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They Said Yes to God - And It Changed Everything

with Aubrey, Rebecca & Jayvon

August 10, 2024
33:15

ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Aubrey Merrill, Rebecca Berto, and Jayvon Manning from Eddie James Ministries share what happens when people stop negotiating and just say yes to God. Aubrey spent 18 years in foster care. Homelessness. Suicidal depression. Jayvon for the first time talks about his pornography addiction rooted in childhood molestation. He found victory through prayer and fasting. We also talk about acceptable addictions like social media and how they destroy intimacy with God.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Aubrey spent 18 years in foster care and was suicidal before a homeless shelter worker shared God's goodness with her
  • Jayvon battled pornography addiction rooted in childhood molestation and found freedom through consistent prayer, fasting, and practical boundaries like phone blockers
  • Addiction is not just drugs or alcohol. Social media, phones, and anything that affects your emotions or takes you from God can be an addiction
  • All three left stable careers and said yes to God's call within weeks, trusting Him to provide
  • God cannot heal what you conceal. Healing requires bringing pain to the surface and dealing with root causes, not just masking symptoms
  • Intentionality and submission are key to breaking free. Half effort will not bring total deliverance
  • Prayer is the foundation for hearing God's voice clearly and staying free from addiction

About Aubrey, Rebecca & Jayvon

Aubrey, Rebecca, and Jayvon are young ministry team members with Eddie James Ministries who travel the country leading worship and sharing the gospel. Aubrey overcame 18 years in foster care and homelessness through the Dream Life recovery program. Jayvon broke free from pornography addiction and now preaches and leads worship. Rebecca grew up in a ministry family and is passionate about helping people recognize hidden addictions like social media.

SHOW NOTES

Three young ministers from Eddie James Ministries sat down to share their stories of radical obedience. Aubrey, Rebecca, and Jayvon each walked away from everything they knew to follow God's call into traveling ministry. Their testimonies reveal the cost of saying yes to God, and the freedom that comes when you stop negotiating with Him.

From Foster Care to Freedom

Aubrey spent 18 years in the foster care system, enduring abuse after abuse. The trauma led her to drinking, pills, and eventually homelessness. Living in her car, suicidal and depressed, she ended up in a homeless shelter where a night shift worker kept sharing the goodness of God with her. After one more suicide attempt, that woman told her to give everything up and go to a program. Aubrey entered Eddie James' Dream Life recovery program. She tried to leave, but God said no. Three years later, she's traveling the country in ministry. When she was three, someone burned her hands. They should have been deformed. Now God is using those same hands to serve Him and reach others.

Breaking Generational Curses

For the first time publicly, Jayvon shared his story of childhood molestation that led to pornography addiction throughout elementary, middle, and high school. He was watching it five, six, seven, eight times a day. It ruined his relationships with his family and twisted how he saw women. His father also struggled with pornography, making it a generational curse. Jayvon found freedom through consistent prayer and fasting. He also took extreme measures, deleting apps and installing blockers on his phone to prevent access to certain websites. When asked if that was too extreme, his response was clear. The Bible says if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It's better to enter heaven with one eye than hell with two. He had to cut it off, and it hurt, but he had to do it.

The Acceptable Addictions

Rebecca brought up something most people don't want to talk about. Addiction doesn't always look like drugs or alcohol. It can look as simple as your cell phone, Instagram, or TikTok. She's seen it in her own life. Waking up and immediately scrolling instead of thanking God. Spending hours on the road looking at her phone instead of spending time with Him. Even showing up to church and not praying until an hour before service because she's been distracted. Anything that affects your emotions, anything that affects how you treat people, anything that takes you away from the character of God is an addiction. Coffee drinkers, food, relationships, even ministry team members can become distractions if you're not careful. God loves community, but He also loves us being in communion with Him.

