The Birth of Jesus | Faith, Fear & Saying Yes to God (Ep. 10)

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The world is loud, truth feels confusing, and life has a way of making us forget what matters most.
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But through scripture, honest conversation, and real stories of faith, remember who the king is exists for one purpose.
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To point back to Jesus.
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This is more than a podcast.
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It's a reminder.
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The king is still on the throne.
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Hey everybody, welcome back to Remember Who the King Is.
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This is the podcast where, of course, we open God's Word and we talk about it, we read through it, and we try to apply it to our lives.
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My name is Chad Muncie.
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As you know, I'm with Donnie Prince and Mark Berry.
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Hey guys, Merry Christmas.
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Yeah.
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Merry Christmas to you, Chad.
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I say that because we're talking about, obviously, I'm just kidding.
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Uh, we're talking about one of the most well-known passages uh in all of Scripture.
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In fact, our our culture to me, it usually isn't covered a lot until the holiday season, which you you kind of miss out and it becomes this thing that you do.
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And so we want to try to pull away from that.
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So that's why today we are talking about the birth of Jesus.
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I think sometimes familiarity uh makes us miss pieces of this story.
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So hopefully today, as we cover this, you'll dive in with us, you'll open your Bible, and we will talk through the little nuances in this story that are so incredible.
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Mark, Donnie, y'all look like you're ready to go.
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Ready to go.
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Yeah, excited to be here, Chad.
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So excited to be here.
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I'm excited to dive in, Donnie.
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I'm gonna hand it off to you so we can jump in.
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Okay, that sounds great.
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And uh for those who are uh reading along with us, we're reading from uh the New Living Translation.
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We're in the first chapter of Matthew.
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We're gonna read verses 18 through 25.
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The birth of Jesus the Messiah.
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This is how Jesus the Messiah was born.
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His mother Mary was engaged to be married to Joseph, but before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.
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Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.
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As Joseph considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.
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Joseph, son of David, the angel said, Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
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All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord's message through his prophet.
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Look, the virgin will conceive a child, she will give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel, which means God is with us.
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When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded, and took Mary as his wife, but he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born, and Joseph named him Jesus.
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You know, Mark, I know that uh you know you love to research this and I and you know, and I I I I can't wait to talk about this today.
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I I think we're gonna all have some really interesting thoughts on this situation.
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But Mark, when you did your study and research for today, what tell tell us the things that that really spoke to you.
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Thank you, Donnie.
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And Chad, as you mentioned earlier, this is possibly not a backstory that a lot of people are familiar with or have heard in quite some time.
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You know, of course, when it comes down to around Christmas time, we we remember the birth of Jesus.
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But now that we're stepping back just a little bit to to look at exactly what God had in mind when he uh put this in motion, this is uh I think quite conceivably to me one of his gratest works uh in addition to creating heaven and earth.
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And and uh so he certainly put his plan in place.
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And again, we've had different podcast podcasts talking about how God works um uh not only in mysterious ways, but with people that are possibly less deserving and or not higher anarchy or not royalty and not not uh possibly uh definitely fateful.
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Definitely fateful.
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And you know, in this story, what what is uh uh an awesome blessing is you know, Joseph, as you read Donnie in in 19, uh Joseph was a righteous man.
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Can you imagine when he first found out or was told or heard that Mary was pregnant?
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I mean, they're just engaged, right, at this point in time.
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They're not they're not married.
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And you know, back in that first century, Deuteronomy uh 22, 13 through 30, if the husband's accusations is true and she's not a virgin, she's executed by stony at the entrance of her father's house, right?
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Mm-hmm.
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So Joseph obviously was obviously taken back, but being the righteous man that he that he was, yeah, he didn't blast her.
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He was willing to engage in a quiet separation.
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He planned to send her away secretly, maybe, for for her to have this child before he knew the whole story.
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Uh he wouldn't didn't want to ruin her reputation.
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He felt like possibly that was already ruined.
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But as a righteous man, he performed righteously towards Mary, and he and he didn't want her on trial, obviously.
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But then later, you know, we read further about uh how the angel of the Lord came and spoke to him in a drink.
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So again, God's grace, God's mercy, God's plan, uh it all came together again, just perfectly.
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Chad I love this.
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Chad, I know yeah, I just you know and I have not you know read this story in quite some time, but um it's it's uh it's just another way God works in in his perfect way.
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And therefore he can work in everybody's life.
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Amen.
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Yep.
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Absolutely.
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Yeah, I think there was a big there's a big shock factor here that most of us would have gone through much differently than Joseph.
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Joseph handled himself.
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Um he handled himself amazingly.
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Mary's pregnant, and Joseph knows this is not my child, and I I would, if I were him, I would be very confused, I would be heartbroken, um, I would be a little embarrassed.
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I'm trying to think through the emotions that I would have felt.
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I would have had a lot of questions, and we don't see that instant reaction that a lot of us or I would have had from Joseph, which is which is pretty incredible.
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Joseph had incomplete information at the time, he didn't know everything, but he still acted as the righteous man that he was.
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He I think it goes back to what we've talked about in the podcast before faith and understanding that God is in control at that moment.
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Joseph still exhibited that amazingly.
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He knew that God was working something, so he didn't have that reaction, Mark, like you said, and I think I think that faith um means trusting God when life gives you something unexpected or it doesn't make sense, and Joseph was the perfect example of that here.
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So I think it's it's a it's a great example to us.
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Well, and also not to rule out uh before the the rest of the story was told, how her parents reacted towards her once they found out you know, so it was a big deal, obviously.
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Exactly, you know, and I think like uh like like Mark brought up, you know, in in Deuteronomy, you know, if a if a you know this happened to a woman, she she could have been stoned right there in front of her house, you know.
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People you know, we think about Mary and Joseph, you know, Mary's a mother of Jesus, and Joseph is a you know, he's you know, he's a guardian of Jesus, you know, but we don't yeah, when you really look at it like we've discussed before, when you really look at the Bible and remember that these are human beings.
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They're this is not a fictional tale, right?
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You know, Mary had a tremendous blessing as a mother of Jesus, you know, and Joseph is going to have the opportunity to mentor the Messiah.
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But with great blessings oftentimes comes great challenges, and you know, they faced great challenges.
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You know, we read about Tamar not long ago, and when she became pregnant, you know, Judah said, take her out and let her be burned.
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I mean, Mary was in a very difficult spot.
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I mean, she was chosen by God to, you know, to to to be the mother of the Messiah.
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But isn't it interesting how in life a lot of times we don't really realize how God is working, like Mark said, or how how you know, like we talked about before.
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What do you guys think?
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I've thought about this a lot.
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If I'd have been Joseph and I'd have been engaged to be married and I'd have been told that, I don't know that I would.
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And and like Mark's saying, you know, Mary, she's got parents, she's got friends.
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I mean, she has this, she's if she would tell somebody, hey, you know, I'm pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit, I mean, think how many people are not gonna believe her.
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How tough that was.
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You know, I think, you know, when I go, when I think about it and put in the shoes, like Chad was saying, this is a story we hear at Christmas.
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We're like, oh, well, you know, birth of Mary and Bliss was married, you know, she's the mother of Jesus.
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But it came with a tremendous responsibility and it came with a lot of of uh social stuff.
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And when Joseph, like Mark was saying, when he decides to, you know, divorce her quietly, it's because he don't believe her.
