Mr. Whiskey

David W Ebel: you Welcome to the God Says Yes podcast. You are welcome. Welcome to another episode of God Says Yes Podcast. My name is David Ebel and I am here today to share with you, to encourage you. This is a place without judgment. This is a place where you can come just as you are. And you can open your heart. You can tell us about your pain, your problems, your grumbles. what's going on in your life, your struggles. we're going to be, our guests and I are going to be opening our hearts to you. We're going to be transparent about our struggles, about what goes on in our world and how God gives us hope. ⁓ Today I have a special guest with me who goes by the name of Mr. Whiskey, which should be an interesting topic in itself. ⁓ He comes out of Georgia and I look forward to hearing from you. I want to welcome you, Mr. Whiskey. I'm glad you're part of our program. Thank you so much for having me. First and foremost, gratitude to you and to God for the opportunity to share my story and hopefully make an impact. I always say it's about planting the seeds of a tree whose shade we may never sit under. You know what we do, you and I as podcasters, we are putting out content that well after we are dust and bones. and back with God may be affecting someone else's life. Like you said, before we started recording here, it's not about the instant conversion. know, so many people want to see that happen so they can take credit, but the conversion is God's. You know, we are planting the seeds and He is doing everything else. And this conversation hopefully is one of those. Absolutely. So I'm just going to invite you to start telling your story and let's see where God leads. Of course, thank you for the opportunity. And I think that my story is one that will resonate with a lot of people in terms of its origin. You know, I am very fortunate where I am in the faith, but there are many who are not so fortunate when it comes to dealing with what I went through, which is ⁓ commonly called church hurt, religious trauma and hypocritical and weaponized religion. Right. I like the difference between told and taught. Some people are told religion. Some people are taught religion. When you're taught, your parents, your mentors, whoever is teaching you, they cultivate that relationship with God, that understanding of why we do what we do, why the faith is important. When you are told, you follow traditions, often manmade ones that aren't even in the Bible, but specifically you are just told, pray, go to church, do this, do that. It becomes a routine rather than a desire. And we should desire to worship and praise God. if it was going to be a routine that he shouldn't have even given us free will, right? He could have just made it routine himself. He gave us free will to educate and empower one another with the understanding of why we should pursue a relationship with him. But like I said, when I grew up, it was being told. It was twisted and weaponized. The people in charge of my faith, they would twist scripture to lift up themselves and push down others. That is what bullies do. Good leaders lift others up with them. you know, they and ultimately lift up God more than anyone. But a lot of people twist scripture. Some people call it cherry picking. You know, they will take scripture out of context. That is one of the biggest things. And nowadays that is more dangerous than ever with the ability, like you and I hosting this right now, doing this ministry work is a good thing. But there are many people who have the ability to do this as well, who are false prophets. who don't have a proper understanding of the word, who are being led astray by demonic forces, right? So in a day and age of information, we also live in a day and age, many of y'all have heard it, of misinformation, right? There is so much out there, not just of the faith, of fitness, of finances, whatever it is you're looking at, there are scientific facts where opinions are more considered fact than actual facts, right? We live in a dangerous age of information and misinformation, and that includes this scripture to the point that there are now, falsely generated AI Bible quotes that are not real scripture and people who do not have the solid foundation of the Word in their heart are being led astray. And so I think it is so important to have a spirit of discernment. But I didn't have that growing up. I was just told XYZ ABC. And so that's what I was following. And when I was a freshman in high school, it was the first part of my journey where it truly began to change. I had at home in the family, like I said that weaponized religion and that false kind of narrative and then I went to a unfortunately corrupt private Catholic school that also really twisted religion and so I had a lot of church or I didn't like the church I didn't like the people in the church I didn't like Christians and ultimately as children and as any non-believer who doesn't understand God we take people as God's representation only one man ever represented God properly that's Jesus Christ every other man in woman, everyone cannot represent God. Even the greatest prophets and kings of the Bible, right? They didn't represent God perfectly because they were not perfect. Only Jesus Christ represented him perfectly. But when we're kids, when we're nonbelievers, right? We look at people's behaviors and we say, that's Christian, that must be what God is like, right? But I always say, if you meet a representative of a company, can you judge the boss or the CEO or the founder based off that person? Not necessarily. A rude secretary doesn't mean the founder is rude. Right? So I like to use that analogy because I think it makes it simple. Right? God is up there in heaven and all around us and He is nothing like us. None of us could ever be like Him. We can strive to be like Him. We can follow what Jesus Christ taught us. But as a kid, I didn't understand that. So I saw all this and I said, what is it to be a believer? What I saw was And this is a complaint many people have. I saw the righteous suffering, the wicked prospering. I didn't see what I had heard in the Bible. And what I heard mostly was used to just beat down others and put up certain groups of people. But freshman year, I had a personal encounter with God. I had told God that I was abandoning the faith, that I felt abandoned. That if God was real, why had my life been suffering continuously? And so I told him I was going to write my own religion and looking back at it, I laugh and it's like, you