Faith Walk / William Carroll
Faith Walk / William Carroll
Ep 45 : Living the Gospel on Two Wheels and Beyond
I've traversed countless roads with the Chariots of Light motorcycle ministry, but the most profound journeys have been those walked in faith, outside the rumble of engines. Today, I invite you to saddle up for an episode that promises to steer you through the twists and turns of embodying Christ's love in the everyday. I'll be sharing testimonies of divine appointments at gas stations and heartfelt conversations over meals—each a testament to the power of faith in action.
Our exploration takes us down the path of Jesus' teachings and their application in our modern lives, a topic that often finds us at a crossroad of skepticism and belief. Reflecting on challenges like the idolatry of sports, I'll urge you towards a rekindled prioritization of our relationship with God. Join me as we unpack these themes and discover how to navigate teaching and healing in a world that questions every step.
The episode culminates with an inspiring recount of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego's unyielding faith, a truth that fuels our discussion on the miracles prayer can ignite. I'll share personal testimonies of prayer, divine interventions, and the invitation for you to chart your spiritual journey. Whether you're a long-time believer or just sparking the embers of faith, this is your call to action—let's ignite the way together, with every step we take.
Well, good afternoon and welcome to Faith Walk podcast with William Carroll, as I encourage you to start your faith walk, to take God out of the box and to have a relationship with him. You know God wants relationship with his people. That's why he sent his son, jesus, to die for our sins, our sins. That's why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to live in us, to move in us, and he's a comforter to us, a teacher, a lead and a guide. If you haven't started your faith walk, you need to do it. And if you started your faith walk, but your faith walk you look back over your life or over the last few months, or however long you've been in your faith walk, and there's nothing there really to see, then you need to just pray and get before God and seek his face and say God, is there more to it than this? Is there more to it than this? But that's how I got in my life, and you know the last episode I was talking about how we had gone and we had shared the word of God and we had shared with the chariots of light motorcycle ministry, and listen. It taught me, though, because see, what I noticed was that, a lot of times, the people in my group and I had a chapter in Carthage, texas, I think. We had eight people at one time, you know, and listen, what I noticed is they got hyped up and ready to go to an event. You know, and when we went to an event, event was like a rally where we had our outreach tent put up and we would minister. And we would minister to the people and share the word of God and we, you know we might not just sit at the booth, you know, we had a literature and stuff there at the booth, but we'd go and we'd walk the streets and we'd see the rally and we do, you know and we'd pray for people on the streets and it was just a great time, I'm telling you, it was a great time. But I started noticing that some of the people you know would start looking well, when's the next event? When's the next event? And so God laid it on my heart to start ministering to my group and start telling them look, it's not about an event. It's okay to have an event where you know people are going to be and you're going to go out there and you're going to reach them for Christ. It's okay to have an event where you know people are going to be and you're going to go out there and you're going to reach them for Christ. It's okay to have an event, there's nothing wrong with that at all. But the thing is it has to be a faith walk.
Speaker 1:You don't wait for an event to share Christ. Yes, those events make it easier because you know you're in one place, you're at a booth, that you got your sign up chariots of light. They come by, they ask you what's this all about? And you begin sharing Christ. I talked about using the hand of God as we minister and when we do that. You know, being in a place like that sometimes makes it easier because people come up. They're wanting to know what you're about. They're expecting something, even if it's something for free, you know, even if they're expecting to get a free booklet or a free pen or a free something from you, they're expecting, they have a expecting heart and it's easy to share what our mission is and then to share our faith with Christ.
Speaker 1:But what I kept telling and impressing on my guys and ladies in the group was you know, this isn't about an event. It's good to have the event, it's good to go out there. It's good to share.
Speaker 1:And you know a lot of people say, well, it's not about the numbers, no, it's not about the numbers. I used to be really. You just don't understand. I didn't care nothing about the numbers. But when you do take account of the people that you pray for and you minister to, at the end of a day, you know, if you're at a little old uh festival, local festival, and you've prayed or ministered or you've led 10 people to the Lord or just prayed for 20 more, I mean that's a lot of people and you look back and you go. Well, I don't remember. You know ministering to all these people. But if you just, you know, mark it down every time, mark it down. You know the numbers don't mean anything, but it does show what you're doing and what God is doing in the lives of the people that you're ministering to. Well, I kept impressing on my people.