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And she's she's living in that moment in between when she tells Joseph and he's talking about the you know, she must have been incredibly alone.
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How how do you what do y'all think about it?
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I mean, I I just I guess I'm saying uh Mary was incredibly blessed, but but she had a lot, she had a lot on her, and I don't think we we realize that enough when we hear this story.
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What do you think about that?
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Everything was put to bed after Joseph went to sleep and Angel of the Lord uh came and spoke to him, but I probably wouldn't have slept for days.
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That's true.
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I ain't talking about that.
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He was sleeping somehow or no.
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And he had to go to sleep in order for the angel of the Lord to come to him.
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But once that happened, then you know, being a righteous man, he he totally uh understood.
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But can you can you imagine even after the angel came trying for if you were Joseph trying to explain this to somebody?
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I promise an angel came to me.
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I promise.
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Yeah, sure, Joseph.
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Right, yeah, right.
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Uh yeah.
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Yeah.
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Probably a lot of people thought it was a cover.
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You know, I mean, who could come around without telling the story, though?
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Right, right.
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Right.
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And you know that probably started rumors.
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I mean, we don't have it's not talking directly about, but you know that probably started rumors and just went around and I mean he had to hold his ground.
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Yeah, he did.
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For sure.
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He had to have great faith.
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I mean, he had to have great faith.
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You know, and and uh you know, the uh I think about too in that you know in the verse where it says, you know, look, the virgin will conceive a child, you know, she will give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel, which means God is with us.
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That's an old testament prophecy.
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I mean, you know, this whole thing was a plan, like Mark was saying, God, you know, God's at work in the world now a lot more than we want to acknowledge or give him credit for, you know, and I think this story, when you when you look at it, you know, from that context, the reaction of Joseph, you know, he he doubts, but then, you know, he he does the right thing, he he has faith.
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There ain't no doubt about it.
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You know, like Mark was saying, let's say, you know, I got daughters.
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So if it if you know, if if Mary had been my child and she'd have come to me with that, I'd have I mean, I'd love her and I'd want to believe it, you know, but it would be hard.
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It would be difficult.
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You know, for Joseph, you know, he's his friends or his parents, you know, he says, Mary, Mary's pregnant, right?
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And then he I'm gonna divorce her quietly.
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I'm you know, just gonna handle it best I can.
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And then he comes back and says, An angel of the Lord appeared to me, and she is pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit, and I'm gonna marry her anyway.
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I mean, you know, that took that took some courage.
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I mean, you know, you just gotta wonder what was going on in their lives when this happened.
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I mean, what do y'all think about that?
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I mean, you you know, we're all parents.
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I mean, what what would we do if our children were in were in Mary and Joseph's shoes?
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I mean, how would we have responded?
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I I don't know.
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What do you think y'all would have done?
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I think it depends completely on where my my relationship with God was at at that point.
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Because without like having faith that and belief, believing and having faith that, okay, let me think through this.
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I mean, my reaction would still be a lot of pause, I think, and and trying to figure this out and think through it.
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And then, you know, you worry about your kids, you worry about people you love, so then you think, what about the repercussions from this?
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What what does all of this look like?
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And your your mind, if you if you don't have God on your side, you don't have the Holy Spirit living inside you, your mind can go some crazy places.
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So, you know, it could cause a lot of worry, a lot of stress, all that sort of stuff.
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Fear, a lot of fear.
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Well, I and I haven't read anything where, you know, Mary's is conceived by the Holy Spirit, but it doesn't elaborate on how that took place.
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So she comes in and she's pregnant, and I'm assuming that she had some kind of an idea that she was Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
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And she's trying to explain that situation.
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But it but I think the turning point was, you know, once once the Lord had some, you know, had someone come and speak to him, an angel come and speak to him in his sleep.
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And that was the turning point.
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But yeah, what a heck of a guy to to believe that.
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But he was a righteous man to begin with, right?
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So obviously he was and the Lor and the Lord knew that he was the right the God knew that he was the right right man for the for the upbringing and and uh I mean he's never wrong.
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Right.
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No, God ain't he ain't he ain't alarmed.
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I mean he's not like he's he's not like this is unexpected.
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Yeah, he prophesied it centuries earlier, you know, in the old testament.
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And then it's interesting too, like as we're you know, we're reading through the gospel of Matthew, and Lord willing, you know, we're gonna be doing this long enough.
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We're gonna read through these other gospels too.
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And an account of some what at least one of the other gospels, you know, it says that an angel appeared to Mary and told her, you know, you're highly favored among all women, and you know, the power of the Holy Spirit's gonna come upon you, and you're gonna give birth to the Messiah.
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You know, so when we read one gospel, we get some information, you know, and now when we read them all, right, that's a that's a great benefit of as we go through and study the Bible.
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You know, the pieces fall more and more together, you know, that an angel appeared to Mary and an angel appeared to Joseph.
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But this is interesting, I ain't thought about this until right now.
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He didn't appear to both of them at the same time.
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I mean, they both had to make a decision, right?
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You know, he could have appeared, you know, Jesus God can do anything he wants to.
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He could have sat them down and said, hey, I'm gonna get y'all about to have a baby.
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I'm gonna, you know, I'm gonna marry's gonna get pregnant by that power of the Holy Spirit and Joseph, this is what we're gonna do.
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And I want y'all on the same page, and this is the plan, and you know, but no, he he appeared to one in one moment and one in another, and they both had to decide, am I gonna be a part of this or not?
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You know, is this something that I'm all I'm willing to take on or not?
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And and can you look, uh tell me this.
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I'm interested what y'all think about this.
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Being a dad is scary.
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I mean, it ain't easy.
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I mean, there's lots of but there's a lot of stuff to it, you know, whether you got, you know, whether you have daughters or you have sons, but you know, can you imagine the responsibility the Lord says, hey, she's having a baby, the Messiah, and you're gonna help raise him.
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I imagine Joseph probably fell over if he was awake, if he was asleep, Mark, I bet that woke him up.
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Well, yeah, because keep in mind he was just engaged.
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He hadn't even probably even had made plans to get married yet, and certainly wasn't thinking about kids for quite some time.
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Yeah.
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I mean, you think about it, you know, we're gonna read farther as we go along, Chad.
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You know, you got boys, I mean, you know, we're gonna read farther that this this thing, this the the birth of Jesus is gonna get very complicated very fast.
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I mean, they're gonna face some tremendous struggles and hardships because of because of what they're taking on, right?
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They're you know, it's hard enough being a parent, but I mean, a parent of the of the Messiah, I mean, don't you know those two young people were scared to death?
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What do you think, Chad?
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That's some heavy pressure, yeah.
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The way they worded, the way the angel uh in this account, I like what you said, Donnie.
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First of all, once you read on, you're getting you're getting separate accounts from the the perspective of different writers here.
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So I I love it because, like you said, it's a puzzle and it comes together and you get all the information.
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But the way it's worded in Matthew, he says, because he will save his people from your sins, that's a lot of weight as a parent to raise raise the Messiah who's gonna save the people.
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Uh you're like, man, if I if I make if I how am I gonna do this?
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There's not a handbook for this.
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What am I gonna do?
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You know, that's complete faith in God right there.
00:20:15.119 --> 00:20:34.559
Um I think right then Joseph, since he's he is a righteous man, he's probably he he he knows, well, my the the child that I have to raise is not just here to inspire people, not to not to just teach people, not to just help people become better people.
