Welcome And The Core Question

Announcer 0:01

It's time now to get the hell out of your life, a weekly broadcast with real people, sharing real struggles, and offering real hope. Today's show will encourage, inspire, and empower you to face life's challenges with a bold confidence and renewed hope. Now let's join our host, Ron Myers, the promoter.

Ron Meyers 0:22

Today on Get the Hell Out of Your Life, are you trading blessings for approval? Hello, my friends, and welcome to Get the Hell Out of Your Life. I'm Ron Myers, and if life has knocked the wind out of you, you are in the right place. Maybe it's failure, divorce, addiction, fear, shame, loss, regret. Or maybe you've been hiding behind a smile or numbing it because you don't know what else to do. Today we're going to address that. Because here's the truth. Your story isn't over. It's never too late for a new beginning. This podcast is for the people with questions, the weary, the outsider, the ones barely holding it together. Because, my friends, sometimes the first step towards freedom isn't fixing your life, it's telling the truth about where you're at and hearing that restoration is possible. Today's show is going to encourage you and empower you because you're going to hear answers to questions that you don't even have yet. But God is working behind the scenes because He needs you to become who He created you to be. All of you.

The Fish Tank Environment Wake Up

Ron Meyers 1:37

You know, I want to start today's show with telling you about my little beta fish. I call him Bob. He sits on my counter in this small little fish tank. Now it has no filter, no fresh air pumping into it. So once a week I have to transfer him from the dirty water, the dirty environment, into a clean fish tank with a clean environment and clean water. The minute I put him in that fresh water, he comes alive. He swims faster, he's freer, almost like he's saying, Thank you. This feels right. And let's be honest, a lot of us are living like that fish. We've adapted to dirty environments. We have learned how to survive in compromise. We stay quiet so nobody gets offended. We water down our faith so culture will not cancel us. We want acceptance so badly that we slowly become covert Christians, blending in instead of standing out. But Jesus never called us to blend in. In fact, Scripture tells us to be in the world and not of the world. Today's episode is a wake-up call. The alarm clock is going off and it's getting louder by the day. And the longer you stay in that dirty environment because you're adapting to it, the more you will feel something missing in life. And there is something missing. It's called your purpose, it's called your passion. So today, Jesus wants you to hear this that He wants to move you into that clean environment so you will recognize your identity. You're here with a purpose, a great purpose. You have places to go, people to see, and things to do. Excitement for life begins when you get in the environment where it goes from curses to blessings. We all need a blessing. And today's journey is going to start with a clip from Pastor Alan Jackson. And I think you will relate to what he's going to say, and then when I come back, we'll unpack it. How do we adapt that in our lives? How can we live in the freedom that Jesus has for each and every one of us? Let's take a listen to Pastor Alan Jackson.

