Hello and welcome to one on one. We are so pleased you've chosen Christian programming to be in your homes, and we are honored and blessed that you have chosen us, but you've run to come and come and come to come and to break the bread of life with you and bring the good news of the gospel. This awesome technology and wherever you're hearing us from, we just are so thankful that you carve out the time to let us in with you. We want to thank you, especially those of you who have been with us all these many years, is there a 21st year, and we're so proud to be representing the gospel of Jesus Christ and sharing the goodness of the Lord with you.
And thank you for supporting us, prayerfully encouraging us, financially, everything that you've poured in this ministry. We don't take the time very often to say thank you, but we really, from the bottom of our hearts, appreciate your support through these many, many years. It's allowed us to grow into 114 nations around the world now with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you for allowing us to grow and to push forward for the things of God.
And it's our hearts. We started very humbly. We're still very humbled about what God has done through us, and with us, when you tell God that you are available, he takes that very seriously. So be ready to give your all.
When we said, yes Lord, we are available for your service. We started in radio, and a dear friend of ours, Mary Francis Bagley, came into my office, and she said, I had a dream about you. And it started from there, and we were on a radio program. And then the television station called and said, can you do that same format on TV?
We had no idea what we were doing. We were just, we just wanted to talk about real life issues, give you the word of God, give you our testimony, and let you know how God gets us through everything through his word. And it started in the corner of our church, and we had lights that the youth had, that every time that we would clap our hands, we were very excited then. The lights would go on and off, because that's what the youth lights did.
You remember that, but it was just, we started just not knowing how to do it. God will equip you to do what he's called you to do. So when you really tell God, I'm available for your service, you do not know where you're going to end up. You know, Paul did the same thing.
You know, but Paul was a missionary into Asia, and then he was shipwrecked, and then he was in Rome. He didn't know, I mean, it's an adventure. This is an adventure with God, and it's wonderful that he is leading the way. So yes, we are very humble.
And we've always, we've always tried to give it our best. Everything that we do, we've always tried to just do the best of God, give him the best of everything, and give God's people the best of everything, and expose them to so much more than, you know, we feel like we're even capable of doing it, times, but you know, we're all about leaving all on the field. We're all about doing the very, very best. And there's many of you who can really echo what I'm saying, because many people, you know, I played sports, and you know, one of our things we always said, we leave it all on the field.
We don't want to take anything off, don't bring it back with us, we want to leave it on the field and make it happen. We've always tried to be that way for the things of God as well. And now, Veronica, you talk about a competitive nature, man. She doesn't appear so, but I'm telling you, man, she is, after it, when you get her into a competitive field, and she's the same when she's out ministering, when we're out doing the work for the Lord, and we want to give him a very, very best.
We are in it to win it. Absolutely. That's why we are, I may be not as big, may not be the biggest competitor, but I'll be the toughest competitor. She's a nacious.
I don't give up, that's part of my nature. I'll find a way around it, under it, over it. Just, we will stay with it, even in prayer, you know, whatever we need to do. I was raised, I was raised in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains.
You know, we're tough, resilient people, mountain people. There are regions that we minister in, all over this nation, all over the world, that we see that there's a resilience, even in California, or when we're in Oregon, or Washington. I mean, these are pioneers. These are people that travel to cross the United States to get to where they are.
So we see a resilience everywhere we go, that this is the American spirit, that's really that God's placed on the inside of us, that if you tell us that we can't do something, we will show you that we will do something. So I remember my grandfather telling me, I didn't know what this meant as a child, but I just knew it meant that it meant something. And he said, it's either whole hog or nothing. And I'm like, yeah, yeah, that's whole hog.
I didn't know what whole hog was, until I was in a grocery store and I saw a jar of pig's feet. And I thought, what is that? He said, well, when you slaughter a hog, you take it all. And I'm like, pig's feet, he's like, whole hog or nothing.
And I'm like, okay, then we're going whole hog. And then he would say, we're going whole hog for Jesus. I'm like, all right, we're gonna do it. So that's what you're seeing us here.
We're giving it our all. We give everything, we give everything in our hearts. We just do it, we do the best that we know to do sometimes. We feel a little in there.
But I mean, we have had to learn as we have gone. But we have a lot of heart and soul in it, don't we? And that's what you just said, the heart and soul. You got a purpose to make these things come together and to really give it 100%.
But I've struggled since I was in my 30s. I quit smoking. And I've struggled with weight ever since then because I gained 52 pounds. I quit smoking, but I kept gaining weight of eight, four, six, eight, 10 meals a day every day.
But I said, man, I can get rid of the weight, but I want to quit smoking. So I did, I was successful. Cold turkey, quit smoking, gained 52 pounds there. And I was like, hey, it's like this.