Saying Yes Changes Everything

All three made radical decisions to follow God. Rebecca quit her job and left her own ministry work to join Eddie James Ministries after her brother joined. Jayvon was working at the police department when he DM'd Eddie on Instagram. Within a week, he quit his job, left his car payment and phone bill behind, and flew to Atlanta. He thought about the rich young ruler who walked away when Jesus told him to sell everything. Jayvon said, I have to answer to God for this. He said yes, and God has provided ever since. Aubrey had to submit and be obedient in the Dream Life program. She was prideful, full of me, me, me. But when she fully submitted to God's will, everything changed. Intentionality is key. Half effort won't bring total deliverance.

Now all three are traveling the country with Eddie James Ministries, leading worship, preaching, and sharing the gospel. Rebecca is preparing to step out on her own, continuing the legacy of raising up young people for ministry. Jayvon believes God has called him to prophetic ministry and wants to do whatever it takes to spread the gospel, whether through singing, preaching, or writing. Aubrey started as a dancer and now does media, never imagining God would use her this way. They're all learning to keep their hearts pure in a generation obsessed with fame, remembering that God called them for souls, not for themselves.

Read Transcript

I'm excited to have you on the channel today, and I'm super excited about our guest. I've got a few guests with us. We got the team from Eddie James, and the area of ministry here at Brookside Church tonight. And I don't know, I asked them randomly about 30 minutes ago to jump on this podcast, and we had some really engaged participants. So if you guys want to just introduce yourself, we'll start here and work our way around the table.

Personal Journeys into Ministry

I'm Marino, I'm 29 years old, and I'm from New York.

I'm Rebecca Brado, I'm 23 years old and I'm from Jersey.

I'm Giovanni, I'm 26, and I'm from Greysboro, and I've killed it.

It's fantastic. Well, thank you guys for being willing to sit down and talk with me on the show. But then also tonight, I'm looking forward to the time of ministry, and it's going to be a powerful night. I really trust that the Holy Spirit is going to do some amazing things. So let's just start out. Tell me how you guys got involved in ministry because we were talking offline: you're all under 30, right? You're on the road. You're telling people about Jesus, and like, man, how did that happen? How did you end up in a van with Eddie James? You're traveling from place to place. You've been overseas, I'm sure, and all over the place. So who wants to go first and just kind of break us into that story?

What do all of them look at me? Well, I actually grew up in a ministry family. My dad is a traveling evangelist, so besides a few falling back from Christ, I always wanted to do ministry. How I got to Eddie James ministry, though, is that my brother Ashley is a piano player, and he joined first. He literally graduated high school, and the next day he flew out to the ministry. Then a couple months later, Eddie readily asked him, "Hey, doesn't your sister sing?" And at that time, I was going to do a transition and I knew the Lord was calling me to something different. I just didn't think it would be Eddie James ministry. Yeah. I quit my job. I quit what I was doing in ministry on my own and I decided to then take a step of faith and come into ministry.

So what does that feel like to just take that leap? I've heard somebody describe it like jumping off a cliff without a parachute and trusting that the Lord's going to catch you, right? What does that feel like for you?

I think that leap was definitely very scary. From my parents having all the goals, they were the kind of parents that prayed and led me onto the right path, but they didn't help much because they also believed in me hearing God for myself. So it was a lot of prayer, a lot of fasting, and really seeking the Lord, which I actually thank God for because it taught me that for anything going on in my life and in my season, I need to make sure that I do hear from God for myself. I’m not hearing from my parents, I'm not hearing from family, I'm not hearing from other people. But on top of their advice and what they spoke over me, I can also say, “I know that the Lord spoke this, this, and this.” So it was a very scary transition, but I heard the voice of God clear, and He sent me up. So I just had to do it; I had to be obedient.

The Call to Serve Beyond Comfort Zones

Yeah, that's awesome. So we got here. How did you stay around, right?

