582. Ray Patterson shares his personal testimony (Part 2) January 31, 2023 June 25, 2024

[00:00:06] and I'll be your host. In this podcast we will be exploring the book of Proverbs. And prayer, Father God, I thank you for anyone listening to this podcast today. Lord, I pray that you give everyone ears to hear

[00:00:30] and a heart to receive everything you have in store for them in this podcast. I ask this in Jesus name, Amen. This is Proverbs 25 beginning in verse 1.

[00:00:43] These also are Proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah King of Judah copied. It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.

[00:01:00] As the heavens for height and the earth for death, so the heart of kings is unsurgeable. Take away the draws from silver and it will go to the silver smith for jewelry. Take away the wicked from before the king and his throne will be established in righteousness.

[00:01:22] Do not exalt yourself in the presence of the king and do not stand in the place of the great. For it is better that He say to you, come up here than that you should be put lower in the presence of the prince who your eyes have seen.

[00:01:42] Do not go hastily to court for what will you do in the end when your neighbor has put you to shame. Debate your case with your neighbor and do not disclose the secret to another.

[00:01:58] He who hears it expose your shame and your reputation be ruined. A word, fiddly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold is a wise review curve to an obedient ear.

[00:02:20] Like the cold of snow in time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him for he refreshes the soul of his masters.

[00:02:32] Whoever falsely boasts of giving is like clouds and wind without rain. By long forbearance a ruler is persuaded and a gentle tongue breaks a bone. Have you found honey? He only as much as you need. Lest you be filled with it and vomit.

[00:02:54] Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house. Lest he become weary of you and hate you. A man who bears false witness against his neighbor is like a club, a sword, and a sharp arrow.

[00:03:11] Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a bad tooth and a foot out of joint. Like one who takes away a garment in cold weather and like vinegar on soda is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

[00:03:32] If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. For so you will heap calls of fire on his head and the Lord will reward you.

[00:03:48] The North Wind brings forth rain and a backbiting tongue and angry countenance. It is better to dwell in a corner of a house top than in a house shared with a contentious woman.

[00:04:04] As cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country. A righteous man who falters before the wicked is like a murky spring and a polluted well.

[00:04:20] It is not good to eat much honey, so to seek one's own glory is not glory. Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down without walls.

[00:04:37] Friends I have a special tree tree today. I have Ray Patterson who runs the third year business school at Keras Bible College. Before you listen to this, I invite you to listen to his previous podcast which was on January 31 of last year, 2023.

[00:04:58] Ray has so much wisdom, so I highly encourage you to listen to that prior to listening to this.

[00:05:07] Ray, thank you so much for coming on. I know last time you said you'd like to come back on and it's a joy to have you, so thank you for taking your time.

[00:05:17] Thank you. I really do enjoy this. I enjoy searching and studying the scripture with you and then I enjoy our conversations around the present day application.

[00:05:32] Well it's so good and we talked about this in the previous podcast, Ray, but the beat doers of the word and I'll go back to the very beginning when Jesus was only 12 years old.

[00:05:43] And his parents brought him to Jerusalem and they left him, you know, they left him thinking that he was in their company and they realized after a couple days he wasn't with them.

[00:05:54] And when they came back and confronted Jesus, he said, didn't you know I would be about my father's business. And Ray, that's what we do. We are all called to do that. God has given each one of us Ray a particular assignment.

[00:06:10] It's called our race and we are to stay in our lane. We are to do what God has called us to do, but Ray, we just finished Prover 25 and there's so many directions we could go with this particular proverb.

[00:06:26] Do you want to share with the audience what you would like to discuss about Prover 25? Well what struck me Bill is as you were reading through that and I was following along on my, and I was following along on that scripture.

[00:06:47] It struck me that the first 10 verses of Psalm 25 are really disclosing the wisdom where I should say the lack of wisdom around self promotion.

[00:07:05] That if we try and do things in our own strength, and if we try to just go all our way through and it's all about us, you know that's not what the word advises us to do.

[00:07:25] No matter whether it's if you are approaching people who are in positions that are responsible positions, you go in honoring them and not just promoting yourself and and the elevating or reducing their position.

