Bible, Bros & Brew

How to Keep From Falling (Part 12) | Remain Committed to the Process |Bible, Bros & Brew

• David McIntyre, Phillip Rich, Ryan Holdeman, & Jon Dzyuba • Season 7 • Episode 12

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We've spent quite a bit of time talking about the benefits of developing the seven spiritual qualities listed in 2 Peter 1:5-7, but what happens when a believer does NOT add these vital elements to their faith? That's the million dollar question on this episode of Bible, Bros & Brew. With the help of plenty of scriptures, David & Phil explore not only what adverse effects can come from remaining spiritually stagnant, but also how to recognize and resist the attacks of the enemy that are so common to our walk of faith. We also talk about the importance of remaining committed to the development process that God takes us all through as we navigate our spiritual journey. So grab your Bible, brew up a nice cup of java, and settle in with us as we learn from the Word of God together!

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Phillip Rich:

Over the past several episodes, we've been talking about the theme of how to keep from falling and we've been coming from the scripture in 2 Peter, chapter 1, when he lists these seven spiritual qualities and he said that if you have these things and if you continue in them and progress in them, then you shall never stumble or never fall. But then there's another part of that verse when you go a little further down in 2 Peter 1, when he talks about what happens if you lack those qualities. That's what we're going to talk about. In is Philip with Bible Bros and Brew. I'm here today not by myself. I'm with my bros, my homies, my aces. I've got David here on this side, I've got John down there, ryan directly underneath here, and it's the crew man. We welcome you to the podcast.

Phillip Rich:

We have been on a theme for a good while now and it's the theme how to keep from falling. Now, when we talk about how to keep from falling, we're not talking about you know, watching where you step so you don't trip and skin your knee. We're talking about Help. I'm falling and I can't get up. Yes, we're not talking about anything that requires a life alert. We're talking about the spiritual element of, or the spiritual connotation of, falling, which means, you know, falling away from the faith, falling into sin kind of drifting away from God's will or God's way and over into, more than likely, a bunch of problems and complications that you simply don't need. We all know what it feels like to be, you know, spiritually dull at times. We know what it feels like to maybe you feel a little distant from God at times. All of us have had those times if you've been walking with the Lord for any length of time, and it's not a great feeling. And we also know what it means to to, you know, kind of get into a realm of where temptation seems easier to yield to than other times, or where it seems harder to maintain your spiritual walk or, you know, even to display the fruit of the Spirit in your life and those types of things. It just seems like it's a spiritual struggle a lot of times and it's, you know it's for those of us who are trying to pursue God, trying to walk with God, and we run into those difficult times, those roadblocks. Sometimes they can feel like, you know you just like a cartoon with question marks all over the top of your head, like how do I get out of this man?

Phillip Rich:

But the good news is, when you tune into what the scripture says, there's always an answer in the Bible for pretty much any and everything that a human being has to deal with on this planet. As a matter of fact, in 1 Corinthians 10, paul said there is no temptation taking a hold of you that is not common to man. There's no temptation taking a hold of you that somebody else on the planet hasn't experienced before as well. And he said God is faithful. It's in 1 Corinthians 10, I think 13. He said God is faithful and he will not allow you to be tempted above that which you're able to handle or to bear, but he will, with that temptation, make a way of escape.

Phillip Rich:

And when we talk about how to keep from falling, we're not only talking about temptation into sin, but also the other side of it just drifting away spiritually. It could be something as simple, as you've got so many other things bogging down your mind and your time that you're really not even connecting with God anymore like you used to, or maybe like you should. Now it's more, like you know, you feel like God has become kind of a side hobby, if you want to put it that way, and that's never a good feeling. You know, it's never a good feeling, especially if you've experienced, like, what it means to walk with him, to live in his presence, to fellowship with him every day. When you feel that distance, I'm telling you it's not a good feeling, man.

Phillip Rich:

So there's a lot of different elements to this thing about falling away or how to keep from falling, but of course, we want to always refer to the scripture to give us our prescription for how to deal with those things. So that's what we're going to be talking about today, and not just that, but also what happens when you lack those qualities, and I think we have a good idea already, but we'll jump into what the word says about it. Qualities, and I think we have a good idea already, but we'll jump into what the word says about it. But before we do, of course, I have to ask the famous question what is in the cup? So let's see, ryan, what do you have in your cup tonight, sir?

Ryan Holdeman:

what's going on? Well, I got the same old, same old, even though david said, uh, to change it up. I did not. I forgot that. He said that until this very moment. That's okay, we got the Pete's here on ice. Yes, it is 90, some odd degrees outside.

Jon Dzyuba:

Off the chain. It's good, Good deal man.

Phillip Rich:

You got to love it, it dude. What about you, john wait?

David McIntyre:

a second. Did you just say 10 out of 10 again? That wasn't me who said 10 out of 10? Why? Would you say that the lord don't like ugly, ryan I don't, I don't talk like that, I just want to identify the person who said 10 out of 10, so that we could mark that moment for a few reasons. I'll let the person to reveal myself.

Jon Dzyuba:

Oh, my goodness 10 out of 10 lashings for me, I guess 10 out of 10 lashings, okay.

Phillip Rich:

So guess, jeez, 10 out of 10 lashings, okay. So, john, what about you, man? What's in your cup?

Jon Dzyuba:

Well, I have myself a something pecan. I can't remember if it was a maple pecan or a bourbon pecan, but it's got some sort of pecan in it and it's really good. I should have gotten the ice, but it's got some sort of pecan in it and it's really good. I should have gotten the ice, but um, I like I. I feel like whenever I have something hot, like hot coffee, I actually feel like the kick. Iced coffee doesn't give me that little energy boost from the caffeine as much as hot coffee does. Gotcha, and I needed it today and it's delicious. I feel like speaking about the Bible.

