Jake Enriquez: 00:00 And I really believe that my mouth got me in trouble, got me in prison, and and God was showing me to carry out his will because he had called me to preach the Gospel while I was in prison. Welcome, depressant. Reach man. On today’s episode, we’re going to be talking about a long walk home. Have you ever been in press ever been in a place where it seems like it’s just taking so long? Well man, be encouraged because I’ve got to tell you something. God will see you through it. On today’s episode, episode number five, zero. I want you to meet Pastor Kevin Bailey. This brother here, I got to tell you, this man of God, he’s a prayer warrior. I’m telling you, he’s a minister that will not relent. He’s faithful. He will see it through. He knows and understands that God is with him. And I got to tell you, he has been such a blessing to my life, my family’s life. We thank God for him always. So stay tuned for episode number five, zero with pastor Kevin Bailey.

Jake Enriquez: 01:15 Good morning, afternoon, or evening, whatever this may be to you. I sure hope and pray that you be found well in spirit, my friend. Hey, my name is Jake Enriquez] and it is a joy, honor and a privilege to be your host today. So please let me welcome you to press and reach a podcast where we’re simply walking out our faith and encouraging others along the way to the same.

Jake Enriquez: 01:50 welcome back to Press and reach. My name is Jake Enriquez] your host. It’s so good to be back with you on this beautiful, awesome, wonderful morning

Jake Enriquez: 01:56 and hoping all is going well for you. But before we get started, before we get started on this episode, I want to make sure I point you back to pressandreach.com]. Go there to pressandreach.com and make sure that you’re signing up for the weekly devotional. We send out a weekly devotional every Saturday morning and we just want to touch base with you, walk with you to talk to you, do life together. If you have prayer requests and Umm, Batman reply, definitely we want to stay in touch with, you know, we know that, uh, the walk of faith, man, we don’t want to do this thing alone and we don’t want you to do this thing alone. So make sure you’re touching base with his coming back interacting because a, we want to walk it out with you. I pray to God that all is going well with you. So like I was telling you earlier in the introduction, met this brother a long time ago. I love them. I really do consider him a dear friend, a thank God for him always. He’s always ministered to me from the day I very first met him. So I don’t want you to go without because, uh, I know he was a special treat. He really is, man of God who is faithful.

Jake Enriquez: 03:00 He loves the Lord with all his heart. And you’re going to hear that from him when he talks to us today, but I just want to bring him on right now. I’m going to welcome him a welcome pastor Kevin Bailey, my brother. How you doing today?

Kevin Bailey: 03:11 Man, I’m doing well, brother Jake.

Jake Enriquez: 03:14 Alright. All right. Good to have young man. And uh, I’m glad you finally decided to come on over here and sit with me for a minute. I know you’re busy. I know you’re busy, but, uh, here it is. We like to hear from people on a personal level. So man, just take a moment, introduce yourself, who you are, where you’re from.

Kevin Bailey: 03:28 OK, well, I’m Kevin Bailey. I’m from Dallas, Texas, oakcliff residential area. I am married to a lovely wife, Shawn Bailey. We have been married approximately almost four years and we have a lovely daughter name Erica who was now 13, but she thinks she’s 25 and um, I’m doing a great work with it

Kevin Bailey: 03:56 also. That’s awesome brother. You know, and I’m speaking of family. I know we all, uh, participate in these different family matters and family issues and you know, maybe we, maybe we will touch on them today, but here’s the thing, I know that you are involved now and heading up stir up the kingdom ministries, right? Why don’t you take just a moment and just tell us a little bit about that ministry.

Kevin Bailey: 04:20 OK, will stir up the kingdom ministries is basically a prison ministry in which we do going inside to evangelize the men and women over several units in Texas and we evangelize and offer continual discipleship that the men and women would grow and our dear Lord, and to assist them up on their transition as they exit a prison that they could continue to stand in the faith. And so we like to encourage one person at a time at the same time a decreasing the recidivism rate one person at a time.

Jake Enriquez: 05:00 All right, now brother Bailey. I got to ask you, man, you know, seriously, why does that mean so much to you?

Kevin Bailey: 05:07 Oh, it means a speaks volumes to me because I too were incarcerated at the age of 19. I spent approximately 22 years in prison and I came to know the Lord Jesus inside of that place and, and I thank God because he revealed his son onto me in that place and it just speaks his momentum to me because of the simple fact that I know when we steal that, that God can speak to us greatly and I just thank the Lord for allowing us to go inside of that place and, and to evangelize the men and women as well as a help them along the way.