[00:07:49] And then I found it interesting and kind of a juxtaposition in verse 11, a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver. And so that's kind of reminding us as I see it to be careful of what we put for it.

[00:08:20] You know, it isn't what goes into a person that defiles the body, it's what comes out of them and what comes out of their mouth in particular. And words are so powerful. That's what creates our world, that's what created our world.

[00:08:41] Both in the time of God creating the world and it really is what creates our individual world. And by the way, we speak, by the way, we live and I think that's a major piece of the teaching of this particular.

[00:09:04] And so we need to not only guard our heart, but we need to guard what comes out of us. And I think we're seeing really an interesting manifestation of that these days when we see the world culture, when we hear what they're espousing.

[00:09:35] It really is pretty blatantly obvious that they're not speaking fitly, that they are working and operating from a self-righteous standpoint. I'm right, you're wrong, there's no other way about it. And if you don't agree with me, you're definitely wrong. And it's almost just rather disgusting.

[00:10:10] Well, you know, Ray, it all comes down to proper one-seven words as the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. So it's quite obvious, Ray, that these people who espouse what they're doing to our country today, they do not have a fear of the Lord.

[00:10:28] You know, of course the leadership of our countries doing everything they can to try to take God out of everything that we do.

[00:10:37] And as we know, having God in our lives, having God in everything that we do makes it better and makes our lives a whole lot better. So what do you think, well, go ahead and make your comment on that?

[00:10:53] Well, you know, that really is back to another side of how I see the front end of this proverb. Because when we're approaching the Lord, we need to make sure that we approach him in the right way and it's just in honoring him.

[00:11:16] And that to me is really the beginning of understanding. It's not fearing the Lord out of a fear of false evidence appearing real. He's real evidence. And, you know, it's honoring what he is. So yeah, it's.

[00:11:45] When I go on down in the in the proverb and and I look at verse 13 is the cold of snow in the time of harvest. So as a faithful messenger of them that send him, you know, that to me really is telling us there are seasons.

[00:12:07] We are going into it. We're going to have different times in seasons. The season of harvest is typically before the winter when we get an early snow and where an harvest season.

[00:12:24] That's telling us we have to be faithful, make haste, steward will what we have, what we've been given. And yet be attuned to what the seasons are bringing to us and what they're telling.

[00:12:49] Okay, right. What I'd like to know is you know when we first came on you it just been higher at carous and you know we are now finishing your first year.

[00:13:00] So what I'd like for you to do kind of is just basically give us a report of your thoughts of how this year went. Are you pleased with it? I mean, what do you feel the Lord has told you about your performance this year?

[00:13:15] That's a great question, a very great question. And what I'm really feeling about the year, not that it's not about my feelings but what the message I'm getting from this year is that we are making great strides and moving in the right direction.

[00:13:39] And that's, you know, I'm honored to be able to stand on the shoulders of those who served before me. They have laid the foundation, they have started the building and now I'm coming in and I'm able to build on that foundation.

[00:14:00] And we've gone from several years in the business school of 20 to 25 to 30 students. This coming year, we have decided that we've made some major changes at the school as you know, we've implemented what are called first and second year elective classes.

[00:14:28] Which enables the students to kind of see what's coming in third year schools. So they're better prepared to hear the Lord and be directed to where they want, where the Lord wants them to go, where the Word got made them to capitalize on their strength and put his joys in their heart.

[00:14:52] So we are now facing a situation where we've had an explosion in applications, which is great thing. But one of the things we want to be very good stewards of is ensuring that we're not trading quantity and negatively affecting quality.

[00:15:17] And so in this next year, we've put a cap on the number of business school students of 50. We have had over 80 applicants to business school.

[00:15:31] And so part of what that is doing is providing me an opportunity or a responsibility to discern, you know, the direction, the direction of the school is set by the school. The school is set by the director.

[00:15:50] My job is to take that direction and fill it and help navigate it so that we ensure that the students coming out of business school are dramatically different people than came into business school.

