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Speaker 1: Life Audio.

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Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to your Nightly Scripture, a calming

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Speaker 2: Scripture Center devotional podcast designed to help you end each

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Speaker 2: day with God's word in your mind and on your heart.

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Speaker 2: Right after the short word from our sponsors, we will

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Speaker 2: reflect tonight's scripture, Colassians Chapter two. Tonight's reflection is written

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Speaker 2: by Shay Smith and read by Kyle Norman. Colossians, Chapter two.

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Speaker 2: I want you to know how hard I am contending

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Speaker 2: for you and for those at Leo Raicilla, after all,

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Speaker 2: who have not met me personally. My goal is that

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Speaker 2: they may be encouraged in heart and united in love,

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Speaker 2: so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding,

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Speaker 2: in order that they may know the mystery of God,

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Speaker 2: namely Christ, in whom we are hidden all the treasures

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Speaker 2: of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that

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Speaker 2: no one may deceive you by fine sounding arguments. For

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Speaker 2: though I am absent from you in body, I am

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Speaker 2: present with you in spirit and delight to see how

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Speaker 2: disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.

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Speaker 2: So then, just as you receive Christ Jesus as Lord,

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Speaker 2: continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and build

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Speaker 2: up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught,

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Speaker 2: and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one

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Speaker 2: takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy which depends

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Speaker 2: on human tradition and the element spiritual forces of this world,

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Speaker 2: rather than our Christ. For in Christ all the fullness

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Speaker 2: of the deity lives in bodily form. And in Christ

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Speaker 2: you have been brought to fullness. He's a head over

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Speaker 2: every power and authority. In Him, you were also circumscised,

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Speaker 2: with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self,

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Speaker 2: ruled by the flesh, was put off when you were

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Speaker 2: circumcised by Christ, having been buried with Him in baptism,

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Speaker 2: in which you were also raised with Him through faith

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Speaker 2: in the working of God who raised Him from the dead.

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Speaker 2: When you were dead in your sins, and in the

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Speaker 2: uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ.

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Speaker 2: He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge

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Speaker 2: of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us.

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Speaker 2: He's taken it away, kneeling it to the cross, and

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Speaker 2: having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public

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Speaker 2: spectacle of them triumphing over them by the Cross. Therefore,

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Speaker 2: do not let anyone judge you by what you eat

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Speaker 2: or drink, or with regard to religious festivals, a new

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Speaker 2: moon celebration, or a Sabbath day, these are a shadow

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Speaker 2: of the things that were to come. The reality, however,

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Speaker 2: is found in Christ. Do not let anyone who delights

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Speaker 2: in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you.

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Speaker 2: Such a person also goes into great detail about what

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Speaker 2: they have seen. They are puffed up with idle notions

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Speaker 2: by their unspiritual mind. They've lost connection with the Head,

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Speaker 2: from whom the whole body supported and held together to bias,

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Speaker 2: ligaments and sinews grows as God causes it to grow.

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Speaker 2: Since you dined with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces

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Speaker 2: of this world world, why, as though you still belong

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Speaker 2: to the world, do you submit to its rules? Do

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Speaker 2: not handlell do not taste, do not touch. These rules,

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Speaker 2: which have to do with things that are all destined

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Speaker 2: to perish with youths, are based on merely human commands

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Speaker 2: and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom

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Speaker 2: with their self imposed worship, their false humility and their

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Speaker 2: harsh treatment of the body, but may lack any value

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Speaker 2: in restraining sensual indulgence. Our scripture tonight encourages believers to

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Speaker 2: know the truth and to stand firm on what they

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Speaker 2: have been taught. Paul, the author of Calautions, employs Christ's

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Speaker 2: followers to be rooted in Christ. He writes, So, then,

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Speaker 2: just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to

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Speaker 2: live your lives in Him, rooted and build up in Him,

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Speaker 2: strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing

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Speaker 2: with thankfulness. When I think about being rooted, I am

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Speaker 2: reminded of the mesquit tree. These specific trees thrive in

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Speaker 2: harsh desert environments, and it is their root systems that

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Speaker 2: have set them apart. Their tap roots can grow down

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Speaker 2: over one hundred feet to fine water. The root system

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Speaker 2: of the mesquite is essential for its survival. The roots

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Speaker 2: have to find living water to both grow and flourish.

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Speaker 2: How can we make sure our roots are growing deep

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Speaker 2: in Christ? First we can start by being taught about him.

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Speaker 2: Psalm ninety two, verses twelve and thirteen writes the righteous

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Speaker 2: will flourish like a palm tree. They will grow like

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Speaker 2: the cedars of Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord,

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Speaker 2: they will flourish in the courts of our God. If

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Speaker 2: you want your roots to grow, get plugged into a

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Speaker 2: Bible believing church. Next we see Paul encourage us to

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Speaker 2: overflow with thankfulness. First, we must remember the ways He

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Speaker 2: has blessed us. Isaiah forty six, verse nine declares, remember

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Speaker 2: the former things, those of long ago. I am God,

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Speaker 2: and there is no other. I am God, and there

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Speaker 2: is none like me. When we recall God's faithfulness and

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Speaker 2: authority in our lives, gratitude naturally flows. A heart of

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Speaker 2: gratitude is a humble heart rooted deeply in Him. Finally,

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Speaker 2: we must continue to die to the flesh and keep

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Speaker 2: our eyes focused on Christ. The ways of the world selvish, ambition, greed, lust, contentment, pride,

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Speaker 2: and the list goes on. It will only kill the

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Speaker 2: rue system of our faith. But pursuing the way of Christ,

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Speaker 2: his Kingdom, righteousness, and love for Him and others will

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Speaker 2: cause your roots to go deep and wide. And when

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Speaker 2: the drought comes, the dark night, or the storm approaches,

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Speaker 2: you will be unshakeable. So stay deeply rooted in Him. Father,

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Speaker 2: This is my desire to know You and grow deeper. Tonight,

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Speaker 2: root me in Christ. If there is anything in the

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Speaker 2: way of life faith growing deep like roots in You,

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Speaker 2: show me. Reveal to me any hindrance that are causing

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Speaker 2: me to stumble, Forgive my sin and renew my faith.

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Speaker 2: Lead me to eternal water. And may I grow into

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Speaker 2: a living testimony of Your love, your grace, and your

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Speaker 2: strength in my life. In the mighty name of Jesus,

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Speaker 2: I pray Hume in how did tonight scripture speak to you?

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Speaker 2: Share your thoughts in the Your Nightly Scripture Forum discussion.

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Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to Your Nightly Scripture. Tonight's scripture

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Speaker 1: was read from the New International version by Biblica. All

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Speaker 1: rights reserved. If Tonight's episode blessed you, be sure to

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Speaker 1: follow the show on Apple Podcasts so your next Nightly

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Speaker 1: Scripture is ready when you are. Your Nightly Scripture is

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Speaker 1: a production of Life Audio and Salem Media. Thank you

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Speaker 1: and we'll see you tomorrow. Night