FULL 795 - No Title Yet - Joel Sikha
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[00:00:00] What's up my man, it's Sathya Sam here. Welcome to Unleash the Man Within. Thank you so much for listening. Today I sit down with Joel Sika. This was such a cool interview for me because this guy's from the same part of India that my parents are from. So there were a lot of brown jokes, a lot of Indian kind of innuendos.
We had a lot of fun together. But this guy's a pastor from Boise, Idaho. He has this wild story of how he wound up immigrating from India to America and how he has renounced his Indian citizenship. He is actually fully committed to America, and he actually sees himself as a missionary, if you can believe that.
And so we talk all about that. Uh, we talked a little bit about handling stress and what it looks like to do this in a very biblical way. We talked about biblical literacy. Uh, we talked about the end times. You know, we talked a little about a little bit of everything. Uh, and I, you know, for me, this was just fun.
It's fun to sit down with another pastor. I was a pastor for 10 years. Um, and obviously, of course, we talked about pornography addiction and the hyper sexualization of our culture. And what it looks like for us to really [00:01:00] walk in biblical holiness. And so this is a little bit of a different flavor. We don't always just bring on a pastor.
I usually bring on people that are credentialed, um, and maybe have pastoral history. But today I just brought on a straight pastor. Um, he definitely can preach and you're going to find that out in some of his responses. There's a lot of depth. And this is a man who really takes his walk with God seriously.
Um, and so especially I think, you know, there's a different pillars that, uh, factor into you and I having a successful life. And sometimes it's us working on the mental pillar together. Sometimes it's more of the physical part of it. Um, sometimes we're talking about, you know, economics and finances, uh, things that are really important for a guy and somebody who's leading the home.
Sometimes we're talking about family, you know, and parenting. And obviously all the time we're talking about recovery and the emotional and psychological and relational parts of life. But today. We're focused on the spiritual and sometimes this is the most important thing. It's the most neglected one.
And so I know you guys are going to be fed. You're going to be enriched and hopefully you're going to walk away a little bit more, uh, looking like Christ and stepping more into your calling. And so that's the design of today's interview. [00:02:00] I know you're going to love it without further ado. Here's my interview with Joel Sika.
riverside_sathiya_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0021: All right. Well, I'm here with my new friend, Joel, a fellow Indian.
Good to have another brother on this show. Welcome, man. Glad you're here.
riverside_joel_sikha_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0020: a pleasure to be here satya. Thank you for having me
riverside_sathiya_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0021: So dude, you are a, you're a brown man in Boise, Idaho. What are you, what are you doing over there? How the heck did that happen?
Yeah,
riverside_joel_sikha_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0020: [00:03:00] yeah, you don't see many brown folks, right? Um, well, short, to keep it short, my wife is from here, uh, from California originally. She always corrects me when I say she's from here.
She's like, no, I'm from California, not originally from Idaho. But um, we, we, um, yeah, when we got married, we felt like, you know, after a few months of being here, God was very clear and saying, this is going to be home for you. And uh, and then as time went, God said, this is where you're not just going to be, you're I'm calling it to be a missionary over here and um, and it's been 14 years and I sometimes, no, not sometimes very often feel like Jonah and I want to run.
I want to come to Toronto. I want to go to Hawaii. You know, I want to move back to India. But, um, There definitely is a harvest over here in Boise, and there's a lot of work that needs to be done for, for the sake of the gospel, which is, um, I'm really glad that God's put me over here, that God's brought me over here.
I have a family here. I've renounced my Indian citizenship. Three years ago, I became an American citizen to [00:04:00] really embrace the call. It's kind of like burning off the bridge and saying, okay, this is it now, you know,
riverside_sathiya_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0021: that's right. Yeah, there's no turning back
riverside_joel_sikha_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0020: I finally went to India last month. I was there for, uh, only about a week, but it was very humbling to have to get a visa to go back to your own home country, you know, uh, but, but, but this is home now and, uh, yeah, I'm trying to embrace it as best as I can.
And, uh, the people here are. You know, in our church, God's really blessed me with people who become like family to me, which is amazing. Yeah.
riverside_sathiya_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0021: That's really cool. Yeah. So, my parents are from the South, where, you know, there's a little bit more Christianity. You mentioned you speak Hindi, so I'm not sure where in India you're from, but I have to imagine you're not from the South. You're not from an area where Christianity has any kind of prevalence.
Um, how did you become a Christian?
riverside_joel_sikha_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0020: So I am from the South. I, the only reason I
riverside_sathiya_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0021: Oh, you are?
riverside_joel_sikha_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0020: Yeah. The only reason I spoke Hindi is because most of my friends grown up in India were Muslims and, uh, love riding motorcycles and most [00:05:00] mechanics are Muslims. And so, uh, I'd hang out in the mechanic shop, you know, drinking chai with them and, you know, talking about motorcycles.
And I picked up Hindi and, um, yeah, people in the South really don't speak Hindi and I'm from Bangalore. I'm originally a Tamilian from my, my parents are Tamilians. So I speak Tamil and, um, I still try to watch Tamil movies to keep, to, to keep that language alive
riverside_sathiya_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0021: Yeah, keep it
riverside_joel_sikha_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0020: But, uh, but I, most of my life was in Bangalore, the South of India, and my dad was a pastor or is still a pastor.
So, uh, yeah. And, uh, and when he had his Children, he wanted us to all have Christian names because that was one of those things in a country where there's only about 2 percent of Christians, uh, the Christians that were there really take pride and joy in being a believer. And they that's that's something that I really I'm glad that was instilled in me to.
To wear your christianity with joy And you know not not flaunted but but to really live under the banner of I belong to christ And so he gave me the prophet's [00:06:00] name joel, which now people are blaspheming and calling it joel, which is fine but um, and uh, and and so yeah, I grew up in a christian home, but um as we get in this conversation I will tell you more about how that quickly changed when my dad he He decided to leave the family and so that was a huge blow on my faith on my christianity uh being the youngest, uh, I was the you know, three two older brothers and three children in total and When you're when you're a young boy Your father is your idol man.
He you look up to him. He rode motorcycles. He was a karate instructor He he had his master's in theology and he was one of the best preachers i'd ever heard And when he left home You You know your faith just drops and um, and so so that that's when I think my my journey of really having to Examine my identity in my very given name for my parents and ask myself What how do I fit into?
This [00:07:00] story that i've been placed into all began
riverside_sathiya_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0021: wow, my goodness. Yeah, it's amazing. Yeah, my I I have family in bangalore So usually when we go to india, we we fly in there first and we see them and then We'll make our way around the south. So that's really cool. Yeah, I didn't know that Yeah, did, um, so you got married, uh, when you came to America, obviously, did you have any, any pressure for an arranged marriage or anything like that?
Or were you Americanized enough that your parents knew it was, or your mom knew it was going to be more traditional?
riverside_joel_sikha_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0020: my wife is going to kill me for saying this but Our marriage technically was arranged, uh, because,
riverside_sathiya_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0021: go. Okay.
riverside_joel_sikha_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0020: my sister in law, who is, who is an American, who's in Idaho, uh, my, my older brother came here, you know, uh, he met his wife through YRAM, which surprise, surprise, you know, white girl meets a little brown guy in India.
