INTRODUCTION:
This is third time I’m having Branch on my show!!! He, like me, is a former drug dealer, he’s been to jail, he’s been homeless, and like myself he understands his mission is to do all he can to help others now that he’s been given a second chance. Branch is a poet, a storyteller and the author of 22 books! Branch was born in Osaka, Japan (my favorite country) and has the traveled the world extensively! Branch graduated from Texas State Univ. B.S.Ed., did post graduate work at the University of Houston, M.Ed Adm., and holds an Oxford M.A. Theology degree from Trinity Bible College and Seminary. Branch shares how strength of choice can change consequences and this man is known worldwide for his contemporary short story prose that reveals emotions and issues often experienced, but not always voiced.
Author of twenty-two books Branch Isole shares “how and why” strength of choice can change consequences. He’s known worldwide for contemporary short stories revealing issues and emotions often experienced, but not always voiced.
Storytelling is either about ‘what has been’ or ‘what can be.’ The story of “what can be” encourages us to embrace the duality of what is and more importantly, what is possible. Podcast program audiences tune-in to learn if your guest can help fulfill their aspirations and ambitions. My efforts are to help you produce a show with takeaways that benefit your listeners. The topics I share impart elements for personal, career and/or spiritual self-reflection. I believe we will give your audience a show they’ll receive, use, and thank you for.
I share edifying and entertaining self-development topics offering information and takeaway steps listeners can use after hearing our episode. These topical conversation starters provide audiences with identifiable grounding and growth elements for contemporary life issues.
Spiritual Christianity:
Life 101: Albatross or Millstone?
The ‘Bucket List’ Item Many Ignore
Third Act Specs; Rose Colored or 20-20?
Relationships:
7 Steps of Relationship Repair
Change Your Response, Improve Your Relationships
Work-Life Balance:
12 Key Lessons
Religion:
Bible Prophecy: Warnings or Promises?
These ‘today topic’ discussion starters are designed for seekers, searchers, the fallen away and disillusioned. Those who question, wonder or are ready to explore self-reflectively their lives and relationships. You’re invited to book one today!
Previous engagements and upcoming shows- https://www.manaopublishing.com/bookings.html
INCLUDED IN THIS EPISODE (But not limited to):
· Stop Being Hard on Yourself
· Guilt and Condemnation Defined – do not serve us
· An Interesting Look Into Unconditional Love
· A Discussion About the Holy Ghost
· What Evangelicals Are Not
· A Warning Against Hypocrisy
· Is Consuming Alcohol a Sin?
· Is Masturbation a Sin?
· Is Dancing a Sin?
· Why Churches and Church Leaders Are Not Necessary
CONNECT WITH BRANCH:
Website & Other Books: https://www.manaopublishing.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thevoyeuristicpoet
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/branch-isole-851433201/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzN66BkAUAemYX76Smnn0GA
CONNECT WITH DE’VANNON:
Website: https://www.SexDrugsAndJesus.com
YouTube: https://bit.ly/3daTqCM
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SexDrugsAndJesus/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sexdrugsandjesuspodcast/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TabooTopix
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devannon
Email: DeVannon@SexDrugsAndJesus.com
DE’VANNON’S RECOMMENDATIONS:
· Pray Away Documentary (NETFLIX)
o https://www.netflix.com/title/81040370
o TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk_CqGVfxEs
· Upwork: https://www.upwork.com
· FreeUp: https://freeup.net
· Disabled American Veterans (DAV): https://www.dav.org
· American Legion: https://www.legion.org
INTERESTED IN PODCASTING OR BEING A GUEST?:
· PodMatch is awesome! This application streamlines the process of finding guests for your show and also helps you find shows to be a guest on. The PodMatch Community is a part of this and that is where you can ask questions and get help from an entire network of people so that you save both money and time on your podcasting journey.
https://podmatch.com/signup/devannon
TRANSCRIPT:
[00:00:00]
You’re listening to the sex drugs and Jesus podcast, where we discuss whatever the fuck we want to! And yes, we can put sex and drugs and Jesus all in the same bed and still be all right at the end of the day. My name is De’Vannon and I’ll be interviewing guests from every corner of this world as we dig into topics that are too risqué for the morning show, as we strive to help you understand what’s really going on in your life.
There is nothing off the table and we’ve got a lot to talk about. So let’s dive right into this episode.
De’Vannon: Hey everyone. And welcome to the sex drugs and Jesus podcast. I am so thankful to have you with me again. One more week branch Isole my guest on today. This is the third time I’ve had this incredible soul on my show.
He’s a former drug dealer like me. He’s been to jail, he’s been homeless, like I’ve been before. And we both get that. We have a second chance on life and we intend to spend this second chance helping as many people as we possibly can. So today we’re going [00:01:00] to talk about why we should stop being so damn hard on ourselves.
We’re going to talk about guilt and condemnation and ultimately how those two things do not serve us. So we’re going to take a really interesting look at unconditional love. Love is really the most important thing of all and loving ourselves is key to us. Being able to love anyone else. Please take a deep listen at this episode and enjoy the show.
Thank you, Branch Isole for coming on the sex drugs and Jesus podcast. I believe that this is your third time. Taking a voyage with me. How are you feeling today?
Branch: Good morning. Yeah, I’m feeling great. I was thinking about third time. I hope is the charm and we are able to answer some questions and touch some people where they live and help them down that path a little bit.
De’Vannon: Right. The third time is always the charm darling, but we’ve been charming since the day [00:02:00] one, because that’s how the fuck we get to down. And so. So we talked about eschatology before and all kinds of things. Before today, we are going to be talking about guilt, shame, condemnation, things like that, because people to stop being so hard on themselves.
know, we live in a time where the world is full of judgment and it always has been, but with media and everything like that, You can see it happening a lot, a lot simultaneously, and you can get overwhelming. And, you know, we look at the news and we go, oh my God, how can people be so mean? You know, and everything like that.
I wonder how much of that really starts within ourselves because you can’t give away what you don’t have. I heard a wise woman say one time. And so what are your initial thoughts on guilt? Shame, condemnation.
Branch: You know, when we talked about doing this topic [00:03:00] I, I wanted to look at it from a place that everybody could, could start from the same spot. Okay. So I, I looked up the definition. Of guilt and condemnation. And I found was, and I’m going to bore our audience for just a minute, but the different issue of guilt is the fact of having committed a specific or implied offense or crime.
And that’s the legal definition. And then the personal or social or cultural definition is the act of making someone feel guilty in order to induce them to do something. I then looked up condemnation and the legal definition of condemnation is the [00:04:00] act of subjugating to a punishment. And then the personal or a cultural definition is an expression of strong discipline.
And the more I thought about it, it’s interesting that those two concepts or those two words have dual definitions. That is the first one in both of those as defined, dealt with the legal and the second one dealt with, you know, our personal actions. And so the legal is real simple. You either obey the law or you go, but the second definition for both of those is a lot more subjective and it really touches us each personally in our choices and our behavior and our consequences.
So [00:05:00] today I guess our top. To discuss is focused on that second definition. And as you and I talked before we got started Yeah.
you know, one of the things that we have a tendency to do when we’ve made some kind of a mistake in judgment or behavior that we’re ashamed of that took place is regardless of what the consequence may be.
Legally, a lot of us have this tendency to go to that place where we want to beat ourselves up. And, you know, I guess that’s the ultimate action for both guilt and condemnation when we feel guilty. And we condemn ourselves that a lot of times we spend an inordinate amount of time beating ourselves.[00:06:00]
De’Vannon: Well, not anymore. We, we, we, we, we just got rid of that right now. And so w what really prompted this branch was still on when I was growing. And shit. I really started to really accept myself probably like last year as I approached my 39th birthday. But when I was growing up, I really struggled with feelings of self-loathing self-hatred condemnation, guilt, all of those bad emotions.
