WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.571 --> 00:00:09.133 Real Life presents the Jack Hibbs Podcast, with intention and boldness to proclaim truth, equip the saints, and impact our culture. 2 00:00:09.993 --> 00:00:11.473 You say, you Christians are brainwashed. 3 00:00:11.593 --> 00:00:16.254 Would to God that we were brainwashed more? 4 00:00:17.174 --> 00:00:20.715 I want my brain washed, scrubbed, sterilized. 5 00:00:21.415 --> 00:00:25.935 I want my mind purged of the things of the past. 6 00:00:26.135 --> 00:00:28.836 Scrub your mind with the Bible. 7 00:00:33.213 --> 00:00:41.958 Today, if this podcast lifts you up and encourages you to live a more fulfilled life in Christ, then make sure you leave us one of those five-star ratings. 8 00:00:42.379 --> 00:00:45.441 To us, that's like saying amen or yes. 9 00:00:45.821 --> 00:00:48.262 Then that rating will encourage others to listen. 10 00:00:48.983 --> 00:00:51.885 Now open your hearts to what God's Word has to say to you. 11 00:00:52.365 --> 00:00:53.726 Here is Jack Hibbs. 12 00:00:55.573 --> 00:00:59.076 Now, apparently we all have a hunger for knowledge, a desire for knowledge. 13 00:00:59.636 --> 00:01:01.738 It depends on how we look at it. 14 00:01:01.978 --> 00:01:03.059 I took a picture of this. 15 00:01:03.099 --> 00:01:03.779 I was at P.F. 16 00:01:03.839 --> 00:01:05.360 Chang's the other day. 17 00:01:06.001 --> 00:01:12.265 And this is the way the world wants to communicate to us the world's wisdom. 18 00:01:13.186 --> 00:01:14.067 And I had to take a picture. 19 00:01:14.087 --> 00:01:14.907 I just had to do this. 20 00:01:15.928 --> 00:01:22.233 My fortune cookie told me that I have a lifetime of joyous celebrations coming. 21 00:01:22.253 --> 00:01:22.533 Okay. 22 00:01:24.199 --> 00:01:25.360 How did they know at P.F. 23 00:01:25.380 --> 00:01:33.064 Chang that I'm a Christian and that when I die, I'm going to go to heaven and enter into all kinds of celebrations and enjoy the Lord Jesus Christ? 24 00:01:33.104 --> 00:01:33.924 How did they know that? 25 00:01:35.025 --> 00:01:35.745 I don't think P.F. 26 00:01:35.765 --> 00:01:36.726 Chang is wise. 27 00:01:36.926 --> 00:01:37.606 I think P.F. 28 00:01:37.626 --> 00:01:42.609 Chang got lucky because that cookie happened to be in front of me. 29 00:01:43.469 --> 00:01:48.712 But I took that word from the restaurant and I applied it in light of the Bible. 30 00:01:49.352 --> 00:01:50.633 And I would say amen to that. 31 00:01:52.745 --> 00:01:54.887 Because there's truth that precedes the cookie. 32 00:01:56.108 --> 00:01:57.289 That is eternal truth. 33 00:01:58.790 --> 00:02:04.375 But listen, have you ever opened up a fortune cookie and it says, this week's gonna be very horrible. 34 00:02:04.435 --> 00:02:08.639 You need to really hang on and double down and get strong and look to the Lord. 35 00:02:09.059 --> 00:02:11.682 No, everything is, it's gonna be wonderful. 36 00:02:11.742 --> 00:02:14.244 You're gonna see some interesting things. 37 00:02:14.284 --> 00:02:16.086 You're gonna meet fascinating people. 38 00:02:16.106 --> 00:02:19.449 They tell you all this stuff that down deep inside you're looking for. 39 00:02:20.129 --> 00:02:20.850 Well, how about this? 40 00:02:21.230 --> 00:02:26.433 How about God giving you the truth that you may or may not be aware that you're looking for? 41 00:02:26.453 --> 00:02:31.037 The Bible tells us in Hosea 12, verse 10, that it is God. 42 00:02:31.237 --> 00:02:40.543 He says, I have also spoken by the prophets and have multiplied visions and have given symbols through the witness of the prophets. 