Mailbag Friday: Did I Ruin My Children? + Refusing Chemo + Guardian Angels

Summary

Wretched Radio with Todd Friel – Mailbag Friday: Did I Ruin My Children? + Refusing Chemo + Guardian Angels

Date: May 29, 2026
Host: Todd Friel
Producer: Fortis Institute

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Episode Overview

In this Mailbag Friday episode, Todd Friel dives deep into listeners' theological and practical questions. The show covers fears over failed parenting, Christian perspectives on swearing, drawing boundaries with difficult people, Christians refusing medical treatment, guardian angels, God's way of speaking today, ministry versus marriage, and the root of pride. The tone is conversational, pastoral, and gospel-centered, often gently humorous but rooted in biblical authority.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Parents and Grown Children: "Did I Ruin My Kids?"

(02:39–09:19)

• Listener's Struggle: James feels responsible for his grown children’s life choices—his daughter identifies as a lesbian, both she and her spouse are atheists; his son is living with a girlfriend.
• Todd’s Counsel:
  • No parent is perfect; all have regrets.

    “There is no perfect parent. We all have regrets now... Please be careful what sort of curve you’re grading yourself on here.” (02:44)

  • Children are responsible for their own choices as adults. Parents influence, but each person answers for themselves (see Ezekiel 18).

    “Your kids are the way your kids are because they choose to be the way that they are... Their sins are their sins.” (04:32)

  • The power of parental repentance: parents should humbly confess past sins to their children, seeking forgiveness—not because it will immediately “fix” them, but to open up genuine relationship.

    “Repenting to your kids is one of the most powerful ways you can proclaim the gospel to your kids... you are admitting that you are a sinner who is in need of a savior. And that is powerful.” (07:04)

• Practical Tip: Repenting is a relationship-changer that can thaw out cold dynamics and show authenticity in faith.

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2. Is Swearing Really a Big Deal for Christians?

(09:19–11:33)

• Listener’s Question: Is swearing okay if it’s not directed at someone?
• Todd’s Answer:
  • Use the Bible as the ultimate authority; bring people to Ephesians 4:28–5:4 (on corrupt talk).

    “Let the Bible be your authority. You can’t persuade anybody about anything. Neither can I. There must be an authority.” (09:36)

  • Swearing usually reflects a “heart issue” and is inconsistent with honoring Christ.
  • Parenting tie-in: Use Scripture in parenting, so it’s God’s standard—“It also then protects your relationship. You’re not just being a crabby parent.” (10:30)

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3. Setting Boundaries with Unbelieving (or Difficult) Friends

(15:38–20:21)

• Listener: When is it right to cut off non-Christian friends who openly resist the gospel or are a bad influence?
• Todd’s Principles:
  • Measure influence: “Who’s zooming whom?” If non-Christian friends have more negative influence on you than vice versa, consider distancing.

    “If your friends are influencing you negatively, then wisdom says you should be choosing other friends. But that is based on biblical wisdom, not ghosting.” (15:53)

  • Don’t ghost people lightly. Be prayerful, slow, and wise; community input is vital (“run these issues through with people at church”).
  • In evangelism, if the person responds with hostility or attacks, follow Jesus’ teaching: Don’t ‘cast pearls before swine’—it can mean stopping gospel conversations but maintaining the relationship.

    “If you’re witnessing to somebody and they are going to be a dog or a wild boar and attack you... don’t cast pearls before swine.” (19:18)

  • Don’t blindly follow the culture of cut-offs (“ghosting”); instead, pursue biblical balance.

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4. Refusing Chemotherapy: Faithful or Foolish?

(20:21–26:01)

• Listener: Friend refuses chemo, saying God already knows her day of death—doesn’t want “poison” in her body.
• Todd’s Response:
  • Decisions about medicine are case-by-case: context, severity, prognosis matter.

    “How old is this person? How aggressive is the cancer?... All of those are considerations that need to be weighed on a case by case basis.” (20:38)

  • Life is precious; medicine is typically a “blessing from God.”
  • Not sinful to reject certain treatments if death is imminent and treatment will extend life only minimally while greatly reducing quality.

    “If you are motivated to hasten your death... that’s to reject a kindness of God, at the very least potentially a sin.” (22:36)

  • Motivation matters: be sure any refusal isn’t driven by fear, idolatry, or desire to escape suffering.
  • Arm yourself for suffering: “Our master suffered and He deserved none of it. There’s no reason for us to think that we should escape it totally and completely.” (25:31)

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5. On Guardian Angels: Does Each Christian Have One?

(45:44–47:57)

• Listener: Is there scriptural support for individual guardian angels?
• Todd’s Take:
  • The Bible teaches angels serve God’s people but never specifically assigns one angel per person.

    “But that does not say that each of us has a servant angel... I think they do zone defense.” (45:58)

  • There are a finite number of angels; no biblical evidence everyone gets a personal angel.
  • The Holy Spirit’s presence is a greater comfort.

    “...guess who’s always with you? Your God. So that’s even better than an angel.” (47:59)

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6. Does God Still Speak Through Dreams?

(48:14–49:47)

• Listener: Dreams have come true—are they messages from God?
• Todd’s Perspective:
  • God no longer gives new revelation through dreams since the coming of Christ and closure of the canon.

    “Now He speaks to us through his Son. So we have a completed revelation. We need no more revelation from God.” (48:24)

  • Wondrous coincidences are “providence,” not new prophecy.

    “We call that providence, not divine revelation...” (48:34)

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7. Christians Calling Each Other ‘King’/‘Queen’—Is It Biblical?

(49:47–51:15)

• Listener: Is it appropriate for Christians to call each other “king,” “queen,” or “prince”?
• Todd’s Caution:
  • The trend comes from prosperity gospel culture more than the Bible.

    “That probably comes from prosperity churches more than anything... We are indeed royal priests... but to call us kings and queens as if we're earthly kings and queens now—no.” (50:02)

  • Christian identity as royal priests should focus on the privilege, not self-aggrandizing titles.

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8. Marriage vs. Ministry: Which Is the Higher Calling?

