 one thing to say how people would tell someone who's going through something who are struggling, who have some issues. It's one thing to say that what they're offering, what they're saying is the wrong way. It's the unbiblical way. That necessarily means that you have to also let people know what is the correct way, the biblical way. What is a more productive, a healthy way to overcome struggles, right? Is there a person out there? I'm just wondering, and I want to make this as interactive as we can. I even thought about even have floating the idea out there about just opening up the link and bringing people on who might have an issue that they may want to share and in an effort to seek deliverance. And when I say deliverance, I don't mean deliverance by a demon. I mean deliverance from a stronghold delivery, or if there is some sort of demonic activity, that as well. And how do you do so in the correct way? So that being the case, I want to look at some things in the scripture because you all know, you all who are Christians know that being a Christian does not absolve you from going through anything. It does not absolve you from struggling. Being a Christian does not make you immune from struggling. As a matter of fact, the Bible tells us quite the opposite. We're told that, let me just go ahead and put on the screen, 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 12, says that indeed all who desire to live godly in Christ will be persecuted. Now, that's going to happen now. The persecution can come in the form of someone who is not a believer from the world, from the enemy, which is Satan. Peter says that Satan desires to sift us like what Jesus said about about Peter. But then Peter echoes that in saying that Satan is walking around like a lion on the lookout seeking whom he may devour. Have you ever thought about how an actual lion hunts? Now, the male lions, they don't really do a lot of, they do hunt. They will hunt, but typically if he's got a pride, he will leave it up to the lionesses. But whether it's a female lion or a male lion, the hunt is still pretty much the same way. They look for those who look to be the weakest, those who show signs of straggling back. They don't go to the middle of the pack, they don't go after, if they're after like the big cake buffalo, they're not after the biggest one, the toughest one, the one with the biggest horns. No, lions are smart. They look for the weak ones, the one that are in the back. Didn't care if they sit, if you're sick or not. As a matter of fact, if you're sick, if you're straggling, that's the one that becomes the prime target, the same thing like the devil. If there is any sort of weakness that you project, if there is any weakness, any sort of sorrow, anything that he can see, he's coming after you. And he's going to come after you in the form of other people. We said this yesterday that the devil does not have to be inside of us. First of all, if we're talking about a sin or if we're talking about something from the outside, somebody else who's coming at us, the devil does not need to actually be in a believer to torment a believer, to bother a believer. Why is that? Because again, there are at least 7 billion people on the planet who are not Christians, who are not believers. And so because of that, all he has to do is to use one of them or two of them or a bunch of them to come at you. And so that being the case, you really don't need, you don't need him to be in you. You just need him to be in someone around you. He might be around a he might be around a co-worker. He might be around a family member, a friend, someone like that. It doesn't really matter. He can be around any and everybody. Yeah, I don't know. Now my dogs are acting up. Hold on one second. Okay. That might be something having to do with our cat, because as it turns out, the cat is missing. The cat is missing. And so now right now, my daughter is, she is not having a good day. She is not having a good day at all. And so that being said, yeah, dog on it, dog on it. But everybody goes, matter of fact, has anybody gone through or suffered or is suffering at the moment right now? The likelihood is that somebody is. The likelihood is that somebody is struggling. You know how you do sometimes when you're struggling though, you want to kind of put your game face on when you're going through. You want people to know that I'm okay. I'm fine. I'm not bothered. This hadn't gotten me down all the while on the inside tearing you apart. You don't want to let anybody know because if you do, you seem like you don't trust God. You seem as though you don't have faith. But the truth of the matter is people with faith, people who trust God, people who love the Lord can struggle and feel bad. How do I know? Because Paul says that even we despair of life itself, meaning that this ain't looking good. Peter, Paul makes a statement. He says that I would love to go to be with the Lord, but I'd like to also still be here and to share in the laboring with my brothers and sisters. That's when he said, makes a statement to live as Christ, but to die his game. And so for me to live here and stay here with you all, that's the will of the Lord, but to die is much better. And with all the things that he's gone through, with all the things that he's gone through, you would think it'd be easy for him and certainly for a lot of us to say, you know what I'm through. I am through. But he says clearly, he says, those of us who desire to live godly in Christ will be persecuted. And he didn't say, in what sort of ways? Obviously, we know in all sorts of ways we see the apostles having to go through. We see Jesus having who in the Bible. And I thought about this, who in the Bible has had an easy time. Can you all think of somebody that had an easy time? I would say the person that had the easiest amount of time as a believer who had the least amount of struggles as a believer. Think about this. The person in the Bible, this is just me. Now you, you may come up with somebody different, but the person in the Bible that seems to have had the easiest of all compared to everybody else that we know, we know how their life went. Probably the only one that I can think of probably had it best was the thief on the cross because he didn't have very long to be here. But everybody else, the longer you're here, the longer you're going to have issues. And it may not even be with you. It may be with somebody else. It may be with your son, your daughter, your wife, your husband, your parents. That's just how life is. Part of the thing is when we're struggling is to know why we are struggling. It's not as though God wants us to feel pain, to suffer, to hurt. That's not, that's not it. Yes, of course, obviously your help. There are so many things that can, that can afflict you. And I want to see if, if I can kind of help us to kind of be in the proper perspective when it comes to these things. Yeah, we're not going to be, maybe you have, maybe you have felt like you've gone through everything that Paul suffered. Yeah. Oh, see, because he suffered. I'm saying, compared to me speaking, his suffering was like this and then bam, it's over with. The rest of us, our suffering is prolonged. And thankfully there can be some joy in the midst of the suffering. But I want to point out how we as believers ought to do when we're, when we're suffering, when we're struggling, when we're going through, why we're going through. And then even if it's something that is meant for us to overcome, because we are called overcomers after all, does that mean that we're going to overcome everything? No. And I mean every physical thing. Someone said, Corey, after you put the video out about saying we're overcomers, what about those Christian children, those Christian parents who the children died in Nashville the other day? Well, overcoming does not mean that you are not going to ever come across any sort of suffering, any sort of pain. No overcoming means that ultimately you'll overcome this world and the simple world and be in a place where you don't have to worry about it anymore. But then even while we're here, God desires to make us an example for the rest of the world in a good way, in a positive way. As a matter of fact, let's think about this. Let's think about the examples that we do have. In Hebrews 12, he makes this statement. He says, Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance or weight and sin which so easily entangled us. How many of us are entangled? Our issues might be because of a sin. Let's just be clear. Let's tell the truth to ourselves for the first time, many of us. A lot of what we go through is a sin brought about by sin. Maybe we're lusting, maybe we're lying, maybe we've got it. Lord, why is everybody against me? Well, because you know good, because you bring it on yourself. Or Lord, what's wrong with my finances? Well, because you've got every subscription out there and you eat out every day and you don't know how to balance the budget. A lot of things that we do bring it back on to ourselves. My oldest daughter, she can be a little bit into drama. And then what happens with any and everybody who is into drama, who seems to be full of drama themselves? Well, they get drama back at them. The drama they put out comes right back at them and the drama that they put out that comes at them, they complain about that very same drama. Well, again, this isn't hard. Whatsoever you reap is what you're going to sow. You plant something, it is coming back. If you plant, if you plant corn, if you plant rutabagas, you know what rutabagas look like, if you plant onions, I don't care what you plant. The seed is this big, but what grows out of it is a lot bigger. So whatever it is you're planting, it's coming back bigger. If it's something bad, if it's something simple, I can promise you it's coming back a lot heftier than when it left you. That is a given. That is a fact. Book it. However, if you reap things that are godly, then what are you going to get back? What are you going to get back? Something even more so. And so sometimes your issues that you have are because of sin. Now I want to fly through this because I want to also ask if there's anyone out there that has any issues. I want to go through those. I want to make this Trump just got indicted. I'll leave that alone. But I want to make this beneficial. I want you to just hear me. I want to give you some practical steps, even if it's for you personally. Sean, thank you for the super chat. Even if it's for you personally. Let's go back to the scriptures he says because that's going to be what we're going to be rooted in is the scriptures. He says, therefore, we have this great cloud of witness. What's the witness he's speaking of? Well, Hebrews chapter 11, this, this faith hall of fame that we're speaking of, we have them as a witness, as a testimony. What were their lives like? What were their lives like? Think about it. They were peachy king roses. They were just wonderful. No. Let us lay aside every encumbrance, every weight, everything that's holding us back, as well as every sin. There are some things that aren't necessarily a sin that also hold you back. Some of you folks, maybe you're not lazy in a simple fashion, but you don't have any motivation. You may be a little bit lackadaisical on some things. You may like to procrastinate. Some folks make excuses for some things. Some folks just don't have that. We're not efficient like we should be. You know, if you get up at five, take care of everything, you're through by 11 or 12 and then the rest day is yours, but then you complain. But if you don't do it that way, you complain that you don't have enough day, enough time, enough hours in the day for you to get things done. That's not