43 00:02:40.603 --> 00:02:42.905 Meaning this, that when God speaks, 44 00:02:43.545 --> 00:02:46.786 He announces it's all to make things clear. 45 00:02:47.206 --> 00:02:48.907 Romans chapter 12, verse 2. 46 00:02:49.167 --> 00:02:55.289 Romans 12, verse 2 says, and do not become or do not be conformed. 47 00:02:55.869 --> 00:02:58.010 The words and do not, it means stop it. 48 00:02:58.590 --> 00:03:01.831 In the Greek, it means stop being conformed to this world. 49 00:03:01.911 --> 00:03:03.672 Stop being like this world. 50 00:03:03.712 --> 00:03:07.573 Oh my goodness, young people today, or maybe, isn't it, maybe all of us, huh? 51 00:03:08.433 --> 00:03:11.955 I feel like in the book of Proverbs, because I'm old, I want to bring a bunch of young people 52 00:03:14.657 --> 00:03:19.379 tell them, but then the reality is they could probably point right back at me. 53 00:03:20.139 --> 00:03:23.301 What things in the world try to creep in to give you some sort of value? 54 00:03:24.161 --> 00:03:25.442 That's conforming to the world. 55 00:03:25.462 --> 00:03:25.982 Don't do that. 56 00:03:26.982 --> 00:03:35.626 What things creep into your life in the way of thought or the way of appreciation or the way of direction that's of the world, and you derive something out of it? 57 00:03:35.646 --> 00:03:41.609 The Bible says, watch out, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove, test, 58 00:03:43.378 --> 00:03:47.119 What is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God? 59 00:03:48.219 --> 00:03:48.739 Remarkable. 60 00:03:48.799 --> 00:03:49.420 So here we go. 61 00:03:49.800 --> 00:03:52.200 Number two is in verses 8 to 19. 62 00:03:52.701 --> 00:03:58.702 And that is the way of wisdom in getting God right in our lives is by leaving bad behind. 63 00:03:58.782 --> 00:03:59.802 Can you write that down? 64 00:04:00.903 --> 00:04:02.343 Leaving bad behind. 65 00:04:02.363 --> 00:04:07.585 We're going to let everybody who gets convicted run out of the house today with their hair on fire. 66 00:04:08.765 --> 00:04:12.526 Because God is going to speak to some of us today about leaving bad behind. 67 00:04:16.011 --> 00:04:29.494 I cannot tell you, it's not legal for me to tell you, but the things that we have not only learned, but continue to learn that people will, you know, we get this information, get that information. 68 00:04:29.534 --> 00:04:41.517 Wait a minute, this person or this family or this group's been coming to the church for so long and then you find out that all of these horrible activities are going on in their private life. 69 00:04:43.692 --> 00:04:47.455 And as a pastor, it makes me sick to my stomach, and then I'm thinking, well, how did I fail? 70 00:04:47.815 --> 00:04:48.956 You know, that's how you, right? 71 00:04:48.996 --> 00:04:53.620 If you're a chef, if you cook and somebody doesn't like it, you don't blame the person that's eating it. 72 00:04:53.660 --> 00:04:56.202 You wind up seeing if you left out a recipe. 73 00:04:56.242 --> 00:05:08.071 So when I hear that somebody's living a fake life and they get found out, but I recognize their face, by association, something's wrong. 74 00:05:08.091 --> 00:05:08.371 Right? 75 00:05:10.213 --> 00:05:14.434 And in verse 8 he says to his son, My son, hear the instruction of your father. 76 00:05:14.454 --> 00:05:16.015 This is tender. 