(51:15–53:14)

• Listener: Why does Todd encourage marriage more than ministry?
• Todd’s Clarification:
  • Ministry must be a true calling—internal desire and confirmed by church leaders.

    “Being called into ministry doesn’t come from peer pressure or a call from somebody like me. It is a call from the Lord that is both internal and external.” (51:39)

  • Encouragement should be coupled with discernment and church involvement, not peer/church pressure.

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9. Is Pride the Fundamental Sin?

(53:14–end)

• Listener: Is pride the “deadliest sin”?
• Todd’s View:
  • Pride is at the root of all sin (“My way is better than God’s way.”).

    “Every time we sin, I think at the foundation of it, it’s pride. How ironic a movement is using that as their slogan.” (53:56)

  • While all sins are serious, pride breeds all others.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Repenting to Children:

  “Admit that to your kids, it will make a massive difference in your ask for their forgiveness. And you just might be shocked how the relationship changes.” – Todd Friel (07:04)

• Practical Wisdom for Setting Boundaries:

  “If your friends are influencing you negatively, then wisdom says you should be choosing other friends. But that is based on biblical wisdom, not ghosting.” – Todd Friel (16:06)

• Choosing Medicine and Facing Suffering:

  “God is sovereign. He only does that which is good for me and God, he would never do anything to punish me for my sins because Jesus was so, I can rest and trust my good and sovereign God. You’ll be ready to suffer.” – Todd Friel (25:31)

• On Guardian Angels:

  “But I think they do zone defense... I don’t think that there’s any indication in the Bible that we all have an individual angel... But I don’t think that you have any reason to believe that everybody has their own angel, because there were a limited number.” – Todd Friel (45:58)

• On Dreams and Providence:

  “So the dreams that you have, if it turns out they came true, whatever that looked like, cool. We call that providence, not divine revelation.” – Todd Friel (48:34)

• On Christian Titles:

  “We are, but it’s a trend. I see them on t-shirts where, you know, it’s like a woman wearing a shirt says queen. That probably comes from prosperity churches more than anything, that you’re a king, you’re a queen, you’re a prince...” – Todd Friel (50:02)

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Important Timestamps for Segments

• Struggles over parenting failures & grown children: 02:39–09:19
• Swearing/Corrupt speech in Christian life: 09:19–11:33
• Setting boundaries & evangelism with difficult people: 15:38–20:21
• Christians refusing chemo & suffering: 20:21–26:01
• On guardian angels: 45:44–47:57
• Does God speak through dreams today?: 48:14–49:47
• Should Christians use royal titles for themselves?: 49:47–51:15
• Compared importance of marriage & ministry: 51:15–53:14
• Pride as the root of all sin: 53:14–end

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Additional Notes

• The show uses humor and pop culture references (e.g., Snagglepuss, “Coffee Mama”) to keep discussions light but always circles back to biblical principles.
• All answers are rooted in Scripture and historic Christian thought, with an emphasis on self-examination, repentance, and reliance on Christ.
• Listeners are repeatedly encouraged to seek counsel from local church leaders and to ground all wisdom in the Bible, not trends or feelings.

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For more, listen to the full episode or access related resources on Fortis Institute’s platforms.

Transcript

[A]

Wretched radio begins in 3, 2, 1.

[B]

God gave me a Ferrari because I am a Ferrari. You're a Ferrari, too. When God made you, he had all the options put on. You are fully loaded and totally equipped. So do this with me. Where did we ever come up with the style of preaching we have today? There is some entertaining preaching, but not convicting preaching, and the legacy has been tragic.

[A]

It's time for Wretched Radio with Todd Friel.

[B]

Let's do this.

[A]

It's Wretched Radio. Mail call, delivery bag, Q and A infotainment nationwide extravagance docker, featuring your voicemails, correspondences, communiques, dispatches, memorandums and missives.

[B]

Any special message for all the kids watching at home? What we need right now is a clear message to the people of this country. You have 1200 messages.

[C]

That is a bit above average.

[A]

Now, here's your host, Todd Freakishly Tall Friel is here.

[B]

Ooh, this is Wretched Ra. What have you seen this week that's wretched? Come on, you can't tell me you haven't seen wretched things because, let's face it, that's pretty much what the Internet is. But when you see something capital W wretched, and you think, ah, perfect, would you please send it to us? We would covet sermons, articles, stories, whatever is capital W wretched. Send it to ideaetched.org and if. And you got questions, comments, conundrums, snarks even. Although Snagglepuss. Oh, I got from Snarks to Snagglepuss, but in my mind, I just did.

[C]

That was on my list.

[B]

Yeah, we think put them all.

[C]

That's right.

[B]

Okay. It wasn't just the Cowardly Lion. We think based on the emails we've been receiving, it's Snagglepuss.

[C]

And I got several texts as well.

[B]

Yeah. Now, did we actually find the sound of Snagglepuss saying that?

[C]

No, no, no. I did look for it, but I could not find it.

[B]

You know? Okay, do I remember? Snagglepuss had kind of that.

[C]

He sounds just like the Cowardly lion, though.

[B]

It just. I'm trying to figure out a way to say this without being offensive. It just seems that if Snaggle Puss were alive today, he might be marching in a pride parade. That's all I'm saying. That's how it always struck me. And so we don't have the son of him saying, put him up, but it was. He didn't talk like the Cowardly Lion. It was kind of that lilting thing that he had going on. Well, if you find that, you can send it to. To ideaetched.org otherwise, text away to 877-282-2337.

[C]

All right, this is from James Todd. I was. I was a terrible father. I was a stumbling block.

[B]

Okay, can we just stop right there? Okay. Okay. James, how do you know you were a terrible father? Who gave you the report card on this? Who's judging you on this? The reason that I wanted to interject right there is we have to be careful as parents. We have to remember that there is no perfect parent. We all have regrets now. That doesn't give us license to be terrible to our children. No parent wants to be that. But please be careful what sort of curve you're grading yourself on here. If this is just a straight curve and you get no grace whatsoever, there aren't perfect parents except the Lord. And might I interject. Look at how his children treated him in the garden. So please be careful with looking back on your parenting career and only focusing on the failures, because we've all got plenty of those. And then I would also interject, for those things that you did to your children that were sinful, don't forget, you're a Christian. You're in Christ. Those things have been forgiven, and you don't need to rehearse them over and over and over again. Sorry for interrupting.