know, but it's a scary thing to think that, you know, I said that knowing what I know now and knowing that I told God, strike me down and prove me wrong. And he did. I got a scar on my arm to this day on my right forearm on the outer side of it. I had my arm split open. That established that God is real. But knowing God is real and knowing him are two different things. So from that point in my journey, I knew God. I didn't have a relationship with him. started to very subtly read scripture at a very minor degree. I started with Job because like any young man, I thought I was Job, right? All of us, we bang our toe or we get into an argument with someone and now we think we're Job, well, it was us, right? But I really appreciated that passage in the time because wherever you're struggling and suffering, that kind of explains, you know, cosmic justice in accordance to God's will. which is that it doesn't always make sense to us that we, I love Joe because God says, a step back and look at how big everything is because we are in our small little bubble, right? What we're looking at is just a fraction of the things. We don't know how much is going on behind the scenes of our lives and everyone else's lives. In fact, coming up here soon at the time of this recording is the Feast of Esther. I'll be doing a sermon on that. And that is a great. historical account as well where God is never mentioned once in that entire historical account. God is never mentioned, but everything works out perfectly in accordance to God's will. And so at that time, what I didn't know that is evident through Esther is that even when we don't acknowledge or know God, He is working everything out toward our favor. And that is just, that is mercy and love right there in its own. And so in His mercy and love, God spared me and I started moving towards that direction. in boot camp and getting out of that small tiny bubble in this small New Jersey town, this really small Catholic group. And I don't say that to disparage the Catholic faith, but I was inside of this tiny bubble going into boot camp. I met people of different denominations of different faiths or people of the Catholic faith who had greater insight, people who actually explain stuff rather than just saying it's tradition. Yes, you can say it's tradition, but why is it a tradition? The why is always important, right? You look at the Bible itself. The first thing a ⁓ non-believer is gonna ask you as a believer is, why should I follow God or why should I believe in God? It's always about why, why, why? Because we don't just do as we're told, right? We need to understand why. And so being in that military environment, I actually got to get a bit of an understanding. And throughout that time dealing with suicidal ideation with people committing suicide left and right, sometimes one to three times a month at the base I was at at that time. Being in that environment with corrupt leadership, being in the military, which was never my original plan. My parents made me join at 17, all these continual hardships every day in an environment that is isolating, that makes you question your identity and purpose. That is where I started to get to know God more and more. You know, I was studying the word more and more each day, it got to the point in the military where all I had was God, right? Because what happens in the military is sometimes this isn't every leader, but you'll encounter leaders who call you government property. You sold your rights away, your government property. You're not a human being. I wear an anchor on my chest. I can do whatever I want. There are leaders who will justify immorality or abuse because of their rank. And that's not everyone in the military, God willing, but I've met a lot of terrible leaders who believe that rank justifies anything and it doesn't. But unfortunately, you don't have a lot of say in power. And if you try to resist those corrupted forces and abusive forces, you get punished. And by all means, take that punishment if you are in the right. I am a kind of person where I don't kiss up right. What is right in accordance to God's will is right. And if people were abusing that and against that, then stand up against that. But the military is designed where you will get screwed over for that. And so going through that, it kind of leaves you with nothing else than surrendering to that higher power. Right? You don't even have control sometimes of what you want to do. You have to be there at the right place in the right time, the right uniform. Otherwise life is hell. You know, you can't just quit like a civilian job. You could quit in the military. You're you're there, which means all you can do is turn to God. And so I turn to God. And at that time, and this is where the story gets strange and unique. At that time, my father's battle with the demonic forces of alcoholism and addiction and really dark spiritual forces in his life. He was at that time calling Satan by many different names, his ⁓ best friend saying that he was trying to convince God to forgive him and all this stuff. And eventually got to the point where he said I was the Antichrist, that when I was born, the Legion demanded I be named Damien and I would be spawned for Satan. And it ate away at me. And know a lot of people say, well, Mr. Whiskey, why would you believe that? That's such an absurd, bizarre statement. Why would you believe it? When you grow up in a religiously weaponized household, a controlling household, and when your parents are telling you stuff like that, you believe them, right? You're a parent. Right. And you take in all that stuff, you absorb it into your mind and you think it's true. You know, you grow up thinking that your parents are know everything, right? That they would never lie or hurt you. And it's not that my father wanted to intentionally hurt me. Let me make that clear. He was dealing with and still to this day addiction, which is a powerful force that changes your brain with, ⁓ that was both alcohol and drugs. And there was demonic forces in his life for sure. And I know not every believer believes that there are demonic forces or understands the gravity of the spiritual warfare of this world. but it is very real and powerful. And Jesus cast out demons for a reason, all right? It is not fiction, it is real, it is history. And it's happening around us to this day. And so I had a dream where I encountered Jesus Christ, you know, in person where I remember it so distinctly. It's a dream I'll never forget so vividly. I