The Hope Hotline - The Hope Hotline | S01-E01 | 01-18-23

Episode Date: January 18, 2023

Question 1: Please explain the laying on of hands and falling out in the spirit?Question 2: I struggle with the commandment "honor your mother and father". How do I do this when we are so very different (unsaved heavy alcohol drinkers) and I don't want their lifestyle or beliefs to have any influence on my daughter?Question 3: I live 1,000 miles from the mother and father. They live an average "American lifestyle". How can I encourage my parents to find God with such distance between us?Question 4: What is a healthy amount of time a married couple should have sex?Question 5: How do I know I am hearing the voice of God when it sounds like my own thoughts?

Hi everyone, I'm super excited to start my very first podcast, the Hope Hotline, podcast number one. And there have been a lot of great questions. I'm kind of going to go in the order of how they came in. So that just to honor the ones that sent their questions in first, I will say the very first question, like, was the best question I probably could have ever gotten from my first question which some of you guys will probably be like well why is that why is that so so great to you but when it's all said and done I think it's going to answer a lot of questions for a lot of

people so the very first question was please explain laying of hands and falling out in the spirit, which is kind of a hot topic, but the rest of the question I absolutely loved kind of a compliment to myself, but she said, or he said, I really liked the way you dive in and explain in great detail, much like last year's Christmas Eve service video you made. That was epic.

I love you for that. Because a lot of hard work went into that Christmas Eve service and our Easter service and I appreciate that I appreciate that a lot so and I there was a lot of detail so if anybody ever wants to go back and look at that sometime we might play it but my partner in crime was Tracy who is my producer for this show she worked very hard on that as well, the Christmas Eve service. Not 2022, but 2021's Christmas Eve service. So let's get to the question. Laying of hands. And that is super easy because in scripture, it talks about it over and over and over again. What I'm going to address is just not Jesus laid hands on people, but then Jesus commanded us to lay hands on people.

And then you'll see it throughout scripture where others did as well. That's the reason why we do it. In Mark 6, 5, some of you guys might want to write down these scriptures so you can study them out yourself. But Mark 6, 5 says, now he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and he healed them. And you'll see a lot of times in our service, it's crazy because we went from not doing this to being under pastoral authority, which is Pastor Rodney Howard Brown,

where we saw it in action. We laid hands on people quite often, but just not like we do now. We saw many miracles, great works. You would think we would have been doing it in service, but our building was small and la, la, la, lots of excuses. But at the end of the day, we didn't do it. Now we do.

And obviously the number of people attending the church has increased the number of miracles, but also our availability. So being under his pastoral ship caused us to start doing this more often, and it caused people to leave the church because they don't like the laying on of hands. And then some people fall out under the Spirit, which we will address that as well. But you'll see throughout scripture where Jesus did it all the time it says in mark 8 23 so he took the blind man by the hand and let him out of the town and when he had spit on his eyes and put his hands on him he asked him if he

saw anything now a lot of people think that him spitting on the man's eyes was weird and leading him out of the town why did he do that well he led him out of the town because in Bethsaida which is where this occurred Bethsaida was full of unbelief so Jesus they say walked him as far as three miles out some believe it was 10 but he walked him out about three miles out of that town because of the unbelief you have to get unbelief out in order to receive a healing or a miracle it says that throughout scripture as well but him spitting on the eye back in that time they believed that spit actually the saliva in someone had a healing caused healing to occur so Jesus spoke to that time but the true healing came through the belief of the individual and Jesus belief coinciding

together where two more believe in his name is what it says mark um 825 we just addressed no mark 825 it says he put then he put his hands on his eyes again and made him look up and he was restored and saw everyone clearly so that is the same situation, same man. He laid his hands on his eyes and he received his sight. Mark 10, 16 says he took them up in his arms. He laid his hands on them and blessed them. This is when he was doing what he did with the little children. So again, he laid hands on people.

In Luke 4, 40, on the Sabbath, Jesus laid hands on people. In Luke 440, on the Sabbath, Jesus laid hands on people. It says, Luke 440, When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid hands on every one of them, and he healed them. So, you'll see laying on of hands coinciding with healing it's very very important matthew 19 19 13 said jesus blesses little children and it says then little children were brought to him that he might put his hands on them and pray but the disciples rebuked them i'm reading from the new king james

version if anybody is following along with the wanting to write these scriptures down go back and look i'm looking at the new king james version sometimes i'll do it from king james but for the most part and niv is good but it's not as good so if you're a learner and you're just now getting started with, you know, your walk with God, NIV will work because it'll help you understand things. But always progress. King James is the ultimate best. New King James, still easier to understand because you got the these and the thousand.

