The Hope Hotline - Live In The Truth

Episode Date: May 1, 2026

The Hope Hotline | S04-E25 | 05-01-2026

Hello and welcome to the Hope Hotline. Today is Friday. It's relaxed Friday. Oh, okay. I'm in a T-shirt. Oh, but, but wrapping. No, this way. Foundation Church. That's right. I don't really like this logo when it first came out. I know. That's going on me. I really like it. Everybody did, but me. I know. Maybe it's a different generation too. It was the, it was the Gen Z years and early millennials that were in charge. And you're not. I'm an elder millennial. And I like roses. Like it looks very tattoo-y and I like that.

Yeah, I'm not. I know. And you don't like tattoos. No, I really don't. I know. See? Not a tattoo girl at all. But I love lots of people with them.

Yes, you do. It's so funny because me and Tom both don't have tattoos. I know. That's such a rarity too. Narrows away. Few there be to find it. True. Very true.

I'm on that narrow road by myself. Jesus has a tattoo, but it's a lot. fine. So I wish you would like Jesus, but it's fine. We'll be, we'll see exactly what that tattoo exactly is when we go to heaven. If it's our version of a tattoo or if it's really. And they say it's just written on his robe. I'm like, no, Jesus is hardcore. He definitely has a tattoo. I mean, this is on the high of his robe. I do think on men, tattoos are hot. They are. I mean, I am glad that Tom doesn't have them.

What? But I don't, I mean, if Jesus had a tattoo, listen. Hello. Hello. I wouldn't mind it. Wouldn't bother me that bad. Good.

That's good. It is Jesus. It is Jesus. That's right. You do whatever the heck he wants. Exactly. We have a new friend here today. I know.

Kelly's here. Vanessa's turned white. Blonde. Vanessa is a whitey like us now. I'm a Puerto Rican and spirit. That's true. She does think she's Puerto Rican. And she has a tattoo on her shoulder.

And she's got her tattoo. And I regret my tattoos though. You do regret them? Yes. Yeah. Why is that? This means nothing. It was just my 18th birthday.

So I got two on my 18th birthday. Oh, my word. The one on my side was for my grandpa, like a memorial thing, which I didn't mind. But someone paid for it. So I was like, oh, I have the money. So that I'm like, what can you put on my shoulder? So it was just very. She, like, picked it off the book, like, that one.

I did. I was like, here's my sampling of what I could put on your shoulder. And you're like, that's the one. And I said, this is the one. And I got a match. No, I wasn't. I was fully sober. And I got a match.

And I made it worse. But she was 18. But she was 18. Hello. It was my rebellious stage. Frontal lobe, not developed. And I got a matching tattoo with someone. I'm no longer.

And with? Yeah. Like friends with. Oh, friends with? Yeah. Like, it's my cousin's wife. We got matching tattoos. And then stop.

being close thereafter. Ouch. That hurts. It's okay. I get a lot of compliments and she got a sleeve to finish the tattoo. So nobody would know. True. Oh.

It's a cover up. Yeah. I hear getting them taken off is worse than getting them put on. That's what I heard. That's what I've heard. I might just stick with it. I mean, oh my gosh, because I don't think, I have a high pain tolerance, but I don't think I have that high of a pain tolerance.

Yeah, no, that's got to be rough. That girl, Kate Von D, who recently came to the Lord, she's getting them blacked out. What does that mean? Like covered black, like her arm's black now. Like, she's not getting them taken off. She's getting them blacked out. Are you kidding me? Well, the thing about getting them taken off, I'm pretty sure you're not guaranteed that they'll actually be fully invisible.

So, like, I would rather have this on my shoulder than have a faded version of it. Yeah, but totally blacked out. That's rough. Yeah. It was kind of like a trend too when she started it, like before she started it. To do a blackout? To do like all black, yeah. Well, what about the guy that rides the bike around here who's completely blacked out his face?

Did he do that on purpose because he was covered in tattoos? So he just decided to black out his face? I think. Because he's a whitey. Yeah. Yeah, he liked. It was very trendy. but she had like,

this just real quick, this is her. So she blacked out the things that didn't align with her anymore because she's, I guess, a believer now. I think she's kind of

down the Catholic route, which I'm not saying they're not believers. A lot of people have gone that route. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What do you think?

What do you think that is? Do you really want my opinion? I do, really badly, actually. Because I just, yeah, yes,

I do. I think it's really easy to be religious. Okay. And like the traditions. Yeah. Yeah. I do.

Yeah. I think it's really easy to be religious and I think it makes you feel really good to have something that you feel is pure and good in your life. But is it? I don't know. But I will say this. Obviously, Catholicism has believers in there. Right. Like, there are ones that are going to heaven and they are sold out to Catholicism.

and certain lifestyles of that, right? But I like heard Donnie Wahlberg, who him and Jen, what's his wife's name? Jen, Jenny McCarthy. Oh, yeah, yeah. Okay, so his brother, Mark Wahlberg, came out really solid Christian, Catholic, preaching, like, I don't know, four or five years ago, like just with like Matthew McConaughey

because I think Matthew McConaughey is Catholic too. Okay. Like they were like dogmatic about praying and they even got somebody else on the kick a girl. Can't remember who it was, but there's a bunch of Catholic Christian conservatives because the Walbergs are conservative. Right.

And so is Matthew McConaughey. But Donnie Walberg was asked at a podcast, a Christian podcast, he was asked, okay, exactly, let me see how he was asked. If someone were to ask you why you're a Christian or how do you know that you're going to heaven? Have you seen this? If somebody asked you how you know you're going to heaven, what would you say? And Donnie Wahlberg said, well, I'm hoping and believing I'm going to heaven. He said, but, which was really good because most people are eternally secure. Right.

