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Speaker 1: Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks so much for

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Speaker 1: listening to the podcast. We have a new resource. It's

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Speaker 1: a twenty twenty four daily devotional. We'd love to send

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Speaker 1: it to you. It'll help you start the day off right.

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Speaker 1: You will love this devotional and know this, we are

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Speaker 1: praying for you and we are believing for God's very

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Speaker 1: best for you in twenty twenty four.

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Speaker 2: Well, God bless you.

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Speaker 1: It's always a joy to come into your homes. We

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Speaker 1: love you and we know God has great things in store.

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Speaker 1: He rewards the people that seek after him. If you're

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Speaker 1: ever in our area, I hope you'll stop buying and

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Speaker 1: be a part of one of our services. Give you

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Speaker 1: a personal invitation. I promise you will make you feel

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Speaker 1: right at home. But thank you so much for tuning

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Speaker 1: in again. Thanks for coming out today. And I like

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Speaker 1: to start with something funny. And I heard about this

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Speaker 1: minister that was out bear honey. He searched and searched

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Speaker 1: all through the woods without any sign of a bear.

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Speaker 2: After several hours, he finally.

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Speaker 1: Threw his gun down in frustration and went to the

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Speaker 1: stream to cool off. About that time, he sees a

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Speaker 1: huge grizzly bear running toward him a couple hundred yards away.

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Speaker 2: He falls down.

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Speaker 1: On his knees and says, God, I need your protection.

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Speaker 2: God.

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Speaker 1: I'm asking you to convert this bear into a Christian. Miraculously,

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Speaker 1: the bear froze in his tracks, put up both paws

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Speaker 1: toward the heavens, and said, thank you Lord for this

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Speaker 1: food I'm about to eat.

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Speaker 2: All right, Hold up your Bible. Say it like you

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Speaker 2: mean it.

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Speaker 1: This is my Bible. I am what it says I am.

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Speaker 1: I have what it says I have. I can do

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Speaker 1: what it says I can do. Today I will be

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Speaker 1: taught the word of God. I boldly confess. My mind

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Speaker 1: is alert, my heart is receptive. I will never be

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Speaker 1: the same. In Jesus' name, Amen, God bless you. I

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Speaker 1: want to talk to you today about not having a

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Speaker 1: critical spirit. Too many people go through life focused on

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Speaker 1: what's wrong rather than what's right. They've developed a habit

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Speaker 1: of seeing the negative. The talk into a brand new

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Speaker 1: house that's beautifully decorated. You couldn't ask for a nicer place,

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Speaker 1: But instead of seeing a thousand things that are right,

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Speaker 1: they'll point out the one small scratch on the floor.

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Speaker 2: They're drawn to the negative.

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Speaker 1: They don't see the beautiful rose, they see the thorn.

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Speaker 1: And in life, no matter how much good there is,

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Speaker 1: you can always find something bad if you look for it,

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Speaker 1: some fault, some weakness, something that we don't understand. And

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Speaker 1: we can either develop an eye for the good, or

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Speaker 1: we can develop a critical eye. This is especially.

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Speaker 2: Important in relationships.

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Speaker 1: You can train yourself to see people's strengths, or you

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Speaker 1: can train yourself to see their weaknesses. You can focus

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Speaker 1: on what you like about your spouse and magnify their

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Speaker 1: good qualities, or you can focus on what you don't

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Speaker 1: like and magnify the things that annoy you. And this

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Speaker 1: is why some relationships are in such trouble. People have

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Speaker 1: developed this habit of being negative. Now they can't see

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Speaker 1: anything good. It's like this man I heard about. His

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Speaker 1: wife was making breakfast and he asked for two eggs,

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Speaker 1: one scrambled and one fried. She made them and put

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Speaker 1: them on a plate. When he saw them, he shook

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Speaker 1: his head. She said, what I do wrong? Now, that's

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Speaker 1: exactly what you asked for. He said, I should have

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Speaker 1: known it. You fried the wrong egg. Some people have

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Speaker 1: become so critically minded that no matter what you do,

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Speaker 1: it's not going to be right. They never see the

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Speaker 1: good their spouse does. They've forgotten the reasons they fell

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Speaker 1: in love.

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Speaker 2: And got married.

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Speaker 1: It's because they're magnifying the wrong things. If you struggle

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Speaker 1: in this area, I would encourage you to make a

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Speaker 1: list of the qualities that you like about your spouse.

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Speaker 1: Write down the things that they do right. He may

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Speaker 1: not be a good communicator, but he's a hard worker.

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Speaker 2: Put that on your list.

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Speaker 1: We have some weaknesses, but she's a great mother, she's smart,

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Speaker 1: she's intelligent. Write that down and every day go over it.

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Speaker 1: Start focusing on their good qualities. If you're negative towards

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Speaker 1: your spouse and you operate out of this critical spirit,

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Speaker 1: it's going to poison your whole out book. You won't

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Speaker 1: communicate properly, you won't want to do things together.