true because other folks get it done with the exact same. The one thing we know for a fact is that everybody regardless of their lot in life, regardless of where they live, has the exact same amount of time to get it right or to get it wrong. And so last side, every weight and sandwich easily entangles us and let us do what run with endurance the race that is set before us. In other words, we are not running 100 meter dash. We are running a marathon. We are going to keep it moving, keep it moving, keep it moving. One of our biggest problems is how we look at things. One huge problem guys is sometimes we look at how far we have to go rather than look at how far we've come. And if you think about that, because I want to just say this to anyone out there that's going through it right now. And I may not get into what I want to get into because I'm not a prophet, but I just feel something every time we do this. But when someone is despairing and is bothered, is concerned, hurting. And let's be honest, there are folks even in the chat, some folks that are here now, some folks that will come later that are hurting and will be hurting. Well, how do I get past that? Well, first of all, think about where you are, not where you're going, but where you are. Think about how far you've come. How do you know that God is going to deliver you? How do you know that God is going to deliver you? Yeah, he said it, Corey. And I want to hold on to the fact that he said it. He says we're overcomers, but I don't seem to be overcoming. Maybe I'm not a Christian and that will happen. The enemy will cause you to believe that because things aren't going well, what is it going to do? Cause you to doubt, not him, but doubt you as to whether you are in Christ. And so how do you know that he is actually true to his word? Well, think about this. By the way, just to make sure, is there anybody in here that is having a perfect life right now? I'd love to meet you. Is there anyone in here that has a perfect life or you're like everybody else? You've got issues, you've got struggles. Well, if you're struggling and you don't feel like you can make it cause that happens sometimes. That happens sometimes. Matter of fact, it happens a lot of times. Here's how you know. First of all, here's how you know that God is taking care of you. Think about the person that killed you last night. Just think about that person. Think about the guy that killed you last night. Oh, I'm sorry. He didn't kill you. That person did. The enemy has designed no one, no one killed you. No one came after you or that you know, or no one was successful. Maybe not last night, maybe the night before, maybe the week before, the days before, what has killed you yet? Nothing. So if nothing else, you can look at the fact that I'm still here, but even more to the point, yeah, court, but there's billions of other folks that are still here. Yeah, but they hadn't gone through what you've gone through, which is what you ought to look at the very fact that you have, if you have something to complain about, if you got a lot of some things to complain about, I've had this happen. I've had that happen. I've had that happen. I've had that happen. I've had that happen. I could write a book and the book isn't big enough to tell you about all the things that have happened in my life. Is there anyone out there that can testify to that? But what you ought to think about is at the end of each page, that's a place in your life that God has delivered you. How do I know he's delivered you because you're still here? You made it past that. Everything that has come against you, you have gotten past that. You have overcome that. You have survived that ordeal. I was molested. I was raped. I was fired unjustly. I was put in prison. I was beaten up. I was debilitated physically. All these different things, but you're here. But you're here. The whole song, I'm still here. I'm still here. Lied on. I had so many people that lied on me, but guess what? I'm still here. I think that, is that the Williams Brothers? I think that some of you old old folks know about the Williams Brothers, but I'm still here. The song that says millions didn't make it, but I was the one, one of the ones who did. Yeah. If you can encourage yourself and then look at the people in other places who don't have nearly what you've gone through, that is a sorry state. That is something wrong about that. We need to at least look at what we have, how we've been blessed. Are you with me? And so it is in common point. It is your job to compare yourself. It is your job to look and see what you've gone through, how he's delivered you, and to realize that's how he's going to keep delivering you, to realize that's what he, God is a consistent God. He is a consistent God. And maybe just, maybe he knows more about you than you know about yourself. But then the flip side is maybe just maybe Satan knows more about you than you know about yourself. Have you ever thought about that? Have you ever thought about this? Now, if you're not going through much, praise God. But if you are going through much, your life is, is emblematic of you going through a lot. Why? Why does it seem like the enemy has a lot that he has a target on you? You got a target in your back that says Satan. Why does it feel like that? Well, let's see if we can make it kind of practical. If us as a country wanted to fight somebody, let's say we wanted to fight, pick a country. Let's say it's Russia. How are we going to prepare ourselves? We're going to pull out our biggest guns. We're going to pull out our best defense measures, our best tactical commanders and so forth, our best artillery. Now, if we wanted to fight, I don't know, Cuba, if we wanted to go to war with Cuba, or if we wanted to go to war with, I don't know, Greenland, Iceland, not going to be very much. We might send a dolly over there and a couple of, a couple of red necks from Alabama down there to go get them. That might be what we do. Won't take much. Well, think about that in terms of you. It won't take much. It doesn't take much to hurt a person. It doesn't have much going on. But for you, all that you're going through, it seems like he's sending his biggest, baddest demons or enemies after you. Well, guess what? That says something about you. That says something about you and that must mean that you're built for this. That's gotta be what it means. You are, because he is a God who will not put more on you than you can bear. He will not put more on you than you can bear. And so if, if God knows what you can bear and even Satan knows what you can bear, how come you don't know? You're still here. You are literally still here. Let's go back to the passage. He says, therefore, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on, here it is, on Jesus, the author and perfecter or finisher, some verses may say, of our faith who for the joy set before him endured the cross despising the shame and has set down at the right hand of the Father. Now, there's more to this, this point that I want to get to. Do I want to go to this part? No, I want, I want to go to it. I want to go to it. I was going to cover where he speaks about how none of us have been persecuted to the extent that he's been persecuted. None of us have paid with our lives. None of us have been shed blood. None of us have been crucified like him. But even if we were, he's not put more on you than he has not made a way out for you to go. Now, if you're suffering, James asks his questions, anyone suffering? Is there anyone suffering? Is there anyone struggling? Is there anyone in pain? Is there anyone hurting? Is there anyone that cries when other folks aren't watching? Well, then this is for you. Because the question is this. The question is really how Jesus broaches the question. He asks a question. Remember the lame man at the pool? This is in John chapter five, verse six. He asks him a question. He says, when Jesus saw him, the man trying to get to the pool, he says, he asks a question. Well, after seeing him lying there, he says, he knew that he had already been there a long time in that condition. Look at the question that Jesus asks. He says, do you wish to get well? Do you want to be made whole? Will thou be made whole? That's the question. So the question for you is, do you want to be whole? Do you want to be well? Do you want to be better? Do you want whatever the condition is to end? Well, the answer is going to be not in what we can do. I know it's hard because somebody wants to know what can I do right now to fix what's happening right now? Because I'm sick and tired of it and I want to get out of it when right now. I want this over right now. But the writer says, fix your eyes on Jesus. Now this person says, the sick man says, sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up. But while I'm coming, another steps down before me. The man thought that his salvation, so to speak, that the answer that he's looking for is just simply someone putting him in the water. What that were the case and what would Jesus do? Jesus would put him in the water. Jesus told him, says, get up, pick up your pallet and walk. Immediately the man became well and picked up his pallet and began to walk. Because the answer was not going into the water. The answer was Jesus. Well, it's the same with us. Now will it be the same way in terms of how quickly it's done? It's finished? No. Not necessarily. Matter of fact, probably not. Probably not. But Cory, it's the suffering that I'm going through that I want to get past. Well, I want us to consider some things. I want us to consider some things. I want you all to consider, can I give you an example of me before? I got to a point where I was going through and there were some things that were happening to my family because sometimes it's easier if it's just you going through it. It's harder when what's happening is happening to someone that you love and you can't do anything about a love when your wife, your husband, your children. That's when it can really hurt because what can you do? When your arms are tied, when you can't do anything, that's where that's where it hurts. I want you to consider something. I want to read something from Philippians 4. I think I love this passage. It's already in verse 4. He says, Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice, or again, I will say rejoice. Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. I think that part is important. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing. In other words, can I put it in the in the modern day vernacular? Don't trip. Don't worry about it. Don't trip. Do not trip. Don't be anxious for anything, but in everything by prayer. Huh? By prayer and supplication, making these, making these petitions, these requests and treating God with Thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. Sometimes, sometimes we sit, we'll say, well, the Lord knows what I want. So why bother? No, no. Let me, let me put it this way. Let's say you all have a child that is in need and you know that the child is in need, but that child goes to the neighbor across the street or goes to somebody else and asks them for help or expresses that they need help. How would that make you feel? Wait a second. Wait a second. I know you have this problem. The person that you need to always come to and share this with is me. Not with the person across the street, not with some stranger, not, no with me. Well, don't we do that with God sometimes? We take for granted that he wants, he, we take for granted that he needs to hear, he doesn't need to, I'm sound users kind of, in this way of speaking, that we should be speaking to him, making our request known, because you know what that does? When we make our request known to him, it's not for his benefit, it's for our benefit. It's us demonstrating that we know all the solutions are found in him. But what do we do? We mention it in passing the guide and then go to everybody else. We go find a book, we go find a YouTube channel, we go find a television station, we go find a pastor to tell us what is already there. We already know. Go to him. Go to him. Plenty of, plenty of passages to speak about pray. Remember, James says, is anyone suffering? What does he say? Pray, pray, pray, pray. What James says also in chapter four, he says, therefore submit to God, draw near to him. Is it still submit to God? Well, how do you draw near to him? Prayer. It's a very good way to do so by prayer. Let's continue what he's saying. He says, let your spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus. Look what he says. Now, how do we do so? Because this is the hard part. Guys, this is the difficult part, but this is the part that will bless you if you let it. This is where sometimes your religion kicks in. You don't feel like doing it, but you kind of make yourself do it because it's the right thing to do. Like going to church. Sometimes I don't feel like going to church, but I'm going to go anyway. Sometimes there are days where I get to go to church. There are some days I got to go to church. It's just like work. Sometimes I got to go to work. Sometimes I get to go to work. Most of you guys, a lot of you guys are like, I got to go to work, but isn't it better if you have a feeling I get to go to work? And I get it. There are some days you just say fill it. But here, this is the part where it becomes religious, where you just make yourself do it even if you don't feel like it. He says, finally, brother, because it doesn't require the right frame of mind. You can just make yourself do this even if you have a bad, even if you're having bad thoughts. He says, whatever is true, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of a good repute, reputation, report. If there is anything, any excellence, and if any worthy praise, dwell or think on these things, think on that, focus on that. Then he says, the things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be, who's the me he's focusing on? Paul. The beauty of a lot of the stories and the suffering that we see these men going through, we see that for them it worked out. Maybe we, you know what, Corey, I'm not really, I'm not really all that impressed with the way they died. I don't want to see the dying. I don't want to die like that and doubtful that you will die like Paul. Doubtful you will. I'm sorry I didn't have it on the screen. I'm sorry. I apologize. Doubtful you will not, but still, he says, look at me. Think about me. Think about the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Now look to verse 10. He says, but I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concerns for me. Indeed, you were concerned before you lacked opportunity. Now something that needs to be stated, one of the things that would also help, one of the things that would also help is if maybe you didn't focus on how bad you had it, focus on how bad it was. I'll never forget this. I'll never forget this. This was me. They had me in the shoe, behold, in prison. And one of the guards came in and he was complaining about just stuff, just having this and that and speaking about his supervisors and this and that. And I just, this is literally what I did. I just kind of looked around. I said, let me ask you a question. He said, what is it, minor? I said, let me ask, I want you to think about what a question I asked you. He said, what is it? I said, have you lost your mind? He said, what? I said, you do realize where you work at, right? Yeah. No, I don't think you know where you work at. You literally work at a prison. When you drive in on this road, you got the camp, you got the low, you got the medium. Over there where the, where the towers are and the wall is, you've got guys that are doing life. You got guys that are doing life who will never see anything but the sky and that wall, the inside of that wall. That's it. That's all they're ever going to, or what they see on TV. Meanwhile, you can drive in and out of this place. You have ultimate freedom. You get paid for doing really nothing and you came in and you complained not to them, but to me, another inmate. I want you to think about that for a second. I want you guys sometimes, it's for something, not for all of you, but some of you, consider what everyone else is going through. And then you'll notice your struggle isn't so bad. That's what Paul is getting at. He says, consider, consider me, but also consider how he has behaved, his mindset, his friend of mine, the way he dealt with things in going through. Remember, this is Paul who had a whole, Paul was beaten, stone left for dead, given the 39, the 40 lashes minus one, 39 lashes thrown into the water. He's had all these things happen to him, bitten by a snake, scorned, sick, abandoned. All of these things happen to him. I want you to see what he says. He says, but I rejoiced, verse two, verse 11, not that I speak from one, I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am in. I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am in. I know how to get along with humble means. I know what it's like not to have very much. And I know also know how to live in prosperity. I've had a bunch and I've had a little bit in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry. I've been, I've been full and I've been starving, both of having abundance and suffering need. Look what he says though. Here it is, the past that always gets taken out of context. In that he says, I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Not that I can do everything that I want. I can do whatever it is I'm going through. I can do it through him. He's the one that strengthens me. Somebody's yelling at me. Somebody's cussing me out. Somebody's giving me a hard time. The money's not like it should be. I don't know what's going on with my children. My health seems to be failing, but it doesn't matter, like Paul. In whatever state I'm in, I have learned to be content. That's the issue. That's the issue. Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction. So maybe you also ought to go help somebody else, encourage someone else, support somebody else who's going through. I told you guys that when my, the door opened for me, here I am. Now I'm in prison. I'm sharing the gospel. I'm preaching. I'm doing whatever I can. Sometimes I didn't feel like it. Many times I did feel like it, but sometimes I didn't feel like it. I won't never tell you a lie that, yeah, listen, every day I got up, I shared the gospel with a smile. No, that's not the truth. Some days, I wouldn't take that bottle and smack the person that I'm sharing the gospel with. That was true sometimes. Most cases, I would say that's probably not the case, but still. But here I am. I'm faithful to the Lord. In prison, there are some, what we call some sweet jobs, sweet gigs to have in prison. While I was in prison, I was a GED instructor. Oh man, I tell you what, that is a heck of a heck of a deal. Now at this particular place, I'd made it down to a camp. This camp, there are no walls. We move about how we want to. And so I'm teaching guys GED. The office, the room that I'm in, it's my room. I got my own TV. I've got a little refrigerator to the side. I've got a, I got a microwave to make my coffee. I'm just living the life in prison. I'll never forget this. I'll never forget this. One day I'm eating a bowl of cereal. I got my legs kicked up and I said, man, if the judge could see me now, he might want to add some more time to me because this isn't prison. This is, this is, I can't, I can, I've had it rough now. I've been in a rough spot, but this one was, was really nice. I can't tell you how crazy this went. Within a matter of hours, they called my name and said, Corey, you got to go to the shoot. You got to go to the hole. For what? Don't know. Yeah, with real milk, with real milk. The BOP has its own milk dairy farm. None of that, none of that oat milk stuff, none of that, none of that soy stuff, talking about real cows, real, real prison cows. Yeah, there are cows in prison and that's the milk we drink. Made us tough. Anyway, but within hours I'm in the shoot. And when I say for nothing, for nothing, I hadn't done anything. I'm not bringing in contraband, didn't have a phone, none of those things, not involved in any kind of gang violence. I'm literally preaching the gospel. I'm literally, we don't have a chaplain, so I'm serving as the pastor on the compound. I'm in the shoe wondering, Lord, what's going on? I haven't done anything. I literally hadn't done anything. I can't talk to my wife. I could talk to her once a month. And when I talk to her, she thinks that, because Regen has told her that, well, he knows what he's done. He knows what he's done for her. Just tell them to come true, come clean. She's like, baby, just tell me, no honey, I haven't done anything. I finally get my paperwork, my lockup report, and it has nothing on it. Any guys been in the BOP? I see my buddy, Gino in there, who's in the chat, Gino, you know that when they put you in the shoe, there's a lockup report that has to say why you're in there and who signs off. Didn't have a reason why and no one signed off. I sent that to Regen and it's like, well, there must be a mistake. Is that the right one? Where would I get it from? I'm like, what is going on, Lord? I've been faithful. But I wasn't too bad. I said, you know what, Lord, you'll figure this out. You'll fix it, if that means just me taking a break. If you got somewhere else for me to go, amen. Long as you're driving, I don't care where we go. Although I do sometimes care where we're going. Now recently, about three, four weeks prior, my mother passed away. The one thing that I wanted more than anything else was for my mother to see me when I got out. I was her baby. I was her youngest child and it tore her up to see me in prison. And so I wanted that, but she passed away. Thankfully, she had a relation with Christ. And so I'm assured where she would be, but still that hurt. That's mama. So she dies. I get put in the shoe in about a month. No, two months later. Now I'm still in the shoe. I was in the month. I was back here for a while. A couple of months later, I get a letter from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals that my appeals has been denied. And I thought I had a good shot. So all of those things have happened. Bam, bam, bam. And it's like, when am I ever getting out of here? No one's going to hear my report. The warden didn't want to hear why I'm back here. That's more than nobody. And then the, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, they're not doing anything. Regent, they're not doing anything. Let me tell you what happened. When I got that letter, I closed the letter up, put it down, got on my bunk and prayed. Can I tell you what my prayer was? My prayer was, guys, you are so wonderful. You are awesome. You are amazing. I thank you, Lord. I'm grateful not that I can't be where I want to be, but that I'm here with you, that you're with me. And I just rejoiced. There was this warm calm that was over me. I was good. So like Paul says, in whatever state I'm in, I'm content. Now, how do you get to that point? Well, some people get there quicker than others, but you got to go through something. If we're smart, it won't take as much, but we're not smart. Most of us, we got to go through a lot. I had to go through a lot to get to the point to where I am just content, content in whatever you got going on. Because you can say it, you can, there are songs that says, Lord, whatever you do to