¤[Theme music]¤
00:00:09.87\00:00:16.85
>>John Bradshaw:
This is It Is Written.
00:00:18.85\00:00:20.92
I'm John Bradshaw.
Thanks for joining me.
00:00:20.95\00:00:23.69
In May of 2013 the
jackpot in the United States
00:00:23.72\00:00:27.66
Powerball Lottery
reached a massive $590 million.
00:00:27.69\00:00:33.83
People who normally did not buy
lottery tickets were lining up
00:00:33.86\00:00:36.53
to buy them all
across the fruited plain.
00:00:36.56\00:00:39.13
A spokeswoman for the Arizona
Lottery said that interest
00:00:39.17\00:00:42.30
in the lottery was
at a complete frenzy.
00:00:42.34\00:00:45.11
The same was
true in many states.
00:00:45.14\00:00:47.81
Ultimately, the lottery would
be won by an 84-year-old woman
00:00:47.84\00:00:51.91
who held the
single winning ticket,
00:00:51.95\00:00:54.22
and she walked away with more
than half a billion dollars--
00:00:54.25\00:00:59.32
the largest lottery payout in
American history to that time,
00:00:59.35\00:01:03.49
at odds of 1 in 175 million.
00:01:03.53\00:01:10.00
The odds of the average American
being struck by lightning
00:01:10.03\00:01:12.97
in any given
year are 1 in 700,000.
00:01:13.00\00:01:18.41
A woman has a 230 times better
chance of conceiving quadruplets
00:01:18.44\00:01:24.35
than winning the
Powerball Lottery.
00:01:24.38\00:01:26.95
But millions of people buy
lottery tickets, just in case.
00:01:26.98\00:01:31.49
And why is that?
00:01:31.52\00:01:32.99
Because, well, you never know.
00:01:33.02\00:01:36.89
Someone has to win.
00:01:36.93\00:01:39.16
But for every winner
there are millions of losers.
00:01:41.50\00:01:45.27
And when it comes to gambling,
even winners can be losers.
00:01:45.30\00:01:50.41
The capital city of the
state of Victoria in Australia
00:01:50.44\00:01:54.48
is Melbourne, which
has a population well north
00:01:54.51\00:01:57.81
of 4.5 million people.
00:01:57.85\00:02:00.52
And in Melbourne, Australia,
there is a shrine to gambling,
00:02:00.55\00:02:03.82
where once a year a horse
race is held that is so big
00:02:03.85\00:02:08.59
race day is a public
holiday throughout the state,
00:02:08.62\00:02:12.16
and it has been
for almost 150 years.
00:02:12.19\00:02:15.33
Flemington
Racecourse in Melbourne is home
00:02:16.60\00:02:18.77
of the Melbourne Cup,
00:02:18.80\00:02:20.27
contested on the first
Tuesday of November every year.
00:02:20.30\00:02:23.77
It's the biggest horse
race in the southern hemisphere.
00:02:23.81\00:02:27.44
The Melbourne Cup is really big.
00:02:27.48\00:02:30.11
It's like the
Super Bowl in Australia,
00:02:30.15\00:02:32.78
except in Melbourne it's
bigger than the Super Bowl.
00:02:32.81\00:02:37.02
In 2018 the Melbourne
Cup offered prize money
00:02:37.05\00:02:41.59
of $7.3 million Australian.
00:02:41.62\00:02:44.96
That's around $5.5 million US.
00:02:44.99\00:02:48.13
The winner would take
home $4 million Australian,
00:02:48.16\00:02:50.97
around $3 million US,
and trophies worth $200,000.
00:02:51.00\00:02:56.60
The Melbourne
Cup is a phenomenon.
00:02:56.64\00:03:00.31
Horses, trainers, and
jockeys associated with the race
00:03:00.34\00:03:03.51
become legends.
00:03:03.55\00:03:05.31
The first Melbourne Cup
was won in 1861 by Archer,
00:03:05.35\00:03:09.52
who won again the next year.
00:03:09.55\00:03:11.59
The day after Archer won
that first Melbourne Cup,
00:03:11.62\00:03:14.32
he ran in and won
another race over two miles.
00:03:14.36\00:03:18.46
The legendary Phar Lap,
the great New Zealand horse,
00:03:18.49\00:03:22.23
who won the Cup in 1930
and whose heart is on display
00:03:22.26\00:03:26.40
in a museum here in Melbourne.
00:03:26.43\00:03:28.37
There's Think Big and Rain
Lover and Kiwi and Van Der Hum,
00:03:28.40\00:03:32.61
and Bart Cummings, who trained
12 Melbourne Cup winners.
00:03:32.64\00:03:36.81
Millions of people
watch the Melbourne Cup.
00:03:36.85\00:03:39.95
In fact, my parents traveled
here to Flemington Racecourse
00:03:39.98\00:03:43.49
all the way from New Zealand
to watch the Melbourne Cup
00:03:43.52\00:03:45.95
in the early 1970s,
00:03:45.99\00:03:47.36
the year Silver
Knight won the Melbourne Cup.
00:03:47.39\00:03:50.89
But as glamorous as
this all undoubtedly is--
00:03:50.93\00:03:54.83
you've got the
color and the pageantry
00:03:54.83\00:03:57.40
and the magnificent horses--
00:03:57.43\00:04:00.27
as glamorous as it is,
00:04:00.30\00:04:02.17
there's another side of this
that we simply cannot ignore.