Ryan Holdeman:

Come on now.

Jon Dzyuba:

With my bros, with my brew yes. How much?

David McIntyre:

coffee is left in that cup. That's the question.

Jon Dzyuba:

More than there was last week when you asked me, so I still have a good bit. I got a bigger cup too, so I probably I brewed a little bit more, so for this particular reason.

Phillip Rich:

Nice Good stuff, john. I want cup too, so I probably I brewed a little bit more so for this particular reason, nice good stuff, john. I want to say quick shout out to our folks on rumble. I see we've got, uh, someone viewing from on the rumble side of things. Welcome to the, to the podcast, to the live experience. Glad to have you guys, man, um yeah and hello to everybody.

David McIntyre:

I'll just just you know. Hopefully you Instagram people will get your lives together and come to Jesus. But also shout out to everybody on YouTube watching. We see you stalking, even though you don't comment yes, we see you lurking.

Phillip Rich:

We see you lurking. Okay, david, what about you? What's in your cup man?

David McIntyre:

first of all, I want to tell you about an epiphany that I've had. Okay, david, what about you? What's in your cup, man? First of all, I want to tell you about an epiphany that I've had A coffee epiphany.

Phillip Rich:

Okay.

David McIntyre:

I am almost at the point now where I'm ready to throw away all the coffee that I have, except the ones that I drink regularly. Okay, I think it's time to flip the coffee. Now hold on Start fresh.

Ryan Holdeman:

David, people don't understand what you're saying because they have not seen your collection, so I feel like we need to bring a picture to the show and tell maybe next week or something.

David McIntyre:

Maybe I'll do next week when he's saying throw out coffee.

Ryan Holdeman:

He's saying throw out coffee. He's not talking about like a box of K-Cups or something.

Phillip Rich:

There's a collection okay, I've seen a little bit of it from what I remember, and it's pretty robust.

David McIntyre:

I have shared it on Instagram or online before. I've shared it on LinkedIn as well. I admit I do have a problem, but I just feel the urge to just bring new fresh coffees into the mix right now, so that may be forthcoming when we turn into fall, I think we might have like a spring cleaning with a whole fall line Okay, a fashion line of coffees.

Jon Dzyuba:

I'm there, so be ready.

David McIntyre:

But tonight I'm drinking an old favorite. I forgot to bring the bag over, but this is from Black Rifle Coffee and it's called Liberty Roast.

Phillip Rich:

Okay.

David McIntyre:

Maybe that's why I went on the America First spree.

Phillip Rich:

Now that I'm thinking about it.

David McIntyre:

I'm drinking Liberty Roast and that's why I may have got on my soapbox like I did on the front end of the podcast. So if you were there, I said what I said.

Phillip Rich:

There you go.

David McIntyre:

But, as you can see, see, this Liberty Roast has made me quite conversational to the point where I need others to help me to shut up nice.

Jon Dzyuba:

I can attest to that coffee. That coffee makes you. When you drink that coffee, it just all I can picture is, just like you know, the American flag flowing behind you, just like the American flag flowing behind you, and you're just like this bald eagle screeching and you just start tears, and I'm proud to be an American.

David McIntyre:

It's the America first coffee. You thought it should be.

Phillip Rich:

Right, I love it. You get an eagle screech going on too. Yeah, I love it.

David McIntyre:

I would just like to just show 22 days, nine minutes in five seconds Wait a minute, wait a minute, because I'm so excited for the fall, because I love the fall fall is my favorite season too, man why and the best hallmark movies come out in the fall.

David McIntyre:

And. But I just want to say, ryan, in opposition to what you just pulled up yeah, according to Starbucks, which we call big bucks around here because they do coffee, that is not appropriate for anybody who drinks coffee. They said back in the beginning of August there were like only 20 days, so for them, I think fall actually happened today.

Ryan Holdeman:

Are we going to let the Church of Lucifer dictate the night?

David McIntyre:

Or let the Church of Lucifer dictate what we're doing.

Phillip Rich:

Or let the Holy Ghost, oh, my goodness man.

David McIntyre:

I mean, the falls are out there. There's like you can already get pumpkin spice and stuff.

Ryan Holdeman:

But this is what I'm saying we need to abide by this countdown that I made.

David McIntyre:

Ryan, I can't wait another three weeks to break out a pumpkin spice. Let me tell you, since I have my glasses off, I am particularly excited about trying and finding a very good maple burger.

Phillip Rich:

Now, that's an intriguing thought, david, it's an intriguing thought.

David McIntyre:

Where could you get?

Phillip Rich:

something like that.

David McIntyre:

Yeah, because I already know what my pumpkin spice is. Black Rifle's got pumpkin spice on lockdown, although I probably will try other pumpkin spices. But man, just all flavors. We really have to do better this year. You guys, I insist, we really have to do better this year. You guys, I insist we all have to bring fall into our cups.

Phillip Rich:

That's true. That's true For Bible Bros and Brewman. We've got to get it going, man.

David McIntyre:

I think so. We just have to agree to when that starts. I don't know if I have three more weeks for this bleed to come out.

Ryan Holdeman:

Let's set a time. It's August 12th, you saw what just happened to me.

David McIntyre:

August 12th dude, it's the 20th.

Phillip Rich:

I can't even believe it's the 20th dude.

Ryan Holdeman:

I can come to a compromise and I can say September 1st okay, fair enough.

