Faith Walk / William Carroll
Faith Walk / William Carroll
Episode 39: My Testimony of Faith Amidst Life's Twists and Turns
Have you ever stood at a crossroads, the weight of a decision pressing upon you, and wished for a sign to guide you? Join me, William Carroll, as I recount the profound impact of divine guidance in my life and how faith has shaped my path through both miracles and trials. In this heartfelt conversation, I pull back the curtain on a personal faith journey that transcends the ordinary, offering insights on how a disciplined pursuit of God's word and prayer can lead to peace and confirmation in life's pivotal moments. From purchasing a home to overcoming daily challenges, I reveal how surrendering to God's will can liberate us from the confines of religious limitations and lead us to experience His unchanging presence and promises.
Embark on a candid exploration of ministry and marriage, as I open up about the transformation within men's ministry and my dedication to jail outreach that led me to pastoral ordination. The path wasn't easy—navigating through educational endeavors, a soul-stirring divorce, and a journey to forgiveness and friendship with my ex-wife—but the lessons learned are invaluable. I invite you to find solace in my story, to see the possibility of renewal and radical salvation in your own life. Whether you're seeking to begin or rejuvenate your faith walk, this episode stands as an invitation to embrace a life-changing relationship with God and witness firsthand the transformative power of true discipleship.
Well, good morning and welcome to Faith Walk Podcast, william Carroll. I'm your host and on this podcast you know I'm just talking about my faith walk and how God has showed me signs, wonders and miracles. He's allowed them to happen in my life through my prayers and through my prayers for others and through others' lives, and I've just been sharing this with y'all to encourage you that there is a faith walk. Each one of us has our own faith walk and we begin it when we become, when we know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and that should put you on a path to walk. You know, to be a disciple. What is a disciple? A disciple is a disciplined learner and you have to learn of God. You have to know that he is, that he's a rewarder of those who diligently seek him and you have to seek after him.
Speaker 1:You, you know you, you got to just kind of be like, if you've got. If you're a dog person, I mean you might be a cat person. I'm not, I'm allergic to them, but you can keep the cats away from me. But a dog, a dog I know why they call him a man's best friend A dog will sit there, you know? Have you ever gotten mad at your dog and maybe kind of kicked them because they were in the way and tripped you or something. They'll be right back by your side. They just love you and they just want you to pet them and they just desire your company, desire your presence. And that's how we have to be in our faith, walk with God.
Speaker 1:Well, to do that, we have to learn his word, we have to study his word, we have to know his word and we have to seek excuse me, we have to seek him in all things. You know, every event in our life. On this podcast, I've been sharing things that happened in my life and you know, you might say well, you know, you've just been blessed, william, you've just been blessed. Well, god says that he's no respecter of persons. That means what he'll do for one, he'll do for all. You know.
Speaker 1:But you have to come to know him. You have to rely on him when things go bad in your life, instead of leaning on to your own understanding. You of leaning on to your own understanding, you have to go to the word. You have to find it in the word. You have to let him speak to your heart. You have to ask him. You know, before you go and make a big purchase of a house, do you pray about it, do you ask him about it? I do, you know. I wait and I pray about it and I pray about it until I get just a peace.
Speaker 1:When the peace of God the word of the God says that the peace of God passes all understanding and when you get that peace in your life about whatever you're praying for, I'm telling you there's no doubt in your mind. See, your faith is revived. That peace brings faith. And you just know that. You know that. You know that you ought to go ahead and get that house or get that car. You know God doesn't mind if you have nice things, you know, but just to willy nilly go out. Well, I'm going to do this, I'm going to do that, I'm going to do this. I don't do that, you know, and I want to encourage you not to do that. Listen, I'm here trying to teach you how to get God out of the box.
Speaker 1:Religion puts God in a box. Religion says, well, god did those things back then for a reason, but he's not really. He don't do that. Listen, whatever God did, do he still does. However, god was in the covenants of the Old Testament. He is in the New Testament. The covenants in the New Testament the word of God says is yes and amen. That means it's the same. He's going to back his word.