[00:16:12] I mentioned earlier this year seems like an opportunity for the teaching, the word, the parable of the wine and the wine. And how you don't put new wine into an old wine skin because that wine skin has gotten brittle. It's gotten unpliable.

[00:16:45] And in Jesus' day, when you harvested the grapes, in order to become wine, there has to be a fermentation phase. And they would store their wine, not in wine barrels with fancy airlocks. They would store their wine in leather wine skins.

[00:17:08] Scins of an animal that were fashioned such that they could hold that wine and they had to be able to expand and contract with that fermentation otherwise the wine skin would break.

[00:17:23] And if the wine skin breaks, as the parable tells us, you lose both the wines skin and the wine. Well, in the business school this year students have become new wines skins. And I'll interpret that this way.

[00:17:40] There are times when all of us have to unlearn what we think we know. In order to be able to absorb and contain and utilize new things that we're learning.

[00:17:53] And we have to be able to stretch and sometimes contract after that stretching to be able to utilize that new knowledge. And the parable goes on to tell us that no one having tasted old wine immediately likes the new wine.

[00:18:20] Well, that to me is speaking of the chains that takes place. We don't like the new wine initially because it's unfamiliar to us and we don't like change. We don't like being stretched.

[00:18:38] But if we're going to fulfill what God has for us, the desires of our heart which are desires that he put there when he knitted us together in our mother's womb. In order to fulfill that, we have to constantly grow and expand.

[00:19:00] We have to take on new wine the new knowledge that we get. We have to understand how to steward that and how then to provide that for the nourishment of all not only ourselves but others. And so this year in the business school I've seen.

[00:19:24] tremendous growth in the students literally to every student. I've seen people come alive with a new business idea. I have told this group and I firmly believe this, it's not it may be a prophetic word, it's not really meant to be a prophetic word.

[00:19:45] But there will be more students implementing their business ideas this year. On a per student basis we're going to have a higher percentage of new business startups or existing business renewals that are taken to the next level.

[00:20:07] And what I also see the Lord doing as the entire CARES Bible College moves forward is a rather rapid expansion. More students coming in. So I'm already thinking about the 24 or 25 school year and how we can increase the number of students.

[00:20:31] Yet still ensure the quality of outcome, the quality of the new wine and the containers that people coming through. I'm just really excited about that.

[00:20:46] Wow that's really good and you know my my question to you Ray is you're at 30 right now and you know Billy has captives at 50 I know he's mentioned that a couple times you know when he's you know gone.

[00:21:00] Over the entire school sure but how do you narrow it from 81 to 50 I know you have to interview all the applicants and how is that going and how are the students that you're turning away handling that rejection well I can answer part of that.

[00:21:17] Because part of what I'm discerning is who is coming in with vision or and those who are. Believe their call to business but they have no clue what they're called to and and for those folks.

[00:21:37] My recommendation to them is take a year really dig in to find out what do you know that you don't know. What skills. Do you need to improve so that your better equipped to come into the business school environment.

[00:22:03] I'm right on the front end of doing the interviews. So there have been a couple of folks that that I've talked with. That I kind of had to say let's have another conversation.

[00:22:21] There have been a number of folks who applied the business school who have gotten a revelation on their own that hey maybe this isn't the right year. Maybe this isn't the right school there are a number of students who apply to multiple schools.

[00:22:40] Partly to keep their options open and partly to test what the Lord is putting in front of them so. You know, there isn't really been any students so far. That I have said, look, sorry you just don't have a chance.

[00:23:01] I have not had any of those yeah and I'm not looking forward to having any of those conversations if I have to have them but what I really want to focus on is.

[00:23:12] You know, the students who have a decent view and a decent understanding and utility knowledge of laptop computer. The basic word PowerPoint Excel presentation building kind of skills. Whether it be with word PowerPoint and Excel or whether it be with the Mac pages keynote numbers that doesn't matter.

[00:23:42] I don't know much, but in the business school we're offering the education the way the majority of businesses are running and that's electronically. So we don't print paper. We don't print the syllabi. We don't hand out rooms of paper.

