WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:06.639 You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand. One 2 00:00:06.719 --> 00:00:11.560 Peter five eight, be of sober spirit. Be on the 3 00:00:11.599 --> 00:00:16.359 alert your adversary. The devil prowls around like a roaring 4 00:00:16.440 --> 00:00:23.879 lion seeking someone to devour. Now why this matters or 5 00:00:23.960 --> 00:00:27.359 why I bring it up at all? It kind of 6 00:00:27.399 --> 00:00:31.280 points to how the enemy works and what the devil 7 00:00:31.320 --> 00:00:36.600 does to get in to your life, to get a 8 00:00:36.600 --> 00:00:40.840 foothold in your life. As you could imagine that one 9 00:00:40.920 --> 00:00:44.240 Peter five to eight verse that I read to you 10 00:00:44.520 --> 00:00:47.960 is the imagery if you've ever seen a lion on 11 00:00:48.000 --> 00:00:52.200 the prowl, that kind of moving back and forth, waiting 12 00:00:52.320 --> 00:01:00.520 to pounce. But they wait for that perfect, perfect moment, 13 00:01:01.039 --> 00:01:04.040 as does the enemy. And there are things that you 14 00:01:04.079 --> 00:01:07.560 do every day that open up little doors or windows 15 00:01:07.560 --> 00:01:10.680 into your life. And the things with spirituality that people 16 00:01:10.680 --> 00:01:13.439 don't understand. And something that makes it difficult to even 17 00:01:13.560 --> 00:01:17.879 understand what I do and Christianity is that I don't 18 00:01:17.879 --> 00:01:23.120 come barging into your life. You see, the door to 19 00:01:23.159 --> 00:01:29.879 your heart is one way. You have the key, you 20 00:01:29.879 --> 00:01:33.439 have the lock, you have the knob. Everything is in 21 00:01:33.480 --> 00:01:42.560 your hands. Who you open it for is up to you. Fame, fortune, power, 22 00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:47.519 what money, whatever it is that you think you want that, 23 00:01:47.640 --> 00:01:51.079 if you open up that door for that, if you 24 00:01:51.159 --> 00:01:57.239 say it all costs, no matter what it takes, that's 25 00:01:57.280 --> 00:02:04.040 when you welcome in the enemy. Ephesians four twenty seven says, simply, 26 00:02:05.439 --> 00:02:11.080 do not give the devil an opportunity. Don't give any foothold. Now, 27 00:02:11.159 --> 00:02:13.680 it's not about finding the devil in every nook and 28 00:02:13.719 --> 00:02:17.840 cranny in your life. It's about seeing the consequences of 29 00:02:17.879 --> 00:02:25.759 you inviting the devil into your life. It's not that 30 00:02:25.800 --> 00:02:30.199 the devil's going to show up pitchfork in hand, sharpening 31 00:02:30.240 --> 00:02:34.520 his horns and breathing fire and saying so uh, guiding 32 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:38.240 plans tonight. I just kind of hoping we can hang out. 33 00:02:39.520 --> 00:02:46.639 It's not how it works. Tewod Corinthians eleven fourteen says, 34 00:02:46.639 --> 00:02:49.599 no wonder for even Satan disguises himself as an angel 35 00:02:49.599 --> 00:02:52.879 of light. It's very easy to be distracted by the 36 00:02:52.919 --> 00:02:55.639 things of the world and to want them in such 37 00:02:55.639 --> 00:03:00.639 a way that you're willing to just crack open the 38 00:03:00.639 --> 00:03:05.520 window or crack open the door to get noticed or 39 00:03:05.560 --> 00:03:12.479 to move ahead. And that's all it takes. That little 40 00:03:12.520 --> 00:03:21.520 opening ushers in a world of pain. If you find 41 00:03:21.599 --> 00:03:23.879 parents to say I just want to be a best 42 00:03:23.919 --> 00:03:27.039 friend or a buddy to my child. That is a 43 00:03:27.120 --> 00:03:31.919 lazy parent that doesn't want the accountability that comes with 44 00:03:32.039 --> 00:03:36.560 being a parent. And as a believer, when you proclaim 45 00:03:38.080 --> 00:03:40.560 Christ as your savior, when you say that I am 46 00:03:40.639 --> 00:03:47.800 at the helm in your life, it is so important 47 00:03:47.879 --> 00:03:51.319 that you don't open these windows to the enemy because 48 00:03:51.319 --> 00:03:54.680 he wants you the most. He wants nothing more than 49 00:03:54.719 --> 00:03:58.159 to take someone that has faith and has proclaimed that 50 00:03:58.280 --> 00:04:05.560 faith in public and drag them through the mud. His 51 00:04:05.719 --> 00:04:11.439 desire is to destroy, to