Speaker 1:You know this has to be a daily walk. It has to be a daily walk. If you just go to the event to share your faith and to leave people to the Lord, that's fine, that's all and well. But transfer that, or translate that, into a daily walk, a faith walk in your life. When you go in the grocery store and somebody's there and you see them upset, or you see something and you just speak to them, you know, you just smile at them and you just share an encouraging word with them, and, and, and you can even, you know, sometimes it'll lead to you just talking to them and finding out what's wrong and and praying with them and sharing Christ with them and asking them do they know Jesus as their Lord and savior? See, it's got to be a daily walk In a Christian's life.
Speaker 1:Each one of us should have a faith walk In a Christian's life. We should be on a faith walk because we have the good news to the world. Man, look, right now the world is in such turmoil. There's so much stuff going on. There's earthquakes in diverse places, there's wars and rumors of wars and there's just all kinds of stuff that's happening, you know, and we can look at it and say, yes, this is the end of times, this is the beginning of sorrows is what Jesus called it, you know.
Speaker 1:But we have the good news, we have the gospel. What is the gospel? The gospel is good news. What is the good news? Well, I'm going to tell you the good news? We have the gospel. What is the gospel? The gospel is good news. What is the good news? What I'm going to tell you? The good news is that Jesus Christ saved me from my sins, saved me from the person that I was, and he changed my heart. He taught me his word and he changed my life and I know that that's the greatest thing that's ever happened in my life.
Speaker 1:I worked for a company for 33 years and five months 33 years and five months, and let me tell you it was a great time. You know, god had his hand in that. God blessed me through that. God blessed me in my job. God blessed me to be able to learn and to move forward in that company and to be an asset to that company, because I knew all the time that he was providing my way. Well, listen, it has to be a walk. I still out there at work, when I come across people that were testing wells or that was building locations, I still had a faith walk and I still went and buy and visited them, you know, and and I just prayed that God would open the door and when he would, I'd put my foot in it and I'd share Christ with them.
Speaker 1:Did some of them think I was foolish? Maybe so, but most of them were receptive to the gospel. You know, even the ones that were lost, even the ones that was, you know, going to hell. But you know, and I had the awesome opportunity that God allowed me to lead them, important them, to the Savior, jesus Christ. See, I can't save nobody, but Jesus can. But I can lead them to him, I can show them, I can talk about him, I can share the gospel.
Speaker 1:The gospel is what Jesus did in my life. Yes, is it the word of God? Yes, it is. Can I use scriptures to share that with people? Yes, I can. But the real gospel, the truth that I know to be a fact, is what God's done in my life. See, I know that without a doubt. You cannot, you cannot tell me that I'm not saved. You can't. You can't do it. Why? Because I know, I know in my heart what God did in my life. You know, and I'm so happy and I'm so proud of the fact that God can use me.
Speaker 1:So I was talking to all my people. I said you know, it's gotta be a thing If we, you know, and we stop at a gas station. That's a ministry field. If we go to a restaurant, you know, if we pull up and somebody's there, you know, and they talk to you. You know how well in Texas people are friendly, you know.
Speaker 1:And I pulled up to a gas station one time and we were on a ride. We were gonna well, we were gonna ride down to a street ministry to the homeless people on a Saturday in Longview and we stopped at this gas station and this lady, you know, she said she was filling up next to me and I said how are you doing? She says, oh, pretty well. I said pretty well. She said, yeah, pretty well. And I said well, ma'am. I said what's bad? She said I've got a friend and she's in the hospital and she's not doing good at all and I'm going over to visit her.
Speaker 1:And she began to tell me the problems you know. And I said, really. I said, well, would you could I pray for you? And she said she said, oh, yes, please do I. You know prayers can always help. I said, no, ma'am, I want to pray for you right now.
