Faith Walk / William Carroll
Faith Walk / William Carroll
Episode: 36 “Not Yet,” Living the Gospel Amidst Gears and Grime: An Oil Field Worker's Revelation
Have you ever felt the tug of something greater steering you beyond the horizon of your everyday life? I'm William Carroll, and in my latest Faith Walk series, I'll take you on a spiritual journey that pierces through the veil of traditional religion to uncover the Christ-like essence we're all yearning to embrace. Witness how the Christian faith, a tapestry woven by miracles and the spoken word, still has the power to unite us in a community that extends well beyond the church's reach. As we reflect on Hebrews 13:8, let's explore together how the unchanging dynamism of God calls us to be his active hands and feet in a world that so desperately needs it.
The pathway from the oil fields to success is not one often highlighted in testimonies of spiritual awakening, yet it holds a key lesson in the marriage of faith and professional growth. Join me as I recount my own transformative journey, where the melding of technical savvy and a deep-seated belief in the divine led to a workplace epiphany that would forever change my career trajectory. Discover the heart-to-heart I shared with my boss that illustrates just how intertwined our spiritual convictions and professional lives can truly be, and how recognizing this can open doors to unexpected blessings and opportunities.
As we delve into the struggle of juggling professional dedication with a calling to serve God, I reveal the intimate battle I faced and the powerful message of "not yet" that reshaped my perspective. This narrative is a testament to the impact we can have right where we are, through youth leadership or jail ministry, by simply being ready to serve. And as we close this chapter, I extend an invitation to share in the transformative power of God in our daily lives, reminding us all that through faith and testimony, we are Overcomers. I encourage you to connect and engage with our spiritual community, as we prepare for the next steps in our Faith Walk together.
Good morning and welcome to Faith Walk podcast. I'm your host, william Carroll, and on this podcast you know I've been sharing about my faith walk to encourage you on your faith walk. How's your faith walk Since you've come to know Christ in a personal relationship? How is your faith walk? Where is your faith walk? You know we all have a faith walk and during that faith walk God reveals himself to us at different times, through different ways and and through signs, wonders and miracles, because he's still in the miracle working business.
Speaker 1:See the word of God Hebrews. Hebrews believe it's. 13.8 says that Jesus Christ is saying yesterday, today and forever Listen, god's still in the miracle working business, but we have to get out, we have to be his hands, we have to be his feet. We have to take God outside the box, get him out of the box. Religion puts God in the box, says God don't do this, god don't do that, god don't do what he used to do, because Jesus came and did it all. And now you know so we're saying God's not God in my eyes. That's what we're saying. But if we take him out of the box, if we have a relationship with him, if we read his word, know his word, learn his word, walk his word out in our own faith. Walk and let God be God. You will see them. Signs, wonders and miracles all around you. All around you signs, wonders and miracles that God does through your life, through the lives of others and as you walk and just share the word of God with people and share the love of God with people. See, we're supposed to be Christ-like. You know, christian means Christ-like. What does that mean to you? Well, to me, it means that I should be walking like Christ, talking like Christ, sharing.
Speaker 1:You know, the Christian faith was chaired mouth to mouth for so many years, and you know I'm not. I do like history, but I'm not a historian that goes back and I hadn't studied this, but I think it was something 500 years maybe, maybe even a little more, before the Bible was written down, you know, before it was written so that others could have the Bible, so that we. The Bible was put together. And I may be wrong. You can correct me on that if you want to, it's alright, it doesn't really matter. All I'm saying is that the Christian faith spread mouth to mouth. That's how it spread.
Speaker 1:You know, the first thing that the apostles did in Acts, chapter 2, after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon them. Wow, they got boldness, you know, and Jesus said Terry, until the Holy Spirit is given unto you and you will receive power, and you will be in dude with power on high. That word power is dunamis, dynamite, miracle, working power. It happens now. It's life-giving power, and he said that to minister and to go into all the world. Well, what did they do? What are the apostles and that say you know, there was 120 people in that upper room. What did they do? Well, they said, hey, let's have church, let's build us a church. So they built the church of the upper room. And listen, I'm just kind of paraphrasing here, I'm reading into what I saw in that chapter and in the chapters after that. They started having church. It was the church of the upper room, and they were terrying and they were waiting and they were just. You know, they were going through the business you know of church. Even after Stephen was martyred, you know they're still at the church. Well, they set up church. But did God tell him to set up a church?
