"Who Are We Pursuing?"

SPEAKER_09 0:11

Hi, welcome to Fit 101, Vocalizing Every Noted Topic with a Christian twist. I'm June Bryant, your host, and we welcome you to our podcast. Our vision is to win souls to Christ and to help those who know him by giving them a fresh new perspective on Christian living and reading God's Word. Our mission is to biblically educate people while growing in their Christian walk by answering questions that they are uncomfortable to ask in a church-like setting. You can find us wherever you get your podcast. Please like and subscribe. You can also visit us on YouTube, Instagram, or on our website vent-101.com, where you can leave any questions or comments that you may have. Thank you.

SPEAKER_06 1:27

Good morning, good morning, good morning.

SPEAKER_04 1:30

Good morning.

SPEAKER_06 1:31

All right. June is definitely in the room.

SPEAKER_08 1:44

Good morning, everybody. Pew, pew, pew.

SPEAKER_07 1:48

Good morning and good day to everybody out there on the podcast land. Hope everybody's having a good morning and had a blessed week so far.

SPEAKER_06 1:55

Man. What a rough week. All right. Um, today we are tasked with answering the question: who are we pursuing? I want you to feel free to add the word what? Who and what are we pursuing? Is it money? Is it self-gratification? Is it something I are we pursuing ourselves? Is it women? Is it men? Is it both? Ask yourself this question: who are we pursuing? In the Bible, believers are commanded to pursue God, righteousness, and spiritual virtues rather than worldly or sinful desires. What we are told to pursue, God in his kingdom, Matthew 6 and 33 instructs believers to seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, to paraphrase. I'm gonna put a pen in that one because I'm gonna come back to it at the end of this podcast and give a little backstory and details and a slight testimony from this week. Secondly, righteousness, godliness, and faith. 1 Timothy 6 11 tells the man of God to flee from harmful things and instead pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. Love and peace, 1 Corinthians 14 and 1 and Romans 14 and 19 encourages believers to pursue love and pursue what makes for peace and mutual upbuilding. Lastly, holiness, Hebrews 12 and 14, urges believers to strive for peace with everyone and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. So, with a backstory, I'm gonna open it up to my panel to add to who are we pursuing? And what?

SPEAKER_08 4:16

And what? And what that's a big, big question, especially in days and times like this. Um I didn't have a lot of time to do research on it, but I had a lot of time to uh give it thought and some prayer because uh it it really um caused your curiosity to rise, you know what I mean? Because and it's a search, it's an individual search within yourself. And so um with that by itself, I want to say thank you for that. Because a lot of times we don't sit back and think about you know, what what are you really actually? I'm gonna use the word chasing if that's okay. What are you chasing after? And so in thinking of that, um, like I said in thought and prayer, I was like, well, if you're pursuing something, it's something that to you, to yourself is worth going after. And stuff like that. And you did mention earlier about what I like how you say that too, because I was like, uh, it's it's what we pursue too, who we pursue. People run after money, uh men run after women, women run out to men. But is it good for you? Is it good for you? So that's the curiosity part because you can pursue something and it's not good for you at all.

SPEAKER_02 5:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 5:38

And once you hit it and you got it all together, then now you feel remorse because it's not good for you. You know, and I'm saying that uh by experience, you know, uh in my lifetime, I pursue certain things and end up um just bad, rotting, you know what I'm saying? Uh didn't take me nowhere, you know. Didn't you know, didn't add up to nothing. And so sometimes, you know, we we we just run into the dead end, just running, chasing stuff, you know, stuff like that. So sometimes it it caused a burnout in your life. So pursuing the what or the who is you know, whatever, if it's not good for you either one, you know, you're gonna you're gonna come to a burnout or yeah. So that's what that's I got my mind running, you know. So yeah.

SPEAKER_09 6:33

When I thought about pursuing I thought about now. Um it makes you think about in the corner world, I say my humanness. I used to pursue uh I'm gonna leave men out of the equation because I I was good for pursuing money. And that's what uh hit me when I thought about it, because I'm like, okay, when you pursue anybody other than the than the Lord first, that per whoever it is becomes your God. And that's the that's the the part about it that get got me because it wasn't it ain't been that long. Uh that working overtime was a quest. I needed it, but I wasn't giving my all to Christ, if that makes sense. Uh what I'm getting at is if I wasn't tithing my pursuit of money through my whole uh look on following Christ off. Because if if what you are, if you are in alignment, what is required of us, I'm talking about as far as me, as my money, if I wasn't uh I wasn't giving to the Lord first. Now, this last couple of years, well, since I've been at R, so it's been more than two years, about four years, maybe five, I make it a priority to give to him first. And I noticed that if I got money problems, it's because of me loving shoes. You see what I'm saying? Yes, uh, but if we align ourselves with Christ being the head, all those pursuits will kind of fade away. And once we make God our first priority as far as pursuing Him, we tend we'll fall in line for the most part. Yeah. That's I'll start with that.

SPEAKER_06 8:57

You led right to where I was trying to stir the conversation, actually, uh how things become idol worship. That's right. And some of the things that we pursue that are uh not of God and not aligned with his will. I just wanted to throw that in there. Go ahead, bro. No, what you just said is true though.

