WEBVTT 00:00.757 --> 00:05.063 [SPEAKER_00]: You are listening to Blessed and Boston, presented by Anchor DeMedia. 00:05.704 --> 00:11.733 [SPEAKER_00]: In entrepreneurship podcasts for Christians, all about how to make God the CEO of your business. 00:12.354 --> 00:19.845 [SPEAKER_00]: Get ready to be inspired, challenged, but well equipped to live and build your destiny, his way. 00:27.942 --> 00:32.153 [SPEAKER_00]: Hey guys, welcome to another episode of The Blessed Embossed Podcast. 00:32.173 --> 00:36.244 [SPEAKER_00]: I am excited for us to continue on with our Bible on business series. 00:36.725 --> 00:43.082 [SPEAKER_00]: In the last episode, we talked about in part one, we talked about how to make Holy Spirit led decisions. 00:43.062 --> 01:05.290 [SPEAKER_00]: And I believe that this subject is so necessary for us as Christian entrepreneurs because there are so many different influences that are competing for our attention and competing to get us to follow them and the whole point of this Bible on business series is for us to recognize that everything that we need in order to grow. 01:05.270 --> 01:09.499 [SPEAKER_00]: lead, start, market, make money from, etc. 01:09.599 --> 01:12.926 [SPEAKER_00]: these businesses can be found in the Word of God. 01:13.287 --> 01:24.932 [SPEAKER_00]: And so we are taking a week by week, scripture by scripture text by text, and just discussing the various implications for us as entrepreneurs that can be found right here in the Word. 01:24.912 --> 01:35.906 [SPEAKER_00]: In part one, we explored Acts 829 talking a lot about obedience and if you have not listened to that episode, please go back and listen to that one. 01:35.986 --> 01:38.749 [SPEAKER_00]: This is a continuation of that episode. 01:38.909 --> 01:46.719 [SPEAKER_00]: Honestly, my notes, I had so many notes for just that one episode, but the Lord wouldn't let me leave Acts 8. 01:47.219 --> 01:50.143 [SPEAKER_00]: And so we have so much more to cover. 01:50.123 --> 01:57.332 [SPEAKER_00]: And again, if you have not listened to a part one, I'll put the link to that episode in the show note so that you could go back and take a listen. 01:58.053 --> 01:59.996 [SPEAKER_00]: Quick church announcement before we get started. 02:00.036 --> 02:04.862 [SPEAKER_00]: This week we are starting chapter one of our new book club pick. 02:05.103 --> 02:06.865 [SPEAKER_00]: One of my all time favorite books. 02:06.965 --> 02:09.629 [SPEAKER_00]: The spirit feel light by Charles Stanley. 02:09.649 --> 02:15.076 [SPEAKER_00]: You've probably heard me talk about it on the podcast before because I was reading it back in 2023. 02:15.216 --> 02:17.599 [SPEAKER_00]: And it was just so good to me. 02:17.579 --> 02:27.667 [SPEAKER_00]: And it wasn't until, um, I want to say maybe last week or two weeks before that the lore revealed to me that this is the book that's going to be the next one for our book club pick. 02:27.727 --> 02:33.563 [SPEAKER_00]: And so I am very excited to dive back into it myself because I'm dealing with some transitions. 02:33.543 --> 02:45.018 [SPEAKER_00]: in my own life and I want to make sure that in all of my busyness that I'm still submitted to the Holy Spirit obeying him above all and living a spirit-filled life. 02:45.058 --> 02:49.203 [SPEAKER_00]: So this is something that I believe is going to be beneficial to me personally. 02:49.243 --> 03:01.018 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm excited about it and I'm excited to share it with you and of course it's a great compliment to this discussion that we're having 03:00.998 --> 03:09.699 [SPEAKER_00]: So that will be this week, I will do chapter one, click the link in the show notes to grab your copy of the book, and I'm so excited for us to get started. 03:10.380 --> 03:17.337 [SPEAKER_00]: Alright, let's hop right back into today's topic of how to make spirit-led business decisions. 03:17.317 --> 03:22.903 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's go to Acts 13 versus two through four. 03:23.403 --> 03:30.030 [SPEAKER_00]: Before we read the text, I want to give a little context of where we are when we land in Acts 13. 03:30.630 --> 03:43.543 [SPEAKER_00]: So Acts 13 marks a really big shift in the book of Acts because up into this point, the church's base was in Jerusalem and the focus was mostly on Peter's leadership in 03:43.523 --> 03:54.718 [SPEAKER_00]: But now the center of activity has moved to Antioch and the focus shifts to Paul formerly so Antioch was a city that was very diverse. 03:55.720 --> 03:57.101 [SPEAKER_00]: It was vibrant. 03:57.542 --> 03:59.144 [SPEAKER_00]: It was mostly Gentile. 03:59.264 --> 04:04.291 [SPEAKER_00]: It was a Gentile majority city and so of course the church there reflected this diversity. 04:04.832 --> 04:12.282 [SPEAKER_00]: Here in Acts 13, a group of prophets and teachers are gathered and ministering to the Lord with fasting. 04:12.262 --> 04:18.755 [SPEAKER_00]: And where we're landing here in versus two through four is the result of that fast. 04:18.775 --> 04:26.710 [SPEAKER_00]: So again, we are in Acts 13 versus two through four and I'm going to read it out of the new living translation. 04:26.750 --> 04:30.237 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's just start at verse one because it's right there. 04:30.217 --> 04:39.705 [SPEAKER_00]: Among the prophets and teachers of the church of Antiochosiria were Barnabas, Simon, Lucius, Manan, and Saul. 04:40.566 --> 04:49.193 [SPEAKER_00]: One day, as these men were worshiping the Lord in fasting, the Holy Spirit said, a point Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them. 04:49.774 --> 04:55.078 [SPEAKER_00]: So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way. 04:55.138 --> 04:59.582 [SPEAKER_00]: So Barnabas and Paul were 04:59.562 --> 05:05.933 [SPEAKER_00]: They went down to the seaport of Salusia and then sailed for the island of Cyprus. 05:06.734 --> 05:09.900 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, there's so much here that I want to discuss. 