Hoping this here working. Let me see now here. I know this is a random time 10 40 a.m But what I want to do is come on here and sorry about that. I muted my microphone Want to come on here and shoot this live so that way I don't have to record it and then upload it So I know some of y'all work from home But some of you got to go into work, but wanted to come on here and Do a little talk because I And it's an open chat, you know, not just the the bless tribe, but Want to come on here. So we have other individuals in the chat So y'all mind your manners if you're not in the bless tribe because a lot of times I go live It's just only the bless tribe can chat and to join the bless tribe. You'll see it under the video where it says join But wanted to come on here and do like a follow-up. I just did one on Instagram From the interview I posted yesterday on the community page That I had on the know for sure podcast so this isn't a Q&A just kind of like a recap of that interview and It was very real, you know, it was a real interview and They were very welcoming and respectful and for me it was different getting outside of my element and going out and talking on a podcast that You know talks about God and things of that nature but could also be seen as secular because of you know profanity and topics of conversation, but That's what you know, I don't judge anybody and that's what I feel we are Supposed to do to go into different audiences in different places and spread a word and Glory you might be coming in A little late some people watching this from the beginning Where I had muted my thing So y'all forgive me. Can y'all hear me right now though cuz I glory probably talking about she probably watching it from the beginning And so if you can hit me right now, I'm not gonna be really Paying too much attention to the chat. Okay All right We got a lot of new people in here who not in the bless tribe because the option today I didn't give it to me normally when I go live I can just put only members, but for some reason YouTube changed their their settings from the phone from the app So this everybody in the chat so y'all forgive them who may not Know how this work But on there I was looking and what I do sometimes is try to See what the comment say just so I can address some of the things and the first thing I will say is When when a conversation is directed to a certain Gender we need to sit in that and let it be that so The young lady asked me be Simone asked me do all men cheat She asked me do all humans cheat. She asked me do men and women cheat the same She said do all men cheat and so in answering that question I'm addressing men, but a lot of times what happened is when we do that It's always people who say well, what about the women and do women cheat and all of those things so it's kind of like You know Be real Please don't come on here or promoting people stuff. We don't know I don't know who the people you're talking about and so, you know Don't y'all come on on here promoting just random people cuz you taking my life and you driving people to Somebody I don't even know and so that ain't they ain't what we do here And that's normally why just the bless tribe in here commenting because people outside of the bless trial Don't really understand the the mission and the message over here So if you're not familiar with the chat, just don't just don't say nothing in the chat, you know just kind of watch the the video and You know, it's all right for y'all to listen and Still feeling like you have to chat Be in the chat and so what we have to get to the point is where we can start to Sit in what we sitting in so if the message for the man Let it be for the man if the message for the women, let it be for the women because until we can have that Individual accountability we can't really Get anywhere. We can't really do anything because as long as men are blaming women and women are blaming men We just running in circles. We stand in the same place. So understand that Another thing that was misunderstood is what tapping into purpose means and tapping in the purpose does not mean Just being out in the streets Serving the homeless tapping in the purpose could mean being a stand-up man a good father for your children a husband could be your purpose and Your job could also be your purpose Your life and just leaving a legacy could be your purpose and to be tapped in means that you have discipline You have self-love you have self-control and that's what a lot of people didn't understand and people were saying Oh, you know, it means you know It means To be faithful, you got to have self-love. You got to have discipline. That's what tapping in the purpose means it's one in the same and That's the thing that until men come to a place and I don't believe this is true for women because a lot of people say women cheat just as much as men and typically the only people who say that are cheating women like loose women and Men who have been cheated on?  Who have told you? Hey Women Men cheat less than women meaning she's tried to talk to me Meaning she's tried to talk to me and And men have turned her down over and over and over because they said I have a girlfriend You don't often time see that and that's where we need to get to I saw a guy in the comments He was saying that if the two hosts Told me they want to do this or do that to me that I wouldn't have turned that down and That's our problem in our society is that we don't even believe that men could be faithful We don't even believe that men can grow that man could change and Some people come and they say well, oh How you get married and then you know you go cold turkey and In the interview I talked about my first two years of marriage It's like that that weaning off period like that period where you still in limbo that period where you still wondering Hey, is this for me? Is this marriage for me? Never in there Did I say I Cheated on my wife or I was a cheater. I said them first two years is where I still was learning and growing and Kind of went through explaining that but a lot of times we don't Really listen and pay attention to that and that's that's where we have to be real that because The problem that hurts so many Relationships and the reason why so many relationships come to an abrupt end is because of the fairy tales so the fairy tales that we have where people come and They are in a place of they don't understand where They cannot See the reality of love and so they come into a relationship and women just think that oh a Man is just automatically because he got married He's automatically gonna be faithful and faithfulness is gonna be easy and that because he loves me He sees nothing else. He feels nothing else and all of those things and that's not Real so it's important that we understand the realities of human beings So that when you go into a relationship, you actually can communicate about those things I've had so many women that come to me and say well Tony if a man is attracted to another woman outside of his wife doesn't that mean that he doesn't love her and For a woman to ask that question It lets me know that that's how she feels that when she falls in love with a man no other man catches her eye or is she attracted to them in that way and Maybe that's for her. I know other women will say otherwise For themselves But as humans we all can see attraction. It doesn't mean we want to sleep with somebody doesn't mean we're gonna approach to somebody doesn't mean we're gonna give our phone number out or anything like that but as men and women as humans we all can see attraction so Married or not and it's good that we can be real and that's a place that even I had to come to and understand Tools that I'm human my wife is human and I got to be understanding about that So I can't be in this fairy tale mindset to think that my wife is not gonna think any other man is handsome And just because she thinks a man is handsome doesn't mean she wants to sleep with them Doesn't mean she wants to be with them and that's what we have to come to that place in that realization of really having real conversations, but we live in a world today where Couples are so a lot of couples with a platform are so into Monetization and trying to monetize love that when you just focused on monetizing love You can't really be real about real feelings and real struggles and what we really go through and then that hurts us that hinders us in our relationship building because then singles Assume that marriage is just supposed to be easy and perfect or That is supposed to just be a nightmare and it doesn't have to be and it won't it doesn't have to be just one or the other and It definitely doesn't have to be a nightmare But you do as humans still have to learn and grow and heal and communicate and this is our things that we have to learn and understand and come to that place to where we can be respectful of our own process and also respectful of our spouses process and There's a lot of Times where we don't want to hear the truth. We don't want to accept the truth We don't want to confront the truth because the truth requires change the truth is Painful at times and there are times where we got to evaluate ourselves. So even on the podcast we talked about we talked about profanity and there were a lot of women who Mentioned the young ladies profanity. Well, that's very common in our society. Like I'm sitting around Quote-unquote Christian school teachers Christian female school teachers and their cursing they're using profanity like you see people who Never seen a hood in their life Using profanity never seen a struggle in their life using profanity We live in a very profane world And so I address that because when you tap into righteousness and you tap into purity and you believe that there is a holy Spirit and you believe that this holy spirit is residing in you Then at that point you no longer can use profanity because you don't feel comfortable Mixing the sacred with the profane But when you are not operating from that spirit and you don't have that spirit Living within you is very easy to be profaned because you don't feel any type of conviction and so I Address that because that's where I want to see us grow to to the point that we can be role models for children 24-7 to where we can grow and we can heal and we can learn and we can change those things that don't Benefit our life. And so a lot of times we have to ask ourselves, you know, is this smoking adding years to my life Is this masturbation masturbation adding years to my life is this drinking Adding years to my life is this cursing adding years to my life and the things that do not benefit us that we start to decrease those things or Completely remove those things so that we come to a place Where we are growing because if you're not growing then you're dying and so this is what we have to start to really process and understand and You know, I want to get out there and Share a different message and that's why I'm talking. This is not something I want to do It's not something that I'm that's fun for me I'm a lot of days like Lord, you know past this cup like can I do something else? can I talk about something else but We got to go where we need it and we got to address what needs to be addressed and In this time and in this season is so much misinformation. It's so much misdirection It's so much conversation around love and relationships that are so skewed and jaded and Not really understanding what it is and what it takes to have a happy and healthy Relationship and knowing that even in that it's gonna be a lot of rough times It's gonna be a lot of low moments It's gonna be a lot of times where you feel like throwing into the towel and I even talked about that which Which people think that you get to a certain year. Oh, you get the year 10 you get the year 15 You get the year 20 everything from there is gravy. It's easy. That's not the case Because life always presents new challenges and new changes and in those times You never know how you're going to react or respond to what's going on in your life And so you can be married 30 years and still get a divorce because at that 30 year mark the woman may start to go through menopause or the man may start to go through a midlife crisis and everything changes in the relationship and That pushes you to a divorce because you didn't see it coming. You weren't prepared for it You weren't thinking about it like that and you didn't know how to handle it. So love is a job It's not a vacation Love is a job that we cannot retire from we have to get up and that's a quote that I wrote Decade