Pastors' Perspective - 06/02/2025

That'd be fun. You can also send in your questions on Facebook or Instagram, or if you go to Kwave.com and flick on my forehead when the banner goes by, you'll get to the page where you can send us your question. Mike Chadwick is laughing, but that's the thing. It's true. Do you actually have to not me,

sharing the gospel with each other. The Bible is very clear on this point that, um, you know, we should be, uh, you know, encouraging each other with psalms and Hymns and praises and and all these things, and that is not gender specific, neither is preaching the gospel. Um, we need to be hearing the gospel from every possible angle that is out there, and even more so. So, um, no Floriate is not different and preach away.

we can share, you know, whether women can share. And by the way, technically, that would mean most men can't share with men either, because not all men are going to be pastors, elders in the church either. So, Uh, it would just be a misunderstanding. I mean, again, I can appreciate the zeal. Somebody comes across verse 2 Mimothy 2:12, and they're like, hey, I'm not sure fully

what this means, but I want to do it. I wanna apply it, you know, and I recognize the Bible sometimes is counterintuitive to the way we do things in modern America, which is largely an egalitarian society. So I can appreciate the zeal, but I think if we're gonna Engage in sound exegesis of the text. The situation is

entirely different. We're talking about church leadership, pastors, elders in the church, and not the every person commission, the great commission for everyone to go out and preach the gospel, Richard.

mentoring together. They were mentoring Apollos and then was it Yodia and Sinchi who were the dear friends of Paul, the ladies who were having a little bit of a divisive issue going on. But he remembered them for the, the tremendous role they played in the planting of the church there in Philippi. So there's, there's plenty of example for us to see like that that it should be not a gender stra, you know, siloed kind of a thing. Flor,

a coworker. I came to Christ and relinquished all control, and I'm now born again. It was a drastic change in my heart and how I live. I still strive to be nearer to the Lord, but I feel life has been distracting lately, where I don't rush to the word prayer, and I don't feel the same. I know he never lets us go. Faith is an action. I have to suffer as a Christian, and the Holy Spirit is not an emotion. But any advice for me to continue to grow in my faith and continue to

cling to Him and not stray? What would you say to Tina, Mike? Yeah, um, I'd say that's a common experience. I think a lot of people, especially, well, it's kind of the honeymoon stage we're talking about marriage, and after a few years you're wrestling with stuff. Uh, same thing happens to

many Christians. There's the honeymoon stage, you, you're first born again, you're experiencing all this joy and forgiveness is just so tangible and excitement, send word and And as you mentioned, life kind of hits you and kicks in, and next thing you know, you're not feeling, uh, the way that you were before, but I would also

say that's to be expected. Um, and I think in our culture today, we just, we put too much stock in feelings, and I acknowledge feelings are real, and I'm not saying dismiss them, but at the same time you can't always trust your feelings. Uh, Martin Luther had a a famous little jingle. Feelings come and feelings go, but feelings are deceiving. My warrant is the word of God, not else is worth believing, and I think the word disciple, which we're all called

to be, is related to the word discipline. And I think when you're disciplined, you set aside the feelings. You don't allow feelings to dictate what you're gonna do or where you're gonna go. So as far as not feeling in quotes, rushing to the word and to prayer, you do it anyway. You know, when somebody is unhealthy and they know they need to get healthy, they're eating poorly every day and they're not exercising, they may not feel like, you know,

sticking to some kind of nutrition plan. They may not feel like going out and taking that walk or getting their 10,000 steps. But you know what? When you recognize that something is good and it's a goal, you discipline yourself, you do it anyway. And so while we're totally reliant on God's grace for any meaningful change at the same time, We're called to cooperate with God, and that involves discipline. So just understand feelings. It's a part of being human,

we'll have them. They're great when they're for us, sometimes they're against us, but either way, we set our eyes on Christ and we discipline our, our flesh, our ourselves, and we walk towards the upward call of God in Christ. Phil Metzger.

like grow in faith. And so those two kinds of things work tandem where, you know, the Lord isn't gonna let you just feel something necessarily, but that doesn't take it to be not true. I think of the book of First John where we're told like, we gotta keep growing up, right? We, we're gonna grow in our faith, and that can't be. Uh, directly connected or linked to simply, like, I feel something. So it's like, if God says it as we're growing in our faith, if God says it, can I believe it?

