The author and speaker gets beyond the ever-changing, temporal things of this world to discover who we are in Christ. Original air date August 1, 2019
the following program is sponsored by
friends of Life outreach international
next on life today authors speaker and
actress priscilla shirer explains why we
cannot find our identity in the temporal
and I believe we have a generation of
people that are believers but because
they don’t know really who they are and
the power that we have access to we’ve
been deceived by the enemy and so the
enemy is convincing us that just because
we have a leaning in a particular way
that that thing defines us
[Music]
[Applause]
[Music]
[Music]
today I’m Sheila Walsh here with Randy
Robertson can elect Lone Ranger and
Tonto or you could be the Lone Ranger
and I’ll be Tonto let’s just move along
people say that to me a lot well welcome
to the show we’re so glad that you
stopped by and I think you’re really
gonna love this we have some some great
news something to give you a little
heads-up on so if you ain’t maybe you
want to go call a couple friends right
now and say hey tune in because we have
a spectacular guest yes we had a lot of
fun and if you missed if you didn’t see
yesterday’s show or whenever the show
aired there’s two shows with our guests
so you can always go online laughter
that organ see the other one because
would you welcome Priscilla
yesterday in our timeline we talked
about a movie called overcomer overcomer
august 23rd at your theater i am one of
the lucky media members who got to see
it and really enjoyed it do you like it
I actually did and as I told you
off-camera I used to be a film critic
for a newspaper and studied film in
school which really is a bad combination
cuz I think I’ve know more than I do
and they haven’t actually been in movies
your way films can you just sit and
watch without kind of critiquing every
little thing and you know yeah I kind of
ruined it and so Christian movies have
been a real let’s call it a battle in my
life we all know what you mean
understand thank you thank you for your
understanding
yeah this one was good I’m good not just
the message which is always the case you
know where you go well that had a nice
message or they meant well no this one’s
I’ve been there but but I’m telling you
it this is obviously a great message
yeah and not just because it’s biblical
but it’s relevant
yeah and it’s it’s laid out very well
but then from a production standpoint
which I appreciate it’s it’s good there
were no moments where I went yeah yeah
which is important to me and I think
it’s important when you’re putting that
that out there that you have a level of
excellence almost so that you don’t get
in the way out of the message that’s
right
so because you could be distracting with
a lack of excellence you really can be
completely and so we all know I
appreciate the Kendrick brothers so much
for that in these films that they have
given us you know fireproof and
courageous and facing the Giants and war
room and now overcomer exactly what
you’re describing that they they care
about excellence and you know something
else that I think is important is
diversity there has never been in
faith-based films there has never been
this level of intentionality in terms of
diversity and even though that isn’t
their main goal their main goal is the
gospel the fact that they have been
strategic about that I believe has
caused more of the breadth of the body
of Christ to see themselves in those
stories and I appreciate you you know as
a woman of color I appreciate that yeah
yeah yeah one of the things I love about
this particular movie is that there’s so
many different characters who all have
to face some kind of identity crisis
yeah it’s not just a young girl who
doesn’t know Jesus but you have a coach
who who is a believer but his identity
is very much tied up in his job does and
his job and when that’s taken away it
really shakes his faith yeah yes and
everything of this world at some point
or another is going to be taken away
yeah everything here is temporal he has
placed eternity in our hearts that means
that there is nothing that is here on
earth that will satisfy us and only the
way eternal things can so if you’re just
storing up all your treasures and stuff
that will be stripped away at one point
or another beauty fades
[Laughter]
bank accounts are diminished houses are
gone you know one year you have it the
next year you don’t financial situations
differ one year to the next job
circumstances change if we have placed
our significance in those things then
we’ll be decimated when those things are
removed from us but if your treasure if
your significance is found in something
that is unchanging the same yesterday
today and forever more if you’re rooted
there then you have an anchor so that it
doesn’t matter whether I’m wearing these
clothes of those clothes I don’t matter
whether I’m driving this or driving that
whether I live on this side of town or
live on this side of town I know who I
am
because I know who my father is
in the film not the best actor in the
film because we know that is whatever no
Cameron Kevin Arnett what really was was
really excellent and he’s a real live
actor he’s a real actor he does yeah he
was a good boy his character asks a very
poignant question and one of the other
resonates with Sheila and I think it
resonates really with all of us rule
here who are you yeah no really how
important is it that we get beyond the
I’m a television host I’m an author
I’m a speaker I’m an actor I’m a mother
a father mm-hmm how important is it that
we get down to that who are you in
Christ well again because that’s the
thing that’s not changing
right that’s the thing that’s gonna
remain and so we go to Ephesians chapter
one and Ephesians chapter two which
really are the the premise and the basis
for this film we go there and we find
out that we are chosen and we are loved
and that we are adopted and that we’re
redeemed and that we’re forgiven and we
