New Age Deception & Freedom in CHRIST: How to Live Truly FREE

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In this episode we discuss the topic of Freedom in Christ. What should life look like if we are truly free? We talk about NEW AGE in the CHURCH, the things that are holding us in CAPTIVITY, and how to be SET FREE.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

What's up guys? Welcome to Counterculture with Caleb and Stephanie. Hey, beautiful. Looking very studious.

SPEAKER_04 0:08

Oh, thank you very much. I feel like when the glasses go on, my IQ gets higher, and I'm like that's hey, listen.

SPEAKER_00 0:15

I love that.

SPEAKER_02 0:16

I'm totally kidding.

SPEAKER_00 0:17

Listen, I think you're smart without the glasses, but they bring a really fun, like nerdy look, but it's a hot nerdy look. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 0:25

Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 0:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 0:26

No offense taken. Um I am wearing my wedding ring today, which it's about freaking time.

SPEAKER_00 0:33

Y'all, she has been not wearing her ring. Like she told me the other day. She's like, Yeah, I just, you know, I feel like maybe one of the diamonds is loose, and so I just don't want to lose it. I'm like, oh yeah, man, I just I feel like this band, man, it just restrict. Okay, so I told Caleb that ring on.

SPEAKER_04 0:51

I told Caleb, I was like, you know, it's funny because I I'm really liking not wearing my ring because it gets caught on things. Like, you know, I'm trying to pick the baby up, and then it like gets caught on her and like my hair and all this stuff. And I was like, so I took it off and I was like, it's so nice sleeping without a ring on, but then I'll forget to like put it on. Yeah. And so I was telling him about when I went to the grocery store and I didn't have a ring on, and this guy was checking me out, and I was like, in my mind, I'm like, I'm married, like back off. And yet I'm like, oh my gosh, I don't have a ring on. So he probably thought I was single. And so Caleb was like, I was like, so, anyways, I'm just enjoying not wearing a ring because it's really nice, like not catching on things. And Caleb's like, oh yeah, okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:34

If you don't want to wear a ring, I'll just take my ring off too. And I was like, I'm gonna go get my ring right now. Like, no, no, no. It does hit different when your spouse is like, sure, I won't wear a ring, and you're like, oh no no, no, no.

SPEAKER_00 1:47

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let me get my ring on the floor. Right.

SPEAKER_03 1:52

I mean, you get checked out at the gym even with a ring on. So we need to keep that ring on.

SPEAKER_00 1:58

However, when you told me that, I was like, Yeah, you better get used to wearing that thing again because I don't care.

SPEAKER_03 2:07

Yeah, so I've got my ring on. You put it on and not taking this off, knowing that you might take your off.

SPEAKER_00 2:14

No, it was really kind of an empty threat. I like wearing a ring.

SPEAKER_03 2:17

I know, I I do too.

SPEAKER_00 2:18

Oh, you do? Now your narrative has changed.

SPEAKER_03 2:21

I like what it represents. Yes, even though it's annoying to wear. I love that it represents that. Like I am married to the hottest, most wonderful man.

SPEAKER_00 2:33

Well, thank you. That's very kind.

SPEAKER_03 2:35

Ever walked the earth.

SPEAKER_00 2:36

You're so sweet.

SPEAKER_03 2:38

Anyways, speaking of um lockdown with rings, today's topic is not that at all. It's all about freedom.

SPEAKER_00 2:47

Yes, which is a great topic to follow a salvation conversation. Yes, if you didn't check out the last video, then stop watching this one right now and go watch the other one.

SPEAKER_04 2:58

We talked about salvation. And like, I feel like even for people that have been Christians their whole life, I think sometimes like our minds will constantly go back and forth between like, am I saved, based on different verses that you hear. And some are taking out of context. And so our last episode was all about like encouraging you towards confidence in your salvation and confidence in the Lord.

SPEAKER_05 3:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 3:25

And um, riding with the Holy Spirit and just like allowing him to give you the peace of the Lord that comes with your assurance of salvation, which is the Holy Spirit.

SPEAKER_05 3:33

That's right.

SPEAKER_04 3:33

And then this episode, we're excited to talk about freedom. Like, what does it look like when you are a believer? Like, what should your life look like if you truly operate in the freedom that Christ so very clearly tells us about? Yeah, in his word. God gives us a vision of what a believer should look like.

SPEAKER_00 3:51

Yeah. Well, and that that specific verse that came to me a little bit, a little bit ago was Galatians 5 22, which is the fruits of the spirit, right? So love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. That's a lot of stuff. Yeah, but those are all things that Holy Spirit produces as we walk with him, and they should be evident in our lives. Yeah. And I think the thing is, is like I heard somebody say this before that the fruit of the spirit, you notice the the wording is not fruits, right? It's fruit. So it's like it really all should be coming out of you at the same time. I think we go through different seasons though, where there's certain seasons of maybe we're more anxious and we're not feeling that peace, or things like that, that we have to remind ourselves, remind who's in control. Like remind our flesh that our spirit is how we are going to walk throughout life. Like we're called to walk by the spirit. And so I think sometimes we can get in in a disalignment of that, which is what happens like when we start seeing the the fruit of the Holy Spirit start to like not be in certain parts of our lives.