So he obviously knows that when I tell you the finished part of this, he obviously knows that, or he believes that that's not true. Which a lot of Catholics don't believe it. They just believe that you don't even say a sinner's prayer. you go you're Catholic so you're going to heaven that's what a lot of people do that if they do the rosaries if they do all of the that's what makes you go to heaven okay it's works based but Vanessa said people want tradition oh yeah they totally it makes them feel good it it because people have to have something they believe in yeah and catholicism that religion gives them something

good but but I will say this and I was like hmm I'm not saying nobody knows. I mean, nobody could, people could look at me and go, nobody knows if she saved or not either. Truths. Yeah. Yeah. That was true. I mean, fruit shows you that. But he said, I hope and I believe, I hope and pray that I'm going to heaven because that was, it's the goal. But he said, if somebody asked me, why do you believe you, what makes you believe you're going to heaven? And he said, my answer would be because Jesus is my Lord and Savior. And I was like, okay, Nobody says ever. Right.

They always say, well, I believe in Jesus. Right. Or because I love Jesus. First, or they don't even say, like, I've said the sinner's prayer. Never do you hear that. And I've asked Jesus to come into my life. But hardly ever do you hear a Catholic say, because he's my Lord and Savior. Right, right.

Nobody says that. Yeah. They always make it be very religious. Like the crucifixions, things like that, they don't. Right. But when he say he's my Lord and Savior, and he almost got teary-eyed and choked up about it, I was like, okay, well, maybe it does mean something to you.

Maybe you do have a true relationship with him. Because I never hear anybody say Lord and Savior. I know. That's a rare thing. Never. Yeah. I, it's always, I'd love to thank my Lord Jesus Christ. Yeah.

Not Lord and Savior. So he obviously knows that he's Lord of his life, hopefully, and that he knows he's his Savior that gave him redemption. I mean, those are two profound things to add to the end of your sentence. True. Yeah. But what do you think? I don't know.

I think, like, for example, Kate Von D. came out of like new age and so oh really yeah there's all these like things that you follow and you have to take your crystals out and do your things with your crystals and i think a lot of it like it feels very traditional very religious like all these almost like rituals still that you have to do with the rosary bead and well it doesn't but that's what the religion part is because tracy it would all of that stuff requires really nothing of you to change right it's just an additive to part of of your functioning throughout the day. It doesn't require you to really eliminate things like the word says.

But go ahead. Yeah. It's easy. Yeah. Even like I do appreciate that Catholics do confession. Like I think that's great. I think if you know that you have to confess something, like if you're about to go sin and you're like the only way that I can make this

right as I have to tell my priest, you might have a pause thinking that like I'd have to go tell you when I sin, I may be like, man, I don't know if it's worth it if you really believe that. So I do like that confession thing, but most of them, it's not a change in their heart. So they're doing it and then they just go right back into it. So the concept is good, but the follow through probably doesn't work because again, there's no change. No, because all you got to do is about 100 Hail Mary's. Right, right.

And that's it. Right. There's a way for you to fix it. Which is instead of you fixing you, right. All you have to do is another ritual. Right. Which is very dangerous. Yeah.

There's little to no requirement of having. revealing any fruit of being a Christian in your life. Because a lot of times people just rely on the words that they say to show that they identify. But your life is really what the word says will be the example. Right. So that's what I was going to say. If somebody, like you're saying a lot of people are doing this now, like if somebody was like a Christian and now they're like kind of Protestant and they started seeking up the Catholicism side, what would you suggest for somebody to do?

is do you think just living your life with the power and the anointing and just being consistent as they like search it out? Like what would you do if a friend was doing this? Trying to be a Catholic. Yeah. Like starting to like study it out.

I'd say run, run for your life. Yeah. I wouldn't, I would verbally and be the example but I would be way verbal about it. And I would show them specifically where in the word Catholicism goes against the very word of God. Yeah.

And Catholicism is mostly made up a bunch of man-made books. It's not like, they don't study the Bible. They study these books of their doctrine. That's dangerous. And then they worship saints, which, believe me, Peter, John, all of them. God bless, man, they were phenomenal human beings. But they're not to be worshipped or Mary, for crying out loud. it's dangerous when you put somebody on a pedestal when really the only pedestals we're supposed to have set is Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity.

And when you are willing to put man on a pedestal, then eventually you'll put other people on that. And you'll have a really hard time differentiating who is and who is not the one to be worship and worthy of the worship. So super dangerous. And men are, men are, going to fool you. So it's just it's it's all in my opinion a spirit of confusion that Catholicism is a spirit of confusion. It's all under the guise of it has some really good things and it has some really good things about it. And the thing is is I will say true Catholics, a lot of true Catholics, they actually have a reverence. They're more. They're more.

reverent than I think our denomination is. I agree. Which is a shame because there's something very beautiful and like sacred about who God is. And I think like they understand like the value in like if you go to other countries and like I again to Israel like they have all these different places that they have bought and they understand the things that they have done. to just make sure that these places stay intact. Like, they're just a sanctity. I mean, they do, they do understand things way different than we do. But it's way too far.

Yeah, exactly. Balance people. I know. Balance. I wish people could learn balance. Me too. Mm-hmm. Me too.

