Participants: Aaron Chancy (Host), G. Paul Foster II
Series Code: TNJ
Program Code: TNJ000064
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00:01 The following program discusses sensitive issues.
00:02 Parents are cautioned 00:04 that some material may be too candid 00:05 for younger children. 00:10 Welcome to The New Journey, 00:11 a program where you'll meet real life people 00:13 with real life testimonies, 00:15 doing real life ministries for Jesus Christ. 00:17 I'm your host Aaron Chancy, 00:18 come join us on The New Journey. 00:52 Welcome back to the program. 00:53 We have an exciting program for you today 00:55 with the guest G. Paul Foster II. 00:58 G. Paul Foster, we like to thank you for being on today. 01:00 Thanks for having me. 01:02 All right, just for some general information, 01:03 if you could provide us with your age 01:05 and where you're born and raised at. 01:06 I'm 25. Okay. 01:08 I was born in Columbus, Ohio. 01:10 I'm was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin/ Madison, Wisconsin. 01:15 Okay. 01:16 Okay, what was it like growing up at a young age, 01:18 number one, as a preacher's kid, 01:20 a Seventh-day Adventist preacher's kid 01:21 as well as growing up in Milwaukee? 01:24 Well, growing as a PK is always different challenges 01:30 because you have that type of 01:35 stereotype of PK kid where there's gonna be... 01:39 a PK kids, excuse me. 01:40 Where there's gonna be someone that is trying too hard, 01:44 trying to overcompensate, to say 01:45 or that the other individual is trying to overcompensate 01:49 to be like goody tushu. 01:50 Yeah, well. 01:52 And growing up I found myself in the middle, 01:56 found myself trying to fit in. 01:58 But then also found myself trying to do right, so. 02:01 Okay. 02:02 How hard was it for you at a young age 02:04 to be able to try to fit in, being that you are PK? 02:10 I guess it really depend because in Milwaukee area, 02:14 it was hard trying to fit in 02:17 and trying to get them to accept me 02:20 for who I was at a young age. 02:23 In Madison area, growing up as a child was fine. 02:27 There was some racism near by by and large, 02:32 fitting there was okay. 02:34 Okay. What did you have to do? 02:35 You mentioned a second ago 02:36 about you had to do things to fit in. 02:38 What were some of those things 02:39 that you had to do to fit in or try to fit in? 02:41 Just like I have mentioned before, 02:44 just trying to overcompensate. 02:45 So as a young child, swearing was big. 02:49 So my swear too much, like, use different... 02:54 Now people can tell, okay, yeah, he's saying so much, 02:56 he trying too hard. 02:57 Sure, using different curse words, 02:58 when it's not supposed to be used. 03:01 So sitting here, just sounding like 03:03 I'm trying to formulate on, type of different curse words 03:06 but it's not just coming together 03:08 because again, we're trying to overcompensate 03:10 because I'm trying to fit in. 03:11 Okay, okay. 03:12 Now, eventually, you gravitated towards the streets. 03:15 So what was the motivating 03:16 or what were some of the motivating factors 03:18 that led to you gravitating to the street life? 03:23 I think a lot of it had to do with being in Milwaukee, 03:27 because in Milwaukee at a young age 03:30 I saw people from our church, 03:32 boy from our church that were out on the streets 03:34 but they have roots in the church. 03:36 So coming to church with wads of cash. 03:40 I remember there's this little basketball team 03:43 that I play with, called CFL, Christian Fellowship League. 03:47 Anyway, I was Chicago 03:51 and I saw this guy from the team, 03:53 he poured out a wad of cash like this 03:55 and I'm like, "Wait a minute, 03:57 how is he getting this type of money?" 03:59 That's the same question I asked when I was young, 04:00 that's a trip, go on. 04:02 So then I'm sitting here, 04:04 seeing his lifestyles of some of the cool kids, 04:08 you can say, from Milwaukee church, 04:11 been there like out in the neighborhood 04:13 having on the jerseys. 04:15 Back in day, jerseys were popular. 04:16 Yeah, yeah, definitely. 