Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference: 0:00 - Intro 1. 0:24 {The “What is a Woman?” Bandwagon} Do you think that the now famous question "What is a Woman?" is a relevant area of focus for biblical Christians? Doesn't the Gospel naturally address these issues we face today? 2. 18:54 {Helping Friends be Biblical} Most of my friends claim to be Christians, but they support “pride month.” It depresses me that they encourage gay marriage which the Bible clearly says is a sin. How do I talk to them about this? 3. 25:16 {Friends vs. Servants of Christ?} In John 15: 15, Jesus tells the apostles, “No longer do I call you servants, but friends.” How do we properly approach our position as “friends of Jesus” while not neglecting to still serve Him? 4. 29:01 {Is John 1 about the Bible?} What does John 1:1-4 say about the importance of the Bible? Should we worship the Bible? Some say they won't read the Bible, but at the same time say they are Christian. 5. 34:37 {Are there Sins we Really Can’t Help Doing?} How can I reconcile 1 Corinthians 10: 13 after decades of struggling with sloth, bad work ethic, sin at work, etc.? I’m praying for forgiveness, but was recently diagnosed with ADHD. I now see I can’t help it without meds. 6. 41:26 {Was the Bible Written w/Chapters & Verses?} Since the Bible wasn't written with chapters and verses, how should that impact our reading of the current translations? 7. 43:40 {Why Don’t the Jews Believe?} What is your understanding as to why the Jews don’t believe in Jesus and are waiting on someone else to come? 8. 49:59 {About Receiving the Spirit} If we are to believe that you receive the Holy Spirit when you believe, why does there seem to be a separation from believing and receiving in Acts 19:1-2? 9. 52:12 {Are Cards Inherently Sinful?} Are playing cards wrong? My parents think they are wrong even if I’m not playing Poker or anything like that. They think that there is some kind of evil in the card itself. 10. 56:40 {Will We Fall into Sin in Heaven?} If Satan was able to disobey and sin against God in Heaven (along with him persuading others to sin), how do we know we will not sin against God when we are home with Him? I’m struggling with this question. 11. 1:01:07 {Should Christians be Organ Donors?} I am wondering how Christians should think about organ donation? Is there a clear answer in Scripture? 12. 1:03:43 {Loving God vs. Fearing Punishment} I find that I fear Hell rather than love God. Prayer and Bible reading feel like selfishly avoiding Hell more than devotedly pursuing God. How do I stop my fear from getting in the way of my relationship with God? 13. 1:08:37 {Marriage in Heaven?} Since Jesus says that wives will be had in Heaven in Matthew 19: 29, why do most Christians say marriage won't exist in Heaven? 14. 1:13:42 {Mental vs. Spiritual Health Struggles} When I talk to some people about my mental health struggles, they suggest that the cause is a spiritual issue. How do I explain that being a faithful Christian doesn't mean I can't struggle? 15. 1:17:42 {What is an Apostate?} What is an apostate? Can they come back to God? 16. 1:19:32 {About Elisha & the Bears} How can we explain 2 Kings 2: 23-24 in context? it involves Elisha and a group of young mockers who then get killed by 2 bears. 17. 1:26:58 {Should Immoral Things Be Illegal?} Should biblically immoral mean illegal? Surely if sin harms the community, then all legal sin harms society and should be against the law. 18. 1:29:28 {Fellowshipping as an Introvert} I am worried that being an introvert is keeping me from congregating in the church. Does this mean that I'm truly not saved? Where is the joy that I'm supposed to have in the Lord? Please help. 19. 1:33:05 {Was Elihu in Job Correct?} In Job 32:7-9, the Lord tells Job’s 3 friends to sacrifice burnt offerings because they haven’t spoken truth, but the Lord didn’t mention Elihu. Does that mean Elihu was correct in his speech? 20. 1:35:03 {Saved while Believing Heresy?} Can someone be saved without affirming certain correct propositions? If someone holds a believe that is heretical (to believe it would prevent salvation) but they are ignorant, are they saved?
Hi Mike. I support and love your teaching. But , lately you seem to have blurred the lines between Christianity and the Republican Party. They're not even close to the same thing. Marsha Blackburn's famous " What is a woman" question was embarrassingly bad for her and the " Gotcha" Christian Right. Nothing more . Nothing less. Google Republican answers to that question of " What is a woman" to see how smart KBJ was to not take the bait. This dangerous blurring is what gave us Donald Trump as President.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, SARAH!! This is SO helpful. Esp when I want to talk to hear about something specific & dont want to have to go back thru & try to find it 🥰🤗. Tytyty!!
To the “why aren’t you just preaching the Gospel?” crowd: “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.” (Jude 3) Jude goes on to write against false teachers and false ideas. In order to advance the Gospel, there are times in which we must engage with false teaching and terrible cultural ideas.
That does not mean you misrepresent Christ and the truth of him to accomplish those goals. Paul contends with false ideas and false teachers on Mars Hill without misrepresenting Christ. Give me a biblical example of misrepresenting Christ in order to share the gospel. The example of properly representing Christ and his Truths is everywhere in the New Testament. Stop lying about what scripture teaches. Every effort does not mean it's ok to sin to spread the gospel. According to your words, I can use every effort to mean sleeping with everyone possible so long as I share the gospel it must be ok... Stop your lies.
Amen, Amen, and Amen Jude 22 - 23 And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
@@Valkaneer What are you talking about, friend? When did I or Mike ever say anything about sinning or misrepresenting Christ to advance the Gospel? Also, if your gripe is with the phrase “every effort”…you realize that that is part of the biblical quote, right? Jude was the one using that language. By “every effort” he clearly doesn’t have sin in mind. Not sure where you’re getting any of your accusations from.
@@Valkaneer he wasn't saying that you should misrepresent Christ! He was saying that in trying to build bridges, you can misrepresent him, not intending to do so. I think you misunderstood what was being said.
@@joeblack9473 I'm always confused that atheists use the words "bronze age" as if it's a weakness of Christianity. The fact that this religion is thousands of years old just attests to its legitimacy. God is of all times. For comparison, a 21st century brand new cyber-religion would be highly suspicious.
THAT is what you got from this blatant attempt of painting someone who's trying to do better and f-ing asks for help, as someone who's just using their diagnosis as an excuse? Wow.
To question 18: As an introvert myself, time alone is good, but isolation is bad, and there is a difference. Time alone can be introspective, prayerful, restful, energizing... and then we can go out and connect again. Often when I feel the need spend time alone, it's so I have the energy to reconnect with people again. When I feel the need to isolate, I have found that I really should connect. I can't count the number of times I woke up on a Sunday morning feeling discouraged and didn't feel like I had the energy to go out and be around people... but when I went to church anyway, God used someone from church to encourage and bless me, or used me to bless someone else, every single time, and I left church feeling better than when I went in. As an introvert, our feelings tell us isolation will energize us, because time alone energized us. But that feeling has been proved in my experience as a lie. Isolation drains my energy more and more the longer it goes on. I pray that this would be useful to others who can identify with introversion. I believe that as God has given me confidence in who I am in Him, I have come out of my shell much more. Yes, I still feel like an introvert, but some people I know have been very surprised by that. Let your relationship with God be your primary identity, not your personality type. :)
@@JamesRichardWiley I'm watching a movie about a male character who is always hiding and spying right now. His name is Indiana Jones. I've never known God to fit that description, though.
I agree we shouldn't be too overly identifying with labels. I'm an introvert plus anxious around others. I agree we should focus on the scripture. Jesus mentioned the church multiple times. So obviously he would want me to go to church. I don't currently belong to a church but I do read and study the word daily. I should really join a church.
Mike, I wish pastors in my city spoke like this in sermons. Trying to find the right church that does not softball every cultural issue in regards to biblical worldview. It’s as though they are afraid to offend, or as you say, burn bridges. It’s refreshing to hear objective truth. Thank you.
I just over the past year was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Currently on 4 different medications for this. This has caused me to leave jobs as I have panic attacks which directly has effected my ability to work. Currently I'm unemployed, I was recently employed for 2 days until I panicked and quit. I need prayers to get past this, please pray for me and my family. I know the bible says he who doesnt work doesnt eat, but it is very difficult to keep a job due to this issue. I need prayer big time.
Just encouragement that you are not alone. You are loved and prayed for. Jesus knew this anxiety in the Garden of Gethsemane and can identify with your struggle and lead you to peace... blessings 🙏🏿🙏🏽🙏
Anxiety results from thoughts. Thoughts drive all emotional responses. Begin to pay close attention to your thoughts....and notice the emotion that follows. Pray to the Holy Spirit to raise your awareness and offer alternative thoughts. Avoid repetitive affirmation thoughts, they don't work. Replacement or new thoughts, must be positive new thoughts you BELIEVE. An example would be a person that is obese, repeating an affirmation, " I am beautiful." If you do not believe it, repeating that affirmation, will do nothing to change you. So if you are fearful at a moment, have an opposing and positive thought that counters that negative thought, that you DO believe. This approach reprograms your brain.
Spend time with the Lord and listen. I dealt with anxiety/panic attacks/ depression. While i didnt quit work i did develop the attacks at work. I repented, i prayed for forgiveness of the iniquity/ my actions, and that the Lord would deliver me from a spirit of death ( something had been over me since child hood). That he'd break those chains and and any curses over me. When i approached him in earnest and asked these things, things changed for me. I hadnt had a panic attack or suicidal thought since. I pray you find cause and the LORD delivers you from it.
I found this video extremely helpful and I hope it helps you as well. Its from the channel (ill be honest) "Satan's strategy to accuse and paralyze you with doubt". He puts into words what I have so much trouble explaining to someone else.
As someone with ADHD, I found my diagnosis to be a double-edged sword: on the one hand, it alleviated a lot of guilt I'd had my entire life about not being a good listener, not being able to read textbooks, having a short temper, etc. etc. It wasn't because I was a moral or disciplinary failure, I was literally lacking the necessary chemicals in my brain to do what everyone else could do without a care. On the other hand, I found myself beginning to justify my shortcomings as "I have ADHD, it's not my fault". I jumped from abusing myself trying to do something I physically could not do to just not trying anymore. There's a fine line in there, where you work (quite hard at times) to improve your faults, but understanding that the impulse itself isn't your fault and giving yourself the appropriate grace when you do fail, because your struggle here is harder than others'.
I never thought about in that contract as I diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in May 2009, and the longer God has not fulfilled his promises of Psalm 103 & not to mention all of the other passages of God’s promises to heal all of those who are righteous if I am truly righteous according to what the Bible teaches, as I am a believer in Yeshua, as os described
The biggest one is getting bored at work and just going to sit on the toilet. It's just so hard to doing a repetitive thing over and over. I've beaten some demons, but boredom/sloth is what I struggle with the most.
@@timothymerrihew7448 God's promises will be fulfilled, but not always in the way you expect. He promises to heal, but that does not mean we will never struggle with anything. Sometimes, God brings the good out of the bad, and can use issues and flaws you have for good.
Two points of encouragement for yall. I have ADD and i am an introvert. More importantly I am a child of God. God calls us to renew our minds. Through discipline and practice anyone can become more focused and less anxious in social situations I am a living testamony. God has strengthened me and made me able to not only enjoy fellowship at church but he has even helped me with public speaking and giving teaching. Dont let yourself identify with your struggles identify with your savor and who he is forming you into!
My favorite is the drowning of nearly every living creature on the surface of the earth by Yahweh because they had forgotten to follow his rules or that he even existed.
@@JamesRichardWiley if God is the. creator of all things, He also is the creator of morals. meaning, we have no place to shake our fist at God. God was fully justified in wiping out the people with the flood. women were having sex with demons for one. people were wicked and evil and selfish and cruel. it’s strange to me how people say things like “if God is so good, why doesn’t he kill all the murderers and rapists??” but then when God destroys all the horrible wicked people with the flood, Hes a bad guy.
@@JamesRichardWiley No one “forgets” to follow God’s laws. We do it in rebellion. You don’t forget the speed limit on the freeway. You just choose to speed because your natural state is a sinful one. Never forget that. That’s why you depend on the Lord and His Spirit by faith. Because He can’t be seen. We just believe He’s there. God bless.
There is such a difference between "Sorry, I have ADHD and lost focus. What did you say?" and "I have ADHD, I can't focus." I am unmedicated for pretty severe ADHD. It can be debilitating. Yet with God's help and some therapy I have developed tools to help me work with and around my ADHD instead of being a slave to it.
Therapy doesn’t always mean medication. It can be behavioral therapy where you learn techniques to help you organize yourself better, like having a special place for everything to not loose and search for hours which can happen often for someone with ADHD. Medication can support that, but is not a must. If you know one person with ADHD you know exactly one person with ADHD. Everyone is different and has to talk through the different options with their doctor.
Sodom and Gomorrah were two legendary biblical cities destroyed by God for their wickedness. Wikipedia Probably a legendary story written by anonymous religious writer(s) to warn against homosexuality and bestiality.
I agree with his sentiment but don’t believe he gave good advice to the person asking the question. None of the people that support same sex marriage CARE that they are changing the definition. They would just say, “that is a good thing and it’s about time”. Telling people marriage is only between man and women is correct but not an effective mind changing argument.
@@codym6376 agreed. How do we claim the moral and lexicographical definition when it denies civil liberties and human rights to people in a free society? How do we enforce religious beliefs through a secular government on people who have different faiths? I think that’s why Pastor Mike was saying we have to build bridges.
@@jonathan4189 but it doesn't deny them those rights at all. Like he said, they are free to get married to the opposite sex. Marriage isn't about having all of society celebrate your romance. It's a legal contract that forms a stable foundation for the family, and the male and female uniting is the engine of human propagation, which family is the nest for. What are they even married married for? You can have a commitment celebration, call it a wedding and invite people... you don't need to invoke the sacriment of marriage to do that. The whole point of it being legally binding is to protect children... because children are naturally produced by heterosexual coupling. So marriage functions as a socially supported and legally reinforced superstructure to give kids the best chance possible without the state itself violating nature and getting into the human-creation business. Does this mean you can't be married if you don't or can't have kids? No thwyw backwards. Marriage is the superstructure that fortifies the heterosexual relationship which favilotates successfully building family, but its not it's only practical purpose. That which fortifies family fortifies romantic commitment, and unites the couples extended families. "But but gay people want that fortification too"... but sociological that fortification is for kids, the vulnerable humans around us, not the couple. Married couples are indeed more efficient, successful and happier than single couples, but all of legal history us primarily concerned with the perpetuation of humanity, not just your personal happiness. Marriage also usee to be a shelter for women. Legally this isn't even remotely required or even desired for this purpose anymore. A married couple that's physically healthy CAN have kids, indeed if they relax their birth control regimen, they WILL. It's inevitable, and not by effort, but organically. Those who have trouble have all kinds of medicsl helps to overcome this, which no gay marriage will ever produce. A completely biologically unable heterosexual couple have some kind of disease or disorder, they're not the normative state of humanity unless older. They still have the dipoler and diversified representation of functional humanity to firm a partnership that can still raise kids. So adoption for a heterosexual couple is just putting a kid with a family that is already naturally structured for kids, by nature, save their dysfunction. There's no version of a gay relationship that's structured for reproduction, and therfore isn't nature's natural foundation for nesting or child rearing. They're not dipolar. They can try to replicate it, but it's very forced to do so. You can't intentionally deny nature and thej act like this is everyone else persecuting you because you don't have kids. You could use a surrogate or get pregnant by the third party, but now you're excluding the actual bio parent by nature, so you can play house. The healthy heterosexual structure is being vampirically farmed, like cattle, to breed, so you can have a human pet. Now we're a relatively free country, so between consenting adults, where no crime is committed, it shouldn't be a legally settled issue, but gay marriage isn't a matter of fleshing out a libertine hole in the law... it's a matter of totally legally hijacking the traditional legally supported familial structures in society, just to thumb your nose and "win". Gay people have had weddings for decades. Needing a court to side with you to score points is destructively narcissistic.
