1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,440 What's up guys? Welcome back to another episode 2 00:00:02,440 --> 00:00:05,160 of Realism Talks podcast. We are in episode 7. 3 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:08,520 DI took last week off. You guys probably noticed I had 4 00:00:08,520 --> 00:00:11,440 a lot going on, but I am back. I got a good message for you 5 00:00:11,440 --> 00:00:15,400 today and it may be seeing the right listeners for a specific 6 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:17,440 reason. I think you clicked on it for a 7 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:21,160 specific reason, seeing that the title is if God feels distant, 8 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:24,640 here's why. And how often do we feel this 9 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:27,080 even when we're saved, saved, not saved. 10 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:30,240 He feels distant, more so when you're not saved. 11 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:33,080 But even when you're saved, I think people fail to understand 12 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:35,600 sometimes that He will feel distant, but that's because of 13 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:37,840 us, not because of Him. That's not something that He 14 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:40,280 wants, but we're going to get into that right now. 15 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:44,680 I want to give you 3 major points as to why maybe God feels 16 00:00:44,680 --> 00:00:47,360 distant to you in your walk right now or maybe in your daily 17 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:48,560 life. Maybe you're going to work. 18 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:51,560 You don't feel them as much through answered prayer or you 19 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:54,600 have anxiety all the time. Maybe through answered prayer 20 00:00:54,680 --> 00:00:57,280 that you specifically asked for, he's not giving you. 21 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:01,120 Maybe you don't feel them when you're feeling down at night. 22 00:01:01,120 --> 00:01:02,960 You don't feel his presence, whatever it may be. 23 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:06,240 If you if you feel like he's being distant, it's probably for 24 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:09,440 a reason because he is with us at all times. 25 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:12,440 But if he's feeling distant, that's different. 26 00:01:12,960 --> 00:01:14,800 So we're going to get into those three points right now. 27 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:17,720 And I ask that you guys follow and stay tuned for more 28 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:19,400 episodes. We're going to be doing a Cliff 29 00:01:19,400 --> 00:01:22,040 podcast soon, Cliff Connectly in May. 30 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:25,000 I will give you more details when I find out, but let's get 31 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:26,600 right into it. And if you have your Bible, 32 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:28,000 please join me. I have the new Living 33 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:30,040 translation. So the first point we're going 34 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:33,760 to make today is the word feels optional, not essential. 35 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:36,040 Does that sound like anyone listening? 36 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:39,720 I know it sounded like me a lot, a lot, a whole time, a whole lot 37 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:43,880 of times in my life that it feels more like a chore, right? 38 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:46,520 You can go days without scripture, but it doesn't bother 39 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:49,240 you. What used to feed you now feels 40 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:51,440 like a chore. Does that sound right? 41 00:01:52,120 --> 00:01:54,760 I mean, how often are we just going days without it? 42 00:01:54,760 --> 00:01:58,480 Like we say, OK, we saw it on a video earlier today, a couple 43 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:00,560 videos. Oh, I, I watched a few Christian 44 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:03,520 videos today, saw some scripture and that's great. 45 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:05,440 You're hearing it, you're receiving it. 46 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:07,680 That's great. But you need to make a personal 47 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:11,200 effort with Christ. Dig in yourself in quiet mode 48 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:14,520 and still mode and pray before you do so. 49 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:17,280 But it shouldn't feel like a chore. 50 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:19,680 This should feel like something natural that we should want to 51 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:22,680 do because of our love for Christ, because of our new 52 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:26,120 identity in Christ. Let's read a verse to start it 53 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:28,400 off. We're in Matthew 4, verse 4. 