Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
If you will this morning turning your word to Ephesians
chapter four. Ephesians chapter four, We're gonna look at a
few verses here this morning, and the title of the
message is A better life starts with a better you.
How many of you believe that this morning, a better
life starts with a better you. Several of several years ago,
(00:24):
out kind of changed the name of the podcast to
this is the Life. And many of you know I
changed it to that a lot because of what our
grandchildren say sometimes when they're around the house and we've
had a great day outside and they'll just kick back
on the chair of the swing and Caroline started it actually,
(00:45):
and Bubbs kind of picked it up from time to time,
but they'll just lean back and say, this is the life.
And so I kind of picked that up and made
it the theme of our podcast. But at the bottom,
if you if you ever go to our website, this
is the Life Potts, you'll see the subtitle at the
bottom says this a better life starts with a better youth.
(01:09):
And years ago, when the Lord called me into pastoring,
that long after that, I realized something that the main
thrust of any ministry should always be salvation people getting
saved as the chief primary reason why we should get
(01:30):
together and explain the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Now I just didn't hear but anywhere we are.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
But what I found out was there was a disconnect
between knowing you're saved and living like you're saved. There
was a big disconnecting people that I saw over and
over day, even myself. As I begin to grow, I've
come to understand that salvation is more than waiting. Salvation
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is living, and it's living abundantly. It's living the life
that God always created and desired for us to live.
And nobody is responsible for that but me. My relationship
and fellowship with the Lord alone and primarily dictate how
my life is supposed to go. And it's time people
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stop blaming others, shops, blaming environment.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Not listen. I know people hurt people. Amen.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
I think we can all say we've been hurt by
people and we've hurt people. But people can't stand in
your way of your purpose in life. You can't keep
blaming stuff on everybody else. You got to take ownership.
And that's why the Lord tells us this morning, if
you will, how many of you have always aspired, Hey,
I want a better life. Well it starts with a
(02:56):
better you.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Amen. And we're gonna see that.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
In Ephesians after four this morning, how the apostle Paul
lines that out for us in what we're supposed to do.
So if everybody's ready for that, let's stand for the
word of God, all of you who remain seating. I'll
just pretend that you're ready for it to amen. Verse
number seventeen. Ephesian chapter four says this this I say
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therefore and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk
not as other gentiles walk in the vanity of your mind,
of their mind having the understanding darkened, being alienated from
the life of God through the ignorance that is in
them because of the blindness of their heart, who, being
(03:42):
past feeling, have given themselves over to lasciviousness, to work
all uncleanliness and with greediness verse twenty. But ye have
not so learned Christ, if so be that you have
heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the
truth is in Jesus verse twenty two, that you put
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off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is
corrupt according to the deceitful lust doesn't mince words here.
I hope you can tell that and be renewed in
the spirit of your mind that you put on the
new Man, which after God, is created in righteousness and
(04:29):
true holiness. I'm here to tell you this morning that
building a better life starts with building a better You.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Lord.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
We thank you Lord so much for the word this morning.
We thank you for our worship, We thank you for
our fellowship, the powerful testimonies that we've heard already this morning.
Just how thankful we are, Lord that you have blessed
the way you have blessed us and been able to
bless others as well. But Lord, right now we ask
the Lord that you anoint the outpouring of this word.
(04:58):
We know that the words in the w and we
asked that you will annoyed the outpouring those of all
of us who receive your word today would receive it
with with anticipation that it is going to help build
a better life for ourselves by understanding exactly where we
come from, who we are, and what we desire to
be in Christ. Jesus, Lord, bless this word is only
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you can bless it in Jesus Holy name.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Amen. Amen, you may be seated this morning.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
So as I have kind of explained that going forward,
it has always been my heart's desire in ministry, not
just as a pastor, but just in ministry as a whole.
What I love to do the most is sit down,
whether it be behind a microphone or with somebody, and
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take the Word of God and try my best to
explain it so.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
That people say, I got that.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
If you can do that, that's the biggest blessed thing
you can ever do, is to convey the Word of
God to somebody and they say that makes sense to me.
I can get that, And then they can take that
out and day by day they can begin to see
that life ain't just about waiting on heaven. Life's about
being who God wants me to be. Right now, one
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of the truest signs of a thriving ministry is if
people can come in and say, I've been.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Changed by the Word of God.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
I understand it now, I understand that that means me.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
How many of you ever read the Bible said that
pertains to somebody else? You know when real change starts
is when you start reading it and say.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
That's me. I've told may I've said this before. I
know I have.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
I've probably said everything but what at least once before.
But the Word of God really began to speak to
me when I began to see things in that Word
of God that I was prior to knowing Christ the
way I know him. And I say, you know what,
that was written in the Bible long before I got
in there.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
I see myself in other people. Amen. I see them
through their struggles.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
I see them through the high points and the weaknesses
and their flaws.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
That's me. And look how God used them. Amen. I'm
here to tell you something this on.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
If you don't get anything else, you better get this
right here this morning. Don't you ever let the devil
convince you that you are less than what God's already
told you you are.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Don't believe a lie when the truth is right there
in front of you. And so when Paul writes about this,
he writes actual steps to a better you y'all want
to hear. I'm so glad you do, because this word.