[00:24:02] We expect people to bring their laptops to be proficient in using them. We're familiar with cloud based services and files sharing. It's not difficult stuff, but we expect them to be able to use that in the course of their studies and in the classroom.

[00:24:25] So you know there is a lot of excitement. There's people are very understanding that there is limited number of slots. And I have everybody that has approached me. Has done that with with great grace and understanding and I appreciate that.

[00:24:47] But that's kind of where we are at now. And I'm looking to, as I said, how can we ensure the quality of outcome of the education so the learning is there. And potentially expand the number of students.

[00:25:07] It's not really going to make a big change in the curriculum. We will need to make some adjustments in the way that we apply that. And that's what I'm beginning to map out to be able to present to the leadership and get their direction in that regard.

[00:25:30] Well that's so good Ray, and I think you know a missing thing that we haven't talked about is the fact that every single year. We all grow Ray in our walk with God. We move the Bible tells us from glory to glory.

[00:25:48] And my understanding is what I have seen this year in second year is the teachers continue to get better. And the continue and as the teachers get better then the students are going to get better and just it just gets better and better and better.

[00:26:04] And that's where I feel carousness is going. So I just like for you to just mention that because I know that the teachers grow ever ever so much as the students do.

[00:26:15] And that's what good teachings all about is that you learn from your students as you're teaching and it just continues to get better and better. What are your thoughts on that?

[00:26:25] Absolutely right. I know you're right because I've seen it. I've seen it myself when I went through business school two years ago.

[00:26:35] A lot of those same instructors are here this year and what I have seen is that there's more of an initiative on the instructors part to understand what other instructors are teaching.

[00:26:51] So that there is the good balance of reinforcing each other's teachings in their various disciplines but tying it together much better.

[00:27:05] We have always ran the business school on the business model generation campus and that's used in the major business schools not only in the US but even around the world.

[00:27:19] And that is a framework for understanding and articulating what your value proposition is, what your unique selling proposition is. Unlike your competitors, what do you do differently, what's your differentiation?

[00:27:40] And who are you delivering your good or service or ministry too? Who's your target customer and what is your price or cost associated with that?

[00:27:55] Because revenue always plays in even in a ministry it's not your price but it's what you attract and remember money is never pursued, it's always attracted and it goes word it's attracted to.

[00:28:14] But then digging deeper into those customer segments and so there is this business model generation canvas that is a nine block thinking tool to help you think through your business idea and how are you actually going to execute it.

[00:28:35] Well that same model applies to our own life. What do I do personally and professionally? Who do I do it for? How do I want to live my life and be a positive influence to others? Who are those people? How do I reach them? How do I maintain relationship with them?

[00:28:56] In our personal lives, it drops down to our personal income. So this business model can this actually applies to our own life as well as to our business.

[00:29:09] What I'm seeing now is for example, we tend to think of the customer and the market channel and the customer relations is all being associated with marketing.

[00:29:22] And then the past it was pretty much taught that way. Now we're talking and teaching about how when we engage in marketing activities they affect every one of the nine blocks on that business model canvas.

[00:29:38] When we think about our operations which are typically on the left-hand side of the canvas, we're also thinking more about the customer not just the activity that we do.

[00:29:52] And so we're getting a much more integrated teaching and practical team experience based on that model and based on the biblical word. Because I've actually had a student several students this year who when I introduced the business model canvas and we kind of chatted about it.

[00:30:20] They came back to me a couple days later with biblical scriptures for each one of the nine blocks showing the biblical base of business. And I'm not sure if I shared this on my last time with you.

[00:30:38] But I had a revelation before I came to business school or right at the time. You know we've all heard the Bible is an acronym.

[00:30:48] You know we've heard it's basic instruction before leaving her well I was meditating on business in the Bible and the Holy Spirit said well that acronym is accurate, but there's another one.

[00:31:05] And I said okay let me have it and the Holy Spirit said the Bible is brilliant instruction that business leaders execute.

[00:31:18] So in that there's a couple of keys and the last one is the important one it gets down to execution, but there are biblical ways to run any and every business. And I always tell students if you have a ministry you have a business.