00:20:34.640 --> 00:20:40.079
He literally came to rescue people, and I am responsible for raising them.
00:20:40.160 --> 00:20:41.680
I don't know how I would have felt, honestly.
00:20:41.759 --> 00:20:46.640
I can't like I was talking about in the beginning, I it's hard for me to put myself in that situation.
00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:50.400
I don't I would be a wreck, honestly.
00:20:50.720 --> 00:20:51.599
Yeah, yeah.
00:20:51.680 --> 00:20:55.119
I think I think think back, and we've all have we all have children.
00:20:55.279 --> 00:20:59.839
Think back when we found out we were gonna have a child.
00:21:00.079 --> 00:21:01.759
Son, daughter, doesn't really matter.
00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:11.440
One of my top concerns was well, I just want to raise it right, and I just want to give it every opportunity to be the right type of person.
00:21:11.680 --> 00:21:15.839
Well, I mean, that was already laid out for Joseph and Mary.
00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:19.759
They yeah they knew they knew who they were bringing up.
00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:20.640
Yeah.
00:21:20.880 --> 00:21:35.440
You know, and at this point in the story, obviously, you know, we're just in the beginning of the gospel, but you know, Mary, you know, as time goes on, you know, Mary and Joseph, I'm sure, both of them, you know, and Mary at the end, she's at the foot of the cross when Jesus is crucified.
00:21:35.519 --> 00:21:37.839
I mean, you know, Mary, this was not a picnic.
00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:44.880
I mean, she she's gonna I mean, uh can you imagine the well I say go both ways.
00:21:45.039 --> 00:21:49.519
I you can imagine the the thrill of of watching him grow up.
00:21:49.680 --> 00:21:51.839
I mean, you know, this is the Messiah.
00:21:52.000 --> 00:21:54.960
I mean he's he's not just some little boy.
00:21:55.119 --> 00:21:57.599
I mean, you know, not and every little boy's precious.
00:21:57.759 --> 00:22:12.960
We're not gonna, you know, but uh I idea that you know she at this point she has no idea you know that she's gonna witness her son you know go to the cross and lay down and then she's gonna see him rise from the dead.
00:22:13.200 --> 00:22:27.279
I mean what mother has has that I mean you know as a as a human being as a woman you know what Mary is that what she's about to take on is so huge.
00:22:27.440 --> 00:23:42.799
I mean well I d I just don't know you know Chad it like you were describing we really think about the magnitude of this story from the human perspective of Mary right what she what she has you know coming into her life and you know and Joseph you know as a as a young man you know I I think about this you know as a younger man we got plans we got dreams we got you know we got things we want to do you know I would I could sort of imagine if I was Joseph you know and or and Mary if if I have these plans and I these dreams and all of a sudden God steps in and says wait just a minute now we're about to change your situation and and you know it's a big change this you're gonna do something ain't nobody ever done before and and and it took a tremendous amount of faith like Mark was saying Joseph had to be a very special man he had to be a very special and righteous man because he stood up for Mary he he you know it's kind of like Judah and Tamar you know Judah at the end he's he stands up for Tamar right you know and Tamar was in a position where Judah said if you would bring her out and let her be burned.
00:23:42.960 --> 00:23:58.640
I mean you know Mary Mary's in a tough spot and what Joseph does I don't think we really give him enough credit from a human perspective in this story and when we read it what do y'all think about that I mean you know I just feel like I don't know that I could have done what Joseph did.
00:23:58.720 --> 00:24:04.319
Even if an angel appeared to me in a dream I mean it would be hard to it'd been hard to believe it and had that much faith.
00:24:04.480 --> 00:24:05.599
How do y'all feel about that?
00:24:06.000 --> 00:24:48.240
Well the whole timing as to how all this took place I mean they were engaged they weren't married had they been married and and were thinking about having children and then God introduced this pregnancy you know when they were you know further along with their relationship right um you know that's we can we can look at a lot of different different sides of this but the way that God chose to do it is is not a common it's it's typically back in those days it wasn't even a common um happening to to get to get pregnant um before you get married.
00:24:48.480 --> 00:24:58.720
I mean it was a sin right punishable by death so um going into this it's it wasn't a common occurrence.
00:25:00.720 --> 00:25:17.920
No it wasn't a common occurrence at all like like y'all you know back then a lot of these marriages were prearranged you know the dads would get together and approve it you know you don't even really know how much Joseph knew Mary or Mary knew Joseph I mean at this point it ain't like they've been dating and going out for years and years.
00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:21.920
You know the way people do today, you know, where they develop a relationship.
00:25:22.079 --> 00:25:27.920
I mean he this relationship between the two of them may have been very very much at the beginning stage.
00:25:28.079 --> 00:25:44.559
You know and for Joseph to and I can't I can understand I mean at the beginning he doesn't believe her it doesn't say he doesn't believe her but when it says he's you know he didn't want to disgrace her publicly so he decided to break the engagement quietly that says it all.
00:25:44.720 --> 00:25:46.640
He did not he didn't believe it.
00:25:46.720 --> 00:25:54.559
And and I think about Mary like I've got daughters I mean like Mary in that situation I could see where she would be crushed.
00:25:54.720 --> 00:25:58.640
I mean she could be emotionally crushed.
00:25:58.720 --> 00:26:55.920
I mean she knows what's happening and she's told probably her parents she's told her you know Joseph maybe her friends and she could have been very isolated and alone and um I think it's just a very it's a very dynamic uh fluid situation and isn't that a lot like life a lot of times don't we have things happen not not to this magnitude but I mean we have things happen and you know we're you know we're in the middle of a a difficult situation and we're trying to explain where we're coming from to other people and maybe they believe us maybe they don't you know and how hurtful that can be one application I I thought about when I was reading this and Chad you know you're our social media expert because you know you're more into this than me and Mark but I thought about what if that happened to Mary today.
00:26:56.160 --> 00:27:07.839
Let's suppose a young a young woman today or a young man they find themselves in a in a position where God is calling them to do something big.
00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:45.759
I mean we i big or small and they feel they they feel called upon by the Lord to to take on a responsibility we need to support 'em we need to be supportive of that and in the social media world I mean I could see where they've just been ridiculed and everything in the world for uh for for being involved in a difficult situation how does this apply to to younger people today who are trying to take a stand for what they know is right or what they feel like God is calling them to do in a world of social media where they may be rejected.
00:27:45.839 --> 00:27:47.519
What do you think about that Chad?
00:27:48.640 --> 00:29:41.200
Well the word the word you were uh there's a word for that they would have been canceled that's what they call it now like if you're if you do something that they people don't like you they cancel you know you know they talk bad about you they put your picture out there and say don't listen to them and I think there's a danger um that's one of the biggest dangers in in social media in my opinion is trying to uh put on an appearance a false appearance in front of people and the danger in that is that if you are truly following what God wants you to do first of all like you mentioned earlier Donnie and Mark you mentioned it too that God's plans um are much different than ours you cannot you cannot start at the beginning of your life and say this is exactly what I'm gonna do and follow God because God's gonna have some things that are different sometimes much different than what you think and you've got to be willing to to change and one of the things with social media and getting your name out there and looking like a certain way there's a danger because you you try to have that appearance and then it creates fear that you're not going to be accepted among your peers and people so that when God asks you something to do you don't you you don't want you either have to lie on social media to keep up appearances or uh the the best thing to do is to cleanse yourself from from that world long enough to understand that that that's got to be a hundred percent transparent in truth um because God's going to ask you to do some things that maybe won't be accepted by some of your peers some of the some of your friends or you've got to get uh you've got to get hardcore like like Joseph after the fact and just be strong and say this is how it's gonna be I don't care what people think about me I'm just gonna follow God and um it's it's a tough world.
