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Speaker 1: Life Audio.

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Speaker 2: So I had doctors tell me I was dying of alcoholism.

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Speaker 2: My family was confronting me with my drinking problem. My

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Speaker 2: drinking friends were like, hey, you might be an alcoholic.

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Speaker 2: I'm like, what in the world like drink together? How

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Speaker 2: could you so ridiculous? Somebody asked me this really powerful question.

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Speaker 2: They're like, can you not drink for one day? And

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Speaker 2: I was like, that is so stupid.

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Speaker 3: Welcome to Love's Life Sober. I'm your host and your coach,

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Speaker 3: Christy Osborne. This podcast is for the woman who loves

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Speaker 3: Jesus or is longing to reconnect with him, and who

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Speaker 3: knows deep down that alcohol is no longer serving her.

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Speaker 3: Here we talk honestly, with grace and truth about how

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Speaker 3: stepping away from alcohol opens the door to the love, joy,

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Speaker 3: peace and connection you've been searching for. Because, Babe, those

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Speaker 3: things were never meant to be found in a bottle

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Speaker 3: of wine. They're found in Jesus. Through scripture, coaching and neuroscience,

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Speaker 3: I'll help you make sense of your rabbits, your nervous system,

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Speaker 3: and what you're really craving so that freedom feels not

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Speaker 3: only possible but sustainable. You don't have to do this alone.

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Speaker 3: Babe Let's dive in today's episode is truly one of

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Speaker 3: my favorite conversations that I have ever recorded. I'm joined

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Speaker 3: by John Elmore, pastor and author of Freedom Starts Today,

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Speaker 3: for a truth filled, hope soaked conversation about where real

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Speaker 3: freedom is actually found. John serves on the pastoral care

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Speaker 3: and teaching teams at Harris Creek Baptist Church in Waco, Texas.

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Speaker 3: Before moving there in twenty twenty four, he led Regeneration,

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Speaker 3: the world's largest weekly recovery program at Watermark Community Church.

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Speaker 3: But long before ministry, John walked through his own season

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Speaker 3: of reckless living, a family intervention, and a moment that

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Speaker 3: brought everything crashing down. He's now been sober for twenty

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Speaker 3: years and openly shares how true freedom didn't come through willpower,

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Speaker 3: labels or white neckling. It came through Jesus confession, community

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Speaker 3: and learning how to walk daily by the spirit. In

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Speaker 3: this episode, we talked about what to do when God

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Speaker 3: doesn't seem to be answering your prayers yet, why secrecy

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Speaker 3: keeps us stuck, and how to lock the doors on

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Speaker 3: temptation instead of leading access points wide open. If you've

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Speaker 3: ever thought, I've asked got to take this away. So

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Speaker 3: why am I still struggling or I'm too embarrassed to

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Speaker 3: talk about this in church? Than babe, this episode is

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Speaker 3: for you. Hey, John, Welcome to the Love Life's.

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Speaker 2: Sover Hey, thank you so much. I'm so glad to

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Speaker 2: be here, Christy, to be with you and your listeners.

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Speaker 3: I heard you on a podcast I don't know what

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Speaker 3: was it, a couple of years ago, and I remember

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Speaker 3: driving my car and I was like, yes, yes, Oh

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Speaker 3: my gosh, she's speaking my language. Yes. And I then

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Speaker 3: got your book, listened to you on other podcasts, and

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Speaker 3: I am so excited to talk to you today.

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Speaker 1: Oh praise God.

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Speaker 2: And if I'm speaking to your language, is maybe because

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Speaker 2: we have a similar past in a more importantly a

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Speaker 2: similar present, and we're rea the same playbook and have

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Speaker 2: the same Lord.

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Speaker 1: So praise God. Yeah.

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Speaker 3: My follow up question to that is have you found

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Speaker 3: it hard to talk about this in church? Maybe not now,

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Speaker 3: but maybe at the beginning when you started, because it's

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Speaker 3: still When I was pitching Love Life Sober, one of

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Speaker 3: the big publishing houses said to me, what woman is

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Speaker 3: going to hold this book in church? And I said,

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Speaker 3: that is why we need it so that's why we

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Speaker 3: have to talk louder.

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Speaker 2: Amen and Amen, And I'm so glad you said that.

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Speaker 2: I tell people a lot. I was like, look, everyone

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Speaker 2: has sin, not everyone has a savior. Everyone has sin,

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Speaker 2: not everyone has freedom. What I would say is it's

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Speaker 2: the most relatable thing like I have. I mean, I've

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Speaker 2: got two master's degrees in ministry theology I like. And

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Speaker 2: yet far and away the most used thing that God

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Speaker 2: has used in my life to reach others, whether it's

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Speaker 2: in the grocery store, the restaurant, the church, Christian conferences,

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Speaker 2: is my alcoholism because people, I was told way early on,

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Speaker 2: like people can relate much more to your failures than

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Speaker 2: they can your successes, because that's the commonality. Like all

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Speaker 2: eight billion people walk in this earth have got something

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Speaker 2: they're dealing with, and so I go first, and it

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Speaker 2: makes it safe for everyone one hundred percent.

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Speaker 3: And you talk about that so beautifully in your book,

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Speaker 3: which is Freedom Starts Today. That idea of a radical vulnerability,

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Speaker 3: right and confession is something that you talk about in

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Speaker 3: the book. Maybe we start there, and I definitely want

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Speaker 3: to talk about how alcohol is this sin, because let's

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Speaker 3: not buy past that, right. Getting drunk is it's in However,

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Speaker 3: tell a little bit of your story, a thirty thousand

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Speaker 3: foot view of your story, and then we'll go maybe

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Speaker 3: into vulnerability.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, I was sexually abused as a little kid. I

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Speaker 2: don't often intertwine that into my story. And yet I

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Speaker 2: was talking at this abuse Recovery ministry and they're like,

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Speaker 2: what impact do you think that had on your alcoholism?

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Speaker 2: And I'm like, probably none, and they're like, you might

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Speaker 2: want to think about that. So, yeah, that's something I'll say. Statistically,

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Speaker 2: it's one in three women who have been abused one

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Speaker 2: in five men, and those rates are only increasing.

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Speaker 1: So that's one piece of it.

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Speaker 2: I don't know. And yet I chose to drink. I

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Speaker 2: chose my sin. I started. I remember my first drink

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Speaker 2: of beer at the age of five, took it from

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Speaker 2: my dad. Can still remember the taste. It was a

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Speaker 2: cours on the back patio on a hot day. I

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Speaker 2: always had this fascination with alcohol. I used to look

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Speaker 2: at it like my brother's sports illustrated and I remember

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Speaker 2: being like fascinated. I would like stop and stare at

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Speaker 2: this black background with a golden liquid inside a highball glass.

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Speaker 2: And I was a kid, but just being fascinated and

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Speaker 2: like staring at it, like lusting for it. Really, at

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Speaker 2: the age of thirteen, I would come home from junior

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Speaker 2: high my parents both worked, and I'd mix drinks by myself,

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Speaker 2: Like that's not a normal thing. I've got a twelve

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Speaker 2: year old in our house right now, and it's like, man,

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Speaker 2: is what was happening there? I think a lot of

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Speaker 2: it was, you know, I'll tell people, like, alcohol wasn't

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Speaker 2: my problem.

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Speaker 1: It was my solution, and it was my solution for pain.

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Speaker 2: It was my solution for escape, It was my solution

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Speaker 2: for insecurity, it was my solution for celebration, it was

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Speaker 2: my solution for confidence with women. And so it was

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Speaker 2: not my problem. Was my solution. I just needed a

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Speaker 2: better solution. I didn't know there was one out there.

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Speaker 2: Jesus became a better solution, and like removed that. He

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Speaker 2: became my perfect piece instead of this false, fleeting imitation

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Speaker 2: piece that alcohol would give me. Anyway, I graduated up

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Speaker 2: from college functional alcoholic, functional meaning I could. I was

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Speaker 2: doing well in business advertising, and then it became dysfunctional.

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Speaker 2: You know, in the Bible it says sin leads to death.

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Speaker 2: And I used to think, like, no, it doesn't like

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Speaker 2: I'm not I'm not dying because I get drunk. I party.

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Speaker 2: In fact, I'm succeeding. I'm thriving in life. Well, at

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Speaker 2: the age of thirty two, doctors told me I was

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Speaker 2: dying of alcoholism. I'd put a gun to my head

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Speaker 2: because I found out the woman that I was with

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Speaker 2: was sleeping with one of my friends. And I was like,

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Speaker 2: all right, I'm gonna kill him and kill myself. And

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Speaker 2: it just like then it became dysfunctional, like all my

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Speaker 2: life crumbled. So there in that moment, now sleeping on

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Speaker 2: a fraternity brother's couch, I was like, a sin does

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Speaker 2: lead to death. It just has a really long fuse.

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Speaker 2: Like it took a while for it to lead to death,

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Speaker 2: but certainly it led to relational death, mental death, physical death.

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Speaker 2: I was dying, and I would have died and gone

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Speaker 2: to Hell. I wasn't a follower of Jesus. There's part

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Speaker 2: of it. And then you just said the importance of confession.

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Speaker 2: I tell people there's no healing without revealing, So you've

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Speaker 2: got to bring things into the life. It's just how

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Speaker 2: God's wired this.

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Speaker 3: The other part of that thing that you said you

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Speaker 3: heard in youth group. And the other half of that

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Speaker 3: was sure was a lie, right, was that Jesus wasn't

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Speaker 3: freedom because he was taking all your fun?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, well used to. I remember hearing it.

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Speaker 2: You know, my parents would be like, you need to

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Speaker 2: go to youth group or whatever, and I was like,

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Speaker 2: and I saw I go. Those two things I remembered

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Speaker 2: one was there's Sendley to death. I'm like, no, it doesn't,

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Speaker 2: that's a scare tactic. And the other thing I heard

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Speaker 2: that stuck with me was there's freedom and Christ. I'm

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Speaker 2: like freedom in Christ. I'm like, he literally keeps me

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Speaker 2: from doing everything I want to do, whether it be

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Speaker 2: pornography or pride, or chasing status and money, certainly alcoholism

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Speaker 2: and partying.

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Speaker 1: I was like, it's anything but freedom.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 2: There at the age of thirty walking into an alcoholics

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Speaker 2: anonymous meeting, like having like done really well in life,

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Speaker 2: like advertising in sales, had the lake House, that's like

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Speaker 2: all this stuff. I'm like that came back to my mind.

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Speaker 2: The spirit brought it back to my mind. Is like,

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Speaker 2: there's freedom and Christ. I was like, oh, because I'm

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Speaker 2: a slave.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 2: Early in my life I didn't I didn't realize like

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Speaker 2: I'm a slave. To sin, which is what the Bible says,

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Speaker 2: and I can't get free from this slavery, Like there's

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Speaker 2: no amount of willpower or self effort or self help

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Speaker 2: or anything, because my willpower is not greater than sins power,

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Speaker 2: but the spirit power is. And so once I realized

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Speaker 2: like I'm a slave to sin and there's freedom only

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Speaker 2: in Christ, I got on my knees and was like, Jesus, yeah,

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Speaker 2: I've scored everything you've given me, but whatever I've left

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Speaker 2: it's yours. I mean, christy, I got freedom that I

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Speaker 2: have that I that I have since quit my business

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Speaker 2: career and for the last twenty years been like I'm

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Speaker 2: I'm I don't care. I'm going to spend the rest

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Speaker 2: of my days telling everyone that you're never too far

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Speaker 2: gone and Jesus can change everything. He's real, He'll change everything.

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Speaker 2: And so that's that's been now my life mission, as

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Speaker 2: I understand, is yours. You've got a law degree and

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Speaker 2: you're you're you're h here's what you chosen to do,

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Speaker 2: and I admire it so much.

