Barry Meguiar 00:00
Welcome to the Ignite with Barry Meguiar podcast. How would you like to have the time of your life for the rest of your life? How would you like to defeat fear effortlessly, knowing for sure God is hearing and answering your prayers and directing your steps and making everything work for good? This is exciting. Here’s the question: How would you like to ignite your life? Stay tuned.
Welcome back, everybody. To ignite. I’m here with Brad Dacus, my dear friend. We’ve been friends for oh, I think you had like one office when we first met.
Speaker 1 00:38
That’s right, one office and no gray. It was a long time ago.
Barry Meguiar 00:43
And Pacific Justice again, there may be people that didn’t watch our earlier podcast. You need to do it’s really good but explain Pacific Justice right quick. I want everybody on stage with us and understand what you do.
Speaker 1 00:56
Yeah, you bet we’re a nonprofit legal ministry. We defend religious freedom, parent’s rights against the government, safety of human life, all without charge. We have 37 offices, coast to coast, and we, like I say, don’t charge for our work, we’ve had a very high success rate. One thing that makes us so unique, as you know, is we don’t just cherry pick a few high-profile cases, we have a ministry heart, which means we work to make sure that everyone gets helping and in every way we can and it’s an exciting time that we live in. We have over 130 cases in active litigation. It’s an exciting time.
Barry Meguiar 01:33
But that is not why have brought Brad on our program, our podcast right now, and it’s not because he’s dashing and handsome, and spite of all those things, and he is, I exaggerate not, but in spite of all that, I mean, here’s a layman. I love it. Here’s a layman that speaks most Sundays in churches all the United States, free of charge by the way, but you and I have the same privilege. They don’t expect us to be able to proclaim the gospel, we’re laymen. I pedal car wax, and you’re pedal law and so I like it, because when I speak, I always exceed their expectations, because they it’s I’m a layman. What do I know? You know? And so, when they hear the word of God coming through us. And I would dare say that we have the word of God, Brad, it just comes to me but the reason we have the word of God so ingrained in us is not just out of dedication to reading the Bible, but out of sharing our faith, because when we apply it to people’s lives, it comes real, right? And then also the scriptures come together. And the more we share our faith, the more we know the word, the closer we are to God, the more intimacy we have with God, the more he speaks through us, it’s growing and growing. It’s just and that’s our experience. As I said last podcast, you and I have more fun than we deserve every day.
Speaker 1 03:02
Yeah, it’s so true. And you know, oftentimes, you know, like you and I will preach at churches in those settings, but a lot of Americans think, okay, that’s where, that’s where you preach, that’s where you share Jesus. No, that’s not what the disciples did, that’s not what Jesus, you know, Jesus did. He wasn’t in the temple all the time, no. And in fact, I’m discovering exciting opportunities, so, I spoke to a group of Republican Women, a federated. And, you know, I went in, I spoke to the group, and I just, it just flowed right into my testimony and the gospel and an opportunity for people to pray and receive Christ. A hand, hand goes up, affirming that they said the prayer, Realtors in Bakersfield, and there’s, there’s, yeah, they’re surprised. But I, I know no one stoned me yet. I haven’t been, you know, cast out of the town yet. And I’m thinking, you know, what’s the worst that’s gonna happen? They may, you know, think they may not like me before, whatever, but, you know, but actually I’ve seen, you know, it’s just been really positive on airplanes. I think it’s an advantage not being a pastor in some ways, because, you know, sitting next to an attorney, and I love talking to attorneys, I say. So, what do you do? And he says: Well, I’m an attorney. I said, Really, you and I think of attorneys. And he goes, what? And I says, I think attorneys are one of the most noble occupations you can have. I have the highest respect and admiration for attorneys. He looks at me, goes, well, thank you, I’m not used to hearing that. So what do you do? I says, I’m an attorney. And then I start the conversation. I’ll say, so let me just, are you, I’m a Christian, or you have a faith background? He said. He says, Well, no, I’m agnostic. I said, Oh, really, I totally respect that. I said, but this hypothetically if there was a God, and let’s say he required us just to turn off our brains and just, just blindly believe in and not even just even think. I said, that’d be a pretty cruel God, wouldn’t it? For someone like you and I, who think logically. He goes, Yeah, yeah, it really would be. I said, Well, I’m glad you agree, because the God I know is not like that. And I said, then I’ll start into, I said, Yeah. Have you ever looked at this book, this apologetics book? You ever read it? You know, you know, I don’t have enough faith to be an atheist, or the latest one out God, you know, Is God real or? And they all say no, and I say, Well, I said that to you, you know. And we have these great dialogs that just wouldn’t happen if I was a pastor, if you were a pastor, if you were in that bar as a pastor, everyone would have just sort of probably stiffened up and in order to, you know, soda water, you know, or maybe, you know. But no, it’s, it’s a great opportunity, and I think we need to take where we, where we are, as a gift from God to connect with the group.
