Have you ever thought about the
merging of secular psychology
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and Christianity? Stay
with us. We'll be right back.
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Music being played.
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Welcome to Issues and
Answers. My name is J.D. Quinn.
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We have a special
guest today, Dr. Magna Parks.
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We're going to be talking
about the merging of secular
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psychology and Christianity.
Dr. Parks, Welcome to
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Issues and
Answers. So good to be here.
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Thank you. Tell us a
little bit about yourself.
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Well, I guess they designate
me as a Christian psychologist.
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I've been in the area for over
20 years. Boy! That dates me.
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I have taught for seven years,
been in private practice for
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about 14 years until the Lord
called me to something different
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and here I am. You're married?
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Yes, I am. Okay. Your husband's
name is Al. I believe I met him
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this morning.
That's him. Amen, Amen.
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Now we have a ministry together
called Be In Good Health.
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Amen. So you get
to work together?
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Yes we do. He's a
wonderful blessing.
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How precious. That's to me the
epitome of being yoked together
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What motivated you to begin
to see that there might be a
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difference between secular
psychology and Christianity?
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Well, you know, what actually
happened to me is one day I was
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on the internet actually looking
at different sermons. I like to
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read sermons on the internet
sometimes and I ran across a
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sermon by a pastor who
talked about secular psychology.
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You know, when I first heard
it I pretty upset. I went to my
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husband and I said, Come read
this. I could not believe what
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he was saying. He just debunked
everything that I had been
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taught in school. Then the Holy
Spirit began to work on my heart
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and say, You know what,
Magna, you need to put this into
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further study. So I picked
up the scriptures and started to
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read some of what he said and
the Holy Spirit started to melt
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my heart and I said, you
know, there is something here.
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Even though you spent these
thousands of dollars with this
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training, there is something
here I want you to look at.
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Then there was something else
that happened to me as well.
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I had the opportunity to
briefly work with Neal Nedley, a
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Christian physician and learned
a lot from him. In fact, he
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called me to work for him.
I actually learned more than I
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probably contributed, but that
was okay; God had that worked
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out. When I left working
with him and I went back to my
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practice, I said, things
have to change. I can no longer
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practice the way I am doing
and God just lead me down this
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road. So I'm
assuming that there must
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be secular psychology and then
some place from a historical
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standpoint there became inroads
to Christianity. Yes. How did
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all that take place? In
about the 40s or 50s mental
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health and the mental health
profession began to rise; a
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little after World War II.
Counseling psychology, which is
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where I have my Ph. D., began
to rise because the war veterans
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started to come back and
they needed help. So that field
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started to rise and at the
same time they began to approach
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various pastors and say,
You know what? Your parishioners
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need a little more than what
you have to give, so why don't
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you use our expertise and why
don't you allow them to come to
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us and refer them to us. As
a result of that, not only did
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pastors do that, but they also
began to go out and get training
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themselves in knowing
how to apply these secular
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psychological techniques
and methods to help their
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parishioners. So that's
kind of where the inroad began.
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Yes that makes sense. It did.
I mean, we see the same thing
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today with the boys that
going home. Right. Having never
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been in a war, I can't really
appreciate it, but I can see
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that lots of people are being
scarred. How has the secular
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psychology
impacted Christianity?
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Well even though it was good in
a way, believe it or not, there
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were a lot of interesting things
that came about. Let's look at
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it first on the corporate level.
When we look at our church
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today, it's a little different
than how it used to be. Secular
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psychological principles are
affecting our worship services,
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they are affecting the
sermons that we preach, they are
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affecting our programming.
We were a little bit more
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biblically based in how we
approached programs, but when
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secular psychology came in we
started to pull from that field.
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It felt like we needed to mirror
that more in order to help
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people. Does that make sense
what I am saying? Yes it does.
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For example, I'll just give this
for the corporate: I don't know
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if you ever hear of the
contemporary Christian music
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movement. I found out a few
years ago that that has a strong
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secular psychological base.