Life would be way easier and less complicated and less. Right. Right. With balance. With balance. I know. Yes. This is a reoccurring theme. Theme right now. Very much. I just, I don't get it, man. Like, well, it's like when you see your parents act a certain way and you're like, I'll never be like them. So then you're the exact opposite. And then you're so lenient. And then your kids are like, I'll never be that lenient with my kids. And then they're super extreme. I mean, it's just the gospel. Like just Jesus. Let Jesus be. your example, you don't have to do the extreme opposite. And yeah, it just, it seems like people have a really hard time understanding that concept. Yeah. As I was talking to Tom about this last night after the podcast, I'm like, there's pockets and everybody's life. I mean, including mine, I would say. Hopefully less and less and less, but there's pockets of people's lives where there's just not a balance in things. Right. And you really should dissect you. It's,

it and get rid of it, eradicate it out of your life. Right. Some people, it's a lot of imbalance because they're extremists and everything they do. Yes. Correct. And then there's people probably like me and you where we would say there's pockets of where I'm not, there's an imbalance. And it might be even that you don't even recognize it. But on the whole, you're a very balanced person.

and, you know. But even then, that, even that extreme, even though it might be small, a small little area, it's just not good. It's like, there's way better. Especially when you're leveling up. Like as new things come now, it's like, it's unbalanced because you're having to let go of like old behaviors and patterns because you have to make more capacity for what God's calling you to do. So. And I don't, that's the one thing that I do not get. I like every job that I've ever done in my life. I've always wanted to either be the best at it or if there was no one that I was doing it alongside of myself. I was challenged myself to gain more duties or like I was always like, I'm like, okay, I've attained this.

Now what's the next thing that I can tame? attained because I knew that I was never going to stay at the position that I was hired at. I was always looking to go to the next level. I do not understand spiritually speaking and work-wise how people just always want to stay at the same level. I don't either. Why wouldn't you want to level up? Spiritually speaking more than anything. Like I will say this, Tom was with the sheriff's department for 25 years.

when he retired he was a sergeant and he used to always say to me I really should be going for lieutenant I really should be studying that test and going for lieutenant but he would work two full-time jobs pastoring and doing the church and I would say to him it'd be far more valuable

for you to instead of be studying for the lieutenant's exam to be studying for the word because this is not going to be the sheriff's office is not going to be where you end up you know ministry as your calling and you know ministry is going to be what you're going to be doing so we really invest in that versus that's one thing right if you're you know always level up in your spiritual walk more than you level up in your job yeah but you really should be trying to do both unless it's a situation like that.

Right. Where it's kind of difficult. And if you make lieutenant, then you're doing way more time than you are as a sergeant because the hours now increase. And he was already doing lots of hours. So perspective and balance and everything.

Absolutely. I'm like, why wouldn't we always be looking at what, even if you don't know how to do it for crying out loud? So do you get Galena said, figure it out. They're lazy. Do you think that's majority? of why people won't level up is because of just being lazy. And jobs? Yes. And spiritual walk, yes.

Both. Yes. Big time. Yes. Priorities are out of whack. Like, what really is important in, what's really important in life is the carnal is what's really important in life versus the spiritual. We starve our spiritual man and feed our flesh. And then we, wonder why our spirit man doesn't get what the word of God expects it to receive. It's hungry. It's starving. And we sit there and go, but God, your word says, well, it also has prerequisites to it. And we don't do anything. It's incredible to me. Like nobody spends any time in the word or, or if they do, they listen to teachings all the time. Yeah.

True. It's lazy. It's really easy just to put a teaching on. That's lazy. I just don't get it. I mean, how you should be looking at, and this is one of the things that I do myself, I'm like, how many times have I read the Bible through? How many times have I read the New Testament through this year?

Where am I at, spiritually speaking, in the word? Like, am I taking on new things? How much do I understand the book? of whatever. Like we, you should be doing that. Like that should be a goal. If you read the Bible and when you're reading it, it's like, it's brand new to you. Shame on you, especially we've been safe for a long time.

The Lord should be revealing new things to you and his word, but it shouldn't be fresh and new like you've never read it before. Does that make sense? Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Like I'll read things and it'll come out off the page. But like, I've already read that chapter and I know what that chapter means and God's just bringing new revelation about that chapter. Not like, oh my gosh, I didn't know it said this. Like, I've never read that before.

No. I know that it said that. I just never saw it in that light before. And there is a two, there is diametrically two different mentalities on that, you know? Mm-hmm. Like, if you don't know certain things about the Old Testament that are just elementary and you've been saved for a really long time, you're in big trouble. Yeah.

Like, if you don't know the story of Esther from front to back and you've been saved for 10 years, you should be ashamed. Yeah, it's a good story. You should be ashamed. I don't want to tell you. I don't know what to tell you. If you don't know that if you don't understand the relationship between David and Jonathan, or you don't even know who I'm talking about right now, and you've been safe for 10 years,

you're in trouble. And you are standing on things, spiritually speaking, how can you stand on them? You don't know it. You don't know it. Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word of God. If you don't understand what the Word of God says, then how do you stand? stand on it. But people don't. And then they say, that person had faith. They didn't even know the basic characters of individuals in the Bible. How did they have faith? And then they get offended

because you say they had doubt and unbelief. How are you offended? They didn't even probably read the Bible through twice. I don't understand it. And then they'll get mad at you and say you're wrong and they're wrong. It's very frustrating. It's very frustrating. I don't know. That's the pocket of delusion. Mm-hmm.

It is. Which is where we're going to go today. Kelly, did she tell you what we're talking about today? Mm-hmm. Going by your word. Do we live in the truce? That's what, which I didn't plan on talking about any of that up to this, but I wanted to talk about, do we live in the truth? And the reason why I, how I came up

with this is I was reading First John. And inside First John, it's First John, the first chapter. Okay. And one of the titles, okay, so like the first two verses of First John, you know how each chapter, the chapters inside the chapters has like subtitles, they have titles of the of what it shifts to. So the first, like first two or three chapters was about one thing. I don't remember where it is. And then the second grouping or the second subtitle. And it's like the next, I don't know, eight, ten verses.

