pull.
Whatever your mission is,you'll be able to pull something
from that.
You know that scripture.
Yeah, that's going to help youin your next step forward.
But you have to be open to whatthat's going to be right.
You know that's going to beRight.
You know again, you can't bebegrudging all the time.
(17:47):
Right, you know just like oh,I'm going to avoid this as long
as possible and, you know,hopefully, you know, either
he'll move on to somebody elseor he'll pick a different
mission for me, you know, orhe'll just some people might
well.
Maybe he'll just leave me alone,you know, or he'll just some
people like well, maybe he'lljust leave me alone, let me live
(18:08):
the life I want to live, youknow?
But um, as we've said manytimes, god uses everybody,
whether you're.
You know, and I was thinkingabout that too after, uh, we
left, you know like he, and goduses some really terrible people
yeah like a lot of those kingsof Israel and some of the stuff
they were doing was like man.
These guys are worst of theworst you know, and yeah, and
(18:30):
yeah, God is still using them.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
Right.
Speaker 4 (18:33):
And I don't know, and I don't know these people, so I
can't say that they didn't knowGod or didn't that.
But maybe, despite knowing God,they were still just terrible
people.
Maybe, despite knowing.
God, they were still justterrible people.
They just couldn't help it.
But if God is going to use you,he's not going to discount you
because of something you've done.
(18:53):
If he still feels that you'regoing to fulfill his purpose,
that's what he's going to do.
What he's going to do, yeah,but uh, I guess I would like to
think that if you do receive theword and you're positive about
it, that he'll make it anenjoyable experience for you.
He'll make it worthwhile yeah,you know you'll get all the
(19:16):
fruits of that back into whatyou're putting in.
So I I think that's uh, that'sanother important part of it.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
In James there's James 1, 19.
My dear brothers, take note ofthis Everyone should be quick to
listen, slow to speak and slowto come angry, For man's anger
does not bring about therighteous life that God desires.
Speaker 4 (19:42):
Therefore, get rid of all the moral filth and the
evil that is relevant and humblyaccept the word planted in you,
which can save you yeah, um, Ithink that probably brings up a
good point that the more you'reinto the word, the less you're
going to be distracted by allthose things yeah, and you know,
(20:02):
I actually I'm like that's notwhat I wanted to read, but it it
was.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
It was relevant, though, but I needed to go on to
22.
Do not merely listen to theword and so deceive yourselves
do what it says.
Anyone who listens to the wordbut does not do what it says is
like a man who looks at his facein a mirror and, after looking
at himself, goes away andimmediately forgets what he
looks like.
(20:28):
But the man who looks intentlyinto the perfect, into the
perfect law that gives freedom,and continuing continuing to do
this not forgetting what he hasheard, but doing it he will be
blessed in what he does.
Speaker 4 (20:44):
So I mean, it says right there, like we can't just
in year one, you know, in oneyear out the other, yeah, it's
not, not gonna work yeah, yeah,just because you know I, I, you
know you get some people thatI'm not, I'm not, uh,
criticizing anybody, but youknow, you get the people that go
(21:05):
on Easter Sunday, christmas,they go, they hear the
repetition of that type ofservice and they think, well,
that's plenty, that's all I need, I've done what I needed to do.
So I should be safe, I shouldbe good.
I'm good for another six monthsright you know, and, like I said
(21:28):
, that's you know, that's fine.
Um, but as we talk on thispodcast a lot, but think about
how much more you could be yeahreceiving yes, and after the
receiving, how much more youcould be doing?
For the kingdom.
Speaker 1 (21:44):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
Like, if you're not a sponge taking it all in.
Then what are you doing?
Yeah, yeah, it's.
I mean, it's just.
That's the way I always thinkabout it Every Sunday that I
come to church.
I'm hoping that I get somethingthat's going to help me in the
coming week, Even if it's onething that Pastor Michael says
(22:14):
when I come to church, that'swhat I expect.
I expect to get the word,something out of it that is
going to propel me forward intothe next week and kind of wipe
all my anxieties away, Kind ofyou know, if I'm tired, if I'm
you know feeling down aboutsomething, if I'm feeling
doubtful about going into thenew week, if you know you've got
(22:37):
a bunch of challenges coming up.
You're busy at work, busy athome.
You know it's hard to battlethat by yourself.
Speaker 1 (22:45):
Oh yeah.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
And let's face it, we live in a world, lots of times,
where nobody really cares howyou feel.
That's right?
Speaker 1 (22:53):
No, no, they don't.
Speaker 4 (22:54):
Because nobody's got time to care how you feel.
You might as well not evenbother telling anybody how you
feel, because it's not reallygoing to do you any good because
nobody really cares.
They know Because, guess whatEverybody else is there too In
the same boat.
Speaker 2 (23:06):
Yes, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (23:07):
So that truly cares.
Yeah, you know.
If you're not telling yourtroubles to him, you know Jesus
want to say yeah, you'll findrest with me.
Yeah, you know.
But that's and sometimes think,yeah, that's probably the only
true place you're going to findrest, because nobody else has
got the time to pick you up.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
No no.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
You know, but just a different, different destination
.
