Q&A with Koloff - #37

Hey this is Mike Swick from if not for God podcast our show stories of hopelessness turned in a hope your chosen Truth Network podcast is starting in just seconds. Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing The Truth Podcast Network. This is good Truth Network cuticle all fear questions and answers they would pull off the welcome back to the Q&A with Cole often. Typically, I'm pretty excited. I'm pretty over-the-top on these introductions when it comes to interviewing and introducing my Gaston and today it's with a little have your heart, Jeff Padgett, a longtime friend of mine, dear, dear friend. He was part of my Bible study for quite some time since recording this show Q&A with rolloff. He has since passed on and went on to be with the Lord and so the questions he's been asked today until I meet him again one day in heaven. You won't get to ask me any more questions, so I hope you find this show today extra special. This is a little different format here because I get placed in the hot seat. In other words, you know you the listener get the we get the talk we get that we get the converse and whether you're a wrestling fan. Or maybe someone in ministry or even just a friendly work working to talk and were going to say and I would give you the opportunity to ask me the questions and with me today on Q&A with rolloff Jeff Padgett at the jewelry mind entrepreneur welcomes Jeff to the Q&A with the law. Thanks Nikita glad to be here and you know we we we badge on the man up show and so it's great to have you on on this one is biology often and if you have not listened to that interview that that the that discussion that Jeff and I had, I would encourage you go back and add to that to the archives and listen to the man up show with Jeff Padgett incredible story. Johnny just amazing how God is using this man as an entrepreneur, taking his his jewelry store.the Carolina Mall in Concord, North Carolina and and just using that as a as really I know we said platform before, but just daily opportunities. Jeff right to just minister to people as they come in and out of your store down there at the Carolina Mall as much as will give the Holy Spirit liberty to use us. He will use us if you don't I know you and I talked all on that show about, you know, being nudged of the Lord and and just prompted when when somebody comes across our path of going to be out out and about. Doesn't have to be at the jewelry store manikin be at a restaurant right it can be anywhere at an autograph signing never times that I've been at an autograph signing and on.

And the Lord is prompted me to like. For example, pray for, pray for somebody they pray for this person and and in fact think in one example, right now where this guy I was up in the Northeast. I think New Jersey to do an autograph, and if there door property and all, and a number of years later, five, six, seven years later, know he and I have a have become friends. He severely falls men, social media, etc. but we've become friends because the Lord prompted me to pray for him as a fan of wrestling and not in not in our friends that have you found that to be true for yourself.

I have an end that obedience is better than sacrifice. We spend a lot of our energy trying to work for do things for God.

And often that's not nearly as beneficial to God as just being obedient to what you hear him saying to do right now. Walk in obedience and it out let me say this to sometimes no matter how crazy it sounds right because it can sound like the craziest thing ago.I need to let like you're filling up your you're at the gas station. Philip Goss is a go over. Pray for the guy at pump number 70 like and and and tell them this you like God. I am not telling that that meant that they got off my rocker that I don't even know me right. That experience something I I have but that brings to mind something that I hope answers that question.

I was walking into the mall years ago 15 years ago maybe and a young man outside of the mall made a derogatory comment toward me. Well, I returned that comment in a pretty negative light.

He returned the comment I returned the comment. It did not end terribly but it ended with bad words as I enter the mall.

I look to the left and I see a young girl in a wheelchair and I hear God prompt me go over ask her. Can you pray for her. I said God didn't you just see what I did outside.

I can't do that.

I I can't do that. I just can't mean I was just mad I was angry with this guy outside fell short of the mark. I did look unintended and I said no God and I walked by and I went into our store in the mall and about it. Two hours later, God said very clearly to me. He said you still think it's about you, don't you think you can pray enough. You think you can read Scripture enough you can be holy enough. He said it's not about you it's all about me and that let me know that it was simply Christ and him being washed in the blood, whose authority that I can pray, and not my own goodness.