00:29:41.279 --> 00:30:14.160
I can't imagine if if Joseph and Mary would have been in today's world putting this stuff out there I think there would have been there would have been a lot of questions and some humiliation if they allowed it to to get that bad um but the most important thing I think in this story to look at Joseph and to get from that and apply it to today is that Joseph when he when he heard these things excuse me he obeyed immediately.
00:30:14.880 --> 00:30:34.160
There was no hesitation and so it didn't matter what people thought it didn't nothing mattered except for I'm gonna obey what God wants me to do and uh I think nowadays there's there's a lot of delay in obedience because what are people gonna think?
00:30:34.400 --> 00:30:35.920
I don't know if I can do that.
00:30:36.160 --> 00:30:37.759
What's my family going to think?
00:30:38.000 --> 00:30:57.039
What's my friends going to think what are the people on social media going to think and I think delayed obedience to wrap this all up is something that's really common nowadays and that what maybe not not as common back then because they didn't have stuff like social media you weren't so afraid what people are going to think.
00:30:57.200 --> 00:31:06.240
I mean you might be afraid what your mom, your dad or your family's gonna think but now you you think what's everybody in the world going to think all the people online you know and I think that's the biggest danger in it.
00:31:06.480 --> 00:32:06.720
You know Mark I you know I you know we you know Mark and I you know we grew up in a you know in a different time you know where we didn't have all this stuff and you know Mark I'm curious you know like we've talked about before you know acceptance and trying to you know appear a certain way in the social media world we live in today you know like in this situation you know Mary and Joseph you know they got friends they got they got family they got other people around them you know who who are going to realize the situation is going on and whether uh you know Mary and Joseph uh told anybody or not you know news travels fast especially about something as sensational as this you know I just wonder how they would have responded you know if or how people would have responded today if they knew about something you know that uh that's happening in somebody's life and even if Mary and Joseph ain't telling everybody, you know other people are gonna, you know, they're gonna talk about you or write things about you or say things about you.
00:32:06.880 --> 00:32:10.079
And like Chad was saying the next thing you know it's all over the world.
00:32:10.240 --> 00:32:15.200
People you don't you know people you don't know are judging you and we've talked about we shouldn't judge.
00:32:15.279 --> 00:32:16.559
But what do you think about that Mark?
00:32:16.640 --> 00:32:42.559
I mean you know that's a huge deal for young people today to have to face it is it is a big deal and you know I I hear or see uh a video whereby someone's passed on and they came back to life and they tell the story about their experience and as a Christian you know I I tend to believe their story.
00:32:43.279 --> 00:32:56.880
But like you say with social media everybody's gonna have the opportunity to sit behind a computer and and cast their cast their vote as to whether or not you know they believe it's it's real or not.
00:32:56.960 --> 00:33:02.960
But back in those days, you know she chances are I mean she was a young she was a young girl.
00:33:03.119 --> 00:33:36.960
She was I'm gonna go out on a limb and say 14 to 17 years of age because they typically were were taken um or like you said they were marriages were arranged between twelve and and sixteen so you've got this young girl that's that's pregnant and and they're in a small village, small town but you know also keep in mind within a year I mean where was Jesus born in Bethlehem.
00:33:37.279 --> 00:34:09.440
So they traveled um you know to a different a different area so who's to say during that period of time where she was pregnant and then he you know later married her Joseph married Mary and then they started their journey I I'm I'm sure even though scripture doesn't say it I'm sure they were led uh further along knowing that she's carrying the Messiah.
00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:41.519
It's but yeah totally different time culture uh probably a lot more harsh in a lot of ways than things could be uh harsh today typically today of social media like you said and words on a screen or a video but uh but when you're in a in a small village and and you're close to pretty much everybody I would think and about everybody knows everybody's business.
00:34:42.719 --> 00:34:45.280
Yeah this was a this was the biggie.
00:34:45.840 --> 00:35:10.239
The biggest the biggest yeah and you know like kind of like we're talking about that you know I don't have as much you know I don't have as I'm not as you know I'm not as involved in social media so I don't really you know know as much about it as you guys do but but like we're describing I mean that the pressure that they would have been under and you know I think about today like how relative this story is Joseph he steps up and does the right thing.
00:35:10.400 --> 00:35:34.719
I mean you know he he didn't he could have he could have you know and the angel of the Lord appeared to him and he listened like you're saying Chad and he obeyed and angels let me tell you they ain't going nowhere they're here working all the time I think they're speaking to us and reaching out to us and sharing you know God's uh vision for our lives and we gotta make a decision.
00:35:34.880 --> 00:35:44.719
You know Joseph had to make a decision am I gonna do I believe this right did that was that dream real I mean was that do I believe in angels?
00:35:44.880 --> 00:35:46.880
Does God talk to people?
00:35:47.280 --> 00:36:05.199
I'm just convinced that angels are just as active today they're they're they're they're crying out to us everywhere we go but if we're not in tune to the thought that they're that an angel and God is working in our lives we can miss out on some some really wonderful things.
00:36:05.440 --> 00:36:26.000
Joseph parents the Messiah he parents the Messiah he he is a man like we are he's just Joseph just a guy he ain't no different than us I mean he he parents the Messiah because he believed when the angels spoke to him what he had in the dream.
00:36:26.480 --> 00:37:02.639
I got dreams I know you guys got dreams you know where do those dreams come from I mean if God gives us these dreams and abilities we've talked about this some lately God gives us these dreams and abilities we should use them for his glory and Joseph does that and he parents the Messiah what do y'all think about that how how many people our age and younger and particularly young people Chad need to hear that God's got a plan for your life and he's going to give you visions and dreams and when he does that we need to follow it.
00:37:02.800 --> 00:37:42.719
What do you think about that Chad Mark what do y'all think about that as fathers of young men I think it I think that a lot of people in in this day and age honestly I don't think a lot of people believe that I think even in the church which is sad a lot of people who claim to be Christians they don't believe that that's just a dream or that's just God doesn't do that stuff anymore when what you're saying is so true, Donnie I mean God uses every part of our life and our mind and our if we are wanting to serve him he uses all that and God can completely give you a vision a dream.
00:37:42.800 --> 00:38:04.400
I believe God gives people that stuff all the time and I just believe there's so much doubt nowadays that uh one of the things I try to instill in my kids is yeah you want to have logic you you want to use logic you want to think through things but you also have got to understand that that God is God is the God of everything.
00:38:04.559 --> 00:38:10.559
He is he's the God of thoughts and and visions and he controls every aspect.
00:38:10.639 --> 00:38:14.480
So there's nothing above God there's nothing below God.
00:38:14.639 --> 00:38:22.880
God is it He controls all of it and he can absolutely um he can actually absolutely work through a dream.
00:38:23.039 --> 00:38:39.199
And Mark you even said something I think that's really uh really prevalent nowadays that somebody can post something online or talk about it online and it gets ridiculed so much that it starts to people people nowadays read the comments more than they do the actual post.