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Speaker 2: It will affect you in every area. You have to

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Speaker 2: make a switch.

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Speaker 1: Start appreciating that person's strengths and learn to downplay their weaknesses.

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Speaker 1: We all have faults and things that can get on

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Speaker 1: people's nerves. The key is what are we magnifying. When

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Speaker 1: we let this critical spirit rise up, we start magnifying

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Speaker 1: the wrong things. That's when we start complaining that the

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Speaker 1: wrong egg got fried.

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Speaker 2: And when we're critical, we begin.

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Speaker 1: To nag, and we exaggerate and make big deals out

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Speaker 1: of things that are not big deals. Will you never

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Speaker 1: take out the trash? Will you never spend any time

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Speaker 1: with me? You're always late? Now I've discovered people respond

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Speaker 1: to praise more than they respond to criticism. The next

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Speaker 1: time you want your husband to mow the lawn, instead

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Speaker 1: of nagging saying you lazy thing.

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Speaker 2: When are you ever gonna mow our lawn? It looks

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Speaker 2: so bad?

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Speaker 1: Now? Just say, did I ever tell you when you're

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Speaker 1: out there mowing the lawn?

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Speaker 2: You look really good? And when I see your.

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Speaker 1: Muscles bulging out of your shirt and that's sweat dripping

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Speaker 1: down in your face, you look so handsome, so attractive.

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Speaker 2: You praise him like that and he'll mow the lawn

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Speaker 2: every day.

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Speaker 1: People respond to praise more than criticism. And when we're

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Speaker 1: constantly critical, we have to realize the problem is not

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Speaker 1: with our spouse, it's not with our boss, not even

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Speaker 1: with our circumstances.

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Speaker 2: The problem is with us.

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Speaker 1: I heard about this couple that moved into a new neighborhood.

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Speaker 1: One morning early while they were eating the lady looked

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Speaker 1: out the window and saw the neighbor hanging her wash

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Speaker 1: out on the line to dry, and she noticed that

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Speaker 1: the wash was so dirty and so dingy. She said

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Speaker 1: to her husband that neighbor doesn't know how to wash.

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Speaker 2: Her clothes aren't clean.

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Speaker 1: I wonder if she even uses detergent. Day after day

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Speaker 1: she made these same comments. Can't believe she lets her

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Speaker 1: family wear those dirty, dingy clothes. Several weeks later, she

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Speaker 1: looked out that window, and the clothes were just as

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Speaker 1: bright and clean and beautiful as could be. She was

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Speaker 1: so surprised she called her husband said, honey, look the

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Speaker 1: lady finally learned how to wash.

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Speaker 2: I wonder what happened.

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Speaker 1: The husband smiled and said, honey, I got up early

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Speaker 1: this morning and cleaned our window. The problem was not

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Speaker 1: that the neighbor had dirty laundry. The problem was the

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Speaker 1: window she was looking through was not clean. She was

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Speaker 1: seeing everything through a tainted filter.

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Speaker 2: It's the same way in life.

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Speaker 1: How dirty our neighbor's laundry is depends greatly on how

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Speaker 1: clean our own window is.

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Speaker 2: Here's how the scripture puts it to the pure. All

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Speaker 2: things are pure. If you can't ever.

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Speaker 1: See anything right, you drive down the freeway and only

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Speaker 1: see the traffic and construction and potholes, never the beauty.

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Speaker 1: You only see the scratch in the floor, never the

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Speaker 1: amazing house. You never see what people do right, only

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Speaker 1: what they do wrong. My encouragement is clean your window.

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Speaker 1: The problem is not with somebody else.

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Speaker 2: It's an internal issue.

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Speaker 1: It's like this man that had an accident driving to work.

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Speaker 1: He got out of the car and yelled at the

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Speaker 1: other driver. He said, lady, you need to learn how

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Speaker 1: to drive. You're the fourth person that's hit me today. No,

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Speaker 1: at some point we need to look inside and say,

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Speaker 1: maybe I'm the one that needs to change. If I'm

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Speaker 1: critical all the time, maybe I've developed the habit of

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Speaker 1: seeing the bad rather than the good. I'm constantly skeptical.

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Speaker 1: Maybe I've trained myself to be cynical and sarcastic rather

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Speaker 1: than believe the best. If I'm constantly finding fault, perhaps

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Speaker 1: my own filter is dirty. Maybe I've become judgmental and

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Speaker 1: condemning rather than giving people.

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Speaker 2: The benefit of the doubt.

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Speaker 1: And one thing I've learned is a critical spirit will

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Speaker 1: follow you everywhere you go.

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Speaker 2: You can't get away from it.

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Speaker 1: You can leave one job angry, upset, bitter they didn't

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Speaker 1: treat me right. But if you don't deal with the

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Speaker 1: root issue, you'll have the same problem at the next job.