Barry Meguiar 05:45
If I dare say, in the marketplace, folks, you, Brad and I, we actually have more credibility than a pastor. Because the pastor’s paid. That’s, that’s what he does. That’s what he’s trained to do. But as a layman, you’re like the person next to you. There’s, there’s no difference, except that you found the Lord, and you’ve applied into your life, and he’s given you a successful life. The impact we have, the influence you have, folks, all of us have influence. You have influence. The question is, what are you doing with your influence? Are you using it to get people to like you? Oh, you’re a good guy? Does not just love that guy? You’re a good dad? I love my dad. I love my granddad. He’s so kind of he gives me who have such great times. Do you know you could love your family and your friends right into hell just by loving on them and affirming them in bad behavior? Affirming them does not, is not loving them. It’s affirming them. It’s the opposite of love. We need to stand for righteousness to where, if they see God’s righteous to us, they will automatically be condemned in their own spirit. Their, our actions don’t speak louder than our words, folks, all right? Our actions speak before our words. If everything you’re doing is bringing glory to God when you speak people listen and we don’t have to be eloquent. It doesn’t go in the world all you who are eloquent or can quote scripture, he says, though, know you’re my disciple by your love, and that’s what we do. We get better at it over the years because we’ve had more and more encounters, so we get, it becomes easier to do. When it first started, it was still easy because you allowed God to do it but it just gets more and more fun and the Word of God didn’t it just you understand the word, you understand God. You understand the privilege we have to receive his, his love and have his love flow through us. And everything, everything we say new, moving everybody closer to Jesus. This is the life you and I live. That’s why we have so much fun together.
Speaker 1 07:57
Oh yeah, and, you know, there’s a lot of Christians out there who, I think they hear this, they say, Well, I’m not going to share my faith because, you know, I, I said a bad, some bad language when I looked at the third quarter earnings and you’ll talk to CEOs and business owners and, and they get this, this feeling like, well, I better not share my faith, because I’m not perfect enough yet. And I’ve told them, because we train business owners, CEOs, on how they can live their faith, in their aggressively, in their workplace, to their customers, their employees. And I tell them, I say, You know what? Your testimony is not how you have arrived. It’s not about you. It’s not about who you are. It’s about whose you are. It’s about the grace and mercy that God has given you and how he’s taking you through step by step where you are. That’s the testimony. It’s not you, it’s him. And when we realize that, and we’ll see CEOs giving videos of their testimony and sending it out to all their workers, and we give a few little legal qualifiers with that, so contact us if people are interested in doing that. But because it’s not about arriving, it’s about, it’s about coming to Jesus Christ and what he’s doing, and the grace He shows in our lives with the spirit of humility. It’s, it’s great opportunity. So, we don’t have to be perfect to share our story, to share about God.