And, you know, we were in a band playing music and, but she calls my mother. And says, you know, I have a friend who'd be really great for joel [00:08:00] and and so I come back from work and my mother Tells me like the typical style, you know, it's like, you know, holly has a friend. She'll be very good for you and and I got so mad at my mom I said mom I can deal with my own life I can find my own wife, but Uh that night while I was at work that evening while I was at work Uh curiosity got the better of me and so I had to look up this person Who is this?
white chick that my sister in law thinks will be really good for me, you know, and I looked her up and It was so beautiful because I had I'd done my first journey out of India to Australia, uh, working for this radio station. And I've just come back from Australia after being around a bunch of white folks and, you know, and Megan, my wife, had just come back from a trip from Southeast Asia.
And so I'm watching her pictures on Facebook with this tall white girl around a bunch of tiny brown people, you know, and she doing all the white girl things, you know, with petting tigers and stuff like that. And, And there seems to be a sense of connection because, uh, we both were in a season in life where it seemed like we were very content [00:09:00] being alone, being single.
And, um, And it seemed like God was opening up a door. And so I sent her a message that night and, uh, and the rest is really, you know, kind of where we are now, 14 years later, and God began to pave the way, pave the way. And, uh, we started talking, um, After we started talking about six, I think about six months later I I came to the states and met her which again I mean that was a miracle because typically for a a young single guy in india to get a visa to come to the states Back then was extremely difficult.
And um, yeah, and the the u. s. Embassy gave me a 10 year u. s Visa, which was a miracle the my home church There was one lady who said don't even bother going for this visa interview You're never going to get it and and she literally said she said it's going to be like a mountain standing on its head If you get too close And at that time there was a song that was going around was really popular.
It said my savior He can move mountains. My god is mighty to save and that seemed to be the anthem of my life at that That season in my life and when god began to pave these doors open, [00:10:00] you know, just like smash these doors open Uh, you I really saw god's hand in this and uh, but there were there were tough times after we got married Like I said four months in uh, we found out that we were pregnant with our first and it Begin to spin my world upside down because I came from being this very well known radio DJ.
Uh, my face is on the billboard and stuff like that. And people, um, my nickname was Mr Bones on air because Joel is hard to pronounce. And, uh, and so it was Mr Bones. And, uh, and I come over here and people don't even know if you speak English. And, you know, and, um, and I, I went to my wife's church and our first fight we had was, uh, she went to this very big church and I come from a very home, I come from a home church background.
And so, um, the first year of her marriage was rough. Uh, you know, all of a sudden your identity is being stripped. You find out that your wife is pregnant, you are an alien, you don't have a work permit and, uh, all your experience does not matter. You're stripped of your manliness, uh, you're stripped of your [00:11:00] identity.
And um, and it was it was it was extremely tough, but I believe that That first year of our marriage was very crucial In in what we're doing today what we're doing today as a husband and wife as a family in where we are uh That the first year was foundational for us, which was amazing Looking back now at that time.
It was horrible, but looking back it was necessary. Yeah
riverside_sathiya_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0021: Yeah. So, a North American might almost be offended to hear that a person came from India as a missionary to, you know, come and spread the gospel and, you know, we got it all figured out over here and we go to India to, you know, to spread the gospel there. Um, I think you would have just fascinating perspective.
So I have to ask, like, what, what is your observation of the North American church having grown up in India? Yeah. Um, you, you used the word home church, were you part of a CSI church? I just have to ask, were you part of a CSI church?
riverside_joel_sikha_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0020: No, but my dad was a part of the csi church so Uh Let me let me answer that question about how christianity is very [00:12:00] different over here and why people need to be saved over here but um Very briefly after my dad left home. I did not even want to question the christian faith I just didn't want to have any part of it.
I would rather be an agnostic an atheist I was angry with god and I was ready to go to hell if need be because I felt like My whole world came crashing down. Um, everything that I heard preachers preach just seemed like a big hypocritical lie. And, um, and they were, and I ran away from home. I, you know, I was in relationships that I shouldn't have been in as a, as a teenager, you know, uh, living, I was homeless in India.
I left home, um, being homeless in India, but, and I say this often, our greatest strengths. Is also our greatest weaknesses when it's slightly misaligned It doesn't have to be complete. It's slightly misaligned. David was a man with a lot of passion slightly misaligned his passions go the wrong way And even in being being very young I noticed that I had the gift of being able to [00:13:00] convince people and I was a very good businessman.
I was a very good salesman And so I began to sell, you know pot I said sold weed to be able to make some money being homeless and in in this This was when I was in andhra pradesh. My dad was pastoring a church in vizag with shaka patnam And um, and it's a it's a it's a very very dark place at least for me.
It was a very dark place And over there I was saved in a, in a home church run by an Australian missionary, and they were very charismatic, speaking in tongues all the time. And I went to that home church to pick a fight with a guy and I ended up staying there. And, and a few weeks later, God really met me over there.
And the song, again, my whole Christian life can be punctuated with songs, with worship music that, that God really used to speak to me. And, uh, the song that they were singing was, um, uh. My Jesus, my savior, Lord, there is none like you. Mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of your name. And I didn't, couldn't put it into words then, but the mountain in my [00:14:00] life was the hatred and unforgiveness I had towards my dad.
And in that very split second, I realized that. I wish I felt sorry. I wish that my dad who preached about Jesus knew about this God It was so powerful that mountains bow down to and I didn't realize I was giving my life to Jesus that that afternoon and that home church and one thing when I spoke to That guy later on he said God is doing something in you and he's calling you to trust him and so I gave my life to Jesus that next week I was baptized and Uh, and I stayed in this man's house for up to two years because I was a runaway And then finally I went back home reconciled with my mother And, uh, so my Christianity has not been a very churchy type Christian.
It's been a very rough, tough Christianity. It's very raw. It's, uh, I wouldn't say authenticity because I'm still figuring it out. I'm still trying to figure out, you know, this God that I'd betrayed, that I denied. I'm still trying to figure out how is he playing in my life? And yesterday I was [00:15:00] telling my wife this, it blows my mind that God shows up in so many different ways, but every time he shows up, it's exactly what you need, you know, to those who are hungry, he shows up as manna to those who are thirsty.
He's living water to those who are weak. He's a strength to those who are being beaten down. He says, I'm your warrior King, you know, and And to the woman, the prostitute, who has been giving a life away, he shows up as a friend and a lover, as someone who accepts worship, as someone who accepts friendship.
It just blows my mind that does God show. And so I'm still trying to figure out, God, how are you showing up in my life? Because I've, I've run away so much from what Christianity looks like and I've gone so far, but you still show up in the areas where I need you the most in the way I can understand you, you know?
And so, uh, I'm So when I came to the States, so now fast forward to answer your question of how is it that I'm a missionary in America? I mean, this is where our theologians come from. This is where books are written. All these books that I have on my shelf over here, most of them are [00:16:00] Americans, you know, or English people.