04:18 Having the jerseys, having the chains, 04:20 having the Jordan's, having the cash. 04:22 So then as a child, I was like, 04:24 "Man, that's something that I wanted," 04:26 and I remember, pops never really got me, 04:30 got me the jerseys, he'll give me something from like K-Mart, 04:33 and I come back from Milwaukee, get clowned, I'm like, 04:35 "Wait a minute, what you're talking about?" 04:37 Is it really to me like it's not real. 04:39 So just trying to fit in really, 04:43 had me curious about, 04:45 okay, how do I get these nice clothes? 04:48 Like how do I get these nice wads of cash type? 04:52 Now that's interesting you said that 04:53 because that's the same thing that happened to me. 04:56 And my father wasn't a pastor, 04:58 but I grew up in a Adventist home 05:00 and I remember 15, 16 years old, 05:03 seeing young kids with wads of money, like you say. 05:05 And it was intriguing like, 05:07 "Wow, what are they actually doing?" 05:09 How deep did you get into that lifestyle just based upon 05:13 looking at what other people had? 05:16 I want to say that was everything, 05:18 because something I fail to mention, my brother... 05:21 I heard so much about my brother. 05:23 He went down Alabama, and I'm getting phone calls 05:28 or hearing some of my younger friends 05:30 talking about my brother, he did this, he did this... 05:32 Okay. 05:33 And then he went in like the Madison area, 05:35 he was doing a lot, making a name for himself. 05:39 So from the attraction in Milwaukee 05:43 to really trying to be like brother, 05:46 everything that I saw, 05:48 it was something that I wanted to do. 05:51 I blame media for that also. 05:53 Okay, okay. 05:54 And we're gonna talk about that in a little bit, 05:55 how does media play a strong effect. 05:58 But before we get to that, 05:59 what do you think were some of the negative influences 06:01 as well as some of the positive influences in your home, 06:04 and even surrounding you being 06:05 that you came from a two parent home, like I did? 06:10 Something I'd say about my pop and my mom 06:12 first before we go on. 06:13 Okay. 06:15 Pops and mon are great. 06:16 Okay. Amen. 06:17 Like they did everything in their power 06:20 to raise me up correctly. 06:22 Yeah, in a right direction, okay. 06:23 But I as a child, just decided to veer off too. 06:28 I remember nights, pop literally, 06:30 he would have wore some of the same suit, 06:33 some of the same dress shoe, 06:37 because he was making sacrifices for the family. 06:40 So from that standpoint, pop and mama did great. 06:44 But from the negative stand point, for me, 06:47 it was trying to be like my brother 06:50 and spending too much time in Milwaukee on the weekends, 06:55 sometimes during the weekend, and coming back to Madison 06:58 for like three days. 07:01 I was sitting their so confused, 07:03 but I wanted this lifestyle so bad. 07:05 Yeah, well, okay, okay. 07:07 Now you mentioned a second ago about media had part to play. 07:11 If you can expound upon that, 07:12 how media played a part in your life 07:14 as well as how it effects other people, 07:16 that say, okay, it's just entertainment, 07:18 entertainment doesn't effect me like that? 07:20 Well, first of all, I believe everybody is different. 07:22 Yeah. 07:24 Have a friend of mine, 07:26 media, as far as like different type of music. 07:29 It may affect them internally. 07:32 But on the other side, I've never seen it, 07:34 actually effecting. 07:36 But for me, I have a very addictive personality. 07:41 And if I see something that I want, I'm gonna go get it. 07:44 But I'm not just gonna go get it, 07:46 I'm gonna go over board with it. 07:48 So growing up, rappers like Boosie was a real big, 07:53 Gucci Mane, Jeezy. 07:54 So and then Diddy and the boys. 07:57 So I'm sitting here sneaking, trying to watch BET, 08:02 sitting there, just trying to get a little dose 08:05 of something at that time I thought was glorify. 08:08 So seeing the money, seeing the cars... 08:12 Yeah, all that going around. 08:14 Seeing champagne being popped. 08:18 All of that is something that affected me based off of media. 