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Speaker 1: I thank God for it.

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Speaker 3: Well, we get to see that freedom become real for

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Speaker 3: other people, right, and there's no better than that.

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Speaker 2: That's true. So Hebrews thirteen eight. It says Jesus is

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Speaker 2: the same yesterday, today, and always. And so what he

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Speaker 2: did for Christy, what he did for me, he will

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Speaker 2: do to every single person listening. He'll set you free,

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Speaker 2: because it is what he lives to do. The Holy

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Speaker 2: Spirit will drive the sin from your life.

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Speaker 1: You can't. He can, that's what he lives to do.

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Speaker 1: You just got to ask him.

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Speaker 3: I can hear the voices of a woman in her

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Speaker 3: car saying, but I'm asking John and he hasn't done

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Speaker 3: it yet. What would you say to her?

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Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I would say, I get it, I get it.

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Speaker 2: I think that is often like the spiritual life. People

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Speaker 2: are like, but I have I walked the aisle. I did,

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Speaker 2: and here's maybe what I'll say to that is like

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Speaker 2: if I said to Laura, my wife, on our wedding day,

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Speaker 2: I love you till death. Duo's part, and then I

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Speaker 2: just went about my days and my month, send my years.

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Speaker 2: We have a really terrible marriage, right, Like our intimacy

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Speaker 2: would be fractured. Instead that the opposite that every your listeners,

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Speaker 2: every women woman desires what I desire. But we're said

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Speaker 2: to be the bride of Christ. Is that every single day.

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Speaker 2: It's this intimate, dependent walk like scripture says we're one

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Speaker 2: with our spouse, and scripture says we're one with God.

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Speaker 2: And so the promise, there's a command and a promise

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Speaker 2: that I would point you to for the person that

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Speaker 2: in their mind is like, yeah, I have asked and

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Speaker 2: I'm still I still you know, this past weekend I

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Speaker 2: went back to it. I got drunk. I regret they're

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Speaker 2: hangover my spouse. They're embarrassed I did. I said things

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Speaker 2: I wish I wouldn't have said. Galatians five sixteen. There's

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Speaker 2: a command and a promise. The command is Paul writes,

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Speaker 2: and he says, so I say walk by the spirit.

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Speaker 2: That's the command, just walk with me. It's it's like

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Speaker 2: and the reason why I likened it to our like

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Speaker 2: a marriage. It's just this daily walk together. Like if

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Speaker 2: you looked at me and Laura's text threat on my phone.

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Speaker 2: It's just this back and forth communication and like, Hey,

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Speaker 2: I'm gonna grab the kids, great, Hey dinner here this Hey,

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Speaker 2: we need to talk to this about this. By the way,

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Speaker 2: I want to catch you up, love you, miss you.

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Speaker 2: Wish I was home with you. Still, you know, there's

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Speaker 2: like all this. So it says walk by the spirit.

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Speaker 2: That's our only command, Like, that's the command, just God

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Speaker 2: saying walk with me. But then he gives a promise,

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Speaker 2: and it's amazing the promises, and you will not gratify

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Speaker 2: the desires of the flesh, in which case I believe

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Speaker 2: for many of your listeners was certainly for us, was

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Speaker 2: to numb out, get drunk over drink. And he says,

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Speaker 2: you walk with me, and you won't do what you

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Speaker 2: want to do what the flesh wants. And that comes

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Speaker 2: on the heels of Christy the letter to the Galatians,

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Speaker 2: they were like, hey, we've trusted in Jesus and now

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Speaker 2: we're going to follow all the laws. And the thesis

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Speaker 2: of Galatians Paul by the spirit writing is like, no,

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Speaker 2: you can't, Like you can't follow all the laws. You'll

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Speaker 2: follow the spirit and he will allow you to follow

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Speaker 2: the laws. But you on your own cannot. It's the

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Speaker 2: spirit at work in you, which is of Ezekiel thirty six.

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Speaker 2: He says, I will put my spirit in you and

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Speaker 2: cause you to follow my commands.

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Speaker 1: So I'd say, we can't. He can.

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Speaker 2: I mean, right now, a lot of us may have

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Speaker 2: made New Year's resolutions. The second Friday of every January

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Speaker 2: has been deemed National quitters Day, not because people are

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Speaker 2: quitting a bad habit, because that's when they quit their resolution.

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Speaker 1: They just can't.

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Speaker 2: This is where we've got to bring the Holy Spirit

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Speaker 2: into a daily warring against our sin.

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Speaker 3: I'm so glad that you said all of that, because

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Speaker 3: I've said so many times to the gals, this is

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Speaker 3: not actually about sobriety. This is about Jesus closer where

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Speaker 3: we get to Jesus the further away we get from alcohol.

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Speaker 3: And I've heard you say, which sounds like, John, don't

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Speaker 3: come for me. But your quiet time isn't cutting it.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I tell people quiet times are good, they're

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Speaker 2: just not sufficient. It's a good thing, a quiet time

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Speaker 2: is a good thing, but it's not sufficient. This is

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Speaker 2: an all day, everyday thing. John Owen, great theologian from

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Speaker 2: the UK sixteen hundreds. He wrote, be killing sin, or

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Speaker 2: it will be killing you. It's like we've always got

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Speaker 2: to be on this offense and it can't just be like, well,

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Speaker 2: it's a fifteen minute thing that I did in the morning,

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Speaker 2: but rather this daily warring taking an offensive posture. It

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Speaker 2: says in Romans eight thirteen, if you live according to

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Speaker 2: the flesh, you will die. I can testify to that

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Speaker 2: I was dying aboutcoholism, it says, But if by the

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Speaker 2: spirit you put to death the deeds of the flesh,

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Speaker 2: you'll live.

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Speaker 1: That by the spirit part is really important.

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Speaker 2: The listener who says like, yeah, I have tried, I

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Speaker 2: have asked, I have cried and wept over my sin,

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Speaker 2: but I go back to it. It's like it's not

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Speaker 2: a once and for all thing. This is a daily thing,

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Speaker 2: just a daily squandering to the power of the Lord

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Speaker 2: and letting him God and lead you.

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Speaker 3: I love the only the full, resist the pull. It's

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Speaker 3: just so true. We'll be back right after a quick

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Speaker 3: word from our sponsors. Babe, can I pause us just

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Speaker 3: for a moment, if you're listening to this and thinking

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Speaker 3: I don't want to do this alone anymore. I want

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Speaker 3: to tell you about the Love Life Sober community. This

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Speaker 3: is the space where the podcast turns into real connection

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Speaker 3: and real support Inside the community. We gather weekly for

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Speaker 3: live connection calls where you can listen, share, or simply

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Speaker 3: be present. There's a beautiful leadership team holding this space

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Speaker 3: with wisdom and care. A dedicated prayer request area where

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Speaker 3: you can be covered, regular masterclasses led by expert guests,

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Speaker 3: and even a worship music playlist to help you reconnect

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Speaker 3: when your nervous system needs it. Inside the community, there's

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Speaker 3: also a dedicated coaching space called True Vine for women

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Speaker 3: who want even deeper support. The Love Life Sober Community

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00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:23,480
Speaker 3: is a place to connect with like minded women and

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Speaker 3: open up in a way you might not be able

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Speaker 3: to in your church or small group. This space was

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Speaker 3: created specifically for women who are questioning their relationship with

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Speaker 3: alcohol and who want the kind of freedom that can

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Speaker 3: only be found in Jesus. All the details to join

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Speaker 3: us are at the link in the show notes. I

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Speaker 3: can't wait to meet you. All right, let's jump back

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Speaker 3: into the episode.

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Speaker 2: The phrase that you just used, only the full resists

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Speaker 2: the pull I tell people like like if my wife

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Speaker 2: makes our favorite family meal or whatever, you know, we're there,

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Speaker 2: We're eating it's tex mex It's amazing, and I've had seconds,

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Speaker 2: and then somebody puts like a bag of skills in

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Speaker 2: front of me. I'm like sick, like no, I don't

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Speaker 2: even I don't. I don't want that. Or maybe they

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Speaker 2: give me like old taco bell or something. They put

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Speaker 2: that in front of him, like, no, it's disgusting. Like

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Speaker 2: I just had this feast that my wife made. It

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Speaker 2: was delicious and nourishing and healthy, and ah, it was

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Speaker 2: amazing the flavor, Like you want that cold old taco

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Speaker 2: bell like, get out, that's gross. Differently, though, if I

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Speaker 2: have not eaten for two or three days and somebody

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Speaker 2: puts like hand that to a person who hasn't eaten,

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Speaker 2: they will scarf it. They will eat that trash I'm

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Speaker 2: going I mean, every one of your listeners will know.

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Speaker 2: You go to the grocery store hungry and you're buying

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Speaker 2: the most random stuff that was never on your list.

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Speaker 2: You're like, what am I doing? Why am I buying

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Speaker 2: this trash? Well, because you're you're spiritually famished. You're not

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Speaker 2: satan by the things of God. But once you are,

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Speaker 2: when you're full on God, you could you resist the

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Speaker 2: pull and the temptations of the enemy.

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Speaker 3: That's so so true and so so good. I think

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Speaker 3: one of the things too, if you could touch on

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Speaker 3: that you talk about in your book and I've heard

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Speaker 3: you speak about, is being saints shusin and not the

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Speaker 3: other way around, because I also think that helps for

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Speaker 3: the gal who really is struggling with the shame piece

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Speaker 3: of this as well, because that is something that I

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Speaker 3: hear every single day, is he forgives everybody else but me.

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Speaker 3: You know, my stuff is too dark and it's too bad.

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Speaker 3: Will you speak to that a.

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Speaker 1: Little bit, yes, because it's so important.

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Speaker 2: So oftentimes people will say the phrase I just can't

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Speaker 2: forgive myself for what I did. I'm like, of course

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Speaker 2: you can't, right never, you're the one that committed the sin.

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Speaker 2: How in the world could you forgive yourself? But first

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Speaker 2: John one to nine says, if we confess our sin,

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Speaker 2: that's just our job. Just bring it to the Lord.

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Speaker 2: It says, he's faithful, meaning he'll do it every single time.

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Speaker 2: And he's just he's the only one that can forgive us,

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Speaker 2: to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from

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Speaker 2: all un righteousness.

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Speaker 1: And one of those times that you hear.

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Speaker 2: That like voice of shame, which sounds like your own voice,

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Speaker 2: it's not your voice, yeah, it's the voice of the enemy.

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Speaker 2: It says in Revelation chapter twelve that he is the

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Speaker 2: accuser of the brothers and sisters day and night.

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Speaker 1: It's like his incessant, endless job.

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Speaker 2: He goes before them and says to God, just like

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Speaker 2: you did with Job, They're guilty. They're guilty. You know

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Speaker 2: they got drunk. You know they lied about it. You

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Speaker 2: know they made a mistake and said something that didn't

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Speaker 2: maybe even sexual sin fell into it whenever they were drunk,

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Speaker 2: like whatever. They you know, they're guilty. And it says

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Speaker 2: in Revelation twelve that we overcome him by the blood

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Speaker 2: of the Lamb m h. Not because of what we did,

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Speaker 2: what Jesus did and the word of our testimony, which

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Speaker 2: says belong to Jesus, I trusted in him for the

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Speaker 2: forgiveness of my sins. And in that it says we silence,

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Speaker 2: silence the accusations, that we overcome him. And so what

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Speaker 2: you said about we are not sinners who saint were

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Speaker 2: saints who's sin it is really important. Like I mean,

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Speaker 2: I'll go back to marriage. If I was like, well,

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Speaker 2: I know I'm married, but I'm just a really lustful guy,

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Speaker 2: well that would lead that would perpetuate me looking at

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Speaker 2: things that shouldn't, maybe flirting with other women, Like it

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Speaker 2: would be terrible, it would be so and Lord be

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Speaker 2: so confused by it. Instead, I'm like no, I am

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Speaker 2: married to Laura Elmore, and so in saying yes to her,

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Speaker 2: I've said no to every other woman walking this earth

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Speaker 2: like my yes is to her. It's an allegiance thing.

