← In Totality with Megan Ashley
In Totality with Megan Ashley
EP 80: When Your Faith Feels Faded - Inside Burnout & Spiritual Renewal
01:09:10
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- [00:00]
Unknown Speaker 1
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- [00:59]
Unknown Speaker 2
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- [02:00]
Meghan Ashley
Listen if you've been blessed by In Totality the podcast, then I want to personally invite you to go deeper by joining our Patreon community called the Village. Every Tuesday morning, the Village members get early access to the full episode of the podcast two days before it drops publicly on YouTube. So while everyone else is waiting, you're already soaking it in. But that's just the beginning. As a Village member, you get exclusive access to the In Totality docu series. It' the Scenes look at how I walk on my faith in real life. No filters, no fluff, just real moments of me trusting the Lord, processing life, and growing in truth. We also do live book club zoom calls where we read and grow together in the word. I'm not just talking at you. Worth walking through it together, asking questions, wrestling through scriptures, learning to follow Christ more fully. You know, like that. Romans 12. You'll also get bonus content, extra conversations with podcast guests that go even deeper, plus moments that didn't make it to the episode but were just too good not to share. And one more thing. When you join the Village, you get first access to merch before it drops public. So if you love the message and you want to rep the movement, you'll get first dibs every time. But more than the content, the village is about community. It's a safe place for believers to connect and grow and be reminded that you're not doing this walk alone. You're a part of something real. We're building something special. Special. And we would love for you to be a part. So hit pause. Go to www.patreon.com Megan Ashley, and join today, and I'll meet you there. What's up, you guys? Welcome back to In Totality. I'm your host, Meghan Ashley, and today we are going to have a conversation. I'm like, God help us, because I brought my little brother back onto the podcast, and he's been acting up since the moment he walked into this house. And so you guys welcome my little brother, Bishop Norris. Oh, how are you, sir?
- [04:24]
Bishop Norris
What's going on? What's going on?
- [04:26]
Meghan Ashley
I'm so happy you're here.
- [04:27]
Bishop Norris
That is Episcopal vicar. I hate Bishop.
- [04:33]
Meghan Ashley
You're so annoying.
- [04:34]
Bishop Norris
No, I'm so excited to be here.
- [04:37]
Meghan Ashley
You came. Acting up already, man.
- [04:39]
Bishop Norris
It's family. It's a good feeling here. It's a good feeling.
- [04:44]
Meghan Ashley
How you been?
- [04:45]
Bishop Norris
I've been good.
- [04:46]
Meghan Ashley
You haven't been here for a year. Well, I know you've been in Atlanta. Cause you stay busy. You stay busy preaching.
- [04:54]
Bishop Norris
I was in Atlanta for you.
- [04:56]
Meghan Ashley
Not last time you were here.
- [04:59]
Bishop Norris
Why was I in Atlanta last? I don't. I don't.
- [05:01]
Meghan Ashley
The awards.
- [05:03]
Bishop Norris
Yeah, yeah, you're right. You're right. Shout out to bci. The. The BCI Influencers. It's a Christian event. Glory to God.
- [05:12]
Meghan Ashley
But y' all had fun last year. Y' all had a lot of people last year.
- [05:15]
Bishop Norris
It's cracking. Yeah, it was cracking. I had never been in an environment like that. Like I told you before, it was like. It was. It was like a networking thing and just like a wealth of knowledge from the time you walked in. Yeah, the connections, the different things. And, like, I didn't know how many people were watching me or watching stuff that I did. And so just seeing that as well.
- [05:34]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [05:35]
Bishop Norris
Was just amazing for my big sister, for my cousin. Just everybody connected with me just to. Just to be in that environment.
- [05:42]
Unknown Speaker 3
It was.
- [05:43]
Bishop Norris
It was amazing. So I think. I think this year be bigger. Yeah, it'll be doper. The. The lady that's heading it is Jackie Horbrook. She got me my first brand deals and all of that.
- [05:52]
Unknown Speaker 3
Oh, wow.
- [05:53]
Meghan Ashley
That's awesome.
- [05:54]
Bishop Norris
Like. Like a lot of people in there. She was their first connection to a brand or something like that. She introduced us to that world of contracts and all the things.
- [06:02]
Meghan Ashley
So.
- [06:03]
Bishop Norris
Yeah, no, but I've been. I've been good. No, the last time I was here, it was for you.
- [06:07]
Meghan Ashley
Yes.
- [06:08]
Bishop Norris
Acts 2, 42.
- [06:09]
Meghan Ashley
Yeah. Yeah.
- [06:11]
Bishop Norris
The greatest conference of 2020.
- [06:13]
Meghan Ashley
Oh, my gosh.
- [06:14]
Bishop Norris
I.
- [06:15]
Meghan Ashley
Listen, you want to get into it?
- [06:17]
Bishop Norris
People are getting tired of me. People are getting tired of me, bro.
- [06:21]
Meghan Ashley
Norris gave the best review.
- [06:23]
Bishop Norris
I'm like, nobody from one day. I was only there one day.
- [06:26]
Meghan Ashley
Only there. You were there Friday night.
- [06:28]
Bishop Norris
Friday night.
- [06:28]
Meghan Ashley
You came the opening night.
- [06:30]
Bishop Norris
Yeah.
- [06:30]
Meghan Ashley
And there were so many. You know, there were so many people who did reviews because, I mean, I'm still kind of seeing.
- [06:38]
Bishop Norris
Wow.
- [06:38]
Meghan Ashley
Reviews that I didn't see. Like, they're old or older now, but I. You know, I still haven't seen all the reviews that have been done on Acts 242. There was just so many. I remember one day I went on YouTube and it was just like, I put in Acts 2:42, because we have the content up there, like the Worship sessions and. Which if you are not listening to the worst obsessions, man, I'm so glad. They're fantastic.
- [07:01]
Bishop Norris
Oh, my God.
- [07:02]
Meghan Ashley
So I go on there and I like, type in Acts 2:42 so I can listen to some of the worship. Worship sessions that we put on there. And I was just looking at all of these, like, review videos, like, just people coming, you know, their. Their outfits and, you know, just all the things. Then you get to Norris. Norris and his whole thing was completely different to everybody else's. Cause your podcast, you talked about it. Yeah, but what was, like. What was that experience like for you? And what.
- [07:32]
Unknown Speaker 3
Why.
- [07:33]
Meghan Ashley
Why did you feel like it was so necessary to talk about it? Cause you came right back to your platform and was like, I gotta talk about this.
- [07:41]
Bishop Norris
Yeah. You know. You know, the video came out, man, probably like, two weeks after it was over. Like, probably a month. I felt like after it was over. But I had did it. I had just came back when I had did it. So, like, it was fresh. And I'm on there crying like a baby boy, let me tell you. Okay? I don't wanna take up too much time, but I might.
- [08:10]
Meghan Ashley
But I will.
- [08:11]
Bishop Norris
But I will.
- [08:14]
Meghan Ashley
It gets on my nerves, y'. All.
- [08:16]
Bishop Norris
Somebody said. Somebody said, look at your neighbor. Say, thank God for Buddy. Did you see that? Tell your neighbor, thank God for Buddy.
- [08:23]
Meghan Ashley
I'm laughing.
- [08:24]
Bishop Norris
Don't thank God for Buddy. Who is Buddy? He didn't have to do it. Buddy did. That's Buddy.
- [08:30]
Meghan Ashley
Okay.
- [08:30]
Bishop Norris
Thank God for Buddy.
- [08:33]
Meghan Ashley
Anyway.
- [08:34]
Bishop Norris
No, no, no. So, you know, the reason why the conference hit that way for me is because of where I was at spiritually.
- [08:42]
Meghan Ashley
Yeah, let's talk about that. Because you were in a space.
- [08:45]
Bishop Norris
Yeah. I feel like I was burning out, and I feel like I was losing my fire. Now, as a minister, you can preach and you can do these things, and it not necessarily be your gift. It is the anointing, but it's like that's the only thing you're using the anointing for. And so God, I felt like I was only being used to produce, you know? And you said something so powerful that I never considered. He was like, God didn't save us to use us. I never understood that. 12 years of preaching, I never understood. God didn't save me. To use me.
- [09:26]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [09:27]
Bishop Norris
I thought he saved me because he loved me and he wanted to use me.
