S1: Coming to you from the Morning Star Mission sponsored studio.
S1: This is Carl and crew on Moody Radio. Rise and shine.
S2: And give God the glory. And here's how we're going
S2: to do it. It's an amazing testimony. Jesus is asking
S2: his disciples some questions about himself. He says, who do
S2: you say that I am? Simon Peter replied, you are
S2: the Christ, the son of the living God. And I
S2: tell you, Jesus said, flesh and blood has not revealed
S2: this to you, but my father who is in heaven,
S2: by the way, huge indication there of who even precipitates
S2: this belief that we have in God.
S3: I never thought about that, but I love it. That
S3: goes into what we talk about all the time, that
S3: we sometimes feel this pressure to save people and to
S3: make them realize who Jesus is. But that's not something
S3: that flesh and blood can even do.
S2: You know, we haven't really drilled down on that one.
S2: That's great to hear, but that's a phenomenal verse. Mark
S2: that down. We want to come back to that we'll
S2: do for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you,
S2: but my father who is in heaven, you got a
S2: wayward kid. You can do all the revealing you want,
S2: but flesh and blood won't turn them on. This has
S2: got to be God by the power of the spirit
S2: opening their eyes. Yeah, hugely hopeful. Means we don't have
S2: to save our kids or our spouse or anyone that
S2: we love. God can do that no matter where they
S2: are in the globe. God can reveal it and he's
S2: doing it constantly. So then he goes on to say,
S2: you know what, Peter? You are little pebble. But on
S2: this big boulder I will build my church. Two different
S2: Greek words for rock. Here you are, Peter. And on
S2: this rock I will build my church, and the gates
S2: of hell will not prevail against it. I've got a
S2: question for you. By the power of God in you,
S2: what enemy ground are you taking? The picture Jesus paints
S2: here is that the gates of hell are stationary. The
S2: Kingdom of God is moving forward. And he goes on
S2: to say that by the way, he says, I will
S2: give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever
S2: you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and
S2: whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
S2: And I want to ask you, what enemy ground is
S2: God giving you today? This can be spiritual. This can
S2: be behavioral, it can be physical. It could be that
S2: God is moving you somewhere into a new job. A
S2: new place is you're going to hear coming up. It
S2: can be a piece of property that God is giving you.
S2: What enemy territory is God giving you? I'm asking you
S2: to call in right now. Let's load them up. 800
S2: 555 7898 800 555 7898. Young thunder. God, is it working?
S2: You young man.
S3: He is, he is. And this is something that I
S3: have seen. it. I'm seeing him do recently, and that's
S3: cutting down pride in my life and and helping me
S3: bring in humility. And I can say that because it's
S3: something that I've noticed, I've recognized. It's something that I
S3: can see in my behavior, in the way that I
S3: think sometimes. And, and I would like to not be
S3: that way, but I've not been able to do anything
S3: on my own about it, and I've tried on my own,
S3: that's for sure. But he, God, and in his grace
S3: has put me in a spot where he's saying, hey,
S3: we're going to work on this, and I'm putting you
S3: in a position that there's nothing else we can do.
S3: Let's get it done. And it makes me happy. It
S3: makes me happy because I know it's kind of my
S3: first little lesson. I know there's nothing I can do
S3: about this. I need to be humble, bow before him
S3: and let him do the work. And he is. And
S3: I'm grateful for that.
S2: It's his work.
S3: It's his work.
S2: So what? Enemy turf? What enemy ground is God giving
S2: you in your life right now. Light em up. Let's go. 805.
S2: Five five. 78. 98. Taking your phone calls right now. 805. Five. Five. 78. 98.
S2: God is giving you some victory. He's giving you some ground.
S2: He's done it. You haven't. And I'm asking you to
S2: give him glory for it right now. I know you're nervous.
S2: I don't bite super di nibbles. It's not that bad here.
S3: Sorry.
S2: 800 555 7898. Give us a call. All you gotta
S2: do is stand and testify. That's it. What enemy ground
S2: is God giving you? 800 555. 78. 98.