That just, and it’s, you know, the thing about all of this is we’re not really born this way, you know, at some point in life and it, and now it is true that whatever our mothers do when they’re carrying. It does have an impact on us. So we are born with some predispositions. I do believe that, but still that’s out of the child’s control.
And so, you know, we are, we are, we are learning, we are, we learn and we are taught this [00:07:00]negativity, you know, from somewhere else, it’s like racism and things like that. You know, somebody has to tell you how to be mean like that. You know, you wouldn’t arbitrarily just be like, you know what? I think I hate myself today.
You know, I think I just don’t like this about myself today. You know, those are not our natural thoughts that comes from somewhere else. And in today’s world, you know, we could feel bad about ourselves from looking at too much social media. You know, we judge ourselves by ridiculous standards and things like that.
We listen to bullshit coming from the church and
Branch: Yeah.
De’Vannon: epicenter of the, of, of our strength should be in our own knowledge that we gained for ourselves, listening to media, superstars, and things like that, but to ourselves and our own knowledge and our own private time with our spiritual power. And so the scripture that I think sums it all up is Romans eight and one, it says, therefore, there is [00:08:00] now no condemnation for those of us who were in Christ Jesus. John three and 17 though says that for God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world. But in order that the world might be saved through him.
So if God is not interested in condemnation, Why should we be branch? W where to, where are we getting this from? How did we
get.
Branch: yeah, well, you hit it right on the head when you opened up your shot and that is, are, are good. Mental health is, is dependent upon our. Acknowledgement that we are worthy. And this is what love in Christ and love in God is all about because when we love God and when we love Christ, it’s easy for us or easier for us to be obedient to the moral and ethical [00:09:00] laws, commandments God has set down for us as, as humans.
And if we feel unworthy of God’s love, then that’s reflected in our lives. And we feel unworthy of others. Other people’s loves in our lives. And if we are not lovable and we’re not worthy of being loved, then you know what, where’s my moral compass. Where’s my ethical compass. So I find that a lot of people who struggle.
You know, with their own identity of who they are and why they are, who they are, comes in this concept that we don’t always feel worthy of being loved. And if we don’t feel worthy of being loved, then what’s the point, know, of, of trying to become a better [00:10:00] person or be a better person. I think at the pivotal grounding point worthiness.
And, and, you know, I find in working with a lot of fallen away, Christians, that once they understand God loves us just as we are and for who we are, he created it and he loves everything that he’s created. Otherwise he wouldn’t have created it. So if God can love it. Then we are worthy of love. And if, we’re worthy of love, then our, our legwork, our chore, our job is to find that love, you know, in and of ourselves, but in others, in our lives, the people we find important.
So, you know, it’s it’s can be convoluted and it can’t be layered upon or under ourself [00:11:00]delusional concepts. But, you know, as, as John Lennon said, it’s all about love. And we get to that point we realize that God loves us and we are lovable, there’s no reason for us not to be lovable.
You know, in our daily lives, but to be lovable, you have to love, and you have to, as you said, you have to sort of come to grips with yourself and realize you’ve got the power to make that change. And so you kick out of your life, all of that negativity and all of those things that we allow ourselves to bring this down, which really, you know, are just self-delusional concepts.
They really don’t have control of us unless we give them that power and that control.
De’Vannon: And then the first John three and 20 [00:12:00] helps us regain some of this power and control this group. You hear reads that for whenever our heart condemns us. That’s talk about us making a decision, executing, a judgment decision about ourselves, the blooper, whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart and he knows everything.
So see, this scripted here is saying, and it mimics another scripture that says when we judge ourselves, like we should not be judged. If along those lines, basically. God is really the only one who could have render an effective judgment of us, not ourselves, so that we can be thinking we’re like super righteous and not really be super righteous.
we could be thinking we were like super shitty and bad and evil into the most terrible thing in existence in God could actually think the complete opposite of that. And so, because we’ve got all kinds of shit swirling around in our subconscious, the voices of our past, the voices of bad preaching we’ve heard and everything like that.
And it’s all static and confusion. And then too often it comes out in [00:13:00] guilt, condemnation and shame. First, John three and 20 is letting us know that when it’s all confusing or like David said, when my heart is overwhelmed, then lead me to the rock that is higher than I. And so what he’s saying is God got better sense than me.
So let me ask him what he actually says about this. And so. This is why it’s important to get close enough to God, to be able to talk to him and to hear him and to get peace from the chaos inside of you. When I was researching this branch, I was finding where these feelings, guilt, condemnation, shame can have physical effects on people.
It can cause stress, physical health low self-esteem issues of depression, you know, and everything like that, stemming from a belief that you’re not enough. And, and it doesn’t have to be this way. So challenge here is to understand why we think what we think, we believe what we believe about every thought that comes [00:14:00] to us.
And if it’s something that is not lining up to what the word of God says, what we know to be true, what’s serving us. Then we have to gain the power to reject a thought that is not We can’t run off with everything that flies into our brains. And so. What you have to say about that? Like thoughts that come to us, you know, learning how to filter them out and even much beginning to believe that every thought that comes to you, isn’t a true thought.
Cause that, that thought that notion in of itself is boring to many people.
Branch: Wow. First of all, you know, for, from us talking previously and corresponding that for me, the essence is having that spiritual connection. With God through Christ, all the things you just said, you know, it felt thought was rallying around my head is this is a perfect [00:15:00] example of those who do have a relationship with Christ with God.
And those who don’t have a relationship. If you don’t have that relationship, then you’ve got no guidance outside of yourself. And as, as humans, we we’ve all experienced this. You know, our thoughts can get the better of us really easily. We can give energy to those negative thoughts or self-destructive thoughts or self self-pity thoughts very easily.
And if we don’t have any way to. That it can run wild and make us do crazy things or dangerous things. So for people who are struggling, I find a lot of times, one of the reasons they struggle so intently is that they don’t have that spiritual relationship, being a spiritual person, being connected to [00:16:00] God.
You understand that you have somewhere else to turn and you have the power within you through God’s spirit, living within you to stop and to change those negative thoughts. This is what the power of the holy ghost, the holy spirit living within the believing Christian does. It’s what separates us from other religions and other practitioners of religion and itself separates us from the non-believers.
you have the spirit of Christ in you, then you can call upon his. At any time in any situation and he will respond. is what Jesus says to us. When he, when he describes that he’ll send his spirit to be with us, to guide us and to counsel us. And you can only get his spirit active in your life, if you believe in and accept Jesus [00:17:00] as the Christ.
once we have his spirit, we then have his holy spirit power within us guide our steps, to guide our thoughts to get us away from those negative thoughts. If we don’t have that spirit living within us and we’re kind of on our own. And you know, if we’re not well-grounded, we can respond do kinds of things ultimately harm us.
that for me is the first. Essential part of any conversation that has to do with our mental wellbeing or mental health like you said, you know, of those negative mental things can manifest themselves in us physically and can cause all kinds of physical Millay or physical illness, just, just by giving thoughts, that [00:18:00] power.
So the first thing we want to do is take that power away from ourselves by allowing God’s power, his holy spirit within us to give us the power to stop the negative. It sounds and crazy, but I truly believe that’s what it’s about. If we’ve got that. Living with us that we have God’s holy power guide us through the, you know, the negative stuff and the dangerous stuff that we bring up on ourselves.
De’Vannon: So then
Branch: I think you hit it right on the head.
De’Vannon: I concur with what you’re saying. I believe in serenity. I believe in God, I believe. And I, I don’t feel weak. I don’t feel less than because I believe he’s more capable than I am. I feel relieved that I don’t have to do at all. I don’t have to know it all and I don’t have to be right all the [00:19:00]time.
So, so whenever I hear
people.