- [09:32]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [09:32]
Bishop Norris
Him using me is a byproduct of my surrender because he saved me. Not like him. Yeah, I'm saving you so you can be a preacher.
- [09:41]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [09:42]
Bishop Norris
No, I'm saving you so you can be a son. And I need you to be a son with me first. I hadn't reached the place where I looked at God like a good shepherd. So I'm gonna give you this example. My car had broke down on the highway with my son in it. I was in between two semis, and my steering wheel locked up.
- [10:03]
Meghan Ashley
Jesus.
- [10:04]
Bishop Norris
Right? My steering wheel locked up while I was turning to get in the lane in between two semis. And I don't really panic in big life situations, but, like, inside I'm panicking. And I was just praying, lord, just let me get to this oasis. So in Chicago, there's, like, oasis, like, places, like, where it's like, you can park here off the highway and go to the gas station. I was just praying that God would let me get there. And, like, while I'm inside, like, just battling this financially, I'm struggling. All of these things are happening. I cannot get a new car right now. My credit Isn't there, like, just stuff isn't right just yet. And so this is. This, like, all of this is horrible.
- [10:48]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [10:49]
Bishop Norris
I look back at my son, and my son growls at me, you know? And, like, in, like, a playful way. He's about to turn two, and he was, like, one and a half at the time. He growled at me. And, like. And, like, he's laughing while we're in. Like, we could die.
- [11:05]
Meghan Ashley
Yeah.
- [11:05]
Bishop Norris
Something go wrong, it's over the steering wheel lock up. Boom, boom. Sandwich. Right. And so he's laughing, he's joking. And, like, I'm in panic. And I'm just looking back at him like, okay. And I. God lets me get to the Oasis. Soon as I get into a parking spot, the car shuts off. So God literally let me get there. Right. I look back at him again, and he's like. And I start calling people, like, getting things in order. My dad comes and gets us. Cause I have to take him to his mama. My son to his mama. And after I call my dad, after I call, like, AAA and all that stuff, I'm just sitting there, and my mind is just going through all these changes of just, like, what am I gonna do? How am I gonna figure this out? Just frustrated, mad, angry. I look back at my son, and he starts crying. When he cries, he's crying and he's reaching for the seatbelt, and he wants to take it off, and he wants to come up closer to me. And so I take him out of his car seat and I put him on my lap. We're. We're parked in the parking space. I put him on my lap, and he starts laughing and moving again and starts moving the steering wheel. At that moment, I had this realization. I don't see God like a good shepherd. I don't see God the way my son sees me. He's in the car with his father, and he's so happy to be in the car with me that he doesn't realize we are in imminent danger.
- [12:38]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [12:39]
Bishop Norris
He doesn't realize the horribleness of the whole situation or anything like that. The only time he cries is because he's not as close to me as.
- [12:50]
Meghan Ashley
He wants to be.
- [12:51]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah. Yeah, that's good.
- [12:53]
Bishop Norris
And so he cries to get close to me. I put him in my lap. He's happy. God said, I need you to start seeing me the way your son sees me. You panic over life situations, however, you don't panic when you're not as close to me as you should be.
- [13:10]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah. Yeah.
- [13:12]
Bishop Norris
Why don't I Feel that way when I'm not praying, when I'm not spending that time. Right. So I lost that fire. And I didn't know how I was preaching still. I didn't know how I was doing all these things. It is the worst feeling in the world to not feel the presence of the Lord. I come from drugs. You know all the stuff we talked about in the first part? You can go back and watch that if you want to hear it. But I come from strong addiction. The main thing that got me off of addiction was the presence of the Lord. There's no high. There's nothing greater than the presence of the Lord.
- [13:44]
Unknown Speaker 3
Right? Right.
- [13:45]
Bishop Norris
I had an encounter with the Lord in 2017 that changed my life, and that weaned me off of addiction. Right. I have reached that place, that place with my son, the great shepherd place, right before your conference. So I'm ministering, doing all these things, and then your conference comes up, and my mind forgets, like, where I was before the conference, like, where I had to go. Because I think I was traveling that whole weekend, and everything started conspiring to get me to not go. I don't think I personally told you this, but, like, I had to drive my dad's car, right? So this is like, Thursday. Conference starts on a Friday. I'm driving to go get my hair cut. Then I had to go do some other things. Tire goes flat on my dad's car. Right. I go fix it, start driving home. I'm 40 minutes away from my house. Tire goes flat again, second tire. As I'm driving to my. To my parents home. That's, like, my dad's only car. So it's, like, messing up his car situation. I find this farming fleet. This is a Midwest store. I think I find this farming fleet. They air up the tire. All of this is happening the night before. I have to go. Plane leaves at, like, five in the morning.
- [15:06]
Unknown Speaker 3
Sheesh.
- [15:07]
Bishop Norris
So, like, I'm dealing with that. And as I'm driving, I'm just like, you know what? Like, I. I ain't even got the money right now. I ain't got nothing.
- [15:17]
Meghan Ashley
You're like, I don't need to go.
- [15:19]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [15:20]
Bishop Norris
At this point. So I. I go home, I pack up. I get, like, two hours of sleep. I lay down. I wake up. It's like four in the morning. I go to the bathroom, my phone rings, and it's Frontier. I was flying Frontier. Never again. And. And I. And I hope y' all watching that. And you can get my dm and you can get on this place.
- [15:46]
Meghan Ashley
You are so annoyed. You said, never again.
- [15:48]
Bishop Norris
Never again.
- [15:49]
Unknown Speaker 3
Oh, my God.
- [15:50]
Bishop Norris
They text my phone and say, your flight is canceled. No reason, no information, no nothing. No nothing. Your flight is canceled. I said, sign. Going to bed. You said, bed, going to bed. I went and laid down. I heard the Lord so loud. Get up, get another flight.
- [16:12]
Unknown Speaker 3
For sure.
- [16:12]
Bishop Norris
Found another flight at Midway. 30 minutes. Like, 30 minutes from, like, indifference of time from the. From the other flight. I get up, get dressed, I go. I meet one of my PCM partners, like, in there waiting, waiting, just like me. And I'm like, man, everything was trying to stop me from getting here. And I'm like, I just hope nothing else happened. Like, I can't afford nothing else. So we're talking, and I say to her this. I say, I need Pastor Philip to be preaching tonight. Now, granted.
- [16:52]
Meghan Ashley
Because you didn't know who was preaching.
- [16:54]
Bishop Norris
No, I love that. Y' all did.
- [16:55]
Meghan Ashley
I didn't tell you, right.
- [16:57]
Bishop Norris
And I'm like. And I'm like, they, you know, they didn't say who it is. And I ain't text. I text you and actually. Or anything, but I was like. And it's not because, like, you know, everybody has this thing, like, if my. My preacher ain't preaching, I ain't going. Like, you know, we gonna miss the first night if this person ain't.
- [17:14]
Unknown Speaker 3
Whatever.
- [17:15]
Bishop Norris
It wasn't like that for me. I saw on him something that I had, but lost that fire.
- [17:22]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [17:23]
Bishop Norris
I really identify with him. I don't think people understand he is dead.
- [17:31]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [17:32]
Bishop Norris
When I look at his eyes, when I. When I, like, see him. And this is before I met him, I know what happened to him because it happened to me in 2017.
- [17:41]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah. Yeah.
- [17:43]
Bishop Norris
And I lost it.
- [17:44]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [17:45]
Bishop Norris
I'm looking at somebody who kept it. You understand?
- [17:49]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [17:50]
Bishop Norris
And so I said, I need that impartation. I wasn't expecting to meet nobody or nothing like that. I just. I need that.
- [17:57]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [17:58]
Bishop Norris
Like, I need something from him. All of them are amazing.
- [18:01]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [18:02]
Bishop Norris
I listen to all of those. All of those ministers. But I need what he's about to say. I don't know what it's going to be.
- [18:09]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [18:10]
Bishop Norris
And God already had me in Isaiah 6.
- [18:13]
Meghan Ashley
Crazy, right?
- [18:15]
Bishop Norris
So I get to the conference. When I get there, everything. By the time I get to Atlanta, all stress, all stuff is gone. Everything is smooth. The hotel I got. I didn't know. I didn't know it was that nice.
- [18:27]
Meghan Ashley
Yeah, it was so.
