Hi! How are you? I'm great. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. I got a few seconds for a little prayer. Okay. Do you have a Bible? I don't. Would you like one? Sure. Sure. Be right back. My name is Tony. And you are? Tara. Tara? Nice to meet you, Tara. Tara, do you have any particular spiritual beliefs? I'm sorry? No. No? Okay. Well, it's cold out here. So then, not at all to be argumentative, but just to get to know you, why do you see prayer as helpful? One thing, when it comes to religion, I always have a question. There are so many different religions. There are a lot of different religions. like teaching something. Everybody got their higher power, their higher God. I always felt like, regardless to who your higher God is, I always felt like there is a God. So therefore, there's power in prayer, regardless of what God's person. Okay, that's actually a wonderful answer. And one of the things you said that is really important is that there is a God. There isn't my God, or your God, or that person's God, or that person's God. There is only one God. If there are many gods, then nobody rules. If there are many gods, then you have no idea who you can trust. But the Bible teaches us that there is one God who created everything. And like you, Tara, and like me, every human being knows that that one God exists. Do you think, what do you think's more important, Tara, what we believe or whether or not what we believe is true? I think that it would be what we believe. Okay. Who goes to say, like, what truth? Like, I don't know. Everybody goes through different stuff. Like, the old truth can vary based upon, like, what you go through. So, do you think, Tara, that it's truth that varies? Or that our beliefs vary based upon what happens to us. I believe that. Okay. Your truth. Okay. I believe that the truth is the truth. Okay. It's the truth, but based upon what you go through, what you believe varies. So, so Tara, it's, it's clear to me, it's true that I'm a man and you're a woman. It's true that you have more melanin in your skin than I do. Your skin is darker than mine. Those things are true. It doesn't matter what I believe about those things. If you pulled up, and you being a woman of color, I said, and you introduced yourself as Tara, and I said, no, you're not Tara. You're Joe. You're a 450-pound white weightlifter named Joe. And I believe that with all my heart. Would it ever be true about you? No. So it doesn't matter what I believe about Tara. What matters is what's actually true about Tara. After I'm done here today, if I went over to my bank, it being Christmas Eve and all, and I want to get some money out and I want to bless people with presents, And I walk up to the teller and I fill out a withdrawal slip for $1 million out of my account. Now, I go to this bank often. The teller has seen me before, doesn't know me personally, but she's punched in my account and what have you and kind of knows my situation. And she sees this $1 million withdrawal slip and she's kind of surprised, but she's thinking, well, you know, maybe Tony sold a business. Maybe he got an inheritance. Maybe he won the lottery the other night. So she does her due diligence, she punches my account number in the computer, and it says that I don't have a million dollars, I have $37.50 in my account. So she looks at me and she says, Tony, I'm sorry, I can't give you a million dollars. You only have $37.50 in your account. And I say to her, well, I believe I have a million dollars. So I want a million dollars. And I stand there and I argue with her. Eventually she's going to push that little red button under her counter. The police are going to come and take me away because they're thinking I'm trying to rob the bank for a million dollars. Doesn't matter what I believe about my account. What matters is what's true about my account. Likewise, Tara, it doesn't matter what we believe about God. What matters is what's true about God. And God has said in his word, the Bible, that God is true, though every man be found to be a liar. And God has written certain things on our heart and our mind that we know with certainty are true. We know the difference between right and wrong, not because of how we were raised or when or where or by whom. You and I know it's wrong to lie, right? We both know that. Our parents, maybe our parents weren't good people, maybe our parents were bad people and they told us it's good to lie. Even though our parents might have told us that, we would know in our heart that it's wrong. The reason for that is the God who created us isn't a liar. We know it's wrong to steal. Even if we're hungry, we know it's wrong to take something that doesn't belong to us because the God who created us isn't a thief. We know it's wrong to hate another human being for any reason, color of the skin, money in their wallet, the money they don't have in their wallet, where they live. We know it's wrong to hate anybody because the God who created us isn't a murderer at heart and God sees hatred as murder. We know those things are true. Just as we know it's true that God exists, not that there's his God or her God, my God or your God, but we know that there is one God who created everything. So Tara, here's where it gets real personal. This one God who created everything, created us for the purpose of worshiping him. And not worshiping him however we want, but worshiping him according to how he's determined we ought to. But because of our sin, because we've lied, because maybe we've stolen, we've taken his name in vain, we've had wrong sexual thoughts about another person or acted upon them, because we've hated somebody, we've broken these laws that he's written on our heart. We've sinned against him, and that sin separates us from him. And because God is good, Tara, when we die and stand before this one and only God, he's going to judge us not based on what we believe, but based on what is true. He's not gonna judge me by comparing me to you. He's not gonna judge you by comparing you to me. He's gonna judge us according to that same law that he's written on every human heart. And Tara, we're all guilty, right? You're guilty, I'm guilty, we've all broken God's law, if not with our hands, in our minds, with our mouths, and we've done that every day. And the Bible, the truth, says the wages of sin, what we earn for our sin, is death. God being good, finding us guilty, he's going to do what's right. And that punishment for our sins, eternity in hell. Have you ever been in a courtroom before? Okay. So let's say, Tara, you broke the law in some way. And this is just hypothetical, I'm not suggesting you