Speaker 1:You know, and I've been talking about how I transferred over from the fire department and how God had used me and taught me so much, in the back of an ambulance, praying for people in the hospitals, praying for people knowing that I couldn't do anything, but knowing that I knew a God that could, and how when I prayed. You know, listen, listen. It doesn't mean I don't have the gift of healing. There is no such thing as the gift of healing. There's no such thing as the gift of tongues, the gift of interpretations, the gift. See, the thing is there is a gift giver and it's the Holy Spirit. He divides the gifts severally as he wills.
Speaker 1:First Corinthians, chapter 12. It says that he gives us spiritual gifts. He divides them severally as he wills that the church might be edified. So he gives them to us, he works them through us. You know, it's not. It's not. There's areas of some people's life that God really works that you may not see the gifts of faith, healings, discernment. You know tongues. Interpretation of tongues. Listen, the thing is, it's not your gift if he works through your life in those areas like praying for the sick and they're healed. It's not your gifts, it's the Holy Spirit through you doing it, but it's wherever you are yielded to him.
Speaker 1:Paul said desire the gifts of the Spirit. The gifts are not gifts, but manifestation of the Holy Spirit in your life. It's not gifts, that's why it's in italicized. It means manifestation. It's the manifestation of God in your life, because God wants to show the world who he is through you and who he is through Jesus in you. You see, jesus says if you don't believe that I'm from the father, believe the gifts that I do, because it's the father that does the gifts through me. See, that's that's the way we do it. Anyway, I just this.
Speaker 1:This podcast is to encourage you and I want to. The Lord kind of laid it on my heart Last. I've been talking about some of the men that I work for. There's a lot more. There's a lot more. I want to share on some of that, to encourage you to. Um, God puts people in our lives for a reason, you know, and we need to. We need to, we need to to take care of the people that God puts in our life and we got to realize that they're there for a reason and it's for us to. Sometimes it's for them to make a mark in our lives and sometimes it's for us to leave a mark in their lives, and this and so on, this podcast enough rambling. I've been kind of, I've been knowing I needed to share this and it may be the next. I don't know how many podcasts it'll be until we get through, until God says, okay, let's move on to something else.
Speaker 1:But you always say, well, william, sometimes you just, you know, had you ever had any problems in your life? Yes, I've had plenty of problems in my life, but I always yielded to the Lord. I go to the Lord in prayer. I go to the Lord and ask him what do I need to do? I go to the Lord and repent. See, the thing is, once you're born again, you have to have a repentant heart.
Speaker 1:Was David was called a man after God's own heart? Well, we saw that David, you know, had his one of his mighty men killed for his wife. He had had adultery with Bathsheba. He had. He had his, his Uriah, her husband, killed, who was one of his mighty men, man, and I tell you it's just just, but he had a repentant heart. Whenever the prophet would come and convict David of his sins and tell him of his sins and said, hey, listen, this is going on. And somebody did that. And David said this man's worthy of death, who is he that I might kill him? And the prophet would say it's you, david. And David David would, it would break his heart and he would repent unto God. So whenever we sin that's what we do we repent of God. We have to have a repentant heart where we don't fall in that sin and stay in that sin if we're born again and we repent of that sin.
Speaker 1:So anyway, in a trying time in my life I had been in the ministry, you know, at the church. I had been a youth leader at a couple of churches I had been a youth sponsor. I had been the leader of a men's ministry. You know, we started out when I went to the men's ministry and we had three people there and they're saying, well, we need to do something to get the men involved. And I said, well, all you're doing is providing work, projects for the men. I said, let's have men's ministry, you know, let's have at least once a month. Let's have a men's meal. Let's minister the men, have men come and share their testimony and share their faith and stir up the men's heart. Let's minister to men, not have work night and call it men's ministry. We can have work night anytime or work day.
Speaker 1:So, uh, I you know I had been in the ministry and one of my friends, don Hoot Robertson, he was going to my church and he was going up to the Panola County Jail Detention Center and he said he said, william, you need to come in. I said I don't know if that's my thing, but I went ahead and I went in with him and he dropped out after that because he was going through some trying times in his life, but I went in. So I've been going into the jail probably now you know it's close to 35, somewhere between 35 years or better and I've been going in with. I've been in with different churches, you know, and I love going in. I believe it's church and so I had been ministering for a while now.