- [18:28]
Bishop Norris
It was so nice. And just like, everything. Everything, like, calm my spirit. Right? The Uber was just nice. Like, like, just everything I get there, get dressed. I literally was going to miss the VIP part. I was just laying down because, like, I hadn't been sleep. Right.
- [18:45]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [18:46]
Bishop Norris
So I was. I was literally gonna miss that. Heard the Lord get up, go get dressed right now. I get dressed, I go. And I have so much peace. It's weird, right When I get there outside, it's lines of people. It is the most energetic.
- [19:07]
Meghan Ashley
That was insane.
- [19:08]
Bishop Norris
Full, like insane. The experience of outside, it felt like you got a bunch of people together that just want Jesus and they all fly and they all whatever. And it's a bunch of influencers because, like, I'm like, I be liking your videos. I'll be liking your video.
- [19:24]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [19:24]
Bishop Norris
And like people. People looking at me like that, like, oh, I'll be seeing you.
- [19:27]
Meghan Ashley
You know, there were people that went that I didn't even know. I just think it speaks to the heart of the posture that people like the way that people postured their heart in coming. Because there were so many people, influential people that came that weren't asking to let in.
- [19:47]
Bishop Norris
No.
- [19:47]
Meghan Ashley
Hey, can you get me through the back?
- [19:49]
Bishop Norris
No.
- [19:49]
Meghan Ashley
Hey, can you get me a seat? Hey, can it. I was like, people came. I was like, why didn't you tell me you came?
- [19:54]
Bishop Norris
It was not that energy, man.
- [19:57]
Meghan Ashley
That surprised me. Now I said, because this is Atlanta.
- [20:01]
Bishop Norris
Okay, okay. Now I said that on my pod. And we had one comment. Let me brief. We had one comment. Somebody was like, can we just say what it really was like there. There were people there just for Meg, this just for Megan, just for, you know, whatever. Just for Jackie. And like, mind you, it's one comment and it's. And it's like 400 comments. 399 are saying what I'm saying. The one says that everybody jumped on that person was like, you were there for them like that, like the energy you felt. Yeah, it was like people knew God would be here. And it felt like everybody went through what I went through to get there.
- [20:48]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [20:49]
Meghan Ashley
So many people.
- [20:50]
Bishop Norris
That's what it felt like. Do you understand? I've never had that much spiritual warfare to even go preach somewhere, like, like to, like to go minister and like, that's it. Help people. I haven't had that type of spiritual warfare because the warfare was not about me giving a message. I just told you where I was. I was being used, but I wasn't being filled. The warfare was about what God was trying to do in me. The devil ain't gonna fight me to Go preach. He can't stop that. But he has been affecting the way I've been receiving. So when I pull up, it's lines of people.
- [21:28]
Meghan Ashley
That's good.
- [21:28]
Bishop Norris
I wish you could have saw the expectation of the people.
- [21:34]
Meghan Ashley
They were outside worshiping when I. When I came, they were outside worshiping. It wasn't like they were just standing there. They were worshipping Acts 2. For they were.
- [21:45]
Bishop Norris
Had their bibles in their hand. I'm talking about fly. I told like five people on the way to where you get your jacket, where you get your shoes, where you get to, you know, just like, just like, just like fly. But like, nobody's there to see people.
- [21:57]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah, right. Yeah.
- [21:58]
Bishop Norris
Nobody's there exchanging numbers.
- [21:59]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah, because I.
- [22:00]
Bishop Norris
Because I said. I said something controversial. Like, you know, a lot of these conferences be freak offs.
- [22:05]
Unknown Speaker 3
Oh, my God.
- [22:08]
Bishop Norris
Oh, we can let it briefly. We can edit it out. We can do whatever. A lot of these conferences be freak offs. What do I mean by that? It's a place to connect and meet up with somebody at the hotel after. Like Jackie said at day one, it's homecoming weekend.
- [22:21]
Meghan Ashley
Go home.
- [22:22]
Bishop Norris
Go home. Why does she have to say that? Because of what goes on. Let's not be dumb.
- [22:27]
Meghan Ashley
Right.
- [22:27]
Bishop Norris
You know what I mean? And it's not like the conference is the purpose for that or anything like that. It's just people don't come with the purest of intentions. People came to die. The. The feeling was if I came here for another reason and if I did something else I wasn't supposed to do. The conviction, man, was so strong.
- [22:52]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah, right.
- [22:54]
Bishop Norris
And so, like, just the feeling of outside was so beautiful that I wanted to stay outside. I had to ask them, like, if, if, like, if like we were like friends and family, where do we go? And like, they had to direct me to the back. And I'm like, dang, I could have stayed out here. So I went back there, I went up and I saw Jordan. When I saw Jordan, I knew I was in the right place because I'm like, wherever Jordan is, that's where the Lord is. So I went, saw her, chopped it up with her for a second. But then there was another young lady that was like in the same position as me. I think I shot her out. Her name's Sierra Favors. I just met her for the first time. But then we ended up being conference buddies. Cause we didn't know what to do. So we both went to the vip. VIP was a separate conference. I don't know if y' all knew this, but they Decided to have two conferences in one night. VIP was fire. So fire. And, you know, I was in there clowning, but sitting in the back clowning. Gave us huge Bibles, CSB study Bibles. I read mine till this day. The most firest Bible. I said, oh, they going crazy. Just even that, like, that was just amazing. I didn't realize y' all didn't ask for an offering. Didn't realize that. Just so many different things, right? So reason why I brought up Sierra Favors is because she plays a. She plays a significant role in, like, why that night was so impactful. Me and her left from there, and there was a spot for us for, like, in the balcony, right? If you guys didn't know, like, the way the church was, it was like, two balcony parts like this and the floor in the middle balcony. But, like, the family and friends is, like, on the. Like, on the right side, I think, balcony. While we. We were waiting for everybody to come in. We were just standing up there and, like, she was like, shoot. She was like, let's take a picture to, like, you know, just put on social media. I'm gonna take. I'm gonna take a picture of you. You take a picture of me or, like, you know, all those things. And I'm like, yeah, you know, the influencer thing. I guess I be trying. And so we took the pictures and, like, she took a picture of me by the balcony, and, like, behind me, you could see, like, all the seats and stuff. And she's a very prophetic person. I didn't notice about her. And she said, like, while she was taking a picture, she just stopped and, like, was staring, like, just at the picture. And she said, I just saw something. She was like, this. This. This. This is very transparent. She was like, God. God was trying to do this for you. She said, like, God was trying to do this. Like, something about your influence and all these things was supposed to change. God was trying to open this door for you. She said, but you've been too disobedient. And I said, who you talking to?
- [25:57]
Meghan Ashley
For sure, squint.
- [25:58]
Bishop Norris
Yeah, she said. She said. She said you just been too disobedient. She said. She said this. I had just made a video talking about my son and the great shepherd thing. I had just made that video. She hadn't seen it. She didn't follow me. She said, I see God as a shepherd in this field, and I see you in the field, but, like, roaming around, and God is waiting on you to get back with him. So y' all can continue on what y' all were doing. Like, God is waiting on you to be his sheep again. She said, you didn't leave the field. Like, you know how the field is fenced in. Jesus talks about that. She said, you didn't leave out the field. You're in the field and you're roaming. He's like, I'm not gonna chase you. I'll wait till you come stand next to me.
- [26:45]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [26:45]
Bishop Norris
And then we can go do what we're going to do.
- [26:46]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [26:47]
Bishop Norris
And she began to call out things that was going on in my heart, things that was going on in my mind. And I'm like, oh, my gosh. Because typically when people prophesy to me, they don't say the stuff that's really going on.
- [26:58]
Meghan Ashley
Yeah.
- [26:58]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [26:58]
Bishop Norris
When you're. When you're gifted, they speak to that.
- [27:03]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [27:03]
Bishop Norris
Megan, you're going to change the world. You're going to go around the world. You're going to. You're going to whatever. Well, all due respect, you know that. You know that. You know. You know, when you said yes to God, you knew something was coming that was going to be bigger than you. It just is what it is.
- [27:18]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [27:19]
Bishop Norris
Whether you wanted that or not is another question. But, you know, the greatness that God has placed in you, that's not. That's not the battle. Right. And sometimes people only speak to that.
- [27:30]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [27:30]
Bishop Norris
They only spoke to that. Well, people would only speak to that about me. She began to speak to the places in my heart where I let down my standard, where I just was just not listening to what he was asking me to give up.