was shirtless in a pair of jeans out on this farm. It was drizzling, it was overcast. There's a forest nearby and a babbling brook. And I remember I cried out, you know, falling to my knees, Lord Jesus Christ, would you not forgive even the Antichrist if he called out to you? And the sky turned golden as light started to pierce through the clouds in the voice of Jesus Christ, as clear as it is mine and yours, spoke, saying, even he I would forgive if he turned to me. And then I was given a belt buckle, a silver oval belt buckle. with a farm on it and a tractor superimposed. Now I didn't grow up on a farm. I grew up in Northern New Jersey where there are farms, but I wasn't a farmer's gate or agricultural in that nature. And I wondered this for a while. And one of my good friends, Johnny Tease, the host of the Refuge Freedom Stories podcast, he said that his interpretation of it, told me, that guy was calling me to be a farmer of people, to plant seeds. And with me being a podcaster and a speaker, it made a lot of sense. You know, the whole cowboy look was also, that's a whole journey of faith on its own, right? I grew up in Northern New Jersey. didn't come out the womb looking like this, maybe on the inside spiritually, but you know, like this attire was kind of gifted to me through God ⁓ as part of my Mr. Whiskey journey, along with that title. And so it's all lined up. And that was the moment that changed everything. That moment of where Jesus Christ said, Even the antichrist he would forgive if he turned to him, you know that like spoke of chilling levels of mercy and love and Even if it was an irrational fear of mine Jesus Christ still came to comfort it and I think that is just a truly beautiful thing and so I said to myself I woke up for that dream You know like just shocked like what just happened. I couldn't believe it and I said to myself I need to know more about the antichrist What even is it slash him slash me slash what is this thing? And so I said, where do I start? And I said, the book of Revelation probably has that answer. So I read the whole book of Revelation. That was a whole journey on its own. know, some people think it's literal, some think it's symbolic. It's the most debated historical account in the Bible. So it was a terrible place to start. You know, like it was a great read. I said, OK, let's read the New Testament now. And then I said, you know what? I've never read the Bible and let's go back to the beginning of Old Testament. And lo and behold, I found out that the entire Bible isn't just random pieces of stories here and there. It is a generational chronological historical account. And seeing that changed my world, that changed my faith forever. Seeing generational promises be fulfilled, seeing prophecies fulfilled, seeing predictions made and fulfilled. Seeing generations cursed and blessed seeing the consequences of sin across time It changed everything and that is why the number one thing I tell every believer is read the Bible because even the non-believers I say read the Bible, you know, how can you argue against something? You never even read I would never go to court or to any debate and argue against something I have not researched or studied or read yet So many people will deny God before even trying to read about him And so that moment is what changed everything. Reading the Bible end to end. And from there, it just became studying more and more, getting into Greek, getting into Hebrew and preaching. And that is the 30,000 foot overview of where we are today. That's great. And, know, now I'm going to ask a couple of questions because, of course, we have time and we want to understand you better. So you grew up in a home that was abusive even though you didn't recognize it as abusive. But you grew, the church world that you were in, you ended up stuck in a church where the people were taking things out of context to lift up some and abuse others. Which is tragic and it should never be that way. And when those people stand before God, they're gonna have a shock. But see, I'm not God so I don't get to pick. I don't spend a lot of time pointing my finger at them. I a of time pointing my hands up to Him. But what we need to do is when we run into people like you, we need to be able to show them that it's not always that way. That by preparing yourself and saying, Ben, they're done that, let me show you. I've read scripture, I know the difference, I what a church is supposed to be. You can do damage control. You can begin to help people see the light of Jesus in them. You can love them back into the kingdom out of the legalism, out of the judgmentalism, out of the ugly that man does when he tries to play God. That's the biggest problem. When we try to play God, you have two things happen. You crash and burn. And then you have to pick yourself up and humiliate yourself, humble yourself and say, God, I was stupid. Can you forgive me? And there's a lot of pride in some of us. We really don't want to ever have to say that. So God allows us to go through things and more things until we finally are worn down enough that our pride is willing to step aside and our faith can come forth. The Bible tells us every one of us has been given a measure of faith. So even if everyone's got faith, we have it focused in the wrong way, we may be using it in a terrible way. It takes more faith to be an atheist than to be a believer, actually. If you really study it, it takes more faith to think that all these random things align perfectly than to say a creator aligned them. I don't disagree. I totally agree with you. But when you find someone who's been, heaven knows in my 50 years of ministry, I have known many, that some... egotistical person ⁓ who took on a leadership role. He climbed to his leadership on the backs of others. And others suffered before him. A hundred percent. It doesn't mean that they don't have to... We start with, don't worry about the church, we worry about Jesus. Let's build a relationship with him. Then God can take care of where he wants them to worship. But first they need to they need to find the real Jesus not the religious one Not the one they were told to believe but the one they they discover for themselves like you did and And then we we who have been there done that now We're on the other side of it It's our job to love the others that have been wounded toward the love of God and the healing of God and the Deliverance of God and the mercy of God all the good stuff that God's promised us But our credibility, because we've