The problem, I believe, is, and this is something I've been teaching the church, the mind cannot grasp what the heart does not treasure. If your mind cannot grasp what the You know, over here we have so many things that we're trying to understand intellectually, but there's no heart in it. We, we don't, there's no emotions in it.
And, and there was the emergent church movement that was very emotionally driven, but in our emotions, there was no truth in it. There was no understanding of, you know, Uh, what, what is, what does God's word say in the light of what I'm feeling? And so today we see a world that's very divided. So you have the church that is very intellectualized And you have the world that's running after the emotions and that's why we have gender identity issues We have people medicating themselves.
We have you know, lately i'm Shocked by how many people are talking about the imposter syndrome You know, because we feel like we're just living a lie, because our emotions don't line up with what we heard in church, what we heard in school, what we [00:17:00] heard our parents tell us. My emotions don't line up with that.
So there's a major disconnect between the intellect and the emotions. And what I sense coming from India, is There's a christianity that comes out of suffering out of the context of pain out of the context of having to do with little Out of the context see the bible was written in the context of suffering But when commentaries are written from a place of comfort, we've totally misread the bible and so when when I see myself as a missionary in america, it seems like it's a drop in the bucket what i'm doing over here, but Um, I believe this is why god's called me and and somehow You I want to, I want people to understand that just because you're comfortable, doesn't mean you're blessed.
If you're unable to feel what truth really is, and feelings is not everything, but, but God does use emotions. You know, I was talking to, An older person over here at our church, which is surprising a guy like me You [00:18:00] would think we would have a bustling young adult ministry We don't most of the people in our church have come here to die The gray hat people and I say they're on the evening of their life.
It's almost done And I was talking to a person and and it's so beautiful when I watch these older believers Who walked through the valley of the shadow of death and they got scars to prove it? And they talk about God and tears begins to fill the eyes. And, and you could see that they're not just speaking from a mental understanding, but their heart is soaked and saturated with the goodness of God.
People like that don't need to preach, you know, uh, They, they say things from the depths of where God's living water is flowing and, and you can feed on it. It can never be replicated. Authenticity that they, that they bring can never be replicated because they've seen the God who's shown up in areas of their life where they never expected in a way that they needed.
And man, there's no convincing them otherwise, you know? And so it's, it's very hard to tangibly, [00:19:00] uh, evaluate this. It's just something we got to walk it out. And um, so i'm still trying to figure out how to put this in tangible terms and And my wife and I we stay up hours talking about this But god is just saying just keep doing it week in and week out calling people to authenticity I say the living church is an authentic church for authentic people when we talk about our failures.
We talk about The areas where we need to see God and then we rejoice when we see him in unorthodox ways where we never expected him to show up and speak to us and encourage us. Um, so yeah, I hope that answers the question.
riverside_sathiya_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0021: very much. So yeah, talk to me a little bit about, you know, I've seen some of your stuff online. You have a huge value for the word of God something. I really appreciate about you and Something that I would say is lost a little bit in some of the North American church, you know, Bible literacy is at an all time low in a day and age, and we've never had more access to the Bible itself, let alone commentaries and history and everything that comes with it.
Um, and I [00:20:00] know my wife and I even have just recently switched churches because we wanted A church that was a little bit more emphatic about the word of God and you know, um, yeah I guess my question is, you know for you How are you or how are you advising people to to get in the word? And are you observing that lack of biblical literacy as well where you are and yeah Just any recommendations you have I think for people who maybe hear this and do want to get more in the word How would you encourage somebody to do that?
riverside_joel_sikha_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0020: That's a brilliant question, man. So I want, I want to, I want to answer this question by first saying, I'm an uneducated man. I was kicked out of my school in ninth grade when I was in Vizag because I was cleaning my marijuana and the last row of the bench off by my, you know, my classroom and I wanted to get kicked out because I didn't want to be in school and, and after years of being gone, I just couldn't get back into education.
And so. My my highest education is on my ninth grade dropout man and and that's who I am and i'm not ashamed to say that because The word of god says that when I open my mouth He will fill it the word of god says that this [00:21:00] holy spirit will be my guide and my teacher And I think once again christianity is not about formulas.
It's not about we cannot put god Between two lines and say this is how god is going to work In fact, whenever we do that god says watch me, you know, i'm going to switch it up now and You One thing I've noticed in my own life is that when you really want to have a deeper understanding of God, the first thing we would want to do is have solitude.
It's just like when you fall in love, you want to cut away the third wheel. You want to cut away the friends and be like, I just want to be with you. Talk to me, text me. When would the phone be? things, you know, your dopamine kicks in and you're like, it's there. Here it is now, you know, the text. And the first thing that people would want is solitude.
And so the first thing I tell my church is, do you have that joy? Do you have that desperateness to want to be alone with him? Do you have that joy of wanting to cut away everything else and be like, God, I want you, please talk to me. And the first, the first sign of a safe person is [00:22:00] solitude and without solitude, we, all we have is again, just that formula driven head knowledge of what some pastor says.
And I, I'm tired, man, I'm tired of Christians who regurgitate John McArthur and John Piper and Joel Calvin and, and a bunch of other dead theologians. I'm tired of that. Because I love reading about William Carey who came to India and about the missionaries who went to China and Adoniram Judson who went to Burma.
But what about our generation? Where do we have those people who are willing to pack their stuff and go to places in a coffin to say, Lord, I'm here. I'm here me and my family. We will serve the lord We don't have that sense of desperateness to want to be with him And so we we don't dive into his word with that sense of longing to say lord talk to me Like i'll give you an example yesterday.
I was working in my garage on a on a on a motorcycle and and that's something I do for my solitude time is Not not all the time But god speaks to me in my garage when i'm working with my hands and and it's it's good [00:23:00] to get away and you know Wrenching on stuff And I figured something out. I figured something out on this bike that I've known for a long time I'd never seen this one little feature on this bike And I was so excited about it and i'm telling you that if I ever saw anybody ride that same bike I'm going to stop and point it out to them and say did you know that you have this?
and similarly We don't have people as excited about the gospel in pointing out others saying do you know you have this feature where? There's glory You In your life that you can experience the true and the living god And I think it's because we ourselves have not experienced it. We ourselves have not experienced that breakthrough I mean like for you when you talk about overcoming the addiction of pornography Man, I know that you have this boldness to do it because it's a tangible reality in your life, you know And and there's there's something very captivating when a person who's been with jesus and who's seen it Touched it, felt it, and is living it.
The Apostle says, that which we've seen, that which we've heard, that which we've touched, we [00:24:00] declare to you, and then, you know, even in, um, when the disciples are beaten up in the book of Acts by the, the council, it says, but They were shocked at the courage at which these disciples were working in and they took note that they had been with Jesus.
How do we understand God's word? We would not understand God's word if we first don't have a desperation for Him. You know, and I think in the modern day, like you said, we're living in a world of artificial intelligence. God is not about intelligence, He's about intimacy. If there's no intimacy, our intelligence is just foolishness before God.
In fact, He will make, He will make the wisdom of man. Absolute ridiculous foolishness, and I think we're seeing it as a whole generation is leaving the church We're seeing it that man's wisdom his his schemes of being able to keep the young adults The schemes of being able to keep the youth all failed.
