Stepping In Faith
Stepping In Faith is a podcast that deepens your walk with Jesus each week by exploring the heart of faith, love, and relationships from a Spirit-led perspective. Each episode focuses on building intimate relationships with Jesus Christ, strengthening marriages, providing guidance for singles, and fostering healthy, God-centered connections.
Stepping In Faith
The Spirit Realm
Power without permission is just noise. We dive into the spirit realm with a straight claim: real authority flows through one door, and that door is Jesus. Together we unpack why some prayers feel heavy while others land with quiet force, how atmospheres and altars shape the flow of gifts, and what the Bible actually says about entering by the Gate rather than climbing the wall.
We ground the conversation in scripture and lived experience. Ephesians points to being seated with Christ in heavenly places, suggesting access by union rather than technique. John 10 draws a sharp line between the shepherd’s gate and the thief’s detour. First Corinthians 2 reminds us that spiritual truth can’t be manufactured by clever words; it’s revealed by the Spirit. That lens reframes common struggles: if your heart posture is misaligned, your spiritual “signal” scrambles. Volume won’t fix what surrender heals. We also examine the story of Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8 to show how ambition can masquerade as hunger for God and why the gifts of the Spirit cannot be bought or performed into existence.
Across the episode we call out two modern traps: idolizing leaders instead of following Christ, and settling for charisma when the Spirit’s fruit is the real proof of presence. We explore the ethics of true spirituality through Isaiah’s portrait of the Messiah—no judging by appearance or hearsay, justice for the poor, decisions rooted in truth. If your “revelation” fuels pride or dehumanization, it’s not the Spirit of truth. Legal access isn’t elitist; it’s humble, ongoing agreement with Jesus that opens the right doors at the right time.
If you’re longing for clarity, authority, and peace in prayer, this conversation will help you trade hacks for holiness and noise for the calm power of Christ. Listen, share with a friend who’s hungry for the real thing, and if it resonates, subscribe and leave a review so others can find it too.
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Welcome back to another episode of Stepping in Faith, where together we explore the importance of having a relationship with God and how that relationship with God can impact the relationship you have with others. I'm your host, Walter. I'm joined here alongside my lovely wife.
Speaker 6:Shanea.
Speaker 2:And I just closed out my notes. But uh this is episode four. We could hear that. This is episode four. Um episode four, right?
Speaker 8:I think so.
Speaker 2:Okay. So the way we like to start this out is in prayer. I believe I prayed last week. So it's my wife's turn to pray this week. To God be the glory. Would you like to open us up in prayer? To God be the glory.
Speaker 8:Father God, we thank you for this day. We thank you for your love, your grace, and your mercy. Father God, we ask that you will allow your spirit to speak through us to those who are watching, those who are listening, and that you will open up their ears and their eyes to hear and receive what it is that you are saying. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.
Speaker 2:Amen. All right. Um, what is the title of this week's episode, babe?
Speaker 8:Spirit realm?
Speaker 2:Why do you say it like that?
Speaker 8:I'm guessing, because it says episode title, but you never told me what it was, so I'm just saying.
Speaker 2:It is the spirit realm.
unknown:Okay.
Speaker 2:So um I was nervous about discussing the spirit realm. Because um, and this is heavy to hold like this. I don't know how Taylor does this. It's really heavy. But um I was nervous about discussing the spirit realm because it's such a vast subject, you know. Um, but it was a revelation that God gave me, and I'm going to read the revelation exactly how God gave it to me. Let me go back to my notes. And what he said to me is that there are different realms of the spirit or different locations, like IP addresses. As you access these different realms, they unlock the ability to operate within the realm of the spirit, which includes healing, deliverance, prophecy, wisdom, favor, etc. The issue with many of us is we attempt to operate in these gifts outside of these realms, which is illegal. What are your thoughts on that?
Speaker 8:Uh, I mean, I I agree. I don't disagree. I believe that, you know, God is spirit and truth, and you can't access the spirit without him legally, um, without consequences. That's when you start getting into divination and all those other things.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I think uh it was really. I was thinking about how when you look at different churches or even just in general, and we've been there too, whether you're trying to pray through something or whatever, and it seems very difficult. But I know this with churches, for example, if they're going through deliverance or they're trying to pray through deliverance or whatever it may have you, I always wonder why it was such a complication for them to go through it, where it's like, come out, come out, come out, come out, come out. And you're consistently doing this, but nothing's happening. But when we see Jesus, when we study the scriptures and you study the gospels, he would just speak to it. He wasn't screaming, he wasn't hollering, it was nothing. He would just tell him, come out. It he didn't go through a whole session. Or we even see with the apostle Paul, same thing. Why are you laughing? Am I jumping ahead? He would say, like with the girl that was bothering him, he told the demon in that girl, he rebuked it, and cast the demon out of the girl. The Bible doesn't say that he spent an hour trying to get that demon to leave.
Speaker 5:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And so when I was in prayer, God was just dealing with me about the importance of atmospheres or different realms of the spirit, which allows you to flow more freely in that particular area.
Speaker 6:Yeah.
Speaker 2:What do you think?
Speaker 6:Why are you asking me what I think?
Speaker 2:Because you have a lot of uh knowledge and wisdom.
Speaker 8:Um, I'm not disagreeing. I believe that there are places in the spirit, um, or there are um how can I put this? Like portals or they're not gonna like that. Portals or atmospheres. Or we could say portals, atmospheres, it's kind of like the same thing.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 8:Um, where you can automatically get healing, you can automatically get revelation, you can automatically get wisdom or on something, depending on where you are. Almost kind of like in superhero movies, you know, where they go to a particular place to get a revelation, or they have to go here to get this. And so, like a lot of times when us Westerners go over to Africa, um, things that you experienced there, you wouldn't experience here because it's a different, it's a different atmosphere. There's different portals that were open. There were different altars, just like in the Bible, where um who was it? Who was it? Who was it? Who was it? Who was it?
Speaker 2:You're talking about Jacob? I guess you could that is a when he uh wrestled with the angel of the Lord?
Speaker 8:No, like Jacob's ladder or um that came from that. Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:Or um because he built an altar at that area.
Speaker 8:Or who it was someone else who built an altar um in an area that their father had gone to. I don't remember, but um, and I can see the scripture in my head, but it's not coming to fruition right now.
Speaker 2:We'll come back to it.
Speaker 8:It's not coming to the forefront. But anywho, you would you would make an altar um in a particular place. And those altars are portals, right? Just like we are a temple, we are an altar to the Lord. And so I have access to him. But I can also create an altar or atmosphere or portal that is also demonic.
Speaker 2:Yes. If you're operating from a place of your soul or your flesh. And so I guess the way that we can start off here, right? The realm of the spirit isn't chaos, it's structured. And like any structure, there are laws, permissions, and levels of access. Every operation in the spirit requires legitimate entry through Jesus Christ, who is the only door. Right? And I think that's what we start at because a lot of times we try to gain access to these gift gifts outside of Jesus Christ. And then I would go further to say that sometimes we uh may try to make it appear as if we're gaining access by way of Jesus, but our heart posture isn't right. So uh Ephesians 2, 1 through 6. Let's start there. And let me pull that up. Let me see. I should just pull the Bible up on my phone, but I don't have much use left on there. Ephesians Ephesians 2, verse 1 through 6. So once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins, you used to live in sin just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil, the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passions, passionate desires, and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature, we were subject subject to God's anger just like anyone else. But God is so rich in mercy and he loved us so much that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. It is only by God's grace that you have been saved. For he is raised, he has, for he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. And that's key. It states that he seated us in the heavenly realms. So that points towards the fact of understanding that there are different realms in the spirit, right?
Speaker 8:So And it was Jacob. It was Jacob and Abraham.
Speaker 2:It was Jacob.
Speaker 8:Yeah, because Abraham was his granddaddy. And he would just go back to the same places that Abraham was before, but he didn't know that at the time.
Speaker 2:So I knew you was looking for that.
Speaker 8:I was like, it was bugging me, it was bugging me.
