Speaker 1:
All right. Okay. Well, let me pause that real quick. I don’t have. There we go. All right. Well, good morning everyone out there. Good morning. All right. So I’m excited to be here today and sitting in front of a great friend and one I’ve grown to enjoy and laugh with. And he’s the man of many jokes anyway, and I’m sure we’ll have a few today. He will not disappoint, I’m sure. So
Truth in troubled times, this is kind of the focus of what we’re going to be talking today. And so welcome to our podcast with Illuminated Pathways Family Therapy. And I am excited to introduce to you Pastor Roger Huff. He is a great friend of mine. And we’re just going to flow through some ideas of what the Bible has to say about some current affairs that are going on in our state and in our country. Not necessarily the world, but kind of condense it just to our country where we live and what God has to say. And so the theme scripture for this today is from two Chronicles 7:14, “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray that he will heal our land essentially.” So we must repent. And in that idea of understanding where we’re going in our country and in our state, regardless what sector of where you work or participate in, this is something that God is very clear about.
So welcome to today’s episode, Truth in Troubled Times. Everywhere we look, our nation seems to be experiencing unprecedented divisions, confusion, and uncertainty. However, I believe that many believers are asking what’s happening in America? Why is there so much moral confusion? What does God’s word have to say about the times we’re living in? And how should Christians respond? Today, Pastor Roger Huff joins us as we examine the scriptures, not through the lens of politics necessarily, because pretty much the Old Testament and part of the new, and even Jesus was taken to the cross through politics. You can’t ignore it, but through the lens of God’s eternal truth. But we’ll be studying three different kind of books. We’ll kind of reference them and maybe some others, but these are some focal points of things that God’s word really has been clear to show us the various things as the book of Joel, two Thessalonians and Revelations.
We’ll discuss the recent Texas legislation concerning gender-related healthcare and education. However, these laws affect healthcare providers, public schools, parents, and church. Why God’s truth remains our ultimate authority? We’re going to really kind of pound into that a little bit so we can help people have a better understanding. Most importantly, we’ll conclude with the hope found only in Jesus Christ. And so Pastor Roger, welcome. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Speaker 2:
Well, good morning. Thank you for having me on. I was in pastoral ministry for about 50 years. That included youth ministry and music ministry and preaching ministry and administrative ministry. So it’s a wide range of ministry that I was involved in. Started when I was 16 years old in my father’s church. And God just continued to use us and call us and move us around from place to place. Been married to my beautiful wife for 54 years, and we have two beautiful children, five beautiful grandchildren, and happy to be serving the Lord. I’m currently serving as a senior adult pastor at Renew Church here in Waco, ministering to somewhere between two and 300 senior adults on a weekly basis through email, encouragement, and several events and so forth that take place throughout the month, Bible studies, et cetera. And I’m also a hospital chaplain, have been for 10 years at Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest in Waco, and continue to do that faithfully as the Lord provides opportunity.
So that’s who I am, that’s where I’m at. That’s what I’m doing. Getting old.
Speaker 1:
And wiser, right? Older and
Speaker 2:
Wiser. Well, one would hope so.
Speaker 1:
I think so. Keep it light. There’s a lot going on. We just certainly, we have to find that hope and fun in all the things that we do just in spite of it all. Yeah. Well, Roger happens to be one of my most amazing mentors spiritually, and I’m really thankful to have met him, first of all. And I know that there is some really great pieces that through the years that I’ve known him now, which golly, what, 2018, 2019? I don’t know. When did you come? Probably around there.
Speaker 2:
Yeah. Well, 2018 through 19. It was about 10 months down there at Livingward. Or not Livingword. Clear.
Speaker 1:
Clear Lake. Yeah,
Speaker 2:
In
Speaker 1:
The Clear Lake area.
Well, a little background for me is I’m a licensed professional counselor, supervisor with the state of Texas, and I own a multi-location practice. We are located in the Nassau Bay area down by the Johnson Space Center. We are located in Missouri City near Sugarland. We are located in Conroe, Texas, and most recently added the Galleria location. We have joined Dr. Angelina Ferrella, who has been appointed by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as one of the physicians to help clean up the vaccine schedule for the children. So I’m really excited to know that as a really good friend of hers and she of mine, we are partnered back up again and very excited about what God’s going to do with us in the ministry piece of that and taking care of his people in the Galleria area. We know that the best counseling happens when God’s involved, and so we know that we are really working hard at just bringing healing, hope and healing back to the whole physical and the mental.
I really believe that when we really focus on our Lord and for those healings, he brings us the people to help get there. And so he made teachers and preachers and doctors and counselors. And so here we are, we’re all together working for one common theme, working towards God’s people.
Amen.
Speaker 2:
Anyway. Hey, I knew you went. I knew you when you were a small office in the upstairs of a church building. Yeah,
Speaker 1:
Right? Yeah.
Speaker 2:
And look at where God has taken you, man. It’s
Speaker 1:
Amazing. Yes. So did I tell you about the dream that he gave me? He’ll give visions and dreams to those. And it just happened I had – I
Speaker 2:
Don’t know that you shared the whole thing with me. No.
Speaker 1:
Okay. So October 17, 2024, around 2:45 in the morning, when I believe when I hear most of these things happen with people happened around that hour. So I was awakened and he told me to write some things down and said, essentially, I’m going to expand your territory and you’re going to grow and you’re going to grow across the country. And I went, okay, okay, I’m approaching 11 years in business. All right, been doing this a minute, so okay. And he has. I mean, I’ve had to do my due diligence, please understand. But I’m like, okay. Well, then that next March of 2025, I hired Clay Clark and then working with his team. And then January 1st we opened, or January, we opened up Conroe. February, we opened up Missouri City, and then just this mid-July we opened up the galleria. So all four locations. So pretty awesome.
And I have 20 people. 20 people
Speaker 2:
Who are here. He’ll do more. That’s crazy. He’ll do more than you can think or imagine.
Speaker 1:
Right. And you know what’s crazy is before I’d be really tired, mentally tired even too. I have so much energy. And again, I wouldn’t consider myself old, but I’m approaching 60s, so it’s not like I’m in my 30s doing all this. And the energy that I have, I feel like I’m in my 30s. It’s really wild. And I look at that and I kind of go, “Okay, this is because God said he’s going to do these things and he’s going to equip and he’s doing…” So I’m like, “Okay, wow, this is awesome.” It’s really kind of been a very beautiful process that he keeps showing me. So even Joel will say, my husband, Joel does all the financial. Anything that has a number, he does that. So other than the client load, I do those numbers, but he does everything else. And there’ll be times payroll will come around and he’ll go, “I don’t know how he did it, but God’s in charge.
It happened. Here we are.” Because we’re really just starting out. So I think about five years, it’ll, maybe before, God’s in charge. I don’t know. This is my flesh talking for sure. But I think in five years we should be. But our youngest boy, Jacob, now works for us. He’s helping his dad. And so it’s become a family affair. Nathan does the IT. He made the logo. He helped build my website originally. So I just say God’s in this all the way around, so it’s kind of pretty fun. But anyway, so let’s begin.
Speaker 2:
Awesome.
Speaker 1:
Yeah. That’s
Speaker 2:
Awesome.
Speaker 1:
Go ahead.
Speaker 2:
Well, I was just going to say, one of the things I keep telling people, keep telling people, keep telling people, keep telling people, there is this illusion among American people, not just non-Christians, but Christians alike, that if we vote the right political way, things are going to straighten out. And I just want to say upfront that who is ever in office is not going to be the one that fixes humanity. There’s only one person that can fix humanity, and that’s Jesus Christ, the son of God. And we keep looking to man, and we keep looking to man, we keep looking to man. And I have a lot of friends that keep looking to our current president or they keep complaining about the past president or they’re complaining about this president and say, “You’re looking at the wrong person. People are not going to solve this problem.