Pastor Alan Jackson On Standing Firm

SPEAKER_06 3:57

Politics are not our problem, it's the anemic condition of the people of God. And Paul said there'll be fierce times because human character will deteriorate. And then he makes an interesting statement. He said, People will be lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. They'll have a form of godliness, but deny its power. And then the next phrase is important. He didn't say live amongst them as evangelists. He said, have nothing to do with them. They'll have a form of godliness but deny its power. They'll have religious language, they'll have religious architecture, they'll hold religious services, but they will deny the power of God. Exceedingly fierce times because of the deterioration of human character. Matthew 24, Jesus spoke to it directly. Matthew 24 is Jesus' most lengthy prophetic passage. He's the greatest of all the Hebrew prophets, greater than Isaiah or Jeremiah that we're reading right now. Of all the Hebrew prophets, Jesus is the most celebrated. And Matthew 24 was his most lengthy single prophetic discourse. He said, nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. In Greek, it's ethnos, from which we get ethnic, not nation states, but ethnic conflict in the earth. We see a lot of that. It's that episodic. My father was a vet. Most of you know, I've seen lots and lots of things born. Fals and calves and kittens and puppies. And once birth pains begin, there's some things that are observable. I've never given birth. I don't identify as a birthing person. Oh, I couldn't resist. But I have observed many, many, many times things being born, and I can tell you, once those birth pains begin, they're going to continue. They're going to continue and they're going to increase in frequency. And they're going to increase in intensity until there's an arrival. So when Jesus said these things are the beginning of birth pains, I think the frequency of the tremors and the intensity with which they arise will increase. Now, I don't know the specific timing of that, but I understand the pattern that he's referring to. The beginning of birth pains, then you'll be handed over to be persecuted and put to death. You'll be hated by all nations because of me. It's pretty popular, I'd add chic in a lot of intellectual circles to be angry with the Jewish people or the modern state of Israel. Hear all sorts of expressions around that. Well, a hatred for the Jewish people and a hatred for the people of Christ are two sides of the same coin. They're an expression of the spirit of Antichrist. And I would submit to you that what you're watching is simply a foreshadowing of what is going to be directed at you. And we'll have to make a choice. We'll have to make there's a there's a distinction between the Jewish people and the the the remaining people of the book. Jewish is both a religion and an ethnicity. So you can be Jewish and reject completely the authority of Scripture. You don't have to be religious, you don't have to worship, you don't have to believe there's anything significant around that, but you're still Jewish. So it makes the target more prominent. You know, if you if you live amongst a Christian people and you say, Well, I don't believe in the authority of Scripture, and I don't believe Jesus was the Son of God, and I don't I don't agree with that, I don't practice that, we still don't call you a Christian. We call you an agnostic or an atheist, and you can disappear back into the woodwork. So the Jewish people present a more persistent target for the hatred, that spiritual hatred. The people of faith, the people who believe that Jesus is Messiah, have to make a choice, an intentional choice to identify with him. And Jesus, in this passage, we're not going to dwell on it, but he points out that there'll be an enormous falling away because as the pressure intensifies, there'll be people who make a calculated decision. They'll call it good business, they'll call it the preservation of their family, they'll they'll call it protecting their children, whatever label they use, they will step away from that identification so they can blend back in to the larger population. But the hatred is ahead of us. You better practice your courage in saying I'm with Jesus. I find that courage and perseverance and overcoming all of those things, they're like muscles. They have to be exercised to gain strength. And if you're not in the habit of saying, you know, I'm a Jesus person, yeah, I pray, I read my Bible, I go to church. If you're not in the habit of letting those things be a part of the description of who you are, because you're aware of the pushback or the resentment or the resistance. It's the holiday time. We're gonna get together with families. And you we all understand that those kind of statements of faith bring division even in our families. You don't have to be angry or belligerent, you certainly don't need to be violent, but but you gotta be willing to identify. Start the practice. Jesus said, if you won't identify with me in front of men, I won't identify with you in front of the Father. There's no such thing as covert Christianity. You'll be hated by all nations because of me. At that time, many will turn away from the faith and betray and hate each other. Why? Because there's tremendous pressure. I'm not one of them. Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Those aren't just religious characters. Prophets are people you expect to tell the truth. Biblical prophecy isn't so much foretelling. The prophets were God's representatives to the people. This is God's perspective. This is the truth. Marriage is between a man and a woman, a biblical principle, not a political ideology. God created male and female, a biblical principle, not some cultural ideology. False prophets will no longer tell the truth. And because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. There are many Greek words for love. The one there is the word used for the love of God. The love in the hearts of God's people will grow cold because of the wickedness. But he who stands firm to the end will be saved. There's the assignment, standing firm. All the way to the end. You don't know when the end is. You just know you have one. I have one. I want to stand firm to the end. Well, I'd rather go to a party or have a picnic or have cake or but sometimes we have to stand firm. The implications all around there is it won't be easy, that there'll be boiling hatred, and they'll there'll be folks who abandon the story and they'll create hate and it'll be intense. And then the penultimate sign of the culmination of the age is this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations. And then the end will come. The ultimate sign of the end of the age isn't the Antichrist or his beastly activity or all the horrific things that may happen in the world. The ultimate sign is the proclamation of the gospel in the whole earth. Did you know we have an assignment to play? We have a linchpin in the culmination of the age. How seriously do we take that? Forget the distinctions and learning other languages. The technology is really taking down all of those walls so rapidly it's dizzying. The proclamation of the gospel starts with your sphere of influence. Does everybody that don't know you understand your alignment with the gospel? Doesn't mean they're all going to accept it, it doesn't mean they're all going to join you. But you don't want anybody in your sphere of influence that doesn't understand the alignment of your life. If you're hiding the truth, you're described in that passage. If you're abandoning the truth because it's uncomfortable in your circle of friends, you either need more courage to tell your friends the truth or you're going to need new friends. Don't forfeit your place in the kingdom because you're trying to win the approval of people who don't intend to honor the Lord. That's not a good bargain. Fierce times. Matthew chapter 5, it's the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus is giving the Beatitudes. This is included in that litany, kind of that unfolding statements of blessings. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness. For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. I'm glad Jesus said that because if he didn't say that, I don't think that's a blessing. I would much rather people applaud me. I prefer awards to persecution. How about you? How do they be liked and hated? Then we read that and go, oh yes, I'm an old. Did you ever run a 5K? I've kind of shuffled a 5K. Wasn't trying to impress anybody, I just wanted to make it. But those are so fun because people line the the route that you're running and they stand and applaud. They don't know you. And they're going, ah, good job. Keep it up. You look great. No, I don't. I can't find enough oxygen. And there's little stations along the way, they'll give you fruit or refreshments or water hydration. I'm like, oh, good job. You know, I think, well, that would be how I'd like it if I'm going to be a Christ follower. And Jesus said, well, actually, there's a blessing when you're widely hated, when you're persecuted because of me. Do you have the imagination that every time you deny your faith or you turn the volume down on your faith or you try to camouflage your identity with Christ, that you forfeit the blessings of God? No, the Bible presents us with two alternatives, blessings and curses. There's really no middle lane. When you're hiding from blessings, when you're making choices to intentionally avoid what God said would bring you a blessing, you are volunteering for curses.

