Another Look Podcast
Another Look Podcast is a podcast where we discuss our splinters and planks of wood in the American church. The purpose of this podcast is to have frank and honest dialogue about the role of the church and the role of the believer in America today. Our goal is to take "another look" at who we are and realign our spirits properly. It will hurt initially but the end result will always be a beautiful masterpiece in the Potter's hands.
Another Look Podcast
Limping Toward Heaven: Why Your Thorn Might Be a Blessing
Have you ever considered that your greatest weakness might actually be your greatest spiritual strength? That thorn in your flesh, that struggle you keep hidden, that imperfection you're ashamed of – what if it's actually serving a divine purpose?
In this raw and powerful episode, Minister Ken takes us on a journey through scripture and personal testimony to explore the concept of "holy handicaps." Drawing from Jacob's transformative wrestling match that left him with both a limp and a blessing, and Paul's revelation that God's power is made perfect in weakness, we discover that our struggles often become the very channels through which God's grace flows most powerfully.
Minister Ken vulnerably shares his own experiences with physical imperfections, professional setbacks, and mental health challenges, revealing how each "thorn" ultimately drew him closer to God and taught him to depend on divine strength rather than his own. Through these stories, we learn that sometimes the things we most want removed from our lives are precisely what God uses to shape our character and fulfill His purposes.
This message will resonate deeply with anyone who has felt rejected because of their imperfections or struggled to reconcile their weaknesses with their faith. Minister Ken reminds us that it's often our limps that make us lean on God, our brokenness that creates space for His power, and our struggles that qualify us to minister to others. As he powerfully states, "God's grace that's in you is greater than the thorn that's on you."
Ready to embrace your holy handicap? Join us for this transformative conversation that will forever change how you view your struggles. Remember, sometimes it's not despite our weaknesses but through them that God accomplishes His greatest work.
Please feel free to leave us your prayer request, comments, and feedback at our website at https://anotherlookpodcast.buzzsprout.com or https://podpage.com/another-look-podcast/.
You are precious and loved beloved. Keep pressing forward towards Jesus.
Welcome to Another Look Podcast. At Another Look Podcast, we go beyond the norm and literally take another look at our life in Christ. We keep an open heart and mind so we can reach, teach and love all of God's creation. Whether you are a novice or veteran in this walk, this podcast is for you. You ready for something new, something that will challenge your thinking and heart? Are you willing and ready to unlearn in order to learn, willing to tear down so God can rebuild? Good, let's get up and go. People are waiting for us. Let's go fishing.
Speaker 2:Three, two, one 3, 2, 1, 0, and liftoff. Hey, welcome to another Look Podcast. This is your brother, brother Kenny D, coming to you today. I'm being consistent, isn't that awesome? I'm back and I'm sharing the word of God as it's given to me, and I'm excited.
Speaker 2:Actually, I was in a different place yesterday, and not in a bad way. I was in a place where I was actually working in some legal areas and around five o'clock, god just said stop for a minute, I got something to share with you. This was yesterday, y'all. So that tells you. It's not going to be a deep word, but it is a profound word. And God just had me think about something. How can I put it where? I'm not putting you guys in a weird position here, you know.
Speaker 2:So we all have our weaknesses, we all have our proclivities, we all have our situations where we're not at our best. We have weaknesses, we have things in our lives that are sin. We have things in our life that are not pleasing to God and we struggle with it. And, as you remember I said before, struggling is not always a negative thing. I mean, the best is that we not have the struggle at all, but the fact that we have the struggle means we haven't surrendered to the thing that God does not like in us. He loves us but he doesn't like what that proclivity, what that issue is in us. And you know, I know some people I always say this, but I know some people are so hungry for tea. I know I say this, but I know some people are so hungry for tea. But I'm not going to get into my particular issues or issue, because some people rather have tea than pray. And so you know, when you've been in church as long as I have, when you've been in the body of Christ for a couple of seasons, you know you come to realize that you can't share everything with everyone, because some people, even though they say I'm praying for you, they're really talking about you and there are some truly sincere people who are actually praying for you. Thank God for those people. But you know what is that buzzing sound? Anyway, I go by the assumption that there are just some people who just are into other things. No issues, no problems. I just prefer to share where I'm at and also to encourage people who may have the same challenges which, if we're being honest, all of us do.