08:23 Because it was portrayed that, okay, selling drugs... 08:26 Was cool. 08:28 Going out on Friday, going out, buying out the bar, 08:32 driving some of the nicest whips, 08:34 that was something that was proclaimed. 08:37 So that happened from social media. 08:39 And I believe everybody to a certain degree 08:42 has effect from it. 08:44 Yeah, wow. Yeah, definitely. 08:45 How far did that lead you? 08:47 Because I know from myself looking at it, 08:49 I remember back in mid '90s, mid to late '90s, 08:52 I was being going like Cashmoney records, 08:54 No Limit record, and people out of Texas. 08:57 And I remember just like you do, 08:59 the money being thrown around, 09:01 the bottles of liquor, and the club scene, 09:03 and all those kinds of things, and they attracted me. 09:06 And it led me down to dark path 09:07 where, you know, incarcerations, juvenile, 09:10 prison, jail, not scared to rob people, 09:13 not scared to break anything. 09:14 How far did you get led down that path? 09:21 To say, it was far out be the biggest understatement. 09:24 Okay. 09:25 And for someone of my church family that really know me 09:30 and some of those individuals that know one side of GP, 09:36 they would never understand this side 09:38 because it got to the point of the activities 09:42 that I was involved in, it came with the territory. 09:46 For example, if you're involved in that street life 09:49 which I later on got deep involved, 09:54 it came with, always carrying a pistol. 09:56 I remember time going to church with the pistol. 09:58 Wow, wow. 09:59 Sitting there, sleeping, having a pistol underneath my bed 10:03 because I was always into something. 10:06 Once I got jump off 15 cats in the nightclub 10:09 because, it was like some foolishness, 10:11 but there was all type of... 10:16 trying to think, all type of reactions 10:19 that happen from that. 10:20 So because I got jumped 10:22 and because what I was listening to on a daily basis, 10:26 I had to retaliate. 10:28 But the way I retaliated to this day is kind of, 10:33 you know, still a mute point type. 10:36 So from social or from the media up until 10:41 how things really drove me to that lifestyle, 10:45 it had me deep it, have me to the point 10:47 that dying didn't face me. 10:49 Wow, wow. Period. 10:51 Wow. 10:52 Now what were some of the drugs that you got involved in? 10:54 Alcohol, because you talked about 10:56 how they were glorified on music videos 10:58 and things like that? 11:00 What were some of those things that you got deep into? 11:03 Growing up was a... 11:05 may be until I was like 20, I got involved with that, 11:09 smoking heavy. 11:11 Okay. Real heavy. 11:13 Okay, smoking marijuana. 11:14 Yes, smoking marijuana real heavy. 11:17 But drinking is something that, 11:19 to this day I still struggle with. 11:20 I've been drinking... 11:22 started drinking when I was 15. 11:24 But where it all started at, it was just a taste, 11:31 it was trying to peep that curiosity. 11:33 Wow. 11:35 And from there it was a gateway road. 11:41 Okay. 11:42 You know, sometimes I even just crack open the bottle 11:44 just to put myself to sleep, 11:45 or if something happens in our home, 11:48 or something happens at school or just something happens 11:50 that's dramatic then I would use that for my outlet. 11:53 Yeah, wow. 11:55 Do you think that, a lot of it started 11:57 because you were tying to cover up something 11:59 or that you were just trying to be like other people? 12:02 What do you think was the root cause of starting 12:05 with alcohol and marijuana? 12:07 Well, definitely, the smoking, it started from my brother. 12:11 Okay. 12:12 I was trying my hardest to be like my brother. 12:16 In school, he had the girls, he could play a little ball. 12:22 He had the money. 12:23 You know, so smoking, that was something, 12:27 I was definitely trying to be like my brother. 12:29 I looked up to my brother, so tough, 12:30 so I was just trying to do everything that he was doing. 12:34 Okay, wow, wow. 12:36 And drinking started, when I was like 15. 