Only God can solve the problems that we face on a daily basis.” And I think Joel, when we open up Joel, I think Joel focuses on that because the children of Israel at the time that Joel was prophesying, they were a mess.
The goodness and the righteousness of God, he likens it onto a famine taken away by locusts. He literally opens by saying, “Hear this. You aged men give ear.” He says, “Tell your children what the crawling locust left, the swarming locust has eaten, and what the swarming locust left, the hopping locus has eaten, and what the hopping locust left.” So the stripping locus, and all through this, he’s just saying the things that once were have been stripped away. And it’s so where we are as a nation, as a world. It’s so where we are. And why was that? Because they walked away from God. They walked away from the principles of God. They walked away from the promises of God. One of the things that they were told early on was tell your children, tell your children’s children and your children’s children. So you’ll always remember
How God has delivered you and what God has done for you and how he provided for you. And I would dare say that there are very few homes, even Christian homes in America that review the scriptures and remind the children and their children’s children of the incredible almighty God that we serve. And so that’s kind of where Joel walks into this thing and he walks into a world that’s in a mess and he’s reminding them. In fact, he starts chapter two with blow the trumpet. Sound the alarm. Let all the inhabitants tremble for the day of judgment of the Lord is coming as close at hand. And that’s where we are. We’re not approaching, we’re in days of darkness. And I just want to reference real quickly. I know we’ll get to it later, but two Thessalonians, I think it’s two and verse 11 where he says that when for this reason, God sends them a powerful delusion.
I cannot believe when I listen to people, it’s like their mind is absolutely clouded to the truth. They can’t think straight. Any of the principles of scripture they argue with and say, “Well, that was for old time’s sake and so on and so forth.” Well, that may be fine what you think, but where are we? And what’s the solution? And like you said, the solution begins with the church, for the church to come back, repent of their ways, turn from their wicked ways, and shout out to God and be cleansed. So I think Joel’s the perfect backdrop for where we are, not just as America, but as a world as a whole.
Speaker 1:
Right. I agree. I really do. And I think that’s the reason why I pretty much picked this because it’s a great foundational piece to relate to the different things. And we can just look in our backyard and see the various things that are happening. And while we know that God is in charge of the whole world, we get that. But sometimes it’s hard for people to look outside or it’s easier for people to look outside and what’s happening in the world than in their own backyard. And I think, “Oh, that country over there, that’s happening to them.That doesn’t happen to us.” And I’m like, “No, no, no, no. It’s happening.” I was just reading just recently, literally in Texas, a reporter who has a Facebook profile who’s kind of like a journalist, and she reported something on the water in one of the areas of Texas, and she was arrested for her information on Facebook.
Now we can say, “Oh, only that happens in Europe or that happens only in Canada. Oh, no, no, no, it happened in Texas.” It’s really why I understand that these things will happen around the world and we understand that, but we’ve always been this idea, oh, mission minded back when I was little, you were probably still my senior for sure. You would see the missionaries that’d be sent out dozens, probably a whole lot more than I did because in the 80s while I did see them, there wasn’t as many as prior years before me being born. But I really know that there was a lot of missionaries that was sent out to the various different corners of the world. And then that shortened and shortened. And the next thing you know, those countries are sending missionaries to the United States. What does that say? And when that happens, it’s okay that they’re here and that’s fine.
But that says that we are declining in the idea of having Jesus Christ as being the focal point. And now we’re needing our own missionaries and our own country to do those things. And I think that was the turning point for me when I realized, wow, what’s happening on in the United States of America that we need missionaries? So then it started dawning. The dawn was coming and we’re starting to see these things. And next thing you know, very true, and Thessalonians, he’ll hand us over to those strong delusions too. Not only will there be one that’s captured in the mind of that cloudiness that you’re speaking about, but it’s the idea of even just knowing that they’ll be handed over and it’s going to take an active. Yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 2:
Yeah. I think we’re especially seeing that right now politically with thousands of people that somehow are believing that the democratic socialists who are attempting to usher in basically communism, it can’t even look under their nose and see the migrants and the immigrants who come here legally and through asylum from countries who exercise government control through communism, obliterating God, obliterating the Christian church, and so on and so forth. Basically government control of your entire life, all but telling you when you can go to bed and when you can get up. And maybe even that, I don’t know. But they can’t even see the failure of those previous societies that have lived under communist rule and dictatorship and somehow think that this time around it’s going to work. For some reason, this time around it’s going to work. And I just think how much more of a delusion can you possibly be under than to know historically what has happened under these types of governments and believe that somehow it’s going to be right this time?
That’s just absurd. And then the other delusion too is, I don’t like to call it a religion, and I’m not going to name it, but I’ll just say it’s an ideology that literally puts women under bondage, requires them to be less than second-class citizens, requires them to dress a certain way, walk a certain way, think a certain way. And if they don’t, they get beaten. A society where multiple wives is okay and wives as young as seven and eight and nine years old is okay.
They’re propping that up and I’m going, “What is wrong with you? Where the alternate lifestyles are killed for living them?” And so the delusion is very strong, very strong. And it kind of reminds me of, do you remember when Pharaoh kept saying no to Moses? And every time that he turned it down and says, “And Pharaoh hardened his heart and Pharaoh hardened his heart. Pharaoh hardened his heart.” And the last time that Moses came to Pharaoh, the scripture says, “And God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.” Wow, what a dangerous place to be when God steps in and sends a delusion. Not only that, hardened Pharaoh’s heart to the point where he couldn’t even see the hand of God and eventually was destroyed as the waters came together after they tried to go through undry land. So I can’t help but believe that this is exactly where we are.
I don’t want to say that God is blinding the hearts of people. I think they’re being blinded by their own ignorance, but it would certainly seem that God is in a strong delusion. And what’s it going to take to wake people up?
Speaker 1:
A disaster. But what disaster? Because now we’re saying we are kind of normalizing that it’s okay for pedophiles to be excused. It’s okay for children to be raped in the middle of a street. It’s okay for women to be raped in the middle of the street. And we got people who are confused. I got to be kind of careful about this, but okay, so dysphoria of their body, who they are, their identity, dysphoria.
Speaker 2:
Which I think I called that adolescence when I was a kid.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, right. Yes, right. However, so we have young adults, very young adults, entering young adult age. And there was this one, as you were talking about what this particular ideology, and I really believe it’s a demonic ideology for sure. Oh,
Speaker 2:
No question.
Speaker 1:
Yep. And so this particular guy who believes he’s a girl went from the United States to Belgium, Netherlands. And while he was there, he didn’t realize it had been taken over by this ideology. It’s been taken over for real. And now they’re threatening his life because he’s of the LGBTQ identity. And he realized that now his life is threatened and he didn’t realize that that was the thing. So it’s here, we’re telling it, but that delusion here in the United States, they think, “Well, I’m going to go to this country.” And then they go to this country and it’s already been totally taken over. And so now he’s trying to make it back to the United States because his life is in danger. He knows now or she, he believes that if he doesn’t get back here to the United States, he’s not going to live.