S3: And you know what the power of the testimony does is?
S3: It's one for us, reminds us and helps us celebrate
S3: the goodness of God. But to two. Your testimony is
S3: going to help somebody who maybe hasn't started that journey
S3: quite yet and says, I can trust God for that.
S3: God can help me with that. Yeah. Yeah.
S2: 800 555 7898 I'm gonna keep it right here. Oh,
S2: there we go. We got phone calls coming in. Light
S2: em up. Let's go. We're going to go lightning round.
S2: You're like, oh, man, I don't know if I've got
S2: it ironed out perfectly. Doesn't matter. Just open your mouth
S2: and go. This is the enemy ground. God's given me
S2: 800 555, 78, 98. Coming up, we got a practical
S2: example of this right here in Chicagoland. Pretty epic. But
S2: we're taking your calls right now. 800 555 7898. What's
S2: that enemy ground God is giving you today? Give us
S2: a call. Your story matters. It inspires others. 800 555 78. 98.
S1: A basketball mom who's mastered the dad joke. Ali is
S1: in the crew. It's Carl and crew on Moody Radio.
S2: You're taking enemy ground by the grace and power of God.
S2: And you want to give them glory this morning. Tom
S2: in Arizona. Thanks for calling in. What do you say, Tom?
S4: Hey, Carl. We're in a very unchurched area, the worst
S4: in the country. And my church is going to be
S4: opening a campus in a new school opening here. We're
S4: going to start bringing the community back to Christ. We're
S4: doing a prayer walk in May. I'm just going to
S4: start asking people to come on back to the Lord.
S2: Oh, Tom. That's beautiful. Stay on the horn, Tom. You're
S2: getting a call and crew prize pack. You didn't. You
S2: didn't give your heart to get today, but you're getting
S2: it anyway. Way to go, man. New campus opening in Arizona.
S3: What a blessing, man.
S2: Summer in Indiana. Thanks for holding on. What's your story? Summer?
S5: Um, I haven't gotten there yet, but I am trying
S5: to allow God to take that ground. Um, I had
S5: a lot of abuse in my past, and, um, I've
S5: allowed the devil to remind me of the things that
S5: were spoken over me. And a lot more than I
S5: remind myself about what God says about me. So, um,
S5: I've been struggling with that, but I. I feel like
S5: God really wants me to start believing what he says
S5: about me.
S2: Amen. Summer, stay on the horn, sister. You're getting a
S2: prize pack. Way to go, boom! This is why we
S2: call you the Boom Crew. Knowing who you are in
S2: Christ is vital. Getting the wallpaper off of our minds is.
S2: My bride says often of all those lies and distorted
S2: truths that we've believed from our past. Beautiful summer, George,
S2: right here in Illinois. What's your story, George?
S6: God bless you, Carl. Thank you so much. Um, I
S6: lost my son, Jeremiah Davis, to, uh, he was a
S6: victim of gun violence in Chicago in 2020. And, um,
S6: and so what I'm doing is reaching a young man.
S6: I my goal is to change the trajectory of the
S6: lives of young people. Um, and what I'm doing, I'm turning,
S6: you know, a pastor friend of mine said, you know,
S6: the the trajectory of the bullet went through Jeremiah's heart,
S6: but it did not change the trajectory of his life.
S6: And then when I realized the impact that my son
S6: had in the community in terms of his friends, I said, okay,
S6: I got to do something about this. So we started
S6: the Jeremiah Project at my church, and we we mentor
S6: young men ages 13 all the way up to 25.
S6: I'm finding that as I disciple young men, we get discipled.
S6: So it's a really awesome opportunity to change the trajectory
S6: of their lives. I'm determined that this world has to
S6: pay for the loss of my son. I realize and
S6: recognize that this has given me a passion. It gave
S6: me my wow. He gave me that determination. So I'm
S6: tearing the Kingdome down. Every opportunity I get.
S2: Boom, boom, boom. I'm triple booming you, George, and stay
S2: on the horn. We're getting you a Carlin crew. Prize
S2: pack taken enemy ground. Yes.