destroy everything you have, to 52 00:04:11.560 --> 00:04:15.719 make it look like you're going to get every wish 53 00:04:16.199 --> 00:04:20.879 you could possibly wish for, only to use those things 54 00:04:21.680 --> 00:04:30.040 against you. It's so you know, there's been books and 55 00:04:30.240 --> 00:04:34.040 television shows and movies written about these very things, searching 56 00:04:34.079 --> 00:04:38.839 after those goals. The entire Twilight Zone series is basically 57 00:04:38.879 --> 00:04:42.879 based upon the misconception of what you want and what 58 00:04:42.920 --> 00:04:48.439 you get in life. All you want is to be 59 00:04:48.519 --> 00:04:52.560 alone and to read. Well, then you lose your glasses, right, 60 00:04:52.639 --> 00:04:59.639 they get broken. I saw an episode yesterday where it 61 00:04:59.680 --> 00:05:03.160 involved the time machine and a man that was brought 62 00:05:03.319 --> 00:05:05.720 from the eighteen hundreds, right as he was about to 63 00:05:05.720 --> 00:05:12.319 be hanged. He was brought into modern society. The whole 64 00:05:12.319 --> 00:05:17.879 thing ends with another criminal cornering that eighteen hundred criminal, 65 00:05:20.360 --> 00:05:23.240 killing him and then putting himself in the time machine 66 00:05:23.240 --> 00:05:24.800 that he didn't even know what it was, and ending 67 00:05:24.879 --> 00:05:27.639 up going back to the eighteen hundreds at the exact 68 00:05:27.639 --> 00:05:35.199 moment and was hanged. Now, it's easy to sit back 69 00:05:35.240 --> 00:05:37.759 and watch all the pieces unfold, but when it's your life, 70 00:05:37.759 --> 00:05:41.759 when you're actually as my producer Neil often says, when 71 00:05:41.759 --> 00:05:46.120 you're in the pool, it's hard to see what's going 72 00:05:46.160 --> 00:05:51.240 on in the waters. That's why they have lifeguards outside 73 00:05:51.279 --> 00:05:54.399 of the pool. And I know it's not fun to 74 00:05:54.439 --> 00:05:58.279 talk about the devil. It just sounds like bad Sunday 75 00:05:58.560 --> 00:06:02.639 Morning radio, actually is what it's said, and that's the 76 00:06:02.720 --> 00:06:06.199 last thing we want to sound like. But you have 77 00:06:06.279 --> 00:06:10.399 to know that the enemy is real, and the enemy 78 00:06:10.439 --> 00:06:12.680 plays a part in your life, and the size of 79 00:06:12.680 --> 00:06:18.279 that part is up to you, and how you deal 80 00:06:18.360 --> 00:06:22.839 with it is up to you. These spiritualists and these 81 00:06:22.879 --> 00:06:26.439 people that are so they seem so open minded about things, 82 00:06:26.680 --> 00:06:30.959 are only opening themselves up to every possibility the enemy 83 00:06:31.000 --> 00:06:33.680 has for them. But as a person of faith, as 84 00:06:33.680 --> 00:06:39.319 someone who proclaims Christianity. You are to defend yourself against 85 00:06:39.319 --> 00:06:45.480 these things. How I'll tell you, the enemy is one 86 00:06:45.519 --> 00:06:47.800 of those things that a lot of people don't know 87 00:06:47.839 --> 00:06:52.439 whether to make real to make fake. It's this cartoon character, pitchfork, 88 00:06:53.639 --> 00:06:57.600 this image of the devil, Satan, the enemy, the deceiver, 89 00:06:57.800 --> 00:07:02.959 the destroyer, the liar. Ephesians four to twenty seven says, 90 00:07:03.000 --> 00:07:05.680 do not give the devil an opportunity. That there are 91 00:07:05.720 --> 00:07:07.600 things that you do in your life where you just 92 00:07:07.680 --> 00:07:10.079 crack open the door. You think, ah, it's gonna be okay. 93 00:07:10.079 --> 00:07:14.439 We're just gonna let the enemy in. And as believers, 94 00:07:14.480 --> 00:07:19.959 you need to protect yourself because he's waiting for opportunities. 