Yeah, right, yep, we all haveour own challenges and to, and
I've always think that you know,you think like, whatever your
problems are, they're the worstproblems in the world.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Yeah, looking, yeah, but you look at it, you look
around and you see other peoplethat are yeah have more problems
than what you have, so yourproblems seem small and right.
Have more problems than whatyou have.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
So your problems seem small, then Right, you know,
and it's fair.
You know you have to deal withthe problems that are set in
front of you.
A lot of times you can't dealwith anybody else's problems.
You know you have your ownresponsibility.
You have your own things youhave to do.
You can't ignore them becauseyou're not going to go away.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
No, they're not going to go away.
I feel like if Michael wassitting here right now, he would
say yeah, and that's why wedon't have any church volunteers
, because they're all like ohwell, I have this and this and
this I have to do.
Seriously though.
Speaker 4 (24:20):
Yeah, yeah, and it is yeah.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
When you mentioned problems, it just made me think
of Jarvi and his little quotethat he says all the time If
money can fix it, it's notreally a problem.
If money can fix it, it's notreally a problem, he said.
Even if you don't have themoney, if it still can be fixed
with money, it's not really aproblem, he said, because
there's many things out there inthis world.
Speaker 2 (24:43):
Money can't fix.
Money can't fix yeah.
Speaker 4 (24:51):
So, yeah, we have to be, we have to be mindful that,
yeah, the more time we spend inthe word, the less time we have
to get caught up in things thatdon't matter and idleness,
things that are not going toserve us any real purpose, and
that's again in this day and agethat is so easy to do.
I mean, we're I hate to say it,but we're raising a generation
(25:13):
that's conditioned on that ideaof idleness.
Oh, yeah, you know I'm notreally idle on uh what's my call
it?
Speaker 2 (25:22):
uh, they're just on social media scrolling?
Speaker 1 (25:24):
yeah, mindless scrolling or death.
Doesn't he call it deathscrolling?
Speaker 4 (25:28):
yeah, something like that yeah, yeah, but that's, you
know, we're, yeah, we'reconditioning a generation that
lives by that just you knowthere's so much lost time.
Speaker 2 (25:37):
Well, yeah, instead of reaching for your Bible first
thing in the morning, what doyou reach for?
Your phone?
That phone to see what's goingon.
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (25:43):
Well, and I know that it's not really the proper fast
, but when we give up the fastit was.
I wasn't, I didn't allow myselfon social media until.
I spent my time with God and itwas a challenge.
Oh yeah, and then I felt guilty.
Speaker 1 (25:58):
Guilty.
Speaker 4 (25:59):
Well, I've been doing the no cell phone Sunday thing.
Well, last Sunday it was about4 o'clock.
I was watching the Reds.
I like the Cincinnati Reds.
So, I'm watching the Reds.
They start losing badly.
I'm like, oh, that's just so.
You tell margie let's go on awalk.
Well, we're on the back porchnow and I forget what she was
doing.
But I'm like, you know, I'mjust gonna go up and get my
(26:20):
phone.
I want them to got my phone andI'm out there no more than five
minutes and maggie comes out,she goes.
Isn't this the day you're notsupposed to be on your phone?
Speaker 1 (26:30):
14 year old, who was constantly on her phone but she
called me out on it within fiveminutes and I was like yeah, I
know you're right.
Speaker 4 (26:37):
I said she's like I think I might have saw you on it
last Sunday too, and I'm likeno, I don't think you did, but
yeah, it was just and it wasright there.
It was like, okay, I've startedsomething I was doing really
well on it and have a goodpurpose for doing it and as soon
as I went against it.
Speaker 3 (26:54):
It wasn't five minutes, and got called out and
you called out you probablydidn't even give it a thought
that you, it was sunday and thatwas your day, not?
No, I did, oh, I did oh, I did.
Speaker 4 (27:04):
I was just like well, this day's pretty much I think
that was my attitude, becausethe reds are losing what's one
sunday?
Speaker 2 (27:11):
yeah, yeah, I guess it's pretty much over.
Speaker 4 (27:13):
It's close enough.
It's 12 o'clock somewhere.
Yeah, that's a perfect exampleof that sometimes.
But yeah, we have to be mindfulthat distraction is a big thing
and that is probably the numberone killer of not diving into.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
Even connection as a whole, like not only your
spiritual connection but justconnection in general with
relationships, friendships, likeyeah.
Speaker 4 (27:42):
Yeah, yeah, because fellowship is such a huge part
of it.
Yeah, and I think fellowshipprobably goes a long way in
receiving the word.
Speaker 1 (27:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (27:51):
When you're sharing the word with people you know,
as we do, I think that we havehaving this podcast.
We have a huge advantage thatmost people don't have.
Because we get this, we maketime every week at least one
hour maybe a little more to sitdown and share the word.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (28:08):
Which a lot of people just don't get to do that no,
no, so you know, even ifnobody's listening, which I
don't know we're gonna have totalk about that soon, like what
our demographics are I actuallywas going to get on today and
look and I forgot, but even ifnobody's listening, we're good.
Speaker 2 (28:24):
Work is still being done oh yeah, you know, we're
still sharing in the worldamongst us, amongst us, yeah,
yeah, so yeah and first john,chapter 228 says and now, dear
children, remain fellowship withChrist so that when he returns,
you will be full of courage andnot shrink back from him in
shame.
