The Hope Hotline - The Hope Hotline | S01-E23 | 04-05-23

Episode Date: April 5, 2023

Question #1 Do dream mean anything?Can you explain dreams/nightmares? And is there anything in the Bible that reference nightmares.Questions #2 Would you break the law to save a loved one?Question #3People always say, “God won’t give us more than we can handle.”If God won’t give us more than we can handle why does scripture say to bear one another’s burdens in Galatians 6:2?what is handling it when you see Christians suffering through illness and abuse.

Thank you for joining the Hope Hotline. Today is Wednesday. It's very unusual for me to name a day that it is, but today I know what day it is. And the reason I know what today is, is because I know what day that this is going to be played. We record all these and I just so happen to know that this is going to be played on Wednesday. Correct, Tracy? Hot dog. Okay, so it is Easter week, very exciting week. And some of you guys might not be on social media, so you might not know this, but this week we have two videos that Tracy and I created last year for Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday that we have ready and available for you to watch on Black Robe. I go into a little

bit more detail about them on Friday, what to watch, but check them out. It's on blackrobetv.com and if you were with us last year then you'll know these two videos. If you weren't you're going to want to check them out because you think you know but you don't know what you don't know about palm sunday and easter and they're very very good i'm not just saying that because we did them but i am saying it because we took a lot of information from some great resources and made it so that you could understand them and have a deeper or have a more in-depth understanding of what these two big Sundays are all about. Okay. Oh yeah, we did get good feedback. You're right about that we got excellent feedback uh last year um

when they were played a lot of great feedback so yeah people went back and we watched it just on the service but this now now you don't have to go back to the service she has them so what you're going to do is you're going to go to a blackrow tv.com you're going to go to chant the channels foundation church and then they'll be one of the first ones that you see so plus if you were here for last year you saw a video for he is worthy it's a music one and so you'll be able to watch and listen to that too because people love that so it's a good time good time and then you can can't really share them because you can't share that. But you can share the link.

Yeah, but you can't really like on YouTube you can just. Oh, that's a link too, right? Can you hit a share button on Black Rope TV? Oh, you copy the link. Because that's one of the. See, I hate YouTube. But YouTube has some really good things that they've done yeah is that but with when I'm not in the app I can still hit it

oh it saves the link okay but black robe needs to black robe Aaron if you're watching, you need to step it up, baby. Get a move on on that. So, but check them out. They're really good. Let us know if you watched them. Let us know if you liked them. But pretty good stuff. All right. So we're going to go to our first question.

And this one's pretty interesting. It says, do dreams mean anything? Sometimes when I'm around certain people i have nightmares i'm beginning to think it's because of the bad spirits that carry that bad spirits they carry around i am cambodian and my family are either buddhist or atheist i am the only one saved man you got a ripe little harvest going on right there for yourself you got a lot of people that can win to the Lord. It's not always easy and it doesn't happen overnight.

But that's not that it's awesome that they're not saved. But it's awesome that you have some opportunity. When my family visits, I have awful nightmares. These are the same nightmares I have living close to them in Massachusetts. I have dreams of demonic people or snakes. I will wake up, pray, and ask my husband to pray over me, and then it goes away until I see my family again. I do pray for my family every day and have learned from Hope and Pastor Tom

to pray for the Holy Spirit to tug on them, to open their hearts. But in the past, I'd pray for them to be saved every day for years. Can you explain dreams and nightmares? And is there anything in the Bible that reference nightmares? So what I'm going to do is we're not going to go probably the direction that you think that I'm going to go in as far as let's dissect bad dreams. Let's see if bad dreams mean anything i mean

dreams do mean things because i mean if you look in the old testament joseph was able to understand dreams and then he was able to explain them and what they mean some dreams do mean things but in this case let's not focus on um what are you um let's not focus on what the bad dreams mean old testament is old testament new testament is new testament there you know you're a new creation in christ so um the things that the enemy was potentially able to do to you previously, he can't do to you now because of the Holy Spirit, because of being saved, things like that. You can wage war against the spirit of principality you can wage war against that um yourself and that's what we're told to do but let's focus on um let's focus on

what the word says and what we have the power um that we have the power of uh over evil spirits so luke 10 19 says i have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions to overcome all the power of the enemy nothing will harm you if i were you i would take luke 10 19 and i would plaster that in your living room i mean excuse me in your bedroom i would plaster that in your bathroom somewhere that or wherever you're at. If you have a little home office or your desk, maybe put it in multiple locations. I would make sure that I have that scripture ready and available for me to speak over myself, speak over my family. So that you remember that all these things that you're concerned about,

they're nothing. And they really are. They're nothing. They have nothing. They have no authority, and they have nothing to do with you if you don't allow it. So let's look at what you said is that every time you and your husband prayed, you saw the results of that prayer in a positive way. What you said is that every time you and your husband prayed, you saw the results of that prayer in a positive way.