S3: No kidding. Talk about taking enemy ground. I love that.
S2: Renee in Illinois. Thanks for holding on, sister. What do
S2: you say?
S7: Well, Pastor Carl, good morning. Good morning. I'm glad God
S7: is helping me overcome doing it myself versus letting Jesus
S7: do it in the area of time management and giving
S7: witness to Jesus.
S2: That's beautiful. You know what? When we try to bootstrap
S2: this thing, it's exhausting, isn't it, Renee?
S7: It totally is. It drives me nuts.
S2: You were. You're a sweet lady. Thanks so much for
S2: calling in. And I appreciate that there's something so different
S2: between allowing God to do the work not absent of
S2: our effort, but absolutely absent of earning. I don't know
S2: what ground God wants you to take today, but he does.
S2: Coming up. Sometimes it's physical. Got a story from right
S2: here in Chicagoland. Made it on the news here. But
S2: wherever you are in the world, this will inspire you.
S2: Hang on.
S1: She's a choreographer extraordinaire and everything is Greek to her.
S1: Super dei is in the crew. It's Carl and crew
S1: on Moody Radio. Well, it's an.
S2: Awesome thing when you get out there and you call
S2: up an Uber and they come to the house to
S2: pick you up. And I was heading to O'Hare recently,
S2: grabbed an Uber and got in the car and sweet
S2: woman and I thought, man, golden opportunity yet again. Share.
S2: Jesus Christ, Someone had been there before me. I no
S2: sooner got the words about the power of Christ in
S2: my life and asked her if she knew about Jesus.
S2: She said, I sure do. I met Jesus under the
S2: teaching of Pastor John Hannah at New Life Church, and
S2: I'm like, all right, this soil's been tilled. Pastor John
S2: Hannah is with me right now. That's got to be
S2: some good news for you, brother.
S8: That blesses my soul just to hear that.
S2: Isn't that great?
S8: I love.
S2: It. She went on to a mote. She's like, no man,
S2: I'm good. And we just had fellowship all the way
S2: to O'Hare, and she was just pouring out her heart
S2: about what God was teaching her and how she's growing
S2: and becoming not only a great mom, but a great
S2: grandmother and how God was at work in her life.
S2: And when I got out, I could barely get away.
S2: She was just she had a story on her lips.
S2: That's the fruit of ministry. And I want to applaud
S2: you and say thank you, Pastor John Hannah.
S8: That means so much to me. I love that, I
S8: love to just hear testimonies like that.
S2: And she's not the only one. I've talked to people
S2: here recently and did a book signing recently, and some
S2: folks were way out in the northwest burbs, and they're
S2: part of your church. A young couple and I thought, man,
S2: this guy is making a dent in the kingdom of
S2: darkness for sure. Pastor John Hanna, you have done something
S2: that is really unique. Tell us the story. What a
S2: funny name for a liquor store. It's kind of from
S2: the be happy attitudes only. I don't think they got it.
S2: They called it Happy Liquor and Food. Tell us about
S2: this story.
S8: So they had a liquor store that's been on the
S8: corner of 79th and Cottage Grove, on the south side
S8: of Chicago for over 30 plus years, and everyone knew
S8: that this liquor store, the hours were like from 10
S8: or 11 in the morning till like 2 or 3
S8: in the morning, and you would avoid getting off the
S8: bus there. People have been shot there, robbed, chased, beat
S8: and last name. Three young men were gunned down outside
S8: of that liquor store and one was killed. And as
S8: a result of that, the city went in and basically
S8: shut it down. So it's been closed close since May.
S8: And so I found out that it was up for sale.
S8: And to God be the glory, someone else bought it.
S8: We ended up getting it. And now the church owns
S8: that corner, 79th and Cottage Grove. The happy liquor store
S8: that I'm now going to call the Corner of Life.
S9: Oh, I love that.
S2: So tell us, when you heard word that this thing
S2: had been shut down, how did this go down? How
S2: did you get this into your hands? What was God
S2: doing there?