me, I don't care. Wherever you take me through, I don't care. We don't mean that when we sing that. We don't, we don't mean that. We don't, we don't mean that. I love you, Lord. No, no, no matter what, we don't mean that. Lord, I love you no matter what, as long as no matter what is some money in my pockets and a few, a few enemies around me. That, that's really what I want, Lord God. Do what I want you to do. That's the kind of guy that I signed up for. I didn't sign up for some kind of guy that's going to let me suffer. Is that what I want? I want what I want when I want it. Oh, that's not how it works. And so you have to learn to be content. You have to learn to be content. Now, Paul puts it this way. He says, well, I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us. Has anybody thought about that? If when you're going through, if you can think about heaven and not what this hell that you're going through right now, then you've made it. If you, I, I gave this analogy before. I gave this analogy before. Your lights, you come home, your lights have cut off. You've got an eviction notice on the door. You come inside, the water's off. You look outside, there's a truck cooking your car up is being repossessed. All these things are happening. The phone is still on, but before they cut the phone off, you got some more bill collectors calling. All that's happening. What is though, you just won the lottery. Christian shouldn't pay the lottery, but you just won the lottery. Two million dollars coming your way. Three million. I don't know what the lottery is. All that's happening. Three, four, five, however many millions of dollars, you just won the lottery. Now, does any of the rest of this stuff matter? They can take that car. I'm getting another one. They can, they can take this funky old apartment. I'm getting another one moving anyway. I'm like the Jefferson moving on up. That's what Paul is saying here, for I consider the sufferings of this present time that are not worthy to be compared to the glory that is revealed to us. We say that we're heaven bound and heaven minded, but in most cases we're just not. We just, we're just not. We're too focused on right now. So the question is, what are you reading your Bible for? What are you reading your Bible for? What are you, what is your hope really in? That may tell you how much of a Christian you actually are. That may tell you what, how much of a Christian you actually are. If your hope is in here instead of there, well then Houston, we got a problem. Houston, we got a problem. If your hope is here rather than there, we got a problem. Secondly, if you don't think that you can have joy here, we got an even bigger problem. He's come to bring about joy, give you life and life abundantly, and we are to have joy. Can I, can I, can I tell you something that one of my favorite passages, one of my favorite passages, there's a, and when I hear this, I'm not lying guys, when I go to this passage, it does choke me up. I've got to the point where I don't cry as much anymore on this passage, but look what it, matter of fact, matter of fact, do I want to, I'll tell you what I'm going to do. Let me take it off of this. Let me take it off of this. Let me go to the, to my good old King James version because I like the way the King James version puts this. I like the version, the King James version on this one. In Galatians 690 says, and let us not be weary in well doing for in due season, we shall reap if we faint not. Be not weary in well doing for in due season, we shall reap a reward. This word for in due season, it is, and its own time is the word idio. Now it also has the word kairos, which is season, which can be an appointed season at the right opportune time, its own time. The reason why that, yeah, there's some Greek in this today. The reason why it says that in due season, idio in its own peculiar, specific time, appointed time is because that is a time that God has set aside for you. It's funny how people who aren't even Calvinistic or even focus on predestination, even Pentecostals and Charismatics will rejoice in this in due season, the time that God has set aside for you to reap your reward. But guess what? That reward is not guaranteed for you. It's not guaranteed for you. You can miss the reward that God has set up for you. You can miss the reward that God has set up for you if you don't think. It's not a salvation issue. It's a blessing here and now. Is Vance Johnson in the chats? I thought I saw him earlier. I've got to bring my football now, Junior. Is Vance Johnson, are you still in the chat, brother? I saw you and you will know what I'm saying. Matter of fact, anybody else that's ever played football, you'll get this. You will get this. Okay, Vance, I played football at Texas Tech. At Texas Tech, we ran an offense, kind of like a lot of these offenses run out. It's a timing route. All the routes we run are timing and we had a coach named Ivy Williams. He was a receiver's coach with Detroit Lions and some other protein, but he was at Texas Tech. We had this little high motorized sort of offense. We would go three wide or four wide all the time and we would have hand signals. We would have this hand up or that hand up or this. These are all timing. You had to be where you needed to be at a specific point in time. For example, I might run and ladies, some of you guys may not know what I'm talking about, but I'll help you understand. You may have three counts to get to a specific depth. Now on your way, you must take the proper release, either an inside release or an outside release. In this case, an outside release, you've got to step on the defensive back toes. In other words, get him off you, get him going away from you, get you some space, get to the right place in time. Because guess what, Vance, you know, the ball is going to be there. The ball is going to be at a specific point, a specific place at a specific time. You're not worrying about all the other receivers that are going out. You're not worrying about what the defenders, what the enemy is doing over there, or really even what he's doing with you. You've gotten off, you've got to where you have to be. When you get to where you have to be, turn around because the ball is going to be there. Amen, C.G. And guess what you better do? You better catch the ball, but guess what you cannot worry about? Don't worry about the ball being where you are supposed to be if you're not where you're supposed to be. Because I can promise you, if he's made his progressions, if he's looked at that place where you're supposed to be and you're not there, guess what else won't be there? Not only won't you be there, but the ball. In other words, in due season, the ball is supposed to be there. It won't be there because you're not there. So what will the quarterback do? Throw it somewhere else. The ball is going to be somewhere else. It would behoove you to do what you're supposed to do, not worrying about what the enemy is doing, not worrying about what your opponents are doing. As a matter of fact, not even worried about what your friends are doing. Get to where you're supposed to be, turn around and do what? Catch the ball. Do I complain that the enemy is pushing me, tugging me, interfering? No, I do not. Do I even think about when I catch the ball, somebody's going to hit me, somebody's going to tackle me? No, I do not. Do I think about the fact that I'm in enemy territory? I'm in somebody else's. There are 60, 70, 80,000 screaming fans who hate my guts, who would like to see me get separated from the ball, my head and shoulders get separated. I don't care about any of those things. My job is to get to where I'm supposed to be, catch the ball. In due season, at the appointed time, get where you're supposed to be if you do not faint. If you do faint, if you stop, if you give up, if you say, you know what? This is too hard. Can't do it. Won't do it. Let somebody else, well, guess what? Let somebody else do it. They will. Somebody else will do it. Now, as Mordecai said to his niece, now we're going to be saved, whether you take partners or not. And don't think that you're going to escape punishment. But how do you know that you weren't created for such a time as this? How do you know? How do you know, Jeff, Angela, Tyra, how do you know that what you're going through, you weren't created for just this point in time for you to, one, get a blessing, but also help somebody else? How do you know that this wasn't for you? Because everybody, listen, we all like to watch a movie. And in the movie, the greater the obstacle that's overcome, the greater the finish, the greater the victory, the more we rejoice. People hadn't gone through anything. That's not a story. Yes, I was born in a wealthy family. I went to college, got all A's, married my wife, and we've got four and a half children, 2.3 dogs. Everything is perfect. We have a, we've got a few million dollars on our bank account. We've got CDs. We've got every IRA. You can think of we got a Roth. We've got a traditional IRA. We've got annuities. We've got all, we've got a vacation home. Two of them, as a matter of fact, things have gone well, gave my life to the Lord. No problems, no sickness. And I died in my sleep. Well, what kind of story is that? First of all, it's not realistic. I wouldn't watch that story. I wouldn't read that book. I wouldn't watch that movie. Boring. But the guy who, you think about the movie, pick the movie, pick your favorite movie. Wasn't there something that made you watch the movie that where someone had over? We liked that. And then we would also like to think about us as having overcome things, which is why we tell these stories. You know, we say back in the day, back in my day, we had to walk five miles uphill both ways, right? We want to make it seem like it was really difficult. When we go through something, that something might be this big. But when we tell the story, it's that big. We want to say we've gone through something, but we don't actually want to go through anything. We don't, we don't actually want to go through anything. We don't want to be an example to anyone else. We don't want anyone to look at us. We don't want any, well, we don't want to anyone look at us when we're going through what we do want is to have gone through. We want to be on the other side. That's really how it is. But if God has his eyes on making you an example, because I'm just wondering, I'm just wondering when God says, when he has this conversation, do you all think that what he said to, wait a second, that what he said to Satan about Joe, do you think that that was the only person that he said it to? Do you think that maybe he said it also about somebody else? Maybe, maybe Satan has gone and said, let me pick on somebody else, D.T. Richardson. He's gone to D.T. Richardson. He's gone to the Lord about D.T. Richardson or gone to the Lord about Cephas or Angela. He's gone to the Lord about Susie Q. The only reason they're serving you is because you've been blessing them. That's the only reason. Dutch, he ain't serious. Detox, no, not a real Christian. The only reason is because you bless them. You haven't put it on them yet. Could it be, could it be that Satan has done this more than once, that this conversation with God has happened multiple times? Now, I don't know. I'm just thinking. I'm just, I'm just pontificating biblically. That's exactly right. Overzeal, Satan requested to sift Peter like wheat. Do you think he's the only one that he is designed and what was Jesus' response? I prayed for you. Could it be though? Could it be that God said, huh, Satan, you don't know him? Satan, you don't know dining like I know her. I'll tell you what. You can do anything, but what if God has done, first of all, two things are