Speaker 2:However, let's get into it. I want to talk about something that got laid on my heart yesterday, and I don't have a theme per se. I don't want to put a title on it because I never know what a title is until afterwards. But I want to talk about that holy handicap you have, or that thorn you have in your life, or thorns, and you know to some people, and I want to preface this by saying this you know, we've grown up in a society, we've grown up in a world where people see imperfections or flaws as negative things. I've grown up with that. I've grown up with that, you've grown up with that. We've come to strive to be perfect before people, trying to please people. And if you've gone long enough, you realize that it's not worth even trying to please people, because people aren't God. The only person we seek to please, even though we still try to please people, is we should seek to please God. The only person we seek to please, even though we still try to please people, is we should seek to please God. And the way we please God is by being obedient to his word in our perfections and imperfections Amen. But I want to share with you a different aspect. Take another look at your thorn. Take another look at your flaws, at your imperfections.
Speaker 2:I want to start with something. Let's start with looking at Genesis 32. Today I'm going to spend time in the ESV version or the English Standard version. I particularly love the King James Version and the Amplified, sometimes the CSB version even. But I wanted to use different versions to help people understand different things, because I know some people that follow this podcast aren't necessarily beholden to the King James Version because it's difficult to read. I understand because I felt the same way. I love the Amplified Version, so it was my favorite. King James doesn't have to be my first source, but I go to Amplified, I go to CSB, I go to ESV, I go to the Names of God Bible. I definitely go to the Hebrew and the Greek Interlinear Bible, especially when I have studies. But I want to spend time in ESV today.
Speaker 2:Let's look at Genesis 32, verses 22 through 32. We're going to talk about Jacob, and then we're going to jump into 2 Corinthians, 12, 1 and 10. We're going to talk about Paul and finally we're going to end at Matthew 18, 5 and 9. We're going to talk about us. So Genesis 32, 22,. 32 reads as this the same night he rose, he being Jacob, and he took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven children and crossed the fort of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream and everything else that he had. And Jacob was left alone and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.
Speaker 2:Breaking of the day, when a man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said let me go, for the day has broken. But Jacob said I will not let you go unless you bless me. And he said to him what is your name? And he said Jacob. Then he said your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed. And Jacob asked him Please tell me your name. But he said why is it that you ask my name? And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place, peniel, saying For I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been delivered. The sun rose upon him as he passed Peniel, limping because of his hip. Therefore, to this day, the people of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh that is on the hip socket, because he touched the socket of Jacob's hip, on the sinew of the thigh, and the Lord had a blessing to the reading of his word. And sanctify these truths in your heart.
Speaker 2:So, jacob, just to give you background, jacob was the son of Isaac and Leah and Jacob his name, by definition, is trickster and uh no, jacob was a trip. It was a trip Um and, and Jacob um was known for um, not necessarily being an honest person. Just to be plain, and I think some of you can understand where that's coming from, jacob was a person who lied quite a bit. He tricked his father, isaac, into giving the blessing that actually was given to the oldest son. So you know Jacob had a brother, Esau. There was Jacob and Esau. Esau was born first, jacob was born second. Actually, they were twins and Jacob, would you know he would engage in things that were kind of devious. So you know, jacob engage in things that were kind of devious. So you know Jacob would do things that were usually not necessarily good, I'll put it that way. And the ultimate betrayal is stealing the birthright of Esau by tricking Isaac, his father, into believing that it was Esau who came for the blessing and I'm sorry, let me go back. You know, when I said Jacob was the son of Isaac and Leah was actually the son of Isaac and Rachel. Sorry about that.
Speaker 2:So in a long story short, jacob. When Esau found out Jacob stole his birthright, jacob fled because he was afraid of Esau. Esau was a very rugged man, he was a very strong man, he was a man of war. So, for lack of a better word, jacob had to reap what he sowed, fled from his family and stayed with a man called Laban, who was his father-in-law. Laban actually turned into a trickster, was a trickster himself and eventually how can I put it? He played Jacob such that. You know, because Laban had two daughters and um, I'm sorry, I still got distracted. So jacob had to marry both of laban's daughters and um. So in a long story short, we're at the point now where jacob is um, trying to reconcile with his brother, and so he. He had his two wives go to a different area so that he would not, if Esau decided to kill him, he wouldn't lose everything he had. So, in a sense, what happened was the night before Jacob was to meet Esau.