And 29,.
Since we know that Christ isrighteous, we also know that all
(28:46):
who do what is right are God'schildren.
So when we receive that and wework it out, people see that
through us.
Speaker 4 (28:54):
Yeah, they can see, they should be able to see.
Yeah, people see that throughus.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
yeah, they could see they should should be able to
see you can see christ within us.
Speaker 4 (28:59):
Yeah, yep, yep, yep and uh, and we get to know him
all the more.
He gets to know us even betteryes um.
So I mean, if you think aboutany healthy relationship, that's
the way it's supposed to work,you know.
If you know a marriage isfailing or a friendship is
failing, it's most of the timebecause one or the other isn't
(29:22):
putting in their time right, youknow.
So if we're not putting ourtime in with the word, then
we're definitely.
If, if you know, if it's theword of god, if the bible is
truly the word of god, thenthat's what we're missing out on
.
We're missing out on thatrelationship with him.
As much as I love the historypart of it and dive into that
(29:43):
too, I want to understand that alot more.
Um, I can't take away from thatvery idea that you know.
Even when you know, even whenyou're reading, even when you're
reading the lineage and it'syou know, it can be boring as
page after page of just begatand begat and begat.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (30:01):
But even that is the word of God.
Speaker 1 (30:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (30:03):
And as important, just as important, as you know,
the more colorful scripture thatinspires you.
You know it's, it's all thatimportant and I've always been
like I'll call myself out onthis, like I know I can quote
what general.
Speaker 3 (30:22):
Robert E.
Speaker 4 (30:22):
Lee said on the battlefield at Gettysburg
verbatim.
I can quote what he says to whoand when, what time he says it.
But there's not a whole lot ofscripture, I can just fire off.
And I think I should probably bebetter at that, because I think
I read somewhere like, if youcan, if you're, if you can quote
it, yeah, that that means it'spart of your arsenal.
(30:44):
You know, just as when jesuswas in the desert and satan's
tempting him, that scripture washis arsenal.
You know because, becauseotherwise Satan's trying to fool
him, satan's trying to get himto do things he wants him to do,
and if Jesus wouldn't knowscripture, what would he have to
defend himself with?
He wouldn't have anything.
(31:04):
So that's the way we have tothink.
So, even if it's, even if wepick one sentence of scripture
that really affects us and wechoose to maybe just focus on
that one sentence for the wholeweek, then you, you have a
better chance of memorizing thatscripture.
(31:26):
Yeah, because you read it, youput it in your heart, you
memorize it and then you startto use it, and I think once you
start to use it, then you don'tuse it, and I think once you
start to use it, then you don'tforget it.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (31:37):
So I think it's getting to actually using it is
what helps you memorize it,memorize it.
Because you have a purpose forit.
Yeah, you know it's part of whoyou are and what you do.
So instead of just trying to belike, yeah, I'm going to try to
just start memorizing scripture.
That's a good, that's not a badidea.
Speaker 1 (31:56):
Sure.
But I don't think it's not ashelpful, but with no intent,
yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (32:01):
Just for the exercise .
Yeah, okay, great, you knowthat's something, yeah.
Speaker 3 (32:05):
Yeah, because I think once, when Satan's after you
and after you and you can, youknow, throw out those scriptures
to him that sometimes he thinksI'm going to find me a new
victim for a while, right.
Speaker 4 (32:17):
Yeah, this ain't any fun, Right?
Speaker 1 (32:19):
This ain't any fun Tired of messing with her.
Speaker 4 (32:23):
She's not listening.
Satan's on a treadmill.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
Luke 6, 46 to.
Let's just see, We'll start at46.
Why do you call me, lord, lord,lord, and do not do what I say.
I will show you what he is.
I will show you what he is likewho comes to me and hears my
words and put them into practice.
He is like a man building ahouse who dug down deep and laid
(32:51):
the foundation on rock.
When a flood came, the torrentstruck that house, but could not
shake it because it was wellbuilt.
But the one who hears the wordsand does not put them into
practice is like a man who builta house on the ground without a
foundation.
The moment the torrent struckthat house, it collapsed and its
destruction was complete.
(33:12):
Yep, and I'm going to that hasleft us speechless.
I'm going to insert mycharacters now.
It'll be the three little pigs.
That's what I was thinking of.
Speaker 2 (33:29):
My fame is building on that firm foundation.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
That's true, though.
Speaker 4 (33:34):
As it says in Psalm 119, 105, your word is a lamp to
my feet and a light to my path.
So, yeah, you always know whereyou're going, Even in the
darkest of times, the more itbecomes natural.
Like I said, if there's certainscripture that you've memorized
(33:56):
and things that, uh, becausemaybe there's just a certain
area of life you really needhelp, like you know you've got
it all figured out, but maybejust this, you know one weakness
, that you have, one thing thatjust can't quite overcome, one
thing that you truly feel likeholds you back, and you can
focus on that, then that thatdoes become the light to your
path, as you can.
(34:17):
Just you know you're not goingto trip over, you're not going
to stub your toe on the coffeetable right in the middle of the
night.