00:04:02.20\00:04:05.31
¤[Music]¤
00:04:05.34\00:04:06.24
What we're dealing
with here is gambling,
00:04:06.27\00:04:08.88
and part of the
problem with a horse race being
00:04:08.91\00:04:11.11
such a glamor event is
that it normalizes something
00:04:11.15\00:04:14.92
that has been
described again and again
00:04:14.95\00:04:17.72
as being a curse on society.
00:04:17.75\00:04:21.59
Now, while gambling undoubtedly
employs a lot of people,
00:04:21.62\00:04:25.39
generates a lot of economic
activity, and drives tourism,
00:04:25.43\00:04:29.36
gambling has a dark underbelly,
00:04:29.40\00:04:32.30
takes a very high personal
toll on a lot of people.
00:04:32.33\00:04:36.40
It seems that
wherever you have gambling,
00:04:36.44\00:04:39.14
crime is not very far away.
00:04:39.17\00:04:41.41
Certainly horse racing
over the years has been plagued
00:04:41.44\00:04:44.15
by crime and
corruption and scandal.
00:04:44.18\00:04:47.28
It is believed that the great
Kiwi horse Phar Lap was killed
00:04:47.32\00:04:51.42
by, by interests who
didn't want to see him race
00:04:51.45\00:04:54.82
in the United States.
00:04:54.86\00:04:56.09
[track announcer speaks
indistinctly via loudspeaker]
00:04:56.12\00:04:58.83
Gambling in sport goes
way beyond horse racing
00:04:58.86\00:05:01.90
and therefore
so do the scandals.
00:05:01.93\00:05:05.13
In 1919, players on
the Chicago White Sox,
00:05:05.17\00:05:08.87
in the infamous
Black Sox scandal,
00:05:08.90\00:05:12.04
were paid by gamblers to
throw baseball's World Series.
00:05:12.07\00:05:17.45
An NBA basketball referee served
time in prison for fudging calls
00:05:17.48\00:05:21.75
in games on
which he had bet money.
00:05:21.78\00:05:23.85
Cricket has been repeatedly
challenged by scandals
00:05:24.85\00:05:27.72
related to match
fixing and gambling.
00:05:27.76\00:05:30.23
It's happened in
snooker and soccer and tennis.
00:05:30.26\00:05:36.03
Now, the objection to this is,
00:05:36.06\00:05:37.67
"Oh, gambling's
just harmless fun.
00:05:37.70\00:05:39.93
It's enjoyed by
a lot of people."
00:05:39.97\00:05:42.17
Well, it is
enjoyed by a lot of people.
00:05:42.20\00:05:44.04
It might even be fun.
00:05:44.07\00:05:45.77
But it surely isn't harmless,
00:05:45.81\00:05:48.01
and the values promoted by
gambling simply don't line up
00:05:48.04\00:05:51.35
with the values of the Bible.
00:05:51.38\00:05:53.82
And gambling
addiction is a major issue.
00:05:53.85\00:05:56.85
People can easily
get hooked on gambling.
00:05:56.89\00:05:59.35
And they do.
00:05:59.39\00:06:00.86
And that causes
massive problems.
00:06:00.89\00:06:03.69
One of the
problems with gambling
00:06:04.69\00:06:06.43
is that it's everywhere.
00:06:06.46\00:06:08.20
Whether you're in Las
Vegas or Dubai or New York City
00:06:08.23\00:06:12.07
or here in Melbourne
00:06:12.10\00:06:13.74
or in a little out-of-the-way
small town somewhere
00:06:13.77\00:06:16.71
on the fruited plain,
00:06:16.74\00:06:18.11
there's gambling,
and Internet gambling,
00:06:18.14\00:06:22.04
and it's socially acceptable.
00:06:22.08\00:06:24.28
And it seems as
though everyone's doing it.
00:06:24.31\00:06:26.85
In just a moment, we'll
meet somebody who's had a lot
00:06:28.65\00:06:31.29
of experience with gambling--
00:06:31.32\00:06:33.25
experience that
demonstrates just what gambling
00:06:33.29\00:06:36.36
can do to a life.
00:06:36.39\00:06:37.66
I'll be right back.
00:06:37.69\00:06:38.96
¤[Music]¤
00:06:38.99\00:06:45.83
>>Announcer 1: The pursuit
of wealth has been the ruin
00:06:47.80\00:06:50.41
of many people.
00:06:50.44\00:06:51.77
God promises to bless
His people financially,
00:06:51.81\00:06:54.24
but often God's
blessings can turn into a curse.
00:06:54.28\00:06:57.15
Get your free copy
of "God Will Provide"
00:06:57.18\00:06:59.78
and learn the recipe
to financial success.
00:06:59.81\00:07:02.82
Call 800-253-3000,
00:07:02.85\00:07:05.82
800-253-3000.
00:07:05.85\00:07:08.59
You can write to the
address on your screen
00:07:08.62\00:07:10.43
or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:07:10.46\00:07:13.83
Get "God Will
Provide," iiwoffer.com.
00:07:13.86\00:07:17.33
¤[Music]¤
00:07:18.83\00:07:20.97
>>Announcer 2: Planning
for your financial future
00:07:21.00\00:07:22.70
is a vital aspect of
Christian stewardship.
00:07:22.74\00:07:26.61
For this reason, It Is
Written is pleased to offer
00:07:26.64\00:07:29.34
free planned giving
and estate services.
00:07:29.38\00:07:32.21
For information on
how we can help you,
00:07:32.25\00:07:34.42
please call 800-992-2219.
00:07:34.45\00:07:39.39
Call today or
visit our web site:
00:07:39.42\00:07:41.39
hislegacy.com.