Branch: no matter. God is like a loving parent. Okay. He wants best for us above all else. He, wants what’s best for us. He knows what’s in our best interest, even more than we do. And instead of a lot of people, you know, these visions or thoughts of what God is and what he’s like and what he looks like.
Well, I often tell people, you know, think of God as a loving parent and, you know, maybe we didn’t have loving parents our growing up cycles and stages, but God is a loving parent and loves all of his children. He responds to those who respond to him. If you don’t recognize God for who he is or what he [00:20:00] can do and wants to do, then how can he help you?
So I always think of him as a loving parent, as opposed to this, you know, power, that’s Helen fire and brimstone and punishment and all these things, every loving parent wants what’s best for his or her children. So that’s. You know, a way to think of him as a relationship instead of I’m this little thing or person and he’s, he’s got, and, you know, nothing can come between us that would bring us together.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. He’s the loving parent. And he walks to treat his children as a loving parent. That’s what unconditional love is, is understanding your children and, you know, doing what you can in their best interest.
De’Vannon: Yeah, I feel that same way about my cats. You know, I try to [00:21:00] understand them
Branch: yeah. Yeah.
yeah, yeah. I always, I always, I always tell women who come to me for help and counseling and tell me about their boyfriends or a fiance and, and all this. And I always say, well, you know, how is he with pets? If you want to know how he’s going to tell you this. Watch how he treats this paps.
De’Vannon: The simple things. So I want to ask you so like, and we’re talking about like God having the answers and everything like that, and more so than we do with that conflicts, with the movement in the world that has to do You know, a lot of talk about all the answers already reside within us. You know, this is found in a lot of meditation circles.
A lot of people who believe in the universe, you know, they’ll go, you know, the, the things that I have friends like this, and I love them. And this is one point that I disagree with them on, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t look at them [00:22:00] any less than or anything like that. just more of an interesting thing to me, you know, the way they think it’s like, know, the power is already within you.
You have all the answers you already need. You are your most capable, so you don’t need to look outside of yourself or anything. So what, what are your thoughts on that?
Branch: I think to a certain degree, the right, the power is the power is within you. Okay. The power is within each of us because we’re created by God and his spirit. Then our spirit is part of him, right? So when we are born, we have the power of God within us. We have all the solutions are already within us. Okay.
But the dividing line comes between the believer and non believer. You [00:23:00] know, you can believe in the universe and you can believe in the power of the trees and the rocks and whatever. But if you don’t have the power of God activate. The power that’s in you already, if you, if that power at that spirit is not activated, then you don’t have the power of God within you to discover the solutions.
Okay. When we’re born, we all have God’s spirit within our soul, within our spirit. However, it’s inactive. Okay. We know innately right from wrong because we are created by God and his character and nature is morals and ethics. So that’s already within us, but because we don’t have a living relationship with.
His spirit that lives within [00:24:00] us is inactive. In that case, then we’re going through life, making choices and decisions based on what we want for us, right. The ways of the world. And because we innately know that there is something more powerful, a lot of people then traps for that power to all of these other images or concepts you just described.
Yes, I’ve got the power and I’ve got the answers and I’ve got the solution, but I don’t have the key to unlock them. Right. So I, I, I’m going through the life captured by life and in life’s grasp, and I’m doing the things and I’m behaving and responding the world’s way. When, when you had enough of that.
And that knowing in your heart and [00:25:00] in your, the essence of who you are, is knowing at you telling you there’s something greater, there’s a different path. When you turn to Christ and ask him to come into your life, he will send his holy spirit, which is already in you, but he will send his power to activate the holy spirit within you.
And when his holy spirit is activated within you, you have the key to finding the answers and the solution, because the solutions and the answers are all grounded in recognition of Christ as who he is, the son of God. And that’s, me, that’s the difference. You know, people can believe in anything they want to believe in, but just like the religions of the ancient, you know, The gods of Egypt and the gods of our [00:26:00] own all of those gods were given mystical and mythical powers, but they were never really able to express or expose that power in reality along comes Jesus and all of a sudden the power of God becomes manifest in Jesus and in the things that she’s said and did you know, the people call it miracles, let me call it miracles.
Well, we have that same power. If we want to use it, but you have to use it the way Christ used it, you know, you’ve got to, you, can’t use it for authority and control. You have to use it for, for love for, for loving things. And that’s the big struggle for Christians is how, how can I emulate and be Christ like.
When the things that I say and do are so hypocritically, not Christ-like. [00:27:00] And that’s the struggle I see going on today. And in our day and age is that we have a lot of Christians who claim, you know, that they are Christians, that they follow Christ, but everything they say and everything I do is just the opposite.
You know, who they’re following is the prince of this world. And yet they’re using Jesus and God as an excuse for their hypocrisy. You know, even a lot or most of the churches too. It’s very hypocritical because for the church being an organization, you know, it’s all about power and money. So they’re of the world more than they are of Christ.
But if you, you already got the power to know the answers and to find the solution, but if you don’t have a living relationship where that power can be activated, and then you don’t have the key and believers, followers [00:28:00] of Christ, individuals who emulate Christ in his thoughts, words, and deeds, you’ve got that activated power.
You see the great thing about being one with Christ is you see the truth all around you. And when you know what the truth is, and you see the truth that it’s very easy to recognize what’s untrue in your. Then you’ve got the power to say, I’m not going to be part of that world. You know, you and I are not going to stop the evil in this world.
And the power of evil. That’s trying to dominate people in this world. We aren’t going to stop that. It’s going to continue, but for the, for the person who becomes a believer in Christ and has his holy spirit within them, they recognize the truth. And then it’s very easy to turn away from the truth. You know, most of [00:29:00] United States, Christian now is very racist.
And very xenophobic, homophobic misogynistic, you know, and they’re following their cult leader down that path. when you have Christ in your life and you have his holy spirit within you, you recognize that from the outset and you know, you choose not to be part of that world. You choose to see the lie for what it is.
Hopefully, you know, people will, will hear and and change. But as long as you’re on the path, that’s not spiritual that doesn’t lead to Christ there. You’re going to be on the path of struggle and conflict.
De’Vannon: The Bible says that when. That the, my sheep hear my voice. You know, they recognize the voice of God from any other voice. So [00:30:00] what this is telling us is that there will be many voices. Jesus said there will be many spirits, you know, and he encouraged us during his physical lifetime to gain the gift of discernment, which is what it is for to not believe every spirit.
And so you mentioned activating the holy spirit. So I want you to tell people how they can receive the gift of the holy ghost if they want it. And the holy ghost, the holy go ahead.
Branch: No, no, go, go ahead. I’m going to pull up, pull up a scripture.
De’Vannon: Yeah. So my precursor to that, so God is a tri human being. So he’s three persons in one way of God, the father, God, God, the son, the holy ghost, the holy spirit, whatever you want to refer to him as his symbol is the dove. And so Jesus came physically in the body roamed [00:31:00] around here for like 33 something years.
And once he peaced out, he said, I’m going to drop the comforter back down on you. So I don’t go to the comforter, can’t come for whatever reason, they can occupy the same space in the world at the same time, maybe be too much power for us to handle. And so, but nevertheless, once he left, then end of the book of acts, we see this, the holy ghost enter the world on the day of Pentecost.
And so, or at least manifest himself as being here on the day of Pentecost. And so is the power. As we see it first being filled and people These people spoke in tongues. When that happened. There is an instance in the book of acts. I believe when Peter was with Cornelius, where people got the holy ghost and they did not speak in tongues.
Don’t quote me on that because acts had a lot of action going on in it. So I want, I want you to tell us how people can the gift of the spirit. And when someone in chairs tells them that they have to speak in [00:32:00] tongues or they don’t have the spirit, is that true?
Branch: I can’t answer that. I, you know, I,
I don’t know. I don’t know anything about speaking in tongues or, you know, I know there’s churches that do that and accept it. I’m not familiar with that. So I can’t comment on that. I’ll try and answer the other part. How do we, how do we. You know, spiritual grounding and then how do we make it spiritual strength?
