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Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your

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Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Study Headquarters

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Speaker 1: dot com. You're listening to Daily Devotions with Pastor John.

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Speaker 1: I'm John Stangey, and today's devotion is inspired by Proverbs

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Speaker 1: chapter fifteen, verse one, which says a soft answer turns

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Speaker 1: away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Throughout

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Speaker 1: the course of our lives, there are going to be

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Speaker 1: times when we will feel provoked. Someone with an arrogant

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Speaker 1: attitude may antagonize us. Someone may unjustly accuse us. Someone

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Speaker 1: may speak to us in anger with the intention of

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Speaker 1: hurting us or getting under our skin. When those moments come,

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Speaker 1: how should we respond. The scripture encourages us to be

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Speaker 1: truthful and gracious in our response. It's tempting to lash

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Speaker 1: out and speak harshly when we're being attacked, but the

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Speaker 1: Lord empowers us to live up to a higher standard.

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Speaker 1: We don't have to stoop to the sinful patterns and

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Speaker 1: practices of the flesh. Through faith in Jesus, we have

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Speaker 1: been set free from those shackles. As Christ has treated

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Speaker 1: us with mercy, kindness, and truthfulness, so too should we

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Speaker 1: respond to others in the same fashion. When we're cursed,

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Speaker 1: we can bless. When we're persecuted, we can pray for

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Speaker 1: the ones who persecute us. This kind of response glorifies

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Speaker 1: Christ and impacts the conscience of those who treat us poorly.

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Speaker 1: It also releases our hearts from holding grudges or seeking

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Speaker 1: revenge and retribution. Let's finish each day content that we

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Speaker 1: have responded to others in a way that reflects the

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Speaker 1: heart of Christ. Let's pray, Lord, we thank you for

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Speaker 1: your word, and we thank you for the privilege that

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Speaker 1: it is to be able to look at a small

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Speaker 1: portion of it together today. And Lord, even though this

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Speaker 1: is a brief verse from scripture, it's powerful, it's poignant.

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Speaker 1: It's exactly the type of thing we need to hear. Lord.

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Speaker 1: So often we think we need to retaliate against all things.

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Speaker 1: We think we need to react, and sometimes lose our

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Speaker 1: cool to somehow make a point. But Lord, your word

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Speaker 1: teaches us otherwise. Your word teaches us that a soft

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Speaker 1: answer turns away wrath. Harsh words stir up anger and

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Speaker 1: foster sin and division. So, Father, thank you for revealing

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Speaker 1: this truth to us and your word, and we pray

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Speaker 1: that by your grace that we would have and exercise

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Speaker 1: the wisdom that we need to respond to others in

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Speaker 1: a way that brings glory to your name. Lord. We

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Speaker 1: know that there will be people throughout the course of

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Speaker 1: our lives who provoke us. We recognize that there will

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Speaker 1: be people who intentionally try to irritate us or intentionally

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Speaker 1: try to provoke us to express rage. But rage doesn't

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Speaker 1: glorify you. That's not what you've called us to model.

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Speaker 1: And so Lord, we pray that, by your grace, that

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Speaker 1: we would exhibit the heart of your son as we

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Speaker 1: interact with anyone that you've placed in our lives. We

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Speaker 1: pray that our lives would be marked by mercy and

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Speaker 1: compassion and genuine others centered love, and that your power

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Speaker 1: would intervene in our lives in such a way that

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Speaker 1: it has a noticeable effect not only on us, but

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Speaker 1: those we interact with as well. Father, we're grateful for

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Speaker 1: all that you've shown us through your son Jesus Christ,

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Speaker 1: and we pray for your grace, mercy, help, and forgiveness

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Speaker 1: in all contexts we find ourselves in. We love you, Lord,

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Speaker 1: and we thank you for your presence with us today,

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Speaker 1: and we pray this all in Jesus' name, Amen,