SPEAKER_07 9:15

And I I can say what I from the perspective of what I used to pursue opposed to now, because as of now, I'm pursuing the to continuously work on myself, pursuing Christ and seeking him more and more, to make sure that those different things that like a lot of my prayers be based on small things, small detailed things. Because a lot of times the small detailed things, we overly, we quickly to overlook them. So I pray a lot of times for God to show me the things that I may need to work on that I'm not focused on.

SPEAKER_03 9:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 9:48

And that's more so what I'm pursuing now is to grow in Christ and be as as righteous as possible and continue to um allow his word to move it within me and change me and mold me. Now, the things I used to pursue, Sue, I had a lot of idols, look, which a lot of them I know I've spoken on before. A lot of it was pursuing women. That was a lot of it in money, um, or just pursuing just attention sometimes. And I didn't realize that within myself until like later, because I didn't see myself as an attention seeker. But once I started, once the layers started coming off, as I started growing, I realized that in certain aspects and ways, it was like I wanted attention just to um, I guess it kind of, like what my mom said earlier, it blew me up, I guess. And the more I got that, that's what started detouring my walk. And as I, and as I was growing and learning, as you know, as life goes on, because that's when I was like in my 20s and stuff, I was pursuing everything but Christ. And as time started going on, he started revealing these many different things to me that I was idolizing over him. I would um I would do whatever it takes to go get money. And that's never a good way to look at things, especially with a street life kind of mentality. The Lord didn't have to bless me to even be it to this day.

SPEAKER_02 11:12

Do that stuff.

SPEAKER_07 11:14

And the thing about it is, is as I reflect on it, just the the lessons and things that came from that is why I'm where I'm at now. And that's what put me on course to pursue him more. Because throughout the duration, I kept putting him on the shelf. Right. And every time I put him on that shelf, I was like, cool, I'm cool now. But as quick as I put him on that shelf, I had to pick them right back off that shelf. Right. And then I had to, but I put them back up, pick them back up, put them back up. And then I got tired of like, why am I steady putting him on the shelf when he says he wants to be a part of everything? Right. So I had to change my prayer, my prayer life. I had to change my true relationship with Christ. I had to seek him more and harder. And it just messed me up as I, like right now, it's just kind of messing me up just to reflect on how my mentality was, mixing worldly things with his word and trying to compensate for it and make it make sense to me, opposed to what the word was actually saying. So I could say that's where I used to pursue, but as a like when I'm at my walk now, man, I'm pursuing Christ. I'm pursuing the um the role of saving souls to fill his kingdom.

SPEAKER_02 12:25

Amen.

SPEAKER_07 12:25

That's what I'm big on more than anything right now. So that's why I start pursuing it as a right now.

SPEAKER_08 12:31

Can I use some scripture on what everybody said? Because I totally, totally agree, and I didn't want to jump ahead. But it's in the book of Luke, the 18th chapter, 18 through the 23rd verse. And this story right here uh shows forth the surface surface-level faith that the rich young ruler had. And when y'all was talking about idolism, that's why I said I didn't want to jump ahead. But that's what it was. It was a form of idolism because he he idolized his money, his riches. Now he was pursuing Jesus because y'all remember the story. He ran after Jesus and said, What can I do? What can I do? Yeah, inherited the kingdom of God. Yeah, you know, so that told me something. He knew something about salvation, he knew something about God, he knew something about everlasting life. But that was that surface level. You know what I mean? Uh, see if I can hold on to this, you know what I'm saying? And then still make it up there. You know, he said, no, go say it with Jesus said that, go sell what you got and give to the poor. See? Trying to compromise. She's trying to compromise. Oh, I did everything from the youth up. I, you know, honor my mother and them and everything like that. Okay, Jesus said, Yeah, but you're lacking something. And so we want to hold on to these things because we have a surface-level faith in Christ. Yeah, amen.

SPEAKER_09 13:57

That's good.

SPEAKER_08 13:58

And y'all talking about that idolism, that's what it adds up to. When we're pursuing other things, like you were saying, and other people, whatever, before Christ, that's idolism. Man, I just said I have no other guy before me.

SPEAKER_06 14:12

No, man.

SPEAKER_08 14:13

No, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 14:14

When I think about when I was pursuing the music, it have you ever um found yourself trying to bargain with God?

SPEAKER_04 14:26

Oh yeah. Or if I get that, I'ma capture.

SPEAKER_06 14:30

I'ma give money to the church, I'ma rebuild. And you know, I ain't per se in it for the the fame or the fortune, but if that's what you see fit, then this will, you know, like kind of pre. So yeah, um, and and then it it made me have a feeling of uh being on the fence, one foot in, one foot out, lukewarm, you know, hot, cold, you know, like, and it's like, okay, at some point, you're gonna have to choose all of the Lord or all of your own self-ambitions. At some point, it's gonna be one or the other. Wasn't that like a uh one or the other a poem? The one you see two natures, yeah. And I found myself having two natures, and I'm like, but what people don't realize how uncomfortable you really are when you do have two natures, yeah. Like a a double-minded man, that we know what the words say, that's right. You know, and then you find yourself being what the word says unstable, yeah, money unstable, my sleep unstable, my thoughts unstable, my my following Christ is unstable, my reading the word is unstable, everything is unstable. And I I just thought about that as I was sitting here, like, man, when I was chasing that music, man, I was just 50-50. Like, yeah, I know I'm pursuing God, but I still got this one piece.