00:07:41.42\00:07:43.32
Call 800-992-2219.
00:07:43.36\00:07:47.93
>>John Bradshaw:
Thanks for joining me today
00:07:49.66\00:07:50.87
on It Is Written.
00:07:50.90\00:07:51.80
I'm John Bradshaw.
00:07:51.83\00:07:53.47
Australia is a
sports-mad country.
00:07:53.50\00:07:56.64
The biggest horse race
in the southern hemisphere
00:07:56.67\00:07:58.81
is the Melbourne Cup,
first Tuesday of November.
00:07:58.84\00:08:02.38
Millions of people
watch the race on TV,
00:08:02.41\00:08:05.18
and crowds of over
100,000 people turn up
00:08:05.21\00:08:07.98
at Flemington Racecourse
to see the big race live.
00:08:08.02\00:08:11.75
The Melbourne
Cricket Ground, the MCG,
00:08:11.79\00:08:14.42
is Australia's
cathedral of cricket.
00:08:14.46\00:08:17.16
It's also the home of
Australian rules football--
00:08:17.19\00:08:20.83
Aussie football, a
lot like Gaelic football.
00:08:20.86\00:08:25.30
For the uninitiated, it doesn't
make a whole lot of sense.
00:08:25.33\00:08:29.77
Rugby league is
also big in Australia.
00:08:29.80\00:08:33.27
And along with
sports like these,
00:08:33.31\00:08:35.61
Australians gamble on lotto and
scratch cards and at casinos.
00:08:35.64\00:08:40.28
In fact, it's often been said
that Australians would gamble on
00:08:40.32\00:08:43.22
two flies crawling up a wall.
00:08:43.25\00:08:46.25
But when you've got an
industry whose advertising comes
00:08:46.29\00:08:49.56
with a warning about the
dangers of that industry,
00:08:49.59\00:08:53.43
well, you have to wonder.
00:08:53.46\00:08:55.83
William
Shakespeare once wrote that
00:08:57.57\00:08:59.53
"all that glisters is not gold."
00:08:59.57\00:09:02.30
When it comes to gambling,
00:09:02.34\00:09:04.17
you might want to be
careful what you ask for.
00:09:04.21\00:09:07.41
I expect that most everyone
has seen the huge jackpots
00:09:08.08\00:09:10.95
advertised and thought,
00:09:10.98\00:09:12.38
"Wow, what I could
do with that money!"
00:09:12.41\00:09:15.15
That's natural enough.
00:09:15.18\00:09:17.25
But you might be better off
thinking about what that money
00:09:17.29\00:09:19.62
could do to you.
00:09:19.65\00:09:21.66
A British 17-year-old who won
a million pounds in the lottery
00:09:23.36\00:09:26.93
told a newspaper
later that she wished
00:09:26.96\00:09:29.53
she had never won that money.
00:09:29.56\00:09:31.47
She said, "I thought it would
make my life 10 times easier;
00:09:31.50\00:09:35.04
instead everything
became 10 times worse."
00:09:35.07\00:09:39.14
An English baker died
cursing the fact that he had won
00:09:39.17\00:09:42.61
9 million pounds in
the lottery in 2005.
00:09:42.64\00:09:46.88
He said that when
they won the money,
00:09:46.92\00:09:48.15
he and his wife believed that
all of their worries were over.
00:09:48.18\00:09:51.59
Instead, they lost their
money, they lost their marriage,
00:09:51.62\00:09:55.72
and he lost his life.
00:09:55.76\00:09:57.29
He was bored; he
developed an alcohol problem.
00:09:57.33\00:10:00.70
And it is said the stress
of worrying about what to do
00:10:00.73\00:10:04.93
with that windfall
really broke him down.
00:10:04.97\00:10:08.50
He said, "What's the
point of having money at all
00:10:08.54\00:10:11.41
if it sends you to
sleep at night crying?"
00:10:11.44\00:10:14.81
An American man won
$250 million in the lottery.
00:10:14.84\00:10:19.18
His wife later said she wished
he had never bought the ticket.
00:10:19.21\00:10:24.62
Now, I can hear somebody saying,
00:10:24.65\00:10:25.99
"Oh, it's just that
these people didn't know
00:10:26.02\00:10:27.82
how to handle their money."
00:10:27.86\00:10:29.16
Well, it's true there are
many people who've won a lot
00:10:29.19\00:10:31.43
of money, and their
lives have not bottomed out.
00:10:31.46\00:10:34.73
But I don't know that
that justifies an industry
00:10:34.73\00:10:36.80
where money is lost,
often massive sums of money,
00:10:36.83\00:10:40.64
and lives are frequently ruined.
00:10:40.67\00:10:43.04
You simply don't hear
about many people whose lives
00:10:44.04\00:10:47.61
are radically altered
by the effects of gambling.
00:10:47.64\00:10:51.41
Children who don't eat
because their parents lost money
00:10:51.45\00:10:54.32
at the casino.
00:10:54.35\00:10:56.32
Lives that spiral out of control
owing to gambling addiction
00:10:56.35\00:11:00.09
and gambling debts.
00:11:00.12\00:11:01.82
Crimes that are committed.
00:11:01.86\00:11:03.86
The massive
rearranging of priorities.
00:11:03.89\00:11:06.36
But even if you don't lose,
00:11:06.39\00:11:09.76
gambling affects your
life, and it affects your soul.
00:11:09.80\00:11:15.00
I wanted to find out firsthand
about gambling and its effects.