54 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:31,560 This is Jesus speaking, responding to Satan in the 55 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:35,760 desert when Jesus was fasting. And the verse says the 56 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:38,640 scriptures say people do not live by bread alone, but by 57 00:02:38,640 --> 00:02:41,080 every word that comes from the mouth of God. 58 00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:44,680 So what's He telling us there? We don't live by just food. 59 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:49,280 We live by His words. We literally survive by His 60 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:51,520 words more than we do with physical food. 61 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:56,320 Think about it, we do we, we need this in our walk. 62 00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:59,440 We cannot claim God and then refuse to read his scripture. 63 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:02,840 That's like saying, yes, Lord, I love you, but I'm not going to 64 00:03:02,840 --> 00:03:05,640 listen to what you have to say, but just just know I love you. 65 00:03:05,640 --> 00:03:08,720 I received you as my savior, but you're not my Lord, but you're 66 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:12,200 my you're my savior. Lord, I rebuke that you know 67 00:03:12,200 --> 00:03:14,880 what I was trying to say here, but you know what I mean guys, 68 00:03:14,920 --> 00:03:18,200 for those listening, we have to accept him as more than just a 69 00:03:18,200 --> 00:03:19,480 savior, as somebody who saves us. 70 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:22,240 But we have to show it in the way we live. 71 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:25,840 And one of those ways is by showing a desire to read His 72 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:29,520 word. I mean, it shouldn't feel like 73 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:31,800 an option. It should be essential in your 74 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:33,520 life. Let's read another verse. 75 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:39,000 This is in Psalm, Psalm 119. One O 5 through one O 6 says 76 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:41,040 your. Your word is a lamp to guide my 77 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:44,800 feet and a light for my path. I promised it once, and I'll 78 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:46,720 promise it again. I will obey your righteous 79 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:50,120 regulations. So what is David trying to make 80 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:52,720 a point in here? He's trying to say that by 81 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:57,600 obeying his his righteous laws and regulations is, is how you 82 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:01,000 show God the respect of his word and how you're going to know his 83 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:03,400 word unless you read it. You can't just learn it from 84 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:05,880 other people on social media and influencers on social media and 85 00:04:05,880 --> 00:04:07,920 these podcasts you listen to. I'm trying to help you produce 86 00:04:07,920 --> 00:04:09,200 habits. I'm trying to help you feel 87 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:12,000 where you're at in your walk with in your faith with Christ, 88 00:04:12,480 --> 00:04:15,880 but it's up to you to do what it what you need to do after this 89 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:19,120 podcast episode, after those Christian videos, after you 90 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:21,360 leave church, the in between time. 91 00:04:21,920 --> 00:04:24,680 That's what's important. I mean, we can think of 92 00:04:24,680 --> 00:04:27,160 practical examples. These are some examples that you 93 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:30,280 can use in your day. Read 1 chapter before any social 94 00:04:30,280 --> 00:04:33,760 media, even if it's short. And I've told people this in the 95 00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:35,600 past, but put the Bible on top of your phone on your night 96 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:37,000 stand. Then you'll feel convicted. 97 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:39,520 If you wake up and you're like, Oh, I want to scroll and then 98 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:42,760 you move your Bible and I go, Dang, you might feel convicted 99 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:45,640 from that, but read 1 chapter before any social media. 100 00:04:45,640 --> 00:04:48,760 Try that in the morning before you really do anything, before 101 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:50,800 you start your day, even if it's short. 102 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:53,920 If you're busy, listen to scripture audio, Scripture audio 103 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:55,240 while you're driving, while you're walking. 