12:39 Like I said, that happened from best friend of mine 12:42 who was just sharing a bottle, 12:43 going around, just passing that, so. 12:46 Wow. 12:47 So you mentioned that second ago 12:49 where you even carried a gun to church. 12:51 How did that make you feel, 12:52 you know, having to take a gun to church? 12:54 You said, you slept with it under your bed. 12:57 But, you know, the church, it almost seems like, 12:59 "Wow, he went in there with a gun 13:01 to where he should feel safe." 13:03 You know, how did that make you feel, 13:04 having to go to church with a gun because you don't know 13:07 who's waiting for you outside or even inside? 13:14 I guess at that point 13:17 I really felt like, this was life. 13:21 Okay. 13:22 You know, I honestly didn't fee safe without it, 13:26 I don't feel comfortable without it. 13:28 Wow. 13:29 And going to church, if I didn't have it, 13:32 I knew as soon as I left church, 13:34 I'm getting ready to... 13:35 actually go get into something 13:38 because the way that I cover it up, 13:41 people never had any idea. 13:42 It was literally to the point that I'm going to church, 13:45 and right after church, dressed up, shirt and tie, 13:48 I'm going straight to the liquor store. 13:49 Yeah, wow. 13:51 You know, I remember once, like the sale clerk, he said, 13:54 "Hey man, how was church?" 13:56 I said, "It was good, 13:57 but can I get the fifth right here." 13:59 Yeah. You know. 14:00 Wow. 14:02 But it really got to the point that I could care less. 14:05 I knew for the fact 14:07 that I was either going to end up dead or in jail, 14:09 but I could care less about it 14:10 because I was chilling with my boys, 14:13 I was making money, 14:14 was sitting there partying, just really living the life. 14:17 Yeah, living life, living life. 14:18 Now how did you deal with all of that stuff in your life? 14:24 Being that you grew up in a church 14:26 and you were still going to church, 14:28 but you were still in the what... 14:29 how did you balance out those two? 14:30 And the reason I asked, 14:32 because for me, I couldn't do that. 14:35 To me, it was going to church... 14:37 I couldn't put on a mask basically, 14:38 and everybody knew what I was doing. 14:41 If I'm in church, everybody knew that I was in church, 14:42 if I was in the streets, 14:44 everybody knew that I was in the streets. 14:45 How did you manage to balance those things out 14:47 to where a lot of people, like you said in the beginning, 14:49 don't know this side of GP, how were you able to do that? 14:52 Well, everything really that I'm telling you 14:54 other than carrying the gun to church, 14:56 this is the beginning stages. 14:58 Okay. 14:59 You know, like going to church 15:01 like, that's the beginning stage 15:02 like, there was times that I just stopped going to church. 15:05 But in the beginning, I was still trying to balance, 15:08 I was still try to go to church, 15:10 still try to party, 15:11 but then, want to say may be around 20, 21, 15:15 I just stopped going to church. 15:17 Yeah, okay. 15:18 You know, church wasn't the priority. 15:22 Yeah, I might go for mother's day, 15:24 show up to surprise moms, 15:25 or something dramatic might happen. 15:28 Then I just feel like I just need to slip in a church 15:31 for a little bit. 15:32 Now your brother was older than you, correct? 15:35 Okay, how did he feel when he saw you emulating him, 15:40 or following down that same path he was going on? 15:45 At first I think, he was okay with it. 15:49 I got you. He was like, "that's just a little bro." 15:51 But then it got to a point 15:52 where I was any deeper than he was. 15:54 Yeah, wow. 15:56 Then it got to a point 15:57 where I was more reckless than he was. 15:58 Okay. 16:00 Do you kind of feel like, he was... 16:02 that he felt responsible for leading you down that path? 16:05 And the reason I ask you is because 16:07 I remember the first time I smoke some marijuana, 16:09 it was with one of my cousins. 16:11 And as I got deeper into that lifestyle, 16:13 even deeper than he had been in it, 16:15 he was, you know, he came and apologized to me 16:18 for you know, introducing me to marijuana. 