What I'm About

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Hey y'all my name is Ashton Walton and I wanted to take some time today to talk about who I am and what I am about. That way you kind of get a chance and an opportunity to know better who I am and again what I'm about.

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I want to start with just part of my recent testimony so you can kind of begin to get an idea of the things I'm passionate about and some of the goals and the direction I want to be able to take this ministry as I continue filming lessons and coming out with devotionals and other things along those lines in a digital form, rather than in person.

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And so just kind of some of the key points or the key parts of my testimony are I don't have what most Christians are what most people would consider an exciting testimony, I grew up in church. I never went through a time where I thought I was saved because my parents were saved I took ownership for my own salvation and my beliefs. I never really had a bad sin issue I didn't go to jail and then become saved while I was in prison.

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I've continued to follow God, my entire life I've never had a period where I was actively running away from God.

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And I've never had to recommit my life to Christ. I've never went through a time where I realized I was actively running away from God and I needed to publicly recommit my life to Christ and part of my recent or more recent testimony was in the workplace and this was a little while back, but in a way it's still part of my recent testimony, but I kind of felt discouraged and put down in my workplace. I had a manager that hated me and many of y'all might be able to kind of sympathize and empathize with that and kind of know and understand how that might feel to have a manager that just hates your guts.

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And I kind of just was at the point I didn't want to be at work I went from loving my job to work was something I dreaded every single day and. And again, many of you may I understand what that's like. And I was really considering pursuing something else I had begun kind of starting to look into some potential job opportunities that maybe I could go and pursue. Instead of having to be having to be where I was at. And then I remembered something I remembered studying Ephesians with my Precept Bible study class.

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And I remember studying. Ephesians chapter four, and there was one verse that kind of stuck out to me and it was Ephesians 4:1. And Ephesians 4:1 was kind of the start of this it says, Therefore, I prisoner of the Lord implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.

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I realized something.

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I can be God's prisoner.

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I can be God's prisoner and that's, that's kind of where the title for this ministry or the name

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came for this ministry is His prisoner, or Ministry of God's prisoner.

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I can be God's prisoner.

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And I'm called as a believer to walk in a manner worthy of the calling which I've been called so I can be God's prisoner. And I recognize that I can do that in the workplace too, in a couple different ways.

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The first way of being God's prisoner I can know Whose side I'm on. If you see that verse there Philippians 4:6. Philippians 4:6 says Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. If you continue on to verse seven. It says, and the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

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Christians can also recognize that when they're God's prisoner, they can know whose side they're on.

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They can be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, both those words prayer and supplication those both mean prayer. The first word prayer is a prayer, it's a general prayer, it's a prayer to, it's almost like God, picks up your picks up your head and says no, look at me focus on Me, you're focusing on yourself, and you're selfish wants, focus on what you look at what you need to be looking at. And then supplication is a more direct prayer that so prayer that is on the specific need.

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Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus. So I can know who whose side I'm on. I don't have to worry about anything, no matter what's thrown at me if it's a manager that hates me if it's a tough situation at church or just in life in general, I can be God's prisoner, I can know whose side I'm on.

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And the next one is in being God's prisoner, I can be the Lord's prisoner.

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My old Bible study teacher Betty, Miss Betty Kirkby drove that point home of knowing whose side you're on and Pastor Rob Jackson, really drove home the point that I can be the Lord's prisoner, and he really helped me understand that some of the ways I can be the Lord's prisoner are found in Ephesians 4:1, or as found throughout a lot of Paul's writings I can be the Lord's prisoner.

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Because I can be someone who rejoices in chains you see that Paul and, and some of the Apostles when they're in chains they're rejoicing they're singing hymns in the middle of the night, they're rejoicing and praising God.

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That's part of being the Lord's prisoner.

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I'm someone who I can be someone who does the right thing, even when I'm treated wrong again you see that in the Paul, and Paul's life and the apostles life, no matter how many times they're thrown into prison wrongfully, they still praise and they still rejoice, while they're in chains.

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And I can be someone who is not chained to a guard, but has a guard chain to me. What that means is, Pastor Rob a lot of times when he was talking about Paul would make reference to the fact that when one of one of the times he was in house arrest they kind of had to keep changing out the Roman guards. And it wasn't just a change in the changing of the guard duty, but it was because Paul recognized, he wasn't chained to that guard he wasn't stuck to that guard that guard was stuck to Paul. Paul was preaching, while in chains to the guards that were, he recognized were chained to him he recognized he was the Lord's prisoner. He was in prison he was in chains only as long as the Lord wanted him to be.

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And he took that opportunity to do ministry. That's what I'm about. I've decided to begin filming these lessons

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really so I can refine my teaching style and begin sharing messages I'm passionate about. Before I began working in a church that's kind of the end goal and I'm in school, and I've been prayerfully following God's direction as he leads me to become the pastor or serve in the, in the ministry in-person ministry that He has for me.

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But why I started this ministry is because I recognize that no matter what trial comes my way no matter what hardship I have to face. I can be the Lord's prisoner I can recognize I'm in this situation because God has placed me there. And I'm only in the situation as long as God wants me there.

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That's why I started this ministry that's why the name Ministry of God's prisoner is so important to me I hope it becomes important to you.

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Because I think every believer needs to recognize their God's prisoner any hardship they face is only as long as God allows it to be there.

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And those hardships are for your spiritual growth. I talked about last week I talked about growing pains. And when you're a little kid and you, and when I was a little kid and you start feel these, these pains. And it's not because you're shrinking it's because you're growing, and that's part of those growing pains part of the pains you face as a believer are intended for your growth.

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That's why I started this ministry kind of my goal with this ministry is to share the gospel through teaching or through accurately, teaching the Bible. My hope is to help believers build up their spiritual walk and to show unbelievers the hope they can have in Christ.

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Ultimately, my goal is to help, I want to help believers, grow and be strengthened in their walk with God I want believers to understand God's word because that is vital that is key for their life.

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Another one of my favorite passages which I didn't have notes for but it's second Timothy 3:16-17 that was the first passage I ever taught on and it's one that I've come to love.

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But it says All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. I want my goal is to help believers know God's word, so that as the man of God as the woman of God, they are adequate and equipped for every good work. As your trainer at your new job trains you so you're adequate and equipped for every task that you might face in the workplace, God's word is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction for training and righteousness. God's word helps get us ready so that we are adequate and equipped for every good work. That God calls us to as we live our lives out as believers.

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And while we are living our lives as believers the Bible also tells us to expect trials, expect people to hate us and treat us poorly, because we love Jesus. And when that comes.

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That is where Ephesians 4:1 really comes into play. Therefore, I prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling, with which you have been called. When hardships come.

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And no matter what it is, if it's from a manager if it's from a fellow believer if it's from someone you're not sure whether or not they are a Christian.

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You have to be ready, you have to understand that you are still called to walk in a manner worthy of the calling which you have been called.

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That's about all I have for this about me video. My hope is to continue down below. I'm coming up with doctrinal statements about some of the other things that I believe, just so you can continue getting to know me. What I'm about what I believe. And hopefully, my goal, and my prayer is that God can use this ministry to help grow you as a believer in your spiritual walk or you as maybe an unbeliever who are watching these videos if this is the first time ever hearing a word of Scripture, read or spoken.

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My goal is that you would come to see the hope you can have in Christ. And that's really all I got for you guys today. Thank you so much for watching and getting to know a little bit who I am and what I'm about. Take care.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Minor Edits by Ashton Walton