104 00:04:55,480 --> 00:04:57,480 I mean the other day I was on a 2 hour drive and I listened to 105 00:04:57,480 --> 00:05:00,360 the whole book of first Peter and second Peter on my drive 106 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:02,800 because I was sitting there and I was like, Dang, I haven't read 107 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:04,640 the Bible today yet. And I was like, wait a minute, I 108 00:05:04,640 --> 00:05:07,080 can just listen to it. Don't forget about that guys. 109 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:09,920 We can do those things too. And then another thing is each 110 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:12,800 chapter you read, ask God, what are you trying to show me? 111 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:16,200 After you've read a chapter, ask him, what are you trying to show 112 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:18,280 me? Ask him before, before and after 113 00:05:18,280 --> 00:05:20,280 what are you trying to show me? Read it afterwards, what are you 114 00:05:20,280 --> 00:05:22,200 trying to show me? And you'll, you'll begin to 115 00:05:22,520 --> 00:05:24,720 start to understand. Watch how God will answer that 116 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:27,760 prayer. Now we're going to go to the 117 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:30,960 second point. The first one was the word feels 118 00:05:30,960 --> 00:05:34,960 optional, not essential. Now this one is conviction got 119 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:38,240 quieter, so you got louder in sin. 120 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:42,080 Think about that. Conviction felt quieter. 121 00:05:42,080 --> 00:05:44,200 How many, how many times does God convict us and then we 122 00:05:44,200 --> 00:05:47,400 ignore it so much that it feels quieter than you justify it in 123 00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:49,040 your head and you're like, OK, well, I guess I can keep sinning 124 00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:50,160 now because I don't feel it anymore. 125 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:53,600 I don't feel it as hard anymore. No, that's a dangerous spot to 126 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:55,480 be in. Things that used to make you 127 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:59,320 feel uncomfortable are now slowly regaining comfortability. 128 00:06:00,600 --> 00:06:02,680 Things that when you started being a Christian, when you 129 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:04,880 started following Christ, when you started pursuing Jesus, 130 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:06,800 like, yeah, I'm not doing that. No way. 131 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:08,840 I'm not doing that. Yeah, I'm passionate to defend 132 00:06:08,840 --> 00:06:10,440 that. But then as your walks 133 00:06:10,440 --> 00:06:13,440 continued, you've kind of swayed a little bit with the world. 134 00:06:13,440 --> 00:06:16,840 And now you're like, well, if this happens, then it's OK. 135 00:06:16,840 --> 00:06:19,280 Well, only if this happens, then it's fine. 136 00:06:19,280 --> 00:06:21,760 And then you slowly start doing things you never used to do. 137 00:06:22,280 --> 00:06:24,720 And before you know it, it's a cycle that begins. 138 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:27,480 And this is the world we do not want to be on. 139 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:32,120 This is why you may feel distant from God because you're in a far 140 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:34,040 place away from Him. Think about it. 141 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:37,200 Sin separates us from God. So the more you're sinning 142 00:06:37,200 --> 00:06:39,920 habitually and ignoring the conviction that the farther 143 00:06:39,920 --> 00:06:42,360 you're going to feel from God. He's right there. 144 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:45,120 He's omniscient, omnipresent, He knows all, He's everywhere. 145 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:47,160 But the more you're going to feel God. 146 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:49,520 That's the keyword. Not that he's not there, but 147 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:51,960 feel Him. You start justifying what you 148 00:06:51,960 --> 00:06:54,680 used to fight. Does that sound familiar? 149 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:58,520 Is there things like passionate subjects like abortion or LGBTQ 150 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:02,000 or denominational battles or whatever any sensitive subject 151 00:07:02,000 --> 00:07:04,640 is today? Have you ever felt like maybe 152 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:07,880 after you started becoming a Christian, over time you've kind 153 00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:10,960 of understood, wait, maybe the world has a good point about 154 00:07:10,960 --> 00:07:12,840 this. Well, maybe this is OK, but for 155 00:07:13,040 --> 00:07:15,760 by God, Well, maybe God does allow this. 156 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:18,920 No, listen to the Word like we got into .1. 157 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:20,600 That'll tell you. And then the conviction of the 158 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:23,160 Holy Spirit will lead you. You need the Holy Spirit. 159 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:25,080 This is why we need Jesus. We can't do it alone. 