Interview with Kasey Flannikan

EMG radio for today's culture and timeless truths come together is reasoned, relevant content, apologetics, worldview and answers to the questions that you need to know need to know from Alex McFarlane ministries. This is true for a new generation radio and now the man who preached in 50 states and 50 days beaker writer, and advocate for Christian apologetics Dr. Alex McFarlane give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. That's first Thessalonians 518. Another great Bible verse about giving thanks.

Psalm 107 verse 10 give thanks to the Lord for he is good and his steadfast love endures forever. Welcome to truth for new generation Alex McFarland here are so glad you're listening it out this month we we hear so much about Thanksgiving and I hope that God has put within you a thankful heart. We have got a lot for which to be grateful and willing to talk today about thankfulness and I've got a guest a powerhouse person that I just met Lily tell you Casey Flanagan is a Jesus woman. I'm on the road in Florida and we've had several people that we've met and you know I'm traveling.

If you're a frequent listener to transfer new generation you know that I frequently meet people that we just put them on the radio because their story is so compelling and I was thinking about how much we have to be grateful for the Bible says give thanks in all things, even in all circumstances, because you know you might be in the midst of a bad circumstance right now. But God is powerful enough to weave it into something beautiful. Maybe you've done things in your past that you would just as soon forget. Maybe you've got more baggage than Samsonite. We want to tell you that Jesus loves you. Jesus really really loves you and Jesus will forgive you, Jesus will save your soul.

Jesus will restore your emotions heal your wounds. Jesus will pick you up banded you up and give you a brand-new start. How many people listening right now you just wish you could have a blank sheet of paper and just start over Jesus Christ will give you that and and so I'm down here at First Baptist Church of Stuart Florida and I met somebody who is just the most dynamic, radiant witness for Christ that I think I've met in in many a year in case you want to say thank you you're busy, you got a lot going on but you made time to come in the studio and record with us and we we just want to hear your story. So first of all, thanks.

You're more than welcome. Glad to hear you said something all of us from church we were fellow shipping together after one of the services I was done here to teach you mention your dad your father building churches all over the world. He is the center point to where they St. churches from all over the United States when they want to go on a mission trip they send them to my father. He makes the plans stands the church applicant two weeks and then they arm support the pastor they set a community to go back in two years and watch the community thrive in a way that you could not imagine a ghost from having nothing to something because of the love of Jesus Christ and living water that comes from that. So would you see in some ways you come from a missionary family absolutely.

I started here first Baptist. When I was nine years old on my very first missionary trip and me. My mother, my father got to go out of the country and build several chapels and it started my heart, my love for Christ then is just a nine-year-old young girl and I would go home and I had all my four girlfriends kneel down the grass. I told him he come and having with me. I found Jesus. Yeah, and I didn't even know it.

Nine then when I was still in and that what the Lord was really set me up for for later on in life and setting the foundation in such a young age of my life so that they would have something to come back to that, you've got a very dynamic magnetic personality.

When we were the pastor and all was we were out eyes saw you encouraging people you're telling people about Jesus. What you say Casey to the person who goes yeah she's on fire for Christ she's out there smiling, talking to people, but I could never do that. How do you give somebody the vision that they too could be a light for Jesus in their community. One thing I have had to remember is that we have a loving Creator that has no physical hands. Okay he has to come through our individual bodies see the unconditional love of each other to be the unconditional love of Christ comes through our physical hands. So the only way to do that is to go and spread love with our own physical hands and at first comes from the top a love of Christ and have that horizontal relationship before we can go vertical is first and foremost on the pivotal point for any human being to be able to start over brand-new be born again and it doesn't matter if he thought he those are seen as far as the east is to the West and remembers it no more. Moses was a stutterer and was asked to lead. 2 million people out of Egypt and Moses said, Lord, are you sure your choosing me. I can even speak well and he showed Moses that he was equipped, and well to do that and for anybody who's feeling that they can't share the love of Christ with Jesus. All you have to do is just ask the Holy Spirit to do that for you and he will come into your heart and do that for you through you. As you can be the glass for Jesus Christ in this world is truly the answer to all of our problems in life you earlier today I was talking with a Muslim man who became a born-again Christian.

He left Islam, he became Christian and he said something that is so powerful and folks if you just tuning in your talk with Casey Flanagan in Florida in the next segment you're going to hear her complete story that is just one of the most powerful testimonies ever. But this born-again ex-Muslim I was talking to today.

He said Christians begin to love him.