- [27:45]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [27:46]
Bishop Norris
What he was asking me to do.
- [27:47]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [27:48]
Bishop Norris
And she spoke to that, and she said, God still wants to do all of this. She said, but he could not do it because you weren't dead enough. That part I have forgot. When she's saying this to me, Megan, I forgot. You told us about Acts 2:42. You told us what you wanted to do. I totally forgot that. And we get done with her saying that. And we're sitting down and we're just talking, and I'm wrecked already. This is before it all starts. When people come into the service, nobody's running to a seat. I don't know if you were able to see any of this. Nobody ran to a seat. Nobody was pushing people. Nobody was trying to get to the front. Nobody was. Like, it was the most peaceful entry. People were walking a little fast, but, like, it was the most peaceful entry into the space. It was so holy. I've never seen that for sure. I used to go to conferences in Texas and different things. Great conferences we used to run in. I was like, you want to get the front seat? Everybody just wanted to be in.
- [28:58]
Meghan Ashley
Just in the room.
- [28:58]
Bishop Norris
Just in the room.
- [28:59]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [29:01]
Bishop Norris
It was so holy when people came in and everything was calm. Everything was beautiful. And just. It was. I think. I think y' all started at 7:30. And so people were getting their seats. Nobody was complaining about that. We've been waiting out here all day. Like, it was. It was nothing like that. Like, it was so weird. I seen Pastor Philip come in, and I saw him come in, and I saw Pastor Eric Mason come in. He had on the fedora, fresh to death.
- [29:35]
Meghan Ashley
He mays come on, man.
- [29:37]
Bishop Norris
And Pastor Philip came in and he started praying. Like, he. He went into his seat to pray. And I grew up seeing that, but it's fake. You know, the bishops come in. They like. And, like, they get down and start and start praying. He went down, he prayed, and Pastor Mason put his hand on his back. And I saw 28, 19 shirts come out of nowhere. I'm talking about, like, somebody from the back. Somebody came out the bathroom. Somebody came out the. Somebody came out the roof. Somebody was levitating down. Like, it was just different. It was. It was. It was different people that came out of nowhere and they all grabbed them and like, I'm talking about like, they were praying now. You used to it. You've seen it in real time. I was so shocked by that.
- [30:25]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [30:26]
Bishop Norris
But that's when I knew he was going to be preaching. Yeah, but, like, he was crying out, praying, praying, praying. And everyone around him was praying, praying, praying. And then they all dispersed like it was nothing. One thing I noticed when talking to different people, because Trey. Trey is my guy. Trey Heflin. I love Trey. I love Trey.
- [30:48]
Meghan Ashley
He's awesome.
- [30:49]
Bishop Norris
Trey. I seen him in the lobby, and I stopped him and talked to him and chopped it up with him. And when I talked to, like, the people that were involved, all of y' all were scared, man. Like, nobody had this feeling of. I'm finna kill it. Nobody had this feeling of. When I told Trey, like, bro, you finna worship? Cause I just knew. I've been listening to him the whole week. The Lamb of God spontaneous thing on YouTube, I listen to that all the time. I play it over my church. Like, I just knew y' all going to go in. When I met him, I said it to him. He looked at me and was like, bro, please pray.
- [31:28]
Unknown Speaker 3
Pray.
- [31:28]
Bishop Norris
Like, I am sick. And I Said. And I said, they. They look at this as a holy thing. Like, this is. This is holy. So when the worship starts, you got done praying. I said this about you. You prayed like a mama whose kids were in danger. You understand what that is? You ever seen a mama pray for her babies and she know her babies is, like, messed up, and like. Like, you come in the house and you find out your mama praying, and she's. And she don't stop. She don't break stride. I come from a praying mama. Like that. You prayed like you were a shepherd. And I think. And I think that's the posture God got you to, about the 7,000 souls that were in there. You were shepherding that, you know, and you prayed over them. And you said something that stuck with me. You said, everybody getting got tonight.
- [32:26]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [32:27]
Bishop Norris
Not a soul getting left out. Everybody getting got tonight. You prayed. Spirit of God went up high. Trey caught it like an alley. Oops. And it went up.
- [32:36]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [32:37]
Bishop Norris
At that point of him singing, I had went down from my seat and sat on the stairs of the balcony, and I just started crying and weeping. The same encounter I got in 2017 was that same encounter.
- [32:51]
Unknown Speaker 3
Wow.
- [32:52]
Bishop Norris
What I had been praying for. I got.
- [32:54]
Unknown Speaker 3
Wow.
- [32:55]
Bishop Norris
30 minutes in.
- [32:56]
Unknown Speaker 3
Wow.
- [32:56]
Meghan Ashley
Before anybody ever preached.
- [32:58]
Bishop Norris
Before anybody ever preached. Before anybody ever did anything. From your prayer to the end of Trey flowing. Because they went into a song. So before the first song.
- [33:09]
Meghan Ashley
Yeah.
- [33:09]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [33:10]
Bishop Norris
Right.
- [33:11]
Meghan Ashley
Cause that was all spontaneous.
- [33:12]
Bishop Norris
I guess, at the front, all of it was spontaneous. It was an alley. Oop, you know, you couldn't come in there and just play the click track, you know, just off of that moment. The spirit of God was so high.
- [33:23]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [33:24]
Bishop Norris
I felt. I fell to my knees. I was sitting down, got to my knees, and I just was crying.
- [33:30]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [33:30]
Bishop Norris
And I was just telling the Lord, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not being in this space.
- [33:35]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [33:35]
Bishop Norris
Of purity.
- [33:36]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [33:36]
Bishop Norris
At that point, I got exactly what I needed.
- [33:38]
Unknown Speaker 3
Wow.
- [33:39]
Bishop Norris
Then. Then. What's my girl name?
- [33:42]
Meghan Ashley
Dr. Sherida. Preached.
- [33:43]
Bishop Norris
Yes. She preached. A subject I had never.
- [33:47]
Meghan Ashley
Not the right eye.
- [33:48]
Bishop Norris
I've never seen nobody preach on that.
- [33:51]
Meghan Ashley
I've never heard that before. I was like, what?
- [33:54]
Bishop Norris
It was so much. Excellent gospel presentation. I said, these people are beasts.
- [34:00]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [34:00]
Bishop Norris
The way she broke that down and stood. And, like, just the way she. The way she presented it.
- [34:07]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [34:07]
Meghan Ashley
It was fire.
- [34:08]
Bishop Norris
It was for me. Because my right eye had been gouged out.
- [34:11]
Unknown Speaker 3
Hello.
- [34:12]
Bishop Norris
Right. So she hits that, and then Pastor Philip comes in, and I'm already wrecked. He preaches exactly what I've been on. He preaches exactly where I'm at. And my whole life is just shattered, broken down, and rebuilt.
- [34:31]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [34:33]
Bishop Norris
In that moment, he said, this is not a sermon. This is a clearing call. I don't think we could ever recreate what was in the room ever. But it was so holy and it was so necessary. It saved my ministry. It saved me as a father. It saved me as a future husband.
- [34:51]
Unknown Speaker 3
Wow.
- [34:52]
Bishop Norris
It saved me as a man.
- [34:53]
Unknown Speaker 3
Wow.
- [34:54]
Bishop Norris
It saved me as a shepherd.
- [34:55]
Unknown Speaker 3
Wow.
- [34:56]
Bishop Norris
Right?
- [34:57]
Unknown Speaker 3
That's awesome.
- [34:58]
Bishop Norris
All of. All of those things transpired. This was just day one.
- [35:02]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [35:02]
Bishop Norris
I was crying my eyes out. I had went on the stage. We weren't. We weren't supposed to, but I was, like, laid down on the stage at.
- [35:09]
Meghan Ashley
The end of the night. Everybody was on the stage.
- [35:10]
Bishop Norris
Yes. Yes.
- [35:12]
Meghan Ashley
On both sides of the. Like, they were all around the stage.
- [35:17]
Bishop Norris
Now, I'm gonna be honest with you. It was a girl that went before me. I let her go first just to see if she'd get kicked off. She was the sacrifice. So when she went and I used to look at her, I went down like this, you know, acting like I'm not looking at them, but I went down. I just. I just. I just laid on the ground, man, and just surrendered.
- [35:39]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [35:40]
Bishop Norris
Just said thank you.