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Speaker 1: You'll think everybody's against you and nobody can do anything right.

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Speaker 2: My boss doesn't know what he's doing.

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Speaker 1: It's because that window is tainted. I knew a young

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Speaker 1: lady growing up. For as long as I've known her,

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Speaker 1: she has always been critical. Even as a teenager at

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Speaker 1: high school, she would complain about things at school.

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Speaker 2: That I didn't even think of.

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Speaker 1: I never knew I had it so bad until she

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Speaker 1: told me I got word just the other day. This

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Speaker 1: would be some thirty years later that she just left

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Speaker 1: another job, upset.

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Speaker 2: Angry, thinking people didn't treat her right.

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Speaker 1: The sad thing is she'll go her whole life like

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Speaker 1: that unless she learns to clean her window. She's looking

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Speaker 1: out of a window that's been tainted through a filter

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Speaker 1: that's gone through years of judgment, years of criticism. Parents,

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Speaker 1: it's so important that we deal with these issues and

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Speaker 1: we learn to break a critical fault finding spirit so

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Speaker 1: we don't pass it down to our children. That's what

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Speaker 1: happened to this young lady. I remember growing up being

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Speaker 1: at her home Her parents were the exact same way.

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Speaker 2: They were critical about everything.

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Speaker 1: Critical toward their neighbors, critical toward the city. The man

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Speaker 1: was always complaining about how bad his employer was. A

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Speaker 1: critical spirit will taint everything.

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Speaker 2: What's the solution?

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Speaker 1: Number one, recognize your window is dirty. Number two, Just

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Speaker 1: as you've developed a habit of seeing the worst, train

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Speaker 1: yourself to see the good. Don't go to work every

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Speaker 1: day focused on what you don't like about your employer.

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Speaker 1: Focus on something that's right. Be grateful that you have

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Speaker 1: a job. Be grateful that you're not unemployed. Don't drive

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Speaker 1: up and down the freeway and just see the traffic

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Speaker 1: and the potholes and the construction. No, look out at

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Speaker 1: the beauty of God's creation. Look out at the trees,

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Speaker 1: look up at the sky. Breathe in the goodness of God.

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Speaker 1: When that critical spirit comes, you have to deal with

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Speaker 1: it one thought at a time. If you see someone

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Speaker 1: or something that you don't understand, you don't agree with,

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Speaker 1: don't be quick to judge.

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Speaker 2: Don't let that critical spirit rise up.

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Speaker 1: Just say, you know what, I may not understand this,

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Speaker 1: I may not agree, but I'm not going to be

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Speaker 1: a fault finder. I'm gonna give them the benefit of

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Speaker 1: the doubt. A few months ago, I met a young

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Speaker 1: man and his girlfriend after the service. They had more

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Speaker 1: tattoos and more piercings.

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Speaker 2: Than anybody I had ever seen.

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Speaker 1: The men had tattoos up his arm to his neck,

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Speaker 1: even on his face. The young lady must have had

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Speaker 1: one hundred different piercings. They definitely were unusual looking at first.

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Speaker 1: That critical spirit tries to rise up.

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Speaker 2: Why do they look like that?

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Speaker 1: Boy, they must have a lot of probably a lot

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Speaker 1: of issues. But instead of staying there, I took out

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Speaker 1: my critical eyes and I put in God's eyes.

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Speaker 2: When I did, I had a different perspective.

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Speaker 1: I was glad that they felt comfortable coming to church.

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Speaker 1: I was glad that they took time to honor God.

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Speaker 1: They were not anything like I expected. They were some

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Speaker 1: of the kindest, most genuine people you could ever meet.

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Speaker 1: On the outside, there was a thousand reasons to be judgmental,

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Speaker 1: to be critical. That religious spirit tries to rise up.

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Speaker 1: Why do they dress like that? What's their problem? But no, really,

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Speaker 1: what better place for them to be at church? Come

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Speaker 1: to find out he was the leader of a very

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Speaker 1: successful heavy metal band. They just had a big concert

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Speaker 1: in the arena the night before. He looked to be

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Speaker 1: about thirty years old, and he said, Joel, I have

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Speaker 1: never been in church one day in my life before.

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Speaker 1: This is the first time I have ever set foot

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Speaker 1: in a house of worship. He gave me one of

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Speaker 1: their CDs and said, listen to track number seven. That's

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Speaker 1: a song I wrote after listening to you. Don't judge

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Speaker 1: people by the outside when you're at tempted to be

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Speaker 1: critical and find fault. Remember the enemy is called the

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Speaker 1: accuser of the brethren. Recognize where the source is coming from.

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Speaker 1: He's the one that's warning you to be critical. I

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Speaker 1: don't know about you, but I'm not going to go

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Speaker 1: over to that side. I'm going to stay on God's.