Speaker 1:I said what's the lady's name and I began praying for the lady's name and I began praying. I said, you know. I told her, I said I believe God can do miracles and you know he can use the doctors, he can use medicine, he can, he can do just a miracle. And I said, well, do you believe God to do a miracle? And she says I do believe. And I said, well, let us pray together because the word of God says where two or three are there, he is in their midst.
Speaker 1:So we began praying and we prayed and we went on and we went down there and we prayed with the homeless people and they have a message there. You know, somebody will share a message and music and then they'll feed them every Saturday. And we went down there and we just got to share with them and love on them and be a part of that. And then we went on and we said, hey, let's ride over to Jefferson, texas, let's go over there and we'll eat and just kind of go over there and just spend the rest of the afternoon before we go home. And you know, we went over there and just sit down and just started talking about what God did at at the place. You know, and and I'm and I'm always encouraging them everywhere we are, you know, everywhere we are, um, we're a representative, we're an ambassador for Christ, you know, um. And so we, you know, uh, we were talking about God and the things God was doing, the things God did and the people we prayed for and what God had done.
Speaker 1:And we were just having like a little old revival right there in Annie Skinner's. You know, it's a bar and grill. They serve a lot of food, you know, mostly food, but it's a bar too. It's a bar and grill, and there's bikers in there and there's other people in there too, you know, and people came up, you know, afterwards, when we was leaving, you know, a guy came up to me and said, man, I heard what y'all were talking about and I said, oh yeah. I said, well, what was that? Because, you know, I was trying to remember what all we talk about. And he was talking about how God moves and how we go out and how we share the word of God with people. And and he said, man, he said that that's, that's just an awesome thing.
Speaker 1:And I and I sat there and visited with him a little bit and I got to pray with him and I asked him about his relationship with God and how close he was using the hand of God that we use, and, and and he said well, I, you know, I've known Christ, but I've kind of fallen away from him, you know. And I said I just desire to, to have the relationship I once had with him. And I said well, you know, I have, I too have done that. I have fallen off. And and I said God, you know, check me back in. And I said why don't we pray that God gives you a closer walk, that he pours out his Holy Spirit into your heart and stirs you up, sets you back on fire, and that he increases your relationship with him? And he says I want to do that. So we did that, but what? I'm telling you all this?
Speaker 1:For this reason, you see, we can't just be Christians when we go to an event. When we go to an event, we can't just profess our faith to others just when we're in that event and we feel the comfort of the booth and the friends around us. We have to be Christians and have our faith, walk and be excited about God and be on fire for God anywhere we go. We have to, you know, we have to be aware that I'm here for a reason, and the reason I'm here might not be the reason I think I'm at because God has a purpose for me being here. See, everywhere we go, god has a purpose for us being there, purpose for us being there, and we have to start recognizing that. See, that's what we do. Well, you know, we don't recognize when we go to church, we recognize oh, we're here for God, we're here for God to move and to touch our lives and us, to hear a word from God. And then we walk out of the church and we just go back to our old lives. There's no change, there's nothing happening, there's no life, there's no need to share the gospel, there's no urgency, that we have lost loved ones. That's going to hell, man, you know, and you say well, you know, if I tell my family, you know they all just sneer at me and jerk at me. You know and smile at me, and you know they well, listen.
Speaker 1:I brought this up in the last one, so I kind of wanted to talk about it a little bit and we're going to go to Mark, chapter six, verse one. And in Mark six one it says Jesus left that part of the country and returned with his disciples to Nazareth. So that was his hometown, nazareth of Galilee. So he left a different part of the country, went back to Nazareth and, it says, the next Sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue and many who heard him were amazed and they asked where did he get all this wisdom and power to perform such miracles? And they scoffed at him and they said oh, he's just the carpenter's son of Mary and the brother of James and Joseph, and Judas and Simon and his sisters live right here among us and they were deeply offended and they refused to believe in him. Then Jesus told him hey, a prophet is honored everywhere except in his hometown, among his family and friends and relatives.