Well, that’s because it’s part of the ideology that off with your head because you’re an infidel. So anyway, that’s a little bit. Anyway, but this is that idea too, getting back to the church. It does begin with the church. I also begin, I
Speaker 2:
Believe
Speaker 1:
Ultimately that it has to be. Well, I don’t know. Somehow we got to get into the families. So people are really not going to church anymore. They’re just not. And you might find churches that are growing and like the one we attend, when you attend, and they’re expanding and lives are being changed, people are getting baptized, that kind of thing. But in general, across the board, I really feel. Tony Perkins talks about this a lot too. And so he talks about the decrease or the decline of churchgoers in the United States. However, the ones that are going are of the mindset that the Bibles versus can be misconstrued and they’re against really the biblical principles. And so I have to be careful about that too a little bit. But the idea is that you can. Well, I don’t know. You remember when that class I took the return of the Trinity?
I’m like, well, where did it go? Replacement theology, all of the
Speaker 2:
Stuff. I wasn’t where it
Speaker 1:
Left. Yeah, that kind of idea. And that was a Christian Bible school bringing up ministers. These are the concerns that I have with the church. So the churches that are maybe stagnant or they are growing, they’re growing with the people that feel like they need to be accepted because white person bad, national Christianism, Christianity, the whole, yeah, I’m both. I’m a national person here in the United States and I am a Christian, so I have no problem being called that. But the idea just to say that the church is kind of participated and is participated in being quiet and allowing and tolerant of something that God has made it very clear that this is not okay. So what do you say about all that?
Speaker 2:
Well, I’ve lived long enough. I’m a little bit older than you. I lived through the ’60s. The ’60s were devastating on America and the American church. We had numerous opportunities to stand up strong, take a stand when they disallowed Bible reading and prayer in the schools, took it away, took that right away. It was like 1963,
Speaker 1:
Right?
Speaker 2:
63, 64. Yeah. Yeah.
Yes, I was alive and I remember it well. But I also remember then at the turn of the decade right around 69 to 72 when Roe v. Wade hit the scene. And all of a sudden now it was legal to kill babies in the womb. And again, the church was largely silent. And I think there’s this fine line, I believe the church has to walk between getting political and being spiritual. However, I don’t see abortion as a political issue. I see it as a spiritual issue. I don’t see Bible reign in prayer as a political issue. It’s a spiritual issue. And jumping ahead, the fact of the matter is here’s what’s going to change it.
This is what’s going to change. Gather the people, Joel says in chapter 2:16, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elderly people, gather the children and the nursing infants. Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar and let them say, have pity and spare your people, Lord, and give not your heritage to repoach that the nation should rule over them or use a by word against them. Until that happens, until pastors remember their calling, remember what they’ve been called to, and that is to speak out against unrighteousness in the world and proclaim it boldly without hesitation and laying aside fear that they might step on somebody’s toes. I’m telling you, you need to have your toes stepped on occasionally so that you know what you’re doing right, what you’re doing wrong according to the word of God. But until pastors stand up and do what they’ve been called to do and to be the priest for the people and to sanctify them through prayer and through preaching the word, we’re not going to have it.
But then it says the Lord was jealous for his land and had pity on his people. And he answered and said, “I am sending you grain and juice. I’m sending you the Holy Spirit. I’m sending you the anointing. And that’s what’s got to happen.
If that doesn’t happen, we’re not ready for the day of darkness.
Speaker 1:
And it’s
Speaker 2:
Coming. The day of darkness is fast approaching.
Speaker 1:
The fast, the
Speaker 2:
Fast, the
Speaker 1:
Fast. Yeah.
Speaker 2:
I’m concerned that many Christians, much of the church in America, first of all, will not understand it. Second of all, will not respond to it. And third of all, may in fact trigger the grief falling away.
Speaker 1:
Right. Yeah. Speaking of that. So that’s that idea of understanding how to weed out. The strong delusion takes over. They’re not able to understand the wheat in the chaff because it’s supposed to look very similar. And so there’s just enough difference. But if you’re not clearly seeing the Lord God in everything you do, you’re not going to know the difference.
Speaker 2:
And we’ve got that delusion very well documented in Genesis where the serpent came and said, “Is that really what God said?” And that’s the theology today that has turned progressive. Is that really what the Bible said? Is that really true? Maybe we should question that. Maybe we should think about that. Maybe that’s not really what that meant. Man, I’ll tell you, you are on very shaky ground. If you look at the Bible and say, “Is that really true? Is that really for us?” I say, “Yep, every page, every verse is for you.”
Speaker 1:
Yes. That is true. I have A client that, oh my gosh, I just love him. You talk about transformation. Now again, God’s timing’s perfect. We’ll want things when we want them that doesn’t necessarily, we should have them. And aren’t you glad that God just says, “No, I’m not ready for that yet.” Or my time, I’ll let you know, I’ll give it to you when it’s ready. But then we don’t just get what we want. We don’t have to have that narcissism attitude that I want it now and I get whatever I want, fly over the backs, whatever. And God just says, “I’m going to give you patience. I’m going to teach you how to just wait on me.” Well,
This gentleman, he went from being homeless for years and then went into the program to where they would help him find a place to live. Went from paying for his place to live to him now helping pay for his place to live, for him to learn how to put a budget together. And so meanwhile, he wasn’t clean. He still had the worldly desires and the different things that were happening. But last year in January, he said to me, he goes, “I think I’m just tired. I’m tired of living this way.” And he goes, “I really need to wake up.” So now he’s over a year sober of all the things that you can imagine somebody on the street doing, all the things. And he got saved, and then this year he got baptized. And so that’s the transformation. That’s allowing, he goes, and once he started walking his path here, he has been awakened to what the word of God says.
Now mind you, he’s learning to read and what better book to read than the Bible. And so he’s learning to read the Bible. And so I told him back in education, back, back, back, back, back, back, back, and the ones from schoolhouses or in the homes when school was being done, the Bible was the book to read. And so when I shared that with him, I said, “You are just stepping into God’s glory. He’s going to give you more than you could ever imagine because you are trusting what his word is.” And he says, “I know I grew up with this in my family, but walking away, living the way I was, but oh my gosh, the word is clear.” He said that one day, he goes, “The word is clear. How come people just don’t see?” He goes, “Man, I was messed up. And so I know what all messed up looks like, but people are not believing the word to be what the word says.” And so then we kind of had a conversation.
I love having my counseling with him because now every time he comes in, we get to really dive into the word, talk about Jesus and how to apply that to our life every day, and then how to introduce that and have his testimony. So he is being awakened with the word of God, which only God can do, but he had to be disciplined in the idea. See, it’s there, it’s available, but it goes back to discipline. So many Christians, they just have to understand you can be called Christian. I prefer to call myself now a follower of Jesus. Christian’s kind of lost its idea, which is sad that I kind of there, but that’s okay. Jesus knows my heart and why I’m doing that. But I don’t want to be in the statistics of what things have looked like now. I mean, you can be a wicking Christian now.
Did you know that’s a thing? Yeah. A wicking Christian? Like what? Okay, well there is a delusion right there. How does God do that? He can’t be in darkness and light at the same time. What are you guys doing? But anyway, but this is real for them for sure. So the discussion points, I guess, declining in biblical literacy, churches adapting theology to culture, the importance of discernment, that’s a big one. And then standing firm in the truth while demonstrating Christ like love. What do you say about some of that?
Speaker 2:
Well, obviously there’s a decline in biblical literature or literacy. People aren’t reading. Even the church attenders come to church on Sunday and they expect the pastor, the preacher to give them the word, and then they go home and that’s it. They don’t spend any time in the word. They don’t spend any time studying because there’s no time. I’m too busy with this. I’m too busy with that. And in fact, and I think Paul speaks to that about being busy, being busy or being a busy body. And so if you don’t have biblical literacy, you’re not going to have discernment because you’re not going to know the truth. And the absence of truth puts you in slavery, presence of truth puts you in freedom. And so yeah, it basically has to do with you got to pick up your Bible, you’ve got to read, you got to study, you got to spend time in God’s word.