They're gone. So Mark 7, 32 says, Then they brought to him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech and they begged him to put his hand on him okay so again we can keep going on and on and i will because i'm going to try and prove a point that laying on of hands is super important it's biblical people who have left the church hopefully they are left a church because of laying on of hands. I hope that this will like resonate with you and maybe you'll rethink your decision and

maybe you'll return to that church because they're actually acting biblically and you need to be a part of that because, uh, you may need to heal someone and you may need to lay your hand on them or you in turn might need healing and you'll need the laying of hands so it's super important a girl is restored to life and a woman is healed in Matthew 9 18 it says while he spoke these things to them behold a ruler came and worshiped him saying my daughter has just died but come lay your hand on her and she shall live and and the child did live not always did Jesus have to lay hands on people he did it with a word but he laid hands on them as well this is this

one's really important and this is where Jesus tells us to lay hands it's Mark 16 18 and it says they took up serpents he says they will take up serpents and if they drink anything deadly it will by no means hurt them and they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover so he commanded us to lay hands on people okay now Paul uh laid hands on many people. But this is when Paul was commissioned to go out when Jesus said to Paul, why do you keep kicking against the goads? This is on the road to Damascus. When Ananias was called to go and lay hands on Paul to heal him, because when Paul was laid out, he fell under the this Holy Spirit

basically Ananias was told to go back or to go to Paul and lay hands on him Ananias did not want to because Paul was obviously persecuting Christians and he was concerned for his life but he was told by the Lord to go and lay hands on him and it says and in a vision this is in Acts 19 12 through 17 it says and in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him so that he might receive his sight so in a vision he saw himself laying hands on Paul so that Paul would receive a sight because Paul was blinded on the road to Damascus, and he was taken into the city.

And it says, Then Ananias answered the Lord, Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name. So Ananias is being sent on this mission, but he's explained to him why he's being called and what Paul's now being called to do, which kind of helped in moving forward with what God or the Lord was telling him to do.

And Ananias went on his way and entered the house and laying his hands on him, he laid his hands on Paul brother Saul the Lord Jesus which Saul's Paul's name at this time was Saul before the Lord changed it he said brother Saul the Lord Jesus has appeared to you on the road as you came has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit okay so he laid hands on him and in Acts 28 8 it says and it happened that the father of pupillius lay sick of a fever and dysentery and paul went to went into him and prayed and he laid his hands on him and he was healed so people will say well that's jesus jesus laid hands on people we're not jesus but i'm telling you, Jesus commissioned us to lay hands on people. Then in Scripture, Ananias laid hands on Paul.

He received his sight. And then Paul went and laid hands on people, and they received their healings. Now, Paul received the Holy Spirit as well. And in Acts 8.17, it says, Then they laid hands on them. And this is with the receiving of the Holy Spirit as well. And in Acts 8 17, it says, then they laid hands on them. And this is with the receiving of the Holy Spirit. And it says in scripture, then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. So sometimes when people are being prayed over, they ask for being filled with the Holy Spirit, which is usually the utterance of speaking in tongues.

So they'll have their hands, someone lay hands on them so that they can receive the gift of tongues. And tongues is controversial as well, but tongues has two purposes. One is your heavenly language, and the other one is a gift where you give an interpretation of a prophecy in a church. Okay, so two different forms, and most people pray for the gift of tongues of their prayer language and they ask for the laying on the hands for that john 14 12 says jesus said we will do what he did and greater works than him so if if we are to be like jesus that means we are to lay hands on the sick and they shall recover. So I'm hoping that part of your question is answered through scripture, very biblical, and that might alleviate any doubts of whether or not it's real or whether or not you should do it.

Most people, when they go and they pray with somebody, what do they normally do? They hold their hand. They hold their hands. They'll put their hands on their shoulders. They might put their hands on their shoulders they might put their hands on their head you're laying hands on people what's the difference whether you're doing it in private you know in your living room versus you're doing it in a church service and people are lined up and you're laying hands on them okay now sometimes um i'm going to give you one more. It says, Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also. And greater works than these he will do, because I go to my Father.

So whatever Jesus did, we do. And however he did it, we should do it that way as well. To get the same results. Falling out in the Spirit is a whole different thing even though it's it's one of the same healing is healing and um being laid out by the holy spirit is another now i'm going to give you a give you a couple examples of this um i'm going to start out with an example of myself and then i'll go through some scriptures for you and then I'll give you a couple more examples okay so um I didn't believe in falling out in the Holy Spirit

at all I thought um it was fake and I thought that people were kind of just um I call it um oh how what do I call it um when you um yeah thank you Heather um a what do I call it? When you, yeah, thank you, Heather. A courtesy drop. I call it CD, courtesy drop. So I thought that's what people were doing. And I'm like, yeah, that's not going to happen. I'm not doing that. Because I don't, I think it's being dishonest, to be honest with you, if you just courtesy drop just for the sake of doing that. So I remember I was about 16 years old. I was in youth group, and I was open to whatever the Holy Spirit had for me, but I didn't buy into the courtesy drop. I remember the youth pastor asking us to come forward.