Phillip Rich:

31 days in August, 11 days from now.

Ryan Holdeman:

John put the countdown back up.

Phillip Rich:

Okay.

Ryan Holdeman:

There we go.

Phillip Rich:

All right Beautiful.

Ryan Holdeman:

Pumpkin spice time.

Jon Dzyuba:

I love that dude Pumpkin spice time yes, I hope you're ready.

David McIntyre:

Oh, this is going to be a glorious fall. I cannot.

Phillip Rich:

Yeah, me neither bro, yes, sir.

David McIntyre:

The air is going to be chill. The leaves are going to start turning color.

Phillip Rich:

You've got hay rides, you've got corn mazes, you've got all kinds of stuff happening, man.

David McIntyre:

Apple orchards.

Ryan Holdeman:

What if Bible Bros and Brew did an episode from a hay ride Dude?

David McIntyre:

it would look so much like that cartoon that we posted that one time. Remember when we were sitting on the bales of hay outside with the little baby scarecrow and all that good stuff.

Ryan Holdeman:

Yeah, that's too cool.

David McIntyre:

And it had the fruit of the spirit around it.

Ryan Holdeman:

That's cool. I'm going to see if I can find it.

Phillip Rich:

Dude, I've got thunder outside the house. I don't know if you guys are getting any storms up there, but hey watch out, we're good.

Jon Dzyuba:

I get excited for fall just because it's not hot.

Phillip Rich:

That's a big one for me bro. The lack of heat is a blessing Right. Heat is like my kryptonite.

Jon Dzyuba:

I can't stand it.

Phillip Rich:

I right, he is like my kryptonite. I, yeah, I can't stand it.

David McIntyre:

I can't stand super hot days. I'm not a fan, so all right. All right, let's get into this thing. We're stealing time.

Phillip Rich:

Oh, go ahead, phil I have to feature this man. It's a brand new coffee from peregrine and I had oh, I want to see that hold up. Yes, yes, yes, yes.

David McIntyre:

Look, john, over in the corner drinking a little baby chai. Why in?

Jon Dzyuba:

the world. What did I do to look like a child next to you?

David McIntyre:

That doesn't even look like me. They gave you an iced tea.

Jon Dzyuba:

They gave me some lemonade. You got like a lemonade dude, I'm just excited to be here.

David McIntyre:

They gave me a pineapple behind you too. That's weird.

Jon Dzyuba:

Next is some self-control. Yeah, that's great. Oh man, I feel like they did me dirty on this. Whoever did this, shout out to you.

David McIntyre:

By the way, this Walking in the Spirit series that we did was based around Galatians, chapter 5, starting in verse 16 and runs all the way through Galatians 6.10, and it is a it's a wide depth series of episodes but you guys, it's well worth it and it's connection to what we're talking about now with the virtues. It's meaningful, so I want to encourage to what we're talking about now with the virtues. It's meaningful, so I will encourage you to go back and pick up that episode or pick up those episodes if you haven't all right, philip, what are you drinking?

Phillip Rich:

all right, I'll try to make this quick. Um, this is a new one from peregrine, the mount huye malt. Praise, praise, god, there's all the beans. Notice, it's not alcohol. This has tasting notes of whiskey, rhubarb and cherry wood. Now for those who this is amazing dude, like for those who don't know the process basically they get the coffee beans and they age the beans for two weeks in an empty whiskey barrel, right? So it's like it takes on the different aromas and the complexities and all the cool stuff, and so it just it. It's. It's stephanie's favorite, my wife is stephanie's favorite coffee. Like I mean, this thing is off the chain. And then I had to show you guys, I've got my Peregrine branded mug for the occasion here. Oh, devoted to the journey.

Phillip Rich:

And then I wanted to give a shout out to the cheapest cookies on planet Earth that taste really great. And they are these Goya chocolate, goya Dude. I saw these on the snack aisle and I think Stephanie took a chance on them. She was like I mean, hey, whatever. And I was like, dude, they probably suck because they're only $1.75. Dude, they're like the best cookies man. So it's like an Oreo without the cream in the middle. It's just like the cookie part. You know what I mean, so yeah.

David McIntyre:

I want to give you a shout out, Philip. You just introduced the first cookie to this whole podcast.

Jon Dzyuba:

Thank you.

Phillip Rich:

And the thing is dude. It pairs so good with the peregrine dude I digress. So yeah, man, have yourself some fun, enjoy all the coffees we've mentioned and get ready for the pumpkin spice season as well. And we want to add to you guys if you have anything that you would like to share in terms of your brew, please leave it in the comments. Chat us, whatever the case is, let us know what you're drinking out there. Film a little video, send it to us. Who knows? Chat us, whatever the case is, let us know what you're drinking out there as long as it remains, who knows?

Jon Dzyuba:

we might even try it ourselves. You might even see it on the episode it's a big coffee world out there he might break his habit and try coffee too maybe, just maybe.

Phillip Rich:

But let's get on into 2 Peter 1. We, of course, have been talking about this for the past 11 weeks now, and it is our series known as how to Keep from Falling. It started when we were kind of noticing some things that were going on in the body of Christ, with different preachers and prominent Christian figures who, all of a sudden, some things started coming out, some scandals, stuff was hitting the fan, shall we say. I mean several different big name preachers and pastors and so forth, of sexual harassment, things that were provable by investigations, that had happened for years and years, with different ministers abusing, sexually abusing women, just some really crazy stuff that was going on in different ways. And you know, seeing all this stuff kind of happen and different things popping off.