77 00:05:16.355 --> 00:05:18.415 And do not forsake the law of your mother. 78 00:05:18.455 --> 00:05:25.017 Verse 9, for they will be graceful ornaments on your head and chains about your neck. 79 00:05:25.037 --> 00:05:30.678 So the first thing we see here is that we ought to be listening, or learning I should say, on how to listen. 80 00:05:31.799 --> 00:05:32.159 Learning. 81 00:05:33.239 --> 00:05:34.319 How do we leave bad behind? 82 00:05:34.359 --> 00:05:36.380 We learn how to listen. 83 00:05:37.655 --> 00:05:41.136 The instruction that is coming here, notice, is coming from Solomon, the father. 84 00:05:41.577 --> 00:05:43.137 Now, I'm going to make this blanket statement. 85 00:05:44.818 --> 00:05:57.523 This whole book assumes that we're believers, and this whole book assumes that the father loves his child, and the mother loves her child, and that this is a home of believers. 86 00:05:59.252 --> 00:06:03.816 So you might sit here today and say, well, my home is not like that, or my life was not like that. 87 00:06:04.217 --> 00:06:06.639 Listen, just let God speak to you and pick up and go. 88 00:06:06.659 --> 00:06:08.541 But keep this in mind. 89 00:06:08.801 --> 00:06:10.883 The instruction is from the father and from the mother. 90 00:06:13.123 --> 00:06:14.084 And it's a beautiful thing. 91 00:06:14.704 --> 00:06:17.785 The voice of the father is speaking instruction vividly. 92 00:06:18.326 --> 00:06:23.148 Dads, fathers, we're to speak to our kids in a very vivid way. 93 00:06:23.629 --> 00:06:26.150 My son, hear the instruction of your father. 94 00:06:26.450 --> 00:06:30.132 The word implies that the instruction given by dad is vivid. 95 00:06:30.592 --> 00:06:31.553 It means hands-on. 96 00:06:34.291 --> 00:06:35.632 Very powerful way of teaching. 97 00:06:35.712 --> 00:06:39.473 Listen, young people today are not taught well when you tie them. 98 00:06:40.154 --> 00:06:42.075 I'm going to get hate mail for this, but you know what? 99 00:06:42.655 --> 00:06:49.358 When you put a kid in a chair and they've, you know, at eight years of age, they've got wiggles. 100 00:06:50.999 --> 00:06:55.781 But even if you strap them in with leather straps to the chair, it doesn't mean they're going to learn. 101 00:06:57.238 --> 00:07:04.939 Kids are kids, and you need to realize, we need to realize as parents, that the best way to teach our kids is to take the classroom outside. 102 00:07:06.027 --> 00:07:06.688 Get out there. 103 00:07:07.048 --> 00:07:08.349 Kids want to climb trees. 104 00:07:08.950 --> 00:07:10.951 Make it a teachable moment. 105 00:07:11.352 --> 00:07:13.894 Kids want to dig up worms and give them names. 106 00:07:14.514 --> 00:07:15.615 Let them do that. 107 00:07:15.756 --> 00:07:16.736 Study worms. 108 00:07:17.317 --> 00:07:18.258 Get into it. 109 00:07:18.338 --> 00:07:18.838 Find out. 110 00:07:18.858 --> 00:07:26.765 When a kid runs across the backyard because he saw a butterfly, then get that kid to learn everything they can about butterflies. 111 00:07:27.146 --> 00:07:31.670 But when you strap 40 kids in a classroom and you bore them to death... 112 00:07:32.678 --> 00:07:42.122 You basically kill their curiosity for learning, and the dad, the father, should be one who gives instruction in a vivid way. 113 00:07:42.202 --> 00:07:46.303 Dads, listen, you can't say to your kid, I don't want you to do that. 114 00:07:46.343 --> 00:07:47.304 And they say, why? 115 00:07:47.324 --> 00:07:49.705 They're not being disrespectful. 