changed, is the greatest possible tool that we can offer people. Wouldn't you agree? I agree 100 percent and I would say my biggest piece of advice for anyone who's like, well, how do I overcome the church or how do I get past those corrupted leaders? And for me personally, it was intellectual curiosity. And that's why I said I was fortunate that God blessed me with that intellectual curiosity. I've always had it naturally. It's something you can instill in your own life, which was when people said XYZ, ABC, I said, what does scripture say? You know, and when I was very young, I didn't know to fact check with scripture. But once I got to that point, So what does scripture say, right? And one of my biggest examples was like, people usually use the analogy that a tree is the parent and fruit are the offspring, right? They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. And now Jesus had made an analogy where he said, you will know them by their fruits, where a good tree cannot bear bad fruits and a bad tree cannot bear good fruits. His analogy was different. He wasn't talking about parents and children. He was talking about false prophets and their actions. However, My father presented that quote out of context with me to say that because his son, which is me, was working in ministry and helping people and serving others, that he was good and saved there for because he was saying a good tree cannot produce bad fruit. So if I'm good, therefore he has to be. So what I did is I went back to where that quote was in the Bible and gave the context. That's the number one Savior right there when it comes to what will keep you from that church and what will help equip you to this is why God says meditate on my word day and night keep it in your heart as a sword hidden away because it is the number one thing for battle when you're dealing with church hurt and hypocritical leaders right how did Jesus hold the Pharisees accountable with the word of God how did Jesus resist Satan and hold him accountable with the word of God Jesus always used the word of God as his backing and that's what you need to do when you see this church hurt in these leaders and you might have to confront them in a biblical debate. And the more powerful your enemy, the more they're going to know the scripture and the more you're going to need to know it. The smartest atheists know the word so that they can twist it. The smartest evil church leaders know the word exactly so they can twist it to try to disprove your own arguments, spin it around and make it look like you are wrong. But they can only spin it so many times around when God spins it a certain way. So that's why it's so important to know it and to truly understand it. And that's why even if you've read the Bible end end once, keep reading it, meditate upon it day and night, right? You continually read it, even if it's not the full thing, if you continue to study parts of it, that is your number one defense and ability and power when it comes to overcoming all of this evil in the world. Amen. ⁓ Let me, I want to say that not all churches are bad. Of course. There are that actually the bad churches are the exception not the rule I like that I have I've served dinner denominationally. I've hit 49 states in 20 countries I've been in every flavor of church just about you can think of From so quiet that it seemed like a graveyard to while we're doing the ministry There's a box of snake stances wiggling around us and the rattling behind behind me, right? ⁓ Needless to say, don't think that super quiet is my cup of tea. And I guarantee you that being within your box of snakes is not in my book. I know what I can do and I can't do that. But it is not the church building. It's the leadership that's in authority at that point. And that's where the sin is, that's where the abuse is, that's where the wrong is. you know, many times the churches that are like that eventually split. And the good people go one way or the other way. Unfortunately, when a church splits, if you get a thousand people, you get 400 going one way, 200 going the other, and the rest of them stay home. Because they don't want to deal with ever trying to be in the middle of that kind of abuse again. And as a result, God gets a black eye because of the knuckleheads. Right. But I just wanted to be clear for everyone that not going to church is not the answer. Finding a church that's biblical and godly and that they act like ⁓ kind, loving people, that's home. If you go to one that you don't feel like you're at home, where they don't love you and treat you with value, then you're in a club. You're not in a church. Because the church reflects Jesus and His love. And if you go in and it's a club and you can tell it's a club, you know, you can choose to join the club or not. You know, you slip out, don't have to make a scene, just slip out, go home and pray. If you need to be in confrontation, God will deal with your heart and prepare you. He'll never send you into battle without preparing you first. So we don't necessarily want to encourage everyone to run out and confront people. We want people to run home and get ready for battle in case that is God's plan for you. But even if He doesn't want you to go do it outwardly, that's going to give you tools to repair those who need it. Wouldn't you agree? I agree 100%. You know, I think that... because of what I've been through, I've been able to minister and talk to a lot of people who have gone through this. And like you said, sometimes it's not about confronting the leaders, but about healing those who have been broken by it so that they can go find a new home. I agree 100%, you know, just staying home isn't the answer. You know, it's about finding the right place. And sometimes the place isn't right for you. That doesn't mean they're bad. It's just not a right fit. You know, that's why I say. There are many Bible translations for a reason, not because of evil, not because of lies, but because God talks to us all in different ways. Obviously some are more accurate than others, but some people just need to hear the message in a certain way. That's why I think that is a huge benefit of this podcasting culture of the social media of the online churches. Yes, it gives way to false prophets rising up. However, it also delivers the word in so many different ways from young women to older gentlemen. Right now we have a conversation from two people from two very different timelines, you know, as far as I can tell, maybe not. But you know, because of