Yeah I just maybe think about checking all the boxes are checked as far read my Bible to answer my prayers today. It was our worship today to pray today that you write it all. All the things right right but the other thing that that promise me that makes me think about what he says what one, there are no perfect people. So yeah there may be times we get angry or say the wrong words to it to another person that doesn't disqualify us from still being a and in an instrument in the hands of God writing it, and then how many times the other thing working to move on. Here, Dominicans you get ask me questions today is how many how many missed opportunities by God prompt you go pray for the girl in a wheelchair and you like not doing that already screwed up outside. I messed up in it and and now we beat ourselves up right so I wonder how many there's no telling how many missed opportunities that we have had where we could really be a blessing to somebody else so Lotta great nuggets right there in just a few minutes of conversation, but hey, you're here to ask me questions that were gonna flip it around here. Jeff and so here we go fire and I have no idea what you can ask those can be interesting for your first question at me, you've probably been asked this before but how does a worldwide wrestler on a worldwide platform in the lifestyle that a wrestler has. How does God get a hold of you in such a way that you lay that life down and take up the cross and walk with Jesus. That's that's a great question in and it wasn't the way you asked the question, it wasn't. It wasn't like God got a hold of my life. And then I laughed wrestling so what it wasn't that because I didn't grow up in the church and so getting Robin rush okay.

You should all know that when all right well it just in case your listening and you don't okay I'm not from Russia ran from the disorder.

Okay so anyway, repent of their own. How come on now come on now let a 10,000 lakes state bird is mosquito anyway anyways so I don't really late you know God and call me the laydown wrestling but I look back, Jeff, and clearly see how how I feel. Even though I wasn't serving God. He didn't have a relationship with Jesus how he opened the door of opportunity for wrestling for me and then gave me that platform that when I walked away from it now was until years later that I realized that he did that that he someone gave me that platform and gave me that opportunity even even one serving him because he saw the bigger picture. He sees beginning to and right starting to finish so he saw the bigger picture is so wrestling 11 months after I left wrestling is that I laid my life down and surrendered my heart to Jesus and then recognized I could use wrestling as my platform to lead others into the kingdom and lead them to the foot of the cross. That's kind of the order of how the timeline and how that happened.

Did you have anyone in your past that you believe prayed you into the kingdom as in God hounding you throughout life. Did you have someone like that in your history, I would.

I would say yes without without no accuracy.

Actual knowledge of. Here's what I mean by that.

So my dad was 46 when he surrendered his life to Jesus and 1972 he surrenders like to Jesus at the age of 46. Now for those who don't know it don't go back to the archives to the Manna podcast the man up radio show and on and look up I did a special segment special show on on my relationship with my dad and how the Lord restored a relationship that I didn't have. For 45 years and and actually even a a a surprise surprise at the end of of that show where you actually get to hear from my dad and I saw leave the cantilever right there, but my guess is Jeff that he was praying he was if nobody else was he was praying me into the kingdom, and certainly thrilled when he found out in 1993. So 1972 8292. My guess is 21 years. He was probably praying for my salvation and running with that. Don't negate the benefits of praying for those that don't know Jesus. Sometimes that's what keeps the hounds of heaven on their heels that they eventually turn to God now know everyone has to do that on their own, but God can put more pressure on a person through praying for. Let me know what to that point you just remind because I use this as an illustration example what you just keep praying for people no matter how you might even say how hopeless the situation looks.

You know the thief on the cross would be a great example that that there's always hope right right up to it up to being nailed to a cross right the thief on the cross and orderly, knows what he was up there for. But you're probably murder whatever else but that said, let me say this to you just remind me, prompted me to the day I gave my life to Jesus something October 1993 this all elderly men embody came to me so you don't know me, a nonaggressive family want to tell you the story of try to tell a quick and condensing. I got more questions and he said he said in 1988 the Lord prompted me because I was surfing through TV and I stopped on wrestling was only like wrestling and watching you. You know, do an interview and in the Holy Spirit. Laura processes pray for that man salvation have Carl call the ministry on his life as I have faithfully pray for you all these years so it was like five, six years. Whatever it was he every day goes. I have prayed for you see your point. Every day I've prayed for. You had no idea you are a church or today wasn't coming today because I've been out of church sit many months God prompted me to come and I got the week started tearing up, because I got the witness you the minute you walk to the alter ego.

That's sick I been praying for God blessed me today to see you surrender your life to Jesus self care point don't know, don't give up praying for people so again back to the word of the day, prompting if the Holy Spirit prompts.

She to speak to someone to pray for someone to do something entirely out of your comfort zone. Do it and watch the supernatural in your life if you want to get excited about your walk with God.

Let the supernatural start being natural medicine is a skill you have to get you your own pocket chef. I guess I look at you like you can work okay. Another question notarized the question.