Speaker 2:So with that being the case, right? Ephesians 2, 1 through 6, this shows us that not only are there different realms of the spirit, but the only way to access them is by Jesus Christ. Right? That's the only way to access it is by way through Jesus Christ. And so anything else would, and people hate when we do this, but anything outside of Christ would be then you illegally accessing the spirit realm. And a lot of people illegally access the spirit realm. And you can access the spirit realm illegally.
Speaker 8:Yeah, and I think it's important to know that that God is the one who created it.
Speaker 2:He is, and the enemy distorts. So if you're accessing it outside of Jesus Christ, the Bible lets us know that Jesus Christ is the what? Stairway.
Speaker 8:Yeah, he's the truth, the way, yeah, and the life.
Speaker 2:And so that's in that's John 14, 6, right? I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. So the only way to access the Father in the Bible also lets us know that those who worship God, Jesus stated this, must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Speaker 7:Right.
Speaker 2:So by that being the case, if you are accessing or worshiping God in spirit and in truth, that means you have to access him through the spirit. Yes. And the only way to access him through the spirit is by way through Jesus Christ, because he's the key. So anyone that is is considered considering themselves or stating to you or believing that you're accessing God, yet you don't believe in Jesus. And what I mean by that is you don't have a revelation of who Jesus is, you're not talking to God.
Speaker 8:No, those are in fact familiar spirits.
Speaker 2:Yes. The Bible lets us know that we I think we touched on that maybe in the last episode of the episode before that. Bow.
Speaker 10:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You're worshiping something other than God because the scripture teaches us the only way to God is by Jesus. And then I'm jumping ahead. But Peter talked about what when Jesus asked him, who do you say I am? He said, You're the son of God. In so many words, he knew that Jesus was the savior of this world. Right. He knew that Jesus was the son of God.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:Right. And I'm paraphrasing. Don't quote me. But it was making a point. Jesus said that you didn't learn this on your own.
Speaker 8:Yeah, it's Matthew 16, 15, 17.
Speaker 2:You want me to read that?
Speaker 8:Um I have King James Version. You want me to read that?
Speaker 2:You can.
Speaker 8:Um, he saith unto them. No. Matthew. Matthew. Matthew 16.
Speaker 2:Nothing against King James Version.
Speaker 8:I like, I like King James Version.
Speaker 2:Matthew 16. And what verse?
Speaker 8:No, I'm a I'm a poet. Um Matthew 16, 15 through 17.
Speaker 2:This is NLT, and we've been reading the NLT. It says, Then he asked them, but who do you say I am? Simon Peter answered, You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. Jesus replied, You were blessed, Simon, son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter, which means rock, and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell would not conquer it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven. We always like to use this scripture. Right? But we forget that key part.
Speaker 8:What key part?
Speaker 2:That Peter had a revelation on who Jesus was, and the revelation of understanding who Jesus was was what was what unlocked that access to the kingdom of heaven.
Speaker 10:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Right? And so even when we look at salvation, and we were talking about this earlier, we confess with our mouth, right? But many of us lack a revelation of who Jesus is. And it's by that revelation of who Jesus is that you are saved, which is why we have people who are quote unquote Christians, but not followers of Christ. Because if you are a follower of Christ, I should see in you a conversion and spirit recognizes spirit. And the spirit of Christ always looked the same in every single person, which is a sweet spirit, a calm spirit. Right? So even within the authority, and this is just from what I see Jesus did, even in Jesus' anger when he did what he did, he still moved from a place of calm.
Speaker 6:Yeah. It's love.
Speaker 2:A place of love.
Speaker 6:Gentleness.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 6:Kindness.
Speaker 2:Exactly. So that was good. Let's not get sidetracked. Anything you want to add, babe?
Speaker 8:No, I mean, we're still in um, we're still in one. So we're not sidetracking.
Speaker 2:So we talked about this, right? And I I really want to drive this point home because it's really important because we have um spirituality is at an all-time high. And um a lot of people that started off in the faith, they've moved to becoming spiritualists. Right. And it's not necessarily wrong that there is this desire to have access to God who is spirit, but the enemy is deceiving them in how they access that.
Speaker 6:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So let's be as clear as we can. Jesus made this clear, right?
Speaker 6:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:In the scripture that I think that is John 14 and 6, right?
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:He is the key, right? The access point and the gateway. Without him, you cannot access the Father or the spirit realm legally. It is no way possible that you can legally, key word, legally access the spirit realm outside of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 8:People don't like when we use the word legal and illegal.
Speaker 2:What is the Bible the Bible references, and I'm sorry, you may not like this, but the Bible talks about the courts of heaven. That means that it is a legal system.
Speaker 8:Right. Like God is literally that is set up set in place.
Speaker 2:The Bible refers to God as a just judge.
Speaker 8:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Right? We know that the kingdom of heaven is a what? A kingdom.
Speaker 8:Right. And Satan is your adversary, your accuser. He's going to God saying, God, this is what this person is doing. Can I do this?
Speaker 2:Literally, it is the courts of heaven. You're going to have to get around that because if you have an issue with that, you're going to, it's going to be challenging for you to work through all of this.
Speaker 10:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Work through all of the legalities of it. So this is good because this is what we were talking about. I think the revelation came to me yesterday, or maybe the day before yesterday when I was praying. Many of us blame God when we can't hear him, see him, or feel him moving in our lives. But often it's not that God isn't speaking, it's that our heart posture has positioned us outside the legal realm of access. I would say this because we were listening to something, and this is just in general, and I'm not going to speak to who it was. There are those out here who believe that they can get to the lowest point in their lives, and um they believe that God was not there. I believe that's extremely selfish. Um I believe that's wrong. It's a reflection of you not having an understanding of who God is. It's a reflection of you you needing a personal relationship with God. It's also a reflection of you thinking that God serves us when we serve him. And what God was really dealing with me on was just really teaching me that there has never been a moment in my life that God has not showed up. There's been moments in my life when I felt as if I couldn't see him or hear him, right? However, it shifted my perspective to understanding that in those moments, what is it that I'm doing wrong, or what is it that I'm not realizing? Do I not have an understanding of how God moves? Do I not have an understanding of how God speaks? Do I not have an understanding of how God operates, his timeline, his seasons, the seasons of how he moved, the timeline of how he moved. If God has spoken a word, the Bible says that God watches over his word to perform it. And I'm like, okay, I haven't seen this happen yet. Why hasn't this happened yet? It's not God, it's me.
Speaker 8:Yeah. And then we still, you know, have to understand that even in those moments when they're low or when where when you are in a low place, it's coming to an understanding that God probably probably warned you before it even happened. And you didn't listen. And so now you're reaping what you either attach yourself to, or it's just consequences of you not being obedient. And now you're mad at God because He's not running in to save you. But you have to learn a lesson. And when we go out and do something, yes, we will have to be the ones to try and figure it out.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 8:But we do that with his guidance. It's like dang God, I did mess up. It's it's it's admitting that I did something that got me to the place that I am. But a lot of times when people are in a in that deep dark place, they don't take accountability for the reasons why they are there.
Speaker 4:Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 8:And so then they blame God instead of going to God and saying, God, my bad, I got this wrong. I know I shouldn't have been in this place at this time. I know I shouldn't have been talking to this person at this time. I know that this person was doing things wrong. And I I like I know this happened to them because of their the way that they are living their lives.
Speaker 2:It's not God, it's you. Yeah. And my prayer is that as we discuss these different things, that you really receive this. Uh, the Bible talks about how the spirit of God joins with your spirit. Uh, and that's how you're able to see God the Father as your father. It affirms that. So we hope that this will hit your spirit that's joined with the spirit of God. Because we have, this is really key in order to uh remain in a place where your heart posture is right. Because you never want to, and I've been there, right? We both have, you never want to be in a position where you're blaming God because it's almost like you're creating an idol of yourself or that situation, and you're thinking that you're better than God without even realizing it. You're positioning yourself in your life as if you're the God. Because when we blame God or when we approach it from that perspective, it's really just like we're saying, God, you're supposed to serve me and you're not serving me. So you're not being a good God because you're not serving me. You're not being a good father because you're not serving me. Right?
Speaker 10:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Because you're not moving when I say you should move. And this is a reflection because you want to be in charge. Exactly.
Speaker 8:You want to be in control.