- [35:41]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [35:43]
Bishop Norris
And, like, my whole life was just changed.
- [35:45]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [35:45]
Bishop Norris
When I saw you. I saw. I saw you on accident. You probably don't know that, because I came. I didn't. I didn't go out up.
- [35:54]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [35:54]
Bishop Norris
I went down on the stage and, like, walked through the little. Little. Little tunnel thing.
- [35:58]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [35:58]
Bishop Norris
It was just one security guard there, and he just opened the door and was like, come here. Come this way. And then I seen all of y' all sitting up there talking.
- [36:03]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [36:04]
Bishop Norris
And I was. I was gonna just walk on out, and the Holy Spirit told me to stop and, like, just. Just wait. Just. Just sit there and wait. And so I sat there, waited. I talked to you after. That was when you told me, norris, do you know this was supposed to be the three of us in the discipleship? Yeah. And the thing and the girl's word to me came back to my mind. And I looked at you. I don't think you might not remember this, but I looked at you. I was like. It was exactly what it was supposed to be. I wasn't dead enough to be in anything like that. And it. And it. And it shows me that God protects us from blessings.
- [36:47]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [36:48]
Bishop Norris
He protects us from miracles. Like, he protects us from.
- [36:52]
Meghan Ashley
Well, we don't have the character to.
- [36:53]
Bishop Norris
Well, we don't have the character.
- [36:55]
Meghan Ashley
Yeah, no.
- [36:55]
Bishop Norris
Well, we don't have the devotion life.
- [36:57]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah, yeah.
- [36:58]
Bishop Norris
To sustain.
- [36:59]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [37:00]
Bishop Norris
You can live a good life.
- [37:01]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [37:02]
Bishop Norris
But your devotion life doesn't carry you.
- [37:04]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [37:04]
Bishop Norris
Your prayer life doesn't carry.
- [37:06]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [37:06]
Bishop Norris
Your word life doesn't carry you.
- [37:08]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [37:08]
Bishop Norris
You ain't got to be out here sleeping around to be ill equipped.
- [37:12]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah. Yeah.
- [37:13]
Bishop Norris
You know what I mean?
- [37:14]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah, for sure.
- [37:14]
Bishop Norris
And like. And like, that's. That's like literally where I was just not in the place where my prayer life would sustain that.
- [37:20]
Meghan Ashley
Right, right, right.
- [37:21]
Bishop Norris
Where my word life would sustain that.
- [37:22]
Unknown Speaker 3
Right.
- [37:23]
Bishop Norris
And so, like, when you said that to me, it just. It just hit me even harder. Like God didn't allow that. It was. It was all God. That made the whole switch. That made the whole thing like it was all God. No, no doubt. No question about that. And then I got a chance to meet Pastor Philip through you, and he prayed for me. And I literally was crying talking to him. He's shorter than I thought he was. I said to him, I was like, hey, man, I just want prayer. I said, I know what happened to you. I said, I don't think people understand. I said, I know what happened to you because it happened to me. It's making me emotional. I said, I know what happened to you because it happened to me. I said, but you didn't lose it. I lost it. And I just want prayer to get it back.
- [38:17]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [38:17]
Bishop Norris
Like, I need that fire.
- [38:19]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [38:20]
Bishop Norris
He looked at me, he was like, bro, let's pray right now, man. It's so intense. I start crying. I'm like, yeah, let's pray right now. I said, yeah, let's pray right now. I'm taller than them. But I broke down for sure. I said, I said, yeah, let's pray right now. He grabbed me and just grabbed me for sure.
- [38:41]
Meghan Ashley
Grab. Because he's grabbed me, bro. He don't just place no hand.
- [38:46]
Bishop Norris
It's like he grabbed my medulla oblongata and pulled me in, bro, I cannot stay. He grabbed my medulla album, pulled me in and prayed for me. And I felt like years of weight or something just leave me. I just cried and just held him. And he said, that same fire that I have, Lord placed that in him. And I felt the fire of God. I felt the sensitivity of God. I had to preach the next day. That's why I couldn't stay. When I got back to Illinois, I preached that same type of message that he preached. I preached Isaiah 6 and I didn't really preach it. I just. It was like a clarion call.
- [39:39]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [39:39]
Bishop Norris
And everyone ran to the altar.
- [39:42]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [39:43]
Bishop Norris
People were on the floor on top of each other, crying out for the holiness of God and, like, I had never felt such purity in my preaching since 2017.
- [39:53]
Unknown Speaker 3
Wow.
- [39:54]
Bishop Norris
Purity in my preaching.
- [39:55]
Unknown Speaker 3
Wow.
- [39:56]
Bishop Norris
Not that I take preaching as a game or anything like that. Preaching is my life. I don't take nothing more serious.
- [40:02]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [40:03]
Bishop Norris
Other than being a father. But it was. It was the most purest display of. Of the word.
- [40:12]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [40:13]
Bishop Norris
And, like, just the gravity of realizing who I'm speaking for, it had all came back.
- [40:18]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [40:19]
Bishop Norris
Acts 2:42 helped that to happen. I truly believe if I did not go, I would not have the fire I need to sustain whatever God's about to do.
- [40:30]
Unknown Speaker 3
Wow.
- [40:30]
Bishop Norris
I would have fumbled it.
- [40:32]
Unknown Speaker 3
Wow.
- [40:32]
Bishop Norris
Scandal comes after fire dies.
- [40:35]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yep.
- [40:36]
Bishop Norris
Scandal comes after fire dies. You have people that never. They would have never thought they would do certain things that they've done. Their fire died.
- [40:43]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [40:44]
Bishop Norris
Fire makes you look at every preacher different.
- [40:47]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [40:48]
Bishop Norris
Yeah. Now I can see preachers more like CEOs and not necessarily ministers of the gospel.
- [40:56]
Unknown Speaker 3
Wow.
- [40:57]
Bishop Norris
That's. That's like. You can see who's not dead.
- [41:02]
Meghan Ashley
And there's something about dying that you can notice somebody else that's been. That's been on an altar.
- [41:08]
Bishop Norris
That's why.
- [41:08]
Meghan Ashley
Smell the smoke on them. You can smell like, oh, you've been.
- [41:12]
Bishop Norris
You've been.
- [41:13]
Meghan Ashley
You've been torched.
- [41:15]
Bishop Norris
Okay, you've been torched. But that's what I said to him. I know what happened to you. You can just tell.
- [41:22]
Meghan Ashley
Just tell.
- [41:23]
Bishop Norris
You could just tell.
- [41:24]
Unknown Speaker 3
You can tell.
- [41:25]
Meghan Ashley
That's so true.
- [41:26]
Bishop Norris
I was talking to so many people the next day, just after. After ministering. Just ministering to people, talking to them and, like, telling them just. Just what had just happened to me. And when I was saying that to people, there was one guy, he was like, oh, yes, yes, I've been with God. And, yeah. Like, I've been. I've been in prayer. You know, I stay in my word. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah, I get it. I'm like, you don't get what I'm saying?
- [41:52]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [41:53]
Bishop Norris
Like, it's become a game to you.
- [41:54]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [41:55]
Bishop Norris
It's become just ministry to you. Powerful, powerful. Amazing minstrel he was. But, like, you could see people that don't really get it.
- [42:03]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [42:04]
Bishop Norris
And I think. I think Acts 2:42 opened the door for a lot of people to see what's real and what's not.
- [42:08]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [42:10]
Bishop Norris
In a huge way.
- [42:11]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [42:12]
Bishop Norris
In a huge way. I, it made repentance trendy.
- [42:18]
Meghan Ashley
You gotta understand, I did see a tick tock that was repent, repent, repent, repent.
- [42:22]
Bishop Norris
You understand how funny that was when.
- [42:24]
Meghan Ashley
I say I screamed when I saw that, Norris.
- [42:28]
Bishop Norris
Repent, repent.
- [42:29]
Meghan Ashley
And it was like, it was real though. I was like, y', all, it was.
- [42:34]
Bishop Norris
Real, like just, just coming from us that were there.
- [42:37]
Meghan Ashley
They were like, if you want to know what Acts 2:42 was, it was repent.
- [42:41]
Bishop Norris
It was repent. And, and it wasn't a bashing.
- [42:44]
Meghan Ashley
No, it wasn't, it wasn't, it was.