Jake Enriquez: 05:49 Man, a man, I greatly appreciate that brother. You know, I met A. I met you so many years ago and I don’t even really remember how many ago. Well, I can tell you this bad. I knew that you were standing for the Lord. Really? Uh, it was evident and apparent and you really blessed me, you know, when I went in that place, man. And um, I’ll just never forget those times, those moments and, and getting to share. And you were sharing some great things, man. While I was in there, I was like, man, this is how brothers really live free in prison, man. And you know, and I think that people are out here today, don’t realize and understand that people, even behind those walls are living free, living free in there, man. Now I know we want to get out. We don’t want to stay there. We will get out.

Jake Enriquez: 06:38 But a freedom come from within, you know, and that’s Christ living in us, you know. So as I think about that man, I know you’re a pastor now and you go out there and you preach the word and I know you go back into the prisons because of what God has given you to do. You know, but you know, the podcast is about walking out our faith, right? So the story, by the way, the story for everyone is their own. In other words, every man, every woman has own relationship with the Lord and we all walk in it and what he gives. And, but if someone was to look at you today or here, you today, a man, he knows the word of God, you know, he uh, he’s in the Lord, but you also have a story. Brother Baileyr in childhood is part of that story so bad. Tell me about your childhood growing up. I mean, where you found in church every Sunday or what’s going on, man, how to get that way for you.

Kevin Bailey: 07:39 Brother Jake. I’m one of those individuals that I never touched the church house at a young age and I didn’t know too much about the faith growing up. I have another. As I got older and my mother, she did go out to the church and things of that nature to her. Uh, but her faith wasn’t a, a growing phase. And so I never really knew exactly what that looked like until a law and myself.

Jake Enriquez: 08:15 All right, so, but you say it wasn’t an growing faith and um, uh, elaborate on that a little bit. What does that look like? Look

Kevin Bailey: 08:23 like? I, I mean, I’m, her faith was that she believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and that she was save and on our way to heaven, but to actually walk out the life of Christ. I didn’t see it in her at a young age because of the trials that she was going through, but I know that she was a praying woman and I didn’t see her get out and share her faith with others, you know, I knew was a loving person and that speaks volumes in itself. But just to say, you know, uh, you need Jesus, you know, I really didn’t, you know, see what she meant at that time. You know, you need Jesus, you know, brother. Why would she tell unique Jesus? Because I needed.

Kevin Bailey: 09:21 What was momma seeing you do. Well, the devil had me, brother Jake, man, and I grew up in the streets and, and uh, I uh, joined the gang at a young age and, and ran with the neighborhood and we sold drugs. We did everything that you can do out in the streets. That’s what I did. And My mother, she saw that and she always cared for me. I left home at the age of 14 and I just got out there, you know, and, but my mom, she was always there or to assist me and help me.

Jake Enriquez: 09:55 Helping you along the way. Yes. And giving you a place, man, I gotta ask you this, I mean, do you think that, uh, you saw yourself putting a burden on Mama at that time?

Kevin Bailey: 10:07 Definitely. I knew without a shadow of a doubt what I was doing was wrong and I knew that it wasn’t helping my mother at all because she was living in that area, you know, that we was a crime ing and, and I know I wasn’t helping her by no means, you know?

Jake Enriquez: 10:24 Yeah. Pretty tough to reflect and think back on that. And I understand. Well, you know, when I think about growing up, I think about, you know, foundation, I think about, you know, my parents, they definitely tried to give me a solid foundation. So, you know, Mama drug me into church every, uh, I believe one of my buddies that said that we had a drug problem, they mama drugs to church here, there everywhere, you know, uh, think about earl. It’s my good friend. But yeah, so, so being taken back into church was a thing that she made sure of, you know, for us, and I can sure I could probably relate that mean you could probably relate as well. Your mother definitely wanted you to have Jesus. But what had you fighting so hard? I know the devil had his way and was having his way with you at the time. But what were you so drawn to out there?