00:38:39.360 --> 00:38:47.840
They go to the comments and then they get influenced by the comments and then they don't believe the post because they've let all these people talk them out of it.
00:38:47.920 --> 00:41:25.920
So there's a big there's a big danger in that and uh kids that are coming up now need to be taught that God is all powerful and that he uses all things and that if you if you believe God told you something and you are following him you believe he gave you a a dream you believe that I mean it it can be as much as a thought you could be sitting in a church service and have a thought honestly we wouldn't be sitting here on this podcast if it weren't for Donnie having vision for this thing and uh and being uh convicted that God is telling him to go forward and do something it might be just as small as a conviction just a little feeling man I feel like that's what I'm supposed to do and then that thing could change it could change the world it could reach millions of people you just don't know you've got to have faith and you've got to trust fully that God is in control and that that when he gives you something you've you've got to put your all into it I always tell my kids that if you are doubting that that there's a decision you're making if you're doubting that it's the right way but you know that going that way will be hard but it could it could result in doing something for the kingdom for God go that way and if God wants to shut the door he'll shut the door you don't shut the door you go that way and if he shuts the door that's it but if you say I think that's what God wants me to do then do it until he shuts the door because if he can open the door he can shut it too so that's kind of my take on that wow that's all very well well said um fantastic insight just because you haven't been spoken to by God or Jesus or by an angel in a dream doesn't mean it can't happen it's happened to me so therefore that reaffirms my faith but for those that are listening or watching that maybe haven't experienced that situation or that that magnitude of a situation sometimes your subconscious can be right sometimes it can be recognized as caution sometimes it can be recognized as just plain wrong but he's God's got a plan.
00:41:27.280 --> 00:41:55.280
He's got a plan he's had a plan the book the whole book is is is how you know everything's played out and to believe and to trust and be to be righteous and have grace and have love I think will put most anybody in a position to receive the blessings that are going to be bestowed upon them.
00:41:56.159 --> 00:42:08.239
So just because maybe it's not happening today doesn't mean we can't get on our knees and pray for what we need or God wants for us today.
00:42:09.039 --> 00:42:36.000
This minute this second we can ask and he says you shall receive so it's he's powerful he's powerful and his he's powerful not only in his own actions but in in who he uses you know the three of us are here for a reason and and we and we got together by an act of God.
00:42:37.840 --> 00:43:07.360
I mean this was a conversation that took place nine months before it it came to fruition and and by the grace of God here we are being able to discuss these pertinent topics and uh I'm just so we're only in Matthew I can I'm looking forward to going further and and and reading more and studying more and and you know folks don't have to wait for our podcast to be inspired.
00:43:07.440 --> 00:43:32.800
They can take maybe what they've heard or what they've they've been to church and heard or a Bible study and heard or or their pastor has has said just take one thing and latch on to it and further your knowledge and your education and your studying by reading more and and developing and it's it's a wonderful journey.
00:43:33.679 --> 00:43:46.320
A spiritual journey is unlike any journey I've ever been on in my life and it's not all perfect there's there's highs and lows um but the highs are really high and the lows are not that low.
00:43:46.639 --> 00:43:50.320
So uh I wish that I wish that for everybody.
00:43:50.719 --> 00:43:59.599
I love that you said something sounds so good Mark You know we've talked a lot on the show about fear you know
00:44:00.079 --> 00:44:01.679
We've talked about, you know, fear.
00:44:01.760 --> 00:44:08.000
And like as men, you know, we have to make decisions for ourselves, our children, our wives, our family, you know.
00:44:08.159 --> 00:44:14.079
And I, you know, as I was kind of reading through this, it's just something I just kind of thought maybe we could talk about just a bit.
00:44:14.239 --> 00:44:26.000
You know, it says that um as talking, you know, verse 20, it says, as he considered this, talking about Joseph, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and he says, Joseph, son of David.
00:44:26.159 --> 00:44:27.280
Do you think that's perchance?
00:44:27.440 --> 00:44:29.360
Remember, we've read so much about David.
00:44:29.519 --> 00:44:40.079
Joseph, son of David, the angel said, Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
00:44:40.320 --> 00:44:44.159
You know, Joseph had to be afraid of what he was taking on.
00:44:44.239 --> 00:44:51.679
I mean, you know, once the angel appeared to him, like we're talking about dreams and visions and hopes and plans and you know, all these things.
00:44:51.840 --> 00:44:56.480
Joseph, there had to be a lot of fear in there to stand up and do do what was right.
00:44:56.639 --> 00:44:59.679
And I think, tell me guys what y'all think about this.
00:44:59.760 --> 00:45:01.519
I think that's something I face today.
00:45:01.840 --> 00:45:33.360
If I if I feel like I'm stepping out to do something maybe, you know, I haven't done before, or or God's calling me to a new thing, you know, uh, or he's calling us to to some other, you know, work environment or mission opportunity or whatever that may be, you know, battling that fear because Joseph is stepping out, you know, into a situation where he could have faced, like we described, a a lot of ridicule, doubt, fear.
00:45:33.599 --> 00:45:35.039
I don't think it's by chance.
00:45:35.199 --> 00:45:38.559
The angel says, Do not be afraid.
00:45:38.719 --> 00:45:50.079
I mean, how how how do we how do we relate that to our lives when we feel God's call or we feel like there's an opportunity that he wants us to step into because he's got a plan, right?
00:45:50.159 --> 00:45:51.119
He's got a plan.
00:45:51.360 --> 00:45:52.960
But sometimes it can be scary.
00:45:53.119 --> 00:45:54.320
What do y'all think about that?
00:45:54.480 --> 00:46:00.159
I mean, uh Joseph and how we react today when God calls us to a new thing.
00:46:00.559 --> 00:46:02.239
Fear of the do not feel like that.
00:46:02.480 --> 00:46:03.519
Fear of the unknown.
00:46:03.760 --> 00:46:04.079
Yep.
00:46:04.239 --> 00:46:06.079
Fear of the what might happen.
00:46:06.320 --> 00:46:10.960
Mark actually not hinted at it, he directly said it in just a different way.
00:46:11.199 --> 00:46:30.159
He talked about how people are are basically afraid of and even afraid to pray for and ask for and expect things that hasn't happened to them before, or they think won't happen, or they maybe they think, oh, God wouldn't ask me to do that, God wouldn't do that in my life, God wouldn't give me a vision, he wouldn't give me a dream.
00:46:30.239 --> 00:46:32.480
So then we don't even pray for things.
00:46:32.719 --> 00:46:44.320
We all we pray for is things that we relate to that have happened to us, instead of praying for and expecting things that haven't happened that are incredible, the things that could advance God's kingdom more.
00:46:44.639 --> 00:47:01.280
And uh I think I think there's a big lesson there that you should expect that God is gonna do great things, that God is gonna do unknown things, and that you have no clue what you are capable of when God is involved.
00:47:01.519 --> 00:47:03.920
And I think that is a big key here.
00:47:04.159 --> 00:47:07.599
Uh Joseph never he never questioned it.
00:47:07.679 --> 00:47:13.119
Now, in his mind, we don't know exactly what was going on, but he did not question God.
00:47:13.360 --> 00:47:20.880
He did not uh question from what we can see what God was doing and when it what he was working and what the angel said.
