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
Imperfect People Need A Perfect God
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If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing “all the right things” and still can’t shake the heaviness, the shame, or the cycle, you’re not alone. We talk honestly about the moment it clicks: imperfect people need a perfect God, because imperfect tools can only manage symptoms for so long.
We walk through Matthew 8 and the Roman officer who tells Jesus, “Just say the word.” That one request opens up a bigger conversation about faith, spiritual authority, and why Christ doesn’t need perfect conditions to bring healing. From there we move to John 5, where Jesus finds a man who’s been stuck for 38 years and doesn’t even recognize who healed him. It’s a reminder that God can pursue you before you have your theology sorted out.
We also get practical about daily cleansing and sanctification, using vivid imagery like washing machines, bathtubs, and wounds that keep bleeding when we only apply pressure. Psalm 51 becomes a heartbeat prayer: “Create in me a clean heart,” because what we really need is inner renewal, not a temporary reset. We discuss grace versus law, why heart posture matters, how discernment protects you in a world full of spiritual exposure, and why even weakness can become a place where God’s strength shows up (2 Corinthians 12).
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Welcome And Opening Prayer
WalterWelcome 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 we have with others. I'm your host, Walter. I'm joined here alongside my lovely wife.
ShaneaShinea.
WalterThis is episode 17. So excited. We are at least posting every two weeks now. The plan is to post every week. But to God be the glory, it's been a struggle. I think we're getting a schedule together. Right? We have two slots of time that we could possibly use. Two time slots. Are you smiling? Something wrong? Okay. So we like to start this out in prayer. So we are going to allow my wife to open us up in prayer on this beautiful early morning. Let's do it.
ShaneaI was about to say, ah, Father, Lord in heaven. I'll be thy name.
WalterLord, have mercy. Pray for my wife. Pray for my wife.
ShaneaLord, we give you glory. We give you honor. We give you praise. We thank you for everything that you're doing and everything that you are about to do through us and through this podcast, Father God. I ask, Holy Spirit, that you will enter this room, that you will enter this conversation, that you will take over our minds, that we take over, that we take on the mind of Christ right now, that even our listeners take on the mind of Christ, Father God. That we put on our full armor, Father God, to battle against every principality and every spirit of darkness trying to come up against us and this podcast and through our listeners in the mighty name of Jesus. Father God, we thank you for allowing us to be a vessel of your good works and your good words. I pray, Father God, that we will open up the listeners' ears and eye gates to hear and see what it is that you are saying, and that their hearts will be open to receive what it is that you are saying, Father God. In the mighty name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
WalterAmen.
Why Imperfect People Need God
WalterSo, what is the title of this week's episode?
ShaneaImperfect people need a perfect God.
SPEAKER_06Amen, sister.
ShaneaYeah.
WalterSo something God gave to me. Gave it to me just like that. Imperfect people just like that. Need an imperfect God. And when it was given to me, what came to mind is uh throughout Jesus' ministry, we consistently had an opportunity to witness what happens when imperfect people cross path with the perfect God.
ShaneaOh, okay.
WalterYou get what I'm saying now? No. Did it did you have an aha moment?
unknownYeah.
WalterFull disclaimer, this is our second time trying to record this. So it's it's clicking.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
WalterOkay. Let's start with Matthew 8.
Matthew 8 And Real Authority
ShaneaI must have just blacked out on it the first part.
WalterLet's start with Matthew chapter 8.
ShaneaMatthew 8, 8.
SPEAKER_06Yes.
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_06Uh let's see.
WalterWe're going there, we're going there, we're going there. We are there. You're there?
ShaneaYep.