- [42:46]
Bishop Norris
A, it was like an equipping. Like, yeah, you wanted to leave there, repented and you wanted to make disciples. I have never prayed for that many people in like a one day span, like through conversation. Yeah, every conversation I had, I was burdened to pray after.
- [43:01]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah, yeah.
- [43:03]
Bishop Norris
You guys ignited fire.
- [43:04]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [43:05]
Meghan Ashley
I, I, I think what I love how, like just your experience, I love hearing about what you experience from Acts 242 because of where you are and because of what you do. Do you know what I'm saying? I don't think, I think a lot of times you think that it's for everyone else. No, it's for the ones that don't live ministry, who don't do ministry. It's for, you know, but for you to be like, hey, like I'm, I'm preaching the gospel. I'm, I'm, I'm in ministry and I needed God to do something in me, you know what I'm saying? I just think that that's powerful what you experience and what you got from that. For you to say, you know, what God did for me in 2017, how he radically changed my life. The encounter that I had with the Lord then is the same type of encounter that I had with the lord at Acts 2:42. I just think it's speaks volumes to just even the burden that God put on us to really make it about him and not about anything else. It was about making disciples. It was about doing what they did in the early church and devoting themselves to the scriptures and devoting themselves to prayer and doing it together. You know what I mean? That's what that was about. But as I was just kind of thinking about all the things and praying during my sabbatical, you know, I just, and I talked to you a little bit about this last night. I was like, you know, Christianity has become such a trendy topic.
- [44:36]
Bishop Norris
Yeah.
- [44:37]
Meghan Ashley
Do you know what I mean? I don't. And I'm, and I'm so grateful for the way that the Lord is, like, you know, drawing people close to himself. Like he's been doing something amazing. I mean, he's just been doing radical things. I don't even think we would have had 7,000 if it wasn't a trend. Right. To be a Christian right now or to, you know, so the Lord is using all of these mediums to draw people closer to himself. And I love that. And. But one thing that I told you last night is, is that we have to be mindful not to make the movement and the revival the idol.
- [45:11]
Bishop Norris
Yeah.
- [45:11]
Meghan Ashley
We have to be mindful to not just get caught up in the trend. And, oh, I'm doing this because everyone else is doing it, because that's. It makes it easy when you see everybody else doing it. It makes it. It makes it easy for you to post your scripture. But what's going to happen when no one else is posting it? What's going to happen when it's not a trend anymore?
- [45:33]
Bishop Norris
You know. You know, whenever Jesus had a large crowd, I wish. I wish my phone didn't fall. I don't even know where it went.
- [45:38]
Meghan Ashley
You need a Bible.
- [45:39]
Bishop Norris
Yeah, give me a Bible. Brought to you by the Tony Evans Study Bible. Csb. Mine is in the car. This just. Bless me. You're saved. You're saved. This the one we got you? Did we get you this essential Bible?
- [46:01]
Meghan Ashley
No, you got. You got me. The study one. The actual commentary. I have that one too, though.
- [46:07]
Bishop Norris
Come on and have it. Every time Jesus's ministry was blowing up, he said something to cut it off. It's like he just wanted to be left alone or something. He did always, you know, In John, chapter 6, verse 60, it says, Therefore when many of his disciples heard this, they said, this teaching is hard. Who can accept it? Now, that comes from 53. Or let's see, let's do 47 John, chapter 6, verse 47. Look at this. It says, truly, I tell you, anyone who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven so that anyone may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. The bread that I will give for that, for the life of the world is my flesh. All right, verse 52. At that, many Jews argued among themselves, how can this man give us his flesh to eat? So Jesus said to them, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of God. Of the Son of Man. And drink his blood. This is so crazy to say. You do not have life in yourselves. The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. And I will raise him up on the last day. Because my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me. I excuse me. And I live because of the Father. So the one who feeds on me will live forever. Will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. It is not like the manna your ancestors ate and they died. The one who eats this bread will live forever. He said all these things while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. So he was in a church. Verse 60. Therefore, many of his disciples heard this. And they said, this teaching is hard. Who can accept it? Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were complaining about this, asked them, does this offend you? He loved leaning in attention. You mad? That was his question. Verse 62. Then what if you were to observe the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? The Spirit is the one who gives life. The flesh doesn't help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. But there are some among you who do who don't believe. For Jesus knew from the beginning those who did not believe in the one who would betray him. He said this. He said, this is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted to him by the Father. From that moment, verse 66, many of his disciples turned back and no longer accompanied him. So Jesus said to the 12, you don't want to go away too, do you? Simon Peter answered, where else are we gonna go? Lord? To whom? Get that? To who? Not where, to whom, who. Because you're always following a messenger. To whom will we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God. And Jesus replied to them, did not choose you. 12, yet one of you is a devil.
- [49:57]
Meghan Ashley
Jesus.
- [49:57]
Bishop Norris
He was referring to Judas, Simon Iscariot's son. John is very petty because John's the only one that keeps identifying.
- [50:03]
Meghan Ashley
It's like, okay, nobody else.
- [50:05]
Bishop Norris
Nobody else does that. John. John. John wants to go back in time to run the fade. He. He really wants to run the fade with Judas. You played in my face. Because he was going to betray him. Look at that. He. He waits until there's a large Crowd and there was many more disciples than 12 people. Don' that. Yeah, it was way many. It was many more than 12 people believe. It was. It was 82 disciples in whole. Some theologians believe that. So 70 left him. You have 70 that left. Because he said, all right, the next step is eat me.
- [50:42]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah, Right.
- [50:43]
Meghan Ashley
He says I'm hard.
- [50:44]
Bishop Norris
He said something hard and difficult that would require them to be uncomfortable and do something that they're not used to doing.
- [50:50]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [50:51]
Bishop Norris
I feel like when we do reach a place where we think revival becomes trendy or we start to make an idol out of repentance, it's time to just continue to preach the real gospel. The real gospel will always separate wheat and tares.
- [51:06]
Meghan Ashley
Hello.
- [51:07]
Bishop Norris
They're gonna get tired after a while.
- [51:09]
Meghan Ashley
Hello.
- [51:10]
Bishop Norris
Of hearing death. Of hearing die to yourself. Of hearing repent. And so they will go follow another. Who? He said. He said, to whom shall we go? This is. This is where the teachers, the false teachers come in. They're the other who? They're the other who? The Bible says that my people have itching ears.
- [51:30]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah, right.
- [51:31]
Meghan Ashley
They'll find teachers that would suit their passions.
- [51:33]
Bishop Norris
They find teachers that suit their passions.
- [51:35]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [51:35]
Bishop Norris
Now, the itching ears, you can correlate that Back to Exodus 32. Exodus 32. Moses goes up into the mountain to get the Ten Commandments. While he's up there, the people are butt naked, dancing, kicking it. Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. Verse 32. They tell. Verse 32. They say to. They say to Aaron, hey, we don't know what happened to Moses. Get up. Make us some gods.
- [52:01]
Meghan Ashley
We got to worship somebody.
- [52:02]
Bishop Norris
We got to worship somebody, and we don't know what happened to Moses. Get this. They said, who delivered us out of Egypt? Moses didn't deliver you. God did. But you started to idolize a man, so make us some gods. The Bible says Aaron, who is the priest, who is the pastor, who was left in charge to shepherd the people, while Moses gets instructions, which is like an apostle and a pastor relationship. He gets. He. He's there to lead and help the people. They go to him because they know they can manipulate him. They tell him, make us some gods. He says to them, give me your gold earrings. You got some, right? Now give me your gold earrings, and then I'll make you something. Mm is deep because their gold earrings came from Egypt. When they got free from Egypt, their reward for freedom was the gold that the Egyptians had. They paid them to leave. And so it's almost like taking what got you free before and making an idol out of it. He took those earrings, made a calf. The Bible says he molded it, melted it down, made a calf, and then put it in front of them. The calf was the same God that all of the neighboring cultures worship.
- [53:20]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [53:21]
Bishop Norris
So they got a God that was culturally relevant. They got a God that was culturally relevant, and they got a priest to make it for him. This is what Aaron does. And all of you can go back and read it. Just how I'm saying it. The Bible says Aaron made the calf, presented it to the people. And the Bible says when he saw how they reacted, they did a praise break. They shouted, they screamed, they bucked. Ha. Oh, tata. They shouted, they screamed, they buck. The Bible says when he saw that. Get this, Megan. He then made an altar to it.