00:47:21.039 --> 00:47:22.079
And you're right, Donnie.
00:47:22.239 --> 00:47:26.960
He could have he could have been if it were me, I would have probably asked lots of questions.
00:47:27.119 --> 00:47:28.800
I would have said, I don't know.
00:47:28.960 --> 00:47:30.960
I've never it's nothing like this has ever happened to me.
00:47:31.039 --> 00:47:32.639
I don't know that God would use me for this.
00:47:32.800 --> 00:47:39.920
And you start questioning, and uh so I think there's a lesson there to look at what Joseph did and how he handled his fear.
00:47:40.000 --> 00:47:43.039
I'd have been all I'd have been all over the place, honestly.
00:47:44.000 --> 00:47:49.440
But when the angel spoke to him and said, It's gonna be the Messiah.
00:47:51.360 --> 00:47:52.000
Wow.
00:47:53.280 --> 00:48:05.360
It's not like you're gonna get a raise next week or you're gonna get a promotion or you're gonna as big as it gets, right guys.
00:48:05.599 --> 00:48:06.639
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
00:48:07.039 --> 00:48:11.280
I mean that would have been that would have been the the challenge of anybody's life.
00:48:11.360 --> 00:48:20.800
I mean, you know, well what what would you call well I was a father, I thought, you know, I didn't I know I was uh I was a male role model in my family for the Messiah.
00:48:22.480 --> 00:48:26.000
Think about how how daunting that that was.
00:48:26.159 --> 00:48:32.559
But Joseph stepped up and you know, as men today, we've talked about it, you know, w we we need to step up.
00:48:32.719 --> 00:48:36.159
I mean Christian masculinity is under attack in this world.
00:48:36.719 --> 00:48:57.440
You know, and we need to step up when when the opportunity presents itself for us to do the right thing, particularly when other people are watching, we need to step up because God's calling us to great things and and if we don't if we're f if we become overwhelmed with fear or whatever, w you know, we we can't do what God's asking us to do.
00:48:57.760 --> 00:49:07.840
And I think Joseph's story, you know, as we've got a chance to read it and talk about it in detail, just really illustrates the way a godly man should respond in the situation.
00:49:08.320 --> 00:49:14.639
I mean, like Mark said, he didn't he didn't bash Mary, he didn't do it, he was you know, he's trying he don't know what to do.
00:49:14.719 --> 00:49:25.039
He's trying to do the right thing here and he you know, and he's probably praying about it, and you know, when the angel came and gave him instructions, he falls it to a T.
00:49:25.440 --> 00:49:28.239
What a man, what a man Joseph was.
00:49:28.880 --> 00:49:33.039
Donnie, I was sitting here thinking while you were talking about Joseph.
00:49:33.360 --> 00:49:54.719
You know, you hear people, you pe you I've heard many people who who are coaches and entrepreneur coaches and all kinds of sorts of stuff say that, and you y'all y'all you guys know this too from just experience, but you cannot, if you believe you're supposed to do something, you can't wait until you try to perfect what you're gonna do to do it.
00:49:54.800 --> 00:49:57.199
You just gotta do it, you gotta move forward with it.
00:49:57.440 --> 00:50:06.239
And I don't think that God expects us to do it perfectly, he just expects us to do it, to to move forward with the plan.
00:50:06.559 --> 00:50:12.480
Donnie, I'm curious to ask you because you, out of all of us, you've written several books.
00:50:12.639 --> 00:50:14.960
You are the I've you're the type of person I've come to know.
00:50:15.119 --> 00:50:19.199
You're like, I think I want to do that, and then next week you're like, okay, I did it.
00:50:19.519 --> 00:50:28.159
You just move so fast, you're like, I think I'm gonna write a book, and then in two weeks you're like, okay, I'm starting to write my book, and then you have the book finished in several months.
00:50:28.480 --> 00:50:31.679
Donnie, how how do you deal with that?
00:50:31.840 --> 00:50:35.440
Why what do you think most people most people wouldn't do that?
00:50:35.679 --> 00:50:42.880
Most people would say, I want to write a book, and they two years, three years go by, they still have written the book.
00:50:43.039 --> 00:50:50.480
What fear do you think most often keeps people from going forward with something or even obeying God?
00:50:52.239 --> 00:51:01.199
Well, you know, I mean, I obviously, you know, we don't always we don't know what other people are thinking, you know, or what they're, you know, why they do what they do.
00:51:01.280 --> 00:51:06.159
You know, we all have free will and everybody chooses, you know, to road that they're gonna travel.
00:51:06.400 --> 00:51:29.679
I feel like personally, if if I feel like if if I have an idea or a thought or something, particularly if I believe it's a message that could help somebody else, or maybe a a business thing that I feel like could help, you know, create a job or help somebody, or you know, I feel like it's a mission field for me.
00:51:29.840 --> 00:51:39.199
I I just feel like when God gives us a gift or he gives us an idea, like you know, like this podcast, you know, did this is not my podcast, okay?
00:51:39.360 --> 00:51:40.960
This is our podcast.
00:51:41.119 --> 00:51:43.440
You know, Mark and I talked about it.
00:51:43.679 --> 00:51:55.119
The next thing I knew, Mark contacted Chad, and the next thing I knew, you know, Chad he stepped up because uh I there's no way I could do this technical stuff that we're doing.
00:51:55.199 --> 00:52:00.880
But you know, when God gives us an idea, he may not be giving it to anybody else.
00:52:01.039 --> 00:52:03.360
We might be the only person with it, right?
00:52:03.440 --> 00:52:05.119
You know, like let's say you're writing a book.
00:52:05.199 --> 00:52:09.679
Well, you know, if God's giving you the idea, he ain't giving it to nobody else.
00:52:09.760 --> 00:52:16.880
He wants you to do it, you know, and if he gives us an opportunity or he gives us I think it's an opportunity.
00:52:16.960 --> 00:52:24.320
I think we should look at at the things that we get, you know, when God communicates with us, and he does it.
00:52:24.480 --> 00:52:25.920
There's no doubt in my mind.
00:52:26.159 --> 00:52:29.599
God's communicating with people every day.
00:52:29.760 --> 00:52:32.159
And I don't mean just the three of us.
00:52:32.400 --> 00:52:33.519
I'm talking everybody.
00:52:33.599 --> 00:52:48.880
If we I I believe God wants us to recognize that he wants to be involved in our lives and he wants us to be uh encouraging other people to know him and to and to develop a relationship with him.
00:52:49.360 --> 00:52:53.840
And whatever idea he gives us, it's a it's a mission field.
00:52:53.920 --> 00:52:56.880
It's an opportunity to create a mission field.
00:52:56.960 --> 00:52:59.760
And so for me, uh that helps me.
00:53:00.400 --> 00:53:05.199
I mean, look, you know, I'm I get scared and I I feel like I don't know what I'm doing.
00:53:05.280 --> 00:53:11.760
And like if this if this screen went off right now, there ain't no way I could put it back to put it back on, you know, Chad.
00:53:11.840 --> 00:53:16.159
You know, I could I can't even I can't even Mark knows I can't even answer my cell phone.
00:53:16.239 --> 00:53:18.480
I I I ain't got that thing figured out.
00:53:18.719 --> 00:53:27.519
But I believe we should look as Christians and his men and his people, we should be thinking, hey, you know what, God may be, I may be the only person he's telling to do this.