I already heard your face. It's like, we can hardly see. You got little eyes in there anyway. And I mean, you were just big all over.
It was just like, what have I done? Is that, buddy? Well, then I had to decide. I wanted to get that weight off.
I kept saying I could get it off if I would start. So I did. And I joined the gym. So I'm really going to educate myself doing it.
And I did. I did. But I remember the first day in that gym, I was thinking I hopeless as all was. I was just a big mess.
And what I hope was this journey was going to be and how hard it was going to be. Then I saw some people really. And no better word, they were slothling around the track. I mean, like Snail just, they were more obese than I was.
And they were walking so slow around the track. And the trainer that was with me saw me looking. And I didn't have to say a word. He said, look, he said, doing something is better than doing nothing.
And doing nothing at all is going to get you what you got. And I have never, ever forgotten that. That is so true. Doing something is better than nothing.
And you can either stay where you are, or you can give it all. And you can try. And I got the weight off. And it took a long time.
And a lot of work. But I got it off. And I quit smoking. So it was a double victory.
And through life, we battled these battles. We all have to go through things. We've got to tell ourselves, look, I'm going to give this 110%. And I'm not backing off.
I'm not looking the other direction until I know I've left everything on the field. I'm going to make this happen. And it's like serving the Lord. You've got to want to serve the Lord.
You can't kind of want to serve the Lord. You've got to want to serve the Lord. You can't just want to serve Him when things are good, or when they're having suppers after church. Or when everything is just going smooth as silk, you've got to serve Him in the ups and the downs, the ebbs and the flows to feel that you've given it your very, very best.
And we'll get discouraged. Yeah, I wrote a few things. And since then, I put some weight back on. And I've lost some weight.
And I've lost some weight. I've been to those ups and downs. I get mad at myself because I feel like I'm lazy. And I'm not eating right.
Where it's more convenient. I make all the excuses of why I'm doing it, why I'm not doing it. And we need to work so hard to purpose in our hearts to give it the best every day. But it's up to us individually.
It's up to each of us. And sometimes we've got to get some pretty straight talk. And somebody's got to say, look, get it together. Straighten up.
Now, Veronica, she's not the least bit bashful. Tell me that. I'll be honest. She is not.
And she'll say, look, you need to get it together. You get up one size more belt. And I think you could use that for a gallow. But we fight these things in our life.
But the wonderful thing is that within us, each of us have this wonderful wheel. We have this beautiful mind that God's blessed us with. And when we combine those two things together, it becomes our wheel. It becomes what we can or can't do.
We can either help ourselves to progress, or we can limit ourselves. And in our walk, especially with this ministry, we don't like limitations. We like to see God do everything that He can. I mean, He'll deliver a restore.
We love to see Him just bless God's people. Yes, we don't put God in a box. We don't limit Him. It's everything with God.
God, I just want more. And God has more for us. It's wonderful. When you serve Him, it's a journey and it progresses.
Just as we started this journey 21 years ago in the corner of that church, we couldn't give up because we were not where we thought we wanted to be. You keep on with the journey and it grows. And you go from one level to the next level. And when you give your heart to Jesus Christ, that's just the beginning.
You can't just stop there. There's more that He has in store for you. When you give your heart, then He wants you to be filled with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Then you get filled up with His Spirit and you become emboldened.
I mean, we couldn't do what we're doing today. If we didn't have the boldness and the courage, the tenacity of the Holy Spirit living on the inside of us. Because the enemy will come to you and He will say, what do you think you're doing? Who do you think you are?
And we say, we are a king's kid. We have the Holy Spirit living on the inside of us. And there's nothing that we can't do without His strength. The Bible tells us in Philippians that we can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens us.
So we are strengthened. The Bible also says that we go from glory to glory. So we get into one phase of His glory and we want more. So we're going to the next phase of His glory.
God just doesn't stop pouring out. There are levels that we can go to. There are realms of His glory. There's a depth.
The Lord says the deep calls to the deep. I'm not a person that will just stay in the shallows. I want to see what's in the deep. I want to know what God has in store for me.
I want all of the gifts of the Spirit that the Bible tells me that I can have. I want the gifting of miracles and healing and the word of knowledge and discernment, the gift of faith. I want it all, God. And when you come into my office, there's a little plaque on my desk that says, I want it all.
That's not in the material realm. I want everything God has in store for me. I want it all. But many times in order to give it all, we have to lay some junk aside.
There's some junk on the inside of us. If there's unforgiveness, if there's bitterness, if there's strife, that there's envy, there's things that need to be taken out of us that have weighed us down so that we can give God our very best and our all. And don't be discouraged right where you are. God will use you right where you were planted.