00:11:15.04\00:11:18.77
So I went to see an old friend.
00:11:18.81\00:11:20.91
David Slack lives in
Hamilton, New Zealand.
00:11:20.94\00:11:24.41
He knows a lot about gambling
from firsthand experience.
00:11:24.45\00:11:28.12
He's able to assess gambling
from a Christian perspective.
00:11:28.15\00:11:31.79
So how did you get
involved in gambling?
00:11:32.85\00:11:35.06
>>David Slack: Well, uh,
when I was younger, John,
00:11:35.09\00:11:36.83
a lot of, um, friends of
my parents used to come around
00:11:36.86\00:11:40.00
and play cards
on a Sunday night.
00:11:40.03\00:11:42.10
They had a Sunday
night card school and, um,
00:11:42.13\00:11:45.37
I was introduced
through this, this card game;
00:11:45.40\00:11:48.27
my mum sometimes would let me
play a hand while she went out
00:11:48.30\00:11:51.47
to prepare the, uh,
snacks for the players,
00:11:51.51\00:11:55.31
and, uh, and I used to sit
listening, uh, to the radio.
00:11:55.34\00:11:59.61
I was really, um, taken
in by the commentary of,
00:11:59.65\00:12:04.12
of the patter
of the commentator.
00:12:04.15\00:12:06.72
And, uh, and so I would
pick horses out and imagine
00:12:06.76\00:12:10.43
that they were running for me.
00:12:10.46\00:12:12.36
I'd go to the races
with my mum and dad, and, um,
00:12:12.39\00:12:15.60
I can remember really
the, the first bet that I had--
00:12:15.63\00:12:19.00
um, it won.
00:12:19.03\00:12:21.10
And, uh, and so that's
where, really, where it started.
00:12:21.14\00:12:24.44
>>John: So, you went from
playing cards to basically
00:12:24.47\00:12:27.64
all forms of gambling?
00:12:27.68\00:12:28.74
>>David: Anything,
yeah, anything that--
00:12:28.78\00:12:30.38
pool, which I was
hopeless at, like snooker,
00:12:30.41\00:12:33.45
ah, sporting games-- anything,
00:12:33.48\00:12:36.92
anything that
moved-- you, you just--
00:12:36.95\00:12:38.92
if you could
gamble, you gambled.
00:12:38.95\00:12:40.59
>>John: So, once
you started gambling,
00:12:40.62\00:12:43.63
how quickly did you get
from gambling to stealing
00:12:43.66\00:12:48.50
to support your gambling habit?
00:12:48.53\00:12:50.13
>>David: Not long after.
00:12:50.17\00:12:51.40
>>John: Yeah.
00:12:51.43\00:12:52.60
>>David: Uh, you know, I'd
go around the back of hotels,
00:12:52.63\00:12:54.94
steal bottles
back in those days.
00:12:54.97\00:12:57.44
I'd take my duffle
bag and fill it up,
00:12:57.47\00:12:59.47
and then go to a
dairy and, and cash up.
00:12:59.51\00:13:02.51
Um, back in those days,
they used to deliver milk
00:13:02.54\00:13:05.21
and, and bread and cream.
00:13:05.25\00:13:07.42
And, uh, I'd go along the road,
going into people's milk boxes
00:13:07.45\00:13:12.35
and taking the money out.
00:13:12.39\00:13:14.12
And so that was
sort of petty crime.
00:13:14.16\00:13:15.96
>>John: Yeah.
00:13:15.99\00:13:16.86
>>David: And then
when I started work,
00:13:16.89\00:13:17.96
then I started stealing,
um, product from the company
00:13:17.99\00:13:21.13
that I worked
for, uh, and that all,
00:13:21.16\00:13:23.10
that all financed your gambling.
00:13:23.13\00:13:26.27
>>John: How low
did gambling take you?
00:13:26.30\00:13:29.90
>>David: My marriage ended.
00:13:29.94\00:13:31.71
Uh, I lost my job,
and I lost my house.
00:13:31.74\00:13:37.21
So, that, that was
a pretty low point.
00:13:37.25\00:13:40.12
But, um, things went even lower.
00:13:40.15\00:13:42.75
Uh, I was 27 and,
um, what was I gonna do?
00:13:42.78\00:13:46.32
You know, I had no income, so
at that stage I turned to crime,
00:13:46.35\00:13:50.43
and I never worked
for the next 13 years,
00:13:50.46\00:13:53.13
just lived off
the proceeds of crime.
00:13:53.16\00:13:55.63
And so, um, I became a, um,
a bookie here in New Zealand.
00:13:55.66\00:14:00.90
Um, and, uh, that
turned into a, um,
00:14:00.94\00:14:04.97
a really huge business.
00:14:05.01\00:14:06.71
I turned over
enormous amounts of money and--
00:14:06.74\00:14:10.25
but it, it didn't matter because
no matter how much I won,
00:14:10.28\00:14:14.22
I just gambled it away.
00:14:14.25\00:14:17.02
I got arrested probably
five or six, maybe more, times
00:14:17.05\00:14:20.29
for bookmaking.
00:14:20.32\00:14:21.29
Police would kick
the door in and burst in,
00:14:21.32\00:14:23.59
looking for evidences, and...
00:14:23.63\00:14:25.49
>>John: So why
didn't you quit, David?
00:14:25.53\00:14:27.60
Just too much money?
00:14:27.60\00:14:29.13
>>David: Too much money.
00:14:29.16\00:14:30.13
You have--you know,
for a compulsive gambler,
00:14:30.17\00:14:32.80
you know, here it was.