They begin to tell about Jesus and he said the love of these Christians was the most powerful Bible anybody could've ever written. That's right folks, we got a brief break Alex McFarland here and I want to say thank you note 2019 is been a powerhouse of the year probably hundred and 50 different churches and schools and we've done several major national events. You know all about that. We did a youth camp. We had kids from seven states that are woven Last summer for every body is been praying for us since your kids to our conferences and you've emailed me said hey Alex. Praying for you. We give God the glory. But do want to say thanks. Satan would be right back after this brief break with more of the medical testimony of Casey Flanagan from I am a watchman ministries.

Here's today's I am a watchman minute ever feel like you're just treading water like your barely surviving. If so, you're not alone in Job 7 we read, my life drags five day after hopeless day. I'm tired of living my life makes no sense friend when you're tired draw close to God. Draw strength from God. He loves you. He will renew you in Isaiah 4031 we read those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint claim that promise today don't pull back. Don't slow down, don't stop short when tough times come, remember God is with you in the I'm a watchman team stands with you two don't hesitate to send questions your prayer request to. I'm a watchman.com people be faithful, be a watchman, I am a watchman.com. If you're a Christian parent. You of course want to instill a biblical view of life in the hearts of your children, your pastor, you want to offer ministry that draws young families to your church. This is Alex McFarland encouraging you to check out my new book and video curriculum. The 21 toughest questions your kids will ask about Christianity. I interviewed hundreds of children ages 5 to 12 and we address actual questions from actual children. The spiritual issues that are on the minds of your kids Jesus everything the book and video lessons are great for groups of any size and was produced with the goal of equipping kids to stand strong for Christ in any situation. The 21 toughest questions your kids will ask the book study guide and video series. You'll find it@afastore.net that AFA store.net is a group more than $1 trillion in purchasing power watching by 2025 will comprise 75% of the workforce, so employers are watching the millennial's are losing our faith is watching GMAC's is for millennial's by millennial in a closer walk with Jesus because above all, God is watching each magazine.net no need to have a Bible degree from Liberty University to love Sir Ray worship obey God they can make life more vibrantly when you're ready for a religious studies degree find more than 60 ministry degree options bachelors to a doctor of ministry one Leblanc rate for divinity courses at Liberty University where we train champions for Christ but a liberty.edu\explore, to learn more as limiting.edu\explore, to learn more timeless cruise soundbite culture for a new generation radio and Ephesians 520, the word of God's is giving thanks always and for everything to God the father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ will conduct the program TMG radio Alex McFarland were giving thanks to God.

Casey would a lot to be thankful. Fortunately, amen. Praise God, we do all right.

So you were in the church as a little girl nine years old.

Finding Jesus going on mission trips. I guess then your life has been just pain-free problem free straight and narrow right. I sure wish I say I could and would but unfortunately it wasn't. Tell us your story. So even to the love of Jesus Christ which I've carried in my heart deeply in the foundation have created that my mother and father knew it says in the word that press for me and my my household, we will serve the Lord, and if you set the foundation a child that they will come back. So as my childhood went on attic date, about 14. My father became in a closet alcoholic and it became a disruption.

I believe the enemy knew that my family was going to make a great impact in the kingdom and he set his best demons out to attack the weakest link and addiction and alcoholism came into my family and toward a part. My mother and father got divorced I my mother moved away. I believe she joined another church and went on to do some missionary work in Thailand and Korea and a few other places but my dad became further depressed because she really had a heart for the Lord and the drugs and alcohol took in over and I can remember as a young child being about 15 years old. I dropped out of high school I did know how to help her fix.

I was just young myself and I knew that the Lord loved us and I and I almost became angry with the Lord in the beginning as a young child, not understanding, and then my dad went to rehab and he got out of it and moved back in with his parents in Tennessee and sold the house and was able to move to Brazil and become now the full-time missionary that he is today building.

No. 636 churches that we were talking about what is been doing that ever sense. But meanwhile I got left kind of in the dust and now what do I do with a heart of full of God in a world full of flesh and so I became pregnant at 17, and to the drug dealer and who is spent 10 years of his life in prison. I raise my daughter by myself until the age of she was five and the grandparents. His grandparents intervened. Then at that moment and said we can put it through private school. We can give her a cheerleading and those kind things and at that moment my life I just did not. I did not have it together enough to be the parent that I need to be for my daughter and I wanted her to have better and God gave me peace in the moment to build to give my child to the grandparents, and she by the grace of God is a beautiful, wonderful, loving child and she loves the Lord as well today to Scott so my walk continued on after Jolene was then out of my life. My drug use went plummeting into the depths of utter hell and despair and in the meanwhile I was out there. I can still member I would praise God in the midst of being high. Out in the streets and in being around all these people. They must look at me like I was crazy because I was the enemy was leading me down there to kill me, but God's angels were surrounding me going now to protect you.