95 00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:22.000 And it's not about these folks that say that the 96 00:07:22.040 --> 00:07:23.879 devil's under you know, the devil made me do it. 97 00:07:23.920 --> 00:07:29.079 Devil's under every rock in your life. But the devil 98 00:07:29.160 --> 00:07:33.040 is real. And there are opportunities that you make even 99 00:07:33.120 --> 00:07:35.079 easier for the enemy to get in your life. But 100 00:07:35.160 --> 00:07:39.319 you have the control there. It says in scripture that 101 00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:43.560 Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. He's not 102 00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:45.279 going to come to you right in your face and 103 00:07:45.279 --> 00:07:48.720 say I'm the devil. Let me in because you wouldn't. 104 00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:54.839 James four seven says, submit therefore to God, resist the devil, 105 00:07:55.720 --> 00:07:59.680 and he will flee from you. Resist, resist the things 106 00:07:59.720 --> 00:08:02.120 of the world, Resist the things of the enemy. Resist 107 00:08:02.160 --> 00:08:05.600 those things that would have you going against your moral 108 00:08:05.720 --> 00:08:12.439 code and what you believe. Romans sixteen twenty says, the 109 00:08:12.439 --> 00:08:15.680 God of Peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. 110 00:08:16.759 --> 00:08:19.759 The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. That 111 00:08:20.079 --> 00:08:25.680 is what ends up at the end. Until that time, 112 00:08:26.920 --> 00:08:31.040 you are to put on the full armor of God. 113 00:08:31.680 --> 00:08:37.320 When you have a moment, go to Ephesians six and 114 00:08:37.480 --> 00:08:41.399 read read about that armor and what you are to 115 00:08:41.440 --> 00:08:46.519 do to embolden yourself, to strengthen yourself, to protect yourself 116 00:08:46.519 --> 00:08:50.600 from the enemy, because he's looking for those openings, especially 117 00:08:50.879 --> 00:08:55.639 if you proclaim Christianity to be your faith. He's looking 118 00:08:55.639 --> 00:08:58.519 for that opportunity, that opening to come in and to 119 00:08:58.559 --> 00:09:01.399 destroy as only the devil does. 120 00:09:05.399 --> 00:09:05.639 Ron. 121 00:09:05.840 --> 00:09:09.039 Welcome to the Jesus Christ. Show hi you right, I'm 122 00:09:09.080 --> 00:09:10.200 good sir. How can I help you? 123 00:09:11.320 --> 00:09:17.399 I had a question about Exodus when they're in the plagues, when. 124 00:09:19.360 --> 00:09:21.360 Guy had killed all of Pharaoh's horses. 125 00:09:21.840 --> 00:09:25.440 Yes, my question is how did Pharaoh then. 126 00:09:25.440 --> 00:09:30.519 Chase Moses to the Red Sea, where to get those horses? 127 00:09:30.679 --> 00:09:33.679 Well, it doesn't state This is often confused because of 128 00:09:33.679 --> 00:09:35.799 the way that it reads. It actually talks about the 129 00:09:35.840 --> 00:09:38.879 cattle in the field and the horses, and some people 130 00:09:39.399 --> 00:09:44.000 missed that part. It's talking about the cattle in the field. 131 00:09:44.039 --> 00:09:46.639 The pharaohs and the kings did not keep their animals 132 00:09:46.639 --> 00:09:48.600 in the field the same way. So if it was 133 00:09:48.679 --> 00:09:51.840 his horses and these are the ones that carry his 134 00:09:51.919 --> 00:09:54.399 chariots and the like, they aren't the ones that are 135 00:09:54.399 --> 00:09:58.240 in the field. Often the term all is used that 136 00:09:58.279 --> 00:10:01.840 way as well. In scripture, you'll find that the term all, 137 00:10:02.000 --> 00:10:06.320 just like in modern day, is sometimes talking about a 138 00:10:06.320 --> 00:10:09.879 great majority of, or the greater part of, or all 139 00:10:09.919 --> 00:10:13.240 of a particular category, and not necessarily all, as in 140 00:10:13.279 --> 00:10:16.159 the total sum of So in the context, if you 141 00:10:16.200 --> 00:10:18.399 read it over again and you take a look, you'll 142 00:10:18.440 --> 00:10:23.000 see that it's talking about the cattle in the field specifically, 143 00:10:23.720 --> 00:10:27.879 and the horses and the oxen and that. And when 144 00:10:27.879 --> 00:10:30.360 it's referring to all, it's not referring to all the 145 00:10:30.399 --> 00:10:34.039 total sum of all the animals. It's referring And you 146 00:10:34.080 --> 00:10:37.960 see this too, because it's even separating the Israeli animals 147 00:10:37.960 --> 00:10:41.200 and all of this. So it's in context. It's not 148 00:10:41.720 --> 00:10:44.799 all of the animals, it's all of the animals in 149 00:10:44.840 --> 00:10:48.159 the field in that particular category. And therefore, when you 150 00:10:48.200 --> 00:10:50.159 come across it, some people think, oh, well, it seems 151 00:10:50.200 --> 00:10:53.720 like a contradiction. It is not. It is a category 152 00:10:53.759 --> 00:10:56.720 