S8: So I had petitioned about this liquor store over 11
S8: years ago. The city went in and closed it down.
S8: We do a prayer on 79th Street. We've been doing
S8: it for the last 15 years. I have literally been
S8: marching down 79th Street for 15 years asking, God, can
S8: we have this corner? And here we are 15 years later,
S8: after that shooting, the city shut it down. I knew
S8: that something would be coming up. Then we found out
S8: it was up for sale. And to God be the
S8: glory we were able to pay cash, got the store
S8: and we own it now. It will no longer be
S8: happy liquors. The sign will be coming down next week.
S8: A grocery store will be going in place of that
S8: liquor store. And on top of it is offices. That
S8: is bigger than what I thought. We actually want to
S8: put some doctors up there.
S9: So yes.
S8: Some counselors, their storefronts going around it. And we want
S8: to just make sure that everything on that corner brings life.
S2: We're thrilled. We're cheering with you here. Pastor John Hannah,
S2: my guest right now. All right. This is tremendous news.
S2: Anyone that's listening that God's transformed their soul. I mean,
S2: their heart just soars when they hear news like this.
S2: What are you sensing God is doing in new life?
S2: You've got a finger on the pulse. The spirit of
S2: God's prompting you. What is God up to right now?
S8: We're right in the midst of darkness. The Bible says
S8: that we are the salt of the earth. And I
S8: believe that once the church takes its rightful stand, he
S8: told the children of Israel, for the sole of your
S8: feet tread. I'll give it to you. So we've been
S8: marching for 15 years, and we're literally seeing God that
S8: the earth is yielding what belongs to us. We started
S8: out with one building. We have now purchased over 40
S8: plus pieces of property in that community to build God.
S8: A church, a youth center, a community center is coming up.
S8: I mean, so much is happening and office space is
S8: being built with an incubator for people in their community
S8: who need internet services, who need a place to meet.
S8: I mean, literally, we have gone beyond the four walls
S8: of the church. The church is now rented as a
S8: theater to bring the arts back to the South Side
S8: of Chicago. So I'm just saying we're taking our rightful place.
S8: We're like in the midst of darkness with salt of
S8: the earth, and we're just being with Christ called us
S8: to be.
S9: I love it.
S2: You know, what's amazing is, and I've been down there
S2: a good bit enough to know that it's a food
S2: desert and it's a job desert. And it breaks my
S2: heart to see a lot of empty manufacturing buildings. What's
S2: your hope for the future, pastor? Because at the end
S2: of the day, the gospel, when it really gets traction
S2: begins to restore communities. It's not souls are. I mean
S2: that that's the end game for God. But the fruit
S2: of that is now infrastructure begins to be built, and
S2: people don't have to travel two hours for a job,
S2: if you know what I mean.
S8: Pastor, we've actually brought over 100 jobs to that community
S8: with us opening up our church and allowing it to
S8: be a theater. So with plays and concerts, come there.
S8: Now you have people that are hired there. Working there
S8: we have security. So you brought over 100 jobs to
S8: the community. Now, what I need is several vacant buildings
S8: on that strip, and I need to get my hands
S8: on that building. I need help rehabbing that building those buildings.
S8: I mean, it is the perfect opportunity.
S9: For.
S8: Christ to be revealed. I mean, when we first moved there,
S8: the alderman told us that this is known in the
S8: city as a dead zone, which means that no companies,
S8: no one's fighting to get to that community. And I thought,
S8: this is the perfect opportunity that God will put a
S8: church called New Life in the middle of what they
S8: call a dead zone, because we come. Christ says, I
S8: come that you might have life. So now we're seeing
S8: that the church has the privilege and the opportunity of
S8: doing a flip in this community.
S9: You know what, pastor?
S2: I feel prompted with? There is someone listening right now
S2: that has the means to come in and grab up
S2: some of those vacant manufacturing buildings, vacant buildings, maybe some
S2: are in disrepair. So if you feel prompted of God
S2: by the spirit that you need to jump into that
S2: gap and be, as D.L. Moody said, let's be gap
S2: men and women, you want to jump into that gap
S2: and say, my goodness, we got some buildings that need
S2: to be acquired. We got some property that needs to
S2: be captured. We got some renovation that needs to happen.
