What Disqualifies Us From Ministry?

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 --> 00:00:10.189 Lord, Welcome to the Gospel Center per life podcast the enemies always coming 3 00:00:10.230 --> 00:00:13.789 against us, trying to discourage us and tell us that we're disqualified from ministry. 4 00:00:14.150 --> 00:00:18.230 Most of that's lies, but there are some things that disqualifies from ministry. 5 00:00:18.429 --> 00:00:24.379 Join us as we talk about those things. Stay too, I felt 6 00:00:24.780 --> 00:00:37.850 show passish, touch your heart. Use Welcome to the Gospel Center per life 7 00:00:37.929 --> 00:00:42.369 podcasts. Appreciate you, guys, tuning in and appreciate you, guys, 8 00:00:42.450 --> 00:00:51.719 blessing us with awesome reviews on itunes or apple podcasts or however else you get 9 00:00:51.759 --> 00:00:56.039 podcasts. Please leave us good reviews and please share this podcast with other people 10 00:00:56.079 --> 00:00:59.880 that it might be a blessing and encouragement to because that's the intention of these 11 00:00:59.920 --> 00:01:02.560 podcasts. We want it to be a blessing with them, to be an 12 00:01:02.600 --> 00:01:06.950 encouragement to you, especially those who are already on the sidewalk at abortion centers, 13 00:01:07.349 --> 00:01:10.750 but even those who may not be yet on the sidewalk. Would encourage 14 00:01:10.790 --> 00:01:14.069 folks to be out there, to give a voice to the voiceless and to 15 00:01:14.150 --> 00:01:18.430 bring the Gospel where it's most needed, which is at these places of darkness 16 00:01:18.469 --> 00:01:21.980 that are in our city, these abortion centers. Yeah, and so we're 17 00:01:22.019 --> 00:01:26.579 going to jump into our subject right away and talk about what dis qualifies someone 18 00:01:26.739 --> 00:01:32.780 for Ministry, Like what would disqualify me if I were to drop out of 19 00:01:33.329 --> 00:01:38.250 ministry? What will be those disqualifying factors? Right and also remembers we're talking 20 00:01:38.290 --> 00:01:45.530 through disqualification. We're also not really specifically talking about that, and maybe we'll 21 00:01:45.530 --> 00:01:49.439 get into this a little bit. But there are sometimes seasons where you need 22 00:01:49.519 --> 00:01:52.319 to step back for just a little bit and I think, you know, 23 00:01:52.400 --> 00:01:56.319 maybe our propensity could be in our flesh is that we want to step back 24 00:01:57.239 --> 00:02:00.359 and we really need to just press in right now. When that that point 25 00:02:00.590 --> 00:02:05.030 is? You know, I can't tell you exactly. Yeah, but I 26 00:02:05.109 --> 00:02:09.229 do know one thing that Jesus certainly did take times away from ministry. Jesus 27 00:02:09.270 --> 00:02:14.030 certainly understood again the mission that his father had called him to and he was 28 00:02:15.030 --> 00:02:20.659 had his face set like a flint, using biblical terminology to do the will 29 00:02:20.699 --> 00:02:22.659 of his father, like he was going to do the will of his father, 30 00:02:22.699 --> 00:02:24.259 but he also was going to spend time with his father. So it's 31 00:02:24.300 --> 00:02:28.259 not really the scope of what we're talking about necessarily, but that's just something 32 00:02:28.340 --> 00:02:31.810 to keep in mind. We're talking about disqualification for ministry. Also understand that 33 00:02:32.729 --> 00:02:38.289 there are times that people need to step back, but I think within the 34 00:02:38.330 --> 00:02:43.889 scope of the calling and need to be prepared to step back into when you've 35 00:02:43.930 --> 00:02:46.520 stepped back for a bit, right. Yeah, and mean we found a 36 00:02:46.560 --> 00:02:51.159 good scripture, I think. Yeah, that we could maybe start off with. 37 00:02:51.400 --> 00:02:59.150 That gives us some sense of are we only qualified for ministry if we're 38 00:02:59.189 --> 00:03:01.590 really strong? Because a lot of the stuff we're going to be talking about 39 00:03:01.669 --> 00:03:07.830 in what disqualifies US seem to be weaknesses or even sin or past sin. 40 00:03:08.270 --> 00:03:15.500 Yeah, and so one of the dangers is that people entering ministry feel, 41 00:03:15.699 --> 00:03:19.020 well, I've got to be really strong, if not perfect, right. 42 00:03:19.379 --> 00:03:23.860 And and we we think the Bible would probably say that is not the case 43 00:03:23.900 --> 00:03:28.689 at all. Well, I would say in just based on this scripture and 44 00:03:28.729 --> 00:03:34.370 who wrote this scripture. Yeah, I think just understanding the way God operates 45 00:03:34.449 --> 00:03:38.930 is not how human beings operate. We operate in well, you should really 46 00:03:38.969 --> 00:03:42.000 play on your strengths. So, for example, what I'm talking about is 47 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:46.400 the Apostle Paul, the apostle Paul who wrote the scripture I'm about to read 48 00:03:46.240 --> 00:03:51.159 was a Hebrew of Hebrews. Even describes himself. He was from the Traube 49 00:03:51.240 --> 00:03:54.599 of Benjamin. He was a pharisee according to the law. He was a 50 00:03:54.680 --> 00:04:00.229 Pharisee, like he was a Jew of Jews. He was the guy that 51 00:04:00.349 --> 00:04:02.110 you would think, yeah, write a leader in if God was going to 52 00:04:02.189 --> 00:04:05.310 call him, you think, will God would call him, certainly to Jewish 53 00:04:05.310 --> 00:04:09.110 people, because he has the background and he's got all the knowledge about the 54 00:04:09.150 --> 00:04:14.539 Jewish scriptures and all of that right. But Actually God calls the Apostle Paul 55 00:04:14.979 --> 00:04:18.899 primarily to the gentiles and of course he uses the Apostle Paul to reach Jews, 56 00:04:19.220 --> 00:04:23.740 certainly because God wants to reach everybody. But his particular calling was to 57 00:04:23.779 --> 00:04:26.449 the gentiles, which is not how we would operate. We would think now 58 00:04:26.529 --> 00:04:31.610 he's his strength is in this. Yeah, but this scripture written by the 59 00:04:31.610 --> 00:04:36.129 Apostle Paul says he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, 60 00:04:36.490 --> 00:04:41.639 for power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I would rather 61 00:04:41.720 --> 00:04:46.240 boast in my weaknesses so that the power of quiet Christ may dwell in me. 62 00:04:46.879 --> 00:04:50.199 Therefore, I'm well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, 63 00:04:50.319 --> 00:04:55.430 with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake, for when I am weak, 64 00:04:56.069 --> 00:05:00.670 then I am strong. And that Second Corinthians twelve versus ten, and 65 00:05:00.870 --> 00:05:03.629 then I few weather ten to twelve, I think. Yeah, with those 66 00:05:03.709 --> 00:05:08.220 verses. Yeah, Yeah, and the Apostle Paul actually wrote this. I 67 00:05:08.339 --> 00:05:12.500 was just speaking to someone who I was vetting to potentially come and be a 68 00:05:12.579 --> 00:05:15.339 missionary with us, come to do our boot camp and our training. If 69 00:05:15.379 --> 00:05:18.420 you guys don't know about that, please go to love life dot org slash 70 00:05:18.620 --> 00:05:24.730 America and you'll find out information about sidewalk missionary ministry. You can even get 71 00:05:25.009 --> 00:05:29.170 into the loop to find out more about that. But I was sharing with 72 00:05:29.209 --> 00:05:31.170 one of the missionaries that I was talking through and she was just she's young 73 00:05:31.250 --> 00:05:36.199 lady and she was kind of intimidated by the idea that God might have her 74 00:05:36.279 --> 00:05:41.240 on the sidewalk talking to people and even rallying the church and her city right 75 00:05:41.560 --> 00:05:44.800 to be out at prayer walks and all of that, and so I read 76 00:05:44.839 --> 00:05:47.319 her the scripture to encourage her. And this is the Apostle Paul again. 77 00:05:47.399 --> 00:05:51.589 He's this isn't first Conthians, chapter two and verse three, and he says 78 00:05:51.629 --> 00:05:57.389 I came to you when we weakness, with great fear and trembling. MMM, 79 00:05:57.509 --> 00:06:00.149 that's good. Yeah, the ESV says I was with you in weakness, 80 00:06:00.269 --> 00:06:04.620 in fear and much true, much trembling, not just trembling, much 81 00:06:04.819 --> 00:06:08.740 true. So if you have weakness, Uh Huh, if you have fear, 82 00:06:08.779 --> 00:06:11.939 Uh Huh, and you have much trembling, right, then you are 83 00:06:12.019 --> 00:06:15.100 well qualified for menish. Exactly what way have they need? Yeah, we 84 00:06:15.220 --> 00:06:18.449 under listen. If we think that we're going to operate and minister out of 85 00:06:18.490 --> 00:06:24.970 our strengths, out of our human abilities, that we're going to fall flat 86 00:06:25.129 --> 00:06:28.810 on the crowned. Yeah, we've got to be in fear and much trembly. 