that, we get to reach so many different people. And I think that is the most important part, right? We're supposed to go make disciples of all nations. And a lot of Christians and believers want to stay in their own little safe bubble and community. They don't want to go out and talk to people of different religions or beliefs or nationalities. That's exactly what we're called to do, is to go outside of our comfort zone. know, we are called to go to places. Think of Jonah. Where did he get called to go? Not somewhere... If you knew what the people of Nineveh were doing, you wouldn't have wanted to go there either. Right? So, sometimes there are modern Ninevehs we get called to, and that might be our home church or home base of operations. And we have to embrace the uncomfortable sometimes, knowing, like you said, that God has gone before us and prepared a way. And that's God's plan is... is if you're called to be the prophet, He'll prepare you to be the prophet and He'll give you the tools to go in there and clean house. If you're called to be the teacher, He will prepare you to be able to teach and restore and renew and rebuild. Everybody has a different place in the body of Christ. No two people are the same. That's, know, if you were all, you know, the Scripture talks about it, that if we were all one thing, that we would never get any, we couldn't serve. We need eyes, need ears, we need fingers. And thankfully we only need two armpits. But you know, in the body of Christ, sometimes I run into a couple of armpits and I'm glad that I'm not one of them. I'm glad that I get to be a different part of the body. But the key is that He's going to prepare us for the job He's given us to do. And your job clearly is to proclaim and to restore. My job is to love, restore, renew, rebuild and inspire. That's my job. And I've been doing it for 50 years and ⁓ I'm pretty good at it. that's why we all have different talents too. You we're all born with different gifts. Some of us are artists or dancers were called to evangelize in those areas. You know, I recently get a hosted Aggie Park. She's an amazing ⁓ Christian podcaster and she's about to compete in a beauty pageant. And you know, she got flack for that from some of the more strict Christian and believers. But she said, you know, it's not that she is there to create lust. She is there to show that she can evangelize in a field that is full of people who have turned it into a sinful nature. Beauty was given by God, right? And I have a whole sermon coming out about beauty versus lust in Esther, which was God's beauty pageant queen. And she and I spoke recently about how important it is to use our different talents. He has blessed her to go into that field and evangelize. I have been given gifts of writing and speaking to do. Some people are more artists and they are making artwork that, you know, praises God, right? We're all born with gifts and gifts and talents to utilize in those different areas. Let me show you one of mine. Can you see behind me the little cartoon looking character? Yes. That's me. I am a Ringling certified master clone. But at the time that I was recognized as a Master Cloud, I was the only ministry Christian Clown, Ringling certified in the world. There's more now. But I was the only. And I created the Kids Celebration Circus, Heavenly Good Clean Fund, and I went on the road to different churches all over the world and shared the gospel clearly, concisely, and lovingly. and saw hundreds of people saved monthly. Sometimes thousands. Now I mean can't keep me saved. I have no power. I'm disabled. can't do everything everybody else does. So I found a way doing that. I learned other skills and I learned them well so that I could do a TV quality performance. in a small church where they've never seen anything that nice. And when I won their hearts, their heart gates opened up. And then I could just share Jesus' in there. So I took my talent, and I did something about it. And if you've been given a gift, it's not been given a gift so you can put it in a box and say, I've got another gift. God gave you that gift to use for Him. Right. don't put a lamp under a box you know that's what it says in scripture the the other thing that uh... i am is some uh... and now an award-winning photographer know that i was your age you've told me that was what i was going to do that would have made fun of you i can't draw a straight line with a i mean i can see it i can envision it but i can't do it later in life I discovered the camera and all of a sudden what I could see I could capture and that turned a whole new world of beauty out available to me. So again, it's not about me, these are just things that God's done through me in spite of me. Each of us has talents, some we've discovered and some are yet to discover. That is very true. we've been given has been given for His glory. And it's been given for His joy. And it's been given so the body of Christ can benefit from it. Somehow. Whether it's encouragement, it's comfort, it's... Whatever it is, it's winning people to the Lord. Whatever way your gift can be used lovingly. So that when you hold up a picture of Jesus and you hold up a picture of how you're living, they shouldn't be that far off. They don't mean that you look like Him, but you should shine like He shines through you. You should look like Him from the inside out. So all those tell us and those gifts, they're for a reason. And I agree that abuse is inexcusable. I grew up in abuse. ⁓ I know exactly how feels. And it's not like my mom planned it that way, but she grew up in severe abuse. ⁓ so when she married my dad and she had kids, she did not know how to raise a kid. She knew what an abuse is. So what she did is she geared down what she thought would be ⁓ a reasonable way to raise us compared to how she was raised. Now, by the rules of how you treat kids today, they put you in jail for that. But God didn't leave me in my abuse situation. He used it to change me, and now I go back and help other people abused. What do think? I agree 100 % you know and one quote I will say just as reassurance for anyone who is struggling with their mother or father one of my favorite quotes is though my mother and father forsake me it is the Lord who receives me and we got to remember he's our ultimate parent he just loaned us to our parents and I think you know I always go back to Genesis when they discover Joseph in Egypt and they think he's gonna kill them for revenge what does he say He says, what you intended for evil, God intended