Can I trust that what he says is true? And so that's a part I, I would almost say to this person, like, it's almost like a compliment if you could take it for that, like, that God's putting you in this phase now where you're not gonna just get to feel this thing, but you have to really trust him and believe Him. And that, that's a sign of growth. That's not necessarily a sign of a problem, but a

sign of growth. And see it that way, that like, OK, Lord, you don't want me to just, you know, a baby, a baby lives every day on how they feel, but, uh, somebody that's growing and maturing is learning that you can't rely upon that. And that's where faith becomes a real big part of your life. So, I would say congrats and welcome to the normal Christian life where we just We have to trust the Lord in faith, and we don't get to, I mean, I wish I could just

feel it all the time. That would be awesome. That would make things, I think, almost easier, but the truth of the matter is it would actually diminish faith. It would diminish a mature relationship. We cannot live only on those things. We do have to grow up. So welcome to kind of the grown-up version of Christian faith.

Richard, yes, and, and I wanna, I, I do truly hope you're encouraged to know that each of us here are saying like we're all in the process of growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior. And when we look at the at the gospel accounts, one of the things that's so remarkable is that Jesus is the initiator, but he's also the one who continues to bear with them in their lapses of faith along the way. Um, I love how God is just so good to let us see the, the, the best and the worst

of his people and the strengths and the weaknesses of them. Um, the same guy who when he saw Jesus walking on the waters, there was only one in the boat that said, if that's you, can I get out and walk with you? It was Peter. But we're so quick to think of Peter as denying Jesus, right? So Peter is this man that has this, he has this this. Spectrum of where his faith is just absolutely radically reckless

in in a beautiful sense. And then other times it's like, no, no, no, I gotta, I gotta take this into my own hands, right? And um and then he would willingly for fear out of fear, deny that he even knew Jesus Christ. And at the end he denied him with a curse. So, but he, he becomes one of the pillars of the church. So, as Phil was saying, Doctor Phil was saying, welcome, welcome to Rio Christianity 101. Yep.

us does not have perfect faith. Even genuine faith is mingled with doubt, with wrestlings, with conflicts and all that, and And the beauty is that's where growth becomes possible, like Phil said, I think ironically, while I would wish everyone feels like doing the right thing, it just makes it easier, but easier doesn't always mean better. That's something I think we, especially in a modern world of comfort where comfort.

is king. Everybody wants to be comfortable about everything. And I think at the same time, if growth is a value to you, then sometimes comfort is an enemy of growth. And so we have to acknowledge sometimes when we're most uncomfortable, we're simultaneously in the moment of greatest growth. Tina, thank you for sending in your question through the Kwave.com pastor's perspective page. And now let's go to the phones. We're gonna be here for about 45 more minutes. We'd

love to hear from you. 888-564-6173 is our number, and here is Joe, who's watching us on YouTube in Riverside. Hey there, Joe. Welcome to Pastor's Perspective. How are you doing, uh, Brian, how are you doing, pastors? Oh yeah, and, uh, Luke 11:24. Jesus says, we talked about an evil spirit, leaves a person and goes into the desert searching for rest, finds them, comes back with, finds a place clean or the person, you know, clean and swept, and it returns to his former home.