SPEAKER_03 5:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 5:08

Well, I feel like you've always, you've always demonstrated the fruits, the fruit of the spirit, and a lot of those ways. And I feel as if for me, it's like I'll have one of those things when I'm spending a lot of time with the Lord. I'll like I'll have more patience towards everyday life and stressors and stuff when I'm actively like remaining in the vine. And it's wild because it's like you notice that difference in yourself, and you're like, wow, I'm I'm a lot more patient and peaceful and not like alarmingly like reactive when I am in the Word of God as opposed to not. But it's funny because it doesn't always come at all the same time, too. And so if you're like, oh gosh, I don't feel like I have these, just cut yourself some slack and just spend some time with him. He's got it all in abundance that he is ready to give out to you. The more time you spend with him, the more, the more that you will have that with you and in you, and it will exude from you because that's his nature.

SPEAKER_00 6:06

Yeah, because he he's not he's also not mad at you when your your life looks a little bit different sometimes. I think in those moments, that's when he's like, no, no, no, just lean into me more. Yeah. Like obviously that's an area that he's pointing out to you. I think this just came to me. I think that fruits, the fruits of the spirit, right, they're kind of like check markers for our life. And so it's like, it's almost like a uh like a check engine light. You know, you get those different lights in your car when something is out of alignment, something's wrong, tire pressure sensor, you know, oil light, all this stuff. I think that when we're spending time with the Lord, he'll start revealing things to us that, like, hey, this right here needs a tweak, he needs some service, right? So we go to the Lord for that. Like, we go to the Lord for that. We do we can't do it on our own. And I think that even, you know, you mentioned me uh displaying these different things, and it's like, yes, I have, but also there's times when I do it and it feels like I'm doing it. Yeah, and it's like it, it's not being produced by Holy Spirit, it's being produced by me, which you know, self-control is a part of of this stuff too, right? Like, that's a fruit of the spirit. However, I think that sometimes when we rely too much on self, then it becomes works of trying to produce a fruit of the spirit that's really kind of like false almost, which is just as bad. Like if I'm falsely producing a fruit of the spirit, like the past couple days, if I'm just be honest with you, I've been anxious. I don't always display that I'm anxious, like my countenance is usually pretty calm, but internally I have had to release that to the Lord, continuously knowing that he's in control and and and and feeling that, and even in when my mind doesn't feel in alignment with that.

SPEAKER_04 8:05

Yeah, yeah, absolutely. The past couple of days, we've had so much stuff going on with our our kid and having to do all these different doctors' appointments and like all this stuff, like from out of like pocket expenses to like all these different things. And there was a moment yesterday or the day before, yesterday morning when I was getting ready to take him to an appointment, and I just was listening to worship music, and I just got on my knees and I was just like, you know what, God, like I can't control the outcomes of any of this, and I can't control any of this, and everything feels really overwhelming, but I'm just gonna I'm gonna dig into it, I'm gonna plug into your vine, yeah, and I'm just gonna allow you to be in control of the situation that feels very out of control, and it's very overwhelming, constantly like getting all these different doctors and all these things, and you're trying to find someone that's gonna work with you, and you have like time crunches and all this stuff, and it's just it's a lot, right? I know all parents deal with this, everyone deals with this. But um when I did that, it didn't change the fact that there were still uncertainties and that there were still things and details that had to be managed. But what it did was it allowed the Lord to step in. And what's happened in the past 24 hours has shown that the favor of the Lord is on the situation with the doctors, with aligning things, with allowing exceptions where there should be no exceptions, with allowing the finances to be there, like all these different things the Lord has absolutely operated and moved in. And the biggest shift was not that it was a stressful situation, the biggest shift was that I allowed the Lord to lead the charge, and because I plugged into the vine, the Lord was absolutely in control of the details. And there was a different level of peace amidst the storm. There was a different level of like God's in control, and so no matter what's happening, I can trust him because he's the good shepherd and he's gonna lead me in the situation. And now, 24 hours later, even though we're still in the midst of all the different details, I know that his hand is in it, and it's a much better position for me to be sitting in the position of God, I'm sitting in your hands and you are leading, and so I can trust you.

SPEAKER_00 10:03

Yeah. Well, and I think too, when we think about the aspect of temptation, temptation, we think of, oh, it's the the secret sin, it's the blah blah blah. But sometimes the temptation is that of self-reliance, that that feeling of, okay, well, now I have to take control. I've got to, and so I I I wrote this down the other day, and I was like, oh, well, maybe we're supposed to talk about this at some point, but I think that it's actually kind of pertinent here, um, which is that temptation can either be a tool to tune your spiritual growth, or it can be a weapon used by the enemy to deter and dismantle your progress. And I think that in these moments that we face these things, we get to lean into the one that we know can take care of everything.

SPEAKER_01 10:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:58

That has his hand, even even if our physical eyes don't see it, we can know with our spirit, we can know that like within that we can trust him, that he's got a plan that we just aren't understanding yet. And the key to that is leaning in to him and getting understanding through his word, through talking to him, and just like allowing him to refresh you, and then smiling in the face of that temptation and going, Man, thank you for the opportunity to grow here. Yeah, you know, absolutely rather than leaning back to my old ways of relying on self.