I don't know. I don't know. Perfectly. Yes sir. Well, I've always been a follower of Eddie James since like 2016. Aaron Losey, I think that it was a part of the city. I was following him and I was working at the police department in Greater Toronto, Carolina. And another job, but I just felt like my life was stagnant. I felt like there was something greater in my life, and I just felt like it was time for something new. I always had a call in ministry ever since I was three years old. I started playing the drums when I was three. Then I taught myself the piano and the bass and taught myself a little bit of the acoustic guitar. I played at my grandfather's church for about five years. I started when I was like eight or nine. When I was 16, I preached my first service. I met my great master. She’s a pastor in Kingston, North Carolina. And then I just knew that there was a call of God in my life. So I contacted Eddie, DM him on Instagram and said, “Hey, I feel like I'm called to ministry.” He called me, got my phone number, and we talked for about an hour on the phone.

He said, “Could you join me as early as next week?” I said, “Oh, God. I'm sorry.” So, I had to be like, thrown in not even two weeks, and this is my job, like by the one week. Yeah. He immediately flew me out to Atlanta just to meet them, and ever since then I've just been in training, ministry, preaching, singing, and just allowed God to use me.

So, was there a wrestling in that? Because you said you felt like you were always called to ministry, but you were pursuing a secular career, right? I mean, what was that wrestling match like?

Yes. When I was little, I always wanted to be a police officer. So that was something big, and I had a big decision. So I felt like I had purpose for you, Jim. Okay. Yes. But I thought about the rich young ruler, you know, when God told him to sell everything, let go of everything, and follow Him. I'm like, that's a preacher, and He tells the people, you know, and he didn't, and he went back. But I said, “You know what? I got to say yes to Jesus.”

One, because I know I have to answer to God for that. Yeah. I said yes, and I'm here now. I stepped out on crazy faith. That means letting go of my job, money. I still have a car payment. I still have my phone bill, everything. But I said yes, and God has not failed to come through for me. I miss one of the tests. One now. Yes.

Transformational Experiences with God's Faithfulness

That's incredible. So, Albury, how did you end up here with the team?

I'm Albury. Okay. Yes. You've told me like six times. We did a concert for Team Challenge. We had two nights. One of the guys, his name is Austin. Like two weeks ago, we were at a church somewhere in Oklahoma, and he was there. So then I get at the end of Friday night, and we’re in front of 500 people, like calling him the wrong name. Anyway, it's Albury. Yeah, that happened even with Austin; I have all the doubts. All for it.

So I didn't grow up in church, but I grew up in the foster care system. I was in there for 18 years. During that time, I just went through abuse after abuse after abuse. And that led to me ultimately drinking, just doing stuff, going down this dark road. Until one day I ended up homeless. I was living in my car and just suicidal, depressed, just the worst of the worst. When I stepped into this home shelter—because I didn’t want to be there in the first place—this woman, she just shared her testimony with me. And I don’t know why, but every night when I’d come to see her, she would work the night shift, and she would just share the goodness of God.

Because of that, she said, “Well, you should connect with this pastor.” And I'm like, “I don't really want to do that. I’m going to have a fight. I'll come in with my son. I'm okay. I just want to hear your testimony.” But I don’t know if this is pulling. Jesus was pulling on my heart, telling me. Because of that, I tried to commit suicide one more time, but she said, “You know, I think you should give everything up, step out in faith, and really go to a program.” So I went to Eddie James's Dream Life program. I tried to leave that, but God was like, “No, you're not leaving it.” And because of just staying there and just being obedient, God linked me up with Eddie James. I've been connected with him through his Dream Life program.

Healing Through God's Faithfulness

So how long has that been since that moment for you?

Three years.

Wow, and just serving Jesus since? Man, so what would you say to that suicidal thought that you're brought about Him?

Yes, because at that point, I just thought it was my job. I got fired, and then I started working at the dollar store, and I was like, “I don't want to do this.” I felt like I was created for more. So there was this pulling, this tug between, should I get another job or should I end my life? And I remember the lady telling me, “You're just always calling God.”