It was titled, how it was it titled? Mine says reasons for writing. No, it's like live in the truth or something like that. Okay. Or living in the truth. Hold on one second. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You said First John chapter one?

First John, I believe it's definitely First John. Was it First John or was it three John? Okay. No, it is First John. It's first John. I have our declaration and then I have fellowship with God, but I'm in. First John, not John, the book of John. It's First John.

First John, Chapter one. Chapter one. Living in the light? Living in the light? That's NLT. No, go into, no, it's live in the truth. And maybe it was Amplified Classic. Okay. Second that. No subtitle for that one. Oh, is it three? Maybe it was verse,

maybe it was chapter three, chapter three. First John. I thought it was first John one, but maybe it's first John three. Because I read all of them, you know, they're only like one chapter of each. The spirit of truth and the spirit of error? No. Amplify Classic, you said. There's no subtitles with Amplify Classic that I see. Hold on, hold on one second. I'm going to look it up. Sorry people, but it's got to be done. Yes. Got to be done. New King James. Oh. Okay. Mine says living in the light, but that's a new living translation. Hold on second. Let me go to Amphal Flight Classic because I shift in between them so much that that ain't it. Was it New King James version? And I looked.

ESB says walking on the light. That was one of them. I shift too much in between. Nope. Hold on. And it literally is about being in the truth. Okay. I don't have my glasses on. Hmm. I wonder if it was an IV. Nope, that ain't it.

I don't know. It was in John. I don't know how I came up with that. But maybe it was just a gut thing. Okay. But it does talk about it. I can't. I'm literally.

Living in the truth. Is that what you said? It's live in the truth or living in the truth. NLT, right? First John. I swear it was NLT. Yeah, first John. Is it, but that's living in the light, I think.

Oh, living in the light. Yeah, you're right. But it talks about truth in it. Yeah, it does. Not practicing, yep. Maybe that's where I came up with it. Maybe it wasn't the title, but I could have sworn New Life version, maybe. Galena said John 831. No, shut up, Galena.

Oh, my God. Just kidding. Sheadyville. I don't know. I might be wrong. But I literally read that. But I just said second John. Second John. Second John. Chapter one. I live in the truth. Live in the truth. Right there, NLT. It's NLT? Right before verse four. First John or second John. Second John. Second John.

God bless you. God bless you. Good job, Vanessa. Way to be on it. I love you, Vanessa. I literally read all of them. Live in the truth. God. I love you woman. Second John won. I went to everything except the second.

Me too. Okay. Well, it's in there. It's in there. You're right. Bless. I believe you now. I know.

I was doubting myself. Seriously. I was like, did I see that? I know. I'm like, I could just swore it. Because I literally was like, it like, seeing that title, live in the truth. It made me sit there and think. think. Do I live in the truth? Like, do I honestly, do I honestly live in the truth? Right.

I mean, I try and never lie. I mean, I literally try. I mean, do I, y'all? Everybody does to a certain extent. I hate lying so much, though. Me too. I mean, let me just tell you, the worst thing, if you want to eliminate my relationship with you is lie to me. We're probably not going to make it because I hate it that much. And I try. I don't remember the last lie that I told. I can't remember the last lie I told. I'm sure it's, you know, probably been within the last 30 days or something. But on the whole, like, I don't lie. I despise it. And I don't want to reap it. Right. So I don't know that. And if I find that I have like, try to. to skirt around being honest, I'm like, I try and repent immediately. Like, Lord, forgive me.

I know. Oh my gosh. I know. But I feel like, and I see this all the time, like, I see it all the time. People are delusional about truth, a truth about themselves more than anything versus truth coming out of their mouths. I find Christians are more. delusional about how they see themselves versus like a lie coming out of their mouth. 100%. Totally agree. That's why I ask myself, do I live in the truth? That's one of the reasons I stop myself. Do I go? Do I live in the truth? Do you? Yeah. Well, if you're honest about yourself, then you have to change and not a lot of people want to do that. No, I meet so many people who are honest about themselves and they do not change. That's one of my biggest pet peeves.

is a person that can tell me the truth about themselves and say all the right things. And then they believe they've changed all the while. Their fruit is the same exact thing as it was. All they've done is twisted it. I know I know that I fail or I know I need to change in this area or I don't like that I do this. It's a series of things that people will say to you. and then they'll be like oh great i mean like at least this person's honest about themselves months later they're telling you yeah i don't do that anymore and you just saw it or yeah i'm really working

on that i don't do that very much and you're like you do that all the time what are you talking about you are you are the very person that i was talking to three months ago about the very same thing that we're talking about right now and right now you've not changed and you're sitting here now trying to tell me you have changed. Do you understand what I'm saying to you? Do you see this because I see it all the time? Yes. Not all the time, but there are definitely certain types of people. I mean, I know when it's like family and like extended family and people that you have to do relationship with, but typically those people like I just don't mesh with them. You know what I mean? Like they end up not liking me. they'll end up not coming to abide anymore.

They'll end up not like talking to me at Fortress Youth anymore because I hold them to a standard. And so, and I'll ask them like, well, did you stop doing this? No. Okay, well, that's why your business isn't doing well. Yeah, I don't hold them to a standard. Yeah. I just let them keep living. I'm not kidding you.

I know. I know. I know. I know. I know. And that's why. But they don't, then they don't like me. So then I just kind of like distance themselves.