SPEAKER_09 16:16

You remember that dream? You shared with you shared that dream in the studio. This was a few years ago. I think it was before you married D, or right around that time, where you was, I can't remember it because it broke you. It was like uh something happened I can't remember now. Lord have mercy. I want to say you was on a car a lot or something like that. It was a weird dream, but it showed where you were because it was like God was giving you a choice and something I can't remember what you dreamt.

SPEAKER_07 16:53

Somebody said like spiritual, like different spiritual.

SPEAKER_09 16:56

It was something you had a dream, and it brought me to tears because I I knew that was you were in your lukewarmness. And I me being the mama I am, me and Barbara prayed constantly for your transformation, yeah, yeah. And that's why you look back, I can see your pursuit of Jesus is real.

SPEAKER_08 17:28

Amen.

SPEAKER_09 17:29

We uh pursue Jesus when we want to. You see what I'm saying? Yes, man. There's a lot of believers, a lot of people that's gonna listen to this podcast, that it's gonna hit them. That's why I'm glad you chose this podcast. Because a lot of us don't even realize that we are in that on that treadmill. That's right. Running but going nowhere. That's right. And you lukewarm because you you're neither hot nor cold. I like, I like whatever I like, whatever it is to send you in, because we use sex and uh stuff like that, adultery and all that. But there are sins out there like I'm dealing with. I spend too much. I do. And this really brought it to my, you know, brought it to my mind in the forefront of my mind. I'm like, okay, Lord, give me, help me to pursue saving more. You know, I put stuff to the side, but not like I should. Yes, ma'am. You know, that's why this hit me hard because you want to look good. Because I'm I'm I can I could be part conceited.

SPEAKER_02 18:53

I can conceit little blown up.

SPEAKER_09 18:58

But I'm keeping it real. You know, I'm being honest. I want to look good in my clothes. I want to be confident because when I was younger, I didn't have the confidence. So my I was in bed, my parents trained me. You have to look good in your clothes. You're a big girl, June Cecile. You look nice in your clothes. Don't be walking around here all raggedy. So, but I have to understand that I can't spend too much. It might sound little to some, but it's big for me.

SPEAKER_07 19:32

Spend some on some smaller clothes, huh? Smaller clothes, but thank you.

SPEAKER_09 19:38

Yeah, yeah, but yeah, I yeah, I literally I was making an excuse though.

SPEAKER_07 19:44

Yeah, because of the weight loss.

SPEAKER_09 19:46

Yeah, yeah. I I I I I lost weight, so I can buy this. You can't buy that much, girl. You can only wear so much at a time. Yeah, you see what I'm saying? So it it really has hit me. Uh it hit, I like this. I I appreciate this. Thank you, Jesus. I can appreciate being stepped on my being stepped on. God is stepping on my toes, He's been doing it, but this has really brought it to the forefront that I I really need to do better. And it's not about being vain, look, but I I have to look neat, and I have to look neat in my clothes, now.

SPEAKER_06 20:25

But you know, but anyway, it's all about people trying to make it about me.

SPEAKER_09 20:33

It's all about battle.

SPEAKER_00 20:35

And as far as pursuing the music. Yeah, I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_06 20:40

I got off. No, no, that's fine. Because you you kind of segue into what I was trying to get to anyway. Um, with the music, if anybody out there is pursuing music, there's a certain thing that's called death of a dream. Only a certain percentage is gonna make it, and you might not won't even be in that number. You probably wanna be in the other number if you know what I'm getting to. Uh that that make it, because the industry is just it's not of it's it's not of God. Um nothing holy is coming out of it. Um, and yeah, it's called death of a dream. So if you have been pursuing this for a little while, and man, I ain't making, I ain't gonna make it. It's called death of a dream. So don't, don't, don't, don't beat yourself up if you ever experienced that. Because I had to go through it like, man, you know, I'm I'm willing to walk away from this and accept the death of a dream. Thank you. Not the fact that I wasn't gonna make it, the fact that I'm able to leave it to pursue God. Thank you, Jesus. You know, because it's it's it's one or the other. It's it's not it's not both. You know, uh So be careful with those dreams. Because sometimes they can become your idol for self-gratification type reasons. So be careful with that.

SPEAKER_00 22:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 22:11

Anybody else? Wanted to add something real quick.

SPEAKER_07 22:17

Well, the one thing I can say that I that honestly just let know how perfect the Holy Spirit is, because when I was studying this, it was two things that it hit me. The first thing was idolization. The second thing was purpose. Because a key part of this life that um that we truly are here for is to a lot of times the way of the world, it can be very grimy and it can actually uh, I ain't gonna say force you because it's a self-decision, but it puts so many different things in your face to where it can make you make the wrong decisions at times. Right. And a lot of times we don't even understand that those decisions we're making are going towards something we're idolizing. And we be like, man, why am I going through this? Why am I going through that? That happens a lot of times because why we're not living within our purpose.