[C]

Jimmy, you pretty much answered.

[B]

Could you read this like snagglepuss?

[C]

No. No, please don't make me.

[B]

Go ahead, give it a go.

[C]

I can't. I cannot. I haven't heard it.

[B]

Oh, by the way. Oh, I forgot. I've got a present for you.

[C]

You have a present for me?

[B]

I do.

[C]

Oh, wow.

[B]

Yeah, we were at the TJ Maxx. You know how it is when you're going through that line and they got all the tchotchkes that you're. You're waiting to go through. Yeah, I got one for you. I'll get it during the break. Okay. But it comes with a string attached.

[C]

I'm sure it does.

[B]

All right, Snugglepuss, what's the rest of the text?

[C]

He says, I was a terrible father and a stumbling block for my children. They're grown now.

[B]

Hold it. I'm sorry. No, you were not a stumbling block. Your kids are the way your kids are because they choose to be the way that they are. Now, you may have failed as a parent. We all did. You may have sinned as a parent. We all did. But you are not the cause of whatever it is that they are believing today or how they are behaving today. They are adults and this is all on them. Keep your categories clean. You are not the stumbling block for your children. So please do not pistol whip yourself over that. I'm sorry, Snagglepuss.

[C]

That's okay.

[B]

Take three.

[C]

He says they're grown now. My daughter's a lesbian and is married to another woman. I love them both. They're both atheists, by the way. My son and his girlfriend are living together. Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated.

[B]

Well, I think I'd start with encouragement. And I would repeat what I've already said, and that is your daughter isn't a lesbian because of you. Your son isn't shacking up because of you. They are choosing it. Their sins are their sins. If you would like to have that emphatically reinforced, read Ezekiel 18. Your sins. Your sins. Their sins. Their sins. Having said all of that, what might you do with your children? That could be something that is positive and helpful. Well, first of all, I would encourage you to keep on loving them. I'm glad you're loving your kids. Awesome. Stay in a relationship with them. Remember, you're a parent. You do not have to kick them out of the house or out of your life because they are not following the Lord. You can love them. You can stay in a relationship with them. And I would add this, even though James did not indicate this was an issue for them, but this would maybe, maybe, James, this is for you. But if not, this might be for a lot of us. Repent. Repent to your kids. Now, James, this has nothing to do with how you perceive they've turned out. I think that this is parenting advice for each and every mom and dad who has grown children. If you have never repented to your kids for your sins against them, this is a relationship changer. Like it can happen on the spot. Because the reality is, even as terrible as your kids may have been, even as disobedient as they possibly were, and as good of a parent as you probably were, the reality is we still sinned against them. And if we've never taken the time to say, son, daughter, I need to repent of some things and ask for your forgiveness, I am sorry and laundry list it. You will be shocked how it might thaw out a chilly relationship. I've seen it happen over and over again. I've seen this. It almost happens immediately where the kids that have been ghosting parents, they suddenly just. And I know you've got a record of their wrongs. I get it. But as believers, as those who are in Christ, the first admission that we make as being a Christian is I'm a sinner. Admit that to your kids, it will make a massive difference in your ask for their forgiveness. And you just might be shocked how the relationship changes. And maybe, James, if that's a necessity in your relationship with your kids, it's not going to suddenly make your daughter straight. And your son is probably not going to stop shacking up. But they might be more willing to talk about spiritual things with you than they were before because they see that it is real. Now let's just move away from grown up kids for a moment. If you've got young kids in the house, they're under 18, they're living with you. Repenting to your kids is one of the most powerful ways you can proclaim the gospel to your kids. You show them that you believe that what you are professing is actually true. You are admitting in real and a genuine expression of repentance, you are admitting that you are a sinner who is in need of a savior. And that is powerful. The kids, they actually go, okay, mom and dad, just don't go to church and put on a show. They actually believe this. They recognize that they are sinners and they are willing to admit it to me and they're willing to express that they daily need forgiveness from their master. Okay, that's pretty credible. And that can be a powerful witness to your kids. 877-282-2337 that's my snaggle push. Best I can do.

[C]

It's pretty good. This is from Anonymous. Todd, how would you respond to Christians who say that swearing is fine as long as it's not directed towards someone? The no corrupting talk reason doesn't usually work well for me. Is it a heart issue or even a sign that they're not truly striving to honor Christ?

[B]

Well, every situation is going to be different. Could be a blind spot. What's that? Horrible. I love Jesus, but I cuss a little. Okay, let's not be sinning. That grace might more abound in bragging about our sinning. Using potty language. I presume that's what you mean by swearing. I doubt that. They're like committing oaths in front of you. They're probably using potty language. Bring them to Ephesians 4 starting, I believe in probably 28, 4, 28, all the way through 5, 3 or 4. It does talk. Let the Bible be your authority. You can't persuade anybody about anything. Neither can I. There must be an authority. So bring the Bible and say, hey, I'm looking at this. And by the way, I read a number of translations. The word. It's very much about using words that are coarse and filthy. We're supposed to have tongues that use them differently. We speak different words. We speak better words. We don't gutter talk. Let the Bible be your authority. And by the way, if I could just circle back to parenting, that's another parenting tip that can be extremely helpful. You can stop correcting your kids immediately. You do not need to ever again tell your kids that they have done wrong. You don't. You need to let the Bible do the talking because that brings the authority of God. And by the way, what a kindness of God. It also then protects your relationship. You're not just being a crabby parent, you're just always on my back. No, this is what God says. And if we use that as an authority with our swearing friends, chances are pretty good. If they are believers, that should impact them. This is wretched radio.