[00:31:38] If you have a business you have a ministry it's a five day a week ministry to those who are your customers your suppliers your employers anybody that you come in the contact with and the way you treat and interact with them.

[00:31:56] Maybe the only Bible that a lot of other people read. So well that's really good and you know the bottom line right is we're supposed to be like Jesus was and Jesus was whoever he needed to be to his listening audience.

[00:32:12] You know if he was talking to farmers he would talk in parables having to do with farming. And you know we didn't have the business at that time that we do now.

[00:32:22] So I mean but he would talk with people at their level according to where their station was in life and we can always learn from Jesus from that.

[00:32:33] You know what I'd like to do right is you know you mentioned the word stewardship and I believe that God wants us to be stewards in every area of life.

[00:32:43] And what I'd like to do is let's go to your marriage and how are you stewarding your relationship with your wife. I know you mentioned I think her name's Sue. Yes, and you know I think you've been with her what eight or nine years now.

[00:32:57] But if you would how are you growing in that relationship and how you know how do you work as a couple and how are you making an impact with those that you know as a couple. Wow. That's you didn't throw me in a softball there.

[00:33:15] Now my wife Sue as you mentioned it's the third marriage for both of us. We both had first marriages that we have great children from so you know the marriage may not have lasted but the fruit of that has proven and that's good.

[00:33:39] We both lost our second spouses to cancer and then I absolutely truly believe that we were both seeking the Lord and seeking who the Lord had for us.

[00:33:54] And there's a whole story around how we met and actually got together but the thing that you know the Lord has been leading Sue. And I really believe and the Bible gives us very good instruction on the relationship between a man and his wife.

[00:34:21] And a lot of people say well the the wife is to obedient to be obedient to the husband and they stop that is not where the scripture stops. And we really need to do is honor each other and what God is doing in each other.

[00:34:40] And then look also at how are we each reinforcing for each other what God is doing in each of us individually and then working together being equally young. Now that that sounds easy and it sounds like it's simple but it is not because we're all human.

[00:35:08] And you know it's the kind of thing where I in everything I do, I am attempting to fulfill what God called me to do. But at the same time, literally with equal further, I'm attempting to support Sue in what she's doing.

[00:35:31] And for those who may remember, she went through the practical government program and then was called to run for office. She ran for school board. She got elected. She is serving on the school board in a very difficult time.

[00:35:50] Because the evil forces hand a chance to get a hold of our education system. And they were teaching and our teaching things that are not in line with the word. And it's not like we're trying to force the word on anybody.

[00:36:08] But the point is there is a good moral compass in the word and if we pay attention to that, we raise better citizens. And that's what our country was founded on. And that is what is made America great.

[00:36:28] It's what is literally helped us to be, I don't know, I'm going to misquote the stats, but 4% of the world's population with 80% plus of the world's innovations, growth, products.

[00:36:46] And it just amazes me that people in this country want to slam and deny what in fact was the foundation, the Great American Experiment, some people call it all based on putting a country together that is biblically based.

[00:37:08] And for those who want to say no, there's nothing biblical about the basis of the country. Our constitution, our declaration of independence, I would invite you to go to wallbuilders.com, look at David Bartons work, look at Bill Fetterers work. It is clearly documented about the biblical base.

[00:37:32] In fact, that a lot of the US independence is credited to what's called the black road regimen. The pulpit of early American the colonies thundered with sermons that came out of the gods were that helped found the basis for the constitution and declaration of independence.

[00:38:02] And our government, our three branches of government are right out of the Bible. The organization structures that we talk about right out of the Bible. It was Moses Fathernlaw who said, look you've got this great multitude of people, you can't manage it all.

[00:38:22] So you need to elect leaders over tens, 50s and hundreds. That's where our structure comes from. That's part of where our house of representatives comes from. So I'm just getting on a ramp here, aren't I? But pull me back to the main topic, Bill.

[00:38:44] No, we're doing good. But anyway I was just asking about your marriage. There you go. Sorry, my marriage went right into politics. That's what happens when your life goes through practical government. But it, you know, and likewise, so you know, oftentimes sends me a text in the morning.