Speaker 2:And this is the challenge within our society as a whole, especially specifically in America. We are looking for a God. We are looking for a Jesus that serves us. And that's just not biblical. The Bible says that we are to lay down our lives, pick up our crosses, and follow Christ. So, what that tells me is that Christ don't serve us, we serve Christ. It's as simple as that.
Speaker 10:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Got carried away. So this is really good. When our hearts are misaligned, the signal, because we talked about IP addresses, etc.
Speaker 8:Baby, where are you reading from?
Speaker 2:Are you reading?
Speaker 8:Because you gave me an outline that I I'm I'm not following.
Speaker 2:I thought I yes, I am. Um this is actually what I text you.
Speaker 8:The last text message you got me?
Speaker 2:Yes. This is. Uh the document, baby.
Speaker 8:Yeah, the spare realm.
Speaker 2:Podcast outline updated.
Speaker 8:Yeah.
Speaker 2:That's what I'm reading from. I'm still in segment two? No, I'm in segment one. Still.
Speaker 8:Oh, well.
Speaker 2:I'm in the last point in segment one of accessing the realms of the spirit. You're not seeing what I'm seeing?
Speaker 9:Nope.
Speaker 2:Are you serious?
Speaker 9:I'm very serious. Sorry, guys. Just trying to get on the same page.
Speaker 2:You gotta catch this by the spirit. Alright, I will send you what I have.
Speaker 8:You said me the wrong thing, huh?
Speaker 2:No, this is what I'm using. I didn't. This is what I've been using. Let me see. Hey, just bear with us for a second, everyone. Yep, this is what I'm using. Now, um as I'm speaking, right? If you pull up, pull up what you have in on your text message that I sent you, you will see what I see. Right? Cause I'm I'm now my it's freezing because I'm trying to upload something.
Speaker 5:No, but go ahead. Go ahead, babe.
Speaker 2:So the final point, if you look at segment one, accessing the spirit realms, right? It says when our hearts are misaligned. Do you see that?
Speaker:No.
Speaker 2:Segment one.
Speaker 8:Yes. I don't there uh segment one. Oh, I gotcha.
Speaker 2:Oh.
Speaker 8:I gotcha.
Speaker 2:So what was that? Well, it says Was that user error?
Speaker 8:It could possibly be. So then what's the one after that?
Speaker 2:That's an additional point within segment one.
Speaker 6:Okay.
Speaker 2:So, okay, we're back in it, everyone. Uh, we had some technical difficulties, but we're we're moving forward. So when our hearts are misaligned, the signal between us and heaven is disrupted. Just like an IP address connects you to the right network, Jesus aligns your spiritual address to the right realm, the one authorized for your calling and function. What are your thoughts when you hear that? Because I think of all of the gifts of the spirit. The Bible lets us know Paul told us that it's the same spirit that provides all of the different gifts. And the way that you gain access to that said spirit, the Holy Spirit is what we're referring to, or the spirit of truth is Jesus.
Speaker 6:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So outside of him, now you're trying to access it from a different route or different path. And now you're doing you're you're delving into the demonic realm or divination.
Speaker 8:Yeah, I can see that. Well, how are you tying it to the IP addresses? Because my brain is going like so. Because you know, you IT, so like I could I could see it in my head how it would happen, like in the natural, like and then in the spirit, but like explain it.
Speaker 2:Okay. So there's two ways that we can look at this. When there's different IP addresses, right? You know how you can get caught up on the dark web, right? The dark web is still an IP address. You're gaining access to information. Thank you, Holy Spirit. So you have let's say you have somebody that works for the government, Social Security Administration, or you have somebody that works for like ATT or whatever. They have access to people's social security numbers, they have access to your date of birth, they have access to your uh your address, your home address, all of these different things, phone number, email, etc. All of your personal pertinent information, or even your job to have access to all of this information because you provide this when you're working, right? They have legal rights to have access to this. For example, your job will use this to send out your checks. Your job will use this to send out your W-2 forms, your job will use this to uh set your benefit packages up, et cetera, right?
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 2:They have legal access. Now, that system is hacked, right? People gain all this access to this illegal stuff, right? You still can gain or you could access those things illegally via like the dark web or something like that. You don't have the legal rights to have access to this. You can use that information, you gain access to for whatever you want to use it for. Right? Um that's an example.
unknown:Gotcha.
Speaker 2:Both parties gain access. One has access to it legally, but their heart posture is right in how they have access to it. They're using that information to aid you.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:The other party is using that information to take away or gain something on you. So even when we think about the demonic realm, in many cases, even when people think that their heart posture is right, oh, I'm a good witch or whatever the case may be, there's no such thing. There's a reason why you want access to this power that's not pure. There's a reason why you want to do the things that you want to do, whether it's gaining uh gaining one up in something, or you want a better career, you want to have more power over a person, or you want a person to like you a particular way, or you want leverage over something or someone, same thing. Whereas when you are a follower of Christ, your only reason for going through all of this, first of all and foremost, you want a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. And you submit your life to Jesus Christ and you follow him. So you go where he tells you to go and you do what he tells you to do, right? It's not necessarily about the gifts, it's about the relationship.
Speaker 10:Yeah.
Speaker 2:With the disciples, it was not about the gifts, it was about the relationship.
Speaker 10:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So yeah. Does that make sense?
Speaker 10:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:Okay. So I see what you did. Ephesians 2 and 6. Do you want to read that? Actually, we already read that.
Speaker 6:Okay.
Speaker 2:We read 2 and 6, and that's digging into it again, right?
Speaker 6:Okay.
Speaker 2:Um, the reason it brought 2 and 6 up, because it talked about heavenly places in Christ Jesus. And so it said heavenly places, which it suggests multiple realms or dimensions in the spirit.
Speaker 8:Right.
Speaker 2:Right? Um, I think it's true.
Speaker 8:It's heavenly places.
Speaker 2:Go ahead. No, I'm just because you even when you think of the Garden of Eden, people think the Garden of Eden is here on earth, it's not.
Speaker 8:Right. Or Mount Zion. It's a heavenly place. It's a heaven place.
Speaker 2:It's a realm in the spirit that they existed in. Right? They were meant to rule. From that realm. We were meant to rule from that realm. But we were kicked out of the garden because we sinned.
Speaker 6:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Right. And if you sin, even with with with Satan, right? Lucifer, he was kicked out of heaven because of his sin.
Speaker 5:Right.
Speaker 2:You can't sit in heaven and be in that space of sin or whatever may have you, right? Yeah. Because it's holy. God is holy.
Speaker 8:And he's gonna kick you out.
Speaker 2:Exactly. So the thing is, and we're gonna drive this point home as much as we can. Believers are legally seated with Christ. Access is granted through union with him, not independent effort. One of the key things that we have to remember with the disciples, they did life with Jesus. They did life with Jesus for years, three years. They did life with him.
Speaker 10:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Right? They walked with him, they walked away from everything that they had before, whatever their own goals and aspirations were, they left that behind and they did life with Jesus.
Speaker 5:Right.
Speaker 2:I think that is so important.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:That we understand the importance of doing life. That when you give your life to God, while there's all of these things that God has already placed in you, it takes doing life with Jesus that begin to open the door for you to access those different realms and gain an understanding of atmospheres and gain an understanding of operating within these different atmospheres or these different realms. Right? Right. That revelatory gift that God has given to me, it took time to access that. And then there's still levels within that revelatory gift that the more I do life, the more I spend time, he reveals revelations to me.
Speaker 5:Right.
Speaker 2:That I wouldn't be able to figure out on my own. Well, you have to add to that.
Speaker 8:I don't. I had a thought, but it left.
Speaker 2:Okay. So Revelations 4 and 1. After this, I looked and below behold, a door was opened in heaven. Right? So when we think of that door, this is just another example in scripture because people be like, where's the scripture in New Testament? Da da da da. That's another example of a door being opened, a different realm of the spirit being open for John, right?
Speaker 10:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So I think the key for this is this right here. And this is why I struggle with with men sometimes. You can't just enter. The door has to be opened for you by God. That's my struggle. I love my brothers and my sisters in the faith. That's my my that's where I kind of struggle with activations. Because as a man, you can't give me anything.
Speaker 10:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You can't I don't believe that you can. Right? And they use Elijah and Elisha, yet Elisha, I mean Elijah still had to submit that unto God.