S2: We got a link for you right now. Text the
S2: word life. Life to 800 555 7898. Just text the
S2: word life to 800 555 7898 and Pastor Han, I
S2: got to tell you, you're an inspiration to me, man.
S2: From when I met you years ago. To this day,
S2: you are staying in the thick of it. And I'm.
S2: I'm proud of you, brother. Keep it.
S9: Up, I.
S8: Love it, I love what I do, I love my city,
S8: I love Chicago, and I love the territory that God
S8: has assigned me to. And I'm excited to see what
S8: God is doing. We've been over here now. Our church
S8: just celebrated 21 years in ministry, and we've literally seen
S8: the hand of God. The city told me that you'll
S8: never be able to build here because there's no room
S8: for you, because our church is over 20 000 people.
S8: But we saw God literally give us block by block,
S8: House by house, vacant lot by vacant lot. And we've
S8: now built this amazing facility in the heart of the
S8: city on the south side of Chicago.
S2: Boom! That's what we're talking about. Boom! Crew. Text. Text
S2: the word life to 800 555, 7898. And Godspeed to you,
S2: Pastor Hannah. Thank you for being with me today.
S10: Do you feel.
S1: Stuck or paralyzed? Are you ready to break free? Here
S1: are your questions answered. It's time for ask, Pastor Carl.
S2: Somebody gave me a question that's like throwing red meat
S2: to a junkyard dog.
S11: Oh, no. You love those questions. Yeah.
S2: Throwing me the red meat. And you know what? This
S2: has been a reoccurring thing. And it dawned on me
S2: that we've got to come back to a few key
S2: principles over and over again, over and over again. So
S2: I want to take you to John 15 in just
S2: a moment. But here's what I want to tee up
S2: for you. A man writes in I have been trying
S2: to get victory over, and I'm going to leave the
S2: blank right there. And it's multiple things in his life
S2: that he has been busting his tail to get victory over.
S2: We've all had this before. I don't care if it's gossip.
S2: I don't care if it's substance. I don't care if
S2: it's a familial habit that you inherited from mom or dad.
S2: And by the way, that can happen. There is a
S2: need to break free. And the question is how? And
S2: the common suspicion is, I've got to work harder. I've
S2: got to do more. And this is what you need
S2: to know. In fact, I'm going to walk through this
S2: in a practical way that you can sit down over breakfast,
S2: you can go to lunch today and you can retell
S2: this story, and it is liberating. Jesus said in John
S2: 15 as he spoke to his disciples, he's walking nearer
S2: and nearer to the cross. These are his last moments
S2: before he's going to be crucified. So these are the
S2: essential teaching moments. And he says, boys, come over here.
S2: They would have been walking through a vineyard, and he
S2: would have grabbed a fistful of grape leaves and picked
S2: those up and revealed a bunch of grapes. Now, God
S2: providentially used this moment to teach us today how things
S2: change in our lives. And this is what he said.
S2: He said, I am the vine. You are the branch.
S2: If you abide in me and I in you, you
S2: will bear fruit. It is to my father's glory that
S2: you bear much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing. Nothing.
S2: Now we got to sit with that a second. Apart
S2: from him, we can do nothing. So the promise is
S2: to bear fruit. And what is the fruit? The fruit
S2: is all these behavior changes that manifests himself in the
S2: fruit of the spirit. Love. Where there was no love,
S2: peace where there was only anxiousness. Kindness where there was
S2: only rancor, self-control, where you've lacked self-control. I think my
S2: favorite fruit of the spirit is self-control, because that's a
S2: heavy it's a drop down menu for everything we battled with. Right, guys?
S2: I mean, that's that's what.
S11: It is.
S12: A lot. Yes. Big umbrella.
S2: Covers it. I mean, having the fruit of self-control. My goodness.