Boy, the church is adapting theology to culture. I hear this all the time that, well, that was the culture back then, and that’s why Paul talked to it about that. And that was a culture back then and that’s why Jesus said that. And I’m going, you know what? My Bible tells me that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, which means that his principles don’t change. His doctrines don’t change. His theology doesn’t change. His plan of salvation doesn’t change. The fact that he died on the cross through his son Jesus Christ doesn’t change. He sent the Holy Spirit when Jesus ascended back into heaven. That doesn’t change. The fact that the Trinity, the triune God and the virgin birth and all of that, it doesn’t change. The fact that he’s coming back again doesn’t change. The prophecies that are in the word don’t change.
All of these things that have yet to come are going to come. And we’re seeing some of them coming even now. One of the things I think we’re seeing, he said for the secret power of lawlessness is already at work. Do we see lawlessness? Oh my goodness. Look at the fraud and the lawlessness that’s been revealed in the last six months across our nation and is being revealed. And he says, “But the one who now holds it back will continue to do so until he’s taken out of the way.” Well, I think he’s about being ready to be taken out, and I think there’s going to be a damn break of revelation of the lawlessness that has been taking place for years in our political systems by a lot of people on both sides of the aisle. And I can’t wait for it to happen because I’m going to go, wow, everything I’ve been saying for the last five years is coming true.
So that brings us to, if you’re adopting a cultural theology in your church and in your personal life, you are living in the delusion and you don’t have discernment. You won’t have discernment. Discernment comes as you’re a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ living in him, moving in him, walking in him, sleeping in him, waking in him. You’re not going to know the truth. And it’s so interesting to me, you can’t have conversations with these people. Something that went along with biblical literacy is critical thought is gone.
Speaker 1:
It’s gone. Agree.
Speaker 2:
We don’t talk about anything anymore critically. You present something and you just get yelled at and you get screamed at. Rhonda, I’ve seen some things lately where people are just literally screaming at the top of their lungs at people that are holding signs about Jesus’ days and so on and so forth. And I look at that face and I’m going, I’m looking in the face of a demon.
Speaker 1:
Yes.
Speaker 2:
I’m looking in the face of a demon.
So we have to speak the truth. And the truth comes from hearing. The truth comes from hearing the word of God. And the truth is that God sin has only gotten son Jesus to die for everyone, anyone who’s living in sin. But if we are just speaking truth without love, Paul said very well, “I can have all the gifts of the spirit. I can say all the right things, but if I don’t have love, I’m just a gonging symbol. I make a lot of noise, but nobody listens to me because I’m so loud, I’m so boisterous, I’m so this, I’m so that.” So speaking the truth in love is our mantra as the church. We have to speak the truth, but we’ve got to speak it in a way that people understand that we love.
Speaker 1:
Jesus did that. Let me ask you, Roger, I’m going to step in right there for a second. Yes. Okay. So a lot of times people think love just means no discipline. And so this is kind of like, okay, I’m just going to do a little caveat here. So empathy. I am to the point where I am done with the word empathy. Empathy has been so bastardized. Empathy is tolerance. The only reason why you have empathy is because you tolerate something. No. We have misused the idea of what truly empathy means. And so when I look at love, I mean, Jesus took time to make a whip. Jesus took time diligently. He spent time when he went back to rest with his disciples and before he went into the temple to flip the tables and let everybody know what his house was being turned into. Now, I’m not saying we need to do that.
But he did that in love because he was disciplining the church. So how do you do. So my thing is that we can be screamed at. I’ve seen what you’re talking about. And in fact, I mean, I see it here sometimes. I’m very much a. My practice since COVID is inside my home. And so I do have a Van Halen kind of look, Trump Vance sign in my front yard, but it’s a Van Halen look. So you have to know. But that’s in my front yard still. I have an American flag hanging and I have crosses on my wall. But that’s who we are. I mean, it’s no secret. There’s no secret about who Illuminated Pathways is. But you get people that are so angry when they drive up. I can’t come in. Why can’t you come in? The sign in your yard. What sign?
I mean, the one that says in Joshua, in my, goodness, I just lost that. For me and my
Speaker 2:
Family. My house, for me and my house.
Speaker 1:
Yeah. For me and my house, we’ll serve the Lord. That sign? And I know it’s not. But it’s the idea like, okay, well how dare they have a Trump sign? Oh my gosh, they can be hateful. They’re never going to be helpful. And so people will not come, and that’s okay. That means I have no extra drama with whatever. But the idea going on and saying, if we speak in love and we tolerate and we’re empathy and I take down the things that I know who I stand with, who people work here stand by too, this just gives people an understanding of what they’re going to have, the authenticity of things. But I’m not going to be empathetic tolerant and remove the things that bother you because that’s the reason why you’re coming to therapy. So love is not just to be an aggravant. I don’t want to be aggravating.
I don’t want to be an irritant to somebody, but I don’t want to feel like I have to split myself in half and say, well, half of me can come into a room and do therapy with you because the other half’s pissed off. Excuse me. You see what I’m saying? This is not how I’m going to operate. It’s not. And so doing things in love means being authentic with your own genuine self and walking in that truth, walking in that place. But knowing that as long as I’m not doing something purposefully to be ugly, but this is where our culture has gotten to. And so that idea of being Christ like love, I think, well, Christ was very clear when he was upset and he called him a brood of vipers. He told them what he thought about what they were doing. Now, I’m not suggesting we go do that.
But that’s happening on the other side to us, the Christians. Only the Christians are targeted. Really, they are. Across the way from the Democratic Socialist Party, communism, DSC, correct? So the party there that’s being newly developed. And even the Democrats are having a struggle with that. Oh, wait, wait, wait, wait. That’s not even what my dad back in the day had. It’s changing. I’m leaving this party. So the idea is things are changing in such a way. How do you do this Christ-like love and yet not be tolerant and not feel like I have to be empathetic to your ideology?
Speaker 2:
Well, I think first of all, we got to go all the way back to when we started speaking and when Paul talks about delusion. If you’re living in a delusion and you think clearly, no. If you’re living in a delusion, can you see clearly? No. If you’re living in a delusion, can you give critical thought to someone else’s opinions? No. The only thing that matters, and I believe, I’ve never thought about this until just now, but I think a person that’s living in a delusion is extremely self-centered to the point where no one else matters and nothing else matters except me. And so it becomes very difficult to love and not compromise the truth. And you talked about empathy being mistreated, the word. I think love is the same thing.
People that are in disagreement with you think that if you really love them, you will condone their lifestyle or you will condone their theology or you’ll condone what they think and what they believe. Well, no, that’s not it at all. And I think I love the example of Jesus and Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was hated by the people. He was a thief, he was a robber, he was a tax collector. And yet Jesus went into his home and dinner, called him out. He said, “I’m going to your house for dinner.” What happened? There was a transformation that took place in the middle of that because Jesus loved him enough to have dinner with him when everybody else was condemning him and everybody else hated him. And so honestly, there’s very few people that feel extremely strong about their cultural theology and all the rest of it that will understand love because they’re diluted.
They’re absolutely diluted. They think because you speak against what they believe in, you don’t love them, that you’re hate, that you’re racist, that you’re a white supremacist, that you’re this, you’re that. And sometimes love, this just came to me. Sometimes love means walking away graciously.
Speaker 1:
Right. Well, didn’t Jesus
Speaker 2:
Do that? Yeah. Yeah. He said, “I love you.”