distinction as to what's going on, and in this case, 153 00:10:56.799 --> 00:11:01.000 it's talking about the cattles in the field and not 154 00:11:01.360 --> 00:11:05.440 the pharaohs. All of the Pharaoh's true cattle and war 155 00:11:05.559 --> 00:11:10.000 horses that would be separate and installs and stables and 156 00:11:10.039 --> 00:11:18.559 not in the field as the rest. James, Welcome to 157 00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:19.480 Jesus Christ Show. 158 00:11:19.679 --> 00:11:20.600 Good morning, How are you? 159 00:11:20.799 --> 00:11:23.039 I am well, James, how are you fine? 160 00:11:23.240 --> 00:11:26.559 I'm a driver. I don't get to attend church on Sunday, 161 00:11:26.600 --> 00:11:29.600 but I attend through the radio. Well, very thankful for 162 00:11:29.639 --> 00:11:30.000 your show. 163 00:11:30.120 --> 00:11:31.840 We sure would love to have you in church. But 164 00:11:31.919 --> 00:11:33.120 I'm happy you're joining us. 165 00:11:34.200 --> 00:11:36.720 My question deals with and it may be a green 166 00:11:36.759 --> 00:11:38.799 thing on my part that I haven't been able to overcome, 167 00:11:38.840 --> 00:11:40.919 but I'm an early Christians, so I'm struggling with a 168 00:11:40.960 --> 00:11:42.559 lot of questions. But the one on my mind today 169 00:11:43.279 --> 00:11:48.480 is uh, justification between someone who say, let's has had 170 00:11:48.559 --> 00:11:51.399 money all their lives, fancy cars, all the girls, you know, 171 00:11:51.720 --> 00:11:54.279 all the good stuff, and becomes a Christian and gets 172 00:11:54.320 --> 00:11:57.360 their rewards at heaven compared to a person who has 173 00:11:57.360 --> 00:11:59.519 been poor and desolate all their life, who also has 174 00:11:59.559 --> 00:12:02.879 their reward in heaven. It just it seems like one 175 00:12:02.960 --> 00:12:05.000 is getting the rewards on heaven and earth and one 176 00:12:05.120 --> 00:12:07.600 isn't it. I just I wondered if you could touch 177 00:12:07.639 --> 00:12:10.399 on the I don't know the fairness of it. Maybe 178 00:12:10.440 --> 00:12:11.679 it's not supposed to be fair. 179 00:12:12.159 --> 00:12:15.159 Well, it's excellent. I mean you you bring up a 180 00:12:15.200 --> 00:12:17.399 lot of really good points, James, and I know that 181 00:12:17.399 --> 00:12:20.399 it doesn't seem fair, But it's also perspective as well. 182 00:12:20.879 --> 00:12:25.399 There's a lot of qualifiers in your question, meaning that, uh, 183 00:12:25.519 --> 00:12:28.840 you've got to kind of qualify one what is fair too. 184 00:12:29.360 --> 00:12:33.919 You got to qualify what's good and what's what's you know, 185 00:12:34.039 --> 00:12:37.679 what are the rewards, because one reward to somebody is 186 00:12:37.679 --> 00:12:41.480 not a reward to another person. Ye, So the assumption 187 00:12:41.639 --> 00:12:45.519 that having wine women in song as a reward, I 188 00:12:45.600 --> 00:12:49.840 understand where it comes from. But uh, that's more you know, 189 00:12:49.960 --> 00:12:54.159 country music theology than it is Bible theology. There the 190 00:12:54.600 --> 00:12:57.879 key is My producer Neil always jokes that he can 191 00:12:58.200 --> 00:13:00.519 teach a man to get any woman he once, as 192 00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:02.600 long as the guy can learn to want the women 193 00:13:02.679 --> 00:13:07.200 he can get. And so when it comes to life, 194 00:13:07.240 --> 00:13:10.320 God wants you to see life differently, not to see 195 00:13:10.320 --> 00:13:13.799 those as rewards in the same way that the world does, 196 00:13:14.200 --> 00:13:16.360 but to see to be in a state of joy 197 00:13:16.440 --> 00:13:20.159 when those things are absent. Most people James tend to 198 00:13:20.279 --> 00:13:25.080 find ah think that joy. They mistake joy and happiness. 199 00:13:25.200 --> 00:13:28.519 Happiness is a momentary feeling of joy due to a happening, 200 00:13:29.240 --> 00:13:32.000 meaning that if you get something, you know, a piece 201 00:13:32.000 --> 00:13:34.600 of cake, then you go whoo, I got a piece 202 00:13:34.639 --> 00:13:37.919 of cake. I'm happy, and you go this is great. 