Speaker 8:What do you mean by activations?
Speaker 2:Um like you praying over me and being able to give me a gift of something.
Speaker 8:You mean like impartation?
Speaker 2:Impartation, yes. Impartation.
Speaker 8:Okay.
Speaker 2:I struggle with that because from what I've read in the scripture, um, it's by way of the Holy Spirit, right?
Speaker 8:Yeah, and I believe that um, I don't believe it's impartation necessarily or per se. I believe that, you know, like I said, we are temples, we are an altar. Um, but we when we go places we create, we have our own atmospheres that we create. And if I've already created an atmosphere on an altar that is sweet smelling and pleasant to the Lord and you're constantly around me, it's naturally kind of just gonna rub off on you, right? You're gonna have access to that because I have access to it and you're in close proximity with me. And so then it becomes familiar to you, and then you start to learn my ways um which help form your um, I guess, relationship with the Lord. And so I So I don't think it's necessarily like I have I'm imparting things in you, but the close proximity of you being with that person can give you like a taste of that particular atmosphere.
Speaker 2:But it's not the same thing as, and this is so like me laying, for example, me, and I'm not knocking in, I'm just saying, because we have these conversations. Me laying my hands on you and saying, as I lay my hands on you, I'm imparting something inside you, a gift or whatever the case may be. I'm opening this door for you to access this said gift. Yeah, that's my struggle.
Speaker 8:Not God said you this is what you need to have.
Speaker 2:Not God said, hey, he's you, he, he, he's, I've become this vessel, right? And it's I'm not doing anything, it's God doing it. Right. But when I lay my hand on you, this is what's God said, is this is it's it's it's the wording, it's being mindful, it's being it's understanding that I get back to this because we hear people talk about our spirit and what our spirit can do, and our spirit this and our spirit that. I'm like, we have to be really careful because you treading that line of divination. I can't do anything outside of the Holy Spirit. I can't. It's impossible. It's only by I can, but it's divination. Yes, it's divination. It still doesn't tap into who Jesus is. Because Jesus, the Bible says that that there will come a time, right, where every tongue will uh well, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.
Speaker 6:Right.
Speaker 2:Right? Meaning that there is none greater than Jesus outside of God the Father. So my thing is, I agree with you, that is true, and that happens a lot. Yet there's a difference between that and me coming and saying that I can impart something in you. I have to be careful because I can't impart anything in you. I can be uh made available, but I can make myself available to the Holy Spirit to do something for you. Like I walk with you through a process, but it was not my doing.
Speaker 7:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It was me being obedient to the Holy Spirit, and it was me making myself available to the Holy Spirit, making myself available to Jesus, to God, to work through me to get something through you.
Speaker 8:Yeah. Well, a lot of people use the the Elijah and Elisha as far as impartation.
Speaker 2:But that wasn't Elijah's spirit, that was the Holy Spirit. That was God's doing. And even if you want to say it was his mantle, yeah, and no, there was a mantle on Elijah, right? But it was still the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 8:Yeah, well, it was God ordered. God said, Hey, pass this on to Elijah. He's going to finish the work I've called you to do. And if he don't do it, then this person's gonna do it.
Speaker 2:Exactly. That's what it was because Elijah was tired. He was scared.
Speaker 9:He was also tired. He was like exhausted. He was like, I'm done.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 9:You've used me too much.
Speaker 2:So I don't know how long we've been going, but um, we we we getting somewhere. So um let's see.
Speaker 5:No, I guess we should have a timer.
Speaker 2:Do you see what time is on there?
Speaker 8:Nope, there's a bunch of numbers on there. I don't know.
Speaker 2:Uh go ahead, you talk, I'll see.
Speaker 8:I don't know where we at.
Speaker 2:We've been going for 41 minutes.
Speaker 9:Okay. Well, this is definitely gonna be a part two.
Speaker 2:Most likely. 41 minutes would put us when we try to be mindful of your time, everyone. We don't want to have you here for two hours. We know we could, but we don't want to. Um, so we've got about 20 more minutes.
Speaker 6:And I'm hungry.
Speaker 2:I know you are. So uh let's look at 1 Corinthians 2 and 10. Do you want to pull that up and read that?
Speaker 8:First Corinthians.
Speaker 2:And we're in uh we're still in part segment one.
Speaker 8:First Corinthians, you said two.
Speaker 2:Two and ten, yes.
Speaker 8:Two verse ten. But it was to us that God revealed these things by his spirit, for his spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep deep secrets. No one can know a person's thoughts except that person's own spirit, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own spirit, and we have received God's spirit, not the world's spirit, so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.
Speaker 2:Okay. So, right? Looking at that, what that is saying to us is that the spirit gives access to the depths of God. Distinct spiritual levels of revelation and function. Revelation of who God is, understanding who God is, it comes by way of the spirit. We talked about this before, and I stand on this, and some people may not agree with it. I don't think that you should be trying to dig in the word void of the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 8:Yeah, well, I mean, if you continue on, it says Paul says, when we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the spirit, using the spirit's words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's Spirit.
Speaker 2:Exactly. It's only by way of the Spirit that you can access this.
Speaker 8:It all sounds foolish to them and they cannot understand it. For those who are spiritual can understand what the spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others.
Speaker 2:Because they're spiritual.
Speaker 8:Yes.
Speaker 2:You're not going to have to be able to do that.
Speaker 8:For you can't know God's thoughts without God's spirit. He says, Who can know the Lord's thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?
Speaker 2:I'm trying to, who was that that Jesus was speaking to? Nicodemus? Nicodemus, possibly.
Speaker 8:When you're talking about the birth?
Speaker 2:Yes, he was speaking to Nicodemus. And he was, he was explaining the same thing, right? The same thing Paul was saying. He was telling Nicodemus, you're not able to understand things of the spirit.
Speaker 8:Yeah. He's like, how can I go back into my mother's womb when I'm already a human? I'm already a grown, I'm a grown man. How am I gonna crawl back into my mom's womb?
Speaker 2:And Jesus, I'm paraphrasing, like, bruh, I can't explain this to you because you're trying to understand this with your natural mind. You can't understand things of the spirit, that things that are birthed by the spirit, you can't understand that. That's what he was saying. And it's it's just the reality of what it is. And so there's a lot of things that God has given to us that the only reason I'm able to understand it is by way of the spirit. Outside of that, I wouldn't know what I'm talking about.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:And we talk about this all the time. We won't say no names, but we're just going to call it what it is. People go to places and they listen to leaders who give you scripture and read the Bible, and it sounds so good. But if you know who Jesus is and you have experienced the power of Christ, and you have experienced the revelations that can be unlocked, you recognize that they're not saying anything at all. At most, they're just quoting scripture. And making it sound compassionate. But it's not saying anything because, and this is why it's not causing transformation. True transformation. I think we've said this so many times, and we will continue to say it. True transformation is not based, for example, on what me and my wife say. No, we don't have the power. True transformation, which is why I think of Peter in Acts, it talks about how when he spoke, he spoke, it was the Holy Spirit that spoke through him.
Speaker 4:Right.
Speaker 2:And it said that the words that the Holy Spirit spoke through him, I'm paraphrasing, it pierced the heart of the men where they came to Peter and said, What must I do to be saved?
Speaker 8:Right. So sometimes even when we are speaking, it's not us speaking. And then people are like, dang, I that really resonated with me.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna got nothing to do with us.
Speaker 8:But it doesn't have anything to do with the No, it don't.
Speaker 2:It has nothing to do with us at all. We don't listen. Some things that we be saying, we'd be like, oh.
Speaker 9:Like we'll go back and we'll be like I don't even remember what I said.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 9:I don't know what came out of my mouth.
Speaker 2:So um this is driving back the point with Peter, right? Um I think the thing that's so important to Peter and what was coming to me, right, is the exchange that Peter had with Jesus. Uh it revealed the importance of revelation actually coming from the Father. Like, like the spiritual access begins with the revelation from the Father, not human reasoning or human wisdom, right? Uh Peter's ability to see Jesus for who he truly was, it came only by the Spirit, right? So, in the same way, we can't discern or enter deep realms of God apart from the Holy Spirit revealing them to us.
Speaker 5:Right.