Speaker 1:I got, I went to Word of Life School of Ministry in Shreveport, louisiana. I got my ministerial license and ordained as a minister with the church in 19,. In 1989, uh, yeah, 19, 1989, it was uh, or night, right right before my daughter was born in 90. I liked one semester being finished with the school. I went to him I said, listen, I'm, I'm ministering to people in the back of the amulets. I was still there at that time and I said, um, back then the uh, the ICUs required you to have a minister's license. You know, unless you was a work there or they knew you as a, and they would let you come in to minister to people in the hospital, and people would ask me to come and I'd go up there when I was off duty and and they'd say well, you know who are you. Are you a family member? No, are you a pastor? No, are you a minister? No, you know well, yes, I am, but I don't have.
Speaker 1:And in going into a lot of the jails you had to have a ministry card too. You know you had to be ordained and be affiliated with the church. So I went and asked Pastor Sam Carr of World Life in Shreveport and I talked to him. He took me out to lunch and I told him what was going on. And I was, I like, one semester finishing their school and that year and he, he of course gave me the ministerial license. You know he gave me my license, my ordination papers and my. I had a. My daughter was born in in 90, in January, so I didn't go back and finish.
Speaker 1:They changed the school up after that and I finally went back in. I believe it was 2001 and 2002. And I went back and did the whole last year. It's a two-year school of ministry and I did it because I felt I needed to finish what I accomplished ministry. And I did it because I felt out I needed to finish what I accomplished.
Speaker 1:And at home graduation, pastor Carr says he said William, he said you know you're the only one that's ever had your credentials from here and not finish the school of ministry or finish a school of ministry somewhere. He said how did you do that? And I said I said, pastor Sam, I said you gave it to me. I said I like one semester finishing and I said you gave it to me because I was doing work with the ambulance service. He just laughed and he said oh, I remember that. He said well, I just want to tell you, you're the only one. And I said well, now I'm legal because I pat, you know I had graduated with honors from the School of Ministry and, even though it was later but I don't know why I'm rambling so much I guess these are just thoughts to me that to tell you to finish If you start something, finish it.
Speaker 1:At some point in time, go back and finish it. It doesn't matter if it's a year, 10 years, 15 years later. At some point in time, if you started something because God laid it on your heart, go back and finish it. It'll be well worth your time. I met so many people in that last year of school and so many ministers that came in and missionaries that came in, and I'm great friends with them now. But anyway, I was, I had been doing a lot of ministry and I had been doing, you know, uh, just you know, just just living for God man.
Speaker 1:And a time in my life, in my marriage life, I'd been married 24 and a half years and at that time we started having problems and my wife had moved into a rent house and me and the kids were here at the, had moved into a rent house and me and the kids were here at the, at the house, you know, and and uh, this went on for about two years and I really I'm going to tell you I struggled hard with it. I struggled hard with it because, uh, uh, I believe that once you get married, you know, I believe what the word of God says, that you know, it's it's you leave your father, forsake your father and mother and cling to your wife. And I loved her, loved her very much and, yeah, it was kind of a turmoil around here. There wasn't much peace in the house at that time at all, when she was around and she moved into an apartment and you know, she had a friend on the side for about two years. And finally, you know, I struggled for two years.
Speaker 1:I asked her I'll forgive you, come back. She'd say I'm never coming back. I'd say, come on back and I forgive you. She'd say she didn't want a divorce. I didn't want a divorce because I didn't believe in divorce. I believe what God said. You know there's only one reason for divorce and that's, you know, for infidelity, which you know was going on, which I could have probably justified that. But I spent hours and hours praying and saying, standing on the word of God. God, you said, whatever you or whatever you join together, no man can put it asunder. And I stood on that word and I believed that she was coming back and I believed that God was going to put that relationship back. Well, let me tell you, it didn't happen.