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Speaker 2: That's my identity. I am married to my dear bride,

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Speaker 2: and that informs something that's a deep reality. We're in

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Speaker 2: covenant together. Man. We tell our kids for watching a

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Speaker 2: movie there was something about couple breaking up, and it's like, hey, kids,

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Speaker 2: mom and dad have made a covenant, and we're explaining

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Speaker 2: what that is, unbreakable promise and all these things. And

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Speaker 2: it's an identity thing that informs then your activity. Your

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Speaker 2: identity informs your activity, not your activity informs your identity.

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Speaker 2: We don't have a performance based acceptance where I'm accepted

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Speaker 2: because here or how I perform, but rather we have

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Speaker 2: acceptance based performance. Because I'm accepted, it changes how I live.

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Speaker 2: Our belief determines our behavior, our doctrine determines our deeds.

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Speaker 2: And so where this comes up scripturally and is amazing.

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Speaker 2: So Paul writes to the Corinthians, and the Corinthians there

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Speaker 2: were a rowdy bunch. I mean it was like sexual sin, drunken,

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Speaker 2: a slander, swindler, like cheating each other. I mean it

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Speaker 2: was just like he had some rebukes for them because

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Speaker 2: of all the same and yet time and time again

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Speaker 2: he calls them saints. I mean, he doesn't say you dirty, rotten,

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Speaker 2: you should be ashamed your He's reminding them, and the

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Speaker 2: word saint, we missed this. It's a noun for holiness,

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Speaker 2: Like there's a verb agiazzo, which is its sanctification to

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Speaker 2: be made holy. He calls them the noun your holy ones.

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Speaker 2: So and I tell my kids, I'm like, hey, Elmore's

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Speaker 2: work hard. I'm like giving them this identity of who

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Speaker 2: you are is what you do, and so it's it's

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Speaker 2: so important if I'm like, wow, I'm just a drunk.

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Speaker 1: You know, that's just my struggle.

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Speaker 2: I'm just a poorn addict, you know, whatever, whatever people

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Speaker 2: might say. You know, I'm just really struggle with alcoholism.

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Speaker 2: You're just gonna perpetuate that instead you're like, no, I'm

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Speaker 2: a sant like I've trusted Jesus. That's your identity and

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Speaker 2: then it will change your activity, your belief of who

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Speaker 2: God calls you.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, and everything that you just said, and I think

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Speaker 3: it's a good time to touch on this too. Is

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Speaker 3: why I never felt the need to use the label

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Speaker 3: alcoholic because I'm like, I'm God's daughter. I'm not an alcoholic,

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Speaker 3: you know, and so, and we talked about this with

429
00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:16,000
Speaker 3: John Seidel yesterday in our community about it's not an

430
00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:18,719
Speaker 3: identity statement. It's one of those things where you know

431
00:20:19,080 --> 00:20:21,040
Speaker 3: how far you've come and what He's done for you

432
00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:23,480
Speaker 3: and how he saved you. And so what's kind of

433
00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:26,000
Speaker 3: your take on using the labels of it all?

434
00:20:26,640 --> 00:20:26,880
Speaker 1: Yeah.

435
00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:30,600
Speaker 2: The only reason why I ever say that, and if

436
00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:34,040
Speaker 2: I ever do, I say recovered alcoholic to build a

437
00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:37,120
Speaker 2: bridge to other strugglers. That's the only reason why. Because

438
00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:39,760
Speaker 2: I'm like, I'm twenty years sober. I didn't think i'd

439
00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:42,679
Speaker 2: make it twenty days. Christy, Yeah, and I'm twenty years

440
00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:44,840
Speaker 2: And that's not because I opened the side of well,

441
00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:45,800
Speaker 2: I'll be a better person.

442
00:20:46,119 --> 00:20:48,920
Speaker 1: It was not a knowledge problem. I knew that alcoholism

443
00:20:49,119 --> 00:20:49,679
Speaker 1: was killing me.

444
00:20:49,760 --> 00:20:51,560
Speaker 2: But the only reason why I ever would say that

445
00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:54,800
Speaker 2: from a stage or in the grocery store two a

446
00:20:54,840 --> 00:20:58,520
Speaker 2: waitress or whatever is to build a bridge so that

447
00:20:58,520 --> 00:21:01,080
Speaker 2: they may be like, oh man, me too, is it.

448
00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:03,919
Speaker 1: I'm trying to speak to what they can relate to.

449
00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:06,560
Speaker 2: Paul writes to Timothy, and first Timothy won and he says,

450
00:21:06,680 --> 00:21:09,640
Speaker 2: even though I was once was once this is past tense,

451
00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:14,800
Speaker 2: was once not anymore, He says, a persecutor, a violent man.

452
00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:16,879
Speaker 2: The grace and mercy of Jesus poured out on me.

453
00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:19,320
Speaker 2: And then he goes on to say that he's like

454
00:21:19,400 --> 00:21:22,520
Speaker 2: chief of sinners. The closer that he got to Christ,

455
00:21:23,280 --> 00:21:25,840
Speaker 2: the more he realized the sinfulness within him. I used

456
00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:27,680
Speaker 2: to think, like, man, if I could just remove alcohol,

457
00:21:27,720 --> 00:21:29,200
Speaker 2: I'm a pretty decent human being.

458
00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:31,480
Speaker 1: Like I'm pretty awesome. I just struggled with outcohol a

459
00:21:31,480 --> 00:21:31,880
Speaker 1: little bit.

460
00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:33,560
Speaker 2: God got that out of the way, and I realized,

461
00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:36,679
Speaker 2: like my goodness, like I am, I am not a

462
00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:37,240
Speaker 2: good person.

463
00:21:37,359 --> 00:21:38,399
Speaker 1: I've got deep healing.

464
00:21:38,440 --> 00:21:40,480
Speaker 2: To dude, that was just the thing that was numbing

465
00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:44,159
Speaker 2: out the real pain within of like my insecurity and

466
00:21:44,240 --> 00:21:47,560
Speaker 2: ego and pride and selfishness and greed and lustfulness and

467
00:21:47,600 --> 00:21:51,080
Speaker 2: whatever else. It's like, oh, my goodness, there's like darkness within.

468
00:21:51,320 --> 00:21:53,760
Speaker 2: But the only reason that I would ever say those

469
00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:55,920
Speaker 2: words because I don't believe it. I believe my identity

470
00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:58,640
Speaker 2: is like I'm a saint, not because of anything I've done.

471
00:21:58,720 --> 00:21:59,879
Speaker 1: What he calls me to be.

472
00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:03,639
Speaker 2: I'm an adopted son of God, adopted daughters of God.

473
00:22:03,680 --> 00:22:06,040
Speaker 2: For all those listening who have trusted in Jesus for

474
00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:09,320
Speaker 2: the forgiveness of sins, regardless of what last night or

475
00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:13,720
Speaker 2: last weekend held, they are holy ones, chosen, washed by

476
00:22:13,720 --> 00:22:16,120
Speaker 2: the blood. And a really important passage that I would

477
00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:19,960
Speaker 2: encourage your listeners to read one Corinthian six. He says,

478
00:22:20,080 --> 00:22:24,600
Speaker 2: do you not know that the wicked will not inherit

479
00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:28,240
Speaker 2: the Kingdom of God? And he lists this laundry list

480
00:22:28,280 --> 00:22:33,919
Speaker 2: of sin. He's like, homosexual offenders, male prostitutes, drunkards, liars, swindlers,

481
00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:36,800
Speaker 2: such will not enter the kingdom. It's like, oh, man,

482
00:22:37,040 --> 00:22:40,000
Speaker 2: that's sobering because I've hit a few of those on

483
00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:43,160
Speaker 2: the list. And then he says, but such were some

484
00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:49,000
Speaker 2: of you. But you were washed, were justified, you were sanctified.

485
00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:52,159
Speaker 2: And so he's like, that's who you were, it's not

486
00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:55,440
Speaker 2: who you are, even though he's literally riding to them,

487
00:22:55,480 --> 00:22:58,080
Speaker 2: and some of you still have these struggles going hard

488
00:22:58,119 --> 00:22:58,840
Speaker 2: on identity.

489
00:22:59,119 --> 00:23:01,920
Speaker 1: Yeah, because he knows will transform their activity.

490
00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:06,040
Speaker 3: We'll be back right after a quick word from our sponsors.

491
00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:08,760
Speaker 3: Do you ever get pushed back? And maybe this just

492
00:23:08,840 --> 00:23:11,240
Speaker 3: opens the door for you to be able to talk

493
00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:13,560
Speaker 3: about Jesus. But do you ever get pushed back from

494
00:23:13,600 --> 00:23:18,440
Speaker 3: maybe the secular traditional recovery crowd when you say recovered,

495
00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:21,360
Speaker 3: because I know that they want this to be a

496
00:23:21,400 --> 00:23:22,920
Speaker 3: lifetime battle In a lot.

497
00:23:22,840 --> 00:23:24,920
Speaker 1: Of ways, Yeah, yeah I do.

498
00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:29,080
Speaker 2: Especially I find that like in AA circles in particular,

499
00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:32,600
Speaker 2: like people get really attached yeah to the recovery mechanism

500
00:23:32,680 --> 00:23:36,639
Speaker 2: that brought them healing. Look, AA has helped many people

501
00:23:36,680 --> 00:23:38,840
Speaker 2: get sober, it has not helped them. I don't have

502
00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:40,879
Speaker 2: battles to pick here, but I would just say, like,

503
00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:46,080
Speaker 2: firmly fix your hope. Yes, and Jesus died for all

504
00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:48,520
Speaker 2: your sins and sets the captives free.

505
00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:49,600
Speaker 1: That's Roman.

506
00:23:50,320 --> 00:23:52,679
Speaker 2: It's like you were a slave, descind you trusted in Jesus.

507
00:23:52,680 --> 00:23:56,800
Speaker 2: Now you're a slave to righteousness. It just changed your reality.

508
00:23:56,840 --> 00:23:59,280
Speaker 2: The old is gone, the newest come second Corinthians five.

509
00:24:00,200 --> 00:24:02,600
Speaker 1: Creation. You're not a better creator, You're new.

510
00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:05,720
Speaker 2: But sometimes people are like, oh, it was celebrate recovery,

511
00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:08,760
Speaker 2: or it was love life sober, it was freedom starts today.

512
00:24:08,800 --> 00:24:11,640
Speaker 2: And I'm like, no, no, no, no, no, already He's

513
00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:14,199
Speaker 2: like some of you say you fall sefist or or me.

514
00:24:14,359 --> 00:24:17,280
Speaker 1: He's like, don't follow Jesus.

515
00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:21,560
Speaker 2: Yeah, you just use many things, many churches, many preachers,

516
00:24:21,560 --> 00:24:24,840
Speaker 2: many books, many whatever, just the delivery boy or delivery

517
00:24:24,880 --> 00:24:27,359
Speaker 2: girl throwing out the message like he's the good news,

518
00:24:27,359 --> 00:24:30,400
Speaker 2: and so yes, I do get pushed back. You know, hey,

519
00:24:30,440 --> 00:24:33,000
Speaker 2: you shouldn't say that. You should say recovering alcoholic. You say,

520
00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:35,280
Speaker 2: my name is John, I am a hawk and an alcoholic.

