Ministering In Our Mess

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:05.759 I Am Yours, I am yours, I am yours, s and me. 2 00:00:06.120 --> 00:00:10.550 Lord, I welcome to the Gospel Center pro life podcast and this episode 3 00:00:10.589 --> 00:00:13.349 we're going to talk about ministering in our mess, and if you're wondering what 4 00:00:13.390 --> 00:00:16.750 that means, then stay tuned for this episode because we feel like it will 5 00:00:16.750 --> 00:00:20.190 be a blessing to people in any kind of ministry, especially Pro Life Ministry. 6 00:00:23.699 --> 00:00:34.060 I felt show tassish touch your welcome to the Gospel Center pro life podcast. 7 00:00:35.340 --> 00:00:41.810 We wanted to do an episode about ministering in our mess and we realize, 8 00:00:42.289 --> 00:00:45.609 and hopefully this podcast is a blessing to pro life people. But I 9 00:00:45.729 --> 00:00:50.079 mean I realize, with this one and then the last podcast that we did, 10 00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:54.560 the two part podcast about empowering versus enabling, that this will be more 11 00:00:54.960 --> 00:00:59.719 broad than just pro life ministry, but really any ministry, anybody that's involved 12 00:00:59.719 --> 00:01:02.920 in ministry, I think, will benefit off of these podcasts. Yes, 13 00:01:03.399 --> 00:01:07.670 because we all deal with our mess, and this episode in particular we're talking 14 00:01:07.670 --> 00:01:11.709 about ministering in our mess. Now I think in some sense at least, 15 00:01:11.829 --> 00:01:15.030 you know, because of our experience and just what we do, that it's 16 00:01:15.069 --> 00:01:21.340 heightened in prolife ministry because we're dealing with literally life and death situations. That 17 00:01:21.379 --> 00:01:23.980 doesn't make our ministry more important, although I think it is more important because 18 00:01:25.019 --> 00:01:26.780 it's what God has called me to. But it is to make us more 19 00:01:26.819 --> 00:01:32.140 important. It just it's our experience. Right. We have mess that we 20 00:01:32.260 --> 00:01:36.290 deal with, and this in particular comes with your experience, Vicki, in 21 00:01:36.530 --> 00:01:40.010 ministry, but we all have experiencing. I can, I'll share some of 22 00:01:40.609 --> 00:01:42.170 the mess that I've had to minister to. And what we mean by that 23 00:01:42.890 --> 00:01:47.049 is there's junk going on in our lives and our personal lives, our family 24 00:01:47.159 --> 00:01:51.159 lives, church life, whatever do was we all did with mess in our 25 00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:53.519 lives. For sure, we're all called the ministry and we're going to have 26 00:01:53.519 --> 00:01:57.840 to minister in that mass. And does there come a point where we need 27 00:01:57.920 --> 00:02:00.079 to stop doing ministry? You know, in particular, what we're talking about 28 00:02:00.079 --> 00:02:02.750 a sidewalk counseling ministry. is to come a point where you need to stop 29 00:02:02.870 --> 00:02:06.430 going out to the sidewalk because of the things that are going on in your 30 00:02:06.469 --> 00:02:09.750 life, or do you need to press on through that? And hopefully you 31 00:02:09.870 --> 00:02:14.509 know there's some situations. I just say right right away that there's some situations 32 00:02:14.590 --> 00:02:16.979 where yet you do need to step back from the sidewalk, you do need 33 00:02:17.020 --> 00:02:21.740 to step back from ministering in the pregnancy center, you do need to step 34 00:02:21.780 --> 00:02:23.300 back even, you know, pastors need to step back from the pulpit. 35 00:02:23.419 --> 00:02:29.219 Sometimes I need to step back from ministrying that capacity, but I think maybe 36 00:02:29.300 --> 00:02:31.569 not more often than not. But we need to be discerning and trying to 37 00:02:31.569 --> 00:02:36.090 figure out window. I just need to press through this now. We're not 38 00:02:36.250 --> 00:02:38.330 even necessarily going to be talking about sin issues. I think that can be 39 00:02:38.370 --> 00:02:43.409 a whole separate thing. Where we're talking about there's unrepentant sin in your life, 40 00:02:43.689 --> 00:02:46.800 right then that's not ministering through your mass, right, that's ministering in 41 00:02:46.919 --> 00:02:51.800 the midst of sin. You need to repent and and probably why, I'd 42 00:02:51.800 --> 00:02:54.120 say. Certainly do need to step out of ministry. So we're not really 43 00:02:54.199 --> 00:03:00.389 talking about that per se. What we're talking about is family issues, health 44 00:03:00.550 --> 00:03:05.430 issues, even, I don't know, mental issues that you're dealing with. 45 00:03:05.469 --> 00:03:08.349 I don't know. You know, not mental illness, just emotional stuff and 46 00:03:08.469 --> 00:03:13.620 all that right. So yeah, yeah, you know. And something that 47 00:03:14.419 --> 00:03:19.620 just occurred to me while you were speaking was sometimes that mess is the result 48 00:03:19.740 --> 00:03:23.659 of spiritual warfare. Yeah, that's that's an important point, different and that's 49 00:03:23.699 --> 00:03:29.289 why I say you know again from our experience what we're dealing with now. 50 00:03:29.289 --> 00:03:35.449 I'll tell folks the abortion issue and especially add the abortion clinics. That's the 51 00:03:35.569 --> 00:03:38.530 devil's pride and joy, right, the sacrifice of little baby boys, a 52 00:03:38.569 --> 00:03:43.800 little baby girls, like the devil's always been after the destruction of the image 53 00:03:43.840 --> 00:03:49.400 of God, and that's where it takes place, place most predominantly, I 54 00:03:49.479 --> 00:03:52.599 guess you'd say. And if you're going to go out there, we tell 55 00:03:52.599 --> 00:03:53.439 our volunteers, if you're going to come out here and commit to this, 56 00:03:53.639 --> 00:03:57.110 it's things a devil's pride and joy and he's not going to leave you alone. 57 00:03:57.110 --> 00:03:59.949 There's going to be some spiritual warfare in your life that you have not 58 00:04:00.110 --> 00:04:02.909 experienced before if you're involved in that, and this particular ministry doesn't mean it 59 00:04:02.949 --> 00:04:06.590 doesn't happen in other ministries. It does. You know, people talk about 60 00:04:06.710 --> 00:04:11.300 when they go to be missionaries in other countries and there's a lot of just 61 00:04:11.460 --> 00:04:15.099 demonic activity in those countries and things that they're the spiritual warfare is heightened. 