With 7 other evil spirits.

it only relates to demon possession. I think there there may be other applications to this as well, but in context, we're talking about like someone, you know, think of the concept of somebody who You know, um, there's like a demon possession, and then, but then they, they, there's a reform in their life. There's a, there's moral reform or ethical reform. And so they seem and feel like they get better, right? Oh, I, I made, I made good moral decisions and so I'm

getting better, but really, nothing changed. Thus, they remained open. To greater demonic possession, right? And so think of it like this, like when you put your faith in Jesus Christ, you are locking down a part of your life that only God He owns exclusive. He is master, he is lord, and

there's no, there's no room. Now, there's, there's, there's certain theologies that would disagree with my take on this, but my, my, my position, and I, I, I live in the realm of position that many agree with, that those who are born again cannot be demon possessed. Uh, we might be a demon, um, influenced. In other words, I can still believe lies that the devil speaks to me. I, I, I, I, tragically,

I do. Um, I listen to lies that the world are speaking, and those can be demonic and so on, but the idea of actually like being taken over, controlled, and, you know, possessed by the devil is not something that believers, people who have Have the Holy Spirit dwelling in their life, there's no room for the demonic where the Holy Spirit dwells. But the person who brings like a moral reform or ethical reform,

that they didn't close any doors. There's nothing that's changed, and thus they might think they have, and I think that's to what Jesus is speaking about. And yet, so then they're open still to greater demonic possession, even though they felt like on the outward, they were doing, they were doing well. So I'll let the other guys speak into that, but I think that's the clearest context of that passage. Mike.

in doing that. By rejecting Jesus, you're opening yourself up, um, to all kinds of demonic influence and attack, and Jesus can come in. And, you know, he can perform mighty miracles and science, but if they themselves do not receive Christ and His messianic ministry, then they're opening themselves up to all kinds of demonic attack. And I think it, it highlights the biblical idea that there's no such thing as spiritual neutrality.

I think there's actually a lot of people I've talked to where they'll say, I'm not a Christian, I'm not born again, but I'm not a bad person, right? Like, I, I don't worship Satan, I don't kill chickens on Halloween and, you know, do all that kind of stuff. Uh, so therefore, I'm like, I'm kind of this neutral person, and I, I try to tell them there's no such thing. In the Bible is spiritual neutrality, you know, um, they say nature abhors a vacuum, the human heart abhors a vacuum,

and as a matter of fact, it never is. It's either full of things that are not of God or it's gonna be full of God. Those are really your two options. Regardless of how morally reformed a person might look on the outside, if they're not born again by God's spirit, they're open and susceptible to demonic influence. Richard.

real estate with any with any anyone. When he comes to live inside, that's why I, I, I really do believe like, you know, yeah, I can be horrifically oppressed. And I can get to the point where because of demonic oppression, I could have some real mental issues, and I could have some things start to crumble there, or perhaps take make weird decisions and bad choices, how to respond to these things that are going on.

That are really destructive in nature, but I can't say that it's because I'm like that that that demon possessed guy and Ghedera, you know, possessed by the the demon called Legion, who's literally tearing it himself, like he's not in control. He's not the one running his body uh this this this legion of demons is. So, um, I think it's really important for us to step back and, you know. How fine a line is it? How close does it get to where, you know, demons getting to where like

they're controlling you. I, I just don't, I just would rather take the thing like, no, I've been purchased. I, I'm, I'm off the market, if you would, that house is now sold,

I'm sure you guys have come up, you know, and studied a lot about this. What is your opinion? OK,

to redeem us from the curse of sin. So, in that sense, that's why all humans, even, even if you're a Christian, you still get sick one day we're still gonna die, all that kind of stuff. Sin still is a curse in that sense, right? Um, and then I think like you pointed out, um, there's also, and again, this isn't even um supernatural per se, but obviously the kind of environment a child grows up in is gonna have an impact on them.

So you talk about like alcoholic homes, abusive homes, and things like that, and, you know, and that's not so much like a supernatural curse per se, although certainly there could be demonic influence involved, but, you know, we tend to repeat what we see. Uh, and that might seem strange because if you grow up in, in, in an alcoholic or abuse home, you, you would think, well, gosh, you more than anyone would know not to do that, but studies show that statistically,

that's actually not what happens. You repeat what you see. So if you grew up in abusive home. Alco um chances are very good, that's what you're gonna do. So I think if that's what you mean, Mary, and I know some people do mean this uh by this term, of course, there's that impact, but I would even say whether it's these more kind of natural curses, whether it's the ultimate original cursive.