05:10.020 --> 05:19.917 [SPEAKER_00]: So I'm trying to get to excited my overall point that I want us to take note of as it relates to building a spirit-led business. 05:19.897 --> 05:26.990 [SPEAKER_00]: is that your divine strategy, your divine clearance to go out and do with the Lord has called you to do. 05:27.450 --> 05:30.837 [SPEAKER_00]: It's birth from a place of worship and fasting. 05:31.818 --> 05:38.871 [SPEAKER_00]: As we saw when we first started at the top of the text that there were prophets and teachers of the church together. 05:38.991 --> 05:43.980 [SPEAKER_00]: So it was Barnabas, Simon, 05:43.960 --> 05:52.371 [SPEAKER_00]: and they were worshiping the Lord in fasting and that's when the Holy Spirit said a point Barnabas and Saul to the work in which I had called them. 05:52.831 --> 06:02.243 [SPEAKER_00]: So then after hearing that, more fast than in prayer took place and that's when the remaining people laid their hands on them and sent them amongst their way. 06:02.523 --> 06:10.373 [SPEAKER_00]: So this was their divine clearance in their divine 06:10.623 --> 06:26.235 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, it doesn't say anywhere here in the text that they gathered together to fast and pray to see where the Lord wanted to send them next, it seems as if, and this is me making in assumption, but it seems as if this was something that they were already doing. 06:26.705 --> 06:39.828 [SPEAKER_00]: And in the midst of them already praying and fasting within their community, the Lord then spoke and gave instruction about where they were to go to next as it related to their ministry. 06:40.329 --> 06:47.802 [SPEAKER_00]: Now, believe this underscores a message that I've been given from the beginning of this podcast, 06:47.782 --> 06:51.388 [SPEAKER_00]: We don't just seek the law for strategy for our businesses. 06:51.448 --> 06:58.739 [SPEAKER_00]: We don't just seek him for products and services and how we want him to bless us next or ask him questions about our future. 06:59.160 --> 07:05.570 [SPEAKER_00]: We have to have a lifestyle of praying, of fasting, of worship, of reading our word, of seeking him. 07:05.811 --> 07:11.680 [SPEAKER_00]: This relationship, this intimacy that we have with the law, that should be our life, our first posture. 07:11.660 --> 07:18.692 [SPEAKER_00]: should be a life that's submitted to Christ and through that he will then start to reveal instructions to us. 07:18.712 --> 07:20.996 [SPEAKER_00]: He'll start to give us our business plans. 07:21.036 --> 07:26.986 [SPEAKER_00]: He'll start to give us our next assignment, our next place to go in ministry, our next thing we need to start. 07:27.026 --> 07:37.043 [SPEAKER_00]: Whatever the case may be, it is from that pure, genuine, consistent, dedicated relationship that he will then reveal more to us. 07:37.023 --> 07:48.522 [SPEAKER_00]: So, yes, I talk about having business meetings with God, seeking him on behalf of your business, but that does not replace a lifestyle and a true posture of worship and submission to him. 07:49.364 --> 07:59.181 [SPEAKER_00]: And it's so funny to me because many of us, we put the cart before the horse spiritually, the same way we put the cart before the horse in business. 07:59.701 --> 08:02.406 [SPEAKER_00]: I can't even tell you how many people 08:02.386 --> 08:06.441 [SPEAKER_00]: I've talked to that will be like oh, I just I want to start a business. 08:06.601 --> 08:07.725 [SPEAKER_00]: I want to be an entrepreneur. 08:08.087 --> 08:09.612 [SPEAKER_00]: I think I want to start a business. 08:10.165 --> 08:13.068 [SPEAKER_00]: And I'll entertain and say, OK, well, what kind of business do you want to start? 08:13.488 --> 08:14.289 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, I don't know. 08:14.349 --> 08:16.611 [SPEAKER_00]: I've always liked to do XYZ. 08:16.651 --> 08:18.894 [SPEAKER_00]: So I'm thinking about starting a business behind that. 08:19.855 --> 08:23.879 [SPEAKER_00]: This conversation is already going to a place of this business isn't going to work. 08:24.299 --> 08:31.426 [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm not saying that to be rude or disrespectful, but your business should be birthed from solving a real problem. 08:31.727 --> 08:40.155 [SPEAKER_00]: And even if it's not birthed from that, even if it, and there's nothing wrong with saying, I just want to start a business for XYZ reasons. 08:40.135 --> 08:43.222 [SPEAKER_00]: maybe it's the freedom, maybe you want to leave something for your kids. 08:43.242 --> 08:51.239 [SPEAKER_00]: There's nothing wrong with that, but at some point in this thought process, we have to get to problem solving mode because that's what a business is supposed to do. 08:51.279 --> 08:55.208 [SPEAKER_00]: And a lot of people never quite get there. 08:55.188 --> 09:09.131 [SPEAKER_00]: So then you file your paperwork for your LLC, you start a social media page, you start a website, you do all of these things to make yourself feel like you're doing all the business-y tests. 09:09.391 --> 09:16.082 [SPEAKER_00]: But you haven't done the major aspect that's going to make a brick your company, which is validating your idea. 09:16.062 --> 09:26.321 [SPEAKER_00]: finding a gap in a market, finding a problem that you could solve, and then working on solving that problem in a way in which your potential customer wants it. 09:26.341 --> 09:34.956 [SPEAKER_00]: This is the stuff that eight to sexy that people don't want to talk about with business, but this is the stuff that will also make or break your business. 09:35.197 --> 09:37.581 [SPEAKER_00]: And it's the same way when it comes to, 09:37.561 --> 09:45.772 [SPEAKER_00]: where we want God to bless us, we want to use our faith for inspiration and feel goods and all the vibes. 