62 00:04:15.099 --> 00:04:18.339 That certainly true. But that is an important point, is that we're maybe 63 00:04:18.420 --> 00:04:23.779 talking more than anything about spiritual to warfare, the things that happened right based 64 00:04:23.860 --> 00:04:26.930 on the fact that you've committed yourself to the Lord to really be in the 65 00:04:27.009 --> 00:04:30.769 battle. Because, let's face it, most Christians, though, were we 66 00:04:30.490 --> 00:04:33.170 get in the spiritual battle. When you become a Christian, you're in the 67 00:04:33.250 --> 00:04:38.370 battle, but most Christians are not engaged in the spiritual battle. Most Christians 68 00:04:38.370 --> 00:04:41.639 are, you know, sitting on the pews, sidelines. When you jump 69 00:04:41.720 --> 00:04:45.959 into the battle, this is when the mass is really going to be kicked 70 00:04:46.000 --> 00:04:48.319 up and you know a thousand notches. You know it. I had I 71 00:04:48.439 --> 00:04:54.470 had one volunteer recently tell me, but do people think you're nutty when you 72 00:04:54.589 --> 00:04:59.470 talk about spiritual warfare? And I said probably, but it's still real. 73 00:04:59.550 --> 00:05:02.870 Yeah, and I never knew that. Honestly, I never knew that till 74 00:05:02.910 --> 00:05:08.540 I was on the sidewalk in front of an abortion center. And I believe 75 00:05:09.339 --> 00:05:15.100 was effective. And the devil does not like, yes, being affected when 76 00:05:15.100 --> 00:05:18.139 you advanced, when you're being used by the Lord to advance his kingdom, 77 00:05:18.699 --> 00:05:21.730 the devil's not just going to sit by and let you do that without some 78 00:05:21.930 --> 00:05:28.129 opposition. So so kind of something to think about in the background of this 79 00:05:28.290 --> 00:05:35.720 whole discussion today is do we then back off because we're under bitter attack? 80 00:05:36.160 --> 00:05:42.959 And I would say no, right, no, but there are some attacks 81 00:05:43.560 --> 00:05:50.670 that are so brutal, and I did experience that, that it is almost 82 00:05:50.750 --> 00:05:59.269 impossible not to back off. Yeah, because it's so dangerous. This is 83 00:05:59.470 --> 00:06:03.699 this is one of those points where I need to remind folks that we're in 84 00:06:03.779 --> 00:06:06.180 a spiritual battle. For sure, no matter what we're doing, if we're 85 00:06:06.180 --> 00:06:11.860 advancing God's kingdom, we're in a spiritual battle and we can't, we can't 86 00:06:11.980 --> 00:06:14.819 fight alone. That's why it's important for us to be a part of a 87 00:06:14.899 --> 00:06:16.579 local church. If you don't have the support, the prayer, support, 88 00:06:16.699 --> 00:06:21.089 the encouragement from your local church, it's really hard to get through it if 89 00:06:21.129 --> 00:06:26.810 you don't have other believers around you. That's one of the real blessings for 90 00:06:26.970 --> 00:06:29.250 being a part of cities for life. Me On the sidewalks we have a 91 00:06:29.290 --> 00:06:32.680 group of people who are just some of the most godly and encouraging people you'll 92 00:06:32.680 --> 00:06:36.480 ever meet and we encourage each other out there. So we need each other. 93 00:06:36.680 --> 00:06:40.160 It's can't, can't fight this thing alone, and some of the things 94 00:06:40.199 --> 00:06:45.319 that I've seen in pro life or abolitionists or whatever people want to call themselves, 95 00:06:45.360 --> 00:06:46.870 minister, and out an abortion clinic. I've seen people burn out. 96 00:06:46.910 --> 00:06:51.509 I've seen people crash and burn because there are loners out there by themselves and 97 00:06:51.670 --> 00:06:56.029 they're trying to do this thing along with no support, with no encouragement from 98 00:06:56.029 --> 00:06:59.629 their local church, no accountability, and it just does not go well. 99 00:07:00.029 --> 00:07:03.259 Right. Yeah, and the mass of their lives ends up overtaking them and 100 00:07:03.620 --> 00:07:09.060 they become very ineffective. I've seen that more than more than once, right 101 00:07:09.220 --> 00:07:12.740 place, so I can speak very knowledgeably. Yeah, I want you to 102 00:07:12.779 --> 00:07:15.699 get into your store because I think this will help. This will help people. 103 00:07:15.810 --> 00:07:18.370 Yeah, about I don't know, four years ago, four to five 104 00:07:18.410 --> 00:07:23.009 years ago, was when it started and I was I'd been on the sidewalk 105 00:07:23.050 --> 00:07:28.649 probably about a year. I had experienced spiritual warfare, but not to the 106 00:07:28.850 --> 00:07:33.800 extent of what happened. All in the space of about three months and in 107 00:07:34.279 --> 00:07:41.720 that time period in my life, really everything that I held dear fell apart. 108 00:07:42.759 --> 00:07:47.110 There were severe family issues. My family just really imploded. Yeah, 109 00:07:47.149 --> 00:07:56.430 in many areas, savings wiped out my both my parents were put in and 110 00:07:56.750 --> 00:08:01.579 they lost their health and had to go into assisted living and I pretty much 111 00:08:01.819 --> 00:08:07.019 singlehandedly moved them. I was the one that went and and helped to gather 112 00:08:07.139 --> 00:08:11.180 all their things, went to the nursing homes and and help them select a 113 00:08:11.180 --> 00:08:18.449 nursing home and enormously emotionally difficult. Yeah, both my dogs, my beloved 114 00:08:18.649 --> 00:08:26.410 dogs, died of cancer and then I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and 115 00:08:26.610 --> 00:08:33.799 that all happened literally within a three month period, right. So it was 116 00:08:33.879 --> 00:08:37.159 a mess going on. Oh, it was such a mess and in every 117 00:08:37.399 --> 00:08:43.909 area and I really had no idea, yea, how I was going to 118 00:08:43.149 --> 00:08:48.549 survive. Yeah, there was just so much sorrow, yeah, and despair. 119 00:08:50.230 --> 00:08:56.860 So I had a choice. I could have stopped coming out to the 120 00:08:56.139 --> 00:09:03.100 sidewalk, but I didn't because I kept saying in my head I hate what's 121 00:09:03.139 --> 00:09:07.220 happening in my life, and I actually hated some people in my life at 122 00:09:07.259 --> 00:09:13.289 the time, but I hated Satan more. Yeah, and I was not 123 00:09:13.929 --> 00:09:18.490 going to give him the victory. Yeah, I was determined not to give 124 00:09:18.490 --> 00:09:22.690 him the victory and I would drive to the sidewalk for on my ministry day. 125 00:09:22.730 --> 00:09:26.480 At that time, I was coming out just once a week, crying 126 00:09:26.559 --> 00:09:31.720 my eyes out, thinking about all these things, everything that I was facing 127 00:09:31.799 --> 00:09:37.080 and thinking, how on earth can I minister to anyone with all that I'm 128 00:09:37.200 --> 00:09:45.950 struggling with? And I would get there and God would just take over, 129 00:09:46.269 --> 00:09:48.909 yeah, and take care of me. And I think part of it was 130 00:09:48.110 --> 00:09:54.580 that I was surrounded by godly people who none, a very few new, 131 00:09:54.059 --> 00:09:58.820 if any. Buddy, I don't think I shared with anyone out here much 132 00:09:58.820 --> 00:10:05.419 of what I was going through, but but I was in the midst of 133 00:10:05.500 --> 00:10:11.129 people who were filled with this holy spirit and loved God and and and came 134 00:10:13.809 --> 00:10:18.929 right surrounded me with that, with that love and knowledge of God. So 135 00:10:18.090 --> 00:10:22.799 there was that, which I think was critical. But there was also that 136 00:10:22.240 --> 00:10:26.039 in the midst of all that stuff that I was struggling with, God was 137 00:10:26.200 --> 00:10:31.399 using me. There was no doubt there would be women, saved, women 138 00:10:31.440 --> 00:10:33.960 that would come to the Lord, women that would come and talk to me, 139 00:10:35.120 --> 00:10:39.950 women that would choose life, and I knew God was using me as 140 00:10:39.070 --> 00:10:46.350 a an instrument to bring that about and it brought me so much joy, 141 00:10:46.629 --> 00:10:52.139 really the only joy, yeah, that I experienced was experiencing at that time 142 00:10:52.299 --> 00:10:56.139 in my life. Yeah, and purpose. Yeah, well, one of 143 00:10:56.139 --> 00:11:01.259 the realities that we see scripturally speaking, because this is not just we're not 144 00:11:01.460 --> 00:11:05.090 just talking experential the Bible. What the Bible teaches them, what the Bible 145 00:11:05.169 --> 00:11:07.570 says is most important to us, not just our experience. And we talked 146 00:11:07.570 --> 00:11:11.090 about spiritual warfare. People can get kind of weirded out by that. Are 147 00:11:11.090 --> 00:11:15.009 you talking about some cookie stuff, you know, when you're seeing angels and 148 00:11:15.129 --> 00:11:20.000 demons and all that, and I mean biblically the kind of stuff can happen. 