87 00:06:28.889 --> 00:06:30.769 We've got to be, and I think I share with you guys in 88 00:06:30.850 --> 00:06:35.279 the past, my favorite scripture, John Chapter Fifteen, favorite chapter of the 89 00:06:35.319 --> 00:06:40.720 whole entire Bibles, Chapter Fifteen, where Jesus says I'm the vine, you 90 00:06:40.879 --> 00:06:43.759 are the branches. He gives on to say if you abide in me and 91 00:06:43.839 --> 00:06:46.629 I and you, you will bear much fruit, for apart from me you 92 00:06:46.870 --> 00:06:51.870 can do nothing. Yeah, that's exactly what Paul's talking about here in First 93 00:06:51.949 --> 00:06:55.589 Corinthians, chapter two, verse three. Is What he's talking about in that 94 00:06:55.629 --> 00:07:00.430 Second Corinthians passage is that in my weakness I am strong. Why? Because 95 00:07:00.430 --> 00:07:05.259 I'm not relying on me, I'm relying on him, on the Lord. 96 00:07:05.259 --> 00:07:12.699 Yeah, yeah, I think this is just so great and the scripture is 97 00:07:12.860 --> 00:07:18.329 clearly guiding us that we can still have weaknesses and be used by God, 98 00:07:19.529 --> 00:07:24.209 because I think many people, I know this was true of me, is 99 00:07:24.410 --> 00:07:30.279 true of me. If I'm struggling personally, I will quite often struggle in 100 00:07:30.399 --> 00:07:38.360 silence. Yeah, because I'm scared. I'm scared what if this disqualifies me 101 00:07:39.160 --> 00:07:43.920 from what I'm doing? What if it makes other people think less of me, 102 00:07:44.430 --> 00:07:48.269 that I'm that I'm supposed to be leading and I love what I do. 103 00:07:48.629 --> 00:07:53.629 What if they fire me? Yeah, because of these struggles. So 104 00:07:54.149 --> 00:07:58.389 that's why, for me personally, I really wanted to tackle this podcast because 105 00:07:58.389 --> 00:08:01.500 I don't think I'm alone. I don't think I'm alone in those fears. 106 00:08:01.060 --> 00:08:07.180 And even just what you just read this scripture already like comes my spirit, 107 00:08:07.540 --> 00:08:15.529 because the Bible is clear. Just because you struggle doesn't mean you cannot minister 108 00:08:16.050 --> 00:08:18.850 and be effective. Yeah, absolutely, is a matter of fact. Because 109 00:08:18.970 --> 00:08:24.810 you struggle, you're able to minister more effectively. In some situations. I'll 110 00:08:24.850 --> 00:08:28.519 just use the example of you yourself in the fact that, and you shared 111 00:08:28.560 --> 00:08:31.840 it before, that you have an abortion in your past, right, and 112 00:08:33.080 --> 00:08:35.039 that, in a very real sense, is a weakness, right, it's. 113 00:08:35.080 --> 00:08:39.080 Yeah, you look back in your history, Sin, yeah, deep 114 00:08:39.159 --> 00:08:43.590 sin in the past. Of course, always the the temptation to believe some 115 00:08:43.669 --> 00:08:46.470 of the lies that you're told that, because you had an abortion, it's 116 00:08:46.509 --> 00:08:48.789 a hypocritical thing for you to stand in front of an abortion clinic, right, 117 00:08:48.789 --> 00:08:52.070 until other people not to do that. Yeah, and so that can 118 00:08:52.110 --> 00:08:56.620 slip into your psyche and you start to believe that. But the reality is 119 00:08:56.539 --> 00:09:01.740 is that because of that, because of that abortion, because you know what 120 00:09:01.940 --> 00:09:03.820 these women, many of them, are struggling with, because you know of 121 00:09:03.940 --> 00:09:09.779 the after effects of abortion, because of that air quotes weakness, right, 122 00:09:09.490 --> 00:09:13.649 that's actually become a strength for you. Yeah, you can speak out of 123 00:09:13.769 --> 00:09:16.649 that and also speak out of the fact that the Lord has healed you from 124 00:09:16.690 --> 00:09:20.049 that. Yeah, right. And with all of our so called weaknesses, 125 00:09:20.850 --> 00:09:28.159 we have to view those weaknesses in light of who were serving. We're serving 126 00:09:28.200 --> 00:09:31.240 the Lord, we're not just serving people, and that's why we always have 127 00:09:31.399 --> 00:09:33.919 to have the focus that we're out there for God first and if we're serving 128 00:09:33.960 --> 00:09:37.399 him and he's called it, called us to this ministry. You like they 129 00:09:37.440 --> 00:09:43.509 say, we're God guides. He provides right, so he provides US strength 130 00:09:43.909 --> 00:09:46.549 in our weaknesses. And I'll tell you what I've seen. Often Times, 131 00:09:46.590 --> 00:09:52.899 when I see someone come out that volunteer whatever and there they're really strong, 132 00:09:52.980 --> 00:09:56.460 or appear to be strong in certain areas, that's actually concerned for me because 133 00:09:56.500 --> 00:10:01.980 a lot of times that is rooted in pride. Yeah, and they're not 134 00:10:01.100 --> 00:10:03.860 willing to get out of the way and let God do his thing. Now, 135 00:10:03.860 --> 00:10:07.049 I don't mean that people don't need to have strengths in certain areas and 136 00:10:07.090 --> 00:10:11.529 stuff like that, but I do mean to say that if I see kind 137 00:10:11.570 --> 00:10:15.250 of an air of people relying or their own strengths, their own abilities, 138 00:10:15.889 --> 00:10:20.330 I see problems. Yeah, well, I know what was true for me 139 00:10:20.769 --> 00:10:26.480 when I first came into this ministry was I suffered in silence with the truth 140 00:10:26.519 --> 00:10:30.080 of that abortion and I don't talk. I didn't tell anyone because I thought 141 00:10:30.120 --> 00:10:33.919 it was so terrible. How could I tell anyone? And what we again, 142 00:10:33.919 --> 00:10:37.629 all those things I stated earlier. What would they all think of me? 143 00:10:37.710 --> 00:10:41.230 And and I suffered in silence for many years before I finally did tell 144 00:10:41.669 --> 00:10:46.669 you all. Yeah, and and so one of the things that I really 145 00:10:46.789 --> 00:10:52.820 hope that this podcast, one of the messages will be speak to others. 146 00:10:52.980 --> 00:10:58.379 Don't don't be afraid, don't hold it in the struggles that you're going going 147 00:10:58.500 --> 00:11:01.500 through because, and we're going to talk about that, I think, later 148 00:11:01.779 --> 00:11:05.289 on a little bit more in the podcast, but that is not what God 149 00:11:05.370 --> 00:11:09.809 would have us do. Know the devil will use that. He will. 150 00:11:09.090 --> 00:11:15.289 And what you're trying to hold in and not share with other people because you're 151 00:11:15.289 --> 00:11:20.000 afraid it will disqualify you from ministry or whatever ultimately can be what disquality. 152 00:11:20.519 --> 00:11:22.799 disqualifies you from ministry because you're holding it in. That's right, and not 153 00:11:22.960 --> 00:11:28.080 that you're disqualified in the sense that you know someone's told you just qualified. 154 00:11:28.159 --> 00:11:31.240 But you start to get neutralized and you start to feel guilty and you start 155 00:11:31.320 --> 00:11:37.230 to the more stuff you hold in, the more that stuff festers and it 156 00:11:37.389 --> 00:11:41.789 just becomes a root of bitterness. Actually right. That's why you need to 157 00:11:41.870 --> 00:11:45.549 have people that you share these things with. Always encourage people, in any 158 00:11:45.629 --> 00:11:48.340 realm of ministry, to just in any realm of your walk with God, 159 00:11:48.620 --> 00:11:52.419 you need to have an accountability right. Right. Need to have someone that 160 00:11:52.539 --> 00:11:56.340 you convent to, you need to have someone that you can share the stuff 161 00:11:56.340 --> 00:12:00.899 that you're struggling with too, if nothing else just to be able to voice 162 00:12:00.940 --> 00:12:05.009 it exactly. So there there are some things that do disqualify you. Kind 163 00:12:05.009 --> 00:12:07.889 of have touched on that even in your description of their can and I don't 164 00:12:07.929 --> 00:12:11.129 think that was one of the things we had listed, but I think it's 165 00:12:11.169 --> 00:12:18.440 very true. If you're so self sufficient and proud that you can't even recognize 166 00:12:18.799 --> 00:12:22.559 that you have weakness, that might disqualify you. Yeah, I think we 167 00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:26.879 do need to be clear, like this is this is intended, this podcast 168 00:12:26.000 --> 00:12:31.750 intended to encourage people, right, but also there are things that do disqualify 169 00:12:31.830 --> 00:12:35.110 you from ministry, and I want to discourage people that are involved in these 170 00:12:35.149 --> 00:12:39.389 things from getting involved in ministry, because sometimes what people will do, especially 171 00:12:39.429 --> 00:12:43.580 in some of these areas, when they have rebellious heart and unrepentant sand. 172 00:12:43.740 --> 00:12:48.860 Yeah, when they're their lives are spiritually deficient, like they are not connected 173 00:12:48.899 --> 00:12:52.340 to the true vine, sometimes people overcompensate, yeah, and they'll give themselves 174 00:12:52.419 --> 00:12:58.299 to ministry, yeah, or to work or whatever, and that will actually 175 00:12:58.769 --> 00:13:03.009 be a downfall to the ministry itself. It'll make the Lord look bad and'll 176 00:13:03.049 --> 00:13:07.330 make the ministry look bad. So just to say there are things that disqualify 177 00:13:07.450 --> 00:13:11.889 you from ministry. If you're asking what could disqualify you from ministry, Here's 178 00:13:11.929 --> 00:13:13.240 here are some of the things we have set. We have a list of 179 00:13:13.320 --> 00:13:16.639 some things. Yet what are those? So, first and foremost is unrepentant 180 00:13:16.679 --> 00:13:20.240 sin. Yeah, that's a bad one. Yeah, so if you're living 181 00:13:20.279 --> 00:13:22.879 a lifestyle of unrepentant sin, right, you're living with your boyfriend and your 182 00:13:22.919 --> 00:13:28.029 girlfriend having sex outside of marriage. Yeah, consistent unrepentant sin. Yeah, 183 00:13:28.149 --> 00:13:31.149 I mean that will disqualify you from ministry. You can't give what you don't 184 00:13:31.149 --> 00:13:33.190 have. And you're talking. Yeah, and I don't think that this is 185 00:13:33.269 --> 00:13:37.309 probably the case. I don't have anyone in mind what I'm thinking about this, 186 00:13:37.549 --> 00:13:39.149 but you know, if you're on the sidewalk trying to minister to people 187 00:13:39.789 --> 00:13:43.820 that are about to kill their children because most of them have had sex outside 188 00:13:43.860 --> 00:13:46.820 of marriage, and you're doing that you yourself, it's like yeah, you, 189 00:13:48.019 --> 00:13:50.259 you are in that category of judge. Not Less you be judged. 