ago We have to get up and we got to go to work Every single day and you got to try and you got to grow every single day You got to put in the work and you got to be about it every single day and It does not Get easier it just gets different It changes and I was naive to that even in the beginning of my marriage and early on in my marriage And when I started speaking and teaching I would say stuff like oh love is easy Relationships are easy and I would say that just because of the mind space I was in and I wouldn't have no problems but then as I went on and I start to see life change and I started to see the different things that happen in life and See different challenges then I learned and that's why I say none of us have all the answers Because the more we go the more we learn So someone who is single and giving advice It doesn't mean that it's gonna all be bad advice. It's just gonna be limited advice So when they get in a relationship The advice is gonna be different when they get engaged when they get married and then when they get Five years in ten years in twenty years in the advice is going to change Because the deeper you go The more you see the more you learn the more you have to Understand in order to survive and so we have to get to that place of understanding that that There will always be another lesson and it's important to have different voices It's important to you know be out there and be able to hear these things, but We got to understand what we know and what we don't know You know where we are and be wise enough to know when we should just listen and Give things a try if what we've been trying hasn't been working out for us and so for me I Want to see more men tap in the purpose Tap in the purpose and give faithfulness a try give a relationship a try. I want to see more men meet women and Get to know a woman and start to build with a woman and really be honest and genuine With that woman I really want to see more men tap into love Because whether you have kids with a woman or you adopt kids with a woman Being a man and being in your relationship and doing what you're supposed to do You're touching and changing the world and you leave in a legacy That will outlive you and the children that you reach will go on to do things in our society That'll move the story forward and that's what we need more men to do to stop running from the grind to stop running from the work to stop running from the the discipline that it requires and No one is better than anyone else No one is on a high horse We talking and we trying to build and we sharing experiences hoping that we can learn from each other And that's what has to be understood. I feel like a lot of times men get to the point. They feel like they're being talked down to But then are very quiet when there are men talking down to women But even talking in a tone just like this But speaking truth to power a lot of men feel attacked or feel bashed because they're being asked to be responsible To be accountable to man up to be faithful to one woman to stop lying and cheating and manipulating and deceiving a lot Of men feel attacked by that when all it is is just a call to To better a call to greatness a call to excellence and one of the things that women need to stop doing is To stop coddling men and stop making excuses for men I saw a lot of women who Look at that the little short clip and we're like, oh, we're just gonna act like women don't cheat And it's like we're not talking about women in this segment in this piece in this moment and I said some one of y'all sent me a video of a guy He was saying that men aren't allowed to have standards in our world and that women say they want a man Six foot or taller but then when a man says he wants a younger woman, it's a problem and that men can't even say that and Yes, it is a problem when men say that but it's also a problem when a woman Says that she wants a man six foot or taller And so the same thing that I say to men I say to women in the sense of You can't ask for a stand for a preference and then be sensitive When someone has a preference that does not prefer you So if you want to be accepted for who you are and where you are Then you have to have that same mentality when you're looking for somebody and it's so often I see people who are not where they're supposed to be and they want somebody who is where they want to be So they're here and complacent But they want somebody who's living the life of their dreams and expect that person who's living Their dreams not the person's dreams, but the person who is seeking they're in the place of Where this person wants to be and so they want to be with that person But that person over there is saying hey, you're not where you're where you need to be You're not doing what you need to do So how do you expect me to compromise for you? And that's truth in that and that's why I tell women all the time when you want a man That's six foot tall with a six-pack and six figures or six inches You might end up with a devil on your hands Because you picking a man just based on preferences But you should let his character be his currency and see who he is. What are his morals? What are his values? What does he stand on? Does he live by that? Does he really live it? And then go from there because a lot of the other things the aesthetics those things could be changed those things We could learn how to dress we could learn how to eat, right? We can learn how to lose weight But it's hard as an adult to change your whole identity if you're a terrible person If you had bad if you have bad character That's a lot harder to change Then it is to go to the gym and get in some shape or to eat right and lose some weight And so we got to start really identifying and paying attention to what are we looking for and And what we're looking for Does that matter in the grand scheme of things? And so when character becomes currency, that's when we really start to see and And so that's where we have to understand that Ryan God bless you and Jane a welcome to the blessed tribe So it's it's some real stuff out here that got to be addressed and what I want you all to understand is to Understand that it's a lot of Wolves It's a lot of wolves in sheep's clothing and it's a lot of men and Women who are misleading the people and they're doing it because they want to be significant They want to be famous. They want to be seen. They want to be known and They know that they don't know what they're talking about and they know that they're not living what they're talking about But money and fame and quote-unquote significance means more And so we have to be mindful of that be very mindful of that and you have to use Discernment when you listen into people and make sure that you can sense and that you can feel that they're living what they're teaching and that it's really that it's adding up because You know people it was women who was saying, oh What if his wife sees this when I said that my first two years of marriage? I still had wondering eyes and it's like I'm going on 16 years of marriage It's my I'm on the public internet You don't think my wife know that but one thing I've always been with my wife And what it has helped her is it has helped her minister to her friends because I've always been so Transparent with my wife that she's able to go to her friends and say Tony says this Tony says this about me Tony says this is what me and feel this is what me and go through because I'm being transparent with her never being with her in a way to making her think that Men have this angelic experience without Meditation and without struggle and that once a man gets married His wife is the only woman that he recognizes or sees for the rest of eternity and that this switch Just automatically turns off and that's what some men try to allude to and That's what some women think and that's not real so we have to make sure that we're we're getting the realness and and To the men and women who are talking, but you know, you're not living it What I'm asking you is to shut up If you hear this and you are giving advice And you're not living it behind closed doors And you know that you're giving advice. So you talking Out of the side of your neck For money and for clout I'm asking you to shut up and the reason why I'm asking you to shut up is not just for the good of the people But for your own safety Because one thing that people don't understand is spiritual warfare and when you are Operating in a spiritual realm meaning when you are shifting the way people think and the way people live That you go into a realm of good verse evil and if your message does more harm than help if your Message does more harm than help Now you become susceptible to being touched what I mean by that is Spiritual warfare often times operates and shows up in the physical Because eventually the vessels who are carrying evil end up devouring themselves or being devoured Because what the adversary does is he uses vessels? But because he comes to steal and to kill and to destroy When the vessel has been used then the vessel will be destroyed. It's almost like a self-detonating Device so this is what I want you to understand because It's very dangerous and a lot of times when people don't really know God and they don't really fear God like I Heard a gentleman talking on the interview and he kept you know Just he was talking about God and how he gave his like to God But then he was cursing and he was missing and he was using curse words in profane manner and I'm like that doesn't even add up because You can't say God's name in vain and in curse like that if you really Rocking with the Lord because it just will be a conviction in your spirit of Mixing the sacred and the profane and in that moment I then knew he's playing with God and when you play with God it never turns out good It never turns out good.  Relationships it disrupts marriage It derails what God wants what God wants for his children which is healthy faithful loving relationships and When I saw that happening I did a video and I said listen If you are upending the work of God meaning if you are disrupting derailing distracting from the work of God Then you will pay a price You will pay a price because that is how the spiritual realm works So you have to be mindful of what you're spreading and so what a lot of people don't understand is is that in God's word The word is expressly against fornication It's expressly against adultery So when people go and they say the name of God, but then they also condone fornication or adultery now You are making a mockery of God and the good book says God will not be mocked And so the reason why although I realize that fornication is Or the abstinence of standing until marriage although I realize that is extremely hard and Although everybody a lot of people I know failed at it. I'm not going to condone it and Promote it. I'm gonna encourage people to fight the good fight Win the battle that I lost You know win the battle that I lost win the battle that your mother or your father or your friends or this person That person lost, you know win that battle. I'm not going to tell people. Hey, oh, no, you know, give in You know give in to sin and just it's okay to fornicate and what a lot of people don't realize is that and they said Oh, it doesn't make sense to save yourself to a marriage or oh this right here doesn't make sense So that doesn't make sense But what they don't realize is when you instructing people to live a life of sin then you're instructing them to ignore and Disobey God and when you do that now You align y'all got to forgive me with the sound chain out of phone in When you do that you align with the adversary So when you tell people a it's okay to fornicate or saving yourself till marriage is not realistic And being with one woman is not realistic You're then telling people to live the life that That Satan wants us to live. So now you are going to war against God now you are telling the whole world that you stand against God and that having healthy whole faithful relationships you are against that and One thing that you don't want to do is to be misaligned With God to be going against God to be going against the productivity that We are expected to have as humans You don't want to do that So and this what I tell people like they showed the NFL player who had the jacket on at the Super Bowl the one who almost lost his life from the hard hit and Then he wore a jacket that was like mocking Jesus and had a picture of Jesus and look you know weird cartoon of Jesus and it said eternal on there and And it's like I was telling my son. I