160 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:27,000 We can't trust this world. We trust him. 161 00:07:28,080 --> 00:07:29,680 And let's read some scripture for that. 162 00:07:29,920 --> 00:07:31,560 We're going to go to Ephesians on this one. 163 00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:34,880 If you guys got your Bibles, like I said, please join. 164 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:37,600 And I love the book of Ephesians. 165 00:07:37,800 --> 00:07:40,200 Paul writes this one, the apostle Paul the apostle who 166 00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:44,720 used to kill Christians and then found Jesus through a vision and 167 00:07:44,920 --> 00:07:48,080 then brought Christians to Christ and then he became the 168 00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:51,200 killed and got martyred for his faith in Christ. 169 00:07:51,200 --> 00:07:53,880 Isn't that a crazy story? All right, so we're going to go 170 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:56,440 to Ephesians 4 verses 30 through 32. 171 00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:00,000 New Living Translation says and do not bring sorrow to God's 172 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:03,800 Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you 173 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:07,640 as his own, guaranteeing that, guaranteeing that you will be 174 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:11,440 saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, 175 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:14,920 anger, harsh words and slander, as well as all types of evil 176 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:17,320 behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, 177 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:20,560 tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through 178 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:24,600 Christ has forgiven you. So He wants us to be a mere 179 00:08:24,600 --> 00:08:27,000 image of Christ. This is the identity of Christ 180 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:28,360 right here. These are the things that Christ 181 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:33,200 isn't bitter, rageful, angry, full of harsh words, full of 182 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:35,440 slander, all types of evil behavior. 183 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:39,000 He's soft hearted, He's tender hearted, He's forgiving. 184 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:40,760 He's not. Those things I said before that 185 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:43,919 he says do not bring sorrow to God's Holy Spirit by the way you 186 00:08:43,919 --> 00:08:46,280 live. He's telling us right now that 187 00:08:46,560 --> 00:08:50,040 the way we live can bring the Creator of the universe sorrow. 188 00:08:50,640 --> 00:08:53,640 We have to be conscious of these things because it does. 189 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:56,400 But you also got to remind yourself that you're not far 190 00:08:56,400 --> 00:08:59,040 because of it. You feel far, but He's still 191 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:00,880 there. You look at Lamentations 3, 192 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:03,400 verses 22 through 23. It says that His mercies are new 193 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:06,200 each morning. They begin new each morning. 194 00:09:06,680 --> 00:09:09,600 He delights in showing you mercy, but we don't take 195 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:11,960 advantage of that. So what are some practical ways 196 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:15,080 that we can stop ignoring these convictions and stop falling 197 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:17,680 into sin because we don't feel the conviction anymore because 198 00:09:17,680 --> 00:09:21,080 we've ignored it for so long? Well, the moment you feel that 199 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:24,560 small nudge, act immediately. Don't delay. 200 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:26,520 This is the issue. We're like, OK, I'm feeling 201 00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:27,600 tempted. I'm just going to give in and 202 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:28,640 then I'm going to ask afterwards. 203 00:09:28,640 --> 00:09:31,880 I'm really sorry. Like no, slow down When you feel 204 00:09:31,880 --> 00:09:33,440 it, go immediately to prayer. This is what I've been doing 205 00:09:33,440 --> 00:09:34,800 lately and it's been helped me a lot. 206 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:37,200 Go immediately to prayer. Like Lord, I'm about to tell 207 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:38,320 them what you're about to give into. 208 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:40,360 Like Lord, and be specific, Lord, I'm about to give into 209 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:42,800 this. Lord, I need help with this. 210 00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:44,640 Lord, right now. I'm going to give in. 211 00:09:44,640 --> 00:09:46,760 I need you right now. Go to Him. 212 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:49,080 He will answer that. You'll feel this warmth. 213 00:09:49,320 --> 00:09:51,120 You'll feel this peace because you're going to Him. 214 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:52,600 He's not going to ignore a prayer like that. 215 00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:54,160 But how often do we do it before? 216 00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:56,640 This is why you don't feel it. Are we doing it before? 