I was really floored; I didn't
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know that. An example of
that is that the underlying
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assumption of that is God must
affirm me through my worship,
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which sounds okay, but the other
part is I have to feel good
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about myself as a result of
the worship. When you hear that
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philosophy, the wheels
should start to turn as to what
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direction that could lead
if that's the only reason we're
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going to worship. On an
individual level, when I first
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started doing therapy,
Christians would come in to
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speak to me and their heads
would be kind of down and they
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would say, You know, I probably
shouldn't be here. I don't have
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enough faith, I'm not praying
enough. There was a sense
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of shame, which I felt kind of
bad for, but then as time went
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on, the years went on,
they would come in to me boldly
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saying, You know, my faith
is strong. I pray a lot, I trust
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God, but I just need you to help
my mind like I need my physician
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to help the body. I was really
excited at that point to see
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them being more open to it, but
then there were also questions
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that started to arise in my mind
as I started to learn more about
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that. So we can
kind of see that the
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Christian started embracing the
secular psychology. They started
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buying into it. Why?
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I think there are a lot of
reasons for that. One reason
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is that we have really
lost the power of the gospel.
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When you look at the early
church and how powerful the
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gospel was and we compare
to where we are now, we don't
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recognize what the gospel can
do to change us, so we look for
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something to fill that void,
which just makes sense, because
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God has placed that in us
to search and long for him, but
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because the power of the gospel
has been lost and we don't
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recognize how to use it,
what we are doing is turning to
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psychology for many of
our issues. That's one thing.
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I think another reason is
because both of those fields
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basically look at some similar
things. Psychologists tell us
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we should care for one another,
so does God. Psychologists look
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at how do you change. So
does God want to help us change.
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Psychologists say there is
something inside that needs to
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change. Christianity says the
same thing. Psychology says we
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shouldn't judge. So does
Christianity. So there are so
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many similarities between
the two that what Satan has done
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is he's mixed the truth and the
error. He did that in the Garden
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of Eden. Now he's still doing
that with us today. There are
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some good things psychology has
to offer but there is some error
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there. We must be ever so
careful. So I think that is part
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of the reason why it has
come in and been embraced by
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Christians so much.
There is some subtlety.
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Very subtly; that's how he
works. He told Eve if you eat
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of this fruit you shall be gods
knowing good and evil. There was
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some truth there, right? Even
with psychology there is some
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truth when you look at some of
the concepts and what they do,
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there is some truth there.
The problem comes when we start
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encroaching into the area of
spirituality and then it starts
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to conflict with the Bible. When
that happens that causes a lot
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of problems. I
agree exactly. We all know
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how subtle Satan is. It brings
back the thought that whenever
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we first started talking and how
the Holy Spirit impressed you
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heavily, Wait a minute, there's
something wrong here. What I've
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been taught perhaps is not
exactly the way it is. Now I
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know that we're going to talk
about some incompatibilities
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between secular
psychology and Christianity.
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Yes, J.D., and we have
some graphics that can show that
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even more to the listening
audience and we'd like to look
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at that right now. Secular
psychology tells us we should
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focus on self. Christianity
tells us we should deny self.
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Secular psychology tells us that
we are born good. Christianity
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says that we are born
with sinful tendencies or are
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conceived in sin. Secular
psychology says we need to
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change our behaviors,
thoughts, and/or our feelings.
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Christianity says our hearts
need to be changed. Secular
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psychology tells us that
other people or situations are
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responsible for our actions.
However, Christianity tells us
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we are responsible for
our behavior and actions.
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You know, this is extremely
interesting stuff especially
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when we can look at a graphic
and kind of see the differences
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of everything. Why don't we
go back and let's expound on the
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graphic #1. Okay,
I'd love to do that.
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The first one we talked about
was secular psychology focusing
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on self. If you look at some
of the theories and techniques
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they are about enhancing self,
it's about making self feel good
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expressing self and that is
the main emphasis of secular
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psychology. If we can just
get self better then we will be
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better people. That's
exactly what they promote. Yes.
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But the Bible tells us something
different. Let's turn to the
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Bible right now to see. In
Matthew 16:24, I'm going to read
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that verse: Then said Jesus
unto his disciples, If any man
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will come after me, let him deny
himself and take up his cross
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and follow me. So here we are
seeing an injunction by Christ
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that we must deny
self to follow him.
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There's a big difference
isn't there. Big difference.
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I love that because of my
relationship with the Lord that
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I can turn this over to
him and let him empower me.
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I like that. We should deny
self Amen. And not exalt self.
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The next one where psychology
states we are born good.
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This is particularly
the emphasis of humanistic
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psychology. People like Carl
Rogers and Abraham Massel said
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that we are born naturally
good and it's these things that
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happen around us that suppresses
that goodness. But the Bible
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says something different.
Why don't you read that, J.D.?
