(0:00)Why you're lying to yourself
If you paint this picture that, oh, we're going to one day have a great president who's going to usher us into this utopia, you're lying. It's not going to happen. The Bible says in the last days, the love of men will wax cold. Men will be lovers of themselves. And we are seeing that and we're seeing the consequences of that. So, the political alignments based off of dubious economic interests, the socioeconomic collapse, all of these things have been written out in scripture. Yeah. So, when you talk about finding faith in the middle of this, I'm like, come on. You should have had your faith before this. Finding faith in the middle of this is a challenge. You should come into this with faith, not be inside it. It's like somebody who is drowning trying to learn how to swim. Unfiltered.
(0:43)The 'Not Getting Paid' Reality
Hi everybody. Welcome back to another episode of PF Unfiltered. My name is Esther Griffin and I have You have go on tundday ma with us today. I got it right. I don't I I don't like it, but I'll take it. Say it for me again. Don't be in a haste for Don't be in a h for tomorrow. No, not we're doing classes. I have no problems with it. No, okay. What does it mean? Don't be in a haste for like wealth or grace or Okay. Whatever. And then we have the Yeah. Sometimes this is Jesus is dad sometimes. Okay. And then we have the one and only with us. One and only. Hey guys, how you how you all doing? Waguan. And then we also have Holy Spirit. Hello. Mrs. Rosen is you just call her Mrs. I spoil Auntie M. First of all, last episode somebody said she was single. All of a sudden in you're not saying she's not she's not single. She's not married. She's she's involved. Oh, she's not dating. What? Yeah, cuz we've established that dating is not the right word. I'm involved. What? You are involved, but you should not been getting involved. She's This is the problem with our our society. Let's get back to the topic. Off task. Um but we're excited to be back. Um like, comment, subscribe if you guys um enjoy the video. Share with your friends. all the feedback that have been bring in over the last couple of months. We are really appreciative and really really grateful. The uh the the good feedback, the the the not so the constructive feedback. Um and also for those that are interested in sponsoring the podcast. Um please DM us, let us know. Um and we'll definitely be appreciative of your sponsorship. I'm just trying to say I need to get paid. M can I I'm just That's all I'm trying to say. I just need to get paid. That's all I'm saying. Children needs to get paid. That's all I'm saying. All right. The producer said they'll pay you. So they say, "Are we live? Did they Did we catch?" Okay. Anyway, sorry. Um this week we really want to discuss
(3:08)Faith in the middle of the fire
like, you know, um how we get how we get through and have faith in like the fire, right? When we're going through really really tough seasons, how do we do that? Um yeah. you know what are your thoughts today this current climate too I think just the uncertainty that's going around from a national standpoint um whether it's uh political administrations whether it's um the job market yeah the job market um or whether it's just not getting paid when you're on a podcast just those kind of difficult situations to go through yeah I I I feel you man you know um cuz when you are when you're the PF and PF unfiltered and you're not getting paid kind of it really is tough kind of it's kind of it's kind of difficult. It really is to wake up to that reality. I know you know and then the the uh tund aka aka is demanding to get paid but the PFP and PF on that is not paid but I mean that's the world we live in right now. How do you navigate that? You know they say that the the pastor is you know how did Christ put it? You know the the master washes the the feet of his disciples the servants disciples. Yeah. So that one is a true. The last shall be the first and the last. Exactly. That's that's why this is that's this dynamic. That's that's the explanation. I'm getting it. I'm getting it. Can we fire him? I mean technically firing me would not be that hard because I'm not getting paid anyway. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. But but seriously though, what what are we talking about? I mean it's really that like it's the world is an issue. Yeah, it is an issue. And the reason why we
(4:42)Why are you surprised by the chaos?
bring it up today is because there's so much going on. Like every day the news cycle is changing. Um people are the job market is horrible that I have so many people around me that don't have jobs. I mean eggs are $12 per dozen. I mean it's a hard it's hard out here. It is. And I am surprised that people are surprised, right? I I guess to to the the real to tie it into the topic of like the current climate, it ind as Christians, it induces worry. Yeah. Why that? Now, let's talk about that. Yeah. Let's let's talk about why it induces worry. We we we it's it's you know I I please don't misunderstand my amusement um directed outward. It's it's it's I'm part of the problem, right? We have created a false sense of what life is about, right? In the church. Yeah. In our attempts to be optimistic, in our attempts to bring hope, right? We have hidden the truth.