Barry Meguiar 09:19
And none of us grace, and none of us are. So many times walk away from encounter and think, God, you just used me. I’m a wretch. I pedal car wax. I don’t deserve it, but you just used me. And it is love and it’s, it’s not, I go to get better so I can do it. No, you start right now. But this thing with, you know, they asked Jesus, what’s, what’s the most important commandment? And he said, Love Me with all your heart, mind and soul, and when you do that, whatever you love, you’re going to talk about. So Christian, if you’re not talking about Jesus, he’s no longer your first love, okay? That’s just fact. It just is. You can’t, I can’t love my wife and not tell people about how much I love my wife. It’s just automatic and Susanne as well. I mean, we know, you guys are in love. It just, it just happens. Whatever we love, whatever excited about, we’re gonna talk about. If you’re talking about God, then guess who moves, so, but, but he says, Love Me with all your heart, because when you love him, you’ll tell people about him. But then he adds to it and explains it. When you love me and you love your neighbor as yourself, and then he goes on and says, And that’s all I ask of you for your entire life. There’s nothing else. That’s it. Love me and love your neighbor as yourself, because when you love your neighbor as yourself, you’re as concerned for their salvation as you are your own salvation. You want to get them to heaven like you want to get yourself to heaven. And if you really mean that, then you’re going to start doing everything you can to get them to heaven by how you live, how you dress, how you speak. And all of a sudden, those of you who have had foul language or drinking or whatever, and you can’t get over it, that’ll give it, get you over not by willing it to happen, we’re not that strong, right? But we just focus on love. I love him, and I don’t want to do anything to be a stumbling block to him or her. I don’t want to be a stumbling block so you automatically start, that’s why he says you’ll fulfill everything when you love your neighbor as yourself. And that’s about sharing your faith. That’s what ignite America is all about. Moving everybody. Ignite Americans. Ignite Christians to ignite America with revival, one person at a time. This is two people that are doing that, and there’s a whole bunch of you watching us right now that are not doing that, that you’re called to do that, and have no idea first of how easy it is, because you just let God orchestrate the conversation, give you the words, you don’t have no preparation needed, and you’re missing out on having your life ignited because when you do that, it’s like God’s using me. Like, do you understand what you could have every day, multiple times, every day, they say, what. Brad, why are you so happy all the time? I’ve never seen him unhappy. I’ve never once seen Brad unhappy. Bad things happen in his life, he better believe it. Do you seem unhappy? Not smiling? They say, Barry, how come you’re so happy all the time? You really want to know? I’m in the game. And I tell people about Jesus. When I do that, he satisfies all my desires. He gives me freedom. I fear nothing. We’re beyond fear. God endures all our lives. And as we talked earlier, if you want to shoot me, shoot me. But first off, just know God loves you, now make my day. It’s, it’s freedom, and you and I get to have that every day.
Speaker 1 12:39
Yeah, and you know, you know Barry also. I know sometimes we’re in the workplace or environment and we have people that are hostile to us, and we say to ourselves, you know, how can I love this person? And they’re opposed me and they hate me, and what, you know, what I my prescription is to pray for them. And it’s not a ritual thing, it’s not an oblique, it is a powerful tool, because when I pray for people, even if they’re my greatest enemy, they just really hate me or whatever, I start to see them as God sees them.
Barry Meguiar 13:10
As God sees them.
Speaker 1 13:12
I start to love them as God loves them. And this one guy wronged me big time, and I met with him, and he says, he goes, Brad. I said, How are you doing? He goes, Brad, why do you, why do you, why do you care about me? I wronged you worse than anyone. And I said, Well, I prayed for you become before I came in and I started seeing you as God sees you, how much God loves you. I said, so really, you’re not seeing Brad the flesh here, you’re really seeing the Lord and how much God loves you. And so when we pray for people, and that’s often the first step to allow us to have the heart to open up, to reach out to people, is start praying for people at work, in school, universities, start praying for people, and let the love of God start flowing through, and the Holy Spirit will bless that as you step out to share the good news of Christ.