521
00:24:35,320 --> 00:24:38,880
Speaker 2: I'm like, nah, look, I'm not going to get into

522
00:24:38,920 --> 00:24:42,080
Speaker 2: a semantics battle. But then I'll try to just rightly

523
00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:44,600
Speaker 2: teach from the scriptures and theology. Like look, I'm not

524
00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:46,800
Speaker 2: I'm not gonna talk about opinions here, like this is

525
00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:47,600
Speaker 2: what Jesus says.

526
00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:48,240
Speaker 1: I'm a saint.

527
00:24:48,359 --> 00:24:52,760
Speaker 2: I'm comfortable saying recovered, recovering alcoholic. But they know, like

528
00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:54,960
Speaker 2: I haven't drink in twenty years, I'll never My next

529
00:24:55,000 --> 00:24:56,719
Speaker 2: drink will be at the wedding feast of the Lamb.

530
00:24:56,840 --> 00:24:58,840
Speaker 3: I think it's important to touch on just because when

531
00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:02,560
Speaker 3: I started my my own alcohol free story, I didn't

532
00:25:02,560 --> 00:25:05,199
Speaker 3: think there was another way, right, Like a lot of

533
00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:07,359
Speaker 3: gals maybe even listening right now, it's like that is

534
00:25:07,440 --> 00:25:09,639
Speaker 3: the only way, and we're trying to tell you that

535
00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:11,000
Speaker 3: Jesus is the only way.

536
00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:13,560
Speaker 1: Actually totally, you mean the only way, like just to

537
00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:14,400
Speaker 1: go on.

538
00:25:14,680 --> 00:25:16,840
Speaker 3: Go in to admit you're an alcoholic, to be going

539
00:25:16,920 --> 00:25:18,840
Speaker 3: to meetings for the rest of your life, like it's

540
00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:20,359
Speaker 3: going to be this thing that's hanging over you.

541
00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:23,560
Speaker 2: Ah, yes, my AA sponsor. I went to a for

542
00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:26,560
Speaker 2: like I don't know, three months, and look it helped me.

543
00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:28,480
Speaker 2: Like it's step three, surrender your life and wilder or

544
00:25:28,520 --> 00:25:31,120
Speaker 2: higher power, whomever you deem him to be. Now people

545
00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:33,680
Speaker 2: are praying to the doorknob, the coke machine. That's not helpful.

546
00:25:34,320 --> 00:25:37,120
Speaker 2: But I knew from my childhood this phrase Jesus saved.

547
00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:38,879
Speaker 2: So I was like, all right, I was a deist.

548
00:25:38,920 --> 00:25:41,040
Speaker 2: I'm like God exists, but he doesn't have anything to.

549
00:25:40,960 --> 00:25:41,359
Speaker 1: Do with me.

550
00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:42,280
Speaker 3: Yeah.

551
00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:43,440
Speaker 1: I was sorely wrong.

552
00:25:44,280 --> 00:25:46,639
Speaker 2: I got on my knees surrendered my life to Christ

553
00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:49,520
Speaker 2: and everything changed. And I don't say that like, oh

554
00:25:49,560 --> 00:25:51,920
Speaker 2: it wasn't. I mean I get on my knees still

555
00:25:51,920 --> 00:25:54,040
Speaker 2: do every single day and surrender my life to God

556
00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:56,600
Speaker 2: because I know if I don't, like, I'm a really

557
00:25:56,640 --> 00:26:00,040
Speaker 2: bad lord of my life. Yeah, so it's just a

558
00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:03,040
Speaker 2: daily surrender. He keeps me from a multitude of sins,

559
00:26:03,119 --> 00:26:06,920
Speaker 2: not just alcohol. Oh, my sponsor. After three months, he's like, hey,

560
00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:09,200
Speaker 2: where'd you go? Like, you're not coming to meetings anymore,

561
00:26:09,240 --> 00:26:12,359
Speaker 2: You're gonna relapse. And I was like, oh no, I'm

562
00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:14,439
Speaker 2: I'm good. And he's like, you're not. I've seen this

563
00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:17,160
Speaker 2: a thousand times. If you stop going to meetings, you're

564
00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:20,640
Speaker 2: going to relapse. I'm like, Charlie, I'm going to meetings.

565
00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:23,040
Speaker 2: He's like, oh, you are like different chapter. I'm like, no,

566
00:26:23,119 --> 00:26:25,679
Speaker 2: I'm going to Bible study. I'm going to lunch with

567
00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:29,240
Speaker 2: this Christian mentor who's discipling me. I'm reading my Bible

568
00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:31,680
Speaker 2: every single day, like I'm tearing my Bible apart. I'm

569
00:26:31,680 --> 00:26:33,639
Speaker 2: praying all the time, I'm listed to worship music in

570
00:26:33,680 --> 00:26:35,800
Speaker 2: my car. I'm going to this Christian conference. I'm going

571
00:26:35,800 --> 00:26:38,800
Speaker 2: on a mission trip. And he's like, it's not gonna work. Well,

572
00:26:39,960 --> 00:26:43,800
Speaker 2: I think AA has like a seven percent recovery success

573
00:26:43,880 --> 00:26:46,960
Speaker 2: rate seven percent. Jesus has got a one hundred percent rate,

574
00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:48,000
Speaker 2: Like like he didn't me.

575
00:26:48,920 --> 00:26:50,080
Speaker 1: And so I was going to meetings.

576
00:26:50,119 --> 00:26:52,880
Speaker 2: There were just different meetings and I would argue and look,

577
00:26:52,880 --> 00:26:55,160
Speaker 2: there's nothing wrong with going to an AA meeting for

578
00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:59,280
Speaker 2: supplemental support. But I would not go there for theology.

579
00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:01,680
Speaker 2: I would not go to I mean they're really combative,

580
00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:05,560
Speaker 2: typically against Jesus. But man, getting the word. Surround yourself

581
00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:08,640
Speaker 2: with other Christian women for your listeners or well there's

582
00:27:08,640 --> 00:27:10,639
Speaker 2: probably there's men listening to just other brothers and.

583
00:27:10,680 --> 00:27:12,439
Speaker 3: Sisters in Christ.

584
00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:14,760
Speaker 2: Well, other men need to because there's this is goal

585
00:27:14,920 --> 00:27:20,199
Speaker 2: on your on your podcast. Man, there's meetings to be

586
00:27:20,320 --> 00:27:24,000
Speaker 2: had with great power. Go to prayer meetings. I mean

587
00:27:24,080 --> 00:27:27,480
Speaker 2: James five sixteen. Confess your sins to one another and

588
00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:33,280
Speaker 2: pray for each other so that you may be healed. Crazy,

589
00:27:33,760 --> 00:27:36,600
Speaker 2: God says the path to healing, which is what all

590
00:27:36,680 --> 00:27:41,040
Speaker 2: your listeners want. Yes, to confess your sins, pray for

591
00:27:41,080 --> 00:27:43,320
Speaker 2: each other, and God promises all bring healing. But I

592
00:27:43,320 --> 00:27:48,000
Speaker 2: think what we confess, we only confess like last night,

593
00:27:48,640 --> 00:27:51,280
Speaker 2: and it's like yeah, but like let's confess why, Like

594
00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:55,560
Speaker 2: go deeper, like what were you escaping from? Like what insecurity?

595
00:27:55,600 --> 00:27:56,920
Speaker 2: What pain? What remorse?

596
00:27:57,000 --> 00:27:59,600
Speaker 1: What? I don't know what fear led you to? What

597
00:27:59,640 --> 00:28:00,280
Speaker 1: a sc ape?

598
00:28:00,359 --> 00:28:04,880
Speaker 2: Like go upstream from that because it's just a functional savior.

599
00:28:05,440 --> 00:28:06,520
Speaker 2: It's a really bad one.

600
00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:09,720
Speaker 1: Jeez. True savior. Run to him instead of alcohol.

601
00:28:10,040 --> 00:28:12,280
Speaker 3: And one of the things that I think can be helpful,

602
00:28:12,320 --> 00:28:14,560
Speaker 3: and it's what you end each chapter with, which is

603
00:28:14,600 --> 00:28:16,440
Speaker 3: what one of the big things you took away, right

604
00:28:16,520 --> 00:28:19,800
Speaker 3: is the one day at a time which we're given

605
00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:24,040
Speaker 3: our daily bread. And in John's book, you literally go

606
00:28:24,320 --> 00:28:27,400
Speaker 3: through every single chapter in you initial after you say

607
00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:29,600
Speaker 3: that you're going to text someone or call someone. And

608
00:28:29,720 --> 00:28:32,080
Speaker 3: but it's a day by day thing, and a lot

609
00:28:32,160 --> 00:28:34,320
Speaker 3: of times I'll sit with my one on one goals

610
00:28:34,359 --> 00:28:37,000
Speaker 3: and I'll say, Okay, let's literally look at hour by hour,

611
00:28:37,440 --> 00:28:40,520
Speaker 3: your afternoon and your evening. Let's account for every single

612
00:28:41,080 --> 00:28:44,160
Speaker 3: hour to get through that time. But will you talk

613
00:28:44,200 --> 00:28:46,720
Speaker 3: about why one day at a time is important?

614
00:28:47,120 --> 00:28:49,200
Speaker 2: So I had doctors tell me I was dying of alcoholism.

615
00:28:49,200 --> 00:28:51,480
Speaker 2: My family was confronting me with my drinking problem. My

616
00:28:51,640 --> 00:28:54,480
Speaker 2: drinking friends were like, hey, you might be an alcoholic.

617
00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:56,880
Speaker 2: I'm like, what in the world like drink together? How

618
00:28:56,880 --> 00:29:00,520
Speaker 2: could you so ridiculous? But the reality is is I

619
00:29:00,560 --> 00:29:03,400
Speaker 2: couldn't imagine life without alcohol. I'm like, what do you

620
00:29:03,400 --> 00:29:05,520
Speaker 2: do on the weekend, what do you do on vacation?

621
00:29:05,680 --> 00:29:08,120
Speaker 2: What do you do on Christmas? What do you do

622
00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:10,400
Speaker 2: at a wedding reception. What do you do when I

623
00:29:10,480 --> 00:29:11,160
Speaker 2: watch on the game?

624
00:29:11,840 --> 00:29:12,200
Speaker 1: I didn't.

625
00:29:12,400 --> 00:29:14,080
Speaker 2: I was like, I know I need to quit, but

626
00:29:14,120 --> 00:29:17,120
Speaker 2: I couldn't conceive of a life without alcohol. It becomes

627
00:29:17,160 --> 00:29:20,000
Speaker 2: so ingrained in my life. Somebody asked me this really

628
00:29:20,040 --> 00:29:23,000
Speaker 2: powerful question. They're like, because I was like, I need

629
00:29:23,080 --> 00:29:26,360
Speaker 2: help for life. I'm dying. I'm literally dying. And they

630
00:29:26,360 --> 00:29:30,040
Speaker 2: were like, can you not drink for one day? And

631
00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:36,000
Speaker 2: I was like, that is so stupid. I need a lifetime.

632
00:29:36,640 --> 00:29:38,719
Speaker 2: And what they were saying to me and not so

633
00:29:38,760 --> 00:29:42,840
Speaker 2: many words, was a lifetime of sobriety is made up

634
00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:48,080
Speaker 2: by single days. And while I couldn't conceive of a

635
00:29:48,120 --> 00:29:51,640
Speaker 2: lifetime without alcohol, I was like, by God's strength, I

636
00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:54,080
Speaker 2: can go one day. And so I began that journey.