SPEAKER_04 23:07

Right.

SPEAKER_07 23:07

Uh the true fulfillment, true fulfillment is not about success, wealth, uh, pleasure, things down there.

SPEAKER_03 23:14

That's the truth.

SPEAKER_07 23:15

And true fulfillment and the real purpose is the first is to grow in our relationship with God. That's the key part. And it was something you said a long time ago, especially when it came to faith. I think you said this thing called absolute faith, and it resonated with me. And ever since then, it it I started getting hit with a bunch of uh humble situations. Situations where I had no choice but to rely on nothing but on him. There was nothing else I can do. It was either it's gonna fall apart or God gonna come through. And he and honestly, it was it got to a point to where I knew he was gonna come through.

SPEAKER_08 23:46

Amen.

SPEAKER_07 23:47

Because if you get in your word and you understand that he makes promises and he promises that he'll never leave me nor forsake me. Now, don't get me wrong, if it's not meant for you, it's not gonna happen.

SPEAKER_02 23:58

Right.

SPEAKER_07 23:58

But if it is meant for you, give him his glory and thank him for them blessings.

SPEAKER_08 24:01

Come on.

SPEAKER_07 24:02

I didn't got to a point where I didn't got hit with so much humble pie. I say, Thank you, Lord, just for being able to see me.

SPEAKER_03 24:08

To be able to taste. Thank you, Lord. Like seriously.

SPEAKER_07 24:11

Because it'd be so that's why the small, them small things be the things we overlook so quickly, as I said before. So, and then in that in that process, I had to learn that I was making decisions that was throwing me off my purpose. So once you do that, you have to give everything to God. And you have to continue to again live as righteous as possible and stay in your word for the correction. Because again, like this, I did not expect this to give me a different perspective on things. But once I started studying, I'm like, man, I've idolized so many different things throughout the years. Thank God that I don't live that way no more. I don't even see things in that way no more. Because honestly, I used to care so much about money. Like, man, money, money, money, man. Gotta have that money. Why? Because ladies like the money, bring attention. I said, more detention stuff. But when I thought about, like, man, you can't take that with you. Right. Why do I care so much about it? And so I honestly got to the point where I can't say I can't say I don't care about money because God said He's gonna provide. So once I, again, when I it's a lot of prayers I had trained, we train the brain and stuff like that to see things differently. So the main thing that that I got from that hit me different was the purpose aspect when it comes to this, because a lot of this is aligned with finding and being within our purpose too.

SPEAKER_08 25:36

Go ahead. Well, in pursuing that too, um, for me personally, um through my life, uh, my salvation life, that uh a lot of times um I didn't count up the cost. So I just want to tell the audience too that it's very important when we pursuing God or whatever you're pursuing, count up the cost first. Have some type of knowledge of what you're pursuing. See what I'm saying? Because we go, we we get excited about stuff, you know, we can make decisions because we got a brain to think. But a lot of times we don't count up the cost behind it. And see, this life in Christ ain't no, uh it's not no fashion show, it ain't no pretty part. Because anybody wanna live righteous, the Bible said that you must suffer some persecution. And I'm not trying to bust nobody above, I'm just speaking truth.

SPEAKER_03 26:32

Amen.

SPEAKER_08 26:33

Count up the cost. And so in my life, I didn't count up the cost. You know, every time I got hit with something, you know, I didn't want to give up God, but I want to say, God, I ain't going back there and this stuff. Even now I'm dealing with church hurt and all that. You got to count up the cost. And we got to be strong soldiers in Christ when we're pursuing him. You know, so I just want to encourage everybody, make sure, you know, if you're in Christ now and you're growing with your pursuit, keep going. Don't give up. Amen. And if you don't have Christ in your life, count up the cost. Look and see. Read that word and see what you got to go through, you know. But then at the same time, count a joy when you go through it, because you said it, Antoine. He told us in his word, he'll never leave us, that's right, nor forsake us.

SPEAKER_03 27:22

Amen.

SPEAKER_08 27:23

That's the good thing about the pursuit. He's with us all the way.

SPEAKER_09 27:27

Yeah. What's that song? I'd rather have Jesus than silver than gold. And that is uh the truth. Yes. Uh, because those that are uh trying to gain fortune, like Pat said, countercasts either choose ye day who this day who we gonna serve. That's it. Because time is of the essence. But with my uh in my uh research, I found that uh it's best for us to change our mindset that drives the pursuit. If we change our mindset, our pursuits will automatically fall in line. But like you said, that it get it's hard once you're accustomed to being certain a certain way, uh it ain't that easy. But once you commit to the pursuit of Jesus, all of that is gonna fall into play. And what Antoine said, pursue actively and with purpose. Pursue means to seek earnestly and consistently what we're gonna be talking about next week.

SPEAKER_04 28:45

Right.

SPEAKER_09 28:46

This involves scripture, study, and prayer to align our hearts with God's will as well as obedience to God's commands, and that's boy, obedience. It sounds easy, but obedience. Did we do a podcast on obedience? Yes, we did about it. Okay, yeah. Obedience sound easy.

unknown 29:11

Woo!