- [54:01]
Unknown Speaker 3
My God.
- [54:03]
Bishop Norris
He was gauging their response. Meaning I'm not going to preach what makes God excited.
- [54:09]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [54:09]
Bishop Norris
What makes God happy. I'm going to look at what makes them excited.
- [54:13]
Meghan Ashley
And I'm a preach that.
- [54:14]
Bishop Norris
And I'm a preach that, and I'm going to make an altar to it. Meaning you sacrifice for this, you yield for this. This is why we have a warped understanding of what denying ourself is. You think denying yourself only works for work ethic. You need to deny yourself some sleep so you can get some money so you can go do what you got to do. And it's preachers that preach what excites people, and they built altars to it. And you are worshiping a God that is culturally relevant, but it sounds like the real God. Why? Because I can be smarter. I am smart enough as a Bible scholar. All right, whatever. I can trick people into believing whatever I want them to believe because I know how to make it sound so good and so biblical. And it's not God. I'm not preaching Bible. The only reason I can do that, though, is because I know you don't read. Right. I know. I know you don't. You don't study.
- [55:14]
Meghan Ashley
Hello.
- [55:15]
Bishop Norris
I've spent more time this week studying than you. And. And because my heart is wicked. Because. Because I. I love to please, man.
- [55:23]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [55:24]
Bishop Norris
Because I need to get money. Because I need all these things. I'm going to trick you into believing that this is. This is God. And that's. That's literally all he did.
- [55:33]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [55:33]
Bishop Norris
And they. And they worshiped that God. This is powerful. Because in Exodus 32, it says the next day they had a festival for God. Right? The Lord. And then after they had the festival for the Lord, they had the festival for the calf. I think I think we're confused as to the. As to what the enemy strategy is. He's not trying to take away Jesus. He's trying to get Jesus. And he can't trick us that way if he just takes away. Let's stop worshiping Jesus in church. Who gonna go there? Yeah, let's worship Jesus. And let's do. Mind you, the only reason this is working is because it's nothing wrong with the other stuff I said. Right. But when I mix in my worship.
- [56:18]
Meghan Ashley
Jesus needs something else.
- [56:20]
Bishop Norris
I'm saying he needs.
- [56:21]
Meghan Ashley
He needs something added to him and he doesn't.
- [56:23]
Bishop Norris
The devil is not trying to eradicate Jesus out of the church. The devil is trying to bring something else with Jesus, a diluted Jesus. And. And this is. This is just how it works.
- [56:33]
Meghan Ashley
It's Genesis 3. Did he really say. It's just like this.
- [56:36]
Bishop Norris
Did he really say, and I' ma mix in what's true with what's false?
- [56:41]
Meghan Ashley
Yes.
- [56:41]
Bishop Norris
We think the devil is a liar because he's always lying.
- [56:45]
Meghan Ashley
Sometimes it's facts, but it got some lies in it too. Like all of it ain't completely alive, you know?
- [56:52]
Bishop Norris
You know what makes the devil a liar more than anything?
- [56:54]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [56:55]
Bishop Norris
He's not saying what God is saying. That's what makes him a liar. He's not saying what God said. Liar.
- [57:04]
Meghan Ashley
For sure.
- [57:05]
Bishop Norris
Your facts is not what God is saying about you.
- [57:07]
Meghan Ashley
Not true.
- [57:08]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [57:08]
Bishop Norris
It's a fact that you slept around. The truth is you are righteous and redeemed.
- [57:14]
Meghan Ashley
Hello.
- [57:14]
Bishop Norris
You're not a hello. That's a fact to the world. He's lying because he's not saying what God said. What did God say? So he always says. Did God really say that's the beginning of the lie?
- [57:28]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [57:29]
Bishop Norris
Right?
- [57:29]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [57:29]
Bishop Norris
But it's like we've mixed in these other things. We're worshiping Jesus and it's all from Gods we created with our ears. What we want to hear, what we want to get.
- [57:43]
Meghan Ashley
And this is the thing. We have to be mindful that if you're sitting in service, if you're going to church and Sunday after Sunday, you're feeling good.
- [57:54]
Bishop Norris
Wow. Wow.
- [57:57]
Meghan Ashley
Because I think that that's something we need to be mindful of. Because I know we want to. I'm not saying. I'm not saying. I'm not. I'm not bypassing that. I know we want to feel good.
- [58:08]
Bishop Norris
Yeah.
- [58:09]
Meghan Ashley
And some days you will and some. And sometimes you will. But you have to also change the context of what feels good. If this is pleasing my flesh, this is making me like, if the preaching is centering you and that's what makes you feel good. I have learned the more that I know God, the more intimacy that I have with him. What feel, what's good to me is when I'm convicted, when I hear like, you don't go to 2819 and walk away and be like, man, I feel great. I'm about to get my next like, you know what I'm saying?
- [58:47]
Bishop Norris
You're like, I'm gonna be the first millionaire in my family.
- [58:50]
Meghan Ashley
No, you're like, oh, I'm going. I'm. I hate my sin. I hate my sin. I, I take my faith serious. I want like, you don't walk away feeling, you know what I'm saying? Like with your flesh feeling good. And I think that you need to be mindful of that. Is that, that the man, the, the word is sharper than a two edged sword. It has to cut.
- [59:18]
Bishop Norris
It's going to cut.
- [59:19]
Meghan Ashley
It has to. And if it's not cutting, it's probably not the gospel. It has to cut. Like it has to, it has to cut away some stuff in you. You know what I mean?
- [59:31]
Bishop Norris
Yeah.
- [59:32]
Meghan Ashley
And I think that like, I'm so, I'm so, so, so, so encouraged by the way God is moving and how he's drawing people through the content, through reels, through tiktoks, through people like you podcasts. I'm so, I'm so encouraged by the way God is drawing people. But if we are not mindful, we'll be, we'll make an idol out of it. We'll make an idol out of the thing that God is only using to draw us to Him. The key is, is that he's drawing us by those means, but it's to draw to him and we have to make him the thing. He's the goal, he's the prize. He's what we want, he's what I desire. Not the tick tock, not the real, not the viral, not the revival, not the movement, but it's Him. And I think we have to be mindful of the space that we're in with that. And again, if you're one of those people who's like, you know, I gave my life to Christ because I watched this tick tock or whatever, glory be to God. But that's not going to be the thing that sustains your salvation.
- [60:39]
Bishop Norris
We cannot be your Bible.
- [60:40]
Unknown Speaker 3
Hello.
- [60:42]
Bishop Norris
And, and that's the scary thing.
- [60:43]
Meghan Ashley
And won't be.
- [60:44]
Bishop Norris
It won't be.
- [60:44]
Meghan Ashley
And won't be.
- [60:45]
Bishop Norris
That's the scary thing, though, us as influencers have become the Bible. I tell. I tell everybody that that follows our platform because, like, we do. We do monthly fast. We do all the things y'.
- [60:54]
Meghan Ashley
All. Norris be fast in every.
- [60:55]
Bishop Norris
I'm like, she's not saved. So listen, you got it.
- [61:02]
Meghan Ashley
Nor be fat every time I sit.
- [61:04]
Bishop Norris
Turn down your plate, huh? No, no, no.
- [61:08]
Meghan Ashley
We.
- [61:09]
Bishop Norris
We. God. God told me in May to fast every month because there is something that always needs to be on the altar.
- [61:16]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah. Yeah.
- [61:17]
Bishop Norris
There's something that always needs to be on the altar. God, I feel like, is raising up priests. I do. The first time you see priests is back in Exodus 32. Like, the first time you see the order of priests, like the Levites being. Being put out. It's back in Exodus 32, because after they worship the gold calf and all those things, Moses comes down and he goes off, you know, and he says, who's on the Lord's side? And the Bible says, the Levites get up, right? I check this out. This is. This is a very. This is a very horrible story. The Levites get up and they go to Moses, and Moses says, okay, bet you on the Lord's side, you came to the altar, you got saved. When they all respond, Moses says, take out your swords, go through the whole camp and kill everybody. He says it like this. Kill your brother, kill your mama, kill your sister, kill your child. Whoever didn't come out here with you, kill him. You didn't know that when you came to him. You didn't know what he was gonna ask you. You thought he was just saying, choose me.