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna believe the best. There may be a thousand

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Speaker 1: things that I can see that's wrong with them, but

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna look and look and look until I find

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Speaker 1: at least one thing that is right. I've been forgiven much,

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Speaker 1: so I'm gonna love much. And if I err, I'm

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Speaker 1: not gonna err on the side of judgment. I'm gonna

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Speaker 1: err on the side of mercy. After all, where would

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Speaker 1: we be without the mercy of God? If I hadn't

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Speaker 1: had good parents and been raised in a good church.

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Speaker 1: Who knows where I would be today. I'm not gonna

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Speaker 1: be condemning. I'm not gonna be a fault finder. I'm

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Speaker 1: gonna keep my wind decks handy, I'm gonna keep my

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Speaker 1: windows clean.

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Speaker 2: But people today, they're so quick to.

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Speaker 1: Judge and quick to find fault and quick to be

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Speaker 1: critical if somebody's not just like them, they're a little

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Speaker 1: bit different. Instead of giving them the benefit of the doubt,

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Speaker 1: they look them up and down and start to pick

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Speaker 1: them apart. Well, I would never dress like that, I

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Speaker 1: would never drive that car.

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Speaker 2: Well, if I were.

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Speaker 1: Them, I wouldn't have taken a vacation this economy. If

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Speaker 1: I were them, I wouldn't send my kids to that school.

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Speaker 1: If I were them, I wouldn't wear that much jewelry.

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Speaker 1: Now here's the key. You're not them. You don't really

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Speaker 1: know what you would do because you haven't walked in

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Speaker 1: their shoes. I had a man tell me after last

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Speaker 1: week's service, a visitor how his pastor just took six

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Speaker 1: weeks off to go on around the world cruise, and

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Speaker 1: this man just couldn't understand it. He went on and

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Speaker 1: on complaining to me and telling me.

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Speaker 2: How wrong that was.

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Speaker 1: The whole time, I'm thinking to myself, the reason your

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Speaker 1: pastor left was to get away from people like you.

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Speaker 1: How somebody spends their money, and where they go on vacation,

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Speaker 1: how they raise their children, what kind of car they drive.

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Speaker 2: I've learned that is none of my business.

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Speaker 1: I don't know about you, but I have a hard

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Speaker 1: enough time trying to run my own life without trying

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Speaker 1: to run somebody else's life.

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Speaker 2: One of the.

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Speaker 1: Best ways that we can keep our window clean is

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Speaker 1: to learn to mind our own business. If somebody takes

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Speaker 1: four vacations a year, that's none of my business. If

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Speaker 1: they drive around town in a limousine or come to

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Speaker 1: church in a boat, that's none of my business. If

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Speaker 1: they wear rings on every finger and rings on every toe,

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Speaker 1: that's none of my business. Don't be nosy. Nosy people

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Speaker 1: are critical people. They want to know all the details

295
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Speaker 1: and all the latest scoop, not so they can pray

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Speaker 1: for the person, not because they're genuinely interested, but because

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Speaker 1: they know they'll hear something juicy that'll feed their flesh

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Speaker 1: and they can run tell their friends, did you hear

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Speaker 1: what I heard? Did you know what they did. Did

300
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Speaker 1: you hear the latest? Know your attitude should be I

301
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Speaker 1: didn't hear, and I don't want to hear. I don't

302
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Speaker 1: want to be poisoned. My ears are not garbage cans

303
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Speaker 1: to fill with a bunch of trash. And if somebody

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Speaker 1: is trying to tell you something bad about somebody else,

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Speaker 1: don't't sit there and be passing.

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Speaker 2: Hey, he said, Joel, I couldn't help it. They wanted

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Speaker 2: to tell me.

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Speaker 1: Sure, you can just say you know what I just remembered.

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Speaker 1: I've got an important appointment I've got.

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Speaker 2: To go to.

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna have to excuse myself if you can't leave, Well,

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Speaker 1: you know, instead of talking about this person, why don't

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Speaker 1: we pray for them? Stay on the offensive. Don't let

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Speaker 1: people poison you. If your friends are critical, fault finders, gossips, backbiters,

315
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Speaker 1: you need.

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Speaker 2: To find some new friends.

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Speaker 1: Those spirits can rub off on you. You shouldn't go

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Speaker 1: to lunch every day at work with people that sit

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Speaker 1: around and bad mouth the company and criticize the boss

320
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Speaker 1: and gossip and complain, you said, Joel. If I don't

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Speaker 1: go to lunch with them, I may be lonely. Yes,

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Speaker 1: but I'd rather be lonely than poisoned. I would rather

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Speaker 1: be lonely than allow people that are not going anywhere

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Speaker 1: in life to keep me from my God given destinies. Well, Joel,

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Speaker 1: if I don't go with them, they may start talking

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Speaker 1: about me. Now, let me tell you a secret. Most

327
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Speaker 1: likely they are already talking about you.