Speaker 1:
For
Speaker 2:
His
Speaker 1:
Own people. Yes.
Speaker 2:
“I love you, but you and I are not on the same page. We’re not able to talk about this critically, and so we probably just are better off to walk away from it. But I want you to know I love you deeply, but I don’t agree with you.” So yeah, he did embody both. He did speak the truth and love.
Speaker 1:
And discipline and love.
And then he disciplined in love also. And so I’m not here to discipline people, that’s not the thing. But the idea is to say it’s not, “Oh, love cures all things.” Well, I guess if you use it in the right context of understanding what the true definition of love really truly means, I love my children enough to correct them so they don’t put their hand on a burning stove or not put a metal utensil on an outlet. I mean, what are we going to say? Oh, I love you. Don’t do that and not correct it. Oh, I love you. And the idea is to say, “Well, we can just move this away.” So I do want to transition now more into the mental health piece of this and into – Okay.
Speaker 2:
One last thing. I picked up on a statement a couple of years ago. I wish it was mine, but I didn’t. Somebody else said it. How much do I have to hate you not to tell you the truth?
Speaker 1:
Right? That’s such a good statement. Right?
Speaker 2:
Wow.
Speaker 1:
Yes. That’s good. That’s really good. Because the idea is to say we have the most available, it’s not even a religion, it’s a life. It’s a lifestyle. Christianity is not a religion. It is a walk with Jesus because he walked with us. Okay. Oh man, I’m getting off just with that statement, right? If Jesus was not who he really was, then why would people try to change the calendar from the Jewish calendar, the Julianne calendar, trying to change it just enough so that it wouldn’t represent the idea that Jesus, before death, after death, before Christ, all the things. There’s been this constant movement to rearrange the calendar before Christ, once he was born, so the BC and then the AD. So I feel like if Jesus really isn’t who he is, then why is there such a hatred? And even to the point of the Israelites.
So the Israelites, even though not all of them believe, they believe Jesus will come one day, but he’s already here, he’s already come. And even in that regard, I’ve met several who don’t even believe in the Torah, but yet claim Jewish life. And that’s fine because they probably are, and that’s cool, but I’m not here to judge that. But even within that own idea, even their generational curses are upon where they’re not even into the Torah anymore. They’re not even listening and believing in whatever in the Old Testament has to say. So we look at these things and we kind of go, okay, well, yeah, there’s just no way I can sit back and not give you. People are getting saved here. I’m just going to say that. In this practice, we give out Bibles when people get saved. So I’ve been given a donation of Bibles.
And so probably, oh man, in the, let’s say last four months, six people got saved. I’m just saying it’s a small practice really. It’s not really huge yet. It’s a small practice. Lives are being changed because they are coming to a place, maybe not walking in with Jesus yet, but we’re praying that God will give us the opportunity to give them Jesus along the way. And so that idea of this is the ministry. This is the ministry God called me to. And I didn’t realize until all of a sudden he woke me up in the middle of the night, October 17, 2024 and said, “This is what I have for you.” How crazy is that? Anyway, moving on. So with that being said, I know, it’s amazing. But yeah, I love that statement. How much do I have to hate you to not give you the truth?
Okay, so in this particular transition here is things that have happened, not only in the United States and around the world, but this is where now the Texas legislature has gotten together, put new laws in place. So in my career and in my licensure, there’s 95,000 plus counselors in the state of Texas. And not everyone believes like me and my circle of counselors. Not everyone’s got a strong faith. Not everyone really cares about what the rule book has to say. Not everyone tends to do these things. But Texas came along and decided in 2023 to do the SB-14, it had to do with gender-affirming care. And then in 2025, SB-12, and we’ll talk about that in a little bit, but it has to do with parents’ rights. So the understanding of what’s going on and the responsibility that those that are licensed, and we’re health and human services.
So licensed counselors, part of health and human services, medical doctors, nurses, all the things were along that same venue. And yet people were still writing letters. And even though the law was put into place in 2023 to not facilitate, to not participate in these transitions of surgeries, letters by the clinical people were still being written and sending them across states like to Colorado or to wherever to get these surgeries. And I’ll share some wins on our end as we talk about this because I don’t want to push it out yet. It’s a little cliffhanger, but it’s exciting because I really believe, Roger, there is a remnant of Jesus in some of us.
In that idea, I don’t want to hate you. I want to give you the truth. And so this idea of this gets me emotional. Because in that idea of understanding this is transhumanism, this is so demonic, it’s so not okay. And yet parents are supporting it even. So that idea where it starts at the home, well, how do we get the home back on base when the home is messed up? And that idea and so many broken families and so many different things. And so this idea, so this is where my heart and the people that I, even my clinical mentor, she lives in Frisco, Texas, love her, love her. And she is kind of, and you met her, Kathleen Mills. And so there is a piece about her that when I found her, I was, “Thank you, Jesus, because now I feel like I have a place to, I can be okay.” Because up until that point in my field, man, scrutinism, oh my gosh, or hate, or people trying to destroy your business, it’s just going to still happen.
It’s going to still happen. Why? Because I’m standing on the side of righteousness and I don’t appeal to them because I’m not standing in the theology replacement stuff. But these laws came into place. And so Dr. Etanheim was one of the whistleblowers, just a little history here back in 2023, who was working with Texas Children’s Hospital and was seen, I’m just going to give a little bit because I’m not going to tell the whole thing because I would be afraid that I would say something completely wrong and then I would be hit with that. But he was a whistleblower. And because when the law got passed in 2023, there was evidence through his whistleblowing, alleged evidence at the time that there were still surgeries being done at Texas Children’s Hospital when the law had been passed that do not do this. So then there was kind of things, fallout things that happened from that.
And so since then he put together, so those that might be interested, what is a doctor? And so that is a documentary that discusses some of the things that he was seeing and hearing. So I highly recommend people take the time to go see that documentary. And what is a doctor once again? And he is in that documentary. And then there’s other wonderful people, Simone Gold and other doctors that are in there. But anyway, I say all that because this particular bill was put in place. And really my senator, Senator Mays Middleton, who is running for AG, and I pray he gets it. I’m praying really hard. I believe that he’s the front runner for that position. And so I think he’s going to do a dynamic job. The things that he has done for children and families and the education system and the Bible, Jesus Christ is the front piece for everything from the 10 commandments to the being put in schools to the things that he’s doing to take care of families and bring God’s righteousness.
And he’s clear about where he stands biblically. And I’m going to tell you, I don’t know very many. Representative Steve Toth, he’s pretty stinking the same. I love it. These are men in Texas that are really standing for righteousness and doing the things, and they’re on the fight for saving our children, protecting our children. So again, these are bills for minors under 18 years old. What you do as an adult, fine, go do those things. But when it comes to children, don’t jack with God’s children. I just am very clear about that. In this room, all the things. And I feel like if we’re not careful as clinicians, and I don’t know what it’s like where you’re at and what you’re up against and the things that you face even in the hospital setting. But when this law came out, I was so excited. But then after reading it and then me and Kathleen talking about it, it was like, “Well, where are the counselors fit in here?
Are they included?” And it took until February 2026 for AG Paxton to opine whether or not counselors were included in that bill that passed in 2023. Up until that point, letters were still being written. And many, when I say 95 plus counselors in the state of Texas, there’s a remnant of us, just a remnant. And he opined with what we felt it was saying, but people were still getting away with doing these things. And now the Texas state, the Supreme Court of Texas, the Supreme Court of Texas has now filed their first case against a counselor because a transitioner who regrets doing what the letter stated for her to do, she’ll never be the same. And so the Supreme Court of Texas has done their first case. I’m so excited. Now, please don’t. I mean, I don’t want to ever have my name come across the Supreme Court of Texas, but when it comes to this kind of thing, man, God is very clear.