- [62:34]
Meghan Ashley
Yeah, do some reals, do some. Get ready with me.
- [62:37]
Bishop Norris
Do some things. He said, okay, now take that same sword, go through your house, go through your camp, go to your tent, kill them. This is crazy. They go through and they're killing everybody. I can imagine because I see the Bible in picture. I don't just read it like it's a regular book. I can imagine them crying. I can imagine family members screaming, saying.
- [63:04]
Meghan Ashley
No, I'm your son.
- [63:05]
Unknown Speaker 3
I'm your daughter.
- [63:06]
Meghan Ashley
I'm your son.
- [63:07]
Bishop Norris
I'm your daughter. Remember the times. What are you doing? You were dancing with us. You was worshiping this thing with us. These are people who was worshiping that gold calf, too. Everyone was guilty. Only one that wasn't was Joshua, because he wasn't there. Everyone was guilty. He says, kill all of them. They're killing them. And they come back to Moses at the end of all of that. Blood on their clothes, the smell of their Mother smell of their brother, their sister on them. And Moses says, today you have ordained yourself as a priest because you didn't pause when the Lord told you to do something terrible.
- [63:54]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [63:55]
Meghan Ashley
To do something hard.
- [63:56]
Bishop Norris
Hard.
- [63:57]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [63:57]
Bishop Norris
Terribly hard.
- [63:58]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah. Yeah.
- [64:00]
Bishop Norris
You didn't pause. You didn't. You didn't hold out. You did exactly what he told you to do.
- [64:04]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [64:05]
Bishop Norris
Today you have. And he doesn't just say you're. You've ordained yourself. He says, you have. You have earned a blessing. You became a priest not because of a man laying hands on you. You became a priest because you weren't afraid to sacrifice whatever needed to be sacrificed. You weren't afraid to kill whatever needed to be killed. This is the type of people that God is trying to raise up now.
- [64:30]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah. That's good.
- [64:32]
Meghan Ashley
That's where we're at right now.
- [64:33]
Bishop Norris
That's. That's where we're at right now. Like, understand when you come to this altar, you got to leave out with a sword and whatever didn't come here with you. Whatever. Whatever is not beneficial to your journey now.
- [64:47]
Unknown Speaker 3
Hello.
- [64:49]
Bishop Norris
If it's Mama.
- [64:50]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [64:50]
Meghan Ashley
If it's Sister, it's gotta go.
- [64:52]
Bishop Norris
It's gotta go.
- [64:52]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [64:53]
Bishop Norris
It's gotta go. And that's just. That's the place I am right now. The Lord is requiring everything. There's nothing that you get that the Lord don't want. You think about Hannah praying and crying all those years. The Bible says the Lord shut up her womb. The Lord said, no, Panina is popping them out like Skittles.
- [65:16]
Meghan Ashley
Jesus.
- [65:16]
Bishop Norris
She's just popping out babies. Popping out babies. Popping out babies. Hannah can't have any because the Lord said no. And then it's not until she tells the Lord, Imma give him back. The Lord just opens up the floodgates. It's like you didn't want her to even get anything until she realized whatever she got.
- [65:35]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [65:35]
Bishop Norris
Belongs to you.
- [65:36]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [65:36]
Bishop Norris
That's where we are.
- [65:37]
Meghan Ashley
That's where we are. What do you. As we're wrapping up, so we gotta go. But what. What would your encouragement be to the people who are like, yeah, like, I went to Acts 2, 42. Or. And. And I felt God and. Or I, you know, I. I watched Philip Anthony Mitchell's, you know, videos. Or I part of your community, and I do the fasting. Like, what is your. For this year? What do you feel like people need? Like, what is God requiring this year?
- [66:17]
Bishop Norris
Everything. Everything. My encouragement to them would be what Pastor Philip told me. I told him I was scared I was going to Lose the fire. He sent me a scripture that said the fire will continually burn. The Lord spoke to me and said the only way a fire can keep going is if there is wood on it. Constantly fresh. There has to be a fresh sacrifice.
- [66:43]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah. Yeah.
- [66:45]
Bishop Norris
Keep a sacrifice on the altar. Romans 12:1, 2 is the year's mantra.
- [66:51]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [66:51]
Bishop Norris
Because it is God's year. It's not our year.
- [66:54]
Meghan Ashley
Correct.
- [66:56]
Bishop Norris
This is God's time. This is God's year. Every year we come out talking about, last year. Should have killed me if you would have known the year I had. Why is every year like that? It's because every year has been for you.
- [67:10]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [67:12]
Bishop Norris
If you die to self, this stuff wouldn't be this hard.
- [67:18]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [67:20]
Bishop Norris
You know.
- [67:20]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [67:21]
Bishop Norris
And so a sacrifice has to constantly be on the altar.
- [67:24]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [67:24]
Bishop Norris
Romans 12, I think it's one. Living sacrifice is one, and transform or renew. Mine is two. But he says, be a living sacrifice. Living is literally living. But sacrifice, because of the law first mentioned in scripture, sacrifice means death. It's always. It always means the death of something. Be a living dead thing.
- [67:46]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [67:47]
Bishop Norris
Walk dead.
- [67:48]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yep.
- [67:49]
Bishop Norris
And the adverse of that is you don't start to live until you first die. So be a living sacrifice. Walk around. Always thinking about how you can please the Lord.
- [68:04]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah, that's good.
- [68:06]
Bishop Norris
Always think about how you can please the Lord. Get into prayer like you've never prayed before. Can your prayer life sustain where you're about to go?
- [68:14]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [68:15]
Bishop Norris
Do you. Are you. Are you. Are you as frustrated by not praying as you are by not eating?
- [68:24]
Unknown Speaker 3
That's good.
- [68:25]
Bishop Norris
Yeah. Jesus said, I have food that you don't know nothing about. My nourishment comes from doing the will of him that sent me. I'm not as aggravated without prayer as I am without a burger. I gotta get to that place where prayer is like breathing.
- [68:39]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [68:40]
Bishop Norris
We're studying His Word. Oh, my God. Studying His Word is like that. Like, that's. That's just. That's just the place we need to be at. And.
- [68:47]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [68:47]
Bishop Norris
Once you get there, clarity is going to come.
- [68:49]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [68:50]
Bishop Norris
People that are blocked. There's a lot of secret sin that we're not talking about. There's a lot of secret sin that we're not talking about. There's a lot of different things that we're doing in private that we're not saying. Our prayer life is stale because we're not in the Word. But we're also not living the way we should be.
- [69:05]
Unknown Speaker 3
Yeah.
- [69:06]
Bishop Norris
Correct all of these things in private. God is not trying to expose You. He only does it as a last resort.
- [69:12]
Unknown Speaker 3
Hello?
- [69:13]
Bishop Norris
If you got exposed, that mean it's been years of warning.
- [69:17]
Unknown Speaker 3
Hello? That's good.
- [69:19]
Bishop Norris
I don't think this is the year of exposure for those that die in private. Yeah.
- [69:24]
Meghan Ashley
Okay.
- [69:26]
Bishop Norris
You feel me?
- [69:27]
Meghan Ashley
Listen, this was great. Thank you for being here. I love you. You know you're always welcome here. Your family, you're always welcome here. Listen, you guys, this is a great episode. I. I do want to give you a journal prompt. What is the Lord requiring? What is the more that he's requiring from you? What's the more? Because he might be. He's always requiring something. But I do believe that this year, like Nora said, he's requiring to be the center. He's requiring for everything to be about him. So what's the more that he's requiring? What's your hesitation? Why won't you give it to him? What's keeping you from giving him more? I want you to think about that. And then again, I know I've probably prompted you in this way before, but ask yourself, is he deserving? Does he deserve it? I think you would say yes, but I think it's just a good way to kind of just take a good inventory of your heart. But I hope this. I hope this episode was beneficial for you. If all of you who we're at Acts 242 and this was like a nice little memory walk down memory lane. It was. It was amazing. And thank you for. For coming to the conference and all the things. But yeah, I hope this episode was good for you. Send it to a friend who might need it and we'll see you back here next week. What's up, you guys? I hope you enjoyed this episode. Thank you so much for listening and I hope you felt encouraged in some way. Be sure to like and follow into podcast everywhere you listen to your favorite shows, follow into Tality on Apple podcasts or Spotify, and be sure to turn on your post notifications so that you can be the first to listen whenever there's a new episode.