Anytime Paul writes, he writes in a formula style. I
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don't know if you ever noticed that, but he writes this, this,
and this will lead to this.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Here's our problem.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
We skip to this, this, this, and we want to
jump straight to this to get to that. When the
Word says, if you don't do the first thing, don't
expect the last thing. I want it now, Lord, you're
not getting it now. Amen, You'll get it when you're
ready for it. That's why you don't buy a three
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year old a brand new car.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
They're not ready for it. You know what they'll make.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
They'll make a jungle gym out of it, but they
won't be able to drive it till they get ready.
Y'all see what I'm saying. The Lord says, we have
steps in our lives. Watch this the first thing you
found in verse number seventeen. You gotta understand where you
are if you're ever going to get to where you're going.
Listen verse seventeen. This I say, therefore, and testify in
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the Lord that you hint for walk, not as other
gentiles walk in the vanity.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Of your mind.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Here's here's what the Lord told me when I read that.
Most people, and I include myself in it. In times
past especially and from time to time I still do.
We chase things in our lives that we think we're
supposed to have.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
We chase things in our lives that we also think
are right for us.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Can I get a witness?
Speaker 1 (09:22):
But how many of you have chased things in your
life that you were convinced were right for you? Listen,
even convinced yourself God told you it was right. Oh Lord,
I'm meddling. How many of you have done that? When
you say I know I believe God wants.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Me to do that, I have people tell me that.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Before I believe God wants me to do this, and
all look at him. I say, I don't think God
wants you to do that? Why because it says right here?
And I begin to tell you, oh, well, I.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Wonder what God wants me to do. Then I don't know.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
But you better make sure before you tag God's name
to it that He's blessed it.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Amen. And we chase things that we think we have
a right to have.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Listen to what Proverbs sixteen, verse twenty five says, there
is a way that seemeth right unto a man, But
the end thereof are the ways of death.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
Notice the word.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Seemuth Amen, it seems to be right. But in verse
eighteen he says, what happened there your understanding got darkened,
and so you started.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
To walk around. How many of you ever walked around
in the dark.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Now you know where stuff's at in your house, right,
and so you can kind of almost navigate until you
forget somebody move something, or somebody left something in the floor,
or you weren't aware of and you got hit. That's
the way our lives are without Jesus Christ. We walk
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around trying to familiarize ourself with the dark, get used
to the dark. But Lord never called us to walk
and live in the dark. What he did, he called
us to walk in the marvelous light. And so when
Jesus came, he shined the light in the darkness. And
now all of a sudden, what I seemed like it
was right? Is it right anymore? Can you give a
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witness and a testimony this morning that in times past
of your life what seemed right now not so much?
And that's what he says here in the Word of God.
He says in verse eighteen, I Love Verse eighteen, he says,
having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of
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God through the ignorance. Ignorance, Now, y'all, don't get mad
at me. Ignorance that is in them because of the
blindness of what their heart now is them brought up
two things, he said. The first thing is there's vanity
in your mind. You won't listen what the word vanity means.
(12:00):
Y'all get this now, Excessive pride towards worthless pursuits.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Somebody ought to get to hop in right now.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
You know why, because my mind chases things that are
worthless for my purpose. What's the devil's trick. I'm gonna
tell you the devil's trick. Paul paints it out here,
so watch that. Here's what he The devil wants to
entice me with things he knows entices me. Let me
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tell you why I say that that way is because
there are certain things in your life the devil knows
he can't tempt you with.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
It just does not interest you. Amen.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
So what's he You know why the Bible calls him
a thief because you know what a thief does. He
sits back and watches your habits. He watches your patterns.
He knows when you're home, he knows when you're gone.
He knows when the lights are on, when the lights
are off. He knows everything about your pattern for two weeks.
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They'll sit there and they'll watch when you come and go,
and when you go that's when they invade.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Same thing with the devil.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
He watches your pattern, and he watches what interests you
and what entices you. And now all of a sudden,
the Lord has your purpose over here, and he's trying
to give you the things that interest you and pull
you in this direction. But the devil pulls you back
this way, enticing you in things that entice your spirit
in the wrong direction.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Can I get a witness from anybody that you've been there?
Speaker 1 (13:35):
And when he pulls you in that direction, it gets
you out of your purpose. So the vanity of your
mind is followed because your heart was darkened and living
in life without Jesus Christ illuminating your path.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
Does that make sense?
Speaker 1 (13:53):
I hope it does, because I'm trying to make it
as simple as I can. Because in verse eighteen he
calls what we do ignorance.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Now, before you.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
Get offended because somebody just called you ignorant, listen to
what the word ignorant means. The word ignorance basically just
means lack of knowledge or understanding, which causes spiritual blindness. Amen,
it's not that it's not that I'm not smart. There's
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just things I don't know, and if I don't know,
I don't understand it.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Y'all hear what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
In the In the Book of Proverbs, let me pull
over into a teaching right queer. In the Book of Proverbs,
there's three main words that are used throughout Proverbs, knowledge, understanding,
and wisdom okay, And they're usually in an order pertaining
to what their interest is at that moment. Knowledge is
what you know. Understanding is how to apply what you know.