Speaker 1:He says you know, and because of their unbelief Mark chapter six, verse five and because of their unbelief, he couldn't do many miracles among them, except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. Why? Because the sick people needed a touch from God. The sick people knew they needed a physician. They knew they needed a touch from God and they had heard of Jesus and they had heard. Even though he grew up in the community. They knew that anybody that did the word of God, that laid hands on the sick, that blind eyes was open, lame walk, lepers were healed. They knew that their sickness, which was killing them, which had them down, that this man, jesus, even though he grew up, he could be the Messiah, the Son of God. He had to be, because if God wasn't with him then he couldn't do the things he did. That's what they'd been taught in their faith all their life, you know. And so, because of their unbelief, six and five again, he couldn't do any miracles among them, except place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their unbelief. And then Jesus went from village to village, teaching the people. Teaching the people. Let's just go on here.
Speaker 1:It says he called 12 disciples together and began sending them out two by two, giving them authority to cast out evil spirits. He told them take nothing for a journey. He told them take nothing for a journey food, no sick, no bag, no money, and you can wear sandals, but don't take a change of clothes. Wherever you go, stay in the same house until you leave the town. But if any places refuse to welcome you and listen to you, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave, to show that you have abandoned those people to their own fate. So the disciples went out telling everybody that they meant to repent of their sins and to turn to God, and they cast out many demons and healed many sick people, anointing them with olive oil. Listen, jesus gave them a commandment to go out and to heal the sick.
Speaker 1:You know, in another scripture it says freely, you have received, freely give, and that's I have received freely from God. I received my salvation from God. And you know, there's a lot of people that know me. When I was younger here and I grew up, and they know they knew of me, uh and the well they mostly they might not have known me, but they knew of me and of of of all the things that I did and used to do and all and, and. Even years later, even now, some of them, you know, they go, oh yeah, I remember you, you know, but they didn't know, they didn't know me. They didn't know me after the change. They didn't know me after I gave my heart to God. They didn't know me after God filled me with his Holy Spirit and gave me power to be a witness unto all the world. See, that's what this life is all about. This life isn't about working and playing baseball and football and all this stuff.
Speaker 1:And hey, listen, just on this note, I really do believe that right now, with all the sports and you see all the hate and the comments against certain players, you know, because of the color of their skin, you know, and different things I believe God's fixing to tear down the idol of the sports in this country. God's fixing to tear down the idol of the sports in this country because sports have become an idol to some people in this country. A lot of people. It's become an idol, you know, and I do believe that God's going to tear it down and put it back into a place where where I'm not saying sports is evil, not at all but to some people it's an idol. You know they'll talk more about sports than about what God's done in their life and how God shared them.
Speaker 1:Listen, you've got to start your faith walk. You've got to begin walking. You've got to begin talking. You've got to begin reading the word. You've got to begin prayer and spending time. How much time do you spend doing other things when you could spend it in the word of God? And you could spend it, you know, listening to the word of God, listening to good things, people speaking and encouraging in the word of God, reading the word of God yourself or in prayer, you know I mean. Well, how long does a football game take? I hadn't watched one in years. Four hours, you know. Four hours, wow, you know that's a lot of time. That's a lot of time.
Speaker 1:And I'm not saying it's a sin to do those things in context. I'm not saying that it's a sin that you watch football or basketball or baseball. Now, I haven't watched it in years. I just I haven't. I lost all interest in it when it got all political and everything and I just, you know I have no desire to go back, but that's up to you. I'm not saying you can't do that, I'm not saying it's a sin for you to watch those things, but I'm just saying that we need to start our faith walk. We need to walk with God, we need to talk with God, we need to speak his word. Listen, it says the disciples went out and they said when Jesus. It says in the word of God, in the gospels, that Jesus came and he said repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And here we see the disciples going out and they're saying repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Speaker 1:Now, listen, I don't go up to people at the gas pumps or in the restaurants or wherever I am and I feel an unction from God. I don't go up to people at the gas pumps or in the restaurants or wherever I am and I feel an unction from God. I don't just go in there and talk to everybody and just begin to, you know, but if I feel, I feel something that I need to go to this table and talk to these people, or just reach out and say hello and just you know, hey, can I bless you in prayer or whatever it is, I follow the unction of God, I follow the anointing of the spirit to do those things. You know, uh, sometimes it's as simple as buying a meal for somebody. You know you, I don't even tell them, I just go. Hey, I want to pay for their meal, you know.