09:46.273 --> 09:55.546 [SPEAKER_00]: But we don't want to do the work of having a submitted life of challenging our own upbringing and thought processes once we get challenged with it in the word. 09:55.867 --> 10:04.198 [SPEAKER_00]: We don't want to change our habits and behaviors that may be comfortable to us and socially acceptable but are clearly against the word of God. 10:04.479 --> 10:06.201 [SPEAKER_00]: We don't want to do that. 10:06.350 --> 10:11.379 [SPEAKER_00]: we don't want to be servants to him, even if he never gives us anything for it. 10:11.920 --> 10:14.665 [SPEAKER_00]: But that's simply not how this works. 10:14.685 --> 10:20.395 [SPEAKER_00]: And as we could see in the text, it is through having your priorities in check. 10:20.415 --> 10:24.822 [SPEAKER_00]: And their priorities spiritually was to be people who were servants of the Lord. 10:25.183 --> 10:30.973 [SPEAKER_00]: That's then when the Lord could see that he could trust them enough to give them this next assignment. 10:30.953 --> 10:42.516 [SPEAKER_00]: Many of you are frustrated because you feel like the Lord has not blessed your business or giving you the instructions as it relates to your business, but you haven't given the Lord your life. 10:43.390 --> 10:46.794 [SPEAKER_00]: You're trying to do this works based faith. 10:47.115 --> 10:50.098 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, we are saved by grace, not by works. 10:50.359 --> 10:54.244 [SPEAKER_00]: It is his unmeritified work that we have access to. 10:54.484 --> 10:57.147 [SPEAKER_00]: There's no amount of work that we can do. 10:57.247 --> 11:07.440 [SPEAKER_00]: There's no amount of Christian like activities that we could check all that will make us deserving of him or that we could do to force his hand. 11:07.808 --> 11:31.576 [SPEAKER_00]: And so if you find yourself in that space and I'm diverting for a second because I feel like I need to, if you find yourself in that space where you're frustrated because you've been doing quote, quote, all the things and you haven't seen God move or speak or don't feel like you have the clearance of what to do next, I would challenge have you actually gave the Lord your life. 11:31.736 --> 11:37.663 [SPEAKER_00]: Have you dedicated your life to him, not just in lip service, but in how you live. 11:38.572 --> 11:43.558 [SPEAKER_00]: Are you surrendered to him and your thoughts and your behaviors with your emotions and your day-to-day? 11:43.839 --> 11:45.628 [SPEAKER_00]: Do you make time for him? 11:46.165 --> 11:49.089 [SPEAKER_00]: Do you see what his word says before you make decisions? 11:49.770 --> 11:59.904 [SPEAKER_00]: It's praying and fasting and community and serving a part of your lifestyle, not just something that you do when you wanna get something from him. 11:59.965 --> 12:12.342 [SPEAKER_00]: I would challenge you with these questions because it's necessary and as we can see in the text, it is a prerequisite before the Holy Spirit can give you clearance to do whatever is next. 12:12.575 --> 12:17.863 [SPEAKER_00]: And to that point, when I was reading this text, you know what I found to be so interesting? 12:18.344 --> 12:19.806 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's go back for a second. 12:21.769 --> 12:25.074 [SPEAKER_00]: So we are introduced in verse one with everybody that was there. 12:25.976 --> 12:34.368 [SPEAKER_00]: Verse two tells us they were worshiping the Lord and Fasten, and that's when the Holy Spirit said to a point, Barnabas and Saul, for the special work to which I have called them. 12:35.751 --> 12:40.658 [SPEAKER_00]: Verse three tells us after more Fasten and praying, they lay hands and sent them one their way. 12:41.077 --> 12:49.275 [SPEAKER_00]: verse four tells us that they were sent out by the Holy Spirit and they went down to the seaport and then sailed for the island of Cyprus. 12:51.139 --> 12:58.495 [SPEAKER_00]: What the question that I asked of the text and what I was very curious about is how do they know where to go? 12:59.386 --> 13:07.923 [SPEAKER_00]: Because as we saw in Part 1 and Acts 8, the Angel of the Lord told Philip exactly where to go. 13:07.943 --> 13:12.231 [SPEAKER_00]: Here, nobody is like, hey, he's here are the directions. 13:12.380 --> 13:13.462 [SPEAKER_00]: they just went. 13:14.122 --> 13:20.471 [SPEAKER_00]: And because we have access to the full story here in the text, where they went was exactly where they were supposed to go. 13:20.511 --> 13:36.514 [SPEAKER_00]: Based on what we know here, what I could assume, especially from this verse in particular, that says in verse 2, a point Barnaby's 13:37.152 --> 13:41.118 [SPEAKER_00]: So what that tells me, and then after that, excuse me, there was more fasting and praying. 13:41.458 --> 13:56.140 [SPEAKER_00]: So then what that tells me is that when they were in this process in the Holy Spirit's spoke, there were some confirmation of something that the Lord may have previously already spoken to Saul and Barnabes. 13:56.120 --> 14:08.666 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm assuming, but just based upon how I've experienced the Holy Spirit, how those I know have experienced the Holy Spirit, a lot of times by the time somebody lays hands on us and sends us out. 14:09.708 --> 14:11.732 [SPEAKER_00]: We already have been. 14:12.505 --> 14:22.401 [SPEAKER_00]: imparted from the Lord, because it's the one that he's the one who calls us, we've already been shown through dreams, through vision, through reading the word, through our quiet time. 14:22.682 --> 14:35.323 [SPEAKER_00]: We've already been shown some stuff, and so I'm just assuming here that the Holy Spirit confirmed and commissioned them with what he already deposited in their hearts previously. 14:35.303 --> 14:47.240 [SPEAKER_00]: And this is why we can't discount this aspect of our spiritual life as Christian business owners, because we want to sit before the Lord and say, hey, God, show me what's next from my business. 14:47.300 --> 14:49.603 [SPEAKER_00]: And he give us this full blueprint. 