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Wisdom is what you do with what you know.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
Amen. So wat's this. I may know to do right
and still act foolish. Amen. I might know what God expects.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Of me and still not understand why it's important for
me to do that until I get burned. You can
tell a child a hundred times, do not touch that stove.
When do they gain understanding? So the next time they
walk up and it's hot, wisdom kicks in.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Y'll hear what I'm saying. That's the way our lives are.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Sometimes we don't really understand until we walk through it.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
God give me this, God give me.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
This, Okay. Self will is about to kick in. Not
my will, but your will, God says, And all of
a sudden, I get down the path, just a little
bit of boom. I get burned, I get tripped, I
get hurt, I fall flat on my face. I hurt somebody,
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somebody hurt me. There's a whole lot of hurting going on.
And all of a sudden I cry to the Lord.
And the Lord said, I told you. I gave you
the knowledge. Now you've got understanding. Let's see what you
do with it next time. And so next time I'm
faced with the same issue, the Lord says that you're.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Gonna be wise?
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Are you gonna be foolish? Because now when you walk
in it, you know better. Y'all hear what I'm saying. Yeah,
I'm not going by this, that's for sure. What's the
verse eighteen? He says that, And there's this spiritual blindness. Listen,
that's where we all start. Amen, we all start with
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an ignorant spirit as far as we don't know and
understand the plan that God has for us. Paul said,
we all start out the same way, but.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
How we end up depends on how we want to
walk with the Lord. Too.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Many times in life. Church, y'all please get this. You
start out right, but then you get influenced by wrong.
Somebody comes in, some situation happens, and all of a
sudden you're faced with the decision do I keep walking
this path with the Lord or do I go back
to what I've always known? Do I go follow this
(17:28):
or do I follow that. That's why the Word of
God always says, look not to the right nor to
the left, but look straight on.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
Amen. The apostle Paul even wrote in his writings, he said.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
Forgetting those things on which are behind, and reaching for
those things which are before. We got that part, but
listen to this part. He says, I pressed towards the
mark of the high calling of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
Amen. What's he saying?
Speaker 1 (17:53):
I set a point out there, and that's where I'm going.
The Bible also.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
Says, I'm just hey, I'm preaching from the.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
Overflow, So y'all just bear with the Bible also says
that Jesus. The Bible says that Jesus said it set
his face toward Jerusalem.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
What did that mean?
Speaker 1 (18:11):
How many of you will read the gospels and find
that there were many distractions that Jesus could have fell
into Amen, when they challenged his authority, he could have
got all defensive, and he could have chased that rabbit,
or he could have chased this rabbit, or or when
they ask him this, he could have fell off into that.
But he kept his focus on exactly why he was there.
(18:35):
And all the Lord wants us to do is keep
our eyes on Jesus. If you do that, you're building
a better you every single day of your life.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
So let's look at when the change begins. Look at
verse twenty.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
Y'all got this, say amen, Amen, but ye have not
so learned Christ? If so be that you have heard
him and have been taught by him as the truth
of the truth is in Jesus.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
Let me say this real quick. As I looked at
that this past week, I thought about this.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
There's a lot of people in life, all of us
at sometime, I'm sure, that want to do better. How
many of you ever said, Lord, I just want to
do better, just want to do better. You need to
stop wanting to do better and start being better.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
There's a difference between doing better and being better.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
What's the difference? Doing better?
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Lasts for a little while till a circumstance comes along
that knocks you back into where you work. I'm just
preaching from experience here. But when you decide you're gonna
be better, that's a foundation you can start building every
single day of your life. And when you do that,
that's when the change comes because it puts you in
the right position to move forward.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Listen to verse twenty said again, it.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
Says spiritual eyesight should always come from learning more about
Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
That's when you can say, building a better life will
start with a better me.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
Last thing I want to show you is found in
verse twenty two through twenty four. Now listen to this.
It says that you put off concerning the former conversation. Listen,
the word conversation there actually means actions. Doesn't just mean
talking means actions. Okay, so listen, put off concerning the
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former conversation. The what old man, which is corrupt according
to the deceitful lust was. He's saying, the vanity of
your mind is the old person. It's the one that
chases all the things of life, wanting the right things
for you, the things that seem right but.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
Are not right.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Amen, you need to put that off in verse twenty three,
and be renewed in the spirit of your mind verse
twenty four, And that you put on the new Man,
which after God, is created in righteousness and true holiness.
So when I got to looking at that, here's something
in very elementary.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
But I want to say it anyway for just clarity.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
You cannot put on until you first put off. Too
many people, and I found this throughout my entire ministry saved.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
I want to do better now that I'm saved.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
They want to put on things, but are unwilling to
put off things first. In other words, they want to
wear two coats at the same time. They want to
wear the worldly things and the spiritual things. Times will
come in and they'll have their spiritual coat on then
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to get a witness.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
But in the car is their worldly code.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
So when they get in the car, I'm speaking spiritually
and not physically, say y'all bear with They take off
the spiritual and put back on the world until next
Sunday when they.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Put off the world. Live.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
You can't live like that. God never ordained us to
live that way. God cannot pour out the blessings he
desires for you.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
If we live all live that way.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
The Lord says, you've got to choose which one you're
gonna put on, and you can't put on Christ till
your take off the world.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
What does that mean?