Speaker 2:And it shifts your perspective on when you're praying, because now you start to understand that as you're praying, whether you see it or not, or whether you realize it or not, especially if you are a follower of Christ, and we have to make that key distinction. If you are a follower of Christ and you're praying, that um you're accessing different realms without even realizing it. You're going to different realms within the spirit. You're accessing, which is why or we can say places. Different places. And so now you're different places. Yeah. So if they want to get technical because they're getting in their feelings. You gotta give, listen, please.
Speaker 9:We just give context for everybody.
Speaker 2:My prayer is that my prayer is that those that are drawn to this and listen to this are spiritually mature. Right? Um, we aren't we're not feeding you milk. We are in a space where God has placed on us to feed you meat.
Speaker 10:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So this is meat that we're eating. Okay. We are followers of Christ. I'm I'm sure that's there's no need to explain this. I'm giving it to you as it was given to me. Okay. So um with that being the case, uh now we can dig into segment two, right? Uh legal versus illegal.
Speaker 10:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So we know that there's a legal way to access the spirit.
Speaker 8:Are we gonna uh is this gonna be like a part two right here? Or are we going to continue? Are we gonna give the people a two-hour episode?
Speaker 2:Why are you you moving like you wanna eat?
Speaker 8:No, I'm just I'm just saying. I'm just saying, that's all.
Speaker 2:Uh how long have we been going?
Speaker 8:I feel like we're said we were going for like 40 something minutes.
Speaker 2:But it's it hasn't been that long, right? It hasn't been um, I think we can start this, and then when we move to segment three, segment four, segment five, segment six, and segment seven, that can be part two.
Speaker 5:Okay.
Speaker 2:So um let's dig into the legal legalities of the spirit versus illegal. And there was some stuff you had to, right?
Speaker 8:Yes, and there's no.
Speaker 2:So, like I was saying, there's a legal and illegal way to access the spirit. We know this. And sometimes people get caught up on wordplay um and say, okay, the Bible doesn't say that specifically. Well, I mean, I hate this.
Speaker 8:You gotta put like two and two together.
Speaker 2:Like it's common sense, right?
Speaker 8:Like, we're not in kindergarten.
Speaker 2:No, it's critical thinking, like, please.
Speaker 8:Like, also, you need the spirit that too to be able to connect the dots.
Speaker 2:And I'm not trying to be funny, I'm just like, we get so caught up in these technicalities. There's so much the scripture has that showcases the spirit realm, it showcases things of the spirit, it showcases the heavenly course. Yes. I mean, come on. Like, in order, like the Bible lets us know in Timothy that the scripture is inspired by the Spirit of God.
Speaker 10:Yes.
Speaker 2:So, with that being the case, right? Um, John 10 and 1 is a good scripture to read, right? Do you want to read that? And I was reading that, and that was so good as I was reading through that because like certain things just kind of was highlighted with John 10.
Speaker 8:John 10, verse 1.
Speaker 2:Yes. And this was Jesus speaking, and he was basically giving an illustration. He was speaking in a parable.
Speaker 8:Mm-hmm. The good shepherd and his sheep. I tell you the truth, anyone who sneaks over the wall of a sheepfold rather than going through the gate must surely be a thief and a robber.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 8:You know what was coming to me?
unknown:What?
Speaker 8:When we were watching um and I don't know. Did you read this scripture before when you were going through this?
Speaker 2:Yes, I did.
Speaker 8:Okay, because what we were watching Finding Nemo and Um the bass, the the big bass or whatever, was telling um Dory that when she comes to these two.
Speaker 2:We wasn't watching Finding Nemo. We have uh five year five.
Speaker 9:No, we with our five-year-old was watching Nemo.
Speaker 2:And we just happened to be uh my wife was heavily involved in the film. I was playing by Nintendo Switch, she was heavily involved in the film.
Speaker 8:Who doesn't like finding Nemo? You was watching too.
Speaker 2:I was kind I was I was in Animal Books.
Speaker 8:Okay, go ahead. We don't tell fibs.
unknown:Okay.
Speaker 2:I was kind of watching, she was invested in Tino.
Speaker 8:Whatever. Anyway, the bass was telling um Dory because they wanted to get to Sydney to get, you know, Nemo. And he was they were telling uh Dory when they when he comes when she comes to this uh pathway, um, there it's like a gate. It was a gate. Technically, it was a gate. I think he said it was a gate. It was like two pillars or two walls, and there was a um a space to go in the middle. He said, go through, but do not go over. And when she, what is Nemo's dad's name?
Speaker 2:I don't know. That's how invested I'm now. I don't know. I don't know.
Speaker 8:But she knew which way to go. And he was like, no, Dory, we're not gonna go that way. We're gonna go the way that I wanna go. And she was like, No, I really feel like we need to go through this gate, not over it. But she couldn't remember because Dory has bad memory, so she couldn't really really remember why she was just saying, I I know the verse was Marlin. Yes, Marlin the clownfish.
Speaker 2:I had to look that up.
Speaker 8:Marlin the clownfish.
Speaker 9:Because he's not really that important, right? In the story. He is very important, but he's very important, but nobody really I don't know his name. He's Nemo's dad.
Speaker 8:But Nemo's dad, Marlin, was like, Nope, we're going over. We're going over this this territory right here. And as soon as they get over, they're like, oh, this is cool. Until they realize it was a bunch of jellyfish. And you know, jellyfish have stingers and it will, you know, unalive them. And they were like, dang, now we have to swim through this because we can't go back down. So we have to go through this, this, this garden or death valley.
Speaker 9:They're going through a valley of death with these jellyfish.
Speaker 8:And Dory gets really, really hurt to the point where she looks like she's gonna, she's gonna pass out, she's gonna go. But they had to go, they should have just gone through the gate.
unknown:Okay.
Speaker 8:So what I'm saying is, is that there's an uh there's a legal way and an illegal way. And so the illegal way will get you caught up.
unknown:Okay.
Speaker 8:Right?
Speaker 2:Yes. Okay. Since you preach a Nemo, find a Nemo.
Speaker 8:Because this is over the wall, a sheepfold, rather than going through the gate.
Speaker 2:Yeah. And I'm it it's it's the that's what kind of stood out to me. For those who question it, this is just proof showcasing that there is an illegal way that you can go in general, right? Um there's an illegal way to get into the spirit, but it's not good. And I mean, people do it all the time, Satanists do it, people that's a part of the occult do it, people that's a part of that that does witchcraft, voodoo voodoo, whatever the case may be, they do it all the time. Spiritualists who don't consider themselves Satanists or whatever, they do it. Uh, there's New Age of what they call it now, they do it. It's interesting to me, and we we touched on this, I think, in season one, specifically with Christians. Um, and I don't like to identify as that because it's it's a derogatory uh name for followers of Christ. They were known as people of the way that that uh children of or uh followers or children of Nazareth, right? Or Nazaren. I I don't like Christian because it was meant to be an insult. It's like, and we won't get into the details when people call themselves the N-word and say that we turned it into a good thing. No, it comes from something that was full of hate.
Speaker 8:Yeah. So they're like mocking them.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 8:Because they were Christ's followers.
Speaker 2:So when they call them Christians, they were mocking them. Um, so we're Christ's followers. Uh, but the thing is that only those who cr who uh profess to be Christians, they're the ones that have, specifically in America, uh, they're the ones that have issues with understanding things of the spirit.
Speaker 6:Yes.
Speaker 2:They look at it as being demonic.
Speaker 6:Yes.
Speaker 2:They believe in the demonic, but they don't believe in God and angels and all of those things. Right. Right?
Speaker 8:Which is an agenda in itself.
Speaker 2:It's the enemy keeping.
Speaker 8:But you do not recognize spirit.