Speaker 2:This event took place in Genesis 32, 22 through 32. And in this event, what was amazing is Jacob was away from everybody, away from everything. He was alone. And I'm getting to this point because it's and I'm really I'm feeling this a little bit, so I'm getting to this point Jacob was left alone and it was when he was away from everything and everyone, away from all the fanfare, away from all the responsibilities, away from all the things that made him stay as a trickster, jesus, when he got away from everything that made him stay, jacob, he came face to face with God. When he got away from everything that made him stay, jacob, he came face to face with God, who came in the form of a man who wrestled with Jacob. Now, I don't want to speculate, but there are a lot of people who believe that God was wrestling with Jacob to have Jacob fight for what he was to become and to fight against what he is. I don't know, but I like that explanation.
Speaker 2:But the biggest thing is this Jacob, before the wrestling match was full body, no handicaps, no issues. But after he wrestled with this man, or wrestled with God, he walked away with a limp. He walked away with a limp. He walked away with three things actually. The first thing is he walked away with a limp because God touched the socket of his hip, so he walked away with a handicap in some people's eyes, and I'll get to that later. The second thing he walked away with was his name being changed Verse 27 your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed. So there was a change in his name, but also there was a change in his character. And the third thing he walked away with was the blessing Verse 29. And there he blessed him. So again, jacob walked away with a limp. He walked away with a name change, no longer being defined by his name, trickster, but being defined by now, a nation. Third thing he walked away with was the blessing of God.
Speaker 2:Beloved, you're conditioned, you're thorn To everyone else looks bad, you look imperfect to everyone else looks bad, you look imperfect. You don't look like someone who's acceptable and you probably have been rejected by other people. It's okay, because even though you may have a limp, you have been changed by God. I want to give you another witness. Let's look at 2 Corinthians, 12, 1 and 10. I want to give you another witness. Let's look at 2 Corinthians, 12, 1 and 10. This is the Apostle Paul. Paul says this I know a man in Christ who, 14 years ago, was caught up to the third heaven whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know, god knows. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise. I'm sorry, let me start over again. I misread that. Let's go back to verse 3. And I know that this man was caught up into paradise, whether in the body or out of the body, I do not know, god knows. And he heard things that cannot be told, which men may not utter.
Speaker 2:On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast except of my weaknesses. Will not boast except of my weaknesses, though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. So, to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that he should leave me, but he said to me my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships. I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities. When I am weak, then I am strong. That whole scripture, right there could go on for a whole month of talking, but the emphasis is what Paul said in verses yeah, verse five and onward. On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast except of my weaknesses. I just want to stay there.
Speaker 2:This scripture blows me away sometimes because what Paul's saying is what I saw in heaven or what this man saw in paradise. I could share forever about the revelation and I could boast in that. But no, I don't want to talk or boast about what I saw. I want to boast or talk about how weakened I was made because of what I saw. But let's also be clear.
Speaker 2:Paul said that this thorn he got look at verse 7. A thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me. So Paul says that this thorn I got wasn't given to me by God. It was given to me by Satan to harass me, but God used it to keep me from being conceited. In other words, god allowed Satan to put this thought in my flesh, but God's using this very thing to keep me humble, even though in verse 8, I asked God three times I begged and pleaded with him to take it from me. God said no, I won't, because my grace on you is greater than the thorn on you. Jesus, I got to say that again because that blessed me.
Speaker 2:Verse 9, god said my grace that is on you I mean my grace that is in you is greater than the thorn that is on you. I mean my grace that is in you is greater than the thorn that is on you Because, see, my grace has my power and my power makes you perfect in your witness, god. Thank you, jesus, my grace that is in you has my power, which makes you perfect. Even though outwardly you look weak, my power in you makes you strong, because my grace in you is greater than the thorn that's on you, because in my grace is my power that makes you strong. Even though to other people and other people who look at you you look weak, you are actually strong in my eyes because my power is stronger in you. Going back to Jacob, the fact that you have a limp to most people will make you look weak, but to me I make, since you have to rely on me, since you have to lean on me because you have a limp, you are actually stronger than you were before you had the limp. God, that's why Paul's saying so. Now I'm going to boast in my weaknesses because in my witness I actually have the power of Christ resting upon me.