203 00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:40.960 And then the cake's gone and you go, ah, there's 204 00:13:41.000 --> 00:13:46.639 no more cake. Yeah, you know what, you'd get along 205 00:13:47.039 --> 00:13:49.679 just very well with the crew here at the Jesus 206 00:13:49.799 --> 00:13:54.279 Christ Show. So there's this this thing where it's not 207 00:13:54.399 --> 00:13:57.399 about the cake. If it's only about the cake, the 208 00:13:57.399 --> 00:13:59.559 cake's gonna come and it's gonna go. You're eventually gonna 209 00:13:59.559 --> 00:14:01.559 eat it. The old saying you can't have your cake 210 00:14:01.600 --> 00:14:04.679 and eat it too means you can't anticipate the joy 211 00:14:04.720 --> 00:14:07.480 of eating a cake and then eat the cake and 212 00:14:07.519 --> 00:14:10.039 then anticipate the joy of eating the cake. It's sooner 213 00:14:10.080 --> 00:14:11.679 or later going to be gone and you're not gonna 214 00:14:11.720 --> 00:14:15.120 get both. You can't have the cake to want the 215 00:14:15.559 --> 00:14:17.559 enjoyment of it and then eat it too, because now 216 00:14:17.600 --> 00:14:20.960 the wanting of enjoyment's gone. So in life it's about 217 00:14:21.000 --> 00:14:24.480 finding those balances and God wants you. If you remember 218 00:14:24.519 --> 00:14:26.879 I said in scripture, the poor you will always have 219 00:14:27.039 --> 00:14:29.960 with you. That's not going to end. There will always 220 00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:33.080 be poor people. And you can dissect it and look 221 00:14:33.120 --> 00:14:35.679 around and say, well, it's because of this or because 222 00:14:35.720 --> 00:14:39.600 of that, sociologically whatever, But ultimately the key is not 223 00:14:39.720 --> 00:14:42.399 about whether you can be richer, whether you're poor. It's 224 00:14:42.440 --> 00:14:45.200 about where your heart is in the good times and 225 00:14:45.240 --> 00:14:48.960 the bad. You will come to know God through tribulation 226 00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:52.840 and trials, not through reward. Yeah, that's just the way 227 00:14:52.840 --> 00:14:56.879 it works. Everything you learn, James, everything that has value 228 00:14:56.919 --> 00:15:00.080 in your life comes from the struggle and the trials 229 00:15:00.120 --> 00:15:04.120 that bring it to you. And that is like anything 230 00:15:04.200 --> 00:15:06.919 of beauty in life. If you look at a fish swimming, 231 00:15:07.120 --> 00:15:12.480 or you look at a bird flying, they move with 232 00:15:13.240 --> 00:15:18.159 great elegance in resistance. A bird can't fly without the 233 00:15:18.200 --> 00:15:21.360 resistance of the air underneath their wings. A fish can't 234 00:15:21.360 --> 00:15:24.639 swim without the resistance of the water. That resistance is 235 00:15:24.679 --> 00:15:28.879 what they use to propel them in a way that's productive. 236 00:15:29.639 --> 00:15:33.879 It's not the productive part in itself. And so you 237 00:15:33.919 --> 00:15:36.799 can either stop and be weighed down by the trials 238 00:15:36.840 --> 00:15:38.840 in your life and go, Okay, it's done, it's over. 239 00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:41.879 I've got nothing more to give. Or you can use them, 240 00:15:41.919 --> 00:15:45.039 like the fish and the bird, to propel you into 241 00:15:45.080 --> 00:15:48.679 a state of understanding about those things and on. Once 242 00:15:48.720 --> 00:15:51.039 you get to a place where you understand them, you 243 00:15:51.120 --> 00:15:54.759 find the joy. That's not happiness, it's true joy, which 244 00:15:54.879 --> 00:15:58.879 happens in good times, bad times, all of those things. 245 00:15:59.360 --> 00:16:01.919 And so it's not that someone has more and that 246 00:16:02.120 --> 00:16:05.399 some Christians are going to have double the flavor if anything, 247 00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:09.440 having those things, being rich and having those those anchors 248 00:16:09.480 --> 00:16:13.480 on earth can be it can be an albatross around 249 00:16:13.480 --> 00:16:15.480 the neck of the Christian and make it very difficult 250 00:16:15.519 --> 00:16:19.960 to connect with God. So it's a matter of balance, 251 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:22.279 whether you have money or don't, whether you have things 252 00:16:22.399 --> 00:16:25.399 or don't, James, it's about where your heart is. That's 253 00:16:25.440 --> 00:16:26.480 what God cares about. 