I don't know exactly what it was for but but in particular whatever he was asking us to come up for I was like that's me so I go up there and the man didn't even I don't even remember him laying hands on me we definitely didn't have people to catch so I just remember him coming by him starting starting to pray over me, and the next thing I know, I wake up, I'm on the ground. I will tell you that that was the first time it had ever happened to me since, that was the first time it ever happened to me, and it was the last time it happened to me until probably about two years ago. I always was open to it after that,

but I just figured it was like a one-time shot so whatever I just remember though in when it when it did happen to me when I was about 16 I remember like the Holy Spirit I felt like the Lord was right here like really close um it was overwhelming. It was the most peaceful time. It was a beautiful, beautiful experience that I never forgot. I always remembered. And then at that moment, I was like, it's real. I would tell people that didn't believe in it. I was always like, it's for real.

All I can tell you is I doubted. I didn't believe in it until it happened to me. It is in Scripture. Now, it's in Scripture. And whether you want to believe this is in Scripture is entirely up to you. But when I'm telling you these things, when I'm reading you the Scripture, what I want you to remember is, I mean, darn, I don't even know how long we've been on this, I think, for 15 minutes.

And it might take me a little bit longer because this is a very important topic. So I may take 30 minutes to even discuss this. But I will tell you that just remember that the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity. So if it's in Old Testament that this happened, It's in New Testament that it happened. So if people did it with God and they did it with Jesus, Jesus is no longer here. God obviously isn't here, but the Holy Spirit is. So if it happened with Jesus, then it should happen with the Holy Spirit.

They are one. The Trinity is one. So you can say, well, that was that's the Trinity it's the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit carries the same power that Jesus carried the same power as God so Revelation 1 17 says and when I saw him this is John talking and when I saw him I fell at his feet as dead but he laid his right hand on me saying to me do not be afraid I am the first and the last so when John saw Jesus he fell to his feet he fell as though he's dead now when you're dead do you fall on your knees no when you fall dead usually fall back okay you'll

either fall back on your back or you'll fall face forward and I have seen people that um even myself like even though I never was um under the power of the Holy Spirit on my back after I was 16 up until recently I would sit in prayer I would be in my prayer closet, and that same power of the Holy Spirit would come upon me. Okay, so in this case, John fell back as though he's dead. That's the presence of Jesus. No, no, you know, it's just like every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. When the Holy Spirit is so strong and so present,

and you are so open to receive him and whatever he has for you, you will come under that power. And that power will probably do to you. I've seen people stumble. It depends how open you are. But you can't stand. It's that powerful, but you can't stand. It's that powerful, but it's that sweet, and it's nothing to be afraid of. It's something to be embraced and excited and want to experience the Holy Spirit in that way.

It's like a taste of heaven, to be honest with you, on this earth. And John 18, 6 says, Now when he said to them, I am am he they drew back and fell to the ground that happened when Jesus was arrested in the um in the garden of Gethsemane garden of Gethsemane the garden of Gethsemane that's a tough word for me um that happened then when they came in to arrest him and Jesus gave him a kiss on the cheek that's what happened everyone all the soldiers they fell um that's the power and i think we forget we we oftentimes think that god's here god's here and we're here no it's this when when jesus christ came to earth, we are like, there's no distance between us.

The veil's been torn. We are united. We are close. We are his righteousness. We are his kid. And we can be as close to him as we allow ourselves to be. So for that, take the distance away and bring yourself so that you can have that intimate relationship with him. He's not a distant being.

He is as close as you want him to be. And in this case, these soldiers were arresting Jesus. But again, every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess. And they could not stand because his power was so real. Paul, on the Damascus Road, Acts 9, 33-4 says, As he journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. And he fell to the ground.

It didn't say he fell on his knees. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? The odds are when he fell, he fell beyond his knees. He fell all the way prostate. You can decide whether or not you want to believe that or not. But to me, it would be just like John. Acts 22, 6 and 7 says,

Now it happened as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me, and I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Again, and i fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me saw saw why are you persecuting me again saying he fell to the ground acts 26 16 says but rise and stand on your feet for i have appeared to you for this purpose so he was told to stand up to make you a minister and witness both of the things which you have seen and the things which I will yet reveal to you. But if you look at this, the verse before 16, 26, 14 says

that not only Paul fell, but those with him fell. One of the ones that is believed to have written this was the author of Acts, that is believed to have written this was the author of acts which is believed to be luke luke is believed to be because they were supposed family luke um if this is true luke was there luke would have been one of the ones that fell as well because it says and when we all had fallen to the ground no one one was standing. The power of the Holy Spirit, the power of Jesus Christ, the power of the Lord God Almighty, you will not be able to stand in his presence. And it will be more powerful than just falling to your knees.

He is that powerful. It says, and when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in a Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goats. What I would say to you is don't kick against the goats. Open your heart and your mind to receiving the Holy Spirit in a way that you never have. Because if you do, it'll take you to the next level.