Speaker 2:Verse 9. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my witnesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Paul's saying I now understand that this thorn on me causes the power of God in me to rest stronger on me Because I'm leaning on him. I grew up in a Baptist church where we used to sing the hymns. Leaning on Jesus, leaning on Jesus, safe and secure from all alarm. Leaning on Jesus, leaning on the everlasting arms. See my lean, my limp causes me to lean, and my lean causes his grace in me to exceed the thorn that's on me, and grace in me is causing his power to rest upon me. So, as Paul says, for the sake of Christ, I'm okay with being weak, I'm content with my weaknesses. I'm okay with being weak, I'm okay with the insults people give me. I'm okay with the hardships I go through. I'm okay with the persecutions and calamities they face, because the weaker I am from the outward appearance, the stronger I am inwardly.
Speaker 2:My God, I hope y'all get this because it's making. It's not a feeling. I feel the presence of the Holy Ghost, matthew 18. Thank you, lord. Matthew 18, 5 through 9. And then I'm going to share my personal side of this so y'all can relate to me what I'm saying, if the scripture is the bottom line. But I'm going to share my testimony because the scripture says we overcome by the blood of the lamb and the power of our testimony. It's matthew 18, 5, 9, last scripture I'm going to share with you. It says, and this is jesus whoever receives one such child in my name receives me.
Speaker 2:Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world for temptations to sin, for it is necessary that temptations come. But woe to the one by whom the temptation comes. And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire. Now let me just preface this I am not encouraging you and Jesus is not encouraging you to cut off your body parts, okay. So everybody chill. This is not literal, but this is still relative to this scripture. So everybody chill. This is not literal, but this is still relative to the scripture.
Speaker 2:And I started with verse 5 and 6, and most versions are separate, but it's all tied together. See, verse 5 is talking about anybody who's a child in my name. Whoever receives me receives a child in my name. Whoever receives a child in my name receives me. So, in other words, whether they're a child in my name or whoever receives a child in my name receives me. So, in other words, whether they're a babe in Christ or an actual child, when you receive them in love, you're also receiving Christ or Jesus.
Speaker 2:But if you cause someone who is a new believer or someone who's a child in Christ or a babe in Christ, if you're the source of the temptation, and if you're the source of the temptation and if you're the source of the sin, you are in deep doo-doo. Excuse my French, you are in deep trouble. Jesus said this woe to the world, for temptation is the sin. He says temptation is going to come. This is in verse 7. It's necessary. He said that temptation is coming, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes. In other words, whatever the source of the temptation is, woe unto that thing or person. And if that person or that thing, in other words, if the source of what's tempting you is in your proximity, cut it off.
Speaker 2:If there's a person men, listen if there is a woman in your life that is causing you to get tempted to commit fornication, cut her off. Separate her from your life. Women if there are men that are causing you to enter into temptation, cut them off. And I'm not stupid, I know some people may be tempted by people of their same gender. Men if you have another man in your life that's tempting you to enter into fornicating relationships, cut them off. Women if you have another woman in your life that's causing you to enter into fornication, cut her off. If there are things for example, maybe there are TV shows that you watch that cause you to lust in your heart cut it off. If there are things in your life, let's just get out of the sex part, because I know y'all are tripping every time I talk about that. Maybe there's things such as food. Maybe you have an issue with part, because I know y'all are tripping every time I talk about that. Maybe there's things such as food. Maybe you have an issue with gluttony. I know I do. There are certain things I just have to cut off, and here are things I'm going to be honest with you. God made me cut off.
Speaker 2:I grew up in a world where my family ate pork and you know, over time pork can destroy your body and there are things I'm doing now because of consumption of pork. But, thank god, in 1995 I developed a condition that made me have to walk away from pork and I'm telling you I haven't eaten pork since 1995. I have one major, severe pain that felt like my foot was broken. It's called gout. No one's ever had gotten what I'm talking about. I never experienced. I never had a broken bone in my body for years.
Speaker 2:Well, actually, I broke my hand, broke and broke some several toes, but that wasn't nearly as painful as what I experienced in 1995. I had to go to the hospital, I couldn't walk and the doctor said you have gout, stop eating pork. That's the first thing he said. And now if you anyone knows gout knows not only should you leave pork, you should leave red meat, you should leave seafood, any kind of shellfish, all that stuff you have to cut. Things like peas, anything high in purines, peas, um, lamb, things like that you have to walk away from because it will cause you the most severe pain you've ever experienced. So in 1995, when Dr Tony cut pork now come on I broke a lot of feeding ham bacon. I did that day. I ended it because the pain was not, it was not worth the pain I experienced. And so you know there was no to me the temptation ended that day because the pain was too much.