[C]

No retreat. That's the name of Fortis Institute's Spring Match campaign, and here's why. The culture we live in right now has made it pretty clear it has very little interest in the true gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. We're being told to keep our faith quiet in public or to soften what we believe so it goes down easier. Fortis Institute has no intention of doing either one. We exist to advance the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, and this spring we're doing it as loudly and as boldly as we know how. Your gift will help launch two new podcasts. It puts Todd Frill's new book, Go Serve your King into print through HarperCollins. And it puts the gospel back onto college campuses where it's least welcome and most needed. Our goal is $250,000, and we're asking if you would prayerfully consider helping us get there. You can find out more right [e-mail]

[B]

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[C]

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[A]

Important dates in Christian history 1545 the Council of Trent opens called by the Roman Catholic Church in response to the Reformation. It addressed abuses in the Catholic Church and further entrenched dogmas concerning the authority of the Pope, the need for works in salvation, and the saving nature of the Mass. This is Wretched Radio with Todd Friel.

[B]

Hate to tell you I told you so, but foursooth and five sooth and to tell you the truth, I feel very happy and keen because it's the day to be happy and gay. Told ya right There it is. Snagglepuss told Yael. That was the first clip I pulled up. Snagglepuss the pink Lion. I have no idea what it is, but it was the clip that popped up and sure enough, it confirms my suspicions all along. 877-282-2337 that's the text machine. If you run into something wretched on the Internet box ideaetched.org this is from

[C]

Jeff Todd, I've heard you make some pretty strong statements on how we as believers can be quick to draw boundaries with other people. My question is when is it okay and appropriate specifically with non believers who say they don't want to hear the gospel and just want to go on the attack?

[B]

Related, but sort of two separate issues. I think the rule that will guide you through making those decisions is who's zooming who who's having who's zooming Whom? Who's having more influence on whom? If your friends, if they are not believers, even if. Well, frankly, even if they are believers and they're having a bad influence on you, more so than you are having on them, it's a pretty good idea to be wise. I do not get this from boundary drawing. I get this from the proverbs which say your friends can really have an impact on you. So choose wisely, grasshopper. If your friends are influencing you negatively, then wisdom says you should be choosing other friends. But that is based on biblical wisdom, not ghosting. Now, having said that, there are other Bible verses that apply to relational issues. What are we supposed to be for other people? We are supposed to be serving other people. We're supposed to be helping other people. We are supposed to be salt and light with other people. And if we just ghost, everybody cut everybody off. We can't do that, especially in relationships. I see this. We'll do this next week. I'm super tempted to do it now. There was a really great article from a. I believe he's secular psychotherapist and he was talking about this. The therapeutic culture that has been created where everybody who doesn't agree with you, everybody who doesn't affirm you that they are, they're terrible people. He was admitting it, that psychotherapy has contributed to that pernicious mindset. It has been, it's devastating so many families these days. And he's absolutely right because there are no rules other than if you don't make me happy for a second, I'm cutting you off. That is not the way the B says we're supposed to interact with people. We're to be patient, long suffering with one another. Furthermore, difficult people, they can grow us in fruit of the spirit. And so we receive proverbial wisdom which says you got to protect yourself to make sure that you are not being dragged down the drain. But having said that, there's also biblical wisdom that says be patient, be loving, be serving with one another. And you're going to have to find that balance and you're going to have to work through that on a case by case basis. And if you're not sure exactly how the scales are tipping, then make sure that you're running these issues through with people at church, with people who know you, who will listen to you, who can give you an outside perspective that is based on biblical wisdom. So use those, at least those two principles as you go about the business of deciding if you're ever going to part company with somebody. It should Be slow. It should be thoughtful, it should be prayerful, and it should be absolutely for the right motives, and it should be absolutely necessary. Now, the reason I said that's a slightly separate issue from somebody that you're trying to evangelize and they're kind of shooting back at you. Well, there's a couple of options. You can stay in a relationship with them and stop evangelizing them. If you've clearly presented the gospel, you do not need to keep sharing it with them and receiving their lashings in response to you proclaiming good news to them. So you can stop and have a relationship and stay in their lives. And maybe the Lord will use your witness to impact them. If somebody, however, if they're being like, nasty back at you, I think we've got really clear biblical mandate from Jesus. If you're witnessing to somebody and they are going to be a dog or a wild boar and attack you, it's dangerous. They're going to hurt you. Or even if they're just being so nasty, don't cast pearls before swine. Now, that can mean one of two things. You just stop interacting with them totally. I would then point you back to those aforementioned two principles. Or you can once again just stop sharing the gospel with them and stay in a relationship with them. We don't want to follow the current drumbeat of civilization that says you are the center of the universe. Anybody who bugs you, ghost them. That is simply not biblical. It's simply not Christian. 877-282-2337.

[C]

This is from Anonymous who texted Anton, what would you say to a friend of mine who is refusing chemo because God knows the hairs on her head and the day she will die, she doesn't want the poison in her body, she says, because if God is going to take her home on the day he has already ordained from eternity past.

[B]