I was a youth pastor and I saw it and it's it's horrifying So how do we get to the word of god being so beautiful that people will want to dive into it, man I [00:25:00] believe that when preachers when gospel ministers when missionaries and you know evangelists truly are able to have intimacy with Christ. You know, Charles Spurgeon would say, I want to watch, I want to burn.
So people will come to watch me burn. And I had to add a line to it and saying, I don't want people just to come and watch me burn. I want them to get curious to see why am I not burning? Am I not a human being? Why is it that I don't have this so again in our church We say our mission our vision for the living church is for us to grow in intimacy with christ.
That's it Ultimately when you stand before the king, it's not going to be what you did matthew 7 lord lord We did so many things. He says you lawless people. You did not do the will of my father Ultimately, it's, did you kiss the sun? Did you love him? Did you, if you love me, you will keep my commands. It starts with that.
I've given you a new command, love one another as I have loved you. If we do not know his love, his word makes no sense. His word is just word. Even Satan knows the word, but he doesn't love him. You need, because he doesn't love him, he doesn't obey him. And so we [00:26:00] have a so called Christian nation that knows a lot about the words, but has never heard the voice.
My sheep hear my voice, says the king, and they will follow me. So the way I would challenge people to really want to dive deep and to understand is first to say, man, do I love him? And if you don't love him, you know, Point out those idols that's stopping you. What are the things that's eating your time?
What are the things that's eating away at your affections so that you can put those idols away? We may even ask him lord. I'm tempted by this lord. It's taking away my intimacy from you It's stealing away what I should have with you and and as you grow in love with him You cannot help but spend time with him in his word And his word will begin to make such profound sense that will change transform everything in your life At least that's what happened with me.
And I think that's why i'm over
riverside_sathiya_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0021: Oh, dude,
riverside_joel_sikha_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0020: Yeah
riverside_sathiya_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0021: 100%, 100%. And I think we do live in a society that is really compromised on truth and is continually trying to kind of blur the lines. [00:27:00] Um, I wonder if you can talk a little bit about that, like even reference, you know, kind of the gender and all the conversations happening around gender now, um, how do we get back to the truth?
You know, what does that, what does that look like in this day and age when I think the truth has become a very subjective matter? It's become very gray. You know, it's your truth. It's not the truth. Um, do you think, do you think we're going to keep deviating away? Do you think there's a future where people actually start to look for the real truth again?
riverside_joel_sikha_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0020: Absolutely, man. There's always going to be a cycle. It's always going to, if, if the world exists for that long, you know, I know in our generation, it seems like, can it even get any worse? And, um, I was talking to my wife about this last, yesterday afternoon. I'm not surprised at how bad, you know, It's gotten I'm really not surprised by it.
And I'm not surprised by it because I see the own wickedness in my heart And i'm like man for me who really wants to press into truth if I can see my own wickedness I'm not surprised when I see the world who's flipping god off saying In fact, I've spoken to people who say if [00:28:00] that's what your God says, I'm actually going to do the exact opposite because your God says that.
They have such a hatred towards God and the Bible does talk about it. Romans 1 talks about it. These are people who suppress the truth. You know, it's not that they don't recognize the truth, they suppress it. So, what do we, what do we do with, You know the gender identity. What do we do with teenage pregnancies?
What do we do with abortions? What do we do with um, You know premarital sex and it's shocking when you see 12 year olds losing their virginity you know, uh, and When you see find condoms in in school bathrooms and stuff like that. It's it's very it's it's very It's scary to think that i'm raising kids in this world.
How do we how do we reverse this? And I think the answer is when christians become authentic when christians really become I blame I blame the people behind the pulpit for where the world is right now When we begin to compromise on the truth, you know the emergent church for most part We made it into an entertainment And and then on the other end we made it into this very shaming thing in the book [00:29:00] of luke Uh, jesus shares these parables You You know, if the lost coin, the, the, the lost sheep and the lost son.
And it's very, oh my goodness, man, the church can take a good lesson from it. When the church becomes a place where the prodigal can dance with the father again, I believe we will begin to see these patterns in our world being reversed. Now, I'm not saying we make excuses for sin, uh, neither am I saying we applaud their sin.
But where we're willing to expect we need to have a sense of expectation for repentance And make space for it. The thing is we have too many pastors who preach repentance But we don't make space for the prodigal to come back She said there's no point in me saying repent repent repent, but not Actually, then making space to say, okay, now that you're coming back, you're a teenage girl who's pregnant.
You're a woman who's pregnant, you know, and, and single. How do we get you to, to now be able to incorporate back into the world, back into the church, and how do we help you now grow from [00:30:00] here and then teach you to show grace, not to become another judgmental person like the people who kicked you out of church.
So I think it, The way we can see this reversed is when people who genuinely are having this relationship with Jesus are, hearts are broken for the lost. And we not only preach the truth, we'll continue to preach the truth, but, again, I think it was Charles Spurgeon who says, We dare not speak of hell without tears in our eyes.
Our hearts have got to break when we talk about the brokenness in the world. This last Sunday, I was talking about the statistics of abortion, uh, because we're talking about the book of Proverbs, it talks about the hands that are bloodied by the innocent. No, they've murdered the innocents and their hands are full of blood of the innocent.
And I mean, that's a direct, attack towards those who are now killing babies just because the babies are an inconvenience to them. They dehumanize the baby saying it's not a human being. How do we reverse? How do we bring it back? Well, we got to keep preaching the truth, but we also got to make room for those now who say, okay, I'm convicted by the message [00:31:00] now.
Would you help me? I'm 13 years old, I'm 14 years old, I'm pregnant. And man, this is a tall task, man. It's a very, very hard thing to do. And I'm telling you, the Christians will bash you, the world will bash you, they will say all sorts of things about you because you're doing that. But when I look at the early church, that's what they begin to do.
They begin to take in the slaves, they begin to take in, I mean women who were crushed and oppressed in society were elevated as equals and treated with respect. And when we'll be able to do that, racism will go, sexism will go, and Ageism will go, all the other isms and genderisms and different identities that we're trying to find some sort of glory with will go, and we will once again be the hosts of the glory of God, which is what we're supposed to be.
riverside_sathiya_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0021: yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I'm with you. And I really do agree about the cycles. Like, I think Every generation thinks their generation is the worst, you know, like there's kind of that, that dynamic. And I do think, um, you know, like the reason this podcast exists, the reason my coaching practice exists is I think Jesus is coming back for a spotless bride and I don't think we're there [00:32:00] yet, you know, and I'm just trying to do my part to get the bride ready.
I'm obviously doing my part in my own life, uh, but trying to help other guys quit pornography and walk in a life of freedom. You know, that's kind of the, the carrot we dangle. But really, it's holiness. You know, it's that we could become one with Christ washed in his blood and in walking in that that purity that he's designed us for.
So I'm with you. You reference, you know, some of the challenges that we observe in our society, you know, around genderism, around, um, you know, promiscuity and everything that comes with it. Obviously, the nature of what we're doing and what we talk about on this show a lot is with porn addiction and people really getting caught up in these Sin cycles, they're not able to break out of it.