14:49.623 --> 14:51.025 [SPEAKER_00]: Tell us how awesome we are. 14:51.326 --> 14:59.637 [SPEAKER_00]: Tell us every roadblock we're ever going to face and exactly how we're going to overcome it and we're going to make all this money and be so great and so awesome and blah, blah, blah. 14:59.878 --> 15:04.264 [SPEAKER_00]: That's what we want from the Lord. 15:04.244 --> 15:14.254 [SPEAKER_00]: through this lifestyle of worship, of praying, and fasting, the Lord makes deposits, and he makes deposits as he sees fit. 15:14.960 --> 15:18.363 [SPEAKER_00]: deposits based upon what he thinks that we're ready to receive. 15:19.144 --> 15:20.666 [SPEAKER_00]: But then we can be excited. 15:20.706 --> 15:23.489 [SPEAKER_00]: A lot of us, we get frustrated about the deposits. 15:23.509 --> 15:26.191 [SPEAKER_00]: Because when my God, you gave me this, but what does this mean? 15:26.792 --> 15:29.175 [SPEAKER_00]: God, you're telling me this, but I don't understand. 15:29.515 --> 15:35.621 [SPEAKER_00]: We always want to understand and be able to wrap our natural minds around his supernatural plan. 15:35.821 --> 15:37.343 [SPEAKER_00]: And that's just not how this works. 15:37.863 --> 15:42.368 [SPEAKER_00]: And so what he will do is give us these little deposits. 15:43.158 --> 15:49.017 [SPEAKER_00]: And then when the appropriate time comes, he will send us out and that clarity will come. 15:49.920 --> 15:52.830 [SPEAKER_00]: And we will go and do exactly what we need to. 15:54.245 --> 16:19.662 [SPEAKER_00]: I remember for the year in a half or half a long year plus that the Lord had me in this space of not really knowing what was going on, being a full-time entrepreneur, but him telling me to stop my business right when I was making money, be having this podcast, but no real business just had a prayer journal and a book, but not sure what this was all going to amount to spending every Monday for a year straight. 16:19.642 --> 16:29.436 [SPEAKER_00]: from six a.m. to six p.m. praying and fasting, being in my world like never before, which is me and me and the Lord for this extended period of time. 16:30.137 --> 16:36.006 [SPEAKER_00]: And through this time, as we were dealing with so many other things in my life, he was giving me these little deposits. 16:36.727 --> 16:40.933 [SPEAKER_00]: He gave me these names for programs like, find your voice academy. 16:40.993 --> 16:43.877 [SPEAKER_00]: I didn't know what that was until years later. 16:43.857 --> 17:10.033 [SPEAKER_00]: He gave me instructions for I was going to help develop programming in all of these different things and not instructions, but just little bread crumbs that I just was not understanding and so my practice at that time was okay, God, well, if you want me to do something with this, you let me know, but for right now, I'm going to just write this down, leave it here and I'll come back to it whenever you see fit. 17:10.013 --> 17:23.558 [SPEAKER_00]: And I will give that advice to anybody where if you're in this process of being with the Lord, growing spiritually, he keeps giving you these great crimes for business or career, family, whatever the case may be. 17:23.618 --> 17:25.502 [SPEAKER_00]: He's just giving you these little deposits. 17:26.023 --> 17:28.908 [SPEAKER_00]: And he's instruction that you don't necessarily know what to do with. 17:29.269 --> 17:31.633 [SPEAKER_00]: I will suggest that you write them down. 17:31.613 --> 17:48.205 [SPEAKER_00]: and just hold on to him until he tells you what to do next because I did that for a year plus and it wasn't until later another time of praying and fasting not for my own vision and business and what I was going to do next before a friend that the Lord gave me. 17:48.185 --> 18:09.332 [SPEAKER_00]: the instructions for anchor media and all of these little things that had been in my journal for the last couple of years just started piecing together making all the sense like I couldn't even write with my hand as fast as I was hearing from him and how all the doctors were just connecting and then the Lord told me to go. 18:09.312 --> 18:29.667 [SPEAKER_00]: he sent me out and I've been out ever since and has built a successful company ever since that has branched out into a brick and mortar business through Anchor Media Studios then now in a warm winning business and the Lord has just done so much. 18:29.647 --> 18:52.532 [SPEAKER_00]: And so as I read and I dissect this text in order to be able to communicate it to you guys, I can tell you I'm a living testimony of what will happen when you just dedicate yourself to worship, to fasting that you don't allow your frustration with the fact that he's giving you bits and pieces and not the whole thing to drive you away from him. 18:52.612 --> 18:54.574 [SPEAKER_00]: If you're just patient enough, 18:55.280 --> 19:14.487 [SPEAKER_00]: to deal with what you don't understand and to stay connected with him through the things that you don't understand, I promise you, when it's time for him to send you out, it will make sense and you will be sent out with the level of accuracy that you never would have had if he has sent you out earlier. 19:15.530 --> 19:37.774 [SPEAKER_00]: I remember I told you guys last week that one of the things that I like to do when preparing my episodes is I like to think things through because I want you to take what I'm saying not just to make you feel good, but I want to make sure I've done everything that I could do on the 40 minutes or so we're going to be here together to where you could listen to this show and then immediately apply it. 19:37.994 --> 19:45.402 [SPEAKER_00]: So I'm always looking for ways in which you could either hit a roadblock or misapply what 19:45.382 --> 19:54.779 [SPEAKER_00]: a question, another question that I asked of the text was, who are these people that laid hands on saw in Barnabas to send them out? 19:55.220 --> 20:07.221 [SPEAKER_00]: Because if looking at it through the lens of what we see a lot of today, I don't want there to be any confusion as it relates to this, because we have so many 20:07.201 --> 20:24.062 [SPEAKER_00]: prophets and teachers and faith-based individuals with these massive plethora and then you have people who are hungry to experience the Lord, their hungry to be in His presence, their hungry to see the miracle signs and wonders a lot of people are attracted to. 20:24.042 --> 20:50.893 [SPEAKER_00]: the power that they see and so we flock to these conferences and these these spaces to be able to hear from the man or woman of God to be able to get in front of them so that they can lay hands on us and be able to tell us about what the Lord has to say in all of that we have a level of spiritual thirstiness that we allow individuals to quench versus the Lord but that ain't what this episode is about. 