And then that moment, like, “God, if you're real, like, You didn’t create me to work a second rate job. You didn’t create me to deal with this, to battle with depression, and all of that.” You see, “You created me for more. You didn't have all this stuff for me. Why am I not seeing it?”

So I was like, “If you can’t give me a year, you're not God, and I'd rather die.”

Exploring the Roots of Addiction

He provided that. He provided. So in the East, He's real. He's alive. He's powerful. He's faithful to His word, and He says He’s going to do it.

That's some great insight. It’s not a process for you, because we always talk about addiction, right? It’s not just a fruit. Right? It’s a fruit, not the root. Right? There’s some other stuff going on that we end up pursuing drugs or any type of behavior really to deal with something going on.

So what was happening on the inside of you that caused you to turn? Did you uncover that over the last three years?

Yeah, it’s just all the stuff that I went through while I was in the foster care system. As I came to Christ, He was just bringing it to my memory, not to harm me, because He always says, “God cannot heal what you can't see.” And I just concealed it for a long time, but He’s just like, “No, son, I’m bringing this to your remembrance.”

So it’s about healing from it. Yeah. I didn’t deal with that when I was on the addiction. I was just masking it, covering it. But once I came to Christ, He just said, “Let's deal with it all.”

One of my friends, she actually works at our church. She does a lot of therapy in reverse light trauma and helps people that have walked through that. She told me a few weeks ago, we were talking. She said that therapy and counseling and kind of digging into these things takes the memory that's been shattered into a million pieces all across you and brings it back together. It doesn’t change what happened to you, but it gives you the right perspective.

And that is the journey that the Lord blocks us through into discipleship, right? We get the right thinking around our trauma and our past.

And so, man, I'd love to hear a little bit more about addiction. We had a little bit, all of us were talking about how everybody's table has a difficult story, but you guys have been on the road. You're ministering to people, and you're seeing people all over the place struggling with this stuff, getting set free from it, and so on.

Yeah, let’s just talk about that a little bit. You made a statement to me offline that a lot of people look at addiction and think, “I was broke, I had nothing left. I was doing the Dream Life program and all of that.” And there are some folks that deal with addiction, and that becomes the story. But there are a lot of other—let's just call them acceptable addictions—trending in our society today. So, do you want to talk about that a little bit?

Yeah. I was just explaining how, like, and I’ve even seen it in my own life, that addiction doesn’t always look like drugs or alcohol or sex, but it can look as simple as your cell phone, as Instagram, as TikTok. I feel like that’s the number one of what’s happening in our generation, and I feel like it’s something that we really don’t talk about often when it comes to addiction, and it's true.

It’s taking you away from praying, from reading your word, from worship, from church, from God Himself, you know. And it’s become, if I don’t do it, then I’m either going to be upset. It’s kind of like food, you know? That could be an addiction as well, so anything that affects your emotions, anything like coffee—I’m sorry, but if it affects your emotions, if it affects how you treat people, if it takes you away from the character of God, it’s an addiction, you know? And even those things we need to deal with because God has called us to act and be in love, be kind, to be gentle, and live a certain way.

Building Accountability in Daily Life

And it’s all there.

Yeah. It’s such a process to be taking those things captive and like being, I mean, almost like you said earlier, being open enough to the voice of the Lord to hear when He’s speaking. And these relationships or addictions, even if you will, they can be someone else. And that's something people don’t want to talk about a lot, because it’s hard to see another person God’s called me to love and care for.

But also, I have to say, “I’ve got to keep some distance for a moment because it’s not, you know, not healthy.” And so from your perspective, talking about this whole addiction thing, do you have any experiences or insights that you want to share?

Yes, this is the perfect time. Number one, first of all, I’m thankful to be here. But when I was a little kid, I was abused by a cousin of mine several times. And it led me to having an addiction to pornography through my whole years in elementary, middle school, and high school. I was addicted to pornography, and it caused pain and scars in my life. I tried to mask it; I tried to fill that void with pornography.