going to come out of your mind, out of your mouth when you find, if you found out that God and the enemy had a conversation about you, if the enemy has requested to sift you like wheat, two things are going to come out. First of all, Lord, I'm honored that you think so highly of me. I thank you, Lord, that you have. But the second thing is you really didn't have to, God. Actually, I'd prefer you didn't. I'd prefer, because could you imagine, Joe, like, wow, you know, those keys that you took, I kind of wanted them. I kind of wanted to keep them. But God has something. Now, who knows why we go through what we go through, but the fact of the matter is God does and there's a purpose in what we're doing. So now the question is, do you want to be made whole? You're going through those things. At least, thank you for what Superchety says. I'm disabled. I suffer crippling pain every day, but I thank God for it. It taught me to rely. I'm proof his grace is sufficient. Amen. Amen. I wish more would say that and would even mean it. Now, and I've seen people who would say it in front of the crowd and they go back and like, ah, I'm struggling. It's like when we say we forgive somebody, sometimes we say, but we don't really mean it. We don't really mean it. But Lord, help me to mean it. Now, there's going to be something that's going to come as a result of him helping you to mean it. The Lord wants you to be a shining example. Let me read this. My suffering just started, sir. Lost my right kidney to cancer, going through a lot of health issues, but through my pain and suffering shall the glory of God be revealed. Amen. Amen. It is so. That's how we're supposed to be. The world, if the world can't look at us and see how it's supposed to be done. See, anybody can suffer and just just fly off the hinges. First of all, anybody can win grace. Anybody can win gracefully. Let me say it again. Anybody can win gracefully. Losing or suffering gracefully, that's a whole other thing. That's a whole, and I said, thank you for the super chat. I appreciate that. That's a whole other thing. Y'all've seen people who suffer and just throw a fit. They're angry. Maybe you haven't seen them suffering, but you've seen the fit. Somebody cuts them off, and they're angry. They're upset. You just cut in front of you. That's it. But they're fed up. So how do you become whole? It's all again, guys. I've said this before. I've said this before. Let me say it again. It is not. I'm not trying to be ugly. I'm not trying to belittle anyone else's teachers or ministry, but it's not me placing my hands on you. It's not me spitting on you or speaking in tongues over you. It's not me dousing you with water or oil. No. That's not how it's done. No. No. How it's done is by you getting closer to him. What do we always say? Proximity. The closer you are to him, watch things work. Because the closer you are to him, the more you can say, the more he can say, now I know. Now, obviously God knows. Remember what he did with Abram and his son, Cowboy Five Rings? Thanks for Super Chat. I appreciate that. What did he say to Abram? Now I know. What did God know before? Sure. But what do we have? We have an example before us. Son, I don't know how this is going to work out, but I have faith. I have faith that if I kill you and I can imagine the son, wait a second. Why don't you kill yourself, daddy? Kill me? Kill yourself. That's the 2023 kid. That's what happened then. Not today. Well, the son had to have the same kind of faith, too, because Abram's an old, old fellow. All right, Father. I believe you. You know why his son could believe him? I'm thinking, could it be? He's seen his father's faith in action. Abram has seen his faith in action because Abram has spent time with the father. The more you spend time with him, this works out. The closer you get with him and not just get close for the moment, but stay with him. See, the problem with the fellas in the boat, the fellas, you know, the fellas in the boat, the disciples, the problem they had was while they were in the boat, they looked at their issues and forgot who was in the boat with them. You do realize that as long as he's in the boat, I don't care what the storm is right here. You don't want to be away from him. I don't care if over there is sunny as rainbows, but he is literally in the boat with you. He's in the boat with you. How do you know that Jesus is in the boat with you? Because when you're going through, is he speaking to you? I know, I know, I know, there are a lot of folks that say that God doesn't speak anymore. Yes, he does. Is he speaking audibly, thundering from heaven? I'm not saying that, but to forget about the fact that he has designs on an intimate relationship with you. It's not a one-way relationship. It's a two-way relationship. And the fact of the matter is when you're going through, do you feel that little tugging that you Lord, this leaning? That's how you know he's in the boat with you. Maybe it's not like this. Maybe is you hear someone singing. Your Christian friends call you up. Hey girl, you want to go hang out? We're going over here. Bible study comes up. Church comes around. Yeah, God has a way of reminding you that he's there of letting you know that he's in the boat. That's all you should need. That's all you should want for. Again, I know some people, guys. I know some people who were very wealthy, extremely wealthy. Remember guys, I was, I was in a financial advisor, had my own investment firm. Extremely wealthy people who were miserable. I mean miserable making money every day, but they were miserable. But then I met some people who were poor, who you couldn't tell them they were poor. They were smiling ear to ear. And then when you drill down and you see the difference, this wealthy person who could buy anything did not have Christ. This poor person over here had Christ and you see the difference. Now is that to say that wealthy folks don't have Christ? There are a lot of wealthy folks who don't know the Lord and a lot of poor people who don't know the Lord. But the point is knowing the Lord. People who are struggling with their sexuality because they're trying to find themselves in any and everything other than in Christ, that's why they're miserable. That's why they have these fits of rage. That's why they're never happy. The first, the first LGBTQ person or the next LGBTQ person that you see that's happy will be the first one you see this happen because it cannot happen because you because unless you find yourself in Christ, you're going to be miserable. I don't care who you are. I don't care if you're straight. I don't care if you've got a wonderful spouse and wonderful children. Great job. But if you don't have Christ, you have nothing. Now, what I want, what I do want to ask is right now, just kind of open it up. Is there anybody out there that is struggling that would like for us to just, let's just pray. Let's see. Is there anybody out there that would like to put in the chats? I would like just for some prayer. I would, I would just love, I'm going through this and you don't have to say what the this is. You don't have to be personable. But is there anyone out there that is going through that would like to have some prayer? Let me send this message to one of my, one of my children. What I'll do is okay, Devante, Catherine. Amen. Overzeal, Tyra, Stevie. I can't name all you guys. I'm going to put this one up. He said, I'd like to grow closer to Jesus. Here's my question. I'm just going to just talk to you and anyone else who would like that. And I'll get to the rest of you guys in a second. But you said, I would like to grow closer to Jesus. Can I just share with you what I've shared with other folks who, because this isn't the first time I've seen this question that I've had this come out. I just want to be closer to Christ. I just want to know him better. And my question is, do you, do you really want to? Here's why I ask this question. When someone is hungry, what do you do? You go to the refrigerator. When a person wants to go to sleep, what do you do? You get in the bed. When a person wants to lose weight, you work out. You can do what you want to do if there's nothing stopping you. There's certainly nothing stopping you from growing closer to Jesus. And so if you do, and this doesn't apply to just you, but it applies to other, because there's a thousand other people that might see this, you know what, me too. Here's what you do. Tell him, Lord, I want to grow closer to you. The mere fact that you did that is you, you, you can't say that from a distance. You cannot say that from a distance from God. So you're saying it to him, Lord, draw me in. Read your word. Your word. Read your word. Pray. Do those two things. I promise you, you get closer, but it's got to be you. This is why Jesus asked the question, will you be, do you want to be made whole? That's where that comes from. You taking a step. Now he's already, he's, he's, he's there. He's there. Are you with me? Now he's just really simply just waiting to embrace you again. Proximity. No, this is pray for, okay. Jeff, the thing is though, even with that, there is forgiveness and then there's growth, because you're not the only one. I can tell you, I can tell you for a fact, you are not the only one, but there is forgiveness in God. Amen. So you keep doing what you're doing and you keep growing. And then ultimately it's going to be a test one because there's somebody that you're going to come across who had the same thing, something similar, that you can also help them as well. All right, Alisha, for your son to come, come closer to Christ. Amen. I used to think about that too, guys. When people would say, can you pray for my son or my daughter or whomever to get closer to Christ? And I think the way to say, shouldn't we all that you want to go make sure that somebody's sharing the gospel, but this person and God, who makes the biggest move, the first move? Well, it's God. So yeah, we should be praying for people to come to Christ, specifically. There was a time when I used to think that that's a wasted prayer. Let's not pray for that. Let's go out and share the gospel with them, but it's still ultimately in God's court. All right, spider monkey, Madison. I'll have a couple of that like that. Maybe God knows something about you. Like I said, it looks, the kind of person that can be, let me ask you a question. I don't know if you are man or woman, but this goes for everybody. This is one of the things that I would do in my little mentoring sessions. I would ask, you need to determine what kind of man or woman you want to be. I'm pretty sure if you can draw, if you can create the perfect man or the perfect woman, and that's the person that you want to be, who you would emulate, maybe this particular character that you could think of that kind of, I like that trait from that person, that trait from that character, that trait from that character. I want to be calm under pressure. I want to be cool. I want to be able to handle myself when things are coming down. That's the kind of person that you say that you want to be in this prayer. Okay, so now what's going to happen is if you want to be calm and be strong while things are crumbling, that necessarily means that things are going to still be happening. And so God can see how you're going to be, again, if you're going through a sport and you're training for the time or the moment that you'll be in a certain predicament, they're going to put you in that predicament, just like the Armory. They will shoot rounds, sometimes fakes, sometimes live rounds around you or over you to put you in the position so that when it happens, you're there. And so that could be what God is doing, but rejoice in the position that He has you in