Too many details for me to speak to this specific case. I would be very foolish to do that. I do think, though, we can back away from the. Let's just use that question as a springboard so that anybody. If the person who wrote that is listening, you don't appeal. Think that I'm like angling for this or that because I do not know the circumstances. Because there are some variables that make a difference. How old is this person? How aggressive is the cancer? What is the success rate of the chemotherapy? What are the side effects of the chemotherapy going to be? All of those are considerations that need to be weighed on a case by case basis. Now, having said that, I think that there's at least two issues that need to be weighed from a biblical perspective when it comes to the issue of medicine and saving your life at a particular cost. How does God view life? Well, it's precious. And he gives medicine for us to have a better life and to even save our lives. Sometimes it's courtesy of God through the hands of scientists who invent medicine or they come up with surgeries that help our lives stay alive. So I think we look at medicine and we go blessing. Now, is there ever a time when it comes to viewing life where we say, I can reject that good gift? And I think the answer to that can be yes, there can be times when I think the rule is, and again, I want to be careful that I'm not responding to the individual who wrote in. When it is clearly imminent, when death is a certainty and it's a decision between, okay, and I'm just. Again, we're talking in generalities here. Let's say the doc says if you don't do the chemo, three months, if you do the chemo, six months, but the chemo's gonna make you really, really sick. If somebody were facing that personally, I wouldn't say that they're being a sinner by rejecting that sort of medical intervention. But I think the key in the conversation, it's weighing the issue of life, seeing medicine as a gift, seeing life as being precious. And yet that does not mean that in every single instance you have to take what the doctor prescribes. If you are motivated to hasten your death, if you are motivated to just clock out of here. So therefore I'm going to reject it. I think that's to reject a kindness of God, at the very least potentially a sin, because he has given medicine as a blessing. But if you are confronted with a situation where death is imminent, it's a certainty. Based on all of the science that we know, it is a certainty. And the chemo is going to extend your life a little bit. But wow, the side effects are going to be a beating and you're not going to have a quality of life for that extended amount of time. I don't think that it's a sin to reject that. So those are principles that I think need to be considered. The blessing of medicine, the gift of life, and then the individual circumstances need to be weighed. And if you do that and you do it faithfully, and if you do it in a Christ honoring way, you're not doing it because you're just, I'm scared of this. Or I'm terrified of that. Make sure there's no idolatry involved, that there's no fear of man involved, that there's no fear of suffering involved. And then you make a faithful decision and that's God's will for your life. And just as a side note for all of us, and this is just on my mind right now because of what I'll be preaching Sunday morning at Alpharetta Bible Church about suffering. Arm yourself to have the same mind as Christ, that you will suffer. Now, we know that Peter had persecution in mind, the suffering that comes from being a righteous Christian. But I think the application even applies to the category of health. You're going to suffer. You're going to suffer. I think it applies to the category of relationships. You're going to have people who hurt you. Arm yourself, have the same mind as Jesus Christ. It is going to happen. The student is not above the teacher. Our master suffered and he deserved none of it. There's no reason for us to think that we should escape it totally and completely. And if you adopt that mindset and you commit to that mindset before you need it, and you strengthen that muscle on a regular basis, God is sovereign. He only does that which is good for me and God, he would never do anything to punish me for my sins because Jesus was so, I can rest and trust my good and sovereign God. You'll be ready to suffer. You'll be ready to suffer. This is Wretched Radio,

[C]

And it's now time for your daily Fortis news break, a production of Fortis Institute. We begin with a loss for America's largest abortion provider. A Florida judge refused to throw out a lawsuit accusing Planned Parenthood of false advertising for telling women the abortion pill is safer than Tylenol. The judge ruled that wasn't a vague slogan, but a safety claim a court can weigh. And the penalties could reach $350 million. Ending a child's life is grievous enough. Lying to women about the danger is worse. Speaking of children, Washington is still spending your money studying puberty blockers for kids, even after the Trump administration cracked down. The National Institute of Mental health approved over $700,000 this February. February for a study on 152 minors. You look away from the bureaucracy and the old habits creep right back in. In Seattle, the city's new socialist mayor tried to muzzle her own police after a triple shooting outside a nightclub. The police union posted the footage and asked how many more shootings it takes before she unfreezes the cameras officers use to catch them. Her office demanded the Post come down, claiming a leak. It was wasn't. The clip ran on local news. The union sent her the link and kept right on posting. And it's not only local dysfunction. The State Department is rallying our allies against a surge in far left terrorism. Anarchists sabotaged France's bullet train before the Olympics, and radicals blacked out Berlin's power grid for five days in the winter. Officials say these groups keep merging with the violent anti Israel crowd. It's funny how the people who are loudest about safety keep turning up at the scene of the blast. On the political front, two courtroom wins for Republicans this week. Missouri's Supreme Court upheld the state's new congressional map, and a Florida judge tossed a similar challenge the same day. Together, possibly five new House seats before the midterms. And speaking of voting, a long line wrapped around a Houston building not for any American race. These were Colombian nationals casting ballots for Columbia's president. One detail worth Columbia requires voter id. It's funny how it's essential abroad, but only oppressive here. Finally, you may soon be carrying the president in your wallet. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant confirmed Congress is weighing a new $250 bill featuring President Trump, timed to America's 250th birthday. Current law bars any living person from our money, so that would have to change. But one rule does stand. Every bill, Besant noted, must still read in God we Trust. That much at least we can agree. And that wraps up today's Fortis News break. I'm Jimmy Hicks. If you want more, you can download Fortis plus or sign up to become a Fortis Insider for exclusive daily content. Both of those things can be [e-mail] and don't forget, you can subscribe to Fortis News on your favorite podcast app in order to get these updates daily. And until tomorrow, go serve your king.

[A]

Books of the Bible. Malachi was the last recorded prophet of God until John the Baptist. Four hundred years later, Malachi addressed the corrupt priesthood, half hearted worship, divorce, injustice and neglected tithes. He also foretold the coming of John the Baptist, Jesus, the Messiah, and the great day of the Lord when God judges the wicked and rewards the righteous. This is Wretched Radio with Todd Friel.

[B]

Oh man. What you can learn here at Wretched Radio. Okay, not much, but we just discovered the original voice of Snagglepuss. This is important. You'll need this someday. If you're ever playing Trivial Pursuit or you're on the Price is Right or Whatever. No, it's not. The price of Jeopardy. Jeopardy.

[C]

That's right.

[B]

Jeopardy. Yeah. The voice of Snagglepuss was a voice actor who based the characters flamboyant code, theatrical and quasi Shakespearean delivery on. Get ready for this Bert Lars portrayal of the Cowardly lion in the wizard of Oz. Hence our confusion, because we know that the Cowardly Lions had. Put him up. Put him up. And I thought, no, there was a cartoon character who did that too. It was Snagglepuss. So that's why they sounded so the same. Not only do you learn a lot here, I feel so vindicated. Do you have something?

[C]

I feel vindicated. I said he sounded like the Cowardly lion using.