for good, for what is being done now, the blessing and saving of many. So whatever sin is in your life, whether it's your own or the result of others around you, know, God is working it together for the greater good and for His purpose. And as you and I were discussing before we even started recording here, you know, looking back at our lives, we've seen so many ways where God has moved through that stuff in ways that we couldn't see at that time. You know, and even to this day, day to day, God does so many things that I can now see having read scripture, having had the relationship with him where I see how God is moving. But I look back and the more I look back, the more I see these things that at the time I didn't understand that I do now. And I just am so grateful that I am able to see that and able to know that, you know, there's so many people living their life right now. marking everything up to a coincidence or to just everything always works out perfectly randomly, but perfectly. And, know, I think that one of my life's motto, which should be everyone's is the end of Ecclesiastes. I'll paraphrase it here. I don't have it verbatim, but basically it says, what is the conclusion of this matter? And this is coming from the wise teacher, often accredited as King Solomon, who lived all things, everything under the sun, good, bad, everything, right? What does he say? that there is only one purpose in life to serve and obey God and to live out his commandments. And the first time I ever read Ecclesiastes, that was one of the, I know I said I read the Bible end to end, but for some reason, I think I skipped Psalms, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes and I went back to that. And reading Ecclesiastes, I think that was the last thing I read. And I think God planned it that way perfectly. I read that. I mean, was almost, I was just numb, hollow and depressed for two or three days. just, when I read it, I took it the wrong way. know, I was like, what's the point of life? Like, this is just depressing. And then, you know, I realized focusing on the ending there, that purpose, there's one purpose, there's one conclusion, end of the matter, to serve God and live out His commandments. And when you put that at the front and foremost of your mind and heart and soul, Everything else will follow. All right, everything in scripture will line up and add up, you know And that's why they say everything you do do as if you were doing it for Christ, right? Because everything is for God God doesn't need worship. If he's a perfect being right and he is a perfect being Then there's no need for him to require worship or praise. So why does he tell us? Why does he command us? to praise and worship him because what you idolize, what you praise and worship, what you put at the foremost of your heart and mind and soul is what you shape your character to be and to reflect in your life, right? If you put money as your main drive for everything, that can lead to the point of you'll do anything for money. Or it could, on the other hand, make you very successful, but a workaholic, right? When you put God right there and you want to praise and worship Him, you're going to follow out the ways to do that, which are good and, you know, godly, holy ways of righteousness that shape your character to be good. That's why God put praise and worship for Him, not for His benefit, but for ours. Exactly. My favorite slogan that started back when I was younger than you ⁓ is, what runs your life becomes your God. ⁓ And you chew on that a second. If bitterness runs your life, then that's your God, because it's pushing your buttons. If soul poppers run your life... We actually were in church and a lady stood up and said, I want you to pray for Martha. She's having a terrible time with her boyfriend and her husband's getting jealous. And halfway through it, one of the ladies leaned over and said, sit down, honey. Watch tomorrow's episode. It'll solve it. ⁓ The lady was so wrapped up in that soap that she couldn't sort reality from the TV show. And she genuinely wanted prayer for this poor lady that was an actress just doing an art. But whatever runs our life is our God. That's why we need to worship, because that needs to run our life. And we need to appraise Him. We need to adore Him. We need to do that for our sake, so that we don't have any other gods. So that all of our energy is loving Him. He loves us. Us loving Him back is the least we can do. I agree and I think one of the vital things that is most difficult for people, one of the biggest fallings of people is that they end up ultimately putting their partner, whether that's their husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, before God. And it's important to have your family and your partner at the center of your life. there's a deeper center, which is God. And oftentimes we end up putting them before God and that can cause our life to go astray. So it's always important to keep God at the center of your relationships. That is how you will find the right partner, how you will avoid most of the relationship mistakes being made that we see so common nowadays, the divorced, pregnancies, the fighting, the toxic relationships, the financial bondage, the domestic violence, the sexual abuse. A lot of that results from unequally yoked ungodly relationships. When you put God first, your relationship will follow. And I know a lot of people are frustrated. One of the biggest frustrations, you know, if I, I had a list of things that like really make people not believers, I would say cancer is one of the biggest ones that causes people not to believe in God. I would say the second is seasons of singleness. So many people I know have lost faith in God because where is the wife or husband that got promise that the Bible puts forward. God is so much about love. Man and woman, He made them. He wants them to be one flesh. Yet I've been single for 10 years or for five years or for five days, depending on some people's patience. And it's like, where is this perfect partner? I've gone through partner after partner. And it gets even worse when I'm a righteous person and I see wicked people getting partners left and right. I see wicked people who are married, wicked people who have what I want and what I should have. And I think one of the issues, one, lot of people who have gone through bad relationships, again, it was because God was not in that relationship. You know, and they say leave room for Jesus. And I know a lot of people think that's cringey