(5:45)The world is on a downward spiral
And the truth is the world is on a downward spiral. The Bible has said it. The Bible is as old, but it's older than I am. So if for example I was born into a Christian family, I should know that the world is on a downward spiral. If I've been taught the Bible from my childhood, I should have been taught that the world is on a downward spiral. It does not get better. So why are we worried when we had been told from day one it doesn't get better. Except if we were not told it doesn't get better, right? So we've been told that it will get better, the world would get better. And then we're faced with a reality that it is not getting better in our own time. We're seeing the the the spiral. Can I add to that? I think part of the problem part of part of the problem also is that people when they're having kids, they'll say, you know, I want to make the world a better place for my children. As if the world is ever going to get better. You can never make the world a better place for your children. What you can make better for your children is the hope. If you can give them hope that their life in this world is going to be marked by challenges, you can prepare them for those challenges. It sounds bleak. Yeah, it does sound bleak. And the bleakness, I think, is what repels us from it, right? But anything else is a lie. Yeah. Right. If you paint this picture that, oh, we're going to one day have a great president who's going to usher us into this utopia. Mhm. You're lying. It's not going to happen. The Bible says in the last days the love of men will wax cold. Men will be lovers of themselves. Right? And we are seeing that and we're seeing the consequences of that. Right? So the political alignments based off of dubious economic interests, the the socioeconomic collapse, all of these things have been written out in scripture. Yeah. So when
(7:38)Stop trying to learn to swim while drowning
you talk about finding faith in the middle of this, I'm like, come on. You should have had your faith before this, right? Finding faith in the middle of this is a challenge, right? You should come into this with faith, not be inside it. It's like somebody who is drowning trying to learn how to swim. You learn to swim before you get in the water. So, I guess like in my head, this impending impending there's no impendment. It's happening. Oh, okay. This unfolding. Okay. Unfolding. Yes, that's a better word. Unfolding. But then in my head I'm thinking it seems to me whether it is cuz you know your boy is young. I'm not you know I'm I'm not I'm not being around that much right but since I've been born I've heard of this unfolding generations past and past unfolding has been unfolding for a long time and it's unfolding. That's what is called an unfolding. So when will it completely unfold? Do I know? Nobody knows that. But what it says, nobody can tell you the exact date. Yeah. When it is done. But the Bible is clear, right? There's a progression and it's a downward progression. So it's not really a progression cuz progression implies upward. It's a spiral. It's a downward spiral. And what we are seeing from time whatever is the spiraling, right? So it's not a it's not a thing that happens in minutes or hours or days or years or decades right or centuries but it is happening right and we are living in it and that's why the Bible doesn't really talk about happiness it the Holy Spirit does not bring happiness because happiness will be based on circumstances that the Bible has says is on a downward spiral. It talks about the joy right and joy comes from within not externally right externally you will have in this world you will have tribulations yeah in this world you will have problems count it all joy right because something on the inside of you is what we're trying to activate because we can't do anything with what's on the outside of you so sorry real quick like and I and I hear you right like the Bible says count it toward joy I want to count it toward joy I can't count it all joy Why I I I want to be practical and be be practical. I know a lot of times where we've we read the word PF made a good point earlier where the Bible tells us that this unfolding is not anything new and it assures us security in Christ but we still worry. Yeah, we do. We are still anxious. Yes, we are still fighting each other. There is still conflict. I don't want to just throw out the word even though that's true. I want to kind of No, no, no, no. I I disagree with you fundamentally. No. And I'll tell you why. Our cons our our solace, our hope is in the word of God and in believing.
(10:35)The trap of Spiritual Bypassing
So, so let me tell you what what people say. They say, in fact, I was reading the write up for the for the for the podcast and there was something about spiritual bypassing where people tell you to to um Jesus will do it, but they don't do anything. Mhm. Sometimes there's nothing for you to do. There's just nothing for you to do. Believe the word. Right. This is what the word of God says. If you believe it, if you believe it, right? You don't have to do anything. Your faith belief is enough to change the way that you feel. Right? So if you are anxious, your anxiety is an emotional reaction to your thoughts. Your thoughts are the product of the data that you consume and the data that you accept and the data that you believe. If you believe what the word of God says, let's call the word of God data, right? If you believe it, if that is what you consume, that is what you accept, that is what you believe, right? Your thoughts will be different. Your your your assessment and analysis of what is going on will be different and your emotions will react differently. your emotions will will manifest differently or I can sit down here and tell you there's this do one two three four five things right what you do does not change how you feel what changes how you feel is what you think and what you believe right and what you think is based off of where you gather your data from what kind of data you're consuming so this data that you're talking about I mean I will assume is like from all the social media or news channels and friends and just people's experiences, personal experiences. I feel like I wouldn't want to be ignored cuz yeah, I want to also, you know, listen to God's word and trust in him, but then I also don't want to be ignored about what's actually going on and how to navigate that because I could ignore it and be like, okay, let me just stick to my routine and all this stuff, but it's like, man, it's kind of like the building's on fire and you're saying everything's fine, everything's fine. So, so, so, so, yeah, true. I I get I get the practical leanings, but this is what I'm talking about. Right? I'm not asking you to not pay attention to the news. Right? Right. But put the news in context. Right? Put the
(12:53)Perspective: Arsenal vs The World
news in context. Let me give a classic example. Right. Um you you hear that um Barcelona, right? Um not Barcelona, I don't Manchester United. No, this this is Arsenal just cuz Arsenal you heard you you read somewhere listen to me. you read somewhere that Arsenal defeated um Manchester City at the um FA Cup finals, okay, right? And some people are losing their minds over it, right? The reason why you don't join them and lose your mind because you know this is just a football game. This is 22 men on the field chasing a piece of leather. You have perspective over it. You have perspective about it. your perspective, what you believe about that game, right, will affect how you feel about that game, right? Now, there are some people who will hear the same news, right, who will lose their minds because they placed the bet on that game, right? That the outcome of the game will be Manchester City defeating Arsenal, right? They're invested in that game. Their life is dependent on the outcome of that game. Their future or they believe so is dependent on that game, right? you are looking at that game as entertainment and not great entertainment sometimes is Arsenal and Manchester United I mean Manchester City you know I mean I mean Arsenal is definitely great entertainment for sure different reason whatever but you get the point I'm making right what your hope is in is where your anxiety comes from. I am trying and I've always said this. I'm trying to come to a place and I'm a lot better now than I was 2 3 4 5 years ago. Yeah. Where I am putting certain things into perspective. And it is not a perspective that is driven by my study of philosophy or a perspective that is driven by my survival instincts, but it's a perspective that is driven by
(14:50)Whose analysis are you trusting?