S3: Well, if you don't have self-control, then then you can't
S3: have patience. You can't have love because your self-control is gone,
S3: and therefore you're kind of leaning towards the not good
S3: side of things and the good side of things.
S11: Yeah.
S2: So you can do this with any implements, but I'm
S2: going to do it right now with the coffee mug
S2: and a pen. That's the branch coffee mugs, the fruit.
S2: And I'm going to use my Bible as the vine.
S2: But you can use anything you if you're sitting down
S2: at a restaurant, here's what I want you to use,
S2: and I want you to do this. Use a knife
S2: as a vine, use a fork as a branch, and
S2: use a sugar packet as the fruit. Okay. If you
S2: don't have a sugar packet, grab a creamer or something,
S2: but just use something as the fruit. Jesus said, I
S2: am the vine, you are the branch. If you abide
S2: in me, you will bear much fruit. It's to my
S2: father's glory that you bear much fruit apart from me.
S2: You can do nothing, and we've got a choice. We
S2: can focus on performance or producing fruit, or we can
S2: focus on proximity to Jesus and letting him do in
S2: us what we can't do in ourselves, and we can't
S2: choose both. Jesus's focus for his disciples with have proximity
S2: to me. Why? Because a branch, Jesus said, cannot bear
S2: fruit on its own. So oftentimes in this really westernized
S2: Christian faith, we get saved out of total proximity to Jesus. Right, guys?
S2: I mean, there's.
S11: Of course, full stop.
S3: That's how it happens.
S2: We're broken. We're humbled. You're going to hear a story
S2: from Baker Mayfield here in just a moment that just
S2: grabs this big time quarterback in the NFL. And God
S2: has done a radical rework in his life. It's beautiful.
S2: But until we're broken and at the end of ourselves,
S2: we don't have the necessary proximity to Jesus. But when
S2: we're broken at the end of our self and we
S2: cling to Jesus for salvation of our souls, we now
S2: have regeneration. Did we do anything?
S11: No.
S2: Nothing. Even his grace causes us to see our brokenness.
S2: But then we think, well, looky here, my life should
S2: be changing. And we errantly think I've got to produce fruit. No,
S2: you don't take that knife. Take that fork. Take that.
S2: In this case, I'm using a coffee mug. Don't focus
S2: on filling your mug with fruit. That's not your job.
S2: Your primary responsibility is to have proximity to Jesus, and
S2: he will produce fruit in your life. You say, Carl,
S2: is this true? Yes. Every fruit that I've ever seen
S2: born in my life. And I mean everything I can
S2: attribute nothing to my efforts to try to get that produced.
S2: I owe it all to Jesus. The interesting thing about
S2: John 15 is that it's bookended by John 14 and
S2: John 16. You ever notice how that works.
S12: A little bit?
S3: You know what? I think I learned that somewhere.
S2: So so John 14 is this ramp up. Jesus said,
S2: I'm going away, but the Holy Spirit's going to remind
S2: you of all truth. It's to your advantage that I go,
S2: and he will guide you into all truth. John 16
S2: breaks down further about this intimacy in this relationship with
S2: the Holy Spirit. So the Word of God is a
S2: way we have proximity to Jesus. Prayer is the way.
S2: We have proximity to Jesus. And I'm going to be.
S2: This bold, introspective prayer is the way we have proximity
S2: to Jesus. Because prayer itself can become perfunctory, Bible reading
S2: can become perfunctory but introspective. Bible reading and prayer where
S2: you say, search me, know me, try me. And this
S2: is what happens. The vine says I see some things
S2: in your life that need to change. Cling to me here.
S2: And as you cling to Jesus with proximity to the vine,
S2: you will look over one day and go, look at there.
S2: My cup's getting filled up. The day of Efforting, apart
S2: from God needs to end. Now you might say is
S2: is God opposed to all effort? No. Dallas Willard nails it.
S2: God is not opposed to effort. He's opposed to earnings.
S2: So here's what I would say. Any effort that has
S2: a hint of earning or trying apart from God is
S2: utterly futile. Trust me. Follow me around for a week.