217 00:09:56,640 --> 00:09:59,840 Are we praying before? Are we hitting it on the head 218 00:09:59,840 --> 00:10:05,000 immediately or are we delaying? Another example is call out sin 219 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:09,720 specifically, not just I messed up, God, but God, I lied. 220 00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:12,240 God, I lost it. God, I stole something today. 221 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:15,200 God, I lied about this situation and started a rumor. 222 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:17,960 God, I got angry at the gas station today because somebody 223 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:19,960 pulled out in front of me and then I said some words. 224 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:23,240 God, be specific. God wants that personal 225 00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:24,440 relationship. If you want to call it a 226 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:26,360 relationship, yeah. But if you want to call it a 227 00:10:26,360 --> 00:10:28,440 personal relationship, be specific. 228 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:31,080 He knows what you already did. He knows what's in your heart. 229 00:10:31,080 --> 00:10:33,200 But the more honest you are with him, the closer you're going to 230 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:34,680 feel to him. And that's why the title of this 231 00:10:34,680 --> 00:10:37,040 episode is why you don't feel closer to him. 232 00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:41,280 So this may be why call out specific sin in your life 233 00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:43,760 because then you'll start to feel convicted of it more 234 00:10:43,840 --> 00:10:46,400 because you're speaking it into existence. 235 00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:48,600 You're speaking that specific sin into existence. 236 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:51,760 So that words in your head, if I were to say burgers right now, 237 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:53,320 you'll start thinking about burgers, right? 238 00:10:53,720 --> 00:10:56,440 What about right now? I'm going to say green grass. 239 00:10:56,960 --> 00:10:58,280 Are you thinking about green grass? 240 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:02,200 OK, now if you go to God and say I lied today, Lord forgive me. 241 00:11:02,200 --> 00:11:03,760 Then all day long you're going to be convicted. 242 00:11:03,760 --> 00:11:05,960 If you if you're about to go lie, if you feel like you're 243 00:11:05,960 --> 00:11:08,880 about to lie, Lord will remind you in your head, in your 244 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:10,560 spirit, in your soul. He'll remind you and be like, 245 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:12,600 remember earlier you said, Lord, forgive me for lying. 246 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:17,000 Oh yeah. So we let's be specific with God 247 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:18,840 and he'll forgive us. He will. 248 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:21,360 This is how great he is. Another example is put distance 249 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:24,920 between you and your triggers. What's triggering you descend 250 00:11:25,240 --> 00:11:28,400 could be apps, environments, certain people, certain 251 00:11:28,400 --> 00:11:30,760 conversations. I know for me a lot is that 252 00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:33,880 certain conversation, that last one, people are talking about 253 00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:36,320 politics or differences in denominational wars. 254 00:11:36,640 --> 00:11:39,640 I try to give my input gently, but if it starts getting heated 255 00:11:39,640 --> 00:11:42,360 and aggressive like most times they do, I don't. 256 00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:44,640 I just leave the conversation. I don't even want to be in it. 257 00:11:44,640 --> 00:11:46,760 I don't want to put myself in a position that's going to make me 258 00:11:46,760 --> 00:11:49,160 angry, that's going to make me say something rash, that's going 259 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:51,040 to make me do something I'm going to regret. 260 00:11:51,880 --> 00:11:54,240 I get out of those environments. I, I get out of the apps that 261 00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:56,800 are trying to make me sin. The other day I was watching a 262 00:11:56,800 --> 00:11:59,520 movie and it was some pretty sexual scenes on there. 263 00:11:59,520 --> 00:12:02,480 And I, I just felt convicted and turned it off, put on a new 264 00:12:02,480 --> 00:12:05,600 show. And that's just how sometimes we 265 00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:07,760 got to, we got to live our lives thinking like that. 266 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:11,120 We got to think about what is even causing this to even happen 267 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:14,560 to begin with. So the, that point was 268 00:12:14,560 --> 00:12:16,720 conviction got quieter. So you got louder and sin. 269 00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:19,680 And now we're going to go to the final point, which is you blend 270 00:12:19,680 --> 00:12:23,240 in more than you stand out. You blend in more than you stand 271 00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:25,120 out. As Christians, we're called to 272 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:27,360 stand out. We're called to be the light of 273 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:28,520 the world, the salt of the earth. 