We we have this one here.

This one's ours. Job was allowed to it.

The gate was allowed to be just dropped around Job, and an enemy was allowed to attack and kill them but couldn't killing him and to see if he would curse God's name in the whole time. I continued to praise God and after suffering in that addiction my own, and jails, institutions and rehabs I got out of it.

I'm now eight years clean and free of all that I am going back to be a therapist for addiction therapy I'm going to give back and that that area where the enemy thinks he took from me. God says in the word where he began, he will finish and then come back into first Baptist and start a Patel's facilitation for celebrate recovery and I'm going to start giving back on what the enemy took for me and I hope that he wakes up and knows that he messed with the wrong one this time.

God bless you want your thoughts on a Bible verse in the Old Testament Joel two verse 25 says God restores the years the locust has eaten a farm where we grew up in North Carolina and we raised the crops and the insects of the deer or the locust could sweep and you've lost a year's work in the crops or did what does it mean to you that our God restores the years the locust has eaten. If only the depths of where the despair had taken me. I can only imagine the blessing that my eyes have not seen in my ears have not heard it is going to come down, pressing down, shaken together for me and my family and God's vision for our life to further help educate fight the demonic force that comes along with alcoholism and addiction so we have a lot of listeners and loosen being a Christian doesn't mean that life is just to be hunky-dory all the time even a born-again believer whose walking with the Lord look godly families have challenges devout Christian people go through deep valleys, but Casey don't ask you some questions.

Is there hope for the family.

That is just unraveling right now absolutely I can remember walking on the street corner and absolute despair. And I felt like I had no hope. But I can close my eyes and that one moment and I could ask the Lord. Please Lord, just give me 1 ounce of hope and that's all we have to do. We can go boldly to the throne. It's just one step away one call out one cry, one hope is just one calling all we have to do is call and he is there to answer about the person who has tried to beat addiction's substance abuse patterns of behavior, and they feel like they've blown it for the hundredth time I blew it for a million times over and over. I'm still blowing it today. I'm not perfect I find that your addiction and alcoholism can come out in other ways's codependency can come out and alcohol workaholism and other ways she just have to really stay on top of getting a new routine where you plucked out the old things put in new positive things find good Christian church and surround yourself with people they can fill you up from what the enemy is taken from you to everybody listening. We gotta take a quick break your book look be part of the church. We we need that encouragement when you got accountability and you as part of God's family and being a part of the church you're going to be used by God to be a blessing to somebody. As you grow in your life is a witness to those around you know Satan got a powerhouse segment with Casey Flanagan here on truth for a new generation. Be thankful to God and will be right back after this. Christians don't necessarily agree with one another when it comes to questions of religious pluralism, homosexuality, the role of government. The portion of war. Too often, we manage these disagreements by ignoring network called to engage the world for the sake of Christ. How can we be effective if we avoid society's most pressing questions and issues that divide Christians Alex McFarlane challenges us to drill down to the core of current issues such as social justice evil and suffering, photography, and environmentalism echoes the biblical patient come let us reason together only by engaging the Scriptures thinking clearly and speaking truthfully and we in God's family address our differences and discover the peace that comes with unity of purpose. 10 issues that divide Christians find this book and many others@alexmcfarlane.com first Peter 315 tells us to be ready always to give an answer for the hope we have were instructed to be prepared to defend our faith. This is Alex McFarlane for the life he answers teams students we train at North Greenville University, a leading Christian college in South Carolina life answers. Teams are made up of students who will inspire and equip your congregation. These apologetics teams. We train speaking in churches youth groups and train Christians of all ages to address key issues of our times. From a biblical perspective. Is there a God is the Bible true about gender and moral issues. Call me at 864977 2008 and we will arrange for the life interesting to come to your church and give a presentation that will benefit your people for years to come. 864-977-2000 eight and always be ready in the midst of a culture obsessed with relativism. Alex McFarlane is a voice you can trust to speak the timeless truths of Christianity in a timely way. You're listening to the truth for a new generation radio back to you and you really are working to continue to talk with Casey Flanagan but just want to say this to everybody listening believe this, God loves you. You said, but Alex, this happened to me. God loves you said, but Alex, I did this god loves you believe that God loves you only give the Scripture to hear from Casey again, but Colossians 3, beginning at verse 15 says let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called into one body you were called into the body of Christ to give peace… And be thankful with the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your heart to God that was never 17 of Colossians 3. This is awesome.

Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him noticed, there's the peace of Christ that comes to a relationship with Christ and we maintain it through the word of Christ, and we foster it stoke it build up with gratefulness and everything we do in the name of Christ and that's the Christian life, and Casey, let me ask you this, but it sums people what's her somebody get sober for the moment and we think well of.

Gotta be sober for the rest of my life won't. We don't know the rest of our life. We just know this moment right now and maybe is it fair to say to somebody, don't think about trying to beat all your bad habits for a decade of the top just do it for an hour at a time over the next five moments at a time over the next moment because is the walk with Jesus a day by day really moment by moment thing it really is. I hadn't noticed in my own life and in my own walk with the Lord that it says that he is the vine and we are the branches and the spiritual fruits love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, long-suffering, those begin to grow, but I said fruit has to fall off first and that pruning says in the Bible tends to hurt and sometimes that's the loving hand of a caring father. They comes in and says I love you so much that this is unacceptable in your life. This is unacceptable in your life, and he comes into a loving hand and a guiding hand and sometimes it feels like were being ostracized or rejected door and in those moments that only need to seek out most someone with a Christian basis.

Background that's can uplift us and pull us out because it says where there's two or more gathered in the name of the Lord, he is there in the minutes and so when you're feeling that negativity or feeling something pulling you down. You can't get out of it. You need to get connected into a Christian based Bible based believing people that will help pull you out of any situation that we can overcome together because access to Christ we can do all things Casey met a lot of people and they have done things that have been destructive to themselves and others, but the majority people I meet, blame other people. Yeah, I did this, but mom and dad caused me to yeah this happened but it wasn't my fault. How do you honestly accept and own your own decisions, but same time move on in the restoration of Christ and not beat yourself up for things that that went wrong that if were honest, we did. We did this we chose this year we made decisions, how do we own our own decisions, but move on in the restoration of Jesus. First I had to realize in comes the realization that everything that I went through was okay and the Lord knew about it before I ever would go through it. Any knowing that gave me a sense of peace and through the love of Jesus Christ and studying of your word you will see countless times throughout the stories of how many people messed up. I want shirts printed out says no perfect People allowed David the man after his own heart. He was not a perfect man, but was considered the man after God's own heart and our own mistakes. Every single human being. We were born into captivity. We were born into sin is what naturally comes first, and to the left of Jesus Christ and being reborn again into this beautiful family that's here for you. You can learn to live a new life and how to have meaning and have a future and a vision that God predestined and ordained for you to have in your life will change tremendously prescribed and that is true, folks, you know sometimes people ask why did I go through this or that. I was thinking about. Second Corinthians 1 verse forces God comforts us in all of our trouble, that we may be able to comfort others with the same comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted from God's folks sometime circumstances get our attention, and they turn our eyes to Christ and then we wonder in a while rethinks is what well sometimes the deep valley where we learn the faithfulness and power of God is also preparation for ministry is an absolutely I would not give back any of the time that I spent in jail or rehab's or out of the streets. It taught me so much about the loving care and grace of the Lord and how much he just loves us. Anyways he gave me a big vision. It's called the promised land. I want to own a big piece of property to bring a lot of people that are in my same like the verse you just read you know that struggles we go through are often the place were hurt the most is where God wants to use us, you would you pray not only for the people listening that need somebody to come to Christ.

Some some need to come back to Christ. But would you pray for America's youth okay sales in West Virginia so many kids are dying by drug overdoses. I was in Ohio with their states. They got a put it in the budget to bury all the people that overdose. Satan must not kill this nation and we have power in the name of Jesus. We only got a minute or so, would you go for this nation and for the fellow strugglers out there, would you lead us in a word or prayer delight. How if I just think you right now to be in your presence. Lord, Lord, we just bind the enemy and all of his demonic forces that he is sent out with addiction and alcoholism into this nation against our youth, but we stand up and we know that you are raising a mighty army to come and fight against that with knowledge and truth because it says in your word where there is truth will set you free. You are free indeed. And I just pray for the entire nation and all across the world for all the children men and women that are being used and abused by diction and half broken off name change will Jesus hold them in case if I can. Thank you for being a truthful new generation radio. Thank you all for listening and most of all, thanks to Jesus, our Savior. TMG radio is made possible by the friends of Alex McFarland ministry, PO Box 10231 rural NC 27404. That's PO Box 10231, Greensboro, NC 27404 call us at 877 yes God one that's 877 yes, God, and the number one or give online@alexmcfarland.com while you're there with the program archives. Read Alex's blog invite Alex to speak at your event will contact Alex with a question or comment, Alex McFarland.com. Thanks for listening today and join us again next time. As we bring you more true for a new generation TMG radio