00:53:27.599 --> 00:53:30.000
So if I don't do it, it ain't gonna get done.
00:53:30.079 --> 00:53:45.840
And and I don't know about y'all, but when I see him face to face one day, I don't want him to be telling, I know he's gonna say it to me some because there's some things I maybe thought I should have done, I ain't done, but I don't want him to be saying, hey, look, I gave you this idea and I wanted you to do it.
00:53:46.079 --> 00:53:47.519
And you you didn't do it.
00:53:47.599 --> 00:53:49.599
You just sort of let it go.
00:53:49.679 --> 00:53:55.440
And uh, you know, I want him to be happy with me as best he can, as best I can.
00:53:55.519 --> 00:54:05.039
So I I I believe we should look at our I believe we should look at our our visions, our dreams, our hopes, our our prayers.
00:54:05.199 --> 00:54:07.280
I th I think we we need to act on.
00:54:07.679 --> 00:54:11.920
Uh we need to do them in where it takes it God that's out of our hands.
00:54:12.000 --> 00:54:24.719
But if we don't like you're saying, Chad, if we don't believe in dreams and like Mark described, if we don't believe in angels and that God is at work in our lives, like Mark said so beautifully, God has a plan.
00:54:25.519 --> 00:54:29.599
But we we get we're like Joseph, we got to we got to make a decision.
00:54:29.760 --> 00:54:33.280
Am I gonna be followed this plan or not?
00:54:34.320 --> 00:54:35.360
Yeah, yeah.
00:54:35.519 --> 00:54:36.079
That's good.
00:54:36.159 --> 00:54:36.800
That's really good.
00:54:36.880 --> 00:54:41.599
And Mark, you before we go off this podcast, this this is such good stuff here.
00:54:41.840 --> 00:54:48.960
You had a you had a dream, and you were absolutely certain that God gave you that dream.
00:54:49.199 --> 00:54:59.199
Just tell the the tell us and tell the audience how we how different that was, that experience, and how you knew that that was God.
00:55:03.679 --> 00:55:14.800
That dream was as vivid as it was yesterday or this morning when I woke up.
00:55:16.320 --> 00:55:20.159
And I wasn't expecting it.
00:55:20.800 --> 00:55:34.559
I had prayed for it, I had prayed for guidance, and and uh and as I was saying earlier, sometimes that you know when you ask or pray about things, they may not happen right away.
00:55:34.719 --> 00:55:54.400
Well, this was two to two and a half weeks later that um the Lord spoke to me and advised me what occupation to go into, a totally different field than I had ever imagined.
00:55:54.880 --> 00:56:00.480
Quite honestly, did not know anything about this particular profession.
00:56:02.320 --> 00:56:19.039
And I distinctly remember coming out of that dream and sitting up in bed, awake at this point in time, after I heard what he had to say, and I remember saying out loud, I will do that.
00:56:20.559 --> 00:56:21.519
I will do that.
00:56:21.679 --> 00:56:23.679
And that was 15 years ago.
00:56:24.880 --> 00:56:45.760
Fifteen years ago, and and to this day I'm I'm still in that same profession, and um the people that I I have been able you know have been able to help through this profession not only is rewarding, but I know it's God's plan, it's God's work in progress.
00:56:46.000 --> 00:56:54.239
And I mean there's not a day that goes by that I don't thank him for this opportunity to do what I do.
00:56:54.880 --> 00:57:24.320
Um now my older son who's started that business with me has moved on to do his own business in the same field and my younger son, I have two sons, my younger son is working with me currently in this in this profession, and he's on track to to to take over with integrity.
00:57:24.480 --> 00:57:44.400
You know, we have a it's not a it's not so much of a saying, but we have kind of um an understanding that um you know when you're talking to customers and you're outlining what what needs to be done to help them that we don't have to remember the truth.
00:57:47.119 --> 00:57:47.760
That's true.
00:57:48.159 --> 00:57:59.119
That's that's kind of our our nucleus, one of our nucleuses of this of this business is you know, don't lie to people because you gotta remember it.
00:57:59.199 --> 00:58:03.360
Don't say something that's kind of in a gray area because you gotta remember it.
00:58:03.760 --> 00:58:07.840
Just speak the truth because you don't have to remember the truth.
00:58:08.159 --> 00:58:09.599
It's always gonna be the same.
00:58:09.760 --> 00:58:11.039
Ten years from now.
00:58:11.360 --> 00:58:17.360
Something that I'd said to you ten years ago, Chad, or Donnie, ten years ago.
00:58:18.000 --> 00:58:21.920
If it was the truth, it'll still be the same, right?
00:58:22.320 --> 00:58:22.559
Yep.
00:58:23.119 --> 00:58:30.159
So that's just uh that's just something that we've uh we've we live by, and we're yeah, yeah.
00:58:30.239 --> 00:58:39.840
But that was um and I have I can honestly say in in all my years I've never had that happen like that before.
00:58:40.079 --> 00:58:47.440
There have been other uh there have been other conversations, but not explicit in a dream.
00:58:47.599 --> 00:59:00.559
So when we talk about, you know, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and said, do not be afraid, I mean that was probably one of the most peaceful uh experiences that I had.
00:59:00.639 --> 00:59:10.159
Now, what I had to do with that with that instruction was um was all new and something that I had never done before.
00:59:10.480 --> 00:59:21.840
But God gave me the opportunity to go and start researching and developing another business that to this day is is alive and well.
00:59:24.079 --> 00:59:36.000
Such a cool expand on that expand on that just a little bit, you know, uh, you know, what Mark's saying, you know, and I was thinking about it as as he was tell telling that story, you know, and he and I've talked about this before, you know.
00:59:36.079 --> 00:59:44.400
He I remember when he first told me, you know, but he was gonna do this, you know, and that he'd had a dream, you know, and I and I just remember thinking, you know, the Lord's at work.
00:59:44.559 --> 00:59:47.440
I mean, you know, he's at work and things, he's at work all the time.
00:59:47.519 --> 00:59:54.400
We m but if we're not attuned to it, right, we may miss that that that vision that God gives us.
00:59:54.639 --> 01:00:03.519
You know, and uh and it was interesting to listen to Mark say it, talk about just now when he said, you know, he was praying about what to do.
01:00:04.000 --> 01:00:09.280
He had been praying for a while, right, that God would show him what to do.
01:00:09.840 --> 01:00:11.920
Prayer is powerful, right?
01:00:12.159 --> 01:00:14.559
God responds to our prayers.
01:00:14.800 --> 01:00:22.159
You know, God responded to Mark's prayer and he gave him a vision, and Mark sat up and said, I'll I'll do it.
01:00:22.400 --> 01:00:22.880
I'll do it.
01:00:23.039 --> 01:00:24.000
I'll do it, right?
01:00:24.320 --> 01:00:35.920
Well, for those, you know, people out there watching or listening don't don't realize the fact that the three of us ain't never been in a room together but one time for about an hour.
01:00:36.159 --> 01:00:36.559
That's right.
01:00:36.880 --> 01:00:37.199
Okay.
01:00:38.320 --> 01:00:43.280
And and you know, we've been in a room together for about an hour, you know, we ain't the same place now.
01:00:43.440 --> 01:00:46.000
Well, you know, Mark started his business.
01:00:46.159 --> 01:00:50.400
God gave him a vision, he he followed it, he said, I'll do it.