Phillip Rich:

Of course the first thing you ask is you know how in the world did things end up that way? Of course, the first thing you ask is you know how in the world did things end up that way? How did somebody who was previously, you know, on fire for God or, you know, walking with the Lord, or at least had the appearance of that? How could someone get over so far away from drift, so far away from God's way and so far away from the fear of the Lord that they end up in this kind of stuff. You know where they're living some secret life or living a double life, full of sin and all this kind of crazy stuff. How in the world does that happen? And we all were talking about it as well. Like most of the time, it's not something that anybody's planning to do. I think we can all agree on that. It's like when you first get saved, you're not thinking, yeah, in about five years or 10 years I'm going to completely ruin my life by falling in sin. You know, nobody's thinking that when they first get saved. But I think what happens over time is there's a there's a very gradual drift thing that happens where maybe certain things chip away at your fellowship with God or chip away at your seriousness about the word. It could be maybe a trial that you ran into. It could be some relationship that went sour. It could be just a general temptation to do something that maybe you know you didn't quite put down, a certain desire of the flesh that kept troubling you before you were saved A lot of men have dealt with, for instance, porn addiction, or it could be drug addiction, alcohol, or even something maybe more abstract or more intangible, like jealousy that you never dealt with those different things.

Phillip Rich:

A lot of times, like jealousy that you never dealt with those different things a lot of times, if they're left undealt with, they can put a hook in you and when you least expect it, all of a sudden you're getting drawn away. And it's actually. Satan is a merciless, merciless being. He does not care about kicking somebody when they're down. He doesn't care about you know. Ok, you've been through this hard thing, that hard thing and stuff's piling up at work and you're not getting along with your wife and whatever else is happening. And then he finds a way to try to send a temptation. At that time, you know, and it's like doggone man, you know.

Phillip Rich:

This is why Peter told us in first Peter five. He said be sober and be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, is wandering around, roaming around. It says like a roaring line, seeking whom he may devour. He's looking for that inroad and a lot of times if we're not careful and not spiritually sharp, he can find that inroad. Actually, I think, ryan, you've got it up on the board there. If you don't mind putting that up so we can look at it real quick.

Phillip Rich:

In 1 Peter, chapter 5, he says be sober-minded. In verse 8, be sober-minded and alert. Sober-minded in verse 8. Be sober-minded and alert why your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in your faith. So there is a way out of it. It's not something where you have to be subject to his mess all the time. It says resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. You're definitely not alone. If you're dealing with different temptations out there or stuff hitting you from left, right, front and center. You're not alone, man. You know a lot of people have been dealing with stuff, especially in the world we're living in today. And something just came to me, david, and I know I've been talking a lot already, but oh, you're good, you're good this just hit me.

Phillip Rich:

It's something that I learned a while back. Um, we were doing some study about lions. We're working on a song for, uh, our other business, but in the song we we mentioned that the female lion one of the things she does, she's the hunter of the two. The lion himself all he does is chill and protect the pride. That's his whole job. But the female actually goes out and does the hunting.

Phillip Rich:

The thing that I found out was fascinating was that sometimes she'll wait until a storm is hitting. That way, all the noise from the storm makes it more difficult for the prey to hear her coming. So all of a sudden a big thunderclap happens or whatever, and she's diving out of the bush somewhere and attacking the prey. It's like a good tactic to use and it just hit me, david, a lot of times.

Phillip Rich:

That's how the enemy works too. Sometimes he's waiting for that storm, he's waiting for those difficulties to hit. He knows that when you're spiritually sharp and on top of your game, you're hard to deal with, you're hard to take down, but, man, when you're in the midst of chaos and confusion and a lot of extraneous noise, he knows that's a perfect time for me to see if I can slip in there and catch him unaware man. So, man, that just hit me, dude. That's a serious thing, and I think that that's why that scripture in second Peter is even that much more like poignant or whatever you want to call it is because he's telling you how to avoid those things. He's saying be sober, be vigilant, don't let your guard down, man, you're in a spiritual battle, whether you realize it or not, and whether you're willing to accept it or not, you're on the battlefield, dude, and you gotta be sharp and prepared to handle these types of things.

David McIntyre:

Yeah, that's good. First of all, Phillip's being a little too kind. His other business is called Silly School Songs. It's a multi-million viewed channel on YouTube right here For those of you watching us on YouTube. So go out to Silly School Songs and you'll find some amazing stuff out there for your kids. That will really help in the morning.

Phillip Rich:

You're too kind, Ryan.

David McIntyre:

There you go, Ryan. Thank you for Philip trying to be all cute. You know our other channel. I'd mention that thing every time I could.

Phillip Rich:

Thank you, man.

David McIntyre:

But yeah, philip is right. You know this is how we govern ourselves and how we walk things out in a day-by-day basis has a lot to say with how we will handle ourselves and how we'll govern ourselves when we're under attack. And uh, sometimes those attacks can come frequently. Sometimes you can walk around and it feels like everything's great and grand. You know everything is awesome and the world is great, but when you're under attack, man, you're looking for answers and you know that's a lot of times when you're telling the story about the lion attacking during the storms, you know I was thinking about in our Christian lives.

David McIntyre:

You know that's like a time not only when there's stuff going on, does he do that, but in the times where you feel like you don't hear God or that you're not hearing him clearly and you're constantly looking around.

David McIntyre:

Oh wait, is that you Lord? Is that you Lord? And you're so desperately looking to hear what God is saying because somehow another, you've gotten off of his frequency a little bit. Or the reality may be that he's not said anything yet and you're trying to force an answer that he hasn't given you yet. And you're trying to force an answer that he hasn't given you yet. And that's when those attacks come to you, because you're so unfocused on what's going on around you that also may be speaking to you that you just completely miss it.