Jake Enriquez: 11:10 Man, that world hold, that world world had on mighty pool. Allow me, man. And we grew up, you know, not broke up in poverty or nothing of that nature. They’re out. But I felt as though that I needed my own, you know? And so seeing the things that was transpiring and school, I wasn’t able to afford certain things, you know? And so peer pressure played a dramatic role and pushed me out further into the streets. And then when we start selling drugs and things of that nature, I was able to have a little money on my own and, and I just liked it. I liked always having my own, you know, and basically just rebellious, manage what wanted to do.

Jake Enriquez: 11:55 Yeah. Rebellious. You were tasting some of that that world, . Did they have the Nike tennis shoes back then, sir?

Kevin Bailey: 12:03 They, they had, they had nike and that’s what we, we went after that material stuff and that stuff. There are all of the things that makes someone in the neighborhood looked as though he’s

Kevin Bailey: 12:20 someone , you know, we went out to that. Absolutely. So some of the. Yeah, you’re right. I mean some of those things make you look like you’re something maybe that you’re not really. And uh, definitely so. But I think about coming up as a kid man. And I do know that no matter which way we look at it, it plays a very vital part of our lives, you know? So what we see, what we go through, what we start to understand, it all comes from being a little fellow or a youngster, you know. And maybe there’s some things in there, you know, that drive us. So when I think about you coming up, are there things that you would dream about? Say One day man, I’m gonna Foam, I’m going to, you want to go to a certain thing or did you have ambition like that? Or was it just straight up just going to be a trouble, wow, I’m doing it my way. You know, you never, when you

Kevin Bailey: 13:12 living that life and you’re under the influence of alcohol and drugs and your dreams just stopped. You know, I believe that I stopped dreaming at a very young age and I believe that I just navigated towards my surroundings and I thought that life in itself was all there was. That was before me and I thought that the world existed or it looked like a oak cliff in south Dallas and Fort Worth. I thought that that’s all it was until I started going out of my neighborhood. I started seeing things different and that’s when I began to see that hey, I needed to change, but I didn’t know what that was, you know?

Jake Enriquez: 13:57 OK. So getting a little bit out there, it would show you a little bit more. Well, man, you know, awesome thing to, to reflect back and look and have us, you know, thinking about some of those things. So I think about what you just said and you’re right, drugs, alcohol, killed a dream at all that stuff, you know, and all of a sudden what used to be so good in a bright, bright future seems to go really doe in gray, dark, dark, quick if you’re doing the wrong things. But I tell you what we’re going to do man. We’re going to take a really quick break and we’re going to be right back.

Jake Enriquez: 14:31 Hey guys, it’s jake. Hey, I just want to take a brief moment to ask you if in fact, the podcast to subscribe, rate, and review. Just take a brief moment to do that, but not only that, we asked that you come and visit us on progressing, reached out [inaudible]. We’re all about faith, family, and community. Listen to if you have a story about how your faith and the Lord has seen you through, we certainly want to hear from you whether it’s been in your business life, your personal life, which could be your marriage or dealing with your family, whatever it may be. We know that faith is a daily wall. So come join us as together we build our communities back up and give God all the glory.

Jake Enriquez: 15:14 Welcome back guys. Thanks for coming back. We hanging out with pastor Kevin Bailey, my dear friend, whom I love by the way. And thank God for always. And I’ve got to tell you, Kevin, we, we all go through things and you were just kind of describing your childhood, uh, before the bright, before the break, you know, so, and I know when people may hear they say, Hey, I didn’t think Kevin went through, you know, I thought he was always, you know, in, into church Pew or something, you know. But anyhow, our lives change as we go and we grow and always talk to people about are always asked him to come share. You know that time, that time where you knew God was real that time where we were broken that time. That’s a testimony of our faith and we were really strengthened and lifted up in it. Can you share your time for the listeners today?

Kevin Bailey: 16:03 Yes, indeed. I believe that prior to me going to prison, I believe that now that I know I saw the hand of God trying to keep me from going through the things that was before me, if I went this way, I couldn’t see it then because I didn’t know him, but I remember the time when I was arrested and I got in the county jail and they was charging me with capital murder and I’m just a young guy and 19 years old and I didn’t really know the, the consequences of my actions and I got inside of that county jail and seeing that they was trying to seek the death penalty for my charge and that’s when it hit me that man, I’m really in trouble. You know, I’m in trouble and I call home and told my mom that I was in trouble and she said that she couldn’t help me, but I needed Jesus.