Barry Meguiar 13:55
And it’s so easy. It’s so easy. It takes no other you can love on people. We can all love on people. And when you love on people and let them know you’re a Christian in some non-offensive way, you can through God in jokingly, oh, God, boy, he saved your bacon, didn’t he? hear? Well that must break God’s heart some way they know you’re Christian, once they know that, they’ll open up so quickly and tell you needs, and that’s when the Holy Spirit comes in and gives you the words. It says, It’s Supernatural, folks, you can’t have it any other way. You can’t experience that any other way. How else can you know that God is speaking to you? You’re right where you’re supposed to be at that moment, and God is speaking through you right at that moment, and life is being changed at that moment. Wow. Have that one time and change your life. Have it several times a day.
Speaker 1 14:55
Oh, yeah. And just it also, just listening, that’s the greatest way I think, to start through its relationship is, is to listen to people and just to hear what they have to say. You know, in fact, I have a ruler in my office if someone calls screaming and yelling because they didn’t like what I said on my radio show or my TV program or whatever, I say, Get their phone number, get their name and phone number, give it to me so I can connect with them, I can listen to them and find a point of connection with sincerity. And by listening, I’m displaying respect and love for that person, not necessarily agreement, but respect and love, which opens up the doors oftentimes, and it’s exciting to see what happens.
Barry Meguiar 15:33
That owner can come from somebody that shares their faith, because all of our preparation for evangelist has been loaded up, and get this scripture and these points and all this stuff, and you load the bear, and it becomes a sales pitch. And you and they, people don’t want that. They’re appalled by that we push people away. On the other hand, if you just ask questions and love on them, do you know almost, most, most people don’t have even one person that’s loving them. And even if you’re being loved, you want love. We all want more love. Everybody does. And here you don’t have anybody loving you, and you’re in the line at Starbucks, and the person beside you is loving on you, and you open up and you share. And then the Holy Spirit speaks through, that’s a spiritual, and scriptural, Holy Ghost moment, and at the end of the day, nothing else you do that day will have any eternal significance. I don’t care if you close the biggest deal, you did the greatest thing ever for your family or grandkids, or you’re the best friend, you just got the biggest car, the biggest me or the biggest vacation. None of that is eternal. It’s fine. I’m not saying don’t do that, but the joy comes from one thing, and He knows that, He, We will ignite us. We’ll never have another bad day. Have the time of our life for the rest of our lives, when we do just one thing, love everybody. Move everybody closer to Jesus. Love your neighbor as yourself, be a part of his purpose to seek and save the lost. I mean, so simple, and we’re both saying the same thing, and we didn’t, I didn’t teach Brad. Brad didn’t teach me. We both got here separately, but we’re, but we’re singing the same song, right?
Speaker 1 17:20
Oh yeah. And you know, I one of my favorite chapters is John chapter 15, where it talks about us, him being the Vine, and we’re the Branches. And if we could try to do things on our own, obligatory, I gotta do this. I gotta share my faith with five people. I gotta knock. I gotta do this ritual. We’re missing out. It’s, it’s clinging with the Lord, walking with the Lord, because, you know, praying for people, letting God move through us and, and knowing that’s where the juice comes from, that’s where the love comes from, is our relationship with the Lord, and remembering what he did for us, for the love of Christ controls us, compels us. Having concluded this that Christ died for all. That’s, that’s where the power comes in. It’s not like you say a sales presentation and, and, you know, going through these motions, but loving them and allowing God to move and to direct the conversation and see where, where it goes. That’s what God does, and we don’t always see the results. I know one guy I share the gospel with. He was, he was 18, rebelling against God. At the end, I thought, what a waste of my time. That was my attitude, what a waste of my time. This punk didn’t hear anything I said. 17 years later, he knocked on my door. Someone answered and said, Yeah, Brad or no, he said, Well, I just want to come by and thank him because he shared with me the gospel. 17 years ago. I didn’t listen to him. I ended up in prison, but when I was in prison, I remember what he shared with me. I surrendered my life to Christ. I’m now out of prison. I’m now in full time ministry, and I wanted to come by and thank Brad for taking the time. Do you know, Barry? When I heard that the Holy Spirit reminded me of my attitude. What a waste of my time, that point, and I felt so convicted like, oh, Lord, don’t ever let me have that attitude again where I have, you know, just share the faith, share the good news, and leave it up to him and see what God’s gonna do.