I was literally watching it five, six, seven, eight times a day, you know? So in my, my North Springs to school, I would go and watch it, but I had a hole in my heart. And it just caused me to be concerned through all my time looking for it because I didn’t deal with that pain of being molested when I was a kid. But just really praying to God and just fasting to God.

The Bible says something sticks, fasting and prayer. You know, not everything leaves or comes out overnight, and not everything comes out instantly, but it takes being consistent in praying and fasting and dealing with that root cause, which was causing that pain. You know, just it ruined my mind; it ruined my relationships with people. Even in my house, my family, you know, it caused me to act differently towards my mother and my father, and it just…it was like the enemy knew what he was doing; he knew that God had a plan and purpose for my life.

And it just, it just, he thought he won, but I'm here now. I’m going to tell you what you see it. Come on now!

Amen, let’s go!

Yes, thank you for sharing all of that. It’s not easy to share that part of your past, especially in front of an audience, people you don’t know. You know what I’m saying?

I mean, I appreciate you being vulnerable and just being open on that. That’s just incredible. So let’s talk about that piece. You said it affected your relationship with other people. Explain that to me a little bit more. Dive into that.

It just changes how you act. It’s like a dopamine burst. I remember the research

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that the science, I mean, it's just like dopamine, I can't look at that's released in your mind, it's just like, it just changes how you treat people, even your loved ones, you know, it destroys marriages too well. And I'm not even married yet, I'm married, I'm married soon, but it destroys marriages men. But relationship that God has put together for you to have in your life, it just, it just calls you to just act out of character, you know, everything you see about women becomes lustful again. The enemy just twists your mind and he just, he perverts it, you know, it's a God-made intimacy to be good. The enemy loves to pervert things and to make it evil and bad and demonic and just overdo it. So it's, it's definitely messed up, you know, relationships with some people and it calls arguments with my mother, not knowing my father, he was also, I think it's for an ography. So it was a generational curse that I had to pray and just see it fast for it to make sure.

The Impact of Generational Curses on Relationships

Come on, sir. Come on. Great. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think it's just because I think I think so often we try to lick things on our homes and God put people around us for a reason. So, how did you walk through that beyond the Prayer and Fasting? Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Well, I probably want to delete you know, some stuff, I get in a locker in my phone that actually shoot from going to a certain website, sort of kind of like that. So it isn't that a little extreme? No. And you can take that. or take that out. It's a set up. It's a horse. Absolutely not. It is not. Whatever you have, the Bible says, if your eye causes you to go, what I'm going to know is, like, get out for the battle to enter the kingdom of heaven with one eye into the kingdom of heaven with two eyes within two weeks. You're dashing it. And so I had to cut that thing off, you know, and it hurts, but I had to cut it off.

The Importance of Intentionality and Obedience

Yeah. That's criminal. Come on, man. That is such a powerful story, man. I mean, it's just just sharing that and just even talking about, like, the vigilance, right? Right. That's the part we are, I can speak, let's speak for myself, man, like, I was all in when I was going after math. Yeah. Like, you know, but then I come in and I give God this half effort, and I'm like, I want total deliverance, but I'm only willing to give a half effort and it just doesn't work that way. It's like, man, we've got to die to self. It is, we're sleeping. Everything I'm pursuing and so let's go into that journey, right? Because it isn't that extreme. Right. This pastor, this program, like, I can just do this by myself. I don't need to go to a program, right? Like, like, talk about that a little bit, you know, because that process of going into a program and like coming under leadership, people you don't know, tell it you want to do, you know, and getting to that place. How did that happen? How did that, how did God work in that, through that, in you?