It's just like speaking in tongues. It changes everything for you. It creates a boldness in you that only the Holy Spirit can provide. And when you fall under the Holy Spirit, things will be spoken to you. Plans that the Lord has for you, He can speak those to you that's what happened to me one of the last uh i think it was the last time i went to the river um pastor rodney had everyone come forward um it and me and Tom were there and we all fell out under the Holy Spirit and in that time the Lord spoke some things

specifically to me about my future and that's one of the things that can happen when you fall under the Holy Spirit. It's just a one-on-one time. And just like when John fell out, he was in the midst of receiving a vision. Things like this can, things like that can take place. So for me, what happened was, is the Lord gave me a word. The Holy Spirit told me some things that were to come. And it's kind of funny because when evangelist Jonathan Shuttlesworth came, he actually called me out, had me come forward, and spoke to me about the things that the Lord told him about for me well what he didn't know was he was confirming what the holy spirit had shared with me when i was under the power um and laid out on the ground at the river basically the same things that he shared were the same things that the holy spirit had spoken to me when i was on the ground so confirmation in the old testament it says that that Daniel also fell out under the Holy Spirit. It says in Daniel 10, 7 through 9, it says, themselves therefore I was left alone and when I saw this great vision and no strength remained in

me for my vigor was turned to frailty in me and I retained no strength yet I heard the sound of his words and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face with my face to the ground so when you allow yourself to be open to what the Holy Spirit has for you. And you do fall under the Holy Spirit. Just like Daniel. Daniel had a vision. He saw the future. And he was able to speak about that. Okay.

That same thing will happen with you if you're open. Ezekiel. Same thing with Ezekiel. Both of these men, great prophets. Daniel and Ezekiel both spoke about the end times. And what was written in Revelation again I mean you can either be mediocre in your walk with God and and go to heaven or you can be open to whatever the Holy Spirit has for you and be prophetic in in into people's lives into maybe what's going to go on in the future it's like like Tom, he knew with COVID that COVID, when I say Tom, Tom's my husband.

He's a pastor of our church. He knew exactly what was happening with COVID. He saw it right away. And that's because of his relationship with the Holy Spirit. He has a very close one. He was discerning of it. And those are the things that will happen the closer you are to the Holy Spirit and the more you're able to hear his voice Ezekiel 128 says like the appearance of a rainbow and a

cloud on a rainy day so was the appearance of the brightness all around it this that this lost he uh he he appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. Ezekiel went to the rebellious Israel. So when it says, when I saw it, I fell on my face and I heard a voice of one speaking. So he even heard a prophecy of what was to come when he fell on his face and he was open to hear what the Lord, God, Holy Spirit, whichever one you want to go with, was willing to share with him. But he had to avail himself in order to receive that. I'm going to give you three examples. Other than myself, I'm going to give you three more examples of this.

None of the people that I'm going to talk about, I know them intimately. That's the reason why I'm going to talk about them. I know what I'm about to tell you is very, very true. None of them will mind me talking about them. But I can tell you, none of them were, well, they were open to what the Lord had for them. But all of them were like very, very, what's the right word for it? Critical, I would say. Critical is a good word for it? Critical, I would say.

Critical is a good word for it. They were open, but they were critical of the falling out of the Holy Spirit, the joy. They just were very doubtful of its realness. So one is my daughter, Norma. Norma also works here at the church. Norma was like it ain't ever happening to me I don't really believe it and then as she became more and more availing to it even though she was like I question it one night we went up to the river a lot of stuff happens at the river i would advise you to strongly um watch it um pastor rodney howard brown is uh one of the most anointed if not the

most anointed person i've ever personally met probably personally even would say i mean the most real person i've ever met but the mostointed. When you walk in the room with the man, I love him. He's not only my pastor, I call him friend, but you can feel the anointing oozing off the man. So my daughter one night, or I guess, yeah, it was at night. She just began to weep and to cry. And Pastor Rodney walked by her. And my husband, Tom, said to her, he goes, listen, if you don't want to experience what you're about to experience,

you better just recompose yourself. Because if Pastor Rodney sees that the Holy Spirit is moving on you, you're like, you're fresh bait. So he's going to just take every opportunity to make sure that you experience the Holy Spirit to the most. So she couldn't stop crying. She didn't know why she was crying. She couldn't stand. Her whole body felt heavy. And Pastor Rodney walks past us again. Now he sees that Norma is just a pile of mush.

And he calls her out and he tells her to come. But see, Norma can't get up. She's like, I can't stand. So he calls his two goons over. He's got these big guys that come and they bring her over to him. And he barely could even, I don't even think he touched her. And she just fell under the anointing. And ever since then, when she got up off the ground and she could finally talk,

she basically said, oh my gosh, that is real. It is real. And you just have to avail yourself. Another one was my husband. He thought you could go through your Christian walk and you didn't need to experience God to the level that we have, but you could live a good, solid Christian life. And you can.