116 00:07:49.765 --> 00:07:50.005 Why? 117 00:07:50.045 --> 00:07:50.985 They want to know why. 118 00:07:51.065 --> 00:07:51.825 Tell me why. 119 00:07:51.845 --> 00:07:57.848 And when you say, because, that means you don't know what you're talking about. 120 00:07:58.855 --> 00:08:01.517 And it means that they will go get the answer somewhere else. 121 00:08:02.297 --> 00:08:07.541 God has ordained fathers to vividly instruct their children. 122 00:08:08.581 --> 00:08:11.083 What an honor to be called a parent. 123 00:08:12.104 --> 00:08:13.945 And God wants to encourage you in that area. 124 00:08:14.305 --> 00:08:16.746 And then the mother, look what it says, the voice of the mother. 125 00:08:17.087 --> 00:08:18.708 She brings the law. 126 00:08:19.288 --> 00:08:19.768 What is that? 127 00:08:19.908 --> 00:08:20.509 The law? 128 00:08:20.809 --> 00:08:24.071 You know, listen, your teenager doesn't want to hear this. 129 00:08:25.112 --> 00:08:26.653 Of course my mom brings the law. 130 00:08:28.340 --> 00:08:29.381 You don't understand, though. 131 00:08:30.302 --> 00:08:31.803 That's a very compassionate thing. 132 00:08:32.984 --> 00:08:37.728 Your mom is telling you that to have you be comforted. 133 00:08:38.248 --> 00:08:39.609 So what do you mean comforted? 134 00:08:40.050 --> 00:08:47.936 Your mom is trying to take the instruction that your dad just gave you, and your mom is trying to paint it in such a way that it's guardrails to your life. 135 00:08:50.399 --> 00:08:51.800 Moms are to give guardrails. 136 00:08:54.769 --> 00:08:55.890 It's quite amazing. 137 00:08:55.950 --> 00:08:59.293 God's design, by the way, mom, dad, family. 138 00:09:01.916 --> 00:09:04.919 According to human history, God invented the family. 139 00:09:06.840 --> 00:09:08.562 And God wants a family to be blessed. 140 00:09:08.622 --> 00:09:13.387 And God says, I want the dads to tell their kids instruction on how to live life. 141 00:09:14.459 --> 00:09:18.060 You say, Jack, I don't know if you want, I don't know if I should tell my kids how I lived my life. 142 00:09:18.080 --> 00:09:18.640 It was horrible. 143 00:09:18.960 --> 00:09:20.440 Tell them what you can. 144 00:09:20.780 --> 00:09:23.201 They can learn from your mistakes. 145 00:09:23.321 --> 00:09:25.341 Why would they ever have to repeat them? 146 00:09:29.182 --> 00:09:39.723 And he says to them something that is very, very beautiful, I think, and powerful here, where he talks about the very dressing, as it were. 147 00:09:41.184 --> 00:09:42.984 And all this leads to choices, people. 148 00:09:44.101 --> 00:09:45.323 How are we listening? 149 00:09:45.343 --> 00:09:46.104 Are we listening? 150 00:09:46.985 --> 00:09:49.508 We need to condition ourselves. 151 00:09:49.688 --> 00:10:02.124 Jesus said in Revelation 3 verse 22, he who has an ear, this is fine, watch this, let him hear, the word in Greek is aku, or aku, oh, 152 00:10:04.820 --> 00:10:07.021 And he says what the spirit says to the church. 153 00:10:07.661 --> 00:10:11.883 He who has an ear, let him hear what the spirit of God is saying to the church. 154 00:10:12.603 --> 00:10:20.227 And the word akuo means to take your ear and to bend it and put it. 155 00:10:20.427 --> 00:10:21.047 So watch this. 156 00:10:21.087 --> 00:10:22.047 This is what it actually means. 157 00:10:22.428 --> 00:10:22.888 You guys ready? 158 00:10:23.408 --> 00:10:26.890 I'm going to actually be giving you some graphic instruction. 159 00:10:28.030 --> 00:10:32.132 The word means to take your ear and to bend it and put it to the church. 