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Yes, let's go to Psalm 51:5 and
it says: Behold I was brought
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forth in iniquity and in sin
my mother conceived me. So big
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difference between we are born
good and we are conceived in sin
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Yes, right. A major,
major difference of the
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foundation that we're going
to be able to build off of.
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Exactly. Exactly. That's
important to know. Then the next
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one says we need to change our
behaviors, thoughts and feelings
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That's what secular psychology
says. When I went to graduate
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school, they taught me how
to help people change their
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behaviors, their thoughts, their
feelings. But the Bible tells us
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something different in terms of
where the change should occur.
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So we are going to go to Psalm
51:10. Do you want to read that?
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Yes I can read Psalm 51:10.
Now what does it say in secular
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psychology? It says
that we need to change
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behaviors, thoughts, feelings.
And it says in Psalm 51:10:
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It says here, Create in me a
clean heart, O God, and renew
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a steadfast
within me. Amen. Exactly.
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So what needs to be
changed according to the Bible?
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Our heart. Exactly.
Isn't that amazing. Amazing.
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And I think that I would rather
have the creator of the universe
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make that change in me rather
than say someone that has a
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good intent. I know lots of
good secular psychologists and I
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respect them but there's a big
major difference here. I mean
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let's go to the Maker for
our heart needs to be changed.
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Then when the heart changes
behaviors will change, thoughts
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will change,
feelings will change.
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And it says here our heart needs
to be changed; not necessarily
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our heart will be changed but
it needs to be changed. It puts
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that ball into our court. Now we
get to participate. Amen. Wow.
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Then the last one is other
people or things such as our
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childhood, unmet needs,
not being properly loved and
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accepted, that's what's
responsible for our actions.
00:13:14.23\00:13:17.78
When people would come into
my office some of them would say
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I don't know why I am the way I
am. So I would get into helping
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them understand their childhood
or helping them understand who
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didn't accept them and love
them and we spent months on that
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trying to figure out why
they are the way they are.
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That's what I was taught in
school. You know, I didn't know
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better and in some ways I think
the insight might have helped a
00:13:38.96\00:13:43.29
few people. But they could
have had greater change had we
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recognized what Christianity
says which says we are
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responsible for our actions. We
are responsible for what we do.
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In Ezekiel 18:20- This verse
when I read it, it really hit me
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hard. It says, The soul that
sinneth, it shall die. The son
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shall not bear the iniquity
of the father neither shall the
00:14:06.33\00:14:10.79
father bear the iniquity of the
son. The righteousness of the
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righteous shall be upon him
and the wickedness of the wicked
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shall be upon him. What's that
saying? That's saying that when
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I engage in a behavior,
I'm responsible for it.
00:14:23.48\00:14:26.02
But, thank you, Jesus, that
we have a way out. I would hate
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to sit and think that because
of something my father did or my
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grandfather or my great
grandfather or whatever did
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created this hole for me
that I couldn't dig out of.
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Amen. It's such encouragement.
You know, I recognize that those
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things have an impact on us
but we can't just spend all our
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time focusing on what our
parents did and our grandparents
00:14:45.36\00:14:48.01
did. We have to say, Lord, Okay,
here I am right now. What is it
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you can change about me. When
we recognize that, that's when
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the true healing begins. I've
seen that time and time again
00:14:56.58\00:15:00.45
in my work with people. I
remember a woman who came in
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to me who was badly sexually
abused, badly, and she had spent
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years in therapy where the
therapist continued to rehash
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all the people who had abused
her. She came in to me and
00:15:11.13\00:15:13.93
initially I started doing the
same thing. But it was during
00:15:13.97\00:15:16.70
this time that I started to make
the transition, thank God, while
00:15:16.74\00:15:20.18
I was working with her. We kept
rehashing at half her life story
00:15:20.22\00:15:23.78
and drew pictures and just all
kinds of things. While the Lord
00:15:23.81\00:15:27.34
was changing me God said to
me, Magna, focus on what she is
00:15:27.37\00:15:31.26
doing right now. Help her
understand the need for her to
00:15:31.29\00:15:34.38
forgive. And do you know,
we started looking at the Bible
00:15:34.41\00:15:37.46
about forgiveness and she said
to me, I am really feeling free
00:15:37.50\00:15:42.33
now. All this time that I'd been
focusing on all the bad things
00:15:42.36\00:15:45.30
that happened to me, but now
that I'm looking at my need to
00:15:45.33\00:15:48.31
forgive those who have done me
wrong, I am really starting to
00:15:48.34\00:15:52.65
feel free of this burden of
sexual abuse. Can you see that?