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Well, for some of us, we got to put off
some habits, habits that have been lingering for years, habits
that they just keep seeming to just keep coming back.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Why do they keep coming back because they keep working. Yes,
that's the devil ain't gonna do.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
He's not gonna just uh, He's not gonna throw away
something that just keeps working. That's why since the garden,
doubt's been around, lives have been around, discouragement's been around.
All those things have been around, right, Shame has been around,
Guilt has been around, Regrets been around. All these things
have been around since the garden. Why because they keep working.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
We don't learn from our.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Mistakes or our ancestors. They keep working in our lives.
He said, you gotta cast off all those bad habits
some of us. Maybe this morning, I don't know who
you are, but God's speaking to all of us.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
So just let it land where it lands.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
But sometimes your environment is really not conducive to gross.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
The things you hang around is not really good for you.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
And here's one thing the Lord taught me a long
time ago, when I ran across the scripture that said,
what man can hold the fire to his bosom and
not be burned? And they got to thinking, you know,
pride is a dangerous thing because it camouflages itself in
so many different areas. And one of the things I've
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seen that is most harmful to people, y'all bear with me,
is when they get to a point, whether it be addiction,
whether it be some kind of other bad habit that
they've gotten into, whatever it is, but they get to
a place where they feel like they're strong enough that
they can go back into that environment and it not
bother them. And it works for a little bit, But
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the longer they're around it, the longer the devil keeps.
Remember how that used to feel one time, ain't gonna
hurt you, church, ain't gonna never know. Just hang out
with your friends for a little while. Just do it
for a little while, and the next thing, you know,
all that progress, all that progress, And right there pride
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kicked in and said, I think I can handle this.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
Lord.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
I'm here to tell you right now, it's a dangerous
thing to be around that. Maybe it's regret, like I said,
maybe it's guilt. Whatever it is, you got to put
all those things off because when you allow Christ to
come into your life, he nailed all that to the cross.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
Whatever it is that had been hanging around and discouraging you,
God's taking care of that and hung it to the
cross a long time ago. But now here's one thing
I want you to see before I wrap this up.
Take off the old put on the news. But that's
not what Paul wrote. Here's what he wrote. Watch this
verse twenty two that you put off right, verse twenty
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four that you put on, but what happened in verse
twenty three, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
Y'all see that what God speaks. When you take off
all that old right, then renew your mind in the
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spirit that now lives inside of you. Now, all of
a sudden, the spirit that came into my heart, I
gave him access to my mind and my mind. Now
the Holy Spirit guards my mind and God's my mind,
and make sure that whatever I'm looking at or singing
or hearing all filters through the Holy Spirit. Now, now
I've taken off everything got my mind right. Now I
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can put on. Now I can put on, because if
I just take off and put on, then I can
do that all the time. But if I take off,
renew and then put on, now I'm in good shape.
Speaker 2 (26:43):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
Now I can walk in spirit and truth. Now I
can do the things that the Lord wants me to
do because I got my mind right. That's why Paul
wrote to the Romans. But renew your mind, get your
mind right. He also right that we need to have
the mind of Christ.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
That's where it all starts.
Speaker 1 (27:01):
So this morning, building a better life starts with building
a better you. But you can only build a better
you when you start building it on Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
I'm not here to teach some fancy self help book.
I'm not here to try to tell you that go
online and look at her ten plan designed to get better.
I'm not trying to tell you that. I'm telling you
put your face in this book. Get out of the
other Facebook and put your face in this book.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
Hallelujah, y'all you it was coming. You just had to
be a moment there.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
But when you put your face in this book, what
you're gonna see is a friend that will never leave you,
never block you, amen, never gossip about you, never lie
about you, never diss on you, never run you down.
All he's gonna do is speak truth to you. And
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every single day you're gonna build a better life. Why
Because you're building.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
A better you through Christ Jesus. Amen, let's stand m hm.
If you will this morning turning your word to Ephesians
chapter four. Ephesians chapter four, We're gonna look at a
few verses here this morning, and the title of the
message is A better life starts with a better you.
How many of you believe that this morning, a better
life starts with a better you. Several of several years ago,
(00:24):
out kind of changed the name of the podcast to
this is the Life. And many of you know I
changed it to that a lot because of what our
grandchildren say sometimes when they're around the house and we've
had a great day outside and they'll just kick back
on the chair of the swing and Caroline started it actually,
(00:45):
and Bubbs kind of picked it up from time to time,
but they'll just lean back and say, this is the life.
And so I kind of picked that up and made
it the theme of our podcast. But at the bottom,
if you if you ever go to our website, this
is the Life Potts, you'll see the subtitle at the
bottom says this a better life starts with a better youth.