start living from a place that is rooted
in those realities instead of a place
that is rooted in the lies that the
enemy has sought to tell us or our past
experiences or our past behaviors
because see he wants you to think the
enemy wants you to think wants me to
think that just because I have
experienced something I am that thing or
he wants me to think that just because I
have a tendency in that direction
because that’s my struggle he wants me
to think my struggle is my identity but
just because I struggle with that
doesn’t mean I am that no it just means
that I struggle in that way and that I
have the holy spirit of guy I’m a temple
of the Holy Spirit of God that means
that the power of God himself gives me
the opportunity to resist the schemes of
the enemy and to resist the tendency of
my own flesh so just because I struggle
with that thing doesn’t mean I am that
thing and I believe we have a generation
of people that are believers but because
they don’t know really who they are and
the power that we have access to we’ve
been deceived by the enemy and so the
enemy is convincing us that just because
we have a leaning in a particular way
that that thing define
us and so then we start behaving and the
in the way that is that in the direction
of who we think we are maybe because our
parent told us we must be that thing
because we have a leaning in that
direction or we struggled in that way or
we’ve behaved in a certain way you know
during our crazy college years or
whatever we did the thing for a little
while and we behaved in a way that was
in congruent with who we are as
believers in Christ well just because I
have that in my past doesn’t mean that
that will define my future I am Who my
God says that I am I need to know that
because of my father’s suicide when I
was a child I needed to understand my my
history does not determine my destiny
Christ we are not the things that happen
to us but the reason that that part of
the film hit me so much was in my
mid-30s as a believer having co-hosted
the 700 club first you know five years
and I ended up in a psych hospital and
the first question my Christian doctor
asked me was who are you and I said
Sheila Walsh and he said no who are you
and I said I’m the co-host for the 700
club and he said no Sheila who are you
and by the time of God’s stripping
everything away by the time I left and
he said who are you I said I’m Sheila
Walsh daughter of the King of Kings yeah
that’s my and it doesn’t devalue or
diminish those other parts of you that
you can be fully a mom a wife a co-host
that we can enjoy all the aspects of our
individuality and our uniqueness that
God has given us access to but in the
end where we are rooted where we find
our significance that’s revealing who I
think it’s foundational to the point
where you really can’t build your life
on the other things that God gives you
as a parent as a husband or wife until
you know who you are
yeah it’s like well you don’t have that
foundation Dan you don’t want to start
putting up walls until that’s strong
that’s right one of the things I know
and love about you and Jerry is that
family hugely important so when you go
and do a summer doing a movie or with
this movie where you were in for like
three or four weeks the boys come with
you yeah and a families of wondering how
has that impacted their lives being part
of that whole environment oh thank you
for asking about
those boys listen I don’t know what
people think I do they think that I’m
you know doing movies at all that stuff
nope I’m cooking for three boys and
doing their laundry that’s my first are
they with your acting they are so not
impressed that I like guys let’s go to
the movies where you know cuz most of
time to end up being extras or something
let’s go to the movies because we’re
gonna see you know maybe you’ll see
yourself and I’ll be in the room they’re
like do we have to I love to you know
one of the reasons why I actually in the
beginning when I was toying with this
idea and trying to decide whether or not
to go to do this one of the reasons why
I ended up saying yes is because we
would get to take our whole family and I
the thought of my son’s being around in
in one case the Kendrick brothers and
then in another case there are when
brothers being around these men who are
excellent at their craft and are
unashamed of the gospel yeah and and
having my boys work in that environment
because we put them to work whatever
they whatever you know anybody needs
coffee they’re gonna go get the coffee
they’re gonna help they were cleaning
off the set and you know doing whatever
needed to be done and I thought the fact
that these boys get to see what it’s
like to be whatever they end up doing in
their life to do it well and to glorify
God and to make it so that you know what
when we had devotions in the morning my
voice ought they were gonna be sleeping
in are you going to devotions right and
just let them see you what it’s like to
bring Christ to bear in every aspect of
your life it was such a gift to our
entire family I will forever be grateful
to Stephen and Alex and Shannon Kendrick
who also bring their families by the way
oh yeah they don’t sort of separate
their family life and their ministry
life in their their love for the Lord
and family and all that from their work
life they’re like you know what let’s
glorify God with all of it
and so I will forever be grateful to
them Jerry and I for the example that
they have been to our own sons in that
regard one of the things I’ve wanted to
ask you for a bit is before you did your
first like movie you know we all knew
you and loved you because your books
your Bible studies your Bible teaching
but suddenly this whole new audience
she knows you as from this movie how has
that changed well how have you seen God
use that
with people who perhaps the movie was
the first introduction to you yes that
you know that was very interesting
because mostly with books and Bible
studies it’s a largely a female audience