WalterOkay. So uh it starts off, and this is the NLT version for everyone that's following along, but the officer said, Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say go and they go, or come and they come. And if I say to my slaves, do this, they do it. When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, I tell you the truth. I haven't seen faith like this in all Israel. And I know you, and I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world, from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the kingdom of heaven. But many Israelites, uh, those for whom the kingdom was prepared, will be thrown into out of darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then Jesus said to the Roman officer, Go back home because you believed it has happened. And the young servant was healed that same hour. So what I have written down here is that the scripture reveals to us the power that lies within an encounter with Jesus, with God the Son. Uh, there was an understanding the Roman officer had that everything was subjected to the direction of God, the Son. And this is uh what comes to mind is Hebrews uh 1, verse 5 through 14, where it touches on uh how God looks at Jesus the Son and he calls him God and makes it known that there is no one that's above God, the Son, except God the Father. And so it was at this moment that an imperfect person encountered a perfect God. And there's an understanding with each miracle performed by Jesus and recorded in the books of the gospel. Uh, there was an encounter after the encounter of people recognizing who they were while also having a full understanding of who Jesus is. This understanding would cause them to go out of their way, uh putting everything on the line just to experience a moment with God. So we understand that within this particular scripture, it was from him being physically sick. However, this does not just apply to physical sickness. This also applies to spiritual sickness. This applies to um, I mean, because I I could think back on my own life, and I was in a place emotionally, mentally, spiritually when I encountered Jesus, when I encountered God where I was sick. And I needed a touch in order to um be healed, and nothing else could do it. Therapy, talking to friends, whatever, nothing else could help me in that particular space that I was in. It was a situation where you had someone who was imperfect that encountered God and all of his perfection, and that touch shifted my whole uh life, the tri uh is it, the trajectory uh of my life. And so that's what I think of when I think of the scripture, that's what was coming to mind. And and we touched, we touched on this before, I think. But as I was reading this, I think earlier today or yesterday, one and the two in prayer. Um today, this morning, or yesterday morning, what was coming to mind, I could see both demons and angels. I could see angels going forth to do what uh Jesus had called for them to do. And I could see demons bending to the word of the Lord. And so that's what came to mind as the Romans uh officer was speaking about authority and under an understanding of the authority that uh that Jesus had in that moment.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
WalterAnd just saying that you don't have to go to my house. All you have to do is send your word, and I know that everything will bend, whether it's time, whatever it may be, it will bend in order to uh submit to your word that you speak. So he was saying, because he's like, I have I have soldiers under me, and when I say do, they do. It it was just a powerful moment of understanding the power and the authority that lies in Christ. And he recognized that. So that's what was coming to mind. Uh, what what do you think about when when discussing that or what I just said?
ShaneaNo, like what you said um was exactly kind of sort of what I was thinking. Like you were going through all these things and trying all these different modalities, but nothing really was working. Um is because you needed a perfect God. And that's the imagery that I had got. But you go ahead and finish what you were saying.
WalterNo, that's that's that's everything. Oh we just have example after example. You have uh the blind man, you have the situation with the, and that was another example that came to me because there's different types of people. So uh I guess we can go to John 5. We can go to John 5. Let's see, chapter 5. Verse 7.
Healing Beyond Physical Sickness
WalterWe may need to begin earlier on or earlier up than verse 7 or before verse 7. Uh let's see. So yeah, John 5, verse 3 is where we'll start where where we'll start. You there?
SPEAKER_02Mm-hmm.