328
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Speaker 2: If they'll talk.

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Speaker 1: About others in front of you, then when you're not there,

330
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Speaker 1: they'll talk about you. I have a friend when he

331
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Speaker 1: was a young man, he worked for this well known minister.

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Speaker 1: One night, they were in another city on the road

333
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Speaker 1: holding this conference, and after the service, the two main

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Speaker 1: staff members for this well known minister, they invited this

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Speaker 1: young man to come to their hotel room after service

336
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Speaker 1: and watch the ballgame and have some snacks. And so

337
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Speaker 1: this young man went over there and they were having

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Speaker 1: a good time, just hanging out. But all of a sudden,

339
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Speaker 1: these two main staff members began to talk.

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Speaker 2: About their boss.

341
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Speaker 1: They were so negative and so critical and judgmental toward him.

342
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Speaker 2: This young man was shocked.

343
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Speaker 1: Here he was just new on staff and these other

344
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Speaker 1: two men been with this minister for over twenty years.

345
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Speaker 1: When he heard how bad they were talking, something just

346
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Speaker 1: stirred on the inside that.

347
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Speaker 2: Said this is not right to go.

348
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Speaker 1: You need to leave, and he very politely excused himself.

349
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Speaker 1: He never said anything else about it. But a couple

350
00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:10,800
Speaker 1: of weeks later, that well known minister called these two

351
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Speaker 1: staff members in and said, I was praying this morning

352
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Speaker 1: and I just feel like you're no longer on board

353
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Speaker 1: with me, so.

354
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Speaker 2: I'm going to ask you to leave. They were both dismissed. Today.

355
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Speaker 1: This young man, he is a very well known minister.

356
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Speaker 1: He goes all over the world. But he said, I

357
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Speaker 1: know if I had not left that night, if I

358
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Speaker 1: would have allowed them to poison me and become critical

359
00:18:33,840 --> 00:18:36,840
Speaker 1: and judgmental, I would not be where I am today.

360
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Speaker 1: Those other two men were just as gifted. They had

361
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Speaker 1: all kinds of potential. But for years and years, all

362
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Speaker 1: they've done is floundered around. They've never walked in the

363
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Speaker 1: fullness of what God has in store. It's because they

364
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Speaker 1: have this critical spirit.

365
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Speaker 2: If people are stirring.

366
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Speaker 1: Up things around you, talking about the leadership, talking about

367
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Speaker 1: your family, talking about your friends, don't sit there and

368
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Speaker 1: be a part of it that can keep you from

369
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Speaker 1: your God given destiny. God will not promote a critical spirit,

370
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Speaker 1: a gossip, a fault finder, someone that's sowing discord. If

371
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Speaker 1: you have a problem with someone, go to them face

372
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Speaker 1: to face, not behind their back. You may not agree

373
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Speaker 1: with everything, there may be things you don't understand, but

374
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Speaker 1: don't be a gossip.

375
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Speaker 2: Don't go around stirring up trouble.

376
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Speaker 1: And if you're not behind the company that you work for,

377
00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:33,760
Speaker 1: you need to go find another job. But as long

378
00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:36,840
Speaker 1: as you're taking their paycheck, you should not be critical

379
00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:40,399
Speaker 1: and condemning. You should support those people and that organization.

380
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Speaker 1: I remember, even years ago, this man was very critical

381
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Speaker 1: toward my father. He stood up in the middle of

382
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Speaker 1: a service and said, John Osteen, this work is going downhill.

383
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Speaker 2: It will not continue. You are not of God.

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Speaker 1: You are in error. My father said, brother, I appreciate

385
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Speaker 1: you coming today, but don't let the door hit you

386
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Speaker 1: when you leave. He said, you better listen to me.

387
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Speaker 1: I'm a prophet of God. My father said, brother, you're

388
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Speaker 1: not a prophet. You're just a fault finder. You're just

389
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Speaker 1: a complainer. In fact, you're where we get the term

390
00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:21,320
Speaker 1: non profit organization. Year after year, my father just kept

391
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Speaker 1: being his best, doing what God called.

392
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Speaker 2: Him to do.

393
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Speaker 1: A couple of years after that, that man he was

394
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Speaker 1: only in his forties. He had a heart attack and

395
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Speaker 1: suddenly died. And I'm not saying that God is going

396
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Speaker 1: around killing people, but I am saying when we're judgmental

397
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Speaker 1: and critical, we step out of God's protection, we step

398
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Speaker 1: out of his blessings and favor, And we have to

399
00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:49,840
Speaker 1: realize when we are critical, we're not hurting the other person,

400
00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:54,920
Speaker 1: We're hurting us. One time in the scripture, someone criticized

401
00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:58,600
Speaker 1: Moses because she didn't like the wife that Moses chose

402
00:20:58,640 --> 00:21:01,200
Speaker 1: to marry his wife another nationality.