Speaker 2:But there are things that, if you're a person that deals with struggles with weight or you struggle with eating certain things that are not good for you, there's a temptation to eat it and so, for example, maybe you will be around certain like. Like, if you go to a place that is has Chinese food, maybe you've got to have that rib tip.
Speaker 2:You know, I used to love rib tips when we lived in Delaware, but I stopped going around to that Chinese food place because the temptation to eat rib tips, which were pork, would be too great. So what I did was I cut off going to that Chinese place altogether, find another place to eat that was more healthier. Now again, I'm using that as an example to help y'all, because some of y'all are tripping about when I talk about other things that may be closer to your kitchen, but I believe that a little.
Speaker 2:But getting back to the point of Matthew 18, where Jesus is saying is cut off the things that are the sources of your temptation. I'd rather you enter into heaven with a limp than enter hell without one, because there's something holy about this. Rather, you enter into heaven with a limp and enter hell without one, because there's something holy about this handicap called your thorn, your limp. It makes you draw closer to God because you can't walk on your own power. You have to rely and depend on God to carry you through.
Speaker 2:One of the things that was a problem with me was, you know, I was very conceited when it came to the money I made when I was younger and when God took that away from me in 2007,. We struggled from 2007 to 2015. I shared it with that Because a lot of times I had to redefine who I was, because I defined myself by my occupation and the money I made. I was a lawyer, I was this six figures. All that stuff was all conceded, even though I was working in the church doing all you know. I was very caught up in myself. My stuff got taken away from me. I had to rediscover myself.
Speaker 2:I had to reintroduce myself to myself, but first of all getting mental health help, but also by repenting before God for my conceitedness, my arrogance, all of that, the way I treated some people not all people for who I thought I was. And when I went through counseling it became real real. I got. My therapist said you get real real when you stop identifying yourself by what you think you are. And it blessed me because and I'll share this last part when you stop identifying yourself by what you think you are. And it blessed me because and I'll share this last part I really didn't mean to go into that part because I shared that before One thing I want to share with you is this the more you embrace your weaknesses, your thorn, the more, like Paul said, you boast in your, your weaknesses.
Speaker 2:It's going to cause you to lose some people. It's going to cause you to lose some people. I can tell you, um, there was one dear brother I had, who I was, uh, his mentor. I was his, uh, um person. I that, um, he looked up to me a lot and when I left new Jersey and I moved down here and I was struggling, I shared with him that I was dealing with depression and I could hear a pin drop after I told him that and after that he stopped talking to me altogether. And I would imagine it is because we came from.
Speaker 2:We both were members of a church where things had to be perfect or we had to present the image of perfection. You know, we could never be in depression because we have the holy spirit in us. But you know, when I became real and I stripped off all these titles and all these things, he couldn't handle it and, honestly, I wasn't able to handle it. That's why I had to get mental health help. Thank god for therapists, you know, and I encourage those who may struggle with mental health. Um, I don't struggle as much, but I keep a therapist in my pocket because you know anyone who thinks they've arrived, you're probably the quickest one to get hit. But for anyone who struggles with mental health help and I'm coming from a church community we shunned mental health help when I was growing up. But I said this to a friend of mine who I suggested to get help and I said to him I said, listen, and I hope this blesses you what I'm saying suggested to get help and I said to him. I said listen, and I hope this blesses you what I'm saying. I said to him when you break your arm, where do you go to get your arm fixed? Or when you, if you get cut in your arm, where do you go to get your arm patched up or stitched? He says I go to a hospital so I can have a doctor stitch it up. I said good.
Speaker 2:I said where do you go when your soul begins to bleed and you need stitches? He says I go to church. I said okay. I said but isn't that for your spirit to be fed too? He said yeah, I said. So what about when your mind begins to bleed? Your soul, your mind, your emotions begin to bleed into your spirit or begin to bleed into your life. He says don't you still need someone physically to touch to help you sew up those wounds? He says I imagine I do. I said then don't you think God ordained the psyche to ordain doctors for your physical ailments? Don't you think God ordained mental therapists for your mental? And he said I imagine so. I thank God for that brother because he did get the help and he's doing so much better. But anyway, I want to share this with you.
Speaker 2:Like I said, the brother that I was talking about couldn't handle it, and you will lose people when you are open and honest. And again, when you boast about your weaknesses. Like Paul said in 2 Corinthians, when you boast about your weaknesses, you're going to lose some people because they want you to be perfect. They have a certain image of you. They created an idol of you that maybe you played a part in, maybe you didn't, but you're going to lose some people. But you're also going to gain some people. You're going to gain real ones, people who accept you for as you are. Let me give you a perfect example. One of the things I struggled with when I was younger was I had these keloids in the back of my head? Um, I shared before.