WalterUh crowds of sick people, blind, lame, or paralyzed, lay on the porches. One of the men lying there had been sick for 38 years. When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, Would you like to get well? I can't, sir, the sick man said, for I have no one to put me in the pool. When the water bubbles up, some someone else always get there ahead of me. Jesus told him, Stand up, pick up your mat and walk. Instantly the man was healed. He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking. But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, You can't walk on the Sabbath. The law doesn't allow you to carry that sleeping mat. But he replied, The man who healed me told me, Pick up your mat and walk. Who said such a thing as that? They demanded. The man didn't know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd. But afterwards, Jesus found him in the temple and told him, Now you are well, so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you. Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him. And so uh what was coming to mind when I was thinking of this is that even this is an example because we have those examples in the scriptures where Jesus actually goes looking for people that he knows need him. Um, there are people out there that may not even know who Jesus is, like this man did not know who Jesus is. He just came to him as a stranger. But he was so desperate to be healed that he was willing to do anything. And he had faith to believe, like, hey, it's it's a situation where you have nothing to lose.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
WalterAnd that's the beautiful thing of how amazing God is, that even when you may not even know that that's an option, he presents it to you. And I I think the thing that we have to realize in in all of these instances, of the multiple instances of the gospel where Jesus healed the sick, where he um set the captive free, where he took people through deliverance or whatever it may have you, we see example after example of people having to have faith. Even thinking of the man that was um demon-possessed, that had a legion of demons. He sought Jesus out and said, I need you to help me, right? I I can't be this way. And he had faith to believe that Jesus could help him. And so even when you think of the letters of Paul to the church, when when he discusses how we are to live our lives, he discusses the importance of us moving accordingly to faith and recognizing that it's not by our own works, but it's by the grace of God and just having faith in Jesus to do whatever needs to be done. And so that was the clash, if you may, that the Pharisees had with Jesus. They believed it was just law-based. It was based on my works that I am made righteous. And Jesus came and said, No, it's just based on faith. That's what makes you righteous. Believing in me, partnering with partnering with me in faith, and believing that I am that perfect God. So, thoughts? What?
ShaneaNothing.
WalterWhat's your thoughts?
ShaneaI don't know if you just said. Yeah.
WalterBut it was like in 13 minutes, I believe, 13 or 14 minutes.
ShaneaIt was a lot.
WalterWas it?
ShaneaYeah.
WalterThat's I don't know what else to say. I mean, I I can get especially why now, why it's important to have that understanding. Because it's so easy to see people, whether it's pastors or leaders or podcasters, evangelists, prophets, whatever may have you, and think, oh my gosh, they're perfect. But it's like no man is perfect.
ShaneaYeah.
WalterEverybody needs that no one is perfect. We all have something that we deal with that we have to consistently give over to God. You may not struggle with the same thing other people struggle with, or there may be certain things that God has set you free from. Like even
John 5 And Jesus Finds Us
Walterwith the uh man that was at the pool, Jesus delivered him and healed him. But I'm sure there was other things that he still dealt with, which required him to continue to seek out having a relationship with Jesus.
ShaneaYeah. Well, we try out all these different things or modalities. I even I know for me, um, while I I grew up Christian, I kind of, you know, strayed away. Um, but I was at a point where I was like, I'll just try Jesus. I've tried everything else. I've tried everything else. I've tried to go to therapy, different types of therapy. I tried, I tried smoking, I tried edibles, I tried, I tried yoga, I tried to go to the spa, I tried to work out just to like stop feeling the way I was feeling going through what I was going through. Nothing, nothing worked. It only worked for a time, it worked for a season, it might have worked for a day, but it's like I had to keep doing it over and over and over again. Like if I didn't go to the
The Washing Machine Metaphor
Shaneagym every day, I was I was gonna lose it. If I didn't go to the spa every Thursday, I was gonna lose it. If I didn't make it to a therapy session, I would start to lose it. Like I would just start to relapse. And that's most people. It's like you have to keep doing it over and over and over again. And so when we got to this episode about imperfect people needing a perfect God, I was listening to once more in the song where he sings, um, created me a clean heart so that I can worship you. And I was singing the song and I was worshiping with the song, and then it just clicked, like created me a clean heart so that I can worship you. So it's like we are imperfect, we need to be cleaned, we need to be cleansed. And so I had this imagery of a washer machine in a tub. It's just like, you know how like I would go to the spa, right? And I would go to all these things, but I was bringing my sin there. Everybody is bringing their sins there, everybody's bringing whatever they got on them there, and now you're all in this cesspool of just mess, of everybody's mess.
SPEAKER_06Yeah.