00:15:52.68\00:15:56.56
It's so powerful as
we work with people.
00:15:56.59\00:15:59.91
So in your own life as this
changes, your moving basically
00:15:59.94\00:16:05.15
from secular psychology into
biblical counseling here, using
00:16:05.18\00:16:09.17
the power of the Holy Spirit
to make up that difference.
00:16:09.20\00:16:13.26
Yes, that's we're doing. I have
to rely a lot on the Holy Spirit
00:16:13.29\00:16:17.02
now. I'm not in practice any
more, but I still get calls and
00:16:17.05\00:16:19.89
I'm glad because it's sharpening
my tools. You know, I can sit
00:16:19.92\00:16:22.98
and talk about all the bad of
psychology but people need help.
00:16:23.01\00:16:26.06
That's the reality and we have
to still be available to help
00:16:26.09\00:16:30.02
people. Initially when I started
doing this I have to admit I
00:16:30.05\00:16:32.00
went to the extreme of
saying, you know, down with
00:16:32.03\00:16:35.69
psychologists. But God had to
bring the pendulum to the middle
00:16:35.72\00:16:38.77
to me to recognize, I gave
you this training, as I trained
00:16:38.80\00:16:41.93
Moses in the schools of Pharaoh
in Egypt. I'm pulling you out,
00:16:41.96\00:16:45.73
you're unlearning, but you can
still use that position you have
00:16:45.76\00:16:49.68
that title you have to
help people, and I'm so grateful
00:16:49.71\00:16:52.56
for that. We're
certainly not saying that
00:16:52.59\00:16:55.55
there's not good psychologists
out here. I'm not saying that
00:16:55.58\00:16:58.13
at all and I just pray
that you're not picking that up
00:16:58.16\00:17:00.87
because we love people of
education. Now we're just taking
00:17:00.90\00:17:06.83
a step further and this is the
way it worked in your life and
00:17:06.86\00:17:09.64
I know in my life it worked the
same way. Why in the world do I
00:17:09.67\00:17:16.01
want to reinvent the wheel? I
want to reinvent the wheel with
00:17:16.04\00:17:21.22
the knowledge that I have
received from someone else.
00:17:21.25\00:17:24.09
Why don't I just say, Hey Father
I'll surrender to you. I just
00:17:24.12\00:17:27.72
want to be a conduit and take
the words that are above all
00:17:27.75\00:17:33.59
words and the name that's
above all names and let you be
00:17:33.62\00:17:37.49
involved here and make
the changes. Wow, wow, wow.
00:17:37.52\00:17:42.29
And it's been a
freeing experience for me too
00:17:42.32\00:17:45.50
because this book right
here is packed with powerful
00:17:45.53\00:17:48.53
principles we could use
to help people, it really is.
00:17:48.56\00:17:51.43
I look at my degree now as
a door-opener. We have been
00:17:51.46\00:17:56.87
schooled that folks have to have
training to do things. So people
00:17:56.90\00:18:00.91
are going to come to me more
quickly. We could talk about how
00:18:00.94\00:18:03.78
that is not good, but the
reality is people will come to
00:18:03.81\00:18:06.37
me because I have a Ph. D. in
Psychology. So I'm so grateful
00:18:06.40\00:18:09.12
to be able to use mostly the
Bible and other things; there
00:18:09.15\00:18:12.77
are some aspects of psychology
I still use, not a lot, that God
00:18:12.80\00:18:16.62
can use me in that
way to help other people.
00:18:16.65\00:18:18.98
One thing that I do respect
about psychologists, they are
00:18:19.01\00:18:21.79
good listeners and you've got to
be a good listener because the
00:18:21.82\00:18:25.02
people who are coming to
you, you know, their hearts are
00:18:25.05\00:18:26.77
broken and they need someone
that will listen to them first
00:18:26.80\00:18:29.61
and someone that cares enough
to try to patch it up. If we've
00:18:29.64\00:18:34.13
got a blown out tire we need
to try to patch that thing up.