Speaker 1:Now, I'm not saying there's nothing wrong with the church, don't go there. I'm not saying that because we go to church. We go to church to learn, to learn from others and to build ourselves up, edify the churches for the edifying of the saints, that we might do the work of the ministry. Excuse me, my mouth is kind of dragging this morning for some reason, but that's what the church for the church the Apostles, prophets, evangelistic, pastors, teachers, helps and governments is for the edifying of the Saints, for the work of the ministry. So who's supposed to do the work of the ministry? The Apostles, pastors, prophets, teachers? No, no, there to edify the church, to build up, build up the Saints, build up the Saints for the work of the ministry, because the work of the ministry is outside the doors of the church. That's where the work of the ministry is. It's going mouth to mouth, it's going to the schools, if you're a teacher, and it's sharing Jesus Christ and sharing your testimony.
Speaker 1:What is preaching? The word? You say, pastor, I'm not a preacher. Well, that's okay, you know. Therefore, a long time I never say I was anything, you know, I just people would say, oh, are you a preacher? Who are you? An evangelist, or you this or you that? Not said no, I'm just a disciple. I'm a disciple of the Lord, you know, and I'm learning of him and learning about him and going about and sharing his word with others and and sharing wherever I am. You know I've been sharing a lot this is this is the episode 36 and I've been sharing a lot about about my time at at the fire department, how I learned the word God and excuse me and and Whoo, the sinuses kind of hit me this morning. But we're gonna make it through here.
Speaker 1:And then I kind of started sharing a little bit about when I went to work for Lacey. You know, and, and you know, when I first went to work for Lacey, I kind of thought that, man, I'd lost my way, because I felt like I had a ministry when I was on the ambulance and when I was at the fire department, because you can minister to people and in at a tragic loss like a loss of a house or something, you can minister to those people on the ambulance. Man, I loved, even though I was a senior man most of the time, because it just so happened that I could learn Streets and I knew where all the streets were. So they put me to driving the ambulance, you know, as a senior, but I, that's not where I wanted to be, I'd get us there. I'd get us there and then I take over patient care and then I'd get in the back because I wanted to be where people were hurting. I wanted to be ministering to those people. I wanted to be praying for those people. I wanted to see God do something for those people because I was very limited in what I could do and I knew God could do a whole lot more. Well, I Would have been praying for that job. You can listen in the other episodes that I've been praying for that job for two years.
Speaker 1:I got the job and when I got the job, you know, I quit having to work three jobs, but I was working one job. At the time I was working five days a week, seven to four off, on Saturdays and Sundays, and then I I went into pumping wells and couple of years, I guess, after a couple of years, after I Took that job and and it may be, it may have been three or four years and because everything's exciting, everything was new, you know, and I was learning up from there was a lot of older guys real close to retirement that had been there a long time and I was picking their brains on. You know how can I get this? Because they gave me the oldest field, the oldest wells in the field, man, and I mean they've been shut in a long time and they were just dead. Just you know, I just gonna admit it, they were dead and and so I'd say, what can I do to get this? Well, back? What could I do? Can I, you know, can I blow this? Well, you know, and how to do this and how, and I was just picking the brains of the, the older men that were there, and they were so gracious because they were so excited to Share the word with me, you know, to share the word of how to, to produce a well with me and teach me all they knew.
Speaker 1:See, the thing is, these new generation, you know, they think that the all the boomers, or whatever, you know they're stupid, they're dumb, we're smarter. I don't know where they get that from, probably from wherever they've been Running with. You know, they believe the people that they're running with, that they're all too smart. I guess we may have done a little bit that in our day, but I always thought that, you know, I needed to to to respect my elders and to learn everything I could from them and they begin giving me ideas, you know, and I'd pray, and I'd pray. I tell you what. I'd go out to them, old, dead Wells, and I'd lay hands on them and I pray, lord, in the name of Jesus, let this well give up what it has in it. Lord, just bless this well, lord, bless this company, bless me. Lord, your word says that you'll bless me going in and going out. That may you'll bless anything I put my hands to and anywhere I put my feet you'll bless me. I bless this well, lord, and I'm gonna tell you what you know.