(01:09):
And years ago, when the Lord called me into pastoring,
that long after that, I realized something that the main
thrust of any ministry should always be salvation people getting
saved as the chief primary reason why we should get
(01:30):
together and explain the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
Now I just didn't hear but anywhere we are.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
But what I found out was there was a disconnect
between knowing you're saved and living like you're saved. There
was a big disconnecting people that I saw over and
over day, even myself. As I begin to grow, I've
come to understand that salvation is more than waiting. Salvation
(01:59):
is living, and it's living abundantly. It's living the life
that God always created and desired for us to live.
And nobody is responsible for that but me. My relationship
and fellowship with the Lord alone and primarily dictate how
my life is supposed to go. And it's time people
(02:23):
stop blaming others, shops, blaming environment.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
Not listen. I know people hurt people. Amen.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
I think we can all say we've been hurt by
people and we've hurt people. But people can't stand in
your way of your purpose in life. You can't keep
blaming stuff on everybody else. You got to take ownership.
And that's why the Lord tells us this morning, if
you will, how many of you have always aspired, Hey,
I want a better life. Well it starts with a
(02:56):
better you.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Amen. And we're gonna see that.
Speaker 1 (02:59):
In Ephesians after four this morning, how the apostle Paul
lines that out for us in what we're supposed to do.
So if everybody's ready for that, let's stand for the
word of God, all of you who remain seating. I'll
just pretend that you're ready for it to amen. Verse
number seventeen. Ephesian chapter four says this this I say
(03:21):
therefore and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk
not as other gentiles walk in the vanity of your mind,
of their mind having the understanding darkened, being alienated from
the life of God through the ignorance that is in
them because of the blindness of their heart, who, being
(03:42):
past feeling, have given themselves over to lasciviousness, to work
all uncleanliness and with greediness verse twenty. But ye have
not so learned Christ, if so be that you have
heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the
truth is in Jesus verse twenty two, that you put
(04:07):
off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is
corrupt according to the deceitful lust doesn't mince words here.
I hope you can tell that and be renewed in
the spirit of your mind that you put on the
new Man, which after God, is created in righteousness and
(04:29):
true holiness. I'm here to tell you this morning that
building a better life starts with building a better You.
Speaker 2 (04:37):
Lord.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
We thank you Lord so much for the word this morning.
We thank you for our worship, We thank you for
our fellowship, the powerful testimonies that we've heard already this morning.
Just how thankful we are, Lord that you have blessed
the way you have blessed us and been able to
bless others as well. But Lord, right now we ask
the Lord that you anoint the outpouring of this word.
(04:58):
We know that the words in the w and we
asked that you will annoyed the outpouring those of all
of us who receive your word today would receive it
with with anticipation that it is going to help build
a better life for ourselves by understanding exactly where we
come from, who we are, and what we desire to
be in Christ. Jesus, Lord, bless this word is only
(05:20):
you can bless it in Jesus Holy name.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Amen. Amen, you may be seated this morning.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
So as I have kind of explained that going forward,
it has always been my heart's desire in ministry, not
just as a pastor, but just in ministry as a whole.
What I love to do the most is sit down,
whether it be behind a microphone or with somebody, and
(05:47):
take the Word of God and try my best to
explain it so.
Speaker 2 (05:53):
That people say, I got that.
Speaker 1 (05:57):
If you can do that, that's the biggest blessed thing
you can ever do, is to convey the Word of
God to somebody and they say that makes sense to me.
I can get that, And then they can take that
out and day by day they can begin to see
that life ain't just about waiting on heaven. Life's about
being who God wants me to be. Right now, one
(06:20):
of the truest signs of a thriving ministry is if
people can come in and say, I've been.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
Changed by the Word of God.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
I understand it now, I understand that that means me.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (06:32):
How many of you ever read the Bible said that
pertains to somebody else? You know when real change starts
is when you start reading it and say.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
That's me. I've told may I've said this before. I
know I have.
Speaker 1 (06:44):
I've probably said everything but what at least once before.
But the Word of God really began to speak to
me when I began to see things in that Word
of God that I was prior to knowing Christ the
way I know him. And I say, you know what,
that was written in the Bible long before I got
in there.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
I see myself in other people. Amen. I see them
through their struggles.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
I see them through the high points and the weaknesses
and their flaws.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
That's me. And look how God used them. Amen. I'm
here to tell you something this on.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
If you don't get anything else, you better get this
right here this morning. Don't you ever let the devil
convince you that you are less than what God's already
told you you are.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
Don't believe a lie when the truth is right there
in front of you. And so when Paul writes about this,
he writes actual steps to a better you y'all want
to hear. I'm so glad you do, because this word.
Anytime Paul writes, he writes in a formula style. I
(07:50):
don't know if you ever noticed that, but he writes this, this,
and this will lead to this.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Here's our problem.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
We skip to this, this, this, and we want to
jump straight to this to get to that. When the
Word says, if you don't do the first thing, don't
expect the last thing. I want it now, Lord, you're
not getting it now. Amen, You'll get it when you're
ready for it. That's why you don't buy a three
(08:22):
year old a brand new car.