I have to imagine in your pastoral work, you're observing that in, uh, the people that you're leading as well. Pornographies just become so rampant within the church and, and outside of the church. Um, any commentary on that? You know, what, what are you doing with your congregants and what are you observing?
How are, [00:33:00] how are people finding freedom from this
riverside_joel_sikha_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0020: Right. I think, um, the key issue with any sort of addiction is the first love. What's the, what's your top priority? Because I'm sure. You know you who specialize in coaching people and breaking out of this habit You got to get on the root issue of what is it that you are really searching for? find when you're able to hit the nail on the head for What is it that you sense is missing and what are you trying to fill this void with this sunday again?
I was telling the church about um paul talks about don't do anything Uh, you know with selfish ambition And with with conceit and selfish ambition and the Greek it's really beautiful says don't do anything for vain glory for you know, glory hunger, you're trying to find a sense of belonging you're trying to find a sense of worth you're trying to find a sense of, I want to be loved, I want to be valued and something that again, I've been I've been [00:34:00] chewing on.
Is we were made for touch. We were made for Emotions, we were made for glory. We were made for love. We were made for affection That's why when god creates adam god knows in his sovereign wisdom that adam Is going to look for a for a helpmate for a partner and he's not going to find it in all of creation And so god says now that you see a need now i'm going to create your wife so you can appreciate her God always wants us to first find our need when you find the need Then you'll be able to appreciate the answer that god has for you The problem is the world today thinks they have the answer, but they've never really understood the question The question is what is it you're looking for?
You know, and so we're trying to fill the void with all these answers. We think we have yesterday, this even latest evening, I'm gonna be talking to a lady, a business owner who, who, who tells, I just keep finding these little nuggets and I keep trying to live it until that wears out. Then I find a different nugget and that's how people live today.
It's one website tomorrow. It's another relationship and then [00:35:00] it's another marriage. And then it's a, a new city would then repeat the same old pattern. And if we could slow down. And again, this is why solitude is such a beautiful thing to slow down and say, okay, what am I really looking for? Am I looking because I know I'm made for affection, but where am I, how is it?
I'm trying to fill this void. And I oftentimes say, you know, we're living in a world where we need touch, but we've reduced it to the touch screen. And, um, and the touch screen is not going to fill the void. Uh, during COVID we saw that, Oh my goodness. We saw that during COVID when we couldn't touch and we were already used to the touch screen.
Church is closed down. Praise the Lord the church is closed down because, now I know that sounds really bad as a pastor say praise the Lord the church because God is not about organization. He says no no I've, I'm God incarnate came into the world so that you can touch and feel. Thomas put your hand in my hand and touch.
I'm a God who can be touched and felt and man when we sense that this is the void that I've always been looking for, that I need the touch of the [00:36:00] divine, then everything else loses it. Like the old song we used to sing you know, The things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.
When you recognize that what I've been living for is vain glory. You know, that selfish ambition and empty conceit, that's, that's vainglory canadoxia in Greek. And I need to not fill my life with all the other glories that I think I need and I'm experimenting with. And Keith Green sings, you can run to the end of the highway and see that you will not find what you're looking for.
And if we can realize that when we're younger and when we still have strength man Our life will make so much more sense and so much more meaning not that if you're old your life is over and gone but even then You know god is able to do it But what a beautiful thing when you're able to recognize that quickly and to say i've been living my life for the wrong glories But i've been made for the glory of god to live it for his purposes and philippians chapter 2 says Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.
Have this mind, have the mind of Christ, he says, man, that's insane. [00:37:00] I can have the mind of Christ. And when you think about the first temptation in the garden, Satan says, you can have the mind of God. You'll be just like him. And God says, don't listen to Satan now, for vainglory, you listen to me now, I'm giving to you as a gift.
But we, Ignore the gift and we still believe the lies of satan running from one tree to another barking after one thing after another Trying to hide our shame living in head and sin instead of coming clean and saying lord. I need you Thank you that you made a way and you're giving me your mind as a gift.
Thank you And so the the heart of the matter is the matter of the heart is what is it that your heart really needs? And what are the other things that you're filling in your life for all the glory that you're trying to fill and it doesn't Really have to be Hidden sin all the time. It can be religion.
It can be church as a pastor, man I need to check my heart It can be vain glory of head wisdom and knowledge and how many people like you and how many people applaud you how many people? Your wife treats you like a king your children love you and all at last last week, [00:38:00] man God really whooped my behind because he says you are parenting for glory.
Not for me And because as my, my oldest son is 13 years old, and I don't remember having a dad when I was a teenager, and he's getting into his teenage years, you know, it's very easy for me to parent out of fear, but the Bible says perfect love will cast out fear. And I shouldn't be parenting out of fear, and every time I'm parenting out of fear, I'm parenting out of vainglory.
Because I want people to look at me and say, well, what a good dad, what a good pastor, what a good Christian. God says, no. You're not doing it for me. You're doing it for you. Now you come to me. I am your glory. I am the, you know, the lifter of your head. I am your pride and joy. You live for me and everything will fall into place.
And. I'm telling you just that in a few days of me applying it huge tremendous difference in my life And I believe that that's the case for every single area of temptation where we fail We're barking up the wrong tree again listening to satan thinking that that's the glory I need in my life when god says no I will give you my mind.
I will give you my emotions I will give you my [00:39:00] heart and I will give you my blood that will cover you and cleanse you And then i'll give you my wisdom which will be your discernment to help you see the pitfalls and to know This is what you should live for stay away from that,
riverside_sathiya_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0021: so good. So good. So it, uh, I've waited way too long to ask you this question, Joel, uh, Joel, but you 14 years old. Masters of Theology, rode a motorcycle, you know, like a hero, you know, by all accounts. What, what happened? Why did he leave?
riverside_joel_sikha_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0020: Man, just so you know before I even get into that my dad and I are reconciled now I spent I turned 40 last april and I spent my 40th birthday with him I hadn't seen him in more than 20 years. And that's why I drove down to toronto on a royal enfield and um It was such a beautiful time. I got to meet his three amazing children that he has now and his his wife Uh, I stayed in his house and um
riverside_sathiya_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0021: So those are your half
riverside_joel_sikha_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0020: My half siblings.
Yes. And, um, and, and he, he has, he has three sons just like how I have two older brothers and I was the third [00:40:00] and, uh, and he has a son named Joel. named after me and I, I love that guy. He, he Instagrams me all sorts of memes and he's a fantastic guy. Uh, he loves Jesus and he wants to be a pastor one day and he looks up to me and, uh, being the youngest at home, it's nice to have younger siblings now, you know, that, that look up to me and it's so much fun.
Um, I'm so glad that whenever they come to, to America, they let us know and, um, such a joy to watch my dad with my kids. Oh man, I'm telling you. So We are on amazing terms right now and i've learned a lot about the gospel of what it means to find grace and maybe on Another podcast we'll talk about how we forgive those who offended us and hurt us and left major scars in our life because Uh, I got I got footage of our journey riding the Enfield because the Enfield was a huge part The motorcycle was a huge part of reconciling with my dad I called it the heartbeat road because that motorcycle has a rhythm like a heartbeat and it's so important for us to reconcile with people You While they're still alive because there will come a time [00:41:00] when that you wouldn't be able to do that And so we'll talk about another time.