SPEAKER_04 11:40

Well, and there's a certain level of self-rely, like self-control, the fruit of the spirit, self-control. That is you needing to be proactive. I would say a couple areas that self-control is something that you should do and like be proud, I guess, of being controlled in self in these areas is um being self-controlled and your your stewardship of reading and spending time with the Lord.

SPEAKER_00 12:06

Of course, and the word of God.

SPEAKER_04 12:07

Because I I know for the longest time I would talk to people about, yeah, I mean, I don't read my Bible that often, you know, and like the difference between guilt and conviction, and there was this literal conversation that was had about, well, I mean, you shouldn't feel guilty into reading your Bible. So of course, like if you feel guilt, that's not from the Lord. And that was my excuse for not reading the Bible because oh, well, I don't want to feel guilty for not reading the Bible. But I would say, in that area, that self-control of whether you feel guilt or shame or condemnation or conviction to read the word of God, do it. Whatever it is that's bringing you to read the word of God, allow it to bring you to read the word of God.

SPEAKER_00 12:55

Well, because when you get in the word, you're going to realize that that guilt and that shame that you feel for not reading it was false. Yeah. And that's something that the Lord can use to reveal so that you can go, okay, I'm not supposed to feel guilt and shame, but Holy Spirit convicting me, saying, like, hey, I need time with you. I want time with you. Yeah. That's totally different. Yeah. And I think that getting in the word can get rid of that guilt and shame that you feel because you're being refreshed by the only one that can truly refresh you.

SPEAKER_04 13:26

Yeah. And Jesus Himself says that he did not come to bring condemnation. He brings no condemnation. So, yes, like if you're feeling that, it's a great place to get in the word of God because the Lord will love that out of you and will give you that assurance that, yeah, no, you don't have to carry that. I will carry that for you. Literally, that's the whole point of the gospel is that Jesus came to carry our guilt, shame, condemnation, and burdens for us. When he was oxed, like the what is it with the oxes? The yeah, the yoke. The yoke. Yes, yoking. Like it's as if a vision. He's yoking it up with us. Um that's so funny. It's like when you visualize what a yoke looked like on ox, it was like these two oxes next to each other, and then they had this like heavy yoke that was attached to both of them. And it's like it's locking them down to carry their to carry the purpose that they are locked down to carry. And so when one of the ox would have like a weak leg or would limp, the entire weight of the load that it's carrying would be falling on the shoulders of the other ox that's next to it. And so, in a similar fashion, Jesus yokes up with us and carries our burdens for us. So when we have a limp leg and we're walking and we're not carrying the full load, Jesus is carrying us. We are not gonna fall to the ground because we are yoked with Jesus and he is going to carry our load, whether or not he deserves it. The whole point of the gospel is that he didn't deserve to come die a death for sinners, for criminals, for murderers, for terrible, terrible people. He was perfect and loving and kind, and he was like a lamb brought before the slaughter for us because of his love for us. It's like a parent. If your child was stumbling and limping, we would absolutely take the hit to carry our child and carry them through because our love for them is so much greater than the burden that we would have to carry. And so, in the same regard, he will release that condemnation and that shame just because he loves you so dang much, and he just wants you to be set free from the bondage of those things because you are not meant to carry that. Once you come to Christ, you're not meant to carry the weight of the yoke that he is offsetting for you.

SPEAKER_00 15:49

Yeah. And I think sometimes, you know, you could we may have mentioned this before, but I think that it's it's an interesting analogy, which is, you know, the door of the prison cell could be open, but you're just sitting in there. You know what I'm saying? Like you're just you're you're like, man, I'm banging on the other side of the door. I want to get out of here, I want to get out. And he's like, I already opened the door, just walk. Because ultimately Christ paid for our sins, but he didn't pay for us to walk bound, right? So when he paid for our sins, he he he paid for them so that the shackles of sin were broken off, right? When that happens, like you're free, you're free from it. Now, there's a difference when you're free in the spirit, right? You're free in the spirit, now you have to start actually walking out life like you're free. Because in 2 Corinthians it says, now the spirit, now the Lord is the spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, and this is amplified emancipation from bondage through freedom. So, like, you free. There's no like question about it, you are free, but how do you walk in that freedom?

SPEAKER_04 17:04

And are you walking out of that prison cell? Or are you staying in it because you think that you deserve that's to stay in it?

SPEAKER_00 17:11

That's a really good point.

SPEAKER_04 17:12

Yeah, like have you ever seen, okay, I listen, we have all met that person that is just like Debbie flipping downer, okay? Just like weighted down with if you ask them like, hey, how are you? They're like, I'm okay, I guess.

SPEAKER_03 17:32

And you're just like, uh, don't lie. When you see that person come and you're like, I think I forgot something in my car. Oh my word. You're just like, listen, I just don't want to be down with the Debbies today.

SPEAKER_04 17:49

And so you're just like, bro, like, why are you walking like that? Like, why do you choose to stay in that bondage?

SPEAKER_00 17:57

Well, I remember our pastor, Pastor Andrew, saying that he's like, if you are in Christ, if you are a Christ follower, we should be the happiest people in the world.