that’s sitting together and doing the
Bible studies and stuff so I’d meet lots
of women in the airport or something but
but it did open up that door a little
bit where men had seen this movie so
they just knew me from this movie and
they would stop to say hello to me and
my husband was a little annoyed by that
you know wanted to take a picture or
something like that over that hurdle
just a little bit but also let me tell
you what it did I have this little kind
of internal thing it’s not something
that everybody has to do it’s just
something that I was sort of challenged
about where I don’t always take a
picture with folks because sometimes I
can’t be if I’m with my kids and we’re
having dinner or whatever I can’t but
when I’m able to I always exchange a
photograph for a prayer always so I
don’t care for in the airport I don’t
care for in the mall I don’t care you
know whether you’re a Christian or not
if we’re taking a picture we praying and
we’re gonna do it right in this grocery
store
something that’s given me opportunity to
do is pray with people it’s cool I don’t
know if they’re Christians are not I get
an opportunity right there in the mall
or the freezer section of the grocery
store typical out the name of Jesus on
their behalf you mentioned also being
recognized halfway around the world
Israel yeah that’s been interesting too
I was in Israel and this has happened a
lot but this time was extremely
memorable we were doing a tour through
Israel and you know there are people
from all over the world who have come to
tour Israel but these there was a group
of women beautiful women from India and
one of them recognized me from across
the garden of gethsemane we were doing a
tour of the garden of gethsemane and one
of them recognized me and I could see
that that sort of you know reflection in
her eyes like a girl from war room and
all of a sudden she started filtering
around and all of the women followed her
over and as they got closer I could see
that they were all beginning to
recognize me and tears started to fall
from their eyes and they came up to me
and it wasn’t it wasn’t a like a I’m
enamored with celebrity kind of tears it
was there were tears that I could tell
it had something to do with what was
going on in their hearts and they came
up to me and they’re tears cause tears
to well up in my eyes and sweet little
woman that I guess was sort of the
leader of this group she just reached
out and brushed the tears from my face
and she said we want you to know that
you have saved our marriages whether
these women were Christian Christians or
not I don’t know but she said we take
war room and we pass it around to women
in our community and we watch war room
and war room has saved our marriages Wow
and I thought you know only the Holy
Spirit can take a movie yeah and make it
so that people aren’t just entertained
but that the Holy Spirit restores and
replenishes and renews and resurrects
something that may have been dead
otherwise only the Holy Spirit can do
that yeah so you’ve got
today and we have expectation for that
with overcomer as well we afraid to that
and Lord make it so that people stop in
the movie theater before they can even
leave the theater this is what happened
with war room we got letters from people
who couldn’t leave the theater because
prayer meetings were breaking out but
among strangers in the theatre people’s
lives were changed because of that we’re
asking God to do that same thing with
overcomer just to show himself strong
hard hard to repeat that kind of dynamic
on our own anyway
oh yeah after seeing it I I gotta say I
think there’s a strong chance that you
will have more prayer meetings in movie
theatres hope so and there’s there’s
that one scene where I lead the main
character to the Lord yes and they had
scripted some lines and we did them that
way a couple of times and then Alex said
from behind the camera Alex said now
Priscilla lead her to the Lord the way
Priscilla would lead her that explains
that’s what I did
and that’s the one they use that’s the
one they ended up using and I just led
her to the Lord and the hope is that the
words that I prayed we prayed over those
words and we asked the Lord to make it
so that somebody’s sitting in the
theater or watching the DVD at home
later on that they hear those words and
realize it’s the Holy Spirit calling
them to repeat those words for
themselves and come into the kingdom of
God so that’s our prayer that the Lord
would use that in that way you know I
think it would be great if we just took
a moment right now and we all prayed for
the release of this movie and ask God to
do for only he could do yeah let’s let’s
let’s pray together yes thank you for
father god I want to thank you for the
brilliance of these men who have
committed their life’s everything they
have to making movies that bring glory
to your name and how we thank you for
Priscilla for the way that she is
shining in darkness Lord and it’s so
infectious when someone’s in love it’s
so infectious so Lord we ask with this
overcomer movie when opens in theaters
lord I pray by your Holy Spirit you
would draw people to come even if
they’re not sure why they’re going draw
them to come and Lord I ask that even as
Priscilla prays for that little girl in
the movie there would be people in the
movie theater at that moment committing
their lives to you
we ask for a harvest Lord in Jesus name
father and I think I’ve seen this with
the Kendrick brothers in particular is
that they stepped out and did something
that was kind of crazy when they made
their first film yeah and it kind of it
kind of grew in something a little more
and a little more and a little more and
now it’s having this huge impact when
God calls us to step out and do
something especially when it’s out of
our comfort zone that’s when you know
you’re onto something yeah that’s when
you know that if he doesn’t show up it’s
not gonna go anywhere right that’s right
but that’s because he wants to show up
and make it significant and you know she