So in John 4 24, we’re told the God’s spirit and as being our creator, then we therefore are also spirit just as he is. However, because we’re human, we possess the capacity. We have, we have a spirit that we were born with. That was God-given okay. [00:33:00] As humans, we have a capacity to acquire and possess the holy spirit.
That is God, the father, and is God the son. And he is God, the holy spirit. Okay. God is spirit. And as such, because he can’t. Because of his very nature of being holy and pure, he can’t be in the presence of anything unpure, so he can’t come to earth. Okay. However, his spirit can transcend and can transmute time and space.
But
the way that that spirit comes to us is through Jesus Christ. Okay. We’ve got a spirit, but the holy spirit won’t live with and conjoin with our spirit, unless we’ve accepted Christ. We won’t get [00:34:00] into the old Testament stuff, but new Testament stuff, his spirit comes through our recognition of Jesus as the son of God as Christ.
So how do we get that spirit? Well, real simple. And Matthew seven. Seven through eight. Jesus tells us simply we invite Jesus into our lives. That is we accept Jesus for who he is, the son of God. Okay. So when we ask or invite Jesus into our lives, because he’s no longer living, but his spirit is living, he will send his spirit that same spirit of God, the father to be with us, okay.
To be with our spirit. So that’s when our spirit gets activated is when we invite Christ to come into our lives by invitation. So he won’t come to us unless we ask. [00:35:00] And that’s the real kicker, because God won’t respond to us. He loves us as children, but he won’t respond to us unless we have his spirit.
Which proves our recognition of him. So when we ask Jesus to come into our lives, we are accepting the spirit of him and of his father, the same spirit. And now we have that same sphere that is God and the same spirit that is and lives with Jesus, the spirit now, because he’s no longer a man on earth, but we now have that connection.
We have that spiritual connection. So all we have to do is invite Christ into our lives. He will send his spirit to be with us. Once we have that spirit Jesus says to us in John 14, chapter 16, I will ask the father. And he will give you an [00:36:00] advocate, the spirit of truth to help you and be with you forever.
You will know him for, he lives with you and will be in you. She wants he’s there. We recognize Jesus for who he is, truth and love. And we recognize God, the father for who he is. And therefore we have an immediate and personal connection with God through Jesus Christ. And in verse 26, he tells us, but the advocate, the holy spirit, whom the father will send in my name will teach you all things.
And we’ll remind you of everything I’ve said, Nope, this indwelling of the holy spirit activates our spirit to start receiving God’s support and direct. So we, we invite Jesus into our hearts. He sends his spirit to live within us with our [00:37:00] spirit in our soul. And we therefore become children of God with the rights and privileges to talk with God and to receive God’s blessings, God’s protections.
Anything that God wants to give us as obedient believing children. Once you’ve got the spirit within you, then every time you you’re in a situation where you have to make a decision, especially when it’s, you know, important decisions. I won’t say life and death, but to you, what seems to be a life and death decision or choice before we decide an act, if we will ask Jesus what we should do, he will respond.
And what. You say, what would Jesus do in this situation? And his holy spirit living within you, living within us will respond and show [00:38:00] us the path that we should choose. Now here’s the dilemma for Christians? Do I choose that path or do I choose the path that, you know, I wanted for me, am I going to do what I want or I’m going to do what God would have me do?
And that’s the Bailey, you know, dilemma. That’s the carrying of the cross. When Jesus says, take up your cross daily. That’s what he’s talking about. Your cross is whatever that temp tation to be disobedient to God’s spirit within you, which is encouraging you and directing you to be moral and. And the ways of the world are trying to kick us, take us off that path of being moral and ethical by tempting us you know, with all the things of the world and all the ways of the world.
And [00:39:00] that’s the struggle for every Christian, but those who claim to be Christians and are not following the spirit of Christ that lives within them, that’s counseling them and guiding them and directing them. And they’re turning their back on that spirit and still doing what they want to do. You know, then, then we get a lot of struggling, Christians who say one thing and behave and respond differently.
Well, that’s, that’s the whole. That’s the whole challenge for Christians. Are you going to respond Christ-like or are you going to respond saying you’re a believer in Christ and yet not respond as he would respond? And to me, that’s the problem with the Christian Church today. We have a lot of carnal Christians who want lots of things and possessions and things that they want and will do anything they can to get that [00:40:00] instead of following what Christ would have them do too.
And it’s just, you know, what you just had had in tones. Very, very correct. My sheep, hear my voice, right? If you’re a true believer in Jesus, who he is and what he did for you as a center, then you hear his voice and you hear. The direction and guidance of his holy spirit living within you. You don’t turn your back on and say, well, I believe in Christ, but I’m going to go and do this, you know, immoral amoral or unethical thing.
And that’s how Christ can tell. That’s why he says, you know, that the path is narrow. The door is narrow. It’s only got space for two, you and him. That’s why he says, you know, there’s a lot of people who are going to say Christ Christ, and he’s going to say, I knew, I knew you not, know, [00:41:00]you can’t say you’re a Christian and behave like a heathen.
You know, you, you can fool yourself, but you can’t fool him. And that’s what it comes down to. Are you going to be true to him and therefore take the easy path being true to yourself? Are you going to say one thing and do it. If you do, you know, you’re like a lot of evangelical Christians out there who are saying one thing and doing the exact opposite.
So we’re not here to judge them. They’re going to be judged just like we’re going to be judged, but I’d rather stand before the judge with a, with a true and open heart, you know repenting of my sins than to go all that, all that way, declaring myself to be a follower of Christ and actually acting like a follower of, of evil [00:42:00] and corruption.
It just, it’s a choice. It’s a choice.
De’Vannon: I love, I love everything that you just said and and that, although we will not be judging evangelicals and Republicans in such. Today, we, we, we, we can open the library and throw just a tad bit of shade because you know, reading is fundamental as mama Ru, Paul would say, and that’s not necessarily judging your, just reading the writing on the wall.
And so I got Matthew seven and one through three, and I read from this, I pulled descriptor from the message Bible because there’s this a very, very, like, kind of silly reading to me, like in a fun way. I love the message of Bible was very lighthearted. I think somebody might’ve been smoking some reefer, some fucking good as Cali dank whenever they translated this shit, but I love the message Bible.
And so this says, don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults. Unless of course you want the same true. That critical spirit as a [00:43:00] way of boomeranging, it’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, let me wash your face for you when your own face is distorted by contempt.
It’s this whole traveling road show mentality all over again, playing a holier than now part, instead of just living your own part, wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor. And so basically this is saying, judge, not that you don’t be judge for God is not mocked with a romance.
Those that also will he reap now this what gets us into the craziness of the church. And everything like that. And what you were saying earlier about like the other religions and how I was talking about people who like, you know, pray and worship through the universe. I think a lot of this came was birthed at, from the lack of love that is found in the [00:44:00] church.
You know, a lot of these other, you know, religious and followings because people went to church and they didn’t feel loved. They didn’t feel accepted. You know, and so they went and found it some the fuck where else. And so. A lot of my own confusion I had in myself came from within the church. You know, the place where I’m supposed to go and leave there feeling better than what I showed up.
I came there and I felt worse than what I showed up. And then that shit followed me home. And so to give a few examples of that, I wanted to touch back on the, on the tongues that I was talking about earlier. wanted to talk about this because it is in the Bible and it’s something that use the debate in the Pentecostal church.
in the Bible, when you see people getting filled with the holy ghost, see them speaking in unknown tongues, tongues, or other languages of the earth. It doesn’t say in there, there’s an instance where that doesn’t happen. There are instances where it does happen, but it doesn’t say explicitly you’re not qualified to say that you have the holy [00:45:00] ghost, unless you speak in a tongue that you don’t know what churches do of and everyone out there.