Speaker 3 (34:23):
You know, because you've got the word of god, so
it's my new one, and I shouldn'tsay but I just have my toe, I
say I'm not gonna swear, jesus,I'm not gonna swear because I'm
stomping my toe trying to yeah,that's the worst cooper is high
chair real quick.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
It's like it's not just a normal height chair, that
the legs go down straight, likethey widen, and so it almost
like expands out.
I don't know, but you thinkthat it could just go straight
down from the chair.
No, there, and I walk past it.
Sometimes it just hit my toeand it's so annoying and then
(35:03):
you get mad at yourself becauseyou're like it sits there all
the time.
You know it sits there all thetime.
You know that's what it lookslike, but you're just too stupid
to remember.
Once in a while you'll have themoments where you know you're on
the path to stubbing your toeon it or hitting your thigh on
it, whatever and you'll actuallymove yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
(35:24):
it's instinctively like.
Speaker 4 (35:25):
Yes, you know like avoided at that time that one
sly move and the next time youforget about it and whammo yeah.
Speaker 1 (35:34):
Yep, I thought it was interesting.
The Hebrew phrase for obeymeans to hear.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
Hmm, let me get to my Bible.
Speaker 1 (35:47):
And furthermore the idea of obedience in the New
Testament is a hearing thattakes place under the authority
or influence of the speaker.
Because at first I read that itwas the hebrew phrase to hear,
and then somewhere else I readit was to hear under, and then
it also had kind of brought inthe new testament stating that
(36:11):
it was a hearing taking placeunder the authority or influence
of the speaker.
Just crazy how it all minglestogether all the time.
Speaker 3 (36:21):
Proverbs 4.
I have to go with 20.
My child pay attention to whatI say, Listen carefully to my
words.
Don't lose sight of them.
Speaker 4 (36:48):
Let them penetrate deep into your heart.
I can add to that sword itpenetrates even to dividing soul
and spirit, joints and marrow.
It judges the thoughts andattitudes of the heart yeah I
had a thought there and I justlost it all these verses that
(37:09):
tells us you know?
Speaker 3 (37:10):
we should have that word in our heart what?
What is our excuse?
Is it we're not in our Biblemore than we are?
Speaker 4 (37:15):
Yeah, Yep, Well, and I think that's the attitude of
the heart is such.
Another important part of it isis the word of God reaching
your heart.
Yeah, or has your heart becomeso hard that you hear it, but
you will not accept it.
You will not.
You will bend it to what youwant, your will.
(37:37):
Or you'll just it bounces rightoff you.
You don't again.
Your heart is so hard that youcan't use the word of God.
You can't use what you'velearned to help anybody, to
console anybody, to helpyourself you know you just, you
know, and that's what we had to,we had to be so careful about,
(37:58):
and I think sometimes that was.
Another problem with Jonah wasthat his heart became so hard to
these people because he, forsome reason, the word of God
started to make him judgmentalthe word of God started to make
him judgmental, and I'm sayingit was the word of God that did
it, but he wasn't totallylistening.
(38:20):
Once again, he conformed it tohis idea of what he felt the
word of God should be and how hecan use it for his purposes,
and it made his heart hurt.
He got to the point where hebecame judgmental because of
those things Instead of, as itsaid, the Word of God is alive.
It is what it is.
Speaker 1 (38:41):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (38:42):
The Word of God is not for you to dissect and to
come up with your own reason andjudgment.
It is what it is.
Speaker 1 (38:52):
And I think that's hard for people to grasp.
It is Because and I think that'sall.
I think that's hard for peopleto grasp, because I just had
someone now she wascomplimenting me about how I'm
true to myself and she said I'mnot going to lie and she's not a
religious person, but she'slike I have been turned off of
religion, you know.
And she said over the past fewyears, and yeah, because people
acting like Jonah, basically youknow years and yeah, because
(39:17):
people acting like jonah,basically you know, and um.
But she said I think the thebeautiful part about about um,
the bible is like the way youinterpret it.
And I'm like, yes, and yeah,because it has been interpreted.
How many times?
However, I feel like the waythat it's been interpreted is
because, like that was, that'san advantage, like it should
(39:39):
have been interpreted from thoseother languages, that way we
can learn it today.
Speaker 2 (39:43):
You know what I mean, but yeah, yeah, I think you
know we have to be humble andmeek and not arrogant.
I mean, we're not going toreceive it when we're arrogant.
We have to be, humble and meek.
Speaker 1 (39:57):
And I think to not get like Jonah is like you just
have to constantly self-analyzeLike am I acting like Jonah?
Am I headed down that road?
If so, you know, lord, help me.
Speaker 4 (40:12):
Like just yeah, yeah, I mean you have to be asking
God to perceive the word in theway that he would have us
interpret it.
That's the only interpreterthat we should be looking for is
how does God himself want?
Me to interpret this scripture.
Speaker 2 (40:34):
I ask him for wisdom and the knowledge and
discernment yeah.
Speaker 4 (40:39):
Because a lot of times we don't know what that is
.
Just as Billy Graham said, hegoes.
A lot of questions were stillunanswered.
A lot of it, you know, can'tfigure out using science.
You know all these things.
A lot of it is just truly byfaith.
So when we're getting into theword and receiving it, we have
to receive it by faith.