But just before I answer the question It's something that my dad and I are on fantastic terms He listens to my sermons and he says joel. I'm proud of you a huge validation for my dad Um when my yeah when I was about about 12 years old 12 13 years old, um My dad, he was a pastor and I, I, I can see, I can see the stress and strain that ministry can put on you being in ministry now.
And, uh, he was a very passionate guy and still is, uh, very much loves Jesus. And, um, but we all go through seasons where you make decisions that for some reason, You know, it leaves a very lasting consequence. And, uh, and that was one of those decisions that he made was to, I think it, it got a little too much for him.
You know, the children were getting out of hand. His kids were getting out of hand, the church ministry and its stress, his relationship with my [00:42:00] mother. They didn't seem to be on the same page in the season and life where they were. Again, looking back now, I can see it. And, um, It's a sad reality that it seemed like the best option was just to leave and to go.
And now, again, I'm not going to idolize my mother and demonize my dad because that's not my job. My job was just to be a son and they made the decisions that they had to make. But, um, that was, uh, you know, it, it put me, I can speak from my perspective. It put me in a spot where I could not trust Christianity.
I could not trust pastors and I just could not trust women. And I just did not want to have anything to do with relationships or all that I felt a huge sense of loneliness Um, I just could not I could not trust anybody man And even now I still struggle sometimes from ptsd that comes from that even with my children, you know It's hard sometimes I gotta keep an arm's distance from people until the holy spirit begins to heal me again and I believe that's something that's going to be a thorn in my flesh [00:43:00] and I the reason why I knew that my wife was the one that I had to marry was because You For the first time in my life and i'm not joking for the first time in my life I absolutely trusted a person and I was like, this is a person I can trust and it was it was a miracle It was an absolute change in my life And then a few years after being married for the first time in all those years.
I actually cried. I couldn't cry. I just Killed my emotions and I think one of the reasons why I talk about emotions like we're talking about earlier is not just about intellect but emotions because There's got to be that god when he begins to work He brings these two things together so beautifully Like like fuel and air that you need and then he lights that spark and boom you go, you know, it's beautiful.
So, uh, That that's I think it was, you know, looking now into the history of what happened. It was just You What people would call the perfect storm, you know, the stress of ministry, you know, just not getting along in family, the stress of parenting when children hit that stage in life where they just are beginning [00:44:00] to go crazy.
And, uh, and that's why even now in my life, when I see my son was 13 years old, it's just, it's a little scary because I see a lot of myself in him. You know, and I wish they were more innocent and loving like my wife was but sadly they got the indian genes and you know, they bargain they fight, you know, they're They're very shrewd very sharp and it's it's constantly and then they hear me preach And so they always want to talk to me in three point sermons, you know, there are three things You know number one and it's like man and I got five kids and so it's um, it's a handful But, uh, but but I think I think that was something that, you know, it taught me to watch out for those pitfalls.
Not that this is the, you know, the be all and end all of pitfalls, but the pitfalls of stresses that can cause you to make stupid decisions, you know, feeling like you're completely out of control where you feel like you're in over your head that can make you want to run. And and and the most important thing I think was Making [00:45:00] permanent decisions in temporary seasons of your life, you know, not realizing that this too shall pass.
So for anybody who is in a season where you feel like I want to give up. So I believe that we come across these three different things that we choose to do, right? Either we talk about fight or flight, but then we also have this one thing where we want to just fight Play the hypocrite right fly under the radar stay in the same place But be a different person in that place medicate yourself be numb to yourself which in today's world They're like, well, that's a good thing just medicate man You can put up with people but really when you're able to feel the pain of the season you're in like I said earlier the commentary of scriptures Can only can only be written in painful seasons of our life because the bible was written through pain And when you're writing in comfort, you are completely misreading what god is really trying to tell you Pain and suffering is a beautiful thing c.
s lewis wrote about it and many people have spoken about you know The blessing that comes from pain It's god really trying to get our [00:46:00] attention So when we make those permanent decisions in our life and either we medicate ourselves trying to numb ourselves all of those things Is changing You know what God is really trying to do.
It's going it's running away from what God is really trying to do. And so what the enemy meant for evil. I believe God is using it for his glory. Now in my life where I can see that, um, you know, I recognize these things and being a church planter. living by faith. It's a tough life. It's a very, it could put a lot of stress and strain on your marriage, on your parenting and having, you know, my past history of growing up with a, with a broken family, being married in this intercultural relationship, uh, you know, living in a place like Idaho and It just doesn't, there's so many obstacles and barriers to a healthy marriage, a healthy relationship, but I'm so glad that God's shown me, you know, these, these few little truths that, that's helping me stay sane and keep running to [00:47:00] him for answers.
riverside_sathiya_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0021: Yeah. Yeah. It's so good, man. It's an incredible story, and you're, you're a testament of how God can work all things together for good, you know, no matter how, how dark or how difficult it might be. What are practices that you have in your life to cope with stress? You talked about five kids. I've been part of a church plant.
That's not easy work, man. Um, you know, that's, that's in fact, it's the opposite, like you said, and ministry in general comes with its challenges and, um, it's very demanding, you know, emotionally, mentally, um, what are some things that you do to keep your sanity? And just so you know, why I'm asking, you know, I think, If I were to think of the thousands of clients we've worked with and the tens of thousands of slips or, you know, times that they fell short and they did the thing they didn't want to do, and we kind of broke, broke down.
Okay, what was going on? And where did this all actually begin? Usually stress is either at the beginning or it's somewhere along the way. Like, I think if we. Got better at managing our stress. It's, it's interesting to think about how many better [00:48:00] decisions we'd actually make in our lives. So I'm asking, um, for myself, you know, I always want to learn and grow in this area, even though I've been clean for eight years now, but also for our audience, I think, um, those kinds of insights could be really valuable and there might be a little nugget in there.
They pick up. So lay it on us, man. How do you, how do you cope with the stresses of
riverside_joel_sikha_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0020: Beautiful man again. Hey, i'm still learning this i'm still, you know figuring my way out through this Um, but practically as a church planter, you know going through like I was saying earlier too in a first year of marriage Finding out four months in my wife is pregnant and I don't have a job and I don't have a green card and You talk about stress, you know, you talk about wanting to run away Uh suicidal tendencies that the demons that you killed in your past are being resurrected before you Insecurities that begin to creep up and the temptation to want to retaliate and fight Um, my goodness man, it's a very very real thing Uh, it's not just men.
It's not just women even children face this today where the [00:49:00] sense of being vulnerable Of wanting to have the immediate gratification of wanting to grow up and rise up to what you feel inside you feel greatness inside you. And so you're trying to find anything. It's like a cheat code. Just give me a cheat code and I want to get there.