So pretty much what you did is what the word says to do. And you used the word against them. Just like when Jesus was tempted by the devil, what did Jesus do after the 40 days of fasting? The devil took him up to the high temple mount and said, I'll give you all these things if you worship me. And every single time Satan tried to tempt him with something, Jesus replied to him with scripture.

Now Satan knows the scripture too. That's why it's super important for you to know it better but uh he will twist it so that it um he will twist it so that it works on his behalf but you knowing it and knowing it better he got his no rights so um this is what i would do if i was you if i was you i would rebuke the devourer before your family come every single time. I would just speak over my home, maybe even go into each and every room, but not necessarily. I would just, if you pray in the spirit, this is the best thing that I could tell you to do.

If you have the gift of tongues, I would pray in tongues and speak in the Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit will speak far better than you could ever do for yourself in this situation. So before they come, I would speak the word over your home, and I would pray over your home. And then blessings over your home, blessing and rebuke curses and things like that. They probably aren't doing any curses over you. They couldn't do them anyway, but speak over your home. I would, when the family comes into town, I would have worship music playing. And that means even if it's very, very low, so they don't even know that it's playing, have, so the tone is set.

There's peace in the house. I actually will do some of this myself. Not when I have certain family members in, but if I just want a tone to be set, there are certain things that I'll do. Certain church, I'll put the, I don't know, TBN, CTN, Daystar, I'll put one of them on and just have scripture being played depending on what the channel is playing because some of it's crap.

Some of these shows that they have out right now, they're just crap. So it depends. I can tell you all the time. When I leave my house, for my dog, this is not a joke. For my dog, when I leave my house, I put on Pastor Rodney. I put on the stand because we usually tend to go out about the same time. And so, you know, you can TiVo everything, but I'll put the stand on for my dog just to be so it's peaceful for him and whatever. But I would definitely put some worship music on. And here's the other thing I would tell you to do.

I would, while you're sleeping, since you have dreams, I would play worship music while you sleep, or I would have scripture being played over you. Like you can go to YouTube, and they have like 12 hours worth of scripture that somebody speaks over you or speaks and says and it's in the soft monotone voice it's you got to find one that's not real annoying because I find most of them like have you ever listened to those Tracy golly they're so some of them are really annoying but Pastor Rodney's is awesome, don't you think? But his is only like an hour.

His isn't that long, an hour and a half maybe. But I would find, but I do do, even if it's annoying, I'll be honest with you. When I'm standing on certain things, specifically, I will do this. Like if I feel like, I don't get sick, but if I feel like something's trying to come on me or whatever, I start praying those healing scriptures over me while I sleep. I put my earbuds in or I'll put it under my, the phone underneath my pillow. I'll plug it in so it never loses its charge.

And YouTube will play for you the whole entire time. But I do that all the time. I put Kenneth Hagan on, like he's my jam. I love that. I love it. And you can get him a whole bunch, but I'll listen to him while I'm sleeping. Another good one is Charles Capps.

My cousin's wife just texted me this morning. She just found out about the podcast. She was so sweet. She sent me the sweetest text, but she just told me about someone new because she's a big Andrew Womack girl and she has seen major miracles happen in her life with her health like mighty things um and she just told me about this new so I'm going to listen to him she's like he's phenomenal she said he was even better than Andrew Womack.

Which that's saying something because she loves that guy. And I do too. But again, Kenneth Hagen, we're buddies. We're like that. He's my jam. I love that man. So Charles Capps is another phenomenal one. So if you ever are having health

or if you ever want to become stronger in your walk with God a lot of people love um but I don't for some reason not that I don't like him but T.L. Osborne I like him I do and he's got some great things to say, but how he talks really rubs me wrong. Like, have you ever heard him talk? Turn it on right now so you can tell. And you won't hear her, but T.L. Osborne, really good. I mean, I do, I have watched him. I do enjoy his teachings, but he talks so mechanical that after a while I'm like, I can't do it anymore. You hear how he's mechanical? Like that, right? That's rough. That's rough. But mighty man of God. Great word. That's a great word to share.

So I would absolutely, definitely have the word being spoken over you while you're sleeping. You know, it says that demons flee at the name of Jesus. So I would just have, but here's the thing, the word is Jesus. So just have that word played over you all the time. Dreams, I mean, again, I wouldn't focus on the dreams. Focus on him. You know, focus on the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings. Really, dreams mean nothing because he's the answer.

So focus on the answer. Get in the word. And maybe you are waiting for the door to be open for you to witness to your family so that you can win them to the Lord. In the meantime, just saturate yourself with prayer bible bible um and and worship and when they come i'm telling you even if you have it played in the home and they don't even know it because you can like have music playing and they won't even hear it but hey listen the listen, the evil spirits, they do. They don't want any parts of it. So that's what I would do. If I was you, surround myself

all the time with a word. But I do that a lot throughout the day right now. That is my life my life for the most part is is prayer bible study and and worship i do a lot of that so you might be doing that already just don't stop it when they get there keep it up if that's the case next question this this next question is a tracy question so i'm gonna ask her it come on in he. You're stealing my keys. All right. I was going to make you answer a question. Okay, so, but she's gone. Now she's back.