[B]

I don't remember it that way. 8 7, 7, 2 8, 2. The other. Oh, was it yesterday? My daughter was over. She made something for us for dinner and. Oh, actually. Oh, I take that back. It was fried chicken from Publix. That's what it was. Really good. I'm not a fried food eater, but man, that Publix fried chicken, oh, man, it's really, really good. And I said, as I have been saying now for decades, ah, that's Coffee Mama. And she said, where does that come from? And I explained her. It came from the guy who was the voice of Baloo the Bear. Remember Bear necessities? Baloo the Bear. And, well, the guy was, I guess, a singer to boot. He kind of spoke, sang, and he was on the Johnny Cash show and he did a song that was actually recorded by a number of artists called Smoke, Smoke, Smoke, Smoke, Smoke, Smoke. If you got him, it's a satirical song about smoking. And at the very end, he takes a huge, huge drag on the cigarette. This is national tv back when doctors said smoking is actually good for you. That's Coffee Mama. And my daughter was just absolutely, just gobsmacked. What is that all about? I have no idea. But somehow it worked in the 60s. 8, 7, 7, 2, 8, 2, 2, 3, 3, 7.

[C]

All right. This is from Laramie, Todd. I'm a born again believer, but sometimes struggle with the reality of living forever. I truly am looking forward to being in heaven with Christ, but living forever seems daunting. Can you offer any biblical help for this?

[B]

That's so interesting. I just saw a clip of the guy. He used to live, maybe still does, in Alpharetta. I think he went to North Pointless Church. I'm sorry, did I say Pointless? That just came out so wrong. I did not mean for that. I think that's where he went to Church. Alton Brown on the Food Channel guy.

[C]

Oh, Alton, yeah.

[B]

And he seemed like a nice fellow. Like it was a good TV show, it was clever. It was really. If you're going to do a cooking show and you want to make it kind of like zippy and interesting, I thought he was really quite clever. And he was asked the question, where are you at with God today? And he gave a. I'll find that clip because there was much in it that was interesting. But to the point of the email or the text that was just sent about eternity, he said, ah, the thought of eternity playing a harper, you know, no, singing, singing all the, just singing all the time. It's like, ugh. But I don't want to go to hell, so I guess I'll keep believing in God. But there are so many things to dissect. But honestly, the big thing was his understanding of heaven. Dude, heaven is going to be amazing. We aren't just going to be singing. And even if we did, I promise you, you will have so much to sing about because your faith will be sight and you will be with the most glorious entity. You can't even imagine how amazing he is. You cannot imagine it. And that is why you'll spend eternity wanting to sing to him, because it'll be an expression of the joy in your heart. Having said that, there's nothing in the Bible that says that's all we're going to be doing. I think we're going to be working, I think we're going to be playing, I think we're going to be eating, I think we're going to be inventing, I think we're going to be composing, I think we're going to be writing poetry. I think we're going to be doing no less than what we do on this current planet because this is the planet on which you will reside for eternity. It's just going to be a purified one without sin. Why would there be anything less in heaven than there is on this earth? Randy Alcorn's book, Heaven brings that out powerfully. Why would there be less in heaven than what we're doing here? I think we have a tendency to think, well, heavenly, we've got to be doing heavenly things. Hold on. If what you are doing here is not sinful, that's a pleasing thing. That's a God ordained thing. Writing poetry, I don't know why I'm picking that. Writing poetry, that's not sinful, that's a gift that God lets you use your intellect to use language in Its superlative manifestation. Poetry is the highest form of communication that a human being can concoct. Why would he take that away from us if you happen to be a poet? I won't be writing poems then because I didn't write them here, but okay. Tennis. Tennis. I love tennis. I love it. Why would God take that away? Why would he give it to us here? It's not a sin to play tennis. It's a sin to get sinfully angry when you drop another servant in the net. But it's not a sin. It's a gift. Why would he take that gift away for eternity? You have much to look forward to. Don't be daunted by heaven. The joys will be. You will be in a descending pool that never ends. Just deeper and deeper and deeper. Joy, more and more profound joy. And you'll be doing all of the things that you love doing here that are not sinful. But you're gonna be enjoying them on a different level because everything that you do, you will be mindful. This is because of Jesus. I get to play tennis because of Jesus. Jesus gives me this gift. I get to run around here, break a sweat, get my heartbeat up, all of those things, and hit an occasional good shot because of Jesus. And you'll appreciate tennis the way that you should. It's not the tennis that we should love. It should be the one who g us. Tennis. That's the one we love. And that's what you're going to be doing in heaven. And I promise you, you'll never be bored. 8, 7, 7, 2. 8, 2, 2, 3, 3, 7.

[C]

This is from Jonathan Todd. What would be the most effective way to expositionally preach through lengthier Old Testament books like Psalms or Isaiah? Would it be acceptable to spend over a year in one of them?

[B]

Well, sure, you can do that if you'd like to. You need to make. Make a decision based on the congregation's need, et cetera, and just how you want to handle the text. The reality is you could spend years in the book of Isaiah and the book of Psalms. You could spend the rest of your ministry in those two books. Frankly, you could do that in every book if you just wanted to really pistol whip your people. But should you? I think that's up to you. On an individual basis, note this. Isaiah is a difficult book to preach. It's a really hard book to preach. And I got to tell you something, Eric. At our church, he taught through the book of Isaiah, and he did it in the course of months. Why not? Because he Covered every verse. But because his theme now this is Sunday school, this is different than preaching from a pulpit. His theme was to show the connection between the second, often most quoted book in the Old Testament and its connection to Jesus Christ. Isaiah is quoted Psalms by the, interestingly, is the most quoted book in the New Testament. Isaiah is number two. He wanted to show those connections so that we could see the string that was attached between Isaiah and our Messiah. And it was magnificent. I mean, it was magnificent. Did he get into every single thing? Did he explain every single illusion that was being made? No, he didn't. He preached Christ from the book of Isaiah. So if you are going to preach an Old Testament book, you got to think it through really carefully. And if you are not preaching it to point to Jesus Christ, then you've missed the point of the book. That includes Isaiah and that includes the book of Psalms. Because remember what Jesus said to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. He taught them about himself from every book of the Bible. John 5. You read the laws of Moses, read the books of Moses, because in them you think you have life. But I tell you, they testify about me. So if we're going to preach an Old Testament book, they better testify about Jesus. Otherwise, send your people down the street to a Jewish synagogue where a rabbi can preach them. Because if they don't have Jesus in the centerpiece, then it's simply not Christian preaching. And one last note. Preaching the Old Testament is not easy. It is much easier in my estimation, to preach the New Testament and go back to the Old Testament for illustrations or to find support or to show how the current author is using that quote that he picked from that particular book to start in the Old Testament and to preach it. And then to make sure that you're showing this is how it is fulfilled in the New Testament. It can be a bit tricky because not every section of the Old Testament I'm talking about inside the context of a book is immediately pointing to Jesus. The book is, that is certain. Otherwise Jesus wouldn't have said that to those two disciples. That he's in every single book. So he's there, he's just not in every line. And you might find yourself struggling to do that. There are even online you can do some courses that have been taught preaching the Old Testament. Get it from a good expository. You'll find some videos. You can certainly do an online course with a good seminary or anybody who teaches homiletics, how to preach the Old Testament, because it does require special handling. Because you're going to have a propensity to preach the Bible, the Old Testament, rather an Old Testament book as if it's in the New Testament. You gotta start by preaching it as the original audience would have understood it and then showed how it points to Jesus. All that to be said, you want to preach psalms in Isaiah. Rock on, bro. This is Wretched Radio.