Speaker 1:People thought I was crazy and the Lord would give me ideas of some new things to try. Of course, I tried what the older guys told me. Some of those tricks work, some. God would give me new ideas to try things. I would do that and and man they. You know, I started learning and my wealth started producing.
Speaker 1:One weekend my boss was there and he was looking at all my production and he goes wow, william. He said what are you doing? I said what are you talking about? He said, man, your wells, your wells are up so much. So listen, so if I had a well that was making 50,000 a day, which I had one that I'm thinking of right now 50,000 a day and I blowed it and I blew it to the tanks to try to get the fluid off. I figured it had fluid on it and that was keeping it from producing and I just kept working with it, working months, months, and then I try and then one day listen, listen, one day what happened was the compressors went down at the yard. When the compressors went down, we were down about 30 pounds of line pressure. When the compressor went down, the well took off and unloaded when it got a higher line pressure. So what I did? I went over there and I had a choke on the end of the meter run and I had a choke on the well. But if I choked at the well I was choking fluid. So I just choked the gas on the meter run because it was separated. I choked it and I mimicked what I saw on my chart, because this well, unloaded, made 250,000 overnight in 24 hour time where it was making 50,000. I said, oh Lord, wow, thank you Lord, I've just found something out. So I imitated the high line pressure on this well by choking back the gas and making the line pressure raise up to 250. So once that well fell off, I choked that back, raised the line pressure up to do 50, boom, that well was flowing 250,000 a day. Every day been sitting there 50,000.
Speaker 1:You look, god is interested in whatever you are interested in. You know, if you're a child of God, you're his representation. You know wherever you go he wants to bless you. So some people they'll say, hey, there's something different about that guy. I wonder what it is. And my boss said so what are you doing? All your wells, your production is up. He said do you realize how much your protection's up? And I said no. But I said I know my wells are doing really good.
Speaker 1:And he says, william, what are you doing? And I told him I said, well, I'm listening, I'm listening to the older guys, I'm picking their brain, I'm asking them. And I said, and I shared what happened on that well, and I said but I said you know I can do all of that. I can do all of that, but it don't make no difference. A lot of times I said but you know what I do do? I said I go over to that well head, I lay hands on that well and I pray for God to bless it, for God to just cause it to stir in the bottom, whatever it is, because you see, and give up the fruits, to give up the fruits of that. Well, you know, and he laughed at me he says well, he said something's working. I said well, I said it's everything, it's mostly prayer.
Speaker 1:I said because those men had told me, william, some of those wells will never do any better unless they're worked over. And that's when you pull the tubing out and you go back and you squeeze some zones off and you frack it and you open up a new zone and then the well may bring more gas. Well, so, you know, I just kept saying they're not. They weren't gonna work any over at that time. So I had to have a God work over right, see? So God worked over my wells. He gave me wisdom and knowledge. He.
Speaker 1:Let me take the wisdom and knowledge from the men that had been doing that for so long. You know some of them had been there 30, 35 years. You know they had a wealth of knowledge Because, let me tell you something, see, they were there way before engineers were there. They were there working and doing and producing the wells, and then you get these young engineers that come and come to work at Lacey and they say you're doing it all wrong. You're doing it all wrong. That well flows best when you pull it down to line pressure. Quit pinching back that gas and running that pressure up. And so you do what they say because they're the boss, and what happens? It falls on its face and then it takes you months and months to get it back. Let me tell you something you know knowledge, knowledge, learn knowledge is not better than spiritual knowledge. Learn knowledge is not better Book knowledge is not better than what you do on the job, practicing and learning and learning how to do something. Listen, I love my job. I love my job.
Speaker 1:But there came a time During that job, about three or four years Maybe I I can't remember, you know, but I Was. I remember I was down on the south end, I was on Hillslake Road and I was driving through there and For about oh, six months, man the Lord had just been on my heart, man, and it just felt like a pressure cooker. I felt like I was in the pressure cooker and I felt like, what am I doing? What am I doing here in the oil field. You know, I, I left where I had a ministry, in the back of an ambulance and at the fire department on fire sings. I left where I had a daily ministry with people. And now I'm out of you in the woods and, and you know, all I'm doing is is is Producing these gas wells and oil wells.