Speaker 2:My mother had a good friend whose husband was a barber, um, but he didn't clean his barber's shears one day, I was maybe about seven, and he cut my hair in his son, which we didn't know, had these keloid conditions in the back of his head and because he didn't clean his his razors, I caught the keloid issues too and they were so gross. I mean these keloids would have pus in them. It was just and I had this condition all the way into high school college. You know it was something that wasn't acceptable in my household to certain people. Um, so they had, you know, they asked me to wear a shag over like keloids so they could cover them up, and I think they were well intentioned. They just didn't want me to be teased, but you know as I got older.
Speaker 2:It seems like it was something that had to be accepted. Over a period of time. I went to college. My barber, mr lester I thank god for him he cut my hair and you know I didn't. I tried to have shag but he cut it such that he cut all of it off. He kind of made me face the fact that I had these keloids and I was mad, but you know, because they were red pussy and bleeding. But he said to me something. He said if you let them be exposed, he says that over time the air will cause them to die and your skin condition will go away.
Speaker 2:This is back in the 80s. It took years, but over time it took about I'd say about 10 years. It actually did go away. The keloids died away. Hair never grew back, but the skin returned to normal. If you looked at the back of my head now you would not know, except for maybe two spots where I thought I had. A whole back of my head was full of these big, nasty keloids. And I went to doctors. I went to dermatologists. They could do nothing for me. I even had surgery and they found like literally a whole afro underneath the skin where the keloids were, but they could do nothing for me. But they could do nothing for me.
Speaker 2:And there were some people that were detracted by these keloids and I thought they were friends and they weren't. I wanted them to be my friend but they were so detracted by my imperfection on my thorn, these keloids, that they pulled away from me or they insulted me and I pulled away from them. But for every one I lost I gained two friends who were like hey, man, I don't care about that, I care about you. Your character, your person is great. And those friends were actually. They were all in my groom's party. I had some young ladies that I was in relationships with that couldn't handle the imperfection of my keloids. I had some who were, but over time, you know, dealing with rejection more than acceptance, um, I kept the friends around who could accept me for who I was, keloids or not. But with all the rejection I went through in my relationships with, um, some really nice women. They were nice but they just couldn't handle it. Eventually, after going through some of that rejection, I stopped even trying to find relationships. I just said let me be by myself.
Speaker 2:And then I came to a point in my junior year in college where I said, you know, after my last heartbreak with my last girlfriend of about a year, I walked away from having to do anything. I was like, look, I just need to find who I am and I need to. You know, I wanted to really. This is the time I really reached out. You know, I was about to become a member of the Nation of Islam, fruit of Islam, and my mother said to me before you do that, give Jesus one more chance, send me a Bible. I shared this testimony before and I read it and I started seeing that there was more to Jesus than I ever knew growing up in a church.
Speaker 2:Came home that summer 19, I won't tell you, but 1989, okay and I met a young woman who didn't look like any woman I would normally date. But eventually she became my girlfriend, my fiance and now my wife of 33 years. And you know one thing she never did and, mind you, I had these keloids still in the back of my head. She never looked at me as someone imperfect with these keloids. She didn't care one bit about them, she just loved herself as some kid and I loved her and I still love her and she still loves me Three kids later, 33 years later, we're still together. See for all the women, all the relationships I had with women that could not accept me and my imperfection. God sent me the real one he wanted in my life, who saw my imperfection as something beautiful. I can't tell you. There were times I went to a dermatologist, or I would try to get him treated after I got married and I would have to put medicine on it, or I would have to do things to help defray the pain from the keloids, and she would be right there with me, putting the medicine on, helping me, um, do the procedures needed to help free things. She wasn't drawn back from anything. She was with 100% and now that they're gone, she's still with me, 100%. You know she's my wife, is such a real one. I thank God for her. I thank God for her heart and honestly, I don't know maybe I shouldn't say this, but we're so perfect together.
Speaker 2:If I could share you the story of how not just how we met, but how we're so similar Even our middle names are the same. I'm serious. Our middle names, with the exception of three letters, are the same. We grew up. I grew up. My family lived three blocks away from her. We didn't know each other. Yet her mother and father knew my uncle Howard. They worked together. Isn't this crazy? I mean, she was born a year before, a few months before me, but it's just. It's such a God story. It's such a God story.