said I don't believe I'm not Buddhist, but I don't mock Buddha I'm not Muslim, but I don't mock Allah I'm not, you know, Hindu, but I don't mock their religion because Somebody believes in that and I don't know or understand what they believe and I don't know how real it is for them It's not my thing, but I'm not going to mock it But people will literally mock Jesus Christ and will mock Christianity and will mock God because they don't believe so they'll call God a Fairy tale they'll say Jesus wasn't the son of God. They'll you know say these things, but it's like listen You don't know that for sure and If you see millions of people who have good head on their shoulder good brains Good, you know all of this right here Then you can't take in mock that and so this is something that has to be said somebody say represent Jesus of mocking he was mocking them because it was a caricature of Jesus and looking all funny funny face funny this and that and That ain't how you don't take in Represent something in a light that makes it look bad or makes it look silly You don't become a hindrance to your brethren, but that right there you know Is the same mindset that a lot of people have and so that's what There didn't there were people saying oh well You're supposed to go to him in private and you're not supposed to judge him and all of this And so we have this very watered down approach today Where we're just so afraid We're so afraid and we're afraid to Stand for truth. We're afraid to live righteous. We're afraid to be better We're afraid to stand on what we stand on and that's what is destroying the fabric of Society and even as parents it's hard for us because there's so many parents who Don't have common sense There's so many parents who don't know how to parent and so they raising their children to do whatever they want to do So then for those of us who want to raise our children with standards and with morals and with values We start to look crazy because we asking our children to do things That no other kids that they know we're doing and we are asking them to live in a way that it's not common And so that narrow road that narrow road becomes a lot harder to walk down than the broad road But that's something that we still have to stick to and we got to stand on what we stand on And we got to be willing To do what's right regardless of who's not doing it. And so here's the thing is In the spiritual realm there are In the spiritual realm, there are things that spirits that oppose and There are spirits that Repel So what happens is and a lot of time people ask and they say well What Tony why don't you go on more podcast or why aren't you on this podcast or this radio show? and the reason why is because I'm not invited on those shows and The reason being is because a lot of shows cannot share a Message that stands on something They have to cater to everyone because they don't want to offend certain audiences. So they have to Cater to everybody so when you stand on something You become Liability to those outlets that don't want to say the name of God or the name of Jesus that don't want to Give a message that is going to move the family forward And then also sometimes it's the spiritual alignment of the host so if there are hosts who they are not aligned With righteousness and they don't want to be then They're not gonna bring someone who they feel is aligned differently and is going to confront or convict them because they don't want to even sit in that and then also there are Spirits and things that cannot be introduced because what a pure spirit does When you are operating in a pure spirit, you become the light in darkness So when you go on your job when you and your family when you at the family reunion when you at church You become a light in the darkness if there's darkness around you. And so what happens is? Adriana God bless you. So what happens is let's say a man has this this podcast and he is cheating on his wife or They're going through a really tough time and When he looks at my message or someone like me He looks at our message and he sees that all of this messaging What convinced his wife to leave would tell her you're not being loved, right? You're not being respected. You're not being treated, right and that because of that she may leave so he will not bring me on his podcast because He doesn't want to condone or stamp or promote my message because it could upend his own situation And so that's why you will mostly see women bring me on their outlet because if I'm speaking on manhood and a man being gentle and loving and Faithful, it's not gonna offend the woman that ain't gonna step on a woman toes It's not gonna upend her situation but if a man is not living like that and that's why I try to express it and share that I Was not living like that that I had to learn that my message comes from me learning and I'm still learning That's why I shared on the podcast that a I still last year was in spiritual warfare and going through and Struggling and trying to make it and just trying to carry, you know this this weight And so we have to understand that we got to understand that and Come to a place to realize that this isn't about Being judgmental or anything of that nature These messages it's about us growing for the family for the future for society and That's what we need We need to be able to hold ourselves accountable Look ourselves in the mirror and make the changes that need to be made And so that's that's what I'm standing on and that's what my goal is my focus is and so if I have to expose myself and you know share my message and Teach from that place, you know using myself as an example then that's what I have to do but I want to Encourage everybody to look in the mirror Stop pointing the blame stop waiting on somebody else to change and look in the mirror and see What you need to do for you and watch how that changes your life watch that piece that passive all Understanding come over your life.  God bless you. Thank y'all for popping on here I really ain't expect nobody to be on here this time of morning.  Thank you for sharing that and I'm praying for him that he stay in the fight and he keep going He did the right thing and that's all it's about, you know It's just growing and just pressing to that next level and really looking and saying hey Is this benefiting me or could I be doing something different? Could I be doing something better? and just growing in that way and as you do that it comes to a place to where you You start to reap the benefits you start to reap the benefits of Your sacrifices and then once you reap the benefits of your sacrifices it hits differently because you like whoa This over here this harvest is way greater Than what I had before and it takes some time to get there take a while a lot of time you're gonna question Should you have changed? Should you be sacrificing? Where's the reward? Where's the payoff?  Hey, it's Tony Gaskin. God bless you and Make sure y'all check out Tony Gaskins Academy dot com Everything I do that I know life love and business. I put it on Tony Gaskins Academy dot com The whole blueprint everything I know every ounce of success. I've had in life love of business I put it on Tony Gaskins Academy dot com and this Saturday We having a bonus session for our group coaching program. So it's called the growth club You'll see it right on Tony Gaskins Academy dot com. You'll see the growth club So y'all join us in the monthly group coaching Nancy. God bless you appreciate that blessing means a lot God bless and we'll talk soon


वें people say that they are in love, they think they are in unconditional love. But still, in most of the cases, it's not working, it doesn't lead to happiness. So, Sadhguru, when is unconditional love truly possible? See, when you say love, your experience of love means, you feel certain sweetness of emotion within yourself. Either by looking at this person or this person or this person, we don't know who stimulates this in you. It doesn't matter who helped you, but essentially it happened within you, isn't it? Yes? Did it happen only within you or was it in the air? I'm trying to clear this air. Combination of both. Really? It was in the air? No, it only happened within you. Maybe what was happening within you was so exuberant, you saw it everywhere.  All right, I don't want to destroy all the romance, okay? But essentially it's happening within you. It's wonderful that you are experiencing such sweetness of emotion, stimulated by somebody. You are using the other person as a key to open up an experience within you, essentially. I'm asking you, why are you using a key when there is no lock, when there is no door, when there's no any kind of barrier? It is just that you are a push-start machine. You know what's a push-start machine? If you have owned an ambassador 25 years ago, always you parked it on a gradient like this because morning two people have to push it. If you park it like this, nobody will come, your family will not come out of the house. If it's like this, somebody will come and push it. Now all the cars are self-start, many of them remote start. What does it mean? Technological upgradation. You are an institute of technology, all right? I'm asking, would you like to upgrade your technology that you are on self-start? If you wake up in the morning, you are overflowing with joy and love and exuberance by yourself. You don't need anybody to stimulate you. Would you like to be a self-start machine? Then you must come to me, huh? Whoever is right now doing the love in the air, it's fine with them, you don't have to tell them anything, you say, all right, it's okay. But it's very important you are a self-start machine, otherwise after some time, you try to extract happiness from the other person. That is when these love affairs become tedious and horrible because you are trying to extract happiness from the other person. No, life should be like this. When it comes to joy, when it comes to love, when it comes to exuberance of life, you must be the source of this, isn't it? You must be the source of this. Well, other things are shared in life. There are two ways to enter into a relationship. One way is because you want to extract something from somebody. Another way is because you want to share something with somebody. These are two ways. If you are out to share, your life will be good. If you are out to extract, when they close the tap, it's going to get terrible and nasty. You have seen people who thought they are absolute lovers, how terrible it becomes for many of them. Not because there is anything wrong with them, simply because you started off on the wrong footing, thinking, this person is the source of my joy. No, no, no. Joy or misery, the source is within you. Yes or no? Whether it's joy or misery, the source is within you. It's for you to decide.    Yes, sir. On a certain day, Shankaran Pillai was walking in a park in the evening. Sunset time. He saw a young, pretty-looking woman sitting on a stone bench. You know the park benches? He also went and sat down, settled down on the same bench. After some time, he moved little close. She moved little away. He allowed a few minutes and again moved little closer. She moved little away. Again he moved closer. Now there was nowhere else to go for her because she was at the end of the bench. She pushed him away. Then he waited for two minutes, just the sun to get to the right angle. Then he went down on his knees and he said, I love you. I love you like I have never loved anybody in my life.  And the sun was setting. If it was middle of the afternoon, she wouldn't believe a damn thing. Sun was setting, the ambience was right. And she kind of healed it. Nature took over, things happened between them. Then he looked at his watch, it was eight o'clock in the evening. He got up and he said, I need to go, I need to go. She said, where are you going? You said, you love me. He said, my wife is waiting, I need to go. So I love you for a whole lot of people.  Maybe your needs are physical, psychological, emotional, financial, social or we don't know what else. You have needs to fulfill. So you use this mantra and it works. Half the time it works, okay? I'm saying, it's important. It is important, you know the joy of being loving. Because sweetness of emotion is needed for you, if you want to take really big steps in your life, if you do not have sweetness of love in your heart, believe me, if you try to take big steps in the world, particularly in India, you will end up frustrated and go to Canada. In Canada you meet only moose in most of the country, so it's okay.