149 00:11:20.200 --> 00:11:22.519 Angels Do show up and demons do new show up, but we're not 150 00:11:22.639 --> 00:11:26.440 really talking about that. What we're talking about is is some of the attacks 151 00:11:26.480 --> 00:11:31.799 that just come physically. We're talking about attacks that come on your mind, 152 00:11:31.360 --> 00:11:35.750 things that like, why am I thinking this way? Why am I you 153 00:11:35.830 --> 00:11:37.909 know, in just in general, just your life being under a tag. 154 00:11:37.950 --> 00:11:41.509 It seems like you're you're getting hit from every angle. And so we're talking 155 00:11:41.509 --> 00:11:46.309 about spiritual warfare. We really talking about how it hits home practically in a 156 00:11:46.350 --> 00:11:50.460 lot of ways and and how it can you at least. Have you tempted 157 00:11:50.500 --> 00:11:54.620 to back away from ministry in a time where you really just need to press 158 00:11:54.700 --> 00:11:56.820 in now? Yeah, again, there are times when, you know, 159 00:11:56.940 --> 00:12:01.450 I'll tell our volunteers that your first ministry, because a lot of our volunteers 160 00:12:01.649 --> 00:12:05.289 or women, a lot of them homeschool moms and that kind of thing, 161 00:12:07.210 --> 00:12:09.850 and I tell them your first ministries to your family. So here's a gage 162 00:12:11.250 --> 00:12:15.210 for me. If you need to back away from ministry, is you being 163 00:12:15.250 --> 00:12:18.879 out here on the sidewalk taking away from your first and Primary Ministry, which 164 00:12:18.879 --> 00:12:22.039 is to your family? If it's taken away from that doesn't mean that there's 165 00:12:22.039 --> 00:12:24.840 not going to be some times, and we talked about this a little bit 166 00:12:24.960 --> 00:12:28.399 in there in our last couple of podcast there's going to be some times where 167 00:12:28.399 --> 00:12:31.470 you just have to press in and you have to you know, whatever you 168 00:12:31.549 --> 00:12:35.429 know, Miss, you know, soccer games or something like that out. 169 00:12:35.429 --> 00:12:37.870 It shouldn't be a regular pattern. So I'm not encouraging any of that, 170 00:12:37.909 --> 00:12:39.509 but I'm just saying there's gonna be some times some sacrifices you have to make. 171 00:12:39.870 --> 00:12:43.419 But if you're neglecting your first ministry, if you're neglecting your family and 172 00:12:43.580 --> 00:12:48.659 whatever ministry involved in, then you definitely need to rethink that thing. Right. 173 00:12:50.379 --> 00:12:54.299 But there is a hard and I'm listen, we're not on this podcast 174 00:12:54.379 --> 00:12:58.179 to give you the answer of when you need to back away from ministry and 175 00:12:58.259 --> 00:13:00.529 when you need to press in. I'm not. I don't think we're going 176 00:13:00.570 --> 00:13:03.169 to give you the exact answer they only answer we're going to say is you 177 00:13:03.210 --> 00:13:07.129 need to seek the Lord and you need to seek godly counsel from other people. 178 00:13:07.210 --> 00:13:09.490 It's always good, again, to be a part of a local church. 179 00:13:09.529 --> 00:13:11.330 We can talk with your pastor you can talk with other elders in the 180 00:13:11.370 --> 00:13:16.440 church. Of course, if you're a woman and you know if your man, 181 00:13:16.600 --> 00:13:18.799 talk to your wife, talk to your husband, get counseled from them, 182 00:13:18.919 --> 00:13:20.279 get counseled from other brothers and sisters. Hey, do I need to 183 00:13:20.320 --> 00:13:24.399 press in or do I need to back away from ministry? But there are 184 00:13:24.440 --> 00:13:26.830 some principles and there's there's a scripture that you brought out. Really think it's 185 00:13:26.830 --> 00:13:31.870 important for us to have a theme scripture. Yes, at least a couple 186 00:13:31.870 --> 00:13:35.149 of scriptures that were thinking about when we're thinking about this whole thing, ministering 187 00:13:35.190 --> 00:13:39.669 through our mess. So what is that scripture? Second Corinthians twelve. Second 188 00:13:39.750 --> 00:13:43.940 Corinthians twelve nine. Okay, and he has said to me, my grace 189 00:13:43.059 --> 00:13:48.820 is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly, 190 00:13:48.940 --> 00:13:54.740 therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses so that the power of Christ 191 00:13:54.139 --> 00:14:01.129 may dwell in me. So that scripture really spoke to me in in one 192 00:14:01.769 --> 00:14:09.690 way, saying, yes, you may bring your mess to ministry and still 193 00:14:09.360 --> 00:14:13.799 be effective in ministry. Yeah, and I think that's kind of the main 194 00:14:15.600 --> 00:14:20.919 point of when I was thinking through this, that you can be a mess 195 00:14:20.360 --> 00:14:28.070 and still be effective and not to be afraid or feel like a hypocrite that 196 00:14:28.389 --> 00:14:33.149 I'm so broken, how could I poss simply help fix someone else? Yeah, 197 00:14:33.629 --> 00:14:39.980 while I was going through my really extreme struggles, there were some principles 198 00:14:39.379 --> 00:14:46.860 that I learned that sustained me and I think might be valuable to others. 199 00:14:46.259 --> 00:14:54.970 So I I thought of five that that I felt were lessons I had learned 200 00:14:54.049 --> 00:15:01.490 as as I went went through what I was going through. So the first 201 00:15:01.529 --> 00:15:07.200 one is hate and anger should never be our motivation. Okay, for minutes, 202 00:15:07.399 --> 00:15:11.440 because there can be some things going on in your life, personal issues, 203 00:15:11.639 --> 00:15:18.039 people that are doing things to you that are not good and taking advantage 204 00:15:18.039 --> 00:15:22.029 of you in certain ways, whatever. I don't know. I'm not going 205 00:15:22.070 --> 00:15:24.110 to name out a bunch of contime. I mean it could be a husband 206 00:15:24.110 --> 00:15:28.470 and wife relationship, it could be other relationship. Church relationships, even where 207 00:15:28.470 --> 00:15:31.070 people are taking advantage of people not doing what they should be doing from their 208 00:15:31.149 --> 00:15:37.059 perspective. And of course it's personally offensive. It makes you angry and and 209 00:15:37.860 --> 00:15:41.980 you can be anger angered and just kind of vent that anger you at the 210 00:15:43.019 --> 00:15:48.059 abortion clinic or whatever ministry that you're involved in. And we tell people and 211 00:15:48.259 --> 00:15:52.370 we put it out there. I'll refer you, guys, to to our 212 00:15:52.409 --> 00:15:54.889 sidewalks for life site and I talked about this article I'd wrote at the very 213 00:15:54.889 --> 00:15:58.250 beginning. We started putting out ball post for that website. And it's the 214 00:15:58.289 --> 00:16:03.850 philosophy of ministry. What is our philosophy of Ministry as Gospel sent itsild World 215 00:16:03.889 --> 00:16:07.200 Counselors? And one of those things is that our motivation cannot be hatred for 216 00:16:07.279 --> 00:16:12.080 abortion. We can't be motivated by hatred for abortion, by hatred for parenthood, 217 00:16:12.200 --> 00:16:17.600 certainly by hatred for people. And and in the same way this that 218 00:16:17.840 --> 00:16:21.750 that point, applause here. Hatred cannot be a motivation for ministry. It's 219 00:16:21.870 --> 00:16:26.950 wicked as abortion is, it cannot be our motivation for ministry. Right. 