David McIntyre:

And that's why I you know, that's why I love the Bible y'all, because it just think about it he's given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness in the knowledge of him right. So we've already connected the reality that we need to know him. We have to have a knowledge of him, and not only him, but what he has given us in his word that he has specifically written for our learning. And it's amazing to me that as we learn and grow in the word, there's so much that God prepares us. There's so much that he reveals to us through what's happened to other peoples, through explanation of the parables, like in the gospels. So many parables, so many stories that are meant to prepare us. You know, you look at the Beatitudes and then you look at Paul's arc, you look at Peter, judas, james. You look at all these guys and they're giving you specific instruction on how to live, how to do, how to move, and then makes it clear, like in a verse, like what we're reading now in five through seven, that if we are diligent about these things and add to our faith virtue and knowledge and patience and all of these things, that they're going to keep us from falling back into sin that destroys us or sin that separates us from God.

David McIntyre:

And that's the kind of information we all are looking for our whole lives. All we ever want to do is we want to succeed right, and so that's why we study like we do. That's why we pick up a topic in our lives that we go get an MBA on or a bachelor's degree. We study some kind of specialty because we want to know everything about that thing. Why? So that we don't fail, so that we don't fall in it, but we have an expertise that can cause us to excel over other people. And he is telling you that these virtues and what we're learning, if you'll treat them like the MBA doctorate program, they are, that they'll keep you from falling and allow you to soar like you want to.

David McIntyre:

But you just have to pursue. It's not enough to hold them, as we learned last week. It's not enough to just possess it. You have to actually exercise it so that it grows week to week, day to day, week to week, month to month, year to year, and before you know it you've built quite a significant life in the Word. So I'm on board with what you're saying earlier, philip. We just have a. We've got to hold on to god. This is going to sound so old school and so churchy. We gotta hold on the god's unchanging hand yes, sir, and when you?

David McIntyre:

think about it, you realize that's not churchy at all.

Phillip Rich:

That's factual there you go. Absolutely factual. That's good, dav David, I mean. He said in Hebrews 13,. He's like Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. You know, whatever he did, that's recorded in the Bible, he's still the same God that will do that now.

Phillip Rich:

And it made me think of this whole thing about being sober, being vigilant, and that scripture in 1 Peter 5, when it talked about resisting the enemy when he tries to come. It made me think of Matthew 4. And, ryan, if you don't mind going there, matthew 4, when it talked about the temptation of Jesus. And this is one of those things that to me it's like a what do you call it? It's like the Supreme Court. You know, this is the ultimate go-to when you're dealing with any type of temptation, any type of opposition from the enemy. Here's the formula, here's the way that Jesus himself dealt with it. And, in my humble opinion, why are we trying to do anything different? You know, let's do the same thing to resist the enemy that he did. Let's do the same thing to resist the enemy that he did. And it was in verse one, matthew 4, verse one. It says then Jesus was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting 40 days and 40 nights, he was hungry. That's the biggest understatement in the Bible, I believe. But then it says the tempter came to him and said if you are the son of God, I love how he had to try to give him a doubt about his identity right off the bat. If you are the son of God like he didn't know, you know, if you're the son of God, tell these stones to become bread. But look how Jesus responded. And I'm telling you guys, this is the first Peter five. Resist him in the faith. This is how you do that. It says in verse four. Jesus answered it is written man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Now, the next thing that happens. First of all, take note Jesus simply spoke what was written. He spoke the written word of God. So then it says the devil took him to the holy city, set him on the pinnacle of the temple. If you're the son of God, he said, throw yourself down, for it is written. So he's trying to come like a little jujitsu reversal move and say well, I got some written stuff too. You know, I can use that same Bible too. And he quotes from Psalm 91. He'll command his angels concerning you. They'll lift you up in their hands so you won't strike your foot against a stone. And Jesus replied and I love this. It is also written. Now I've seen some different Greek translations of this One of them that I saw it said, on the other hand it is written do not put the Lord God to the test.

Phillip Rich:

So Jesus was like, oh, you want to fight. It's like they were sword fighting. Like, can you make your move? I make my move, I'm parrying what you just said. It is also written do not put the Lord, your God, to the test. And then, in verse eight again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. All this will I give you, he said, if you'll fall down and worship me. And I'm sure Jesus was thinking, yeah, right, verse 10, away from me, satan. Jesus told him. I think the King James says get thee behind me. It's like I heard one preacher say get behind me and don't push.

Phillip Rich:

But he said that stuck with me for whatever reason, but get behind me, away from me, satan. Jesus told him, for it is written again. He's coming from the written word of God Worship the Lord, your God and serve him only. And look what happens in verse 11. Then guess what? The devil left him. He was gone. He got tired of getting stuck and stabbed with the sword of the spirit, so he had to leave. And then it said and the angels came and ministered to Jesus. So here we have. I mean, I don't know, david, we could close the book right now and say there you go, you're good to go, but this is the go-to. This is your roadmap for how to handle when the enemy tries to come in your life. It can be from any dealing with anything. The main thing you have to focus on is finding the scripture that deals with whatever you're dealing with, right If you got a health problem.

David McIntyre:

It's just a throw in there, philip, which technically goes back to where we're talking about, which is the knowledge of him, thank you, thank you. What Philip is describing is the knowledge of him.