what does God say? Right? If God is who I say he is, if he loves me as much as I say he loves me, if I trust him as much as I say I trust him, why should I not put stock right into what he says? Why should I not depend on his analysis, right? And so when you when you talk about how, you know, we don't just want to throw scripture out there, right? We don't there's nothing else to do, right? And I I said that PF because just to clarify not that we shouldn't control the truth, right? The reason why I said that is because this you make you made a very good point about like the truth would set us free if we are if we understand what the Bible tells us and a lot of us go to church. A lot of us, a lot of I don't know about believ but a lot of us have been educated even if it's not social media based on whatever the churches that we go to preach or they tell us like again I don't want to say certain things but anyway and for whatever reason we've consumed all this data but it's intellectual doesn't hit the heart. So if the evidence of that is okay when these issues arise around us our heart is always like heavy and anxious and worried to me and I put myself there as well as you were saying that shows me that yes I have heard the word yes I might even repeat it like a parrot but I don't really believe it is is that fair it makes I think also people don't know how to put in they don't know how to put in perspective the things that are happening in the moment to um to have perspective and let me explain what that what that means. So in Matthew 6 um chapter Matthew 6 verse 25 it says therefore I tell you do not be anxious about your life what you will eat or what you will drink nor about your body what you will put on is life not more than food um and the body more than clothing. Look at the birds in the air. They neither they neither sow nor reap nor gather into a barn yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to your life to his lifespan? And why are you why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the liies in the field how they grow. They neither tore I got it. Nor but for the people that are listening, they probably don't know. The the reason why the reason I'm I I'm trying to is I get I get Okay, you get the point. I get the point. So, I say all this to say is that when we're going through tough times in the grand scheme of things, we could think, okay, yes, like I know that I know that God is going to provide. I know that I shouldn't be anxious, but it's sometimes it's in the step-by-step process where that that anxiety then like kind of stirs up, right? So, in the grand scheme, I know that the Lord is going to provide. For instance, let's say somebody, you know, a person loses their job, right? in the in the idea of it all, right? They know that God is going to provide. They believe that the Lord is going to provide, but they can't see the pathway to the provision, right? Actually, similar to what you were talking about yesterday. It's exactly what I said. No, no, it's actually similar. This is crazy. No, no, no, no. Walked into that one. I didn't even realize, but that's how you know the thing is in my heart. So, you can't see the pathway for so in the step to step dayto day on the Yeah, you can't see the pathway. How do you then like put that scripture into perspective? So, so this is that's gr that feels granular. So, this is the problem, right? This is the problem, right? We are trying to we're trying to pass a segment and really uh it's simple. It's not easy, but it's simple, right? It's not complex, but it is, you know, simplicity and difficulty are not exclusives. Things are simple and hard. Okay, good. Do you have faith? Do you believe what God said? Yes. If you believe what God said at every stage of the process, that guides your thinking. If God says, "I'm going to look after you." Right? What what what are the different steps? What does that involve? It means that um I've got a bill to pay. God is going to look after me to pay the bill. This is the this is the challenge we have. You have gone and you have bought a house and the mortgage is $7,000. Yeah. Right. I'm just throwing that out there. $7,000. No, there are people that their mortgage is some is nodding head like Yeah. Your mortgage is $7,000, right? God has promised you shelter. He didn't promise you a $7,000 mortgage. You're living in a house, right? Where 50% of the house you don't even enter, right? You've got a game room that you enter once a year. Yeah. You've got a media room that you use in theory. You've got a guest bathroom. Theory is crazy. That's you are paying people money to clean, but nobody uses. You've got a yard that's 1 acre of just grass and all you do is cut it. You don't even go back there. That's crazy. And somehow somehow Yeah. God, how am I going to pay for this? What are you doing with it? Why do you need it? It's a status symbol. Period. You have one child. That child is 6 months old. Sheesh. Right. You're living in 7,000 ft. Yeah. Right. You're driving a car that's canot $2,500, 500 or 7,000 horses, whatever. Why? Right. Yeah. Yeah. There's going to be anxiety. Well, can I can I make it a little quick? There's going to be anxiety there. And I don't believe I don't believe that God is um in in in when when when he's thinking about you and provision, right? that he's thinking, "Oh my god, I need to keep my son in a $7,000 in a $7,000t mansion that he doesn't need." Right. Doesn't really just for his ego. Yes. But you want a roof, I got you. Yeah. You want food, I got you. You want good health, I got you. But not good health to sit down and eat five cinnabons, right? So we are living and we're putting ourselves constantly beyond the boundaries of our need. What we say we need, we could actually we need maybe 25 30% of what we say we need. The rest of it is ego, vanity, insecurities, trauma responses. Right? So God is like, "You want food? I got you." But guy, you're not eating you're not eating with fat that can clog Wagu beef, you know, wagoo beef. You and those are the things that I I struggle with. I have struggled with right understanding that God's provision, right, is for my sustenance, for my well-being, not for my ego. God is not obliged to sustain my ego. That's good. God's provision for your life is not for your ego. No. For your substance, for No, no. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry. For no, I wanted to cuz I wanted to kind of bring a little closer to at least personalize it for me. So, be like just let's play scenario. Imagine the individual that their problem is not a $7,000 mortgage. The issue is um they are currently working where their engagement has been or job has been cancelled because of current administration. They have a baby on the way. Absolutely. Family is the only one that is dealing with the the he or the wife whoever is losing this particular job is the only person that health insurance comes from with the rest of the family and they're taking care of grandma and they're barely making estimates and then they find out they lose their job. Your worry and anxiety starts to step in. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. In that context that I feel might be a little bit more close to home. In the same context for a lot of people in the same context, right? And and I'm I'm so glad and I appreciate that you brought it to a more realistic scenario. But even in that context, it still comes down to the same thing. Right. Trusting in God. Yeah. See, and and and some people are going to come for me for saying this, right? But in this world you will have stuff. You will have troubles. In this world people will die. But our hope is not just for this world. It's for the world after. Right? So that person who is trusting God for um for food and to look after a child and all of that, I think I believe that God will come through. What that looks like, I don't know. I I don't know. But I believe that God will come through. What that looks like, I don't know. That person has to trust that God will come through. How that look what that looks like. I get that. What that looks like. So So let me give you let me paint another scenario. That person is an immigrant, right? And their papers are not not clear and Trump comes in and is deporting people, right? And anxiety rises. Yeah. What that person should do is trust God, right? And what does that look like? It means that you trust that wherever it is you are, God will look after you. Even if it means going back to where you came from. That's what it means. That's what it means to trust God. Even if it means that reality, it's but that is what it is. That is what faith is. That's the truth, right? Is God Is God limited to blessing you only in America? Like is that can God bless you only in America? But then think about the people that were like, "Oh, I finally made it here. Like I" and then they're sending you back. It's just kind of like, "Why did we all come back here?" So that so that so that so that so that you can so that you can be able to say so that you can be able to say that I related to Yeah. that I went to America. So when you're talking about your life, I went to America. That's it. That's it. That's it. It's still a ego. I still It's still This is the thing, right? E It's a ego boost that you went to America, but you came here to to train me and and everybody I don't get how that's an ego boost. But whatever it is, whatever it is, whatever it is, whether it's an ego boost, whether it was a whatever it is, wherever it is you are in this world, in this life, trusting God means that you trust that God can sort you out, that God can bless you, that God can provide for you, that God can look after you. Full stop. Right? So anxiety comes, that scripture you read, right? Anxiety comes when we stop trusting God and start trusting America. Trusting the system. You're trusting your job for provision. You're trusting America for provision, right? And then they come and they take America from you. Right? They take your job from you, right? Then okay, who are you trusting? Yeah. God brought you to America. God gave Abraham Isaac. And then God said, "Bring Isaac." Isaac was about 11, 12, 13. Imagine all the fun they'd had, all the conversations. And God said, "That boy that I gave you, I gave you Isaac. Bring him up to this mountain and offer him as a sacrifice." Abraham did not blink. Took him up there. Right? The boy is like, "Dad, dad, where's the goat? Where's the goat for sacrifice?" What did this say? Say God will provide. That is what faith is. And and that's different. And I wanted to pick it. I The reason I'm not saying this because of like I'm not trying to condemn or judge. So I'll use myself as an example. Yeah. If you make a very good point, I don't I don't I'm not sure I'm a fan of that expression. A good point. Is it is what I'm saying scriptural? It's scriptural. Okay. I'm trying to say it's it's the truth. What I'm saying is that as much as we we sing the songs, miracle worker, promise giver, light in the darkness, we attend the services. And there's nothing wrong with any of these things. When the test comes for me, it could be a loss of a job for someone else. It could be loss of a child, which are not easy feats by the way. When the test comes, in my again, I don't want to generalize this today too today. In my experience, I have failed that test. Because I have realized that I might say the words believe it, but I don't really believe it. Yeah, that's the problem. And and I want to I want us to talk about that because that's what I mean by like this apologize. I didn't mean like just to not throw scripture. I'm saying like once the root of the problem is understood. There's a possibility for total surrender to what you're saying like God. Yeah. Okay. So So I I would I would share the answer with you but I have to preach your sermon. The producers have to promise that they don't they don't they don't release this episode until until June when I'm done with preaching my sermon cuz this is what I started talking about yesterday. This is what I started talking about yesterday. Right. what the tests that we're experiencing, the political upheaval, the economic, you know, all of that stuff is to show us where our faith is. So those of us whose faith is tied to America, God shakes our status in America, right? Like, okay, I'm going to take America from you. Let's see what who do you trust? Right? Those whose faith is tied to their job, they take the job from them. So, who do you trust now? Right? And what that then does is that it shows you who you trust. It shows you where your faith is. And for many of us, our faith has been in America. Our sense of comfort has been in America. Our sense of safety, our sense of economic um opportunity has been tied to America, not to God. Because the minute Trump comes in, we fall apart. We fall apart. We start having serious issues, right? And and but has God has anybody taken from um God. God is still on the throne. They didn't elect a Republican God. They elected a Republican president whose authority is limited to America. Right. God is still God. Yeah. And and his love for you did not end with the election. His promises to you were not tied to the American president. So if you believe, no shaking. M so no shaking even when you're saying like during these times having to build up your faith is going to be hard cuz I remember you saying that earlier like having that faith and having to build it up right now it's really hard absolutely especially if you didn't have that good foundation absolutely the Bible says I agree with it's it's tougher now because now you do not have the luxury of of peace and calm times you're having to learn how to swim while the tide is pulling you. Absolutely. It is harder. But is it possible? Yes. So, and I I I don't think we're the first nations to go through this. Like, we're not we're not even the first generation to go through this. Yeah. Right. It's a constant reality in the human existence and in our interaction with God, right? Where you see once God moved away from the law and works, right? and started to deal with us by faith, which is everything from