SPEAKER_04 18:09

Yeah, oh, totally.

SPEAKER_00 18:10

Like, and there now there's a difference between being a fake, like not ever having other emotions because you're just like, ha ha, fake it, you know, like that's a little crazy. But like having a positive outlook because we know that there's an author, there's a protector that we have. And maybe we don't understand it, like I already said, but we know, like we we know, we know that he has everything under control, that we don't have to be concerned. We can have joy. The the verse, Nehemiah 8:10. Yes, read it.

SPEAKER_04 18:48

Um, it says, for the joy of the Lord is your strength and your stronghold.

SPEAKER_00 18:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 18:55

And I feel like that's a secret sauce. Like that is such a secret sauce right there, because we all have different things that we struggle with. We all have different temptations, we all have different traumas, we all have different like life experiences and things that just seem out of control at different times of our life. But the one thing that we can cling to is Jesus in the midst of all the storms. And one of the best secret sauces that he gives us is that we can pray for the joy of the Lord. So, and it's not just like, oh, you're just gonna feel joy of the Lord all the time. Like, you can actually pray that God, I am really low right now. Like, I literally prayed this yesterday. I was like, God, I'm really overwhelmed. I'm like struggling. And I just like, God, will you give me the joy of the Lord to be my strength and my stronghold? The joy of the Lord as my stronghold, something that I cling and hold tightly to, regardless of if my feelings match it yet.

SPEAKER_01 19:58

That's good.

SPEAKER_04 19:58

But I'm going to pray and believe in faith that the Lord is answering that as I'm praying, and that He is giving me the joy of the Lord that will burst out from an internal bubble and spring.

SPEAKER_00 20:11

Yeah. Well, and I that's such a good point because, and now people will look at this and go, Well, this is this is new agey, you can't do that kind of stuff. And it's crazy because it's scientific. Your brain has to come into alignment, like it's gonna come into alignment with things that you say, and when I say that, I'm not saying that, you know, oh, sit here and create your reality. That's not what I'm saying. Yeah, what I'm saying is taking biblical truths and declaring them and praying those things changes the way your brain operates and sees opposition.

SPEAKER_04 20:50

A hundred percent.

SPEAKER_00 20:51

So as I go into situations and I start declaring the word of God, my brain knows, okay, I have to come into alignment with this now because we're not we're not focusing on the negative anymore. Like we do on earth have to steward our minds, guys. This is not a this is not a oh well, Jesus paid, but now I'm feeling this all the time and I can never get out of it. No, that's not true because those patterns, they're called, they're patterns. Your brain has neural pathways that have been built over time. And if you don't care for, I say care for those neural pathways, but like if you don't care for those, right? And you're not like, okay, this is not, this is not where my mind should be going in this situation. How do I rewrite it? Well, you allow him to rewrite it, is the key. And you rewrite it with scripture. And as you do that and as you declare that stuff, that helps your brain to come into alignment with what's actually going on in the spirit, which is your freedom.

SPEAKER_04 21:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:54

You're free.

SPEAKER_04 21:55

Well, there's actually a lot in scripture about everything that you're saying, and so like we can actually back it up. The difference is if you're trying to like lock in with manifestation and all of those things, like positive affirmations, all these things, and you're doing it outside of God, then that's witchcraft. Okay. Yeah. You're just operating a new age witchcraft.

SPEAKER_01 22:13

Right.

SPEAKER_04 22:13

Okay. But if you're doing what the Bible says and you're using self-control, which is the fruit of the spirit, to do that, and you're doing it through God and you're praying, and He is the one leading the charge, then you're doing that appropriately. And according to the will of God. The will of God is for you to be set free from the bondage that He died for. Because He didn't die so you can live a life of mediocrity and like depression. Truly, He didn't die to not set you free. He died to set you free from all of that. So you can live heaven on earth before you get to heaven. Like, and it's a gift that he has given us freedom in Christ. There are certain things that we are stewarding on this earth. We're stewarding our tongue. That's why the Bible is very clear about what you speak into existence. Like what you speak over yourself, what you speak over other people. It talks about how life and death are in the tongue. If God didn't care about what you spoke about, he wouldn't be so clear about watch your mouth.

SPEAKER_00 23:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 23:17

Because you can damage somebody. You can damage your own life by what you speak over yourself.

SPEAKER_00 23:24

If you can damage somebody else, you can damage yourself.

SPEAKER_04 23:26

Absolutely. And that's not manifestation, that's the holy word of God because He designed us.

SPEAKER_00 23:40

Well, if you notice a lot of what you see even in the New Age circle and realms is really just a perversion of what Jesus is able to do.

SPEAKER_01 23:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:54

There are people that are like so-called healers in the new age space. But it's like a perversion of what true healing in Christ comes from. Like all of that stuff, it's not that it's somehow fake. They're operating in a wrong spirit with the wrong like tool set. Yeah, yeah. But at the end of the day, it's it's still real. It's just a perversion of the truth.