SPEAKER_07 29:12

Not when it's the thing that you just said, the things that you cherish and you've been stuck in that way and doing this, right? It don't be easy. That don't be the easiest time to be obedient when Christ said, Leave it alone. Stop doing that. A lot of times I can say, I just he kept on saying I told him. I don't want to say one thing with you, especially when it comes to the money monetary aspect, the silver and gold aspect. People, and for those out there, yes, we know you need money to live.

SPEAKER_09 29:39

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 29:40

Just so we can clear the lot of people that we can provide that. I need I need money. Well, why why money? Uh money don't mean everything. Because again, the key part what I said, God is going to provide.

SPEAKER_08 29:50

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 29:50

It ain't it don't mean that you got to live this luxurious life and it got to be everything you see on TV or your social media. That's a fake on the facade in most cases. A lot of people front on there. So especially like people that may be in the beginning of this, or even young members, don't pursue that stuff. A lot of that is dirt, it's the enemy to detour your walk and to have you idolizing something that is not him. That falls under the idolization. That's why that was the key part that when I said I learned to rethink that. Yes, I know I have to work because why I have bills. I do have to eat. But that don't mean that it comes to a point where it's everything. It can't be. And that's where I was at at a point where getting to the money was everything. Uh doing whatever it takes to get it was everything. So just to clear it up, because some people will try to, well, you need money for this life. Yeah, you do need it for certain things. You need it to live. But overabundance is to be seeking an overabundance and that stuff is not the purpose. Right.

SPEAKER_09 30:53

Because you can pursue. Uh God will provide monies. Yeah. And it's not about being poor. Because there are true, honest to God believers out here that are millionaires. But God decides who gets that. And I it's because of if you can you handle being a millionaire. Right. Will you alter your pursuit if you get that money? Right.

SPEAKER_07 31:24

You may not be rich.

SPEAKER_09 31:24

Don't be but that's right. You can be well off. And you can, you know, be well off and live in a mansion and love the Lord. But be careful what you ask for. Because the more you get, the more responsibility to go along with it. You can't just sit up in your mansion and turn your toes up. You got that capacity to handle that? Right. No, a lot of people don't care. You gotta consider it. Count the cost. Who said that? Count the cost.

SPEAKER_08 31:53

Young rich ruler.

SPEAKER_09 31:55

Yeah. That's the trick. Give to the poor. That's right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 32:01

Miss Pat, please don't get them another rap name.

SPEAKER_02 32:04

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_06 32:06

Young Rich Ruler. Somebody gonna take that. Somebody heard that and they gonna take that. She ain't giving you a rap name. She's talking about a Bible character.

SPEAKER_05 32:24

Young Rich Ruler. You know they can take that around. Miss Patrick.

SPEAKER_06 32:35

Miss Pat, Miss Pat, she's gonna be. What's crazy is this week when I looked at this uh topic.

SPEAKER_08 32:43

Lord have mercy.

SPEAKER_06 32:44

I have a young friend who I'm friends, still friends with on Facebook from the old neighborhood, who was seeking. And he was asking questions.

SPEAKER_09 32:54

Oh wow, crazy.

SPEAKER_06 32:55

And I was like, hmm. What do I say to him? Because I know he's right there. The wind could blow him back to where he came from.

SPEAKER_02 33:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 33:09

Or this nudge we can give him can add him to the kingdom. What do I say to him, God? So when I said put a pen in Matthew 6 and 33, that's what I text. I said, Your relationship is already growing.

SPEAKER_04 33:30

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 33:31

Because Matthew 6 and 33 says, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. And then I said, But give yourself grace.

SPEAKER_04 33:47

Yes.

SPEAKER_06 33:48

Because, you know, when when you own milk, we have a tendency to not be able to gauge growth. Even if it was one step, we have a tendency not to be able to gauge growth. So that's why I added towards the end. But yeah, give yourself growth. You've already started to grow a relationship with the Lord. Now here's where the kicker happened. Another person I know put a laugh in the emoji on what I sent. I know this person personally. Not gonna give you the time of day. God word stands alone. That's right. It don't need me to prop it up with a crutch. It don't need me to defend it.

SPEAKER_05 34:43

That's the truth.

SPEAKER_06 34:44

It just needs me to give it. And that's what I did in obedience. I gave him some meat with his milk to chew on.

SPEAKER_04 34:56

Amen.

SPEAKER_06 34:56

And encouragement in the same breath. Hey, give yourself grace. You already started that relationship because he was beating himself up. Man, I'm reading this thing from Genesis to Revelation. I'm reading it. And I could tell it goes back to what you said. Like sometimes we read it like a book, and it's not to be read, it's to be studied.

SPEAKER_08 35:16

Yes, yes. It's to be my God.

SPEAKER_06 35:20

Uh uh uh uh uh uh right it's to be hidden in the heart. It's to be uh uh uh uh what what what they call it? Uh uh uh uh uh um what am I trying to say? Um meditated on you know, so I just told him give himself grace, and that's why I said put a pen in that because this this just happened this week, and I was like, wow, I really need to pick this topic, and that's when I sent it to you. You know, uh so it was perfect, but I could see that old devil getting involved. But yeah, I pray for that person too.

SPEAKER_09 36:11

In the name of Jesus touching now, Father God.