Kevin Bailey: 17:10 And I had been hearing that, but that day when she told me that, it just, it just moved on me greatly. And I just looked up and I said, God, if you’re real, show me your reel. And that day God had heard my cry. And the very next day a man came preaching Jesus Christ. And, and I told him about my situation. I told him I wanted what he had and he prayed for me and I received the Lord at that time. And, and he prayed. And next day, you know, uh, they had dropped the off my sentence. And, and I just knew that it was God. God had heard my cry and he had mercy on me in my ignorance. And, and I cried out to this God. And I asked God if he would show me how to live. And because I knew that apart from him that I would, uh, destroy myself even in prison. And when I cried out, God walk with me those years inside a prison, and that will at times in prison where it seem as though I wasn’t even incarcerated because of the presence of God ministering to me in those times. And I just thank the Lord for that. And it’s because of that, that God had allowed me to come to that place, that, that I believe that I’m still able to call up on him today.

Jake Enriquez: 18:40 Absolutely man. And you know, I think about what you’re saying. You answered a question. Who is Jesus is, but you got a cup to nowhere, right? And, uh, uh, I think about some of the things that we’ve discussed in our past. So I’m going to bring this up for you man, because you said in our own pride, our own ignorance, whatever we might be in at a time when God loves us, Manny does. He really loves us and he shows us different things. So I want you to expound upon this really quick saying that I once heard from the pastor preach. He said, you preached your way in. See what to preach your way to preach her way out about about it. Well,

Kevin Bailey: 19:22 definitely. I remember that very vividly. You know, I believe that, that there was a time in my life world God was sending me in around me and to actually in a seed and pray for those men and those men. They was leaving the prison and I was seeing so much of it and I was asking the Lord, Lord, you are answering my prayer and you are bringing these men out of prison. I want to go home as well. And I was crying out. I had gotten so weary in the Lord and our Lord and I want to go home. You know, and I remember going to a service and a man had spoke and he said that you preach your way into prison. Now. Preach your way out. And I really believe that my mouth got me in trouble, got me in prison. And, and God was showing me to carry out his will because he had called me to preach the Gospel while I was in prison. And when he had gave that call are commissioned me. I will begin to do so. And in the weariness though, uh, I began to kind of draw back a little bit and God was reminding me that you must continue to carry out my wheel. And so, uh, I remember that, that I had to preach my way out. I had to continue to tell people about the Lord Jesus Christ and to be obedient to his wheel.

Jake Enriquez: 20:51 Absolutely man. Thank you for that brother. And you’ve been preaching every sentence, right? So I mean, I can certainly see that and why that would be so important. And I just, I just think about that and I’m glad you shared that for the listeners because here’s the thing that I think about coming from that. OK, there’s somebody else out here listening today had been called to preach the word of God called to preach the word of God and maybe we’ve drawn back. Maybe we’ve grown weary. So I’m praying and hoping that that would in fact reach and touch the hearts of men and women who go before and know that call has been put on their life, man. So thank you for that brother. But you know, along the way we develop our God should say, God develops character traits within us, inside of us, something that we could surely secure to and know and understand. That’s what he’s given us. Well, what would you say? Maybe some of those character traits he’s given you along the way.

Kevin Bailey: 21:49 Reflect on a time where, um, I’m a pastor, minister had come to prison and because he had fallen and he had come to prison and he quickly begin to try to disciple me and I wasn’t ready at that time. And, and, uh, to be discipled by him. And this pastor, a great friend of mine and I thank God for him. But he told me that I was a rough around the edges and he told me, but when God gets through which you’re going to be a big old teddy bear. Yeah. Yeah. And from that, uh, I believe that one of the things that the Lord has done with me and still working in me is love. You know, uh, knowing that to love as God has loved me, he helped me, you know, and me sharing that love. That’s one thing I believe that the Lord is doing through me and having that desire to love anyone, but not only that, um, is for some reason he just gave me a, uh, uh, ability to, to keep going and uh, I don’t know, uh, how that came about, but for some reason I’m just, I just believe God, you know, and, and to keep, keep moving is steadfast in the faith and, and I know noticed the work of the holy ghost because it’s surely not something that I created, but I believe that God has, has given me that and, and, um, just to keep going and to be a witness, a man of His grace and mercy.