[C]

Ask most Christians what they know about hermeneutics and you'll likely get Herman, who that sounds like somebody's uncle. Is that the guy that always comes and just stays quiet in the back of the small group? Hermeneutics is actually the art and science of interpreting scripture. And if you don't know how to do it rightly, you're going to read the Bible wrongly. Worse, you're actually going to be an easy target for every false teacher with a podcast and a proof text. Herman, who is basically a master's level education in how to read the Bible correctly and it's conducting condensed into something you can actually finish. You'll learn how to interpret a 2000 year old book in a 21st century world without twisting it into something it was never meant to say. By the end of it, you'll never read scripture the same way again. And you'll never have the wool pulled over your eyes by someone who sounds confident but doesn't know what they're talking about. Herman who it is streaming right now for free on Fortis. Download the app on your smartphone, on your smart TV, or just simply go to fortisplus.com thanks for listening to Wretched Radio today. You know, there's no shortage of voices telling women how to handle anxiety, how to navigate relationships, how to find their identity. Honestly, most of it sounds pretty good until you realize it's just self help slapped with Bible verses. That's not the same thing as biblical wisdom. And that's why we at Fortis Institute present to you the Better Way with Libby Glossin. Libby is an ACBC Certified Biblical Counselor and she's not just interested in giving you coping strategies. Libby's desire is to take you to scripture and show you what God actually says about the things you're actually walking through. And this is the kind of content our gospel partners are making possible. If the content we're producing at Fortis Institute has been meaningful to you, I want to ask you to prayerfully consider becoming an ongoing monthly gospel partner. Just go to fortisinstitute.org right now and find out what it would look like for you to be a part of getting content like the better way into the hands of women who need it. Reg it. Amazing Grace. Amazing Gospel. No Retreat. That's the name of Fortis Institute's Spring Match campaign. And we chose that name for a reason the church has been quietly backing up for years. A doctrine gets a little uncomfortable, a truth sounds a little too exclusive. So we set it aside, and before long, the gospel sounds more like an apology than an announcement. Fortas Institute is determined to push the other church direction to encourage churches to hold fast to hard truth and to proclaim the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, rightly and loudly. That's why we're inviting you to join us on the no Retreat Spring Match campaign right now through the end of May. Every dollar you give is matched dollar for dollar, and your gift will help launch two new podcasts, publish Todd Friel's new book, Go Serve youe King through HarperCollins, and fun goddamn proclamation. On college campuses. The gospel doesn't move backward, and neither should we. You can find out more right [e-mail] donate.

[A]

Titles of Christ in the Bible, Jesus is given many titles that teaches us about who he is and what he has done. Jesus is called the true vine. The Old Testament describes Israel as a vine planted in the desert. Jesus is the true vine, and those who trust in him are grafted in to receive life and nourishment from Christ. This is Wretched Radio with Todd Friel.

[B]

Why is this program better than American top 40? This is wretched Radio. If you want to hear your favorite song In American top 40, you have to request it here on Wretched. You don't have to request it, and we're going to play it despite your lack of. In fact, despite your insistence we don't play it. Smoke, smoke, smoke that cigarette, yeah, she had a puppet, puff puppet. Then she puffed herself to that pelt. St. Peter, the golden Gate. I don't want to make you wait, but I just got to have another cigarette. Weird. Yeah, that's coffee, Mama. Okay, this is Red Shit Radio. No idea. If you have an explanation, send it to us. You'd really. You would help us? Ideaetched.org or you can text away to 877-28-22-2337. That's Phil Harris. Phil Harris guy's name. But he's not the only. He's not the first guy who recorded that song. I went to the YouTube machine and back, okay, Tex Williams back in 1940 something. He recorded it first. And then you've got other country artists that recorded this okay, here's one from Merle Travis and Tennessee Ford. Smoke, smoke, smoke the cigarette. I didn't think it was a good song. Nevertheless, it was recorded by a lot of people. And I wonder if any of them look back and go, what were we thinking? I mean, who didn't intuitively know? Inhaling smoke into my lungs. Yeah, yeah, that's a good idea. I think that I'm going to keep promoting it. 8, 7, 7, 2, 8, 2, 233 7.

[C]

All right. This is from Megan. She texted in. Todd, a man in our small group has said a few times that we each have our own guardian angel. I don't know of any scripture confirming that, but if it's true, what scripture would support it?