S2: You will find that to be true. But any effort
S2: that we put in to an abiding relationship with Jesus
S2: Christ will be rewarded. Awarded. Is it easy? Nope. Is
S2: there effort involved in proximity to Jesus? Yep. Do I
S2: need to carve out time to be alone with him? Yeah.
S2: You do. Should there be introspection that says, search me,
S2: know me, try me? See if there'd be any hurtful
S2: way in me. And lead me in the way everlasting.
S2: That's the prayer of victory. Those are the conquering people.
S2: John 15 and the vine and the branches is maybe
S2: one of the most important illustrations Jesus ever gave about
S2: how to live this Christian life. And every time we
S2: try to produce fruit in our life, the only thing
S2: we can find around us is plastic, bananas, plastic grapes
S2: and plastic apples. And here's the problem those closest to
S2: us know it ain't real. That hurts, I know.
S11: That hurts.
S3: It hurts so bad, man.
S2: But if you're pasting on fake fruit and you're trying
S2: to be a good little Christian, give it up, my friend.
S2: Cling to Jesus, and he can produce more in and
S2: through your branch than you can ever imagine. I want
S2: you to get your questions into me every Monday at
S2: the bottom of the hour, answering questions, and I'm ready
S2: to fill up the email box. How do they do it?
S2: Super day.
S12: Text the word pastor. The word is pastor to 800
S12: 555 7898. Pastor to 800 555 7898.
S1: He's a sports fanatic with a stat for anything you
S1: can think of. Young Thunder is in the crew. It's
S1: Karl and crew on Moody Radio.
S2: You want some fuel in your spiritual belly. We got
S2: it for you. Baker Mayfield sitting down with Matt Forte.
S2: What's the name of that podcast?
S3: It's the Sports Spectrum podcast. It's awesome. It's it's talking
S3: with athletes about their faith specifically.
S11: Yeah.
S2: There's snippets of this going viral out there. So we
S2: thought we'd give you a little bit broader look. Couple
S2: of minutes of conversation. Let this put fuel in your
S2: belly right now.
S13: Growing up in a house that not a faithful household.
S13: Every time we'd go to my grandparents house, we'd go
S13: to church on Sundays. And when we go back to
S13: where I grew up in Austin, Texas, we were more
S13: of the family. That was an Easter Sunday or a
S13: Christmas service two times a year. And so for me
S13: growing up, I didn't know a whole lot getting into
S13: high school, still not really knowing what it was all about.
S13: And from my perspective, I thought it was, you do
S13: good deeds and that's you're a good person. That means
S13: you're a Christian. Basically, I was trying to make things
S13: happen on my own. Fast forward to getting into the NFL.
S13: There was a lot of emptiness that I had that
S13: I had been searching for, and through ups and downs that, um,
S13: thought I could fulfill it in other ways and did not.
S13: And my identity at the time was a football player.
S13: It was it was a quarterback, and I thought I
S13: could carry that. Fast forward a couple of years into
S13: my NFL career. Um, God taught me a lesson. He
S13: had to take take my career down to the studs
S13: and make me realize that I'm more than a football player.
S13: For me to see that, I had to hit rock bottom.
S13: Jesus is obviously the Son of God, but it is.
S13: Grace is perfection. Somebody that sacrificed everything that gave us
S13: this opportunity to live life. And for me, when you
S13: say he's your Lord and Savior, you proclaim it whenever
S13: you can. But he's the reason we're here and the
S13: story of Jesus walking among the flesh. The only perfect man.
S13: And to to be sacrificed on the cross and die
S13: for our sins forever. And when you accept that grace,
S13: that's it's an unbelievable feeling that then you dive into
S13: the word and you see the stories, and the Scripture
S13: backs up what you're saying and the things that you
S13: go through. There's whatever you're going through. There's something in
S13: the Scripture that can help you out, and it's been
S13: written and it's the truth.