220 00:16:26.629 --> 00:16:30.830 It's not. It's bad to hate abortion. It's not. You should hate 221 00:16:30.830 --> 00:16:33.899 abortion. It's a very evil thing, but it cannot be your primary motivation. 222 00:16:33.980 --> 00:16:38.379 Right, and an understanding. I know when I was going through there 223 00:16:38.500 --> 00:16:41.779 was a great deal of anger. As I was going through my mass, 224 00:16:44.419 --> 00:16:51.210 I really analyzed where that anger was coming from and for me there were two 225 00:16:51.250 --> 00:17:00.330 main areas fear and hurt. Okay. So knowing that actually God used that 226 00:17:00.129 --> 00:17:07.640 revelation of using my own anger and understanding where that was coming from to better 227 00:17:07.680 --> 00:17:14.160 understand the people that I was ministering to do too, and feeling greater empathy 228 00:17:15.359 --> 00:17:21.230 towards and for them because of what I knew. I was what was the 229 00:17:21.309 --> 00:17:29.829 source of my anger, and it became I was not as defensive or harmed 230 00:17:30.420 --> 00:17:33.339 by their anger, the anger of the peep, because at at least, 231 00:17:33.380 --> 00:17:37.259 I don't know if that's true of all ministries, but certainly in our ministry, 232 00:17:37.380 --> 00:17:41.220 the people we minister to are often very angry. Yeah, at us. 233 00:17:41.220 --> 00:17:47.329 Yeah, we get a lot of angry tirades directed toward us. Yeah, 234 00:17:47.970 --> 00:17:49.970 well, from time to time, from time that time. Yeah, 235 00:17:51.970 --> 00:17:56.450 so I recognize that, just as as I had at times during what I 236 00:17:56.569 --> 00:18:03.640 was going through, fueled my anger in destructive ways. Yeah, that's what 237 00:18:03.279 --> 00:18:08.440 those women are often doing. Yeah, out at the abortion center the abortion 238 00:18:08.519 --> 00:18:14.430 minded women and it gave me a whole new to really important things, gave 239 00:18:14.470 --> 00:18:21.829 me a whole new insight into ministering to them, but also changed me. 240 00:18:22.269 --> 00:18:26.349 Yeah, it changed me. In the mess that I was going through, 241 00:18:26.630 --> 00:18:33.339 God was healing me and giving me new strategies. You had to more effectively 242 00:18:33.500 --> 00:18:41.099 deal with things that I was doing to cause some of that mess. That's 243 00:18:41.180 --> 00:18:45.369 it. The Lord uses mess that we bring upon ourselves and other people bring 244 00:18:45.410 --> 00:18:49.769 upon us to sanctify us. And ultimately, I think you'll talk a little 245 00:18:49.769 --> 00:18:53.329 bit more about this as we're going through, from your personal experience, but 246 00:18:53.410 --> 00:18:59.640 just biblically in general. Who's our example, right? Jesus example, and 247 00:18:59.720 --> 00:19:02.960 look, get the mess that he had to minister through. Yes, he 248 00:19:03.079 --> 00:19:04.599 came into his own and his own did not receive him. So he came 249 00:19:04.680 --> 00:19:10.000 to the Jewish people and he's the Messiah. It comes on the scene to 250 00:19:10.509 --> 00:19:12.829 heal their wounds and to, you know, to lead them to truth, 251 00:19:12.869 --> 00:19:17.390 and they outright reject him and he's dealing with, you know, brick law 252 00:19:17.470 --> 00:19:22.190 after brick wall in Ministry and Ultimately He's crucified right, just completely rejected. 253 00:19:22.390 --> 00:19:26.220 All he does is good for people and they want to accuse him of being, 254 00:19:26.500 --> 00:19:30.259 you know, he's casting demons out of people. There's saying you're doing 255 00:19:30.259 --> 00:19:33.500 it by the power of demons. Wow, he can't win for losing with 256 00:19:33.500 --> 00:19:37.140 these people, right. And he's are ultimate example of ministering through the mass. 257 00:19:37.569 --> 00:19:41.970 And yet, you know, we see in Christ that he's always going 258 00:19:42.170 --> 00:19:45.849 to the father, he's always clinging to the father, he's always, you 259 00:19:45.930 --> 00:19:48.690 know, confiding, I guess you could say, in the father and and 260 00:19:49.130 --> 00:19:53.759 and that's his source for life, so to speak. Now he's, of 261 00:19:53.839 --> 00:19:59.839 course, the divine son of God, but he's showing us in his humanity, 262 00:19:59.920 --> 00:20:03.960 because he lays that that divinity in a sense aside, and in his 263 00:20:03.039 --> 00:20:07.670 humanity showing us what it is to be in fellowship with a father and the 264 00:20:07.789 --> 00:20:11.829 minister out of that. And that's an important point exactly. And that's where 265 00:20:11.829 --> 00:20:15.670 where he found his strength and that's where we find our strength and instead of 266 00:20:15.789 --> 00:20:21.150 focusing on how weak we are, how reviled we are, whatever, yea, 267 00:20:21.190 --> 00:20:22.940 because seen on God. You know, the Apostle Paul, you know, 268 00:20:23.059 --> 00:20:27.299 you read that scripture from the Second Corinthians right, another scripture in Second 269 00:20:27.339 --> 00:20:30.220 Corinthians, very early on Second Corinthians, chapter to this is one of my 270 00:20:30.259 --> 00:20:34.849 favorite scriptures when it talks about sufficiency and being sufficient in ourselves. The danger 271 00:20:36.250 --> 00:20:38.890 is when we think we've got it together, that we don't have mess going 272 00:20:38.970 --> 00:20:42.569 on, we've got it figured out and we can minister in our own sufficiency, 273 00:20:44.009 --> 00:20:47.009 that would be that would be a terrible trap to fall into. Yeah, 274 00:20:47.089 --> 00:20:48.529 so, if nothing else, maybe this podcast will help you from from 275 00:20:48.690 --> 00:20:52.319 falling into that Chap, because when you think you've got it figured out and 276 00:20:52.400 --> 00:20:55.119 you can do this in your own strength, you're in the worst place you 277 00:20:55.160 --> 00:20:57.519 could possibly be in. But this is sack Corinthians, to Second Corinthians, 278 00:20:57.640 --> 00:21:02.400 to and verse fourteen, and says now thinks me to God, who always 279 00:21:02.440 --> 00:21:06.349 leads us in triumph in Christ. Our triumph is in Christ, not in 280 00:21:06.589 --> 00:21:11.829 in and of ourselves, and through and through us, diffuses the fragrance of 281 00:21:11.950 --> 00:21:15.589 his knowledge in every place, for we are to God, the fragrance of 282 00:21:15.670 --> 00:21:18.980 Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To 283 00:21:19.099 --> 00:21:22.819 the one we are the Roma, the aroma of death leading to death, 284 00:21:23.299 --> 00:21:27.059 and to the other, the aroma of life leading to life. Who is 285 00:21:27.140 --> 00:21:32.140 sufficient for these things? And so he's talking about the Ministry of the Gospel. 