403
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Speaker 2: And this lady.

404
00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:07,280
Speaker 1: Criticized and stirred up trouble, just went around gossiping about it.

405
00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:09,879
Speaker 2: All the while Moses was as happy as could be.

406
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Speaker 2: Didn't bother him. He rose above it.

407
00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:15,200
Speaker 1: But in the end, the lady that criticized, she came

408
00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:19,639
Speaker 1: down with leprosy. Her skin was full of disease. I

409
00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:21,680
Speaker 1: don't know about you, but I'm not going to talk

410
00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:25,919
Speaker 1: about people. I may not understand them, i may not agree,

411
00:21:26,440 --> 00:21:29,400
Speaker 1: I may choose not to associate with them, but I'm

412
00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:31,880
Speaker 1: not going to bad mouth them and try to ruin

413
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Speaker 1: their reputation. I need God's protection. I want to stay

414
00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:37,280
Speaker 1: under his covering.

415
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Speaker 2: And the Scripture says here Matthew seven, Verse.

416
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Speaker 1: One, don't pick on people, don't jump on their failures,

417
00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:49,280
Speaker 1: don't criticize their faults, unless, of course.

418
00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:50,840
Speaker 2: You want the same kind of treatment.

419
00:21:51,520 --> 00:21:55,280
Speaker 1: That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging back to you.

420
00:21:56,240 --> 00:21:59,480
Speaker 1: This is saying, when we are critical and judgmental, we

421
00:21:59,560 --> 00:22:02,639
Speaker 1: are so and seeds for people to be critical and

422
00:22:02,760 --> 00:22:06,760
Speaker 1: judgmental back toward us. It's funny today there are some

423
00:22:06,920 --> 00:22:11,120
Speaker 1: people that do nothing more than criticize of the ministries.

424
00:22:11,720 --> 00:22:16,720
Speaker 1: They've built an organization. They built their whole ministry on criticism,

425
00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:20,200
Speaker 1: on judgment, on fault finding. They never see the good

426
00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:23,439
Speaker 1: the person is doing. They never see the changed lives.

427
00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:27,280
Speaker 1: They overlook all the fruit, and they'll find one thing

428
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Speaker 1: they don't agree with, one statement out of twenty five

429
00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:33,399
Speaker 1: years of ministry. They'll blow it up and try to

430
00:22:33,400 --> 00:22:36,440
Speaker 1: make a big deal about it. What they don't realize

431
00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:40,480
Speaker 1: is nobody is perfect. I certainly don't claim to have

432
00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:44,159
Speaker 1: perfect doctrine to be right one hundred percent of the

433
00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:46,960
Speaker 1: time on every single issue. But I do know this,

434
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Speaker 1: My heart is right, and I'm doing to the best

435
00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:54,520
Speaker 1: of my ability what God wants me to do. And

436
00:22:54,600 --> 00:22:58,440
Speaker 1: I love what Jesus said to people that were critical

437
00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:02,600
Speaker 1: and judgmental, he said, get the telephone pole out of

438
00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:05,520
Speaker 1: your eye before you try to get the toothpick out

439
00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:09,240
Speaker 1: of your brother's eye. What he was saying was clean

440
00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:13,840
Speaker 1: your window, look inside, deal with your own issues, and

441
00:23:14,200 --> 00:23:17,000
Speaker 1: spend your time trying to improve your own life, and

442
00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:20,480
Speaker 1: you'll have a whole lot less time being critical and judgmental.

443
00:23:21,320 --> 00:23:23,119
Speaker 2: And when I come to the end of my days

444
00:23:23,160 --> 00:23:24,040
Speaker 2: and stand.

445
00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:26,199
Speaker 1: Before God, and he says, Joel, what did you do

446
00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:29,280
Speaker 1: with the time that I entrusted you with? How did

447
00:23:29,320 --> 00:23:32,080
Speaker 1: you use the gifts that I gave you? I would

448
00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:34,840
Speaker 1: hate to have to say God, I spent my life

449
00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:39,720
Speaker 1: criticizing other ministries, knocking people down, trying to make them

450
00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:41,479
Speaker 1: look bad, stirring everything up.

451
00:23:42,359 --> 00:23:44,000
Speaker 2: Have a hard time believing that.

452
00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:47,560
Speaker 1: God's going to say, well done, you, good and faithful servant.

453
00:23:47,800 --> 00:23:50,080
Speaker 2: You did just what I asked. You stirred it all up.