(41:05):
We have to believe thateverything that God says is true
to the T and that's the otherthing about the Bible is there's
no to be continueds, there's nocliffhangers, there's nothing
that doesn't come full circle.
So when you really start to getinto the word, like we said
(41:25):
with with jonah, then you get tojesus and you see the three
days and how it applies to notonly him but then to jesus
christ.
You just realize that there'snothing in there that doesn't
have a purpose, that doesn'tcome full circle.
There's nothing in there that'sjust like oh, he's going to say
this to fill a chapter.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
Yeah, like you might think it's a plot twist, but
it's not, it's all apart.
No, it all comes together.
Speaker 4 (41:48):
Like I said, even the lineage.
If you study that enough, youreally go wow, there is no holes
in that.
You're not going to go in theBible and be like, oh, I can
take this and I can take thisand prove that it's not true,
because I read this at thebeginning.
Then I found this in the middleit didn't match up with what's
(42:08):
in the end.
You can't do it.
Speaker 1 (42:10):
No, you can't, you can't.
Speaker 4 (42:13):
It's just, it's incredible.
Speaker 1 (42:16):
And non-believers have tried.
And then, what do you know?
They become believers.
Speaker 4 (42:20):
Yeah, Right, right yeah.
Speaker 1 (42:23):
Because of that.
Speaker 4 (42:24):
Yep, and and that's the thing too is, you know,
we're going to deal with a lotof non-believers.
If, if, if we're doing our job,if we're into this enough,
we're going to deal with a lotof unbelievers, and if you don't
have the word of God, you'renot going to change that person.
Speaker 1 (42:45):
No.
Speaker 4 (42:46):
It doesn't matter how you feel about it.
Speaker 1 (42:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (42:49):
Like you can have all the faith in the world.
You can love God.
Speaker 1 (42:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (42:52):
But without actually the word.
Speaker 1 (42:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (42:55):
You're not going to change that person.
You can't.
No.
Speaker 1 (42:57):
Yeah, you're not going to change that person.
Speaker 4 (42:58):
You can't, no, you have to have it.
You know, even if they can lookat you and be like, wow, they
got it all together and I wish Ihad that, and you know, you
know, we don't have it all toget.
That's, that's it.
Speaker 2 (43:09):
We don't have it all together we have still.
Speaker 4 (43:11):
You know Christians, you know we never run out of
problems.
Just because we become saveddoesn't mean that you know we're
free of our problems and ourburdens.
Speaker 2 (43:22):
Now sometimes I think we have more.
Speaker 4 (43:24):
Yeah, sometimes.
Speaker 1 (43:25):
I mean I say all the time.
Speaker 2 (43:27):
The enemy works on us harder than he does somebody
that's in his realm.
Speaker 4 (43:34):
But if somebody can see Christ in you, you know it's
more often than not it'sbecause you are exemplifying
what's in the word.
Speaker 1 (43:42):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (43:42):
It's not just because you're a nice person.
Speaker 1 (43:45):
Right.
Speaker 4 (43:46):
You know it takes a lot more than that.
I mean, yeah, they might thinkyou're a nice person, but that's
not going to change them.
I think that true confirmationcomes from you know.
I think that true confirmationcomes from you know.
I know I've been bringing thisup, talking about that wrestler
that couldn't walk.
Speaker 1 (44:04):
Oh yeah, Confined to the wheelchair.
Speaker 4 (44:06):
Now he's almost walking, is it just?
Speaker 1 (44:09):
incredible.
Yes, yes.
Speaker 4 (44:11):
But it's, and he said , the wrestler that got him to
become saved was his best friend, steve borden, who's better
known as sting and uh.
Sting told him.
He says you know, if thisaccident would have happened to
you before you got saved the oldlex luger, you probably would
(44:34):
have offed yourself.
I truly believe that you wouldnot even been able to handle
yeah what had happened to you,and it's only through being
saved that you know you wereable to overcome this.
And you hear lex luger talkabout it and it's just, it's
just pretty incredible, um, thathe has went.
He went from believing I'mpretty sure believing that he
(44:59):
would never walk again Togetting his faith to such a
point where that faith led himto the right people.
Yeah, that truly could help himwalk again, and that to me is
amazing, but that's a greatexample of how the Word of God
actually works.
Speaker 1 (45:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (45:20):
Like it will move you in the right direction, to the
right people that you'resupposed to be with and to help
you overcome whatever it is thatyou have going on, but
sometimes that's I don't knowhow many.
I know that was a long timecoming.
So you know, the minute he gotsaved it didn't happen right,
(45:43):
you know, like what's life,didn't.
Speaker 2 (45:45):
I mean it.
Just it's a process, it's ajourney.
Speaker 4 (45:47):
And that's the thing.
Even after he got saved, that's, he still had the accident yeah
so, but sometimes you thinkabout.
You think, well, he had a lotmore to learn.
He had so many things in hislife that troubled him that he
had gotten himself into that.
You have to wonder okay, wasthat, unfortunately, just
another part of that process?
Speaker 2 (46:08):
that he had to go through to come to where he
needed to be.
Speaker 4 (46:13):
Because now, when you hear him talk about God, it's
wonderful.