Blessings Versus Approval In Real Life

Ron Meyers 14:24

Did that message stir something inside of you? Every time I listen to this, my first instinct is I don't want to lose my blessings for approval, for complacency, for fitting in with the world. I want the blessings of God. And I believe you don't want to miss your blessings in life either. Friends, God has an incredible plan for each of us, and blessings and favor are in that plan. But when we are trapped in this environment, this dirty environment, because we have adapted to the cultural norms, we lose something. We lose the purpose call in our life because one part of us is worrying about not offending people, not making people mad. And the other part is how do I reconcile that with Jesus? Because Jesus did not call us to blend in with the world, he told us to let him live in us, and then he will express himself through our action and words that leads to blessings and God's favor on our life. Because if we're honest, there are a lot of believers that have slowly drifted into this quiet kind of Christianity where we love Jesus, but we're quiet about our faith. It's not because we're bad people or anything, we just don't want to offend anybody and we don't want to get into arguments with people. Well, friends, you don't have to get into arguments. My suggestion is just brag on Jesus. Just tell people what Jesus did for you, and that's your story, and you're sticking to it. It's about you discovering your purpose and your destiny. And you're not going to find that when you're living in a dirty environment. Pastor Jackson said that the real problem is not the politics, the culture, the headlines. The deeper issue is the condition of the people of God. We become too comfortable in blending in, and Jesus called us to stand out. We don't need to be an undercover Christian. He wants you and I to be who he created us to be. Here's a story I heard years ago, I think maybe from Zig Ziggler, that if you put a frog in room temperature water and you gradually heat it, the frog's body adjusts to the slight temperature change. It fails to perceive that the slow change is a threat until it's too late. The water's hot and the frog becomes frog soup. Friends, a lot of us have been in this dirty environment of the world so long we've adapted to it. It's part of our life. We have got used to just kind of keeping Jesus to one day and event. But every day we make a choice. Do we stand for Jesus? Do we want the approval of people? I'm not telling you to go out and start preaching the message on some parking in a parking lot. I'm telling you just to be faithful to the call in your life. Be faithful to the one who saved you. Be faithful to the one that has a plan and a purpose for you. The Bible says he's faithful even when we're faithless. So this is not about getting approval from God because God has already accepted you. He just saying, Hey, listen, you want to see some change in this world, get involved. You want to see some change in your community, get involved with the school board, maybe city politics, city council. You want to make a difference in this world. Love people, share your truth, share the truth with boldness and grace, and don't offend people. Let the spirit speak through you because, friends, this is an awesome time to be a believer in this world right now. With God's hand over us, He can move us into places that we'll never be able to get to if we stay in that dirty environment. We need to continually walk in that environment of peace, purpose, and passion. We don't want to become an undercover Christian. The other thing I loved what Pastor Jackson said is courage is like a muscle. If you never exercise it, it grows weak. And that's why some believers are spiritually exhausted right now. They have spent so much energy trying to fit into environments that God never called them to live in. So hear this today. You don't have to compromise to be loved, you don't have to water down your faith to belong, and you definitely don't have to trade your identity in Christ for temporary applause. Listen, Jesus loves you, he has a plan for you. No, he's not walking around with a clipboard asking you to behave every day. He wants you to come willingly into this beautiful environment. Because once you experience his grace, his love, and his passion, and his purpose, his mercy, friends, you will become a spokesperson for Jesus, not because you're reading lines, but because you're speaking from the heart. Your heart understands that I am saved by grace and let me love everybody I can. And if they don't like me, well, that's okay. Because you don't have to love me. You don't have to like me, but Jesus loves me. I'll be back in just a few minutes and close out today's show with a prayer for those who need Jesus.

Announcer 20:08

You're listening to Get the Hell Out of Your Life with your host, Ron Myers. Real stories, real struggles, and real hope.

SPEAKER_04 20:18

Here's a refreshing word for you today from Galatians chapter 2, 20. I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Covert Christianity Satire Break

SPEAKER_05 20:35

On this week's Crime Busters, we're looking for some suspects who are hard to find. They're unrivaled when it comes to covert Christianity. They're the undercover Christians. They've exchanged the armor of God for camouflage gear. You'll see them at church on Sunday, but then they disappear. You won't find them fellowshipping with other Christians, and you'll never find them on the front lines. These secret agents for Jesus seem to think Christianity is a spectator sport. If you own one of these lukewarm pew potatoes, report to God immediately. This has been a Coinbuster Report.

