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Speaker 1: Hi, this is Jolan Victorium. Thanks so much for listening

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Speaker 1: to the podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. We

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Speaker 1: believe you're going to have an awesome twenty twenty four, healthy, productive,

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Speaker 1: and favor filled. God bless you today and enjoy the message.

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Speaker 1: God bless you. It's great to be with you today,

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Speaker 1: and I hope you'll stay connected with us during the

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Speaker 1: week through our daily podcast, our YouTube channel, social media.

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Speaker 1: We'll keep you encouraged and inspired. And I'd like to

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

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Speaker 1: He was raising funds for a new auditorium. He said

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Speaker 1: that the congregation, anyone who will give one thousand dollars,

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Speaker 1: can pick out the next three hymns. Little old lady

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Speaker 1: in the back stood up, said Pastor, I'll do it.

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Speaker 1: He was so excited. He said, thank you so much. Now,

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Speaker 1: which three hymns would you like? She looked over the

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Speaker 1: congregation said I'll take him and him and him say

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Speaker 1: it like you mean it.

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Speaker 2: This is my Bible.

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Speaker 1: I am what it says I am. I have what

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

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Speaker 1: I can do. Today I will be taught the word

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Speaker 1: of God I'll boldly confess my mind is alert, my

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Speaker 1: heart is receptive. I will never be the same.

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Speaker 2: In Jesus' name, God bless you.

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Speaker 1: I want to talk to you today about believing without

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Speaker 1: a sign. We all have dreams and goals, promises we're

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Speaker 1: standing on, and when we see God's favor, doors opening,

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Speaker 1: are health improving, the right people showing up, it's easy

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Speaker 1: to believe. We know God's at work, but sometimes we're

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Speaker 1: doing our best, praying, believing, but nothing's happening. The medical

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Speaker 1: report is not getting better, doors are not opening, our

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Speaker 1: finances are not improving.

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Speaker 2: There's no sign that is.

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Speaker 1: Going to happen, and it's easy to get discouraged and

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Speaker 1: give up on what we're believing for. But the scripture

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Speaker 1: says faith is the evidence of things not seen. If

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Speaker 1: you can see, it doesn't take any faith. If you

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Speaker 1: have the evidence, it's easy to stay encouraged, but to

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Speaker 1: reach your destiny, there will be these times where there

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Speaker 1: is no evidence. Every circumstance says you'll never get well,

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Speaker 1: never meet the right person, you never accomplished that dream.

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Speaker 1: You're no better off now than you were a year ago.

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Speaker 1: We think, God, if you just give me a sign,

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Speaker 1: if you just let me know that you're working, if

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Speaker 1: I just see something improving, Well, this is when you

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Speaker 1: have to dig down deep and say, I don't have

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Speaker 1: to have the evidence.

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Speaker 2: I'm not moved by what I see.

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Speaker 1: I'm moved by what I know and God, I know

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Speaker 1: you are faithful to what you promised. Just because you

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Speaker 1: don't see a sign doesn't mean God is not working.

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Speaker 1: Don't believe those lies that nothing is happening in the

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Speaker 1: unseen realm. God is arranging things in your favor, lining

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Speaker 1: up the healing, the right people, the promotion, and the

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Speaker 1: fact that you can't see anything happening, that's God's showing

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Speaker 1: you that he trusts you. You don't have to see

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Speaker 1: everything to keep moving forward. You've matured to the point

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Speaker 1: where you.

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Speaker 2: Walk by faith and not by sight. Where God is

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Speaker 2: taking you.

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Speaker 1: The amazing future he has planned is going to require

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Speaker 1: you to believe without a sign, to trust him when

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Speaker 1: there's no evidence. If you have to see everything to

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Speaker 1: stay encouraged, see it to keep.

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Speaker 2: Believing, it will limit how high you can go.

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Speaker 1: You have to pass this test of staying in faith

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Speaker 1: when nothing is improving, thanking God when all the circumstances

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Speaker 1: say it's never going to change. You may be there now.

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Speaker 1: You've been praying and believing, but it doesn't seem like

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Speaker 1: it's doing any good. You don't see any evidence. Kind

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Speaker 1: of feels like God's on vacation. He doesn't even hear

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Speaker 1: your prayers. That silence doesn't mean God has forgotten about you.

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Speaker 1: He sees your faithfulness. He sees you doing the right

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Speaker 1: thing when it's hard. When you could have given up,

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Speaker 1: you went the extra mile and kept believing when you

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Speaker 1: felt like complaining. You kept praising. When every thought said

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Speaker 1: it was never going to happen. You kept thanking God

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Speaker 1: that he was working. Let me encourage you. Your time

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Speaker 1: is coming. What God promised you is on the way.

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Speaker 1: Don't get talked out of it. Don't let people delay, doubt,

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Speaker 1: convince you to give up. Your breakthrough is already on

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Speaker 1: the schedule. Your miracle has already been set in motion.

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Speaker 1: Seems like nothing is happening, But suddenly it's going to change.

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Speaker 1: Suddenly the dream comes to pass. Suddenly the right person

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Speaker 1: shows up. Jesus told Thomas, because you've seen me, you

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Speaker 1: have believed. But blessed are those who have not seen

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Speaker 1: Yet believe you haven't seen it, but you keep believing.