Sin on the entire world, by the way, even the earth is growing out, creation is growing out under under the weight of the curse of sin, uh, humanity is crying out for, for salvation, for resurrection, for new heaven, for new earth and all that. And even insofar as there's, you know, supernatural or demonic attacks on, you know, families or or whatever it is, Christ rescues us. From all of that, that is what is so beautiful.

Christ didn't just triumph over sin, but he also triumphed over the powers and principalities and forces of darkness in heavenly places. And so I think really what Christ is doing is he's triumphing over all of that, and I think some of that we can experience immediately today by professing faith in Christ and receiving. The work of the Holy Spirit and at the same time, we're ultimately promised victory in the end and the resurrection

and in the life to come. So that's my take, but would love to hear what the guys have to say. I have a Phil, do you think curses is the best word to use because, you know, that conjures up. You know, images of witch doctors or something putting a curse on you. I mean, so is that the best word in our translations?

I think it's for a biblical reason. I think we need to keep the word curse explicitly defined to the concept of the the curse of sin. And that is and uh that is a that is a universal curse that all of creation is under, uh, because of sin. And so when we say curse, we can confuse the concept. I think it's better to include curse for sin. And then I think when you talk about what we're, what, and I think that was a that was a great answer. It was.

Really, really complete. I think that there's, there are better words. I, I don't know that I know what is a better word at the moment, because you do have like psychological, or like, like Mike's example of like, I was raised in a home, this is what I learned, and I've repeated that. I, I parent the way I was parented, even if I didn't want to do those kinds of things.

I think even physical traits, genetically, I would, I would account to that as a part of Universal curse of sin, that there are genetic traits that I might carry into my life. So, uh, you know, cancer gene or, uh, fetal, you know, weak bones or, or whatever it might be, you know, um, these things can be transferred not as a generational curse, but as a part of the sin curse that will one day be redeemed by the blood of Jesus in heaven.

Forever, we'll all be, you know, in that place. But, um, I also like, I think that too, that, that, the example that she used, and I really appreciate it, is a reminder that there are some sins, right? This person, why is he born this way? And Jesus said it wasn't his mom or his dad. That means it's just, there is just a, a universal curse. Sometimes it is that, and Sometimes it is not. There is no way to pinpoint. It is this thing. And that's what we all want

to do because it makes us feel better. But that's a shame tactic. That's not the, that's not a grace tactic. A shame tactic says, this is why you are the way that you are. But a grace thing says, you know what? You can be redeemed no matter what, whatever it is, God wants to bring redemption. Richard Tomino. And, and I think, um, one person would like this

sin can have generational consequences, right? And um how, how certain home environments and think of extended family things and but I do think in the same way. That if if there's a um.

If there is within a family circle or within a neighborhood, um, you, you may even think of this in terms of gang life, you know, how dark and really just wicked stuff happens in those things like Really, I think there are demonic entities that have a stronghold there because it's within that context that they have this ongoing presence and influence within those things and you you just look at people that are that are caught in that and you can think you you just go, well,

this is just an ongoing thing. This has gone on for decades within this.

Particular collection of human beings, right? And you can see it in pockets, but I think there's, it, it begins with somebody somewhere, maybe some 2 or 3 people being very, very open, uh, directly to demonic influence and it but it doesn't mean like now this thing is just passed on and you can never escape it, but you can see that there's a, it's living under a big tent if you would, and, and then and again the generational consequences I think is a very real thing too, so yeah.

those penalties that come directly. There are consequences, as it were, of being outside the covenant or breaking the covenant and blessings are the benefits and the joys and the fruit. Of participating in the covenant and walking according to the covenant. So yeah, the Bible just has, it's all about relationship, ultimately is what it is. And so again, if anyone's worried about any kind of a curse at all, the answer is the blessing that is found through the new covenant in Jesus Christ.