No, I was just messing with you. So since Tracy's asking me this question, I will answer this question. But I'm going to ask her this question too. Every now and then Tracy throws a little zinger in to me because she wants to know what I would say about it. Would you break a law to save a loved one? So what I would say to that is

listen if the law is speeding I already do that so I'll break that law i mean to save a loved one i already do it i speed every day should i not no i probably shouldn't but lord knows like how if you're supposed to go 35 i always go five over i. I cannot imagine going 35. I can't. It's too hard. And really there's a variable with the law. The law says 10 over, you don't get a ticket. Anything 10 or less. Do I only go, do I never go 10 over?

Do I do 10 or more? Is that what you're asking me? I plead the fifth. I plead the fifth. That's Tom's favorite. We're going to play that for you. I plead the fifth. No, but I can tell you that I plead the fifth. Because that's seriously one of Tom's favorite.

Like he puts that on in the house with just us. It's his favorite. But okay, yeah, I do do more than 10. But I'm going to tell you why. There's a caveat to this question. I do do 10 than 10 but but I'm going to tell you why there's a caveat to this question I do do 10 plus 10 but listen it's usually when the when I have to go up to the river the river is a killer first of all the drive so you go there and you give yourself, it's only like an hour and 10 minutes away. Without traffic.

But you can't leave an hour and 10 minutes because there's inevitably always traffic. So you leave at least an hour and a half early. At least. It has literally taken us three hours to get there before. Three hours. Now, you've got to love some church. And that's a good church. But you've got to love some church to sit in traffic for three hours,

which we've done it more than once. So, when you're going to the river, this is problem stop and go stop and go stop and go and then when you get a break to make up some time you're hitting that gas pedal as fast as you're you dad gum can because you don't know when you're hitting the next stop and start stop and start stop and start so yeah i do i go but here's the thing my girlfriend um pastor clover she lives in fort myers she has the river church fort myers the other night she told me she got home in an hour and a half from tampa I said dadgum girl what are you going 90 plus and she said absolutely I love her. She's my girl. Absolutely.

So, listen. That's a trip. It's worth it. So, okay, if it's speeding, I'm going to say one heck of a yeah. I already do that. If you're asking me to kill somebody, for somebody, to save them,

well, it depends on the relative. It depends on how much I love that relative. Because I might say, take them out. I'm fine with it. How much can I pay you to take them out? But, oh, you said the loved one loved one okay so i do love them um let's see yeah probably i would break a law truthfully i i would break a law 100 to save a loved one depending on what that law is and depending on like if it's self-defense, oh, 100%, all day long.

But even if it's not self-defense, I might. I'd be lying if I said otherwise. It just depends on what it is. Like, I just don't know. It's not a no. No, but I would never lie truth is truth I would never lie ever if I break the law I would own up to it if I murdered somebody and I had to confess it I would say it um I would never lie about it i would just do it and then then suffer the consequences later

if there were any because if it's self-defense there should be no consequence because you're just doing what's right in the eyes of the law although the law says that you're breaking it to kill somebody but pretty much what about you i to, since she doesn't have this right here, I'll answer. Wait. You know the term ride or die? Ride or die. I've heard that term many times. So that's you?

Ride or die? Oh, so heck yeah, you're breaking the law. I'm breaking the law every time. Every time. Every time. Your brothers will love you for that. Wait, aren't they a loved one? It depends.

I don't know which one. Doug, I know you love. Do I? You love Doug. 100%. I love DJ more. DJ's the baby. He's the baby.

So maybe. Hey, listen. I will tell you this. I know this for a fact. You love their wives way more than you love them. You love her? Way more. So they're definitive, yes.

That's that. 100%. Your mama? That's it. Always? Yeah. their wives way more than you love them way more so they're definitive yes 100 your mama always but okay i'm going to tell you this this is this is a lot listen i love my husband no one's hotter than my husband he's like i can honestly say in my whole entire married life, and she knows what I'm about to say, in my whole entire married life, I have never, ever, ever like wanted to be married to somebody else, wanted to date somebody else. I like the thought of kissing somebody else

makes me wanna vomit. Like, ugh. I'm just so grossed out. Like, on my whole entire, I could be put on a lie detector right now, and I would pass that flying colors. I have loved and had special relationships with guys, other men. Like Lee Benz. I love Lee Benz.

Lee's my, like, he's like a brother there's other guys that I just absolutely love and adore but in no way shape or form when to have a relationship with them more than just the friendship right but and I could put a I could be put on a lie detector test for that. But I'm going to just tell you, Tracy's dad is pretty fine. He's a good-looking man. He is! Tracy! When I first saw him, he came to church. I think I saw him in the podcast room at the old building.