00:14:32.83\00:14:33.97
Um, you know, I had
a, I had a flash car;
00:14:34.00\00:14:37.67
I lived wherever I wanted to.
00:14:37.71\00:14:39.11
If I ever wanted
to hop on a plane,
00:14:39.14\00:14:40.58
I could hop on a plane and
fly off wherever I wanted to.
00:14:40.61\00:14:43.31
And I just guessed--I thought
that I was living the life
00:14:43.35\00:14:46.08
of Jack the Lad, but
all the time, of course,
00:14:46.11\00:14:48.92
not knowing that I
was a slave to the devil.
00:14:48.95\00:14:53.32
>>John: At some
stage it occurred to you
00:14:53.36\00:14:55.59
that you were a slave?
00:14:55.62\00:14:57.13
>>David: No.
00:14:57.16\00:14:58.19
>>John: Well, at some
stage God got hold of you.
00:14:58.23\00:15:00.80
>>David: Yeah.
00:15:00.83\00:15:01.70
>>John: Well, tell
me how that unfolded.
00:15:01.73\00:15:02.93
>>David: That's the miracle
part about it, is that, uh...
00:15:02.96\00:15:07.30
at this stage,
I'd, I'd met my wife.
00:15:07.34\00:15:10.04
She didn't--you know, she
hated gambling; she hated it.
00:15:10.07\00:15:13.68
And she was pretty staunch.
00:15:13.71\00:15:15.24
She said, "No, I'm
not going to marry you.
00:15:15.28\00:15:18.11
No, I don't, I don't
want, I don't want this gambling
00:15:18.15\00:15:19.98
in my life."
00:15:20.02\00:15:20.95
But then I kept on,
and finally she said,
00:15:20.98\00:15:23.28
"Okay. Look, here's the go.
00:15:23.32\00:15:26.92
You know, we'll get married,
00:15:26.96\00:15:28.06
but there's to be no
gambling in the house.
00:15:28.09\00:15:29.72
I don't want it on TV;
00:15:29.76\00:15:30.76
I don't want people
ringing up, putting bets on;
00:15:30.79\00:15:32.46
I don't want card
games going on here."
00:15:32.49\00:15:34.30
And, um, because
you're, once again,
00:15:34.36\00:15:37.17
because you're a compulsive liar
00:15:37.20\00:15:38.50
when you're a
compulsive gambler--
00:15:38.53\00:15:39.87
that's one of the
traits that go with it--
00:15:39.90\00:15:42.10
I say, "Yeah, yeah, no,
no, none of that'll happen,"
00:15:42.14\00:15:44.04
full well knowing
that once we were married,
00:15:44.07\00:15:46.47
and I was back in there,
that things would just carry on.
00:15:46.51\00:15:49.94
And then we were due to
get married on a Saturday,
00:15:49.98\00:15:52.11
and, uh, on Thursday morning,
00:15:52.15\00:15:56.32
two days before we
were due to get married,
00:15:56.35\00:16:01.39
I woke up, and I had
this amazing feeling,
00:16:01.42\00:16:04.26
and, um...Debbie
said, "What's up?"
00:16:04.29\00:16:09.00
And, uh, I said, "I don't know;
00:16:09.03\00:16:11.07
I've just got
this unusual feeling,
00:16:11.10\00:16:12.77
like I don't
want to gamble today."
00:16:12.80\00:16:14.87
Because every day I got
up and went off and gambled.
00:16:14.90\00:16:17.67
>>John: So that day
you had no urge to gamble?
00:16:17.71\00:16:20.81
>>David: No, there was
no urge, and, uh, and, uh...
00:16:20.84\00:16:26.21
and then from that day to this--
00:16:26.25\00:16:27.95
and that's, uh,
30 years ago now--
00:16:27.98\00:16:30.85
I've never had
any desire to gamble.
00:16:30.89\00:16:33.09
It was just a
straight-out miracle.
00:16:33.12\00:16:35.52
And I'd never asked God
to, to heal me, you know.
00:16:35.56\00:16:38.89
I, I was really full on in
the life that I was living.
00:16:38.93\00:16:43.26
>>John: So how
could this have happened?
00:16:43.30\00:16:44.97
Was somebody praying for you?
00:16:45.00\00:16:46.80
>>David: Well,
after we got married,
00:16:46.84\00:16:49.14
um, and Debbie
didn't say anything on that,
00:16:49.17\00:16:51.51
on that, that
morning when I woke up,
00:16:51.54\00:16:54.98
and, um, and then about
a couple of weeks later,
00:16:55.01\00:16:59.35
she said to me, "Oh, I prayed."
00:16:59.38\00:17:01.22
And I said, "What? What
do you know about prayer?"
00:17:01.25\00:17:04.05
Because she liked going
to nightclubs and parties
00:17:04.09\00:17:07.22
and things like that, you know.
00:17:07.26\00:17:09.76
And I said, "What did you say?"
00:17:09.79\00:17:11.53
And she said, "Oh, 'If
there's a God out there,
00:17:11.56\00:17:14.46
you know, I, I, I really
don't want to marry David
00:17:14.46\00:17:16.73
as a gambler,
00:17:16.77\00:17:18.23
and, um, I've tried to
change him, but I, I can't.
00:17:18.27\00:17:22.20
He doesn't listen to me,
and if, if you could do that,
00:17:22.24\00:17:24.67
I'd be really grateful.'"
00:17:24.71\00:17:25.77
And so this is from
someone who didn't really know
00:17:25.81\00:17:28.64
anything about God.