loved we have done that here at Life
when we stepped out many years ago and
said you know what we want to go beyond
ministering just to the audience
although that’s what we’re here for if
you have a prayer request you can call
that number and we will pray for you but
then we want to ask you to turn around
and do something on top of that we want
to minister to you and we want you to
minister to others and we have a
wonderful way that you can do that
Sheila I know you’ve seen it you’ve been
there it makes a huge difference does it
not yeah absolutely does and it’s still
something we have to do it’s something
we get that’s right so watch this
we recently met a precious woman named
Belize who told us through tears that
two of her children had died we’ve heard
so many stories start the same way and
it never gets easier we want so
desperately to help these families so we
ask the hard questions what happened to
your children how can we help but we
know the responses will feel hauntingly
familiar clara de monaco mahabrahmand
often from iran god
[Music]
we are Martin Megan I’m Madhumita I
require get oh come on Mario quiet nevah
Eric achieve cama cama cheap bum –
comfortable car I know believe I’d be
making one name again never much Belize
fights tirelessly to keep her family
healthy but the contaminated water they
must rely on is inescapable
she lives in constant fear for the lives
of her children since they already
imagine tomorrow and yaqoob percent of
our water hitomi hunger an aquatic talk
my mind orakei korako proceed on fishy
and I’m given and so come on gonna
declare a true king give it like Belize
and her family millions of people across
the globe lack access to clean water but
with your help they will no longer have
to suffer the deadly consequences they
face today
she looked I have four children I can’t
imagine I can’t imagine losing one much
less losing two and the thing that that
makes it so difficult is that it’s
preventable
we need not lose any children because
they don’t have clean drinking water one
of the things the Lord’s really been
convicting my husband Barry and I of
this year is how casual we are sometimes
about what we think of as discretionary
income and really you know I don’t have
discretionary income everything I have
has been given by the Lord and it’s not
that the Lord doesn’t want us to enjoy
good things but when I see how some
mothers are suffering and it’s not like
they’re asking for some fancy new home
or a fancy car all they’re asking for is
clean water to give to their children
see I think of that remember when Christ
encountered that woman at the well and
he talked about the fact that he would
give them water and she would never be
thirsty again she was like give me that
water so I don’t have to come back here
and he explained that he is the water of
life I often feel when we go to preach
the gospel in those nations we have to
take care of the very practical needs
first when you have children who are
dying when you have mothers who
literally I mean I’ve been on the floor
with mothers who are weeping when we can
put a well in their village and then we
can say to them hey can we tell you
about the water of life who will change
everything you and I can change this if
we all do whatever we can then then
there won’t be a problem anymore we’ve
committed to put 400 water wells in this
year alone do you know that already
you have given almost 7,000 water wells
what a miracle but let’s not stop the
need is great and we want to do
something now yes $48 $48 it’s all it
takes to give a lifetime of clean water
to 10 people you might save the lives of
10 children today $48 if you can give
144 that will provide clean water for 30
people for a lifetime on a half
it’s $4,800 on average to provide a well
and it will provide water for a lifetime
some of you can do that and I’m asking
you if if you’re that person do it you
can be a hero to people you can save
lives all of you can just by joining
with us and doing whatever you can go to
the phones go online make the best gift
you can we have some wonderful items
that you know we want to give you to
remind you of what you’ve done
so request those but most importantly
give that water be that answer that
these people need that miracle in their
lives that will change them that will
give them life do it today
today a mother living in extreme poverty
will do the unthinkable give her
children dirty diseased filled water
that she knows could kill them with no
other choice what else can she do with
your help clean water is on the way
mission water for Life provides a way
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this little child is probably between
two three years old maybe four but you
know he may not make it past five four
or five if he doesn’t have the water
that it means he has water but it’s
intimidating but you know we have to
give them a choice they don’t have a
choice right now in so many places all
over the world because they don’t have
that choice their bodies are being
contaminated with this bad water and
their families are dying our
missionaries have been there and seen
them in the hospitals they’re there
because they haven’t had good water
they’ve had contaminated water and it’s
waterborne diseases that will kill them
if we don’t reach out and help them in
time please help us to do please all
around more give these children a chance
in life thank you so much and God will
bless you richly
I really pray all of you would do what
you can you can make such a huge
difference in lives today so go online
make that phone call do what you can in
Sheila I’m sorry that this show has come
to an end spend so much fun fantastic
but remember overcomer August 23rd of
take your friends tickets early our
nation this is part of fulfilling the
Great Commission this is taking the
gospel to everybody so priscilla we pray
God’s great favour and blessings and
love anew we love you
[Applause]
[Music]
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