I went, dang, man looks good. Oh, she'll pull a picture up for you. He's cute. Bopski did a really good job. But hey, Bopski looked real. She looks good now, but I'm just saying. She's a cutie. They married equal.

Yeah, you should pull a picture of them when they were younger so you can see it. Because they look good right now, though. They both look very good right now. But her dad, from a woman's perspective, Bopski did good. And Bopski's not really my Bopski because I can't be her granddaughter. Kim. Kim rocked the house. Done good.

Tracy's laughing. She knows it's true. She knows it's true. But so it's determined now if you are a loved one of me or Tracy and you need us to break the law to save you, we're willing to do it. As long as we love you. If we don't, you're on your own. I might pay somebody to take you out.

If somebody's about to take you out, I might watch. I might be fine with it. It all depends. I am pretty heartless, they say. You know what, though? I will say this in all seriousness. I don't think there's anybody in my life, there's not one person in my life that I hate or can't stand.

Even people who I feel like there's been things that have been between us to cause like a situation where we go like that or whatever. And no matter how valid I feel about my side or how valid they feel about their side, because everybody's, you know, there's two sides and there's somewhere in between that's correct. One part plays more than the other, whatever. But I will say there is not one person on this earth that I hate that I wouldn't even say that I wouldn't want to reconcile with or maybe not even reconcile because I don't really feel like there's there if I saw them I would probably hug and love on

them it doesn't it doesn't bother me but even the people that think right now that might be watching that think no no it would not me uh you're lying because i'm like no seriously there's not one person i i take comfort in that you know i ask god i evaluate myself on that all the time even if somebody comes into my mind i'm like well what about that person am i really being honest about that person and i'm like yeah because for, I'll be honest with you. I don't want anything to get in the way of my anointing or what God has for me. I can't hang on to that stuff. It's not worth it. It's not worth it. And, and the thing is, is I choose not to allow somebody to rent space in my mind. I'm not doing that. There's so much freedom in that and the thing is is they don't care they're not thinking about you anyway so i'm like why am i why am i doing it to myself you know they don't

care so i i say i'll i'll help kill you but in truth i i wouldn't do that i mean even though i'm soulless or so they say i'm not that soulless i would never do that what are you laughing at over there she just said I'm too nice most would beg to differ on that I am a nice person but I'm a very I'm not that nice to a certain extent I would oh absolutely I give them a hug there's not one person that if they walked into this room and said I you wouldn't hug me, I'd be like, heck to the no. I would absolutely hug them, even if they thought I hated them. I think it's not really nice. I think it's more trying to be Christ-like. I'm just trying to be Christ-like. I'm trying to stay in that narrow path but I'm not that nice I truthfully am not I just I choose to take the high road and honor and love and because loving is not liking it's not so it's two very very different things but um but that's that all right next question oh my gosh 29 minutes holy mackinolies okay

people always say god won't give us more than we can handle now this question is i do absolutely know who wrote this question because their name was on there somehow i love this person that wrote this question. I mean, I love this person. So people always say, God won't give us more than we can handle in reference to 1 Corinthians 10, 13. Now, I don't think I can go back and forth with this question.

The person that asked this question will understand it. I'm going to try and go slow enough so that everybody else understands what their question is. But she puts in some scriptures in here. So I'm going to reference the scriptures, but it might be a little confusing. Just so you know, but I can't go back and forth with it because I think it will make it more confusing. But it says, my understanding is this is for temptation so first corinthians 10 13 is referencing temptation so she's correct if god won't give us more than we can handle why does scripture say to bear one another's burdens in galatians 6 2 which we're going to find out burdens isn't what people think burdens is.

So keep that in the forefront of your mind. Then 1 Peter 5.7 states, cast all our cares or anxiety. Okay, so the burdens, casting your cares, anxiety. And it goes on to say on him, right? Psalm 55.22 says says cast your burdens okay i'm going to go back to burdens from galatians casting your cares and anxiety from first peter and then burdens of psalm 55 22 again so if you've got a pencil and pen and you care enough about it write those downs because first corinthians 10 13 says talks about temptation galatian talks about burdens first peter 5 7 talks

about casting your cares and your anxiety and 55 psalm 55 22 talks about burdens and then it goes on to say i usually say god will give us all the grace you need in every situation. Which is in 2 Corinthians 12, 9. Which she's accurate in that scripture when she says it to people. But it's a little bit more than that. And I'm glad this question was asked. But what is handling it when you see Christians suffering through illness and abuse? So what we're going to find out is burden in the scripture

is not the same as illness and abuse. So I hope by me paraphrasing this question the way that I just did, when we start reading it, you'll understand the transitions that we will be taking from scripture to scripture. Okay. First Corinthians 10, 13 says, no temptation has overtaken you except such as common to man. So no temptation is overtaking you except such as common to man, but God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able. Now remember, scripture talks about God does not tempt us.