286 00:21:32.180 --> 00:21:33.289 He's talking about going in. I mean, look at the life of 287 00:21:33.329 --> 00:21:38.170 the Apostle Paul. He's going into areas where people are trying to kill him. 288 00:21:38.210 --> 00:21:42.690 There are people who are refusing his message and casting him out of the 289 00:21:42.769 --> 00:21:47.440 city and threatening to kill him, and mobs are raising up against him, 290 00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:51.119 and then there are people who are receiving the message of the Gospel and there 291 00:21:51.160 --> 00:21:53.640 are all kinds of miracles taking place through this brother. So he's seeing, 292 00:21:53.759 --> 00:21:59.039 like both extremes and he's recognizing in this he says, to one we are 293 00:21:59.079 --> 00:22:00.549 the fragrance of death leading to death, like they hate us, they want 294 00:22:00.549 --> 00:22:03.390 us to get away from we are stinching their nostrils, and to the other 295 00:22:03.470 --> 00:22:07.630 where fragrance of life leading to life. He says, who's sufficient for these 296 00:22:07.670 --> 00:22:11.549 things, like who can deal with both of these extremes? Who can deal 297 00:22:11.630 --> 00:22:15.460 with the tension of ministry? Who can deal with the mess in personally, 298 00:22:15.500 --> 00:22:21.099 in our lives, and the mess that ministry itself brings? Who's sufficient for 299 00:22:21.180 --> 00:22:26.220 these things? As a rhetorical question, nobody is. That's why our sufficiency, 300 00:22:26.380 --> 00:22:29.740 I think, he goes later on to say in Second Corinthians or another 301 00:22:29.779 --> 00:22:33.609 place, he says that our sufficiency is in Christ, and so it's clinging 302 00:22:33.809 --> 00:22:38.890 to Christ as our sufficiency as we're dealing with the mess. But continue with 303 00:22:40.049 --> 00:22:44.250 what you write and will just piggybacking off of that idea just just briefly. 304 00:22:44.920 --> 00:22:49.160 If turning, turning to Christ in the midst of our mess is critical, 305 00:22:49.319 --> 00:22:56.240 because I have seen some people become bitter and angry at God in the midst 306 00:22:56.240 --> 00:22:59.750 of their mess, blame it all on him, say why is this happening 307 00:22:59.910 --> 00:23:04.509 to me, and I think that just feeds again into the sense of you 308 00:23:04.630 --> 00:23:10.509 know, I deserve better. Yeah, and no, we don't. We 309 00:23:10.910 --> 00:23:15.180 all deserve hell yeah, but when we are weak and when we completely submit 310 00:23:15.339 --> 00:23:21.579 and lose our pride. I had no pride that it was me doing anything 311 00:23:21.700 --> 00:23:26.299 on that sidewalk because I was bringing nothing to that sidewalk. Yeah, but 312 00:23:26.660 --> 00:23:33.130 Christ really filled me. Yeah, and empowered me to a point where really 313 00:23:33.250 --> 00:23:37.410 even I was surprised, like how is this happening? Out of here, 314 00:23:37.529 --> 00:23:41.049 all the tripture. I believe it's the Apostle Paul Soo, who says that 315 00:23:41.250 --> 00:23:45.359 we have this treasure in earthen vessels. So all we are as these earthen 316 00:23:45.400 --> 00:23:48.119 vessels and we think of earthen vessel, you know, and that day and 317 00:23:48.160 --> 00:23:51.880 age we're talking just a common vessel. We're just there's nothing special about us, 318 00:23:51.880 --> 00:23:56.190 an earthen vessels, not like a brass or gold or silver vessel. 319 00:23:56.390 --> 00:23:59.829 It's just a common vessel. That's what that's what he's saying. That's what's 320 00:23:59.829 --> 00:24:03.589 implied there. We have this treasure. So imagine putting an awesome treasure, 321 00:24:03.630 --> 00:24:07.750 a bunch of gold, in a just old clay pot. That's that's kind 322 00:24:07.789 --> 00:24:10.900 of the picture there. We have this treasure which is God's spirit, gots 323 00:24:10.940 --> 00:24:14.700 truth, God's word, that's put in these common vessels. There's nothing special 324 00:24:14.700 --> 00:24:19.059 about us. It's God's truth. That really that really is. It makes 325 00:24:19.140 --> 00:24:23.059 the difference and you have to understand. I think if we have this mentality 326 00:24:23.099 --> 00:24:27.450 that there's something special about us, that God somehow needs us, then we're 327 00:24:27.450 --> 00:24:30.529 going to crash and burn pretty easy. Yeah, that's really good. and 328 00:24:30.650 --> 00:24:34.250 seeing the mess and being honest about the mess it's going on in our lives 329 00:24:34.410 --> 00:24:40.319 helps us to see our sufficiency in Christ and helps us to see our weness. 330 00:24:40.759 --> 00:24:44.839 And his strength is that that Second Corinthians fourteen passes. His strength is 331 00:24:44.920 --> 00:24:48.400 made perfect in weakness. So when we're weak and we ain't got it figured 332 00:24:48.440 --> 00:24:52.839 out and we can do this ourselves. The fruit that is being born, 333 00:24:52.109 --> 00:24:59.349 all glory goes to God and and you know will say God did it through 334 00:24:59.470 --> 00:25:03.230 me, he used me like he used a donkey, but that's that's simply 335 00:25:03.349 --> 00:25:06.750 it. I was just a vessel that he used, and he'll use you 336 00:25:06.990 --> 00:25:12.819 too, you know exactly. So the second point that I wrote down as 337 00:25:12.859 --> 00:25:17.660 I was thinking through the principles was that it's similar to the first one, 338 00:25:17.859 --> 00:25:22.769 that hate and anger, anger will never sustain us in ministry. Yeah, 339 00:25:22.890 --> 00:25:26.569 we will burn out very quickly. And you know, great versus James, 340 00:25:26.609 --> 00:25:30.329 James One hundred and twenty, for the anger of Man Does Not Produce the 341 00:25:30.369 --> 00:25:36.839 righteousness of God. So in my own story, I was, like I 342 00:25:37.000 --> 00:25:41.000 had said earlier, I was filled with anger and hurt and pain, but 343 00:25:41.079 --> 00:25:47.759 I come to the sidewalk and start ministering and what replaced all of that was 344 00:25:47.920 --> 00:25:53.150 just utter joy. Yeah, the joy was that God was using me and 345 00:25:53.349 --> 00:25:59.390 that I knew he was using me because I knew I couldn't do it and 346 00:25:59.430 --> 00:26:06.099 I knew that it was this this this unbelievable spirit that was working through this 347 00:26:06.259 --> 00:26:12.859 very broken in vessel. That is such a powerful thing to have and and 348 00:26:14.140 --> 00:26:19.210 to experience. So it was joy that kept me coming back and that joy 349 00:26:19.410 --> 00:26:27.690 persist there is there's really the one of the happiest places that I am is 350 00:26:27.930 --> 00:26:33.200 on the sidewalk crazy, and not because we and not because of all the 351 00:26:33.599 --> 00:26:38.240 horror that is happening in that building, but because the glory of God is 352 00:26:38.400 --> 00:26:45.599 exhibited by every volunteer that is there, filled with the spirit and allowing themselves 353 00:26:45.680 --> 00:26:49.470 to be used by him. It is beautiful, yeah, to behold. 