ShaneaYou picking up the same dumbbells this person's picking up, who's dealing with anxiety, depression, sexual addiction, like you're in the same spaces as these people who are struggling, just like you, trying to figure it out. And so I had this imagery of a washing machine. And it's like you have to clean, like you use the washing machine to clean your clothes, right? But at some point you got to clean your washing machine because your clothes are gonna start to stink, right? Like I just cleaned the washer because it had like mold on the on the inside of the thing because you have to clean it. But it's like, how can the thing you clean with also need to be cleaned? And that's just like us going to the gym or going to therapy. We have to keep going, keep going. But at some point, that stuff don't work anymore. You know, like it has to be cleaned, but you can't clean that type of space. It's not for you to clean, it's not your space, right? And then I thought about like you washing yourself in the tub. You gotta cleanse yourself. You take a shower, you take a bath, but the bathtub gets dirty. And um, and at some point, you're gonna be washing in dirty water if you don't clean your bathtub. So what I thought about is us being impure and having to go to Jesus to cleanse us, but we don't have to clean him.
WalterI was wondering where you were gonna take it.
ShaneaYou know what I mean? Like he is perfect. He doesn't, you don't have to do anything, you just go to him and he just cleans you, he washes you. And I had this imagery of just rain, like just being washed in rain because he can just shower you with all his love and glory and goodness, and you don't have to do anything, you just stand there and you allow him to wash you. Just like when you think about rain and it comes down on you, you don't have to do anything with the rain. The rain is just gonna continually keep coming and coming and coming and coming in and wash you, and all your impurities and everything that that's dirty on you just gets washed into the ground. And that's it. And so I was just thinking about this from like a spiritual standpoint, like where we always we feel dirty, but most uh most of us are all taking it to some type of dirty washing machine. We're going to places that's dirty instead of going to Jesus, just trying Jesus. So you're dealing with addiction, you're dealing with penography, you're dealing with, you know.
WalterReal close P Real close.
ShaneaYou're dealing with, you know, trauma from your youth or trauma as an adult. Um, you're dealing with essay, you're dealing with all these things that makes you imperfect, that keeps you flawed. And so the creating me a clean heart is Psalms 51. And in Psalms 51, it this is when um David is is sort of just like repenting for the incident with Bathsheba. Let me go to it real quick. And what's your thoughts?
WalterNo, I could see that. Um when you were talking about everything before and how you would go to those things, and we touched on this before. What what I saw was uh Oh, what came to me is it's just like you have this wound um and you're familiar with that based on your your experience and your background. But it's like you have a wound that's bleeding out, and you're applying pressure on the wound to try to stop the bleeding.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
WalterAnd you're having to get more, what do you call it, gauze or what do you call it? To pump in or push into the wound to stop the bleeding.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
Walterthat gets fluid and then now you're getting fresh and and you're pumping it in and then just to stop the bleeding you're holding it and you have to continually do that over and over and over and over until unless you get unless you cauterize it and the only way you cauterize a wound that's bleeding is through fire.
ShaneaWell something super super hot.
WalterI don't know what she's talking about.
ShaneaAnd it would stop the bleeding.
WalterI have no clue.
ShaneaAnd I'm thinking about holy fire.
WalterI I get that perspective. But you didn't know but you didn't know I don't know the word that she I have no clue. It's some type of medical terminology that I have no idea of and some people may not have it so you may need to provide the definition of what that means cauterize. What is the definition what's that what's the definition of that?
SPEAKER_04Okay.
ShaneaBecause I am when you said that I was like oh it sounds good but to cauterize means to burn or freeze body tissue using heat, electricity extreme cold or chemicals to stop bleeding, close a wound or remove unwanted growths.
WalterIs that something they they do?
ShaneaYeah.
WalterOkay. That's a normal thing?
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
WalterOkay. Then yes. But that's what I was that's what I was thinking about when you was talking about um going to the spa and people go to go to your therapist or try to do things to get your mind off of the thing.
ShaneaTry to sex it away, drink it away, shop it away.
WalterDon't know why you use the SEX word. But yes so um that is very true and that's essentially what you're doing. You're consist and you're constantly bleeding. And it may feel as if it's some relief but it's like you're not you're not taking care of that wound or those wounds. And then it becomes so it it gets to a point and it you know you already know you can get to a point of bleeding out.