Phillip Rich:

That's right. That's right Because it says you know, in the beginning was the word? The word was with God and the word was God. So that's John 1.1. So it's saying that God is his word, his word is him. I guess it's like that thing in math, the communicative property, as they call it. I guess it's like that thing in math, the communicative property, as they call it. So, knowing his word, the more you get to know his word, the more you get to know him. And that is a huge thing, because that is the same thing Peter's talking about in 2 Peter. It is the knowledge of him that you're entering into as you come to know the word. And so when you have a storehouse of the word in your heart, when you've treasured it up and piled it up in your heart, then you have something to answer with when the enemy tries to come against you.

Phillip Rich:

And even like let's say, for instance, there's a health issue you're dealing with, find the scriptures about healing. There's plenty of them in the word Isaiah 53, 5,. With his stripes you're healed. First, peter 2, 24, by his stripes you're healed. Exodus 23, 25,. He's taking sickness from your midst. I'm telling you, the more ammunition you have by way of finding those verses, writing them down, getting them in your heart, speaking them. I'm telling you, that's how you resist the enemy. You can't resist them physically, you know you can't karate, chop the enemy. You can't shoot Satan with a gun. You know the only way you can do this is by the weapons of the warfare that are not carnal but mighty through God, to the pulling down of strongholds, and it talks about that in 2 Corinthians 10. Anyway, I know we're getting all over the place here, but, david, I know we're getting all over the place here, but, david, I know we were going to get into the next section of 2 Peter 1. We were talking about the spiritual qualities, but go ahead sir.

David McIntyre:

Yeah, I was just going to say. Though, you know, also, if we look back at where we were last week, in 2 Peter 1, verse 8, it says for if these things be in you talking about these virtues and abound, that means you possess them and they're abounding in you. We talked about the joy and zeal necessary last week to apply these principles to your life, not only to hold them, but apply them, and I mentioned it earlier. It says uh, they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Could you imagine showing up to a battle with no weapon, good Lord, um, and you know it's a, it's a sword fight, and all you got is your fist. You're going to be in trouble. That's unfruitful.

David McIntyre:

Yeah, and this is exactly what the Lord is talking about, and it comes to every situation and circumstance. You want to show up in every situation and circumstance fruitful and abounding, not barren but full and overflowing, so that you can make a difference in the situations and circumstances that you're working with and that you're dealing with. And so, when we continue on, it goes on in verse 9 and says when we continue on, it goes on in verse 9 and says but he that lacks these things. So we know that the benefit is to be fruitful and abounding if we have these virtues. But in verse 9, he that lacks these things is blind and cannot see afar off and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

David McIntyre:

And there's something Peter does here that's really cool, that I was studying through, and Peter takes a page out of the philosopher's books, out of the philosopher's approach in communication and because they were always using the eye and visual and blind and sight issues in order to communicate a perspective, and so Peter pulls into that, and Paul and others you know these were not just these men were not schooled in the things of this world. Now, paul was. We know that Paul was quite a scholar, and so you weren't going to pull the wool over Paul's eyes at all, but nor could you do that with Peter, and Peter was just a fisherman.

Phillip Rich:

Right.

David McIntyre:

And so there was a point in the Bible where it says it was obvious that they had been with Jesus. Come on man. And why was it obvious? Because they were learned, and they were specifically learned in the things of the Lord, and that was equated by others to them as having a wisdom. And so here's Peter the fisherman pulling this whole concept out and saying think of it like this when you are nearsighted, that means you can only see what's right in front of you. That means you can only see what's right in front of you, scripturally meaning you have no vision for the great things beyond what's right in front of you, goodness?

David McIntyre:

You can't.

David McIntyre:

You can't see with God's eye, with the spiritual eye, into the glorious things that God has prepared for you, the things that are planned for you out here, because all you can see is what's in front of you.

David McIntyre:

And he equates that to not only are you short-sighted and can't see what's beyond you, but he takes it another step forward and says that if you lack these things, you are blind. So you've got no vision for the future, you've got no vision for the great things ahead of you. In other words, your hope card has been pulled, because one of the things that we do as believers, one of the things that I think that helps to propel us forward in our knowledge of God, is that we know we have a vision of the future, that we have in Christ. You know we don't fear death because we know the scripture says to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, and I want to be present with the Lord and I want to be present with the Lord. So I know that if, for any reason, I leave this body, I know where I'm going to be Now. I know it might be a sad occasion, something may have happened, or all of that, but I am not lost.

David McIntyre:

I'm in a very specific and exact place, because I know the Lord. I am born again, I'm His child, I am marked. He has redeemed my life from destruction and brought me into the kingdom of His dear Son. So, because I have that promise, because I have that assurance, I have a hope that allows me to see beyond my current situation and circumstances. I'm not blind, but I'm seeing what the Lord wants to do.

Phillip Rich:

Yeah.

David McIntyre:

But when you lack these virtues in your life, this is all you got.

Phillip Rich:

Goodness gracious.

David McIntyre:

This is all you got, and God wants us to see beyond that. He wants us to see beyond our problems, beyond our situation, beyond our circumstances, beyond our challenge, and know that there is a great hope on the other side of this. It takes me to Hebrews, chapter 11, where we're encouraged to remember all of the greats that went before us, to sit in the stadium and remember the journey of the champions that went before us, yeah, and to remember that God's a rewarder of those who diligently seek him and to not lose sight. And then, when we go on to verse 12 or chapter 12, it then tells us at the start of that you know, so don't lose heart.

Phillip Rich:

That's right.

David McIntyre:

You know, don't lay aside the weight that so easily besets you. So, in other words, get rid of all those things that cause you to be right here.

David McIntyre:

Oh, that's good, David, and open up and see all of that God has promised. Look at what he's already done and see a future where you can see what he wants to do and have your hope intact so that you can chase the things of God and you can do so. Even I was going to say fearlessly, philip, but it's like it's. It's like even if you do have fear, you still go after it because you know God's in it there you go.