190 00:13:50.299 --> 00:13:52.340 That's right, for in the same measure, the use to judge will be 191 00:13:52.379 --> 00:13:56.090 measured back to you. That goes on. That scripture talks about removing the 192 00:13:56.289 --> 00:14:00.049 plank from your eyes so that you can help someone else see the speck in 193 00:14:00.090 --> 00:14:03.409 their own eye. Right, so the implication here is that God needs to 194 00:14:03.450 --> 00:14:05.889 remove that plank. Unrepentant sin is like a big plank in your eye. 195 00:14:07.129 --> 00:14:13.679 Yeah, and it just opens the ministry up to so much damage as that 196 00:14:13.799 --> 00:14:18.240 hypocrisy is exposed. And God says all evil will be brought to light. 197 00:14:18.440 --> 00:14:22.879 Yeah, at some point it will be brought to like careful, your sin 198 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:26.830 will find you out. That's right, and and our ministry is such a 199 00:14:26.990 --> 00:14:30.269 valuable and important one and it would be awful. Well, that's true. 200 00:14:30.269 --> 00:14:33.149 I think you know all. Yes, absolutely. So you want to be 201 00:14:33.230 --> 00:14:39.740 really careful, do not be in sin, in unrepentant sin, ongoing on 202 00:14:39.059 --> 00:14:43.139 repentance, and that you need to step away if that's the case, and 203 00:14:43.340 --> 00:14:46.580 deal with that. Yeah, first let yeah, and the next thing. 204 00:14:46.700 --> 00:14:52.049 And these this is not this is no by no means like an exhaustive list, 205 00:14:52.210 --> 00:14:54.929 right, but these are just some of the things that kind of came 206 00:14:56.009 --> 00:14:58.850 to mind as we're thinking through this. So unrepented sin a rebellious heart. 207 00:14:58.889 --> 00:15:05.450 Yeah, and of course a rebellious heart is unrepented sin against the Lord First 208 00:15:05.490 --> 00:15:09.159 and foremost. I mean the Bible says rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, 209 00:15:09.840 --> 00:15:13.519 and witchcraft is relying on the principles of the world and the things of 210 00:15:13.559 --> 00:15:16.120 the world rather than the Lord. Yeah, right, and so a rebellious 211 00:15:16.159 --> 00:15:20.720 heart, first and foremost is rebellious against the Lord, but also rebellious against 212 00:15:20.720 --> 00:15:22.269 leadership. Yeah, I was just going to say that. So could you 213 00:15:22.470 --> 00:15:28.429 see that in as maybe there's new people coming on and someone that maybe you're 214 00:15:28.470 --> 00:15:33.269 trying to guide and lead and they just won't take your leadership? That, 215 00:15:33.590 --> 00:15:37.179 to me is a rebellious heart. Yeah, absolutely. And you know, 216 00:15:37.299 --> 00:15:41.139 one of the things we look out for with volunteers here, yeah, and 217 00:15:41.500 --> 00:15:46.139 with siwalt missionaries, is their connection to a local church. Yeah, and 218 00:15:46.299 --> 00:15:48.700 now I don't mean to throw everyone under the bus. I don't mean to 219 00:15:48.740 --> 00:15:52.769 put everyone in the same category, because I know there are some people that 220 00:15:52.809 --> 00:15:56.649 are not part of a local church because maybe they just moved or maybe there 221 00:15:56.730 --> 00:15:58.570 is some deep wounds it need to be healed or whatever. But for the 222 00:15:58.690 --> 00:16:03.570 most part, what I've seen for people that are not part of a local 223 00:16:03.649 --> 00:16:06.320 church where? I'll back up for a second. If I see people who 224 00:16:06.399 --> 00:16:10.639 I Christians, who I see with a rebellious heart, yeah, with an 225 00:16:10.679 --> 00:16:15.080 unwillingness to submit to lead your ship, I can almost guarantee you they're not 226 00:16:15.200 --> 00:16:18.710 a part of a local church. Yeah, because they're not willing to submit 227 00:16:18.750 --> 00:16:22.350 themselves to the leadership of a local church. They've got their own ideas, 228 00:16:22.710 --> 00:16:26.750 they've got their own agenda and of course they always slap God's approval on it. 229 00:16:26.909 --> 00:16:29.830 Their agenda, according to them, as always, God's agenda. Right, 230 00:16:30.230 --> 00:16:33.779 but when the reality really is God's agenda is I will build my church. 231 00:16:33.980 --> 00:16:37.179 Like, if you want to be on board with what God's doing, 232 00:16:37.460 --> 00:16:41.299 yeah, it's not building your ministry, Right. God's doing what he's been 233 00:16:41.340 --> 00:16:45.100 doing for about two thousand years, a little over twozero years, which is 234 00:16:45.179 --> 00:16:48.450 what Jesus said he would do on the profession of Peter. I will build 235 00:16:48.529 --> 00:16:52.090 my church. That's what Jesus is doing, and if you're not on board 236 00:16:52.090 --> 00:16:53.809 with that, you're not on board with what the Lord is doing. Yeah. 237 00:16:55.169 --> 00:16:59.490 So, aside from all you know, all this, these reasons why 238 00:16:59.610 --> 00:17:00.960 people are not a part of a local church, I think you can boil 239 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:04.720 it down to, in a lot of ways, rebellious heart. Yeah, 240 00:17:04.759 --> 00:17:07.720 they're not willing to submit themselves a leadership. Yeah, I agree with that. 241 00:17:07.880 --> 00:17:12.319 And of course we all have a rebellious heart, probably at times. 242 00:17:12.599 --> 00:17:15.789 So this is this is more kind of, I think, an attitude and 243 00:17:15.910 --> 00:17:19.789 ongoing at it. Persistent, no, up, persisted, yes, yeah, 244 00:17:19.869 --> 00:17:23.390 willingness to yield. I would say a rebellious heart manifest itself in an 245 00:17:23.430 --> 00:17:29.869 unwillingness to yield to leadership. Right, yeah, yeah, so, and 246 00:17:30.059 --> 00:17:33.740 certainly in our ministry that that also includes that being a part of a local 247 00:17:33.819 --> 00:17:37.299 church. That that would disqualify someone if they're not a part of a local 248 00:17:37.339 --> 00:17:41.500 church, unless there's some extenuating circumstance. Yeah, but now I think we 249 00:17:41.579 --> 00:17:45.329 can get into because some of the other points that we have here kind of 250 00:17:45.369 --> 00:17:48.130 along the same lines of that. We've already talked about, right, ongoing 251 00:17:48.289 --> 00:17:52.930 sin. So struggles with sin are always disqualifying factors. And that does not 252 00:17:53.210 --> 00:17:57.759 mean the yeah, because you stumble, you the Bible says we all stumble 253 00:17:57.839 --> 00:18:03.640 in various ways. There are temptations that we fall into from time to time. 254 00:18:03.680 --> 00:18:06.960 There are things that we give ourselves to that we ought not that would 255 00:18:07.000 --> 00:18:11.559 repent of. But I think that point of unrepentant sin, things that you're 256 00:18:11.559 --> 00:18:15.750 not willing to acknowledge your sin, disagreement with God's word, like they're claim 257 00:18:15.869 --> 00:18:21.869 they are plane truths in scripture. Yeah, and if you've just written those 258 00:18:21.950 --> 00:18:25.950 truths off and because you want God stamp of approval on your lifestyle and your 259 00:18:26.069 --> 00:18:30.660 sin or whatever it is, God's not into that and that disqualifies you from 260 00:18:30.700 --> 00:18:33.980 ministry. Right, because it right. Remember, ministry is not about you. 261 00:18:36.019 --> 00:18:38.980 Ministry is about the Lord. The same root word of the word from 262 00:18:40.059 --> 00:18:45.289 Ministry is Actually Service or servant. A minister is a servant, servant of 263 00:18:45.369 --> 00:18:48.529 WHO? Well, first and foremost of the Lord. Right. Yeah, 264 00:18:49.089 --> 00:18:52.730 so there has to be an agreement with with what he says, with his 265 00:18:52.890 --> 00:18:55.759 word, with what he says is right and what he says is wrong, 266 00:18:56.279 --> 00:19:00.359 in order for you to be in ministry. Yeah. Now, often the 267 00:19:00.799 --> 00:19:07.200 result of these issues and unrepentant heart or rebellious, hard ongoing sin, hypocrisy, 268 00:19:08.079 --> 00:19:14.910 the result can and usually at some point, is attack. I mean 269 00:19:14.950 --> 00:19:19.069 there or there. There are consequences. There are often evil, bad consequences. 