Have you think on this one. Apollo profit evangelist, preacher and teacher K. Most people have a number one and a B option A option antibiotic at what would you say your strongest gift. Apostle profit evangelist, preacher, teacher, Joe prophetic word was spoken over me years ago that I was I was that I would be operating in the fivefold ministry, which is what you just just laid out for the listener, fivefold ministry, and it is shifted over the years. When I think about those those five titles of those five roles. Pastor would've been like at the very bottom like at the very unlike God, don't ever call me to pastor jurors like fleas like got it all beat somebody up and spit it off my advice on marriage to be.

Get over it out. I was counseling you and your marriage problems you but anyway so so right at the top number one back 20 years ago still to the evangelism.

So God's given me a heart for soul winning. That's what cola for Christ ministries is really at the foundational about soul winning so evangelism I got a degree in college.

Believe it or not actually graduated cum laude with honors and it and in teaching had a teaching degree, but I never formally taught like a look back.

Jeff now know that I've been teaching a good majority of my life so evangelist, teacher, and then I had an opportunity in 2018 to actually do an interim pastoring at a church and got that experience, though it's not as bad as I thought it might be although I'm still not convinced I am call to pastor a church but I pastor people all of the time and and so evangelist teacher, pastor, apostle profit currently would be the order in which I put my walking in the fivefold ministry in alignment go aggressive coming to one more question right so more question. Okay, this was off the hip. All right looking back at life from the time you were teenager to where you are now, if you had to pick three milestones three significant events in your life. Stay how would you from birth till now, but the knot is in order of importance, but in order of how they happened in order of how they happened. Okay, my college days so so I suffered some some fractured leg. My freshman year I suffered another fractured my other leg my senior year and and if I go back to my freshman year I was 18 years old. I like the punk kid be aligned on the field and northern the soda and add in a football game and I look at my leg and it's in the shape it's not supposed to be and I'm thinking in my to myself leg shattered dreams shattered life shattered by me life's over as I know it is rev the time. Dreamed of playing in the NFL. One day I'm a bodybuilder weightlifter and and thank you Tim Pelletier still to this day along a we met 1975, still a friend of mine to Peltier is and nurtured me through 17 days in the hospital to know that there was still more life after after a fractured leg able to come back rehabilitate that setback did not hold me back into it set me up for a come back so I came back like three more years, only to shatter my other leg of the game but I'm now more mature and so I would have a different attitude towards that okay marker number one fractured legs in college marker number two something October 1993, the day I surrender my life to Jesus that forever changed the course of life my vision my motivation, my destiny, my purpose. I all of a sudden felt like I had a purpose marker number two market number three, March 11, 2006 camp in Texas where God introduced me to the idea that that I was a male, but not a man. I was a male, but not a man. Interestingly enough, I was out I my dad gives life to Jesus at age 46 I stepped on a boss on my birthday the day I turn 47. So for 46 years of my life I was a male, but at that camp there was a teaching on Biblical manhood up to that time. My view of manhood because my dad left when I was three I had no real male mentor ship to look up to and tell age 12 1314 my view of manhood was how the world defined it in for the first time in my life through that teaching God revealed to me what it looks like to to be a man in his eyes how he defines it, not how the world defines it went back from that camp stood on a platform of my church the following Sunday morning and told the thousand people for the first time in my life. I stepped into into manhood at the age of 47. Those are the three markers that come to mind are you go in that amazing that following God's pattern brings a piece that's beyond understanding absolutely had to read great questions. Thank you and thank you for being on the Q&A would call off today.

Jeff, thanks for asking to go down to the Carolina Mall Concorde North Carolina.

Check out the Jew reminded not only might you get your Julie fixture find the piece you're looking for, but you might even get a word from the Lord when you pop into Jeff's job so executed, it will see you next I will check in with you next time we will see the best face on the same student together Q&A with goal of goblet. This is the Truth Network say what would you do if you were a new Christian and you didn't have a Bible to Michael Woolworth my way from Bible, the international you probably say well and hop in my car and go to Christian bookstore or have one shipped to me what of those word options sing with him due to the faith. I mean I need to know what it means to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus, you know, you would pray that someone, anyone would bring you a Bible and it's exactly the way it is for literally aliens are Christians around the world are part of her spiritual family. There are new to the faith they want to know what it means to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus but God has them planning where it's very difficult to access the Bible and that's why the Truth Network and Bible league of teamed up to sing God's word to 3500 Bible is believers around the globe. Our campaign is called the world needs the word five dollars in survival $100 since 20.

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