[00:39:07] It just is maybe a reference to scripture. Maybe it's just lifting me up, preparing me to tackle the day, whether it's an anticipated good day or bad day.

[00:39:20] And I try to do likewise with her. You know, it's we try and balance the whole, the whole ethos of what we're going through in any given day with backing up and looking at, you know, how are we enjoying not only each other but what God is doing.

[00:39:44] Through us, for us with us and how we can be better stewards of that. And just, you know, we're all going to encounter difficult times. Times where we may feel a little bit in conflict.

[00:40:05] But we need to recognize that none of us are perfect. None of us are always right. And the balance and the understanding that, you know, the first institution God created was marriage.

[00:40:20] There was not good that man was alone. And we needed to be in fellowship with each other, which I see as a type of God's desire for having relationship with us. And that's I mean there's no great secrets or no great tricks or processes that 2 and I use.

[00:40:46] We know that sometimes we need to be alone with the Lord and other times we need to be together.

[00:40:55] Well, that's so good. You know, and the thing I'm finding out Ray is longer your with your wife. You realize how much she can benefit you and how much you can benefit her.

[00:41:06] You know, they always say that obbice it's a track but you know, women are just built differently than men. They think differently. You know, so many things that they go about just the thought processes.

[00:41:19] You know, I think what they think is more important is different than what we think is most important.

[00:41:25] But it all boils down to our love for the Lord but right what I'd like to get into is if you would just talk about the importance of seeking God and just following the instructions that he's given you.

[00:41:39] You've done that you're in a new job now. It's going well and yet I know God still talks to you about other things.

[00:41:47] So if you would just share about what else the Lord is telling you and what's going on, but explain to the audience why it's important to seek him. Okay, I want to just put a mother-loom dot after the previous section. A lot of times people look at relationships.

[00:42:10] Husband wife work colleague, whatever. And you often hear people talk about well it's 50-50. I just want to be on record on your podcast that's not 50-50 gets 100% and 100% because if I'm not giving 100% to my wife, to the Lord, to my profession,

[00:42:37] I am cheating myself. I'm not doing service to the Lord and I'm not doing what he intended to be done. Now, having said that you also have to have balance.

[00:42:53] I believe that's part of the reason why the Lord gave us time to rest and time to work because that's the way he created our bodies.

[00:43:03] Because during the sleep time, we need regeneration time. We need quietness so I'll take that right into the next segue that hearing from the Lord is for me often done mostly early in the morning.

[00:43:21] A lot of times in the shower, which you don't want to get a mental picture of that. But yes, it's the time when you're not distracted by other things.

[00:43:33] And so, yeah, I clearly understand that what I'm doing right now, the Lord spent better than 50 years preparing me to do this. And he's giving me the strength and the stamina to do what it is, and that brings me great joy.

[00:43:54] He's also showing me a little bit about what may be where he wants me to be positioned for.

[00:44:07] For whatever comes after this, and I hasn't shown me that in great detail. And I really believe if he did it, it would scare me to the point that I would say, no, you got their own guy, you got their own person.

[00:44:24] But what I am seeing is, yes, we are in a time of change. We are in a time where we have to stand steadfast in his work.

[00:44:39] And by that, what I mean is we need to be working in his word because it is through that, that he, it's through us that he is able to impact the world and bring people back into right relationship with God.

[00:45:01] And that is where I see what the ultimate goal is. Talk to a gentleman the other day and he said, well, every tire that said, you know, that's not a biblical concept.

[00:45:13] And I've talked to another people who say, well, I retired from this job, but now I'm busyer than I ever was in this other opportunity that the words got me in and I'm like, yeah, it is seed time and harvest.

[00:45:29] We spend our early years with seeds being planted in us, learning skills, growing into and exercising that. And then the harvest time comes, that doesn't mean we get cut off and we're out of here.

[00:45:45] What that really means is, that's our time to really give back and help nurture the seeds and the plants that are coming in the next crop.

[00:45:58] And that's how we lay up treasures in the storehouse and enable people to come together and be in relationship not be in conflict because the conflict is really the devil.