01:00:50.880 --> 01:00:53.599
Mark's business introduced him to Chad.
01:00:54.880 --> 01:00:57.840
Okay, Mark's business introduced him to Chad.
01:00:58.239 --> 01:01:06.880
And then when we wanted to do a podcast, you know, and Chad said when we when we talked to him, he'd been thinking about doing one himself, but he didn't want to do it himself.
01:01:07.199 --> 01:01:10.719
So God gave Mark a Mark prayed.
01:01:11.519 --> 01:01:13.119
God gave Mark a vision.
01:01:13.360 --> 01:01:14.639
Mark obeyed.
01:01:14.960 --> 01:01:16.480
Mark met Chad.
01:01:17.199 --> 01:01:19.519
Chad introduced me to Mark.
01:01:19.599 --> 01:01:21.440
I mean, Mark introduced me to Chad.
01:01:21.519 --> 01:01:25.679
So the three of us are connected by that dream is what I'm trying to tell you.
01:01:25.840 --> 01:01:30.079
Okay, you know, we're on this podcast because Mark prayed.
01:01:30.239 --> 01:01:31.840
Mark had a dream.
01:01:32.239 --> 01:01:36.960
It connected him to Chad, and now here we are following the podcast.
01:01:37.039 --> 01:01:38.800
Now we don't necessarily know what we're doing.
01:01:38.880 --> 01:01:44.800
Well, Chad knows what he's doing, but me and Mark, we're just we just kind of you know, we just kind of here talking.
01:01:45.519 --> 01:01:50.559
But I mean, if you know, God is at work, and he's not at work just in our lives.
01:01:50.719 --> 01:02:00.239
I believe God has a a wonderful plan for all our lives if we'll if we'll take notice and and if we'll follow his lead.
01:02:00.320 --> 01:02:01.119
And I I don't know.
01:02:01.199 --> 01:02:10.400
I as I was listening to Mark tell that, Mark, you know, and Chad, you know, I you know, we've all become um really close in in a short period of time.
01:02:10.480 --> 01:02:12.320
And and that's God at work.
01:02:12.800 --> 01:02:14.960
You know, so I'm just so thankful to be here.
01:02:15.039 --> 01:02:19.119
I I just I'm thankful that Mark, you know, has been my friend for so long.
01:02:19.199 --> 01:02:37.199
And that, you know, he when God spoke to Mark, well Mark prayed, Mark prayed, God spoke to Mark, Mark obeyed, Mark met Chad, we all got together, and this podcast is a result of answered prayer and doing what the Lord instructed him to do.
01:02:37.360 --> 01:02:38.000
Isn't that it?
01:02:38.159 --> 01:02:39.519
We serve an amazing God.
01:02:39.679 --> 01:02:41.119
That's all I can say about it.
01:02:42.880 --> 01:02:47.360
If if any one of us would have not been obedient, this wouldn't be a thing.
01:02:47.679 --> 01:02:48.400
Any one of us.
01:02:48.639 --> 01:02:48.960
Right.
01:02:49.840 --> 01:02:52.480
Because you, I mean, Donnie, you had the vision for the podcast.
01:02:52.559 --> 01:02:56.000
If you'd have said, ah, that's kind of a silly idea, I'm not even gonna tell Mark about it.
01:02:56.159 --> 01:02:57.440
Mark would have never known.
01:02:57.679 --> 01:03:11.280
Mark wouldn't have followed uh the Lord and uh done what he wanted to do, he wouldn't have been introduced to me, and if I wouldn't have followed what what I thought God wanted me to do and learn how to do podcasts in the beginning, none of this would have happened.
01:03:11.440 --> 01:03:24.960
And uh I think that's there's so many little puzzle pieces and things that advance God's kingdom and reach people and introduce Jesus to people that would not happen if people weren't obedient.
01:03:25.119 --> 01:03:42.400
And I if if you all if if you're listening to me and you only understood how much how important your piece of that whole puzzle is and how one one little thing that you decide, eh I'm not gonna do that, or that's silly, could be the break in a chain that could reach millions.
01:03:42.719 --> 01:03:44.320
It's uh it's an incredible thing.
01:03:44.480 --> 01:03:51.760
God does not use God doesn't use just one person, he uses all of us as a body of believers to to reach people.
01:03:52.000 --> 01:03:58.000
And I think a good question would be, am I obeying God or am I delaying God?
01:03:58.320 --> 01:04:00.239
Because you can easily delay.
01:04:00.400 --> 01:04:03.840
Uh now God will God will his will will be done.
01:04:03.920 --> 01:04:13.760
He will go out and find somebody else to do it, but you you want to be that vessel, you want to be the one that's that's uh advancing the kingdom that's obeying God.
01:04:13.840 --> 01:04:16.000
So this has been this has been incredible.
01:04:16.159 --> 01:04:18.000
I love this, love this story.
01:04:18.239 --> 01:04:25.280
I think it's so crazy how this this small piece of scripture that we read, there's so much that you can talk about in this.
01:04:25.360 --> 01:04:27.199
It's just it gets deep.
01:04:27.519 --> 01:04:37.440
But the uh the birth of Jesus, just remember, it reminds it reminds us of something that's pretty powerful, and it is that God sees us through this episode.
01:04:37.519 --> 01:04:41.440
You've heard about God using us, he uses us, he keeps his promises.
01:04:41.840 --> 01:04:51.440
Uh, Jesus came into a world that was broken, he used broken people that were in broken situations, that all of the things you heard us talk about.
01:04:51.599 --> 01:04:56.960
I want you to understand that God wants to use you, just like he used Joseph and Mary.
01:04:57.280 --> 01:05:08.000
And uh Jesus didn't come here and arrive in comfort, he arrived around people that he loves and that God loves and that he wants to use.
01:05:08.400 --> 01:05:17.039
Um if if God stepped into our mess once, he still steps into our messes today and into broken places.
01:05:17.199 --> 01:05:21.039
So be that vessel, be the person and obey.
01:05:21.199 --> 01:05:26.880
If you think God's giving you a dream or a vision or a thought or an inspiration, just do it.
01:05:27.119 --> 01:05:29.360
Donnie, would you close us out in prayer?
01:05:30.400 --> 01:05:32.320
Yes, I'd be happy to do it.
01:05:32.639 --> 01:05:40.079
Dear Lord, I want to thank you for this day and the opportunity to be here with Mark and Chad and to read your word and to discuss it.
01:05:40.159 --> 01:05:44.239
And Lord, I want to thank you for the example of Mary and Joseph.
01:05:44.400 --> 01:05:50.320
They were real people with real dreams and plans and hopes and fears.
01:05:50.719 --> 01:05:52.719
But Lord, they answered your call.
01:05:52.880 --> 01:05:59.280
They they became the the vessels that would you know that would parent the Messiah.
01:05:59.440 --> 01:06:13.920
Lord, help us when you give us dreams and visions to not fear and to have the courage to live for you as we live in this world and lead others to know your son Jesus in a more intimate and personal way.
01:06:14.079 --> 01:06:16.320
We ask these things in Jesus' name.
01:06:16.559 --> 01:06:17.199
Amen.
01:06:18.000 --> 01:06:18.639
Amen.
01:06:22.880 --> 01:06:29.039
To learn more about our podcast and resources, head over to remember the king.com.