Announcer 21:02

From crafts to trees to sit so pretty. It's all my Christmas City.

SPEAKER_07 21:18

Save the date. Visit Christmas City Gift Show.com for more.

Renewing Your Mind With Truth

SPEAKER_00 21:43

That's a very good question. We all need to get the hell out of our life. And it really starts with our self talk. It starts with getting the whispers and the laws of the enemy of our soul out of our minds, refreshing and renewing our minds like Paul talks about over and over again. He says, take my thoughts. And renew our minds with the truth. So, in my view, it's achieved by getting rid of the lies that we believe that sometimes we've grown them up with and they've just become second nature to us. Replace those lies. It's not enough just to get rid of the lies. We have to replace them with the truth of what God says in his word. And if we do that over and over every day, we just get deeper and deeper and deeper into truth. The lies don't have any room anymore.

SPEAKER_03 22:27

Beautiful, thank you very much.

Brag On Jesus With Grace

Ron Meyers 22:54

Well, friends, as I close out today's show, I know that a lot of us, and I'm one of them, I don't like all the political division and high gas prices. And I know sometimes if I post something on social media that some people aren't going to approve it or like it, but I can't live my life worrying what other people think. Jesus lives in me, and I express him through my words and my actions. I'm okay with that. And I am more excited about understanding what Jesus has for my life than worrying about what other people think about me. You know, I know a lot of times you the people I meet out here that listen to the show, they're just awesome people. And they say, Ron, it's so hard to be a Christian in today's world. And I said, Well, just think about it like this. You're a bright light bulb and you're going out into a dark world, and you have something the other people in this world want, they just don't know it. You have peace, you have purpose, and you have passion. You have Jesus living on the inside of you. Don't compromise that. Again, brag on Jesus. What has Jesus done for you? And you know that one day all this is going to be over with. And we Christians, we're gonna be with all of our loved ones in heaven, celebrating with Jesus. And you look at this world now and it's chaotic, but God is still on the throne, He's not surprised. God has a plan, it's a perfect plan. And evil people, well, they do what evil people do, they're very good at it. In fact, they should all win an Academy Award. But we believers, we have supernatural power inside of us. We carry the light of Jesus, and light scatters darkness. Scripture teaches greater is he who is in us than he who is in this world. My thing is this hey, you may not like me, but Jesus loves me. Now I want to open up now. Maybe

Simple Prayer To Receive Jesus

Ron Meyers 25:05

you don't have a relationship with Jesus. Listen, here's a simple prayer. If you would like Jesus to be a part of your life, just repeat after me. Jesus, I need you. I'm tired of carrying this alone. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins once for all. I believe that you rose from the dead, and I trust you as my Savior. Right now, I open my life to you. Forgive me, not because I've done everything right, but because your blood is enough. Make me new, give me your spirit, I receive your grace today. Teach me to live with you in Jesus' name. Amen.

Free Resource And Connect With Ron

Ron Meyers 25:53

And friends, if you would like some information or to talk more, go to my website, thepromoter.org. I have a little booklet. It's a free download, and it's called All About Jesus. And I will be back next week with another grace-filled episode of Get the Hell Out of Your Life available wherever you listen to podcasts. Also, will you do me a favor? Find me on Facebook. It's called Get the Hell Out of Your Life. Like me, share a story, send me a message, write a review. I love to hear from my listeners. Until next time, this is Ron Myers reminding you. Jesus loves you. And when you give your heart to Jesus, you don't just get the hell out of your life, you get him in. You're forgiven once for all, made new at the core, and eternally accepted. Now that's real hope.

Support The Ministry And Closing Credits

Announcer 26:59

Today's show was produced by Ron Myers Ministries, a listener-supported ministry. For a copy of today's broadcast, please visit our website, thepromoter.org. And would you prayerfully consider making a tax-deductible donation so that we may continue to share stories of God's amazing grace with the world? And join us next week for another broadcast of Get the Hell Out of Your Life. Real people, sharing real struggles, and offering real hope.

SPEAKER_07 27:27

Are you tired of scrolling through the same old news feeds every morning? Then switch things up with Coffee News. Our publication is filled with interesting stories, brain teasers, and uplifting quotes that are sure to brighten your day. And now you can access Coffee News anytime, anywhere by visiting our website. So whether you're sipping your morning coffee at your favorite cafe or browsing online from your desk, we've got you covered. Start your day off right with Coffee News at readcoffeewsonline.com.