Stepping Into Submission and God’s Calling

Yeah. I had to submit it, ultimately. It's a mindset thing, won’t you have to be intentional about it, intentionality is key for anything, and you will be successful, and my mindset wasn't successful at that moment. I was very prideful and there's a lot of me, me, me, I, I, so when I stepped into that program, like I said, I tried to leave and God was like, no, I was a guy, I fully submit to your will and you fully submit to it. And from that submission, just can't create them. So I think that is key to just submitting, submitting, submitting, and then my what it looks like and then my what it is. And I got a quality to something as he did, and when he called me to it, the first part was obedience, but of course obedience comes to it.

Yes. That's really good, come on. And so your journey now you said you've been at this ministry three years? Yes. And so on, so I'm a little bit about after, you know, I don't know how long this dream I just had a year. Yeah, it’s a year and so tell me a little bit about story afterwards right here out. You're doing media now, but like, how has God used you to reach people where you are at for the last few years?

Yeah. Yeah. So like I said, in the beginning, I was in foster care. And when I was three, a lady burned my hands. And because of this, I've created a shirt as you can see, sawed off for the full one. Yeah. And this has just been a testimony. God, using these hands, my hands should have been deformed. They're from being with Eddie and just submitting. Like as a God has used my hands, I had a dream one night. I'm not sure if it was a dream or an encounter or whatever, I believe it was a dream. I heard a voice that don't have to be ashamed of being asked for. I'm going to use them. And so before I had this shirt off and sell it. So God was telling me just like I said, just from submitting, you know, obedience to seven on faith, this right here, the thought of seeing a lot of life started as a dancer in Eddie James ministries.

Embracing a New Calling in Ministry

Yeah. Now I do media serving and doing all these things. Yeah. So it's just been a life-changing and I never, never saw any of this stuff happening. I just thought I was going to serve one year and dream, why I think I was like, yeah, I can just, I mean, we had a local church serving dogs. Yeah. That's awesome. And so, man, what is, I mean, that's powerful. So this journey of ministry for you guys, and this is on my, man, one of my biggest believes is that, I'm grateful as a side of we will just like, I am so, so, so intentional one telling people like, you know, you've got to pursue your purpose, you've got to find something and just pursue it. And I can't believe it. And I believe, honestly, that's the answer for the addiction issue, because I think a lot of times it's insecurity, there's identity issues overall dealing with and like, well, we get locked in this summer, like God begins to reveal what He created us for. You know, we go after it and like the lifestyle, it's incompatible with that, you know, it's just like, I mean, and you, you all have trouble, so I'm going to be wrong, but like, I'd love to hear that purpose, right?

Like, so now you, you heard God's voice, you were obedient to His voice, and like, so just explain me, like, what's that doing in you, like, your story right now, like, you know, being on the ground, or even if there's just some ministry moment that you then just pops out. I'd love to hear a little bit about that.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We're actually right now. I feel like right now I'm in a place of, well, we're doing a big transition just coming up here of this week of my last year with Eddie James Ministries and just stepping in faith in another move, which is crazy. And that's what I was trying to say, like, I'm happy that moment coming into the ministry happened because now I'm back at the square one of, like, now to let go of everything that I know and comfortable with E.J.M. and now stepping into, like, real life. You know, what God has truly called me to do is stepping out and doing that. So it's been a little full circle for me and trusting God in a whole different way.

But also just kind of going back to like the Instagram and being addicted to that. It's just being consistent with my relationship with God, you know, sometimes when you have everything handed it to you and the Eddie James is amazing and he gives you the platform he gives you for the songs he gives you, the sermons he gives you, everything we're like, it just makes it easy to serve and like, you just feel comfortable. But now that God is pushing me forward to like, okay, now it's you, you know, now it's like a whole different pressure of like, okay, now it's not Eddie James anymore. It's now me, you know, and who is the people that you call me to? Who have you called me to? Who have you called me to deliver? You know, I know Eddie James, how's it hard for people who are, who I've been and they didn't? A little bit.