637
00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:56,480
Speaker 2: I was like, all right, today I will not drink,

638
00:29:56,520 --> 00:29:58,720
Speaker 2: and I made a commitment. I got on my knees,

639
00:29:58,800 --> 00:30:00,520
Speaker 2: I asked God to give me the strength. So that's

640
00:30:00,560 --> 00:30:04,040
Speaker 2: going on offense. Instead of reactively confessing my sin after

641
00:30:04,080 --> 00:30:08,360
Speaker 2: I got drunk, I was proactively committing for the next

642
00:30:08,400 --> 00:30:12,240
Speaker 2: twenty four hours. I can't commit for my life or

643
00:30:12,280 --> 00:30:15,000
Speaker 2: even a week, for the next twenty four hours. Daily

644
00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:18,040
Speaker 2: bread by God's strength, not my own strength. By God's strength,

645
00:30:18,320 --> 00:30:20,520
Speaker 2: I won't drink and then I'm gonna I set an

646
00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:22,840
Speaker 2: alarm on my phone and I called that individual the

647
00:30:22,840 --> 00:30:24,600
Speaker 2: next day and he asked, did you drink?

648
00:30:24,760 --> 00:30:26,120
Speaker 1: And I was like, by God's strength.

649
00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:26,240
Speaker 3: No.

650
00:30:26,440 --> 00:30:29,000
Speaker 2: He's like, okay, do you want to go another day?

651
00:30:29,560 --> 00:30:33,160
Speaker 2: And I was like, by God's strength. But in reality

652
00:30:33,320 --> 00:30:34,880
Speaker 2: what I asked him, I was like, hey, how long

653
00:30:34,880 --> 00:30:36,479
Speaker 2: are we going to do this? Like this is not

654
00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:39,760
Speaker 2: going to and he was like, hey, don't worry about that.

655
00:30:40,720 --> 00:30:44,960
Speaker 2: Just today, Jesus says this. He said, seek first his

656
00:30:45,080 --> 00:30:48,120
Speaker 2: kingdom and his righteousness today, and he says, don't worry

657
00:30:48,160 --> 00:30:48,760
Speaker 2: about tomorrow.

658
00:30:48,760 --> 00:30:50,120
Speaker 1: Tomorrow's got enough worriyes of his own.

659
00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:53,560
Speaker 2: He's like you and me, like, right here today, just

660
00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:57,560
Speaker 2: seek me today, my kingdom, my righteousness. Tomorrow's got enough

661
00:30:57,560 --> 00:31:00,160
Speaker 2: worries of its own. I'll give you daily bread. I'm

662
00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:01,840
Speaker 2: not going to give you monthly bread or annual bread

663
00:31:01,880 --> 00:31:04,000
Speaker 2: or lifetime bread, because I would probably only see you

664
00:31:04,040 --> 00:31:06,440
Speaker 2: once a month, once a year, once a lifetime. I

665
00:31:06,520 --> 00:31:09,120
Speaker 2: want you to be daily dependent on me. I will

666
00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:11,480
Speaker 2: deliver you and I'll see you tomorrow. And I've seen

667
00:31:11,560 --> 00:31:15,560
Speaker 2: him do it for countless people because his promises are true.

668
00:31:15,560 --> 00:31:17,840
Speaker 2: It's what he does. Yeah, So that's that's what I

669
00:31:17,880 --> 00:31:19,719
Speaker 2: would encourage your listeners to do. It sounds like some

670
00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:22,720
Speaker 2: of your sobriety coaching and an offense that you take.

671
00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:26,320
Speaker 2: It's like, let's be proactive about this, not reactive, and

672
00:31:26,360 --> 00:31:28,920
Speaker 2: see what happens. Let's determine what's going to happen by

673
00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:31,840
Speaker 2: the power of God, not your willpower, by the Spirit's power.

674
00:31:31,760 --> 00:31:34,240
Speaker 3: One hundred percent, one hundred percent. This is one of

675
00:31:34,240 --> 00:31:36,080
Speaker 3: the things that really resonated with me from the book.

676
00:31:36,120 --> 00:31:39,640
Speaker 3: Two is because if we're talking about walking by the spirit.

677
00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:41,840
Speaker 3: I love when you talk about in the book cold

678
00:31:41,880 --> 00:31:46,200
Speaker 3: noodles and just you might go to your Bible and

679
00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:48,640
Speaker 3: not get a revelation, but why you still need to

680
00:31:48,680 --> 00:31:50,760
Speaker 3: go there and why you still need to abide?

681
00:31:50,960 --> 00:31:54,880
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, cold spaghetti noodles. I'll never forget. I was

682
00:31:55,200 --> 00:31:59,160
Speaker 2: probably let's see, two years sober, surrendered to Christ, quit business,

683
00:31:59,200 --> 00:32:01,160
Speaker 2: and I'd heard about the food crisis in Haiti.

684
00:32:01,200 --> 00:32:02,000
Speaker 1: So I went over to Haiti.

685
00:32:02,080 --> 00:32:03,920
Speaker 2: I don't have any medical background, but I started a

686
00:32:03,920 --> 00:32:06,800
Speaker 2: mal nutrition clinic with some other people because there was

687
00:32:06,840 --> 00:32:09,320
Speaker 2: a food crisis there. Wasn't another enough food on the island.

688
00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:11,360
Speaker 2: Children were dying, they wouldn't make it to their fifth

689
00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:13,680
Speaker 2: year old birthday. So we started a Mault nutrition clinic

690
00:32:13,680 --> 00:32:16,880
Speaker 2: that's still running today, children being saved, giving gospel tracks

691
00:32:16,880 --> 00:32:17,440
Speaker 2: to the moms.

692
00:32:17,480 --> 00:32:20,960
Speaker 1: It was awesome. It's awesome. God's just done a mighty work.

693
00:32:21,040 --> 00:32:23,360
Speaker 2: But living at the orphanage, we didn't have clean water,

694
00:32:23,480 --> 00:32:25,440
Speaker 2: which is a whole nother story, but we would run

695
00:32:25,480 --> 00:32:27,200
Speaker 2: out of food. I mean, the nation didn't have food,

696
00:32:27,480 --> 00:32:30,120
Speaker 2: but these NGOs would like air drop stuff. So one

697
00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:32,400
Speaker 2: morning I go into breakfast. I'll never forget. It was

698
00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:38,920
Speaker 2: like this red tuppleware bowl with cold spaghetti noodles, no sauce,

699
00:32:39,040 --> 00:32:42,200
Speaker 2: no butter, no salt, nothing, just cold noodles in a

700
00:32:42,240 --> 00:32:46,640
Speaker 2: bowl with a fork. And I'm like, what is this? Like,

701
00:32:47,160 --> 00:32:49,880
Speaker 2: I mean, you know, just like entitled American, I'm like,

702
00:32:49,920 --> 00:32:52,080
Speaker 2: what is this? Like, I don't I'm not even cold

703
00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:55,480
Speaker 2: spaghetti noodles for breakfast. This is this is ridiculous, Like

704
00:32:55,600 --> 00:32:57,840
Speaker 2: where's my bacon and eggs and waffle? Like what is this?

705
00:32:57,920 --> 00:33:00,200
Speaker 2: So I like kind of push it aside. I'm like,

706
00:33:00,200 --> 00:33:03,640
Speaker 2: that's disgusting. Go about my day. Well it's really physically

707
00:33:03,720 --> 00:33:07,440
Speaker 2: demanding job one hundred and something degree heat, checking in kids,

708
00:33:07,480 --> 00:33:10,000
Speaker 2: measuring them, giving all this stuff on your knees, helping.

709
00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:12,080
Speaker 2: We don't get back till eight. Then we got to

710
00:33:12,120 --> 00:33:15,959
Speaker 2: do go to a water run. I mean, just physically demanding. Well,

711
00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:19,479
Speaker 2: the next day there's that red bull with more spaghetti noodles,

712
00:33:19,480 --> 00:33:20,640
Speaker 2: and do you think I ate them?

713
00:33:20,760 --> 00:33:22,280
Speaker 1: I forked out a big helping.

714
00:33:22,520 --> 00:33:25,360
Speaker 2: I sprinkled some sugar on top of my cold spaghetti noodles,

715
00:33:25,520 --> 00:33:28,160
Speaker 2: and I ate them. And it satisfied the need, and

716
00:33:28,200 --> 00:33:31,160
Speaker 2: it got me through the day, and I'll never forget.

717
00:33:31,600 --> 00:33:33,680
Speaker 2: I'm sitting there and I'm talking to the Haitian pastor

718
00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:35,680
Speaker 2: and I'm thinking about it. I'm like, this is our

719
00:33:35,720 --> 00:33:39,040
Speaker 2: spiritual life, like it's not always. I mean, this morning,

720
00:33:39,120 --> 00:33:41,120
Speaker 2: Christy would be a testimony to it. I'm going through

721
00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:43,080
Speaker 2: the Psalms. When I was reading in like Psalm eighty two,

722
00:33:43,120 --> 00:33:45,520
Speaker 2: eighty three and eighty four, and I would tell you

723
00:33:45,680 --> 00:33:48,440
Speaker 2: there was no like my goodness, this is profound the

724
00:33:48,520 --> 00:33:52,960
Speaker 2: spirit speaking of me. I'm transformed like man into the

725
00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:56,160
Speaker 2: moment with Jesus. Honestly, it was a morning of cold

726
00:33:56,160 --> 00:33:59,720
Speaker 2: spaghetti noodles where I'm like, yeah, it wasn't this mind

727
00:33:59,760 --> 00:34:04,600
Speaker 2: blowing spiritual meal, but I guarantee you it was timeless God.

728
00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:09,600
Speaker 2: I journaled out my prayers and it will spiritually satiate

729
00:34:09,680 --> 00:34:12,880
Speaker 2: me and get me through the day. And even though

730
00:34:13,120 --> 00:34:16,040
Speaker 2: the heavens didn't part, dove didn't land on my shoulder,

731
00:34:16,239 --> 00:34:20,040
Speaker 2: it was it was spiritual nourishment and it was time

732
00:34:20,080 --> 00:34:22,600
Speaker 2: with the Lord. I mean, honestly, like, isn't that marriage

733
00:34:22,600 --> 00:34:25,960
Speaker 2: as well? I mean, yesterday in marriage. It's like sometimes

734
00:34:26,040 --> 00:34:29,480
Speaker 2: it's just the daily life and not some movie scene kiss.

735
00:34:29,480 --> 00:34:31,399
Speaker 2: It's just like a kiss on the lips. I love

736
00:34:31,400 --> 00:34:35,080
Speaker 2: you good night. But it's love and it is enough.

737
00:34:35,160 --> 00:34:37,680
Speaker 2: It's good. And that doesn't mean we shouldn't long for

738
00:34:37,719 --> 00:34:40,400
Speaker 2: other moments of intemacy with God or with our spouse

739
00:34:40,480 --> 00:34:45,400
Speaker 2: or whatever. But it's good, it's right. It's the normal

740
00:34:45,440 --> 00:34:48,640
Speaker 2: rhythms of life. So there's the cold spaghetti noodles. I

741
00:34:48,640 --> 00:34:51,040
Speaker 2: would say, like, if you're not having this mountaintop experience

742
00:34:51,080 --> 00:34:51,879
Speaker 2: with God.

743
00:34:51,760 --> 00:34:53,440
Speaker 1: That's just not normal.

744
00:34:53,840 --> 00:34:56,680
Speaker 2: It's a daily walk with God, and sometimes it's Psalm

745
00:34:56,760 --> 00:35:00,600
Speaker 2: twenty three. It's through the valley of the Shadow of Death.

746
00:35:01,239 --> 00:35:03,759
Speaker 2: I mean, God says we're gonna walk through that it's

747
00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:06,399
Speaker 2: not gonna be mountaintop. It's gonna be valley of death.