354 00:26:49.509 --> 00:26:53.470 Yeah, so do you have anything to add? Add to them? That's 355 00:26:53.589 --> 00:26:56.670 that's good point. Like said, it ties into that first point, right. 356 00:26:56.910 --> 00:27:02.259 And so the third point is our model for ministry should be Jesus, 357 00:27:02.420 --> 00:27:06.779 and I we mentioned that. They is our model for ministry. You know, 358 00:27:06.900 --> 00:27:10.299 the like. You had said something about the bracelets that people used to 359 00:27:10.339 --> 00:27:14.059 wear. What would just what would Jesus do? What would Jesus do? 360 00:27:14.339 --> 00:27:17.490 What would Jesus do? WWJAD, it was all over the place. I 361 00:27:17.650 --> 00:27:22.450 forget what what decade that happened, but tshirts on bracelets became kind of trite. 362 00:27:22.769 --> 00:27:25.289 Yeah, it's true. Yeah, it is true. I think even 363 00:27:25.329 --> 00:27:29.809 more biblically we can look at what did Jesus do? Like your have biblical 364 00:27:29.890 --> 00:27:32.759 example. We don't have to ask ourselves what would Jesus do? We can 365 00:27:32.799 --> 00:27:34.319 look in the scription and say what did Jesus do? What did he do 366 00:27:34.519 --> 00:27:38.160 when he experienced opposition? What did he do when he was ridiculed? What 367 00:27:38.279 --> 00:27:41.720 did he do when family members, I mean he had points where his brothers 368 00:27:42.079 --> 00:27:45.950 mocked him like you know, if you if you listen, if you're the 369 00:27:45.990 --> 00:27:48.150 son of God and you do these miracles will, why aren't you out there 370 00:27:48.190 --> 00:27:51.230 in the public doing them? You know? And so he certainly dealt with 371 00:27:51.349 --> 00:27:55.349 a lot of the mess of life and ministered through it, again clinging to 372 00:27:55.430 --> 00:27:57.779 the father, and I think that's that's the most important point, as it 373 00:27:57.859 --> 00:28:02.900 has to do with this point. Is Our model of ministry is Jesus. 374 00:28:03.740 --> 00:28:08.500 What did Jesus do? Is He always sought the father's will. He always 375 00:28:10.619 --> 00:28:14.690 clean. You could find Jesus out praying right is discible to find him praying. 376 00:28:15.569 --> 00:28:19.089 He's seeking God, he's clinging to the Lord and that's not always easy 377 00:28:19.170 --> 00:28:22.529 to do when you're dealing with the mess. You know, I had a 378 00:28:22.890 --> 00:28:27.559 time in my life my wife this was back on our twins, my wife 379 00:28:27.599 --> 00:28:30.759 was pregnant with our twins. There eight years old now, right. But 380 00:28:30.839 --> 00:28:33.960 I was coming out. I had been coming out for a couple of years 381 00:28:34.000 --> 00:28:37.559 at that point and we've been coming out as a family to the sidewalks to 382 00:28:37.640 --> 00:28:41.160 minister at the abortion clinic. That was just when I was coming out on 383 00:28:41.319 --> 00:28:45.150 Saturday's. A did another job at that time and and thankfully the Lord Graciously 384 00:28:45.190 --> 00:28:48.910 Open the door for me to do this and on a more full time basis, 385 00:28:48.950 --> 00:28:49.950 but at that time I was not. I was doing other things anyway. 386 00:28:49.950 --> 00:28:53.829 The point is my wife within the hospital for about three months with the 387 00:28:53.910 --> 00:28:57.539 twins hooked up to all these things and all these you know, censors and 388 00:28:57.579 --> 00:29:00.740 all that, because they thought that the twins weren't going to make it. 389 00:29:00.819 --> 00:29:04.740 And that was a difficult mess. Let me just tell you. My wife 390 00:29:04.859 --> 00:29:07.259 is, you know, forty five minutes away and, yeah, I have 391 00:29:07.380 --> 00:29:11.329 for the children at home. We're trying to home school and trying to work 392 00:29:11.450 --> 00:29:15.650 and then still trying to do ministry on the sidewalk and and there were Saturdays 393 00:29:15.930 --> 00:29:18.289 where, you know, I was committed, I really was. I was 394 00:29:18.369 --> 00:29:19.650 like God, I'm going to go there in as much as I can. 395 00:29:19.849 --> 00:29:22.690 That was all by the grace of God's not because I'm special and great and 396 00:29:22.849 --> 00:29:26.480 whatever, and I don't believe that at all. It's all by the grace 397 00:29:26.559 --> 00:29:29.240 of God. I'm like, as much as I can, I'm going to 398 00:29:29.279 --> 00:29:30.920 go. Then there are times I couldn't go. I had to go visit 399 00:29:30.960 --> 00:29:34.640 my wife in the hospital, I had to your deal with the children, 400 00:29:34.680 --> 00:29:40.710 but I would make it more often than not right and I would. I'm 401 00:29:40.710 --> 00:29:44.750 much dread going because I'm dealing with all this mess and as I'm going I'm 402 00:29:44.990 --> 00:29:47.710 like, man, I need be going here. What I got so much 403 00:29:47.750 --> 00:29:51.670 junk going on my life. And when I would get there, though, 404 00:29:52.109 --> 00:29:55.859 it would be like the heaven opens, that happens, open up exact and 405 00:29:55.940 --> 00:29:59.220 I feel, and I think here's the point, is I feel the pleasure 406 00:29:59.740 --> 00:30:02.940 of my father, like he sees I've pressed through this mess. I didn't 407 00:30:02.940 --> 00:30:06.339 let the devil win and I pressed through. And it might be I came 408 00:30:06.380 --> 00:30:08.089 out and stayed for an hour, I stayed for two hours or whatever, 409 00:30:08.769 --> 00:30:11.609 but it's like it's not about me, it's not about me feeling good, 410 00:30:11.650 --> 00:30:15.609 it's about the Lord. But as children of God, there is a sense 411 00:30:15.690 --> 00:30:21.519 in which the pleasure of the father in our lives is important and you see 412 00:30:21.519 --> 00:30:23.400 that in the life of Jesus. You know, the father speaks from heaven. 413 00:30:23.440 --> 00:30:26.960 This is my beloved son and whom I'm well pleased. It's like affirm 414 00:30:27.000 --> 00:30:30.599 ah that we get from the father. It's like your kids, you know, 415 00:30:30.720 --> 00:30:33.279 and they've they've done something good right and they get that affirmation. They 416 00:30:33.359 --> 00:30:38.190 feel good and that good feeling of doing the father's will will continue to motivate 417 00:30:38.269 --> 00:30:41.549 us. Sure. Well, you know, we all want to hear well 418 00:30:41.670 --> 00:30:45.589 done, good and faithful servant. I think that's Biblical, then that is 419 00:30:45.750 --> 00:30:49.140 that is where we want to end up. Yeah, yeah, absolutely, 420 00:30:49.619 --> 00:30:55.019 but that point of clinging to the father in the midst of that season of 421 00:30:55.059 --> 00:30:57.500 my life, and I've had other seasons where I bualt with other stuff going 422 00:30:57.539 --> 00:31:00.660 on, like major league. We all did with stuff on a daytoday basis. 