Barry Meguiar 19:17
His word never returns void. That’s a promise to us, and even though they may say they’re not interested, they can’t get away from the fact that a Christian just loved on them, and His word never returns, word that’ll using the term haunt them, but you know what I mean, nudge them. It’ll, it’ll keep convicting them. And we both have people that we shared our faith with for a lot of years. And I have one where I got a phone call. I’ve told this many times, because my longest one, a friend in Detroit, yeah, in Detroit, called me. Said, our friend in Oregon just, he’s a hospice bed. He just saw his wife. He’s got to talk to you. And I called him, and he said, I’m dying after 50 years. And I led him to the Lord. It took about 10 minutes. I said, Karen, you know, I just led Jack to the Lord in 10-12 minutes, but it took 50 years. And he never gave me any kind of confirmer confirming response in 50 years until he’s dying, and then he was ready. Karen says, I have a deathbed ministry because I let a lot of people that caught the end. He said, Stop waiting to the end. Do it now. Let’s talk now. But yeah, every conversation, regardless how awkward it comes, I’ve never, I, you know, I’ve never offended anybody in 50 years. I never have, I’ve had people say, No, I’m not interested, or God doesn’t love me, or whatever but I’ve never, I’ve never offended anybody. They, and it’s hard to offend people when you say, Do you know God loves you? What? No. And oftentimes they say, No, yeah, God loves you. How do they get mad at you when you’re telling them, God Almighty loves you as much as ever loved anybody since the foundation of the world, and he has one plan for you to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. How can they get mad at you? They can’t. So, yeah, it’s fun. It’s really fun. What a privilege we have to live the lives that God has given us for His glory.
Speaker 1 21:33
Yeah, it is, you know, one of the resources we provide for young people it’s a book called reclaim your school, how to legally and practically evangelize public schools. And there’s great ministries like decision point.org, that we’ve worked with, that comes in and does full outreach weeks. There’s work we’ve done with college students to share their, their faith. Two weeks ago, I was on a plane three weeks, I was a plane trip with a student from Texas A&M, that’s where I went undergrad. He was a non-believer. His parents, I think, were Hindu, and, yeah, and I just talked with him and sent him a book. He says, Hey, I got it. Thank you. And there’s just so much in the way of opportunities that we have that we often don’t know about, and I encourage people, if they want any information, to be empowered about what they can do. We have it on our website, pji.org, but the biggest hurdle is right here. It’s not being filled with the love of Christ and being focused on ourselves. That’s the biggest hurdle, because even if we have persecution, if we have the love of Christ, the gospel is going to prevail just like it did in the early church. So that’s, that’s the most important priority, is for us in our walk with the Lord and being willing to step out in faith and look for those opportunities to share the good news of Christ one step at a time.
Barry Meguiar 22:55
You talked about the Vine where the Branches were grafted in, we’re Branches, and so the health of the tree flows through the Branches, but if it flows through the Branches, then what’s the end result? It didn’t just make those Branches strong, just sit there, a bud’s going to come out, or fruit is going to be given. So when we when, when we beget fruit, when we give fruit, when, we bear fruit, we’re allowing God’s immutable love. I looked at this word immutable. It means it never changes. It can’t change. It’s the only thing universe it can’t change. His love never stops. It overwhelms us. We, he loves you in spite of what you’ve done. He loves you as much he loved you when he, before in the world, he knew you now, he’s known you all this time, and he wants to flow through you. And when you not just receive it, but you allow his love to flow through you. Folks, get this, a lot of you, most of you probably, have received, that are Christians, you’ve received, but you’re not sharing, you’re not allowing. That’s where the real joy comes when you allow it to flow through you and you bear fruit. Wow. I mean, it’s incredible. It just is absolutely incredible. I had a gal just real quick. I got in the plane. I’ve told this story before where Karen I got separated. The gal next to me sees my Bible. Thinks I’m a pastor. I tell her, I’m a businessman, but I love God. And she says, God could never love me. And I laughed at her. She was saying it sorrowfully. She was sad. She was disturbed. I laughed. What? I said, Boy, you don’t know God, do you? What? You don’t know that God loves you? No, He can’t love you. Yeah, he loves you. What? Yes, in fact, he loves you as much as ever loved it. Do you know he loves you as much He loves His own Son? Jesus Christ? That’s how much he loves you. And we had this wonderful conversation. I was praying with her when we landed in Dallas. Have you ever walked away saying, What if I have? What would happen to that person if I’d not share, shared with them? if I’d not followed the nudge, she was nudging me. What if I’d not followed the nudge? What if I’d not shared with that person? What would happen to that person? I know you’ve had those experience.