270 00:19:19.990 --> 00:19:27.220 But you could not be in sin and still when working in ministry have 271 00:19:29.099 --> 00:19:33.259 attacks? Yeah, in your life, spiritual warfare, seatanic attacks. Yeah, 272 00:19:33.460 --> 00:19:40.529 and I think an important question is we're exploring this topic, is if 273 00:19:40.650 --> 00:19:45.730 you're feeling this, if your life is a mess. Well, I think 274 00:19:45.809 --> 00:19:48.049 one of the first things you have to figure out. Well, which one 275 00:19:48.130 --> 00:19:53.079 of those is, if either, yeah, is making your life a mass? 276 00:19:53.119 --> 00:19:59.519 Yeah, I think there's a couple of things. Because our biggest enemy 277 00:19:59.559 --> 00:20:02.799 first and foremost is ourselves. Right, the Devil's not our biggest enemy, 278 00:20:02.799 --> 00:20:06.640 we are our biggest enemy. Yeah, and so when we're dealing with spiritual 279 00:20:06.640 --> 00:20:10.549 attacks, we're dealing with a life that's in chaos and all of us go 280 00:20:10.750 --> 00:20:15.230 through kind of the the roller coaster of life. Stuff happens, family stuff, 281 00:20:15.309 --> 00:20:18.710 physical issues come up and all of that. Yeah, but I still 282 00:20:18.750 --> 00:20:23.019 think it's wisdom if we come under some spiritual attack, things are just abnormal 283 00:20:23.259 --> 00:20:29.059 in our lives. We we do need to assess ourselves first. I think 284 00:20:29.140 --> 00:20:33.220 some self examination says that if you judge yourself, you'll not be judged of 285 00:20:33.299 --> 00:20:37.769 God. Paul is actually talking to that passage about those who take a communion 286 00:20:37.769 --> 00:20:41.170 and an unworthy manner. And if we judge ourselves, will not be judged 287 00:20:41.250 --> 00:20:44.569 of God right. We need to make an honest assessment of ourselves. And 288 00:20:44.609 --> 00:20:48.410 so if some spiritual attack comes against me, the first thing I'm going to 289 00:20:48.529 --> 00:20:51.920 think is, okay, am I doing something wrong? And now I'm not 290 00:20:51.960 --> 00:20:55.359 going to say I'm doing something wrong. So I want you guys to understand 291 00:20:55.359 --> 00:20:59.119 that. Like, if a spiritual attack comes against you, don't immediately accuse 292 00:20:59.240 --> 00:21:03.200 yourself, nor should you accuse other it's like job's friends did. Yeah, 293 00:21:03.240 --> 00:21:07.269 that told him you're suffering because you're doing something wrong. No, that that 294 00:21:07.589 --> 00:21:11.109 is not necessarily true. It wasn't true in job's case, and that's why 295 00:21:11.150 --> 00:21:14.150 it's important. Again, if an attack is coming against you, I think 296 00:21:14.190 --> 00:21:17.230 it's important for you to ask yourself, okay, am I doing something wrong, 297 00:21:17.230 --> 00:21:18.380 rather than saying now I'm doing something wrong. That's why this come. 298 00:21:18.500 --> 00:21:22.220 Yeah, yeah, but I think the first thing is to bring it before 299 00:21:22.220 --> 00:21:26.339 the Lord. Yeah, and then the next thing, and this is why 300 00:21:26.539 --> 00:21:30.740 connection to a local church is so vital, so important. I mean a 301 00:21:30.779 --> 00:21:33.369 connection to a local church. I don't just mean attending church on Sunday for 302 00:21:33.490 --> 00:21:37.809 an hour and a half or two hours. I mean a connection to your 303 00:21:37.849 --> 00:21:41.089 local church where you have a relationship with the leadership, and I know some 304 00:21:41.250 --> 00:21:45.970 folks are parts really big churches and I get that, but there are people 305 00:21:45.049 --> 00:21:48.200 in leadership positions in those really big churches that you can get close to. 306 00:21:48.920 --> 00:21:52.319 There are people in those churches, small groups and things like that you can 307 00:21:52.359 --> 00:21:56.960 get close to. And if you don't, if that's not possible, I'm 308 00:21:56.000 --> 00:22:00.480 telling you you need to find a connection where you can be close to people. 309 00:22:00.920 --> 00:22:03.470 That way they can really tell you if there's a spiritual attack coming. 310 00:22:03.869 --> 00:22:07.470 People that know you can say, you know what, you're a woman of 311 00:22:07.589 --> 00:22:11.190 God, you're walking with the Lord. I don't see the deficiencies that you 312 00:22:11.309 --> 00:22:15.470 think might be there, or I do see the deficiencies, and a lot 313 00:22:15.509 --> 00:22:19.740 of times really close friends who are walking with the Lord can tell you these 314 00:22:19.779 --> 00:22:23.420 things before the spiritual attacks come. And that's what, again, why it's 315 00:22:23.460 --> 00:22:27.259 important to have an account accountability person that you're meeting with on a regular basis, 316 00:22:27.660 --> 00:22:30.970 because they can foresee some of this stuff and they can show you where 317 00:22:32.009 --> 00:22:34.250 your deficiencies are and where you might be slacking or where you might be, 318 00:22:36.529 --> 00:22:38.890 you know, not being serious way. That the way that you need to 319 00:22:38.930 --> 00:22:44.210 be or where you're serious with the Lord. But there's a tax coming because 320 00:22:44.250 --> 00:22:47.160 you're doing the right thing. Yeah, and see, that's another thing. 321 00:22:48.079 --> 00:22:49.920 And so how do you discern? I mean that is important. We need 322 00:22:51.000 --> 00:22:53.599 to know how to discern, because that's a very important thing to discern. 323 00:22:55.039 --> 00:22:59.750 Well, a lot of the discernment comes from being in the word of God. 324 00:23:00.269 --> 00:23:03.470 Yes, kind of going back to our our initial conversation about the things 325 00:23:03.549 --> 00:23:08.309 that do disqualify you, being in the word of God and knowing the things 326 00:23:08.349 --> 00:23:11.150 that God approves of and the things that God does not approve of. He 327 00:23:11.509 --> 00:23:15.980 is a very easy way, yeah, to tell. Okay, am I 328 00:23:15.019 --> 00:23:18.940 under attack because I've opened up a door to the enemy to attack me? 329 00:23:18.259 --> 00:23:22.059 Right? Well, am I doing the things that God says I shouldn't be 330 00:23:22.099 --> 00:23:23.740 doing? Well, then that's an indicator. But if you're not, you 331 00:23:23.859 --> 00:23:26.529 know the word of God and you know that you're before the Lord and you're 332 00:23:26.569 --> 00:23:30.650 right with God in every area, then I would say you can immediately assume 333 00:23:32.170 --> 00:23:34.250 that it's attack right from the devil. It's an attack that's come against you 334 00:23:34.369 --> 00:23:38.529 because you're you're over the target, and this ministry is one of those. 335 00:23:38.730 --> 00:23:44.599 Like we've gotten a lot of opposition in the past. You know, really 336 00:23:44.640 --> 00:23:48.119 the past three four years we've had a lot of probsions, passion, but 337 00:23:48.519 --> 00:23:52.119 in the past year we've really had some intense opposition. Yeah, to us 338 00:23:52.200 --> 00:23:56.990 on the sidewalk. Yeah, and just in general and ministry. And we've 339 00:23:57.230 --> 00:24:02.069 done the self examination. Right, I have, like my doing things I 340 00:24:02.150 --> 00:24:04.109 ought not and I'm no, no, okay, and I have people around 341 00:24:04.150 --> 00:24:07.950 me that I can ask these questions who they'll be honest with me. Yeah, 342 00:24:07.430 --> 00:24:11.339 and you know, even in Ministry, I ask that question even in 343 00:24:11.779 --> 00:24:14.420 you know, you're talking, I think, more personally in your personal life. 344 00:24:14.420 --> 00:24:18.180 Yeah, but even in looking at I am I doing something in ministry 345 00:24:18.700 --> 00:24:22.380 that maybe is not the way God would have us? Wouldn't be do any 346 00:24:22.460 --> 00:24:25.930 talking along those terms to yeah, okay. And so if you've got people 347 00:24:25.970 --> 00:24:27.970 that are able to speak into your life, a were speaking to your ministry. 348 00:24:29.089 --> 00:24:32.089 Yeah, you know, a lot of times the opposition is an indicator 349 00:24:32.130 --> 00:24:34.890 that you're doing something right. Yeah. Actually, and if we allow the 350 00:24:36.089 --> 00:24:40.200 devil with his deception, because that's what he does, he deceives and he 351 00:24:40.279 --> 00:24:45.519 accuses, to shift it around to where we're accusing ourselves we're really not involved 352 00:24:45.599 --> 00:24:49.359 in sin and rebellion or whatever, and we allow we take the bait of 353 00:24:49.400 --> 00:24:55.589 Satan and we just kind of are offended even with ourselves. Yeah, we 354 00:24:55.710 --> 00:24:59.309 can really this thing can really be turned upside down because again, a lot 355 00:24:59.309 --> 00:25:03.109 of times the indicator that you're doing the right thing is it you're getting opposition. 356 00:25:03.230 --> 00:25:07.619 Right, if you're not getting opposition, that's like what we talk about 357 00:25:07.700 --> 00:25:11.460 with our sidewalk counselors and our subwalk missionaries. If people are angry with you, 358 00:25:11.579 --> 00:25:14.339 if people, human beings that you're talking to, are angry with you, 359 00:25:14.900 --> 00:25:18.059 that's not always a bad thing, right. It's better for them to 360 00:25:18.099 --> 00:25:21.490 be angry with you because you know you're hitting the mark right, you're touching 361 00:25:21.529 --> 00:25:25.849 on something. Now, if you're just being purposefully belligerent and just mean to 362 00:25:25.970 --> 00:25:29.730 them, obviously that's an issue, but if you're speaking along biblical line, 363 00:25:29.809 --> 00:25:32.809 speaking the truth, and people are angry with you, you're touching the mark 364 00:25:32.890 --> 00:25:36.359 right. Same Way, when you're out there on the sidewalk, you're doing 365 00:25:36.480 --> 00:25:41.279 ministry and you're getting opposition from the devil, you're getting I mean, who 366 00:25:41.319 --> 00:25:44.640 knows? These attacks can come physically, they can come mentally, then come 367 00:25:44.839 --> 00:25:48.279 things in your family, stuff like that. I think a lot of times 368 00:25:48.359 --> 00:25:52.109 you're doing the assessment of like okay, I'm walking with God, I'm doing 369 00:25:52.190 --> 00:25:56.630 the right things. This is coming because I'm hitting the mark, and this 370 00:25:56.630 --> 00:26:02.150 is to me and encouragement that the devil ain't happy with what I'm doing right. 371 00:26:02.390 --> 00:26:07.299 And and that then leads to, you know, the the question. 372 00:26:07.059 --> 00:26:11.220 Well, what do I do with that? What if I am doing everything 373 00:26:11.299 --> 00:26:17.299 right? Yeah, and yet my family is under horrific attack. If you 374 00:26:18.180 --> 00:26:22.849 give into that and decide that I have to leave, it's too much, 375 00:26:22.210 --> 00:26:27.009 and sometimes I think we've all been there where it's really close to too much. 376 00:26:27.490 --> 00:26:32.809 But if we leave the danger as we have given in to Satan. 