That's right. I don't curse per se, witchcraft. I mean, just the genealogical, you know, tendencies and whatnot. And illnesses, but thank you guys so much. God bless you. I listened to you day and night. So you come on at 3 o'clock in the morning also, and I'm up many times and I'm listening to you again. Yes,

Juan Capistrano. That's how I heard somebody say it one time. Uh, where can people find out more about your church, Mike? Uh, they can find us on Image Church OC.com, meet in San Juan Capistrano, Sunday mornings, 10 a.m. Marco Forster Middle School, and yeah, just we're a church all about the word, so decided to preach the word and get to fellowship with these guys here. It's amazing. Yeah, Phil Metzger, the pastor of Calvary San Diego, how can people find out about your church?

right now. I, I'm gonna have to have spine surgery and some different things and I'm having to sell my home that we've lived in for um almost 41 years and moving into an independent uh assisted living facility until I can, you know, have my surgery in rehab and I'm just um Just feeling really lost and um. Not quite sure, you know, what, I know, I mean, you know, I'm going from a small 3 bedroom house to a tiny, tiny little one-bedroom apartment and I'm just having trouble.

Like letting go of things to bring that I know I can't bring and um just uh. Mental and emotional part of all of it.

To, to move on and to make that change. And I think you need to just receive God's grace on yourself because of course this would be hard, right? 41 years. I mean, this, that's your reality, that's where everything is. This is, you know, it, it's what your life looks like to you and that's changing and I think that

is naturally uh scary. I, I think naturally it Um, all the emotions, you know, that come with that, memories that come with that, and then even to top that all off, you know, decisions, practical decisions that you got to make in moving forward. And, um, I'm sure the guys each have a bit of wisdom and encouragement they can share with you. I mean, the, the one just super simple basic thing I want to say is that this can be an incredible time of fellowship with Jesus.

And you know, we were talking about. Yesterday in that seemingly just paradoxical verse in James chapter 1 verse 2, my brethren, count it all joy when you go through various trials, and we are saying how counterintuitive that is, because trials by definition, wouldn't be joyful. It if it was joyful, it's not a trial, right?

You know, so how in the world am I with a rational mind supposed to look at extreme trials like the one you're going through with joy, and I think it's because you get more of Jesus, you know, because I think the truth is as good as having a home is and being in the same place and having,

you know, not just even possessions, right? You know, some people get sort of superficially attached to things, but then You can, there's a lot of meaning behind, you know, the things that we have, you know, who we got them with, where we got them, how long they've been there,

the person who put them in that place. And so, you know, you're gonna be going through as you go through boxes, as you go through drawers, you're also going through the inner workings of your own heart, and you're starting to see like how, how, you know, where are the strings of my heart attached to. And I think more and more as you do that.

You'll start to have more and more opportunities just to give more and more of your heart to Jesus, because I do think it's natural, and I, I think to some extent inescapable that, you know, we become attached to things in this life. And, you know, I mean, I can speak in bits and pieces of, you know, my dad died 23 years ago at 57 years old, we had to help my mom.

Go through all her stuff, um, you know, years ago, we literally up and sold everything we owned and only took what would fit into our minivan to move halfway across the country, and just the process of selling things that you didn't even think mattered to you, and all of a sudden you're crying, you know, and you're like, what in the world is this? And, and I just, it was incredibly hard or to, you know, watch my watch my wife just bawling her eyes out over something we could not.

Take with us, but had so much meaning for her, and it just really became an an opportunity, a time for sweet fellowship with Jesus. So I just want to encourage you. Um, in no way diminishing the struggle and the difficulty and the challenge, but at the same time, I want to encourage you this can be maybe the greatest spiritual season of growth you've ever been through in your life.