in the book of Hebrews. Let's begin reading together at verse one. I'll read to verse four, and we'll get into our study this evening. Hebrews chapter two, beginning at verse one, reading to verse four. The writer writes, Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard him? God also bearing witness, both with signs and wonders, with various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will. Now as we begin, the writer has been establishing that Jesus Christ is better, and you know as I've been taking you through chapter one, and now that we're in chapter two, I've been pointing that out, that he uses the word better some 13 times through this epistle, and he wants to establish that Jesus is superior. In chapter one verses one through three, we noted now that Jesus is superior to the prophets. In chapter one verses four through 14, we noted that he stated that Jesus is superior to the angels, and the reason is because he has a superior name, he's the Son of God, he has a superior position because the angels worship him, he has a superior nature because he is God in the flesh, he has a superior existence because he created all things and predates angels, and he is superior because he has a greater destiny. Everything in creation ultimately bows to worship him, and that's what we saw in chapter one. In the following verses that we'll be looking at, the writer begins at this point to give us five exhortations, and it would be based on the simple fact that if Jesus Christ is superior, then we need to pay careful attention to the things that we're being taught. That's the point he makes as we begin our study this evening in verse one, that's the point he's making when he says we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard lest we drift away. In other words, it's not simply the hearing, it's the hearing and acting upon what we hear that really matters. We have to act upon the things that we hear because when I begin to act on the Word of God, it's going to demonstrate that I truly believe the things that I've been at least in word embracing. James in chapter one makes the same point in verses 21 and 22 when he says get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you which can save you. He goes on to say do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves, do what it says. Well that's what the writer here is saying. He says give the more earnest heed to the things that we have heard. So he begins to point that out. You see everywhere you turn when you look in the Bible, it very clearly states that when a person comes to a saving knowledge of God that their lives actually change to a degree that people will recognize that this person actually does believe. He's not just somebody who says oh I believe in God, this is a person who actually does. And what happens is when you turn to Christ you begin to progressively mature in the things of God. You begin to change incrementally over time. The changes aren't necessarily of such nature that they're always going to be dramatic. Sometimes they are. Some people have been living lives that are so far from God that when they get saved, I mean it's an immediate instant kind of recognizably different kind of life that they're living just because they're different. And you might not even notice that things are taking place that other people are noticing. I remember when I first got saved a friend of mine named Bill who was instrumental in me coming to a knowledge of Christ. After I'd been saved for about two, three weeks, Bill was speaking to me on one occasion and he said to me you know he goes I can tell that you're saved. And I said how can you tell that I'm saved? I'm a brand new Christian. He says you don't cuss like you used to and you know he was right. I mean I used to like to invent word combinations just to shock people.  I enjoyed swearing. It was a hobby of mine that I refined to a science. It was just something that I did and I did it to shock people and I did it quite often. And when I got saved I began to speak differently to the degree that even Bill noticed almost immediately. And that can happen. Your life can change in some ways dramatically. You may have one time been a drunk and now you're not drinking anymore. You might have been somebody who does drugs and you're not doing drugs anymore. It's kind of an instantaneous thing. God has set you free and there are many people, numerous people who have that kind of testimony that when they got saved they just ceased these activities and all. There are other things that the Lord takes time to work on over time. You know and you begin to progressively mature. You begin to become different. But that's all because you got saved. It's because you change. It's because you want to live a life that is worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ, even as Paul would teach us. It's because we want to live a life that is holy and a life that is blameless. We want to be the kind of people that have been obviously transformed by the power of the grace of God. In 1 Corinthians, in chapter 6, verses 9 through 11, you might want to turn there. As a matter of fact, let me get you busy turning your Bibles. 1 Corinthians chapter 6, somebody says, where's 1 Corinthians at? Just before 2 Corinthians. I know that'll help you. 1 Corinthians chapter 6, verses 9 through 11. I want you to read this along with me, not out loud, but as I read, I want you to see this with your own eyes. We no longer are going to be identified with the way that we at one time lived our lives change. In 1 Corinthians chapter 6, verse 9 through 11, Paul asked the question, do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?  And that is what some of you were, but you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. What you once were is not what you are now. You were once like that, but you are no longer like that because you've been changed. I've shared this with you before. Some of you have heard me say this. I was in a class in one of the colleges I attended and I forget what the class was all about now. It didn't really matter at that time either, I guess. But as I was in that class, it was a secular college. I was speaking to somebody, another student and I remember as we were speaking, he began to share with me that he had been an alcoholic and was going to AA and he said, and I've been sober now for so much, you know, so long a time and all of that. And as we were talking, I said, you know, I understand where you're coming from. I said, I had problems with alcohol myself for five years and he looked at me, he said, so you said, once a drunk, always a drunk, huh? And I said, no. I said, I'm not a drunk. He said, well, of course you are.  I said, no. I said, I am not a drunk.  I said, the Bible says that if any man be in Christ, he's a new creation. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new.  And I said, absolutely, I've had a conversion experience. I said, I came to Jesus Christ and he's transformed my life. You see, I once was, but I am no longer. I don't identify with that anymore because my life has been transformed. And I believe very strongly that you don't need a 10 or 12 step program. You need a one step, one step to Jesus Christ. And when you take that step, he transforms your life. And the right of Hebrews is making that very clear. That's what takes place. As you turn on back to Hebrews, those of you who took the time to find 1 Corinthians, that's what he's speaking about. And so he says in verse one again, therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard lest we drift away. Now, I want to touch on something first that's pretty obvious. Notice how it says here, therefore we must give the more earnest heed. The question has to be asked, is he afraid that he's going to drift away from the Lord Jesus Christ? Is the writer saying that it's possible that I'm going to do that? And the answer to that question is no, what he is doing is he is identifying to the reader. He's identifying with his reader. He's basically saying this is something that we together should be aware of. But no, he's not afraid he's going to drift away from the Lord at all. But the bottom line is, is we need to be very careful. We need to be very careful that we remain close to him. You see, if Jesus is superior to the prophets, and if Jesus is superior to the angels, then it makes sense to me that I listen to him. That's what he means when he says, let's give the more earnest heed to the things we've heard. E earnest heed simply means to turn your mind completely to something, to be fully attentive. It actually speaks of bringing a ship to the land. What he's saying here is we need to not just listen to the gospel. We need to completely embrace it. It's not simply hearing the gospel. It's not only hearing it alone. It's hearing it and owning the message. It's hearing it and it's reacting to it. It's hearing it and doing it. And that's the whole point. That's what he's calling us to do, is to hear and to obey. We are not saved if we just lukewarmly agree with what is being said. We are not going to be securely fastened to Jesus Christ if that's how we receive it. What we do is we hear it and we embrace it completely. In Deuteronomy 4 verse 9 it says, take heed to yourself. Keep your soul diligently, unless you forget the things which your eyes have seen, lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life.  Embrace them in a personal level. Act on them and make it so much of your life that you communicate these things to your children and your grandchildren. You see obviously not every professing Christian is actually saved. There are Christians in name only. They're called nominal Christians. And so nominal Christians need to be exhorted to actually come to a saving faith in Jesus Christ. Not all seeds sown by the sower is going to reach full maturity. And so we give the most earnest heed to the things we hear, lest we drift away. So he's saying anchor yourself. Anchor yourself to the Word of God in the promises of life in Jesus Christ. Because if you don't attach yourself to those promises, it's possible that you may drift away. You can be in a small ship right next to the, you know, anchored we'll say or tied up to the dock and that rope could slip. And as you're sleeping there on your little boat there, you can imperceptibly begin to drift away. And you can wake up eight hours later miles from the shoreline. You didn't even notice that you were drifting away. So you have to have an earnest concern for those things. Now, as I developed this, I have to ask the question at this point, who is he writing to and who is he exhorting? Well, one, he would be writing to Christians who are not anchored in the Lord. We would call that a lukewarm Christian or a back slider. Lukewarm believers are warned by Jesus Christ in the book of Revelation. He says, you're not cold and you're not hot. He said, you're lukewarm. He said, and you're in danger of me spewing you out of my mouth. A lukewarm believer is somebody that is not on fire anymore. It's somebody who isn't really red hot for Jesus Christ. Their