You can live a good, solid life. You can't live your best Christian life, but you can live a pretty good one. It's not great, but it's good. And when it happened to him, he was like, now when it happens to Tom, it's good. And when it happened to him, he was like, now, when it happens to Tom, it's quite hilarious because it's like a bolt of lightning going through his body and he like stiffens up.

It's like he just got tasered. But it's like the best experience. And it's quite funny, to be honest with you. But he availed himself. He went from doubting to being open to it and once you open yourself up to it you'll receive it the next was heather no heather is hilarious didn't believe in joy she believed in it a little bit but she thought it was like a a bit much um until it happened to her and and and then she can't stop laughing and she has bladder problems so that

causes a whole other issue all in and of itself which is quite funny for me. So it's quite funny. So she got filled with joy and then after that she got slain in the spirit and uh she just doesn't fall like a normal person she falls face forward like a sack of potatoes my husband my husband always loves to watch her when she gets slain in the spirit because literally like she crumples up and she's down and either she's laughing or she's crying or whatever but even her like i remember talking to her and her she's just like I I just don't know but the more you see it the more you experience it you say okay maybe it is real maybe I need to be open to this and then when it happens to you you're like you're not seeking it every single time but the thing is you're open to it if the Holy Spirit is is wanting to um just be with

you in that way as far as his presence and his his peace and the overwhelming feeling or maybe he's wanting to share something with you that he just needs you to be still it to be quiet and have a time with you where nothing's going on around you and he can just have you one-on-one so he lays you flat on the ground or in heather's case flat on your face and he just shares with you such a deep and personal time it's um the only thing time that you can have have with um i i was about to say your heavenly father but i would i would say it's just the sweetest time you can have with the holy spirit it's there's nothing like it so if you're if i hope that this little bit of time this this amount of scripture,

to whomever asked this question or whoever else is feeling like the person that wrote this question, I hope it's changed your heart and your mind to be open to experiencing the Holy Spirit so that you can see him in his true love and kindness and mercy, but also so that maybe he wants to share something with you to take you to the next level, that that time will get you and take you there. So that's that. We can move on to the next question. Again, I hope that you're open to it,

and it'll be an exciting time for you. It'll be one that if somebody you know and love is sitting there going oh my gosh what just happened to you and you get up off that ground you'll prove to them it was real because now you'll be able to say no no it's real trust me it's real and then it probably will change their life because that's what's happened with me so let me move on to my next question now um listen when you guys write in your questions first of all we're gonna we have it so that you can see right here where to send them um by email you can direct messages on instagram you can private messages on facebook you can leave

them in the comments as you're watching this I'm not gonna answer them right now on this podcast but we're gonna do is we'll take them and they're given to me I don't know who's writing these questions for the most part like I know unless you have your email address and it's your name I don't know who you are and I'll be honest with you I don't really care so it's irrelevant to me I don't know who you are. And I'll be honest with you, I don't really care. So it's irrelevant to me. I don't care if it was my mother writing me a question and it was about sex. I don't care. So everybody, well, I was about to say everybody has it, but nobody, that's not true. Everybody doesn't have it, especially if you're not married and shouldn't be having it unless you're married. But I'm just saying, like, I don't care about the question,

so just send whatever it is in. I don't care if you're my mother. I don't care if you're my daughter. I don't care. Send whatever question you have in. But there's different platforms you can do it in. So they're below. Just take advantage of that.

Send us all your questions in, and I'm going to try and hit as many as I possibly can, if not all of them. Some of them are going to be the same, though. It's just the way it is because we're people, right? Number two says, I struggle with the commandment, honor your mother and father. And how do I do this when we are so very different? Unsaved, heavy alcoholic drinkers.

That's what her or his parents are. This podcast is not just meant for women. It's meant for men, too. So I don't know if this is a male or female. And it says, so they're heavy drinkers. And it says, I don't want their lifestyle or beliefs to have any influence on my daughter. I totally get that.

I actually grew up in a home where one of my parents had a very tough time honoring their parents for multiple reasons a father had multiple affairs a mother loved their mother but it oftentimes wasn't very motherly so um it's hard to honor but here's the thing um it's scriptural and it says if you do it's one of the only commandments or excuse me it's the only commandment that promises you if you honor you get long life so that doesn't mean that you're a doormat and that doesn't mean that oh whatever they say goes it just doesn't scripture is very clear we are to guard our hearts and when we guard our heart until our child

our children are capable of doing that themselves it's our job to guard their heart so proverbs 4 23 says above all else guard your heart for everything you do flows from it so your motives come from your heart everything so exposing your child to an environment that is not healthy for them that is your job to make sure that you do just that you protect them and you keep them in an environment that is safe and healthy I would say like I've known of like of um like my parents were christians my husband's parents are not and so when they um would come and visit uh if they were involved in a relationship that um with someone um they were divorced their tom's parents are divorced so one of the parents, if they brought a girlfriend or boyfriend into town, we just asked them, if you're going to stay with us, you stay in two separate rooms.