Speaker 1:And I said, you know, it just got so heavy on me and I was telling everybody and my, my wife's uncle was working out there and I told him. I said I said, man, don't be surprised if I quit. I said don't be surprised if I come in one day and I quit. And I'd been saying this for about three months and I've been telling my wife. I said, don't be surprised. Well, you can't, you can't quit. You got this, you got that.
Speaker 1:And I said, you know, I need to be doing what God wants me to do and I feel like I'm not doing anything. I feel like there's nothing for me to do. And I said I need to be doing God's work, doing ministry, you know, and I didn't realize at the time that I was doing ministry. I was doing ministry it out there, by sharing my testimony. One other guys would say hey, come over here and help me get my Well-going. What are you doing over there? What, how, what kind of tricks are you doing? And, and, man, let me tell you, I had, I had all kinds of them. I had all kinds of them and and I just, you know, I, but I did, I really did. I felt like that, I, that I wasn't doing anything for God, you know.
Speaker 1:And so One Labor Day it was a Labor Day, and I mean, I'd been in that pressure cooker, you know, for so long, you know, and I was just, I gotta do what God wants me to do. And I'm driving into, it was a Labor Day, monday, and I was Working and I was driving down Hillslake Road and there was an A&H hunting club right on the side of road and there was a little short, a small S curve right there and I was just praying. I'd been praying about this for a long time God, what do you want me to do? What do you want me to do? You know, and I kept telling everybody don't be surprised if I come in and just quit, don't be surprised. I feel like God wants me to do something else.
Speaker 1:Well, so that day I was, it was so heavy on me and, man, I just stopped in the middle of the road, right there, right at that S curve, and I said. I said okay, lord, that's it, I hear you. I said, if you want me to quit, I don't know what I'm gonna do if you want me to do something for you I don't know what it is, I don't know where you want me to go, but I'll do it. I'll quit tomorrow. If you want me to do it, lord, I'm yours, send me, I'll go. And. And I Just said, I said, okay, lord, I'll do it.
Speaker 1:And right then I felt I, I felt like you, y'all can say I'm crazy, but that's all right. I knew I heard it in my spirit, not with my ears, but in my spirit. And the and what the Lord said was not yet. And when I heard that in my spirit, not yet, there was a peace that came over me. And I had that peace for for the rest of the 33 and a half of 33 and a half years that I worked at Lacey.
Speaker 1:I had a peace after that and I said, man, I am doing something for God because, see, god needs people in the oil field, he needs people in the, in the, in the healthcare. He needs people in every job. There he is. He needs people to be IT, people at the school. He needs you wherever you are. And listen, man, I tell you, when I had that peace, I got that piece and I, but I was willing to do it.
Speaker 1:See, the thing is, sometimes God wants you to answer the call but he don't really want, he's got. He's got you where he wants you. He's got you where he wants you because he can take you. See, you know, I said, man, I'm just gonna give as much as I can to the ministry, I'm gonna give as much as I can and send those who did God called to go. And then he opened doors for me. He opened doors for me at my church to be youth leader. He opened doors for me to be a youth sponsor. He opened doors for me to be up at the, the county jail. I've been going to the county jail. Wow, you know, I don't know, it's close to 40 years now.
Speaker 1:I, we rotate with other churches and I've gone with so many different churches. You know, because I've been members of different churches through my years and and and I and I never leave a church just to leave a church. I wait until God says, okay, it's time to go, and then he has a place for me and he drops me in and and you know he uses me there and I'm good with that, you know. But I'm telling you, you know you got to surrender to God. Let's, let's go. I'm running out of time here today on this one and I'll probably follow this and pick this up.
Speaker 1:But I want to. I want to go to Isaiah chapter. Isaiah chapter 6, and I have J is chapter 6 and verse 8, isaiah 6 and verse 8. Okay. So it says. It says Then I'm gonna start in chapter 6 and 5. Then I said whoa is me, for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of Unclean lip. For my eyes have seen the king, the Lord of hosts. Then flew one of the serpents unto me having a cold in his hand which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar, and he laid it upon my mouth and said low this has touched your lips and your iniquity is taken away and you're sinned as perj. Also Isaiah 6 and 8.
Speaker 1:Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying whom shall I send? Who will go for us? Then said I, I am here, send me. And he said go tell this. People hear you, indeed, but understand not. And see, indeed, but perceive not.