16:20 And a number of people, him included, 16:22 felt like they were responsible 16:25 for leading me in that direction. 16:26 Where they weren't necessarily totally responsible, 16:29 it was my decision also. 16:30 But do you think, that your brother had that same feeling 16:33 of responsibility towards his younger brother. 16:37 I'm not sure. Okay. 16:39 Because the reason why I'm not able to elaborate on him more, 16:42 'cause my brother's real stubborn. 16:44 Okay, okay. 16:45 You know, he really doesn't talk too much. 16:47 So I'm really not sure. 16:48 Okay, okay. 16:50 Now as you're going down that path, how do you, 16:52 or what did you see in a home where you're mother and father, 16:55 they were seeing this 16:56 and knowing the things that you were getting involved in? 16:59 How did you see that they were reacting to these things? 17:06 I moved out when I was 20, I want to say. 17:09 I moved out when I was 20. 17:11 So from when it really started from 18 up until 20, 17:16 my mom, she'll get more anxious. 17:19 She'll pray more. 17:20 Okay. 17:22 She lecture more, you know. 17:24 Pop really didn't talk too much, pop's isn't a guy like... 17:27 I'm not saying my mom isn't. 17:29 But, pop, he'll talk to me just like, 17:32 he'll talk to me just like you're talking to me. 17:35 You know, he wouldn't judge. 17:37 I can't never remember time that my pop raised his voice. 17:39 Okay, wow. 17:41 You know, he'll just talk in, 17:43 he'll just lay out the pros and cons. 17:44 Okay. 17:46 So I felt as if, when I was starting 17:49 to spiral out more, and more, and more, 17:52 some more of those conversations got really, 17:53 he said, "Look, you know, son, the life stature heading down, 17:57 like, I don't have to tell you. 17:59 Look how many times you've been locked up already." 18:00 Yeah, wow. 18:02 "Look at this gashes on your head," 18:04 you know, 'cause there still a gash 18:05 where I got cracked in the head with a bottle. 18:08 Had to get stitches and everything. 18:10 But it was just really more of those heart to hearts with pop, 18:14 he was just really concerned, and he really just pleading, 18:18 saying, "Look, son, like you're going down a wrong path," 18:20 and mom's was just crying to pray. 18:22 Yeah, wow. You know mon's just... 18:24 Definitely. 18:25 And we're gonna talk about the power of prayer 18:27 in a second, from your parents. 18:28 But you mentioned about you being locked up, 18:30 what were some of the various things that you'd been 18:33 incarcerated for before? 18:34 By the grace of God, 18:36 it was really only bunch of misdemeanors. 18:38 Okay, praise the Lord. 18:39 Hallelujah. Hallelujah. 18:42 So... Amen. 18:44 Those are bunch of misdemeanors. 18:46 I had a high temper, man. Okay. 18:48 People, especially back in Madison 18:50 say that GP don't talk too much. 18:53 Like as smooth as I'm talking to you now, 18:55 calm as I'm talking to you now, I could flip like this, 18:58 especially when there is alcohol involved. 19:00 Wow. 19:01 You, know. 19:03 So if somebody would look at me in the wrong way, 19:05 I was telling somebody that a fight between black people 19:08 can start in the first five seconds. 19:11 For example, if I'm sitting near walking pass, 19:14 you look in this direction, I'm walking, I look at you, 19:19 its one... 19:20 I'm sorry one, two, 19:22 if you don't nod your head what's up... 19:24 Yeah, yeah, like that, just like you said, 19:27 you're like, "What's up?" 19:28 So three, four, five, I'm like "What's up?" 19:29 Yeah, yeah you got to beat me or something. 19:31 And lot of those fights started just like that. 19:35 And then, whomever I'm sitting there 19:37 getting into the fight with, 19:39 we sit there and just talk, talk, talk. 19:41 And by the time he's talking, next five seconds, 19:44 he's on the ground leaking. 19:46 But, that was that mentality though, 19:48 because I was actually a huge 50 Cent fan growing up. 19:53 And some of his raps, he was like, 19:55 "Boy don't play with me, I'll bust your head." 19:57 So I'm sitting there listening to this growing up. 19:59 Yeah, it is all getting pumped into your head. 20:01 All getting pumped... 