377 00:26:32.880 --> 00:26:36.839 We've given him what he wanted. He has forced us out. Yeah, 378 00:26:37.079 --> 00:26:42.200 and and so that's, I think, an important thing for us to think 379 00:26:42.240 --> 00:26:45.680 about. I think we're going to kind of talk about that a little bit 380 00:26:45.759 --> 00:26:48.390 more later, but just keep it in the back of your mind. You 381 00:26:48.509 --> 00:26:52.349 know about about that question. How do we know when it's time to just 382 00:26:52.869 --> 00:26:56.789 take a break? Are we giving into Satan or is is it really necessary, 383 00:26:56.829 --> 00:27:02.380 yeah, right now, that that we someone step back? Yeah, 384 00:27:02.819 --> 00:27:07.660 but one of the things in in our ministry, and as I was reading 385 00:27:07.740 --> 00:27:11.980 through and kind of preparing for this, I read this verse First Corinthian six 386 00:27:11.019 --> 00:27:15.180 hundred and eighteen. Okay, you want to read that? Do you have 387 00:27:15.259 --> 00:27:18.690 that? That verse there? Yeah, fleet immorality. Every other sin that 388 00:27:18.769 --> 00:27:22.930 a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his 389 00:27:22.970 --> 00:27:26.089 own body. And so this is talking about sexual sand, right. Yeah, 390 00:27:26.289 --> 00:27:32.160 really be a detriment to ministry, especially our ministry. Yeah, because 391 00:27:32.279 --> 00:27:36.319 this is what so many of I mean it's the cause of abortion. Ninety 392 00:27:36.319 --> 00:27:41.160 nine percent of the time probably is because of sexual sin. So if that 393 00:27:41.920 --> 00:27:49.950 is something that we are struggling with, that's a real problem, particularly in 394 00:27:51.029 --> 00:27:55.509 abortion ministry, and it sounds like of all the sense that we could be 395 00:27:55.589 --> 00:28:00.059 involved in, that one is maybe a one of the great just danger said, 396 00:28:00.099 --> 00:28:03.259 that's what I'm reading in the in that person. It comes to mind 397 00:28:03.339 --> 00:28:06.660 for me because I think this could be broadened. The conversation that we're talking 398 00:28:06.700 --> 00:28:11.779 about what disqualifies someone from ministry can be broadened beyond our context, which is 399 00:28:11.099 --> 00:28:15.130 obviously being out of an abortion center. But I think about men and women 400 00:28:15.210 --> 00:28:18.849 of God who I think a lot of us have looked up to. I'm 401 00:28:18.849 --> 00:28:22.890 not going to name any names, but you know there's been some recent folks 402 00:28:22.970 --> 00:28:26.170 that I yeah, find out about they fell into sexual sin and all that, 403 00:28:26.730 --> 00:28:30.599 and just the detriment that that causes not only to the people that, 404 00:28:32.079 --> 00:28:33.839 you know, counted, they are directly minister into, but the people who 405 00:28:33.880 --> 00:28:40.480 have taken their influence and have taken, you know, their teachings and a 406 00:28:40.559 --> 00:28:42.150 that stuff. And it's like, man, it just really disheartening. In 407 00:28:42.309 --> 00:28:47.549 more than anything, it dishonors God. And again I think that needs to 408 00:28:47.589 --> 00:28:52.230 be the understanding that the ministry that we're called to service to God. Yeah, 409 00:28:52.589 --> 00:28:59.099 and so this, this idea or this charge actually the flee immorality, 410 00:28:59.339 --> 00:29:03.740 and especially sexual immorality. Yeah, is just that. This is this is 411 00:29:03.779 --> 00:29:10.210 a constant and you look throughout the entire scripture you'll see this is a constant 412 00:29:10.289 --> 00:29:14.609 issue and a constant struggle that people have. Yeah, I mean you think 413 00:29:14.609 --> 00:29:18.289 of King David Right, fallen into sexual sin. Look Bathsheba. Yeah, 414 00:29:18.369 --> 00:29:21.609 and it ships wrecks his family in the whole right, know, whole ministry 415 00:29:21.609 --> 00:29:25.359 he's called to. Now God still uses him, but not until he repents. 416 00:29:25.400 --> 00:29:27.240 Yeah, right, and so God confronts him in his sin and he 417 00:29:27.359 --> 00:29:33.720 repents. Yeah, but persistent, unrepentant sin along those lines is really, 418 00:29:33.839 --> 00:29:37.829 really, really destructive. And if it's happening to a leader then, like 419 00:29:38.029 --> 00:29:41.910 you said, the people that have followed that leader, that have looked up 420 00:29:41.950 --> 00:29:47.190 to that leader, it can be very faith shattering. Yeah, because you 421 00:29:47.269 --> 00:29:51.750 wonder, well, what else have they taught me or said? That was 422 00:29:51.829 --> 00:29:56.500 a hypocritical lie. They can't even live that life and yet they're trying to 423 00:29:56.539 --> 00:30:00.059 teach it to me. So I just want to throw that out there, 424 00:30:00.220 --> 00:30:03.380 that that's a sin that be on a shadow of a doubt, needs to 425 00:30:03.539 --> 00:30:08.450 be strongly dealt with for you to be in ministry. So kind of then 426 00:30:08.450 --> 00:30:11.930 the flip side. Well, what qualifies us? What are we looking for? 427 00:30:12.250 --> 00:30:17.609 That that that qualifies us for Ministry? If it's not our own strength, 428 00:30:17.650 --> 00:30:19.690 and we certainly know we shouldn't be in sin. But what, what 429 00:30:19.930 --> 00:30:26.240 things should we have as a part of our character? Yeah, well, 430 00:30:26.000 --> 00:30:30.319 some of the things you have here and as always, you've written a wonderful 431 00:30:30.359 --> 00:30:33.480 article about this, so it's going to be posted. Yeah, we will 432 00:30:33.480 --> 00:30:37.470 be able to. So we're kind of using that as a framework and some 433 00:30:37.589 --> 00:30:41.869 of the things you named here are absolutely crucial to being qualified for Ministry and 434 00:30:41.910 --> 00:30:45.470 we actually talked about that in very beginning. If you want to be qualified 435 00:30:45.509 --> 00:30:48.630 for ministry, you've got to have fear and much trembling. You've got to 436 00:30:48.670 --> 00:30:52.579 have weakness, fear and much trembling. Right, if you're going to be 437 00:30:52.579 --> 00:30:56.059 qualified with think right about with the world with thin yeah, them broken and 438 00:30:56.140 --> 00:31:00.980 contrite spirit says contrition before the Lord. You know, I would say, 439 00:31:02.779 --> 00:31:07.130 first and foremost the thing that qualifies you for Ministry, because you've got to 440 00:31:07.210 --> 00:31:10.730 have had an experience with the Lord. Well, yeah, that's primary funds. 441 00:31:10.769 --> 00:31:12.650 Got To be born of the spirit. Yeah, Jesus said that which 442 00:31:12.650 --> 00:31:17.529 is born of the flesh is death, that which is born of the spirit 443 00:31:17.569 --> 00:31:19.839 produces life. Right, so we've got to be born of the spirit. 444 00:31:21.480 --> 00:31:25.240 But even beyond that, I mean even people that are born of the spirit 445 00:31:25.839 --> 00:31:30.680 can deal with pride and arrogance. Yeah, and self sufficiency. Yeah, 446 00:31:30.920 --> 00:31:33.630 and so a broken and contrite spirit will help you get rid of that, 447 00:31:33.750 --> 00:31:37.829 help you crucify this idea of self sufficiency. Right. Yeah, that's man 448 00:31:37.990 --> 00:31:41.910 to me. That's like a huge danger for any ministry. As I mentioned 449 00:31:41.950 --> 00:31:45.630 earlier, if I see people that I see you're like to self sufficient. 450 00:31:45.750 --> 00:31:49.900 I don't mean to say that they're not proficient, right, they're not smart 451 00:31:49.980 --> 00:31:53.460 people, that can do certain things and have certain abilities and all of that, 452 00:31:53.660 --> 00:31:56.619 and they should be confident. Yeah, but where is their confidence? 453 00:31:56.660 --> 00:32:00.730 Exactly? Yeah, and so our confidence has to be not in our own 454 00:32:00.730 --> 00:32:06.690 abilities, although you know, you see, you see through scripture. I 455 00:32:06.730 --> 00:32:08.849 think you see a man like King David, for example, who I think 456 00:32:09.009 --> 00:32:14.769 was pretty confident in his abilities as a warrior. But where did you start? 457 00:32:15.250 --> 00:32:19.400 He started defeating Goliath, like probably the biggest enemy he's ever faced. 458 00:32:19.440 --> 00:32:22.440 Biggest single enemies ever faced Goliath. He starts with a sling in a stone. 459 00:32:22.480 --> 00:32:24.880 Right, so he has that encounter with the Lord. In a sense, 460 00:32:24.920 --> 00:32:29.799 you'll say the Goliath experience was the experience where the Goliath. And again, 461 00:32:29.839 --> 00:32:34.670 who's the biggest enemy? Will David's biggest enemy was David. And who's 462 00:32:34.670 --> 00:32:37.950 our biggest enemy? It's ourselves. And when you become a Christian, that 463 00:32:37.190 --> 00:32:42.589 Goliath you in your life, the biggest idol that you have is yourself. 