Jake Enriquez: 23:38 Hey Man. OK, OK, well brother, I greatly appreciate that you know, a faithfulness and steadfast and faithful in the work is going to be required of us all if we’re going to go forward. But he has taught you how to love in such an unloving plays for the bank. Man, I tell you, I received as a man, OK? If a brother could love in a place like prison. Goodness. I used to think this when I would see, or I’d get a weekend to spend to share with you, we’d share word and man, I’d be like, golly, if God can teach brother to love up in a place like this, what’s going on with me, I get out of here and I just, you know, so I greatly appreciate that. Definitely. So. But you know, we find it to the say and readers are leaders, man, and I believe that. I believe that we should always be learning, always be seeking, always be searching and looking to better our ourselves and our wall. We find different books that are supplemental to that word of God. Definitely. So you got people to share their experiences, but what book would you recommend if you have one that you would recommend to our leaders, to reader listeners today? I’m sorry. Oh, most definitely.

Kevin Bailey: 24:57 I wouldn’t have to a result back to my mentor. I call him his name is watchman nee, and I have read so many books by him that really trans a form my life in ways that I could never imagine, but one particular book that I really hold dear to my heart even today, and that is [inaudible] the normal Christian life. I believe that every reader out to get his hands on that book right there as well as the spiritual man that’s written by watchman nee and it’s kind of old, old and outdated, but nevertheless it’s profound in all of its content. So I believe that watchman nee, he has done a tremendous mentor in my life. Absolutely.

Jake Enriquez: 25:50 I definitely put that in the show notes so our listeners can go on and check that out for yourselves guys. Also, now I’m going to ask you a brother Bailey, as you continue along a in this ministry, stir up the kingdom ministries and I know now you also have a stirrup. The kingdom where worship center. OK, and that’s in Dallas, right in Duncanville. All right, so we’ll put that on there on the show notes. If you guys get a chance, man, go by and visit with Pastor Kevin Bailey and get involved out there because I know a great thing is being done in the Lord. I know that Kevin, but trust me, I know this brother. I’ve known him a long time. He’s going to move in the Lord and do as the, as the Lord say to do. So. Uh, how would the listeners though, how would they go and find you?

Jake Enriquez: 26:38 How would they reach out to you? Do you have a place that you’d like to direct them? Is it a website or facebook or what? Yes, you can find this on web and as well as facebook and instagram you on instagram and twitter and all that good stuff. I tell you what we’re gonna do, man. I’ll, I’ll, uh, wrap all that up and I’ll put it in the show notes. So guys, when you go out to it, you’d be able to reach out to pastor Kevin and please, by all means, if you have any prayer requests or you just want to talk about the word, if you have a question, please reach out to them because I know he’d be delighted to spend time in conversation with you. So brother Bailie. What would be, you know, as we go along this way, we, we, uh, ask that each and everybody come and give a final word of encouragement. So if there was somebody struggling today struggling in their walk, struggling with their faith, maybe they find themselves in trouble. Maybe they find themselves in an area that just they just need some help. Man. What would be your final word of encouragement to them today?

Kevin Bailey: 27:38 I would most definitely add that if anyone is going through at this time, that it would be important to believe in the sovereignty of God and, and trust that God is most definitely in control, even in the intensity of the level in which we have to suffer or go through our trial. And to know that God has a specific purse purpose for this trial that we’re in, and a lot of times we don’t think like that, but God, he’s not looking at the beginning as we see it. We see God looking at the beginning from the end and so he has a purpose in mind. And one more thing that helps me and along the way is to know that this is working for my good eye. Mike cane understand it, it made it probably don’t feel good, but I know that is working for my good because God is conforming me into the image of Christ Jesus. And so I just want to encourage you to pray and talk to the father like you have never done before and just to dig into the word of God and to see the word of God come alive to you in your situation.

Jake Enriquez: 29:04 Thank you for that brother is so confident are we that he who began the good work be faithful to complete it unto the Lord Jesus Christ, the day of the Lord Jesus Christ. Man, I think about that. Thank you for that man. And I thank you for sharing a man. I love you. I thank God for you always, brother. Thank you for coming out here to share with us and make your ministry be blessed because I know the ministry belong to the Lord, man. Alright? As Pastor Kevin Bailey, makes sure you come check them out on the show notes in the show notes on this episode. We’ll be, you can find a bad precedent reached [inaudible]. Once again, it’s been a hanging out

Jake Enriquez: 29:42 with you. So please keep pressing and reach and remember that you are not walking out your faith alone, out here for he has promised that he will never leave you nor forsake you. Have a blessed and wonderful day.