00:18:34.16\00:18:36.95
They are just crying. I know in
pastoral we get calls daily for
00:18:36.98\00:18:42.74
a good Christian biblical
counselor, a good Christian
00:18:42.77\00:18:47.84
psychologist, someone that will
use his word. I don't know if
00:18:47.87\00:18:53.10
that's just where the Lord has
brought them; I don't know, you
00:18:53.13\00:18:56.26
know, I'm not the judge for that
but I just know that I think
00:18:56.29\00:19:00.96
that we have a big need for
biblical counselors out there
00:19:00.99\00:19:03.95
today. Amen, amen. Now
are we saying that there's
00:19:03.98\00:19:11.41
nothing in secular psychology
that can apply to Christianity?
00:19:11.44\00:19:15.41
No, we are not saying that.
I am just excited about some of
00:19:15.44\00:19:20.05
the research psychology is doing
now. I look at it almost every
00:19:20.08\00:19:23.92
day, the different types
of research that come out and
00:19:23.95\00:19:26.28
especially when it goes
along with the Bible. It is just
00:19:26.31\00:19:29.23
exciting to see, Wow Lord, not
that I needed psychology to tell
00:19:29.26\00:19:33.08
me this but your word is really
true! Lord, this research is
00:19:33.11\00:19:36.69
saying something you said
thousands of years before.
00:19:36.72\00:19:39.70
So I have another graphic that
I wanted to put up that kind of
00:19:39.73\00:19:43.35
gives an example of that, if
you don't mind us going to that
00:19:43.38\00:19:47.41
right now. There is
research that has been
00:19:47.44\00:19:50.36
done in the University of
Michigan, 2003, almost seven
00:19:50.39\00:19:53.64
years ago that says that a
people who provide no support
00:19:53.67\00:19:57.16
to others are more than twice as
likely to die in a 5-year period
00:19:57.19\00:20:02.41
as people who helped spouses,
friends, relatives and neighbors
00:20:02.44\00:20:07.80
Giving to a spouse, a friend, a
neighbor is linked with a lower
00:20:07.83\00:20:12.52
chance of dying. Isn't
that something? And research is
00:20:12.55\00:20:15.90
showing that, that when we help
others it will help us with our
00:20:15.93\00:20:20.86
health. Now the Bible says the
same thing and if we go to the
00:20:20.89\00:20:24.02
next graphic, we'll see what
the Bible says. I think it's in
00:20:24.05\00:20:26.71
Isaiah 58:7 & 8. I kind of
truncated that a little, but
00:20:26.74\00:20:33.73
it says: Is it not to deal thy
bread to the hungry, and that
00:20:33.76\00:20:37.90
thou bring the poor that
are cast out to thy house? When
00:20:37.93\00:20:42.05
thou seest the naked, that thou
cover him...? Then shall thy
00:20:42.08\00:20:45.75
light break forth as the morning
and... here's the significant
00:20:45.78\00:20:49.27
part... and thine health
shall spring forth speedily.
00:20:49.30\00:20:52.53
To me that's a good example
of how secular psychology goes
00:20:52.56\00:20:56.94
right along with the Bible.
Powerful example! And there's
00:20:56.97\00:21:00.70
a lot like that. I have another
graphic that gives another
00:21:00.73\00:21:04.45
example of secular psychology
going along with the Bible, if
00:21:04.48\00:21:07.07
we could put that up. 16,475
American colleges were surveyed
00:21:07.10\00:21:12.43
between 1979 and 2006. And what
they found in this survey was
00:21:12.46\00:21:17.14
that 1 out of 4 students
in recent generations showed
00:21:17.17\00:21:21.62
elevated rates of narcissism.
Narcissism is this focus on
00:21:21.65\00:21:26.12
self. In 1985, the number was 1
our of 7. So what that's showing
00:21:26.15\00:21:30.78
is that this focus, this me-
centeredness has increased over
00:21:30.81\00:21:34.86
the years. What does the Bible
tell us? Our next graphic will
00:21:34.89\00:21:38.46
will tell us. In 2 Timothy 3:1,2
This know also, that in the last
00:21:38.49\00:21:44.05
days perilous times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their
00:21:44.08\00:21:49.44
own selves. Isn't that
something? And the survey of
00:21:49.47\00:21:53.48
those 16,000-plus students
showed us, we really didn't
00:21:53.51\00:21:57.13
this survey, we can just see as
we look around us that this me
00:21:57.16\00:22:00.83
focus is just increasing more
and more as the years go on.
00:22:00.86\00:22:04.71
And it goes back to what we
talked about a while ago about
00:22:04.74\00:22:08.09
that we should focus on self.