And I'm sure there's a lot ofother people thinking like, well
, I believe I never walk either,or whatever, I never believed
I'd do this, I do that.
Now I see a chance, and I seeit through the word of God, not
because, well, I watched himwrestling when I was a little
kid and I just loved him andyeah, you know that's one thing.
(46:36):
But yeah, I think when you seeit through the word of God, it
just takes it to another level,the prophets.
Speaker 3 (46:41):
How many different things that they suffered
through to build them up towhere God wanted them.
Oh yeah, Amazing yeah.
Speaker 4 (46:49):
Because I you know, that's another thing I was
reading because you know, wewere talking about that with the
deaths of all the apostles.
We were talking about that withthe deaths of all the apostles
and you just think like, okay,these guys truly had the word of
God in them, because it wasn'tnegotiable.
The word of God was notnegotiable, Like they weren't
(47:09):
going to trade it for anything,no matter how much pain and
torture and imprisonment and youknow all these things these
guys had to go through, theygive it all up except the word
of God.
They weren't going to give it up, no matter how much torture
they were going to go through,even at the point of death,
they're like, nope, not going togive it up.
(47:30):
So that's true faith.
By the word and that goes backto what we were saying is you
have to treat the word of God asthough it was something
precious.
Speaker 1 (47:38):
Exactly.
Speaker 4 (47:40):
You know, think about all the things that you, you
treasure in your life.
You know, whether it's familyheirlooms, uh, just things that
you know you've had since you'vebeen a child, just things that
you've spent a lot of money on.
You know that you treasure inyour life.
Um, you know, you may have likea collection you've been
working on your whole life andit's just your whole pride and
joy, but it can't ever be asprecious as the word of God.
(48:03):
That's how you have to look atit.
If I have to give everythingelse up right now, the word of
God is going to be the onlything, not going to go.
Speaker 2 (48:15):
Yeah, our only constant.
Speaker 4 (48:16):
And that's even tough because you guys say, yep, even
family members, yeah, yes, youknow well.
And it says you know we'll loseour brothers and sisters, or
yeah whatever and that's a hardpart of it sometimes you become
a believer and you got yeah,brothers and sisters who don't
feel that way, family don't feelthat way, they'll disown you
yeah, yeah yeah yeah, even lexluger said that about sting.
(48:39):
Like yeah, when he first startedtelling me about this he goes I
was mad at him.
He goes.
I thought I was losing my bestfriend.
He wouldn't go out and partywith me anymore.
He didn't hang out, I lost mybest friend.
And so people can get that waywhen they see you.
It's a strange thing, butpeople do.
I guess they get jealous ofthat, just as any other
(49:00):
relationship.
People have a hard time withthat when you finally decide
like I'm not going to do thosethings anymore.
Speaker 1 (49:07):
Yeah right, they get uncomfortable with you going out
of your comfort zone and beinguncomfortable, like, yeah,
you're uncomfortable too, butlike you're willing to, and
they're like, oh, wait a minute,where's my best friend going?
You know what am I gonna do now?
Speaker 3 (49:22):
yeah, yeah.
I think one important thingabout having the word in your
heart is being able to see thesigns of the time.
Yeah, the antichrist is goingto be coming and he is going to
fool many of us.
So I want that word engraved soI recognize him and I don't
(49:46):
stumble and fall into thosetraps that he is going to put
forth.
Speaker 4 (49:51):
Oh yeah, Because if you don't know, people can tell
you a lot of things.
Speaker 2 (49:55):
Oh yeah, oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (49:56):
We could be easily deceived if we didn't know you
know so many things sound goodthat was actually margie was
talking to me and nick on sundayand she's like I'd like for you
guys to do like a revelationspodcast but, I mean it's a good
idea yeah, and that'd probablyhave to be like a two or three
(50:17):
yeah, you really have to break,yeah, yeah
Speaker 3 (50:20):
um, yeah because there's so many different, not
necessarily interpretations, butright how each person perceives
the things.
Speaker 4 (50:27):
Yes, yeah, yeah yeah, that's pretty hot, isn't it?
Speaker 3 (50:30):
that's it's pretty heavy stuff yeah yeah actually I
was just listening to a um apodcast today and they were
talking about when pa Paul waswriting the things, that's, who
wrote Revelations.
I questioned myself once.
I said it.
He did a lot of that while hewas in prison, yes, and so a lot
of those things were written inthe words.
(50:52):
So, because those papers weregoing out, he wrote them.
So the Roman soldiers didn'tintercedecede.
Speaker 1 (51:00):
They would read it and didn't really know what he
meant I think I might have seenor read that somewhere yeah,
that those that were in christ,that they were going to, were
able to understand it.
Speaker 3 (51:10):
And then some of the things that god showed him were
things that he just didn't knowthe words for so you're trying
to say, like it was some, it waslike cryptic.
Speaker 4 (51:19):
Yeah, like he would explain things in a way that
they'd be like oh, this is justlike he must have had a bad
dream.
Speaker 3 (51:25):
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
But yeah, when the letters gotto the churches or got to they
actually understood theyunderstood Huh.
Speaker 1 (51:34):
Huh.
Speaker 3 (51:34):
No, whether that's true or not.
Speaker 1 (51:36):
No, I've heard that somewhere too it made a lot of
sense.