And I just want to encourage you and just encourage you to, to pray that and to accept that and ask Jesus to meet you where you are day by day in what you're going through. Phil Metzger.

displacement and so much of like loss and all. I think there's a place for us in our lives and it's sad that this is the reality that, you know, we seek to avoid a lot, but it's, it's kind of this like holy reality of mourning. And, you know, I almost think like, you know, parting with things that have meant so much, the fact that like And I, I mean, I, I think I'm agreeing with, with Mike on this on such a deeper, to such a deep level of like, you don't have to be

happy about any of this stuff. Like you're allowed to mourn and you should mourn. Like, biblical mourning is a really like sacred thing in the scriptures, and the idea of, um, sackcloth and ashes, the idea of like weeping, and it's not, you're not weeping over something you've done, but what's been doing, what's happening to you. And so I, I wonder if there's not like a sacred place for like mourning the loss of that thing.

You don't have to just immediately jump to, oh, none of these things matter anyways, I'm gonna be in heaven. That's true, you are gonna be in heaven. The good news is this is as lousy as it's ever gonna get. But the bad news is, it still really stinks, and

it's terrible, and it's really hard. And so to be allowed to like walk through that and be like, I'm, I'm giving this thing up that has meant so much, and being able to mourn over that, and to commit that to the Lord and, and have those honest conversations with God about this, like, this is unbearable. This is impossible. And I think in that sacred space, God's gonna meet you in ways that like none of our words will,

will ever be able to. There'll be something sacred about the presence of God through every item that you, you, you, you hand over through the move to a new place that isn't where you want to be, to all those, you know, no one can take, no, no thing can take memories from you. Those are in you. And so, um, you know, you're gonna carry those and, and it is a time of mourning, and it's OK to mourn. Yeah, it's OK

Um, all my, my siblings and their spouses, um, are all, um, you know, very devout Christians and, and they're helping me, um, and, you know, telling me how great this is gonna be, which I, I know it will be and it'll be better for me. Um, I'm just You know, but, but I do have a Bible. I mean, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

I have that. I just don't, and, you know, they, they have, uh, I guess, you know, kind of church here on, on Sundays, um, and so I'm gonna, I've only been here one week, but I'm still kind of going back and forth to my house bringing things. So I wanna, you know, maybe by next weekend, um, attend

the service here that they have on Sundays. Well, that's great. Well, Um, it's good to hear that you have siblings that that are followers of Jesus, and it kind of makes this, it, it, it, it amplifies, um, the reality of the importance of the family of God. Like you have, you have biological family that is a part of the family of God and um. You know, and there are so many verses, Laurie, in the New Testament that uses this one another language to

love one another, right? And to comfort one another. And so besides the fact that they're they're they're your siblings by. By biologically, it's there's this deep deeper thing that happens and that can happen between you and them because they're they're your they're your spiritual brothers and sisters as well. And I would really encourage you to lean into that.

Um, you know, um, my wife and I, her, her mom and dad, they're, they're in their 90s now and they're, my wife and her sisters are starting to see the realities of like, you know, what, how, how are we going to care for them and um. The fact that like no matter where you're staying, no theoretically, you know, in the best sense, hoping the best, nobody's

gonna love you more than family, right? And, and, and biblically, no one should love you more than your brothers and sisters in Jesus and because we had the bond is we're we're we're blood related by the blood of Jesus. And we're in dwelt by the by the same God, the Holy Spirit, you know. So because of that unity when Paul talks about maintaining the unity of the spirit, doesn't say create the unity of the spirit, but maintain it because by the virtue of the new birth, you

are indwelled by God, the Holy Spirit. And so that family connection with your brothers and sisters in Jesus is so important at times like this, because they can weep with you, they can rejoice with you. Um, they can encourage you, they can be there and, and it really, it's, it's meaningful, and they, you know, it's not like you're, everything that's been expressed about the reality of what you're going through was so wonderful, so clear and so true.