SPEAKER_04 24:22

Well, and you're not dealing with the Holy Spirit, you're dealing with demonic entities that are just sending you straight to hell. Like you're not in a good spot. If you're dealing in new agey stuff and you don't have the Holy Spirit inside of you, you're eligible for possession, you're eligible for oppression, possession, all that. Like the demons can like really screw you up because you don't have the Holy Spirit. There is nothing more powerful than the Holy Spirit. So if you're fooling around with witchcraft and you're fooling around with all that stuff, you can absolutely be affected and screwed up for the rest of your life unless you accept the Holy Spirit and He saves you.

SPEAKER_00 24:55

Well, and that's a that's a good thing to go into because a lot of times some people, when they start experiencing the anxiety, the the fear, the uncertainty of life, right? What do they do? They'll go to these other other other avenues. I'm trying to be serious.

SPEAKER_03 25:18

I wasn't gonna laugh about it until you corrected yourself. No, it's funny.

SPEAKER_00 25:21

We'll just laugh about. But they'll go to these other avenues because it's it's once again us trying to gain control. But just like Steph said, those things are so dangerous. And the thing is, what what you'll notice, what you'll notice is you always have to go back for another fix. Well, you know, you go for a Reiki healing, right? Or cleansing, right? When you do that, what happens? You gotta go back for another one. Oh, I gotta, I gotta do it again. I gotta make sure that I get everything. It's it. I promise you, it is an iterative cycle that will always continue. Because guess what's happening? You're giving access to the demonic, you clean something out, a new thing comes in and manifests itself in your life. It is not true healing. True healing, true peace, true joy comes only from one place, and that's the Holy Spirit. That is Jesus. He's the only one that can bring that. So if you are tempted to go down that route, smile in the face of temptation and turn the other way.

SPEAKER_01 26:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:34

Walk towards Jesus because you trying to do it yourself, it won't, it won't help you.

SPEAKER_04 26:40

Well, and another aspect is like Christians that are really into manifestation or Christians that are really into crystals. And they're going to the shop and they're like, oh, well, these crystals are good for blah, blah, blah. If you are into that, please, please don't be. Because what's happening is you are allowing, like, it's like a Christian that's dabbling in witchcraft that's been concealed by this beautiful image of like light, right? Which the devil comes as an angel of light. So if you are dabbling in crystals and you're wearing these different things, or you're doing tarot cards or Ouija boards, or you're like looking at all these things, or whatever, you are opening a door for witchcraft to attack you. And believe me, it loves to attack a Christian that that is just like unknowingly opening themselves up. There was somebody that we just talked to this week that just got attacked by the enemy, like scratches, like all these health issues and everything. And they unknowingly were wearing a bracelet that was an evil eye bracelet. And they're a wonderful Christian, a very prophetic Christian, but they didn't realize that this bracelet was like the culprit.

SPEAKER_05 27:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 27:55

And it was like evil eye bracelets are attached to witchcraft and the appearance that, like, oh, they're there for good karma and good energy and all this stuff.

SPEAKER_00 28:03

And it's like to to watch over you for evil spirits to to you know get them away, keep away the evil spirits.

SPEAKER_04 28:11

But like those things can affect you because you, by by wearing those crystals, by going into those shops to buy all these things, you're opening a door for the enemy to have legal access to you because you're unknowingly just like accepting it. Instead of going to the true source of all the things that you're actually needing to go to, just spend some time in the Word of God. Read John, read Psalms, read about Jesus Himself. Like God wants to be that answer for you that brings you that internal peace. You don't need to wear crystals, you don't need to know your future with fortune tellers and all that stuff. Like, you just need to go to God and ask him to give you the joy of the Lord and the peace of the Lord that encompasses everything and that can fill you. The more time you spend with the Lord, the more you're gonna experience that and you're not gonna have need for that. That's a good area to exhibit self-control. If you have a desire to look at horoscopes, exhibit self-control because that's actually gonna end up harming you. It's gonna end up causing more issues for you. And he wants, God wants you to live in freedom. He doesn't want you to live a life where you're constantly getting attacked because you're choosing to open the door to all these different things.

SPEAKER_00 29:13

Well, and people may say, Well, my horoscope is pretty accurate, though. You wanna know why it's accurate? Because when you read it and you come into alignment with it, the demonic forces that be are making sure that that happens. Because you've walked in it, you've walked in agreement with it. So it's not surprising that it, but it's still false. Guys, it's still false. There's no, there's no truth. It's a twisting of truth. You want to know what the Lord wants from you, how he desires to move in your life. Get in your prayer closet and talk to him. Pray. Yeah. Ask him yourself. Quit going to these other things because at the end of the day, why would you trust that over the one who created you?

SPEAKER_04 30:01

Because it's easier to do. Because there's more like there's more like control over being able to like talk to somebody on earth and have them tell you something or read a horoscope. And I mean, you also have to remember like when God created the angels and God created humankind and the earth, when he was living with the angels and he created the angels, they were living outside of time. God created time, God created the structure of time. So when you're talking about horoscopes, like in demon, like demonic has access to living outside of time as well.

SPEAKER_00 30:32

So they can project things and then you uh come into alignment with it. I mean, there's there's demon, it's just like with um mediums and people that are looking at the past and they can say, Well, you know, I can see that this happened to you, blah, blah, blah. Those demons have followed your family for all this time. They they know what happened. So the person, that medium, is really just talking to a demon.