SPEAKER_06 36:14

You see uh the interaction, the old interaction between us, and I hope you understand what the new interaction is, that that was real, you know, uh, because a lot of times because we we're we're friends, you get those people who uh I listen to you because we grew up, but I don't go to uh a drywall company to get a birthday cake. You know what I'm saying? Um so you gotta be careful who you accept an advice from when it comes to something like that. I can't go to the to guy selling drugs and be like, hey man, you know what they do on first Sunday. Yeah. That's not gonna help me. You know what I'm saying? I wouldn't expect the drug dealer to be teaching Sunday school unless he's been converted.

SPEAKER_08 37:16

Right. Amen.

SPEAKER_06 37:18

You know, so uh I pray for that young man and the person with the laughing emoji. I pray for that young lady also. Yeah, because uh be careful about judging people from their last address. We don't stay there no more.

SPEAKER_09 37:37

One thing you did say, son, that I'm so happy that you said we, especially new believers, they have to give themselves grace. Even seasoned believers, we beat ourselves up because it's gonna be a time to that person that that that talked to you about that. But you might take two steps back, but you're gonna go three steps forward. It's a process, and along the way, you are going to make mistakes, and we have to give each ourselves grace and give each other grace. That's a big problem within the Christian community. Those of us who are believers, they tend to uh be judgy and not give grace to somebody, but they want grace for themselves. But that that was the best point. Always give yourself grace. Now that don't mean use it as an excuse. Oh, God gonna give me grace. I know we're gonna get. No, that's not what Rich was implying, but allow yourself to learn to absorb the word. That's good. Thank you, Jesus.

SPEAKER_07 38:56

But the key thing, man, is even to this walking thing. Thank you, Jesus. The key purpose of what we're getting at anyway is your relationship with Christ will matter more than what people think, feel, say. Right. You're gonna be judged, you're gonna be ridiculed. Didn't Jesus go through it too? Yes, he did. So we can't expect to not go through nothing when Jesus went through all he went through. Right, right. And as far as the new believers that may be struggling, that may be uh maybe made a bad decision or mistake. Just understand that, like we said before, God should never leave you nor forsake you. So again, don't take it as, well, I can just keep doing it over and over. Don't take that mindset because you're gonna stay where you're at. That's what caused you to be stagnant in your walk. The key thing to this is which we've said on here countless times, get get used to being uncomfortable. You can't go if you're comfortable in this walk, then that's when you truly gotta look at what's going on around you, what you're bringing in your life and things like that. Why? Because the enemy is gonna stay busy and he's gonna get busier the more that he sees you growing, the more he sees you pursuing Christ, the more he sees that you're trying to help your friends and family come be a part of this thing. So understand that don't be discouraged and don't allow what people's opinions or what they think get to you or matter, because the main, the only person, and the to be honest, I don't care, mama, dad, sister, cousin, the one person that you want to make sure that he knows you is God. That's it. And that's who you want to make him smile, opposed to your friends, family, and whoever else.

SPEAKER_08 40:26

Yes, oh God.

SPEAKER_06 40:28

That's it. So this brings me to this segue. The Bible paradox. God pursues us first.

SPEAKER_08 40:39

Yes, he does.

SPEAKER_06 40:40

While humanity is called to seek and pursue God, the overarching narrative of the Bible is that God initiates the pursuit. In Genesis 3 and 9, after Adam and Eve sinned and hid, God is the one who stepped forward and asked, Where are you? Yeah. Jesus describes himself as the good shepherd who leads the 99 sheep to seek and save the lost. That's in Luke 19 and 10. Psalms 23 and 6 notes that goodness and mercy shall follow, hence pursue me all the days of my life.

SPEAKER_09 41:19

Thank you, Jesus. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 41:21

Bible character who seek God. King Josiah. At a young age, around 8 to 12 years old, he began earnestly seeking God, towards clothes and repentance upon discovering the book of the law, and led a nationwide religious reform.

SPEAKER_08 41:41

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_06 41:42

Another Bible character is King David, known for a heart after God. He frequently expressed his desire for God's presence in Psalms, such as Psalms 27 and 8 and Psalms 63 and 1. Another Bible character, before we move on, is Joshua. As Moses' servant, he stayed closely in the tabernacle, the tabernacle, and did not depart from seeking God's presence. Acts 17 and 27 says that they would seek God if perhaps they might grope for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. First Chronicles 22 and 19, seek the Lord in his strength, seek his face continually. Psalms 14 and 2 says, The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the sons of man to see if there are any who understand who seek after God. One more. Proverbs 8 and 17 says, I love those who love me, and those who diligently seek me will find me.

SPEAKER_00 42:57

Yes it is.

SPEAKER_08 43:42

You know, we don't trust God. You know what I mean? And it tells us to trust Him with all your heart, you know what I'm saying? And lean not to our own understanding. That's what we go wrong at. So I think a lot of times we go off our own understanding, and then we realize after we have failed. The burn out again, or we done hit the wall, you know what I'm saying? Then we crowd to God. You know, oh help me, you know, help me, Lord. You know what I'm saying? In that sense. That's that's that's my way of you know thinking or whatever. Because that's how I started off. You know, that's how I started off. I ain't going back to this, you know, this and that. This went wrong and that went wrong. And you know, they said this, you know, you was gonna do better or your life gonna be better, you know, with God, and then, you know, I'm thinking, you know, whatever, not counting up the cost once again.