I remember that there was a little lady by the name of Jacobid in the Old Testament in Exodus. And she had a little baby boy by the name of Moses. There was an edict that went out that said that all of the male babies were to be destroyed. But she looked at that baby and she said, not my baby.
He's something special. God's got his hand on him. He goes up and she started weaving a basket. And you know, God's plan was in that basket.
It may have looked little and insignificant, but God's plan was in that basket to put the deliver of a nation in there. Don't think what you are doing is little and insignificant. God will use you. And buddy, God has used us in ways that we thought would never be possible.
Because we never back away from leaving it all on the field, from really trying to give him a very best. You know, I was kind of joking about losing the weight and stuff, but it's been a real battle for me. It's been something that I've fought for many, many years and continue to do so. But giving it all and pushing forward is much like what Paul told was talking to the Church of Corinth in 2 Corinthians 9, verses 6 through 11.
He's trying to tell the people of Corinth, hey, look, you know, you got to realize that we got to do these things for the Lord and we got to find a way to get there. He was beautiful how he put it. You got your Bible turned with me to 2 Corinthians, chapter 9 beginning in verse 6. It says, but this I say, he who's so sparingly, well also reap sparingly, and he who so's boundly, will also reap boundly.
So let each other give as he purposes as it is, there it is. Purposely in their hearts, we're deciding, this is what we want to do because we want the results. So each one gives as he purposes his hearts, not grudgingly or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver and God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you always having all sufficiency and all things may have an abundance for every good work as it is written. He who dispenses, I'm sorry, he who he has dispersed abroad, he has given to the poor, his righteousness and doers very well, and he did again, I'm sorry.
My glasses aren't the right strength here. He has dispersed abroad, he has given to the poor and his righteousness and doers forever. Now may he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, supply and multiply, the seed you have sowed and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberally, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. Wow, I know that's a mouthful, but let's kind of boil it down just a little bit and realize that what Paul is saying is look, we have to learn, we've got a purpose in our hearts to give the things to God that God needs, that God has required of us to do and we need to do it in a cheerful, positive manner.
I remember when I first got saved, I had no idea about giving or tithing or understanding the principles of any of the reciprocity principles with God, I had no idea what those were all about. And so Veronica was trying to help me understand it and very, very lovingly, I questioned, the tithing aspect of things and then I remember, I handed her the checkbook or tried to enter the checkbook and I said, here you go, you look in here at the balance and you tell me how all this is gonna work out, we're gonna give 10% the Lord and how we're gonna pay the bills. And I'll never forget, she didn't take the checkbook from me, she didn't make me feel terrible as, she probably should have made me feel and really spanked me just a little bit with the word of God and she just looked at me and she said, I'm telling you, if you wanna be blessed, you gotta tithe. And wow, what a truer thing has never been said to me, you know, we've tithed from, and I'm not saying that to Brad, that's not the purpose of this.
I'm telling you, we tithe because God's word says we should tithe, that's why we do that, that simple. And I'm so thankful I had someone to tell me without the tithing that we wouldn't receive the blessings. And that's what Paul is saying here, look, if you want to have all the sweetness, all the goodness, all the things that comes with it, press down, check it together and running over, then you need to understand that you've got to give. No, we all are not equal.
Some of us can give more, some of us can give less, you know, Veronica and I were talking on the way of the studio and she was talking about the widow, that came in and she gave two mites. And Jesus said that she would have the biggest blessing, two mites was not a lot at all. But what Jesus said is she didn't give out of her abundance, she gave out of her need, that was all she had, she gave everything. And Jesus was explained to disciples that look, she is going to be blessed because of what she has done, that she is given out of her substance, not out of her abundance.
It's so easy to give when we got a lot to give. It's a lot more difficult to give when we don't have much. But I'm going to tell you God will reward that faithfulness. And you know, I was talking about the weight thing and kind of doubling back here, circling back a little bit to help you understand that I talked about all that because I had to purpose in my heart to really try to get myself squared away.
You know, the wonderful thing is, it's because I've been able to do that, just went for a physical, great report, got a great, my young age, you know, you'd expect that. But I got a great, great report from the doctor. Why? Because I was doing the things that he told me all to do.
I was eating right, I was exercising, I was sleeping, you know, I was trying to reduce the level of stress in my life and do all the things I need to do to have longevity, to be blessed, to be blessed with longevity. And God says if you want to be blessed with the things in life that you've got to be a cheerful giver, you've got to want to give, you've got to do it unencumbered. You know, if you're doing it because you're forced to do it and you're doing it because dog gone it, if I don't do it, my wife's gonna be mad, the pastor's gonna say something to me, somebody's gonna do something, that's not what it's all about. What it's all about is you want to give because you want to see the seed multiplied.