[00:46:20] It's really the point of distracting us from the goodness of God, separating us from the goodness of God and. Wow, there I went on another rant. But what I see is just wonderful growth when you're inside the relationship with Jesus, the relationship with the father.

[00:46:53] It, it makes life worth living. It brings joy to life and it's not a carnal passion joy, but it is really a time on it.

[00:47:06] Okay, I'm going to ask you one more thing. A lot of people rate they will save the sinner's prayer and I'm going to invite you to lead people in that in just a few moments.

[00:47:18] But if you look at the gospel of John chapter 173 and it says, and this is eternal life that they know God and they know Jesus Christ whom He sent.

[00:47:32] Ray, a lot of people think saying that sinner's prayer is about receiving salvation. But if you really want to know what God's ultimate desire for each one of us is, is that we truly come to the knowledge of who He is in depth.

[00:47:51] Having that intimate relationship with Him because only through that real relationship with Him can we really fulfill what God is called each and every one of us to do your thoughts on that.

[00:48:21] If you're in a manifestation of metaphor for becoming a new wine skin, it means we are changing. If we say we accept Jesus as the Lord of our life and we continue to do everything that we did before that after that we haven't made a change.

[00:48:41] And really it starts with accepting Jesus but that's just the first step.

[00:48:50] And once you accept Jesus as the Lord of your life, then it's really making Him Lord and Master which means not being a slave to Him although a lot of the disciples in the Apostles said, I'm a bonds servant of Christ.

[00:49:10] What they were really saying is I'm not a slave to Him but I am so dedicated to Him that I am following Him and I am denying the carnal flesh.

[00:49:22] I'm denying, and that doesn't mean I can't have fun. It just means that I don't have fun the way I used to have fun. So it's really a change in life, a change in you, a change in lifestyle.

[00:49:40] It is casting off the old, accepting the new and then pursuing that newness to what He put in your heart to begin with. And a place that a lot of people say that you can easily start is look at the ten commandments.

[00:50:01] You know if he says you shouldn't do it, don't do it. Because if you're going to do it, you're not really following Him. But there's e-gives us a lot of leeway if we follow the right direction.

[00:50:19] And just as a quick little additional, I had the pleasure on April 15 of watching and being a party to my wife's nephew being baptized in the South Platte River. And I mean fully baptized. I stood on the bank.

[00:50:41] But he and the minister and a friend of his were right in the river. And you know, it was symbolic but it was also very real that he was going under.

[00:50:58] He was denying himself he was committing his life to the Lord and being baptized in the Lord at that moment. And in both the symbology of it, the physical nature of going under the water and coming back to life as a different person.

[00:51:21] It was an amazing, amazing thing. Got a great little video there. So if anyone is listening today and is not accepted the Lord as your Lord and Savior, I wouldn't invite you right now to repeat with us, you know, this simple prayer.

[00:51:45] And just say it out loud so that you hear it and it is this. More Jesus, more Jesus. I ask you to be my Savior. I invite you into my life and invite you into my life. I invite you to take control of my life.

[00:52:07] I invite you to take control of my life. And I declare that I believe and I declare that I believe that you are the Son of God, that you are the Son of God. You were crucified for our sins. You were crucified for our sins.

[00:52:23] And you rose from the dead to bring us back into relationship with God. And you rose from the dead to bring us back into relationship with God.

[00:52:34] And I commit my life to you and I commit my life to you as a new wine skin, and as a follower of your teaching. And as a follower of your teaching in Jesus name, in Jesus name, amen. Amen.

[00:52:52] All right. Once again, thank you so much and I appreciate all your wisdom. I appreciate getting to know you this year and I believe we have many years together, even though I will be going back to Florida.

[00:53:05] But if there's any one that repeated that prayer, I invite you to reach out to me on Facebook, Bill Kelly, kelele why. And if anyone has any specific questions about anything you heard on today's podcast, please reach out to me on Messenger.

[00:53:21] And I'll get right back with you. Now may the Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make us face shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.

[00:53:36] Friends, please join me at the Maro as we further explore wisdom.