[B]

I think that God's angels are for our. I'm trying to think of the address that they are for our protection, that they are our servants. But that does not say that each of us has a servant angel. I like to think of it. And furthermore, I think that we have a limited number of angels that were created. We'd have to have billions of angels if we've all got our own bellhop angel. But I think they do zone defense. And I think a better picture is that the angels, they're looking at God, they're facing toward God, just waiting for him to give the command. And if he sends an angel to guard you, they will go lickety split. But that doesn't mean that there's any indication in the Bible that we all have an individual angel. And that shouldn't bum you out because you don't need one all the time. Furthermore, you've got the Holy Spirit. We're supposed to put the full armor on. It would be in special circumstances and at God's discretion that he would send an angel to take care of us. So don't worry, you're safe. You don't need to panic. But I don't think that you have any reason to believe that everybody has their own angel, because there were a limited number. We have a third. I think we have a third of the angels that are in prison, that are. That are locked up, that will be locked up for eternity, that are currently roaming the earth. Now, there's some mystery as to who might be locked up in the prison. Based on First Peter, I should know this, that he went and preached 1st Peter 3, 22, 28. I believe that he went and proclaimed victory to the. To the prisoners, to those in prison, the spirits in prison. I don't think there were people. I think there were fallen angels. Too. There's a limited number of them. So that means if a third of the angels have a limited number, that means there's a limited number of angels. We don't all have our own. Jimmy, you got anything to add to that?

[C]

No, I don't.

[B]

Yeah, and it's nothing that's like, oh, I don't have my own angel. You don't need one. Furthermore, guess who's always with you? Your God. So that's even better than an angel. 8 7, 7, 2, 8, 2, 2, 3, 3, 7.

[C]

But this is from Jess Todd. Does God still speak through dreams? I've had dreams over the last couple of years that I felt were from God and they ended up coming true. But is that biblical?

[B]

No, not anymore. In former times, God spoke through dreams, through visions, but now he speaks to us through his Son. So we have a completed revelation. We need no more revelation from God. If we believe that the Bible is sufficient, and we do, there is no need for any more. So the dreams that you have, if it turns out they came true, whatever that looked like, cool. We call that providence, not divine revelation. I've had dreams that, you know, we've all. We've. Pagans have dreams like that. Pagans have experiences like that. Pagans have all kinds of things that they would. They would say, they would call it a coincidence. No, it's not. It's providence. Those things happen. Now, the problem is, we Christians, something that is. That is providence, we call coincidence, and we shouldn't, because God is ordaining everything and nothing happens that catches him by surprise or that wasn't ordained by him. So I think sticking with providence while being a little bit clunky is a whole lot better than coincidence. If your dreams turned out to be, if you will, true, wasn't prophecy, wasn't divine revelation, it was Providence. 8, 7, 7, 2, 8, 2, 2, 33 7.

[C]

This is from Jeb Todd. I hear believers, especially women, call each other queen and call guys who are older king and younger guys prince. Just something about this seems weird for believers in Christ. Is it concerning or am I just a curmudgeon?

[B]

Well, I don't know. You might be both. I don't know. It could be right. And you could be a curmudgeon. The two are separate issues, but I think your sensibilities are correct. There is something weird about that. Even though we are royal priests. We are, but it's a trend. I see them on T shirts where, you know, it's like a woman wearing a shirt says queen. That probably comes from prosperity churches more than anything, that you're a king, you're a queen, you're a prince. I think that that's probably, if I had to guess where that the genesis of that, it would be the prosperity church. We are indeed royal priests. We are sons of the most high. That is true. We are daughters of a royal king for sure. But to call us prince and princesses and kings and queens as if we're like earthly kings and queens now. No, we get to reign with Jesus Christ. And it is about the privilege, not the title, that should be thrilling us. Your sensibilities are correct. 877-282-2337.

[C]

This is from Anonymous. Todd, you keep encouraging guys to get married, but seemingly less so to go into full time ministry. Isn't the latter an equally high calling or even higher calling?

[B]

The reason that I'm humming and hawing just a little bit is because I keep thinking about, how does one know in ministry? Should we encourage men to consider ministry? I would never say, okay, if you're a young man, I think you should go into ministry. I would prefer to be more precise and to honor what it means to actually be called into ministry. I would prefer saying, if you're a young man and you're feeling like you might be qualified to serve in pastoral ministry, I would encourage you to talk to your elders. I would encourage you to have a serious conversation with them to say, will you please help me with this? Because being called into ministry, it doesn't come from peer pressure or a call from somebody like me. It is a call from the Lord that is both internal and external. Internally, it's like, I really want to do this and you probably don't need me to tell you because you've got a burning on the inside. But that needs to be affirmed by the external call, which is people in your life who would say, yeah, you know what, we agree. We see you, we see your gifts, we see how you've been serving, and we affirm that the Lord is calling you to ministry. So having said all of that, I would suggest, yeah, we should be encouraging young men to consider it, but it needs to be through a process. And so often I've heard those, hey, you know what, you seem like you're pretty sharp. You should go into ministry. Oh, that's sloppy. It's sloppy. Maybe they should. But it might be, I think, more careful, more biblical and more precise and helpful to say, you seem to have some gifts. Have you ever talked to your elders about this? 877-282-2337.

[C]

Since we are so close to the month of pride, I've heard many people say that pride's the deadliest sin.

[B]

Oh, dude.

[C]

What?

[B]

I forgot your present.

[C]

Something about pride gives you a reminder?

[B]

No, I just realized. No, I. No, I just. I forgot your. Okay, I'm going to have to hold onto it till next week because there's a string attached.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

So I can't tell you about it. Not going to give it to you.

[C]

Okay.

[B]

You're just going to have to be on pins and needles. So tell me more about pride.

[C]

Well, Alan says he's heard many people say pride is the deadliest of sins. While it may not be worse than other sins in God's eyes, would it be accurate to say pride is the fundamental sin?

[B]

Yes, I think so. For every sin, we want to be careful with ranking sins. The Roman Catholic Church, they've got their catalog of venial, their temporal, their mortal sins. Got to be careful with that. We can definitely say some sins are worse than other sins. Where does pride fit? Well, you could look at the seven deadly sins. It's there. I think it's. What number is it in the ranking? I don't know, but it's up there. But I do believe that we could all say confidently it is the root of all sin because we do what we want to do. My way is better than God's way. And that is. Oh, Odiferous, that just really stinks. When we think that we know better than God, our ways are higher than his ways. Oh, that's what pride is. So every time we sin, I think at the foundation of it, it's pride. How ironic a movement is using that as their slogan. Until tomorrow, go serve your king.