But God's way is always through the wilderness. It's always through the wilderness because God would want to take out. Your slavery from you you might have left Egypt, but God needs to get the mentality of slavery from out of you It was for freedom that christ set us free no longer to be subject under the yoke of slavery And so he will take you to the wilderness to get it out of you And i'm praise god for the times when he humbled me It was not hard and even even just the last month, you know, and god was never done with us He's always walking us through seasons of the wilderness through the seasons of valley of shadow of death to keep us in the place of humility not because You You know, like some very mean people who want to keep you low and they want to press you down He's not trying to press you down No, he's keeping you down because he loves [00:50:00] the humble and he hates the prideful the minute we are not humble We say okay god haughty eyes proverbs chapter 6 talk.
God hates it. He says no. I love you too much I don't want your existence to make me sick. I love you. I want to rejoice When you come into my presence and so he's going to walk us through the seasons But how do we deal practically when we go through seasons where we feel like the stress? Is outweighing the greatness that I know i'm called for when the present realities?
Seem to cloud the destiny that I know i'm created for how do we tangibly what what can we do? The first thing I would say like I said just a few minutes ago is dare not make mistakes permanent decisions in temporary seasons of your life. Challenge yourself. Sometimes it's good for us to hold on to the promises of God and saying, this too shall pass.
This will go away. Though it's a sorrow may last for a night, his joy will absolutely come in the morning. Now, there are times when even with your [00:51:00] spouse, You might not be on the same page and that's another lie we hear in our christian world, too It's like oh you guys are a match made in heaven. No, no, no, no There's not going to be any marriages in heaven So calm down, you know, but but many times we will not be on the same page and it's because again side note We think that our spouses complete us.
They don't only jesus completes you your spouse will compliment you Occasionally, you know, but don't expect your spouse to complete you because then you're making her You Have the nail scars in your hand and she's not your Yeshua. She's not your Christ. She's not your Messiah She's not the anointed one.
She's your she's your A's or your helper and but she's a human being She's gonna make mistakes. And so what I've learned is and there were many times man I so my problem has been fits of rage. I'm an angry guy and that that's all I know We've fought I had to fight or I don't you know, talk my way out of situations and I and was really sad because when I felt like in the early days of a marriage when we were on the same page we fought we shouted I shouted she would never shout I'd shout I'd throw stuff [00:52:00] you know and and it's really weird because the more you realize that it's a temporary season Joelle settle down you're going through feeling the fire and the flames and the heat of the wilderness but his joy will come in the morning so first I would say is don't make any decisions in the heat of the moment the second thing very close second thing is Learn to find your own way of waiting.
Whatever that looks like, your own way of waiting. Now there's no formula for this because we're all uniquely made. We're fearfully and wonderfully made. And I wish I knew this earlier in my marriage of finding my way of waiting through the wilderness. So my way of waiting in the wilderness. Is I like to spend time in my garage.
I wrench on my motorcycles I like to spend a lot of time in solitude. I love my solitude in times of waiting sometimes praying is hard because i'm angry with god and that's a reality because I feel like Lord, you dealt a very [00:53:00] poor hand for me, you know And so what I do and this doesn't have to apply to everybody what I do in my solitude People ask what do you do in solitude?
You sit in a lotus position. Do you you know chant mantras? No No, really what I do is You Like the old hymn says, I count my blessings and I name them one by one until it surprises me what the Lord has done. So that's what I do in my solitude. So first I say, Joel, don't make any stupid decisions now because I've broken too many phones growing up in my anger.
I've punched too many things and I've made a fool of myself multiple times. I've lost relationships out of the heat of the moment. Don't make any permanent decisions. And maybe for someone struggling with pornography, put the phone down, put the computer away, shut down the Internet, you know, whatever you got to do, don't make permanent decisions.
Even even jumping on that website is a permanent decision that you're making because it is going to scar you. Proverbs chapter 6 talks about can a man play with fire and not get burnt? Of course he was going to get burnt. Don't burn yourself. Don't make permanent decisions in temporary seasons and then find what it is that's going to help [00:54:00] you wait the season out.
So whether it is, you know, Solitude, for me, that's what's worked. For my wife, she loves gardening. So, I can tell. It's like, hey, you know, uh, Megan, you know, go work, go work in the garden. And sometimes, for my wife, she just needs a good nap, you know. And whatever it is waiting looks like, make space for it.
And in a very busy world, we're so busy. things, make it a priority, make it an absolute priority to wait, to wait, to wait the season out. And then number three, this is again, something that I believe is very necessary. I've learned to rejoice in my wins. I've learned to rejoice in my wins and this is, so even if I'm going through a very tough season and I feel like my wife is not going to understand it, or my friends aren't going to understand it, or my staff is not going to understand it, I go, I go into my waiting, I count my blessings, name them one by one, until it surprises me with the Lord, until I'm able to clap my hands and rejoice and be like, God, you would do that for me?
Thank you! And [00:55:00] then I cannot if I shut up about it. I feel like it's not really served its purpose I that's when I go to my wife and I say this is what was going on last week I had a dream or I was struggling with this. I was depressed and this is what this person said But see what god has told me.
This is what god did for me. This is what god is telling me I tell my stuff. This is what god showed me. This is what this is what god's exciting me about and and I don't Expect a response my job is just to be faithful in dishing that out And and there's something about pouring it out The bible says whatever is brought to the light It loses its everything.
People, the only reason why people hide is because they don't want their deeds to be known. But when I bring out my weaknesses, Paul says I will boast in my weakness because when I'm weak, he becomes strong. So I both I said This is what happened to me. This is what happened. This is what this is what god confronted me about This is what god told me.
So like I told you, you know, man god Really whooped me and said you are parenting out of pride. You're printing because you're frightened You're parenting out of fear. You're parenting because you want to be a good dad I shared that with my church on sunday. I said I hated that. I find [00:56:00] myself so quickly slipping into this, you know, because I, I, this is sense of perfection is such a beautiful, it's such a, you know, force in the world.
You got to be perfect. But God says, listen, God's the only one who's perfect. He's calling you to excellence, not perfection. Excellence is knowing that you're going to make mistakes, but learning from them a lifelong student, knowing that Only God is perfect and perfection is an illusion that will ruin your excellence.
And so I want to be able to share my weakness. I want to be able to share the things that I'm struggling with after I've gone through the process. And sometimes I share, I share with, you know, Hey, this is what I'm struggling with. Help me. And, but most of the time when I'm looking to people to step into the place where only my Savior can step into.
It always brings friction and fights and divisions and and God is not in it So I need to learn to run to God and so that that's my way man, um in the church with church planting There's been you know It's very tough. It's very hard. Um a little side note over here when [00:57:00] I got in the ministry when I was still in india God told me to never ever Ask people for money.
He said you're never going to be that person who's asked for money. Um, uh, george muller I read and I praise God for a man I was doing ministry with. Um, he's a pastor in Bangalore today, Paul Victor, and he gave me this little booklet of the story of George Muller and and the Holy Spirit really told me, he's like, you ask me for anything you want.
I'll provide for you. And so, Being in ministry, you know, and when we when we planted the church I was a youth pastor and then god said leave and i'm calling you to plant a church and so Uh, god was teaching us to live within our means that means no paycheck. No food pantry. No, you know, uh, What do you call those things?