would. I'm just painting a picture. Okay, alright. Okay. Okay. So let's say though on this day, Tara, you broke the law. You're honestly guilty. It's not a case of mistaken identity. It's not a corrupt police officer or anything like that. You actually broke the law. In fact, you admitted to it, not because someone threatened you, not because someone made you false promises, but because you felt, you felt the guilt of your guilt. That confession doesn't show your innocence, that confession shows your guilt. So you're standing before the judge on the day of sentencing, and the judge says, Tara, not only do I find you guilty, but I sentence you to death. And they're going to take you into the next room, no appeals, they're gonna take you into the next room, they're gonna strap you to a gurney, and they're gonna shove a needle into your arm and put you to sleep forever. But before they do that, Tara, the judge who found you guilty stands up from behind his bench, he takes off those black robes of authority, he steps down and he says, Tara, I found you guilty and you know you are, and I have the authority to sentence you and I sentence you to death, but I'm going to take your place. And the judge who found you guilty and sentenced you to die, he goes into the next room He allows himself to be strapped to a gurney with Tara's name on it. He allows a needle to be driven into his arm with Tara's name on it. And he dies the death that Tara was supposed to die. What's that? So you've heard that before. So Tara, that is a picture of what God actually did. God the Father sent his Son to earth in the person of Jesus Christ, truly God, truly man, without sin. He lived a life of perfection for some 33 years that neither Tony nor Tara nor anyone else can live for even 33 seconds. Yet, even though he was guilty of nothing, even though he never broke God's law, He voluntarily went to the cross. He suffered and died a horrific bloody death. He did not deserve to take upon himself, Tara, the punishment you and I rightly deserve for our crimes against God. And then he forever defeated sin and death when he rose from the grave. And Tara, what God requires of you is the same thing he requires of me and every other human being. And that's not simply to nod our head in agreement, because the Bible says the demons believe and tremble. What God commands of us is to believe in our heart to the point that we will turn from our sin and turn toward God and put our faith and our trust in Jesus Christ alone for our salvation. And the good news, Tara, is if God does that work in us and we receive Jesus as our Lord and our Savior, he will forgive our sins. Not because we're good, but because he's good. He'll remove them as far as the east is from the west. He'll remember them no more. And you, Tara, can have the assurance of eternal life and know that you will receive it and know that you will have it forever, not on the basis of anything you've done to earn or deserve it, but on the basis of God's love and kindness and mercy that would allow His Son to die for sinners like us. What do you think of that? What comes to mind when you hear all that? I don't know. I think that that's just a lot. I know, but like, the way the world is, is not what he expected when he built the world. Like, I know that. And like, that's just a lot. Like, I'm around Thanksgiving, and that's all I'm watching TV at. And it's a lot. It makes you want to every day just try, try to live life by God. Because that is a really big sacrifice. Like, just sacrifice yourself. And that's a lot. The sun, like, that's a lot. Actually actually Tara the Bible says you'll find it in there in Proverbs chapter 8 the Bible says that those who do not love God, those who do not follow God, they actually love death. The Bible says that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and those who reject that actually love death. And Tara, when you said that the world is not the way God wants it, Tara, you're not the way God wants you. Right? Right? But the beautiful thing about that, Tara, is that He has made a way, only one way, for that to change. For you to be made right with Him. And again, it's not by trying to live a good life. Because Jesus said you are to be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect. If we want to try to get to heaven on our own, then all we have to do is live a perfect life from cradle to grave, every moment of every day, in thought, word, and deed. Tara, I'm 58 years old. I've never lived a day like that in my life. It's impossible, Tara. It's impossible. That's why we need a savior. And so, instead of putting the cart before the horse and saying, I'm gonna do my best to get to God, humble yourself before God, receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and your Savior, and then you will want to live a life pleasing to Him, not to earn His love, not to bribe the judge, not to get out of hell, but because you're so thankful for the love and mercy He showed you by saving you through faith in His Son. Does that make sense? Will you give that some thought? I put something in the Bible. There's a pamphlet in there that basically goes over some of the things we've talked about and it has information about our church. No salesman's going to come to your door, but the door's open and you and your family are welcome anytime. Can I pray for you? Father, I thank you so much that Tara has stopped. Father, it has been my hope today that someone would stop to talk, that I'd be able to present your love through the gospel of Jesus Christ to someone. And I thank you, Father, for answering my prayer today in Tara. And that she would turn from her sin and put her trust in Christ alone for her salvation. For your glory, Father, in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. God bless you, Tara. God bless you. Thank you so much for stopping to talk to me. I really appreciate it. Well, praise God. I saw that sign, and that was my sign to stop. Well, praise God. I literally just got here. I wasn't even finished setting up. Really? Well, I'm so glad you're okay. and I was doing a lot of praying yesterday. I prayed and I dug myself out that ditch and was able to get out, get back on the road and get to work safely on the way home. It was worse than it was when I left. Yeah, it was pretty, it was bad. And all I did was prayed and prayed and prayed. So, for you to be out here today, just giving away prayer, I definitely, I'm not that busy. I can stop and give me some, give me some extra prayer. Well, I'm very glad you stopped, Tara. I greatly appreciate it. Well, God bless you. Thank you. You have a wonderful day. Take care.