So I don't really, you know what I mean? Like I'm that's kind of over. Yeah. I just. I mean, have to hold them to a standard only because they're youth pastor's wife. Well, yeah, these are parishioners and I would be able to say the same thing. It's just, I know it sounds terrible, but I'm like, what happens is this, in my opinion, from what I've

experienced. Okay. Is when I do hold people accountable, everything that you just said happens to a T. Yeah. When I don't hold them accountable, the relationship still still still. I never go and tell anybody. I don't talk about like them. Right. Like to like I never go and talk to you about people or I don't have conversations.

Like I don't talk to people about to tell you. Like I don't have conversations about people behind their back. Kelly can say she's hardly never heard me. I don't have like are there conversations in my home with my kids or my family? Yeah, there is. but on the whole you'll never hear me talk about anybody with anybody on the whole. So for that, I'm like, I'm not going to hold you to a standard, but I'm also not going to talk about it with anybody because I'm like,

you're not going to change. And if you do, I'll see it and that's great. But I've said my piece. You've told me you know, or you've asked me my opinion. Not really I said my piece, but you've come to me. you've told me your opinion. You told me that you're going to change. I see no change.

I feel like, well, what's the point? And if I go and say, you're still the same person, what's that going to do? Nothing. They're not going to change until they want to change. And all I'm going to do is pee you off. And I'm like, it's not worth it to me. You'll do what you're going to do or you're not going to do what you're going to do. But I'm not going to allow it to affect my life.

And I'm not going to allow it to affect my relationship. with you. If I love you and you're close to me, I'm just going to let it ride. It's one of those things that I'm just like pros and cons of a relationship. Depends on the closeness. Absolutely. Totally agree. But even if a person's accountable to me, probably not going to happen. I will say this is truth even with like I'll say with Talia in the room right now. If it was Talia who came to me and said these things I need to change, all these are honest. I mean, this is a person that's very close to my family and to me. Would I probably say something to her?

No. I'm not even going to say it to her. It's never panned out well for me to say it to her. When you say you're not going to say it to her, what can you go to me? I will never say if she comes and talks to me about it over and over and over again. I'm never going to say,

we've talked about this over and over and over again. Like you're not changing. You say you are, but I see it completely opposite of that. Because you know what good comes from that? nothing. I'm not going to be somebody's Holy Spirit. Right. No, you can't be. So it's not your job. It's not my job. I'll have a relationship before I'm somebody else's Holy Spirit. Absolutely. So for me, it never pans out. Yeah, you have more influence when you aren't being a role you're not supposed to be. Yeah, which I have

taken on the role of Holy Spirit for people because I feel like, but I care and I want and you're not. And guess where that's gotten me? Yeah. Now it doesn't work. Never works. So I just am like, I just let them talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, smile in your face and hope that somehow, some way you get the revelation knowledge that you are everything that you say you are, you're not. Somehow God lets you know.

You ain't that. I would, I can feel like, yeah, you're better than me hope. No, I've just done it way longer than you. and eventually you'll become numb to. I'm like, ah, yeah, maybe. Yeah, no, you really do. I'm like, no, no, no, yeah, I can't. Because a lot of times it's not sin.

If it was sin, true. True. I would have to address it. If it's not sin. Yeah, no, most of it's sin. If it's not sin, because I won't help somebody go to hell. No, that's true. But a lot of people are delusional about themselves.

No, you're right. The ones I'm thinking are sin. Like the ones that are coming clearly to mind. I'm like, you are literally. not going to heaven if you die tonight. Oh yeah. And so I can't not. Well, you don't want their blood on their hands. I can't not say it. Heck no. And so. And you, you have to. I'd have to think, yeah, I'm going to. Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay. But it's way different. Like, but a lot of times people are delusional about their behavior. They're delusional about how far they've come spiritually. That's what I'm

talking about. Okay. Yeah. That, okay. No, I can do that. I say nothing. Yeah. I totally see what you're saying. Mm-hmm. Because it'll, like, ruin everything. And it's not worth it. it. Yeah, no, no, no. It's frustrating. They have to have their own revelation at that point. Oh, yeah. Absolutely. And sometimes it will ruin the friendship because eventually you're going to be like, you're so not a good person and you are not who you claim to be that I was barely hanging on with you before. Now I'm not hanging on at all. Like, we're going to probably have to, we're going to have to like separate a little bit. Yeah. Because this ain't working. Yeah. But a lot of people are not honest about themselves. and that's one of the things I think that Tom and myself as well as I will like I'll throw you into the loop but I think a lot of people there's a lot of the people who are very very very very close with me are very honest about themselves they're always evaluating they're always doing self inspections and I've seen dramatic change in their life I mean I have a lot of people who are very close to me that are

are not like this. But my inner circle, as far as like who I go to spiritually speaking, if I want to talk about something spiritual, maybe get advice or just, you know, go back and forth with, they are very introspective. But I don't find that a lot with a lot of believers, because a lot of people just want to put their head in the sand and just carry on. And it don't work like that. I mean, you lie to yourself all you want to. But at the the end of the day, you are only lying to yourself and everyone else around you actually does not believe a word you're saying because they see something completely different than what you're selling them.

The bill of goods are only going past your mouth and falling into dead air. Nobody believes you at all. I would love to give examples of this, but if I do, then people might know who I'm talking about. and I don't want to do that. Yeah. But I don't know. A lot of times I will say this.

Like the mentality of it of not being honest with yourself. A lot of times people will be like, well, it's really not a big deal. I mean, and a lot of times people don't think it's a big deal because the people that they're talking to handle it the same way. I do, which is they just let you talk. And you think the whole time they believe what you're selling them. But in all reality, they're just sitting there letting you talk. They're not really believing anything. They're just being a friend and letting you talk. Does that make sense? And you're saying all the while, it's not a big deal. Because even if it is true or it isn't true, you don't think

it's a big deal. But in reality, you're lying. You're lying to your So it kind of is a big deal. Mm-hmm. And that's a big deal. And I wonder, too, like how long does it take once you start lying to yourself that you don't start lying to other people? Like, I mean, how long does that take? Not long. Not long.