@@ravissary79 marriage unites people legally. It provides monetary benefits in the form of insurance benefits and tax breaks, it provides legal protections in the form of the 5th amendment, it provides inheritance protections which are both legal and monetary. It provides legal protections in the form of medical care and rights to information and ends of life decisions. It provides legal and financial protections about custody of children. It provides legal and financial protections in the form of divorce where a court will go through and adjudicate the end of a relationship and who owns what. If you want to deny a specific class of person these essential civil rights and liberties, you are, by the definition used in a free society, a bigot. And bigots suck.
@@jonathan4189 those financial benefits aren't some kind of society rebate for romantic relationships, they're there to make the cost of human nesting to build a home: the foundational building block of humanity for millenia, more affordable. Gay marriage is an oxymoron designed to make people feel better about their romantic relationships. Romance doesn't need a tax break. Things like visitation were never limited to heterosexuals, false argument. Insurance often also involves kids, it's a reflection of the idea of a household being a unified unit, usually biologically and dependantly unoted by necessity, but changing it so you can put anyone considered a dependant on your insurance is a small legal or industry matter that doesn't require society to gut the concept of marriage to do it. Conceptually any number of people could become contractually obligated to one another in a legally binding sense that could hypothetically effect insurance, taxes, or power of attorney. That's why many considered "civil unions" an acceptable alternative, since its a legally binding commitment that doesn't invoke altering/defining sacraments thousands of years old. Indeed society used to have kinds of ways to categorize or regulate people's legal obligations to eachotger. Gay marriage is a very strange exception to the modern trend of the last 200 years in removing all legal obligations individuals have to one another. Slavery was abolished, women's rights removed them from the category of a legally protected subordinate to men which required familial legal shelters to thrive. Children acquired all kinds of legally recognized rights. Divorce got easier. With the move toward judgment free portability of the individual within society, gay marriage is an unnecessary attack on traditional culture and familial structures by defining away their own cultural safe space and niche and legally protected status by way of legal linguistic equivocation. Equivocation and the butchering of words and institutions doesn't render any protection or rights for the LGBTQ community. As a pursuit of liberation it's contradictory. Feminists have fought against marriage as being "oppressive to women" for decades. It only makes sense if the purpose is attacking people who don't like it, and that's exactly what the law has been used for. The ongoing efforts to shut down businesses, wedding support mom-and-pops, religious speech in Canada, all actively attacked or chilled by law suits and popular fears, sentiments and crusaders who seem to live to attack traditional people. Just love who you want to love. The legal battles don't help gay people at all, they're literally only there as cultural revenge against heternormative structures and religious beliefs (ie: the church, the family).
Excellent point on needing to try harder. I have dyslexia, and I've always had to try harder in order to read and write. I was drawn to the Bible; it took me longer and more effort than "average," but it was worth it. Now, I'm a writer as well as an avid reader, especially of the Bible, commentaries, etc.
We as Christians are obligated to speak biblical truth today. It is relevant to speak out against this “new” gender/sex ideology, which is clearly rooted in sin. We are obligated to speak the truth of the gospel. I am now in my 60s and see how I in error agreed with certain issues because I was trying to be accepting and not bigoted or closed minded about popular issues . I no longer believe that I can support such ideology just to be a good friend or supportive. Read your bibles. Learn what God has shared with us in His precious word. Listen to God-fearing pastors. Ask questions for clarity. Pray always. Thank you Mike for your clarity and desire to speak the truth always.
Do you have any thoughts on non binary gender expressions throughout history? They are by no means a cultural universal but they appear in lots of different cultures isolated by distance and time going back millenia. In some places they were widespread. You mentioned this ideology being “new” so I thought I’d ask.
I just want to say Thank You. Thank you for giving us the truth of the Bible, always. Thank you for saying “I don’t know” when you don’t, and “this is my view” when it’s not absolutely clear. Thank you for the many and varied topics that you cover! I learn things every time I watch/listen to one of your videos that help me to know and understand better how to live as a Christian, that reinforce my desire to read the Bible in context and understand it, that point me more toward God, and give me knowledge I need to show someone else the way to Jesus. May God bless you, your family, and your ministry as you serve Him, also protecting you from the fiery darts of the enemy.
I'm an introvert, who is drawn to self-isolation. However, I found a church that made me feel as though I belonged without having to communicate and as such, I found myself opening up and volunteering to serve and be a part of the church. I found joy there, and then I moved. I found a church, but that joy and light weren't there, I prayed and cried that God would have His way and bring me back to that place where I enjoy going to church and serving and my sister just called and asked me to look after my nieces for the next six months as she travels for work. She lives close to that church and after she takes my nieces, I can actually take over the house. So not only will I be returning to the church where I know I can serve the Lord with joy, but I'll also be getting my own home (which is something I've been praying for for years now). Sometimes we just need to give our introversion to the Lord, who will take it and raise us up for His glory.
@Silver Eight I know that I never saw being an introvert as a bad thing. After I was baptized, I spent most of the time not going to church and just reading the Word at home. However, I've just reached that point in my journey where I feel a great need to serve, and I know that the Lord has called me to tutor children and evangelism, and that's where my introversion became an issue because I would rather stay home alone and not talk to anybody then go out and evangelise and teach.
@@missymurphy9996 I was isolated as a child, so I love isolating myself. I really struggled with this in my journey, which is funny cause I would pray for God to get me to the point where I can serve Him with everything that I am then He would put me in a position where I couldn't isolate myself and I would run because I felt that I wasn't ready. This happened to me twice before I accepted His direction and that's when He led me to that church, but then doubt and fear took control and I started leaning on my own understanding then life happened, and I was forced to move. What I've learnt is to keep praying about it and when He answers trust Him, don't let doubt and fear trip you up, as it did me.
Thank you, Pastor Mike, for addressing the tough issues of our day. You come from a place of genuine compassion, but I love that you don’t sugarcoat the topics you discuss and your goal is to proclaim the truth.
That was really well said Mike. I was recently convicted about having family and friends that I cared more about maintaining the realastioship than standing for Christ. So I've been using your videos and others to reach out to these people. My friend from high-school who is an atheist is the only one to respond very negatively. And probably lost that realastioship. But I know seeds were planted and he knows I care about him. Bless you.
You keep saying “I don’t want to burn bridges… My daughter of 37 years of age has decided to get involved with a woman who desires to become male. She gave up a 17 year marriage and divided a family with 5 children. I told her how I truly felt about it all and that I wasn’t going to pretend someone is who they are not. She decided to disown me now. So who are the ones burning bridges? She claimed I displayed hatred toward her. I just disagree with the decision she has made. And the future she is headed towards with kids involved.
My favorite thing about Mike's teaching is the use of simple and clear examples. Sometimes he makes a point using an example from scripture, sometimes from human culture, etc., but every time his examples make sense, are easy to understand, and are complete. There are times I disagree with Mike, but I always understand Mike. This is so important!
As an introvert and new believer at one time, I also had such a fear of people that I told Lord I would never witness. But after I was filled with the Holy Spirit and spent time daily in the Word of God before school, high school that is, I found myself talking to others about Christ. And later I would think, "What did I just do? I told Lord I would never do this!" But I knew it was the power of the Holy Spirit speaking through me and compelling me to reach the lost. Thank you for bringing this up, Mike. I've seen too many introverted people use the excuse you mentioned. It's so good to bring this up! Of course all your teachings are really great. As a Women's Bible teacher, I know that we can never learn enough from God's word. And I love listening to you and increasing in understanding. So thank you, for all you do, and you're diligence!
Thank you for the verse on isolating. My hubby and I are introverts as well. The temptation to isolate is very strong. And, Mr. Winger is correct in that the more you do isolate yourself, the harder it is to stop doing so. Pray about it, asking God to help you. What I've done is to tell people at our church that I'm introverted, but come to church in order to have fellowship. And, that fellowship actually does fuel what I do in His service the rest of the week -- all the introverted stuff like writing, art, being a listening ear, etc. I learn lessons in my interactions with people that I just wouldn't learn if I was staying away from them. I hear the troubles of those who will only talk about them in person. Then, all that informs my writing and counseling done through the rest of the week. I personally believe that our basic personality is created by God when He forms our body in the womb. So, He not only knows what talents you'll have and use for Him and how your personality will figure into that, but He also tells every single one of us to fellowship. We are to be connected with others. Jesus was connected with others. Yes, He went off to be alone with our Father to pray and rejuvenate. He also came right back out into the midst of us. God has helped us find a balance between fellowship and curling up under a rock to read and rest. :)
🤭😁🤣 Had to giggle at your brilliant analogy of the blind person having to work harder at not bumping into things, instead of waving his guide stick around erratically & announcing he is blind. Thank you Lord & thank you Mike, I will always remember this off the cuff, funny visual as bringing wisdom to the issue of physical & cognitive disabilty vs sin in our Christian walk, starting with myself! 🤔🙄😬
Amen! Like Martin Luther said, something like this, "If I do not address that thing which Satan is most attacking in the world today, I have not preached Christ." That's my paraphrase of what he said, but so true.
35:30 about the ADHD Mike, you are spot on! I have a very tough ADHD and have done a lot of mistakes leaning on to that diagnosis. But it was when God renewed my life, I understood, that the same rules apply to me too, I just have to work harder than others. Life just is that way; it’s not fair and equal but that’s the beauty of it, because it means we need one another, so that we would be a one whole body - a body of Christ!
I look at mine for what it is. I think what we describe as "ADHD", is more part of a personality type; than anything else. Like any other personality, it can be a double edged sword. It can be used to advance the Kingdom of God, or go against it. With ADHD, I tend to Focus on the things I care about a lot, and not focus on the things I don't. This can especially be helpful in your walk as a Christian, if used to focus on the advancement of the Kingdom of God. It can also be used against you by Evil to lead you to Focus on other things that are worldly. I think what we need to do is always stay Vigilant and Put on the Whole Armor Of God. But it begins to annoy me when all people see it as, is a crutch. It can be both a Crutch and a Blessing. So we have to ask ourselves with every choice how we see our Glasses. Half Empty or Half Full?
I couldn't agree more on how you addressed the first question of what is a woman topic. We should be exposing the lies, not hiding them by not talking about them. What makes manifest is light!!!! Expose the deeds of the darkness!!!! Speak the TRUTH!!!! 👑💖🕊
I'm late to the party on this video, but am glad to see you discussing the "What Is a Woman?" issue. As a former pastor, it's great to see someone like you discussing this and addressing this in it's proper perspective. Very refreshing.
I'm 54 now, yrs ago my doc put me on adhd meds. It was a blessing from God. My like changed. I could concentrate on everything. It cut down on my stresses and anxiety because I could get back in my many hobbies and not sit around worrying about everything. Used the right way it can be a gift.
It is awesome to listen to you pastor Mike dig and rightly dividing the Word of Truth to tackle each subject brought into the light👌❤️ The Truth sets free😊
36:00 Okay? So just because you were diagnosed like that doesn't mean everybody was. Proper focus and time management is a monster of a struggle, even when off social media. "Working harder" is often misunderstood. There are many different tactics to work with ADHD struggles. Extra effort, yes, but also talking to successful people who also struggle with it. Reorganizing your routine - creating and maintaining a routine - changing diet is also a big help. Just got relayed an app called A-calendar which I hope will assist better routine maintenance. Getting off of processed sugar has been an amazing help. Lots of tactics 👍 don't give up hope :)
I wish someone would do a thoughtful and thorough breakdown of the pro-lgbt affirming teachings of some Christian denominations. Young people are getting swayed by these churches because it allows them to align with the culture, maybe even justify indulging their own curiosity or attraction AND still think of themselves as Christian, even thinking they are being BETTER Christians, more Christ like and loving.
@@maryedwards543 I have watched that, and it is excellent, and he does touch on a few of the teachings in affirming churches. But I know there is far more depth to their deception that need to be addressed and deconstructed.
@@fivefamily5820 - Christianity as a whole has undermined the Torah of Yahweh in the "Old" Testament, yet Genesis is the foundation of so many Laws: Marriage (Gen 2:24) cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh Race & Gender (Gen 1:27) male and female He created them Abortion (Gen 1:26-27) let Us make man in Our image Dominion over animals (Gen 1:26) let them rule over Why clothes? (Gen 3:7) they knew that they were naked Sin and death (Gen 3:3) do not eat of it, nor touch it, lest you die What is a day? (Gen 1:3-31) there came to be evening, morning What is a week? (Gen 2:2-3) Elohim blessed the seventh day and sanctified it
So important to keep coming back to scriptures. It's truth and the one reliable source! We can test everything against it. Thank you Lord for the Bible!
Interesting story about cards. I know someone who sold a deck of playing cards on eBay. He found out midway though the sale that the person was a medium and would use them for readings. It was too late to back out of the sale but he prayed over the cards and asked God that they wouldn’t mislead anyone. She complained and said there was something wrong with the deck and they were useless. She said they weren’t all from the same deck (they were).
Wow!!! Praise God!!! I used to do tarot and they ALWAYS worked. Just goes to show God's power, how He can intercede and stop demons from manipulating objects and people when we pray over them in the name of Yeshua! Just beautiful❤️🙌🏻 thanks for sharing your story, God bless you
@@raining_trees ...that's heretical as we're told NOT to do this. It's divination. You don't know what the forces of evil were doing to card order. Demons which follow ppl around for generations and know them better than they know themselves. Yeshua wouldnt have heard much less honored your prayer. I'm glad you don't do Tarot any more. One day hope you'll repent of all aspects of it, if you haven't yet.
I strive for compassion, but often become angry when called a bigot for claiming reality. I am praying for this anger to be removed. I am grateful for your posts
Your response to the ADHD question was a breath of fresh air. I have fully diagnosed ADHD. I follow a few channels that try to help describe ways to accommodate yourself and function better. But often I find they can slide into that trap of "do whatever you want because you can't help it." I have been struggling with how to think about this since I KNOW that because I live as a Christian, called to serve others and bring honour and glory to God, this is a wrong view. I cannot impulsively say anything I want about anyone and just shrug and say "can't help it." I have friends who are undergoing diagnosis for autism and/or ADHD and are sliding into the mindset that they can behave however they want because they have an excuse and anyone who is hurt by them is hateful to them. I found your response balanced and thoughtful. If you had more time you could have softened it more (people with ADHD tend to struggle with RSD and can feel very attacked by simple comments) but I totally understand why you have to be quick. Thanks for handling this topic with love and scripture.