Speaker 2:But anyway, I say all that to say this it's okay if people walk out of your life because of your thorns. Let them say all that to say this it's okay if people walk out of your life because of your thorns, let them, because god's doing, god's allowing that to happen, so you can see who's for you and who's against you. But also to replace those people with the people he intended to be in your life. And even now I'm, I'm later in life and you know, some of those people that were okay with my imperfection are no longer.
Speaker 2:I guess you can say not in my daily life. We don't interact as much. Some have walked away, not because of my imperfection but because of life. But God has placed other people in my life and, honestly, it doesn't mean I have the same number of friends. I have a small circle of friends, a very small circle of friends, but I still have God.
Speaker 2:I still have God and I'm telling you this Even though I don't have the keloids, I still have other thorns and I still have God. And those thorns I have in my life make me stronger, because I don't rely on my own power. I rely on the power of God that I have through his grace in me, because his grace that's in me far exceeds and is far more powerful than the thorn that's on me. So I boast in my imperfections, in my weaknesses, in my flaws, in my thorns, because it ain't about me, it's about he who's in me, because greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world.
Speaker 2:Amen, I pray this word was a blessing to you. If it was, let us know. Send us an email at our email at alptrinity1 at gmailcom. Feel free to leave a review on the platform you listen to this podcast on, or feel free to hit us up on our Facebook or Instagram page, or you can go on to our website at podpage or on Buzzsprout and let us know. We'd love to hear from you. If you have any prayer requests, let us know.
Speaker 2:And now we are going to open up the door for those who may not know Jesus as Lord and Savior or those who may have walked away from him. Come on back home For those that want to receive the infilling or the baptism of the Holy Spirit. You are welcome to this invitation too. God bless you, love you all. Hey, this is Brother Ken. I'm back. Sorry for those who need to cut it off. Hope you enjoyed the message, but I just want to make a small correction I made a mistake I made. Jacob was the son of Isaac and Rebecca His wife. His wives were Rachel and Leah were the daughters of Laban. So for those historians or theologians, don't trip. I apologize. I just want to make that correction. God bless you, love you. Talk to you guys later. Thank you for listening to us at Another Look Podcast.
Speaker 2:We come to that part in our podcast now where we offer the opportunity to you for you to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior. So I want you to repeat this after me. Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus Christ. Your word says whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved, according to your word in Acts 2.21. I'm calling on you and I come, surrendering my life and my will to you. I pray and ask Jesus to come into my heart and be Lord over my life, according to your word in Romans 10, 9 and 10. That says, if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved, for with the heart one believes into righteousness and with the mouth confession is made into salvation.
Speaker 2:I do that now. I confess that Jesus is Lord of my life and I believe in my heart that God raised him from the dead. Lord of my life, and I believe in my heart that God raised him from the dead. I ask you, holy Spirit, to come make your home inside of me and live in me. I confess all my sins to you, lord, and ask for forgiveness for them.
Speaker 2:Right now, in the name of Jesus, I receive you, god, that I am now reborn and a new creation. I am a Christian, a child of Almighty God and a child of the one true King. I have salvation and I am saved. Thank you, jesus. Lord, you also said in your word If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him, according to your scripture in Luke 11, 13. So now, lord, I'm asking you to infill me with the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit, rise up within me as I praise God. I fully expect to receive a supernatural prayer language and speak in that language as you give me the utterance, according to your word in Acts 2.4. In Jesus' name, amen, so be it. Jesus name, amen, so be it. Congratulations, beloved.
Speaker 2:If you prayed this prayer, then you were born again and now have eternal life in Christ Jesus. All of your sins are now forgiven and the Holy Spirit now lives inside of you. The word of God says that everyone in heaven rejoices at your salvation, according to Luke 15, 7 through 10. So right now, guess what? Heaven is having a party because of your decision, and God has a huge smile on his face. If you prayed this prayer, please email us at alptrinity1 at gmailcom. Again, that's alptrinity1 at gmailcom. Again, that's alp trinity one at gmailcom, so we can hear your testimony. Please email us, pray, and we can pray for you and send you a free gift from this ministry. God bless you. Remember this always. Jesus loves you, and so do we. God bless you and welcome home Roger zero G and.
Speaker 1:I feel fine.