what you're going through. Amen? I would request prayer for discernment for the body of Christ as a whole. Two things you need. Two things you need, Dutch. Two things. One, the word of God, be strong with that. But the other thing is we forget this oftentimes is a heart. Compassion. Because sometimes we look at other folks and just we want to impugn them for when they mess up. But wait a second, no. It's a good thing that my life isn't on YouTube. It's a good thing that my life isn't on Facebook. It's a good thing that my life is on Instagram because if everybody saw my mess up, wow, there would be all sorts of videos about me, which is why I don't do a lot of videos about people who are going through something morally, unless it's intentional, you know, if you go out and you kill the folks, if you are sleeping with half the church, that's one thing. Typically what I'll call you out on is going to be your doctor. Because I promise you, the more you complain, I can promise you, God is right. Okay. You said that about him. All right, let's see what you did. Okay. Okay. No forgiveness in you about that. Okay. All right. Okay. And so you want to balance, you want to balance the word with love. Amen. Alex says, I've got, can I tell you the truth, Alex? I have met a person with COVID in so long. And it could be that a lot of us do have COVID and don't even realize, you know, COVID, what is that? COVID, that is so 2021. I'm so over COVID, right? But people are still dying from COVID. And so we'll definitely keep that in prayer as well, as well as your family. Amen. Houston just finished the Bible, took you two years. Amen. Awesome. For Anthony Bennett as well. All right. Amen. Misfit King, elected by God. Thank you for the super chat. I appreciate that. You know what it used to be though? I don't know what's better or worse. People didn't tell us back in the day that they were struggling with lust. And they were. All these, all these kids running around without, without both parents. Yeah, there was some lesson going on. We didn't talk about it as much. And so it's good that we do. Of course, on the flip side, we didn't actually exercise as much too, but let people know what you're going through. Let yourself be honest with yourself. So we'll pray for that detox. Thank you so much for the super chat. I appreciate that. And I appreciate you too as well. So you're struggling with depression at the moment. Can I ask a question? Can I ask a question? What, what has you depressed? And really it's not just you. What, what would have any of you guys depressed? This is why, and I can speak. This is one of the things I can speak about it because I've been in it. Now, I haven't been through everything that you guys have been through, but I've had some stuff. I've had some stuff happening, right? Some stuff with me, some stuff with all my family. And you know, one of the things that happened was I'll never forget my mother asked me and my wife asked this question from time to time too. Because sometimes like, it's like, you have no emotion. Sometimes I do. Listen, I hurt, I cry, I get bothered, but I really am focused on some things. I really am. Listen, if I have to die for you guys, if I have to die early for you guys, I'm fine with that. I really am because the goal is not me having all the things in life that I want. The goal is to be an example and to be a light for you as well as the world. And so what I do is though, I'm able to kind of keep things in perspective because I know how bad it can be. I know how bad they have been. I'll never forget something my mother said to me. And I thought about it. I thought about it before, but then I really thought about it when I got in prison. I don't know what was happening because I was a little boy when she said it, but she was bothered. She was crying. But now I'm her baby and here out there, I'm looking up at mama. Mama, what's wrong, mama? She said, I'm all right. I'm all right. And she, you know, the tears come down the eyes. You know, you're trying to talk and the tears are coming down. You're trying to kind of compose yourself while you talk. I'm all right. She said this thing. She says, I'm a, she stopped. She paused. She sucked it up. She said, I'm gonna be all right because I have to be. I'm gonna be all right because I have to be. I don't know what mama was going through, but I saw her, whatever it was that we were going through, she took care of it, even with her own failings, with her own flaws and she had a bunch of them, just like anybody else. But just to see her work through, the question's got to be for everybody. Why are you down? Why are you down? Like David would say, why? Oh, so why is my countenance falling? Why is my soul so down tried? Do I not know what God has done, what he's doing? Don't I serve a living king? Don't I serve a God who looks at me, looks after me and has designed for me? Isn't that who I deserve? I mean, who I serve? Isn't that who my father is? Isn't that who keeps me? Who thinks about me? Who covers me? The one who put the all those stars up there? That one. The one who gave us clouds, who gave us rain, who gave us that same, doesn't he have a daily concern for me? Why am I down? Not just keeping perspective on what I've been through, but keep perspective on who's looking over me. You are going somewhere, you are destined for some place, literally destined for some place. You don't have to worry about it. Put your focus on him. I know it's hard, but keep telling yourself that. You're going to be all right because you have to be. Matter of fact, even more to the point, you're going to be all right because he's made you to be all right. You are overcomers. You are overcomers. How do my computers act enough? And I think you need to trust that, guys. I think you need to trust that you are overcomers. I think you need to realize that God doesn't just pick chumps. God doesn't just pick the worst of, well, he does pick the worst of the bunch. He has, he does that, but it didn't leave us that way. He, that's God who began a work in you, a good work in you. He didn't say you're faithful. He said, he is going to see you through. Why? Because he's the one that's faithful. So think about that. Because I haven't seen my youngest kids in over a year due to divorce and my ex hates me. Well, then do your very best. Let me tell you this as a man, do your very best to go back and make it up. Apologize. Suck it up. Because ultimately, as the man, you're responsible. I wouldn't care if she's at fault, you're responsible. Tell her about how, how you've done wrong. Don't tell her about hers. I'm pretty sure you told her how she's messed up. Let her know you still love her. I'm pretty, listen, it's hard to be married to somebody and even if you get a divorce, not love them. I'm pretty sure someone was hurting her. You go there and kill the person, hurt the person that's trying to hurt her and the kids. Let her know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. And then if she doesn't know Christ, share the Lord with her, but it's not over. I could say more if we were one on one, but this is for anybody. Just because the mess up that you did is over, doesn't mean it's in the past. That means there's nothing, there's still not work to be done. Share with them people what you've done and how you can fix this, how he can fix it. I'm sorry. Share with them that the hurt, share the hurt that you feel. Let them know. Let them know also that your kids don't, the kids don't need to suffer. Now there's, and you might want, I would, I would caution you, I would suggest that you find some people that you can speak with personally in your city, somebody that you can, you know, turn to, to kind of guide you. Because the one thing guys you don't want to have happen is some things turn into anger, resentment. It just sits and just festers and boils and then grows into something else that it shouldn't be. So thank you, Jeff, for the super chat. He says, uh, now this is how to edify the spirit. Yeah, you don't have to cast demons out. The word is sufficient. Amen uniquely made. Amen. I like that. Amen. Listen, I can, and I can testify with that. I can agree with that. That, that my, the only regret, not the only regret, but my biggest regret is that my mother passed away. I got moved from exile. I'm not getting ready to cry. I'm not getting ready to cry, but I had a good, I had a good relation with my mother and my father. My father, that was, as we say, that was my dude. That was man. Listen, there were times where I just, I wanted to choke him or get some people to help me choke him, but to see what he did. I love that man. Love and my mom. Amen. Rainer. You don't have to be depressed guys. You don't have to be sad. Hey, Renee, thank you for the super chat. You don't have to be sad guys. That's what this word is for. You know what I used to do? When I got home from prison, there's a couple of shows that I started watching and kind of took me away from, because in prison, when you watch, when you watch a movie in prison, if it's an hour or two hours, it would have you, there's two hours of you not being in prison. Your mind is somewhere else, right? But then when you read the Bible, however long you're reading, if you read for 10 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour, what have you, that's that long that you're not, you're not in the situation that you're in. You are literally getting medicine. I like to think that when people come to this channel, you are getting medicine. That I'm hoping that we are helping to focus. And by the way, because it's not just what I'm saying to you on camera, because I see the comments that you guys are having back and forth with each other. I see the, I see the, I see the, the relationships that you guys are establishing and you should, I see that and that's the way it should be. Sheila, thank you for the subject. She says, Corey, most people don't understand depression. Your mind is in a state of confusion, which causes you to be, to make bad decisions. It's not always sadness. No, you're right. Ultimately, and I won't say this as thoroughly as I could, but ultimately where depression comes from and you find the psychologists, you find the psychiatrists, it's going to be a disproportionate focus on you and to what degree. Now, there are legitimate concerns there. It's not a selfish night. It's not a narcissist. And I don't want you to give me the wrong way. It's not a narcissistic selfishness. It's a kind of what was me. I'm going through and what you're going through and what you're dealing with is legitimate or other things are happening that kind of brings you down because depression can also be, be, be, be brought on by anger, frustration. You get so frustrated with what either they're doing, what's happening to you. It can bring you down. It can, it can get you to a point where why bother? You can get frustrated at the point to where nothing seems to be going on. You can get frustrated at the world and then get depressed because how bad the world is, not even you, but because you, how you look at it. But wait a second, wait a second, wait a second. God knows this. Again, if we ever put the focus on him and what he's doing, it alleviates a lot of this stuff. It really does. Cameron, thank you. He says, Satan will tell you two lies when you sin. Before you sin, he will tell you it's okay. Just do it. God will forgive you. After the sin, God won't forgive you. Isn't that kind of, if that is. It's okay to do what you're going to do and then when you do it, you're the worst person ever. But wait a second. You, my man, you just told me it's okay. I don't know. I don't know who told you that. Satan is so much like a lot of our friends anyway, isn't he? But that's true. No, Tyra, I'm