And they're the they they're gonna be the ones that are gonna let you feel what you're feeling and walk with you through those feelings and and be there for you in those feelings. And in in time, you'll look back and go, well, the Lord was with me every step of the way, every step of the way. And I, and I know he is. I know he is. Praise the Lord.

and it undermines the sanctification process that actually happens through grief. Um, you know, scholars differ, but A rough percentage, I'd say 40% of the Psalms are actually laments, and that's so important because a lot of Christians think you got to get past mourning and grief in order to worship, but lament teaches us we can

worship in and through our grief. And so I think, well, it's great that your family, I think you mentioned this pointed out, oh, hey, it's all gonna be great for you, which again, uh, that may be true, but at the same time. And not saying they're doing this, but just want to hammer home the point for anyone else that might be listening. Um, we don't want to overlook the season of grief and suffering and mourning people are in by merely pointing to, well,

one day you'll be over this. Oh, you're, you know, your family died and you, you're they're in heaven, and one day you will be too. OK, yes, but here I am right now, you know, and, um, we want people to understand that.

The scripture says, the Lord is nearest the brokenhearted, and I think learning to walk with Jesus right now, not simply looking forward to, oh, you know, at some point I'll see the reason behind all this, and the, the result, no, the beauty is right now with all the grief, with the mourning, with the struggle, God is with you and you can actually worship, um, I think maybe even the most profound way is actually right where you are, not on the other side.

Than you, Jesus. There's just no greater comforter and, and just uh yeah, echoing what was just said, Lord, I, I love that you, you're OK with our grief, like you invite our grief, not so that you can just say it's gonna be OK, but to allow us to just, there's a healing that happens in our lament, and I just pray for that for Laurie. I do pray for the right people to come around her to support her, to be with her.

To encourage her, Lord, I pray that if she's in a new place, that maybe she would be able to find a new level of fellowship that would not replace what's missing, but would just be, it could be sweet in its own way for this season of her life. above all, Lord, just help her to remember that she's here and she's alive and that you have, you have purpose for her life still, and that she's she matters and she's valuable. Bless her, bless her, bless her, in Jesus' name, Amen. Amen.

all hell broke loose, of course. And, uh, but then one night, probably a couple of years after that, I felt the power of the Holy Spirit inside of me, and I'm saying this for a reason because I had told the girl, your girl there, that I felt an evil presence even recently, like it was inside of me, and I'm thinking, how if I'm safe. But this night I felt the Holy Spirit and Jesus, like he was there, and I, I said, thank you for saving me. I believed it. I actually threw my

arms around myself and said, Thank you, Jesus. I've never felt love like that in my whole life ever. And, and I'm 75 years old, but doggone it, it's been,

and this isn't the only time this has happened. I felt like there's an evil spirit or presence inside of me and I I'm going and I'm going, and I'm trying to, you know, Pray to get it out and you know, uh, put on the form of God, you know, and I've always hung on to Romans 10:13, but I don't even know if that's enough, so I'm going to shut up and let you talk. So I, I, I'm afraid to hear what you might say, but I need to at least throw it to you.

And so if you've done that, then you're a Christian, you're a believer, and God's spirit indwells you and you, as I think, I think it was Fo that mentioned it earlier, you can't be possessed by an evil spirit if you are indwell, uh, as Richard said earlier, because you're the temple of the Holy Spirit and God is a jealous God and he doesn't share his temple with another spirit. So and, and once again just reaffirming the idea that a Christian can't.

You know, be possessed or anything like that. However, um, it's remarkable how close to that it can feel though for Christians at times, whether it's Galatians 5, the struggle Paul talks about between the flesh and the spirit, and how there's a kind of an inner battle going on and and battles can get pretty heated and pretty intense.

We can actually even see it in our And ourselves as genuine Christians, there's a part of you that's like, no, God, you know, I don't wanna do that, and, and I, I, you know, it's kind of opposing the things God wants to do, and yet there's a part of you it's like, no, I wanna do this, so there's a real battle going on, and I, and I think scripture helps us understand that there's a real uh battle taking place even even internally. Now the great thing

is we already have victory. We can know that. We're not gonna lose this battle because it's ultimately Christ, the David, who's gonna have total victory on our behalf, but at the same time, we participate in that battle. We're called to put on the armor of God, there'd be no need for armor if there's no battle. So I'd

say that that's a normal thing. And then of course, um, we do believe that there's demonic entities, there's things out there, and that while they can't possess Christians, they can certainly afflict them.