254 00:16:27.559 --> 00:16:29.200 Well, thank you so much. That helps me a lot. 255 00:16:29.399 --> 00:16:31.399 You're welcome, James. I'm so glad you call. You'd be 256 00:16:31.440 --> 00:16:33.840 safe on the streets there, and you call any time. 257 00:16:34.480 --> 00:16:37.639 I love it when when new believers are are getting 258 00:16:37.639 --> 00:16:42.080 their their baby legs, the best questions come out of 259 00:16:42.120 --> 00:16:47.519 that sincerity. It's it's you know how children, Oh Heaven 260 00:16:47.600 --> 00:16:51.440 bless them when they point at somebody who's heavy and says, 261 00:16:51.679 --> 00:16:55.600 you know, say you're fat, or this tastes yucky or 262 00:16:55.600 --> 00:16:59.720 whatever it is. They they kind of unfiltered attitude. Well, 263 00:17:00.039 --> 00:17:02.840 when you're a babe in Christ, you're a new Christian, 264 00:17:03.360 --> 00:17:06.319 oftentimes the same thing, and it's great. It comes from 265 00:17:06.720 --> 00:17:10.079 a pure place of wanting to ask questions and wanting 266 00:17:10.119 --> 00:17:12.440 to find out the answer to something that just doesn't 267 00:17:12.480 --> 00:17:16.079 seem to quite make sense to you. And that honesty 268 00:17:16.359 --> 00:17:21.519 is beneficial. So when James calls up with something like that, 269 00:17:21.559 --> 00:17:26.240 I always always like it. Now, to further expand on that, 270 00:17:26.680 --> 00:17:30.039 keep in mind that the things that the world thinks 271 00:17:30.079 --> 00:17:35.319 are a reward aren't always a reward. The world comes 272 00:17:35.880 --> 00:17:40.559 comes at things kind of like the hedonistic type attitude, 273 00:17:40.599 --> 00:17:45.440 and the hedonists really came from a place, a philosophical 274 00:17:45.480 --> 00:17:48.039 place of trying to understand what good and evil was. 275 00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:53.039 So the hedonists would say, well, simple explanation, that which 276 00:17:53.079 --> 00:17:56.160 feels good is good and that which feels bad is bad. 277 00:17:56.640 --> 00:17:59.680 But that's not true. I know that there's a lot 278 00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:02.559 of people that thrust their fists into the heavens and say, God, 279 00:18:02.599 --> 00:18:04.640 why are you putting me through this pain? But think 280 00:18:04.680 --> 00:18:09.799 about it. Is all pain bad and has all pleasure good? No? Equally? 281 00:18:11.160 --> 00:18:13.039 So if not all pain is bad and not all 282 00:18:13.079 --> 00:18:15.400 pleasure is good, then you weigh them based on what 283 00:18:15.559 --> 00:18:18.880 they're teaching or giving you and how it's building you 284 00:18:18.920 --> 00:18:21.559 in character, not building your wealth, because in scripture it 285 00:18:21.599 --> 00:18:24.799 says that you can build up wealth and it rots 286 00:18:24.960 --> 00:18:28.000 or rusts. It doesn't mean anything. You can't take it 287 00:18:28.079 --> 00:18:32.519 with you, it doesn't have any true value. What hopefully, 288 00:18:33.079 --> 00:18:35.880 when you're successful here on earth, you use that to 289 00:18:35.920 --> 00:18:39.759 propel yourself to do more things, to interact with more people, 290 00:18:40.359 --> 00:18:44.119 to be more productive. I'm dealing with your purpose, your 291 00:18:44.160 --> 00:18:48.640 gifts and abilities. What is the meaning of life? Simply this, 292 00:18:49.440 --> 00:18:53.039 to utilize your gifts and abilities along lines of excellence, 293 00:18:53.799 --> 00:18:56.920 to the edification of others and to the edification of yourself, 294 00:18:57.119 --> 00:19:01.319 to the glory of God. Any money you get, or 295 00:19:01.319 --> 00:19:05.160 any any special attention or favor you have in life, 296 00:19:05.400 --> 00:19:10.599 you're to use it in that way to edify others 297 00:19:10.720 --> 00:19:14.240 and to propel yourself along with others. It's not about 298 00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:16.279 getting the biggest house or any of those things. Not 299 00:19:16.319 --> 00:19:19.079 that any of that's wrong. It's okay to have things. 