Speaker 2 (08:26):
They're not ready for it. You know what they'll make.
Speaker 1 (08:28):
They'll make a jungle gym out of it, but they
won't be able to drive it till they get ready.
Y'all see what I'm saying. The Lord says, we have
steps in our lives. Watch this the first thing you
found in verse number seventeen. You gotta understand where you
are if you're ever going to get to where you're going.
Listen verse seventeen. This I say, therefore, and testify in
(08:50):
the Lord that you hint for walk, not as other
gentiles walk in the vanity.
Speaker 2 (08:56):
Of your mind.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Here's here's what the Lord told me when I read that.
Most people, and I include myself in it. In times
past especially and from time to time I still do.
We chase things in our lives that we think we're
supposed to have.
Speaker 2 (09:15):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
We chase things in our lives that we also think
are right for us.
Speaker 2 (09:20):
Can I get a witness?
Speaker 1 (09:22):
But how many of you have chased things in your
life that you were convinced were right for you? Listen,
even convinced yourself God told you it was right. Oh Lord,
I'm meddling. How many of you have done that? When
you say I know I believe God wants.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Me to do that, I have people tell me that.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Before I believe God wants me to do this, and
all look at him. I say, I don't think God
wants you to do that? Why because it says right here?
And I begin to tell you, oh, well, I.
Speaker 2 (09:55):
Wonder what God wants me to do. Then I don't know.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
But you better make sure before you tag God's name
to it that He's blessed it.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Amen. And we chase things that we think we have
a right to have.
Speaker 1 (10:08):
Listen to what Proverbs sixteen, verse twenty five says, there
is a way that seemeth right unto a man, But
the end thereof are the ways of death.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
Notice the word.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Seemuth Amen, it seems to be right. But in verse
eighteen he says, what happened there your understanding got darkened,
and so you started.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
To walk around. How many of you ever walked around
in the dark.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Now you know where stuff's at in your house, right,
and so you can kind of almost navigate until you
forget somebody move something, or somebody left something in the floor,
or you weren't aware of and you got hit. That's
the way our lives are without Jesus Christ. We walk
(10:55):
around trying to familiarize ourself with the dark, get used
to the dark. But Lord never called us to walk
and live in the dark. What he did, he called
us to walk in the marvelous light. And so when
Jesus came, he shined the light in the darkness. And
now all of a sudden, what I seemed like it
was right? Is it right anymore? Can you give a
(11:18):
witness and a testimony this morning that in times past
of your life what seemed right now not so much?
And that's what he says here in the Word of God.
He says in verse eighteen, I Love Verse eighteen, he says,
having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of
(11:38):
God through the ignorance. Ignorance, Now, y'all, don't get mad
at me. Ignorance that is in them because of the
blindness of what their heart now is them brought up
two things, he said. The first thing is there's vanity
in your mind. You won't listen what the word vanity means.
(12:00):
Y'all get this now, Excessive pride towards worthless pursuits.
Speaker 2 (12:07):
Somebody ought to get to hop in right now.
Speaker 1 (12:09):
You know why, because my mind chases things that are
worthless for my purpose. What's the devil's trick. I'm gonna
tell you the devil's trick. Paul paints it out here,
so watch that. Here's what he The devil wants to
entice me with things he knows entices me. Let me
(12:29):
tell you why I say that that way is because
there are certain things in your life the devil knows
he can't tempt you with.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
It just does not interest you. Amen.
Speaker 1 (12:41):
So what's he You know why the Bible calls him
a thief because you know what a thief does. He
sits back and watches your habits. He watches your patterns.
He knows when you're home, he knows when you're gone.
He knows when the lights are on, when the lights
are off. He knows everything about your pattern for two weeks.
(13:01):
They'll sit there and they'll watch when you come and go,
and when you go that's when they invade.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Same thing with the devil.
Speaker 1 (13:09):
He watches your pattern, and he watches what interests you
and what entices you. And now all of a sudden,
the Lord has your purpose over here, and he's trying
to give you the things that interest you and pull
you in this direction. But the devil pulls you back
this way, enticing you in things that entice your spirit
in the wrong direction.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
Can I get a witness from anybody that you've been there?
Speaker 1 (13:35):
And when he pulls you in that direction, it gets
you out of your purpose. So the vanity of your
mind is followed because your heart was darkened and living
in life without Jesus Christ illuminating your path.
Speaker 2 (13:52):
Does that make sense?
Speaker 1 (13:53):
I hope it does, because I'm trying to make it
as simple as I can. Because in verse eighteen he
calls what we do ignorance.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Now, before you.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
Get offended because somebody just called you ignorant, listen to
what the word ignorant means. The word ignorance basically just
means lack of knowledge or understanding, which causes spiritual blindness. Amen,
it's not that it's not that I'm not smart. There's
(14:26):
just things I don't know, and if I don't know,
I don't understand it.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Y'all hear what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
In the In the Book of Proverbs, let me pull
over into a teaching right queer. In the Book of Proverbs,
there's three main words that are used throughout Proverbs, knowledge, understanding,
and wisdom okay, And they're usually in an order pertaining
to what their interest is at that moment. Knowledge is
what you know. Understanding is how to apply what you know.