David McIntyre:

He wants us to be seeing, he wants us to be knowing and he wants us to remember that we've been purged from our old sins. And now you begin to see the practical part of this, when you don't have these things functioning in your life. This last thing I'm going to say Philip, sorry no you're good. When you don't have these virtues and the fruit of the Spirit functioning in your life, you open yourself up to go backwards.

David McIntyre:

That's right, man you open yourself up to the point where, as it says at the end of this verse, in verse 9, it says that he has forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.

David McIntyre:

In other words you get so far back. You don't have anything keeping you fresh and new and growing in you and maturing you and all of that stuff that you got born again. But then you got down the road some and you forgot that God has cleansed you of all of your sins and you're back in sin again with looking like you got no hope.

Phillip Rich:

Yeah.

David McIntyre:

And that's not what God wants for you.

Phillip Rich:

That's right, david, I love that man. And it's so dangerous, honestly, that whole spiritual condition of being nearsighted. You know, I think there's a word, myopic I think it's called it's like you're only seeing what's right in front of you. You have zero peripheral vision. You know it's just what's right in front of your face and I just find that fascinating man that Peter chose that to be the analogy to talk about what happens when those characteristics are not operative in your life. It's so easy to lose, like you said, lose hope, lose a vision, for you know the future that God wants for you, and if you lose that and no longer are in pursuit of that, of course you're going to go backwards and start drifting back into the things that are familiar for, back into the things that are familiar for you, the things that are maybe even comfortable for you, even though they were maybe not the best for you. It's kind of like the children of Israel when they got out into the wilderness and into the desert. They're hungry, it's hot as crap, you know, and they're sitting there complaining to Moses. They're like man. You know we had it better in Egypt. You know they said we could have at least eaten some onions and leeks and garlic when we were in Egypt. You know they started forgetting that. You know that they were delivered from that slavery and all of a sudden, for whatever reason, they could only remember the highlights or I guess I don't even know if you call it eating onions and leeks highlights, but it's kind of you know, the thing that gave them comfort, if you want to call it that. That's all they could kind of refer back to, because they had kind of lost the purpose and the reason for why they were even drifting around in the wilderness. To begin with, moses was trying to take them to the next place, trying to take them to the promised land, but they were like man, look, it's hot. You know we ain't got no water. We get manna every day and don't even know where it's going to come from. And they still didn't believe it was going to happen until it's falling from the sky. You know all the stuff like that.

Phillip Rich:

It's a training ground sometimes, when you're, when you're moving out of the old way of living, when you've, when you've hit a certain place in your walk with God where you realize I do want more, I do want to pursue God more. I know this is the way I'm supposed to go. But the things that I'm, that I've always done, the things that I'm used to, they do bring some degree of comfort for me. But this is when God has to take you into a bit of a training ground, just like the children of Israel had to go through in the wilderness, in the desert. That was a proving ground for them. And he told them that. He said in Deuteronomy I think it's Deuteronomy 28, he said I brought you out of Egypt from the house of bondage and I brought you into the wilderness to test you and to prove what was in your heart. It's interesting, man. It's not that God didn't know what was in their heart, god knew they didn't know what was in their heart and so God had to show them themselves.

Phillip Rich:

And that's a lot of times what happens when you're trying to you know progress in your walk with God. There's a certain level, guys and I just don't want anybody to be under any delusions about this there's a certain level of peeling back the onion, peeling back the layers of the onion that God is going to do in your life. These things happen on a progression. Your life, these things happen on a progression. It's not going to be this instant thing where you know next week you're going to be in every single thing. You know every single dream manifested, every single goal achieved is not going to happen like that.

Phillip Rich:

God knows that there's a certain level of character growth you're going to need to go through. There's a certain level of purging old habits that you're going to need to do too, that are going to help you in the long run. But it's going to be uncomfortable sometimes for you to get through those transitional phases. And so what Peter is saying, if you start applying these things and he said in second Peter, one, three or whatever verse four, it says giving all diligence. You know, add to your faith these things. When you do that, when you begin to to add to your faith these things, when you do that, when you begin to to add to your faith virtue to virtue, knowledge to knowledge, temperance, and go on down the list uh, you're, you're beginning to develop in those things. And as you develop, it's going to start. Uh, it's. It's going to be the training ground that you need to build, the character that you need to ultimately end up where God wants you to be.

Phillip Rich:

And so I say this now as one who's been walking through this and has, you know, hit certain levels and then slip back and you know it's just been a journey. I say this though don't despise the process. Okay, don't despise the process, get through it, trust that god knows what he's doing and, uh, realize that there, when you finally get to a certain place in your walk with him, there is no going back. There is no going back, dude, you're, you're, you've been claimed for the kingdom. You simply will not be able to be comfortable doing the old stuff that you were doing before. It just won't work. So go ahead and get ready, man.

David McIntyre:

You know what I wish, philip. I wish when I was a babe in Christ and starting off. I wish I knew then and appreciated that what I was starting was a journey. And it's no different than you know one of my favorite movies I love to watch Lord of the Rings, oh yeah, and you can see how that journey begins.

Phillip Rich:

Yeah.

David McIntyre:

And for three films, and you know in in the books those three films go over a period of years, that the time elapses through them. And I tell you, if you appreciate the fact that you're on a journey and that God's in it and that you've just got to work your way through this beautiful, god-orchestrated choose-your-own-adventure book, come on now. God-orchestrated choose-your-own-adventure book Come on now. Choose-your-own-adventure life that God has specially concepted for you. Then you begin to realize that, ultimately, that yours is an amazing story too.