Speaker 1:And, uh, excuse me, god has just given us the opportunity to be, you know, to be his. You know. He says a servant doesn't know what the master does. He said from now on, I don't call you servants, but I call you friends. You know, moses was called a friend of God and God spoke to Moses. Well, you can be a friend of God and God will speak to your heart. He'll speak through the word, he'll speak through fellow believers and he'll also speak. If you get quiet enough, he'll speak to you.
Speaker 1:I'm saying, look, god is the same, he doesn't change. He doesn't change. He'll speak to you, he'll point you, he'll guide you, he'll lead you, he'll teach you the things that you need to know about him. You know, and if you have just an openness and you say, lord today, when you go to work today or you go to work in the morning, you say, lord today, just open up my heart, lord, show me, open the door that I might put my foot in it, that I might share you with somebody.
Speaker 1:You don't have to tell them repent of the sins. You can tell them how you repented of your sins and you had to ask God into your heart and how he changed your life and he took you from being a drunk and he took you from being a womanizer and he took you from being a cheat and and and and a lazy low life, and how he changed that and he put a desire in your life to know him, to love him, to learn of him, to walk in his way, to walk in the way, to walk in the way, the way of what. See, in the early days they called the Christians. They said, oh, they are of the way, the way of what, the way of faith, the way of Christ. See, so you can walk in the way, the way of faith, the way of Christ, so you can walk in the way, the way of faith. You know, these were just.
Speaker 1:Well, we say men, but these men, you know, they were young men. You know, most of them were young men and some of them were really young men and they walked with Jesus and they saw Jesus and they recognized that no man can do these things except God. Well, if you begin walking and talking with Jesus and you begin doing the things of God and sharing God, you know, the more you share God, the more you believe, the more he'll do in your life. For, see, it's not about for me, do for me, it's use me to touch others. See, that's the key to the gospel. You know, it's not about what can God do for me?
Speaker 1:You know, I was telling somebody the other day, you know they go well, how are you doing? I said, well, I'm doing real good. I'm struggling a little bit with my health right now. I said but God is able. You know he's raised me up before and he's able to take care of this. And I said and even if he don't, I know he's able Because you know the three Hebrew children.
Speaker 1:The king says bow down and worship me. And they said no, we're not Shadrach, meshach and Abednego. And they said bow down. He said no, we won't. We serve the one, the one, god, the true and the living God, jehovah. And he said. He said well, you're going to worship me or I'm going to throw in your fire? And he said if I throw you in that fire, will God save you? And they said we don't know if he will or not, but we know that our God is able and even if he doesn't, we're going to serve him anyway.
Speaker 1:And, um, you know, cause some people I've had some people say well, do you? You know, you just need to pray for yourself. You've prayed for others and God has healed him and God's done miracles and and wonders. And I said, yeah, but it doesn't work like that. It does it does. I do pray for myself, but the thing is that if God lays it on my heart to go pray for somebody in the hospital or somebody that's sick. I pray for them at home. I pray for them at home. And then I know, I know without a shadow of doubt, I'm on a mission from God and I need to go pray for him and he's going to move. And I know God can move in my life and move in my body. But when it comes to me, and this is just me, that's something I guess.
Speaker 1:But I feel like sometimes that, you know, I just feel like, you know, I don't know, I don't want to ask God to do something specifically for me. I mean, I will. I'll say, lord, heal me from the inside out, touch me from the top of my head to the soles of my feet. I said, lord, you're the healer of the same, yesterday and today and forever. But for some reason, you know, I get more satisfaction praying for other people and seeing God move in their lives. You know, oh, I hurt my back. Oh, hey, brother, can I pray for you right now? I believe God can touch your back right now. Lord, send your fire, send your heat, you know, minister their back and then later on they go. Man, I'm already, I'm better already. You know, was it me? No, it wasn't me, but it was the power of God through me, because I believe and I know and I have seen that he will do these things. See, we serve a great big God and we limit him.