Do not harm my children. Do not harm my children. And I feel like now the idea of God this, standing in a place of righteousness and understanding what this means, my heart is overjoyed. Now, that takes a lot of work. It takes knowing that people are hating you because you’re doing this. But God said, “That’s okay. He hated my son first. He’ll hate you.
It’s okay. I got you. Keep doing what I’m asking you to do.” Not everybody’s going to do what this remnant is doing, but I’m pounding the pavement with my friends that go to the Capitol, that go to the state board licensing board and speak, and they go to the Capitol and speak and go to meet up with our representatives in our state of Texas and know that they are going to take care of us to the best of their ability because we align with what they were putting into place. And so that is our Senator Mays Middleton and Representative Steve Toth. And so what they have done for the sake of saving the children, I’m sorry, there is no one else that I want in those positions that they’re headed to. And so knowing that that’s the kind of men that God is raising up, may more men rise up, may more men do these things.
Even Ken Paxton, I understand there’s some family things going on with him. That’s okay. God is still using him. God said, “I will use those. I will put them in place. I’m going to use them.” And so whether we like them or not, or we understand what’s going on with them, whatever’s going on. And so I feel really excited about seeing what’s going on in our state in this regard. Now there’s other things we got to fight against the idea of the taking over of some communities even down here, not just up in the Plano area. But even down here, they’re all over the place. And so the idea of understanding if we’re not careful, again, God will hand people over to this thing. But I just say, I don’t know what you have to say about this. I gave you just a little bit about my passion.
Hopefully everyone hears that. But this is who Illuminated Pathways is. We are standing on the side of righteousness. We are standing on the side of what God says that we must do. And we are in the face. That idea, the accountability that he is going to have on us at the time that when he returns, that judgment day, he’s going to say everything you did, everything. And whether you know him or not, every me will bow, every tongue will confess that he is Lord. And so I believe that for me, this will never change in who Illuminated Pathways is because God said, I’m going to grow you. I’m going to expand your territory. Follow me, trust me, let me lead. And with that being said, who am I? And so he brings us grandparents, parents, and young people, and we are able to walk that truth for them and just be with them in love.
This is where this is done in love, not in a, shame on you. I can’t believe you’re doing this. But giving parents the tools, giving grandparents the tools, a lot of grandparents are raising their grandchildren. And so there’s a lot, that’s an epidemic in itself. But the idea of understanding what’s happening in our school systems and all that stuff. So I know that was kind of an opening to this, but an understanding. And then let me just kind of capture SB 12 and then we’ll go from there. So SB 12 is, let me kind of find that real quick.
SB 12 establishes parental rights and limits of the authority of public schools concerning instruction, social transitioning student organizations, and certain health-related services. So here’s a little caveat for this. Notes went home the beginning of the school year this year, this particular, even though summer, so last year, sorry, goll, a year’s gone by already since all this took place. Notes would go home and they’ll do this again this August. Notes will go home and say, is it okay for your child to talk to whoever at the school? They have counselors or whatever. And I tell my parents, say no, say no. And they go, why? Well, you’re telling me right now how you believe. And do you believe those people believe like you do? And since this law was put into place, do you believe that if this law had to be put into place, do you believe that everybody there.
I’m not saying all people are bad. I’m not saying all people are going to speak against what you do, your values, your stance, and what you believe in the Bible and the Jesus Christ that you’re telling me here, but they might do and break the law with this. So in those stickers that counselors that are in schools that have the stickers with the rainbows that say safe place, well, that’s saying you without those sticker on the window says that you’re not safe, only this one’s safe. And so therefore I can’t go to you because you’re going to hate me, not like me, you’re going to blah, blah, blah. Stickers should be off these windows. And I don’t think parents know that. That’s all part of social transitioning. So schools are still getting away with this. And so what this does is it puts the law of SB 14 and the transitioning, the letters, all the things, all the things that would happen with gender-affirming care back in 2023 to this law in 2025 being passed that has put the rights back into the parents’ hands that say, I have a right to sue you.
I have a right to say what I do with my children, not you. And I don’t think parents know this. So this is where I stand. This is my dog in the fight to protect these families that God’s put back in me and says, I want you to help bring these families back to God’s original design. He’s made that very clear, and that’s in our statements all throughout our website even. And so in our mission statement. And so I say all these things, and then I’m going to hand it off to you and kind of give me an idea about what you know, what you see. It doesn’t really matter what does God’s word say about this at the end of the day? How can we help people even more than what this small practice is doing? But my heart is heavy. It’s very sad.
There’s a lot of broken children and teens, and it breaks my heart that the support that they’re supposed to have is being ignored. And I don’t want to hurt my child or I’m told that my child will commit suicide when suicide’s even higher when they do the transition. They’re being so lied to. And so this is where I’m at. This is where I think God has me now. And I never would’ve dreamed I’d be doing statements at the state board or going to the Capitol or pounding the pavement to protect these kids. But I’m doing it because he said it’s not easy. I’m like jello. When I’m done, I’m like, I feel like I can’t even stand up. It’s a thing. So what can you provide for families, for me? What can you do for us, Roger? What can you say? Words of wisdom, friend, please.
Speaker 2:
Wow. That’s a heavy load. Well, I have to keep coming back to this. I have to come back to the word. Everything is rooted and grounded in God’s word. And that’s one of the biggest challenges we have right now is we have parents, we have children that are not grounded in the word of God. We have social media all over the place that tells them that there’s a problem with them. We have reels and we have TikTok and X and all the rest of this stuff out there that tells them that, boy, if you’re feeling this way, nobody, I shouldn’t say nobody, but very few people I fear, qualified people, are talking about your hormones are going crazy right now. Let’s put this all on pause and think about it. A 14-year-old kid, 14-year-old girl, her hormones are kicking in and things are going crazy.
And why is this going on? And I feel so this way or I feel so that way. Well, let’s talk about what’s going on physically and psychologically with your body right now. Nobody talks about that. They’re just, oh wow, you. Must be you want to be a girl. It must want to be a boy. That’s what that’s all about. So it’s just a one-sided thing. So I can’t say enough about getting into the work. Parents and children have to get into the work, which means that you’ve got to get to a Bible teaching, Bible-believing church. You’ve got to get with groups of people that talk about what God created. In the beginning, he created man in his image. And from man, he created woman. They are two undeniable, unmistakable, distinct, unique individuals. Bone structures are different. DNA is different.
Their clocks are different. Their minds are different. Everything about them is different, and that’s okay. But to just sit there and say, “Wow, well, you really need to explore doing this and doing that.” And I think trying to get the word out to parents that you can stand up and be a parent. You can’t stand up for your children’s rights. You don’t have to just take cook, line and sinker with a counselor at school. In my opinion, unfortunately, many of those school counselors aren’t even qualified to be talking about this type of thing. They don’t have a PhD in psychology. They don’t have a PhD in much of anything except how to transform a girl into a boy and a boy into a girl. They may have a master’s degree in counseling or whatever. But I’ve known some counselors in high schools that don’t even have that.
They just happen to have the title because kids love them and they’ve got a master’s degree in education, so they get thrown into the counselor’s office. I’m going, “Wow, that’s amazing. This would not be allowed in the commercial world. In order for you to be a counselor, you’ve got to have education. You’ve got to have certain classes and requirements and so forth.” So I don’t know that I have an answer, Rhonda.