160 00:10:33.791 --> 00:10:36.113 the point of interest, the source. 161 00:10:37.133 --> 00:10:38.374 So I got my ear on the word. 162 00:10:39.495 --> 00:10:41.776 I had to move it out. 163 00:10:42.096 --> 00:10:44.017 I brought the word up to it. 164 00:10:44.377 --> 00:10:47.339 I'm pressing the word against my ear. 165 00:10:47.359 --> 00:10:47.919 Are you hearing me? 166 00:10:48.720 --> 00:10:52.121 Listen, God says, Jesus says that's what I want you to do. 167 00:10:52.141 --> 00:10:57.885 I want you to take your ear and I want you to press it to the mouth of the Holy Spirit as he's speaking to you. 168 00:10:58.525 --> 00:11:01.987 Make it in efforts to hear what he's saying. 169 00:11:03.535 --> 00:11:04.896 Isn't that the heart of God? 170 00:11:05.176 --> 00:11:10.618 God says, I will be found by you if you seek after me with all of your hearts. 171 00:11:13.058 --> 00:11:15.419 Jesus says, press your ear to the truth. 172 00:11:16.720 --> 00:11:22.802 Isaiah chapter 50 verse 4 says, the Lord God has given me the tongue of the learned. 173 00:11:24.400 --> 00:11:28.402 That I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. 174 00:11:28.962 --> 00:11:31.104 He wakens me morning by morning. 175 00:11:31.424 --> 00:11:34.806 He awakens my ear to hear as the learned. 176 00:11:36.066 --> 00:11:39.028 That's a great, great prayer to pray for your own life. 177 00:11:40.650 --> 00:11:47.432 And those who loved religion in Jesus' day, but they didn't know God, in John chapter 8, verse 43, listen to this. 178 00:11:48.072 --> 00:11:53.853 Why do you not understand my speech, Jesus said, because you are not able to listen to my word. 179 00:11:54.533 --> 00:11:59.815 The word implies that they had their ears plugged with the world, plugged up. 180 00:11:59.975 --> 00:12:01.395 Can you imagine stuff hanging out of your ear? 181 00:12:04.103 --> 00:12:05.603 Now, Lisa and I, it's kind of funny. 182 00:12:05.844 --> 00:12:09.645 We're going through this age of our lives where, what did you say? 183 00:12:09.885 --> 00:12:10.605 I didn't say anything. 184 00:12:11.265 --> 00:12:11.865 It's so funny. 185 00:12:12.005 --> 00:12:14.066 I hear her when she's not speaking. 186 00:12:15.146 --> 00:12:17.027 And when she's speaking, I don't hear her. 187 00:12:19.207 --> 00:12:20.088 But it's mutual. 188 00:12:21.168 --> 00:12:22.348 She'll say, what did you say? 189 00:12:22.548 --> 00:12:23.189 I didn't say anything. 190 00:12:23.949 --> 00:12:24.649 No, I think you did. 191 00:12:24.749 --> 00:12:25.249 No, I didn't. 192 00:12:25.609 --> 00:12:26.790 Well, you did. 193 00:12:26.850 --> 00:12:27.470 You just forgot. 194 00:12:30.519 --> 00:12:32.300 Growing old in Jesus is awesome. 195 00:12:32.360 --> 00:12:33.040 There's grace. 196 00:12:33.460 --> 00:12:34.601 You have to use grace. 197 00:12:37.302 --> 00:12:49.826 But it's part of us having to train ourselves to listening. 198 00:12:51.287 --> 00:12:53.448 And the great thing about getting old, it's so great. 199 00:12:54.568 --> 00:12:56.509 I want you young people, I want to encourage you. 200 00:12:56.529 --> 00:12:59.370 As you get older, you actually... 201 00:13:01.951 --> 00:13:08.455 from your vantage point, you actually start looking better in the mirror as you get older. 202 00:13:09.115 --> 00:13:09.676 It's amazing. 203 00:13:09.936 --> 00:13:13.558 It's a miracle because your eyesight starts fading. 