Speaker 1:After two years of praying and praying and struggling, you know, and and I just um, I kept asking God, you know, bring her back. Bring her back, lord, let her, let her see. Bring her back, lord, let her see. But listen, every person has their own will. They have their own will and God is not going to assert my will over hers or hers over me. God has to speak to her and she has to have an open heart to say yes, you know, yes, I need to come back, I need to repent, I need to get back right. And but if she don't, and if that person in your life, him or her, are that way, then sometimes, listen, listen, people are going to say well, that's not what my pastor said. Listen, you have to go to the word of God, you have to study the word of God, you have to learn the word of God and you have to know the word of God. And you have to go to the word of God, you have to study the word of God, you have to learn the word of God and you have to know the word of God and you have to pray and pray.
Speaker 1:I prayed for two years before I would release her and let her go, because I knew that she wasn't coming back and I knew it wasn't good on my kids, I knew it wasn't good on my life. It was causing stress, anxiety and um, it was causing stress, anxiety and um, and so, uh, I'm, I'm listen, I'm just gonna, I'm going to go over here and I'm just going to share. I am going to share, uh, in first Corinthians, right, quick, with you, and and and listen, I'm not telling you that this is to justify anything you want to do to to get out of a marriage. If you're married, work on that marriage, stay on that marriage. Because I'm telling you, when you get a divorce, it's like somebody, it's like your best friend, it's like your wife, a part of you died, and it's a spiritual connection, but it's a physical connection too. But the spiritual connection is that someone died physical connection too, but the spiritual connection is that someone died. That person died in your life and it can cause all kinds of things.
Speaker 1:And in 1st Corinthians it says it says now, concerning the things that you wrote to me, see, they wrote. It says they wrote to Paul and asked him. It says okay, here, let me go down here. It says I'm going to start in 11, 12. It says I say to the married I command you. Yet not I, but the Lord command you.
Speaker 1:Let not the wife depart from her husband, but if she depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband and let not the husband put away or leave his wife. But the rest of you I speak, not the Lord If any brother has a wife that believes not and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. So if she don't believe but she be as pleased to dwell with him or dwell with you or stay with you, then don't put her away just because she don't believe. Because with showing how you walk as a Christian man and showing you how you love God, you can change hearts and you can change and you don't just put your wife away because you're tired of her. You see, you don't do that, all right.
Speaker 1:And it says the woman which hath a husband that believe not, if he's pleased to dwell with her. Let her not leave him. You know, if the husband wants to stay, just because he doesn't believe and he wants to stay and he loves and he cherishes you, well, the wife, don't get mad because he's not a Christian, because he won't do what you say and he's got to go. Don't do that, that's what he's saying. Don't do what you say and he's got to go. Don't do that, that's what he's saying.
Speaker 1:He says, for the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband. Else was your children unclean, but now they are holy, he says in 1 Corinthians 16, it says but if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such a case. But God hath called us to peace. For what knowest you, o wife, whether you shall save your husband or, o man, that you shall save your wife. So in 15, it said then this is the scripture that the Lord gave me, and I prayed about it a long time. I didn't just grab that scripture and say, whoo, okay, I can get divorced. Now, two years, I prayed, I struggled, I fasted, I searched the word of God. I read about David. I read how David and Bathsheba you know he was called Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, wife of Uriah, uriah for Uriah, uh, bathsheba the wife of Uriah, wife of Uriah, uriah for Uriah. And, and he and God recognized that marriage. And Uriah was a mighty man Uh, one of David's mighty men, you know that that sat around and fought with David and then David had him killed and David got his wife pregnant and but God didn't allow the baby to live. That was birthed in that adultery and then David went into his wife and then we see where she was called Bathsheba, david's wife. David forgave him, david forgave I mean God forgave David because of David's repentant heart.
Speaker 1:Listen, I'm just barely getting started in this and I want to tell you what happened in my life, because it was. It was hard, it was traumatic. I went through a two year depression after the divorce. You know when I, when I I'd never been depressed a day in my life, but when I wanted to be at home. I wanted to be at home, but when I was at home I wanted to be at work. When I was at work, I wanted to be at home. I was never happy anywhere I was at. I was struggling, I was crying during the middle of the day for no reason at all tears but it was because I had a broken heart.