I believe that. Read things into things that, that are not there. You know, just because, you know, the apostles are writing about what their first experiences were with the spirit, because they had never had the holy ghost before. they’re just recording what happened as a matter of fact. they’re saying they were sitting in a room, they heard a rushing mighty when the tongue showed up, they could see them.
And then they started speaking in other languages. just saying what happened to them. I don’t read in there or anything where they’re saying, and in order for anyone else, for the remainder of the rural world, they have to have the same experience. You know, I don’t, I don’t agree that you have to speak in tongues in order to believe that you have the spirit living inside of you.
to point that out because a lot of preachers, especially here in the south and in Pentecostal churches will say, if you can speak in tongues and the spirit is not in you you need to go speak in [00:46:00]tongues, I’ve seen preachers, literally forced people to speak in tongues. And then when the preacher said, say that crazy shit, now you have the spirit because you’ve done what I said you needed to do to get it.
But before that you couldn’t have it. And so I don’t agree with that. And so I wanted to liberate people from this ex expectation because some people are really freaked out by tongues and everything like that. And rightfully so because some people have just ran it into the ground, but that’s the way churches can twist things around and they can use.
To manipulate you into doing what you want. There’s no excuse for, for a preacher to tell someone to speak in tongues. seen them put their hands on people’s foreheads and like forced them. I’ve had, it happened to me, know, put the hand on my forehead and forced me to lay on the ground, you know, and shit, and God is not forced.
The Bible says that Jesus taught with such simplicity. You know, the fact that it was noteworthy, that he was being chilled and his delivery, you know, tells us everything about [00:47:00] other religious people,
Branch: Yeah.
De’Vannon: calm and authoritative. And this stood out to them. You know? So your Sadducees are Pharisees where Jesus is enemies today’s world.
Those are your Republicans and your evangelicals. Okay. These are the people who are trying to put on a show, all of the pump and all the circumstance. And everything’s a big deal. Everyone else is wrong and we’re right. Every generation has it. And so. So in, in, so in keeping with this thinking, I want to talk about some of the things that church tells us it’s fucked up because other people have heard it. These are the things, some of the, some of the things that have pissed people off about the church and why they’ve left, because it doesn’t add up when talking about alcohol, dancing, worldly music, all of that stuff.
Those are the things that I was told was just the devil. When I was a child and I was all fucked up and confused. I was like, shit, I want to go to my high school dance. But if I do, I’m going to burn in hell and God won’t love me and everything like that. [00:48:00] And so, so that start with alcohol and the Bible tells us not to get drunk off our asses and things like that.
And it gives us a reason because it’ll make a mockery of us and it will act a fool, just like all the things God tells us to do is not because he’s trying to be authoritative it’s because there’s actually a common sense reason behind it. Why you wouldn’t want to do it any way, if you stop and think about it.
So. Just initially, what are your initial thoughts on the consumption of a refreshing adult beverage?
Branch: Yeah, well, let me, let me go back to what you had just said a minute. You know, the church today, anyway, the church we’re familiar with, but all the way back into the church history, I mean the Christian Church, the church is very accepting of people. As long as the congregants are [00:49:00]accepting the church’s doctrine and interpretation of doctrine and of the, the mediators of the priests pastor and the Pope, you know, the church is about control and it’s about money.
Okay. The church is always ready to condemn those who are not doing what the church wants them to do. And this is what you just alluded to, you know, in the Pentecostal church, that the only way that you can come to God is through the speaking of tongues. Well, the Catholic church is the same way. The only way you can come to God is if you come through the priest, right, or through ultimately the Pope, then you’re the intermediaries [00:50:00] between you as a, as a believer and God as the entity and the fallacy of the church is any church is that you have to come through us as the church.
In order to have access to God. And as long as that’s the belief that someone is in, that they are going to be accepting of and proponents of the way the church operates. And once you, you find people who step outside of that boundary, then they’re ostracized or ex-communicated, or pressured to either get back into the fold orally because the church can’t have any dissent within it because that threatens their whole, the power base that they control over the people who come to church.
So whether it’s speaking in [00:51:00] tongues or whether it’s, you know, taking communion on Sunday or going to confession or, or having to go through the priest to get to God. That’s the fallacy of the church has an organization, regardless of what the church name is or what they call themselves. God never intended for us to have to go through somebody else to come to him.
All we have to do is go through Christ. That’s one of the reasons you provided Christ for us, and so that we would have a direct line to him as the creator and sovereign power of the universe. As far as, you know, drinking drugs, sex, rock, and roll, that’s a personal choice. And my personal belief is whatever activity you intend to engage in.
As long as it [00:52:00] does no harm to others. And you do it in moderation and it doesn’t make you a wild and crazy dangerous person, you know, who am I to dictate what you can and can’t do. God has already dictated to man in the 10 commandments, what he should and shouldn’t do. And there’s nothing about drinking wine or beer or any other alcoholic beverage in there, except don’t do it to excess.
You know, don’t become a drunkard. You know, it’s only the, I watched an interesting program last night on this Trumpy attempt to take over the government and it was on CNN and it was about, you know, the rise of fascism and this is nothing new, but you’ll notice as was pointed out through history, all of these kinds of movements are all.
Weighing conserver [00:53:00] political conservative movements. And rather than give up power to the Progressive’s to the liberals, for the people who walk to spread the wealth, provide for their, their communities and their people. It’s very all of these movements, all of these fascist political things happen because of the conservative parties, the people with the power and money, not wanting to lose that power and money.
And they would rather destroying the system, then provide for the people. Of their own countries with progressive kinds of programs and, and help. And that’s what we’re seeing. And the people who are drawn to that are the people who are afraid that what they have is going to be taken away. And this is the [00:54:00] common theme of all of these right-wing political movements, and that is those others are going to take what you’ve got and they’ll use any part of religion that they can to bolster their right, to keep what they’ve got and not let anyone else have an opportunity to get all of these things play in to, you know, this is why religion is such a big part of political law.
And social life, because if you’re not with us, you’re against us. And you know, we have the only access to God. So if you don’t want the access to God and you’re not going to come with us, then we’re going to do what we can to destroy you. And we live in dangerous times and church, the church as an [00:55:00] organization uses its power and its corruption to keep its power.
And the people who buy right into that are the political right in every country, not just here in every country, the hard nosed extreme. Right. You know they’re out to destroy the system rather than let anybody else participate in the system. That’s not exactly like them. White, Christian. No, it’s, it’s the world we live in.
And once you realize it’s the world we live in, then all the more reason you should get a spiritual relationship with God, so that you see the truth. And even if, if the, you know, the truth comes knocking at your door in the form of dangerous people, at least you have God on your side and [00:56:00] his protection.
And if your life has taken, at least, you know where you’re going to go and you can stand before God knowing you had a truthful heart. Yeah. It’ll be interesting to see how many of those hardcore evangelical Trumpy and Christians, you know, missed that last call and are not where they think they’re going to be when it’s all over or they’re there.
And they have to face Joe. You know, people need, we need to think about the future right now because we’re part of what is going to escalate into very dangerous times. And if we don’t have a relationship with the Lord, we’re going to be in dire straights.
De’Vannon: Right. I agree. It’s very, short-sighted this whole fight over things of this world, you know, but this is, this is the spirit of anti-Christ, you know, the way Republicans and Angelicals are, know, they’re fighting for political power, but if the world’s going to burn up and not going to be here anyway, then I [00:57:00] think it’s more prudent to.
To fight for a spiritual strength because you have an afterlife is permanent. This one’s not permanent. You don’t know if you’re going to be alive one day to the next. So it was very shortsighted and to be on Grinchy about it.
Branch: Yeah.
De’Vannon: want our money, But not the black and brown people and the Asians and all of them, you know, but they’re going to just take it all.