I agree it could have been softened more. My RSD kicked in pretty hard through that segment. I also agree that our ADHD, or autism in my daughter's case, should never be used as an excuse for bad behavior. There is a difference between and excuse and an explanation. I make mistakes and do some boneheaded stuff because of ADHD, but now that I know *why,* I (usually) feel better equipped to find methods to help me not do them again. I raised her the same way. It was rough at first, but she's a pretty awesome, respectful and grounded 19-year-old now. :)
@@chandica YES YES YES to the difference between an excuse and an explanation. I have had to develop a lot of coping techniques and find tools, tricks and skills to help me as a homeschooling mom of 6 kids. I suspect a few of the kids follow in my ADHD footsteps and I work hard to teach them coping skills as well. What we don't do is excuse and allow sinfulness. We can laugh when a "squirrel" moment happens and have grace for the messiness of things around here, and learning to manage emotional dysregulation in your kids when you have it is a real thing, but no excuses!
Totally agree!! I was diagnosed as a kid with ADHD and as an adult ASD. I loathe all the comments I see of people in my groups on FB justifying their poor behavior on their diagnosis and expecting everyone else to accommodate their every need. It feels so selfish because it’s only ever about them, and not about being accountable for negative behavior. Then they cry wolf when they are called out for their behavior because they want to blame someone else for how they reacted or whatever. I see my diagnosis as a way for me to better understand certain things about myself, but I certainly do not see it as a means to justify poor behavior. I work hard on being intentional in the areas I am affected by it because I now have a better understanding of why it’s harder. I am constantly aware of everything I say or do and even ask my husband and kids how they perceived what I said so if it wasn’t perceived how I meant it I can apologize and try again or explain how I meant it. I apologize when my sensory overload affects others if I end up yelling and explain that while it may have been due to sensory overload it is by no means a reason to justify my poor behavior. I am still accountable for yelling at others.
52:12 It's more important for a child under the roof of his parents to be obedient/honor his parents than to be 'correct' about card playing. When he gets his own home card playing is back on the table.
Getting the ADD (inattentive type) diagnosis after 28 years of not understanding why I struggled so much with daily tasks has been the second best decision (only after deciding to follow Christ) that I made in my life. I couldn’t take the daily disappointment and low self esteem I got from always failing even the simplest things. I literally felt demented even though my IQ is well above average and even in the higher range. That is often paired together with something like ADHD or another personality disorder. And because I got along just fine at school without any effort it went unnoticed for a long time. But Inside my mind; it was always complete chaos from my childhood until my late twenties and I hated myself deeply for being such a failure. In my mind it was a daily battle to finish even the simplest tasks. I know it wasn’t just laziness; I didn’t even have motivation to pay attention to things I actually enjoyed doing, so it wasn’t just the daily chores I didn’t feel like doing in the first place. I could not focus on anything longer than a few minutes at a time. I refused treatment with meds for a long time after my initial diagnosis and tried behavioral therapies like I tried before (in my early twenties when responsibilities kept piling up and I was too miserable to function. Eventually; I started treatment with ritalin after a complete mental break down and my life was in shambles. From the moment I started taking meds in the correct dosage for me; I finally knew what it felt like to have a functioning and balanced brain and to just function as a human.. I can’t deny the fact I have found Jesus a few months after getting treatment and I doubt I would’ve; had I not gotten on meds. And that’s because I could think clearly for the first time in my life.. I could organize my thoughts for the first time in decades. Untreated ADHD is debilitating, and it can ruin someones life. Meds were absolutely necessary for me, and I even felt ashamed for that too because not only does society look at ADHD “ being just being lazy” and then when you actually get the help you need to function in society you get shamed for taking “drugs.” It Is hard for people that don’t have it to understand it, so I can’t blame people for confusing it with laziness and the prejudice that come with it. There is no excuse for chronic pure laziness or excusing bad behavior on your disability.. What I wanted to say though is that people with untreated ADHD fight a very hard battle daily; even with things that YOU don’t think twice about.. We all have our own struggles; we are all different; We ALL have to work on our bad habits and traits but they are not all the same in terms of “difficulty” nor does it mean we don’t work “hard” enough. We all have different capacities. So actually no, Mike, you not being able to focus sometimes is not even close to a comparison to what a person with ADHD experience. ADHD is total chaos. You have your own struggles probably, but just different ones. Also; The solution to a lack of brain chemicals isn’t “just work harder” It’s like how we in The Netherlands would say it’s like “dweilen met de kraan open.” (Mopping the floor while you have the tap water open and running) in other words; you are fighting a losing battle. A car isn’t going to drive if it has no fuel. You can tell it to “just drive”, but it won’t. Unless your name is Kenneth Copeland
Well said! Attention issues can also come from MDD, OCD, and CPTSD which cause a lot of chaos in almost identical ways. I was screened for ADHD but it hadn't appeared until later in life so they attached the attention issues to the other disorders. I think a lot of us with these issues are already trying the best we can. I don't know anyone in my life personally who uses their diagnoses as an excuse to sin.
Adhd is hell, it has destroyed my life. I really need medicine for it but i can't even focus on finding a doctor (I've wanted to seek help for over 3 years but so far only got signed up with a therapist.) But it's a step in the right direction. I also view adhd as my own evidence for.why God isn't real, or that christianity and islam at least are not valid. Because if reading and understanding the bible was so important to the faith, why would this god give me a disability that makes reading it so much harder? Also the more I understand about brains, the less I believe about souls. My brain being as defective as it is, I am still hungry for information and learning. I want to KNOW stuff. But as I learn, conciousness and what I percieve to be "myself" tends to look more and more like an illusion. I'm just meat memory. If you possessed my body, you would just be me. Because "you" would be linked up to my meat information. Plus, a treatment for seizures used to be splitting the human brain in half. Each hemisphere can act independently of the other. In fact, you can LIVE with either side of your brain Missing. So now I'm going to yake THAT concept, and start making hypatheticals with ut. What if I have two perfect clone bodies of myself, and put one hemisphere in each body? Can the function? Do they become two separate people? Have I created a new soul, or divided a single soul? Can I break a soul in half like that? Can two different "people" share a soul? And on that matter what IS "me"? Why can "me" be erased but still function? (Amnesia/dementia effecting memory) If I was christian before losing my memory, and lost belief once it got erased, have I betrayed christ? Are memory issues punished by religion? A lot of questions come to mind, I always somehow link new things I learn to what it means religiously. I can't even believe in reincarnation anymore, because I can't reincarnate an illusion. The things that make me "me" are an illusion created by my meat memory to reflect modern times. Once I die, I'm gone. Just like before I was born.
@@blaireofhylia1572 The fact you are typing this and thinking about God is a testimony of you having a soul and having a choice in the matter. Someone that’s not able to think about this and choose consciously for Jesus; like children or people too mentally disabled will definitely not go to hell. You, even with ADHD are capable. That’s why you are thinking about it. The awareness is there.. What you need to understand first about God is that ALL humans fall short, God is Holy! Yet all people have sinned; with or without ADHD. The moment we are born; we are sinners. Baby’s too. But can they choose to believe? No, so they don’t get hold accountable. Cognitive issues depends; if the person is able to exercise free will and determine right from wrong; the person IS accountable. Yet because we are flawed (we have Adam and Eve to thank for that) in our own ways; the only way to become righteous is to make the conscious choice to believe in Jesus and his finished works on the cross. Someone with ADHD is able to choose right from wrong, the fact you think about God; is a testimony to that. Romans 10:9. If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 3:22 this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Jesus Christ will take care of your soul with and without memory issues. He can save even the “worst” of humans so most certainly someone with ADHD. All you have to do make the conscious choice to trust Him. You don’t have to rely on your own faulty brain to go to heaven. You don’t have to follow manmade religious rules in order to become righteous before God. Reading the bible makes you understand who God is, can build your faith and helps you grow but if you can’t, God doesn’t hold that against you. Christianity is about having a personal relationship with God, he doesn’t care about your IQ or your ability to read. God cares about your heart and intentions and your willingness to get to know Him. But it is important that you follow the true God, not a manmade religion where rules and rituals are needed to reach heaven and there are no guarantees. Please don’t give up on God, don’t throw away his free gift.. If you really seek the truth and want to know if He is real: “pray” about it and He will answer. Ask Him if He is real, and who He is. God is close to those who suffer and to those who truly seek Him. He will answer your prayer without a doubt. Also: be careful to choose human wisdom over God’s wisdom. Who created our very complex brains? God. He knows more about your brain than any human scientist. Yet God never says that we don’t have a soul if we don’t have a fully functioning brain. Science has come a long way; but we have been wrong in the past.. scientist are not smarter than God, God made their brains. Trust the creator not the creation ;)
Thank you so much for saying this! I also have inattentive adhd and it’s life ruining just like you said. Before I even knew I had adhd I always thought I was just this horrible slothful sinner and I constantly prayed for God to heal me and it really made me feel so horrible. But ever since knowing it that it’s a brain issue, I gave myself much more grace and I had hope for an diagnosis. I know Mike has good intentions and the verse about God never giving us over to temptation is definitely a good one but honestly I don’t know if that verse applies to people with mental disorders, I honestly don’t think it’s as black as white. How I don’t know for sure.
"...and when I evangelize, I don't ignore the most blatant lies and sins that are pervasive in that culture. I target them." Amen!! This is not only a good way to go, it would be a sin to do otherwise. If we say nothing in the face of blatant lies and sin people may infer agreement with the lies and acceptance of the sin.
That’s a really eye opening take on the marriages/spouses in heaven part Mike. I will admit though it does make me a bit sad to know that my wife and I would not share each other in marriage while eternally in the glory of God, she’s my best friend and outside of God/Jesus Himself, there’s nobody I look forward to seeing and sharing eternity with more than her!
We’re commanded by God to grow in our faith and knowledge of his word. This is done through, prayer, studying Gods word continuously, and speaking of God to others when we have the opportunity.
Also thank you pastor Mike if you ever read this for refusing to agree to RUclips and insert ads. Yours is the only channel I can listen to while going about my day without having to constantly listen to an obnoxious, irritating, annoying advertisement set out by RUclips! Sponsored ads advocated by the host I can tolerate but the jarring interruption brought in by RUclips is so objectionable I can’t watch certain channels anymore. So thank you for doing what you can to avoid that- until it’s unavoidable that add infiltrate everywhere!
I am so glad you have that feature on your website so we can look up questions from the past! I wanted to know about 2 Kings 23 (Elisha and the bears) and found the answer! Thanks again Mike!
Great commentary re. ADD/ADHD. I have it brutally. I don’t see it as an excuse. I do see it as an extraordinarily difficult thing to manage life with but I agree. It means like any other obstacle people have, I have to work harder. I can’t remember dates and appointments. I can’t remember what I need to get done. I can’t remember things people tell me. So I try to put measures in place to help me. It’s still no one else’s problem to pick up my slack. It’s cost me a lot in life but I do my best not to let it become a problem for someone else. The messages in scripture help me with my determination to push ahead on this, like the issue with not being focussed. I think learning to meditate and study and pray as difficult as it is, helps train my mind. God wants us to put our BEST effort in for our employers and honour them. I even had one of my bosses who became my friend and understood how I wanted to not screw up but knew my challenges, text me an hour before to say you need to leave soon, do you have your keys, phone, lunch. (LOL) I was having trouble remembering my schedule even when I had it. This helped a lot. But I had built that relationship before hand so he knew I’d go the extra mile and work as hard and best of my ability. He knew I genuinely cared about the job I had, the customers we had and about my bosses. I’d go the extra mile. That integrity and work ethic went a long way. I prayed each day that I would be a blessing to my bosses and to the customers and colleagues. So when I said I need help they were more than willing to help me
5:18 😂😂 Lord forgive me. I just love listening to Pastor Mike's explanations; there's ALWAYS a moment (@ least 1) where I find myself crying due to laughter. U may disagree, but I think many ppl actually need that. I do. Not everyone learns @ the same pace, or manner. So TY, Pastor!🤗
RE: your comment about the Dewey Decimal classification. Dewey decimal system does in fact tell you what a book is about, not just where it is. The books are classified by subject. The physical arrangement is secondary. basic classes and decimal numbers get into sub-topics. Class 000 - Computer science, information and general works Class 100 - Philosophy and psychology Class 200 - Religion Class 300 - Social sciences Class 400 - Language Class 500 - Science Class 600 - Technology Class 700 - Arts and recreation Class 800 - Literature Class 900 - History and geography Keep up the good work in the areas of 230 Christian theology 239 Apologetics & polemics etc. :-)
I've been going through a lot of these videos you've put out here Mike and I'm very encouraged. I really appreciate the biblical backup you bring to the table. I am so encouraged by the answer to the ADHD question. I have had this thought many times on my own, and I just wanted to say thank you! From a recently diagnosed mom of 4 (2 of which have been diagnosed also). THANK YOU for confirming what I've come to know myself. This diagnosis isn't a "get out of jail free" card, but rather, I look at it similar to Paul's thorn in the flesh. God can use every part of this to glorify Himself. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Hallelujah!! Amen!!
The diagnosis of ADHD was given to me at age 35; Before that time, I was struggling to function as effectively/productively as the very diligent people around me. Whenever I succeeded, I was beyond exhausted. Whenever I failed, I'd be so angry and disappointed with myself it hurt. My physical and mental health were falling apart due to the constant stream of stress hormones. When I received the diagnosis, I could forgive myself and think of a different way to approach things. The medication helped me break the cycle of constant stress. But the world remained the world and I remained myself; I see it as having been given a hammer after years of putting nails into planks with my bare hands. Even with the hammer, I can still stop trying to get the nails in altogether... and blame ADHD for that. But that wouldn't be true. I try every day to keep ADHD the reason I do things differently than many others, not have it become the excuse for not doing what many others do at all. I hope that makes sense, heh. ^^'
I'm an Elihu fan, too!!!! None of the girls in my Job class were, though. And I absolutely adore Proverbs 18:1, the best explanation for why a church is vital that I've seen, and I don't know how I missed that one. Thank you!
@Silver Eight Isn't it beautiful how God can use even us sinners? Moses and David were murderers, Paul hunted Christians, and countless other Biblical authors had huge sins, and yet God spoke through them anyway! Praise the Lord! Amen! Hallellujah!
@Silver Eight Matthew 12:42 (NASB) "The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here."--Jesus Jesus, Himself fully God, claimed to be "something greater than Solomon." I cannot imagine higher praise for a man than that!
Mike, first time. Bro, you absolutely have a way with words, and you know how to explain things in a very common but explifying way. It’s awesome! Keep doing what you’re doing.
Mike, Thank you for having the courage to speak truth in love on the gender identity issue. I’m starting my graduate studies to become a counselor and am horrified (but not surprised) at the overwhelming messaging-not by the Christian university I attend-from the seeming majority of counseling publications to affirm a child’s (a child!!) choice to attempt to become a different gender. It’s a demoralizing uphill cultural battle we’re fighting because, in addition to popular culture, now “experts” are advising parents and children that it could seriously damage a kid if don’t affirm their gender confusion.
Thank you for speaking truth on the new counseling. I was partially counseled as a youth. Instead of finding a healthy lifestyle solution everyone, counselors, therapists, psychologist and the leaders of the church pushed the idea of taking drugs. There are times but if the drug are not effective, then stop. All drugs have side effects. Stop treating people like less no matter the age.