So when he's saying, but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able. Who tempts then? Satan does the tempting. He allows, because Satan is the one that roams this earth right now seeking whom he may devour. He's the prince and the power of this world right now. He's been given that for a period of time. God has allowed it. So that's why it says, God will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able,

but with the temptation will also make the way of escape that you may be able to bear it. So he's not tempting you. You need to understand that. And there are scriptures that are clear. He's not the one tempting you. He is allowing you to be tempted, just like he allows us to make choices. We are not forced to come to him and be redeemed he allows us to serve the world or serve him okay if

you are tempted it is your choice whether you take the temptation okay so you can escape the temptation or you can fall prey to the temptation. I hope that makes sense. What we're going to do is look at Galatians 6.2. Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. So what does this mean? Now I'm going to read to you what it means because I am going to break down two explanations of this scripture. Okay the Study Bible says

carrying each other's burdens is to it means the emphasis on moral burdens or weaknesses but also their erroneous responsibilities. So, not erroneous, onerous. Onerous responsibilities. O-N-E-R-O-U-S. That's not erroneous. So, really, burden in this scripture, which is bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. So when you're bearing someone's burdens, it's their moral burden or a weakness of theirs.

Okay? Now, Perry Stone's study Bible says this, but a little bit more it says um that when you break it down it says burden refers to verse one of the same chapter and the moral burden and spiritual struggles a fellow believer is encountering so it's a moral or spiritual struggle that's what bearing one another's burdens is a lot of times people think that you're bearing another person's burdens, that you're burdening like if they have a family situation

that maybe their kid has gone off, half cocked, is living in a drug addicted state. And that person's just so burdened by this. And you're going to help take on that burden. Of that person that's your friend or whatever. No, that's not what it's talking about. It's talking about moral or spiritual struggles. Okay. It's talking about moral or spiritual struggles, okay?

Which I guess being drug addicted to some extent is a moral ethical thing. But it's specifically not things like abuse or illness, which is what was the very last part of that question. What does moral mean? It's relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior. A burden does not refer to struggles such as abuse, illness, or anything like that. It is referring to a moral or spiritual struggle that someone is going through. So abuse and illness are not considered burdens in a biblical sense in that particular

or in that scripture that is referred to. Okay, if you look at 1 Peter 5, 7, it says, casting all your care upon him for he cares for you. If you look at Philippians 4, 6-7, because 1 Peter 5-7, what it does is in the study Bible, it tells you to go to Philippians 4, 6-7, which will correlate the two of them together. Both of them, 1 Peter 5-7 refers to Philippians 4, 6 through 7 to help break it down. I was about to try and say it a different way, but it was going to be super confusing the way I was going to say it.

So if you go to Philippians 4, 6 through 7, which 1 Peter 5, 7 says to do, so you can have a better understanding of it. This is what Philippians 4, 6-7 says. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication. Supplication means repetitive. With thanksgiving. So you pray, then you continue to repeat and pray over that specific thing, and then you give thanks for it being completed. Even before it's done, you thank him because you know we walk by faith, not by sight.

That's what Hebrew says. So if you're walking by faith, not by sight, then you know it's going to come to pass. And you're going to speak and be thankful for what you know that you're believing for. It says, let your quest be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Now let's look back at 1 Peter 5, it says, casting casting all your care upon him, for he cares for you. Do you see how those two go together? Be anxious for nothing. To pray.

To repeatedly pray and thank God for the answer. And by doing that, you're going to have peace that passes all understanding, and he'll guard your heart. So to get rid of your anxiety, what you need to do is follow what Philippians 4, 6-7 says. You have to guard your heart. Like, you have to guard your heart. And the reason you have to guard your heart is because if you do not

you will let things run amok in your mind and that's why you got to take every thought captive out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks um so if you allow fear and anxiety and depression and all this other stuff to enter into here, it goes into here. And that's what, it's just a vicious cycle. But you can stop the cycle through prayer, supplication, thanksgiving. And then you'll have a peace that passes on understanding. And then you'll be able to guard your heart.

You can't be anxious. And that's not a burden anyway. Being anxious isn't a burden because being anxious isn't a spiritual struggle or a moral struggle, right? Let's go to Psalms 55, 22. Am I explaining this well? Do you understand it?

You do understand it though? Because it's kind of not a confusing question, but it's a tingled web. You've wondered that before? Really? Like casting your burdens on someone? Is that the part

that you were... Anxiousness shouldn't be. No, because it's not yeah well that's studying okay now i understand where you're coming from because i didn't understand what you meant but you didn't understand then that makes me good that makes me glad if i confuse if it gets confusing though just tell me say go back to that because that doesn't make sense because this one's a little bit of a tingler okay psalm 55 22 says cast your burden on the lord and he shall sustain you he shall never permit the righteous to be moved let's repeat that one more time it says cast your burden on the lord he He shall sustain you. He

shall never permit the righteous to be moved. What a great promise. I mean, man, that is, and that's why knowing the word and speaking the word over yourself, super important, super important. Because right there, if you spoke that over yourself all the time, you would never be anxious. You would never be concerned because you know that that's truth. God's word is truth and it's a promise to you. It's whether you believe it or not. So Perry Stone breaks this scripture down phenomenally.