not crying. I'm not crying. I'm a man. I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry on this camera. Who'll do that? Although I have cried on this camera before. I have cried on this camera before. I ain't going to do it. I ain't going to listen. I made up my mind. I'm too tough to be crying. Look at that. Look at that. I like that. Weeping man, do it for a night. But joy. Amen. Amen. And you want to know what's funny though, guys? And this channel loves Doug on it, Houston. Okay. I pushed it wrong, but hi, Diana. How you doing? But do you know what, Houston? We love you. This channel loves you as well. I forgot what I was going to say. I had something that was so wonderful. I know it was so wonderful. It was the best thing ever. And I forgot. But that's the truth right there. The issue is who we look at. Are we looking at God? Are we looking at our situation? Looking at the bank account? Looking at what happened. By the way, y'all do realize some of the greatest crime takes place with these big old crazy men in prison. Even Jesus cried. Yeah. Even Jesus cried. I cry. I just don't feel like crying in front of you guys that much. There is one song that comes on though. I'll just tell you guys. There's a song by Marvin Sapp. My testimony. When that song comes on. Hard for me. When that song comes on, I guess I think about Doug on song. But when that song comes on, moves me. Because it reminds me how he brought me through. You don't ever have to struggle with that. Sweetheart, you don't ever have to. Let me tell you a story about a man who got on the cross and died excruciating pain. Because he thought about you. Everybody that he loved. He thought about as he carried that cross up the hill. And every time they drove the nail in his hand, he thought about you and the rest of us. He loves you. He loves you. You don't believe him? Ask the guy that was hammering the nails in his head. You don't think he loves you? Ask the one who made him carry the cross. You don't think he loves you? Ask the guy that was whipping him. Why is he doing this? You don't think he loves you? Ask the Pharisees who mocked him. Why did he just come down off that cross? If you don't think he loves you, ask him. Look at his words. My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? The answer is because Latia, I love her. That's why Lisa, I love her. Proverbs 17, Stevie, love him. That's why my God, my God, why have you forsaken me when he was in that garden? If there's any other way, let's think about this. Father, is there any other way that this cup can pass? Let me think about it. No. Nevertheless, let your will be done. What's his will? That the Son would come and pay a ransom for us would die this horrible sacrifice because he loves you. That's why we read this book so much. I want you all to make it real in you. Listen, I can promise you there's one thing Latia and anyone else, he did not waste a drop of blood. He did not waste one single drop of blood. Now some folks think so, but he meant it. He meant every lash he took, every punch, every droplet of saliva they spit on him, every ostracizing word that was cast at him. He took all that because his joy was set to the cross and he endured it because he loved you. Almost single thing for so much. Thank you so much. Don't ever, if, listen, you can doubt everything else on the plan. Don't ever think, don't ever doubt that. Don't ever doubt that he did not. That's exactly right, Jeff. He wrote your name down. Where are my pencil at? Let me, let me just write this. Let me just write this down. Let me, let me write some names down. Who am I going to the cross for? Let me write this person down, write this person. And oh, by the way, all those names he wrote down and they weren't even going yet. They didn't know. No, listen. Okay. Let me just say this. I'm not saying that you're lying when you're saying demons that are attacking you in your sleep. Let me explain to you, sweetheart. Demons exist. Now, I don't know specifically because I haven't spoken with you. Couple things could be at play. One thing certainly is at play. If Jesus has given you victory, you have victory. Oftentimes though, what we do is we go back to the scene of the crime. Now, going back to the scene of the crime means going back and reliving what we think or what we know we're supposed to be delivered from indicates one of two things. Indicates one of two things. It indicates that you really weren't delivered or you were. You're just not a poor loser, a poor winner. And there are a lot of people who are poor winners who get something and don't think that they deserve it, who feel bad about it. You have, if you have placed your faith in Christ, you are free. But then you go back and it could be that you keep focusing on those things, on the old, on the past, on the bad, and it haunts you. And it's not, it's almost as though the devil has took his hands off of you and just allowed you to do it to yourself. I have seen that over and over and over and over again. I told you the story, guys. When I went on that cruise, when we went on that cruise, everything was taken care of. We didn't know it. So we paid for it ourselves. And I'm sitting there thinking, okay, do we have enough money? Let me, let me move some money from this account over here just to make sure, because this stuff is expensive. It's hard doing this. I want to make sure. Doggone, I want to make sure we enjoy this trip. How? Because I'm too focused on what I got to do. Sometimes, and it might be, I don't know. I can't say for sure, because I'm not there. I don't know your whole situation. But I would say this. And I've said this before. I'm going to actually take this whole thing away and say, stop frequenting and stop listening to people who are simply always talking about demons. Stop listening to them. Stop going to places where people are talking about demons this, demons that, demonic this, demonic that. How in the world is it that these people talk more about demons than Jesus did, than God did, than the Bible did? You got folks that want to have you bound and they feel good about it. You to them, young lady, you are a source of revenue. Why? Because the more they get people like you to think that they are bound or think they got to pay for a trip that's already been paid for, the more they can keep you coming back, frequenting them. Because to you, you're a view. You're a chat, you're a subscriber. No, you have been freed. There's a reason why the Bible doesn't talk that much about demons. Think about that for a second. Why does the Bible not talk nearly as much as these other people do? The guy said that that was Jesus' number one ministry. And we looked at it yesterday that it was not his number one ministry. We saw how many times that he actually Jesus himself cast out demons. How many times? 12 times. But these ye who are going to keep having folks bound unnecessarily because it fits them. And if you keep talking, listen, I'm sorry guys, we watched The Walking Dead. Why? I got hooked on The Walking Dead in prison, came out and watched The Walking Dead. My wife was watching The Walking Dead. Do you know there are times where she said, dog on a court? Now she don't say dog on it because that's only me. That's my thing. I'm going to coin that phrase one day. I'm going to put it on the shirt. But she says dog on it in her own little way. I had a dream about a zombie. Why? Because it was in her mind. Our eyes and our ears are the gateway. And so we sit and suck this stuff up and it comes back out. Latia or anyone else. If I squeeze you, what's coming out? Whatever's on the inside. If I squeeze a lemon, what's coming out? Whatever's on the inside of that lemon. So stop filling yourself up with that and keep filling yourself up with the word. I promise you, ultimately, that's going to win out. That's going to be more. Take a cup. Put some milk in it. Fill it to the top with milk. And then just start little by little pouring water into that cup. What's going to happen? The cup will eventually be full of water. That one beats. Thank you for the super stick. I appreciate that. And Houston Dante, thank you as well for the super chat. That's just it, guys. Sometimes though, can I be honest, though, we make life harder than what it really is. We make it harder than what it really is. Now, stop entertaining it. Let me put it back on the screen. This is what Paul says. This is what Paul says. And I think it helped me at my words. It helped me. He says, finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute. If there is any excellence, and if anything worth your praise, dwell or think on these things. Think on that. I promise you it works. Now, might it be a little harder for one person over the next? Could be, but still focus on those things. Dwell on him. Put your mind on him. A hypochondrate, somebody who thinks they're sick, they're not, but because they think it, they become that sick. My arm, oh, what's wrong? My arm, what's wrong? And they go to doctor and doctor like, well, nothing. We can't find anything. Latia, all you need is peace, sweetheart. That's all you need. Just keep, just all I can say is, because I don't know your situation, just keep reading. Keep praying, keep reading. Fill your house up with praise. Praise and worship music. I don't care, I don't care who the artist is. If it puts you in the right frame of mind, do so. But there are people, though, hypochondrates who will sit and think of something. If they get a tingle in their leg, uh-oh, is that a blood clot? Uh-oh, is that a vein that's about to burst? Uh-oh, I got a filling in my chest. Is that a heart attack? Am I having a stroke? I keep forgetting something. Am I, is this early onset dimension? These are all these different things. And that's what a hypochondrate does. He, he convinced himself that he's sick and he may not even be, may not even be. And so, it happens. It happens a lot. I, I can see it happening even more. Shout out, muscle on me. So, if you put your mind on him, now that doesn't mean that you're not gonna die. You're gonna, you're gonna die at some point in time. You might die, I don't know, you can get an accident and die. You might have ulcers. You might get cancer. You might have a heart attack. You might have an anvil. There's so many different ways that you can die. And we spend too much time worrying about how we, how we're gonna die, rather than about how we're living now and then where we're gonna live after we die. That should always be the focus. How do I worry less about me and care and care more for Christ, Corey? Just what I just said. Focus on, just keep reading. Focus on, just keep reading. Keep, guys, I think sometimes when I say this, that we think that, well, I am reading. I am praying and it had happened. Okay, keep reading, keep praying. How long, how long it'll take you to get in the state that you're in? Just keep reading, keep praying. I can, I promise you it works. I've never, now, because I can promise, this is what I know. Typically when you go and look at somebody who is going through some things, whether they're saying, whether they're saying really work and you go back and look, you're not, we would work out and we would have guys on the weight pile, that's called in prison, all the little weight equipment, and guys say, I'm working out, but I ain't losing no weight or I ain't getting stronger. Then we go and look at what they're doing. After they work out, they go and eat these big old chili bowls or what have you. They, you know, sit around all, you work out for a good hour and then sit around and do nothing and then eat bad. Oh, it works. You're just not working. So it may be, I don't know. It could be what you're doing after. What are you doing when you're not