300 00:19:20.559 --> 00:19:23.359 It seems that the pendulum in life tends to go 301 00:19:23.519 --> 00:19:26.799 hard left or hard right with people. Nobody finds that 302 00:19:26.920 --> 00:19:30.079 balance in the center. It's like, oh so it's okay, 303 00:19:30.119 --> 00:19:33.480 you know. I hear people complaining about, you know, pastors 304 00:19:33.519 --> 00:19:36.519 that have homes, these large homes or and there is 305 00:19:36.559 --> 00:19:38.160 a limit. I think if you're a pastor, there's a 306 00:19:38.160 --> 00:19:42.400 place where you should understand that the appearance it gives 307 00:19:44.400 --> 00:19:47.480 is one of a stereotype and one that is a 308 00:19:47.519 --> 00:19:49.799 turn off to many people both in and out of 309 00:19:49.839 --> 00:19:51.920 the church, and that it's not helpful. It depends what 310 00:19:53.200 --> 00:19:57.240 you're producing. However, on the flip side, that you as 311 00:19:57.279 --> 00:20:00.279 an outsider looking at a pastor, should understand that many 312 00:20:00.319 --> 00:20:02.759 pastors have other jobs and other interests and other things 313 00:20:02.759 --> 00:20:05.480 that are in their life that bring the money. Whether 314 00:20:05.519 --> 00:20:09.599 they write, whether they're musicians, Some of them hold down 315 00:20:09.640 --> 00:20:13.759 other jobs. Often they're married to somebody who has money 316 00:20:13.920 --> 00:20:17.079 or has other jobs as well. So these things should 317 00:20:17.079 --> 00:20:19.640 be taken into account so it doesn't look like somebody's 318 00:20:19.640 --> 00:20:22.799 fleecing the flock when certainly they are not. It's not 319 00:20:22.920 --> 00:20:25.960 about just the accumulation of these things. It's about what 320 00:20:26.039 --> 00:20:28.119 these things bring to your life in other's life, and 321 00:20:28.160 --> 00:20:30.119 how you deal with them when you do have them, 322 00:20:30.400 --> 00:20:33.680 and how you deal with them when you don't not 323 00:20:33.920 --> 00:20:39.880 having things. My producer Neil always is thankful that he 324 00:20:39.920 --> 00:20:42.920 grew up without a lot of money, big family, not 325 00:20:43.039 --> 00:20:48.960 a lot of money, and he's thankful because the creativity 326 00:20:49.039 --> 00:20:52.119 that it forced upon him. He had to learn to 327 00:20:52.160 --> 00:20:56.720 do things differently and to be more creative because you know, 328 00:20:56.799 --> 00:20:59.480 the toys were broken or it didn't have toys or 329 00:20:59.480 --> 00:21:04.799 whatever it may be. And oftentimes people will comment about 330 00:21:04.799 --> 00:21:07.000 his family, Wow, a lot of them are creative. They're 331 00:21:07.039 --> 00:21:09.960 all creative in their own right. How does that happen? Well, 332 00:21:11.000 --> 00:21:15.720 be broke? You know, when you don't have money, it 333 00:21:15.759 --> 00:21:20.119 tends to it tends to get the creative juices flowing 334 00:21:20.119 --> 00:21:23.480 in other areas and then that can be helpful. So 335 00:21:23.519 --> 00:21:25.359 that's a positive thing that comes out of something that 336 00:21:25.440 --> 00:21:29.079 might be perceived as negative. It's very easy to just 337 00:21:29.759 --> 00:21:33.279 broad brush and say, Okay, well, everything that feels good 338 00:21:33.359 --> 00:21:35.279 is good, and everything feels bad is bad, and that's 339 00:21:35.440 --> 00:21:37.960 just not the way life works. There's a lot of pain. 340 00:21:38.039 --> 00:21:41.720 There's struggles in getting a tooth filled at the dentist, 341 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:46.759 going through an operation, and all the pain and and 342 00:21:47.640 --> 00:21:50.759 you know, recovery and all of these things. However, that 343 00:21:50.920 --> 00:21:57.960 is for a greater good. Studying, for finals, going through school, 344 00:21:58.920 --> 00:22:04.000 the struggles of the the initial parts of relationship, all 345 00:22:04.039 --> 00:22:07.680 of these things. You know, people say that, you know, 346 00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:10.559 marriage is hard all the time. I hear that marriage 347 00:22:10.599 --> 00:22:13.680 is not hard. Marriage is easy. Life is always easier 348 00:22:13.680 --> 00:22:21.319 with a partner. What's difficult is being selfless. That's what's difficult. 