20:03 Remember, I told you, I had to overcompensate. 20:05 Yeah, okay. 20:06 You know, but this was my personality now. 20:08 Yeah, wow. 20:09 So if somebody looks at me the wrong way, 20:11 I'm ready to fight. 20:12 And it got all the way down to the point 20:15 where a close friend of mine, 20:18 he told me, he said, "G, if you get a gun, 20:21 I'm not banging with you no more." 20:23 I say, "Why?" 20:24 He said, "Because, you're reckless." 20:26 I used to roll with a crew of about 15, 16. 20:30 It all got cut in half because of me being too reckless. 20:33 They're like, G, every time we're out with you 20:35 there's always a fight. 20:37 But anyway, going by to my partner, 20:39 he said, "G, if you get a gun, 20:42 I'm not banging with you no more." 20:44 Okay. 20:45 And I didn't realize what he meant until about 20:48 I was 22, I want to say. 20:51 I was in Milwaukee, I was leaving this club 618, 20:55 and at that time, 22, 20:57 I was into this game really hard. 21:01 And to me, if somebody coming into my city 21:06 wearing the color that's disrespectful. 21:08 Some people might call it foolishness, 21:10 but because that was my mind set, 21:13 I felt disrespect, I felt disrespected. 21:16 So at the end of the night, probably around 2:00, 2:30, 21:20 he pull a dub... 21:22 just happened to see him stop that at stop light. 21:25 I pulled beside him, told him to roll down this window. 21:30 I said, "Hey bro, what's up?" 21:31 He looked at me, he was like, "What's up?" 21:34 I was like, "Hey, you know where you're at?" 21:37 And then, his friend pulled out a gun, 21:40 I pulled mine out. 21:41 I clicked it back, but my, this was my mindset, 21:44 I could care less if I die, 21:47 I could care less if I killed him 21:49 because this is the lifestyle that I was living. 21:53 In this moment God saved my life 21:56 because I either A, could have been shot and killed 21:59 or shot him, killed him, 22:01 and literally threw my entire life away. 22:05 But before I was able to pull the trigger, a cops came up. 22:09 I thought the cops was coming up behind me. 22:12 Cops came up behind him. 22:14 Took him to the jail that night. 22:16 Wow. 22:17 Let's talk briefly about the power of prayer. 22:19 Of course, you had mother and father, father is a pastor. 22:22 Talk about how prayer 22:23 has really affected your life in a positive manner. 22:26 Just going back to that story I just said. 22:28 Okay. 22:30 I'm a firm believer if my parents weren't praying. 22:34 My mom's wasn't praying, my grandmother, 22:36 my aunty wasn't praying. 22:39 Then that story could've ended differently. 22:41 Yeah, definitely. 22:42 Like, I may not have been sitting here with you today. 22:44 Actually got in the head on collision few years back, 22:50 driving on the inner state, 22:52 sitting there pumping out Gucci like I was telling you. 22:53 Yeah. 22:55 Just going too fast, like my partner 22:56 that was sitting next to me told me, "Just slow down." 23:00 I lost control of the car, a van hit me, 23:04 fish tell me all the way into on coming traffic, 23:07 a semi hit us head on, going 65 plus, 23:11 totaled the vehicle. 23:12 Wow. Nobody... 23:14 nobody had any type of injuries. 23:16 Wow. We walked away unsacred. 23:17 But that's from the power, but I'm a firm believer 23:20 that if you don't see any type of prayer, 23:23 if you don't see any type of... 23:29 trying to think of the word, that I'm looking for. 23:31 Okay. See any type of... 23:32 Any type of results in your life. 23:34 Thank you. 23:35 See any type of results, just keep on praying. 23:36 Yeah, definitely. 23:38 Because, I'm here, because of prayer. 23:39 Yeah, amen, amen. 23:41 Now you mentioned to me before about 23:43 how you came to the point of selling your soul. 23:46 If you could talk about that for a little bit. 23:49 The reason why I was mentioning that to you earlier 23:52 is because I know that there may be 23:55 some individuals tuning in, 23:57 whether its late at night, night or not 24:00 but so they're not thinking that they have come too far. 24:03 Yeah. 24:05 So they're looking at me, saying, 24:06 "Oh, well, that's the PK, he had people praying for him- 24:10 but I've gone too far." 24:12 I can look into the cameras right now and say, 24:14 if I try to sell my soul three time, three times, 24:20 and if God is still willing to work with me, 24:24 then he can work with anybody. 