274 00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:31,160 We're called to go out there and look different. 275 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:34,960 Literally the example of this could be you're at a four way 276 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:40,200 stop sign and then somebody is trying to pull out ahead of you 277 00:12:40,680 --> 00:12:43,520 and they've been waiting in line and nobody else is letting them 278 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:44,960 go. And then you're, you're the one 279 00:12:44,960 --> 00:12:47,040 who lets them pass, even though everybody else is just like, 280 00:12:47,040 --> 00:12:50,040 Nah, now you can wait till this till we all go, no, you're the 281 00:12:50,040 --> 00:12:51,640 one who stops. Let someone's pass. 282 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:53,200 That's an example of standing out. 283 00:12:53,840 --> 00:12:55,840 There's so many ways we can stand out in this world to look 284 00:12:55,840 --> 00:12:57,800 different. So that way we can spread love 285 00:12:58,240 --> 00:13:00,280 and kindness. There's no real difference 286 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:03,040 between you and the world. That's the issue from an outside 287 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:05,520 perspective. If you're in the world in a 288 00:13:05,520 --> 00:13:09,200 natural environment, you're at work or you're at church, you're 289 00:13:09,200 --> 00:13:10,560 not, not at church, Take that out. 290 00:13:10,560 --> 00:13:12,680 You're at work, you're in public, you're at a restaurant, 291 00:13:12,680 --> 00:13:14,600 whatever it is. Are you standing out? 292 00:13:15,560 --> 00:13:16,680 But you're thinking, what do you mean? 293 00:13:16,680 --> 00:13:18,680 How can I stand out? Do I have to talk to everybody? 294 00:13:18,680 --> 00:13:21,720 No, just body language. Are you smiling? 295 00:13:21,720 --> 00:13:23,480 Do you look upset? Do you look slouch? 296 00:13:23,480 --> 00:13:25,520 Do you look like you're happy to be around other people? 297 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:28,000 Do you look grateful to be alive? 298 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:29,360 Do you look like you're in a good mood? 299 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:32,640 All of these things you can portray without even speaking a 300 00:13:32,640 --> 00:13:34,240 word. And then when you speak words, 301 00:13:34,640 --> 00:13:37,240 are you treating people with fruit, with kindness and love 302 00:13:37,240 --> 00:13:39,000 and gentleness and joy and patience? 303 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:40,680 Are you listening instead of speaking so much? 304 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:43,800 These are ways that we can stand out in the real world. 305 00:13:44,360 --> 00:13:48,400 Let's go to Romans 12 verse 2. And like I've said many times, 306 00:13:48,400 --> 00:13:49,440 it's my favorite book in the Bible. 307 00:13:51,120 --> 00:13:55,680 Romans 12 verse 2 says do not copy the behavior and customs of 308 00:13:55,680 --> 00:13:58,920 this world, but let God transform you into a new person 309 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:01,960 by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know 310 00:14:01,960 --> 00:14:04,800 God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. 311 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:07,640 So he tells you right there, how, how do we get transformed 312 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:10,680 by changing the way you think. That's how we're transformed. 313 00:14:10,680 --> 00:14:11,800 We're changed by the way we think. 314 00:14:12,080 --> 00:14:15,040 If you don't have a, a, a transformed mind and you're not 315 00:14:15,040 --> 00:14:17,680 thinking differently after you've quote UN quote accepted 316 00:14:17,680 --> 00:14:20,000 Christ into your heart, then you haven't accepted Christ into 317 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:21,800 your heart. You should begin to start 318 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:24,280 sanctifying and thinking differently, looking at things 319 00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:27,800 you used to love as disgusting. Now we need to set ourselves 320 00:14:27,800 --> 00:14:31,240 apart from the world because God tells us that the enemy is the 321 00:14:31,240 --> 00:14:32,560 world. The enemy is our flesh. 322 00:14:32,560 --> 00:14:35,960 The enemy is Satan. We can't choose both God and the 323 00:14:35,960 --> 00:14:37,360 world. We can't have one foot over the 324 00:14:37,360 --> 00:14:39,120 fence and 1 foot over the other side of the fence. 325 00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:42,040 It's got to be both sides on God, both feet on God. 326 00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:46,960 Let's go to another verse. This is in the book of Matthew, 327 00:14:48,200 --> 00:14:52,560 chapter 5, verse 14 through 16. And this I really love and This 328 00:14:52,560 --> 00:14:53,800 is why I want to include it at the end. 329 00:14:53,800 --> 00:14:58,600 It's it's Jesus speaking and he's talking to us. 330 00:14:58,600 --> 00:15:01,720 He's talking to the disciples. He's talking to us as believers, 331 00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:05,640 as followers of Christ. Red ink Jesus, you are the light 332 00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:08,480 of the world, like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 333 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:11,640 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. 