20:52.544 --> 21:15.548 [SPEAKER_00]: Instead of opening our Bibles and going to our local church and being set under a leader that is pure, that has truly been ordained to minister to you, we want to go to the folks who have the most followers and who seem to be doing a most online because in our flesh, we value that over the spiritual consistency and maturity that we see. 21:15.528 --> 21:17.631 [SPEAKER_00]: in people in our local areas. 21:18.072 --> 21:21.878 [SPEAKER_00]: I remember I went to my science school recently. 21:21.938 --> 21:26.805 [SPEAKER_00]: They were opening up this new building behind on the school. 21:27.146 --> 21:38.604 [SPEAKER_00]: And so the school's the Christian private schools was a church and then there's the school and their building is building and it opened it up for parents and families of the school to come in and view. 21:39.205 --> 21:42.750 [SPEAKER_00]: So my husband now of course we went to 21:42.730 --> 21:51.143 [SPEAKER_00]: And, um, the pastor of the church did like some opening remarks before we went and toward the space. 21:51.744 --> 21:55.971 [SPEAKER_00]: And he was talking about how this church had been up for about 40 50 years. 21:56.552 --> 22:02.882 [SPEAKER_00]: And he was telling us the, the origin story of him being a seminary and getting the idea for 22:02.862 --> 22:30.912 [SPEAKER_00]: this church that is turned into this school that is turned into all of this how they started in this elementary school then they out through that space and they went to this other school now through that space and they built their own building and it was just a beautiful story of growth and consistency over decades and I see the fruit of his obedience even in my child who was a student 22:30.892 --> 22:34.538 [SPEAKER_00]: how he can pray whenever I ask him to pray in all of these things. 22:34.618 --> 22:38.364 [SPEAKER_00]: And so I was really in awe at the story. 22:38.805 --> 22:40.487 [SPEAKER_00]: And so I was talking to a friend of mine. 22:40.888 --> 22:46.116 [SPEAKER_00]: And we were walking she is somebody who is who has helped a lot of churches. 22:46.417 --> 22:52.547 [SPEAKER_00]: And so she's real familiar and in the mix of like the church space in this DMV area. 22:53.508 --> 22:54.770 [SPEAKER_00]: And so I was telling her about it. 22:54.790 --> 22:57.675 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm like, man, it's crazy how so many 22:58.263 --> 23:07.523 [SPEAKER_00]: people, especially in this millennial and gen Z era, so many of us flocked to these popular ministries because we're alive at an ADC area. 23:07.803 --> 23:16.843 [SPEAKER_00]: There are a lot of mega churches and there are churches who are widely popular online and have multiple locations throughout the area. 23:16.863 --> 23:18.887 [SPEAKER_00]: And I was telling her, I was like, 23:19.475 --> 23:37.884 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't understand, or I just found the interesting, it was just an observation of how these churches like the ones that my son goes to the school is more old school, but they've been able to build diligently for generations and the fruit is a pairing. 23:38.906 --> 23:43.373 [SPEAKER_00]: And, but then you have these other churches and the fruit is hype. 23:44.298 --> 24:06.797 [SPEAKER_00]: So, what is it that attracts people to just to height the smoke and mirrors the branding and marketing and not the legacy of fruit that you find in these more traditional older, and I'm using it older and air quotes, but these churches that do things in a more traditional way, people aren't attracted to that as much. 24:06.917 --> 24:09.141 [SPEAKER_00]: And that was just an observation amount. 24:09.121 --> 24:35.010 [SPEAKER_00]: But I bring it up because it is a very dangerous characteristic that is prevalent in our generation, millennials and after that we have to discuss it because if not, you'll find yourself flocking to a place thinking that you are dealing with people with the same integrity, the same fruit, the same power, the same authority given by the Lord. 24:34.990 --> 24:38.314 [SPEAKER_00]: as what we see in Acts 13, and it's not true. 24:38.995 --> 24:42.279 [SPEAKER_00]: Those that we see here in the text, they were in community. 24:43.080 --> 24:44.041 [SPEAKER_00]: They knew each other. 24:44.081 --> 25:04.727 [SPEAKER_00]: They would understand that those present were spiritually mature, that they were known for their proven character, that they were all pointed by God, the Holy Spirit, not just any spirit, the Holy Spirit, in their roles as prophets and teachers, but in today's day and age, with all of this online stuff, we don't know these people for real. 25:04.707 --> 25:13.603 [SPEAKER_00]: And just because they make you feel something, that on me and at what you're feeling is the spirit of God, it could be your flesh, it could be your ears being tickled. 25:14.410 --> 25:16.754 [SPEAKER_00]: It could be deception from the enemy. 25:16.814 --> 25:19.778 [SPEAKER_00]: And so I can't talk about this text. 25:20.039 --> 25:29.353 [SPEAKER_00]: And we can't discuss how the Lord will use others to lay hands on us and send us out without qualifying folks first. 25:29.914 --> 25:35.963 [SPEAKER_00]: People in my life let that be because they're always like, yo, your bed in process is serious, and it is. 25:35.943 --> 25:39.127 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not some naive, Christian, or some naive woman. 