Speaker 2:Exactly. So the thing that we have to remember, right, is Jesus is that door, right? Anyone trying to access spiritual power or operate in spiritual gifts apart from him is functioning illegally, and we call that divination, right? And so what came to mind as we were talking through all of this is Acts uh chapter 8, verse 9 through 24, right? And so we're about to get ready to end because I know my wife is hungry. I see, I see her looking. I see her looking. Acts eight. She's struggling over there. Acts eight, beginning at verse nine. And this is NLT. A man named Simon had been a sorcerer there for many years, amazing the people of Samaria and claiming to be someone great. Everyone from the least to the greatest often spoke of him as the great one, the power of God. They listened closely to him because for a long time he had astounded them with his magic. But now the people believed Philip's message of good news concerning the kingdom of God in the name of Jesus Christ. As a result, many men and women were baptized. Then Simon himself believed and was baptized. He began following Philip wherever he went, and he was amazed by the signs and great miracles Philip performed. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had accepted God's message, they sent uh where are we at? Peter and John there. As soon as they arrived, they prayed for these new believers to receive the Holy Spirit. That was loud. Motorcycles. The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, for they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John laid their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that the Spirit was given, when the apostles laid their hands on the people, he offered them money to buy the this power. Let me have this power too, he exclaimed, so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit. But Peter replied, May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God's gift can be brought. You can have no part in this, for your heart is not right with God. Repent of your wicked wickedness and pray to the Lord, perhaps he will forgive you of your evil thoughts. For I can see that you are full of bitter jealousy and are held captive by sin.
Speaker 8:But Simon, Simon, he gave up the sorcery part and he got baptized because he believed in Jesus.
Speaker 2:But his heart was still wicked.
Speaker 8:Exactly.
Speaker 2:Heart posture.
Speaker 8:Yeah.
Speaker 2:He still was up to the same thing.
Speaker 8:He needed his mind renewed.
Speaker 2:Exactly. So in what I wrote here, um, really just a synopsis is Simon the sorcerer tried to purchase the power of the Holy Spirit. His heart posture was wicked, rooted in jealousy and ambition. Peter rebuked him, reminded him that the gifts of God are not for sale. Favor, healing, prophecy, deliverance, and wisdom, knowledge, whatever we're going to give into the seven spirits of God. All of those things, it's not for sale, right? Uh the their outcomes of legitimate access and divine relationship. These things come by way of relationships. Galatians 5, the fruit of the spirit comes by way of relationship. You can't buy that, you can't access it illegally.
Speaker 8:Yeah, it only comes from the spirit. But it doesn't say that Simon received the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 2:I thought it did. No, yes, it did.
Speaker 7:Where?
Speaker 2:Okay, he didn't. He was baptized.
Speaker 7:He was baptized.
Speaker 2:He won. No, he wanted to receive the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 8:He wanted to receive the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 2:But this is also proven, once again, what we talked about earlier. That there are those who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but there's no transformation because they haven't believed in their heart and received, right? So when you believe in your heart, I believe But it says he believed and was baptized.
Speaker 8:And he began to follow, he began to follow Philip.
Speaker 2:Who?
Speaker 8:He began to follow Philip.
Speaker 2:So he didn't have a revelation.
Speaker 8:Right. He began to follow Philip wherever he went. And he was amazed by the signs and great miracles Philip performed.
Speaker 2:I see what you're doing. I see what you're doing. I see what you I see what you're picking up and putting down.
Speaker 9:You see what I'm picking up and putting down? Do they see what I'm picking up and putting down?
Speaker 2:I hope they do.
Speaker 9:I hope they do.
Speaker 2:Why you do that? Listen.
Speaker 9:It's not me.
Speaker 8:I'm not doing this. I didn't get this at all. This is like my first time reading this, like since we've been doing this. Well, like I read this before, but I didn't read this before. This is not me.
Speaker 2:So the thing is then.
Speaker 8:This is what we were talking about earlier today.
Speaker 2:Well, it goes back to what Paul said. Um, when you're following, I would say this. You have to follow me as I'm following Christ, but you're following Christ.
Speaker 8:Right.
Speaker 2:You're not following me.
Speaker 8:Yes.
Speaker 2:You're following Christ. And even in current times, and I'm gonna leave with what you did just there. Even in current times, I'm I didn't do nothing. No, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 9:That was not me.
Speaker 2:Listen, father, father, don't do us like Emma. Do not do us like Emma.
Speaker 9:I know right. Because look, his okay.
Speaker 2:Nope. Let it go. Nope. We're gonna keep that way. Those that's gonna get it, gonna get it. Listen, don't idolize anybody. Please. Because when you idolize people, and the example that my wife is putting here, that the Holy Spirit gave to her, trying to put us there, and I don't want to go there.
Speaker 8:Um I can't stop what the Holy Spirit is putting, picking up and putting down. He literally just showed this to me. I had no idea that.
Speaker 2:You was you were knee deep in it before I realized, and then it was like the light.
Speaker 9:You know where I'm going, where I'm going with this.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 9:Okay.
Speaker 2:And so what you want to go ahead and finish your point that the Holy Spirit gave to you. What was the point that you wanted to drive home with that?
Speaker 8:That although Simon was, he believed in Jesus and he was baptized. He didn't receive the Holy Spirit. Because he was following Philip. He followed Simon himself believed and was baptized. He began following Philip wherever he went. And he was amazed by the signs and great miracles that Philip performed. It's just like um, what's the scripture where it says, um, oh my gosh, where am I drawing a blank right now? You know where I'm going?
Speaker 2:I don't, but I'll say this.
Speaker 8:It's it's still like you believe like you, you, you don't believe, I don't know. What am I trying to say?
Speaker 2:I need to. You're not talking about when the scripture, when it talks about you have a form of godliness, yeah, but you deny the power that actually brings forth change.
Speaker 8:Right. And so it it's that, but it's like you don't recognize the power behind this person who you are so infatuated with.
Speaker 2:And then sometimes the person don't even have power.
Speaker 8:No, they don't even have power.
Speaker 2:They have charisma.
Speaker 8:Yes. So with but with with But what I'm saying is you aren't recognizing the spirit.
Speaker 2:Exactly. Yeah, I think the thing with Simon, right? Simon just really went back into the same thing that he was doing before. Because if you read the scripture before, it states that, right? And uh, it says that um He didn't die to himself. No, because he was he he enjoyed the fact that people was drawn to him because of the power that it he seemed to have.
Speaker 4:Right.
Speaker 2:Everyone from the verse 10, everyone from the least to the greatest often spoke of him as the great one, the power of God. They listened closely to him because for a long time he had astounded them with his magic. Right. So that was something that was appealing and attractive to Simon, that he had these people that was coming to him with all of this attention. So even when he was, when he quote unquote believed and he was baptized, there was never a revelation of who Jesus was because he never let that go. His reasoning for even following Philip was not because of a desire to change, it was a desire to gain an understanding of the power that he had.
Speaker 8:Right. But then it's also when people who uh were not believers and they're like, okay, well, I believe in Jesus now. I'm gonna get baptized, but I still want to do what I want to do.
Speaker 2:Yes. But you and you have a form of godliness. You kind of do what you so here's the thing. You still you find ways in scriptures to justify your worldview, which shows me you haven't died to self.
Speaker 8:Right.
Speaker 2:Or you part of that and part of picking up your cross and following Christ.
Speaker 8:Right. Or you haven't given up, you still have idols in your heart. Simon still had an idol. He had an idol for power, he had an idol for um uh wanting to be seen, right?
Speaker 2:So the question becomes then what draws people to other men, other men who whom they in return idolize and they esteem above God because that's the main issue. They esteem those said men or women above God, so they're not able to recognize that first they're not God, second, they're imperfect, and then many times they don't know God. The men and women that they're looking to don't know God themselves.
Speaker 8:Well, Philip here knew God, but Simon was infatuated with Philip, not with God. He wasn't infatuated with things that God can do.
Speaker 2:And this is still the same situation to this day. We become infatuated with men, whether they know God or whether they don't know God.
Speaker 8:Well, they seem like they know God because they have this huge following, and they have you see these quote-unquote miracles or you know, things happening in a church, and sometimes it's not even real. But you're like, oh my gosh, I have to go see this man. Not I have to go see God. I have to go see this man.