S2: Baker Mayfield interviewed by Matt Forte. Phenomenal story. When I
S2: first saw a snippet of this, I'm like, man, I
S2: forwarded this on to my bride and son. And I'm like,
S2: look at this. And my son's response was, wasn't he like,
S2: living like a wild man? And I'm like, yeah, I
S2: think he was. And he admits it. And yet, God,
S2: you know, you might have come here this morning. There's
S2: three things that stuck out to me in Baker Mayfield's testimony.
S2: His identity was in football. I got a question for you.
S2: What's your identity and what's your identity in today? Jesus
S2: is calling you today. Baker's story can be your story,
S2: but it's down to the studs. It's down to the studs.
S2: That's what he said. God had to break him down
S2: to the studs. You know what that means? All the
S2: water damage, all the damage in our life. You got
S2: to strip all that stuff down, and God wants to
S2: take it right down to the bottom so that he
S2: can build your life. And that's what he said as well.
S2: I had to hit rock bottom. There's someone listening that's
S2: hit rock bottom today. And you know, you've got to
S2: be stripped to the studs and you know that your
S2: identity has not been in Jesus Christ, but God brought
S2: you here today, and Baker Mayfield's story can be your story.
S2: And this is how Jesus spoke to troubled hearts when
S2: he said, believe in God. Believe also in me. I'm
S2: going to prepare a place for you. And they said, well,
S2: how do we know where you're going? He said, I
S2: am the way, the truth, and the life. So I
S2: want to ask you this morning, are you ready to
S2: go God's way with your life today? Are you ready
S2: to turn around? You are a Christian in name only,
S2: but your identity has been in something else. And today
S2: you are ready. The Spirit of God is calling you
S2: to put your identity in Jesus, and you're stripped down
S2: to the studs. You got to go Jesus way. This
S2: means repenting of your sins and turning around and giving
S2: your life fully to Jesus, you might be at the bottom.
S2: That's when you can say, okay, you are the way.
S2: I'm going your way. You are the truth. I'm quitting.
S2: I'm done living my truth. I'm ready to live your truth.
S2: And the truth is I'm a sinner who needs a Savior.
S2: And I'm giving my life to Jesus today. Jesus said,
S2: I am the way and the truth and the life.
S2: And today Jesus offers you. He's holding out before you
S2: life abundant. All you got to do is believe you're
S2: a sinner and own it. No more verbal games. I
S2: mean heartfelt cry of the soul. I'm a sinner and
S2: I know it. And today I'm surrendering my life to Jesus.
S2: Today I'm going Jesus's way. I'm no longer going down
S2: this path, carving out my identity. I've hit rock bottom.
S2: I'm broken down to the studs. And if you're not there,
S2: that's okay. Today's not your day. But if you are there,
S2: today is your day of salvation. Today is your day.
S2: But I'm asking you to give it all to Jesus
S2: because 95% commitment is not commitment. This is all in.
S2: So count the cost before you do this with me.
S2: But if today is your day and you're like, Carl,
S2: I'm ready. I don't care how much church attendance you've
S2: done and how much good you've tried to do, there
S2: is only one who is good and that is Jesus.
S2: And today he's calling you out of darkness and into
S2: the light, my friend. Pray with me, Jesus. Today I'm
S2: going your way. I want a new identity. I want
S2: my identity to be found in Jesus Christ and Him alone. Today,
S2: I admit I'm stripped down to the studs here. Today
S2: I've hit rock bottom. But today you found me here
S2: and you are given me life. I repent, I follow you,
S2: I confess my need for a Savior. I confess my sin,
S2: and I surrender my life to you today completely. If that,
S2: my friend, is the cry of your heart, I have
S2: got a link for you that I am going to
S2: send to you. And it's got three links embedded, and
S2: I want you to text right now. Get your phone
S2: wherever you can. Today is your day of salvation. Text
S2: new to 800 555 7898. Right now, today's a new day.
S2: That weight being thrown off of you is the love
S2: of God. Text new right now. One word to 800
S2: 555 7898. Text new to 800 555 7898. And these
S2: links are going to help you in your first steps
S2: with Jesus. Welcome to the family of God.