Uh food food coupons food stamps. There we go No food stamps. None of those things and you just god said just wait on me And uh, my wife comes to me one day like mary, you know to jesus and says we've run out of rice You And for this indian boy running out of rice is okay. Jesus better return. You're [00:58:00] right.
And um, Yeah, and and and and that very day man, I was meeting another guy I was getting getting coffee with him and out of the blue He says hey, where can I get the biggest bag of rice didn't mention any word to him And he says something the holy spirit's been telling me to get you a big bag of rice, you know, and so it's beautiful I'm saying that and that's just one of many many illustrations and stories in my life.
I know this sounds Like some prosperity gospel guy, but i've physically had money multiply in my cupboard You know where someone gave me some money and it's just been multiplying and I kept using for me and never went dry Like we've seen the old testament with the oil, you know, just kept multiplying i've seen that happen and and And I'm so glad that when I make decisions in a temporary season, I fail to see the miracle of God.
I fail to see his thumb, his thumb impression life. And so I would say it's very crucial to not make permanent decisions in the temporary seasons of your life, because you forfeit to see the power of God acting [00:59:00] in broken human being and showing you that he is more powerful than your weakness, that He will give you an opportunity to boast in your weakness.
If you will be willing to look to him and trust him even when you're struggling with a thorn in your flesh You know, and then when he does come through man, don't be silent about it. Let the people know around you This is what the lord has been doing. This is what he's doing And so now whenever god tells me something I immediately run to my wife I run to people who I was like, this is what god is going to do all my five kids, man We never founded the agenda and god told me what their names were going to be and why You And perfectly bam, bam, bam, bam, bam.
It was so good My second son his name is jeremiah And it was a time when it was really really tough You talk about going through a season where you're just being castrated as a man so to speak completely devalued my wife was working and I was taking care of my oldest son because It was that season in our life and, you know, I was called Mr.
Mom and my mother in law was setting up play dates with other stay at home dads and, I'm a guy and I've always hustled [01:00:00] all my life. I mean, since I was 13 years old, I've been on the streets and selling weed and making money and having my own apartments and stuff like that. And now to be reduced to staying at home, but it was so important because that one year I was with my one and a half years, I was with my oldest son.
I was able to be the dad to him that I never had. And it was such a healing, such a beautiful process of healing for me. But. The day my second son was born, Jeremiah. You know, that was the first day I was on staff at the church as a youth pastor and God had told me, Hey, you need to be, you're going to have a son.
His name is going to be Jeremiah because I'm going to put my word in your bones like fire. You won't be able to shut up about it. And,
riverside_sathiya_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0021: on.
riverside_joel_sikha_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0020: and so with, um, you know, seasons that you go through sorrow, that you go through suffering, that you go through hard times, don't make permanent decisions. Wait on the Lord.
And then when he comes through, proclaim it, say it, so that next time when you go through that sorrow, you'll remember, Whoa, that's what the Lord did. And I remember talking about it and these people around me, they know that God's going to come through. And [01:01:00] now you're not waiting to fail. You're waiting for your savior to come.
And pick you up. Finally, it says in the book of Proverbs, The righteous may fall seven times, but the Lord will pick them up. But it's not so with the ungodly. They fall one time, calamity comes and they're done forever, man. We're not created to fail. We're created to succeed in the eyes of our Savior. But if we're willing to wait on Him, for Him to come through the seasons of the wilderness and suffering, then we will be able to see His glow in the dark fingerprints in the darkness of our lives.
riverside_sathiya_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0021: Wow. Amazing. Amazing. I'm so glad we've met. Thank you so much for your time today, Joelle. This has been incredible. Uh, for listeners who maybe want to find out a little bit more, uh, they want to hear more, what's the best way for them to do
riverside_joel_sikha_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0020: You know, look up the Living Church Boise, uh, Boise spelled B O I S E. Uh, we have an app where you can listen to, you know, the way I talk right here is the way I preach. Uh, I like going word for word in the Bible. I like expository teaching, but at the same time with practical application. [01:02:00] Um, I, the Living Church Boise app has a lot of resources over there.
I do a few talks for young adults in particular on purpose and meaning in life, which I believe will help a lot of people be able to understand why they struggle with identity issues and chemical imbalances, as we call it, and what do you do with it and how sometimes. Our greatest strengths can also be our greatest weaknesses when they're slightly misaligned and things like that Um, the living church boise app is great.
We also do uh, I mean find me on tiktok look for pastor joel sicker and um, You'll be able to you know, follow me over there, but we do an exclusive live stream on wednesday afternoons 1 30 mountain standard time, uh what we it's called breakthrough hour Where we really want to see breakthrough in people's lives in every area of their life You know, there are so many things that begin to bleed our passion bleed our calling bleed our purpose And before you know it you're going to be gray haired or in bald and you wonder what in the world Did you use your time for [01:03:00] and uh breakthrough hour is to help us come back to the sense of Finding our authentic identity in our creator and living it with Passion that cannot be stopped.
So yeah, many ways just look me up on the internet, you know, find some way to be able to connect with me. Send me a message and would love, love, love to be able to help people further get closer and closer to Jesus.
riverside_sathiya_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0021: Yeah, you got it, man. We'll put links to all that in the show notes. Thank you so much for your time today,
Joelle. This is
riverside_joel_sikha_raw-video-cfr_umw_interview studio_0020: friend.
amazing. Well, I'm so grateful for Pastor Joel, and I hope you go check his stuff out. He's got a podcast, uh, that weekly hour that they do as well. The breakthrough hour sounds fantastic. I think that'd be well worth your time, especially if you're active on TikTok already. You'd be crazy to not just, you know, include that into your regular newsfeed there.
And if you're looking for more serious help quitting pornography, check There's a link in the show notes for you to check out a free case study that I put together for the listeners of this show just to showcase what it looks like to work with us. You know, obviously everything we do in this show comes from [01:04:00] my coaching practice and my expertise that I've honed helping guys quit pornography over the last five and a half years.
And I know that a bunch of you are like, yeah, that's great. You have that. But what does it mean? And what do you actually do? And what does it look like? That's what this case study is designed for. And so if you click on that video, that or the link rather, it'll take you to a video that explains all that.
And if it looks like a good match and you think this might be something you want to explore more, you can book a call with somebody on my team. We don't charge for that call. It's just a chance for you to discover more of a process. See if it's a good fit and you know, I'll just be frank. We're pretty picky about the people we work with as well Uh, not in some elitist kind of way But we want to make sure that we we can actually help you Uh, you know because if we don't think we can help you then it doesn't really make sense for you to move forward with us So, um, so our team is also trying to make sure that you're a good match And we'll do it in both directions and see if it's a good thing And if it's a good thing then we can help you quit porn in the next 120 days And uh, you know, this is kind of our bread and butter This is what we've been doing for years and years now So the links in the show notes if you want to check it out In the meantime, if you got some value from this, if you know [01:05:00] somebody in your life who maybe could benefit, make sure that you are sharing this content with them.
That really goes a long way for us growing the show and for us making this world a better place. And you can be a part of that. That's everything for today, my friend. Thank you for listening. God bless you. We'll talk soon. Bye bye. [01:06:00]