Speaker 2:I was looking the challenge is this, and I don't want to get caught up with people trying to come for us. The challenge is this, um, because I don't want unnecessary warfare, just in general, this is why we have to have a relate, this is we encourage you to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Because in doing so and they're having a huge, full-blown conversation outside, talking loudly. Some of our neighbors that be walking by be loud. Anyhow, and it's not a cultural thing, and I'll leave it at that. So you have to learn to have a relationship with Jesus Christ because when you do, you can learn to begin to look at things and present questions to God, right? Um, we mistaken signs and wonders that are not signs and wonders. But for me, I think the greatest thing to showcase the power of God in anybody's life is a change life, is a transformed life where you operate within the fruit of the spirit. And many times I just have to be honest. Like when I come across men and women of God who truly have a relationship with God, um, they're not loud, they're not screaming, they're not all of these things. They're firm, but there is a sweet spirit that is connected to them. There's no arrogance there, there's no pride because that they're humility, there's humility there. Um I can't explain it like I told you when I met your godmother. I recognized the spirit of God in her. Never met this woman a day in my life, didn't know who she was or what she did or whatever. But what I told you, I said, yo, I said she has a sweet spirit about herself.
Speaker 10:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I recognize the spirit of God inside her. The spirit of God, when it's inside people, right, it transforms them and it automatically creates with them, within them a sweet spirit.
Speaker 8:Right. You see the fruit.
Speaker 2:You see the fruit of the spirit of God at work in them.
Speaker 8:You see God's fruit.
Speaker 2:So we see them. So we have this. Here's the thing. Even with us, I don't know how big this is going to grow.
Speaker 10:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Um, I don't know how many quote unquote people are going to follow.
Speaker 4:Right.
Speaker 2:I don't expect many to, right? I don't expect it to be a situation where we have a million plus people following us because what God is given to us to teach is not what people want to hear.
Speaker 5:Right.
Speaker 2:And it's a remnant that God is coming back for.
Speaker 5:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So I think sometimes foolishly we look at numbers. I'm concerned with numbers because my question becomes what am I doing if we have large numbers that's making these large amounts of people comfortable enough to be around and hear what God has to say? Because in many cases, Jesus did have thousands of people following him, but he didn't have millions. And so what Jesus taught, right? First and foremost, the church despised. The church despised Jesus. The world was drawn to him, and then he had the outsiders of the church that always knew, like, we don't fit into this, that was drawn to Jesus. So I'm always weary of numbers, and I would say to people that you have to be weary of numbers. Because when God is really speaking, we see it time and time again in the Bible, the people really don't want to hear it.
Speaker 10:Yeah.
Speaker 2:They don't, Jesus said what? That the road that leads to heaven, the road that leads to the Father, the road that leads to him is narrow.
Speaker 6:Right.
Speaker 2:And very few people find it. The road that leads to destruction is wide.
unknown:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And so many people are on it. The challenge within the body of Christ is that there is a lot of people on that road to destruction, and you're deceived into thinking that they're on that narrow road when it's right there in front of the scripture or right there in the Bible, letting us know it's not going to be many people in this road. So if you're looking around you and you got millions of people that's next to you following you, ah, ah, I would be mindful and weary of that. I would do a heart check.
Speaker 10:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Not trying to be funny. This is scripture.
Speaker 10:Yeah.
Speaker 2:This is Bible. I'm sorry. They're not going to be millions upon millions upon millions upon millions of people that will make it into heaven. That's not a remnant.
Speaker 6:No.
Speaker 2:It's going to be a remnant within the church. God didn't say he's coming back for a remnant of the world. Jesus is coming back for a remnant of the church.
Speaker 8:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It's a remnant.
Speaker 8:It's a remnant of a remnant.
Speaker 2:It's a remnant of a remnant. And we have to look at this, especially in America, and we're getting off context. I'm going to get ready to go. But we have to look at this, Shanai. Babe, it is so popular to be a Christian now. They wear the they they wear people wear the title Christian, like your favorite pair of Ug boots.
Speaker 7:Why they gotta be Ug boots?
Speaker 2:It's an accessory. Like, yeah, son. I'm a Christian. Who?
Speaker 7:Why they can't be Crocs?
Speaker 2:I don't have Crocs.
Speaker 7:But a lot of people like Crocs.
Speaker 2:I don't. Yeah. So they they have it like it's your f I got Uggs though. Your favorite pair of Uggs. I don't have them boots that don't have, I have the Ug boots that you tie up. I'm just saying, you know, we ain't around here. Nothing against anybody, but I ain't I don't do the slide on the Ug boots. Nah, nah, nah, nah. I come from a different generation.
Speaker 9:Yeah, I don't like those Ug boots.
Speaker 2:I don't listen. I ain't gonna say nothing. I'ma just be quiet.
Speaker 8:But they are manly. They kind of remind me of um.
Speaker 2:I don't know. Those anytime I see those, I think of women. But you're talking about the boots I got?
Speaker 9:Yeah. Yeah. Lugs from back in the day.
Speaker 2:But listen, I ain't over here sliding into my boots.
Speaker 9:But sliding into your boots.
Speaker 2:I thought about the movie.
Speaker 9:What movie?
Speaker 2:I don't know if I could say it, but puss and boots.
Speaker 8:Oh, puss and boots.
Speaker 2:Yes.
Speaker 8:So I never watched it.
Speaker 2:I did. But um don't judge me. So with that on watch finding well. With that being the case, um, I would say we gotta be real careful, all jokes aside, and understand that things aren't always what it appeared to be. And that's why we stress here on this channel the importance of you having your own personal and intimate relationship with God. And many times, if you just ask God, he'll tell you.
Speaker 8:Yeah, because you can like like Simon, he believed in Jesus, he got baptized, but he didn't receive the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 2:I'm gonna give you something and I'm gonna leave you with this, because we've been going for a little bit. This and this is something that God had us reading last year. Um if my wife has something else to say, I'm gonna I'm gonna give the floor over to her. So we're gonna read this. I'm reading a Malachi too. Listen, you priests, this command is for you. Listen to me and make up your minds to honor my name, says the Lord of heaven's army. Or I will bring a terrible curse against you. I will curse even the blessings you receive. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you have not taken my warning to heart. I will pern punish your descendants and splatter your faces with the manure from your festival sacrifices, and I will throw you on the manure pow. Then at last you will know it was I who sent you this warning so that that my covenant with the Levites can continue, says the Lord of Heaven's armies. The purpose of my covenant with the Levites was to bring life and peace, and that is what I gave them. This required reverence from them, and they greatly revered me and stood in awe of my name. They passed on to the people the truth. They passed on to the people the truth of the instructions they received from me. They did not lie or cheat, they walked with me, living good and righteous lives, and they continued and they and they turned many from lives of sin. The words of a priest's lips should preserve knowledge of God, and people should go to him for instruction, for the priest is the messenger of the Lord of heaven's armies. But you, priest, have left God's path. Your instructions have caused many to stumble into sin. You have corrupted the covenant I made with the Levites, says the Lord of Heaven's armies. So I have made you despised and humiliated in the eyes of all people, for you have not obeyed me, but have shown favoritism in the way you carry out my instructions. Right? And so I think this is so key. Um, one of the things else I want to read in this is 17. It says that you have wearied the Lord with your words. How have we wearied him? You ask. So when we look into this, I don't even know what else to say. This explains it for itself. This explains it for itself, eh?
Speaker 4:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:There are many out here who are calling things that are right that are evil righteous. There are many out here who are purposefully um corrupting the word of the Lord. Struggling over there.
Speaker 7:My foot is cramping.
Speaker 2:Okay, we're about to get done. Or be done. And so I would just say, woe to you. I don't know what else to say. We said a lot there. Anything from you, babe? That you want to add, we said a lot.
Speaker 8:Um, I don't know. I think I mean we can pick up off of, you know, I guess in the next episode, the the legal and illegal the legalities? Legalities of the operations of the episode.
Speaker 2:Um yeah, we we're gonna dig into some other stuff next episode. I'll try to be remembered. What's the scripture, babe, um, that I gave you about um, was it Isaiah? What was it when it was talking about Jesus?
Speaker 5:What do you mean?
Speaker 2:It was uh referencing um the um oh my gosh. It was referencing Jesus it was a foreshadow in Isaiah. We talked about it. And I believe I put it down.
Speaker 5:I have no idea what you're talking about.
Speaker 2:Isaiah 11.
Speaker 5:Isaiah 11.