204 00:13:19.382 --> 00:13:24.085 And there's this portion of some years where everything you eat or look at, you start to gain weight. 205 00:13:25.630 --> 00:13:31.794 And then God in his goodness, as you get older, you start losing weight because your teeth hurt and you can't eat what you'd like to eat. 206 00:13:34.817 --> 00:13:36.338 But we are to incline. 207 00:13:36.378 --> 00:13:37.639 We have to make effort to hear. 208 00:13:37.659 --> 00:13:42.642 I'm going to give you a lot of verses on this because friends, it goes right into, I think this is a good way to take it. 209 00:13:43.043 --> 00:13:43.583 One of the ways. 210 00:13:43.883 --> 00:13:44.464 Friendships. 211 00:13:45.544 --> 00:13:46.065 Friendships. 212 00:13:47.406 --> 00:13:53.170 A lot of young people today, maybe all of us today need to watch out regarding friendships. 213 00:13:53.190 --> 00:13:53.430 Friendships. 214 00:13:54.161 --> 00:14:02.750 And in my notes, if you have my notes on page seven, I said something to the effect about, we've all heard the term marry up. 215 00:14:03.110 --> 00:14:04.051 You ever heard, you know what that means? 216 00:14:04.091 --> 00:14:04.511 Marry up. 217 00:14:05.933 --> 00:14:08.095 Marry up means you want to do better in your life? 218 00:14:08.155 --> 00:14:08.676 Marry up. 219 00:14:08.696 --> 00:14:09.316 That's what I did. 220 00:14:09.496 --> 00:14:10.838 I may be ugly, but I'm not dumb. 221 00:14:11.538 --> 00:14:13.280 I married Lisa and I married up. 222 00:14:15.442 --> 00:14:17.805 Young people today, if you're single, marry up. 223 00:14:20.136 --> 00:14:22.398 Well, listen, it starts with friendships first. 224 00:14:23.418 --> 00:14:24.799 Pick your friends wisely, folks. 225 00:14:27.321 --> 00:14:30.364 Just because you have something in common doesn't mean you're supposed to hang out with each other. 226 00:14:32.045 --> 00:14:32.725 You can go out to the... 227 00:14:33.066 --> 00:14:34.186 In fact, today's Sunday. 228 00:14:34.206 --> 00:14:35.647 There's a lot of people golfing today. 229 00:14:35.667 --> 00:14:37.389 They think they're enjoying things. 230 00:14:37.429 --> 00:14:38.950 Satan's out on the golf course today. 231 00:14:41.372 --> 00:14:41.952 Think about that. 232 00:14:46.916 --> 00:14:48.257 Might be somebody at work. 233 00:14:49.647 --> 00:14:50.347 could be a neighbor. 234 00:14:51.707 --> 00:14:52.788 Everything seems cool. 235 00:14:55.068 --> 00:14:58.088 But is God calling them? 236 00:15:00.469 --> 00:15:03.329 Has God brought them in to your life to be a friend? 237 00:15:04.770 --> 00:15:07.430 I've concluded in life, you don't need many friends. 238 00:15:08.790 --> 00:15:11.791 Just you want to make sure that they're true friends. 239 00:15:11.811 --> 00:15:17.852 2 Corinthians chapter 6, this applies to a broad spectrum of life in total. 240 00:15:18.793 --> 00:15:20.294 Do not be unequally yoked. 241 00:15:21.075 --> 00:15:26.919 Don't be hooked up to a yoke that's pulling a load together with unbelievers. 242 00:15:28.100 --> 00:15:30.622 For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? 243 00:15:30.982 --> 00:15:33.103 And what communion has light with darkness? 244 00:15:33.584 --> 00:15:35.845 And what accord has Christ with Belial? 245 00:15:36.126 --> 00:15:37.066 Another word for Satan. 246 00:15:37.807 --> 00:15:40.069 Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 247 00:15:40.929 --> 00:15:43.351 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? 