If that didn't work for them, they would go to a hotel. They always honored what was asked. They were very, very respectful. And in this case, I would say, if your in-laws or your parents want to have anything to do with you, they should honor your request. Don't drink alcohol in front of our children. And that way, you can all be together. It goes hand in hand. You can still hang out with them, still be with them, if they choose not to drop the alcohol

or whatever the situation is. For someone else, it might not be alcohol. It might be a lifestyle like we had, them wanting to stay in the same room. But it was honored. Then you just make your request be known. If they don't want to honor your request, then what you do is you eliminate being around them in these situations. But you still can call call you can still check on them uh you you can um you can still be a a good child without having to enable bad behavior or put

your children in that environment it says um in titus 2 6 uh 2 6 through 8 and this is where i think you you can turn the tide if the tide is possible um to be turned it says likewise exhort the young men to be sober-minded so we're called not to be alcoholics we're not called to be tipsy or i mean a lot of people say well i can drink one drink and that is true it's not a sin to just drink one drink it's a sin to be drunk and anything starting with being um what's it when you're not drunk but you're it's not tipsy what's it buzzed thank you um buzzed starts at where I mean that's where it all starts, when you become buzzed.

So sober-mindedness, you can't be buzzed and sober-minded. That's just the facts. So if you become buzzed, that's where you're the start of being drunk. It says, so likewise exhort the young men to be sober-minded. So clearly drinking should be out of the equation. And all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works and doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say about you. So when you are with your parents, that's the person you should be.

As Christians, we should live this daily so that we are an example of what being a Christian, which is Christ-like, is like. So be the example in front of your parents. Make them want what you have. Narrow is the way and few there be that find it broad is the road to destruction right so you can do all you can do and they might choose that broad road but showing them what titus um two six through eight says you have a hope of winning them to salvation and them um them coming

to know the lord and then sharing in a relationship with them a christ-like family cohesive unit that can just be more than you even thought or dreamed about and then honoring your mother and father will be very simple but in the meantime be the example and do not enable their bad behavior and put by just saying okay if you're going to live like this then we'll just have to you know in order to honor you I'll have to hang out with you even though you're not honoring what I say no give them what they're willing to give you and then after, you call it a day. They want to honor your request, then you honor them. If they don't want to honor your request, you can still honor them without putting yourself or your children or child in their presence.

Like I said, you make a phone call, you check on them. If you saw them on the side of the road, you should help them. You love them. You don't have to like what they do and you don't even i mean lots of people feel like you have to like like people no the word commands you to love them it didn't command you to like them you have to love them so if there's a need that needs to be met and that's not enabling bad behavior but if there's like i said if you saw them on the side of the road with flat tire you stop you help, you help them. You love them, okay? But only give them what they're willing to give you. And then after that,

you can feel confident knowing that you have put your best foot forward and honoring your parents. Question number three. I hope that helped you. Question number three. I live 1,000 miles away from my mother and father, and they live an average American lifestyle. And that's a nice lifestyle. How can I encourage my parents to find God with such distance between us? Okay, well, this question probably can relate. It relates to me because, like, I have lots of family who don't live in the area that are not saved and i'm concerned about their salvation and so i'm going to tell you what i do

um when it comes to my family members that um that i don't have around me so that i can be that influence in their life um but the scripture is very clear. First, I would pray that God draws them in, which is what I do. With the family members that me and my husband have that we don't live near, we pray that God draws them in. Because the word is very clear, unless he draws them in, nothing's going to happen. It says in John 6, 44, it says, no one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him in. And see, people are always like pushing that door open, pushing that door open. When you go and you win souls, you don't push the door open.

What you do is you seek people out. And if they're open to receive what you have to offer, then that's when you give it to them um but like i've known people like they go to a family like we'll give thanksgiving for example and all they do is try and shove jesus down people's throat and all you're doing is pushing them away and having a disdain for you and having a disdain for Christ. It's very clear in the gospel that unless he draws them in, nothing's going to happen. So first we pray that he does, and then it says,

no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him in. This is the promise after that. And I will raise him up on the last day. So if you wait for the right time, and if you pray that this occurs, then you will see them come to salvation. Most people don't ever pray that God draws them in or that jesus is drawn into them they just keep praying and praying the same prayer but you have to be specific the word is very specific i hate that word um next next thing i would say is that after you pray that uh that the Lord draws them in. I always pray, Lord, bring someone across their path.