Yeah, yeah, it does yeah.
Speaker 4 (51:40):
Because you think about that.
Yeah, how did he get it out ofthe prison?
How would they let him do that?
Speaker 3 (51:44):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (51:50):
If he was writing about the very thing that put
him there in the first place.
Speaker 1 (51:52):
Yeah, how would it escape those four walls?
How does he get the word?
Out if it was sostraightforward, especially more
than one book multiple books.
That's interesting yeah, so Iguess we'll have to do
Revelations not right away, thatmight have to be it maybe that
can be that can be our summerschool project.
(52:17):
That can be on the back burnereach week like we'll, we'll do
some studying, but then that's,yeah, our big project for the
end of the summer.
Speaker 3 (52:24):
I don't know right, yeah because it's a lot we can
tackle it.
Yeah, school, yeah, schoolproject for the summer.
Speaker 1 (52:32):
There you go, there's your homework for the summer
our 4-8 project, we get to go tothe fair.
Speaker 3 (52:38):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (52:44):
He's got a whole pile of papers here.
He does.
Speaker 4 (52:48):
Like I said, I just did not have the study time, and
so this one.
It had all these differentverses.
Speaker 2 (52:59):
I was like well, I'll at least print that out so I at
least have some verses that Ican find because I didn't have
time to go through the Bible.
And Jesus reminds us, when hewas being tempted, that life is
sustained not only by bread, butby every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.
Speaker 4 (53:10):
Yes, or in hopefully I get this one.
Hold on, let me see if I'm onthe right page here.
I think this is Isaiah 55, 11.
So is my word that goes outfrom my mouth.
It will not return to me empty,but will accomplish what I
(53:34):
desire and achieve the purposefor which I sent it.
So when you're working from theword of God, you're not going
to be deceived.
Speaker 1 (53:45):
You're not going to be going down the wrong path.
Speaker 4 (53:47):
You're not going to waste any time on an effort or
project that you're going to go.
Oh well, that was a waste oftime.
Speaker 1 (53:55):
Yeah, right.
Speaker 4 (53:56):
Because it was a dead end.
Yeah, you know, didn't fulfillthe purpose that I hoped it
would.
Speaker 1 (54:02):
And I know we keep saying that the Old Testament
and New Testament all cometogether.
But I mean truly it does.
Speaker 4 (54:08):
Like we've just said so many different verses all
night and like, yeah, they werea good mix of Old and New
Testament, you know, like Well,and I think a lot of times
people have a problem with theold testament because you're
like well, here's this wrathfulgod that says you can't do this
and you can't do that.
Nothing is forgiven, and youknow, every, everything is just,
and it seems like they theyfocus so much on that that they
(54:31):
don't see how much of the loveof god is in the old testament
yes because it truly is, uh, butit kind of gets overshadowed by
the harsher part of hisjudgment and his wrath, you know
, and the lessons that aretrying to be taught there.
And so sometimes they try to usethe Old and the New Testament
as that contradiction to say,well, you can't have both.
So that alone is like.
(54:52):
Well, you know, he says onething in the Old Testament and
Jesus comes along and it's awhole new thing.
It's like, yeah, that's exactlyright, that is, that's the
point.
Speaker 1 (55:00):
That's the point.
Speaker 4 (55:01):
You know, yes, god is giving us, you know, a new
direction and a new relationshipin which we can be saved for
our sins, instead of all theseother traditions.
And you know sacrificing.
You know and all that kind ofthing.
So that is the point, um, andthen, of course, when jesus
(55:22):
himself is all his parables,everything that he's saying it's
not coming from, it's comingfrom god.
Yeah, you know, jesus is not aseparate entity.
That's coming in, uh in additionto I think I can't quote it,
but I think he says he's notcoming to change anything.
Yeah, he's not coming to changeanything, he's just confirming
(55:46):
the word of God.
Yeah, but I think he's puttingforth the love part of it.
Speaker 2 (55:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (55:53):
He's putting that out at the front for everybody to
really see, and not just for theJews but for the Gentiles he's
giving.
So he's giving it to everybody,which, of course, is a new
thing yes, for sure and that'sthe one thing like jonah
couldn't accept, that, you know,in his time he couldn't accept
it no that this is just for us.
This wasn't supposed to be foranybody else.
Um, so yeah, he's making itclear through god's word, all
(56:18):
those things you know are goingto come to fruition and
everybody has a chance to knowhim and have a relationship with
him and be saved through him.
And that was the last.
When we went off the air lastweek, first thing that came to
my mind was you know, thecriminal on the cross next to
Jesus.
(56:38):
Like he's the he's like thefirst one, yep, that we can
clearly see what God was tryingto tell Jonah.
It's like everybody has thatequal chance.
Speaker 1 (56:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (56:48):
Up till the very end.
Yeah, if it's truly in theirheart, they can be saved.
Doesn't matter if they neverknew me beforehand, as long as
by faith, yeah.
Speaker 1 (56:58):
Right.
Speaker 4 (56:59):
And by the word they can be saved in that very moment
.
Speaker 2 (57:03):
What is simple as VBS as long as you knew your ABCs.
Speaker 4 (57:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (57:09):
Admit, believe and confess.