248 00:15:43.711 --> 00:15:44.572 Speaking of your body. 249 00:15:44.592 --> 00:15:44.712 Amen. 250 00:15:47.346 --> 00:15:50.408 For you are the temple of the living God, as God has said. 251 00:15:50.809 --> 00:15:53.611 I will dwell in them and walk among them. 252 00:15:53.771 --> 00:15:55.812 I will be their God and they shall be my people. 253 00:15:55.852 --> 00:15:59.355 Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. 254 00:16:00.196 --> 00:16:00.996 Unequally yoked. 255 00:16:02.217 --> 00:16:08.242 People who are believers getting deeply involved, emotionally involved, maybe even falling in love with a non-believer. 256 00:16:08.262 --> 00:16:08.382 Right? 257 00:16:10.653 --> 00:16:14.354 And then one of the cover-ups says, oh, I just, but I love them. 258 00:16:15.094 --> 00:16:18.175 And, you know, we just advanced to this situation. 259 00:16:18.255 --> 00:16:19.975 I'm gonna pray that God saves them. 260 00:16:20.795 --> 00:16:22.596 That's noble, but just know this. 261 00:16:22.636 --> 00:16:23.396 God warns you. 262 00:16:24.696 --> 00:16:28.197 Unbeliever and a believer, they can't mix like oil and water. 263 00:16:28.217 --> 00:16:28.777 It doesn't work. 264 00:16:29.538 --> 00:16:34.359 Listen, when you have two believers married together, it's still gonna be a challenge. 265 00:16:35.239 --> 00:16:38.700 When you get an unbeliever and a believer together in marriage, 266 00:16:39.803 --> 00:16:43.464 It's so, so unnecessarily difficult. 267 00:16:43.784 --> 00:16:48.425 And then to add drama to dynamic when children come. 268 00:16:49.405 --> 00:16:50.866 I want to take them to Sunday school. 269 00:16:51.126 --> 00:16:53.126 My kids are not going to Sunday school. 270 00:16:54.087 --> 00:16:55.127 You know, all that kind of stuff. 271 00:16:56.627 --> 00:16:57.847 Watch out who you hang out with. 272 00:16:59.108 --> 00:17:01.208 Because you'll be like them. 273 00:17:01.608 --> 00:17:03.629 Inevitably, you'll be like them. 274 00:17:04.629 --> 00:17:08.232 And godliness is hard to maintain. 275 00:17:09.173 --> 00:17:12.216 Evil pulls and tugs and brings it down. 276 00:17:12.736 --> 00:17:13.917 It's hard to maintain that. 277 00:17:14.538 --> 00:17:16.199 It's best, what does the scripture say? 278 00:17:16.259 --> 00:17:21.304 A three-strand cord wrapped together is not easily broken. 279 00:17:22.184 --> 00:17:31.372 That's husband, in this analogy, friends or husbands and wives wrapped around God as the core. 280 00:17:33.186 --> 00:17:35.807 Proverbs chapter 18, verse 24. 281 00:17:37.447 --> 00:17:44.968 One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. 282 00:17:45.969 --> 00:17:46.489 I love that. 283 00:17:46.569 --> 00:17:46.769 Why? 284 00:17:46.789 --> 00:17:48.909 Because that friend is a friend in the spirit. 285 00:17:50.670 --> 00:17:52.590 Get yourself a good, godly friend. 286 00:17:52.630 --> 00:17:53.230 How do I do that? 287 00:17:53.570 --> 00:17:54.190 Get involved. 288 00:17:54.270 --> 00:17:54.991 Find somebody. 289 00:17:55.031 --> 00:17:56.211 Get involved in a ministry. 290 00:17:56.511 --> 00:17:57.631 Let God open up the door. 291 00:17:57.671 --> 00:17:58.511 That's how it happens. 292 00:17:58.591 --> 00:17:59.692 Birds of a feather. 293 00:18:01.232 --> 00:18:01.632 It's true. 294 00:18:05.221 --> 00:18:06.882 It's true. 295 00:18:06.962 --> 00:18:13.527 1 Thessalonians 5.11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another just as you also are doing. 