the point at which is everybody from the point at which Christ died, right? We came to a point where we had to be um where our faith needed to be strong, right? And where our faith needed to be purified and perfected, right? So, so it's it's almost like a we could we could say it's a cycle that is at least 2,000 years old, right? and thousands of years before the law. Yeah. If you look at the life of the Israelites after God gave them the law, the incident of God testing them diminish to the point of almost it never happened cuz he he was not dealing with them by faith anymore. It was by the law. Do this, do this, do this, you're good. Don't do it. You're in trouble. Right now, we moved. So, we celebrate. Yay. New covenant. I'm not, you know, I'm not justified by the works of the law. Yeah. But faith, faith, faith is tough. That's why the Bible says labor to enter into his rest. There's a laboring involved with faith, but it's not the laboring of obedience to the law. It's laboring of making sure that you are abiding in the truth of who Christ is and what Christ did. Yeah. So, the wind is trying to is blowing at you. What the wind is trying to do is not destroy your branches. He support you right from your from from the place where you are binding. The Bible says that a righteous man is like a man that is like a tree planted by rivers of water. Right? A righteous man, a man who believes is like a tree planted by rivers of water. Your faith is what gets you to deep down, you know, into into into rivers of of of water. That will cause your tree your your your leaves to shine. So that even when the harsh rays of the sun shine, the leaves, those leaves don't wither because their source is not the sun. Their source is is is their roots anyway. A mental labor. It is. Yeah. Yeah. It's not physical. It's not physical. It's mental. Absolutely. That's why the Bible says labor, but we we we interpret it as physical. Well, no. It's it's it's when the Bible says um the weapons of of our warfare are not ker but they are mighty through God to pulling down strongholds casting down imaginations and bringing thoughts into subjection. It's in your head. It's it's mental, right? It's about again what you think perspective. Yeah. So do not be anxious. What you think your anxiety is a feeling that comes from your thoughts, right? Yeah. And and the the the effort the effort of a Christian, the new covenant Christian is not in and I said it and some people were just running their mouths about that's great that that God is not as concerned with morality as he is concerned with righteousness. And I said morality is relative to location. You are a liar. Yes. And somebody said I'm a liar. I dare to tell that person with all due respect your your Y I won't say it. I won't I won't I won't wait. Paul, did somebody say this in the comments? In which which No, we we appreciate we appreciate all kinds of appreciate you calling me a liar. You you you bump appreciate you calling PF a liar. Sorry. I shouldn't abuse. We appreciate our producers have asked me I apologize for for speaking to you with the same for matching your energy. Anyway, anyway, anyway, we appreciate the unfiltered comments. Yes, after all it is unfiltered. So, so can we be unfiltering with each other? Fire me, I fire you. But, but, but seriously, in in where I grew up, if you kiss the woman good morning, I was not your wife. Either a peck on the cheek or the forehead. That's immoral. Mhm. That's immoral. In the western world, absolutely. In fact, in French, they do it three times. Three times immoral. Can you imagine what kind of nonsense greeting is that? Right. Which means for those who don't understand, bro, if you if I you're trying to kiss another man's wife, if I if I see you, right? Right. Right. So, so that's kind of morality. I understand. Right. A short skirt in some places will get you stoned and a short skirt here will be admired like, "Oh, wow. That's that you look really nice. you. Jeez. I I guess their their assumption is not taking the time to understand what you're saying, but thinking is not giving a black statement for just see you see you see that's the assumption. You see you seeing that's what they producers producers are warning me again. Let me not finish that sentence. Anyway, they didn't even follow they didn't even think about the the follow-up statement of like you said righteousness but they just ed morality liar. What kind of I'm sure the person said that lie in their native language. [Laughter] We're not going to match this energy. Clearly, you can see that it is spinning me. You can see it. I mean, it wasn't this comment like he's spinning me like four videos ago. It was It was I think I think the problem is that the producers have kept me locked in. They've not allowed me to speak my mind. So, it keeps coming up. You guys lose me. Uhhuh. Um, so what were we saying? Sorry. Yeah. What were we saying again? I mean, I do want to bring this up. We can we can we can turn in a different direction. Um, like when you think about like you as a pastor leading a church and people start acting up as a result of the cultural all the things that are going on within the economy, like how do you deal with that? So, like how do you prepare us as a church um to be prepared for some of the things that we see coming in the news to help I guess affirm what we believe and act in that belief. I I love that question. PM this is your fault. In short, you not prepared us properly. So, how do you make sure we're not I I I really appreciate you bringing that to the surface. You know, it gives me a bit more room to match the energy. Yeah. But but this is what I would say, right? That's what I have been doing. You just haven't paying attention. No, I me I have. I just ask for the audience and and locked in. Okay. And and to be really honest, right? I also, and I said this on Sunday, I am also learning from my own reactions to things and the Holy Spirit dealing with me on things, right? I am not immune from the effects of the political winds, the economic winds. Absolutely. I experience them in many ways that one day we'll talk about right. So I react to them too and some of my reaction is exactly like yours. But I am learning that the problem is not the wind. The problem is not the problem. The problem is not the political upheaval. The problem is not the economic instability. The problem is not the leadership and their um style. The problem is my faith. Right? The Bible says that if your strength fails you in the day of adversity, if you faint in the day of adversity, it is because your strength was too small. It doesn't say that if you fail in the day of adversity, it is because the adversity was too big. Then the problem is the adversity. It was too big. But if it says your strength was too small, the problem is your strength. It was too small. If I fall apart in the day of political turmoil, right? My faith is the problem. I need to look inwards. Do I really believe what God says? And if I don't believe what God says, why? Right? Why don't I believe what God says? So in church and