25:39.388 --> 25:44.515 [SPEAKER_00]: You're not about to just say something to me and just because my flesh likes it, I think that you from the Lord, please. 25:44.535 --> 25:45.697 [SPEAKER_00]: Who sent you? 25:47.259 --> 26:00.437 [SPEAKER_00]: There was somebody one time who profiled to me and said, they were like, the Lord said that what you're doing right now you won't be doing for much longer. 26:01.198 --> 26:04.583 [SPEAKER_00]: And they said a couple of other things, and others like, 26:04.715 --> 26:05.496 [SPEAKER_00]: excuse me? 26:05.556 --> 26:10.582 [SPEAKER_00]: Now the my guard is never down when it comes to spiritual stuff. 26:10.962 --> 26:14.606 [SPEAKER_00]: Even with people who are respected, I know the Lord uses, they're still human. 26:14.846 --> 26:21.354 [SPEAKER_00]: So I'm always going to qualify everything that you say against the Word and against what the Lord has shared with me previously. 26:21.894 --> 26:23.696 [SPEAKER_00]: So this was no different. 26:23.716 --> 26:33.928 [SPEAKER_00]: This person was somebody who was approved by somebody that I trust 26:33.908 --> 26:49.577 [SPEAKER_00]: I was rebuking everything that they were saying because they were dead, wrong, and had I been green, I could have been sitting there questioning everything that the Lord has shared with me previously, everything that made the Lord have worked through. 26:49.877 --> 26:56.349 [SPEAKER_00]: Because what do you mean, what I'm doing now, I'm not going to be doing so much longer when the Lord has already given me the instruction. 26:56.369 --> 26:57.992 [SPEAKER_00]: That doesn't 26:58.850 --> 27:00.914 [SPEAKER_00]: But people will fall for this stuff. 27:01.655 --> 27:13.798 [SPEAKER_00]: And so while we are learning how to build spirit, led businesses, we need to make sure that we are people who accurately discern which spirit is leading us. 27:14.419 --> 27:18.647 [SPEAKER_00]: So I wanted to make sure I gave you a couple of principals for discerning. 27:18.914 --> 27:37.673 [SPEAKER_00]: If you are in community in a space and an environment where you may be fast and in praying with some people and they lay hands on you to send you out the same way to happen in this text, I want to make sure that you have the tools to be able to to discern what spirit they're being led by. 27:37.974 --> 27:43.099 [SPEAKER_00]: So here's some biblical principles for discernment that I want you to take note of. 27:43.079 --> 27:46.366 [SPEAKER_00]: first, test their confession of Jesus. 27:46.426 --> 27:58.229 [SPEAKER_00]: This is a real easy one, but one that a lot of folks miss, especially in his online space, go to first jar on four, one through three, and I'm a rated out of the new limit translation. 27:58.891 --> 28:04.041 [SPEAKER_00]: It says, dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the spirit. 28:04.021 --> 28:08.005 [SPEAKER_00]: You must test them to see if the Spirit they have comes from God. 28:08.045 --> 28:10.488 [SPEAKER_00]: For there are many false prophets in the world. 28:11.109 --> 28:13.191 [SPEAKER_00]: This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God. 28:13.211 --> 28:21.560 [SPEAKER_00]: If a person is claiming to be a prophet, acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. 28:22.061 --> 28:29.809 [SPEAKER_00]: But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God, 28:29.789 --> 28:52.202 [SPEAKER_00]: Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist which you heard is coming into the world and indeed it's already here We see people who vibe like this all the time where they always talking about God, but they never talking about Jesus where they use these bits and pieces of the Bible outside of context 28:52.452 --> 29:00.124 [SPEAKER_00]: They do things to just make them so seeing Christian, but they're not truly acknowledging Jesus as folks straight up. 29:00.805 --> 29:02.928 [SPEAKER_00]: Go on now website and see what they believe. 29:03.589 --> 29:05.952 [SPEAKER_00]: We have so much Christian self-help out here. 29:05.972 --> 29:11.821 [SPEAKER_00]: All of this ambiguous language about God and positivity and faith, what faith? 29:12.282 --> 29:15.467 [SPEAKER_00]: Which God, who are you talking about? 29:16.308 --> 29:19.573 [SPEAKER_00]: Ask people this, and if they're not clear, 29:19.553 --> 29:25.341 [SPEAKER_00]: That is a red flag that the spirit that they're operating in ain't the one you want. 29:27.064 --> 29:31.110 [SPEAKER_00]: The second test for your discernment is the test of fruit of their life. 29:31.791 --> 29:39.722 [SPEAKER_00]: Go to Matthew 7, 15 through 20, and I'm going to read this out of the new limit translation. 29:39.922 --> 29:45.369 [SPEAKER_00]: be aware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep, but are really vicious wolves. 29:45.930 --> 29:49.555 [SPEAKER_00]: You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way, they act. 29:49.896 --> 29:53.661 [SPEAKER_00]: Can you pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? 29:54.241 --> 29:58.667 [SPEAKER_00]: A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. 29:59.168 --> 30:04.275 [SPEAKER_00]: A good tree can't produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can't produce good fruit. 30:04.255 --> 30:09.480 [SPEAKER_00]: so every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. 30:09.920 --> 30:15.586 [SPEAKER_00]: Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, you can identify people by their actions. 30:16.507 --> 30:24.534 [SPEAKER_00]: To be fair, in today's world with social media and all of that, it's a lot harder to judge people by their fruit because you don't know their true fruit. 30:24.915 --> 30:26.957 [SPEAKER_00]: You know what they got on display. 30:27.858 --> 30:33.503 [SPEAKER_00]: But because you can't touch that apple and bite into it for real, you don't realize that it's 30:34.259 --> 30:42.993 [SPEAKER_00]: And so there's an element of patience that we have to have when it comes to our discernment and the spaces that we allow ourselves to be spiritually influenced by. 30:43.774 --> 30:45.457 [SPEAKER_00]: But we'll talk more about that in a moment. 