passion for him has been lost. A back slider is an individual who is beginning to drift away from the things of God. And the Bible tells us very clearly that's a difficult life. Proverbs 14, 14 says, the back slider in heart shall be filled with his own ways. And so he's writing first and foremost to lukewarm Christians, to people who are just kind of there but not really on fire for him and those who are beginning to actually step away. Believers are challenged to consider whether they are genuine in their faith. You find this in the scriptures. This is one of those challenges. That's why he says, we give earnest heed to the things we have heard last we drift away. It's a challenge that he's giving. Paul asked the same kind of question. As a matter of fact, when he was writing to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 13.5, he actually gave them a challenge. To the Corinthians church, he said, examine yourselves to see whether you're in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you unless of course you fail the test? Look within yourself and see whether or not you are drifting away. And that's a challenge to every believer beginning with me and for all of us who read the book of Hebrews. Now how can I test myself to see whether or not I am the saved person? Well one, I can ask myself a simple question. Do I love the Lord? Am I in love with Jesus Christ or am I ashamed of him? Am I willing to stand up and say, look it, I believe in Christ and I follow him? Or am I the kind of person who's only open with my faith when I'm around people who are also Christians? You know, I can tell you how deeply I love the Lord simply by whether I'm willing or not to speak his name in front of people who are not necessarily in love with him. I can tell whether I know the Lord or not when I'm in school and the professor is speaking against the gospel and I raise my hand and I defend my faith. I can tell that I'm on fire for the Lord when I have friends or family members who don't appreciate my faith in Jesus Christ and rather than me backing down from them or being afraid that they're going to reject me, I stand up and I make a defense of what I believe. You know, when I first got saved I learned to do that. I had an aunt who was a very, very strong Catholic woman, my aunt Julia, and I hadn't been saved more than two weeks when my aunt came to visit and she was a very, very strong Catholic lady and all of that. And I can still remember her coming over and sitting down in the couch there and she was the older sister and you know, she's very devout. We used to call her the nun and she was very, very devout. And she said, so what's going on, David, in your life now? And I looked at her and I said, I'm a Christian now, Aunt Julia. And boy, she was not happy about that. You know, we're all Christians, she goes. And I started to, I was going to argue with my aunt, you know, and my mom walked in right when that beautiful experience was about to happen and mama gave me that look like, don't do it, please don't do it. You know, she's an old woman, she'll have a heart attack or something, please don't do it. But you know, I just, when I got saved, I figured that, well listen, if the message is that important and if it really transformed my life, then how selfish am I if I don't tell other people about it? You see, the most selfish person in the world is the one who goes to heaven alone. So God has called us to have a relationship with him and to express that to others. So I asked you the question, you want to test yourself if Christ is in you or not? Do you love him? Do you love him? Are you willing to be identified with him? Are you willing to speak about him? Are you open to that? Or are you hiding? That'll help you to understand something about yourself. Are you in love with Jesus Christ? Is there a growing longing within yourself to be like him? Do you desire him more than anything else? The Psalmist in Psalm 42 verses 1 and 2 said it this way, as the dear pants for the waterbrooks.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before him?  In Colossians chapter 3 verse 4, when Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. As a dear lungs for water, I have come to recognize that my soul is longing for God. Is that part of your life? Is that where you're moving towards? I'm not saying that you're actually there or that you'll arrive on this side of heaven, you won't. But is that part of your life? Is that how you are? Do you wake up in the morning and pray and say, God, this is the day you've made. I'm going to rejoice and be glad in it. I'm going to serve you today. I know I'm going to have difficulties. I know that there's going to be opposition. I know the world's coming against me. I know my flesh is going to come against me. I know there's a variety of things I'm going to deal with. So I want to begin this day first and foremost by committing it to you. That basically is what I do and that's the truth every morning as I wake up. And I'm going to groggy kind of fog and all of that. But I'll lay there and the first thing that comes to my mind is normally a song and then a prayer. And that's what I do. And the first thing I do in the morning is I pick up a devotional, very first thing and I read the devotion for the day. And that's how I begin because I know the enemy's after me. I know that beyond a shadow of a doubt. And I want to be faithful to God. And so I begin my day like that every day that the Lord might work within me. Then I climb in the car and I drive to work and I'll come here to the church. And as I drive here I'll turn on my radio. I listen to Christian music so I can saturate my spirit with the joy of the Lord and the songs that edify and build me up. And that's what I do. And then I come in here, then I have an opportunity to study the Word of God all day long. And then I go home and backslide because I've got a carnal wife. And that's just the way it is. I'm just kidding, of course. Of course, it's the joy of my heart. But I realize that my flesh is always ready to have ascendancy. I know that. I know it's easy. Backsliding is just a guy cutting you off in traffic away. It's just that close. It is there. Your flesh is always ready to be given vent. And so I know that. And so I'm constantly saying, God, I just want to be with you and like you. And so that's a key. Do you have an appreciation for the Word of God? Do you have a hunger for the things of God? Do you read the Bible? Do you desire to obey what it says? Are these things that matter to you? Because Jesus said, if you love me, keep my commandments. He asked the question, why do you call me a Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? And so from my perspective, Lord, I want to read and I want to obey. I want to know your Word by putting it into practice. And so he's writing first and foremost to Lukewarm Christians or perhaps even backsliders. And he's saying, you need to be careful. You need to take heed, an earnest heed to the things you've heard, lest you drift away. And then secondly, and this is interesting, he's writing to those who have yet to fully embrace the Gospel. In every church service, services just like this. In every church service, you will have somebody who is in church who has not yet fully committed themselves to Jesus Christ. Sometimes they're called pre-Christian, sometimes they're called pagans, but they're people who have not embraced the Lord. They're just not Christians. They'll go to the church and they'll listen, but they're not yet saved. And they do come to church. In our fellowship, we have numerous individuals who come here and are not saved. And over the years, I've seen it more than once where somebody actually has been in church for weeks into the months. And then they answer an invitation and get saved even though they've been a member in the sense of being part of the fellowship and appearing here on Sunday mornings and sometimes in evening services. And then they come forward. And then later on I'll speak to them. I remember one individual who said to me that, he said exactly that. He goes, I was in the church for a year until I gave my heart to Jesus Christ. And I thought, anybody who can put up with me for a year has got to be saved. You're exercising great patience in doing that. That is a Christian virtue. How can you be there for a year and not know the Lord? But he said, listen, I was there for a year until I finally realized that I had never embraced Christ. I have a very strong belief that people will go to church sometimes, hear a message, but never embrace it. There are people who are raised in church and even in this church, and they apathetically agree in principle to the things that they're hearing. But they've never really thought too deeply about their faith and what it's supposed to be. They consider themselves Christian because that's all they really have ever known. They believe themselves to be saved because they think they believe what they believe. You know, the Lord Jesus Christ in Matthew chapter 7 verse 21 said something. We looked at it recently, but let me read it to you. In Matthew 7 21, Jesus said, not everyone who says to me, Lord, the Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven. There are numerous people who have listened to partial gospel messages or messages that didn't really contain a need for a repentance and conversion who might have come forward at an invitation, at that invitation thinking themselves to become Christian when in reality what they did is they heard something that really didn't convince them that they needed to turn away from their sin and embrace Christ. They heard something that made them feel that they needed to change in their life and they'd give God a try. There are numerous people like that. I've seen them over the years. In reality, we ultimately consistently do what we actually believe because our beliefs will always be expressed through our behavior. So I can say that I believe certain things and I can say it all day long. That's called a head faith or a said faith. But what God wants me to have is a heart faith, something that has transformed me from within. And so when he's writing here, he can be one, writing to a lukewarm Christian, a Christian who is backslidden and two, he can be writing to people who are reading this and hearing this read in a church service who have yet to commit themselves to Jesus Christ. You see, what you believe is what you do. And so people can tell you all day long that they're Christians, but if their lives do not demonstrate a transformed life, if they're not moving towards the things of God, for a consistent period of time, then it very well may be that they don't know the Lord. Now, I can speak for myself as a testimony and I think the rest of you have something that you could probably say that may be similar. There have been periods of my life when if you'd have seen me, you wouldn't have thought I was a Christian because I was backslidden, you know, because I was doing things I shouldn't do. And you could have seen me in that condition and undoubtedly could have