I'm going to beg the producers not to show this particular episode until afterwards right after I finish the sermon series because I can't really go into depth and I don't want you to think you understand because of one or two lines I say on this thing but there a couple of things that you you need to develop a habit of doing right number one is listening to God's voice. The Bible says faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God. We spend a lot of time listening to everybody but God. It's ridiculous. If your your computer, Apple does this thing where every week they'll give you a report on your screen time, right? When you look at how much time you spent in front of your screen phone, right? And and and compare it with the amount of time you spent listening to the word of God. It doesn't even compare. Oh my god. You spend a so so invariably and and let's be honest the average Christian right the people in this room are not average Christians they they they what are we below them oh they're much better than because the average Christian spends I'm poor in spirit the average oh Jesus is lovely some people are below average apparently the average Christian spends 35 minutes every week listening to a sermon including Sunday yes 35 minutes or 40 I know that you're doing better. Wait, wait, wait, wait. Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. 40 minutes listen to a sermon, right? And then they will spend 10 minutes here and there, right? They will get a little snippet of this or a little snippet of that from um social media depending on how the graphics is framed. If it catches their attention, invariably they will spend maybe total 3 4 hours of their week on interaction with God and the things of God. Can we put it? Can we can we put in perspective how many hours do we have in a week? You have 24 hours * 7. Mhm. Right. That's uh 21 10 what? 72. I was leaving you to do it. You already started. 24 * 7 168 hours. Out of 168 hours you spend how many in sleeping? Three. Oh eight. Oh 8 * 7. 8 * 7 56 maybe. 56. Okay. Then so you spend about you have 1132 112 waking hours out of 112 waking hours where you're consuming data of all sorts. Mhm. You've only consumed 3 hours worth of data and that is the really good ones. 3 hours worth of data from God or the things of a week worth of data. Right? That's not enough. Now that how much data are you consuming from nonsense? Your screen time will tell you 22 hours. 30 hours you've been in front of the screen. You have found 30 hours out of your busy work week to stare at your screen. Manchester United, um, Tik Tok dances, um, the latest Nollywood, Hollywood, gossip, [ __ ] YouTube movies, um, cooking shows, house, ag TV, news, entertainment is big, um, funny memes, but 3 hours slash 22 hours, you are going to have issues faith-wise. Is it because we it's easier to distract ourselves with the external things than to than the word right because the word is supposed to be you know beautiful and very let me tell let me tell you what it is from it candy is sweet candy is very sweet doesn't feel you destroys your teeth but it tastes so good that is the human existence and the word is just too too truthful too piercing like a double with no no the the word the word is not as immediately gratifying. You don't get an immediate adrenaline boost. It's not microwave. It's not just that. It does not your body does not react to it. Even if you read nothing can separate me from the love of God. There's a there's a boost of oxytocin. There's a boost of oxytocin, right, that you get, right, from putting candy in your mouth, that the word of God is not is a bit more subtle and our human brain quickly can get wired to quick hits and and heavier punches, right? The word of God is like is is is subtle. It's like a slow burn, slow release, right? It requires meditation. It requires interaction. Yeah. Tik Tok. Wait, that was not bad. That was not bad. By the way, if you if you can't see PF, I advise you to go on YouTube or Spotify and look at the video portion. They do. Okay. That's so funny. And it gives you a little bit of feel good, right? You watch one comedian say something stupid, a little bit of feel good, right? Yeah. No, people are people are funny on YouTube, not going to lie. I'm not going to lie, though. Then some people are really funny on YouTube, right? There you go. There you go. See what we're talking about? And and and you know that that laughter, it just it does something for your belly. No, it does. It satisfies. That's what the Bible says. Yes. It's it satisfi it doesn't satisfy it. Um it's like you just had a nice avoidance um scoop of ice cream, one scoop, but then you have 22 scoops of ice cream, but three teaspoons of healthy food, apple cider vinegar, you're going to have a problem. There you go. That's number one. Number two, the Bible says that when you pray in the spirit, you build up your faith. Praying in the spirit means praying a as led by the Holy Spirit. Praying in the spirit means b praying in tonesues. But let's leave praying in tongues for a minute. Let's talk about just praying as led by the Holy Spirit. How much time right in that 112 hours is dedicated to being led in prayer by the Holy Spirit? Some of us spend time praying. We spend an hour every morning praying as as a as a congregation. I lead I well I'm not doing it right now but when I'm leading it every morning before I wake up I say Lord when I wake up sorry I say Lord how should we pray this morning literally every morning what direction should we pray that is spiritled prayer I believe that the prayer points that I call and the way that I pray is inspired by the Holy Spirit it does something to my faith the third thing is thanksgiving Right? And not thanksgiving only when God does something spectacular, but a constant ruminating on the things that the Lord has done. Gratitude for you. Yeah. Right. It does something to your faith. Right. Those three things just off the top of my head. A fourth one we could add fellowship with fellowshipping with other believers. people have gotten to this point and and I really think COVID was problematic on so many levels. What we did during COVID was that we legitimized being at home and engaging with church from digital platforms. Yeah. And Christianity. Yes. Right. But what that then did what that then did is that it turned us into very lazy Christians. And that laziness and don't misunderstand me. Watching service online is not what makes you a lazy Christian. But there's a culture of ease that has become established in the church. So church is is too much of a hardship to get up, put on clothes and go to church. You know, I watch the service here, right? But then there's some other things that you don't have that alternative, man. This Bible study, man. prayer, hardship becomes bad. Period. Anything that is uncomfortable, inconvenient with the things of God becomes bad. But the only thing that there's an alternative to is service. There's no way you're going to escape the hardship of waking up to pray. There's no way you're going to escape the hardship of sitting down, shutting off whatever distraction it is, and reading your Bible. There's no way. So guess what happens? Those things fall by the wayside. Do away with that, right? There's no way you're going to escape the hardship of service, right? It's either you serve or you don't serve. So we've got a ton of Christians in quote who are there was one there's one movie about what the world looked like a few thousands of years ahead where everybody was just fat and couldn't move. It was a cartoon. I don't remember. You probably had like virtual reality. Oh my god. It was I can't remember the name of that show. That's what you're talking. Is it like a little robot? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Some cartoon like that. Where is the cartoon? Is it on like I don't remember the name. She Please don't go. And and that's what's happening with the church. It's great. We've got Christians, right, who don't realize Yeah. how they are one crisis away from losing their faith. m one crisis away from losing their faith. And guess what? I've been warning about this for a long time. I've been saying to folks, this boom, you're doing two jobs, three jobs. It's not going to last. I've been saying it for a couple of years now. Right? We came out of COVID and it was like boom, the government threw money to the system, right? Everybody's watching church from home, right? Life is good. We're buying bigger houses, bigger cars, having more parties, taking more trips. Right. And I'm like, you guys calm down. Wait for it. It's coming. It's starting to happen. Mhm. Right. And what people don't what we're seeing is not even the fullness of it. It is just the the harbingers of it, the the advanced party is just beginning to show its face, right? But where is our faith? I have a question. Yes, ma'am. Just going to pivot. When these times come, because they will come. How do we show up as a church? We show up as a church by providing a an opportunity for people to engage with one another, right? Yeah. We show up by providing the the church is like is like the body of Christ and every time we gather, right? Every time we engage with one another, there is a release of spiritual power. each person in the church, right? Yeah. That enables us, that um empowers us, that replenishes our faith. Yeah. But again, the church has become an expendable part of our walk with God. Right? So you see people saying, "I'm a Christian, but I don't believe in church. I don't go to church." But the Bible calls the church the body of Christ. Yeah. It is the body of Christ. It's not the um is not a symbol of the body of Christ. It is the How do you love Christ and hate his body when the head when when nourishment is passing around? It's the body is a the church is an integral part of the Christian's life. Yeah. Right. And and when I say church, I am careful, right, to say church. Church, you are not the church just by yourself. You are a part of the church. You're like a brick in the church. And when a brick sits on the lawn, you're just a brick. Mhm. But when you become a part of the house, the heat in the house warms you. Oh, that's a good analogy, boy. Right. the the the the fragrance in the house touches you. But when you are just a brick on the lawn, man, I'm a brick. Clap for yourself. And just to get like a little bit deeper for me, too, because I can't We're not deep enough yet. No, because my head is doing this where it's like, no, we are. We're very deep. My mind is doing this thing where it's like, okay, PF is saying all these things about the importance of the church, not isolation. I'm saying all these things about the things you need to do to build your faith, right? The things I need to do to build my faith. Let's put it that way. And we know that there are people that their faith won't be built up when they're going through things. So, it's like really how do we show up? What does that look like? What are the solutions? So, so let me give you an example just we need to talk about this deep deep thing we want to talk about, right? The best I can do for you is give you out of what I have, right? I can either a give you materially, but if I'm going through it as well, I have nothing to give you materially. Yeah. Or I can give you out of my faith. Right. What you do with it again is up to you. I sat down with a guy who was one of the things that happened in the last um in the last few months is some segment of the society you know um immigrant students woke up one day and their student visas were revoked literally on mass they woke up one day go to school and they pulled into the um into school um admin and told your visa has been revoked your immigration status does does not exist and you're in danger of being deported. How did they know the school? They they they got they get a notification. They get a notification literally. So, one of them, you know, he's he's he's crippled with fear because the climate we're seeing people being pulled off the streets, right? I don't know if I should leave my house. I don't know what my status is. So I sit him down and I have a conversation with him about faith and fear. Nothing else. I had nothing to what can I do about your immigration state? Like there's nothing I can do. Right? If I recommend a lawyer, I don't have money for you to pay the lawyer. Right? So I had a question with him and to the glory of God, he sent me a message and said after our conversation, fear left and faith filled his mind. Interestingly, a couple of weeks later, I got news that the same way that they revoked it was they reinstated it. They reinstated it. Right. But those weeks, right, that guy would have lived in fear. Yeah. A terrible, debilitating, paralyzing fear. All I could do was impart to him some of my faith. Right. That's all. And that's what the church is there for, right? to help you put things in perspective, to help you latch onto the things of God, right? Other than that, and and and and you know, the interesting thing, right, is this. The vast majority of churches are doing that excellently. The vast majority of churches are doing it fantastically. However, we don't interact with the vast majority of churches. We interact with the outliers, the mega churches, right? And we we we we look at the mega churches and we look at the excesses we perceive from the mega churches and even and and we we dismiss them. But even those mega churches are providing hope. Yeah. On some level, right? That is what the church is there too. The church is like that that building that when a brick is in its place, it receives warmth from and when it is not right, it receives nothing. Yeah. And it's subject to the elements. You're still a break, but you're not being resourced as if you will be a part of the as if as as as if as you would be if you were part of the building. Yeah. Right. And and this is not about Sunday service alone. It's a part of it. Yeah. Cuz a lot happens in Sunday service. A lot happens spiritually in Sunday service. Right. And if Yeah. Okay. You cannot be in Sunday service physically but you're there you know on a