423 00:31:00.740 --> 00:31:07.329 But like I'm talking like majorly dealing with stuff and learning to cling to 424 00:31:07.369 --> 00:31:11.049 the father, learning to not neglect prayer, to be in prayer and as 425 00:31:11.089 --> 00:31:15.210 much as I can, and being in the word in as much as we 426 00:31:15.329 --> 00:31:18.240 can. We can't neglect those things. New Man can't live on bread alone, 427 00:31:18.240 --> 00:31:22.279 but every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. We need to 428 00:31:22.359 --> 00:31:26.319 be in God's Word and had I not been by His grace in prayer and 429 00:31:26.440 --> 00:31:30.279 fellowship with him, I don't think I could have made it through that season. 430 00:31:30.359 --> 00:31:33.470 And you know, as a family we came out on the other, 431 00:31:33.509 --> 00:31:37.269 the other side of that season, and it just so such a blessing to 432 00:31:37.390 --> 00:31:40.789 look back and see God brought us through that. And and people ask me, 433 00:31:40.789 --> 00:31:42.230 how did you get through that season? It was it was hard. 434 00:31:42.309 --> 00:31:45.630 Right, yeah, it was hard, but looking back I don't remember it 435 00:31:45.789 --> 00:31:48.259 being that hard. Down the midst of it it was hard, but looking 436 00:31:48.339 --> 00:31:52.140 back I just see the grace of God through it. Right, I'm sure 437 00:31:52.140 --> 00:31:56.940 you've probably have experienced that, but I found through my most difficult seasons is 438 00:31:57.099 --> 00:32:01.329 when I felt God was the closest. Yeah, I've had other people say 439 00:32:01.329 --> 00:32:05.970 they felt that he had slammed a door in their face. That was not 440 00:32:06.170 --> 00:32:09.529 my experience. I could just pray for hours. I was consumed with God 441 00:32:09.690 --> 00:32:15.490 because really he was all I had left. That's kind of how I felt. 442 00:32:15.609 --> 00:32:19.680 I had nothing else. But I've heard your story and your wife, 443 00:32:19.799 --> 00:32:24.240 Courtney, share that experience with moms that we minister to. What what you 444 00:32:24.359 --> 00:32:30.950 all went through with the twins and it's been very powerful in helping. Yeah, 445 00:32:30.990 --> 00:32:35.069 the people that you minister to. And there is just no doubt that 446 00:32:35.230 --> 00:32:39.230 God uses the messes in our life to then go on and help others. 447 00:32:39.349 --> 00:32:45.700 And there is a verse that I can't quite remember word for word, but 448 00:32:46.180 --> 00:32:52.299 that that God does use the struggles in our life so that when we survive 449 00:32:52.900 --> 00:32:57.900 get through them, we can then go on and minister to others. Yeah. 450 00:32:58.380 --> 00:33:02.849 So the fourth point that, oh, I did want to say that 451 00:33:04.569 --> 00:33:08.009 in the ministry, our ministry should be modeled on Jesus. You made it 452 00:33:08.170 --> 00:33:10.690 the, I think, the most important point, that we should be like 453 00:33:10.849 --> 00:33:15.079 Jesus and in the continual turning to the father. But I was thinking about 454 00:33:15.119 --> 00:33:22.799 that. How would I have characterized Jesus during the time here on our just 455 00:33:22.880 --> 00:33:29.829 in general, describe him, and the first word that would come to my 456 00:33:29.990 --> 00:33:34.029 mind would be love. Yeah, he was filled with love, he was 457 00:33:34.109 --> 00:33:38.230 filled with truth, for sure, but I don't picture him as angry. 458 00:33:38.710 --> 00:33:43.859 Okay, there were periods of anger, righteous anger, when he overturned the 459 00:33:43.900 --> 00:33:49.299 tables or when he would be angry with his particularly the the Pharisees, but 460 00:33:49.539 --> 00:33:54.420 that wasn't how I would characterize him. The the overwhelming picture of Jesus was 461 00:33:54.660 --> 00:34:00.930 of calm. He was the one that calmed the storm, not the one 462 00:34:01.009 --> 00:34:06.450 that stirred up the storm. Yeah, and I think that that's really important, 463 00:34:06.490 --> 00:34:09.719 at least for me, keeping that picture as I'm standing in a in 464 00:34:09.840 --> 00:34:17.880 a ministry that has a lot of antagonism being directed towards those of us who 465 00:34:17.920 --> 00:34:23.119 are ministering. Yeah, we are to reflect Jesus. Jesus was calm and 466 00:34:23.349 --> 00:34:30.190 confident and filled with truth and able to help the others. Yeah, absolutely. 467 00:34:31.230 --> 00:34:37.190 So. A fourth point is that the messes in our life are no 468 00:34:37.429 --> 00:34:40.260 surprised to God. Yeah, and they I think we have to be very 469 00:34:40.420 --> 00:34:46.500 careful if we say they excuse us from ministry. Yeah, because really all 470 00:34:46.579 --> 00:34:51.579 of us are in some sort of a mess all the time. At least 471 00:34:51.739 --> 00:34:55.289 I am. Maybe I'm unusual, but if I use the man just in 472 00:34:55.369 --> 00:35:00.369 general, human beings are are flawed and broken and we are surrounded by other 473 00:35:00.409 --> 00:35:05.650 human beings that are flawed and broken right our families and in our circles and 474 00:35:06.369 --> 00:35:09.760 work and all of that. So no, everybody has messes there down for 475 00:35:09.880 --> 00:35:15.199 sure. So if we're called ministry and we're waiting until we're done with the 476 00:35:15.280 --> 00:35:17.840 mess. Yeah, we'll be waiting forever. Yeah, we've never be in 477 00:35:17.960 --> 00:35:22.469 fattervagnistry. You've left yourself in a mess by not stepping out in faith and 478 00:35:22.789 --> 00:35:27.030 believing that's right. The Lord can move in the midst of that. Yeah. 479 00:35:27.070 --> 00:35:32.429 Yeah. So our the the fifth point, which was the final point 480 00:35:32.510 --> 00:35:36.820 that I came up with just out of my own experiences. This is in 481 00:35:37.019 --> 00:35:40.420 no ways a definitive complete list, but it were just some of the main 482 00:35:40.579 --> 00:35:46.539 principles that I came up with. Our motivation of all our behavior and ministry 483 00:35:46.980 --> 00:35:52.489 should be to glorify God. Yeah, and a great verse with that, 484 00:35:52.530 --> 00:35:57.329 as First Corinthians thirty one. So, whether you eat or drink or whatever 485 00:35:57.570 --> 00:36:01.050 you do, do all to the glory of God. Yeah. Yeah, 486 00:36:01.489 --> 00:36:07.360 and that again, it does into to love. Yeah, it does into 487 00:36:07.400 --> 00:36:13.000 a proper understanding of love, a proper perspective of love and a pop a 488 00:36:13.079 --> 00:36:15.119 proper direction of love. What I mean by that is, you know, 489 00:36:15.159 --> 00:36:19.030 Jesus, this gives the too great commandments. Love the Lord, your God, 490 00:36:19.110 --> 00:36:20.989 with all your heart, mind, Sol and strength, and love your 491 00:36:21.030 --> 00:36:24.030 neighbor as yourself. So it's not just that love should be our promo, 492 00:36:24.230 --> 00:36:29.550 primary motivation for ministry, because if it's just love for human beings and love 493 00:36:29.630 --> 00:36:31.750 for people, you love for unborn children, love for women, love for 494 00:36:31.860 --> 00:36:36.539 people who are poverished or whatever. If that's our primary motivation, it's the 495 00:36:36.619 --> 00:36:39.780 cart before the horse. Our first motivations should be a love for God, 496 00:36:39.940 --> 00:36:45.500 and because we love him, then we love our neighbor and we can probably 497 00:36:45.539 --> 00:36:49.489 show love toward our neighbor and we can