Pastor Mike speaks the truth in a in love , with a sense of humour , the cat , the t shirts , he is relational as he teaches the truth and his wisdom 👌
Regarding the playing cards question -- when I was growing up, my parents were enslaved by legalism and they also believed playing cards were evil, not because of gambling. They equated playing cards to tarot cards, they believed they had an evil purpose in the symbols and such. They put playing cards in some kind of Occult category. They don't believe that now, but that kind of legalism really is a trap that some Christians fall into.
I love that you brought prayer back into the end of the video. I had a overwhelming feeling come over me can’t really describe it but it was very encouraging.
Good show Thank you Pastor Mike and moderators for all you do I hope one day he will answer my question about pharmakeia / sorcery and what that means for us as modern believers in Jesus.
About organ donation (a comment is just too short to get fully into it): We once had a talk at our church by a doctor who pioneered organ transplants and later became a Christian. This changed at least some of the views on this topic. We first should distinguish if the organ donor will continue to live after donating, i.e. if he gives his consent for just one specific organ to one specific person. Much of what Mike said could apply to this. I will not give an answer to this. However, when I here the discussion about organ donation it is about becoming an organ donor once you are dead. Fact is (says this doctor) that nobody is ever physically dead when they take out the organs. This is impossible as the body will too quickly poison (most) organs when you actually die. Usually, people will say it‘s okay when people are brain dead. Did you know that they have to tie down patients who have been in a coma for very long when they take out the organs? It is very likely that people are in a lot of pain at that point. In the U.S. they have switched from a discussion of organ donation from people who are “brain dead” to a discussion of “justified killing” because this properly reflects what is being done to organ donors (except for the other case of single organs I mentioned before). And this question is actually much harder if Christians should support justified killing to get to organs and save other lives. Should I personally accept such organs if I need them? I certainly don’t want to become the latter kind of an organ donor and be killed, dying in a lot of pain. It needs a much more nuanced and informed discussion which form of organ donations Christians should support. (That doctor explained, that after he was in the position to sign off a patient to be used as organ donor, he did. But God showed him that it was wrong and he never again signed off for another patient to be killed.) It is God’s responsibility alone to decide when a person dies!
Thankyou. Many people don't realise that there are people supposedly "brain dead" who have recovered. There is pressure put on families too early to switch off life support. Many doctors and nurses remember when it was common for people to be in a coma for months whereas now this is rare. The whole concept of brain death was pushed largely to get the public to overcome their distaste at the harvesting of organs from living patients. There is no standardised test across the board with doctors using different methods to determine "brain death." Use of pain relief "just in case" has been controversial, many think it sends the wrong message that maybe the donor can still feel and be aware and that this would turn ppl against organ donation. There was a case, I think in Norway, (perhaps one of the other scandi countries,) of a man wheeled into the OR to have his organs harvested whilst being totally aware. Unable to open his eyes, (taped down,) or even hold his breath, (ventilated,) it was only his soaring blood pressure/heart rate that alerted the aneasthetist. He has since recovered. Doctors cannot say with certainty that a person will not wake and cannot with certainty know what kind of recovery they will make. I met a woman who refused to switch off her husbands life support despite being told he wouldn't wake and even if he did he wouldn't be able to walk, talk etc. He can now talk, laugh, feed himself and walk short distances and improves daily. So many ppl have similar experiences.
Is the question, what is a woman something a Christian should focus on? Yes, if they are witnessing to people outside of the church. Christians shouldn't be caught unawares as if they haven't got anything to say. If anything, the natural church setup is a good place to have a conversation, contrary to the efforts you'd have to make otherwise. It's a good place to start and practice answering questions before entering the battle of a secular society.
Question 12: I also dealt with this for a time. It was a passage in Romans and one in Psalms that helped me move past it. 1) There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2) For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3) For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4) in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 1:1-4) 10) He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11) For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12) as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:10-12) When God adopts you as a son, he removes your sins from you. The record is blotted out, because Christ has atoned. And this is all sin, not just the ones you committed up to the point of your profession of faith. When you stand before the judgement seat, you will not be judged according to your sins. You are no longer condemned to death because God won't even look at the record of your sins. Those who belong to Christ will be judged according to how you served Him and that will determine your reward. I long to hear those beautiful words "Well done, good and faithful servant." not for selfish pride and gain, but for the simple pleasure of knowing that I have served Him well.
Thank you Mike! Excellent video. Christians should be talking about these issues! And pastors should be preaching against this demonic sin. Jesus,Paul and the prophets would ABSOLUTELY be talking about these issues!
If anyone sees this, please pray for my family. I don't ever want to gossip about people behind their backs or anything, so I struggle to reach out for prayer for this. But I don't really know anybody personally who watches Mike, so this probably won't be seen by any of my family. But I really need prayer for my own heart and for my family. I've recently learned that my family has started attending a progressive Christian church, one that has pride flags up for pride month and affirms LGBT stuff, and it seems like my whole family has gone from believing what the Bible says about homosexuality being a sin, to believing that it's not a sin at all. It just breaks my heart to pieces. I'm so worried for them. I've tried to talk to them, and I've done all that I can to correct their theology on these points, but they have made it clear that they don't want to hear what I have to say and they don't want to talk about this issue. I have tried to show them how they are letting the world influence their beliefs, but they just don't see it. So I am praying, and that's all I can do. If you are reading this, please take a moment to lift up my family in prayer. And me and my husband as well, as we have felt sick and disheartened in mourning over this for quite some time. Thank you for your prayers.
I hope this helps, but Mike did release a series on this and he really did some in depth research and explanation about the topic. Might help them find some biblical clarity.
Mike these times are incredibly frustrating! Would love to hear a concise layout for arguments against gender ideology and how to deal with it in different places in the world. Its so hard to treat, but I burn with passion against it, please help us be equipped to handle it!
its happened all throughout human history and in many cultures too. But I sometimes wonder why I need to burden myself with learning and policing the clothing, hair styles, genitalia, and mannerisms of other people. In all honesty I don’t care, so it’s hard to feel like I need to change these people. And since it’s always been a part of humanity it’s not like its going away. As long as it’s not harming people it seems like effort wasted when we could be doing more important things.
God bless you Pastor Mike. You and your ministry has blessed my life and helped me to think Biblically about everything. I am very grateful for everything you do and say. I am very very happy that you are bringing prayer back to the end of your videos. They truly help me.
Comment on the static/distortion: It seemed to be a "popping" issue, occurring particularly when you emphasized strong consonants or leaned into the mic. I also compared another of your streams I had queued but not finished from last month, and noticed the mic was at about the same distance, but the output level today was noticeably higher. So, I believe you might be clipping one of the devices in your audio chain, or else tripping a poorly-implemented automatic limiter, and need to tweak either the gain levels or the limiter settings until you figure out which device is responsible. However, it never hurts to check your wiring. Sometimes a dirty or slightly loose jack will pass low-level signals but corrupt the signal on peaks.
It's good to hear you supporting Matt Walsh, he is the strongest Christian voice right now speaking out against the gender issue that is causing enormous harm.
Walsh's refusal to openly acknowledge the theological basis behind why transgenderism is wrong actually makes him one of the weakest "Christian" voices.
Thanks for the advice Pastor Mike! (Q#18) I will definitely talk to an older, wiser, Christian. It is a struggle and while proverbs 18:1 verse was a scary to hear, it did prick at my heart. Thats not a place I want to be in. Thanks for advice. Prayers to you and your family, God bless! 🙏🏼
What and who do you mean by modern Christians and what is your interpretation of tolerance ? Sin is the reason for what we see in the world both now and in the past. Every Christian is called to earnestly contend for the faith we need to live in light of the word but it’s quite dangerous to say the downfall of society is partly the fault of Christians.
On ADHD Here is an explanation I heard that helped me understand it. It is like you have 2 gears: one on the inside and one on the outside. With a normal person the gears turn the same speed and information gets both in and out. In ADHD they don't turn the same speed. They are not syncing, therefore it hard make your body respond the way YOU WANT it to. Instead ADHD just "goes with the flow". This means they don't make goals and complete them...... which can lead to a disaster. If the outside gear is fast they are considered hyperactive. If the inside gear is super fast (my brains processor works at the 99th percentile) you are called inattentive. You are considered inattentive because your brain just shot off like a bullet with every know variable and left your body in the dust. The result is or can be massive anxiety. There is also the type that is both fast inside and outside but still do not sync up with each other. These people have poor impulse control. They have a rude thought and BOOM!!!! It is out of their mouth in a second. The medication forces the two systems to sync up. If you tell a person with a fast brain to "try harder" they will just take "overthinking" to a level you never imagined. It is like hitting the gas even harder but the car is not in gear. The high impulse person will just increase bizarre impulsive acts. Because they feel criticism they choices become double irrational. You can learn to play games with your own mind using adrenaline to do the same thing meds do. But living solely off of adrenaline can be annoying for those around you. So a person has to find what tricks work (like use a timer and create a race) and what tricks just seem dumb and no adrenaline meets the challenge. Anyway hope that helps others understand what is happening and feel a little less judgmental and a little more supportive. ADHD needs to learn coping skills..... work smarter not harder.
Thankyou for saying this, this is such a great explanation and makes so much sense. 😭 I have been accused of using it as an excuse or a crutch or told to go faster or try harder. And now I am seeing this in a bunch of comments and from most preachers even ones that I look up too. And yeah it is true it's not an excuse to sin. Yet, I have also been told by others that I have a great work ethic cuz they can see that I really am trying my best already. People just don't understand what is really going on inside and it just makes a life that is extreamly frustrating and confusing that much more frustrating and confusing. So seeing this explanation really helped cuz it just makes so much sense, and shows people how misunderstanding comments like that can really just make things so much harder for us. Also kinda helps me to have some hope again to eventually find a way to cope and function better, which is something I have been trying to figure out for years. And lately I have been wondering if I could have undiagnosed autism too with my ADHD.
Something that too many people don't seem to realize with the question "What is a woman?" is one of the reasons as to _why_ it's being obfuscated. It isn't merely a group of people pretending to be the opposite sex and wanting you to go along with it. That's bad enough, agreed, but if they can get you to doubt such a fundamental thing of the Lord's reality as what a woman is.... they can get you to doubt anything about reality at all. They break your mind. _They_ can then tell you what reality is and you'll just go along with whatever madness is pumped into your head. So the question put to Ketanji Brown, "What is a woman?" had a legitimate and very important point to it. The Senators weren't trolling her. They were showing the public where she stood ideologically, which turns out to be a very bad place. "All truth is subjective" is a complete lie. Matt Walsh helped to further show how far this horror has spread through western society with his documentary. With it _any_ atrocity is possible. _Any_ horrific crime against human beings can and will happen. It's how we've had at least 60 million babies murdered in the womb over the last 50 years in our own nation. Because of that ideology some 500,000,000 people have lost their lives under Socialist regimes. Also, fundamentally "all truth is subjective" is 100% anti-Christ in nature. In Soviet Russia and Maoist China they forced people to espouse lies from the government. You suffered greatly if you did not. Why do that, though? Because if they can get you to confess lies, things you _know_ are totally absurd and false, a part of you dies and you become more controllable. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a Soviet man who spent decades in a gulag simply for criticizing Stalin, had this to say about this tactic: “You can resolve to live your life with integrity. Let your credo be this: Let the lie come into the world, let it even triumph. _But not through me_ .” Italics mine. Sorry to be so long winded here, but this is an important topic. This very strategy of making people doubt the very reality before their eyeballs, on pain of persecution, has been implemented in other countries many times. It is always disastrous. But, as you know, Jesus Christ is our King! He is the unbreakable rock upon which we stand. It's very important for us Christians to know what all of this is, where it comes from, and why. It's banging on the very doors of our own congregations.
Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes! This was so well written. The truth is the most important thing in the world and I grieve to see how it is blatantly denied all around us. I pray that God gives us the strength to stand against the lies no matter what.
Do you think gay or trans people are actively trying to undermine society? I feel like trying to be true to yourself is a strange and round about way to do that.
Question Time Stamps for Quick Reference:
0:00 - Intro
1. 0:24 {The “What is a Woman?” Bandwagon} Do you think that the now famous question "What is a Woman?" is a relevant area of focus for biblical Christians? Doesn't the Gospel naturally address these issues we face today?
2. 18:54 {Helping Friends be Biblical} Most of my friends claim to be Christians, but they support “pride month.” It depresses me that they encourage gay marriage which the Bible clearly says is a sin. How do I talk to them about this?
3. 25:16 {Friends vs. Servants of Christ?} In John 15: 15, Jesus tells the apostles, “No longer do I call you servants, but friends.” How do we properly approach our position as “friends of Jesus” while not neglecting to still serve Him?
4. 29:01 {Is John 1 about the Bible?} What does John 1:1-4 say about the importance of the Bible? Should we worship the Bible? Some say they won't read the Bible, but at the same time say they are Christian.
5. 34:37 {Are there Sins we Really Can’t Help Doing?} How can I reconcile 1 Corinthians 10: 13 after decades of struggling with sloth, bad work ethic, sin at work, etc.? I’m praying for forgiveness, but was recently diagnosed with ADHD. I now see I can’t help it without meds.
6. 41:26 {Was the Bible Written w/Chapters & Verses?} Since the Bible wasn't written with chapters and verses, how should that impact our reading of the current translations?
7. 43:40 {Why Don’t the Jews Believe?} What is your understanding as to why the Jews don’t believe in Jesus and are waiting on someone else to come?
8. 49:59 {About Receiving the Spirit} If we are to believe that you receive the Holy Spirit when you believe, why does there seem to be a separation from believing and receiving in Acts 19:1-2?
9. 52:12 {Are Cards Inherently Sinful?} Are playing cards wrong? My parents think they are wrong even if I’m not playing Poker or anything like that. They think that there is some kind of evil in the card itself.
10. 56:40 {Will We Fall into Sin in Heaven?} If Satan was able to disobey and sin against God in Heaven (along with him persuading others to sin), how do we know we will not sin against God when we are home with Him? I’m struggling with this question.
11. 1:01:07 {Should Christians be Organ Donors?} I am wondering how Christians should think about organ donation? Is there a clear answer in Scripture?
12. 1:03:43 {Loving God vs. Fearing Punishment} I find that I fear Hell rather than love God. Prayer and Bible reading feel like selfishly avoiding Hell more than devotedly pursuing God. How do I stop my fear from getting in the way of my relationship with God?
13. 1:08:37 {Marriage in Heaven?} Since Jesus says that wives will be had in Heaven in Matthew 19: 29, why do most Christians say marriage won't exist in Heaven?
14. 1:13:42 {Mental vs. Spiritual Health Struggles} When I talk to some people about my mental health struggles, they suggest that the cause is a spiritual issue. How do I explain that being a faithful Christian doesn't mean I can't struggle?
15. 1:17:42 {What is an Apostate?} What is an apostate? Can they come back to God?
16. 1:19:32 {About Elisha & the Bears} How can we explain 2 Kings 2: 23-24 in context? it involves Elisha and a group of young mockers who then get killed by 2 bears.
17. 1:26:58 {Should Immoral Things Be Illegal?} Should biblically immoral mean illegal? Surely if sin harms the community, then all legal sin harms society and should be against the law.
18. 1:29:28 {Fellowshipping as an Introvert} I am worried that being an introvert is keeping me from congregating in the church. Does this mean that I'm truly not saved? Where is the joy that I'm supposed to have in the Lord? Please help.