So good. It says the Hebrew word for burden is not the usual word used for burden which is massa so normally if you saw the word burden in the Bible it would be the Hebrew word massa m-a-s-s-a which means a weight or a load okay that you carry so in this case it is the word Yahab Y-E-H-A-B and it means what has been given to you or what God has allowed to happen by his sovereign purpose which coincides with the first Corinthians first Corinthians 10 13 okay with the temptation and things like that okay 13. Okay? With the temptation and things like that. Okay.

God will sustain you for everything he permits to happen to you. So anything that, not that he did, but has been allowed because Satan comes and he's the one that does it all. It's not God. It's Satan. So he knows that Satan's going to come after us. We will face many trials in this lifetime.

But what does it say? I will deliver you from them all. Okay. So he will sustain you through everything. From them all. Okay. So. He will sustain you through everything. God will sustain you. For everything he permits to happen to you. The Hebrew word for sustained.

Literally means to measure. Then to hold and contain something. It means God gives you. A measure of grace. To hold you up through a test. And in the New Testament. Paul had a thorn in the flesh. and asked God three times to remove it. God responds, this is gracious, sufficient for him, meaning that grace would sustain him and see him through anything. Now, a lot of people think the thorn in the flesh is sickness, illness, and disease. It is not that at all. And if you studied out a thorn in the flesh, you would

absolutely know that it had nothing to do with sickness, illness, and disease. But what a lot of people love to do is use Paul's thorn in the flesh to say, well, God doesn't heal every time. Because if he did, he would have healed Paul of his thorn in the flesh. Some people have made up that the thorn in the flesh was that he had an eye problem. The thorn in the flesh was, there's one other problem that they say he had, and I can't remember what it was. Some other sickness. I think it was stomach issues.

But no, that was Timothy having the stomach issue. No, I don't remember what it is, but they come up with, there's like two of them that I've heard very common. So that gives them permission not to believe in healing and that God wills whether or not you're healed or not. Well, it is God's will that you're healed every single time because that's what it says in the word there's nowhere in the word that says that god doesn't heal every time no one has ever showed it to me no one has ever been able to prove it now what a lot of people do is they use the old testament as their um like i've had somebody say well um shadrach meshach and abeddo go when they were being put in the fire, they said,

if God doesn't save us from this, as a thing to say that God doesn't save you. And at the time when I was talking to them, it was a very sensitive time for them. So I did not pursue it because you just, first of all, you have to know when somebody is willing to receive. And the other thing is, is it can get to a place where it's not, maybe that they don't have the revelation to receive, which was not this case, but it was such a heated time for them that what would have happened is a relationship would have been ruined because the person's not ready to receive because it's a very tenuous tense time for them

and all you're going to do is ruin any opportunity at any time that you might be able to witness to them and share the truth about healing so i chose to say okay this is becoming very heated we're going to get nowhere and let's save the relationship by just respectfully like saying this we're just not at the same place and that's okay um but that's old testament okay jesus bore stripes on his back so that every single time, every single time we need healing in our body, by his stripes we are healed is what the word says. Isaiah said it as well. But you can't use Old Testament scriptures

to prove the fact that healing is the sovereignty of God, which is a very bad, very bad doctrine. Because if you look at sovereign, and what it really means is not what people have changed sovereignty into. So, but if you look at, let's just look at, like, let me ask Tracy. Have you ever heard somebody say something like, he's such a thorn in my flesh? You have heard that?

Okay, were you saying that he has a sickness and disease in your body? What were you saying? Like he's a pain in my butt. Yeah. Well, that would be a people problem, wouldn't it? Oh, yeah. So, and I am sure a lot of us have heard, like when we use the word scapegoat, that's a Bible term. It was used for, it's actually, they would take a goat and they would use that goat once a year.

They would take a goat once a year and they would basically send it off of a cliff and he was he was a scapegoat for all of this i believe it was sin that wasn't i can't remember exactly how it was what it's what the goat actually covered for the israelite people but he was it would the goat was called a scapegoat, and they actually used this goat as a sacrifice. Once a year, they would take a goat. Well, we use biblical terminology still to this day. A thorn in the flesh, that person's a thorn in my flesh,

still means a people problem like it did for Paul. So that's not just the proof that I have that it wasn't a sickness or disease. There's other scriptures that go along with it. But that one's really easy for me to use and explain so that everybody right now can say, oh yeah, I've heard that before. Oh, that makes sense. Unless you really want to fight the matter and just be a person of doubt and unbelief and just never, ever, ever take a stand on healing and be weak and knowing that, I mean, God's called us to be so much more than what a lot of us are willing to go out on that limb and do. And if you want to be that, then so be it, you know, whatever. I want to be more because I know that God's called us to be so much more and we're just so complacent and so weak that nobody wants to do anything it's way easier to