ShaneaMm-hmm. And you bleed out all under other people.
WalterBut you can get to a point to where it's now becoming life threatening to where it's that's not even working anymore because you've lost so much blood. So yeah that's what was coming to mind as you were saying what you were saying.
ShaneaGotcha about the washing machine all these imagery yes but Psalms 51
Sacrifice Grace And Heart Posture
Shaneaum 10 David says well actually I can start on Psalms fifty one verse seven he says purify me from my sins and I will be clean wash me and I will be whiter than snow. Oh give me back my joy again you have broken me now let me rejoice don't keep looking at my sins remove the stain of my guilt create in me a clean heart O God renew a loyal spirit within me do not banish me from your presence and don't take your Holy Spirit from me restore me restore to me the joy of your salvation and make me willing to obey you then I will teach your ways to rebels and they will return to you forgive me for shedding blood O God who saves then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness and he says create in me a clean heart he says purify me and I will be clean there was nothing else he could have done that was going to make him feel clean. A lot of us walk around just feeling dirty for all the things that we do like no matter what we do we can confess it we can um you know just do all the things that I named before because you just feel dirty on the inside no matter what you do. But if you just try Jesus he has the authority that you were talking about earlier he has the power to cleanse you to clean you to create in you a new clean heart or restore your soul Psalms 23.
WalterYeah well that's the whole purpose of uh the crucifixion that's the whole per purpose of him being beaten beyond recognition all of that ties into the fact of him becoming the perfect sacrificial sacrificial offering because when you think of what took place prior to Christ they would have to sacrifice what lambs and goats and things of that nature. And so that was their way of cleansing the people of their sins is by going through that process. So Jesus became the ultimate sacrifice by giving his life to now cleanse us of all of those things cleanse us of sin. And so that's one of the things that came along with the crucifixion so you are correct and it and it goes along with what David was King David was saying. So yeah.
ShaneaYeah and that's crazy you said that because like the next thing I was I had thought about was this a a sacrif a sacrifice like a sacrificial lamb like like we or Jesus broke the power of sin through his sacrifice but we needed a pure perfect sacrifice prior to Jesus they would sacrifice these animals but they had to be spotless they had to be spotless they had to be what the firstborn they had to be perfect they could have no impurities and and so going back to what you were saying it's we needed a perfect man to sacrifice himself for us because we were so sinful. Just like back in the day or in the old testament where they needed a perfect lamb or a perfect animal to be sacrificed for their sins so that they would be clean. Is that something plain I think it's veggie tail okay I know I hear something sorry everyone we have um speakers all throughout the home well they can't hear I can hear so that's what I'm saying but um so he was a I mean he was the perfect sacrifice yes because he was like the lamb without a blemish sacrifice without any spots but that's a challenge that comes in now even when you think into dark practices versus you know God.
WalterAnd so they they still go through the process of like sacrificing animals. Yeah um shedding blood shedding blood and so it's really important because that's just kind of what comes along with it um but Jesus did that so we would not have to go through that anymore. So now he becomes that ultimate sacrifice and now as you submit yourself to him dedicate your life to him give your life to him accept him as your Lord and Savior now all of those things he has he's able to come into um and say hey I died for this. Yes I died for those things. Yes now it's you have to be really careful and one thing that we have to be mindful of is purposefully placing ourselves in positions to do things that we should not do and thinking that I'm just gonna ask for forgiveness. So I'm gonna go and I'm gonna lay down with this person. I'm gonna go and get drunk out is all get out. I'm gonna go and get high I'm gonna go and put myself in certain situations that don't make sense I'm gonna go lust I'm gonna go do whatever and then I'm gonna ask God I'm gonna ask him to forgive me because he died for my sins. Well first and foremost why would you want to continue to put Christ through that why would you want to continue to put him to the fact of putting him up on that cross that's first and then second you want to be careful because God always looks at our heart and your heart posture right so sometimes you don't want to be in a situation where you consistently sin and place yourself back into a situation where now you're becoming subject to the law.