19. 1:33:05 {Was Elihu in Job Correct?} In Job 32:7-9, the Lord tells Job’s 3 friends to sacrifice burnt offerings because they haven’t spoken truth, but the Lord didn’t mention Elihu. Does that mean Elihu was correct in his speech?
20. 1:35:03 {Saved while Believing Heresy?} Can someone be saved without affirming certain correct propositions? If someone holds a believe that is heretical (to believe it would prevent salvation) but they are ignorant, are they saved?
20)Amen that’s God’s business.
John 3:16
Matthew 6:33
Thanks and I'm glad you're better from COVID!!!
Hi Mike. I support and love your teaching. But , lately you seem to have blurred the lines between Christianity and the Republican Party. They're not even close to the same thing. Marsha Blackburn's famous " What is a woman" question was embarrassingly bad for her and the " Gotcha" Christian Right. Nothing more . Nothing less. Google Republican answers to that question of " What is a woman" to see how smart KBJ was to not take the bait. This dangerous blurring is what gave us Donald Trump as President.
@@refugeeca Thank you so much! Me too - I’m grateful every day!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH, SARAH!! This is SO helpful. Esp when I want to talk to hear about something specific & dont want to have to go back thru & try to find it 🥰🤗. Tytyty!!
I started watching you and Matt Walsh at the same time and couldn't tell who was who at first
If you’re not familiar with the two men, they do seem the same. Had that problem myself in the beginning. LOL.
😂
Bruh 😂😂😂
Matt is the grumpy overbearing Catholic
🤣
To the “why aren’t you just preaching the Gospel?” crowd: “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.” (Jude 3) Jude goes on to write against false teachers and false ideas. In order to advance the Gospel, there are times in which we must engage with false teaching and terrible cultural ideas.
That does not mean you misrepresent Christ and the truth of him to accomplish those goals. Paul contends with false ideas and false teachers on Mars Hill without misrepresenting Christ. Give me a biblical example of misrepresenting Christ in order to share the gospel. The example of properly representing Christ and his Truths is everywhere in the New Testament. Stop lying about what scripture teaches. Every effort does not mean it's ok to sin to spread the gospel. According to your words, I can use every effort to mean sleeping with everyone possible so long as I share the gospel it must be ok... Stop your lies.
Amen, Amen, and Amen
Jude 22 - 23
And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
@@Valkaneer Can you explain to me where in this comment that OP implied that sinning in order to preach the gospel is valid, and where he or she lied?
@@Valkaneer What are you talking about, friend? When did I or Mike ever say anything about sinning or misrepresenting Christ to advance the Gospel?
Also, if your gripe is with the phrase “every effort”…you realize that that is part of the biblical quote, right? Jude was the one using that language. By “every effort” he clearly doesn’t have sin in mind. Not sure where you’re getting any of your accusations from.
@@Valkaneer he wasn't saying that you should misrepresent Christ! He was saying that in trying to build bridges, you can misrepresent him, not intending to do so. I think you misunderstood what was being said.
"Reality itself is becoming offensive to people." Yes Mike! You hit that metaphorical nail on the head.
Yeah I would like to know how it's metaphoric
@Silver Eight I was confused about this too. I think maybe she means that the nail is metaphorical.
I agree, reality is becoming offensive to people, that's why people protested after George Floyd was murdered.
Yeah like the way people peddle bronze age fairy tales and psudeo science creationism.
@@joeblack9473 I'm always confused that atheists use the words "bronze age" as if it's a weakness of Christianity. The fact that this religion is thousands of years old just attests to its legitimacy. God is of all times. For comparison, a 21st century brand new cyber-religion would be highly suspicious.
Mike Winger addresses these controversy topics with such care...I love this. I love how he is genuinely concerned and cares for people.
He tries
@@foodmaster2598 bless his heart
@@project_nihilist I don't agree with him alot but....
THAT is what you got from this blatant attempt of painting someone who's trying to do better and f-ing asks for help, as someone who's just using their diagnosis as an excuse? Wow.
What exactly are you talking about?
To question 18:
As an introvert myself, time alone is good, but isolation is bad, and there is a difference.
Time alone can be introspective, prayerful, restful, energizing... and then we can go out and connect again. Often when I feel the need spend time alone, it's so I have the energy to reconnect with people again. When I feel the need to isolate, I have found that I really should connect. I can't count the number of times I woke up on a Sunday morning feeling discouraged and didn't feel like I had the energy to go out and be around people... but when I went to church anyway, God used someone from church to encourage and bless me, or used me to bless someone else, every single time, and I left church feeling better than when I went in.
As an introvert, our feelings tell us isolation will energize us, because time alone energized us. But that feeling has been proved in my experience as a lie. Isolation drains my energy more and more the longer it goes on.
I pray that this would be useful to others who can identify with introversion.
I believe that as God has given me confidence in who I am in Him, I have come out of my shell much more. Yes, I still feel like an introvert, but some people I know have been very surprised by that.
Let your relationship with God be your primary identity, not your personality type. :)
I can relate to all of ur comment it's actually exactly same things situation thats happened to me.
The only part I did not follow was your personal relationship with "God". I have never seen this male character who is always hiding and spying.
@@JamesRichardWiley I'm watching a movie about a male character who is always hiding and spying right now. His name is Indiana Jones. I've never known God to fit that description, though.
I agree we shouldn't be too overly identifying with labels. I'm an introvert plus anxious around others. I agree we should focus on the scripture. Jesus mentioned the church multiple times. So obviously he would want me to go to church. I don't currently belong to a church but I do read and study the word daily. I should really join a church.
@@Nikitaxo24 u are the church my dear. Ur body is temple of God
Mike, I wish pastors in my city spoke like this in sermons. Trying to find the right church that does not softball every cultural issue in regards to biblical worldview. It’s as though they are afraid to offend, or as you say, burn bridges. It’s refreshing to hear objective truth. Thank you.
Your shirt makes you blend in with your book case. Funny!😂😂
he reads so much he's becoming the books 😅
😂😂😂 I noticed when I started watching him a few weeks ago how many blue and aqua books he has! 😆
Book case from IKEA! 😉
I just over the past year was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. Currently on 4 different medications for this. This has caused me to leave jobs as I have panic attacks which directly has effected my ability to work. Currently I'm unemployed, I was recently employed for 2 days until I panicked and quit. I need prayers to get past this, please pray for me and my family. I know the bible says he who doesnt work doesnt eat, but it is very difficult to keep a job due to this issue. I need prayer big time.
Now you be a good time to go into a multi day prayer. Isolate yourself (camping, retreat etc) and focus your entirety on God and hearing from him.
Just encouragement that you are not alone. You are loved and prayed for. Jesus knew this anxiety in the Garden of Gethsemane and can identify with your struggle and lead you to peace... blessings 🙏🏿🙏🏽🙏
Anxiety results from thoughts. Thoughts drive all emotional responses. Begin to pay close attention to your thoughts....and notice the emotion that follows.
Pray to the Holy Spirit to raise your awareness and offer alternative thoughts.
Avoid repetitive affirmation thoughts, they don't work.
Replacement or new thoughts, must be positive new thoughts you BELIEVE.
An example would be a person that is obese, repeating an affirmation, " I am beautiful." If you do not believe it, repeating that affirmation, will do nothing to change you.
So if you are fearful at a moment, have an opposing and positive thought that counters that negative thought, that you DO believe.
This approach reprograms your brain.
Spend time with the Lord and listen. I dealt with anxiety/panic attacks/ depression. While i didnt quit work i did develop the attacks at work. I repented, i prayed for forgiveness of the iniquity/ my actions, and that the Lord would deliver me from a spirit of death ( something had been over me since child hood). That he'd break those chains and and any curses over me. When i approached him in earnest and asked these things, things changed for me. I hadnt had a panic attack or suicidal thought since. I pray you find cause and the LORD delivers you from it.
I found this video extremely helpful and I hope it helps you as well.
Its from the channel (ill be honest)
"Satan's strategy to accuse and paralyze you with doubt".
He puts into words what I have so much trouble explaining to someone else.
As someone with ADHD, I found my diagnosis to be a double-edged sword: on the one hand, it alleviated a lot of guilt I'd had my entire life about not being a good listener, not being able to read textbooks, having a short temper, etc. etc. It wasn't because I was a moral or disciplinary failure, I was literally lacking the necessary chemicals in my brain to do what everyone else could do without a care. On the other hand, I found myself beginning to justify my shortcomings as "I have ADHD, it's not my fault". I jumped from abusing myself trying to do something I physically could not do to just not trying anymore. There's a fine line in there, where you work (quite hard at times) to improve your faults, but understanding that the impulse itself isn't your fault and giving yourself the appropriate grace when you do fail, because your struggle here is harder than others'.
Ditto
I never thought about in that contract as I diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in May 2009, and the longer God has not fulfilled his promises of Psalm 103 & not to mention all of the other passages of God’s promises to heal all of those who are righteous if I am truly righteous according to what the Bible teaches, as I am a believer in Yeshua, as os described
The biggest one is getting bored at work and just going to sit on the toilet. It's just so hard to doing a repetitive thing over and over. I've beaten some demons, but boredom/sloth is what I struggle with the most.
@@timothymerrihew7448 God's promises will be fulfilled, but not always in the way you expect. He promises to heal, but that does not mean we will never struggle with anything. Sometimes, God brings the good out of the bad, and can use issues and flaws you have for good.
@@Texasp12 odd, isn't it, that god would torment you more for no reason then others?
Two points of encouragement for yall. I have ADD and i am an introvert. More importantly I am a child of God. God calls us to renew our minds. Through discipline and practice anyone can become more focused and less anxious in social situations I am a living testamony. God has strengthened me and made me able to not only enjoy fellowship at church but he has even helped me with public speaking and giving teaching. Dont let yourself identify with your struggles identify with your savor and who he is forming you into!
There is no part of the gospel that’s off limits… all scriptures were written for our learning.. Let GOD be true🤝
My favorite is the drowning of nearly every living creature on the surface of the earth by Yahweh
because they had forgotten to follow his rules
or that he even existed.
@@JamesRichardWiley if God is the. creator of all things, He also is the creator of morals. meaning, we have no place to shake our fist at God. God was fully justified in wiping out the people with the flood. women were having sex with demons for one. people were wicked and evil and selfish and cruel. it’s strange to me how people say things like “if God is so good, why doesn’t he kill all the murderers and rapists??” but then when God destroys all the horrible wicked people with the flood, Hes a bad guy.
@@JamesRichardWiley No one “forgets” to follow God’s laws. We do it in rebellion. You don’t forget the speed limit on the freeway. You just choose to speed because your natural state is a sinful one. Never forget that. That’s why you depend on the Lord and His Spirit by faith. Because He can’t be seen. We just believe He’s there. God bless.
@@sarahlawrence599well said. 🙏
There is such a difference between "Sorry, I have ADHD and lost focus. What did you say?" and "I have ADHD, I can't focus." I am unmedicated for pretty severe ADHD. It can be debilitating. Yet with God's help and some therapy I have developed tools to help me work with and around my ADHD instead of being a slave to it.
Therapy doesn’t always mean medication. It can be behavioral therapy where you learn techniques to help you organize yourself better, like having a special place for everything to not loose and search for hours which can happen often for someone with ADHD. Medication can support that, but is not a must. If you know one person with ADHD you know exactly one person with ADHD. Everyone is different and has to talk through the different options with their doctor.
Love u all! Thanks for touching on the Sodom and Gomorrah level issues so many avoid for obvious reasons.
Sodom and Gomorrah were two legendary biblical cities destroyed by God for their wickedness. Wikipedia
Probably a legendary story written by anonymous religious writer(s) to warn against homosexuality and bestiality.
Fundamentalist Fascist Hypocrite
21:22 “Gay people can get married all they want as long as it’s one man and one woman.” Well explained.
I agree with his sentiment but don’t believe he gave good advice to the person asking the question. None of the people that support same sex marriage CARE that they are changing the definition. They would just say, “that is a good thing and it’s about time”. Telling people marriage is only between man and women is correct but not an effective mind changing argument.
@@codym6376 agreed. How do we claim the moral and lexicographical definition when it denies civil liberties and human rights to people in a free society? How do we enforce religious beliefs through a secular government on people who have different faiths? I think that’s why Pastor Mike was saying we have to build bridges.
@@jonathan4189 but it doesn't deny them those rights at all. Like he said, they are free to get married to the opposite sex. Marriage isn't about having all of society celebrate your romance. It's a legal contract that forms a stable foundation for the family, and the male and female uniting is the engine of human propagation, which family is the nest for.
What are they even married married for? You can have a commitment celebration, call it a wedding and invite people... you don't need to invoke the sacriment of marriage to do that. The whole point of it being legally binding is to protect children... because children are naturally produced by heterosexual coupling. So marriage functions as a socially supported and legally reinforced superstructure to give kids the best chance possible without the state itself violating nature and getting into the human-creation business.
Does this mean you can't be married if you don't or can't have kids? No thwyw backwards. Marriage is the superstructure that fortifies the heterosexual relationship which favilotates successfully building family, but its not it's only practical purpose. That which fortifies family fortifies romantic commitment, and unites the couples extended families.
"But but gay people want that fortification too"... but sociological that fortification is for kids, the vulnerable humans around us, not the couple. Married couples are indeed more efficient, successful and happier than single couples, but all of legal history us primarily concerned with the perpetuation of humanity, not just your personal happiness. Marriage also usee to be a shelter for women. Legally this isn't even remotely required or even desired for this purpose anymore.
A married couple that's physically healthy CAN have kids, indeed if they relax their birth control regimen, they WILL. It's inevitable, and not by effort, but organically. Those who have trouble have all kinds of medicsl helps to overcome this, which no gay marriage will ever produce. A completely biologically unable heterosexual couple have some kind of disease or disorder, they're not the normative state of humanity unless older. They still have the dipoler and diversified representation of functional humanity to firm a partnership that can still raise kids. So adoption for a heterosexual couple is just putting a kid with a family that is already naturally structured for kids, by nature, save their dysfunction. There's no version of a gay relationship that's structured for reproduction, and therfore isn't nature's natural foundation for nesting or child rearing. They're not dipolar. They can try to replicate it, but it's very forced to do so.
You can't intentionally deny nature and thej act like this is everyone else persecuting you because you don't have kids.
You could use a surrogate or get pregnant by the third party, but now you're excluding the actual bio parent by nature, so you can play house. The healthy heterosexual structure is being vampirically farmed, like cattle, to breed, so you can have a human pet.
Now we're a relatively free country, so between consenting adults, where no crime is committed, it shouldn't be a legally settled issue, but gay marriage isn't a matter of fleshing out a libertine hole in the law... it's a matter of totally legally hijacking the traditional legally supported familial structures in society, just to thumb your nose and "win".
Gay people have had weddings for decades. Needing a court to side with you to score points is destructively narcissistic.
@@ravissary79 marriage unites people legally. It provides monetary benefits in the form of insurance benefits and tax breaks, it provides legal protections in the form of the 5th amendment, it provides inheritance protections which are both legal and monetary. It provides legal protections in the form of medical care and rights to information and ends of life decisions. It provides legal and financial protections about custody of children. It provides legal and financial protections in the form of divorce where a court will go through and adjudicate the end of a relationship and who owns what.