Speaker 1:Okay, so the Lord says the Lord. The Lord said you know who, who shall I send? And that's what he was asking me that day, you know. He said who shall I see and who shall I send, you know? I mean, that's why I was struggling out, struggling that I needed to be doing something for God, that I felt like I wasn't doing Something for God.
Speaker 1:But you know what God made me? God gave me wisdom and knowledge. He, god, blessed me in my job and he gave me the opportunities to minister at work. He, I, gave me the opportunity to minister to booker and he gave me the opportunity to minister to Ricky. He gave me the opportunity to minister to the others at work and I didn't have to preach the word to him.
Speaker 1:You know what is preaching the word, what is proclaiming the gospel? What is that? You know? I told you a little while ago that you know we didn't have the Bible for a long time. So how did the church spread? How did the word of God spread? It spread from men and women that had been with Christ and that had heard of Christ and believed in their heart, and they received him. It it was them that went out and it shared what God had done in their life, what God has done in their life. See, we have to share what God did. The gospel is what God did in your life, in my life. The gospel I share.
Speaker 1:Now I go back and I use the scripture now because I learned the scripture, you know, and I know the scripture. Excuse me, I'm sorry that, but listen, the gospel that you need to share is what God did in your life, because there's other people that need to hear that. There's other people at your work that need to hear what how God Changed your life, how he saved you, what he does. You know, sometimes we don't want to tell people where we came from or what we was Before the gospel entered to our heart and and God saved our soul. You know, but we need to do that. Listen, if you don't know Jesus, I'm gonna tell you right now. You need to ask him into your heart. You need to be born again, born again. How can I be born again? Do I go back to my mother's room as John chapter 3, go back and read that Jesus said no, you must be born of the spirit in the water. Listen, to be born again.
Speaker 1:It means that you've got to believe that Jesus died on the cross for your sins, that he paid the ultimate price for you, that you should have been there and that he has forgiven you your sins. So If, if you believe that God, that Jesus is the son of God and that he died for your sins, then you need to just ask him into your heart. You say how do I do that? Well, I could tell you you do it, but I'll just tell you this. Just follow me, just say this Lord Jesus, I believe that you paid the price upon the cross for my sins. I believe, lord, that you are the son of God and I believe, lord, in you and I ask you to come in the heart to be the Lord of my life. Save me, lord. Save me that I might serve you and that you might send me, that I might go in Jesus's name. You pray that prayer. God honors that prayer.
Speaker 1:Now, listen, I'll probably follow up on the next podcast with this. Maybe I don't know, but I Really didn't get where I thought I was gonna go with this. But you know, you have to surrender to God. You have to send her and surrender to God. Where are you in your faith walk if you've just started it? Start your faith walk today. Read the word, believe the word, stand on the word and watch God do miracles.
Speaker 1:Rico, anyway, listen, it's it, faith walk. Faith walk with William Carroll. You can go to busproutcom. Faith walk William Carroll, brusproutcom. You can find it anywhere. Um, spotify, apple, all the, all the outlets you know. And Don't just hit the like button if you, if you're encouraged by this, hit, hit the Hit the button, subscribe, hit the subscribe button and hit the bell that's on there and it'll. It'll let you know when we do a Podcast and when we drop a podcast.
Speaker 1:I try to do it about once a week. You know I may up it again. I used to do it twice a week and I may do that again. I don't know as the Lord leads, but listen, listen, god is alive. You know the word of God says that the, the word of God is. It's not in word only, but in power. That power is dunamis. We talked about that on one of the last episodes Dunamis, dunamis same word.
Speaker 1:We get dynamite, miracle working, happening, power. That's the power of God in your life and in the testimony. See, we're Overcomers by the blood of the lamb. The testimony is our mouth. So if you've received something today, share it with somebody. Share the podcast with somebody. Tell them come, listen there's there's, there's 36 episodes. You can start at the beginning and work to the end, or you can. You can just pick one that kind of Sparks a desire in your heart or it stirs your heart and listen to it, and listen. I love you. You can write me at at faith walk 1960 faith walk 1960 at Outlookcom, faith walk 1960 at Outlookcom, and you can go to my website, faith walk, william Carroll, buzzsproutcom, and all the episodes are there and they're all over on the Wherever you listen to your podcast. Listen until you next time. Take God out of the box, take him out of the box. Let God be God. Until then, I'll see you with William Carroll.