And I think if you combine those two things, so imagine, you know, demonic force not possessing you, but nevertheless afflicting you, oppressing you, and at the same time, your own, you know, the, the flesh, the sin nature that's still there, kind of rising up, it can be a very, very scary and difficult thing, but once again, greater is he who is in you than he who is at work in the world, you can still trust even in those moments. Once again, if you're in Christ, you can go through.

All kinds of hell, all kinds of battles, many wonderful saints, many Christians have. I, you know, I read a lot of Martin Luther and some of his stories. He's got some crazy stories and battles with the devil and throwing stuff at the devil from across the room and, and even rebuking himself because he's experiencing his sin nature sort of rising up against testifying to Christ, which he knows

he he must do. And so, just to kind of share with you, I, I do think that happens uh to believers and is not a reason, um. To say that you're not a Christian, yeah, Phil.

the question you're asking, we can't answer. We could tell you what the Bible says on this topic, like, this is what it means to be born again, and then you're the one that is, it's like you and God that are gonna like, you know. Discern that, like, if you put your faith in Christ, and, but that doesn't mean that there's not toil and stress

and difficulty and trial and wrong decisions. I mean, uh, uh, sometimes I've discovered that I am the worst, my own worst enemy, and I convince myself of things at times. And so, um, you know, you, you sound like someone to me who, I mean, again, I don't know you, just hearing you talk for 30 seconds. But I hope you're in like some form of like good Christian fellowship, um, a men's group, uh, connected into

your church. There can be a level of accountability, cause I think it's one thing to like, share something like this. But then there's, you need people in your life who, who will call out the, the bowl on this and say, Hold on a second. I know you're asking this, but I know that you've been doing this and this and then whatever it is. But we, we don't need to just be able to ask questions on a radio station. You seem to me like A person who needs to really be, like, call in,

keep calling in. We love these questions, but I wanna, like, as a part of your question, I wanna kind of push back at you and say, make sure you're a part of an accountability group where you're getting some, you're getting some response to where you're at with people who know you and are praying for you.

an elk, uh, from the rest. They kind of pick them off and I, I think, um, to Phil's point, that's when people are at their most vulnerable and whether it's like, oh, we're engaging in Things we shouldn't do, but even if we're not, but we're not in fellowship, we're more vulnerable. And so I think when we continue doing the things God's called us to do, the basics, we're in the word of God daily.

We're seeking the Lord in prayer. We are engaging and participating in the fellowship of the saints, even when those moments of doubts come. Oh, I had this experience, and I'm not sure I'm a child of God and as a good Protestant, I still say, well, you're saved by grace through faith alone, and yet. genuine faith is never alone. There's works and fruit, and so I think as, as we're participating in these things, they also become means of grace that confirm our faith

is genuine. They're not the means of our salvation, but at the same time, they're very important. I think sometimes Protestants, uh, kind of underemphasize that side of it. They can be very reassuring for us in moments of doubt or struggle. Yeah,

We can, we can, we can see those things as compatible and nobody, we don't disappear, you know, we don't lose ourselves in in a sense of like I'm, I, I can no longer be this individual that I am, but we find that we're saved to be immersed as individuals in a collection of, of believing men and women who they're with us in our lives and they watch us and they hear us and they know us and they, you know, some one of the things sin does is it blinds us.

And it blinds us to how blind we are, and that's why I'm thankful that, you know, my wife has eyes that sees me in ways that I don't see me, and I have friends that will look at, you know, I'll say something, they'll look at me and go, let's run that again, you know, community is really important. Mark,

We will be here from 3 to 40 p.m. and we open up the phone lines about 7 minutes before 3. For Richard Cimino and Phil Metzger and Mike Chaddick, I'm Brian Perez. God bless you guys. Thanks for listening and thanks for watching Pastor's Perspective.