If you want to deny a specific class of person these essential civil rights and liberties, you are, by the definition used in a free society, a bigot. And bigots suck.
@@jonathan4189 those financial benefits aren't some kind of society rebate for romantic relationships, they're there to make the cost of human nesting to build a home: the foundational building block of humanity for millenia, more affordable.
Gay marriage is an oxymoron designed to make people feel better about their romantic relationships. Romance doesn't need a tax break.
Things like visitation were never limited to heterosexuals, false argument. Insurance often also involves kids, it's a reflection of the idea of a household being a unified unit, usually biologically and dependantly unoted by necessity, but changing it so you can put anyone considered a dependant on your insurance is a small legal or industry matter that doesn't require society to gut the concept of marriage to do it.
Conceptually any number of people could become contractually obligated to one another in a legally binding sense that could hypothetically effect insurance, taxes, or power of attorney. That's why many considered "civil unions" an acceptable alternative, since its a legally binding commitment that doesn't invoke altering/defining sacraments thousands of years old. Indeed society used to have kinds of ways to categorize or regulate people's legal obligations to eachotger. Gay marriage is a very strange exception to the modern trend of the last 200 years in removing all legal obligations individuals have to one another. Slavery was abolished, women's rights removed them from the category of a legally protected subordinate to men which required familial legal shelters to thrive. Children acquired all kinds of legally recognized rights. Divorce got easier.
With the move toward judgment free portability of the individual within society, gay marriage is an unnecessary attack on traditional culture and familial structures by defining away their own cultural safe space and niche and legally protected status by way of legal linguistic equivocation.
Equivocation and the butchering of words and institutions doesn't render any protection or rights for the LGBTQ community. As a pursuit of liberation it's contradictory. Feminists have fought against marriage as being "oppressive to women" for decades. It only makes sense if the purpose is attacking people who don't like it, and that's exactly what the law has been used for. The ongoing efforts to shut down businesses, wedding support mom-and-pops, religious speech in Canada, all actively attacked or chilled by law suits and popular fears, sentiments and crusaders who seem to live to attack traditional people.
Just love who you want to love. The legal battles don't help gay people at all, they're literally only there as cultural revenge against heternormative structures and religious beliefs (ie: the church, the family).
Excellent point on needing to try harder. I have dyslexia, and I've always had to try harder in order to read and write. I was drawn to the Bible; it took me longer and more effort than "average," but it was worth it. Now, I'm a writer as well as an avid reader, especially of the Bible, commentaries, etc.
We as Christians are obligated to speak biblical truth today. It is relevant to speak out against this “new” gender/sex ideology, which is clearly rooted in sin. We are obligated to speak the truth of the gospel. I am now in my 60s and see how I in error agreed with certain issues because I was trying to be accepting and not bigoted or closed minded about popular issues . I no longer believe that I can support such ideology just to be a good friend or supportive. Read your bibles. Learn what God has shared with us in His precious word. Listen to God-fearing pastors. Ask questions for clarity. Pray always. Thank you Mike for your clarity and desire to speak the truth always.
Do you have any thoughts on non binary gender expressions throughout history? They are by no means a cultural universal but they appear in lots of different cultures isolated by distance and time going back millenia. In some places they were widespread. You mentioned this ideology being “new” so I thought I’d ask.
I just want to say Thank You. Thank you for giving us the truth of the Bible, always. Thank you for saying “I don’t know” when you don’t, and “this is my view” when it’s not absolutely clear. Thank you for the many and varied topics that you cover!
I learn things every time I watch/listen to one of your videos that help me to know and understand better how to live as a Christian, that reinforce my desire to read the Bible in context and understand it, that point me more toward God, and give me knowledge I need to show someone else the way to Jesus. May God bless you, your family, and your ministry as you serve Him, also protecting you from the fiery darts of the enemy.
Your ministry has and continues to bless me. At 73 I have room to grow. Keep on keeping on bro.
Mike, I think this was one of your best 20 questions live stream! May the Holy Spirit continue to use you!!!
I'm an introvert, who is drawn to self-isolation. However, I found a church that made me feel as though I belonged without having to communicate and as such, I found myself opening up and volunteering to serve and be a part of the church. I found joy there, and then I moved. I found a church, but that joy and light weren't there, I prayed and cried that God would have His way and bring me back to that place where I enjoy going to church and serving and my sister just called and asked me to look after my nieces for the next six months as she travels for work. She lives close to that church and after she takes my nieces, I can actually take over the house. So not only will I be returning to the church where I know I can serve the Lord with joy, but I'll also be getting my own home (which is something I've been praying for for years now). Sometimes we just need to give our introversion to the Lord, who will take it and raise us up for His glory.
Rebecca that's an awesome praise report !! I am so happy for you 🧡 thank you for being faithful & trusting the Lord and sharing this testimony 💓🙏
Wow that’s truly amazing ❤️
Interesting, my introversion is tripping me up in my walk with the Lord and I attend my local church every week
@Silver Eight I know that I never saw being an introvert as a bad thing. After I was baptized, I spent most of the time not going to church and just reading the Word at home. However, I've just reached that point in my journey where I feel a great need to serve, and I know that the Lord has called me to tutor children and evangelism, and that's where my introversion became an issue because I would rather stay home alone and not talk to anybody then go out and evangelise and teach.
@@missymurphy9996 I was isolated as a child, so I love isolating myself. I really struggled with this in my journey, which is funny cause I would pray for God to get me to the point where I can serve Him with everything that I am then He would put me in a position where I couldn't isolate myself and I would run because I felt that I wasn't ready. This happened to me twice before I accepted His direction and that's when He led me to that church, but then doubt and fear took control and I started leaning on my own understanding then life happened, and I was forced to move. What I've learnt is to keep praying about it and when He answers trust Him, don't let doubt and fear trip you up, as it did me.
Thank you, Pastor Mike, for addressing the tough issues of our day. You come from a place of genuine compassion, but I love that you don’t sugarcoat the topics you discuss and your goal is to proclaim the truth.
One of my fav quotes: Hard words make soft hearts and soft words make hard hearts. Thanks for bringing the pain! All “good” things
That was really well said Mike. I was recently convicted about having family and friends that I cared more about maintaining the realastioship than standing for Christ. So I've been using your videos and others to reach out to these people. My friend from high-school who is an atheist is the only one to respond very negatively. And probably lost that realastioship. But I know seeds were planted and he knows I care about him. Bless you.
@Marie I think Jo was referring to the 1st question
You keep saying “I don’t want to burn bridges… My daughter of 37 years of age has decided to get involved with a woman who desires to become male. She gave up a 17 year marriage and divided a family with 5 children. I told her how I truly felt about it all and that I wasn’t going to pretend someone is who they are not. She decided to disown me now. So who are the ones burning bridges? She claimed I displayed hatred toward her. I just disagree with the decision she has made. And the future she is headed towards with kids involved.
I am so grieved to hear this. Difficult to know what exactly to do toward our own flesh & blood. God be with you & comfort you as you navigate this.
My favorite thing about Mike's teaching is the use of simple and clear examples. Sometimes he makes a point using an example from scripture, sometimes from human culture, etc., but every time his examples make sense, are easy to understand, and are complete. There are times I disagree with Mike, but I always understand Mike. This is so important!
As an introvert and new believer at one time, I also had such a fear of people that I told Lord I would never witness. But after I was filled with the Holy Spirit and spent time daily in the Word of God before school, high school that is, I found myself talking to others about Christ. And later I would think, "What did I just do? I told Lord I would never do this!" But I knew it was the power of the Holy Spirit speaking through me and compelling me to reach the lost. Thank you for bringing this up, Mike. I've seen too many introverted people use the excuse you mentioned. It's so good to bring this up! Of course all your teachings are really great. As a Women's Bible teacher, I know that we can never learn enough from God's word. And I love listening to you and increasing in understanding. So thank you, for all you do, and you're diligence!
Thank you for the verse on isolating. My hubby and I are introverts as well. The temptation to isolate is very strong. And, Mr. Winger is correct in that the more you do isolate yourself, the harder it is to stop doing so. Pray about it, asking God to help you. What I've done is to tell people at our church that I'm introverted, but come to church in order to have fellowship. And, that fellowship actually does fuel what I do in His service the rest of the week -- all the introverted stuff like writing, art, being a listening ear, etc. I learn lessons in my interactions with people that I just wouldn't learn if I was staying away from them. I hear the troubles of those who will only talk about them in person. Then, all that informs my writing and counseling done through the rest of the week. I personally believe that our basic personality is created by God when He forms our body in the womb. So, He not only knows what talents you'll have and use for Him and how your personality will figure into that, but He also tells every single one of us to fellowship. We are to be connected with others. Jesus was connected with others. Yes, He went off to be alone with our Father to pray and rejuvenate. He also came right back out into the midst of us. God has helped us find a balance between fellowship and curling up under a rock to read and rest. :)
I love how objective but also biblical ! Maybe you should put adds on, if it would help you and your family
🤭😁🤣 Had to giggle at your brilliant analogy of the blind person having to work harder at not bumping into things, instead of waving his guide stick around erratically & announcing he is blind.
Thank you Lord & thank you Mike, I will always remember this off the cuff, funny visual as bringing wisdom to the issue of physical & cognitive disabilty vs sin in our Christian walk, starting with myself!
🤔🙄😬
Amen! Like Martin Luther said, something like this, "If I do not address that thing which Satan is most attacking in the world today, I have not preached Christ." That's my paraphrase of what he said, but so true.
35:30 about the ADHD Mike, you are spot on! I have a very tough ADHD and have done a lot of mistakes leaning on to that diagnosis. But it was when God renewed my life, I understood, that the same rules apply to me too, I just have to work harder than others. Life just is that way; it’s not fair and equal but that’s the beauty of it, because it means we need one another, so that we would be a one whole body - a body of Christ!
I look at mine for what it is. I think what we describe as "ADHD", is more part of a personality type; than anything else. Like any other personality, it can be a double edged sword. It can be used to advance the Kingdom of God, or go against it. With ADHD, I tend to Focus on the things I care about a lot, and not focus on the things I don't. This can especially be helpful in your walk as a Christian, if used to focus on the advancement of the Kingdom of God. It can also be used against you by Evil to lead you to Focus on other things that are worldly. I think what we need to do is always stay Vigilant and Put on the Whole Armor Of God. But it begins to annoy me when all people see it as, is a crutch. It can be both a Crutch and a Blessing. So we have to ask ourselves with every choice how we see our Glasses. Half Empty or Half Full?
I couldn't agree more on how you addressed the first question of what is a woman topic. We should be exposing the lies, not hiding them by not talking about them. What makes manifest is light!!!! Expose the deeds of the darkness!!!! Speak the TRUTH!!!! 👑💖🕊
I'm late to the party on this video, but am glad to see you discussing the "What Is a Woman?" issue. As a former pastor, it's great to see someone like you discussing this and addressing this in it's proper perspective. Very refreshing.
I'm 54 now, yrs ago my doc put me on adhd meds. It was a blessing from God. My like changed. I could concentrate on everything. It cut down on my stresses and anxiety because I could get back in my many hobbies and not sit around worrying about everything. Used the right way it can be a gift.
It is awesome to listen to you pastor Mike dig and rightly dividing the Word of Truth to tackle each subject brought into the light👌❤️ The Truth sets free😊
“I’m a Christian. I’m gonna cross that bridge.” 🙌🏼 18:12
36:00 Okay? So just because you were diagnosed like that doesn't mean everybody was. Proper focus and time management is a monster of a struggle, even when off social media.
"Working harder" is often misunderstood. There are many different tactics to work with ADHD struggles. Extra effort, yes, but also talking to successful people who also struggle with it. Reorganizing your routine - creating and maintaining a routine - changing diet is also a big help. Just got relayed an app called A-calendar which I hope will assist better routine maintenance. Getting off of processed sugar has been an amazing help. Lots of tactics 👍 don't give up hope :)
Pastor Mike you are the Jeremiah of our time. A trumpet of truth for our generation. Please continue enlightening the way to Jesus Christ!
I wish someone would do a thoughtful and thorough breakdown of the pro-lgbt affirming teachings of some Christian denominations. Young people are getting swayed by these churches because it allows them to align with the culture, maybe even justify indulging their own curiosity or attraction AND still think of themselves as Christian, even thinking they are being BETTER Christians, more Christ like and loving.
Mike did a 4 part series on this. It's quite thorough, in my opinion.
"Ask and you shall receive" - Jesus Luke 11:9-13 Matthew 7:7 Mark 11:24
So when you pray, ask God to restructure the human genome.
@@maryedwards543 I have watched that, and it is excellent, and he does touch on a few of the teachings in affirming churches. But I know there is far more depth to their deception that need to be addressed and deconstructed.
@@JamesRichardWiley Homosexuality isn't genetic
@@fivefamily5820 - Christianity as a whole has undermined the Torah of Yahweh in the "Old" Testament, yet Genesis is the foundation of so many Laws:
Marriage
(Gen 2:24) cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh
Race & Gender
(Gen 1:27) male and female He created them
Abortion
(Gen 1:26-27) let Us make man in Our image
Dominion over animals
(Gen 1:26) let them rule over
Why clothes?
(Gen 3:7) they knew that they were naked
Sin and death
(Gen 3:3) do not eat of it, nor touch it, lest you die
What is a day?
(Gen 1:3-31) there came to be evening, morning
What is a week?
(Gen 2:2-3) Elohim blessed the seventh day and sanctified it
So important to keep coming back to scriptures. It's truth and the one reliable source! We can test everything against it. Thank you Lord for the Bible!
Interesting story about cards. I know someone who sold a deck of playing cards on eBay. He found out midway though the sale that the person was a medium and would use them for readings. It was too late to back out of the sale but he prayed over the cards and asked God that they wouldn’t mislead anyone.
She complained and said there was something wrong with the deck and they were useless. She said they weren’t all from the same deck (they were).
Wow!!! Praise God!!! I used to do tarot and they ALWAYS worked. Just goes to show God's power, how He can intercede and stop demons from manipulating objects and people when we pray over them in the name of Yeshua! Just beautiful❤️🙌🏻 thanks for sharing your story, God bless you
@@raining_trees ...that's heretical as we're told NOT to do this. It's divination. You don't know what the forces of evil were doing to card order. Demons which follow ppl around for generations and know them better than they know themselves. Yeshua wouldnt have heard much less honored your prayer. I'm glad you don't do Tarot any more. One day hope you'll repent of all aspects of it, if you haven't yet.
That's literally so hilarious, praise God!!
I strive for compassion, but often become angry when called a bigot for claiming reality. I am praying for this anger to be removed. I am grateful for your posts
Maybe it's not claiming reality that's bringing heat but HOW you're claiming reality ...
@GregMartin81 That's a good point, "speak with grace and salt" my teacher told me
Your response to the ADHD question was a breath of fresh air. I have fully diagnosed ADHD. I follow a few channels that try to help describe ways to accommodate yourself and function better. But often I find they can slide into that trap of "do whatever you want because you can't help it." I have been struggling with how to think about this since I KNOW that because I live as a Christian, called to serve others and bring honour and glory to God, this is a wrong view. I cannot impulsively say anything I want about anyone and just shrug and say "can't help it." I have friends who are undergoing diagnosis for autism and/or ADHD and are sliding into the mindset that they can behave however they want because they have an excuse and anyone who is hurt by them is hateful to them. I found your response balanced and thoughtful. If you had more time you could have softened it more (people with ADHD tend to struggle with RSD and can feel very attacked by simple comments) but I totally understand why you have to be quick. Thanks for handling this topic with love and scripture.