and corny and all that, but it's not about the physical space. know, I know that's what most people say is when they see a man and woman sitting too close. It's about that spiritual space. It's about having Jesus at the center always. And so, I think it's really important you talk about like the internet is a huge thing nowadays too. A hundred percent social media more. If people spend as much time on the Bible app or in the Bible or in a church or doing ministry or volunteer work as they did on their phones, you know, I can't imagine how the world would change. But that's one of the things like the enemy wants to distract you. How did Satan get Adam and Eve? He took their view away from abundance. They had everything they could eat of all the things in the garden except for one. He took his view away from abundance towards one thing that they did not have. Right. And that's what the internet really does. It takes you away from the abundance of your real life and makes you focus on oftentimes if you look at the mental health crisis of young men and women, it makes you look at people who have these perfectly, you know, altered bodies or lifestyles, all these highlight clips. It takes it away from abundance to what you think is right and wrong. And so I think that relationships in addition to the internet are dangerous. know, soap opera is a great example as well. But I think relationships is one of the biggest vices that most people don't recognize. You're in love with your partner or your family and you want to put them first. And it's hard for us because not all of us feel God so presently as we feel our partner or our family. It's important to put them first. And that doesn't mean that your family is any less than. You know, it doesn't mean that you don't love or care about them, but you should love and care about God more. Not because that devalues them, but it's because of the value of God. You know, just like I say, when people say, ⁓ it's cruel that, you know, God was saying, how much more does he value humans than the birds or the flowers? Like, it's not about devaluing something else. It's about demonstrating the value of of what we have, right? And so it's the same with God. Our family and our partners are beautifully and wonderfully made by God. He needed them in the womb, right? He made them Adam by Adam, but he has to come first and foremost. And that will bless them more than putting them first. I agree. One of the things that we've lost track of is God made woman to be a partner, a helpmate, to be connected to man. and together they serve God. It's like a triangle. You have Him, you have her, and you have God. And as long as you have all of those pieces in your relationship, you have a strong chance of making it because God is going to give you both the power to do right, and He's going to remind you that as He loves you, you need to love each other. So the priority is the three. You, me, and He. And when that doesn't happen, when that gets lopsided, when we get our eyes off of it, and all of a sudden, he's up here and we're over here someplace. We're off the chart in the wrong direction. We wonder why it was so great and now it's not. And I'm falling out of love. No, first off, you've fallen away from what God had planned. You're no longer in the position where God can do what He wants in your life. You've chosen willfully to do something else. Whether it's the internet or whatever it is. You've chosen to do something else besides prioritize what God set up. And when you do that, you bring that stuff on yourself and then you blame. Because who wants to say, yeah, I screwed up, me, me, It's always her fault or it's their fault. But the reality of it is, God created us for one thing. To have these relationships. And when they're saying, well, where are these godly people? The right answer is, be one. Be that Godly person. Shine yourself up and make yourself so godly and beautiful that you'll be drawing the same kind of male or female that you need. Be married to Jesus alone till He gives you someone to be married to. By doing that, you've kept yourself more pure, more holy, you've grown, you've matured, and you're not who you used to be when you dated someone else. You're now who God made you to be so that you can have her, the one He's custom picked for you. That's a big deal. And it changes relationships. But our culture has twisted that so far that when I tell people I won't do a marriage unless I can do six weeks of counseling, they look at me like I've got four heads. But if I can't make sure that they have a solid foundation and they know why they're together and how to treat each other and how to talk to each other and how to share together and how to manage money together. Chances are they're not going to make it because they're not doing this. They're doing this. It's about me and not about Him. His way works. It has generationally since the beginning of time. When we get out of His plan, when we know what right is and we do the wrong thing, it's called sin. The Bible tells us without the shedding of blood there's no forgiveness for sin. The Bible says that Jesus made it real clear, there is no sin going to enter into heaven. So if there is sin in me, I can't get to heaven and be with Him. If there's sin in me, He's not going to give me the mate that I need. Because I'm not prepared and pure enough to treasure that mate. So He can't give it to me because neither of us is prepared and ready for each other. But if we marry to Jesus and let Him clean us up, shine us up, and turn us into really beautiful, godly people, Then he can lead someone through the Spirit. It's just a match. And your pastors will see it. The people in your congregation who are mature will witness it. It'll be a God thing that everyone can know and feel because he's in charge of it. And that's different than what's being taught today. And it's a tragedy. Agree 100 % you know it's not just in relationships just in everything you know we were missing God you know there are so many people that In God is being censored on so many platforms you know we've got athletes trying to give glory to God and that's being edited out and everything so it's just a real shame and I think you know that's kind of time back to what I said in beginning with Read the Bible whether you're a believer a non-believer Wherever you may be at in life whether you have before or not Bible and especially if you're a believer and you've never read the Bible beginning and end it will change your faith you know