334 00:15:11,840 --> 00:15:14,440 Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, or it gives light to 335 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:17,000 everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good 336 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:21,120 deeds shine out for all to see so that everyone will praise 337 00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:23,440 your heavenly Father. Look at that, He tells us right 338 00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:25,480 there, guys, why do we show these good deeds? 339 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:28,240 Not for our own personal gain. Not so we can make a list to go 340 00:15:28,240 --> 00:15:30,280 to heaven so other people will find them. 341 00:15:30,840 --> 00:15:32,080 Why does he give us spiritual gifts? 342 00:15:32,160 --> 00:15:35,000 So we can use them for others, so other people can find them, 343 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:37,800 so we can support other believers, bodies of the church. 344 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:41,400 He says that we do these things because it glorifies the Father. 345 00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:44,000 And if we're not standing out, we're doing the opposite. 346 00:15:44,400 --> 00:15:46,920 If we're blending in all the time in the world and not 347 00:15:46,920 --> 00:15:50,000 standing out as a as a believer in Christ and even in the tough 348 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:53,520 subjects and the controversies and all of it, then can we say 349 00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:57,080 we're truly glorifying God Because it says in this verse to 350 00:15:57,080 --> 00:16:00,680 glorify the Father, we need to be a light in this world. 351 00:16:01,440 --> 00:16:03,680 And you can't be a light if you're shining in the darkness 352 00:16:04,240 --> 00:16:06,240 or you can't be a light if you're in the darkness. 353 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:10,120 You need to be shining out of the darkness, making the light 354 00:16:10,160 --> 00:16:12,480 in this world. And practical ways we can do 355 00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:15,440 that could be speaking up about your faith in one conversation. 356 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:17,400 This week. Make that a goal for yourself 357 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:19,800 this week. Speak up about your faith in one 358 00:16:19,800 --> 00:16:21,240 conversation. More than one. 359 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:24,240 Yeah, that'd be amazing. But at least one, even if it's a 360 00:16:24,240 --> 00:16:26,480 small conversation, bring Jesus up. 361 00:16:27,240 --> 00:16:29,880 A great way to do that is testify about Jesus and tell 362 00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:32,000 people about what he's done for you personally. 363 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:33,320 It's something great to have in your life. 364 00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:36,640 Involve God in the Thanksgiving of it somehow. 365 00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:39,880 Make sure people know that you follow Christ, and then they can 366 00:16:39,880 --> 00:16:42,200 see the way you live and act. And then they'll be like, hey, 367 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:45,560 this guy is an awesome guy and I want to be like him. 368 00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:47,400 Maybe this Jesus guy is a real deal. 369 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:51,080 Another example is remove or stop engaging with content on 370 00:16:51,080 --> 00:16:52,640 social media that normalizes sin. 371 00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:54,520 How often are we doing that? Yeah, yeah. 372 00:16:54,520 --> 00:16:57,200 Well, I, I watch Christian videos, but then the next video 373 00:16:57,200 --> 00:17:00,480 down, you're watching a 5 minute video on something that has 374 00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:02,840 nothing to do with God. And then it's actually sinful. 375 00:17:02,840 --> 00:17:06,560 Whether it's gossip, whether it's a new music video that's 376 00:17:06,560 --> 00:17:09,960 lustful, whatever it may be, whether it's humor that's dark, 377 00:17:10,640 --> 00:17:14,680 we seem to want to spend time watching those, but we don't 378 00:17:14,680 --> 00:17:18,200 understand that it's making our feed more and more like that and 379 00:17:18,200 --> 00:17:21,720 we are just throwing it in our head subconsciously. 380 00:17:22,079 --> 00:17:23,520 We're involving it in our thinking. 381 00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:27,520 So often we need to eliminate those kinds of videos off of our 382 00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:28,880 feed. Hit not interested. 