748
00:35:06,480 --> 00:35:08,760
Speaker 2: It's gonna be really hard. But he says, but I'm

749
00:35:08,800 --> 00:35:12,680
Speaker 2: with you, my rod, my staff will comfort you, so

750
00:35:12,760 --> 00:35:15,520
Speaker 2: I will fear no evil. It doesn't say I will

751
00:35:15,640 --> 00:35:18,200
Speaker 2: feel no evil. You're gonna feel it. You don't have

752
00:35:18,239 --> 00:35:20,080
Speaker 2: to fear it because God's with you.

753
00:35:20,280 --> 00:35:22,879
Speaker 3: I love that so much, and I wanted to specifically

754
00:35:22,880 --> 00:35:25,160
Speaker 3: ask that for the gals. There's a group going through

755
00:35:25,160 --> 00:35:27,040
Speaker 3: the Bible recap right now, so they'll be in the

756
00:35:27,080 --> 00:35:29,400
Speaker 3: old you know, the Old Testament, and I did it

757
00:35:29,480 --> 00:35:32,400
Speaker 3: last year, and so it's just important to keep going

758
00:35:32,480 --> 00:35:35,320
Speaker 3: even if it feels like a slog some days, because

759
00:35:35,360 --> 00:35:38,160
Speaker 3: it's that's what walking with the spirit is, right, It's

760
00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:40,520
Speaker 3: a daily thing, and it doesn't feel great all the time.

761
00:35:40,800 --> 00:35:42,120
Speaker 1: My wife right now is leading through.

762
00:35:42,280 --> 00:35:45,080
Speaker 2: She's reading through Leviticus and she's in the same she's like,

763
00:35:45,120 --> 00:35:48,600
Speaker 2: we're talking about mildew and all the you know how

764
00:35:48,600 --> 00:35:51,080
Speaker 2: many days outside the camp She's like, what is this?

765
00:35:51,239 --> 00:35:53,760
Speaker 2: But we had a discussion about it, about the holiness

766
00:35:53,800 --> 00:35:56,160
Speaker 2: of God, and even the fabrics, like he's like, the

767
00:35:56,200 --> 00:35:58,480
Speaker 2: reason why you didn't blend fabrics isn't because God just

768
00:35:58,520 --> 00:36:02,880
Speaker 2: has weird rules, like has a frequency that has healing

769
00:36:02,920 --> 00:36:05,399
Speaker 2: properties in it, and when you add wool to it,

770
00:36:05,400 --> 00:36:08,840
Speaker 2: it cancels it. And so God, in his like wonder,

771
00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:13,320
Speaker 2: he's giving scientific understanding to the Israelites before scientists, it

772
00:36:13,320 --> 00:36:15,319
Speaker 2: would take them two thousand and four thousand years to

773
00:36:15,320 --> 00:36:17,319
Speaker 2: catch up to this. When he's like, hey, don't eat

774
00:36:17,360 --> 00:36:20,120
Speaker 2: shrimp or fish without scales, it's not because he's just

775
00:36:20,160 --> 00:36:23,719
Speaker 2: some kind of weird culinary. He's like, look, catfish or

776
00:36:23,760 --> 00:36:26,799
Speaker 2: bottom feeders, they literally eat trash that's not good for you,

777
00:36:27,440 --> 00:36:29,240
Speaker 2: Like I want you to eat the fish that swiming

778
00:36:29,280 --> 00:36:32,680
Speaker 2: off scales like shrimp or the garbage collectors of the sea.

779
00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:35,400
Speaker 1: Don't eat that. You know, pigs are they're unclean, they

780
00:36:35,480 --> 00:36:36,440
Speaker 1: carry parasites.

781
00:36:36,640 --> 00:36:40,840
Speaker 2: Even in the like doldrums of like Leviticus, there's still

782
00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:44,120
Speaker 2: something there as we like uncover and reveal. So I

783
00:36:44,160 --> 00:36:46,759
Speaker 2: would say to those traveling through the Bible recap, which

784
00:36:46,800 --> 00:36:50,319
Speaker 2: is awesome, don't lose heart and just like be curious, like, yeah,

785
00:36:50,680 --> 00:36:51,279
Speaker 2: why is that?

786
00:36:51,320 --> 00:36:53,560
Speaker 1: Why did you tell us not to eat the rock badger?

787
00:36:53,960 --> 00:36:54,120
Speaker 3: Right?

788
00:36:54,160 --> 00:36:57,400
Speaker 2: I guarantee you there's a reason. There's something there, and

789
00:36:57,440 --> 00:36:58,520
Speaker 2: it's gonna be beautiful.

790
00:36:58,640 --> 00:37:01,040
Speaker 3: Will you talk a little bit about locking the doors

791
00:37:01,080 --> 00:37:01,719
Speaker 3: of temptation.

792
00:37:02,360 --> 00:37:05,400
Speaker 2: Yes, it's so important, right, Like, don't go where I

793
00:37:05,520 --> 00:37:08,520
Speaker 2: used to go. I mean, my friendships have changed. We

794
00:37:08,560 --> 00:37:11,200
Speaker 2: talk about like change your playground, change your playmates, and

795
00:37:11,280 --> 00:37:13,839
Speaker 2: change your pastime. I mean my kids on the way

796
00:37:13,880 --> 00:37:16,360
Speaker 2: to school, they were asking me about my old life

797
00:37:16,440 --> 00:37:18,160
Speaker 2: and I was like, yeah, I used to live in Austin.

798
00:37:18,200 --> 00:37:20,879
Speaker 2: And they're like, is Austin dark, Dad, And I'm like, yeah,

799
00:37:20,920 --> 00:37:22,879
Speaker 2: there are parts of it that are really dark. It's

800
00:37:22,920 --> 00:37:25,200
Speaker 2: spiritually dark. And I told them there's a lot of

801
00:37:25,200 --> 00:37:27,920
Speaker 2: my dear friends that are doing ministry there. But locking

802
00:37:27,960 --> 00:37:30,920
Speaker 2: the doors on temptation. This came from early on in

803
00:37:31,160 --> 00:37:33,359
Speaker 2: marriage and parenting. There were a lot of break ins

804
00:37:33,360 --> 00:37:35,000
Speaker 2: in the neighborhood that we were living in. And I

805
00:37:35,040 --> 00:37:37,440
Speaker 2: woke up one day and I had left our garage

806
00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:41,200
Speaker 2: door open and our and our back door unlocked. And

807
00:37:41,239 --> 00:37:43,480
Speaker 2: I was the first up. I'm like getting coffee, I think,

808
00:37:43,480 --> 00:37:45,080
Speaker 2: spending time with the Lord, And all of a sudden,

809
00:37:45,160 --> 00:37:47,920
Speaker 2: I am running through the house to make sure that

810
00:37:48,040 --> 00:37:51,000
Speaker 2: the kids are in their bedrooms, they're still sleep, that

811
00:37:51,120 --> 00:37:54,160
Speaker 2: my wife's purse is still where it should be, because

812
00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:57,400
Speaker 2: I knew, like there are literally like and there's an

813
00:37:57,520 --> 00:38:01,040
Speaker 2: active crime ring in our neighborhood, and I just left

814
00:38:01,080 --> 00:38:05,160
Speaker 2: an all access invitation, like come on in, like you

815
00:38:05,160 --> 00:38:07,360
Speaker 2: can have what we want. We're going to turn the

816
00:38:07,400 --> 00:38:11,120
Speaker 2: lights off and go to sleep. And spiritually speaking, I

817
00:38:11,120 --> 00:38:14,680
Speaker 2: think we can do the same thing when we are

818
00:38:14,800 --> 00:38:18,640
Speaker 2: dating an unbeliever, or remain in a relationship that's unhealthy

819
00:38:18,640 --> 00:38:20,640
Speaker 2: for us and leading us into sin, when we still

820
00:38:20,640 --> 00:38:23,520
Speaker 2: are going to happy hours, even though we're struggling with alcohol,

821
00:38:23,760 --> 00:38:27,800
Speaker 2: when we still alcohol in our house, even though we're realizing,

822
00:38:27,960 --> 00:38:31,000
Speaker 2: like I have an alcohol problem, like weed and pills

823
00:38:31,080 --> 00:38:32,480
Speaker 2: used to be a problem, I don't. I don't have

824
00:38:32,520 --> 00:38:35,400
Speaker 2: access to those anymore. There's there's a there's a locking

825
00:38:35,480 --> 00:38:40,400
Speaker 2: down of things of access that protects you because like

826
00:38:40,520 --> 00:38:43,279
Speaker 2: the burglar and the crime ring that was in our neighborhood.

827
00:38:43,360 --> 00:38:46,160
Speaker 2: It says in one Peter five that we have an enemy,

828
00:38:46,680 --> 00:38:51,080
Speaker 2: the devil, who prowls around like a roaring lion seeking

829
00:38:51,320 --> 00:38:55,000
Speaker 2: someone to devour. Enemy without, and there's an enemy within,

830
00:38:55,320 --> 00:38:57,960
Speaker 2: like you have the flesh, the cravings of the flesh

831
00:38:58,360 --> 00:39:01,879
Speaker 2: that every single day, the daily default setting of your

832
00:39:01,920 --> 00:39:05,680
Speaker 2: soul is the flesh which has to be subdued by

833
00:39:05,680 --> 00:39:08,440
Speaker 2: the spirit. And then we've got to lock the doors

834
00:39:08,520 --> 00:39:12,000
Speaker 2: of temptation, like Jesus says, if something leads you into sin,

835
00:39:12,120 --> 00:39:15,480
Speaker 2: cut it off. And so there are we we do

836
00:39:15,560 --> 00:39:17,400
Speaker 2: have a role in this. This isn't like all right,

837
00:39:17,520 --> 00:39:20,280
Speaker 2: Jesus take the wheel and I'm just gonna I'm gonna

838
00:39:20,360 --> 00:39:23,279
Speaker 2: let you perform this sanctification of my life. There's this,

839
00:39:23,400 --> 00:39:27,840
Speaker 2: there's this mutual working out of our salvation with the spirit.

840
00:39:28,239 --> 00:39:29,920
Speaker 2: You don't do it on your own, but it's a

841
00:39:30,040 --> 00:39:33,240
Speaker 2: mutual working out of your sanctification with the spirit.

842
00:39:33,280 --> 00:39:33,920
Speaker 1: And so you do.

843
00:39:34,080 --> 00:39:36,399
Speaker 2: You got to like take an inventory, as you said,

844
00:39:36,400 --> 00:39:38,520
Speaker 2: where you're like looking at the hours of your day,

845
00:39:38,560 --> 00:39:40,600
Speaker 2: like all right, so let's let's make a plan, like

846
00:39:40,600 --> 00:39:43,200
Speaker 2: what are you gonna do after work, because inevitably you

847
00:39:43,280 --> 00:39:46,440
Speaker 2: are gonna get the invitation like hey, come to the

848
00:39:46,440 --> 00:39:49,600
Speaker 2: happy hour or from your boyfriend, like let's let's go

849
00:39:49,680 --> 00:39:52,000
Speaker 2: out and have drinks and you know, we'll limit it

850
00:39:52,040 --> 00:39:54,640
Speaker 2: to two or whatever it may be. It's like, man,

851
00:39:54,680 --> 00:39:57,880
Speaker 2: there you've tried that offense. Romans six twenty one. A

852
00:39:57,920 --> 00:39:59,640
Speaker 2: lot of people know Romans six twenty three because it

853
00:39:59,640 --> 00:40:01,640
Speaker 2: says the way sent his death. But the freakupt of

854
00:40:01,640 --> 00:40:03,319
Speaker 2: God is he turn a life found in Christ Jesus

855
00:40:03,400 --> 00:40:06,279
Speaker 2: a great gospel passage what precedes that? In Romans six

856
00:40:06,360 --> 00:40:10,560
Speaker 2: twenty one, Paul invites you to consider and like roll

857
00:40:10,600 --> 00:40:12,600
Speaker 2: the tape, like, hey, just think about what's happened in

858
00:40:12,640 --> 00:40:15,719
Speaker 2: the past. Roma six twenty one, he says, what benefit

859
00:40:16,400 --> 00:40:19,319
Speaker 2: did you reap? What benefit did you get from those

860
00:40:19,320 --> 00:40:22,240
Speaker 2: things you're now ashamed of? He invites you, what benefit

861
00:40:22,320 --> 00:40:24,680
Speaker 2: did you get from drinking that bottle of chardonay? What

862
00:40:24,840 --> 00:40:27,600
Speaker 2: benefit did you get from going to happy hour and

863
00:40:27,600 --> 00:40:30,680
Speaker 2: then you went home with that guy? What benefit did

864
00:40:30,680 --> 00:40:33,840
Speaker 2: you And it's like, oh, yeah, I got a hangover,

865
00:40:34,239 --> 00:40:37,520
Speaker 2: I woke up with regret. I have just squandered another

866
00:40:37,600 --> 00:40:40,279
Speaker 2: year of my life. Inviting you not to rub your

867
00:40:40,280 --> 00:40:42,640
Speaker 2: nose in it or for shame's sake, but like, hey,

868
00:40:42,920 --> 00:40:44,120
Speaker 2: let's break this cycle.