(14:56):
Wisdom is what you do with what you know.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
Amen. So wat's this. I may know to do right
and still act foolish. Amen. I might know what God expects.
Speaker 1 (15:10):
Of me and still not understand why it's important for
me to do that until I get burned. You can
tell a child a hundred times, do not touch that stove.
When do they gain understanding? So the next time they
walk up and it's hot, wisdom kicks in.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Y'll hear what I'm saying. That's the way our lives are.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
Sometimes we don't really understand until we walk through it.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
God give me this, God give me.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
This, Okay. Self will is about to kick in. Not
my will, but your will, God says, And all of
a sudden, I get down the path, just a little
bit of boom. I get burned, I get tripped, I
get hurt, I fall flat on my face. I hurt somebody,
(16:04):
somebody hurt me. There's a whole lot of hurting going on.
And all of a sudden I cry to the Lord.
And the Lord said, I told you. I gave you
the knowledge. Now you've got understanding. Let's see what you
do with it next time. And so next time I'm
faced with the same issue, the Lord says that you're.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
Gonna be wise?
Speaker 1 (16:24):
Are you gonna be foolish? Because now when you walk
in it, you know better. Y'all hear what I'm saying. Yeah,
I'm not going by this, that's for sure. What's the
verse eighteen? He says that, And there's this spiritual blindness. Listen,
that's where we all start. Amen, we all start with
(16:47):
an ignorant spirit as far as we don't know and
understand the plan that God has for us. Paul said,
we all start out the same way, but.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
How we end up depends on how we want to
walk with the Lord. Too.
Speaker 1 (17:05):
Many times in life. Church, y'all please get this. You
start out right, but then you get influenced by wrong.
Somebody comes in, some situation happens, and all of a
sudden you're faced with the decision do I keep walking
this path with the Lord or do I go back
to what I've always known? Do I go follow this
(17:28):
or do I follow that. That's why the Word of
God always says, look not to the right nor to
the left, but look straight on.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
Amen. The apostle Paul even wrote in his writings, he said.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
Forgetting those things on which are behind, and reaching for
those things which are before. We got that part, but
listen to this part. He says, I pressed towards the
mark of the high calling of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2 (17:51):
Amen. What's he saying?
Speaker 1 (17:53):
I set a point out there, and that's where I'm going.
The Bible also.
Speaker 2 (17:57):
Says, I'm just hey, I'm preaching from the.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
Overflow, So y'all just bear with the Bible also says
that Jesus. The Bible says that Jesus said it set
his face toward Jerusalem.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
What did that mean?
Speaker 1 (18:11):
How many of you will read the gospels and find
that there were many distractions that Jesus could have fell
into Amen, when they challenged his authority, he could have
got all defensive, and he could have chased that rabbit,
or he could have chased this rabbit, or or when
they ask him this, he could have fell off into that.
But he kept his focus on exactly why he was there.
(18:35):
And all the Lord wants us to do is keep
our eyes on Jesus. If you do that, you're building
a better you every single day of your life.
Speaker 2 (18:47):
So let's look at when the change begins. Look at
verse twenty.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
Y'all got this, say amen, Amen, but ye have not
so learned Christ? If so be that you have heard
him and have been taught by him as the truth
of the truth is in Jesus.
Speaker 2 (19:11):
Let me say this real quick. As I looked at
that this past week, I thought about this.
Speaker 1 (19:18):
There's a lot of people in life, all of us
at sometime, I'm sure, that want to do better. How
many of you ever said, Lord, I just want to
do better, just want to do better. You need to
stop wanting to do better and start being better.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (19:37):
There's a difference between doing better and being better.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
What's the difference? Doing better?
Speaker 1 (19:42):
Lasts for a little while till a circumstance comes along
that knocks you back into where you work. I'm just
preaching from experience here. But when you decide you're gonna
be better, that's a foundation you can start building every
single day of your life. And when you do that,
that's when the change comes because it puts you in
the right position to move forward.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Listen to verse twenty said again, it.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
Says spiritual eyesight should always come from learning more about
Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
That's when you can say, building a better life will
start with a better me.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
Last thing I want to show you is found in
verse twenty two through twenty four. Now listen to this.
It says that you put off concerning the former conversation. Listen,
the word conversation there actually means actions. Doesn't just mean
talking means actions. Okay, so listen, put off concerning the
(20:45):
former conversation. The what old man, which is corrupt according
to the deceitful lust was. He's saying, the vanity of
your mind is the old person. It's the one that
chases all the things of life, wanting the right things
for you, the things that seem right but.
Speaker 2 (21:04):
Are not right.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Amen, you need to put that off in verse twenty three,
and be renewed in the spirit of your mind verse
twenty four, And that you put on the new Man,
which after God, is created in righteousness and true holiness.