reading your Bible? What are you doing when you're not praying? Oh, I'm watching the Smart Christian Channel. Well, listen, first of all, that works if you watch the Smart Christian Channel. But what are you doing other than that? What are you doing? And maybe you're in a position to where you don't need to be doing it. Maybe you don't need to be watching TV. Maybe you need to go ahead and get rid of your Netflix subscription or Disney or what are those in Hulu? We've got, we've got like eight subscriptions and I don't, I don't watch any of that. I got to fix that. I got to, I'm getting financially fleeced by my family. I'm getting fleeced by them. I should be praying. I should be praying about that. But the point is some people just should not be watching certain shows. You're not ready for it yet just because your neighbor is watching it. Doesn't mean that you can watch it. Maybe your neighbor is not a Christian anyway. Or maybe he's stronger. There are some things that I can do that you can't do something that you can do that I can't do. You can't tempt me. You can, you can bring a bag of cocaine over here. Won't tempt me at all. Some people don't bring that over here. So you, you couldn't tempt me with some, with some, with some guy. Hey, there's my guy. There's my buddy Frank. He thinks you're cute. What? That doesn't tempt me now with some somebody else. Hey, maybe. Me? No. And every time you get attacked, Latia, pray. Every time you get attacked, pray. I would, I would, I would say seek counseling. Find someone around you because it cannot be this digital way of communicating that's sufficient. We are built to have actual human contact. So you might need to, I don't know if you have a church home, tell someone there. You need to talk. You need to be sitting with someone, talking to someone. Find a, a woman that you can also talk with, but then also get actual biblical counseling. I don't know if you have a pastor. Talk to your pastor. If your pastor, because some pastors aren't qualified, find some sort of Christian counseling, either through a, either through your pastor or Christian counseling service. But you need to be speaking with someone. You need to be speaking with someone. And by the way, and let me just say this, because Steve, he brings, Steve, bringing this up. You do need to fast. You guys, when was the last time you fasted? Fasting guys, I've covered this before. Fasting is not to get what you want. Fasting is for your proximity, as, as Isaiah says, for your voice to be heard on high. He breathed you closer. Jesus says, when they were asked, they asked him, why the John's disciples do the followers of the Pharisees do, but everybody's fasting, but your disciples don't. Why is that? So he's like, I'm here. I'm here. There's no need for them to fast. But when I leave proximity, they will fast, closeness and connection. Maybe what you guys ought to do is fast. Put out a, I thought I put out a nice video about fasting. I thought I put out a nice video about fasting. It wasn't controversial. So it only got like three, four, five thousand views. Go back and watch it. See the point of it. Grow in your love for the Lord. Fasting does that. It's like working. It's like working a job, working through lunch, because you're trying to get something accomplished. Well, in this case, what you're trying to get accomplished is not something that you're looking for, but someone. You're not fast and get something. You're fasting to get someone. That's Jesus. That's what you do. You fast. And I don't mean, all right. I'm a fast from 12 o'clock to four o'clock. That's not a fast, by the way. I'm going to fast from 12 o'clock to four o'clock. I'm going to fast from eight in the morning to... Let's go two o'clock. I'm going to fast from midnight to six a.m. No, that's sleep. No, fast. Where your stomach is filling it. Your butt. Fast. And now, while you are fasting. No, don't. I'm not. No, don't do it for a very fast. Don't do it. Don't do it for you. You're not Jesus. Stop it. But while you're fasting. Turn off the TV. Turn off. It's the one time you don't have to watch. You shouldn't watch Smart Christian Channel. It's the only time, only time. Okay, fine. There's two, there's two times you shouldn't watch Smart Christian Channel. When you're fasting and when you're sleeping. Okay, three times. So three times you shouldn't watch Smart Christian Channel. When you're fasting. When you're sleep. And you're spending time with your family. But you can really spend time with your family and watch. And watch Smart Christian Channel. You really could. Okay, fine. There's four times when you're fasting. When you're sleep. When you're with your family. And when you're in church. Four times. Okay, five times you shouldn't watch Smart Christian Channel. When you're in the house. Okay, I'm kidding. But when you're fasting, don't do anything else. It's just you and the Lord. When you're bored, grab the Bible. Open up. And when you're fasting, do me a favor. Here's my suggestion. When you're fasting, don't use your Bible on the phone. Don't use your app. You know why? You know what happens if you use your Bible app on your phone? Oh, it's just right beside that app. It's another app that I can go to. No, no. I don't want to check the internet. Nope. I don't want to see what Google's talking about. Nope, nope, nope. Get your good old fashioned 1990s Bible, you know, with the pages. Get that one. And that's what you do. She almost passed out. Fast. Do that. Guys, I hope this has been helpful. We're going to do more of these because I said and thought about it. You know what? We should do more of these before I did it. But I do want to just spend. I don't just talk about the goodness of God and how we get closer to him. And I want to end this, obviously, with prayer. I do not want to if you're driving, do not close your eyes. If you're driving and listening, do not bow your head. If you're working, don't do that. Just you can pray with your eyes open. But for the rest of us, we're just going to pray. We're going to invoke God. The prayer requests, I won't mention them. I might mention some of these depression. I might mention some of these. Depression, lust, a son. Another person. I'm not sure what this person is, but some person's mother and father. Strongholds, family issues, financial issues, anger, all these different things. And now I won't say specifically, but obviously the Lord knows. First and foremost, I want to, I'll try to remember that, Teresa. But first and foremost, did people in the Bible close their eyes when they pray? We don't know. There is no, because we do this, put your hands together and you got to do this, or we'll do it kind of in the modern fashion. Put our hands this way or fold them. We'll bow our heads, close our eyes. Some did. Now, some did close their eyes and bow their heads. Some did, some did, but is that all the way? Because the Bible says, pray without ceasing. How do you do that with your eyes closed? It's just this open communication all the time where, Lord, I'm talking to you, but then there's sometimes you just need to get by yourself and just bow down in a humble fashion. So most importantly is that we be closer to Christ. And so with that being said, guys, if you could, if you would please, while we are praying, it's going to take about five or six seconds for you guys to hear this. And so I'll wait, but I want you guys to stop typing. If you could, please, just in honor of these prayer requests, do not type until we finish just for the prayer request. Let me say it again, please do not type anything in the chat for the time being. Let's just go ahead and pray and bring in the Lord in what we're asking him to do. So, Father God, we thank you, Lord Father, for you being you. You're awesome. You are amazing God. How high and wonderful is your name, Lord God? You are great not because of what you've done, but because of who you are. You are a good and great God. And we're thankful, Father, that you would even have any sort of concern for us. We're thankful, Father, that when we cry, you cry, when we laugh, you laugh. God, you feel what we feel. We thank you, Lord, that we have a high priest such as yourself who can sympathize with us. And so God, for that reason, we come to you and ask you, Lord God, that you would hear the prayer request, Lord God, that you would see what we've typed in in the chats, what we've mentioned, but even what we've said in our hearts that may not have been vocalized. Lord God, would you help us, Lord God? Cause us to be closer to you. Cause us to hear your loving kindness, Lord God. If we don't get anything else but that to know you deeper, to know you even more so, to have a closeness with you, Lord God, one that is unshakable. Father, that's the main thing that we want. But even Lord God, Father, we would be lying if we said that we didn't have requests that we need for you to give attention to. Father, you may not deliver us from all the things that are bothering us, Lord God, Father, but we pray that more than anything else, that whatever we're going through, that you get glory in what it is, that you would touch people who are around us to see that you are glorified in us and in our situation, Father. Anyone that's having a physical issue, Lord God, I pray for healing, Lord God. Anyone that's having any sort of outside attack, be it demonic, be it friends or family, be it work, be it themselves, Lord God. I pray, Lord God, that you would show yourself to be the true deliverer that you are, that you would give us faith in your deliverance. You said, God, we didn't say it, but you said it, that whom you have set free is free indeed, free thoroughly. So God, help us to walk in that confidence, even if our victory is yet to come, if it's a day away, a week away, a year away. Father, if you never deliver us, Father, from the things that we're dealing with, just like the Hebrew boys, we know that you can, you may not, but we know that you can. And so, Father, we are giving you the glory, we're giving you the honor, and Father, we are going to be a light in this dark world, even if we are struggling ourselves, because we know that in all that we do, you will get the glory that all will work out for the good. So we thank you, Father God, and ask that, Lord God, that you would continue to draw us closer to you. Father, we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Alrighty. All right, cool, guys. Guys, I want to thank you so much. I feel good. Now, I have to go, I have to go work out. So, guys, if you have any concerns, anything, let me know. I'll try. It's going to be hard. I'm getting ready. I got a lot to do, a lot to do in preparation for Saturday for the Bible study that we're having that starts back up. Remember, this Saturday at 11 a.m. Central Standard Time, if you're on the East Coast, 10 a.m. No, 12, 12 p.m. If you're on the West Coast, 10 a.m. Look forward to you guys being there, let's say Thursday. So Friday, I've got to get all this stuff ready. I've got something to unveil for you guys on Saturday morning as well. So in the meantime, guys, thank you all. God bless you. Again, I've said it before. You guys, without question, are the best, the best chat on the planet. I got the best moderators, got the best people to come by and check us out. Even, even if you're one of those dog on cowboy fans still, listen, the best cowboy fans are the ones that come to this channel. Those are the best cowboy fans because you guys, you guys keep it real. You need somebody like me to help you keep it real. Let you know that you ain't going nowhere. You won't win this boat anytime soon, which makes you realistic cowboy fans. Anyway, guys, thank you so much. I look forward to seeing you guys on tomorrow. God bless you.