00:17:28.68\00:17:29.98
>>John: And yet God
answered her prayer?
00:17:30.01\00:17:31.31
>>David: Yeah, and
God answered her prayer.
00:17:31.35\00:17:32.81
Amazing! Just an
amazing miracle. Yeah.
00:17:32.85\00:17:36.28
I still look back every day--
00:17:36.32\00:17:37.79
you know, I'm so grateful
that she prayed that prayer.
00:17:37.82\00:17:41.42
>>John: So, what about
people who were not or are not
00:17:41.46\00:17:45.33
problem gamblers?
00:17:45.36\00:17:46.73
What about them?
00:17:46.76\00:17:47.76
>>David: Oh, I haven't
met many of those, John.
00:17:47.76\00:17:50.07
You know, I
haven't, uh, you know--
00:17:50.10\00:17:51.73
they're, they're, I
guess they're around somewhere,
00:17:51.77\00:17:54.44
but I, I haven't
met really too many
00:17:54.47\00:17:58.21
of the recreational gamblers.
00:17:58.24\00:18:00.71
The, the vast majority
of gamblers that I know
00:18:00.74\00:18:03.71
are compulsive gamblers.
00:18:03.75\00:18:05.41
I had a friend who
was a heroin addict;
00:18:05.45\00:18:07.62
my, my best friend
was a heroin addict.
00:18:07.65\00:18:09.78
And, you know,
the poker machines
00:18:09.82\00:18:11.99
are the, the, the heroin--
00:18:12.02\00:18:14.46
they're the,
the heroin addiction
00:18:14.49\00:18:16.36
of the gambling industry.
00:18:16.39\00:18:18.36
They're geared to
suck your money out.
00:18:18.39\00:18:20.96
>>John: So, what do you say
to somebody who's struggling
00:18:21.00\00:18:24.20
with gambling and
has heard your story?
00:18:24.23\00:18:27.14
>>David: Number
one, there's hope.
00:18:27.17\00:18:30.01
At Gamblers Anonymous,
that I'm involved in now,
00:18:30.04\00:18:32.91
when people ask me, "What's
the best thing that's happened
00:18:32.94\00:18:35.91
to you since, since
you stopped gambling?"
00:18:35.94\00:18:38.81
I say, uh, "Freedom.
I'm a slave no longer."
00:18:38.85\00:18:43.55
Uh, and, and this,
you know, following
00:18:43.59\00:18:45.89
the 12-step program
gives you all of that.
00:18:45.92\00:18:49.82
You know, that's,
that's the most successful way.
00:18:49.86\00:18:52.16
And, and embracing Jesus,
that's, that's really the key
00:18:52.19\00:18:56.13
to, uh, the, the change of life.
00:18:56.16\00:18:59.53
Um, there
really is no other way.
00:18:59.57\00:19:03.41
There was no other way for me.
00:19:03.44\00:19:05.24
I was just
gonna continue on and,
00:19:05.27\00:19:07.61
and as I was, in
my gambling career,
00:19:07.64\00:19:11.18
and, and Jesus changed my life.
00:19:11.21\00:19:13.88
And so, it's the same--
it can happen for anyone.
00:19:13.92\00:19:17.42
¤[Music]¤
00:19:17.45\00:19:24.96
>>John Bradshaw:
Thank you for remembering
00:19:26.86\00:19:28.06
that It Is Written exists
00:19:28.10\00:19:29.46
because of the kindness
of people just like you.
00:19:29.50\00:19:32.27
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:19:32.30\00:19:35.50
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:19:35.54\00:19:39.77
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:19:39.81\00:19:41.24
to the address on your screen
00:19:41.28\00:19:42.71
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:19:42.74\00:19:46.58
Thank you for your prayers
and for your financial support.
00:19:46.61\00:19:49.38
Our number
again is 800-253-3000.
00:19:49.42\00:19:53.56
Or you could visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:19:53.59\00:19:56.83
>>John: December 21,
2012, was when the Maya calendar
00:19:57.83\00:20:02.30
was set to expire.
00:20:02.33\00:20:03.53
Many said with the expiration
of this calendar would come
00:20:03.57\00:20:06.80
the end of the world.
00:20:06.84\00:20:09.80
[Birds twittering]
00:20:09.84\00:20:11.24
The Maya were
remarkable builders,
00:20:11.27\00:20:13.04
but they did not
predict the end of the world.
00:20:13.07\00:20:15.74
So where can we find
predictions that we can trust?
00:20:15.78\00:20:19.51
Recent reports state that more
and more people are embracing
00:20:19.55\00:20:23.65
witchcraft, tarot card
reading, and astrology.
00:20:23.69\00:20:27.39
People are grabbing onto this,
00:20:27.42\00:20:29.22
even though there's absolutely
no evidence that it's valid,
00:20:29.26\00:20:33.19
and they're rejecting the Bible.
00:20:33.23\00:20:35.13
Now, the Bible isn't
simply a book of predictions.
00:20:35.16\00:20:38.73
It's the story of God's
love for the human family.
00:20:38.77\00:20:41.77
But it's true that the
Bible does contain predictions.
00:20:41.80\00:20:45.51
In fact, God stakes His
reputation on His ability
00:20:45.54\00:20:49.81
to forecast the future.
00:20:49.84\00:20:51.81
"Predictions You Can Trust."
00:20:51.85\00:20:53.58
Watch now on It Is Written TV.
00:20:53.62\00:20:56.85
>>John Bradshaw: Thanks for
joining me on It Is Written.