thought I better witness to this guy because he doesn't know God. And that's the truth, but within me I had a faith in Christ. I was not living at that time and I had people witness to me before and I tried to convince them that I am a Christian. Unfortunately, I was drunk at the time and so I wasn't able to convince them that I was a Christian. In reality, I was, but I was backslidden and it brought me to great grief in my heart and I repented and turned back to the Lord and my life was changed. So there are periods of your life and times in your life that you may not be walking solidly with him, but there's something within you that just can't find pleasure and joy outside of the grace of God. And you sense the reality of that and you return to him. That's a person who's been born again, but there are others who sin without a single thought of conscience. It doesn't matter to them whatsoever that they're doing things that are wrong. They may go to church, but it doesn't really bother them what they're doing and all of that because in reality they don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ and consistently over time it's demonstrated by the way that they live. Proverbs 20 verse 11 says even a child is known by his deeds whether what he does is pure and right and so your behavior over time demonstrates what you believe. So we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard lest we drift away. Let's rush to verse two. Four, if the word spoken through angels proves steadfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard him? And so remember as he's speaking that he's speaking to a group of people who knew that the law had been somehow communicated through angels and was binding. Notice verse two how he says if the word spoken through angels proves steadfast and so Jews believed that the law was communicated through angels and was binding in their life. Deuteronomy 33 verse two says the Lord came from Sinai and dawned over them from Seir. He shone forth from Mount Peron. He came with myriads of holy ones from the south from his mountain slopes and they believed that that was the giving of the law. Stephen just before he was martyred made reference to that belief when he said in Acts 753 you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it and Paul in Galatians 319 speaking of that also said the law was put into effect through angels by a mediator and so he's speaking concerning the law that was given and he says every transgression and disobedience received a just reward. The law was so strict that it would tolerate no offense and it prescribed punishment for every transgression. In the Old Testament if you break a law you're held guilty of breaking that law but not just that law but all the law. If you break the law in one point you are guilty of the whole law because the law calls for in the Old Testament the law of Moses calls for complete faithful obedience and so if I am not perfect if I don't live according to every jot and tittle of the law if I break it and I do then it's not just the one law that I break it's the whole thing because the law is spiritual and I'm carnal sold into sin. Jesus made it very clear that adultery was not simply the physical act it was the act of the heart he said that murder isn't simply going out and killing somebody physically it's it's murdering them within it's from within it all begins from the inside and so the point he was making is that the law is not simply me outwardly appearing like I'm keeping it when my heart is far from him in obedience to the law my life is actually transformed because I'm holding fast to that law bottom line is is I can't do that perfectly therefore I need help and that's how it's pointed out and so if I break the law there was a just punishment for it if I did a minor offense there's going to be an offering made but if I did a major offense like like murder there is a capital offense and therefore there's a just punishment for it and so he's pointing that out he's saying listen the law was given and transgressions had punishments that actually fit the crime so if that's under the law verse three then how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation which was at first begun to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard him if the law is that severe then what's going to happen if I reject Jesus Christ if the law is so severe that there was a just punishment for every infraction then what's going to happen if I reject the Lord Jesus himself how can I how can I escape if I neglect so great a salvation and so if I neglect this to neglect speaks of reducing or making light of it not regarding it for what it is if I neglect the word of God if I say it's no big deal there's no salvation for me and that's what the writer is saying here you know I think sometimes over the years and I've heard this more than once when I've spoken to people on a personal level and I've said to them do you want to pray and receive Christ and they say well I'll hear you some other time it really grieves my heart because they're having an opportunity at that moment to receive the gift of eternal life and I've discovered something the longer you put it off the more difficult it is later on to open yourself up it's not difficult to raise a child up to believe in certain things about God at all I discovered that to be true with my own children we poured into them the word of God and prayer from the time they were small yes there were seasons in their life that they rejected the things that we tried to teach them and there were times when I wasn't quite sure whether or not they had a saving knowledge of God at all by the way that they would act sometimes that's the truth but I knew that by pouring into them I was giving to them a conscience I was establishing a moral compass within them I knew that that that if I if I train up a child in the way he should go when he is old he will not depart from it and I did that from the time my children were small when they were babies and they would be inside of their you know as we were feeding them they're sitting inside of their whatever that thing their height share and and I would take him by the hand and I'd say let's pray and thank God for our food I mean from the very beginning when they were little kids four years old three years and two years old I can still remember having family devotions with them where they would sit in the front room and and I'd have them seated in front of me and Marie would be seated next to me and we'd open up a book and I'd read to them and I'd pray with them the whole devotion only took five minutes they couldn't listen much longer than that and I'd take an offering and then send them to bed I can I can remember that how many of you want to get saved oh I see that little hand you know I I can remember doing that very often you know and they'd crawl up to the altar and get saved every week but I can remember doing that with the babies you know pouring into them the things of God so that as they grew older they would be sinning against the light as they grew older they would know this is not right for me to do because my father has taught me otherwise and the bible says section so I knew that and so I poured my life into my children in that way because I knew that I was preparing them for life a life that they would be living ultimately outside of of my oversight and so I wanted them to know that beyond a shadow without there is a message they must embrace in order to be saved I am not a lukewarm believer and I certainly wasn't one in my home I wanted them to know that Jesus Christ is everything to them and needs to be that they need to pursue him because I want them to be able to take the things that their father and mother gave to them and give it to their own children that's what I wanted and I knew that it was going to break a chain if I wasn't there strongly holding fast to those things and pouring into them I did not want to disregard or neglect the things of God I didn't want to do that I still don't and I didn't want them to either so if we neglect so great a salvation how can we do that how how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation you see in acts chapter 4 verse 12 we read neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved our first Timothy 115 where Paul says this is a faithful saint worthy of all exceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief or Titus chapter 2 verse 11 the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared unto all men that's what we do we do not neglect it we do not neglect the message of the salvation we have in Jesus Christ we embrace it and we live it and we live it faithfully now he goes on to say in verse 3 that it was at first it at first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard him and so when it says this this message of salvation it's in reference to the gospel the message that Jesus Christ gave and so when you read the four gospels Matthew Mark Luke and John and you read what Jesus taught that's what he's referring to he's saying this message that has been recorded the message of Jesus Christ that has been recorded was given faithfully for the three years that he ministered and then he ultimately died now as he was ministering for these three years he began to pour into his apostles those 12 men whom he had designated apostles he poured into them all that God had poured into him and he gave to them this message and so when Jesus Christ mentored these men and it must have been an incredible experience by the way to have been mentored by Jesus himself can you imagine what that would have been like to be able to be there at a campfire next to a lake eating fish and listening to the Lord Jesus Christ as he would speak to them concerning the wonders of heaven can you imagine what that would have been like as you were there with him asking him questions what kind of questions do you have now well could you imagine if you had those questions and you would speak to him face to face that there you are next to him or if you had such a close relationship like the apostle john that you could actually lean against him and you could hear the heartbeat of god and you could look up at him and you could say master i've been wondering about this can you explain this to me and help me with it what an incredible experience that must have been and for the Lord Jesus Christ to say listen i have poured into everything i know and i'm giving you the spirit and i want you to go out and i want you to take this message to the four corners of the world and i want you to proclaim it to every living creature now you're not going to be able to do that in of your own strength because well peter as i consider what you have been like you have you have made some strong statements in the past of that you would even die for me and all but ultimately you you you weakened in that resolve and and you deny that you knew me and and i had to restore you so so peter you remember how your heart was so greatly turned towards me and you desired so much to be faithful but you weren't able to be