SPEAKER_04 30:57

Right. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 30:58

That knows about you, that's posing as your grandmother.

SPEAKER_04 31:01

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 31:02

It's not your grandma, it's a demon that knows about your family lineage.

SPEAKER_04 31:06

A demon being like a fallen angel, because when Satan fell from heaven, he took a third of heaven's arm, a third of heaven's angels with him. So that's why we have like demons nowadays, which you know, at the end of the day, like if this freaks you out at all, just lean into the Lord and just be like, God, please give me peace. Because at the end of the day, the Holy Spirit is so much more powerful.

SPEAKER_05 31:27

So much more powerful.

SPEAKER_04 31:28

Demons are just so like trivial compared to the power of the Lord, the power of Holy Spirit. And that's why at the name of Jesus, demons flee, gee, demons run, demons are scared because there's power in the blood of Jesus. That's the ultimate power in the entire universe in all time, time, time, time, time.

SPEAKER_05 31:46

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 31:46

And so there should be such a confidence when you are rocking with Holy Spirit that nothing can touch you that is outside of the will of God.

SPEAKER_05 31:56

Right.

SPEAKER_04 31:56

Like even King David, when he had taken his kingdom and he was like he was in charge, he was running a very successful kingdom, he loved the Lord. And then his son tried to take the kingdom from him, right? So David was on the run. And as he's on the run with his like officers and their armies or whatever that are with him on the run, there was this guy that comes up and he's like trying to curse King David. And the officers are like, I'm about to kill this dude. And David's like, no, just let him look. He was like, I'm not worried about what he's saying. Like, if the Lord wants me to be cursed, then this guy's curses are gonna affect me. And if the Lord does not want me to be cursed, then nothing that this goober can say is gonna affect me. At the end of the day, my confidence and my faith is in God, Yahweh, Jesus, Holy Spirit, Trinity. So at the end of the day, like nothing is gonna get past what the Lord allows or doesn't allow. Satan still has to go with his tail between his legs to ask the Lord for things. Like when he asked for access to Lot and Lot's family, like he had to go with his tail between his legs to ask the holy God. Job. Job. Thank you. Not Lot. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. My mind is like visualizing these people. I'm saying the wrong names. But, anyways, like Satan has Satan is so minuscule compared to God. And so at the end of the day, like just run towards the Lord and don't focus on all these things. But there are things in your life that you can do to help make your life more free. Like, don't play around with witchcraft, don't play around with crystals, don't play around with horoscopes. And your life is gonna feel a lot freer because of those basic self-control type things.

SPEAKER_00 33:38

Well, the enemy also he doesn't want us to know that we're free. He doesn't want us to feel free. Yeah. He doesn't want us to walk in the freedom that Christ paid for. And so his tactics are always going to be that of getting you to feel bound. Yeah. And the thing is, there because there's two different, I think there's two different big sides, right? Which one is these people that live a life, which I I can't judge their heart, but from the outside what it looks like is like uh I don't know. But that say, well, because of the grace of God, I get to live free, right? I can do whatever I want. I can go sleep with whoever, I can go drink whatever and get drunk and do whatever I want because of the grace of God. And wait a second. Paul says, what does he say? He says, if should should we go on sinning because grace abounds? And he says, by no means. Of course you shouldn't. That's not a way to live your life at all. That's like that's in opposition to God. Like, why why why would we do that to ourselves? We're we're creating what what that freedom feels like in the moment is really creating more bondage, more chains, more things to pull you down. It's not actual freedom. Like, it's not a good recipe at all. Yeah, you're creating a disaster, and you maybe don't see it then, but then when you get married and you're doing all this stuff and you realize that you've you're you're walking in sin or you're what doing all these things, and it's like that's not a good, you're still bound, bro. Even though Jesus paid for your sins, you are walking bound. You're like the one, it's like your chains were broken off and you just wrapped them back up, put them right back on, tied and not on. Like you're not helping yourself by living that way.

SPEAKER_04 35:46

Well, and a lot of people think that to live according to the word of God is actually such binding. Like when people think about, oh my gosh, there's so many rules, there's so many things, like, oh, you can't do this, you can't do that. It's like, here's the reality. I've lived a life of walking in sin. And I have also lived a life of currently right now, like trying to walk in obedience to the Lord and draw as close to the Lord as possible, even if that means I don't go like getting drunk and drinking, and I don't go sleep with other people and I don't go do all these things. And yeah, I feel more free now than I have ever felt in my entire life. The life that you think that's free, where you can go sin and get drunk and sleep with people and do whatever you want and get in fights and all this stuff, is actually such a life of prison cell sitting there with the door open.

SPEAKER_00 36:30

It's an illusion.

SPEAKER_04 36:31

Absolutely. The devil doesn't want you to know how free your life can be if you just do what God says to do.

SPEAKER_00 36:36

Yeah, a hundred percent. Now, on the flip side of that, there's another piece that is also just as just as much bound, which is when we walk in legalism, everything like you can't do anything or you're you're screwed. Like, God forbid this happens that I do, I I go and I say this thing to this person, and now I'm well I'm going to hell now, or you know, whatever. It's like it's this this mindset of I have to do this or I'm I'm I'm jack like I'm screwed. I can't, you know. And I think that that's that's also a very bound way to live. Yeah. Because what what we're doing, I find that legalism happens when we don't look to Holy Spirit, we look to ourselves.