464 00:32:43.430 --> 00:32:46.259 God slays that thing by God's power. That thing is slay right. Any 465 00:32:46.420 --> 00:32:51.980 slays it with the tools that David already knew how to use. It wasn't 466 00:32:52.019 --> 00:32:57.539 like David had to acquire any great new set of skills. The skills were 467 00:32:57.579 --> 00:33:00.730 already in place for what God was calling him to do. But he may 468 00:33:00.809 --> 00:33:05.289 not have trusted that. But in David's case he did. They tried to 469 00:33:05.329 --> 00:33:07.089 put armor on him. Said No, I can I'm not used to this. 470 00:33:07.329 --> 00:33:10.690 I'm going to use what I've always used and in God's power, I'm 471 00:33:10.690 --> 00:33:14.559 going to go forth and slay that giant. I think that's a great lesson 472 00:33:15.279 --> 00:33:19.240 problems us. David goes on, I think, with confidence, and his 473 00:33:19.359 --> 00:33:22.119 confidence seemed to always be in the Lord, and that's kind of where I'm 474 00:33:22.160 --> 00:33:24.480 going with this, is that, yes, we need to have confidence, 475 00:33:24.559 --> 00:33:28.630 but we need to have confidence in the Lord and not in the flesh y. 476 00:33:29.910 --> 00:33:32.990 So that takes brokenness, it takes contrition, it takes a reliance on 477 00:33:34.069 --> 00:33:37.950 the Lord, it takes again that John Fifteen dynamic where he is the vine 478 00:33:37.990 --> 00:33:40.779 and we are the branches. When we bear fruit, yes, we can 479 00:33:40.819 --> 00:33:46.220 be confident as a branch that we can bear fruit, but our confidence doesn't 480 00:33:46.220 --> 00:33:49.980 come from the fact that we're a branch, it comes from the fact that 481 00:33:50.059 --> 00:33:52.579 we're connected to the vine. Yeah, because Jesus and that passage just talking 482 00:33:52.579 --> 00:33:54.259 about. You know, what does it? What does it branch do if 483 00:33:54.259 --> 00:33:58.289 it's not attached to the vine, it withers. Right, they throw them 484 00:33:58.329 --> 00:34:00.289 in the fire. Yeah, because they can't even can't even bear leaves, 485 00:34:00.329 --> 00:34:04.250 much less fruit, to not connected to the vine. Yeah, you can 486 00:34:04.289 --> 00:34:07.769 the confidence from the branches to being connected to the vine. Yeah. And 487 00:34:07.890 --> 00:34:13.360 then you have here importance of a heart incline to God. Yeah, our 488 00:34:13.440 --> 00:34:16.599 heart is toward the Lord. The same dynamic is that we trust in the 489 00:34:16.719 --> 00:34:21.800 Lord. My confidence is not in the flesh. You, David Rise, 490 00:34:22.079 --> 00:34:25.190 as the PSALMIST. Some trust in chariots and some in horses. Yeah, 491 00:34:25.750 --> 00:34:29.389 but I will trust in the Lord. Yeah, right. It's not in 492 00:34:29.550 --> 00:34:31.269 armies, it's not in chariots, it's not in horses, it's not in 493 00:34:31.630 --> 00:34:36.269 all these other things that the world has to offer. Right, though, 494 00:34:36.309 --> 00:34:39.619 God can use some of those things. Certainly in David's battles, God use 495 00:34:39.699 --> 00:34:44.059 chariots and horses, but his trust, his confidence, was not there. 496 00:34:44.500 --> 00:34:46.940 It's in the Lord's like you know, we have certain skills, you know, 497 00:34:47.019 --> 00:34:52.139 ability to speak and stuff like that, and certainly we can, we 498 00:34:52.260 --> 00:34:55.329 can have a certain amount of amount of confidence in that, in that ability, 499 00:34:55.769 --> 00:35:00.730 but only as it's surrendered to the Lord, Right, yeah. And 500 00:35:00.889 --> 00:35:05.449 so a heart of surrender to the Lord qualifies US Right for Ministry. Yeah, 501 00:35:05.489 --> 00:35:09.760 yeah, and sometimes, in fact, our skills sets, our strengths 502 00:35:10.440 --> 00:35:15.039 look like it's very well suited to ministry and we find out, Oh man, 503 00:35:15.159 --> 00:35:22.670 these people that are so selfsufficient and hardhearted really don't work out well. 504 00:35:23.110 --> 00:35:28.909 And then, on the other hand, sometimes there's people they the the least 505 00:35:29.070 --> 00:35:31.309 likely person, you think, to succeed. I'm thinking of one of our 506 00:35:31.349 --> 00:35:37.019 counselors who is just so shy, so quiet, so tiny. By all 507 00:35:37.260 --> 00:35:45.340 external appearances, this is a timid little mouse that just there's no way she's 508 00:35:45.420 --> 00:35:50.929 going to withstand the intensity of the battle. is how I felt when I 509 00:35:51.050 --> 00:35:53.449 first saw her show up. I thought, oh no, she is gonna 510 00:35:53.489 --> 00:36:00.650 be eating alive, she is such an affective counselor. And so I think 511 00:36:00.690 --> 00:36:04.090 that's kind of one of the other qualifiers for us. Right, it's not 512 00:36:04.400 --> 00:36:08.320 how we look, she's not the external appearance. Yeah, it's our inward 513 00:36:08.360 --> 00:36:13.320 character and it's our connection to the Lord. Right, right. Yeah, 514 00:36:14.039 --> 00:36:20.710 so I think this biblical understanding is an important qualifier. That John Chapter Fifteen. 515 00:36:21.070 --> 00:36:23.150 Man, I could preach that all day long. Yeah, every single 516 00:36:23.389 --> 00:36:27.630 podcast we've done lately you've been able to work that in going to work it 517 00:36:27.710 --> 00:36:31.150 in because it's a it's a it's a reality that I've known in my life 518 00:36:31.269 --> 00:36:36.619 that I mean really seriously. Apart from him, yeah, I can do 519 00:36:36.780 --> 00:36:39.139 anything. Yeah. Yeah, that doesn't mean we're not going to struggle. 520 00:36:39.340 --> 00:36:43.579 One of my our churches, I'm not sure if that's still what they say, 521 00:36:43.659 --> 00:36:47.530 but they part of our, I don't know, founding statement is that 522 00:36:47.690 --> 00:36:53.369 we struggle go well with Christ, and so we're we may very well still 523 00:36:53.409 --> 00:37:00.050 struggle, but it's important. Are we struggling? Well, yeah, means 524 00:37:00.369 --> 00:37:06.800 back to your point. Are you struggling with God as your guide in your 525 00:37:06.840 --> 00:37:10.199 focus? Are Are you struggling outside of his will? Yeah, which case 526 00:37:10.320 --> 00:37:15.360 things need to change. Yeah, absolutely. Well, I think you know 527 00:37:15.559 --> 00:37:17.230 this point. I think we've touched on some of these and you guys can 528 00:37:17.469 --> 00:37:22.150 take advantage of the article that will put out on the sidewalks for life website. 529 00:37:22.190 --> 00:37:23.429 That, I think will help you. But I do want to jump 530 00:37:23.510 --> 00:37:29.550 into the safeguards in this yeah, that's really important and I think like I 531 00:37:29.630 --> 00:37:32.980 will preach this just like I'll preach John Chapter Fifteen. Yeah, accountability. 532 00:37:34.219 --> 00:37:37.420 Right, if you talk about safeguards, and we've talked about some of the 533 00:37:37.460 --> 00:37:42.500 things that will disqualify you from ministry. We've talked about what qualifies you for 534 00:37:42.619 --> 00:37:46.250 Ministry. contrite heart before the Lord. Yeah, but as far as safeguards 535 00:37:46.849 --> 00:37:52.849 go to safeguard against those things that might disqualify you, accountability is like like 536 00:37:52.050 --> 00:37:57.170 you got to have it. Yeah, I would say especially for men, 537 00:37:57.329 --> 00:38:01.159 but I'll say especially for women to I'd say for men, because for everybody, 538 00:38:01.280 --> 00:38:06.559 especially for everybody, but I say for men in particular because it seems 539 00:38:06.599 --> 00:38:10.079 that men are more those that struggle with sexual sin. Yeah, and the 540 00:38:10.159 --> 00:38:14.949 temptation to look at garbage on the Internet that you should be looking at, 541 00:38:15.070 --> 00:38:19.789 which ultimately you sin is never satisfied and in light the grave is never satisfied. 542 00:38:19.909 --> 00:38:22.909 Right, it's always going to take more from you than initially was asked. 543 00:38:22.949 --> 00:38:25.789 Right, take you further than you initially thought you would go. Yeah, 544 00:38:25.829 --> 00:38:29.739 and so people don't start out, you know, with fullball and adultery. 545 00:38:29.780 --> 00:38:31.980 They start out dabbling a pornography and all that, that kind of garbage. 546 00:38:32.579 --> 00:38:36.739 If you don't have accountability, if you don't have somebody in your life, 547 00:38:36.739 --> 00:38:39.780 or somebody's in your life that, if they see something's off, can 548 00:38:39.820 --> 00:38:44.090 ask you those questions. or I would say somebody that you meet with on 549 00:38:44.130 --> 00:38:49.010 a regular basis, they ask you the tough questions. Are you keeping what 550 00:38:49.090 --> 00:38:51.650 you're looking at pure? Are you, I know one of the things for 551 00:38:51.769 --> 00:38:52.889 me is, are you spending time with your family? Because that could be 552 00:38:53.050 --> 00:38:58.079 for somebody who's driven, who wants to you just be involved in ministry and 553 00:38:58.159 --> 00:39:00.000 do what God's called him to do. We can, we can forget our 554 00:39:00.000 --> 00:39:02.760 families. Yeah, kind of leave them behind. That's something I need to 555 00:39:02.800 --> 00:39:06.639 be held accountable for. My spending time with my family. Yeah, and 556 00:39:06.719 --> 00:39:09.349 so my accountability. Yeah, will ask me the questions. Are you looking 557 00:39:09.349 --> 00:39:13.590 at what's pure? Are you spending time with your family? And even he 558 00:39:13.710 --> 00:39:17.349 goes to me accountable in this area to is are you spending time disconnected from 559 00:39:17.389 --> 00:39:21.110 ministry? Yeah, there are times, you know, I have a Sabbath 560 00:39:21.150 --> 00:39:24.340 Day that I take off, that I disconnect best I can for ministry, 561 00:39:24.820 --> 00:39:29.179 and when I don't do that consistently, I know it, yeah, catches 562 00:39:29.260 --> 00:39:34.579 up with yeah, and you know what's really important when not only accountability, 563 00:39:34.619 --> 00:39:37.340 but what goes hand in hand in that that you have an accountability to be 564 00:39:37.730 --> 00:39:43.409 ability partner partners, but that you also are committed to being honest with them, 565 00:39:43.690 --> 00:39:46.170 because it doesn't matter how many accountability people who you have, if you're 566 00:39:46.250 --> 00:39:52.360 not being honest, you're still continuing down that destructive silence path and nothing's going 567 00:39:52.360 --> 00:39:55.280 to change you are. So said, there's both. You have to have 568 00:39:55.400 --> 00:40:00.840 that person that you can truly listen to him be accountable to, but then 569 00:40:00.880 --> 00:40:04.400 you are willing to truly bear your heart and be honest in what's going on 