ShaneaRight or you're every day we have to ask God and I know my bonus mom always asks God to make in her a clean heart. Remove any bitterness that she may have or remove any unforgiveness she may have because it's it's daily you know somebody could have offended you yesterday or the day before yesterday or years ago and you don't know that you're holding on to it but you're wondering why you're still feeling some type of way towards a certain person or certain thing or some things offend you and it doesn't offend others and you're wondering why um but it's like it's a it's a it's a daily process just like when we wear our shoes daily outside they get dirty we live in a world full of sin.
WalterWhen we walk outside that door sin is there yeah sin is there sometimes it's in your house but when we what when we go outside it's there it's at your job it's at your workplace it's at the restaurant well it's a it's a in everything we we we're doing we have to remember that's why the scripture lets us know it's a daily situation where you have to consistently go through that process first you gotta you're consistently going through that process of having your mind renewed you're consistently going through that process of dying to self you're consistent consistently going through a cleansing process a sanctification process a purification process uh as you're moving forward you're going through these phases even when you think of forgiveness that is a consistent process because first of all there's layers yeah second you for many of us uh we're talking about years and decades of trauma and years and decades of a worldview that does not align with the word of God or or what God has called for for your life and so this is not a a one-stop shop this is a lifestyle so now this becomes your life becomes uh a uh a it uh the the perfect worship it it becomes a way of life to you to where it's okay this is this is what it is and so anyone thinking that hey this is a one-time thing uh unfortunately you're sadly mistaken anyone thinking that okay at some point I'm going to arrive or I have arrived it's not true it's it's just not you know that day you don't arrive until Jesus comes it's as simple as that uh so but once again let's be really careful because there's a difference between you purposefully doing something and you falling short there's a clear difference you know you're not perfect yet it does not justify you going out here and doing things that you know you should not be doing or purposefully saying hey and we we touched on on this in previous episodes I'm gonna give all of these things to God but I'm gonna keep this here and I know that he's gonna forgive me because he died for that and that's what people get into living alternate lifestyles that's what people get into doing things that goes against the scripture or consistently put them in compromising positions because they they they're it's grace based and it's it's an extreme measure or an extreme worldview of grace. If that makes sense that makes sense say that again an extreme worldview of grace what's an extreme worldview of grace an extreme worldview of grace is essentially saying that you can do whatever you want and God's grace is sufficient to keep you He's gonna forgive you yes versus an extreme view worldview of law uh of the law saying that it is only by the law that you're made righteous. You can fall on one end of the spectrum you don't want to yeah and now there are people who deliberately sin.
ShaneaThey're like oh well you know God knows my heart um I'm gonna go out here and I'm gonna go to this girl's house or I'm gonna go to this dude's house and I'm gonna do what I do because it feels good and God knows my heart.
WalterI don't really want to but or I'm gonna be a complete jerk or I'm gonna be me or I'm gonna be really petty and I'm gonna do something that's gonna, you know, piss them off or something.
ShaneaAnd I'm gonna do it on purpose. But then you have people in the world who who are naive to to their exposure to sin.
Discernment Spiritual Exposure And Media
ShaneaExplain or demonic activities.
WalterYou're talking about just being in spaces that you shouldn't be in and you don't realize it listening to music that you shouldn't listen to watching movies that you shouldn't watch being around people that you shouldn't be around being married to people that you shouldn't be married to pursuing people that you shouldn't pursue.