That's where it all starts.
00:22:08.12\00:22:11.91
Me, me, me. I remember back
when I was in the first grade
00:22:11.94\00:22:18.58
I was left-handed and the
teacher came around with a
00:22:18.61\00:22:23.33
little ruler, spanked us on
the back of our hands and every
00:22:23.36\00:22:25.30
thing because, No you need to be
right-handed, because you could
00:22:25.33\00:22:29.04
be president of the United
States someday and etiquette
00:22:29.07\00:22:31.44
tells us that we need to
be right-handed. So it started
00:22:31.47\00:22:36.00
way back then conditioning
us, first of all planting those
00:22:36.03\00:22:40.09
little seeds in our head that
any one of you here could be
00:22:40.12\00:22:42.98
president of the United States.
So if you study hard, if you get
00:22:43.01\00:22:46.88
your education, you do this,
this, this and this, then this
00:22:46.91\00:22:50.15
will end up what you could
be. I mean, I'm an old horse and
00:22:50.18\00:22:58.47
I mean, they were planting
those seed way back then. I love
00:22:58.50\00:23:04.88
watching GYC. I'm loving to see
the kids that are taking self
00:23:04.91\00:23:09.25
and putting it on the back
burner; but there are a lot of
00:23:09.28\00:23:12.51
other kids out there that are
just doing the very best that
00:23:12.54\00:23:15.13
they can do and it
all starts with me.
00:23:15.16\00:23:18.53
That's a good example. It
is so interesting when we are
00:23:18.56\00:23:21.29
leading people into careers
it's about what you can be as
00:23:21.32\00:23:24.37
opposed to what God wants you
to be. You know, and that's that
00:23:24.70\00:23:28.03
self focus again. But I'm just
so grateful to God that he's
00:23:28.06\00:23:31.52
bringing us out of the darkness
of that thinking into his
00:23:31.55\00:23:34.38
marvelous light and I'm glad
that he's shown his light on
00:23:34.41\00:23:37.35
me, too. What's
wonderful about this,
00:23:37.38\00:23:39.58
doctor, is that we can
be educated or we can be
00:23:39.61\00:23:44.02
uneducated. It's God almighty
through the Holy Spirit that
00:23:44.05\00:23:48.97
if we'll just surrender and turn
it over to him, help me Jesus.
00:23:49.00\00:23:52.51
I need you to show up because,
man, I've got some real issues
00:23:52.54\00:23:56.12
here. I had some wrong
information in growing up.
00:23:56.15\00:23:59.78
I did focus on myself because
I thought that that was what I
00:23:59.81\00:24:05.41
was supposed to do and that's
exactly what you're saying.
00:24:05.44\00:24:07.90
It's wonderful to listen to
you to see how you're growing at
00:24:07.93\00:24:11.75
the same time. Lots of times
we feel like we have arrived
00:24:11.78\00:24:17.35
because we've jumped through
the hoops and did all this and
00:24:17.38\00:24:20.95
everything and then we find out
it makes no difference where we
00:24:20.98\00:24:23.12
are in life. Wait a minute, I've
got another plan for your life.
00:24:23.15\00:24:29.24
It starts with
being surrendered.
00:24:29.27\00:24:31.55
It does. That's where it starts
and I'm so grateful to God
00:24:31.58\00:24:34.13
for that. Now let's
go back. What are some
00:24:34.16\00:24:39.37
of the main reasons that
Christians should be cautious
00:24:39.40\00:24:41.64
in embracing certain
secular psychology concepts?
00:24:41.67\00:24:47.37
Well, I think we're kind of
referring to it here. When we
00:24:47.40\00:24:51.23
focus on self it prevents us
from hearing God and being led
00:24:51.26\00:24:55.91
based on his Spirit. I'm not
looking to God to tell me which
00:24:55.94\00:24:59.69
way to go; I'm looking for
self to tell me which way to go.
00:24:59.72\00:25:02.83
So we need to be cautious when
we approach secular psychology.
00:25:02.86\00:25:06.87
The other thing is, secular
psychology really can make us
00:25:06.90\00:25:10.92
...you know, I used to almost
think of myself as a demigod.
00:25:10.95\00:25:13.81
I have to be honest, because
people were coming to ME for
00:25:13.84\00:25:17.38
help, you know. They were
bringing their problems to ME.
00:25:17.41\00:25:20.56
It can really exalt self as
the person doing the counseling.