on a platform. You have to be careful that that that is does not then live in the rest of your spiritual walk. Right. Are there are there issues with the church? Absolutely. Yeah. Absolutely. But you you that you are claiming issues and pointing out issues. You a working issue. That's Oh my god. It's a factual statement. Mic drop. You're a walking issue, but you want to turn up your nose. Yeah, you've been hurt, but you've also hurt people, too. We have this expectation of perfection from everybody except us. It's ridiculous. And the only person that suffers it mostly from the pastor as well. Listen, anybody that expecting perfection from me, keep waiting. one day Jesus will come and you will see it. Mhm. No, that's one thing that I really like about you that you let people know like, "Hey, I'm human." Cuz a lot of people put so much faith in their pastors and when they fall, they just the world the whole world. Yeah. Do you know how many do you know how many times I have fallen? I mean, a righteous man falls seven times. I've fallen six. Yeah. No to be fair though like we also to a certain extent put you know the questions that we ask we direct you know PF PF PF PF and every time you keep saying like obviously I'll point but make sure you you know you go to the word some pastors don't necessarily do that or maybe they do but I don't I I think I think I think from my own experience every time you I I've taken a hit from my attempts to redirect people right people are looking for God. Mhm. In one. Yeah. Oh, people people want me to say, "Thus says the Lord, bring all your tithe into the storehouse or it will be tight." People want me to do that. People are waiting for you to to assume that role, right? And I've tried it. It doesn't work for me. And I have seen my own humanity. And even me, I was like, "Bro, you have issues." So, I'm not going to put myself on a pedestal. I refuse. Every time someone tries, I climb down. It's not cuz you know what? It's better that I climb down myself than that I fall of it because it is inevitable. You will fall off it. Yeah. It's inevitable. Are you kidding me? You're a human being. Yeah. You are a human being. If you're sitting down here thinking that ah I can't wait first keep on living. It reminds me of the scripture that one of my very close friends Ty Ber if you know him shout out um you know what Jesus Christ said why were you doing your face like that as you're calling his name because like you know he's doing some fantastic things just can't say it right now but um Christ knew what I knew. Shake your head. Uh we're about to close. Can I close? Oh yeah. uh he always says uh that Christ that verse that Christ says why do you call me good only your father in heaven is good that level of humility from our savior a lot of us not just pastors can learn a thing or two from my god from Jesus Christ my god I I just want to say I want to I want to encourage us like you know if you are feeling hopeless if you're feeling um down and out if you're feeling allowing the ways of the world to pretty much crush you in a sense um can you provide some some encouragement for that. Um, absolutely. But let me just point out that Esther is the producers's pet. She always does all the things that they ask her. When she talks like she's reading the she's reading the note, she hits her cues, you know. She doesn't miss it, you know. So, you don't get paid. We need to investigate because the way she's diligent. Maybe Essa is collecting money checks because I don't understand. I just want to say these are the things, not the jobs that we're doing. That's vanity upon vanity. These are the things. Yeah, today let's have a question. We need we need to form we need we need better representation but honestly anyway to answer EA and the producers's question according to the script which T and I are constantly leaving behind um God loves you right the love that he has for you is is unbelievable if he could send his son to die for you right then there is nothing that would um separate separate you from him and his goal ultimately cannot be thwarted. There's no man alive that can circumvent, undermine, destroy God's plans for you. So if God has planned to prosper you, he will prosper you. It doesn't matter where you are. It doesn't matter where you work. Doesn't even matter when you work. He will prosper you. I think we just have to come to a point where we take his words with the weight that they deserve. Right? And if you can do that, if you can find it in your heart to just believe him, you will have peace. You know, the Bible says he keeps him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on him. Focus your attention on him. Can you say that again? He keeps you on what? In perfect peace. Perfect peace whose mind is stayed on him. Whose mind stays on him? Yes. He whose mind is stayed on him. And and I'm beginning to find out that it is important that your mind is stayed on the Lord in the right way. If your mind is stayed on the Lord in terms of, oh, what does the Lord want? What does the Lord want? What does the Lord want? What am I doing? What am I not doing? Guy, you will find yourself down a rabbit hole of anxiety. Wow. But if you will focus on the reality that this God says concerning you, you are my righteousness in Christ Jesus. Peace. That's a that's a wrap, man. That's a great way to end it to to pay some bills real quick. This episode was sponsored by Bar Raven. Um, so shout out to Bar Raven. And also, if you have your faith in the fire story that you want to share, please put it DM us, put in the comments so we can learn a thing or two as well. And if anybody's listening to this and you feel like we have I have minimized your your pain and your challenges, I I apologize. It's not my intention to minimize you. It's my intention to elevate our God. Yeah. [Music] Um, read your Bible. Yep. Read it. Medit. Not only read it, meditate on it. I mean, I have to read my own. You read your own. Please. Can you edit out that part? Like, subscribe, guys. Comment, share, and like Tundai said, please share with us some of your faith the fire Yeah. stories. I mean, the Bible talks about how we overcome by testimony. Ab by the blood of the lamb. By the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. Thank you. Please also share your stories of from fire to faith. Yeah. Always pastors only hear bad news. Can you share some good news? Yeah. Good news. Now I said that's what I meant to say. I meant to say faith. I I people share their weddings and their babies because they want you to come and do their wedding ceremonies and their baby dedication. It's kind of good news. They don't share their promotions. What does the Bible say about? They don't share their breakthroughs. No, wait. What does the Bible says about those who um bring good news? Blessed are the feet of those who bring who and but that's not talking about good news of promotion. It's talking about good news of the gospel. Oh, Jesus Christ. Let's be going. We'll see you guys later. Peace. All right y'all. Appreciate it. Materialism unfiltered. [Music]