ShaneaAnd because they aren't experiencing outright like demonic attacks or they're seeing demons or they're seeing evil things or they're feeling evil things um that doesn't mean you're not that doesn't mean you're clean you know what I'm saying it doesn't mean you're you don't still go to God and say God created me a clean heart purify me that doesn't mean you don't have uh attacks on you or your family or your house or your money or you know it doesn't mean that the things that seem like they're normal to everyone else isn't an attack. Well um I think I say that because like my washing machine thing but like if I go outside and I wear these pants um or if I go into the office I might not see any patients but I'm going to put my pants and clothes in the laundry and I'm gonna wash them because I was exposed to something. I may not know exactly what it's something there in the office that I could have been exposed to. And it's just a reminder that you know we live in a world of sin. First John 518 he says we know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God and now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his son Jesus Christ. He is the only true God and he is eternal life. Dear children keep away from anything that might take God's place in your hearts like I think a lot of times people don't understand that we we live in a spiritual world like we're not fighting against flesh we're fighting against spiritual beings some some people can see them and some people can't that doesn't mean that they're not there that doesn't mean that you're not being exposed well for example and we've talked about this before like even for example music you may not be able to physically see what's taking place spiritually but I believe everyone senses it as far as how the music impacts you or makes you feel or how you respond to it from a spiritual or from an emotional or how your soul responds to it.
WalterOr if you're watching a movie for example everyone has experienced for example watching a horror film and becoming extremely fearful. Well that's spiritual or watching a type of film that would make you become or uh get into a place of just uh becoming lustful or experience things experiencing things from a sexual perspective uh having desire sexual desires or watching a film about fighting or whatever it makes you angry or whatever the case may be or want to fight yes like sometimes when we watch these uh freedom movies or slave movies and you're like oh my gosh yeah and it angers you yeah so it you know all of that stuff you you have to be careful with so it it still impacts you you just may not be able to see it from a spiritual perspective um but once again when we say that we understand you listening to certain music or uh watching certain movies will not necessarily send you to hell but I believe the biggest thing is that it's not good for your spirit and it can place you in positions of doing things that could and we say this all the time if you're not worshiping God who are you worshiping if the songs that you're listening to is not something to where it's like it's glorifying glorifying God who is it glorifying because it's glorifying something whether you realize it or not I don't think people and we've talked about this before I don't think people realize that a lot of the artists that you listen to for example they purposefully have something that they worship other than God and they notice and they do those songs and they understand frequencies and they set it up in such a way to pull you in and to unknown unknowingly from you expose you to what they're connected to.
ShaneaYeah like you have to literally like don't listen to the beat listen to the lyrics like look look at the lyrics of the song or gain an understanding of the heart of the person.
WalterYeah like like what what do they go through what goes into like that that movie Sinners if you just listen to um the interviews yeah and what their heart desire was and what they did to put the movie together that alone would show you that you should not have been watching that especially as believers because you are exposing yourself to an unnecessary attack yeah unnecessary warfare whether you realize it or not and it's not and and you know as African Americans specifically we have to be careful because we don't have many films that depict us in a powerful way that's like aside from like slaves or whatever. Right so anytime you have something that even remotely touches on historical things that showcases power and authority and um showcases who we were prior to that, everyone flocks to it. And so you have to be really careful and say okay what am I flocking to? Because the enemy may try to play on that emotion of yours and pull you into some stuff that may not necessarily be good.
ShaneaYeah and then the other thing I'd like to touch on also is while yes you can look at the person but sometimes what if that person is a a Christian or someone in the faith what do you mean like their lifestyle you don't know exactly what they're struggling with but they're preaching every Sunday they sing worship music and now you're dealing with some Stuff and you're like, why am I dealing with this? All I listen to is this person, or all I listen to is this these types of sermons from this type of pastor or apostle or this singer. And you still dealing with lust, perversion, some type of addiction, you depression, anxiety.
WalterWell, that's why we understand that imperfect people need a perfect God, but that's why the disclaimer has to be there to understand that there's a difference between you being imperfect and you purposefully choosing to do something you shouldn't do. And then it just kind of boils down to having discernment. And that that goes back to you have to have a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_03Yes.
WalterThat's it.
SPEAKER_03Yes.
WalterSo you can understand, okay, do I, you know, you could see things that others may not be able to see, or you may not typically be able to see apart from him. You know, if we think about the Holy Spirit being what the revealer, the scripture says the Holy Spirit is the revealer of all truth.
ShaneaRight.