570 00:40:04.519 --> 00:40:07.829 in your life, and I think that's really hard for some people. Yeah, 571 00:40:07.949 --> 00:40:10.989 absolutely, you know, I would say get somebody you know, if 572 00:40:12.030 --> 00:40:15.190 you don't already have accountability partner, than somebody that hold you accountable. Yeah, 573 00:40:15.349 --> 00:40:19.510 then, and you're looking like praying through who that might be. I 574 00:40:19.550 --> 00:40:22.659 would always encourage it to be an older person in the Lord, Somebody has 575 00:40:22.699 --> 00:40:24.420 been walking with God for longer than you have. Yeah, somebody it's a 576 00:40:24.460 --> 00:40:29.059 little older than you. Yeah, I can't make that happen. God'll bring 577 00:40:29.139 --> 00:40:31.980 somebody across your radar. Pray for that. Did it. Yeah, and 578 00:40:32.139 --> 00:40:37.969 also somebody who's you know's going to get get a little rough, like hey, 579 00:40:37.409 --> 00:40:40.329 they're going to say this is wrong and not be afraid. You're not 580 00:40:40.369 --> 00:40:44.289 going to fear your friend, the lost friendship or whatever they're just going to 581 00:40:44.329 --> 00:40:46.690 say this is wrong and you need to change. Don't get a yes man 582 00:40:46.809 --> 00:40:52.079 or yes woman as your accountability partner. Get someone that will hold you accountable 583 00:40:52.280 --> 00:40:57.320 for real. That's right. That is I mean above just your personal walk 584 00:40:57.360 --> 00:41:00.719 with the Lord. Right, you being in prayer consistently, being in the 585 00:41:00.800 --> 00:41:05.869 word consistently, and that's another point of accountability. That's what my accountability partner 586 00:41:05.909 --> 00:41:07.550 asked me. Hey, yeah, are you in the word consistently? Like 587 00:41:07.670 --> 00:41:10.789 you you in prayer? You, how's your relationship with the Lord? Yeah, 588 00:41:13.150 --> 00:41:16.150 that's a safeguard. Is it regular? Is it intentional or is it 589 00:41:16.269 --> 00:41:19.139 just kind of well, at the end of the day, if I have 590 00:41:19.340 --> 00:41:22.260 time, I might pray a little better, but are you doing something to 591 00:41:22.539 --> 00:41:29.179 really schedule time with God in prayer, like like Jesus himself did? Now 592 00:41:29.260 --> 00:41:31.340 do want to warn against something? This is something that really wasn't kind of 593 00:41:31.420 --> 00:41:36.730 in my thought process, but I understand that people think this way. And 594 00:41:36.769 --> 00:41:43.250 it was in a conversation with someone who we've ministered alongside of and as we 595 00:41:43.329 --> 00:41:46.090 were talking, I believe you and I were talking to this person, or 596 00:41:46.159 --> 00:41:49.920 maybe it's just myself. I don't remember, but I do know at one 597 00:41:50.000 --> 00:41:53.480 point this person expressed that, you know, my time with the Lord, 598 00:41:53.519 --> 00:42:00.480 I was actually using my time in ministry as a substitute for my time with 599 00:42:00.599 --> 00:42:04.429 the Lord. Okay, so rather than spending time in the word, yeah, 600 00:42:04.469 --> 00:42:07.110 it's been a time in prayer, I'll think, well, I'm spending 601 00:42:07.150 --> 00:42:09.550 time with the Lord on the sidewalk, I'll spending time with doing as well, 602 00:42:09.670 --> 00:42:14.070 yeah, being on his will. Okay, and so listen that. 603 00:42:14.309 --> 00:42:20.820 That's a ministry is important, but ministry should be done out of a relationship 604 00:42:20.860 --> 00:42:23.099 with the Lord Right, not to build, not to lay, relationship. 605 00:42:23.219 --> 00:42:27.260 Now it's a component that can help you grow closer to the Lord. Yeah, 606 00:42:27.260 --> 00:42:29.780 as it probably heard me, give to promises. If you commit to 607 00:42:29.820 --> 00:42:31.650 go to the sidewalk, God will use you to say babies, and God 608 00:42:31.690 --> 00:42:35.090 will grow you in areas what you wouldn't grow otherwise if you go to the 609 00:42:35.130 --> 00:42:37.130 side wall. That's true. This is a component. Ministry is a component 610 00:42:37.329 --> 00:42:40.809 right of your relationship with the Lord, but is it is not the bedrock, 611 00:42:40.929 --> 00:42:45.400 it is not the foundation of relationship with the Lord. It is it 612 00:42:45.559 --> 00:42:49.360 is something that is built upon the foundation of your relationship with the Lord. 613 00:42:49.679 --> 00:42:53.119 Again, you cannot give what you do not have. If you're encountering people 614 00:42:53.159 --> 00:42:58.320 at the abortion center, they need Jesus Right, they need a relationship with 615 00:42:58.480 --> 00:43:00.630 him, they need to be connected to the true vine right, because they 616 00:43:00.670 --> 00:43:04.909 need life that comes from him. If you're not connected to the true vine, 617 00:43:04.949 --> 00:43:07.510 if you're kind of a withering branch, you can't give them what they 618 00:43:07.510 --> 00:43:10.989 don't have, and sometimes that can creep up on you. So using ministry 619 00:43:12.030 --> 00:43:17.780 as a substitute for a consistent, close relationship with the Lord, it should 620 00:43:17.780 --> 00:43:22.300 flow out of that right, not be a replacement for that. So that's 621 00:43:22.460 --> 00:43:28.010 that's a warning for you guys. So just a couple of other safeguards as 622 00:43:28.090 --> 00:43:30.809 we kind of knock these things out and wrap this podcast up. Is Confession 623 00:43:30.809 --> 00:43:34.929 of sin. Yeah, and that doesn't just mean you say, and I'm 624 00:43:34.969 --> 00:43:37.250 sorry God that I did this sin. But if there are consistent struggles in 625 00:43:37.289 --> 00:43:42.599 your life, let's say, for example, as men looking at pornography on 626 00:43:42.639 --> 00:43:45.519 a regular basis, if that's a consistent struggle in your life, you need 627 00:43:45.599 --> 00:43:49.840 to stop just confessing that to the Lord and you need to start confessing that 628 00:43:50.000 --> 00:43:52.760 to people. You need to have an accountability partner that you're confessing that to. 629 00:43:52.880 --> 00:43:55.750 You need had people in your life, if you've got close people in 630 00:43:55.789 --> 00:44:00.949 your life, ministry leaders, pastors or your accountability partner who says, Hey, 631 00:44:01.070 --> 00:44:05.429 listen, man, you're consistently stumbling in this area. Yeah, think 632 00:44:05.429 --> 00:44:07.590 you need to back, yeah, from ministry. Yeah, you're the Bible 633 00:44:07.630 --> 00:44:10.659 as well, and the Bible says confess our sins one to another. It's 634 00:44:10.739 --> 00:44:14.699 not just to God, but it is one to another, and that's such 635 00:44:14.699 --> 00:44:17.780 a big safeguard because, if you know, God requires that of us. 636 00:44:19.300 --> 00:44:22.179 I think that alone can sometimes hold you back. It helps. It's another 637 00:44:22.340 --> 00:44:25.369 barrier to you sinning, because you know, I'm going to go have to 638 00:44:25.449 --> 00:44:30.570 tell my friend. Yeah, you know, absolutely so very important. Yeah, 639 00:44:30.570 --> 00:44:34.730 I'll chew you this. Maybe in the Modern Church we make light of 640 00:44:34.809 --> 00:44:37.050 sin. Yeah, and we say and you know, everybody does it. 641 00:44:37.170 --> 00:44:43.000 Maybe that's the case for many churches. It is. Yeah, that's not 642 00:44:43.079 --> 00:44:45.639 the case with God. God doesn't make light of sin. It's not just 643 00:44:45.719 --> 00:44:49.880 a no big deal to him. Yeah, everybody does it. No Way, 644 00:44:50.360 --> 00:44:53.070 your child of God. If you're inconsistent, unrepentant sin, yeah, 645 00:44:53.150 --> 00:44:58.110 you might make light of it. God doesn't. Yeah, and after all, 646 00:44:58.110 --> 00:45:00.989 it's his opinion that matters, so deal with it. Deal with it 647 00:45:00.190 --> 00:45:05.630 forth rightly, deal with it by confessing it, and I'm mourning for it. 648 00:45:05.710 --> 00:45:07.820 I think that's something else is that comes with a broken in contract. 649 00:45:07.860 --> 00:45:14.380 All right, to truly mourn over how you have straight yeah, God, 650 00:45:14.460 --> 00:45:19.659 and the destruction, because it always causes destruction, not only in your life 651 00:45:19.699 --> 00:45:22.210 but in the lives of others. Yep, some fifty one is a perfect 652 00:45:22.250 --> 00:45:27.369 scripture. If there's unrepentant sin in your life and God has confronted you in 653 00:45:27.489 --> 00:45:30.210 it, you need to repent of it. Some fifty one is a great 654 00:45:30.369 --> 00:45:32.690 model. This is David after he was called in his sin with Best Sheba 655 00:45:32.769 --> 00:45:37.559 and yeah, you're Rye and all that. Yeah, he repents before God. 656 00:45:37.840 --> 00:45:39.480 God continues to use him as a matter of act. I will say 657 00:45:39.519 --> 00:45:44.800 this. Yeah, that, after this is pretty astounding to me after this 658 00:45:45.079 --> 00:45:49.400 whole episode of his sin. Is I actually when God says that David is 659 00:45:49.440 --> 00:45:52.710 a man after his own heart. He's an adulterer and murderer. Yeah, 660 00:45:52.789 --> 00:45:54.510 and you know, one of the questions that in an article, which is 661 00:45:54.630 --> 00:46:01.269 referenced in the article I wrote, was would would any ministry ministry hired David? 