well peter i want to do something to help you in this i'm going to give to you the power of my holy spirit and i'm going to pour the spirit upon you and you're going to be a witness of me in Jerusalem Judea Samaria and to the uttermost parts of the earth and so this man peter and the others who foresook him and fled denied basically that they knew him became the carriers of a message throughout the world as they knew it how did that happen through god god's power i have discovered something well let me read verse four god also bearing witness both with signs and wonders with various miracles gifts of the holy spirit according to his own will i have discovered something god can take even the most shy individual and transform them into a courageous warrior i have discovered that that god can take people who are exceptionally quiet who really have little to say normally and transform them into eloquent communicators of his message i have seen that happen i have seen god take people who who really are unqualified in many ways i mean i i think of my friends to be honest with you i think of people like like my friend bob grenier who celebrated 28 years of pastoring his church and by sale you recently and and and bob got saved in in florida back in 1973 and it was in an airport in miami as a matter of fact he and i have been in the airport in the spot that he got saved in and he shared his testimony with me right there he said this is where i was when somebody walked up to me gave me a track and shared with me the gospel of jesus christ and three days later he said i was on my way into north carolina to join a ministry to be part of that ministry i never walked away from the lord and been serving him ever since but you meet bob if you see bob here in my pulpit he is a sweet man love him he's one of my very dearest and closest friends bob used to carry a 45 he used to run drugs he was a pilot he used to in south america and he used to pick up cocaine and bring it back and sell it on the streets you wouldn't know that if you looked at bob you wouldn't know that at all i mean i can start talking about a lot of guys that you know very well guys like steve mays who got shot and had a bullet wound in in his body laying in a gutter and and and coming to christ because some little weasley guy walked up and said you look like you need god you pray and you get saved right now and he did you know violent men we all know the testimony of pastoral and and men like mike macintosh who who thought that half of his head was blown off and there was just an accident accident of nature that he could still continue to to function in any way because he knew that half of his head had been blown off through somebody placed in a revolver next to his head and blowing his head off and now he's pastoring a magnificent work and has been for many years there in san diego and you can go on and on and on and you can talk about guys who at one time were anything but pastoral material anything but that you know i you know i i graduated from high school with a d-minus average the only books that i ever read were comic books you know and and here i am you know opening a bible and studying i mean the two things i hated more than anything was studying and speaking in front of people that's what i do you know it amazes me and a lot of people like myself are extremely shy some of you know that through experience i mean you'll see me someplace and and you'll walk up to me and you'll discover that what i am behind the pulpit may be alive but when i am just out there in public i'm i'm kind of quiet you know and god has been very gracious because he gave to me marie who who will become your best friend in about three minutes you know and so god has been very gracious to me i've told you this about her she's such a blessing in my life but that's how she is and god placed us together because he took a shy person and then somebody who's very open and warm places together so that i could become a better person i mean i've been with my wife in so many places let me share one thing with you about her just to show you how what i'm trying to to say here we were on a plane and as we're on a plane flying back from israel she's seated next to a woman she always sits next to the passengers in the seats with us and this is a stranger i'd never seen this woman before so we're just seated next to her and as as i'm sitting there and marie's here and then the lady is next to marie over here on her left as we're sitting there i'm asking myself a question this happened a few years several years ago now but i'm asking myself a question this is the truth i'm asking myself i wonder how long it's going to be until marie and she are talking and crying i mean she's good the lady is going to tell her her whole life story uh when when is this going to happen i wonder how long i almost want to time it because i know within within a couple minutes she's going to be visiting so marie turns and and speaks to the woman true story turns and speaks to the woman and the woman speaks in hebrew back to marie and in broken english says i i i i do not speak english and i thought oh great mega challenge let's see let's see because i know marie cannot travel for hours next to a person without oh she's going to die and i thought how is this going to happen that she's going to be able to talk i know she's going to talk to this woman i know she'll find a way and i watch my wife and her a little her forehead kind of furrows for a minute and i know she's she speaks spanish to the woman the woman speaks spanish because she's from spain for the next nine hours they're talking for the whole trip marie helps her through the airport gets her to los angeles in los angeles true story in los angeles the woman is crying marie is crying the woman's kissing me on the face kissing all of my children she became my grandmother overnight an amazing thing but god has a way of taking us with his gifts and transforming us and by his holy spirit now you may be a very shy person you know join the club you may be a very quiet to yourself person but i've discovered something i've discovered that when god's holy spirit works in you when god begins to transform you and when god begins to gift you then that that that quietness that you have and that shyness is lost in the moment of opportunity that god gives to you to share about jesus christ and for me i discovered my call a long time ago by going to secular college and i would be seated in the class and i'd be waiting for somebody to say something because the teacher was saying something nonsensical and nobody would would address it nobody would say anything and i'd take a deep breath and i'd raise my hand and i'd say you know there's another way to look at that and i would share my my faith with the class i did it often and i discovered that when god is for you who can be against you and i discovered that by the power of the holy spirit you can do things because he always gives to you the victory a continuous conquering through christ you discover that though by opening your mouth because the lord says open your mouth and i will fill it and there are times when it's the spirit of of your father jesus said who will speak through you and so you just say lord i want to be used by you and i want you to somehow use me in this capacity so the gospel began to be spoken by jesus christ it was continued through his apostles and continues even to this day and god was working along with them god was confirming by signs and wonders and various miracles and gifts his word so as the message was presented god often validated that message by working in in mark 16 20 it says they went out and preached everywhere the lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs that's what god does so you have peter and you have john it's the hour of prayer they're at the beautiful gate they're about to walk in a man who was crippled is there at the gate as peter walks by him he looks down at this man undoubtedly this man had been there for a long time undoubtedly he had been there during the ministry of jesus and jesus would have walked past him several times because he was he was basically stationed there that was a place that he would beg and and receive help from the the pilgrims and and the religious people would enter into the temple and on here comes peter and here comes john it's the hour of prayer and peter looking down at the man says look at us and the man looks up at him expecting to receive something the scripture says and then peter says to him silver and gold have i none but such as i have give i thee in the name of jesus christ of nazareth i say into you rise to your feet and walk and the bible says that peter reaching down took him by the hand and lifted him up and as he began to lift this man to his feet that he received strength in his ankles and his legs he got an immediate healing he had equilibrium equilibrium he was able to walk he was able to leap he began to praise god he began to hold on to the apostles and he said did so the people began to crowd around this amazing miracle that had taken place and and peter who had not that long before denied knowing the lord a man who had denied jesus three times stands there and begins to preach man of israel why do you look so intently at us as if through our own goodness we made this man capable of walking he says i want you to know something it's in the name of jesus a man whom you by the way took and crucified well it's through his name and faith in his name that this man has been made every whithole before you today how'd that happen a man who denied the lord jesus christ to a young woman who said he was also with him a man who three times said i don't know him even cursed himself brought curses upon himself how did that happen it happens through god working through you that's how it happens why can't god use you why can't he what kind of list have you made in your mind that disqualifies you why can't speak well moses said that but god said who made your mouth god has an ability to use you if you're open i wonder sometimes how many people in this church are called by god to be used magnificently who just simply never take them up on his promises i wonder i wonder how many churches can be birthed from this one church by men who knew god's calling their life and took a chance and just stepped out in faith to see what god wanted to do today i wonder how many of your friends and and relatives are are are waiting just to just hear the truth and looking to you because they know you're a believer and are wondering when you can tell me what you believe i was in a church service the invitation was given the holy spirit prompted my heart my cousin was seated next to me and the spirit of the lord spoke to my heart and said tell him you'll go forward with him at this invitation i want to save him i remember that very well and i remember as i was seated there arguing with his inner voice and saying no no i'm not and i'm not going to do that because if i go forward with him the people are going to think i'm getting saved and i've already been saved for three years so no i'm not going to do that anyway i think that's just my imagination i'm not going to do that and i heard the prompting of the spirit he didn't stop he said ask him to go with you i want to save him today and i said no and so we went home after church and my cousin is seated across the dinner table from me and we're eating lunch and you know what he tells me my cousin ray he looks at me and he says you know david when that invitation came today i thought you were going to ask me to go forward because i wanted to get saved today he did get saved we prayed but i i've never forgotten that obviously that was 32 33 years ago i still haven't forgotten that i wonder how many opportunities we quench the spirit in where god has divinely opened an opportunity to us but we're saying i don't know so ask yourself that question just ask him this question this is a question i asked myself and i'll ask you to ask yourself the same thing why not me why not me why can't god use me why and ask yourself that because the answer is he can if you're saved he will if you're saved so why not today why not leave today and say god here am i use me what do you want to do life can be a tremendous adventure when you're serving the lord