You know, the Bible says that there will be where no fear was because of inequity, you know, because iniquity shall abound, you know, they get really, ain’t got nothing to be afraid of, but they’re so the way they are, whatever word you’d want to put in there, they’ve created fear where there isn’t anything to be afraid of immigrants and people like that.
Coming here with like little or no power at all, how in the hell are they going to take anything from white people? They just trying to get a job help out where they can not cause a scene not to get deported and maybe help their family come over here. Their needs are very simple. And so, but insecure people is not.
Branch: and I, you, [00:58:00] you and I both served in the military. And when you’re in the military, you are thrown together in a living and working situation with all kinds of different people, from all different kinds of backgrounds and all kinds of different places and beliefs and.
I couldn’t count on one hand, the number of adverse relationships I had with different people in the military. I had friends that were from all kinds of different places, all kinds of different backgrounds, all kinds of different colors and beliefs. And, you know, that’s the one melting pot that if you don’t have a closed heart, you will be able to see people for who they are and what they bring to the situation.
You know, you, you can break that bond of about [00:59:00] racism when you serve with people of different color. Yeah, you may not get along with all of them, the ones that you do get along with you see them as people. And not as, you know, a different race or different religious belief ethnicity.
now you still have, obviously, especially today, you know, white supremacists and right-wing extremists are serving in the military. But my experience growing up as a military and then serving in the military is I had friends of all persuasions and all colors, and they were just great people, and, and bias or prejudice that I had going in.
With soon negated when I saw them as real people and not some concept, know, that I had [01:00:00]been sold or believed in or raised with they are certain way because of their skin color their religious background. So you can get over it. If you choose to see people as people and having a, a spirit relationship with the Lord will help you do that.
You know, I hate to always keep coming back to that spiritual relationship, that’s what it’s all about. If you want to grow a person, get connected to God, you know, get connected to Christ and he will you to see the He’ll allow you to see people for who they are. You know, are all brothers and sisters, believe it or not the ones who, who won’t believe that it won’t change.
To come to realize that early hurting themselves, and there’s going to be a heavy price to pay for it here. I’m here after.
De’Vannon: You mentioned communion and I’m going to be doing. Show in the [01:01:00] future about communion and everything like that, but just to touch on it, because we’re talking about, you know, wine and everything like that, you know, Jesus, his first miracle was turning water into wine. I heard a preacher one time say trying to defend his thou shalt, not drink wine stance.
He was like, Well,
he, Jesus turned the water and the great Jews. They didn’t have time to ferment. I’m like, bitch. I think if God created the whole world, he could at least make fermented wine if he wants to, you know, just saying. And so, but I love the communion story. The way Jesus is having the dinner with his the dinner that the bread and the wine with his disciples and everything like that the night before he goes to be crucified when he’s getting ready to go before the council is not the night before he gets crucified.
And so what I’d like to do is to do communion at home. And so I want to be [01:02:00] teaching people how to do that in a future episode, because there’s power in communion. I don’t look at it. I don’t think I need to eat it out of the hand of a priest or anything like that. I just ordered me some unleavened bread online, and I got me some wine, some fermented wine.
That’s about 15% alcohol. And and that’s what I do because when I’ve had communion, I had at one time when I was a kid, the priest, actually the pastor brought it over to my grandmother’s house because back in those days, the preachers used to deliver communion to the elderly people. And so, and I was just a nosy kid.
I wouldn’t run it up there. I don’t know. I must’ve been like seven, eight, you know, back in like the eighties, early nineties or something. And I’m just, I’m just running on in there just to see what’s going on. And the preacher turns to me, he’s like, he wants them to him. I like share, I don’t know what this is.
I’m like that type of kid, whatever. Let’s just do it. It isn’t about, but when I when I drank that, that, that in his case, grape juice out of that cup, I felt power shoot through the lower half of my body [01:03:00]is like, like, God touched me. Not my upper half, but just from like my waist down. And I like, kind of like stumbled it, it was something the spirit did.
Maybe it was a healing I needed, I don’t know, but my body was clicking that way and I it’s, something was loose and, you know, and it changed the change in my anatomy or something happened. So I can’t explain exactly what happened, but I know I didn’t make it up. And I know that there is power in taking the time to honor the sacrifice of the Lord through communion.
And I believe in doing it at home, I do believe in doing it at church. And so, so I’m gonna teach people how to do communion for themselves. In a future episode, I got me this cute little communion cup set off the internet too. It’s going to be a whole thing. And so, and so, but you know, Jesus, I wanted to clarify, you know, Jesus being a Nazarene versus a NAZA right, because.
Do you know, Jesus refused a strong drink when he was on the wine. Some people may try to when he was on the cross and [01:04:00] some people may try to take that and try to say, you know, guilt you about you. You want to stop by happy hour or whatever after you’ve had a long day at work. Okay. So I’m going to read this excerpt.
So y’all bear with me for a second. So Jesus was a Nazarene. He was not a NAZA right. The two terms are often confused for one another. The term Nazareen refers to someone who lived in the town of Nazareth. We know he’s called Jesus of Nazareth and a NAZA right. It’s someone such as Samson, you know, Sampson couldn’t cut his hair, you know, who took a special vow before God and was subsequently consecrated to God for service.
So a Nazarite is something you have to take a vow to become the, put yourself under. Extra restrictions. And as a Marine is just word where Jesus was born. And I read somewhere where that, that strong drink that Jesus refused had like like a numbing agent in it. And he didn’t want to do it, take anything that was going to take away any of the pain for what he was going through.
And so this is getting back to what I always tell people is to research things for yourselves. [01:05:00]So don’t let anybody tell you, alcohol is wrong. You can have your drink, baby. Just don’t get a DUI, you know, and just don’t be reckless with it. God teaches us responsibility, but he is not opposed to libations. And Let’s talk about masturbation and my gosh, there’s nothing better than a good wink. All. Sometimes you just got to like pull it out and pleasure yourself, you know, and just, you know, it’s, it’s so great. And I’ve done shows on this before. There’s all sorts of great things that happen in your anatomy.
Whenever you have a sexual release is good to relieve stress, and it just helps all kinds of things like that. In the case of men, you know, we wouldn’t want to get blue balls now, would we? That’s not like. That’s not just like a, a term, like, it’s real. Like if you, if you, like, if a guy, especially for me, like if I have that busted in that in like a while, or maybe like a day or whatever, like my balls start to hurt, [01:06:00] like that whole area is really Tinder.
And but if I just go wink it and spank it real quick, you know, all that pain goes away. It’s like an actual medical term for all of this. Now, when I was growing up, they told me masturbation was the devil in charge. And so I was all fucked up and confused. You know, I’m like a teenager now I’ve got this hard Dick, you know, but nobody’s telling me what I can do with it.
They’re just telling me what I can do with, and then that’s something that’s a blame. I lay at the feet of the church. They’ve got all these nos, but they don’t have any fucking alternatives. And so. There’s a situation that happened in the old Testament. I can’t remember this dude’s name, but the Lord told everybody to be fruitful and multiply.
His brother died, left a wife. And in the nation of Israel, the custom was, if the brother died, then the living brother would take on that wife and raise up children in as a way to honor the dead brother. Well, I guess he didn’t [01:07:00] give a fuck about his brother or whatever. So he wanted to fuck this girl. He didn’t want to come and bite of her to have the children, but he wanted to use her body.
The Lord saw his deception and killed him because of his deception. So the people in church said, well, you see that his semen was filled on the ground, whether than the woman. So therefore, because it, semen was spilled on the ground, no one should. And so that was a lot that they gave me as a teenager, I believe.
And so that every time I masturbated, I would just feel terrible and I’ll fill out guilt and condemn like days after that, I would just feel like so bad, know, because of what these people told me, the only other thing is in the old Testament, and this is the old Testament. Jesus released us from all of these restrictions, unless you just want to be restricted by
Branch: Cool.