You want to see God to be able to use it in his kingdom. You know, a lot of times we find our own reasons, just like I told you, I got lazy and I didn't want to eat right. McDonald's was a lot more convenient for me and worked in him a day a lot better. So I would take that shortcut and weave through there and then the shortcut became easier and easier and easier for me, but it's the same way.
If you don't make sacrifices for God, if we're not gonna do the things that God has compelled us to do, then we're not gonna see the blessings. We're not gonna live the blessed life that he wants us to live and to lead and to have and to be able to brag about. I can tell you now that God has blessed me so abundantly if I never ever received another blessing or anything that I can say was a blessing, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that because we gave and we continue to give and we will always give, the God will always bless. Now, no, sometimes we can give more, sometimes we can't give as much.
That's just the way it is, but we try to give, not out of our need, but we give out of our abundance of what God has blessed us with. We have a need, others have a need, we know those gifts will be applied to those needs and God will allow people to be blessed because of our obedience to him. So I want to encourage you, if you want to live a blessed life, if you want to receive the joy, the peace, all of the things that God says to have, then we just got a purpose in our hearts that we do all we can do. Paul was saying everybody can't do it all, not everybody can do that, but do what you can and do it with a cheerful heart.
Yes, and these are God's laws. These are God's spiritual laws, not only in nature. When we sow, then you will have a harvest, but we also know these are spiritual laws. He said, if you sow sparingly, you're gonna reap sparingly, you're not gonna reap very much, but if you sow abundantly, you're gonna have a great harvest.
So what do we need to sow? We need to sow those goods, words of love and kindness and compassion. Also we need to sow of our finances into God's kingdom. It tells us in Malachi 3, it says, bring in your tithing to the storehouse so that I may open the windows of heaven for you and that you will be blessed, or pour out a blessing that you won't be able to receive.
Also, he said, I will rebuke the devourer. I like that part, especially over my body, over my children, over my family, and I remind God of that. I said, God, we've given to you. And now I know that you're going to give back.
The windows of heaven are going to be open. There's only one other time the windows of heaven are recorded to be opened in the Bible, and that was at the great flood of Noah. And we know that there was a day-luge of rain and a flood that covered the entire earth, and we're saying, God, just bring it on. Bring on those blessings because we have been faithful to you.
We not only give of ourselves, but we give of our finances. We give of our hearts. That's what we give, and we will give. And then God says that I will open the windows of heaven, and you're going to receive this blessing.
I know that Betty, the Lord recently spoke to you, said you've not seen anything yet. What does it mean to have an abundance like you can't receive? I'm like, I want to receive that. God, just bring it on.
We are going to see God's blessing. And also in this in-day harvest, why are we doing this? Why did we begin television ministry for souls? We want to see the harvest of souls.
So we're planting. We're planting those seeds for people to give their hearts to the Lord. We want to see deliverances. We want to see healings.
We want to see that. So we're planting those seeds so that we can reap that harvest. It's not about us. It's not about everything that we do.
It's about God. It's about His kingdom. It's about working for His kingdom with everything that we have in us, all the resources that have been afforded to us. We want to do it with our entire hearts.
We don't want to do it halfway. God's not a halfway God. When God does something, He does it bigly. And so we want to do it bigly.
And we want to do it with all of our heart and our soul, our mind, our strength. God gave the very best He had in heaven. He gave His Son, Jesus Christ. And we want to give our very best to Him.
Yes. I can't encourage you enough. This is not about cash. It's about cashing in by loving the Lord with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul.
And giving back, we don't own any of this stuff. It's all alone. It's all alone. It's not ours.
It's all His anyway. What He just loaned to is why we were here. And we should be so thankful that we can share what He has blessed us with others, that we can give them an abundance in their lives because of how He has blessed us. I want to encourage you, Paul did.
You may not be able to do everything. You may not be able to do it all. Do something. And do it with all of your heart.
Not grudgingly, not because you feel you're compelled to do it. But do it out of love for the Lord, our God, and our Savior. Do it from your heart. Do it in a way that people don't even know what you're doing.
They just know it's you. What if that is the most caring, loving, and giving person or people that I know? Well, we love you. Yes.
And God loves you. And do we see you again next week? Remember that God is always faithful. Hello, everyone.
Veronica and I would like to thank you so much for partnering with Dufsong Ministries through these many years. We appreciate your support, your love. We look forward each week to coming and being a part of your life in your homes. Bring you God's Word.
We are so humbled to receive your praise reports of salvation, of healing and restoration. We are excited to take this gospel across the world. We know this next season is bringing great harvest for His glory. Thank you.
And remember, the best is yet to come.