sit in front of the tv or the computer and look at instagram facebook google search whatever than to actually step out there and do things that might be a little risky spiritually. But, so, what is it? The scapegoat? Okay, so it was cast in the desert. I thought it was off of a cliff, but it's right. No, no, no, it wasn't. I clearly remember that now. So it was cast into the desert for the sins of of the community yeah in leviticus yep every year once a year correct

okay yep once a year they did this so we use a lot of biblical terms and we just don't even know them it's like a lot of our uh songs people sing in church, the hymnals, not even hymnals anymore, a lot of songs that these artists play, they've taken them out of Scripture. But people don't know Scripture, so they don't know they're singing it. It's so funny. So let's go back. So God doesn't give us illness um so that that burdens can be removed and

we're not to bear uh burdens a burden isn't a sickness an illness or a disease so we're not carrying somebody's burden of that on ourselves that's not what that means at all. What you should do, though, is lay hands on the sick and they shall recover, is what the scripture says. So you don't carry that burden for them. You remove that burden from them. Okay? You heal them. You make them well.

We stand in faith. We teach them. We teach them about healing. We teach them. We teach them about healing. We disciple them on the promises of God and what they can stand on. Abuse. Abuse isn't really a burden under the guise of what that terminology is.

Abuse is a moral or spiritual situation. So abuse is usually, if somebody's in an abusive situation, it's for one of two reasons as far as I'm concerned. One is they made a very bad decision and they shouldn't have done that. So they've put that burden upon themselves. Or let's say somebody gets married

and the person they married wasn't abusive when they married them, but has sustained some trauma, let's say head injury or something like that. I've heard this before. People who have gone through car accidents or even fallen and stuff like that, the injury to their head has caused their personality to change. And so they went from being a very gentle, kind creature to somebody that's kind of an aggressive person. So what I would say to that is go, we go back to healing, the healing that person,

but also not allowing yourself to be abused. That doesn't mean that you leave, if you're in a marriage, that doesn't mean that you leave them. But what that does is you don't allow yourself to be abused and there are ways around that um so you could say yeah that's easy for you to say but I would say yeah I know I wouldn't do it I would never ever if somebody was trying to hurt me they would maybe be able to do that for a very short period of time but i would start making a way that that stopped and so um if they're abusive they would be in jail and i'm not putting up with it i'm not so i may have to stay married to them but and i'll pray them through it but i'm not going to be abused so there are ways and you go well okay so if i divorce them uh or if i if i get if they get put in jail then i can't live because they're a part of our income no god's your income he's your provider do you pay tithe everybody like what like boxes themselves in because they forget or they don't understand scripture or they live by the world

standards or they look at everything through the world solutions versus the biblical solutions you'll win every time if you go through the biblical process um so discipling and teaching one another super important but you don't have to bear somebody's burden you just need to disciple them teach them help them along proverbs 27 17 says uh as iron sharpens iron so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. Don't bear a burden that isn't a burden. But, like, teach them. Iron sharpens iron. Teach them.

Show them. Disciple them. So that they can get themselves out of whatever it is, even if it's depression. You can teach somebody and disciple them out of that nonsense. You can pray them and help them pray through. But don't bear that burden for them. That's not your burden to bear. Lift each other up, stand in the gap

for your friend in faith. And remember when it comes to temptation, God allows you to be tempted by the devil, but he also says he gives you a way to escape it. But also, lots of of people i cannot tell you how many times i've heard people say i don't know what god is doing i don't know they they have got themselves in a mess because of bad decisions i don't know what god is doing god ain't god didn't do that you did that and like it's so funny because women uh they'll get involved with these men they have

no business being involved in the men want something more from them they're tempted to do what that more with that guy than they should and they'll be like i'm so tempted i don't know i mean why is god doing this to me you're unequally yoked first and foremost or if even if you're with a guy that says he's a christian and he's tempting you okay you're unequally yoked i mean god does not tempt us okay james 1 13 says let no one say that he is tempted i am and this is quotes i am tempted by god let no one say when he is tempted i am tempted tempted by God. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he himself tempt anyone. It's not God. He doesn't tempt anyone with sin or anything evil.

That comes straight from the devil or the decisions you've made that caused you to be in that situation. Matthew 26, 41 says, Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. So your spirit man will not, but your flesh will. Because the spirit is strong, the flesh can be weak. So a lot of times people say they're in burden situations because they've made some bad decisions.