De’Vannon: But if a man had a wet dream that he had to go into a period of isolation and because he was considered unclean, okay, well, you [01:08:00] know, that doesn’t really have anything to do with us anymore, but those are the only two things that really ever had anything to do with sperm, you know, but they use the. The case of the deceitful man, to try to tell us that all masturbation was wrong.
So it’s just like with the tongues, just because they had a tongue experience on the day of Pentecost, does it mean that that has to apply to everybody else, to the rest of all life? You know, just because this dude decided to be all evil got killed by God, does it mean that I can not jerk off? So what are your thoughts about this? It felt
Branch: Well,
Here again, the church is about control. They try to control your thoughts by threats of a punishing God, and they try to control your actions to make you feel guilty. You’re human. So [01:09:00] you’re going to respond in human waste. I mean, you know, that’s a simple fact, especially young people who are, you know, growing and coming into puberty and, and testing the bounds of their rebellious.
That’s just what teen life and young adult life is all about finding your place in your world and the things, how you express yourself. So the church tries to control your thoughts by presenting God as a punishing gun. And they try to control the congregants actions by saying, if you do these things, your condemn, and the only way you can get out of that condemnation is through us through the church, through the priest, through the pastor, through the Pope, because we are the intermediary intermediate between you sinner and doer of terrible things.
And [01:10:00] God, and if you want God’s forgiveness, the only way you can get that for your sinful actions is to come through us. So, you know, it’s all a contrived situation of power and control again. And if they can control you, then you’ll do whatever they say to do or not to do. You know, you don’t need that intermediary to have a relationship or to.
Commune with God. No. How many people did John, the Baptist baptized in God’s name? I don’t recall him ever getting a theology degree and he certainly wasn’t a rabbi. So, you know, those, those who are working for God, if they’re truly working for God and they’re not doing it to elevate themselves or gain control or power or money, [01:11:00] they’re doing it because they’ve been called to serve.
We know what’s right and wrong innately. We know because we are creatures of God. He created us. So he put that sense of right and wrong within us from the. And assess that as we grow as children, it becomes manipulated, you know, we can do what is right and be rewarded, or we can do what is wrong and be punished.
And that’s, you know, that’s our sole experience with right and wrong is reward and punishment. And that’s exactly how the legal system works. That’s exactly how the Jewish legal system worked, you know, in the, in the ancient days, in the old Testament days that was reward and protection, or there was punishment Christ has done away with all of that.
As you said earlier, you know, with the new Testament and with the [01:12:00] advent of Jesus Christ as savior. That that negates the power of the church. You don’t need the church B any denomination to get to God you need, you know, an intermediary and for the Christian, that intermediary, that arbitrator, that mediator is Jesus Christ.
If you have a relationship with Christ, that’s all you need. Again, you know, if you want to, whatever your activities are, who is who’s going to condemn you outside of Christ. And the whole point of his coming was to save us centers. If you, if you’re a believer in Christ, you know, your sins are covered.
The key is to stop sitting once you, you know, make that belief once you accept that relationship with Jesus, [01:13:00] And if you get baptized in his name, you declare that publicly that you are now a child of Christ, okay. Then the choice becomes, what activities are you going to do? And within those activities, are you going to continue to be a believer or you just gotta be a drunken, you know, masturbating, fool.
If I w if you believe in Christ, you are covered, we’re godless of what society says, or regardless of what the legal system says. If we don’t obey the laws, whatever they may be, then there’s a punishment to those laws. But if you are a believer and follower of Christ, you need not worry about those things because your innate desire is to be obese via both.
You know, and to the moral and [01:14:00] ethical character and nature of God it’s, it’s not difficult to obey the speed limit. You know, it’s not difficult to be law abiding citizens, but you could also be a spiritually abiding citizen, and that will cover you in all the other areas of your life that you’re struggling with.
Those who will meet Christ in the next life, regardless of who they are here or what their behavior has been here will be, there will be a tone for, and we’ll be, you know, face judgment, but be relieved because of their belief. But when you become a belief that doesn’t give you free license, as Paul said, you know, to continue to be wild and crazy, you become a thinking analytical person at that point.
And you realize something that is illegal or immoral [01:15:00] or unethical is not in my best interest. The consequences of that kind of activity, whether I’m a believer or not can be detrimental to my health and wellbeing. The point of having that relationship is that before I engage in excessive or harmful behavior, The spirit of Christ steps in and says, wait a minute, you know, is that really what you want to do?
You know, here’s some of the consequences of that kind of behavior. So the great thing about having the spirit of God in your life is he doesn’t dictate to you or tell you what you should do. You still have free will at any point in a choice or decision making situation, you can still do what you want to do.
But what his spirit is going to do is going to come to you and say, if you do that, if you follow your selfish desires, if you continue down the world’s path in this situation [01:16:00] and you make this kind of illegal unethical or a moral decision, the consequences of that decision and that behavior and response is going to be X, Y, and Z.
Now your choice is you don’t know. God has in mind, if you’re obedient and you turn to his path and turn your back on the world’s way, there will be a reward of some kind, because that’s what he says. I bless my obedient children. So if you choose to be obedient, you can rest assured that God will be intervening in your life in the future.
But if you turn your back on his holy Spirit’s guidance and direction, and you follow your selfish, worldly desire, he’s just loving enough to show you, Hey, I’m not going to keep you from making that choice, but if you make that choice, here’s the negative consequences at the end of that. Now the choice is yours.[01:17:00]
And when you realize that and you start living your life as an obedient child, all of a sudden the stress and the struggle and the detrimental things to your future are eliminated because you’re not going down that path. You’re going down the path that brings you closer to God because you’re acting more Christ like you’re behaving the way Christ would behave.
That’s why you asked yourself what would Jesus do in this situation? And right away, you’re going to know. And at the end of that road is blessings and protection. And you may not believe me, but that’s the God’s awful truth. I’ve lived 75 years and the last 40 of them have been on that path. And I can’t even begin to believe, believe, or express all the blessings that I have, what he’s done for me.
He’ll do for you.
De’Vannon: Cheryl NEF. So I liked what you said about like negative consequences and the blog soon [01:18:00] about like the common sense of the 10 commandments. Like, I guess I kind of said this earlier, too, like the things that God tells us not to do, there’s always some sort of practical, helpful benefit to why it’s not just no for no sake, you know, there’s like a reasoning behind it.
If you sit down and think about it. And so, so like when the church told us, you know, dancing was bad, you know, worldly music and all of that. So, I mean, if I do the Mako Reyna or if I do salsa, You know, according to the Pentecostal people, that’s the devil. So if I troll around on the dance floor, I can’t really see that I’ve done anything, but how to work out.
But of course,
Branch: that’s their interpretation of scripture, right? God, doesn’t say that God doesn’t David danced, you know, all the time. And, and praise of God, that’s the church, whatever the down nomination is, again, manipulating scripture for their own purposes. [01:19:00] Look, the 10 commandments are real simple. There’s five have to do with God that are things you do.
there’s five that have to do with us as humans are things that we should do. It’s that simple, you know, we needed more direction those 10. He would have given Moses more than 10, but those 10 cover every and every aspect your life. Anything that you can get yourself in is covered by one of those 10.
And if you don’t know those 10, then the two you need to know are the ones that Christ sent love God first and most love your neighbor as yourself on these two, hang all the laws. The 10 original ones and the 600 that the Jews fuck, you know, gave themselves after the 10 and all the words of the [01:20:00]prophet.
So everything that the prophets had to say that was given to them from, by God and all of the laws that he gave Moses, and that the Jews then gave themselves all of those are covered in love God first and most love your neighbors. Yourself, teach your neighbor as your brother, treat them the way you want to be treated on these two, hang all the laws and the prophets.