Speaker 1:Anyway, listen, I'm out of time this time and I want to encourage you. I know it took me a little while to get going and figuring out where God wants me to go, cause I want to, I want to, I want to share this part, but I don't want somebody to take it out of context and say, oh well, william said that God said that, hey, if that unbelieving part leaves, just let them go. Well, he does say that because God calls us to peace. You know, you can't keep somebody against their will. Now, you do all you can you do. I mean, we tried counseling, we went to counseling, you know. But she listen, and I'm not gonna put it all off on her. Me and her are good friends now.
Speaker 1:It took time. It took time after the divorce for us to become friends, because I was hurt bad. I wouldn't even talk to her, I wouldn't even acknowledge her. If she was in a room and my kids are there for something of theirs and she said a word to me, I wouldn't even acknowledge her, I wouldn't even acknowledge that. I saw her in the room and I had to repent of all that and I had to get over the hurt and the pain and see if you forgive somebody you forget now I still remember, but it doesn't hurt me, all right, and I can be friends with her and, um, anyway, I, um, I'm gonna have to wrap up right here and uh, uh, the next podcast will will be along the same line and I'm going to go through this pretty slow and I'm just going to tell you what happened in my life, because I took some turns in my life. You know I'd been serving God for oh, I think it was like, well, all my life I'd been serving God.
Speaker 1:But I got radically saved in 96, I believe it was in, uh, no, 86. It was, it was 86, uh, 85, 86, radically saved, started getting in the word, started learning, walking with God. I started my, I really started my faith walk. Then you know, learning of him, knowing of him being a disciple, a disciples, a disciplined learner. You have to learn of him and learn of him being a disciple. A disciple is a disciplined learner. You have to learn of him and learn of his words and learn of his way. But anyway, listen where you are on your faith walk. You know, if you haven't started your faith walk, you need to start your faith walk.
Speaker 1:And you say, william, I'm not, I don't. I feel like I asked Jesus in the heart, but I don't feel like I'm radically saved. When you, when I got radically saved, I feel like I was saved too, cause I believe from a child and I always thought I wanted to do something for God, thought I was going to be a priest there for a while, and about 13, age 13, whoo, I'm telling you it may. It probably wasn't even that old, cause, it was. It was in, you know, I mean, it was in kindergarten and I started recognizing girls and and I'm just, I'm telling you, I just uh, but I had a heart after God, if you have a heart after God. But I got radically saved. God made a distinct impression on my life when I asked him to be the Lord of my life and can come into my heart.
Speaker 1:If you haven't done that, if you haven't been born again and that's what I'm talking about born again, where I recognize that Jesus is alive, he's with me, he goes with me, he speaks to me, he talks to me through his word, through the spirit. And if that's you, you need to just ask, because it'll put you on a faith walk and you should be on a faith walk. And you should be on a faith walk If you know God. Every day should be a faith walk. You know we fail him, but he forgives us when we ask listen. If you don't know Jesus, just ask him to your heart. Pray this prayer after me. Say Lord Jesus, come into my heart. I've sinned against you. Forgive me of my sins, wash me in the blood. You paid the price on the cross for me. I accept it and I confess you as my Lord and Savior. Amen. If you pray that prayer, then Jesus will honor that prayer. He'll come into your heart. Now start on your faith walk. Ask him to give you the Holy Spirit so that you might have the desire to know the Word of God, to learn the word of God, to walk the word of God Until next time on Faith Walk.
Speaker 1:This is William Carroll. You know, hit the subscribe button, hit the bell and hit the like button and I've got. This is the 39th episode. Go back and listen to some of the other ones, but if this piqued your attention, share it with somebody. We're going to get into what happened, and you know, I'm telling you I thought I failed. God failed my family, failed my church. I thought I failed everybody, failed in myself and my life because I had to walk through a divorce I didn't want to go through. You may be there, so stay tuned and see what God did in my life and then believe that he can work in your life. In Jesus's name until next time. This is William Carroll with Faith Walk. We'll see you next time.