Speaker 1:Jesus had been preaching all over and people had known and had heard of the signs and wonders and miracles that he had done. And he come back to his hometown and they're going who is this? This is Jesus that we know. His sisters are here. We know his brothers. See, they didn't, they wouldn't recognize him that his father, joseph, wasn't his father, that was his stepfather. You know, it's a glorious thing to be a stepfather and to love your children like your own. Joseph had to do that, but God was his father. He was born of a virgin. His brothers and sisters that they're talking about were half brothers and sisters. They were the children of Joseph and Mary. Jesus was the child of Mary when she was overcome by the Holy Spirit and God is his father. All right, anyway, I don't. Anyway, man, I'm kind of getting on a roll here today, but now I just want to tell you I love y'all and I hope this is blessing y'all.
Speaker 1:Get a journal. Start your faith walk every day. Write in your journal. Write down the scriptures that God shows you in the word. Write down the prayers or a prayer that you're praying, write down if God opens the door at work or what happens at work and things that happen at work or things that you're praying for. If you hear somebody that needs a prayer, write it down in there and pray for them. And then the next day, you know, pray for them. Write down prayer list in there. Get a journal and start a journal on your faith walk.
Speaker 1:See, listen, jesus is the answer to all of the world's problems. But if we won't go out, it says, how can they believe? Unless somebody, unless there's a preacher? And you go. Well, I'm not a preacher, no. But if you're a child of God, then you have the good news and you're to proclaim the gospel to those around you. You know, I mean, and you just have to put your worries aside.
Speaker 1:And the chariots of light taught me that how to put my worries aside. And then it taught me and it taught. And just like I was saying, I taught them. I said you know it's everywhere you go, whether you're on a ride for yourself. Every place you stop. Pray, lord, is there somebody here that I can minister to today? And you'll find out how easy it is, how so many people are hurting and so many people are looking for answers, and they're not finding the answers anywhere. They don't even find the answers when they go to church, you know, because they're not hearing that God can answer their problem. God can answer their prayers. God can save their loved ones and a lot of them, you know. Know, god can change your life, no matter where you are, what, what state you're in, god can change your life.
Speaker 1:Man, if you haven't accepted Jesus Christ, just pray this prayer after me and start your prayer walk. Lord Jesus, come into my heart, forgive me my sins. I believe that you are the Son of God, that you died upon the cross, and I ask you to pour your Holy Spirit out upon me, infuse me with dunamis, with power from on high to do your will and your work and to learn of you and to lead others to know you in Jesus's name, amen. If you pray that prayer, he'll honor it. You started a faith walk. You know wherever you are in your faith walk, start write a journal. Start down writing how, what God lays on your heart when you're studying the word and and share it with people. Share it with your wife, share it with your friends, share it with your classmates, share it with those at work, say hey, man, listen. I was reading this the other day and I'd never seen this in the word of God before, and this is what I believe it's saying Share the word of God. People are hungry out there. You know, even Jesus said the fields are ripe and ready to harvest. Pray God that he'll send some harvesters. Well, we are the harvesters Until next time. This is William Carroll. You can find me on Spotify, itunes, ipodcast, on anywhere, iheart, buzzsproutcom and you can write me at faithwalk1960 at outlookcom.
Speaker 1:Let me hear from you, let me hear how. Maybe you've been challenged to start a faith walk and maybe you've reached out and you've asked somebody about Jesus, or you reached out and shared a prayer with somebody that you just passed up in the supermarket and you just knew they needed the prayer. You didn't know why, but you knew. You may have walked by them three or four times. I've done that before and then, finally, I couldn't leave. I had to go back in the store and say and then, finally, I couldn't leave. I had to go back in the store and say ma'am, I've walked by you three or four times, do you need a prayer? Can I pray with you about something? And they lay it on. They just lay their heart bare before you and just break down, yes, and you pray. Listen, step out in boldness. That's what God's called us to do Until next time. This is William Carroll, with Faith Walk.