454
00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:53,359
Speaker 1: Now I imagine God's going to hand them a bottle

455
00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:56,159
Speaker 1: of wind decks and say, do me a favor. Clean

456
00:23:56,200 --> 00:23:59,280
Speaker 1: your window before you come up here. If not, before long,

457
00:23:59,320 --> 00:24:02,560
Speaker 1: you'll be finding fault with me. And in life at

458
00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:06,160
Speaker 1: times you'll have to pass the test of not being

459
00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:10,600
Speaker 1: critical toward people that are critical of you. Maybe at

460
00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:13,359
Speaker 1: the office, somebody is trying to make you look bad,

461
00:24:13,880 --> 00:24:17,120
Speaker 1: talking behind your back, taking things out of context. It's

462
00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:20,560
Speaker 1: very tempting to be critical back and think two can

463
00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:23,199
Speaker 1: play at this game. They said this about me, Well

464
00:24:23,280 --> 00:24:25,800
Speaker 1: let me tell you what I know about them. No,

465
00:24:25,960 --> 00:24:29,040
Speaker 1: don't sink down to their level. Don't let their poison

466
00:24:29,280 --> 00:24:34,040
Speaker 1: cloud your window. Learn to bless your enemies. Understand the

467
00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:38,400
Speaker 1: higher you go, the more haters will come out. Everything

468
00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:41,680
Speaker 1: may be fine with your coworkers as long as you're

469
00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:45,160
Speaker 1: at the same level. But the moment you get promoted

470
00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:48,439
Speaker 1: and they see you being blessed, and you get married

471
00:24:48,480 --> 00:24:50,639
Speaker 1: and you moved into that new house and you've got

472
00:24:50,640 --> 00:24:54,119
Speaker 1: a healthy family, don't be surprised if they start talking,

473
00:24:54,560 --> 00:24:59,439
Speaker 1: spreading rumors, trying to make you look bad. Unfortunately, not

474
00:24:59,560 --> 00:25:03,000
Speaker 1: all of you your friends, will celebrate your victories. Not

475
00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:06,520
Speaker 1: all of your coworkers will be happy when you get promoted.

476
00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:11,560
Speaker 1: Some will be jealous, some will be intimidated, thinking you

477
00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:14,760
Speaker 1: succeeding is making them look bad, so they'll try to

478
00:25:14,760 --> 00:25:17,840
Speaker 1: tear you down. Well, I don't know why he got promoted.

479
00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:20,760
Speaker 1: He's not even that talented or why did he marry

480
00:25:21,040 --> 00:25:23,679
Speaker 1: that girl? She's not even attractive, she doesn't even have

481
00:25:23,760 --> 00:25:27,480
Speaker 1: a good personality. It'll be tempting to try to set

482
00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:31,000
Speaker 1: the record straight and be critical back toward them, But

483
00:25:31,040 --> 00:25:34,480
Speaker 1: don't fall into that trap. Let God fight your battles

484
00:25:34,480 --> 00:25:36,920
Speaker 1: for you. If you will stay on the high road,

485
00:25:37,400 --> 00:25:40,359
Speaker 1: God will take what they mean for harm and he

486
00:25:40,440 --> 00:25:43,560
Speaker 1: will use it to your advantage. They mean it as

487
00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:46,400
Speaker 1: a stumbling block to stop you, but God will use

488
00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:49,880
Speaker 1: it as a stepping stone to thrust you higher. Every

489
00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:54,439
Speaker 1: day I say, God, bless my enemies. Those people that criticize,

490
00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:56,680
Speaker 1: talk about me, try to make me look bad. God

491
00:25:56,760 --> 00:25:59,760
Speaker 1: give them a great day to day when you do that.

492
00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:02,679
Speaker 1: The more they talk, the higher you're going to go.

493
00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:06,600
Speaker 1: Sometimes I feel like I'd even need to thank my enemies.

494
00:26:06,880 --> 00:26:09,080
Speaker 1: If it had not been for them, I wouldn't be

495
00:26:09,080 --> 00:26:11,840
Speaker 1: where I am today. They meant it to bring me down,

496
00:26:12,080 --> 00:26:16,320
Speaker 1: but God used it to push me up higher. I'm

497
00:26:16,320 --> 00:26:21,240
Speaker 1: asking you today to make a decision that you are

498
00:26:21,280 --> 00:26:24,679
Speaker 1: not going to have a critical spirit. Train yourself to

499
00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:28,120
Speaker 1: see the best. There's good in every situation if you'll

500
00:26:28,119 --> 00:26:31,000
Speaker 1: look for it. Make a list of the qualities you

501
00:26:31,240 --> 00:26:34,879
Speaker 1: like in your spouse, your children, your friends. Learn to

502
00:26:34,960 --> 00:26:38,679
Speaker 1: magnify those things, the good things. I believe today that

503
00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:43,400
Speaker 1: windows are getting clean. We are wiping away judgment, criticism,

504
00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:46,440
Speaker 1: fault finding, maybe things that have even held us back

505
00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:47,080
Speaker 1: for years.

506
00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:48,320
Speaker 2: But this is a new day.

507
00:26:48,600 --> 00:26:51,679
Speaker 1: I declare, It's no longer going to cloud our vision.