296 00:18:13.547 --> 00:18:15.389 This is the way believers work. 297 00:18:15.969 --> 00:18:17.390 This is the way believers live. 298 00:18:18.811 --> 00:18:19.872 To encourage each other. 299 00:18:20.152 --> 00:18:24.936 I hope you have somebody as a friend or a spouse that's encouraging you. 300 00:18:27.397 --> 00:18:28.979 Encouragement is an amazing thing. 301 00:18:30.220 --> 00:18:30.820 We all need it. 302 00:18:31.601 --> 00:18:32.341 1 Corinthians 15.33 303 00:18:34.172 --> 00:18:35.213 Do not be deceived. 304 00:18:35.593 --> 00:18:37.335 Evil company corrupts good habits. 305 00:18:38.636 --> 00:18:46.303 Or the word can be translated, evil company will corrupt or taint right or good morals. 306 00:18:50.127 --> 00:18:51.808 I think about these young people all the time. 307 00:18:51.848 --> 00:18:58.975 In my mind, I don't say it much, but in my mind when we're praying for them into the military, I'm always thinking, oh God, may they be the salt. 308 00:19:00.312 --> 00:19:05.316 Because the whole universe is going to align itself against them. 309 00:19:06.997 --> 00:19:09.439 Like Daniel in Babylon. 310 00:19:10.300 --> 00:19:11.341 But you don't have to cave in. 311 00:19:13.602 --> 00:19:20.488 Surround yourself with one or two or three good people that will build you up. 312 00:19:22.069 --> 00:19:29.295 Proverbs 9 verse 6 says, forsake foolishness and live and go in the way of understanding. 313 00:19:30.481 --> 00:19:31.642 Forsake foolishness. 314 00:19:31.922 --> 00:19:32.842 Decision-making. 315 00:19:34.223 --> 00:19:35.984 When somebody says, hey, let's do this. 316 00:19:36.264 --> 00:19:36.865 Stop for a moment. 317 00:19:36.885 --> 00:19:38.926 Just pause for a second or two. 318 00:19:38.986 --> 00:19:39.726 God will speak to you. 319 00:19:39.947 --> 00:19:42.188 But listen, somebody will say, hey, let's just do this. 320 00:19:42.348 --> 00:19:45.030 And the first thing out of your mouth is, okay. 321 00:19:46.711 --> 00:19:49.452 If somebody answers too quick, they haven't thought about it. 322 00:19:51.554 --> 00:19:52.674 Wait, think about it. 323 00:19:53.335 --> 00:19:54.215 It's not a sin. 324 00:19:54.595 --> 00:19:56.817 In fact, it's something of a good character to say, okay. 325 00:19:57.875 --> 00:19:59.236 Let me think about that for a second. 326 00:19:59.536 --> 00:20:00.938 Or let me get back to you tomorrow. 327 00:20:02.619 --> 00:20:05.502 Why do we think we have to have everything now? 328 00:20:05.562 --> 00:20:06.422 We've been conditioned. 329 00:20:09.845 --> 00:20:11.006 God says, wait upon me. 330 00:20:12.087 --> 00:20:12.708 You guys alive? 331 00:20:13.428 --> 00:20:13.709 Okay. 332 00:20:14.549 --> 00:20:16.071 Proverbs 13, verse 20. 333 00:20:16.611 --> 00:20:17.152 Just checking. 334 00:20:17.172 --> 00:20:18.733 I was feeling kind of alone here. 335 00:20:19.654 --> 00:20:25.058 Proverbs 13, verse 20 says, He who walks with wise men will be wise. 336 00:20:26.212 --> 00:20:26.992 Oh, that's good. 337 00:20:27.253 --> 00:20:28.013 Are you not wise? 338 00:20:28.393 --> 00:20:28.613 Nope. 339 00:20:29.334 --> 00:20:30.334 I'm pretty unwise. 340 00:20:31.094 --> 00:20:33.956 Find yourself a wise guy and walk with them. 341 00:20:35.657 --> 00:20:36.657 You're in the family of God. 342 00:20:41.680 --> 00:20:47.063 This Jack Hibbs podcast, as well as all the broadcast outreach opportunities, are listener supported. 343 00:20:47.643 --> 00:20:50.524 Will you consider partnering with us through a special gift? 344 00:20:51.305 --> 00:20:55.927 Go to jackhibbs.com to learn more and stay connected.