probably love our neighbor like we should 498 00:36:49.489 --> 00:36:53.250 if we first are connected to God through love for him. Yeah, because 499 00:36:53.250 --> 00:36:58.329 if we're motivated by just love for people, especially if you're involved in the 500 00:36:58.369 --> 00:37:01.079 ministry that we're in, we're dealing with and we certainly love the women, 501 00:37:01.239 --> 00:37:05.599 no doubt about it. But if our primary motivation is love for women, 502 00:37:05.639 --> 00:37:07.719 these poor innocent women that are in these difficult situations, are going to be 503 00:37:07.800 --> 00:37:10.840 burned real quick because you're going to find that they don't love you back. 504 00:37:10.920 --> 00:37:14.400 They're not some of them, some type. You know what, it's almost 505 00:37:14.440 --> 00:37:19.150 as bad as as being motivated by hate being being motivated by love. In 506 00:37:19.389 --> 00:37:22.510 any rest. That in yes, in terms that you're going to be disappointed 507 00:37:22.590 --> 00:37:28.630 in either way. Yeah, you know, because you're you were going exactly 508 00:37:28.750 --> 00:37:32.659 where. My thoughts for going as you were speaking, that they don't always 509 00:37:32.820 --> 00:37:37.380 treat us back with love, and it is it would be very easy, 510 00:37:37.460 --> 00:37:43.099 and I have seen many volunteers burn out because they're so disappointed. I gave 511 00:37:43.179 --> 00:37:45.650 my all, I was so good, I was so kind, I was 512 00:37:45.730 --> 00:37:49.769 so loving, and they still rejected me. Yeah, well, yeah, 513 00:37:49.769 --> 00:37:52.690 and that's why it has to be loved for God and a desire to see 514 00:37:52.730 --> 00:37:57.530 God glorified through our ministry, because if it's not a desire to see God's 515 00:37:57.650 --> 00:38:01.639 glory, if it's only a desire to help poor, innocent people or whatever, 516 00:38:02.280 --> 00:38:07.320 then again we're going to be disappointed. And you know, it's an 517 00:38:07.360 --> 00:38:12.869 unbiblical motivation. It's all about God's glory and it kind of ties into this 518 00:38:13.030 --> 00:38:17.429 idea that even though there are victories and we see victories on a regular basis, 519 00:38:19.309 --> 00:38:22.710 that we can't take ownership of those victories just as much as we can't 520 00:38:22.710 --> 00:38:28.019 take ownership of the defeats. I'm sure we've probably shared that in a podcast 521 00:38:28.139 --> 00:38:31.380 before, something we tell our folks. We can't take ownership of the victories, 522 00:38:31.420 --> 00:38:35.139 and we don't. We Give Glory to God and we're just these earthen 523 00:38:35.179 --> 00:38:37.860 vessels that God has chosen to use and he'll use any earthen vessel that that 524 00:38:37.980 --> 00:38:42.650 he wants to use. But we also can't take ownership of the defeat. 525 00:38:42.769 --> 00:38:45.130 And if it's love for God and I'm motivated by love for him, then 526 00:38:45.329 --> 00:38:50.409 really the outward results, as easy is for me to say and hard as 527 00:38:50.610 --> 00:38:53.489 it is for us to really walk in, don't matter. That's come out 528 00:38:53.489 --> 00:38:57.360 here because of God. I'm out here to glorify God. So, whether 529 00:38:57.400 --> 00:39:00.840 babies are saved or not, I'm going to be here because it's not about 530 00:39:00.880 --> 00:39:02.840 whether babies are saved or not. It's not about whether I feel good about 531 00:39:02.840 --> 00:39:06.960 myself or not. It's about God's glory. He's called me to be here, 532 00:39:07.119 --> 00:39:08.400 so I'm going to do it, whether there's an outward result or not. 533 00:39:08.719 --> 00:39:12.590 Now again, that's you for me to say, and it's really hard 534 00:39:12.630 --> 00:39:15.309 to do when you're involved in ministry and you might not see. I mean 535 00:39:15.349 --> 00:39:19.309 there's days where we're out there and we see twenty, thirty, forty babies 536 00:39:19.349 --> 00:39:22.829 going to that abortion clinic that are being killed by their mothers and fought by 537 00:39:22.869 --> 00:39:25.019 their mothers through the abortionist and the fathers are there and doing nothing about it. 538 00:39:25.300 --> 00:39:29.460 Yeah, and it can be very discouraging when you don't see anybody choose 539 00:39:29.539 --> 00:39:32.300 life. Yeah, we have to remind ourselves constantly this is not about me, 540 00:39:32.739 --> 00:39:36.739 it's not even about them. It is about God and I'm out here 541 00:39:37.260 --> 00:39:40.449 to bring glory to His name and obedience to him. That's right, that's 542 00:39:40.489 --> 00:39:45.969 right. I love this verse from Niam Neamia, Ndred and ten and do 543 00:39:45.130 --> 00:39:50.610 not be grieved for the joy of the Lord. It's your strength. Yeah, 544 00:39:50.889 --> 00:39:52.719 yeah, the love of the Lord and the joy of the Lord. 545 00:39:52.760 --> 00:39:57.880 Yes, what empowers us. Amen. Well, we hope you guys were 546 00:39:57.880 --> 00:40:01.639 encouraged by this podcast. We were certainly encouraged by going through these points and 547 00:40:01.960 --> 00:40:06.599 reading these scriptures and talking about these things. We hope to be able to 548 00:40:06.639 --> 00:40:10.469 put this up on our sidewalks for life site as a blog post to help 549 00:40:10.510 --> 00:40:15.550 encourage people involved. Again, guests, please share these podcasts with other people 550 00:40:16.030 --> 00:40:20.269 and and share with us some of your feedback that you have and it was 551 00:40:20.309 --> 00:40:22.019 it a good podcast. Would you like to hear more stuff like this? 552 00:40:22.659 --> 00:40:25.820 Are there other suggestions that you have for subjects we can cover? We'd love 553 00:40:25.860 --> 00:40:30.300 to hear those things and and we'd love to hear just how you guys are 554 00:40:30.500 --> 00:40:35.730 being blessed or maybe not blessed by the podcast criticisms that you have. We 555 00:40:35.849 --> 00:40:38.769 certainly could do better and we know that, but we do hope that you 556 00:40:38.849 --> 00:40:44.250 are blessed by we hope you visit our website, that sidewalks for lifecom, 557 00:40:44.730 --> 00:40:47.849 sidewalks on number four lifecom, and then locally Charlotte dot cities for Life Dot 558 00:40:47.889 --> 00:40:52.840 Org, and again that you share the content that we put on these websites 559 00:40:52.920 --> 00:40:55.639 with other people. We pray God's blessing of you as you seek to serve 560 00:40:55.679 --> 00:40:59.159 him, whatever ministry he calls you to. Just seek to do it for 561 00:40:59.280 --> 00:41:01.960 his glory and understand the sufficiency is not in you, it's not in your 562 00:41:02.000 --> 00:41:07.110 wisdom and your ability, but your sufficiency comes from Christ and you cling to 563 00:41:07.150 --> 00:41:10.349 him. He is the vine and we are the branches. If we abide 564 00:41:10.349 --> 00:41:14.230 in him, will bear much fruit. So God bless you as you continue 565 00:41:14.269 --> 00:41:16.710 to bear fruit, as you abide in him, and and we'll talk to 566 00:41:16.789 --> 00:41:30.099 you soon. Give me our love for love, give me our loft for 567 00:41:30.340 --> 00:41:42.449 gratitude. I know it will cost me my life. Nothing's too precious. 568 00:41:42.769 --> 00:41:44.130 And some that you