A little 11. And it's easy. Like, and that's when you become like a pathological liar. Well, aren't you lying, though, too? Well, no, I see, the thing is is when you really honestly see yourself in the, you really honestly see yourself in the, this light. Are you lying when you're saying it to other people? I think you are, but you honestly believe what you're saying because you honestly believe this about yourself. Yeah, you're still lying. It's just delusional. Because I know very specific times where somebody's literally said something

and I'm like, that's not true. And they're like, well, and they just, then they go on because they know Is it sin though? Or is it like? No, no, not sin. Not sin. Not sin. Not sin. Not sin. because I went through a divorce. So I like I very specific. We are very different. Okay. Very different situations. And like everything had to be written out.

Everything had to be email. Everything had to be a text message because anything spoken was it was like chasing all like. It said this and then like no, no. And it was like well this. And then it's like no and it's this. And you're like constantly like it's just a mess. Like it's just a constant mess. A trail of betrayal.

A trail of lies. And just to save. face, you know? Oh, yeah. But like, do you even know you're lying? Like, yeah, do you know that you're lying? I have family members like this and they genuinely don't think they're lying. Like if you call them out and you're like, that's not true, they genuinely believe they're

they lied so much that now they believe their lies. Yeah, like they don't say one truth and you could give them evidence and they still don't believe that you're saying. Like they think you're lying. Yeah. So like they honestly don't think they're lying. They think they're being honest. Because in today's culture, okay, in today's culture, I can see how that would work.

Because in today's culture, ghosting is okay. You think about that. Ghosting is not, is actually not honest. Yeah, of course it's not. They overpromise. People over promise all the time. And then they cancel on you. True.

They tell you they're going to do something and then they cancel on you. And a lot of times when they cancel, they don't tell the truth about that. why they're canceling. What they do is they always give you the instead of the first reason of why they're canceling, they'll always give you the third or fourth one. The third or fourth one isn't the real reason. So you really should give the first one. Yeah. Because the first one's the truth, not the third or fourth. True. Yep. But that's the culture that we live in. It is. Which is very dangerous. And so when you become adapted to that, then I think that you can not live in the truth. About yourself and other things. True. Yeah. And everybody has their own truth.

Like, you can say you're a boy. You can say you're a girl. You can be a furry. And nobody questions any. It's like there has to be one truth. That's it. You know that guy that I told you about a long, long time ago, his name was Nisa. Nisa Powers. You know he's back to being a woman. I do. He just went back. Like, I haven't been following for a really long time because he was a flipping liar. I know. He came out. You know, everything. that he came out to originally, it ended up all not being true. And he never, like, he is the epitome of what I'm talking about. But even you bringing that up, that's, that's even more. Like you saying people can, they lie in themselves, they're a girl and they're really a guy.

So whatever you want. And it's, and it's like, culturally acceptable. Like everybody's like, oh, yeah, whatever you want. And then we affirm it. And we affirm it. Yeah. It's so dangerous, But that's one of the reasons why people don't ever look at themselves and say, am I living in the truth about myself? But who's truth? That's part of the problem. That's why I always say people give their truth, not the truth. Right.

I know. And that's why when I was told that, like, the Bible was just a good book and I had no response to it, the first thing I did was do the truth project. I think his name is like Dr. Dell something. And he went through everything, how the Bible's true. And it was like a 12-part series. and I was like, that makes sense. Like there has to be one truth.

Like, because you're going to have a truth and I'm going to have a truth and you're going to have a truth. And it's based off situations. It's based off what we've experienced. But if there's one truth, one truth, which is apologetics. We can all come together. And that's what this was. Yes.

You can come together because like you have to lay down your truth and I have to lay mind down mine and what's in the Bible. What does the Bible say? Everybody should teach their kids apologetics. I taught it when I was in Kids Rock. Yes. Everybody should know why they believe what they believe. And if you don't, then you will be easily let astray.

It's just the way it goes. Oh, yeah. That's what the enemy is looking to do. And that's why people will go from New Age to Christian to Catholic, probably back to New Age because it's so close. And then they'll get scared and then they'll come back to Christian and just never move forward because they're just doing. Lateral moves. Exactly. Lateral moves, but never, ever, ever increasing.

Yeah. Never leveling up. Mm-mm. You can't. distractions, constant distractions. But here's the thing. This is like even with Nisa, that Nisa powers person. And he, the last thing that I saw, because it's all over TikTok, like, it's exploding

because it's like, people are devastated over this. And I'm like, are you kidding me? The man lied from the get-go about different things about when he came out. And everybody made excuses for his lies. And I'm like, you should have never made excuses for his lies. he was lying while he was lying about his excuses. You knew that. And everybody was trying to say, everybody should give him grace.

Everybody, this is like, no, if everybody wouldn't have given him grace and his platform would have been taken from him, that would have been the best thing for him. Because then he would have had to face the facts. But here's the thing. The standard that we all should be setting for ourselves is the God standard. And the God standard is, is he doesn't lie. Right. He doesn't lie about who he is, about what sex he is. He doesn't lie. So why, and he never, he never lies to us, and he never lies about himself. Why do we think that we can? I don't get it. It should not exist.

We had to bring a verse to abide on Tuesday, and that was my verse. His numbers 2319, God is not a man that he should lie, nor a son of man that he should change his mind. He has, has, he said and has he not do it or has he spoken and will he not fulfill it and if you start from there that god cannot lie yeah then the word is true no matter what no matter what so it's so easy you just go back to the word what does the word say go back to it and yes there's context yes there's you know people but you ask the holy spirit what does this mean he's going to tell you and it's going to lie with the word and if nisa would just do that there would be no like well i just want to walk out my truth like And now back to being everything that he said he didn't like about himself, which was speaking in a high voice. Like there's a reason why he never cut his hair.