Speaker 2:Isaiah 11. 11 verse what uh one through let me see. Let me get there. Because there's this some key parts that I want people to read. This when we all know that when Isaiah was speaking, he was referencing Jesus. He was talking about Jesus. Um This touches on the seven spirits of God, but we're gonna leave that. We're gonna move to um verse three. Uh well, verse one, we'll read this and then we'll skip. It says, Out of the stump of David's family will grow a root. Yes, a new branch bearing fruit from the old root. This is talking about Jesus. This is a foreshadowing. Uh, verse three, it states that he will Okay, I remember now. Yeah, he would delight in obeying the Lord. He would not judge by appearance, nor make a decision based on hearsay. So this right here, he would delight in obeying the Lord. He would not judge by appearance nor make a decision on hearsay. Racism that shuts that down automatically. Everybody out here that stating that because of your the color of your skin or whatever, all of these things, and they're claiming to be followers of Christ, you're wrong. This is Jesus that Isaiah is talking about. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and no one, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment. In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together, the leopard would lie down with the baby goat, the calf and the yearling, yearling will be safe with the lion, and the little children or chow will lead them all. The cow will gape graze near the bear, the cub and the calf will lie down together, the lion would eat hay like a cow, we can go on and on and on. The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra. Yes, a little child will put its hand in the nest or in a nest of deadly snakes without the harm. So this right here, that part digs into him restoring Eden, right? Uh, because prior to the fall of man, and I think we touched on this possibly before, maybe we dig into some of the stuff a little bit deep. Um, there was no such thing as a lion taking the life of another animal and eating it. All of the animals actually lived off the vegetation of the land.
Speaker 8:Yeah, murder wasn't a thing in anything.
Speaker 2:And alive in people or animals was not a thing. Everybody lived off the vegetation of the land, the fruit of the trees, et cetera, et cetera.
Speaker 8:Right. Everything was there because it was everything was provided for us.
Speaker 2:Exactly. And we had everything we need, all of the nutrients that we needed within that. Now, for those who are now vegan, I'll just leave that alone. But we won't go there. Anyhow.
Speaker 8:We'll talk about talk about it in the world.
Speaker 2:So but the key thing.
Speaker 8:But because sin entered the world.
Speaker 2:It shifted.
Speaker 8:Yes.
Speaker 2:It shifted everything. But the key thing I wanted you all to focus on is verse 3 through verse 4.
Speaker 8:Yeah. And the part that stood out to me was nor make a decision based on hearsay. So he makes he makes decisions based on facts.
Speaker 2:Truth.
Speaker 8:Based on truth.
Speaker 2:Because the Bible talks about the spirit of truth. Jesus talked about uh sending to us the spirit of truth. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth.
Speaker 8:Just because someone says something doesn't make it true.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 8:Just because the majority of people say still does not make it true. It doesn't make it true. Okay. You really have to dig and see, okay, is this really true? So we're saying before I start following.
Speaker 2:So we're saying what I'm saying.
Speaker 8:Before I start doing or making a decision.
Speaker 2:When you think about Malachi 2, this ties back to Malachi 2. Be weary of those who look at things that are evil and they call it righteous and try to convince you that it's righteous. There is a plethora of verses, chapters, whatever per se in the Bible where Jesus lets us know his thoughts towards a lot of things. And the Bible lets us know his character, right? You have to look at that and you have to ask yourself when you are dealing with these different scenarios, and you have these leaders that's trying to teach you things that are morally corrupt and it's not of Christ. Is it a reflection of the character of who Christ is?
Speaker 10:Yeah.
Speaker 2:This already lets us know, for example, that Christ cares about the poor and that he makes fair decisions for the exploited. Y'all may not like this, and I'm gonna leave it alone. I'm gonna just say this. As of right now, especially in America, one of the greatest groups of people that's being exploited is immigration, uh immigrants. As of right now.
Speaker:Foreigners.
Speaker 2:We have the foreigners. We have the issue we have within the African American community that's always been there, right? But one of the greatest groups that's being exploited right now is those who are um even American citizens that may not look uh like others or whatever the case may be. You can tell that they're whatever, and they're being snatched up and families are being split, and all of these things are taking place. It's not of God. And you have leaders just telling you that it is.
Speaker 8:Right. Or judging by an appearance, I can't just arrest you because of the color of your skin. I cannot just arrest you, or I can't even um what's the word I'm looking for? Profile you, you know. I can't I can't just I can't assume that you are who I think you are based off of my appearance of you. I need to know facts.
Speaker 2:You can, but you can't do this under the ploy of stating that you are a follower of Christ.
Speaker 8:Right.
Speaker 2:That's my issue.
Speaker 8:Yes, obviously, yes.
Speaker 2:Leave my daddy out of this and leave my Lord and Savior out of this.
Speaker 6:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Because what you're doing, he ain't on the side of. You can have hate, you can have all of that stuff. It's always gonna be there, it's always going to exist. It's the reality of what it is. I have an issue when you bring Jesus in this.
Speaker 5:A Christian.
Speaker 2:When you call yourself a believer, when you say that you're a follower of Christ, yet you hate. Because now, me as a person that knows and have experienced Christ, now look at you and say, Now you're playing games, bruh. Because you don't know my daddy, and my daddy don't know you. You don't know Jesus. Because if you knew Jesus, it's impossible for you to hate. If you know Jesus, the things that that are close to his heart is also going to be close to yours.
Speaker 8:Yeah.
Speaker 2:That's my problem. I either from a You're gonna care about humanity.
Speaker 8:Exactly. He literally died on the cross for us.
Speaker 2:And even and then for those that argue that, oh, what Jesus was against the Pharisees. Actually, when Jesus, uh, when Jesus uh was on the cross, right, and they were mocking him, and we say this all the time, Jesus looked up to heaven and he said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. So what you're saying is not biblical, it's not true, it's not a reflection of the character of Christ. When you look at Galatians 5, what you're doing is a reflection of the flesh. You're moving based off the flesh. Part of the issues that men have with women in this struggle and the fight between the two is because you're still operating from a fallen state, but you say you've received Christ. If I receive Christ, and Christ is my Lord and Savior, and I've submitted myself to him and allowed him to do a transformation, and I have the Holy Spirit now that dwells within me, I have no problem working alongside my wife. I don't see her as someone I control. I see my wife now as a partner. I see my wife as someone who is called to have dominion and who's called to populate the earth with me, to dwell with me, to have to rule and all of these things, to have authority. Because God didn't tell it to Adam, He told Adam and Eve to have dominion. To have dominion and to rule. So the curse brought about the situation of the division. But the question is, why are you still operating from the curse if you claim to have the Holy Spirit that dwells in you?
Speaker 4:Right.
Speaker 2:When the Bible lets us know what Jesus has come to do.
Speaker 8:Right. And so that's just going back to Genesis and recognizing, am I operating in a curse?
Speaker 2:We got we but we're gonna let it go.
Speaker 8:Yeah, but you because you went all the way left. We weren't even talking about legal stuff no more.
Speaker 2:We was talking about We was getting to some other stuff that was getting to some business, some some business and some good, some good stuff. And I just say that because it's is it's really important that we be careful with who we follow.
Speaker 9:It's a lot of entertainment is this is what we do on a regular basis. This is what we talk about. This is how we this is what we talk about at home. We just be going on and on and on. So welcome. Welcome to our home.
Speaker 2:Exactly. All right. So, babe, do you want to end out with anything?
Speaker 8:No, we will see you guys next week.
Speaker 2:Yes, whenever that is. We're gonna do better about our posting.
Speaker 8:Oh, yeah, yeah. It's been um, it's been rough, you guys. Yes, but God is good.
Speaker 2:Um we're gonna do better in posting. But our new post days is Thursdays.
Speaker 4:Yes.
Speaker 2:It's the new days that we're gonna be posting. But uh to God be the glory. We appreciate you all. We hope that this has been a blessing to you all. We've been reading the messages. We are grateful for you all, and we pray that God continues the great work that He's doing in your life. And babe, anything you want to say?
Speaker 9:No, you know what I thought in my head.
Speaker 2:What?
Speaker 9:Let's eat.
Speaker 2:Okay, she's hungry. All right, so until next week, and we will finish up this. That'll be part two to this, and we'll get in all of the additional stuff. God bless you.
Speaker 8:Have a good one. Bye. Bye.