Phillip Rich:

Yeah.

David McIntyre:

And it's worth fighting for. And every battle you go through and every hill and mountain that you climb to get to the top isn't the end, but it's the beginning of the next part of the journey. And you're allowed to celebrate those victories. But those victories become the fuel for the next part of the journey and that's what Phil's trying to tell you. It's. It's a, it's a beautiful thing to walk with god and it is a journey. You can. You can literally journal your walk with the lord and if you ever go back and look at what you've journaled, you'll see that you've you've been on quite the adventure and it's in that journey that God begins to reveal and pull pieces back and show you things and introduce you to things and reveal things, and all of those things help you to grow and move into your maturity and become all that God created you to be. None of us come to perfection until we see him. First Corinthians I believe it's 13, says right now we know in part, yeah yeah.

David McIntyre:

But when we see him then we'll know the whole thing. So, we keep working our way up to perfection until we meet Jesus. And when we meet him, then everything becomes clear and open and you're like this was the greatest journey ever. It's a beautiful thing?

Phillip Rich:

Yes, it is.

David McIntyre:

Phillip, we got to put a bookmark in this thing.

Phillip Rich:

Yes, it's been so good. Man Praise God.

David McIntyre:

And I'd like to just say I blame Ryan and I blame John for this, because we got too talkative during the coffee part. They were stealing Bible time. I'm just kidding, kind of yeah.

Phillip Rich:

Praise God.

David McIntyre:

What's your final thoughts as we wrap up, Philip?

Phillip Rich:

I would just encourage everybody out there, as we've been saying, remember this is a journey with the Lord. It's not, you know, just some kind of just a transactional thing where you know God's your ATM or anything like that. You know, this is something where you're going to have to get to know him. You're going to have to get to know him and walk with him, and don't despise that process. Just remember that that's going to take you a long way if you remember that for sure.

David McIntyre:

Here's another silly story. Sorry, no, go ahead. Think of it like Cinderella too. For the stepsisters, the wicked, wicked mother and all of them, the the be all end all was the ball and cinderella wanted to go that ball so bad and she had.

David McIntyre:

The fairy godmother came and made it possible for her to go to the ball. The reality, though, in the story becomes the ball was just a highlight in the story, because the ball became the piece of the puzzle that led to the clue that led to her becoming Princess Cinderella not just Cinderella, the girl who cleaned and swept up and also bought justice to those wicked people at the same time. Right, it's a journey, you guys. It really is a journey, and we want to walk into that journey with our eyes open, fully seeing what the Lord has prepared for us, not having forgotten that we have been cleansed of our sins, but remembering and going on in victory. Yes, all right, you guys, we're so glad that you've joined us for this episode. We'll come back next week. We'll get to verse 10. We'll finish, we will. We'll get there here, just in a next week. We should get there.

David McIntyre:

We want to thank you for watching this episode. Just remember, this is the Bible Bros and Brew podcast and you can catch it on your preferred streaming platform. You can also watch it on YouTube and on one of our newest favorite places, on Rumble. We'd love to have you and have you participate and watch. You can always leave a comment in the comment section of any of those platforms. If you have a question, something you'd like us to cover, a subject you'd want us to tackle, we'd be happy to do so. Just leave a comment in any one of those places or you can reach us on my email at gotbrew at biblebrosnet. That's gotbrew at BibleBrosnet. That's gotbrew at BibleBrosnet. Philip, as we wrap up, why don't you just quickly pray for everybody and pray for their journey?

Phillip Rich:

Yes, sir, yes sir, Father, thank you for being a God who works with us every day. You said in your word in Psalm 103, that you know our frame and you remember that we are but dust. Lord, we're so glad that you know us inside and out. Just like David said in Psalm 139, you know the thoughts we think before we even think them. We're just so grateful, father, that even though you know everything about us, you still love us, you still care for us, you still are willing to walk with us, and we're so grateful for that.

Phillip Rich:

So I pray for every person listening to this podcast. They're on their journey with you, father, and everybody's journey looks different. I pray that you will continue to perform the good work you've started in them, lord, just like Hebrews 13 says that you'll work everything that's well-pleasing in your sight into their lives. Through Jesus Christ, you're the God who works in them to will and do of your good pleasure. Thank you for helping them, father, to be conformed to the image of your Son as they continue to walk with you and get to know you, and we just thank you for that, father that they will be people who add to their faith the different spiritual qualities listed in 2 Peter 1. We thank you for that, father, and I pray that you will just strengthen each person for whatever they're dealing with on their journey, whatever they happen to be facing problems, difficulties, whatever it is, lord, you're with them, you know them and you're strengthening them to be able to bear up under and to conquer, and we give you praise for that, lord. In Jesus name, we pray Amen.

David McIntyre:

Amen. Thanks, philip, and don't forget that we also do our Bible study notes. So make sure that you take an opportunity to go to the description down below and you'll see a link for the weekly Bible study notes. Those Bible study notes come out every Wednesday, I'm sorry, every Monday morning at, I think, 6 am, every Monday morning at 6 am, and they'll help you to go along with studying what we've been talking about in this episode, and there's a part for you to look at every day of the week, on Monday through Friday, kind of a thing to help you walk along and keep things in mind and something to help you focus daily on the word of God and walking out this journey until next time. I, I'm David. He's Phil Ryan's back there, being a very good boy, but John's back there and he's misbehaving, so we're about to have to go have a meeting until next time. See you later. Peace you.

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Stephanie Rich

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David McIntyre

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Phillip Rich

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