Yeah, I know. And I'm like, cut your hair. I know. Cut your hair. Yep. Look like a man. About the same thing. You cut your hair and that means you're serious.

Until then, you're not serious. I know. You still, his hair. made it so that he could still go back and be the girl. That's what it felt like to me too from the very beginning. You got to make the tough changes. Right. Yeah.

Because it's not always like the hairstyle. It's not always dressing a certain way. But when you like when you're struggling, like you just kind of want to avoid the parents of evil. And so if that was something evil to you in the past, if you were obsessed with new age and all these crystals and stuff, maybe don't go to a yoga studio that has new age and crystals and does rakey. You know what I mean?

Like, avoid the appearance of evil. Like, do stay pure. If you were, don't walk into temptation. Don't do the temptation. Exactly. Cut your hair. If you're a boy,

keep your hair short if you struggled with thinking you were a girl. Like some of these things just seem super simple. But again, it's like Kelly said, like they believe 100% that they're true and they're honest. And that's their truth. And the thing is, is this is very elementary things.

Yes. Very. Like this is like not even milk. This is like water. Oh yeah. Like this is just like, like basic. Super simple.

Yeah. Super simple. Yeah. I don't know. For me, like, but here's the thing. I will tell you this. When you don't walk in the truth and when you don't speak the truth, even when you're speaking the truth about yourself and you believe, you believe this lie about yourself,

you need to understand that it puts into question everything to whomever you're talking to. And if it's a person of authority in your life, it ruins it even worse. versus just anybody, okay? Because when you operate in this, it destroys trust between you and others. Right. It destroys your opportunities for stepping into more authority or spiritual influence.

Mm-hmm. Or just to be an influence for crying out loud. Yeah, I agree. Like, it ruins it for you. Mm-hmm. So when you're trying to level up, it holds you back. And then you wonder why. Why is this happening to me?

But you'll never look at God's honest truth as to why it's happening because you still want to do, like what Kelly said with her family is believe a lie while you're telling the lie. You're actually believing the lie. And even if, Kelly, if you were to tell your family, no, it can't be, whatever you're telling me right now can't be truth because like they're telling you something that happened yesterday and you're like well that can't be true that that happened yesterday because this this and this what would they say they would argue with me or get super mad and defensive and still say it's true correct yeah they would not change their stance and in my situation it was just that we go on to the next thing and that's why as a person that is

walking in the truth you if you're arguing with somebody you have to bring it back because it's so easy to follow their trail because they're master manipulators. Right. Typically, typically people that are so delusional. So you have to keep asking the same question. You have to say, no, no, no, no. Yesterday at this time. Like you said this happened, but this happened.

And they're like, well, yeah, but I was walking through and dada. And you're like, no, no, no. Yesterday. And it's like, and then they get mad because you're talking to them like a child, but that's the only way to not follow their trails. Well, what they're really mad is not that you're talking to them like a child. What you're really mad is that you're reviewing the notes. calling them on the notes and they have no rebuttal.

Correct. Because now truth is smacking them dead in the face. And they don't like it because nobody does this with them. Right. Nobody does this. I learned this early on and man, it is a perfect tactic. And then eventually they'll, like, again, they'll start getting so annoyed.

They don't even want to have the conversation anymore. But when they can control you and manipulate you, like that's their favorite game. Because they'll just keep going. Because they are fully convinced. Oh, yeah. Sometimes it's like they're playing, you're a kitten, they're the ball of yarn, or they control the ball of yarn, and they're making you chase it.

Yeah. And they like seeing you. Yes, they do. Love it. And it's so gross. And I just, no. Master manipulators. Or liars or.

Yeah. Yeah. It's all the same. Same father. Yeah. Same source. Yeah. It's, in some ways, in some ways, there are people.

people that I know that are like this and they it's not that they're innocent in it it's just it's it's not that they're innocent it's just they don't really know any better to a certain extent and then there's the narcissist right it's true and they do know better it's like what pastor tom says he says like there's people that are wicked and evil and then they're sinners exactly that's exactly i was thinking they're wicked and they're evil right and the other person's not wicked They're not. They're just a sinner and they're not saved by grace. And some of it's not them sinning. Some of it is like they're just ignorant of the whole entire thing. They honestly are like Kelly's wicked family.

But they're actually, they want to believe that they're that person so bad because they honestly are trying or what they feel like they've come so far from where they were before. that they honestly believe that that they're that person. Yeah. And they are not because they are not as far long as they thought. I mean, I'm only speaking from experience here. When I say that, that was me. Yeah. I wanted to believe I was a certain way and I was not even close to the way that I thought I was.

But I had come so far from where I had been. Right. I honestly was like, that's pretty good. You're doing pretty good. Yeah, exactly. But if I had turned the microscope on myself, I'd be like, gross. Yeah. I know. Yuck. Yeah. I wonder if we actually like had somebody film us all day and didn't change anything.

It would not be good. We would probably look at ourselves a little differently. I already know. I would not like what I see. I mean, I just already know. I don't try and ever, or for the most part, I try it and not. God is really, really working on me to always stay in a humble place. Because I know without being here, humility, I would be humiliated. I just, like, we are so far from where we think we really are. And that's why, again, one of the greatest things that my husband ever taught me was self-evaluation. Excellent. From the moment, what does that cursor do? Oh, don't worry.