30:46.198 --> 30:51.787 [SPEAKER_00]: The third way to test through your discernment is to test alignment with Scripture. 30:52.267 --> 30:59.018 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's go first to Galatians 1-8 and I'm going to read it out of the new living translation. 30:59.572 --> 31:08.587 [SPEAKER_00]: It says, let God's curse follow anyone, including us, or even an angel from heaven who preach as a different kind of good news than the one we preach to you. 31:09.168 --> 31:10.531 [SPEAKER_00]: And let's reverse not to. 31:10.931 --> 31:20.968 [SPEAKER_00]: I say again, what we have said before, if anyone preach as any other good news than the one you welcome, let that person be cursed. 31:20.988 --> 31:23.773 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's go to Isaiah 8 and 20. 31:24.682 --> 31:32.014 [SPEAKER_00]: It says, look at God's instructions and teachings, people who contradict his word are completely in the dark. 31:32.034 --> 31:42.652 [SPEAKER_00]: And to be sensitive to those who may not be able to recall, as quickly if something is contradicting to the word, this is why we have to write things down to be patient. 31:43.192 --> 31:49.643 [SPEAKER_00]: So somebody gives you a word or you're an environment and you're not sure what they're saying is an alignment with the text. 31:49.623 --> 32:00.213 [SPEAKER_00]: A lot of times they make it hard for you to be able to fact check because they don't refer to the text or have you open the text and read it with them, but that's neither here nor there. 32:01.434 --> 32:03.716 [SPEAKER_00]: Write it down and then go back and check. 32:04.557 --> 32:09.522 [SPEAKER_00]: What does the Bible have to say about this, whatever insert, whatever topic they may have been discussing? 32:09.882 --> 32:15.988 [SPEAKER_00]: And study what the Word of God says in context is what they're saying in alignment or is it contradictory? 32:16.008 --> 32:19.191 [SPEAKER_00]: Is what they're saying 32:20.622 --> 32:26.111 [SPEAKER_00]: do your homework to make sure that you're in being influenced by the correct spirit. 32:26.191 --> 32:27.774 [SPEAKER_00]: I know the same to sexy stuff. 32:28.374 --> 32:32.601 [SPEAKER_00]: I know the same to stuff that's the most attractive in the most fun, but it is necessary. 32:33.503 --> 32:36.948 [SPEAKER_00]: This is who you're allowing to influence your life. 32:37.730 --> 32:39.913 [SPEAKER_00]: We should not take that lightly. 32:39.893 --> 32:44.918 [SPEAKER_00]: Another way you test with your discernment is you test through the witness of the Holy Spirit. 32:45.539 --> 32:47.161 [SPEAKER_00]: Let's go to John 1613. 32:48.703 --> 32:52.667 [SPEAKER_00]: When a spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. 32:52.687 --> 32:56.932 [SPEAKER_00]: He will not speak on his own, but will tell you what he has heard. 32:56.952 --> 32:59.134 [SPEAKER_00]: He will tell you about the future. 32:59.835 --> 33:00.856 [SPEAKER_00]: And I'll continue on. 33:00.896 --> 33:04.720 [SPEAKER_00]: He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. 33:05.392 --> 33:07.445 [SPEAKER_00]: All that belongs to the Father is mine. 33:07.606 --> 33:11.773 [SPEAKER_00]: This is why I said, the Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me. 33:13.019 --> 33:33.060 [SPEAKER_00]: I just gave you some clear guidelines and scriptures to utilize when discerning who you are allowing to pour into you, whether they're lay hands or you physically or pour into you spiritually without physical touch, you should be very discerning. 33:33.460 --> 33:38.385 [SPEAKER_00]: So let's recap, test their confession of Jesus, test the fruit of their life. 33:39.040 --> 33:43.669 [SPEAKER_00]: test their alignment with Scripture and test through the witness of the Holy Spirit. 33:44.651 --> 33:53.809 [SPEAKER_00]: So a way that you could applaud this practically, ask yourself, ask the Lord, does this person exalt the true Jesus or themselves? 33:54.532 --> 34:10.590 [SPEAKER_00]: child, you won't even have to get to number two with what this first question does this person exhaust the true Jesus or themselves does their life produce holy Christ like fruit or do you just not know because that's an answer. 34:11.250 --> 34:17.417 [SPEAKER_00]: In this online space you don't know unless you know these people personally you do not know. 34:18.393 --> 34:20.296 [SPEAKER_00]: Are they aligned fully with Scripture? 34:20.696 --> 34:21.878 [SPEAKER_00]: And they're not adding to it. 34:21.898 --> 34:22.940 [SPEAKER_00]: They're not twisting it. 34:22.980 --> 34:25.383 [SPEAKER_00]: They're not trying to manipulate it to fit. 34:25.524 --> 34:34.116 [SPEAKER_00]: Their narrative is that theology sound does the spirit within me, the Holy Spirit bear witness to their words and their actions. 34:35.198 --> 34:40.125 [SPEAKER_00]: Are they building God's kingdom with what they're doing or consistently pointing back to themselves? 34:40.386 --> 34:44.772 [SPEAKER_00]: These are questions that you could write down and ask to qualify. 34:44.903 --> 34:46.048 [SPEAKER_00]: who's pouring into you. 34:46.691 --> 34:51.792 [SPEAKER_00]: And after you've prayed and you've been honest, and you've asked the Lord these questions. 34:52.801 --> 34:56.286 [SPEAKER_00]: Then wait, you don't have to submit immediately to nobody. 34:56.887 --> 34:59.251 [SPEAKER_00]: You don't have to accept every prophecy. 34:59.812 --> 35:01.515 [SPEAKER_00]: When you get it, discern first. 35:01.595 --> 35:03.818 [SPEAKER_00]: And if you need a moment, take a moment, write it down. 35:03.898 --> 35:07.684 [SPEAKER_00]: Somebody says, they somebody prophesied to you, just say thank you so much. 35:08.285 --> 35:10.749 [SPEAKER_00]: And you write it down, and you take it to the Lord. 35:10.789 --> 35:12.812 [SPEAKER_00]: You ain't got to receive it right in and there. 35:13.133 --> 35:15.737 [SPEAKER_00]: Don't let them touch you right in and there. 