We've kind of talked about it with him. I think I want to start maybe not a dream life, but kind of do what he's doing, kind of fulfill the same legacy and keep it going because I don't know anybody like Eddie James. He just takes a whole bunch of teenagers and we all keep working. And it raises our love, it just says, this call, this call was mean, it wasn't called. So I'm literally just having these moments of like, seeing Eddie like four into other people and just like, and God's saying, this is what I want you to do, you know. You know?

So we've got many teachers, but not many fathers. Exactly. I mean, you see that father in our era and he was just, yeah, it's an incredible person. So you talked about like that, that pursuing the purpose and like kind of balancing that right? Trying to keep social media and check, right? And because it was, yeah, the ministry doing any type of ministry, like this stuff is necessary, right? Having the social media, doing the media and getting stuff out there, you know, trying to connect with people. It's just a way to communicate now. So how have you kept that in a healthy perspective because it sounds like you're on the path to pursuing your own ministry, right? And so there's going to be a need for some of that. So how are you, how are you working through that?

I'm still a child. I'm literally in the process of that because I feel like in this generation, when it comes to ministry side, everybody's trying to be famous, everybody's trying to be known. And I don't want to be part of that, that group, you know, I want my heart to stay pure. I want my motives to stay pure. And it's easy when you have it, Eddie James, always on you and keeping you in check, but once you leave here and there is no Eddie James, are you still going to be in check? And I feel like that's what God is showing it to me now. You had to make sure your priority is straight because if you're not careful, and I found myself doing that, oh my God, I need a pose or I need to pose to this or I'm looking at the lights. Nobody likes this or nobody that many people commented and that's when that addiction comes in, you know, like I'm always on there trying to check who's like you, who's watching, who's watching my stories, who's, you know, and that's like, no, and that's not the purpose. That's not the reason why I have called you. I've called you for the souls. I can't use so that you could call them back to me. It's not about you, it's about him.

The Challenge of Authenticity in the Age of Social Media

Yeah, that is such a battle because like, you know, it's just the ability to go viral in life. It's just... It's algorithm, yes. You don't have to do anything. So it catches up to you. Start to see the numbers and then they start to climb and say, it feels great. You know, it does. I mean, there is that in there, I don't want to worry about it. Because the Lord gave me a word like 12 years ago, and I'm sure, I'm sure, that he basically told me I'm never going to be famous. Oh, my God. It's not going to work in that way. I'm thinking, you know, it wasn't put that way, or that was on our team telling you to throw on the stage saying, choir and doing the testimonies, and he told me very specifically I was giving you a platform not so you can share your story, but so you can elevate the story of others. And so when I say he told me you're never going to be famous, and that's what it is, right?

So what I've been given is to elevate people, and it's a gospel. And there is that perspective, because it's this crime of trying to like, we got to be known. Like we got to try to get our names out there. We want more. As many people hear the gospel is multiple. So how do we like amplify the message, but also trust God to send it, you know, to where we can. So yeah, let's talk about your purpose in this season, like kind of where God's got you, you know, battle, and I'm not battling, but you went through the addiction process, but also man, just like when I was stepping into your call and ministry, because you know, and kind of what does that look like for you now, and what does it look like going forward?

Yes, sir. Well, I believe that my main gift, my main calling is to preach. I'm going to go on. I feel that God has called me to a prophetic industry. And if I can't go ahead and tell them about this, the first time I've heard the voice of God, I was 13 years old. I was sitting in my lab, I was watching Billy Greer, Avengers Billy Greer. And I heard a voice, audible voice in my ear says, text your grandmother, I want to do a miracle for Deborah. And I've never heard of this lady before. It's just a red lady. So I text my grandmother and grandma, and God has told me to tell you to pray for this lady named Deborah, but she's going to come up to you once a day, and she's going to actually pray for her because she's having a custody issue, but God told me to tell you that she's going to win her kids over, guys got it, I didn’t take care of her.