00:25:20.59\00:25:24.96
Not only that, it leads man
to look to man for wisdom, as
00:25:24.99\00:25:29.68
opposed to God, for wisdom. So
those are the things that come
00:25:29.71\00:25:32.90
to my mind when I think about
the cautions we need to take
00:25:32.93\00:25:36.07
and everything that we run
across with secular psychology
00:25:36.10\00:25:39.75
has to be compared to the
word of God. We have to look at
00:25:39.78\00:25:43.36
secular psychology with word-
of-God glasses. If we don't do
00:25:43.39\00:25:47.76
that we can be easily deceived,
easily fooled. I just caution
00:25:47.80\00:25:51.29
people out there to really
take their time to measure every
00:25:51.33\00:25:54.16
thing. The only way we can do
that is if we know the word of
00:25:54.20\00:25:56.87
God. So when people come to me
and tell me right now, Should I
00:25:56.91\00:25:59.86
go into secular psychology, I
say, Ground yourself in the word
00:25:59.90\00:26:03.08
of God. If you ground yourself
in the word of God, and then
00:26:03.12\00:26:06.27
when you go to the schools
you can compare everything.
00:26:06.31\00:26:08.60
I have to be honest with you,
J.D., not everyone can do that.
00:26:08.64\00:26:12.38
Not everyone can do that. But
I just tell the young people,
00:26:12.41\00:26:16.12
because I don't want to
discourage them because they
00:26:16.15\00:26:17.26
want to help people, just if
you're going to do this, compare
00:26:17.30\00:26:21.22
everything to God's word and
from there he will not lead you
00:26:21.26\00:26:24.88
in the wrong direction. I'm so
grateful that God has led me to
00:26:24.92\00:26:28.51
his word. I went the other
way around. I went through the
00:26:28.54\00:26:30.98
schooling without the secure
footing in the word, but God
00:26:31.01\00:26:33.61
was so gracious to me that
he brought me back to his word.
00:26:33.64\00:26:36.92
So everything that I've learned
right now I compare to the
00:26:36.96\00:26:40.17
scripture, I study the scripture
and if it fits I keep it and if
00:26:40.20\00:26:44.09
it doesn't I get rid of it.
00:26:44.13\00:26:45.61
Exactly, which is the gift from
him and it goes back to how we
00:26:45.65\00:26:49.34
started. You know, this is how
I was blinded; I could not see
00:26:49.37\00:26:53.00
because I was taken what I was
given and then the Holy Spirit,
00:26:53.04\00:26:56.24
I invited him in, and the Holy
Spirit said, Hey there needs to
00:26:56.27\00:27:00.05
be some changes here. So what
you're saying here is why do you
00:27:00.08\00:27:03.35
want to waste all these years?
Why don't we go and start at the
00:27:03.38\00:27:06.61
very beginning and that is his
word where all pure knowledge
00:27:06.65\00:27:09.84
comes from. The
Bible tells us that
00:27:09.88\00:27:13.13
everything that pertaineth
to Godliness is in the word.
00:27:13.16\00:27:16.57
I think it's in Peter. And I
didn't know that. I know that
00:27:16.60\00:27:19.97
now, thank God.
Well you are a real joy,
00:27:20.01\00:27:24.24
Dr. Magna Parks. Praise the Lord
You know the Lord is wonderful
00:27:24.28\00:27:27.63
to sit and watch what he is
doing in your life, you know,
00:27:27.66\00:27:31.64
the changes that he is making
as you are continuing to be a
00:27:31.67\00:27:35.70
benefit to him at the same time
that the Lord is educating you.
00:27:35.73\00:27:39.72
So it's fantastic. I just
want to thank you for being here
00:27:39.76\00:27:44.77
with us today. Time is running
out quickly. What a wonderful
00:27:44.80\00:27:48.98
topic this is because people
are wanting to know what is the
00:27:49.01\00:27:52.92
difference. So I appreciate
you being here with us today and
00:27:52.95\00:27:56.83
I hope that you
have enjoyed being here.
00:27:56.86\00:27:58.62
Oh, it was a wonderful pleasure
to be here. I thank God.
00:27:58.66\00:28:01.06
Thank you for being with
us on Issues and Answers.
00:28:01.09\00:28:05.13
We love each
and every one of you
00:28:05.16\00:28:07.16
and just lift you up
in prayer. God bless.
00:28:07.19\00:28:16.29