It’s so complicated because there’s so many people living in this delusion that I don’t even know how to talk to some of them. I have a particular friend in mind that this person just, we know not to get in conversation because they are so far out here. There’s so many mistakes in the Bible, and it was written for them, and it wasn’t written for us, and so on and so forth. And I’m just going, how do you preach? What do you preach on if you can’t preach on the Bible? So I don’t know if I’ve got a word of wisdom, but it brings me back to this.
I think of Paul’s words in Colossians, I think it’s chapter two, where he says, “All of the Godhead, all power and authority lives in Christ Jesus. And Christ Jesus lives in you.” Now, I understand that to simply mean this, that if all the power and authority over dominions and darkness of the world of the almighty God lives in Christ Jesus and all of Christ lives in me, does that not mean that I have the authority over darkness and dominions in my world? I believe it does. It does. So I believe one of the things that parents need to do is begin to decree over their children God’s purposes for them. Decree it on a daily basis. Just simply go before the Lord and say, Lord God, I decree in the name of Jesus Christ your son that my daughter is a daughter. She’s a child of God.
Shield away the delusions of the enemy. Shield away the arrows of misinformation and lies from her heart. Protect her. And I decree truth into her life today. I think that’s one thing parents need to do, and I don’t think to do it. They
Speaker 1:
Need to do it. On that same token, so that idea of parents empowering them to do just exactly what you’re saying, what the word of God says, actually. What the word of God is saying that you’re bringing to light, parents, they have the power and the wisdom to be able to do these things. They’re given that wisdom through the word of God.
Speaker 2:
That’s right.
Speaker 1:
And so I feel people are going to talk over or speak over them into their life. We know that we should edify everyone into the light of God. Edify one another in the Lord. I’m not really great with addresses where these things are, so if you feel like it’s necessary to put the address with that, I just know what they mean for me. But when people speak into life, they’re going to speak into life, but is it life for living or life for death? You’re not going to matter. What’s wrong with you? You’re stupid. Nobody wants you. We can call that the inner critic all day long, but that’s the enemy trying to get you to believe all those things so that you don’t see the truth.
And so there’s a prophecy, like prophesying over people. Prophesying doesn’t always mean good. People are prophesying over people. So you might have teachers or people in their friend groups or just different things speaking over these people that they’re children. What are they prophesying over their children? And encouraging them, empowering them to prophesy over their children that you are a child of God. You were created in God’s image. You are loved. You are wanted. You are mine. God gave you to me. I’m so thankful. Because other people are going to speak over them. And if we’re not careful, they’re going to speak over them like, “Well, what’s wrong with you?” I mean, yeah, those hormones, yeah, maybe you should do that. And next thing you know, you got these little groups and you got Satan studies and not Bible studies and you got LGBTQ groups and not healthier groups.
The idea of the infiltration, that’s the word I’m looking for. The infiltration of things are coming in at such a fast clip. And the ideas of even, I guess it was in the panhandle of Texas, there was an earthquake, a 5.0. When does that happen? A 5.0
Speaker 2:
In
Speaker 1:
Texas? What?
Speaker 2:
Amazing. Unprecedented.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, right. Unprecedented. These are things that biblically, like in Revelations, it talks about there will be a speeding up of things. Volcanoes, earthquakes, floods, hail, fires, all the things. We have to wake up. We have to wake up. And I think that how should Christians think about these issues? Well, go back to the word of God. You have to get in the word. You do. And every human being is created. Everything that you just said, we are created in those things. And the decline of Christianity in America is very real. And this is one thing I’ve really grown to enjoy. We follow Tony Perkins. I know I’ve mentioned him already, but he does a great Bible study every morning and he’s going through the Bible. And right now we’re in the Book of Psalms and it’s just amazing. You can start anywhere and it’s just really great.
And it’s just the things that are happening, but it’s a great way to get people connected. It’d be great if you have, I don’t know, maybe you struggle at opening your own Bible. So maybe Tony Perkins and following him and letting him, it’s something that’s digital, it’s on YouTube. You can just do it every morning. It’s ready to go usually every day at six o’clock in the morning. And so you can start your day with that and then let that begin to open up your Bible. If you haven’t opened your Bible in a while, okay, but get the word in you somehow. Get it in there somehow because it’s the only way we’re going to be able to stand up against this big evil that’s up against us.
Speaker 2:
Go ahead. I would encourage parents to begin to read Psalm 91 over their family and their children.
Speaker 1:
Yes. Yes.
Speaker 2:
And then
Speaker 1:
Ephesians 6:10 through 18. Yeah.
Speaker 2:
Yeah.
Verse nine says, “If you make the most high your dwelling, even the Lord who is my refuge, then no harm will befall you. No disaster will come here to 10th. Or he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all of your ways. They will lift up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against the stone.” Why? Because he loves me, says the Lord. “I will rescue him. I will protect him. He will call upon me and I will answer him. I’ll be with him in trouble. I’ll deliver him and honor him. “And Peter tells us in Second Peter also that this is what we should expect. These are the days that we should expect. It says that there’s coming this time when people will be ungodly just as they were in the days of lot, but he will rescue you.
Lot, a righteous man was rescued who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men or that righteous man living among day after day. And bold and arrogant. They’re not afraid to slander celestial beings, even angels, though they are stronger and more powerful. They’re experts in greed and grude. They left the straight way and wandered off to follow Balaam, the son of Bior. These men are springed without water, misdriven by the storm, black as darkness. So if that’s all true about these people that are spewing these lives through your children, then what is the opposite? The opposite is that we’ve got to speak the truth of God’s word into their lives. Just like you said, you are worthwhile. God created you for a purpose. Look for that purpose. He didn’t treat you to be in a state of confusion. God is not the author of confusion.
God’s not the author of confusion about who you are. Satan is the author of that confusion. And we’ve got to speak the truth and to pray away the spirit of confusion over the lives and the hearts of our children and our parents and our grandparents and our lawmakers and our educators and everybody else.
I think if there were a remnant of people in every school, in every school district that would take it upon themselves to pray on a daily basis against the rudiments of evil, we might see some fantastic things begin to happen. And that’s where the church comes in again.
Speaker 1:
Right. Right. Well,
Speaker 2:
I guess we’ve gone over time.
Speaker 1:
We have, and that’s okay. I mean, we’ll fix this a little bit. We’ll kind of close in, but we’re just about there anyway. I don’t want to leave people without understanding really what the good news is all about. There is good news in all of this. Absolutely. There’s a lot happening around us, and many people come in majorly anxious, panic all the time. All these things are not about to panic, but to empower. I want to empower people. Just like the scripture says, he’s given us all authority for those who believe in Jesus Christ. He’s given it to us. We get to proclaim it. We get to hold it. We get to decree and declare it. All of those things. And so I would just say it’s prayer for sure. And sometimes maybe that’s just where you got to start wherever you are. And it doesn’t have to be fancy.
I mean, read the word prayer in your life. I think it’s where we start all the
Speaker 2:
Time.
Speaker 1:
Yeah, right. But some people say, “Well, where do I start? This is people who come see us.” And I don’t know what that’s like for people for you, but you should pray all the time. But if you’re not doing it in a regular, just start. Just start.
Speaker 2:
I like the phrases people say. Well, I guess we just ought to pray about it. Well, why haven’t you been praying about it in the first place? Yeah.
Speaker 1:
Well, and
Speaker 2:
Frankly – I guess we ought to give it to the Lord.
Speaker 1:
Of course.