869
00:40:44,280 --> 00:40:46,520
Speaker 1: Like it enough to be like this, yeah, I mean he.

870
00:40:46,600 --> 00:40:49,560
Speaker 2: Was writing to believers, and Peter writes the same thing

871
00:40:49,560 --> 00:40:52,719
Speaker 2: in First Peter, Chapter four, verses one through four. I

872
00:40:52,760 --> 00:40:54,680
Speaker 2: would encourage all the listeners will like go back and

873
00:40:54,719 --> 00:40:58,440
Speaker 2: look at this. It's the same thing. It's amazing and

874
00:40:58,480 --> 00:41:01,680
Speaker 2: even talks about drunkeness. But you know, this fisherman who

875
00:41:01,719 --> 00:41:04,560
Speaker 2: had spent time with Jesus now is like deep theologian,

876
00:41:04,719 --> 00:41:08,000
Speaker 2: and he writes and he says, You've spent enough time

877
00:41:08,040 --> 00:41:12,480
Speaker 2: in the past doing what pagans choose to do. And

878
00:41:12,520 --> 00:41:14,960
Speaker 2: I'm like, ah, that makes sense. I read that, and

879
00:41:15,000 --> 00:41:17,720
Speaker 2: I'm like, Okay, I was drunk from eighteen to thirty.

880
00:41:18,320 --> 00:41:19,120
Speaker 2: That's enough time.

881
00:41:19,760 --> 00:41:20,320
Speaker 1: That's enough.

882
00:41:20,760 --> 00:41:24,000
Speaker 2: I don't need to run that experiment anymore. When I'm

883
00:41:24,040 --> 00:41:26,720
Speaker 2: tempted to drink again. And I still get tempted to drink.

884
00:41:26,840 --> 00:41:29,400
Speaker 2: There's still times when I'm like on vacation or when

885
00:41:29,440 --> 00:41:31,919
Speaker 2: I'm alone in particular, it's like, man, I like get

886
00:41:31,960 --> 00:41:35,560
Speaker 2: tempted a thought. I'll hear a song and I'll think

887
00:41:35,600 --> 00:41:38,440
Speaker 2: back to my drinking days, and it's like, man, I've

888
00:41:38,440 --> 00:41:41,000
Speaker 2: spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose

889
00:41:41,040 --> 00:41:43,359
Speaker 2: to do. It says, but rather, now we live our

890
00:41:43,440 --> 00:41:46,120
Speaker 2: lives not for evil human desires. So I do have

891
00:41:46,120 --> 00:41:49,080
Speaker 2: a human desire sometimes to numb out or escape, but

892
00:41:49,239 --> 00:41:51,080
Speaker 2: rather for the will of God. And then it goes

893
00:41:51,160 --> 00:41:52,839
Speaker 2: on in that passage and it says, your friends are

894
00:41:52,880 --> 00:41:54,839
Speaker 2: gonna think it's strange that you don't go and get

895
00:41:54,920 --> 00:41:57,719
Speaker 2: drunk with them, you don't follow them in the same

896
00:41:57,760 --> 00:41:59,560
Speaker 2: flood of dissipation, like, what's your deal?

897
00:41:59,640 --> 00:42:01,640
Speaker 1: Your whole? Then now you think you're better than us?

898
00:42:01,719 --> 00:42:04,879
Speaker 2: Okay, yeah, now you're you're doing you know, love life

899
00:42:04,880 --> 00:42:08,640
Speaker 2: sober with Christy Like okay, great, yeah, but see you later.

900
00:42:08,719 --> 00:42:11,120
Speaker 2: You'll come back around. And it's like, man, I've got

901
00:42:11,160 --> 00:42:13,360
Speaker 2: a new way. I've spent enough time in the past.

902
00:42:13,960 --> 00:42:17,000
Speaker 2: I've ran that offense. I know where I don't need

903
00:42:17,040 --> 00:42:19,359
Speaker 2: to try again. Insanity is doing the same thing over

904
00:42:19,400 --> 00:42:21,000
Speaker 2: and over and extracting a different result.

905
00:42:21,440 --> 00:42:21,960
Speaker 1: I'm good.

906
00:42:22,440 --> 00:42:25,440
Speaker 3: We'll be back right after a quick word from our sponsors.

907
00:42:26,400 --> 00:42:28,280
Speaker 3: One of the things I got a lot of feedback

908
00:42:28,320 --> 00:42:30,760
Speaker 3: when I wrote about, and I think it just maybe

909
00:42:31,080 --> 00:42:34,440
Speaker 3: hit a nerve with goals, is alcohol is an idol? Right?

910
00:42:34,560 --> 00:42:36,400
Speaker 3: Or wine is an idol? And maybe if you're just

911
00:42:36,440 --> 00:42:38,920
Speaker 3: a drinker that like has a couple glasses of wine,

912
00:42:39,400 --> 00:42:42,799
Speaker 3: you know, every now and then, it's that's still a possibility.

913
00:42:42,800 --> 00:42:45,520
Speaker 3: And I had such feedback on that, And so I've

914
00:42:45,520 --> 00:42:48,359
Speaker 3: heard you talk about this what an idol really is,

915
00:42:48,440 --> 00:42:50,600
Speaker 3: and so can we just close with that?

916
00:42:51,280 --> 00:42:51,560
Speaker 1: Sure?

917
00:42:51,640 --> 00:42:53,880
Speaker 2: Yeah, you know this is not mine. This is this

918
00:42:53,960 --> 00:42:56,280
Speaker 2: is tim Keller, I think in Counterfeit Gods. He says,

919
00:42:56,360 --> 00:42:59,960
Speaker 2: you will know an idol by its ability to bring

920
00:43:00,200 --> 00:43:03,759
Speaker 2: your heart. So when it is taken away or the

921
00:43:03,840 --> 00:43:06,640
Speaker 2: thought of it being taken away, does that break your heart?

922
00:43:06,800 --> 00:43:08,160
Speaker 1: And upseid?

923
00:43:08,320 --> 00:43:13,600
Speaker 2: Likewise, an idol will give you what you want because

924
00:43:13,640 --> 00:43:18,440
Speaker 2: it's you that it wants. So my idol of alcohol,

925
00:43:18,600 --> 00:43:20,600
Speaker 2: it will give me what I want. Like it's like, oh,

926
00:43:20,640 --> 00:43:23,840
Speaker 2: you want confidence, you want escape, you want celebration, you

927
00:43:23,880 --> 00:43:27,080
Speaker 2: want joy, you want peace, you want confidence with women

928
00:43:27,239 --> 00:43:30,000
Speaker 2: or business or with your clients at the happy hour. Like, okay,

929
00:43:30,200 --> 00:43:33,200
Speaker 2: I'll give you that because it's me that it wanted

930
00:43:33,320 --> 00:43:34,040
Speaker 2: that it got.

931
00:43:34,400 --> 00:43:36,399
Speaker 1: And so an idol will give you what you want.

932
00:43:36,400 --> 00:43:37,920
Speaker 2: You want to escape, you want to numb out, you

933
00:43:38,000 --> 00:43:40,800
Speaker 2: want to you want to forget your worries. Like it'll

934
00:43:40,800 --> 00:43:43,200
Speaker 2: give you what you want because it's you that it wants.

935
00:43:43,800 --> 00:43:46,359
Speaker 2: In case you're like that's crazy, Like now you're giving

936
00:43:46,360 --> 00:43:50,840
Speaker 2: this like anthropomorphic, like alcohol doesn't speak, like what do

937
00:43:50,880 --> 00:43:52,719
Speaker 2: you mean? What are you talking about? Well, it says

938
00:43:52,760 --> 00:43:55,319
Speaker 2: in Corinthians that an idol is nothing. It says, what's

939
00:43:55,360 --> 00:43:55,760
Speaker 2: an idol?

940
00:43:55,800 --> 00:43:55,960
Speaker 1: You know?

941
00:43:56,040 --> 00:43:59,359
Speaker 2: It's wood or stone, it's it's nothing. But what is

942
00:43:59,400 --> 00:44:03,759
Speaker 2: behind the idol instant is a demon. We don't think

943
00:44:03,800 --> 00:44:07,440
Speaker 2: about a lot. So the idol, whether it be money, status,

944
00:44:07,480 --> 00:44:12,440
Speaker 2: a relationship, alcohol, in our conversation, your phone, what's behind

945
00:44:12,480 --> 00:44:15,239
Speaker 2: an idol is a demon? What does that demon want?

946
00:44:15,400 --> 00:44:18,719
Speaker 2: It wants your worship? Why because we were made to

947
00:44:18,760 --> 00:44:22,200
Speaker 2: worship God and Satan hates God in so any way

948
00:44:22,239 --> 00:44:25,000
Speaker 2: that he can get you to worship the created rather

949
00:44:25,040 --> 00:44:27,680
Speaker 2: than the Creator is a victory in his book. Maybe

950
00:44:27,680 --> 00:44:30,080
Speaker 2: he can't take your salvation because you've trusted in Jesus,

951
00:44:30,320 --> 00:44:32,759
Speaker 2: but he can take your occupation, which is to worship God,

952
00:44:32,800 --> 00:44:34,839
Speaker 2: to know God and make him known. And so that's

953
00:44:34,840 --> 00:44:37,200
Speaker 2: his offense, that's his mo That's what an idol does.

954
00:44:37,239 --> 00:44:39,840
Speaker 2: It's like it wants your worship, and we give it

955
00:44:39,880 --> 00:44:41,960
Speaker 2: our worship by giving it our devotion, by giving it

956
00:44:42,000 --> 00:44:44,799
Speaker 2: our time, by giving it like we'll choose you over

957
00:44:44,920 --> 00:44:46,240
Speaker 2: fidelity to God.

958
00:44:46,760 --> 00:44:48,640
Speaker 1: Yes, I got him.

959
00:44:48,840 --> 00:44:51,239
Speaker 2: And it never stays the same as First John, you

960
00:44:51,280 --> 00:44:53,680
Speaker 2: know Paul's right. John was writing to the church in

961
00:44:53,719 --> 00:44:57,000
Speaker 2: the very last scripture of First John, which is this

962
00:44:57,160 --> 00:45:00,160
Speaker 2: anthology about like God's love and how we know in

963
00:45:00,200 --> 00:45:03,520
Speaker 2: God's love, and if we confess our sins, he cleanses us.

964
00:45:03,560 --> 00:45:05,680
Speaker 2: And I mean, just like all this amazing, you know,

965
00:45:05,760 --> 00:45:07,920
Speaker 2: don't just love and truth but an action.