Hey, what's going on guys today's video is all about shooting and specifically how to curl or how to curve a ball with the Inside of your foot in this video. I'm going to give you some helpful tips However, if you want to improve your shooting if you want to improve any skill It's all about putting in the time the effort and getting the Repetitions the more you practice the better you're going to get but only if you learn to analyze your technique And what I mean by that is when you have a bad shot Don't just be frustrated ask yourself. Why was it bad? What do I need to change about my technique to generate the shot that I want? The same thing goes for when you have a good shot ask yourself Why was that a good shot? What did I do correctly? And what do I need to keep doing in the future now saying that let's get you some helpful tips to help You improve your technique right away number one get your body over the ball. This goes for any type of shooting It's so important if you want to produce a shot with power that stays on target You need to get your body over the ball. So do not lean back Do not lunge for your shots if you do you need to take all the power off of it because it's probably not going to Stay on target. The next thing I want you to focus on is your foot technique So even though you're not using your laces you're opening your foot up You still need a strong flex foot if you have a weak foot You are going to have a weak shot and one thing I've really been working on lately is landing on my shooting foot. So as you can see, I'm hitting the ball I'm almost jumping in the air and I'm landing on my shooting foot This is really helping me get more whip and dip on the ball and allowing me to keep it on target So let's look right at foot technique as you can see I'm opening my foot and I'm using the inside of my big Toe I'm trying to hit the outside of the ball and produce some curve on the ball It should be spinning when you make contact now if I hit the ball in the center It's not going to spin. It's probably just going to dip or rise if I'm hitting the ball on the outside It's going to produce that curve that spin on the ball It's going to allow you to put the ball outside of the net and have it come back on target But as I talked about you want a strong flex foot You want to meet the big your big toe the inside of your big toe to the outside of the ball and think about pushing through the ball Not just chopping your shot, but pushing through the ball to create good spin and in the end it all comes down to practice I hope you guys enjoyed this video here a couple shots that we took in our little training routine We shot for about 20 minutes and we just played little combinations and worked on curling the ball Into different corners. So thanks for watching the videos guys. Please like please comment share subscribe If you have any questions just comment below and I'll do my best to help you with your technique. I'll talk to you tomorrow


The best countries to teach ESL when you're over 50 The international EFL market is increasingly looking towards hiring seniors. This means it's an hour-never chance for many people of 50 and older around the world to change their lives completely. Take a TEFL course in an exotic location or at home online and start your teaching career abroad. Yes, you can teach English abroad when you're over 50s. Years of career and life experience is an incredibly valuable asset and many EFL employers worldwide prefer to hire teachers who have plenty of knowledge to share with their students. While it's true that a lot of programs target those fresh out of college, there are no age restrictions for teaching English overseas. All you need is a TEFL certification, dedication and the courage to take the first step. Some countries have upper age limits in order to secure work permits, but this is only a small number. The countries below are all great options for teaching ESL when you're over 50. Teaching jobs for seniors can be found all around the world from the Middle East and Latin America to Asia and Europe. Your options are limitless. While there can be age restrictions in certain countries, you're truly never too old to teach abroad. Teaching in the Czech Republic There is a healthy demand for qualified English teachers in the Czech Republic, especially in the capital Prague. The cobblestone streets and classic European architecture attract thousands of new teachers each year. The main hiring seasons in the Czech Republic are September and January. Be sure to organize all the necessary documents in time to start your new adventure in this European fairytale country. There are no age restrictions for teaching English in the Czech Republic and it is relatively easy to secure a work permit for non-EU citizens. Cons. The visa can take longer without sponsorship. That's why going through an agency is recommended as it makes the process less difficult and stress-free. Recommended TEFL Center. Prague Czech Republic. Teaching in Ecuador Ecuador has a large expat community, making it easy to meet new people and make friends from all corners of the world. On top of that, Ecuador was named a top destination for retirees by Forbes magazine due to its low cost of living and affordable real estate prices. Ecuador is welcoming you with open arms with friendly locals and expats, year-round great weather and a variety of senior discounts, for example 50% off utilities. Pros. Ecuador makes it easy to stay healthy with excellent medical facilities. The public transit system in Ecuador is also very convenient and allows you to travel around the cities and in between very efficiently. Cons. While the cost of living in Ecuador is low, teacher salaries are also lower than what you might be used to. This means you might not be able to save as much when it comes to traveling. Recommended TEFL Center. Loja Ecuador. Teaching in Malaysia If you are looking for a destination with a mix of cultures and a vibrant food scene, Malaysia might just be your best choice. Malaysia does not only offer a premier beach destinations and tropical islands, but also rainforests and mountains, giving you plenty of opportunities to explore the country in your free time. On top of that, salaries in Malaysia are good and I week with working hours of 20 to 25 hours means you'll have plenty of time to just think about yourself. Doesn't that sound amazing? Pros. Schools in Malaysia hire year-round giving you flexibility in your job search. Cons. Retirement in Malaysia is mandatory after the age of 60. If you choose to keep working, you are likely to lose benefits and earn a lower salary. Recommended TEFL Center. Singapore. Teaching in Mexico Mexico is a breathtaking location for novices and retired teachers alike and offers one of the largest EFL job markets in the world. Mexico seems to have at all a vibrant culture, postcard worthy beaches and stunning nature. The national healthcare system in Mexico is often referred to as one of the best in the world and provides great discounts to senior citizens. Pros. Seniors teaching English abroad are always welcome in Mexico and there are no age restrictions. This means you can teach here as long as you like. Cons. Teacher salaries aren't high in Mexico so it's recommended to bring along some savings to support yourself and to be prepared for possible emergencies. Recommended TEFL Center, Chiapas, Mexico. Teaching in South Korea South Korea offers high salaries, great benefits, paid housing and paid airfare and teachers get paid vacation days and national holidays. Doesn't that sound great? If you are TEFL qualified, you can find teaching positions in private schools, public schools, cram schools or universities all across South Korea. If you're looking to grow and work long term, South Korea is definitely worth a look. Pros. Teachers in South Korea are usually provided free housing and round trip airfare by their employers. Health insurance is very affordable and schools often pay end of contract bonuses. Plus, some nationals can take advantage of the national pension scheme and get some serious coin back once they decide to leave. Cons. South Korea's age restrictions for teaching English begin at 65. That's why many schools don't hire new teachers over that age. However, teachers who are already working as English teachers in Korea before they turn 65 can often continue to teach, especially in private schools. Recommended TEFL Center. Soul South Korea. Teaching in Thailand Thailand is among the most popular destinations for teaching English as a foreign language. Whatever your age, working as a teacher in Thailand means you can enjoy the laid back culture and welcoming locals. With a work week of only 20 to 30 hours, there is plenty of time left to explore all that the land of smiles has to offer. Whether you're looking to live in a buzzing city like Bangkok or to rent a beach house on one of the many islands, once you're TEFL certified, you can pick and choose where to teach. Pros. There is a huge demand for English teachers in Thailand and you can choose to teach in public schools, private schools or as a private tutor. Cons. Like many other Asian countries, Thailand has a mandatory retirement age of 65. After that, it's up to the individual employer to continue your contract. Recommended TEFL Center. Fugit, Ban Fee, Chiang Mai, Bangkok. Seniors. Teaching English abroad is your new calling. Living and working in a different country is an exciting adventure and a TEFL certificate makes it possible. The countries mentioned above are a great starting point for your teaching career over 50. Apply now for your TEFL TESOL certification course and start teaching in a matter of months. Speak with an ITTT advisor today to put together your personal plan for teaching English abroad. Send us an email or call us toll-free at 1-800-490-0531 to speak with an ITTT advisor today.