Speaker 1 25:10
Oh, yeah. And, you know, there’s so many people out there who are in that same that mindset. We’re saying like, No, God can’t forgive me. You know, I’ve done too many wrong things, even Christians fall into that where they become a Christian, and then they forget their first life, forget the power of the cross. And I tell people, and I say this when I preach, it’s like, it’s like walking up to Jesus on the cross, and there he is dying, pouring out His blood out of love for you to bear your sin, your death penalty on the cross. And it’s like walking up to him and saying, nice try, Jesus. But you see, for me, that’s just not good enough. And his response to that lie was really clear, I believe, when he said, It is finished, and all we have to do is to believe it and to receive it, and he’ll separate all of our sin as far as the east is from the west, and we can become a living child of a living God, fully forgiven. And God wants whether you’re a non-believer and you haven’t received it, or a believer who starts to believe the lie that somehow the cross wasn’t good enough, or somehow, you’re out of God’s. No, no, now’s the time to believe it. Now’s the time to receive that forgiveness, and it’s right here, right now, waiting for people watching this program.
Barry Meguiar 26:24
And now’s the time to share it when we live for His purpose. Romans 8:28, when we live for His purpose, not our purpose, His purpose. His purpose is to seek and save the lost when we live every day of our lives to seek and save the lost, to move everybody, every day close to Jesus. That’s what Brad and I do. When you do that, that everything in your life, even the bad stuff, works together for good. That’s powerful. That really is. Brad, you’re awesome. You’re awesome. I wish you had more time but we’re out of time. Blessings on you, Father, God. I thank you for Brad Dacus and Susanne, this powerhouse couple for you that are all in, that inspire me as much as I share my faith and courage. I, whatever I get around them, my, my faith is expanded and my energy explodes because of them. We help each other, inspire each other. May this conversation between us today inspire you to get off the bench and into the game, stop just making to heaven barely and complaining and getting all beat up by Satan and robbing you of your joy, when you can have joy every day by doing the one thing, the only one thing he’s commanded you to do. Only one. Love your neighbor as yourself, seek and save the lost. Move everybody, everybody, every day, closer to Jesus. Wow. Can you imagine 30 million of us starting that today? We’d have revival in America. Have nothing to do with politics or anything else. It’s the power of love. God, we thank You that we’ve discovered this. We’re not, Brad and I are not perfect. We never proclaim that we’re perfect. We’re loved, and through our imperfection, we share your love. You give us the privilege to reckon so others to you. You give us the opportunity to share your love with everybody around us. Nothing else matters. A 100 years ago, nothing will matter except how many people are in heaven because of our influence, folks, because of your influence, you have influence. What are you doing with your influence? That’s the bottom line today if you’re a Christian. I pray God that you get off the bench and that you move and you promise God, I promise you, from this day forward, from this moment forward, I’m going to move everybody, every day, close to Jesus for His glory, in Jesus name. Thank you, Brad, you are awesome.
Speaker 1 28:50
Thank you, Barry, I appreciate it.
Barry Meguiar 28:52
Okay, this is really great. I knew it would be one of my great friends. Thank you so much for being my friend.
Speaker 1 29:00
You got it. Thank you, Barry. I appreciate you.
Barry Meguiar 29:03
See everybody. See you next time.
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