508
00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:54,040
Speaker 1: We're going to go out of here with clean windows,

509
00:26:54,520 --> 00:26:57,800
Speaker 1: believing the best, seeing the good, minding our own business.

510
00:26:58,520 --> 00:27:01,320
Speaker 1: When we do that, God says he will fight our

511
00:27:01,359 --> 00:27:04,400
Speaker 1: battles for us, He will make our wrongs right. We're

512
00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:07,439
Speaker 1: going to rise higher. I believe and declare every dream,

513
00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:10,480
Speaker 1: every promise, every desire God's put in your heart, You're

514
00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:12,000
Speaker 1: gonna see that come to fulfillment.

515
00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:15,440
Speaker 2: Amen, do you receive it today? I know you do.

516
00:27:17,440 --> 00:27:20,080
Speaker 1: Well. We never like to close our broadcast without giving

517
00:27:20,119 --> 00:27:22,840
Speaker 1: you an opportunity to make Jesus the lord of your life.

518
00:27:23,240 --> 00:27:26,920
Speaker 1: Would you pray with me? Just say, Lord, Jesus, I

519
00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:31,400
Speaker 1: repent of my sins. Come into my heart. I make

520
00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:34,840
Speaker 1: you my lord and savior. Friends, if you prayed that

521
00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:37,040
Speaker 1: simple prayer, we believe you got born again.

522
00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:40,480
Speaker 2: Get in a good Bible based church. Keep God first place.

523
00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:45,080
Speaker 2: He's gonna take your places you've never dreamed of. It's January.

524
00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:51,159
Speaker 2: Time to renew my faith. It's January. It's time to

525
00:27:51,200 --> 00:27:54,879
Speaker 2: start a new season. It's January.

526
00:27:55,160 --> 00:27:57,240
Speaker 3: There is no better time than now to set the

527
00:27:57,280 --> 00:27:58,399
Speaker 3: course of our year ahead.

528
00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:01,719
Speaker 1: The beginning of the year is a great time to

529
00:28:01,760 --> 00:28:04,720
Speaker 1: start afresh and a new to let go of negative

530
00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:06,919
Speaker 1: things of the past, and to get ready for the

531
00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:10,879
Speaker 1: new things God has in store. Every January, we create

532
00:28:10,960 --> 00:28:14,359
Speaker 1: a new devotional calendar that will help you throughout the year.

533
00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:17,639
Speaker 1: When you start the day off in faith, grateful for

534
00:28:17,720 --> 00:28:22,400
Speaker 1: what God's done, making positive declarations over your future, you're

535
00:28:22,440 --> 00:28:25,920
Speaker 1: setting the tone for a blessed day and a victorious year.

536
00:28:26,440 --> 00:28:28,240
Speaker 2: This devotional will help you get.

537
00:28:28,119 --> 00:28:30,920
Speaker 1: Your mind going in the right direction so you can

538
00:28:30,960 --> 00:28:33,639
Speaker 1: go out each day in faith knowing that God is

539
00:28:33,680 --> 00:28:36,600
Speaker 1: in control that His plans for you are for good.

540
00:28:37,119 --> 00:28:38,960
Speaker 1: I'd love to send you a copy.

541
00:28:39,400 --> 00:28:41,720
Speaker 3: As our way of saying thank you for your gift

542
00:28:41,760 --> 00:28:44,360
Speaker 3: of any amount this first month of the year. We

543
00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:46,560
Speaker 3: would like to send you a copy of our brand

544
00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:49,560
Speaker 3: new twenty twenty four three hundred and sixty five day

545
00:28:49,600 --> 00:28:53,240
Speaker 3: devotional calendar. Do you want to set a faith course

546
00:28:53,280 --> 00:28:55,640
Speaker 3: for your life in twenty twenty four? Do you want

547
00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:59,200
Speaker 3: to see your life take off in new directions of influence, favor,

548
00:28:59,360 --> 00:29:02,560
Speaker 3: and for visions in the year ahead. Using this devotional

549
00:29:02,600 --> 00:29:07,320
Speaker 3: calendar is as easy as one, two, three. One wake

550
00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:10,800
Speaker 3: up with an expectancy in your heart. Two reflect on

551
00:29:10,840 --> 00:29:15,000
Speaker 3: the daily scripture, verse and devotional from Joel. Three Capture

552
00:29:15,040 --> 00:29:18,800
Speaker 3: God's promises to you on journaling lines for writing and reflection.

553
00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:22,440
Speaker 3: Be sure to request your copy of the twenty twenty

554
00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:26,360
Speaker 3: four devotional calendar available this month by simply visiting us

555
00:29:26,440 --> 00:29:29,840
Speaker 3: at jolostein dot com or calling eight eight eight five

556
00:29:29,960 --> 00:29:31,080
Speaker 3: six seven Joel