and part of that part of the reason we do that is to know God and to keep him at the center of your life when you're in the Word daily it becomes so much more easy to have God on your mind and at the center of your relationships at your work life wherever it is in your life when you have the Word when you start your morning with prayer And when you end your evening with prayer, that makes it so much easier to have God at the center of your life. Otherwise, it slowly drifts off. It's like a muscle. At the beginning it hurts and it's really hard to keep going. But the more you do it, the more it becomes just normal for you. And eventually it becomes a muscle that grows and becomes strong. And spiritually, that's how it happens to... For us, we need to practice our prayer life. Practice until we get good at it. We need to pray even when it's awkward. Even when it's, God, I don't know what to say, but here I am because I need to talk to you. Get in the Word and say, where do I start? I always tell people when they want to start, start with God's love letters. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Start with the book of John. Read it as a love letter from God. Then go to Matthew. and say, show me now. I got a hint, now show me more. Then go through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and then read John again with that new wisdom and understanding. And then that's a good, that's a jump start into the rest of it. It's not that the rest of it's any less, but you we've got to start with baby food before we get into steak. And Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John can help us get to the point we can chew on the rest of it. We're down to the wire and at the end of these podcasts I always ask a couple of questions. So the first one, Mr. Whiskey, is what's the nugget? What's the thing you want to leave on the minds of people so they can take it home with them? What I feel called to say is very simple yet very difficult and I'm not sure how people are going to react to this, but just that God is real. You know, that God is real and truth. And so take that as you will. And what I encourage again is to know that God is real. Therefore what? If God is real, what does that mean for you wherever you are in life? Well, Finding that answer is looking for God. And one thing is so many people have looked for God in the wrong places. They say, I don't know where to start. Well, you and I have already said it. Read the Bible and pray. Pray even, like how you said, if it's uncomfortable, awkward. Many people I have met said, Mr. Whiskey, I don't know how to pray or how to talk to God. And it's very simple. God knows everything. He knows the desires of your heart. People say, why do I even need to talk to him? Because You know, you can know what someone wants, but you need them to talk to you about it, to realize what they need and to have that conversation. You know, and it's not to say that you have to earn that love, but you know, it's about helping you learn and grow as a person. You know, like you said, doing this stuff every day builds muscle, that spiritual muscle. And what do strong spiritual muscles do? It allows you to help save others. It allows you to do work. So I would say the final takeaway is that God is real. You know, we are to serve Him and to obey Him, not for His sake, but for our sake and the sake of others. I always believe that whether you're a believer or not, the Bible is full of wisdom. It is a book of historical accounts that say what? To serve one another and to be a good person. And whether you believe in God or not, that is a good message. But I hope and pray that you will discover through that why we do that. why God is real and why he is a good, just, merciful God. And I think that if you are called to share this episode with someone who needs to hear it, do so. And if this spoke to you, then I am glad. I think that podcasting and these new forms are allowing us to reach people who would otherwise be unreached. And I think that if anything, Take inspiration from us. If you have a message about the word or God is calling you to do something, do it. Whether that is through podcasting, through writing, through art, through dance, through being a clown, whatever it may be, wherever you are, God can and will use you. You just need to surrender yourself to Him and say, God, I am ready. Who shall I send? Lord, I am here. Send me. Send me, I am ready. You have gone ahead of me and made a way. Just tell me what to do and I will do it. Amen. And the last thing we normally do in these podcasts is ⁓ I want to mention that we do have an email address ⁓ which is ⁓ godsaysyespodcast.gmail.com and ⁓ that will pop up on the screen shortly. godsaysyes.gmail.com And if you like what Mr. Whiskey said, he's got a book coming out. So you can look for it on Amazon. It'll be coming out here in this next year. And I want to read it. I'm ready when it comes. God's working on it now, suing it, getting it formed up for him so he can publish. He knows it's coming. He just doesn't know the day. So... keep an eye out for it because I think it's going to be something that will really speak to a lot of hearts. So I want to pray real close as we close and then I would love to invite you Mr. Whiskey to come back again sometime and share again with us. sir, anytime to spread the word. So let's pray. Heavenly Father, we love you and we're so grateful that you created us to love. everyone of us, everyone in this whole world you created to love. We're custom made one at a time special creatures. Not from the outside in, but from the inside out. And Lord we pray that you will, so something that's been said, something that's been shared, you will speak to a heart and you'll comfort them or encourage them, rebuild them and do something good in their lives. And Lord we ask that this podcast be something that brings you glory, honor and praise. And that it loves people and helps them to fall in love with you. In Jesus' ⁓ amen. Amen. And thank you for being here. and I look forward to the next podcast. We're new in the podcast business, so we're stumbling around a little bit, but we're getting it, and we're gonna get better with every episode, and we want you to follow with us in it. So God bless you, and we'll talk to you next time. In the meantime, keep searching. This has been the God Says Yes Podcast with David Ebel. To connect with David, email him at gonsesyespodcast.com. can get David's latest book, When the Doctors Say No, God Says Yes, at Amazon.com.