35:16.865 --> 35:18.967 [SPEAKER_00]: Take time to take it back to the Lord. 35:19.167 --> 35:23.812 [SPEAKER_00]: I know it's customary for us to see folk, land hands and folks fall and out in. 35:24.232 --> 35:31.719 [SPEAKER_00]: All this wrought time, people are being so excited because somebody found a couple of fun facts about them off the internet. 35:31.939 --> 35:33.921 [SPEAKER_00]: So they think this person is hearing from the Lord. 35:34.001 --> 35:35.563 [SPEAKER_00]: No, no, no. 35:35.903 --> 35:41.549 [SPEAKER_00]: Say thank you kindly, write it down, and take it back to the Lord. 35:41.649 --> 35:46.213 [SPEAKER_00]: You can wait if it's truly from the Lord 35:47.425 --> 35:48.626 [SPEAKER_00]: take it back to the Lord. 35:49.667 --> 35:54.652 [SPEAKER_00]: Make sure that you're somebody who studies your Bible against so you can spot false teaching easily. 35:54.672 --> 35:57.935 [SPEAKER_00]: I do want to give room for those who are still learning. 35:58.556 --> 36:07.765 [SPEAKER_00]: Like over time as you study the Word and you become more familiar with it, it'll be easier to spot false teaching without taking much time at all. 36:08.025 --> 36:16.133 [SPEAKER_00]: But in the beginning, just because you don't know the Bible front to back that doesn't mean that you cannot just 36:16.501 --> 36:27.844 [SPEAKER_00]: I did this so much early in my walk where I would sit in a sermon, excuse me, a service, and I would write description down, and I would go back and study it for myself. 36:28.786 --> 36:34.193 [SPEAKER_00]: It may be because something that the pastor said or something about that scripture really sat with me. 36:34.493 --> 36:36.095 [SPEAKER_00]: So I wanted to study it for myself. 36:36.455 --> 36:38.938 [SPEAKER_00]: It could be, I didn't understand. 36:39.279 --> 36:40.320 [SPEAKER_00]: So I just wrote it down. 36:40.380 --> 36:42.082 [SPEAKER_00]: So I could go back and study it for myself. 36:42.963 --> 36:48.089 [SPEAKER_00]: And sometimes, I remember I was deciding whether to leave a church that I used to be a part of. 36:48.149 --> 36:52.955 [SPEAKER_00]: And I was sitting in service and my spirit just was not right. 36:53.496 --> 36:58.742 [SPEAKER_00]: We were in praise and worship. 36:59.785 --> 37:10.602 [SPEAKER_00]: The environment was like all the things, the music, people crying, all the emotional expressions that you would expect to see in praise and worship. 37:10.943 --> 37:17.794 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm looking around and I'm saying it, but something in me was like, the Lord is not here. 37:18.922 --> 37:23.288 [SPEAKER_00]: And I had to then take that back to prayer. 37:23.328 --> 37:27.453 [SPEAKER_00]: And I sat with the Lord like God, these are the things that I'm observing. 37:27.914 --> 37:33.000 [SPEAKER_00]: These are the character traits in the fruit and the things that people are saying that's staying in out to me. 37:33.801 --> 37:37.946 [SPEAKER_00]: Because everybody else don't seem to have an issue with it in my crazy God. 37:38.347 --> 37:39.709 [SPEAKER_00]: Cause I don't think this is right. 37:39.769 --> 37:41.571 [SPEAKER_00]: This doesn't sound like you. 37:42.361 --> 37:47.717 [SPEAKER_00]: These are not behaviors or traits of people who are truly being led by you. 37:48.339 --> 37:50.024 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't, this feels like a show. 37:50.044 --> 37:53.273 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't feel your spirit in this space. 37:54.778 --> 37:56.944 [SPEAKER_00]: And you can take that back to the Lord. 37:57.987 --> 38:04.817 [SPEAKER_00]: And then lastly, I won't say, also make sure you stay connected and fellowship, though, with mature believers who can help you discern. 38:05.458 --> 38:15.473 [SPEAKER_00]: There have been so many times where, like, a friend of call me and be like, hey, I was talking to this person or this person popped up in a minister this to me, but it'll sit right with me like, what do you think? 38:15.453 --> 38:42.861 [SPEAKER_00]: And I do the same thing like I mean everything seemed to check out when the surface but I don't know it's just something about that's my favorite thing like it's just something about that I just can't put my finger on what you think well let's pray about this I'll see if you get something off see if I get something will just we'll just table this for a second until the Lord gives us a yes or no about this situation or this person on what spirit is active here. 38:43.077 --> 38:44.460 [SPEAKER_00]: You can do that as well. 38:44.480 --> 38:51.715 [SPEAKER_00]: I know we'd be in a rush for everything, but when it comes to being a spirit-led, we have to be patient. 38:52.918 --> 38:54.581 [SPEAKER_00]: We have to be on his time clock. 38:55.002 --> 39:01.255 [SPEAKER_00]: We have to be thorough so that we can make sure that we're moving accurately. 39:01.538 --> 39:08.635 [SPEAKER_00]: Because we want to be lay about the Holy Spirit, not our flesh, not the enemy, or any other spirits. 39:08.856 --> 39:09.558 [SPEAKER_00]: That's out here. 39:10.400 --> 39:16.695 [SPEAKER_00]: So if you want to build a business that's Holy Spirit laid, we've said all that is to say. 39:16.675 --> 39:21.080 [SPEAKER_00]: that strategy is birth through worship, through fasting. 39:21.560 --> 39:40.540 [SPEAKER_00]: And if you're in community and in a space where you're fasting with others and they try to lay hands on you and send you out, you want to make sure that you're qualifying that as well and you're not tainting the sacred space, intentionally or unintentionally. 39:41.667 --> 39:43.332 [SPEAKER_00]: So I'm an in this episode here. 39:43.352 --> 39:46.360 [SPEAKER_00]: I pray that this bless you and gave you insight. 39:46.701 --> 39:51.133 [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you so much for listening to another episode of the Bless and Balls that podcast. 39:51.153 --> 39:53.078 [SPEAKER_00]: I love you guys and I'll see you in the next one.