And then about two weeks later, my grandmother called my mother and she said, you know what, this lady carrying me, her name was Deborah. And she told me to pray for her because she was having a custody issue. And the next week she won her kids in the court, and so that was like one of the first prophetic encounters I've had. And then after that, I just, I guess I can give, you know, I just share the voice of God. And she just agrees. Somebody of God is calling me to proclaim my issue in this season, also singing in the worship as well. But I just don't want to be put in one category. I want to do all I can to spread the gospel, the good news of Jesus, whether they're fasting, singing, preaching, whatever, writing books, whatever I have to do to get the gospel out there. I would do it. I would say yes.

So what it really says about him is like, I mean, they think that they're hearing the voice of the Lord and they're trying to get in some of that. I'm not really sure is that the Lord, you know, is that just me, you know, how did you, how did you kind of hone in on that and know that, and know that it was a God speaking and have the confidence to call her mom. Right? That's crazy, right? Like, yeah, what, what do they always say is prayer, you know, pray consistently. You know, the voice of God, the Bible declares, no, Jesus has my sheep for no more voice. You get into a place of prayer. And Jesus didn't teach how to prophesy. Jesus didn't teach how to sing. He didn't teach how to, you know, do this and that, but he taught how to pray. He cited disciples down and taught him how to pray. The Bible says it. Our Father, which I never, how will be done in the kingdom that we've done. He taught how to pray.

So I would say really hone in in and prayer. And I don't make him prayer your addiction because I want to pray just to hear the voice. I mean, he genuinely want to genuinely want to pray to get a relationship with him. And I'd be intimate with him and through prayer, his voice will become more clear. You begin to hear them more. You know, a little things he would, you know, you would just, you would know his voice. He would always listen to him. Amen.

Yeah. And symphony. I said, well, you know, I appreciate that. I know we're going to get ready to break off in a few minutes and get ready for this evening. And so on. You know, on social media, can you share your information? You know, put it out there. Anybody wants to follow and connect with you all over me?

Yes. Pat. Aubrey Leo. Marrow. On display. Okay. Instagram. TikTok. Which one's your primary Instagram? Instagram. I'm old. I'm still. I'm from a good red, all on Arizona. Don't know. I'm in. I'm in. J.A. Arby Owen. Last day. Manning. I'm in. I'm in. I'm in. I'm in. I'm in this 2G. And I said, I'm rare for the Internet, I'll come to you too. And I'm just appearing on my stage.

Oh, that's a lot of fun. I grew up in the generation where we social media came out. Because I'm 38. And so we had my space. But we didn't have social media like I had. I tell the story. It makes me feel ancient. No. my parents when I used to make fun of them and for telling stories, but then I had a desktop computer, 66K internet, and we would download music, and it would take like an hour and a half to download a song of Napster, and it was illegal, and we were doing it otherwise, you know, but I now really do appreciate you all from the little and honest, but thank you for having us. It's encouraging, I mean, I told you before to be at a table and be sitting here, and I can't wait for the ministry to come tonight because, just to see, I mean, people just passionate about Jesus, and that really is it, right?

When you get a group of people that just come in a room and are just passionate about pursuing the Lord, come on. And you guys, I mean, this is you're having a blast doing this, but like, this is a sacrifice to be here too. And so I just want to say to you, you should like, I appreciate you, like giving yourself to the ministry, coming to bless our people, bless our team here, and you're doing it all over the place, man, and God is using you greatly. And so, yeah, just keep pursuing. And man, he's going to, that's going to turn out all right. You know, you already see in the fruit, and so the future is incredible.

Well, thank you guys so much for joining the Rebellion Life Activiction by Jazz. Yeah, follow all of our friends here. I will link all their descriptions up. No, scratch that. Let me say that again. I will link all of their social media handles up in the description. Hit the like button, subscribe, all that jazz that I always check up every time I try to say it. So thanks for tuning in. Got lucky. Yeah, yeah.

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Justin Franich

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Justin Franich

Executive Director of Shenandoah Valley Teen Challenge with 20+ years helping families navigate the journey from addiction to restoration. Learn more.

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