That’s all a Christian has to know and apply in their lives. And you’re going to be covered because you’ll know what you should and shouldn’t be doing as an obedient child of God. It’s not difficult. It’s really quite simple. The rub is that, you know, we got the angel on one side and the devil on the other side and the devil’s got a megaphone.
And the entire world is continually bombarding us with temptations that are not in our best interest. You know, we [01:21:00] have to remember who the prince of this world is and why he’s doing what he’s doing.
De’Vannon: Now those two Oz on which hangout those two principles on which hang all the laws and the profits, the love love God first and most than your neighbor as yourself. I wanted to offer a deposit, even that one can use. We can use those two things in order to evaluate somebodies motives. So, you know,
Branch: Sure.
De’Vannon: So, is this what I’m seeing this person do?
showing love to their neighbor in? Are they really putting God first? So if so, if the Republicans, they’re going to say, if a woman wants to get an abortion, we’re going to get us a $10,000 payment to go and stop them. So I look at that and I go, I don’t really feel like that’s showing love. I feel like that’s showing force.
So as an example [01:22:00] of using those principles to evaluate, so in that particular case, we’ve seen this before. Cause when, when, before Saul became Paul, he did the same thing that they did, Texas. He went to the us and Hedron, he went to the government to get a legal authorization, to stop people from acting in a way that he thought that they should not be acting.
So the people in Texas went to the government to get permission, to stop women from doing things that in their opinion, they didn’t feel like they should be doing for whatever the reason. It’s all on his way to execute this. It was intercepted by Jesus and he told him he was wrong. It didn’t matter how righteous thought he was.
It didn’t matter what scriptures he was using, a backup, his persecution of these people in this matter that the religious leaders had given him authorization at all seemed right on paper. all seemed right to the people who were allowed to relate as authorities of the day. But Jesus said not so because he was not showing love to his neighbor.
showing criticism and [01:23:00] judgment his neighbor. And so does that as an example of how we can use those two principles to evaluate people, are they really acting in love with what they’re doing is this just judgment and criticism really, you know, or force in God is not about force. And so having said all this.
Was this, the last one, the last thing that I’ll say, if you have a habit, if you’re doing something, okay, you come to God. Now you’ve accepted him. You confess Jesus, you believe, and I’m gonna let you lead our alter call pair of remission, whatever you have. You want to re recall it. Rupinder’s prayer.
After I pray for people too, about the guilt and shame here in just a second understand people that you, you, you know, you, you know, you may not get fixed overnight, you know, every now and then we might hear one of these testimony. Somebody will be like, I’ve been on drugs [01:24:00] or however many years went to church one night and I haven’t done drugs since I got a miracle deliverance and I’ve been off 30 year drugs off 30.
That was an instant deliverance. Okay, great. If that really happened, because we weren’t there to verify what they did or didn’t do after they supposedly had an instant deliverance. That would hold your breath for that. I’m not going to say what God can’t do because he can, but if that doesn’t happen, I want you to be patient with yourself because the Bible says that the Lord will correct us here.
A little there, a little. Line upon line precept upon precept. You’re not going to get delivered from anything and especially not until God is ready for it to happen. Your task is to consistently try and to keep going back to God, no matter how many times you mess up understanding that he’s the only perfect one and you never will be.
So that means if you, or doing whatever bad thing, thing, thing that you have decided that you don’t want to do anymore. Maybe you’re going to the casino every night. [01:25:00] Maybe you’re cheating on your wife or whatever the fucking case may be. Then you’re like, God, I want to change. And if you go back and do it again, that’s okay.
Just pray about it and get back up again and continue. So I’m saying just because you accept Christ doesn’t mean a magic wand. Is it going to be waived in all of your habits and problems and things that you know are not in your best interests are not going to disappear in an instant. And so I want you to be have realistic expectations, but you will grow over time.
Just like any other relationship does your relationship with God will grow over time and you will get better as he changes you. Your job is to not give up on him because he’s not going to give up on you and not to walk away from the process. And so with that, I’m going to say a quick prayer about the the guilt and the shame and everything like that.
And then you can say any final words you want to, or that I want you to lead us in like a prayer of repentance. [01:26:00] So father right now in the name of Jesus, I coming to you understanding that you have all the power and all the glory and all the honor. Yes. The Bible does say that power belongs to God. It doesn’t belong to us.
So I’ll come into you giving you all the honor. I should have look upon this conversation that branch and I have had an everyone who’s gone to hear it, that your power moved from your throne through branch nine, out there into this world and affect whatever change you would have it to affect. It’s not us, it’s you not unto us.
Oh God not unto us, but until your name be the glory. So honor our efforts here, crown our efforts with success. And I’m asking you to release people from the lie and the burden and the delusion of guilt, shame and condemnation, because you would not have us tied up. You came here so that we can be made free.
Whom the son sets free is free and needs a lot of mess you to give us a spirit of liberation, the spirit of freedom, a deeper peace, and a spirit of hope [01:27:00] in Jesus name.
Branch: Amen brother. Amen.
De’Vannon: And so with that, you could say whatever it is you want to say then within give us that accepting Jesus, prayer, you know, how they do it at the end of the church, you know, the benediction prayer.
Branch: The doxology.
De’Vannon: Yeah. The doxy
doxy doxy.
Branch: Okay. Here’s the, here’s the pairs, the doxy for today. Re pet. Is what God calls us to do, but what is repentance? Repentance is actual change in future behavior. When I repent, I’m declaring and I promising the behavior that I have just come through that was negative will not happen in the [01:28:00] future because I will change my behavior in the future.
And once we have actually changed our future behavior, when we’re attempted again to do that old pattern, to be our old self, and we deny ourselves of that old pattern behavior, and we change our new response, then we actually merit forgiveness. And in reality, isn’t that what we’re all coming to God and come into Christ for his forgiveness of our sins and our sinful behavior forgiveness of our old self, because in our repentance and in our training, we truly become a new creature Christ.[01:29:00]
So when were we actually change? And when we actually change, God sees that change forgives us who we used to be and accepts us with loving and open arms of who we are now.
De’Vannon: Absolutely.
Branch: okay.
De’Vannon: No. I want you to do like the actual prayer though, like you did with like you did before, those are your last words. And I did ask for that too. Absolutely. But just, just as though whoever out there somebody may have heard this, you know what I want this Jesus, how do I, you know,
Branch: Okay. Okay. Not, not being a priest or pastor and not having a congregation. I’ll just call on the Lord, our God and father davana and I [01:30:00] are so Sears seen Sowers attempting to serve you, or may those who have heard us today and may have heard us in, in the past, they take to heart our efforts in showing them and allowing them to better understand you.
We know that. That our jobs are to serve you and to spread the word that those who are seeking and searching my discover, all the things you’re waiting to do in their lives for them and their fam Davanon. And I ask you today to bless them and allow them to see your magnificent, your kind of glory and understand your words, it would lead them to new lives, protected and blessed by you that you may do for them.
[01:31:00] What you have done for us. These things I ask in the name of Jesus Christ, the true center of the living. God, my Lord, rock, my Redeemer, my fortress in my sheet. You amen.
De’Vannon: Hallelujah on a Tuesday morning in brains can be found at manna oh, publishing that com and all of his contact information will be in this show. We notes as they always are. And absolutely. Thank you so much for coming on the show today, my friend.
Branch: Thank you, buddy. I appreciate your time and all that you do.
De’Vannon: All right. Be blessed, everyone.
Thank you all so much for taking time to listen to the sex drugs and Jesus podcast. It really means everything to me. Look, if you [01:32:00] love the show, you can find more information and resources at sex, drugs, and jesus.com or wherever you listen to your podcast. Feel free to reach out to me directly at DeVannon@SexDrugsAndJesus.com and on Twitter and Facebook as well.
My name is De’Vannon and it’s been wonderful being your host today and just remember that everything is going to be all right.