Poor decision making will put you right in the place that you should not be. And a lot of times that's because we don't read our Bible. We don't apply the guidelines and the boundaries that it's provided for us for our protection. And it's really fun to talk about the drama and all the nonsense that's going on in our lives because it tantalizes and feeds our flesh. But, and we want others to feel bad for us because we get attention by it. But don't bear the burden of somebody

who's put themselves in a very bad situation they need to maybe um have some good um guidance on how to get out of it but if they don't want to if you give them good advice biblical advice and they don't want to take it like like uh jesus said to the disciples if they do not receive to take it, like Jesus said to the disciples, if they do not receive you, take off your sandals, shake the dust off your feet, and move on. And that's what you need to do. Don't carry somebody's burden, especially if they put themselves in that position.

But that's on them. Help them to the degree in which they want to be helped. And then call it a day. It sounds mean, but it's they want to be helped. And then call it a day. It sounds mean, but it's not meant to be mean. It's just biblical principle. So people love attention. I can't tell you how many times in my life people have said, can I talk to you? Can I talk to you? And they will keep coming back and forth and talking to you about the same problem over and over and over again. Not take one lick of advice that you've given them.

The situation will progressively get worse because they never did a daggum thing you said, but they sure do want your ear. They sure do want to talk about it with you. I don't have time for it. I don't. If you don't care enough about yourself to make wiser decisions, I just cannot be bothered. That sounds mean, but it's just the truth. If you can't care enough about yourself, how am I supposed to care more for you? It's not

happening. It's not. Listen, people need to look at themselves to the degree in which God looks at you. You are a prized possession. The very God that I serve sent his only son, his one and only son, to die on a cross. He became poor so that I might become rich. So that healing to my body, if needed, by the stripes that he bore on his back, can be provided to me. That through the nails in his hands and his feet, I am redeemed by the blood of the lamb. If that God looks at me as being worthy of all of that, then I am one prized possession. And if you can't see yourself as that, I don't know what to tell you. You need

to get in the word. You need to see who you are in Christ. and you need to start making really good decisions for yourself because you are something that no one else in this world would have done for you outside of the Lord God Almighty and you are an important important being but until you start looking at yourself like that you'll never understand a word that I'm saying to you it's just not you have to see yourself as god sees you and as far as he's concerned you're worthy of it all because he gave it all he gave it all and then after he gave it all jesus did gave it all and then he sent the holy spirit to for on it as a cherry on top. So we need to start living in that.

And if you don't know what I'm talking about, but you want it, I'm just the girl to help you with that. If you have never been saved, or if you've been saved and you walked away, today's your day. This is your week. And you're a one lucky person that you turned tuned in here maybe by accident or you watch all the time and you're like I like her I like her advice she's a little annoying every now and then but overall I can tolerate her and you're sitting

there going you know what today I totally get what she's saying maybe you've never seen the value in yourself and maybe you do now you are a very very valuable person and maybe in this life no one's ever treated you like that or you've never said that to you or made you feel like that but God God Almighty looks at you, sees you, and wants you. And if you're ready, I want you to say this prayer with me right now. Heavenly Father, I come to you right now. I ask you to be my Lord. I ask you to be my Savior.

I thank you for what you did on the cross, and I ask you to forgive all my sin. And from this day on, I will live for you. In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Amen. If you said that prayer, please let us know. Send us something to the Hope, what is it? Ask Hope Hot, what is it? Ask Hope at HopeHotline.com. No? Oh, I did it right.

AskHope at HopeHotline.com No? Oh, I did it right. Ask Hope at HopeHotline.com Just let us know. See, listen. I wish you could see Tracy's face. She's always like, good job. You did it. Like the sweetest cheerleading face you've ever seen in your life.

Out of everyone that's on the team. Well, I was about to say this might be not true. Out of everybody on the team, Tracy and Talia are the nicest, bar none. Talia might be nicer than Tracy, but that's only because she's 16 going on 17 and she's weak. She hangs around us a little bit longer. Who knows? Who knows what's going to happen to that girl? Life circumstances, man. They'll make you toughen up. Toughen up.

Pound some faces. Worst case scenario, you pound some faces. Got to do what you got to do. Thank you for joining in. We'll see you next week. Oh, no, I'll see you on Friday, actually. Have a great Easter week. Get all those little goodies that you need for your kids and your grandkids' baskets.

Have a wonderful, wonderful time. Shopping for your Easter dress and hat. And maybe a nice pair of, you know, the men nowadays, they don't wear suits. Maybe pick up a nice pair of khaki shorts and polo top, whatever. What is that? Am I wearing a hat? I do not ever wear a hat. You know this. Listen, when you see me in a hat, pigs will fly. That's the way it goes. Hell might freeze over.

I mean, I wear a baseball cap, but I ain't wearing no. Like, we have a lady at the church. She always wears a hat. God bless her. She's precious. I mean, she's precious. And listen, she's always dressed in the night. She's always dressed in the night.

Everything's perfect. But this girl, nah, not happening. She's always dressed in the night. Everything's perfect. But this girl, nah, not happening. So I will see you on Friday. Have a great week and thank you for joining in. Bye. Real talk. Real talk.