I agree it could have been softened more. My RSD kicked in pretty hard through that segment. I also agree that our ADHD, or autism in my daughter's case, should never be used as an excuse for bad behavior. There is a difference between and excuse and an explanation. I make mistakes and do some boneheaded stuff because of ADHD, but now that I know *why,* I (usually) feel better equipped to find methods to help me not do them again. I raised her the same way. It was rough at first, but she's a pretty awesome, respectful and grounded 19-year-old now. :)
@@chandica YES YES YES to the difference between an excuse and an explanation. I have had to develop a lot of coping techniques and find tools, tricks and skills to help me as a homeschooling mom of 6 kids. I suspect a few of the kids follow in my ADHD footsteps and I work hard to teach them coping skills as well. What we don't do is excuse and allow sinfulness. We can laugh when a "squirrel" moment happens and have grace for the messiness of things around here, and learning to manage emotional dysregulation in your kids when you have it is a real thing, but no excuses!
Totally agree!! I was diagnosed as a kid with ADHD and as an adult ASD. I loathe all the comments I see of people in my groups on FB justifying their poor behavior on their diagnosis and expecting everyone else to accommodate their every need. It feels so selfish because it’s only ever about them, and not about being accountable for negative behavior. Then they cry wolf when they are called out for their behavior because they want to blame someone else for how they reacted or whatever. I see my diagnosis as a way for me to better understand certain things about myself, but I certainly do not see it as a means to justify poor behavior. I work hard on being intentional in the areas I am affected by it because I now have a better understanding of why it’s harder. I am constantly aware of everything I say or do and even ask my husband and kids how they perceived what I said so if it wasn’t perceived how I meant it I can apologize and try again or explain how I meant it. I apologize when my sensory overload affects others if I end up yelling and explain that while it may have been due to sensory overload it is by no means a reason to justify my poor behavior. I am still accountable for yelling at others.
52:12 It's more important for a child under the roof of his parents to be obedient/honor his parents than to be 'correct' about card playing. When he gets his own home card playing is back on the table.
Yes, absolutely. Rebellion can take many forms.
Getting the ADD (inattentive type) diagnosis after 28 years of not understanding why I struggled so much with daily tasks has been the second best decision (only after deciding to follow Christ) that I made in my life. I couldn’t take the daily disappointment and low self esteem I got from always failing even the simplest things. I literally felt demented even though my IQ is well above average and even in the higher range. That is often paired together with something like ADHD or another personality disorder. And because I got along just fine at school without any effort it went unnoticed for a long time. But Inside my mind; it was always complete chaos from my childhood until my late twenties and I hated myself deeply for being such a failure.
In my mind it was a daily battle to finish even the simplest tasks. I know it wasn’t just laziness; I didn’t even have motivation to pay attention to things I actually enjoyed doing, so it wasn’t just the daily chores I didn’t feel like doing in the first place. I could not focus on anything longer than a few minutes at a time. I refused treatment with meds for a long time after my initial diagnosis and tried behavioral therapies like I tried before (in my early twenties when responsibilities kept piling up and I was too miserable to function. Eventually; I started treatment with ritalin after a complete mental break down and my life was in shambles. From the moment I started taking meds in the correct dosage for me; I finally knew what it felt like to have a functioning and balanced brain and to just function as a human.. I can’t deny the fact I have found Jesus a few months after getting treatment and I doubt I would’ve; had I not gotten on meds. And that’s because I could think clearly for the first time in my life.. I could organize my thoughts for the first time in decades. Untreated ADHD is debilitating, and it can ruin someones life. Meds were absolutely necessary for me, and I even felt ashamed for that too because not only does society look at ADHD “ being just being lazy” and then when you actually get the help you need to function in society you get shamed for taking “drugs.” It Is hard for people that don’t have it to understand it, so I can’t blame people for confusing it with laziness and the prejudice that come with it. There is no excuse for chronic pure laziness or excusing bad behavior on your disability.. What I wanted to say though is that people with untreated ADHD fight a very hard battle daily; even with things that YOU don’t think twice about..
We all have our own struggles; we are all different; We ALL have to work on our bad habits and traits but they are not all the same in terms of “difficulty” nor does it mean we don’t work “hard” enough. We all have different capacities. So actually no, Mike, you not being able to focus sometimes is not even close to a comparison to what a person with ADHD experience. ADHD is total chaos. You have your own struggles probably, but just different ones.
Also; The solution to a lack of brain chemicals isn’t “just work harder”
It’s like how we in The Netherlands would say it’s like “dweilen met de kraan open.” (Mopping the floor while you have the tap water open and running) in other words; you are fighting a losing battle. A car isn’t going to drive if it has no fuel. You can tell it to “just drive”, but it won’t. Unless your name is Kenneth Copeland
Well said! Attention issues can also come from MDD, OCD, and CPTSD which cause a lot of chaos in almost identical ways. I was screened for ADHD but it hadn't appeared until later in life so they attached the attention issues to the other disorders.
I think a lot of us with these issues are already trying the best we can. I don't know anyone in my life personally who uses their diagnoses as an excuse to sin.
Adhd is hell, it has destroyed my life. I really need medicine for it but i can't even focus on finding a doctor (I've wanted to seek help for over 3 years but so far only got signed up with a therapist.) But it's a step in the right direction.
I also view adhd as my own evidence for.why God isn't real, or that christianity and islam at least are not valid.
Because if reading and understanding the bible was so important to the faith, why would this god give me a disability that makes reading it so much harder?
Also the more I understand about brains, the less I believe about souls. My brain being as defective as it is, I am still hungry for information and learning. I want to KNOW stuff. But as I learn, conciousness and what I percieve to be "myself" tends to look more and more like an illusion. I'm just meat memory. If you possessed my body, you would just be me. Because "you" would be linked up to my meat information.
Plus, a treatment for seizures used to be splitting the human brain in half.
Each hemisphere can act independently of the other.
In fact, you can LIVE with either side of your brain Missing.
So now I'm going to yake THAT concept, and start making hypatheticals with ut.
What if I have two perfect clone bodies of myself, and put one hemisphere in each body? Can the function? Do they become two separate people?
Have I created a new soul, or divided a single soul? Can I break a soul in half like that?
Can two different "people" share a soul?
And on that matter what IS "me"?
Why can "me" be erased but still function? (Amnesia/dementia effecting memory)
If I was christian before losing my memory, and lost belief once it got erased, have I betrayed christ?
Are memory issues punished by religion?
A lot of questions come to mind, I always somehow link new things I learn to what it means religiously.
I can't even believe in reincarnation anymore, because I can't reincarnate an illusion. The things that make me "me" are an illusion created by my meat memory to reflect modern times.
Once I die, I'm gone. Just like before I was born.
@@blaireofhylia1572 The fact you are typing this and thinking about God is a testimony of you having a soul and having a choice in the matter. Someone that’s not able to think about this and choose consciously for Jesus; like children or people too mentally disabled will definitely not go to hell. You, even with ADHD are capable. That’s why you are thinking about it. The awareness is there..
What you need to understand first about God is that ALL humans fall short, God is Holy! Yet all people have sinned; with or without ADHD. The moment we are born; we are sinners. Baby’s too. But can they choose to believe? No, so they don’t get hold accountable. Cognitive issues depends; if the person is able to exercise free will and determine right from wrong; the person IS accountable.
Yet because we are flawed (we have Adam and Eve to thank for that) in our own ways; the only way to become righteous is to make the conscious choice to believe in Jesus and his finished works on the cross.
Someone with ADHD is able to choose right from wrong, the fact you think about God; is a testimony to that.
Romans 10:9. If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 3:22 this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Jesus Christ will take care of your soul with and without memory issues. He can save even the “worst” of humans so most certainly someone with ADHD. All you have to do make the conscious choice to trust Him.
You don’t have to rely on your own faulty brain to go to heaven. You don’t have to follow manmade religious rules in order to become righteous before God.
Reading the bible makes you understand who God is, can build your faith and helps you grow but if you can’t, God doesn’t hold that against you.
Christianity is about having a personal relationship with God, he doesn’t care about your IQ or your ability to read. God cares about your heart and intentions and your willingness to get to know Him. But it is important that you follow the true God, not a manmade religion where rules and rituals are needed to reach heaven and there are no guarantees.
Please don’t give up on God, don’t throw away his free gift..
If you really seek the truth and want to know if He is real: “pray” about it and He will answer. Ask Him if He is real, and who He is. God is close to those who suffer and to those who truly seek Him. He will answer your prayer without a doubt.
Also: be careful to choose human wisdom over God’s wisdom. Who created our very complex brains? God. He knows more about your brain than any human scientist. Yet God never says that we don’t have a soul if we don’t have a fully functioning brain.
Science has come a long way; but we have been wrong in the past.. scientist are not smarter than God, God made their brains. Trust the creator not the creation ;)
Thank you so much for saying this! I also have inattentive adhd and it’s life ruining just like you said. Before I even knew I had adhd I always thought I was just this horrible slothful sinner and I constantly prayed for God to heal me and it really made me feel so horrible. But ever since knowing it that it’s a brain issue, I gave myself much more grace and I had hope for an diagnosis.
I know Mike has good intentions and the verse about God never giving us over to temptation is definitely a good one but honestly I don’t know if that verse applies to people with mental disorders, I honestly don’t think it’s as black as white. How I don’t know for sure.
@@blaireofhylia1572 so you don’t believe in Jesus or the Islam faith, do you think Judaism or Buddhism is more accurate?
"...and when I evangelize, I don't ignore the most blatant lies and sins that are pervasive in that culture. I target them." Amen!! This is not only a good way to go, it would be a sin to do otherwise. If we say nothing in the face of blatant lies and sin people may infer agreement with the lies and acceptance of the sin.
That’s a really eye opening take on the marriages/spouses in heaven part Mike. I will admit though it does make me a bit sad to know that my wife and I would not share each other in marriage while eternally in the glory of God, she’s my best friend and outside of God/Jesus Himself, there’s nobody I look forward to seeing and sharing eternity with more than her!
I love that we prayed at the end. I think that's valuable and important. Good call.
Thank you Pastor Mike for continuing to speak truth. Thank you. 🙏🏻
We’re commanded by God to grow in our faith and knowledge of his word. This is done through, prayer, studying Gods word continuously, and speaking of God to others when we have the opportunity.
This is my favorite episode ever. Love Team mike
Also thank you pastor Mike if you ever read this for refusing to agree to RUclips and insert ads. Yours is the only channel I can listen to while going about my day without having to constantly listen to an obnoxious, irritating, annoying advertisement set out by RUclips! Sponsored ads advocated by the host I can tolerate but the jarring interruption brought in by RUclips is so objectionable I can’t watch certain channels anymore. So thank you for doing what you can to avoid that- until it’s unavoidable that add infiltrate everywhere!
I love that you brought prayer back!
I am so glad you have that feature on your website so we can look up questions from the past! I wanted to know about 2 Kings 23 (Elisha and the bears) and found the answer! Thanks again Mike!
Great commentary re. ADD/ADHD. I have it brutally. I don’t see it as an excuse. I do see it as an extraordinarily difficult thing to manage life with but I agree. It means like any other obstacle people have, I have to work harder. I can’t remember dates and appointments. I can’t remember what I need to get done. I can’t remember things people tell me. So I try to put measures in place to help me. It’s still no one else’s problem to pick up my slack. It’s cost me a lot in life but I do my best not to let it become a problem for someone else. The messages in scripture help me with my determination to push ahead on this, like the issue with not being focussed. I think learning to meditate and study and pray as difficult as it is, helps train my mind. God wants us to put our BEST effort in for our employers and honour them. I even had one of my bosses who became my friend and understood how I wanted to not screw up but knew my challenges, text me an hour before to say you need to leave soon, do you have your keys, phone, lunch. (LOL) I was having trouble remembering my schedule even when I had it. This helped a lot. But I had built that relationship before hand so he knew I’d go the extra mile and work as hard and best of my ability. He knew I genuinely cared about the job I had, the customers we had and about my bosses. I’d go the extra mile. That integrity and work ethic went a long way. I prayed each day that I would be a blessing to my bosses and to the customers and colleagues. So when I said I need help they were more than willing to help me
Enjoyed today's Q&A!!!! Loved your response to questioned 12 especially!!!
He makes such good analogies!
Yes I agree. Wonderful explanation.
5:18 😂😂 Lord forgive me. I just love listening to Pastor Mike's explanations; there's ALWAYS a moment (@ least 1) where I find myself crying due to laughter. U may disagree, but I think many ppl actually need that. I do. Not everyone learns @ the same pace, or manner. So TY, Pastor!🤗
RE: your comment about the Dewey Decimal classification. Dewey decimal system does in fact tell you what a book is about, not just where it is. The books are classified by subject. The physical arrangement is secondary. basic classes and decimal numbers get into sub-topics.
Class 000 - Computer science, information and general works
Class 100 - Philosophy and psychology
Class 200 - Religion
Class 300 - Social sciences
Class 400 - Language
Class 500 - Science
Class 600 - Technology
Class 700 - Arts and recreation
Class 800 - Literature
Class 900 - History and geography
Keep up the good work in the areas of
230 Christian theology
239 Apologetics & polemics
etc.
:-)
I've been going through a lot of these videos you've put out here Mike and I'm very encouraged. I really appreciate the biblical backup you bring to the table. I am so encouraged by the answer to the ADHD question. I have had this thought many times on my own, and I just wanted to say thank you! From a recently diagnosed mom of 4 (2 of which have been diagnosed also). THANK YOU for confirming what I've come to know myself. This diagnosis isn't a "get out of jail free" card, but rather, I look at it similar to Paul's thorn in the flesh. God can use every part of this to glorify Himself. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Hallelujah!! Amen!!
The diagnosis of ADHD was given to me at age 35; Before that time, I was struggling to function as effectively/productively as the very diligent people around me. Whenever I succeeded, I was beyond exhausted. Whenever I failed, I'd be so angry and disappointed with myself it hurt. My physical and mental health were falling apart due to the constant stream of stress hormones. When I received the diagnosis, I could forgive myself and think of a different way to approach things. The medication helped me break the cycle of constant stress. But the world remained the world and I remained myself; I see it as having been given a hammer after years of putting nails into planks with my bare hands. Even with the hammer, I can still stop trying to get the nails in altogether... and blame ADHD for that. But that wouldn't be true.
I try every day to keep ADHD the reason I do things differently than many others, not have it become the excuse for not doing what many others do at all. I hope that makes sense, heh. ^^'
I like that analogy of the watershed. I’ve never heard that before. 👍🏻
I'm an Elihu fan, too!!!! None of the girls in my Job class were, though.
And I absolutely adore Proverbs 18:1, the best explanation for why a church is vital that I've seen, and I don't know how I missed that one. Thank you!
@Silver Eight Isn't it beautiful how God can use even us sinners? Moses and David were murderers, Paul hunted Christians, and countless other Biblical authors had huge sins, and yet God spoke through them anyway! Praise the Lord! Amen! Hallellujah!