And for me, another believer comes across their path so that when they are open, they are ripe for the taken. Like that right then and there, that person will be there in just the right time and that they'll share the gospel with them. They'll receive the gospel. And then it says not only are we supposed to win the loss but it's very clear that we're to disciple believers

okay so then once they're saved either they find a good church or the person that won them to the lord they will walk them through the process of being a disciple someone who is strong in their walk with the lord because the parable of the sower is very clear that there's only one seed that falls on the fertilized ground and the rest of them, for the most part, are taken up and the cares of this life take them out. So once they're saved,

we need to make sure that they stay saved and they become a disciple. So that's the thing. You pray that the Lord draws them in. Second, that the person comes across their path. need to make sure that they stay saved and they become a disciple so that's the thing you pray that the lord draws them in second that the person comes across their path lastly that they will find a good church and they will become a discipled believer okay question number four i'm even shocked we're on question number four because i didn't think we'd get this far this fast says what is a healthy amount of time a married couple should have sex okay I

have an idea who asked me this question it ain't no woman I can tell you that right now my daughter's in the room which is even funnier if you're me and Tom it's seven days I. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. I'm just joking. If it's a man, I'm going to tell you right now. If this is a man asking this question every day. If it's a woman, it's less. Unless you're, I see it, you know, gonna be my myself in this in this on this podcast and that might make some of you guys just turn the channel but i'm like unless you're a nymph i'm

just saying you're a woman like women are not like this right we like it but we don't have to have it every day. So. Oh, God, I make myself laugh so hard. I'm trying to compose myself. And the room is laughing so hard. Listen, there are some nymphos. I mean, I don't know what to tell you. Like, if you're a man married to one of those, more power to you. That's all I can say.

Whatever. But in my personal opinion, there's nothing biblical on this. A man will probably want it probably five days a week. Okay, that's just the facts. But in my personal opinion, no less than one to two times a week. No less. Now my daughter now knows what goes on in my room when the door is closed, which they've already pretty much, you know, like whatever, 24 and 22. What are you going to do?

I can't tell him to go play i'm reading with your father or we're having a conversation i don't know those those those days are done um but i also know hey listen i know women like that are married to men that like they get none and the word word is very, very clear. We are not to hold back on one another. Okay, you're not to abstain from your spouse, male or female. And that is not an option. So if you're a woman and you're not getting it on with your husband,

change that immediately. Because, I mean, women wonder why men look and if if you're a Christian man and you're looking seriously at other women lustfully and you're not getting it at home I feel for you but I'm just saying that's a sin that's sin too you're accountable for that but women give it up crying out loud I mean like you don't want them looking at other women. And the porn industry is large for a reason. But, like, you got to do something about it. And men, like, women love it too.

So, like, get off the pot. Question number five. How do I know I am hearing the voice of God when it sounds like my own thoughts? This is huge. Like, I cannot tell you. Like, when I first got saved, well, let's say this. I got saved when I was five. And then I walked away when I was about 18, 19. And then I came back when I was about 18, 19. Then I came back when I was 24 to the Lord.

I walked away from the Lord for about five years. And one of the things, like, when you're younger and you're saved, like, you don't, I mean, you know stuff, but you really don't know stuff. But then when I came back, I mature i was i was more of an adult so like i i knew i wanted a deeper walk with god more so than i had previously because what i had before was just so um shallow so surfacy because you just you just don't know to a certain extent now some people that are in their teens they have a way I they have a way better understanding than what I did but for whatever reason I didn't know like how to hear that still small voiced um I didn't know very often um Tom calls me soulless I'm not

but like I don't go to the movies I don't cry I sit and I watch it he cries cries. I mean, I just, I don't know. So when I say things, like when I'm a very straightforward person, so when I'm praying, the Holy Spirit is very straightforward with me because that's what I understand. That's how I communicate. And that's how he'll do it with you. He communicates the way that you are able to understand. Like if somebody came to me and was like really late sweetsy or whatever, I mean, I'll listen to that,

but that's not going to be the person that I want to hang out with, the person that's going to probably be my best friend. The person that's probably going to be my best friend are people who are very much like me because I relate to them. Most people who are very soft-hearted people, very feely-oriented people who cry very easily, I'm not the one they're coming to. Like I'm not going to be their best friend

because I'm probably going to be too much for them. I'm like, why are you crying? Like I don't know. I don't get it. Like I'm not that kind of person so uh i feel like the holy spirit because he knows us so well he speaks to us in a way that we understand and the way we communicate um i will tell you that if you want to hear this voice clearly i would suggest strongly that you fast. Most of our,

a lot of our church right now have started fasting with Revival Today, which is the Shuttlesworth, Adalas, or Pastor Adalas and Pastor Jonathan, we're all kind of doing this thing together. They're doing, some of them are doing 21 days no food, like jonathan and the dollars they're no food uh me and tom we're no food but we're no food for a certain number of days we're not doing the 21 because not neither one of us have ever gone that long before um and then there's some church people that are doing the same thing with us um but all of us to to some extent most of the church if I know it's not all of it but a lot of us are doing the 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. fast so if you hear my stomach growling right now that's because I'm fasting fasting is key fasting makes you