00:20:58.35\00:21:00.89
You know, as far
back as I can remember,
00:21:00.92\00:21:02.82
gambling was part of my family.
00:21:02.86\00:21:05.36
My mother's
father owned race horses.
00:21:05.39\00:21:07.46
Her brother was a somewhat
successful owner-trainer.
00:21:07.50\00:21:11.60
And my father
gambled religiously.
00:21:11.63\00:21:15.84
I remember coming with him,
usually on Saturday mornings,
00:21:15.87\00:21:18.61
to this very building.
00:21:18.64\00:21:20.24
He would gamble here, and then
we'd wait throughout the day
00:21:20.28\00:21:23.45
to see just how successful
he'd been or hadn't been.
00:21:23.48\00:21:27.12
I remember being here and
seeing men and women lining up,
00:21:27.15\00:21:30.72
waiting to gamble
away money that they--
00:21:30.75\00:21:33.72
money they simply
couldn't afford to lose.
00:21:33.76\00:21:35.76
Now, my dad never ever
bet large sums of money.
00:21:40.86\00:21:44.23
He certainly didn't jeopardize
the family's well-being.
00:21:44.27\00:21:46.94
We definitely didn't go without
because my dad bet on horses.
00:21:46.97\00:21:51.31
But I often wondered
what it would have been like
00:21:51.34\00:21:52.91
if Dad had taken the money
he frittered away on horses
00:21:52.94\00:21:56.14
and invested it in
a constructive way.
00:21:56.18\00:21:58.98
I remember my dad telling
me several times about men
00:21:59.01\00:22:02.48
where he worked.
00:22:02.52\00:22:03.69
On payday they'd
take their pay packet
00:22:03.72\00:22:06.52
down to where illegal
gambling was taking place
00:22:06.55\00:22:10.03
and lose everything.
00:22:10.06\00:22:12.86
And they'd have nothing to
take home to their families.
00:22:12.89\00:22:17.30
As a teenager, I'd work
long days at a gas station.
00:22:17.33\00:22:21.97
And it wasn't long before I
would be off to the race track
00:22:22.00\00:22:25.57
and lose it all.
00:22:25.61\00:22:27.81
I was never a
successful gambler.
00:22:27.84\00:22:30.15
I learnt young
that once it's gone,
00:22:30.18\00:22:32.41
you can't get it back.
00:22:32.45\00:22:33.95
It's better not to
risk it in the first place.
00:22:33.98\00:22:36.79
What I didn't find
out until much later
00:22:36.82\00:22:39.49
is that God is against
get-rich-quick schemes.
00:22:39.52\00:22:43.83
Proverbs 13:7--
00:22:43.86\00:22:46.19
"There is one who makes
himself rich, yet has nothing."
00:22:46.23\00:22:49.86
And conversely,
00:22:49.90\00:22:51.80
there is "one that makes himself
poor, yet has great riches."
00:22:51.83\00:22:56.54
God cautions against
get-rich-quick schemes,
00:22:56.57\00:23:00.38
that desire to get a lot in
a very short period of time.
00:23:00.41\00:23:04.28
And that's what
motivates a lot of gambling
00:23:04.31\00:23:07.05
and a lot of gamblers.
00:23:07.08\00:23:08.55
You see, there's a commandment
00:23:08.58\00:23:10.55
that pretty well
everybody forgets.
00:23:10.59\00:23:12.62
It's the tenth commandment.
00:23:12.65\00:23:15.09
It says, "Thou shalt not covet."
00:23:15.12\00:23:18.86
That's Exodus 20:17.
00:23:18.89\00:23:21.30
Hebrews 13:5 says,
00:23:21.33\00:23:23.30
"Let your conduct be
without covetousness."
00:23:23.33\00:23:28.14
Covetousness, according to
the Apostle Paul, is idolatry.
00:23:28.17\00:23:33.04
Now, of course we need money,
and it's great to have excess,
00:23:33.07\00:23:37.05
but a prime reason for excess
00:23:37.08\00:23:39.01
is so that it can be
used to bless others.
00:23:39.05\00:23:40.98
We are stewards
of what God gives us.
00:23:41.02\00:23:44.19
When money becomes your
god, you've got real problems.
00:23:44.22\00:23:47.46
You break the
tenth commandment--
00:23:47.49\00:23:49.59
you're breaking the
first commandment, which says,
00:23:49.62\00:23:51.59
"Thou shalt have no
other gods before me."
00:23:51.63\00:23:54.46
Proverbs 3:9 says,
00:23:55.30\00:23:57.53
"Honour the Lord
with thy substance,
00:23:57.57\00:24:00.20
and with the firstfruits
of all thine increase."
00:24:00.24\00:24:02.94
That means that what
we've been given by God
00:24:02.97\00:24:05.37
has been given for the
purpose of honoring God.
00:24:05.41\00:24:08.18
Throwing money away gambling
certainly is not honoring God.
00:24:08.21\00:24:12.71
Jesus said in Matthew 6:21,
00:24:12.75\00:24:15.92
"Where your treasure is,
there will your heart be also."
00:24:15.95\00:24:20.36
Gambling, like a
number of other things,
00:24:21.19\00:24:22.89
helps you to see
where your treasure is,
00:24:22.92\00:24:24.86
and, therefore,
where your heart is.
00:24:24.89\00:24:27.50
First Timothy 6:9-10 says,
00:24:28.06\00:24:31.10
"Those who desire to be
rich fall into temptation
00:24:31.13\00:24:34.20
and a snare, and into
many foolish and harmful lusts
00:24:34.24\00:24:37.94
which drown men in
destruction and perdition.