WalterSo that kind of goes into play of having an understanding of that because you are right. People could be preaching, they could be singing worship music, there are worship artists out here, there are preachers out here, there are pastors out here, there are prophets out here, evangelists, etc. teachers who are their lifestyles are not good.
ShaneaRight.
WalterAnd it does not align with the word of God, but they'll preach you out of a building, they will sing you out of a building, they will prophesy you out of a building. And so you do have to be careful when dealing with those when in those situations or in those scenarios.
ShaneaYes. And that's why it's important that you go to the perfect God to cleanse you, um, make you holy because you don't know what you're picking up out here in these streets. And then in this world full of sin.
SPEAKER_06What is that?
ShaneaAnd I say that because Paul, and it was Ephesians 5, 26, and he said to make her holy and clean, meaning talking about a wife, washed by the cleansing of God's word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. You have to cleanse yourself with God's word.
Paul’s Thorn Weakness And Closing
ShaneaSo that means getting in your word, being in his presence.
WalterAnd I think one of the scriptures, even as we I think begin to wrap this up, uh uh 2 Corinthians 12, verse 8 was Paul speaking. And he said, Three different times I beg the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness. So now I am glad to boast about my weakness so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure in my weakness and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong, or then I am strong. So with that being the case, it's understanding that in our weaknesses, he's strong.
ShaneaYeah, he's made perfect.
WalterAnd so it's not, it's it's it's not being afraid to say, hey, I struggle in these areas, or this is something that I'm struggling in, and I have to take this to Jesus so that he can help me because he already knows.
SPEAKER_03Yes.
WalterUm and then sometimes, you know, it could be something that you're dealing with, and you're like, why won't this be taken? And it's like in that area, and it's not saying we we we can debate about what Paul was talking about when he said something that he was struggling with, right?
ShaneaWhat do you mean debate?
WalterWhat do you mean? So when what was Paul talking about when he was saying he was struggling with something? What do you think that he was struggling with?
ShaneaWhat do you mean in that verse? Are you talking about you're not gonna put the thorn? Oh, I'm sorry.
WalterThis is referring to the thorn in his flesh, yes.
SPEAKER_01You think the thorn in his flesh was people? No, it was demons. It was oppression.
WalterSo I said that to say this. Um Paul was in the position where he said, Hey, I wanted God to take this away from me completely. And Jesus said no.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
WalterSo there may be instances of things that you're dealing with in your life that you're like, God, why won't you take this away from me? And Jesus is looking at you and saying, Hey, no. That in you having that, that makes me strong in you. In your weakness. And it don't make it's not that it don't make sense, but you may not agree with it. Right? So, for example, we talked about this before. God has called you the wealth, and then he takes you through the worst poverty ever. God has called you to heal the sick and he takes you through the and you go through the worst sickness ever. Or not he take you through, but you go through the worst sickness ever. Um there was one instance, and I don't know the exact scripture, but there was one instance where the disciples was asking Jesus, who sinned to cause the man to be sick? And he said, No one sinned. It was like his mom sinned, did his dad sin? It was like, no one sinned. This happened so that the glory of God could be experienced. You know? And so the understanding that is a struggle to kind of wrap your head around. That you may be sick not because of someone sinning, but for God to God's glory to be experienced in your life for others. That goes back to um Moses and what he went through with Pharaoh when the Bible says God heartened the heart of Pharaoh. And Moses was like, why won't he let the people go? Because God heartened his heart so that he could so there can be greater glory experienced.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
WalterSo anything else you want to add, babe?
ShaneaNo. I don't think there's I think I mean there's more things I could say, but I'm tired.
WalterYeah. Well, prayerfully, this has been a blessing to you all. Uh, we appreciate you all. Uh we pray this blesses you. Uh remember that it is okay that you're imperfect. God's grace is sufficient in your imperfections. I don't know what else to add. Be praying for us and we will be praying for you. Anything else, babe?
ShaneaNo. Thank you guys.
WalterWell, we will see you next time we post. Be blessed. Goodbye.
ShaneaBye.