349 00:22:21.440 --> 00:22:25.119 Is you finding the ability to throw away all that 350 00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:29.000 selfish attitude and live for someone else and dedicate your 351 00:22:29.039 --> 00:22:31.400 life to someone else and be a good partner. That's 352 00:22:31.400 --> 00:22:35.119 what's difficult. Marriage is very easy. Two heads are always 353 00:22:35.119 --> 00:22:38.440 better than one, four hands are better than one. You know, 354 00:22:38.480 --> 00:22:42.160 it's there's so much to it that makes life easier. 355 00:22:42.559 --> 00:22:47.920 What makes it more difficult is being selfless. And in 356 00:22:47.960 --> 00:22:49.880 life it's the same thing. There's going to be times 357 00:22:49.880 --> 00:22:53.240 where you give up the pleasures or the so called pleasures, 358 00:22:53.400 --> 00:22:55.440 and really it's for a greater good. It's for a 359 00:22:55.440 --> 00:23:02.640 greater benefit. Bill, Welcome to the Jesus Christ Show. 360 00:23:03.319 --> 00:23:08.519 Well, sir, hi Hi, I had a little question for 361 00:23:08.599 --> 00:23:12.359 you in regards to faith, okay, which may not be 362 00:23:13.359 --> 00:23:18.119 approprictly timed for our day and age, but faith comes 363 00:23:18.119 --> 00:23:23.160 in many different faces. Power of walking on water is it? 364 00:23:23.200 --> 00:23:26.119 Is it something that humans can aspire to through faith, 365 00:23:26.880 --> 00:23:28.960 through teachings well, such as this. 366 00:23:29.559 --> 00:23:34.240 Well, there are things that took place when I was 367 00:23:34.519 --> 00:23:37.079 here on Earth two thousand years ago that had a 368 00:23:37.160 --> 00:23:41.599 purpose to help understand who I was and why I 369 00:23:41.680 --> 00:23:44.000 was here, and they had a specific purpose. Now, as 370 00:23:44.000 --> 00:23:48.119 far as great signs and wonders, there are those that 371 00:23:48.200 --> 00:23:50.640 believe that they those same things can take place now, 372 00:23:50.720 --> 00:23:54.240 and that there are statements in scripture that say, you know, 373 00:23:54.359 --> 00:23:56.720 I did great things, but you will do great things also, 374 00:23:56.759 --> 00:23:58.960 And people assume, okay, well, that means here there's gonna 375 00:23:58.960 --> 00:24:01.880 be great signs of wonders still, And there's a theological 376 00:24:01.920 --> 00:24:06.000 debate about that. You can argue that in Matthew Matthew 377 00:24:06.039 --> 00:24:08.720 chapter fourteen, where you read about the walking on water 378 00:24:09.079 --> 00:24:11.079 incident as well, as you can read it in Mark 379 00:24:11.559 --> 00:24:15.880 six and John six as well, that you when you 380 00:24:15.920 --> 00:24:18.640 look at that, you're dealing with not only me walking 381 00:24:18.680 --> 00:24:20.799 on water, but encouraging others to do it at the 382 00:24:21.880 --> 00:24:24.839 same time as well. And their faith was not in 383 00:24:24.880 --> 00:24:27.519 the place where they could if you remember, and they 384 00:24:27.519 --> 00:24:32.319 fell through the water. So that implies that that there 385 00:24:32.400 --> 00:24:38.000 is a capability there that wasn't ever shown or it 386 00:24:38.079 --> 00:24:41.000 wasn't ever documented. The fear is that you get to 387 00:24:41.039 --> 00:24:43.680 these places where you get shamans, or you get groups 388 00:24:43.720 --> 00:24:46.119 of people who do magic tricks and make it appear 389 00:24:46.160 --> 00:24:48.920 as if they're doing something, and then it shows that 390 00:24:49.240 --> 00:24:53.480 automatically they have great faith. There's trickery out there, and there, 391 00:24:53.559 --> 00:24:57.839 as I said, theologically, there are those that argue that 392 00:24:57.839 --> 00:25:01.440 that isn't for now, That sign and wonders of that 393 00:25:01.559 --> 00:25:04.400 type were there for a specific reason at a specific 394 00:25:04.480 --> 00:25:08.119 time to point down a specific path, and that path 395 00:25:08.200 --> 00:25:13.599 is already seen through the special design of scripture and 396 00:25:13.640 --> 00:25:15.960 the words written down, and that it doesn't need to 397 00:25:16.000 --> 00:25:20.359 be recreated. So it has there's theological twists to it 398 00:25:20.400 --> 00:25:24.960 as well. But effectively, if you look just through scripture 399 00:25:25.039 --> 00:25:27.359 and you see the things that are stated in scripture 400 00:25:28.160 --> 00:25:34.759 when you read in First Corinthians, chapter thirteen, where you 401 00:25:36.559 --> 00:25:40.759