SPEAKER_07 44:37

I think a lot can only speak from, in my opinion. I think a lot of times we take that because um it could be ignorance to how God truly works and who he really is. It can be a lack of trust in God because a lot of people are big on tangible things. So I have to see it to believe. See it stuff. So, and I think the key, the main part would be a lack of faith. If you don't have faith, it's easy to go that way, and it's easy. I can say it puts you on a position, God can put, he's gonna put you in that position where you say, Well, it could be a great big thing, or some people may be blessed to be a small thing. I know for me, I'm his hard-headed son, this retarded hard sonny know. I don't know if we're talking to like that. So he understood that sometimes he just kind of like the same way with I said how my mom raised him, he allowed me to bump my head, but to learn from it. He said, now you see, I told you once. See, no hard-headed boy. And and it was times where I did it again. I won't sit in line, and he'd be like, dude, I'm not, all right. You gonna you're gonna do it again after you think he altered it, you're gonna get a different result this time, but you're still doing the same thing. So the key, the main thing, and that was a lack of faith, a true absolute faith, which I was mentioning earlier, true faith in God. Because when you got faith in God, you have a clear understanding that when things occur or when things happen, you're gonna be fine.

SPEAKER_03 46:03

You're gonna be fine.

SPEAKER_07 46:04

You may not always get the outcome that you want through everything because uh it may not be for you. Or the same token is the things that we go through, is what's creating your testimony, your way to witness to possibly save souls. So that's why I think another part of it could be that because this decision I made put me through, because we blame a lot of people blame God for everything. He don't do everything, a lot of times we have decisions. Yeah, just think about that. Like what the Lord put me through, nah, he didn't. You didn't pay your bill, so they cut your legend. Right. So the thing with me is the lack of faith and the lack of true understanding of what God, who God is, and the understanding that he always followed through on his promises.

SPEAKER_03 46:49

Yes, he does.

SPEAKER_07 46:49

And that key thing kept hitting me when I was going through things, trials and things. I'm like, man, he came through again. He came through again. He came through again. Once you keep seeing that, with other how can you think otherwise?

SPEAKER_09 47:04

Amen. A lot of times there have been times where people didn't even know God. But it took that life-threatening experience for them to sit down. They might have heard of the form of godliness, but they didn't know about God. But it might have taken them to have the God to lay them flat on their back for the Holy Spirit to have the opportunity because they be living that fast lifestyle. And once you once God gets your full attention, it's up to you to accept him. He's gonna come to you and that small boy and that steel voice. But a lot of I believe that a lot of times that there are people that don't even know God, but God has been pulling at them, but they didn't know what it was, if that makes sense. Or who it was in this case, but being flat on their back, uh, it made them just later and have to hear him. Like my pastor, he went through a life uh he was laid on his back and that's when the Holy Spirit God started talking to him. And he made uh I'm gonna put it in my words, and Pastor Ken, if you listen to this, please. I I'm not trying to but he said, God, if you bring me out of this, I'm gonna serve you. And God that sometimes he has to sit you down in order to give the purpose that you're here. I didn't go through a life changer because I was born and raised in the church, so I pretty much knew about God, but it wasn't until my friend, I saw my friend die. That's when the transformation took place for me. But to answer your question, that I believe that there are some people that just don't know about God enough. But it takes them to be in a life change, uh life-altering position for the Holy Spirit to talk to them. And then when they get up, hey, yeah, they know you see. That was you tapping on me on in time. I get it now. But in the case of Antoine, he knew. You see what I'm saying? We know as believers, uh, as kids, we and we grow up in the word, we already know that God is only gonna give us so many chances. And I pray that God doesn't give you that last chance where you can't come back from it because he will take you in your scene.

SPEAKER_03 49:59

Yes, he will, man.

SPEAKER_09 50:01

So, but yeah, amen.

SPEAKER_06 50:03

I was thinking uh as human beings, we uh gamble with time. We like to gamble with time, but not understand that we gambling with salvation. That's it. Uh as so as I was looking at this, I'm like, man, humans really gamble with time. Well, well, you know, we we I I get to that. But right now, I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm I'm as we say, I'ma just live.

SPEAKER_09 50:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 50:33

So you telling the giver of life.

SPEAKER_08 50:37

Hold on.

SPEAKER_09 50:38

Uh uh.

SPEAKER_08 50:39

Wait a minute.

SPEAKER_09 50:40

Hold on, Lord.

SPEAKER_03 50:41

I'll be there tomorrow.

SPEAKER_09 50:43

One second. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 50:46

I got this little honey dip of you know, yeah, you know, so yeah, I'm I I just think we we gamble with time, not understanding we gambling with our salvation.

SPEAKER_09 50:59

Amen. That's good.

SPEAKER_06 51:00

And lastly, before we close, what advice would you give somebody who is trying to pursue God? Because that's what I was faced with uh this week.