And then it’s repentance, right? Lord, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I haven’t been doing the things I need to be doing. Help me really raise these kids. Grandparents, I don’t know why my children are not able to take care of their children, but Lord, this is a generational thing. Please, Lord, bring this family back to your design. It’s discipleship. Right now, we have the opportunity to walk alongside people. When the two witnesses are in play in Revelations, it’s just about bringing people to Jesus. There’s no discipling. It’s just, are you saved or not? Are you going to trust Jesus or not?
And throughout history, revival has never begun with politics. It just hasn’t. It’s just not. And while I may be out and doing the things to protect children politically to get my representatives to do the things I’m needing them to do and to hear, it’s really not about that. It’s about standing in righteousness and doing those things. It’s standing on the word of God fully. It’s begun when people humble themselves before him. And then Joel reminds us that a genuine renewal starts with repentance. So not only does two Chronicles seven do that, Joel does that. Jesus talks about that. Zacchaeus, he talked about earlier. The very things, these are all about repentance. And it’s important to understand how much that has to happen. And just in that process, it’s not just a one and done. There’s so much going on. Lord, give me the things I need.
Lord, help me see the things I’ve been blinded to. Help me clear my mind of all the things that the devil wants. Clear it out in Jesus’ name. And I would speak like that all the time. Rebuke all the things in Jesus’ name. So the good news is we’ve discussed difficult topic today, cultural confusion, moral challenges, government, schools, healthcare, but none of these are the center of Christian message. So essentially, Roger, as we get ready to close, what is that?
What is the good news?
Speaker 2:
What is the central
Speaker 1:
Message?
Speaker 2:
The good news is that Jesus loves you.
Speaker 1:
Amen.
Speaker 2:
God loves us so much that he sent Jesus into this world to die for us. The once and for all sacrificial lamb, the Son of God, took upon himself all of the sins of the world past, present, and yet to come. What a phenomenal act of God that he did that. And not only did He promise us forgiveness by receiving Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, but He also promises that He will walk beside us. He will hold our hands. There’s going to be times when He will carry us, but He will always be with us. He will never leave us. He will never forsake us. And then He goes beyond that and he says, “If all of this wasn’t true, why am I going to heaven to prepare a place for you? There is a heaven and there is a hell, and we will spend eternity in one place or the other.” And he says that heaven is a place where he’s prepared a room.
I’m hoping I get more than room. I’m hoping I get a single family house.
Speaker 1:
Right? So true. Yes.
Speaker 2:
But whatever I get, I’m going to be happy with because there’s no tears, there’s no sadness in heaven.
Speaker 1:
Amen.
Speaker 2:
If you got a pocket full of hell that you’re holding onto and you plan to go to heaven with it, don’t. Don’t bring your pocket full of hell into heaven. I don’t want any part of it, and neither do Jesus. But salvation is the gift of God. It’s free to everyone. There’s no strings attached. It’s just a complete die out of self and a complete giving
Speaker 1:
Ourselves. There’s a couple of things to think about. There’s a few things that are pretty universal. John 3:16, there’ll be football players that’ll have that kind of somewhere. And then the Amazing Grace song. These are universal. And the idea of knowing. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” And that’s pretty much what you’re talking about for sure.
Speaker 2:
Exactly.
Speaker 1:
And then Romans 5’s, oh my goodness, this is one of my. It really is. Romans five is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible because it just talks about suffering and really the strength and suffering, what that is. But while we were all still sinners, Christ died for us. Even in our suffering, he died for us. He was willing to go to the cross. He bore that sin. He died in our place. Three days later, he rose again, defeating death and defeating sin. Salvation is
Speaker 2:
Against me. No other prophet.
Speaker 1:
Right. No, that’s
Speaker 2:
Right. No other prophet has been risen again. No other prophet. They’re all dead except Jesus.
Speaker 1:
That’s right. And this is why the attack on Christianity is such a large thing. It’s just huge. And the invitation is extended to everyone regardless your past, regardless your struggles, regardless your questions. Jesus invites you to come to him. So today, if you’re listening today, which we are thankful that you joined us, you’ve never placed your faith. If this is true, you’ve never placed your faith in Jesus Christ. You can do that by doing that right now. And this might be a prayer that we’ll pray together. And so, Lord Jesus, I know that I’m a sinner and that I need your forgiveness. I believe you died from my sins and rose again. Today, I turn from my sin and place my trust in you as my savior and Lord. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and help me follow you all the days of my life.
Thank you for your grace, your mercy, and your love. In Jesus’ name, amen. Now, if that’s something you prayed just now, please send us a message below and we’ll make sure that we get back with you. We want to make sure that we do our due diligence that the Lord has placed upon us as called ministers of the faith. And so Jesus, it’s a high price that he’s got on us understanding the accountability of what we’re doing. It’s not taken lightly. We are thankful for you. We love you. And we are praying that all will be saved and join us in heaven. Jesus is very clear. He wishes none shall perish and miss it. So please take time to maybe rewind and play that prayer again. If that’s the best way you know how to get started. It’s fine. It’s a great starting place for sure.
Remember, the prayer itself does not save us. Salvation comes through genuine faith in Jesus Christ. If you have not placed your trust in him, we encourage you to read the Bible, connect with the Christ-centered church, biblical, the whole council of God from Genesis to Revelation, not some pieces. It’s not just a New Testament church. It’s the whole council of God. And then grow in your walk with the Lord. And if you need somebody to be accountability partner, I’m sure Roger and I would be willing to do that. Just give us a little message below. We’ll connect with you and we’ll go from there. So Roger, we’re going to close now. And I do thank you so much for taking time. I know getting together with our busy schedules and the different things that are going on, but I am super grateful for you and your biblical wisdom in helping us navigate these important issues.
We don’t have all the answers and nor do we try to say we have all the answers. We just know who is the answer. I know a guy. I’m not him for sure. I know a guy and he’s ready and able. And so our hope is not ultimately found in political parties, elected officials or legislation. Our hope is found in Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever. Here we circled back to that, and you mentioned that earlier with your friend. And so we encourage you to read the Book of Joel, two Thessalonians and Revelations for yourself. These are not to scare you, they’re to prepare you. And so pray for wisdom. Love your neighbors. Stand firm in the biblical truth and remember that revival begins with God’s people. It’s our heart. It’s a heart issue. It’s not a their issue. It’s a me issue and getting that fixed and righteousness flowing out towards God.
Until next time, may the Lord bless you and keep you and strengthen you and be the salt and light in the world and desperately needs Jesus Christ and the hope of Jesus Christ. So I just am really thankful that we were able to take care of this important topic. I really wanted to do this with my friend. I really did. These are things that Joel and I were talking about. I said, “I need a spiritual guy. I need somebody spiritual to really talk about this with me because while us counselors are following Jesus, we are, it’s just sometimes we just need that extra piece of where the word of God comes in. And that’s the wisdom. You gave us wisdom, you did share it. And while you might not have the exact things, maybe that we don’t even know really what we need. We just know we need Jesus, we need him more, we need him every day.
We need him like we need air. Do you have a closing statement?
Speaker 2:
No, I just want to thank you for inviting me to be a part. I don’t know that I’ve answered everybody’s questions. I don’t know that I’ve provided all of the wisdom that one needs, but you know what James says, that if we lack wisdom, we’re to ask of God and believe that he will give it to us. So if you’re lacking wisdom today about the way of life, if you’re lacking wisdom today about the culture in which we live in, I encourage you to ask of God and he will give you wisdom if you trust and believe that he will do that. So thanks again, Rhonda. So blessed to be with you.
Speaker 1:
Yes. Thank you so much. Don’t hang up. I’m going to go ahead and I’m just going to stop. Just give me a second.