Speaker 4 (57:11):
And that alone is no coincidence that that happens.
It's not a coincidence that heis hung on the cross between two
criminals one that's going tolaugh at him and one that is
going to believe it, except himyes, yeah, you know.
There's no coincidence in that,whatsoever no, no, I mean right
up to the end.
Speaker 1 (57:31):
You know everything has purpose, purpose, yeah, yeah
, right up until his last breath, yep.
Speaker 4 (57:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (57:40):
Yep, I have Proverbs 3.3, but you almost have to go
back to the beginning.
My child, never forget thethings I have taught you.
Store my commands in your heart.
If you do this, you will livemany years and your life will be
satisfying.
Never let loyalty and kindnessleave you.
Tie them around your neck as areminder, write them deep within
(58:05):
your heart, it says.
Then you will find favor withboth God and people and you will
earn a good reputation.
That's irrelevant, butsatisfying life.
When you're walking with Christ, you're happy, you are.
Speaker 2 (58:19):
All your needs are being met Well and not only that
, even if we do have troubles,we have that foundation that
lets us endure our troublesuntil they pass.
Speaker 4 (58:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (58:30):
That we know who to go to Exactly.
Speaker 4 (58:33):
Yeah, I mean I, you know I can never guarantee this,
but oftentimes I think when yousee somebody that loses their
cool really, really quickly andit will show nobody compassion
whatsoever in, you know,difficult times, I doubt that
God's word is in their heart.
Speaker 1 (58:54):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (58:55):
You know, I don't think it's made it there yet.
No, no, not to say that they'renot trying Right, right, you
know I would never say that,yeah, you know, I don't think
it's made it there yet.
No, not to say that they're nottrying Right, right, I would
never say that, but I think youknow just I think that's God's
word can change things like thatin somebody.
I think that you know not to say, you know nobody's ever, you
can never say, well, I'm nevergoing to lose my temper.
Yeah, because I have the wordof God in me.
Speaker 2 (59:16):
Now you will, oh, you will, you will, you will
Absolutely yeah, yeah, you willdo it less but you will do it
less every now and again.
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (59:24):
And you will think about it before you do it.
You know you will.
You will be more, I think, onthe able to understand.
You know why your life is theway it is.
You know, that's, I think, forpeople.
A lot of people will questionGod, like why is this happening
(59:48):
to me?
You know, why did God let thishappen?
And they're talking about Godas and this is a perfect point
they talk about god as he is aseparate entity from themselves.
So you're, you're basicallysaying, well, he's not in me.
Because when you say, why isgod letting this happen to me,
(01:00:09):
you're talking about him as ifhe's yeah, another person.
Speaker 1 (01:00:13):
He's not, he's not the holy spirit.
Yeah, he's not inside of you,yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:00:17):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:00:19):
Yeah, that's a good point.
Speaker 4 (01:00:20):
And it's.
You know.
That's an easy thing to saybecause it's almost in our world
.
Speaker 2 (01:00:25):
It's almost a cliche thing to say yeah for sure.
Why does God let this happen?
Speaker 4 (01:00:30):
But does you ever sit back and think, well, when's
the last time I talked to God?
When's the last time I actuallygot the word out and made a
true effort to receive it?
A lot of times, that's wherethe shortcoming is.
It's really never on God's sidethat there's a shortcoming.
Speaker 2 (01:00:49):
It's usually us 100% it's us Not usually.
Yes, 100% it's us.
Speaker 3 (01:00:55):
There's something we're not.
Speaker 4 (01:01:03):
That's a tough hurdle , I think, for people who, you
know, have not considered beingsaved, have not considered truly
trying to be one with God'sword.
Speaker 3 (01:01:16):
Well that's a deep subject be one with God's word.
Speaker 1 (01:01:20):
Well, that's a deep subject.
Yeah, it was very deep, deepsubject and I think we got deep.
No questions today.
Speaker 4 (01:01:33):
No, no questions.
This was more of just going tobe a conversation.
Speaker 1 (01:01:36):
You warned us at the beginning.
Speaker 4 (01:01:39):
And I didn't plan on having questions for this one.
Yeah, honestly this is more ofa conversation.
Speaker 1 (01:01:46):
Something to dissect, all right.
Well, who prayed?
I prayed.
Speaker 2 (01:01:54):
Was it Dawn?
Speaker 1 (01:01:55):
Okay.
So, beth, if you're ready, letme see if I can get you ready.
Speaker 3 (01:02:03):
Dear Heavenly Father, we just thank you for the
opportunity to come together andtalk about your word and have
it.
We want you to apply it to ourheart, dear Father God, we just
don't want to hear it, dear Lord, we want to receive it.
Yes, lord.
Heart, dear Father God, we justdon't want to hear it, dear
Lord, we want to receive it.
Yes, lord, and we ask that youjust fill in each one of us that
(01:02:26):
desire, that desire every dayas you give us a new day that we
want to dive in our Bible so wecan receive your word, dear
Father God, and we ask that yoube with each and every listener.
We ask that you be with all ofus as we travel home tonight,
dear Father God, and you blessus with your grace and your
mercy and your safety as youguide us home.
In Jesus' precious name, I prayamen.
Speaker 2 (01:02:45):
Amen.
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