gets rid of my stomach is growling X actually right this very second it's so daggum loud um so fasting what fasting does is it takes you to the next level you will hear things clearly you get your carnal nature it makes you kill your carnal nature it makes you more spiritually minded um it does not make you more anointed um at all it what it does though is it kills your flesh it kills your carnality um and so much that you can um see and hear things more clearly when your your faith increases um for me like because it kills my carnality it kills my doubt and unbelief so when i'm praying things specifically i see them happen more quickly because my flesh is less and my spirit man is more if that makes sense to you in any way

the voice um always lines up with the word. So if you're wondering, is this the Holy Spirit speaking this to me or is this me speaking this to me? If it lines up with the word, then I can guarantee you that it is actually the Holy Spirit speaking something to you as long as it lines up the word.

I'll give you an example. I once spoke to a couple and they swore to me that the holy spirit told them before they got married that they're to live together and when i asked them well if you're living for first of all the scripture says we're to abstain from all appearance of evil so living together makes it look like you're having sex outside of marriage so then i say well are you having sex outside of marriage yeah yeah we're having sex we love each other i'm like well the word clearly says that we're not to live in fornication, that fornicators will not inherit the kingdom of heaven. Well, the Holy Spirit told us that it was okay, and the Holy Spirit told us that we should live together.

Okay, that's not how it works. I mean, people will convince themselves of what they want themselves to believe and what they supposedly want to hear, but I'm just telling you, if it doesn't line up with the word, like if those people would have died and went to hell, I mean, if died, they would never have gone to heaven. The word is the word. And if they would have went out to see Jesus and they would have said, but Lord, you told us to do it.

He would have absolutely said, read my word. It does not say that. If you believe the Holy Spirit has told you something, check it out in the word and verify it and make sure that it actually is in there. Because if it's not, it's not from him. It's your flesh. It's your carnality. Wanting whatever it is you feel like you're being told.

You need to know the word. You need to worship. You need to spend time in prayer. You need to shut the word you need to worship you need to spend time in prayer you need to shut up and and listen um i would ask for confirmation if it's something big like who you're supposed to marry everybody should always ask if you're supposed to marry whoever you know you're dating if you hear no you break up immediately um always always always ask the important question the most two most important things you'll ever do is get saved and get married make sure the person you marry

which is so crazy that people don't ever ask is this person i'm supposed to marry they just marry who they love um or lust that that it ends up being a bad marriage, but it's like, how did you not know not to ask and be a Christian? It happens all the time. You'll become more familiar with that voice. That voice will give you correction. It'll give you direction. It'll even give you loving, kind words, and it'll tell you all about yourself

and who you are in Him. And those are things that you need to hear, but you have to be able to know that it lines up with the word. I was going to go to question six, but we are coming down to the last two, three minutes. I never want to close out a podcast without sharing the gospel and giving everybody the opportunity to become saved. Because truthfully

there's nothing more important than that and everybody that's watching this you might be saved but there might be the one that's not and truthfully like no one was meant to go this life alone and when i say this life alone i don't mean with a significant other. I mean, everybody has a God-shaped void and it was purposely placed inside each of every single one of us. We all need that God-shaped void filled, but only He can fill it. And so I would strongly encourage you, if you've never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. It says

the only way to get to heaven is through him. And when I say the word him, that means Jesus Christ. The only way to get to heaven is through receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. And so what I would say to you today, if you don't know him, it's as simple as just asking him to forgive you of your sins. And then walking this life for the rest of your days on this earth with him being your Lord. And when you have a Lord, that means that he tells you what you're going to do, when you're going to do it, how you're going to do it. But it will be the sweetest, most beautiful experience because the things that are told to you will be the things that protect you, they keep you safe.

And who hasn't ever had it? If you've never had a good parent, then you don't know what I'm talking about. But you can know what I'm talking about by having a relationship with Jesus. So I would just say to you, if you don't have one, just pray this prayer with me right now. Dear Lord, we come to you right now. And Father, we just ask that if there be anyone that's watching this podcast that doesn't know you, Father, that they would come to know you

in the most intimate way right now this afternoon. And Lord, I give each and every one of these people an opportunity. If you repeat this prayer with me, it's simple, it's fast. Lord Jesus, I ask you right now to come and be my Lord and Savior. I ask you to rule and reign in my life, to forgive me of my sin. And from this moment on, I live for you. In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen. So if that's what you did, you got a great start ahead of you. I ask everyone to come back every Wednesday, 3 to 4. Friday, 3 to 4. We'll spend an hour together. I went over a little bit. But hey, this is my first one. I'm not asking for forgiveness.

I'm not asking for mercy. You're just going to have to accept it and deal with it. I love you guys and I will see you the next time for one hour. Real Talk. Real Talk.