00:24:37.97\00:24:41.81
For the love of money is
a root of all kinds of evil,
00:24:41.84\00:24:45.81
for which some have strayed from
the faith in their greediness,
00:24:45.85\00:24:49.82
and pierced themselves
through with many sorrows."
00:24:49.85\00:24:53.66
How many people do you think,
desiring to win the big one,
00:24:53.69\00:24:56.36
have "pierced themselves
through with many sorrows"?
00:24:56.39\00:25:00.16
This is a lot like
Proverbs 28:22, which says,
00:25:00.20\00:25:03.03
"He that hasteth to
be rich hath an evil eye,
00:25:03.06\00:25:07.54
and considereth not that
poverty shall come upon him."
00:25:07.57\00:25:12.14
So, what if you're
one of these people
00:25:12.17\00:25:14.68
who gambles just a little?
00:25:14.71\00:25:16.31
Not a lot, just a
little, like my dad used to.
00:25:16.34\00:25:19.25
Well, if it's just a little,
00:25:19.28\00:25:20.68
you won't find it too
terribly difficult to give up.
00:25:20.72\00:25:24.32
But if you're
wanting to give up gambling--
00:25:24.35\00:25:26.39
your gambling
problem is a serious one--
00:25:26.42\00:25:29.39
that can be a real challenge.
00:25:29.42\00:25:30.93
Here's what you do:
00:25:30.96\00:25:32.26
You lean on the promises of God.
00:25:32.29\00:25:35.83
Philippians 4:13--
00:25:36.16\00:25:38.47
"I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me."
00:25:38.50\00:25:43.14
Philippians 1:6--
00:25:43.17\00:25:45.34
"He who has begun
a good work in you
00:25:45.37\00:25:47.54
will perform it until
the day of Jesus Christ."
00:25:47.58\00:25:51.65
Philippians 2:13-
00:25:51.68\00:25:54.05
"It is God who works in
you both to will and to do
00:25:54.08\00:25:59.19
for His good pleasure."
00:25:59.22\00:26:01.39
God can do it in your life.
00:26:01.42\00:26:02.66
If it's gambling,
God can take that away.
00:26:02.69\00:26:05.99
If it's something
else, a substance issue,
00:26:06.03\00:26:07.93
God can take that away.
00:26:07.96\00:26:09.00
Something deep
down in your heart--
00:26:09.03\00:26:11.27
God can do it for you.
00:26:11.30\00:26:12.60
There's power in those promises.
00:26:12.63\00:26:14.77
There's power in God's Word.
00:26:14.80\00:26:17.14
You see, God is a deliverer,
00:26:17.17\00:26:19.11
and He'll deliver you from
gambling or, or whatever it is.
00:26:19.14\00:26:23.88
If you'll allow Him to do so,
00:26:23.91\00:26:26.35
God will be in your life
everything that He really is.
00:26:26.38\00:26:32.19
>>Announcer: The pursuit
of wealth has been the ruin
00:26:33.52\00:26:36.06
of many people.
00:26:36.09\00:26:37.43
God promises to bless
His people financially,
00:26:37.46\00:26:39.93
but often God's
blessings can turn into a curse.
00:26:39.96\00:26:42.96
Get your free copy
of "God Will Provide"
00:26:43.00\00:26:45.43
and learn the recipe
to financial success.
00:26:45.47\00:26:48.47
Call 800-253-3000,
00:26:48.50\00:26:51.47
800-253-3000.
00:26:51.51\00:26:54.21
You can write to the
address on your screen
00:26:54.24\00:26:56.04
or visit us
online at iiwoffer.com.
00:26:56.08\00:26:59.48
Get "God Will
Provide," iiwoffer.com.
00:26:59.51\00:27:03.18
>>John Bradshaw:
Let's pray together now.
00:27:04.35\00:27:06.05
Our Father in heaven, we come
to You in the name of Jesus.
00:27:06.09\00:27:08.26
We're glad that we can.
00:27:08.29\00:27:09.69
We thank You that You are able,
that You are our deliverer,
00:27:09.72\00:27:12.83
and that You can take away
everything out of our lives
00:27:12.86\00:27:14.93
that should not be there.
00:27:14.96\00:27:16.30
If somebody has a
problem with gambling,
00:27:16.33\00:27:18.47
those that do, take it away.
00:27:18.50\00:27:20.80
Be their
deliverer; be their strength.
00:27:20.84\00:27:22.70
We believe in Your promises.
00:27:22.74\00:27:23.77
We believe that You can
do all You say You can do.
00:27:23.81\00:27:26.44
We look to You to be
what You only can be.
00:27:26.47\00:27:29.48
We thank You for deliverance.
00:27:29.51\00:27:31.68
We thank You for
assurance, for salvation,
00:27:31.71\00:27:34.82
and we thank You in Jesus' name.
00:27:34.85\00:27:37.12
Amen.
00:27:37.15\00:27:38.49
Thanks so much for joining me.
00:27:38.52\00:27:39.72
I'm looking forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:39.75\00:27:42.16
Until then, remember:
00:27:42.19\00:27:44.16
"It is written, 'Man
shall not live by bread alone,
00:27:44.19\00:27:48.13
but by every word that proceeds
from the mouth of God.'"
00:27:48.16\00:27:52.87
¤[Theme music]¤
00:27:52.90\00:28:03.01
¤[Theme music]¤
00:28:03.01\00:28:26.33