383 00:17:29,120 --> 00:17:31,680 The ones that normalize sin, the ones that we seem to want to 384 00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:34,160 watch more. And another one is ask yourself, 385 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:36,920 would I do this if Jesus was standing right next to me? 386 00:17:37,560 --> 00:17:40,160 That's a great one. I like to tell everyone is, is 387 00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:41,320 this a sin? Is that a sin? 388 00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:43,160 Should I do this? Oh, this is convicting. 389 00:17:43,400 --> 00:17:45,200 Should I stand out in this scenario? 390 00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:47,320 Should I, should I, should I do this? 391 00:17:47,320 --> 00:17:49,440 Even though they're talking about that, I don't want to seem 392 00:17:49,440 --> 00:17:51,320 like I don't want them to get mad at me. 393 00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:53,320 Well, what would Jesus do if he was standing there? 394 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:55,360 Ask yourself, would Jesus be silent? 395 00:17:56,520 --> 00:17:59,160 Ask yourself, would Jesus give in to the crowd? 396 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:02,640 Ask yourself, would Jesus support the things that are on 397 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:05,320 the headlines today that that don't support the Bible? 398 00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:08,800 Ask yourself these things. What would Jesus do if he was 399 00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:10,560 standing right next to me? Because we're supposed to be a 400 00:18:10,560 --> 00:18:12,680 mirror image of him, him the light of this world. 401 00:18:13,040 --> 00:18:14,520 So we're called to do what he would do. 402 00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:16,920 Always ask yourself that question. 403 00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:19,600 I hope these helped guys. Those three points again, where 404 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:22,160 the word feels optional, not essential. 405 00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:25,920 Conviction got quieter, so you got louder in sin. 406 00:18:26,240 --> 00:18:28,920 And the last one was you blend in more than you stand out. 407 00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:32,080 These three things we need to think about avoiding, but we 408 00:18:32,080 --> 00:18:34,720 need to do this with Christ. We need to do all of these. 409 00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:39,160 I think you noticed we're centralled around digging closer 410 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:42,800 to Christ because as you seek him, all of these naturally go 411 00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:44,920 away. I ask that you share this, share 412 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:46,960 this to somebody else because I know this is going to help some 413 00:18:46,960 --> 00:18:49,560 people today. Lord Jesus Christ, please show 414 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:51,640 the right people. And Speaking of that, let's pray 415 00:18:51,640 --> 00:18:53,560 to end this thing out. Guys, can you bow your heads, 416 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:55,200 please? Everybody needs prayer. 417 00:18:56,280 --> 00:18:58,480 Dear heavenly Father, Lord, thank you so much for this time 418 00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:01,280 together, how we're able to spend time with you across 419 00:19:01,280 --> 00:19:04,840 screens, across cars, wherever they're listening to this audio 420 00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:07,760 or it's amazing what you're able to do through the Holy Spirit. 421 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:09,280 We invite your spirit in right now. 422 00:19:09,280 --> 00:19:12,040 We love you, Lord. We ask, Lord, that you be with 423 00:19:12,040 --> 00:19:15,280 us as we go through this world feeling distant from you, that 424 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:16,920 we may be able to understand why. 425 00:19:17,440 --> 00:19:21,240 And as we understand why we feel closer to you and you show us 426 00:19:21,480 --> 00:19:25,080 the secrets to joy and happiness and peace that we're ignoring, I 427 00:19:25,080 --> 00:19:27,640 ask Lord that we turn our heads to you and all that we do and 428 00:19:27,640 --> 00:19:31,400 every decision that we just don't say we're going to, but 429 00:19:31,400 --> 00:19:34,200 that we that we feed off the conviction instead of ignoring 430 00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:35,640 it. I thank you for this time we 431 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:37,200 spent together. And I ask that anyone listening 432 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:39,920 right now will apply this to their lives. 433 00:19:40,120 --> 00:19:42,000 It's in your son's name of prayer, these things, Jesus 434 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:44,800 Christ, Amen. Amen's in the chat, guys. 435 00:19:45,400 --> 00:19:47,880 Amen's in the chat guys. Thank you so much for joining 436 00:19:47,880 --> 00:19:50,040 this podcast and stay tuned for another one next week. 437 00:19:50,040 --> 00:19:53,280 Like I said, Cliff Connectly and Stuart podcast coming in May. 438 00:19:53,280 --> 00:19:55,440 I'm trying to get some other people on here as well. 439 00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:58,240 It's been a very busy last couple weeks for me, but thanks 440 00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:00,520 for joining in on this one and I'll see you guys next time. 441 00:20:00,560 --> 00:20:01,720 Peace out.