SPEAKER_01 37:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:25

Man-made rules, all this kind of stuff, right? Like we're not allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us. What we're actually doing is projecting what we think and walking down that. And then a lot of times, what what you'll notice with people that walk in legalism, they project that onto other people as well.

SPEAKER_03 37:42

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 37:43

Which is like a terrible way to live. It's not living free. You have the illusion of freedom without actual freedom.

SPEAKER_04 37:50

Right.

SPEAKER_00 37:51

So, yeah, those are kind of like the two, they're two both extremes, but I find a lot of people that either sometimes they walk in either or either situation.

SPEAKER_04 38:02

But they're both bound in different ways.

SPEAKER_00 38:05

Yes. Yes, absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 38:07

Whereas Christ, like there are there are act actionable things that you can do, like there are different things that you can do to walk in a more freeing life. I know we talked briefly about like the power of life and death is in the tongue. So when somebody asks you, like, how are you? Maybe don't respond with I'm fine or I'm okay or oh, how do I even, you know, like maybe rewire your neural pathways and say, like, I'm great. I have been struggling with a little bit of stuff lately, or life has been crazy at different times, but God is still good, but the Lord is with me, but I'm great. Internally, I'm great. Like, focus on a positive, you know, like you don't have to cling to the negatives that will end up bringing you down 100%.

SPEAKER_00 38:56

Focus on the spiritual more than the physical. Speak the spiritual first of I'm great, right? Knowing that our joy comes from the Lord, but just like you said, realizing the reality of what we're going through is nothing wrong with that at all.

SPEAKER_04 39:11

Your words have so much power. I was yesterday, I was at the grocery store, and there was this lady that she had these kids, and she was just talking down to them. She was just like, You're so blah, blah, blah. So that's a really good example of don't speak death over people. Like you, you might be somebody that somebody spoke like that over your life. Like you had like word curses over you in different forms, and that can be something that you can come out of agreement with, you can come out of alignment with, and you can rebuke that in the mighty name of Jesus and say, that's not who God has called me to be. And then literally speak over your life who God has called you to be. You are chosen. You were chosen from the womb. Um, like for some of you, God literally named you in your mother's womb. Like there, you have such a beautiful purpose. Like, God didn't just create you with every single intricacy and delicacy that He designed you with for you to feel like you don't matter. Like, of course, He loves you. Of course, He died for you, you alone. So, of course, like God doesn't want you to walk in agreement with the things that people have spoken about you negatively or forecasted over your life. You don't have to live in that. You can step out of that, and you can be like, no, I'm I'm gonna stop right here and I'm I'm not gonna accept that.

SPEAKER_00 40:26

Well, and and our brains have a natural bend to negative. Their their usual like bend is actually negative. Because it's it's trying to understand, like, okay, like how do I protect here or do anything? And so, like, our our brains will actually go to more of a negative state. So we have to kind of flip the script on that. That's why it's so important to to walk and in alignment with scripture and make your mind by the power of the Holy Spirit, not you doing it, but the Holy Spirit doing it to change the way that you operate normally.

SPEAKER_04 41:07

So it's funny because like we have these scripture verses that we had for Freedom in Christ. We're gonna post this in our Patreon that you can download for free. Um, but different verses that it's funny, it goes in line perfectly with the different things that we were talking about. In Galatians, talking about um, it was for this freedom that Christ set us free, completely liberating us. Therefore, keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery, to sin and the law. So it's like you can walk free. You do not have to be subject to it. God set you free. John 8 36. So if the Son makes you free, then you are unquestionably free. You don't have to, you don't have to walk in this like burdened guilt and shame and condemnation. And then Romans 8, 1 and 2, there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. So if you're experiencing guilt, shame, like all those things, condemnation, it's not from the Lord. So just draw into the Lord, repent for accepting that, and allow him to fill you with his peace. Second Corinthians 3 17. Now the Lord is a spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty, emancipation from bondage, and true freedom. We've got so many of these verses that we're gonna put one of in our Patreon so you can download, you can read this over your life. And when you are battling with this yoke of slavery that you are experiencing in your mind and your body of feeling like you're captive to this world, captive to other people in this world. Maybe you feel like you are stuck in a situation that is out of your control, um, you don't have to be that in your mind. You don't have to be, you can allow the Lord in spirit to overcompensate for that lack of freedom that you're experiencing. You can submit and like give that to the Lord and allow him to step in and free you. Because if your circumstances not going to allow you to be freed, like say you can't quit your job because of financial burdens, you can't move because of whatever reasons you have or whatever it is, everyone has different things that make them feel enslaved to that particular thing. You don't have to live enslaved in your mind. You can be free in your mind. Like, yeah, all of us have things. You some people can't afford to even put food on the table right now. You're not free financially, okay? But in your mind, you can be free. Elijah was fed by the birds. Yeah, literally, the Lord provided food for Elijah. Go read it in 2 Kings, I think it is. Like, he brought birds, birds had food to brought to Elijah. So, like, no matter your circumstance, God is capable and able to provide and to give you that freedom that we are all searching for. So, a lot of people are just like running around searching the earth for peace, for freedom, for help. And it's like all of that is found in God. And so, speak the scriptures over your life, speak out loud the scriptures so your brain. Rewires and knows who the central focus is in your life. Who can conquer all of those small mediocrity like type things compared to the death that he died? He conquered death, sin, and the grave. So yeah, like our trouble is.