24:25 Wow. Wow. 24:26 Now when you went through the process 24:28 of selling your soul, 24:29 what were some of the things, briefly, 24:31 that you did or you say it to come to that point? 24:37 I know the very first time I was like, "Man, this is it." 24:40 Yeah. 24:42 That I will give myself for this and this. 24:45 Wow. 24:46 And who is literally has, 24:48 if we were sitting down talking, he said, "I bet." 24:50 Yeah. 24:51 I said, "Hey, it's yours, come and get it." 24:53 Wow. God came in quick though. 24:56 Praise the Lord. 24:57 I instantly felt the spiritual and He said, 24:59 "Ah, ah... you can't have this one." 25:01 Wow. 25:02 So the great controversy was real in life. 25:04 Man, it was real, but that was the first time. 25:06 Yeah, wow. 25:07 The second time, it was literally yelling, 25:09 "No, no, no... 25:10 I told you, I die specifically for this one, 25:13 you can't have this one." 25:14 The third time, "Yo, I thought I already told you, 25:18 you can't have this one." 25:19 Wow, praise the Lord. 25:21 But, that again, is going back to just telling any individual 25:23 that thinks you know, I've come too far. 25:28 That it doesn't matter how far you have come. 25:32 Because if God could still working 25:33 and still use someone 25:35 that try to sell their soul three times... 25:36 Wow. 25:38 God can use anybody. Use anybody. 25:39 Praise the Lord. 25:41 What brought you, really briefly, 25:42 what brought you to that point of realizing, 25:43 I need to make a change in my life? 25:47 There's been stories after stories after stories. 25:50 There's been near life experiences 25:53 or near death experiences, 25:56 but I'm just going to mention one briefly. 26:00 Last summer, I was locked up, I was locked up on this charge 26:05 and there was warrant out for my arrest. 26:07 I just got a good job, 26:08 I was really just starting to do well, 26:10 and I said, "Look, Lord, I need you to make this go away." 26:15 Yeah. 26:16 "Or at least give me a way out, so that I can make it right." 26:19 I'm in jail for about three or four days, 26:23 somewhere around near and I remember praying to God, 26:28 and said, "Okay, look, Lord, I'm finally gave up, 26:32 I'm gonna give my life to you, right here in jail." 26:35 If I have to miss my last year at Oakwood, 26:39 at that time I thought it was, you know, Oakwood is. 26:42 Anyway, that's a different story. 26:43 Different story. 26:44 But I said, "All right Lord, if I have to miss this year, 26:48 and stay here, so be it. 26:50 But my life is yours." Yeah. 26:51 Wow. 26:53 And literally in about a hour, somebody bailed me, 26:55 I said, "Amen, thank God. Thank God, so." 26:58 Wow. 26:59 Have you seen the difference in your life now 27:01 in serving the Lord verses 27:03 how you live before in 30 seconds? 27:06 Yeah. Okay. 27:07 But everything is still a constant battle. 27:10 Everything is still work in progress. 27:15 Call myself David, 27:17 because David would go out there, 27:18 he will be murderer, but he will repent 27:20 and repent, and repent, and repent. 27:23 You know, the beautiful thing 27:24 is that God is willing to forgive us. 27:26 And the reality is, you know, the Bible mentions 27:29 in Revelation chapter 2 and 3, where it says, 27:30 "To him they over cometh, to him they over cometh." 27:33 You see this in the seven churches. 27:35 And we know that there is a battle with life, 27:37 but the reality is that eternal life with Jesus 27:40 is to those who over come. 27:42 So you know, I just want to give you encouragement 27:44 as well as we can both encourage the viewers 27:46 that overcoming is very important, 27:49 even though the various things 27:50 that we deal with, don't you think? 27:51 Yeah, I think so. Amen. 27:53 Well, GP, I want to thank you for being on the program. 27:56 Tune in next time for an exciting program 27:58 of The New Journey. |
Revised 2016-06-09