@Silver Eight Matthew 12:42 (NASB) "The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here."--Jesus
Jesus, Himself fully God, claimed to be "something greater than Solomon." I cannot imagine higher praise for a man than that!
Mike, first time. Bro, you absolutely have a way with words, and you know how to explain things in a very common but explifying way. It’s awesome! Keep doing what you’re doing.
Mike, Thank you for having the courage to speak truth in love on the gender identity issue. I’m starting my graduate studies to become a counselor and am horrified (but not surprised) at the overwhelming messaging-not by the Christian university I attend-from the seeming majority of counseling publications to affirm a child’s (a child!!) choice to attempt to become a different gender. It’s a demoralizing uphill cultural battle we’re fighting because, in addition to popular culture, now “experts” are advising parents and children that it could seriously damage a kid if don’t affirm their gender confusion.
Thank you for speaking truth on the new counseling. I was partially counseled as a youth. Instead of finding a healthy lifestyle solution everyone, counselors, therapists, psychologist and the leaders of the church pushed the idea of taking drugs. There are times but if the drug are not effective, then stop. All drugs have side effects. Stop treating people like less no matter the age.
Mike thank you. You make me proud to be Christian. God bless you sir.
Let the truth be offensive, and let it remain unapologetically true and pure.
100% Agree!
Pastor Mike speaks the truth in a in love , with a sense of humour , the cat , the t shirts , he is relational as he teaches the truth and his wisdom 👌
Thank you Pastor Mike! You're a huge blessing.
Pt Mike really appreciate your channel.
Regarding the playing cards question -- when I was growing up, my parents were enslaved by legalism and they also believed playing cards were evil, not because of gambling. They equated playing cards to tarot cards, they believed they had an evil purpose in the symbols and such. They put playing cards in some kind of Occult category. They don't believe that now, but that kind of legalism really is a trap that some Christians fall into.
You were on fire today, Pastor Mike. I love it!
I love that you brought prayer back into the end of the video. I had a overwhelming feeling come over me can’t really describe it but it was very encouraging.
Good show Thank you Pastor Mike and moderators for all you do I hope one day he will answer my question about pharmakeia / sorcery and what that means for us as modern believers in Jesus.
And this is the kind of "wisdom" that you impart, Mike.
Mike, you knocked the ball out of the park in this episode. There was some tough love being dished out here. Brilliant and refreshing!
God bless you for being a bridge crosser - this is something I need to work towards. I love your love for Christ. ❤️
Pride comes before the fall
About organ donation (a comment is just too short to get fully into it): We once had a talk at our church by a doctor who pioneered organ transplants and later became a Christian. This changed at least some of the views on this topic. We first should distinguish if the organ donor will continue to live after donating, i.e. if he gives his consent for just one specific organ to one specific person. Much of what Mike said could apply to this. I will not give an answer to this. However, when I here the discussion about organ donation it is about becoming an organ donor once you are dead. Fact is (says this doctor) that nobody is ever physically dead when they take out the organs. This is impossible as the body will too quickly poison (most) organs when you actually die. Usually, people will say it‘s okay when people are brain dead. Did you know that they have to tie down patients who have been in a coma for very long when they take out the organs? It is very likely that people are in a lot of pain at that point. In the U.S. they have switched from a discussion of organ donation from people who are “brain dead” to a discussion of “justified killing” because this properly reflects what is being done to organ donors (except for the other case of single organs I mentioned before). And this question is actually much harder if Christians should support justified killing to get to organs and save other lives. Should I personally accept such organs if I need them? I certainly don’t want to become the latter kind of an organ donor and be killed, dying in a lot of pain. It needs a much more nuanced and informed discussion which form of organ donations Christians should support. (That doctor explained, that after he was in the position to sign off a patient to be used as organ donor, he did. But God showed him that it was wrong and he never again signed off for another patient to be killed.) It is God’s responsibility alone to decide when a person dies!
Thankyou. Many people don't realise that there are people supposedly "brain dead" who have recovered. There is pressure put on families too early to switch off life support. Many doctors and nurses remember when it was common for people to be in a coma for months whereas now this is rare.
The whole concept of brain death was pushed largely to get the public to overcome their distaste at the harvesting of organs from living patients. There is no standardised test across the board with doctors using different methods to determine "brain death." Use of pain relief "just in case" has been controversial, many think it sends the wrong message that maybe the donor can still feel and be aware and that this would turn ppl against organ donation.
There was a case, I think in Norway, (perhaps one of the other scandi countries,) of a man wheeled into the OR to have his organs harvested whilst being totally aware. Unable to open his eyes, (taped down,) or even hold his breath, (ventilated,) it was only his soaring blood pressure/heart rate that alerted the aneasthetist. He has since recovered.
Doctors cannot say with certainty that a person will not wake and cannot with certainty know what kind of recovery they will make. I met a woman who refused to switch off her husbands life support despite being told he wouldn't wake and even if he did he wouldn't be able to walk, talk etc. He can now talk, laugh, feed himself and walk short distances and improves daily.
So many ppl have similar experiences.
Great video! Loving the boldness!
Is the question, what is a woman something a Christian should focus on? Yes, if they are witnessing to people outside of the church. Christians shouldn't be caught unawares as if they haven't got anything to say. If anything, the natural church setup is a good place to have a conversation, contrary to the efforts you'd have to make otherwise. It's a good place to start and practice answering questions before entering the battle of a secular society.
Absolutely. Be prepared to give an answer. 1Peter 3:15
Start with where was God when Satan was tempting Eve to disobey him.
@@JamesRichardWiley You could start there as long as you explain it so that the person your explaining it to understands it.
Good job sir. I don’t think I’ve ever watched one of your videos and not been impressed. God bless.
I zoned out so hard at 9:38 when Mike started speaking in tongues 😂
🤣🤣
I really enjoyed your videos.
Question 12: I also dealt with this for a time. It was a passage in Romans and one in Psalms that helped me move past it.
1) There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2) For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3) For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4) in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 1:1-4)
10) He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11) For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12) as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:10-12)
When God adopts you as a son, he removes your sins from you. The record is blotted out, because Christ has atoned. And this is all sin, not just the ones you committed up to the point of your profession of faith. When you stand before the judgement seat, you will not be judged according to your sins. You are no longer condemned to death because God won't even look at the record of your sins. Those who belong to Christ will be judged according to how you served Him and that will determine your reward. I long to hear those beautiful words "Well done, good and faithful servant." not for selfish pride and gain, but for the simple pleasure of knowing that I have served Him well.
Thank you Mike! Excellent video. Christians should be talking about these issues! And pastors should be preaching against this demonic sin. Jesus,Paul and the prophets would ABSOLUTELY be talking about these issues!
Great Jeremiah impression. You should do a segment on Old Testament Prophets’ response to modern issues.
I APPRECIATE so much that you are not advertising on your important ministry. *I always think if Jesus throwing out the money changers.
If anyone sees this, please pray for my family. I don't ever want to gossip about people behind their backs or anything, so I struggle to reach out for prayer for this. But I don't really know anybody personally who watches Mike, so this probably won't be seen by any of my family.
But I really need prayer for my own heart and for my family. I've recently learned that my family has started attending a progressive Christian church, one that has pride flags up for pride month and affirms LGBT stuff, and it seems like my whole family has gone from believing what the Bible says about homosexuality being a sin, to believing that it's not a sin at all.
It just breaks my heart to pieces. I'm so worried for them. I've tried to talk to them, and I've done all that I can to correct their theology on these points, but they have made it clear that they don't want to hear what I have to say and they don't want to talk about this issue. I have tried to show them how they are letting the world influence their beliefs, but they just don't see it. So I am praying, and that's all I can do.
If you are reading this, please take a moment to lift up my family in prayer. And me and my husband as well, as we have felt sick and disheartened in mourning over this for quite some time. Thank you for your prayers.
Just said a prayer. Hoping for God to work in this situation
praying that they are freed from their delusion
I hope this helps, but Mike did release a series on this and he really did some in depth research and explanation about the topic. Might help them find some biblical clarity.
Praying for them!
Just said a prayer for you guys
Mike. When there are lies being told. Addressing them with love and truth is our responsibility.
Mike these times are incredibly frustrating! Would love to hear a concise layout for arguments against gender ideology and how to deal with it in different places in the world. Its so hard to treat, but I burn with passion against it, please help us be equipped to handle it!
Why do you feel so passionate against it?
@@jonathan4189 Its in many places I go. But I was just expressing that it makes me frustrated is all
its happened all throughout human history and in many cultures too. But I sometimes wonder why I need to burden myself with learning and policing the clothing, hair styles, genitalia, and mannerisms of other people. In all honesty I don’t care, so it’s hard to feel like I need to change these people. And since it’s always been a part of humanity it’s not like its going away. As long as it’s not harming people it seems like effort wasted when we could be doing more important things.
God bless you Pastor Mike. You and your ministry has blessed my life and helped me to think Biblically about everything. I am very grateful for everything you do and say. I am very very happy that you are bringing prayer back to the end of your videos. They truly help me.
Comment on the static/distortion: It seemed to be a "popping" issue, occurring particularly when you emphasized strong consonants or leaned into the mic. I also compared another of your streams I had queued but not finished from last month, and noticed the mic was at about the same distance, but the output level today was noticeably higher. So, I believe you might be clipping one of the devices in your audio chain, or else tripping a poorly-implemented automatic limiter, and need to tweak either the gain levels or the limiter settings until you figure out which device is responsible.
However, it never hurts to check your wiring. Sometimes a dirty or slightly loose jack will pass low-level signals but corrupt the signal on peaks.
I don't think it's a consonant popping issue, just look at 34:50
It's good to hear you supporting Matt Walsh, he is the strongest Christian voice right now speaking out against the gender issue that is causing enormous harm.
Walsh's refusal to openly acknowledge the theological basis behind why transgenderism is wrong actually makes him one of the weakest "Christian" voices.
@@theeternalsbeliever1779 well, I don’t think the theological basis is at all clear or agreed. What do you think it is?
Thanks for the advice Pastor Mike! (Q#18) I will definitely talk to an older, wiser, Christian. It is a struggle and while proverbs 18:1 verse was a scary to hear, it did prick at my heart. Thats not a place I want to be in. Thanks for advice. Prayers to you and your family, God bless! 🙏🏼
Modern Christians have been too tolerant. We are afraid of not being liked. The downfall of our culture is partly our fault.
That's your interpretation of what's happening? Interesting...
What and who do you mean by modern Christians and what is your interpretation of tolerance ? Sin is the reason for what we see in the world both now and in the past. Every Christian is called to earnestly contend for the faith we need to live in light of the word but it’s quite dangerous to say the downfall of society is partly the fault of Christians.
Let God be God. That helps a lot. Thanks so much for that.
On ADHD
Here is an explanation I heard that helped me understand it.
It is like you have 2 gears: one on the inside and one on the outside.
With a normal person the gears turn the same speed and information gets both in and out.
In ADHD they don't turn the same speed. They are not syncing, therefore it hard make your body respond the way YOU WANT it to. Instead ADHD just "goes with the flow". This means they don't make goals and complete them...... which can lead to a disaster.
If the outside gear is fast they are considered hyperactive.
If the inside gear is super fast (my brains processor works at the 99th percentile) you are called inattentive.
You are considered inattentive because your brain just shot off like a bullet with every know variable and left your body in the dust.
The result is or can be massive anxiety.
There is also the type that is both fast inside and outside but still do not sync up with each other. These people have poor impulse control.
They have a rude thought and BOOM!!!! It is out of their mouth in a second.
The medication forces the two systems to sync up.
If you tell a person with a fast brain to "try harder" they will just take "overthinking" to a level you never imagined. It is like hitting the gas even harder but the car is not in gear.
The high impulse person will just increase bizarre impulsive acts. Because they feel criticism they choices become double irrational.
You can learn to play games with your own mind using adrenaline to do the same thing meds do. But living solely off of adrenaline can be annoying for those around you. So a person has to find what tricks work (like use a timer and create a race) and what tricks just seem dumb and no adrenaline meets the challenge.
Anyway hope that helps others understand what is happening and feel a little less judgmental and a little more supportive.
ADHD needs to learn coping skills..... work smarter not harder.
Thankyou for saying this, this is such a great explanation and makes so much sense. 😭
I have been accused of using it as an excuse or a crutch or told to go faster or try harder. And now I am seeing this in a bunch of comments and from most preachers even ones that I look up too. And yeah it is true it's not an excuse to sin. Yet, I have also been told by others that I have a great work ethic cuz they can see that I really am trying my best already. People just don't understand what is really going on inside and it just makes a life that is extreamly frustrating and confusing that much more frustrating and confusing. So seeing this explanation really helped cuz it just makes so much sense, and shows people how misunderstanding comments like that can really just make things so much harder for us. Also kinda helps me to have some hope again to eventually find a way to cope and function better, which is something I have been trying to figure out for years. And lately I have been wondering if I could have undiagnosed autism too with my ADHD.
You amaze me with your wisdom and knowledge of Scripture
Something that too many people don't seem to realize with the question "What is a woman?" is one of the reasons as to _why_ it's being obfuscated. It isn't merely a group of people pretending to be the opposite sex and wanting you to go along with it. That's bad enough, agreed, but if they can get you to doubt such a fundamental thing of the Lord's reality as what a woman is.... they can get you to doubt anything about reality at all. They break your mind. _They_ can then tell you what reality is and you'll just go along with whatever madness is pumped into your head.
So the question put to Ketanji Brown, "What is a woman?" had a legitimate and very important point to it. The Senators weren't trolling her. They were showing the public where she stood ideologically, which turns out to be a very bad place. "All truth is subjective" is a complete lie. Matt Walsh helped to further show how far this horror has spread through western society with his documentary. With it _any_ atrocity is possible. _Any_ horrific crime against human beings can and will happen. It's how we've had at least 60 million babies murdered in the womb over the last 50 years in our own nation. Because of that ideology some 500,000,000 people have lost their lives under Socialist regimes. Also, fundamentally "all truth is subjective" is 100% anti-Christ in nature.
In Soviet Russia and Maoist China they forced people to espouse lies from the government. You suffered greatly if you did not. Why do that, though? Because if they can get you to confess lies, things you _know_ are totally absurd and false, a part of you dies and you become more controllable. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a Soviet man who spent decades in a gulag simply for criticizing Stalin, had this to say about this tactic:
“You can resolve to live your life with integrity. Let your credo be this: Let the lie come into the world, let it even triumph. _But not through me_ .”
Italics mine.
Sorry to be so long winded here, but this is an important topic. This very strategy of making people doubt the very reality before their eyeballs, on pain of persecution, has been implemented in other countries many times. It is always disastrous. But, as you know, Jesus Christ is our King! He is the unbreakable rock upon which we stand. It's very important for us Christians to know what all of this is, where it comes from, and why. It's banging on the very doors of our own congregations.
Yes, yes, yes, a thousand times yes! This was so well written. The truth is the most important thing in the world and I grieve to see how it is blatantly denied all around us. I pray that God gives us the strength to stand against the lies no matter what.
Do you think gay or trans people are actively trying to undermine society? I feel like trying to be true to yourself is a strange and round about way to do that.
Thank you very much for these!