SPEAKER_08 51:13

Well, I want to say um just take your time. Once again, um count up the cost, but take your time, it's steps to uh pursuing the who. And that's God Himself. And also, I said God is well worth pursuing. And I want to use one scripture in Jeremiah 29 and 13, and this is in in the NIV version, he says, You will seek me and find me. God he tells the truth. So if you seek him, he said, you will find me. When you seek me with all of your heart. And that's how we that's how God, you know, come to us when we seek him with our whole heart, not just seek him. Remember, we said, you know, that the surface level stuff. Because he already knows. So if we seek him with with with our whole heart, God coming through for us. He already, he stated this through Jeremiah. You will seek me and you will find me.

SPEAKER_03 52:19

Amen.

SPEAKER_08 52:20

And he means everything. I think he used that scripture uh about seeking God first, Matthew's uh 6.33.

SPEAKER_03 52:26

Yes, man.

SPEAKER_08 52:27

Seeking him first. And he stated this. This is in Jeremiah once again, 29 and 13. You know, God said it himself. So my encouragement to uh those that are seeking him and those that are uh in God already and you know, pursuing, take your time, uh, because uh it's patience in seeking God too. Because we don't want to miss the mark, we really don't want to miss the mark, you know, and uh and our pursuit uh is to gain eternal life in Christ Jesus. That's that's our pursuit. So if we just take our time and be patient, hear what God says, listen to Him. Don't trust in our own understanding once again, but just uh take our time and act and know that God He said, Seek me and you'll find me.

SPEAKER_09 53:16

What was the question again? Sorry about I want to make sure I heard the question.

SPEAKER_06 53:24

What advice would you give someone who is trying to pursue God?

SPEAKER_09 53:31

Number one, just accept him as your personal savior and understand that it's uh life is going to be so much more peaceful once you accept him and rest in his presence. Yes, the road is gonna be hard, like we've said, but it's so rewarding. That's the key for me. It's so rewarding when you pursue Jesus because he has so many uh gifts and it's not about monetary, he has so many gifts, he has allowed you to wake up every day, he's allowed you to breathe every day, he's allowed you to be able to put one foot in front of the other and continue to pray and ask God to transform your mind so that you will be the best person that He has called you to be. Like I said, it takes time, it doesn't happen overnight, but don't let nobody detour your path. Keep going. Even if it gets harder, pray more. Prayer is essential for the new believer. Prayer is essential, it's essential for everybody, but if you don't stay in the face of Jesus, it's going to be harder. A lot of times we get stagnant, excuse me, and we don't pray as often as we should. But if you do stay in Jesus' face, talk to him about little stuff. Lord, I'm so thankful. Thank you for this water. It tastes so good. Because there's somebody that can't even have none, you know. Some there's somebody that can't even drink water, you know. They have to get it intravenously. You have to be thankful. But uh just take your time and get in your words. I'm advising get on that Bible out because you can learn a lot and and just seek the scriptures. Amen.

SPEAKER_07 55:44

I don't even know if we're not left. You said it out. I say the main thing I was, well, something to add on to that, I would say I would I would personally first start growing my relationship with Christ, such as praying to him. And again, would like to reiterate what she said, he wants to be a part of every part of your life. And in the beginning, I wasn't praying all the time every day, but now I pray over everything. I pray over everything and pray about everything. And the more you grow in your relationship with him, he's gonna open your eyes and guide you in the right direction and in the ways that he wants you to um pursue him too. Because he's already pursuing you. So the key part is he um he's he he wants you to pursue him too and grow within that. And the best way to do that is talking to him more. Lord, thank you for this day. Lord, thank you for giving me $10 so I can put $10 of gas in my cup. Like I talked to him throughout the day, and that's what helped me grow. And then when those times, and as you continue to grow, you'll start hearing them. When it's them silent times, them times where you just may be in deep thought. A lot of times he's come to me at the oddest times. And the thing about it is, it took me talking to him more. And then on top of that, as such is another thing she said, getting in your word, growing in his word. The word is there to help help guide us through this walk, to give correction in areas we need to be fixed. And it gives us the uh the alignment that you need to pursue him in the right direction. Because there will be people that try to detour you. There may be haters that's out there, because the enemy, he's gonna be there. It could be some of your closest people that will try to detour you. Don't allow that. Because again, what I said earlier is the most important thing is that God smiles at you, not your friends or family.

SPEAKER_09 57:35

Amen.

SPEAKER_06 57:38

Close out, we're gonna close out in prayer. Um, dear most gracious heavenly father, we thank you for this day. We thank you for this podcast topic. We thank you for allowing us to cast forth on these airways your question are who are we pursuing and what are we pursuing? We thank you for allowing us to pursue you, Father. We thank you for when we pursued you. You answered us, Father, and you met us where we were. We ask that you bless all those who are out in Podcast Land at their homes listening. Ask them to like, share, and subscribe. We ask that we thank you for uh growing this ministry, Father. Thank you, Jesus and bringing uh it over the airways.

SPEAKER_09 58:21

Yes, Lord.

SPEAKER_06 58:22

We thank you for allowing us these topics that you've given us, Father, through the Holy Spirit. We thank you for allowing your Holy Spirit to dwell in this place. All these things we ask in your son, Jesus' name. Amen.