966
00:45:08,080 --> 00:45:11,600
Speaker 1: Indeed, and I mean just this like anthology of love.

967
00:45:11,640 --> 00:45:12,719
Speaker 1: What do you think he would sign off?

968
00:45:12,800 --> 00:45:14,919
Speaker 2: His sign off should be like, oh, so children love

969
00:45:14,960 --> 00:45:17,240
Speaker 2: each other and God is love and all this stuff.

970
00:45:17,440 --> 00:45:21,759
Speaker 2: He says, little children, keep yourselves from idol, because an

971
00:45:21,840 --> 00:45:26,480
Speaker 2: idol in this conversation of alcohol, will choke out your

972
00:45:26,560 --> 00:45:29,759
Speaker 2: love for God, like I love one woman, and so

973
00:45:29,840 --> 00:45:31,959
Speaker 2: it is with the Lord. It's like he's like, love

974
00:45:32,000 --> 00:45:35,279
Speaker 2: God and death to the idols. Kill them by the

975
00:45:35,280 --> 00:45:38,040
Speaker 2: power of the spirit, because they if you don't, they

976
00:45:38,120 --> 00:45:40,839
Speaker 2: will kill you. They will they will take the love

977
00:45:40,880 --> 00:45:43,360
Speaker 2: that is rightly due to God and give it to

978
00:45:43,480 --> 00:45:44,399
Speaker 2: this created thing.

979
00:45:44,440 --> 00:45:47,359
Speaker 1: And so it's this offense of making war. Kill the

980
00:45:47,360 --> 00:45:48,600
Speaker 1: idols or they will kill you.

981
00:45:49,080 --> 00:45:52,000
Speaker 3: And let's end with what The freedom on the other

982
00:45:52,080 --> 00:45:54,680
Speaker 3: side of that, when you say no to the idols

983
00:45:54,680 --> 00:45:56,920
Speaker 3: and yes to Jesus is like just so wee can

984
00:45:57,080 --> 00:45:58,440
Speaker 3: and on a high.

985
00:45:58,560 --> 00:46:00,719
Speaker 2: I mean, Christy, you know, it's why you're laughing and

986
00:46:00,760 --> 00:46:03,280
Speaker 2: you have joy. I don't not go back to drinking

987
00:46:03,680 --> 00:46:06,879
Speaker 2: because it's bad for me, or because it's it's some

988
00:46:07,160 --> 00:46:09,600
Speaker 2: like command in scripture that says, do not be drunk

989
00:46:09,600 --> 00:46:12,000
Speaker 2: with wine, but instead be filled with the Holy Spirit.

990
00:46:12,000 --> 00:46:14,000
Speaker 2: It's not like okay, God, well I'll do but I'll

991
00:46:14,000 --> 00:46:14,920
Speaker 2: do it but grudgingly.

992
00:46:15,360 --> 00:46:15,560
Speaker 1: Yeah.

993
00:46:15,600 --> 00:46:18,520
Speaker 2: I'm like, I'm like, my goodness, I'm like an Israelite

994
00:46:18,520 --> 00:46:22,000
Speaker 2: that's been set free from Egypt, except they long to

995
00:46:22,040 --> 00:46:26,120
Speaker 2: go back. I'm like, this is the lot I remember.

996
00:46:26,200 --> 00:46:28,840
Speaker 2: I remember like when I when I trusted in Jesus,

997
00:46:29,480 --> 00:46:34,160
Speaker 2: I mean just days sober. I was like, oh my goodness,

998
00:46:34,320 --> 00:46:37,960
Speaker 2: like all of snapped into three D and I'm like

999
00:46:38,480 --> 00:46:41,239
Speaker 2: this is it. Yeah, this is this is this is

1000
00:46:41,320 --> 00:46:43,439
Speaker 2: like what I was made for. It's to know God

1001
00:46:43,480 --> 00:46:45,600
Speaker 2: and make him known. And the rest is details. Like

1002
00:46:45,880 --> 00:46:48,319
Speaker 2: I had joy, I had peace, I had hope, I

1003
00:46:48,360 --> 00:46:51,160
Speaker 2: had loved I was like singing worship in my cars,

1004
00:46:51,200 --> 00:46:54,640
Speaker 2: devouring the scriptures, like my relationship started to be full

1005
00:46:54,680 --> 00:46:57,480
Speaker 2: of like love instead of strife. And I was like,

1006
00:46:58,280 --> 00:47:02,560
Speaker 2: this is this is the full abundant life Like that

1007
00:47:02,760 --> 00:47:08,120
Speaker 2: was such a like dark and enslaving and crippling and

1008
00:47:08,400 --> 00:47:13,880
Speaker 2: worthless existence, just limping through life and as like so

1009
00:47:13,960 --> 00:47:16,080
Speaker 2: now it's like I've found that the joy of my

1010
00:47:16,360 --> 00:47:20,920
Speaker 2: soul Jesus, like I was made for him, Like everything

1011
00:47:21,040 --> 00:47:24,840
Speaker 2: makes sense now. And you know, I think for your listeners,

1012
00:47:24,840 --> 00:47:27,200
Speaker 2: like if they've trusted in Christ and they're like, man,

1013
00:47:27,239 --> 00:47:28,680
Speaker 2: but I'm still I don't.

1014
00:47:28,680 --> 00:47:29,680
Speaker 1: I don't have that joy.

1015
00:47:29,840 --> 00:47:32,640
Speaker 2: I think sometimes that's because we live and a compromise.

1016
00:47:32,800 --> 00:47:35,399
Speaker 2: Jesus says you can't serve two masters, and that Roman

1017
00:47:35,440 --> 00:47:39,920
Speaker 2: six twenty three passages says he's Christ Jesus our Lord,

1018
00:47:40,920 --> 00:47:44,239
Speaker 2: gives two titles to the same person Christ Savior and

1019
00:47:44,360 --> 00:47:47,640
Speaker 2: Lord meaning master. And I think sometimes we opt out.

1020
00:47:47,719 --> 00:47:49,440
Speaker 2: We're like, oh, i'll take you all a cart, you

1021
00:47:49,440 --> 00:47:51,080
Speaker 2: can save me from hell, but I'm gonna do what

1022
00:47:51,120 --> 00:47:52,960
Speaker 2: I want to do in this life. And it's like, well,

1023
00:47:52,960 --> 00:47:57,040
Speaker 2: that's going to be miserable. Yeah, yeah, because to live

1024
00:47:57,080 --> 00:47:59,960
Speaker 2: a life not surrendered to Christ is to be surrendered

1025
00:48:00,160 --> 00:48:01,759
Speaker 2: to the world and it's just going to be really

1026
00:48:01,800 --> 00:48:03,520
Speaker 2: miserable and you'll go to heaven when you die if

1027
00:48:03,520 --> 00:48:06,120
Speaker 2: you've trusted in Jesus, but there was the full abundant

1028
00:48:06,160 --> 00:48:09,040
Speaker 2: life waiting for you as you like throw off those

1029
00:48:09,160 --> 00:48:13,120
Speaker 2: things that hinder you, like alcohol is not benefiting you.

1030
00:48:13,160 --> 00:48:13,640
Speaker 1: In any way.

1031
00:48:13,680 --> 00:48:16,920
Speaker 2: It's robbing from your life rather than giving you. It

1032
00:48:16,960 --> 00:48:20,560
Speaker 2: is a liar and a cheat. Go to the savior

1033
00:48:20,560 --> 00:48:24,520
Speaker 2: of your soul and you will find I mean Augustine said,

1034
00:48:24,600 --> 00:48:27,879
Speaker 2: we are restless until we find our rest in Him.

1035
00:48:28,239 --> 00:48:33,520
Speaker 2: Alcohol you any rest? Yeah, it's giving you exhaustion. Yeah,

1036
00:48:33,640 --> 00:48:37,040
Speaker 2: to have rest for your soul in Christ. You were

1037
00:48:37,080 --> 00:48:40,920
Speaker 2: made for him, and so give him everything. You're not

1038
00:48:40,960 --> 00:48:44,280
Speaker 2: going to need it. You're going to feel like set free.

1039
00:48:44,520 --> 00:48:49,000
Speaker 3: Yeah. Amen, Thank you so much, John, Thank you so much.

1040
00:48:49,200 --> 00:48:51,960
Speaker 3: Tell everybody where they can hang out with you, follow

1041
00:48:52,000 --> 00:48:54,720
Speaker 3: you find the book. The book as Freedom Starts Today.

1042
00:48:54,920 --> 00:48:56,120
Speaker 3: Where can people find it?

1043
00:48:56,640 --> 00:48:59,520
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean Amazon's probably the easiest place if you're

1044
00:48:59,520 --> 00:49:01,960
Speaker 2: gonna buy them. I think christianbook dot com if you

1045
00:49:01,960 --> 00:49:03,440
Speaker 2: want to use it, like in a small group to

1046
00:49:03,480 --> 00:49:04,359
Speaker 2: make war agains sin.

1047
00:49:04,440 --> 00:49:06,719
Speaker 1: It's ninety day journey, just one day at a time.

1048
00:49:07,120 --> 00:49:09,800
Speaker 2: Talking about the principles that Christy's shared in this convo

1049
00:49:09,880 --> 00:49:16,160
Speaker 2: today Instagram. It's like at John underscore a elmore just

1050
00:49:16,239 --> 00:49:17,200
Speaker 2: like other teachings.

1051
00:49:17,400 --> 00:49:17,640
Speaker 1: Yeah.

1052
00:49:17,719 --> 00:49:20,120
Speaker 3: So I appreciate you so much. Thank you for everything

1053
00:49:20,120 --> 00:49:23,160
Speaker 3: that you're doing. And this I know this conversation is

1054
00:49:23,200 --> 00:49:26,200
Speaker 3: going to bless the listeners. So thank you for being here.

1055
00:49:26,920 --> 00:49:29,320
Speaker 2: Christy, thank you for your work, Thank you for everything

1056
00:49:29,320 --> 00:49:32,840
Speaker 2: that you're doing. And Lord Jesus set these women free.

1057
00:49:33,080 --> 00:49:34,640
Speaker 3: An I'm the whole.

1058
00:49:34,480 --> 00:49:36,680
Speaker 1: Abundant life by the power of the Spirit. Amen.

1059
00:49:37,239 --> 00:49:43,839
Speaker 3: Amen. All right, gals, we'll see you next week. Thank

1060
00:49:43,880 --> 00:49:46,160
Speaker 3: you for spending this time with me on Love Life Sober.

1061
00:49:46,520 --> 00:49:49,680
Speaker 3: If today's conversation stirred something in your heart, don't rush

1062
00:49:49,760 --> 00:49:52,600
Speaker 3: past it, take it to prayer. If you're feeling ready

1063
00:49:52,719 --> 00:49:55,719
Speaker 3: for deeper connection and support, I'd love to invite you

1064
00:49:55,760 --> 00:49:59,040
Speaker 3: into the Love Life Sober community, a grace filled, shame

1065
00:49:59,120 --> 00:50:03,439
Speaker 3: free space where real connection grows and lasting change takes root.

1066
00:50:03,680 --> 00:50:05,560
Speaker 3: You can find the link to join us in the

1067
00:50:05,560 --> 00:50:09,240
Speaker 3: show notes. Love Life Sober is part of the Life

1068
00:50:09,239 --> 00:50:13,080
Speaker 3: Audio podcast network, where faith centered podcasts help you grow

1069
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Speaker 3: deeper in your walk with Christ. You can find more

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Speaker 3: faith centered podcasts at lifeaudio dot com. Until next time,

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Speaker 3: be gentle with yourself, stay curious, and trust God's promises.

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Speaker 3: He has freedom waiting for you.