662 00:46:01.309 --> 00:46:06.739 Yeah, Jesse, he's just finished an adulterous relationship, had a child 663 00:46:06.739 --> 00:46:13.539 out of wedlock killed her or had her husband killed? Would you hired David 664 00:46:13.579 --> 00:46:17.500 he no, probably not. Probably not. I wouldn't. I wouldn't. 665 00:46:17.500 --> 00:46:22.889 I would say that the know he's disqualified. But the amazing thing is God 666 00:46:22.969 --> 00:46:27.730 doesn't disqualify. Yeah. Yeah, and of course we could get into all 667 00:46:27.849 --> 00:46:34.400 the theological reasons for that, maybe some Old Testament versus New Testament, understandings 668 00:46:34.440 --> 00:46:37.760 of the Covenant with God and all of that trying to imply anything. But 669 00:46:37.960 --> 00:46:40.559 yeah, point is taken. there. God's restore. So just because for 670 00:46:40.639 --> 00:46:45.679 a season you might be disqualified from from ministry, yeah, doesn't mean for 671 00:46:45.800 --> 00:46:49.630 forever. Yeah, and these are all things there's in no way or we're 672 00:46:49.630 --> 00:46:52.469 going to be able to give you a podcast or give you guidance in. 673 00:46:52.070 --> 00:46:55.989 You know, when are you disqualified from ministry or when is it like you 674 00:46:57.070 --> 00:46:59.349 need to take a break, because that's kind of our last point, that 675 00:46:59.389 --> 00:47:01.340 there are times you need to take a break, whether it's because of and 676 00:47:01.380 --> 00:47:05.860 I would say again, if it's unrepentant sin and there's things that disqualify you, 677 00:47:05.940 --> 00:47:07.780 yes, you need to take a break, and that needs to be 678 00:47:07.900 --> 00:47:14.300 done in subjection to leadership, to people that you're under the leadership of people 679 00:47:14.340 --> 00:47:17.650 in your local church and if you're part of a ministry, those votes. 680 00:47:17.730 --> 00:47:21.329 But let me ask you. Maybe this is where you're going. But that 681 00:47:21.809 --> 00:47:27.730 is clear. Yeah, but what about if your world is falling apart because 682 00:47:27.889 --> 00:47:30.920 Satan hates what you're doing in your so effective? Yeah, what's your advice 683 00:47:31.159 --> 00:47:36.679 there? About when? Because they are he can do some pretty very destructive 684 00:47:36.719 --> 00:47:39.760 things, there's no doubt. Yeah, when do we step back in the 685 00:47:39.840 --> 00:47:44.590 faces? I don't see in scripture. I don't see any kind of like 686 00:47:44.670 --> 00:47:47.510 definitive line. Yeah, but I do think there is a point like the 687 00:47:47.590 --> 00:47:51.750 attacks of the devil can get so much where. Yeah, you've got to 688 00:47:51.829 --> 00:47:53.630 step back for a season. I do think, though, it needs to 689 00:47:53.670 --> 00:47:59.179 be if you've, if you've been called to a particular ministry, God didn't 690 00:47:59.179 --> 00:48:00.900 change his mind. Right. So if you can call to the ministry, 691 00:48:00.900 --> 00:48:05.900 let's say, of a sidewalk missionaries, I will counselor you know that God 692 00:48:05.980 --> 00:48:07.900 called you to that. You've seen God use you in that, people have 693 00:48:08.019 --> 00:48:12.139 validated that, people that know you say, Yep, you're called to this. 694 00:48:13.010 --> 00:48:15.969 God didn't change his mind. Yeah, now there may be a season 695 00:48:15.130 --> 00:48:20.489 where you need to step away, reassess, maybe get some I don't know, 696 00:48:20.769 --> 00:48:22.409 just get some more depth in your relationship with the Lord or whatever. 697 00:48:23.010 --> 00:48:27.440 Those decisions, however, to me, can't be made me, given guidance 698 00:48:27.440 --> 00:48:30.199 ever, a podcast, anything like that. They need to be made before 699 00:48:30.239 --> 00:48:34.199 the Lord and with the guidance of other people. Like just this idea that 700 00:48:34.280 --> 00:48:36.920 you're just going to pray about it and you're going to get some kind of 701 00:48:36.920 --> 00:48:38.280 clarity from the Lord. Okay, I'm not trying to minimize that. You 702 00:48:38.320 --> 00:48:42.030 should pray about it and should get some kind of clarity from the Lord, 703 00:48:42.510 --> 00:48:46.110 but the Lord works through people and typically in our lives we're being led. 704 00:48:46.309 --> 00:48:50.710 He works through the leaders that we're being led by. So talking to those 705 00:48:50.750 --> 00:48:54.710 people, getting taking their suggestions, taking their guidance, because God will give 706 00:48:55.139 --> 00:48:59.940 to your leadership, God will give to pastors wisdom that he wouldn't give to 707 00:48:59.980 --> 00:49:05.300 me. Yeah, because you have willfully put yourselves under their authority. God 708 00:49:06.420 --> 00:49:09.929 respects authority. Actually, God respects the authority of human beings, especially within 709 00:49:09.969 --> 00:49:14.570 the realm of the local church, and so you respecting their authority and God 710 00:49:14.650 --> 00:49:17.130 working through them can be very helpful and find figuring out. Okay, when 711 00:49:17.130 --> 00:49:21.730 do you need to step back. What is that time frame and then when 712 00:49:21.769 --> 00:49:23.440 you need to step back into it? Right, and so that's kind of 713 00:49:23.719 --> 00:49:28.079 just the guidance I'll give based on that kind of the way I see it 714 00:49:28.159 --> 00:49:34.239 in scripture. Yeah, but beyond that, I mean there's there's again this 715 00:49:34.400 --> 00:49:37.829 relational component in the local church that is so vital and so important. And 716 00:49:38.670 --> 00:49:42.550 I do know, and I think we have to acknowledge in this day and 717 00:49:42.710 --> 00:49:45.429 age of the day of covid where so many churches are not meeting. Yeah, 718 00:49:45.510 --> 00:49:50.150 so many people are not. Maybe they used to be consistently connected to 719 00:49:50.230 --> 00:49:52.539 the local church and now they're not and they're trying to do online church. 720 00:49:53.059 --> 00:49:57.860 To me, that's like to the detriment of the body of Christ in a 721 00:49:57.900 --> 00:50:00.900 lot of ways. And I'm not trying to accuse churches those who don't meet, 722 00:50:00.940 --> 00:50:02.739 and there's different reasons why. I'm not trying to accuse that, but 723 00:50:02.820 --> 00:50:07.050 I am saying that that there's a reason why the Bible says we should not 724 00:50:07.210 --> 00:50:12.329 forsake dissembling ourselves together. Right, we need to assemble it together. We 725 00:50:12.449 --> 00:50:15.809 need to have leadership, we need to have accountability, we need to have 726 00:50:15.969 --> 00:50:21.369 relationships with people that can speak in our lives, and so I hope that's 727 00:50:21.369 --> 00:50:24.400 an encouragement to you guys. If there's some more clarity that we can give 728 00:50:24.440 --> 00:50:29.000 along these lines, we would certainly be willing to do that. I'm not 729 00:50:29.000 --> 00:50:31.239 going to step in as your pastor, so I'm not going to try to 730 00:50:31.280 --> 00:50:34.760 figure out all of this for you. If you've got some of these struggles. 731 00:50:34.760 --> 00:50:37.070 Hopefully this gave you some guidance, but I would strongly encourage you, 732 00:50:37.110 --> 00:50:39.510 like if you reached out to me and ask me some of these questions, 733 00:50:39.510 --> 00:50:42.550 I'm probably going to say, well, are you part of a local church? 734 00:50:42.590 --> 00:50:45.710 Okay, we'll talk to your pastor and then, you know, you 735 00:50:45.789 --> 00:50:47.309 maybe can circle back around with me. Yeah, I think that would be 736 00:50:47.389 --> 00:50:52.219 my guidance to you. Yeah, but yeah, beyond that I think we're 737 00:50:53.460 --> 00:50:59.940 hopefully we're giving you guys some guidance and some encouragement along these yeah, and 738 00:51:00.059 --> 00:51:04.610 just just especially for you to know you're not alone if you're feeling like when 739 00:51:04.690 --> 00:51:08.329 do I leave? Should I leave it? Am I disqualified if you're even 740 00:51:08.329 --> 00:51:13.449 asking that question? I think most of the time you're probably not, because 741 00:51:13.489 --> 00:51:15.690 that would that indicated question comes out of a broken heart, I think, 742 00:51:15.690 --> 00:51:21.280 and that's one of the qualifiers. So yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Well, 743 00:51:21.480 --> 00:51:23.559 guys, we appreciate you listen to this podcast. Like we started out, 744 00:51:23.559 --> 00:51:28.199 we want to encourage you guys to share this podcast with other people and, 745 00:51:29.079 --> 00:51:30.559 like I said, you could reach out to me if there's some questions 746 00:51:30.599 --> 00:51:34.590 that you have along these lines that I can give some help in. I'll 747 00:51:34.590 --> 00:51:37.269 do my best. I'm sure Vicky would be willing to do the same. 748 00:51:37.670 --> 00:51:39.110 You can reach both of us. You can reach me, Daniel at Love 749 00:51:39.190 --> 00:51:42.869 Life Dot Org. You can reach her, Vicky at Love Life Dot Org. 750 00:51:42.949 --> 00:51:46.340 Check out this article. Sometimes the articles come out a little after we 751 00:51:46.500 --> 00:51:52.900 post the PODCAST and sometimes they come out along with the podcast. But if 752 00:51:52.940 --> 00:51:54.980 you don't see this article out and you don't have a link for that in 753 00:51:55.099 --> 00:51:59.179 the podcast show notes, then it'll be out in a couple of days or 754 00:51:59.219 --> 00:52:01.409 whatever on our sidewalks for life website. So you can go to a sidewalks 755 00:52:01.730 --> 00:52:07.730 the number four lifecom and there's a tab. They're called equipping articles and you 756 00:52:07.809 --> 00:52:10.130 can just read the articles that we've written. This one in particular than the 757 00:52:10.170 --> 00:52:13.489 others that we've written. But we hope it's been a blessing to you, 758 00:52:13.530 --> 00:52:21.840 guys, and until next time, God bless give me our love for love. 759 00:52:24.559 --> 00:52:34.030 Give me our love for gratitude. I know it will cost me my 760 00:52:34.389 --> 00:52:40.750 life. Nothing's too precious. And some met you