It's okay. I was like, I'm like, that thing's going wild. Is you trying to tell me something? I seriously, I'm like, that was one of, and he taught me that like probably our first three years of dating. I was like, man, but he didn't verbally tell me, I watched it, I evaluated it. And I'm like, gosh, I want to be like that.

Right. You are like top tier individual, dude. That's good. Top tier. And he didn't top tier in that. He was pretty rough around the edge and some, in areas that, you know, because we all have places to work on. But in that arena, he was pretty dang good.

Let me tell you about what keeping your word does. Okay, and then we're going to, well, I'm probably going to have to do this on Wednesday, but we're going to go to how to keep your word or keeping your word. What does that look like? And I may not be able to make it pass in. But keeping your word, it builds trust, it will give you authority, it strengthens your character, opens doors for opportunity.

I know personally that all of this is true because of it happening with me. And God did it with me. It wasn't man making it happen. Like, stepping into ministry, when I started acting in all these things that I'm listing for you right now, God started promoting me.

I also know in my regular jobs, when I acted in these things, I was given promotion or I was giving financially, financial promotion, which is mostly what it was because I was in sales. So when I acted in these things, I made money. I made good money. But spiritually speaking, I'm going to finish with the last two, but when I did these things that I'm telling you to do,

God promoted me because he can trust you. He who is faithful to little, we'll be faithful with much. So it builds trust. Keeping your word will build trust. It will give you authority. It strengthens your character. It opens doors for opportunity. It aligns you with God, which I think is probably one of the most important of these.

And it brings inner peace and confidence. And the last two, I will tell you, like, people always are like with Tom. Like he'll always say, like he's his biggest fan. I like Tom broke up with me three times and I cried at my house but when I was out in public you had never have known it. I like myself like I have a great inner peace. I do have confidence but the reason I have those things is because I know who I am in Christ and I knew that even when Tom broke up with me being in a relationship with with him did not define me. It did not make me a better person. It did not make me a better Christian

and it didn't give me opportunity to be all that God called me to be. The only relationship that that, which is the biggest rewards of all things, great, you married, I got, so what? Tom never, you know, if he hadn't broke up with me and we did get married, he's not the answer. Right. Which we did get married, and he did break up with me. But the breaking up really helps in some ways to go, is he your all in all? True. Or is God your all and all?

True. Because when that happens, you really have to like dig deep and go, how much am I going to allow this to affect me spiritually? And I was like, it's not going to affect me at all. I didn't quit the church. We went to the same church. I didn't leave it. I didn't stop hanging out with my friends. I didn't not go out.

I went out. I had a great time. I made new friends. Like if somebody, if you have a friend, which has happened to me plenty of times, friends don't want to be friends anymore. Or friends find other friends. Or, like, guys don't want to date you anymore.

Like, Tom was the only guy that broke up with me because I really didn't ever. I was only in two relationships, really, my whole entire life. so like guys aren't gonna like guys are gonna break up with you girls like and guys girls are gonna break up with you what are you gonna do about it get over it like live life to its fullest don't let a person affect you because there's i hate to sound sound like this but no that's true no it's so healthy there's somebody better yeah right right because if it was the best it would happen like god would not god god is so good he loves you so much so if it was the best for you so much so if it was the best

you, they're going to come back around three times. Yep. Possibly. But even, but here's the thing. I will say this. Listen, I have had some of the greatest people come across my path and be my friends. Phenomenal memories. They are still great people.

And I had a wonderful time while we were, our friendship existed. The reality is, is though, most friendships don't. day. They have seasons, okay? That's the way it is. You cherish the season and then if something happens and you guys, there's a divide in the road and one goes this way and one goes this way, then you treasure what you have and know that God's got even better in front of you. Always. You don't fall apart. Right. And less life. People are going to go like this. On the whole, that's normally what happens. I mean, I only have two girlfriends from high school that I still stay in contact with. And COVID kind of like did the dumper because that

kind of made us go in different directions. But up to, I'm 59 this month, right? That's pretty dang good to have friends. And I still talk to them, but it's not the same to a certain extent. But even still, A lot of people don't have like longevity with friendships because people go, they move. Life is just life. You don't get devastated by a relationship dissolving. You just trust and know that God's got something better ahead for you. And you focus on that. You focus on him and you move on.

But I think it is so funny how people will have a standard that they have an expectation. And I'll open up this on Wednesday. but people have a standard and expectation that they feel like people should be with them, but they don't have that same expectation that they have to live up to with other people. Does that make sense? Yes, very much. Which is very frustrating for me. Right.

And that's actually kind of Galena's question. So we'll do this on Wednesday because she wants to know how do you deal with these types of people. Like if they're saying they're this way and they don't evaluate themselves, do you just ignore them? I'm like, maybe we can do that on Wednesday. Okay, Galena. Look deeper into that. Okay, well, hold that. So can you write that question down and then send it to me?

Yeah. Because that's actually a really great question. Right. Holding people to a standard. Yeah. Or not. Or not. Right.

That is a great question. Yeah, how do you decide when to do that? Because that is, that's an excellent question. A lot of times, I will just say that, well, no, you know, I'm going to hold it. Yeah. You have to come back. But it's pretty amazing how people will have expectations of others that they don't hold the same expectation to themselves, which is kind of like, that's how I feel about that. Exactly.

That's how I feel about that. Because I'm like, dude, come on, but they're delusional because they think that they're a certain way and they're not. That's, are you living a lie? Are you living in truth? Are you living in truth? That's the big thing. Are you living in truth? All right people, we're done. Have a great weekend. We'll see you on Wednesday. But before that, we're going to see you on Sunday live or in person. Yeah. 10 o'clock. Be here. Be square. That's it. Have a great weekend.