SPEAKER_00 44:31

Christ doesn't see you as bound. You may still see yourself as bound, but you're not. It's a false reality. And the thing is, he he broke the bondage of sin, death in the grave, like Steph already said. And so all the stuff that we we have to now walk in alignment with what's been done in the spirit. And I think that you know it's gonna look a little bit different for other people. I think sanctification, once again, being a process, it's not, he doesn't call you to be perfect overnight, right? He wants a relationship to where I heard this thing where um family, right? Our family, the family that we have in in the Lord, right? Family rewards progress. It's not perfection. We realize we're never going to reach perfection, right? We're not Jesus. Um, but he does give us tools here. His grace is the empowerment for us to live a holy life. And what's funny is when you start walking that way, just like you said earlier, you realize that you're way more free than you ever were and you're way happier. Yeah. Because the enemy wants to keep this false narrative up that says, well, that freedom right there, that's that's gonna cost you all your fun stuff. It's just not true, man. Because when you start pursuing Jesus, you care so much more about him and the things of him than you do about all of that other crap.

SPEAKER_01 46:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 46:05

You end up going, oh man, yeah. I just don't really care to do that anymore.

SPEAKER_04 46:11

And I will say, like, one of the biggest, and this is our last big point, but another really big area that I feel like people live in bondage in, and this will keep you in bondage. Like, if you don't do this one thing, you are not gonna live free on this earth. You are gonna continue to live in bondage. And this area is unforgiveness. If you have unforgiveness towards someone, you are no amount of anything else that you can do on this earth is gonna set you free. Truly free. Because your unforgiveness is a foothold that the devil has in your life, that he is just constantly feeding off of your unforgiveness, and he is constantly gonna send attacks towards you until you release that to the Lord and entrust the Lord with that unforgiveness. The Bible says that the Lord will be your vengeance, yeah. And as painful as it is for so many people, because of different traumas or experiences that people have gone through, you don't want to be enslaved in your mind, body, and soul to unforgiveness because it will continue to eat at you, it will eat your spirit away.

SPEAKER_00 47:23

It actually scientifically ruins you. Literally ruins you. It affects you physically.

SPEAKER_04 47:30

Yes. And when you look at a majority, like when you talk to a lot of people, a lot of people who are just kind of either Debbie Downers or they are just like uptight or anxious or just kind of like, geez, like it's most of the time, I would say like 10 out of 10 times, there is unforgiveness in their life. And it's that is just in it's chaining them.

SPEAKER_00 47:54

Yeah. Well, and I think the reason why you even talk about this so much is because you walked it. Absolutely, you walked it for years.

SPEAKER_04 48:02

So you my whole life, my whole life, I harbored unforgiveness towards my mom and and family and stuff like that. And it wasn't until like two years ago that I finally forgave. Not because that person deserved it, but because that's the best thing for me to do. It was like I finally allowed the Lord to take that situation or all those situations or all those pains, and I released it to him. And in that process, he set me free. Yeah, like truly set free. And I know we talked about this in the last episode too, but it is so important to living free in Christ is that you forgive. The Bible says forgive 70 times 70. Like in every situation, every single day, I am constantly, I am walking in a proactive mindset of when offenses happen or when people say things or people are rude or people are mean. I am constantly training my brain to not attach to those offenses and say, you know what? God, would you encounter that person? People that hurt me, God, would you pour out your spirit upon them so they would fall in love with you and you would transform them from the inside out. But at the end of the day, God, revenge is yours. Vengeance is yours alone. So I'm gonna release all of it to you and entrust you with it. And I'm not gonna harbor unforgiveness. I'm not gonna hold on to those things. John Bevere wrote a book, The Bait of Satan is offense.

SPEAKER_00 49:26

On offense, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 49:27

Unforgiveness, offense, all of that. It's just like it is walking into a prison cell and shutting the door behind you when you have unforgiveness. So if you're feeling that, do everything you can and your ability to get before the Lord and repent of that and release it to him and speak with your words. I forgive you, I forgive you, I forgive you towards the people that you are harboring unforgiveness towards and give it to God and watch as your soul comes alive, watch as he sets you free from those things, and all of a sudden you're gonna be walking a little bit lighter. And when you pray the joy of the Lord, like you're gonna be like, whoa, what is this like?

SPEAKER_03 50:05

Like, what is happening?

SPEAKER_00 50:07

Yeah, that's so good. That's so good. Well, guys, we love you. This has been a fun conversation. I've enjoyed it a lot.

SPEAKER_02 50:16

I could talk to you anytime.

SPEAKER_00 50:17

I always enjoy our conversation. Yeah, she's best. Okay, anyways, we love you. Walk in the freedom of Christ in Jesus' name. See you later.

SPEAKER_01 50:29

Love ya.