So when I got to looking at that, here's something
in very elementary.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
But I want to say it anyway for just clarity.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
You cannot put on until you first put off. Too
many people, and I found this throughout my entire ministry saved.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
I want to do better now that I'm saved.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
They want to put on things, but are unwilling to
put off things first. In other words, they want to
wear two coats at the same time. They want to
wear the worldly things and the spiritual things. Times will
come in and they'll have their spiritual coat on then
(22:03):
to get a witness.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
But in the car is their worldly code.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
So when they get in the car, I'm speaking spiritually
and not physically, say y'all bear with They take off
the spiritual and put back on the world until next
Sunday when they.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
Put off the world. Live.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
You can't live like that. God never ordained us to
live that way. God cannot pour out the blessings he
desires for you.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
If we live all live that way.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
The Lord says, you've got to choose which one you're
gonna put on, and you can't put on Christ till
your take off the world.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
What does that mean?
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Well, for some of us, we got to put off
some habits, habits that have been lingering for years, habits
that they just keep seeming to just keep coming back.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Why do they keep coming back because they keep working. Yes,
that's the devil ain't gonna do.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
He's not gonna just uh, He's not gonna throw away
something that just keeps working. That's why since the garden,
doubt's been around, lives have been around, discouragement's been around.
All those things have been around, right, Shame has been around,
Guilt has been around, Regrets been around. All these things
have been around since the garden. Why because they keep working.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
We don't learn from our.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
Mistakes or our ancestors. They keep working in our lives.
He said, you gotta cast off all those bad habits
some of us. Maybe this morning, I don't know who
you are, but God's speaking to all of us.
Speaker 2 (23:39):
So just let it land where it lands.
Speaker 1 (23:41):
But sometimes your environment is really not conducive to gross.
Speaker 2 (23:47):
The things you hang around is not really good for you.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
And here's one thing the Lord taught me a long
time ago, when I ran across the scripture that said,
what man can hold the fire to his bosom and
not be burned? And they got to thinking, you know,
pride is a dangerous thing because it camouflages itself in
so many different areas. And one of the things I've
(24:12):
seen that is most harmful to people, y'all bear with me,
is when they get to a point, whether it be addiction,
whether it be some kind of other bad habit that
they've gotten into, whatever it is, but they get to
a place where they feel like they're strong enough that
they can go back into that environment and it not
bother them. And it works for a little bit, But
(24:38):
the longer they're around it, the longer the devil keeps.
Remember how that used to feel one time, ain't gonna
hurt you, church, ain't gonna never know. Just hang out
with your friends for a little while. Just do it
for a little while, and the next thing, you know,
all that progress, all that progress, And right there pride
(25:04):
kicked in and said, I think I can handle this.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
Lord.
Speaker 1 (25:08):
I'm here to tell you right now, it's a dangerous
thing to be around that. Maybe it's regret, like I said,
maybe it's guilt. Whatever it is, you got to put
all those things off because when you allow Christ to
come into your life, he nailed all that to the cross.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (25:22):
Whatever it is that had been hanging around and discouraging you,
God's taking care of that and hung it to the
cross a long time ago. But now here's one thing
I want you to see before I wrap this up.
Take off the old put on the news. But that's
not what Paul wrote. Here's what he wrote. Watch this
verse twenty two that you put off right, verse twenty
(25:47):
four that you put on, but what happened in verse
twenty three, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind.
Y'all see that what God speaks. When you take off
all that old right, then renew your mind in the
(26:09):
spirit that now lives inside of you. Now, all of
a sudden, the spirit that came into my heart, I
gave him access to my mind and my mind. Now
the Holy Spirit guards my mind and God's my mind,
and make sure that whatever I'm looking at or singing
or hearing all filters through the Holy Spirit. Now, now
I've taken off everything got my mind right. Now I
(26:31):
can put on. Now I can put on, because if
I just take off and put on, then I can
do that all the time. But if I take off,
renew and then put on, now I'm in good shape.
Speaker 2 (26:43):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
Now I can walk in spirit and truth. Now I
can do the things that the Lord wants me to
do because I got my mind right. That's why Paul
wrote to the Romans. But renew your mind, get your
mind right. He also right that we need to have
the mind of Christ.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
That's where it all starts.
Speaker 1 (27:01):
So this morning, building a better life starts with building
a better you. But you can only build a better
you when you start building it on Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (27:14):
I'm not here to teach some fancy self help book.
I'm not here to try to tell you that go
online and look at her ten plan designed to get better.
I'm not trying to tell you that. I'm telling you
put your face in this book. Get out of the
other Facebook and put your face in this book.
Speaker 2 (27:36):
Hallelujah, y'all you it was coming. You just had to
be a moment there.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
But when you put your face in this book, what
you're gonna see is a friend that will never leave you,
never block you, amen, never gossip about you, never lie
about you, never diss on you, never run you down.
All he's gonna do is speak truth to you. And
(28:03):
every single day you're gonna build a better life. Why
Because you're building.
Speaker 2 (28:08):
A better you through Christ Jesus. Amen, let's stand m hm.
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The Burden
The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. Season 5 - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder, and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.” David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish? Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run “Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how… and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father. Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice. Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country. Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question. This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago. Season 1 - The Burden In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname. Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance. For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast. Welcome to The Burden.