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Speaker 1: God says there's a blessing coming because you believe without

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Speaker 1: the evidence. Believe without the sign. Favor is coming, healing

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Speaker 1: is coming, Victory is coming. Now, don't be a Thomas.

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Speaker 1: God show me a sign, then i'll believe. Let my

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Speaker 1: circumstances improve, then I'll stay in faith.

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Speaker 2: Open this door, God, then I'll know you're working.

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Speaker 1: God is looking for people who believe without a sign,

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Speaker 1: who are not moved by what they don't see, who

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Speaker 1: don't need the evidence to prove to them that God

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Speaker 1: is working.

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Speaker 2: Second Kings, Chapter twenty. King Hezekiah became very sick.

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Speaker 1: He was close to death when the prophet Isaiah showed

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Speaker 1: up at the palace.

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Speaker 2: I'm sure he was hoping for good news.

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Speaker 1: Maybe Isaiah will come prophesy that things are about to

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Speaker 1: turn around, that I'm about to get well. But it

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Speaker 1: wasn't what he was thinking. Isaiah said, King Hezekiah, I

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Speaker 1: have a word from the Lord for you. God says,

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Speaker 1: set your house in order, for you will surely die.

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Speaker 2: He didn't say maybe you'll pass.

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Speaker 1: There's a chance you're not gonna make it. It's not

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Speaker 1: looking good.

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Speaker 3: King.

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Speaker 2: He said, there was no doubt.

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Speaker 1: This is the end.

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Speaker 2: You will not recover from this illness.

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Speaker 1: Now, Hezekiah could have been depressed, given up on life,

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Speaker 1: but he began to pray. He reminded God of all

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Speaker 1: the good he had done, how he'd torn down the

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Speaker 1: pagan shrines and removed all the idols. He poured out

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Speaker 1: his heart and asked God in his mercy to spare

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Speaker 1: his life. Before Isaiah left the palace grounds, God changed

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Speaker 1: his mind and told Isaiah to go back and give

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Speaker 1: him this new report. Isaiah said, Hezekiah, the Lord says

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Speaker 1: he has heard your prayers and he's going to heal you.

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Speaker 2: In three days, you will.

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Speaker 1: Get out of this bed and he will add fifteen

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Speaker 1: more years.

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Speaker 2: To your life.

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Speaker 1: You can imagine how excited and how overwhelmed Heekiah was.

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Speaker 1: He just received this amazing promise that this death sentence

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Speaker 1: had been reversed. But Hezekiah was kind of like us.

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Speaker 1: After the excitement wore off, he started thinking, how do

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Speaker 1: I know I'm going to get well? I don't look

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Speaker 1: any different, I don't feel any better, nothing has changed.

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Speaker 1: Doubts started to come.

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Speaker 2: Is it really going to happen?

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Speaker 1: Are you sure? That's what God said? Hezekiah said to Isaiah,

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Speaker 1: what sign will the Lord give me to prove that

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Speaker 1: I'm going to get well? He was saying, Isaiah, I

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Speaker 1: appreciate what you've told me. That's encouraging, but I need

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Speaker 1: some evidence. I need to see something so i'll believe.

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Speaker 1: I need God to prove that he's going to do it.

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Speaker 1: Isaiah said, all right, God will give you a sign.

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Speaker 1: Do you want the shadow on the sundial to go

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Speaker 1: ten degrees forward or ten degrees backwards? Heekiah said backwards.

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Speaker 1: They watched as the shadow defied the odds and went backwards.

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Speaker 1: God is merciful.

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Speaker 2: He'll give you a sign sometimes. But here's my point.

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Speaker 1: If you live by this approach, God proved that you're

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Speaker 1: going to do what you said. God, I need some evidence.

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Speaker 1: If I don't see something, then I'm not going to believe.

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Speaker 1: If you're always dependent on a sign, you won't reach

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Speaker 1: the fullness of your destiny. Maybe like Hiszekiah, you're praying

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Speaker 1: for a sign, but you're not seeing anything. The sundial

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Speaker 1: is not going backwards. The right attitude is God, I

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Speaker 1: don't have to have a sign. You don't have to

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Speaker 1: prove to me that you're going to do it. You've

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Speaker 1: already proved to me who you are. You've already made

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Speaker 1: ways where I didn't see a way. You've already opened

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Speaker 1: doors that I couldn't open. You've already defeated giants that

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Speaker 1: were much bigger. You've already broken chains I could never break. God,

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Speaker 1: I trust you with no evidence. I'm not a Thomas.

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Speaker 1: I don't have to see it to believe it. I'm

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Speaker 1: not a Hezekiah. You don't have to prove to me

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Speaker 1: that you're faithful. Already shown yourself faithful. And yes, it's

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Speaker 1: great when you get a sign, but don't rely on

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Speaker 1: a sign. Don't become dependent on seeing.

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Speaker 2: Then you'll believe.

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Speaker 1: That doesn't take much faith.

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Speaker 2: Your faith kicks in when there's no evidence.

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Speaker 1: Instead of asking God to prove to you what he's

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Speaker 1: going to do, why don't you turn it around and

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Speaker 1: prove to God who you are.

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Speaker 2: Prove to him that you're not going to be moved

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Speaker 2: by what you don't see.

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Speaker 1: Prove that you're not going to give up because things

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Speaker 1: aren't changing. Prove that you're going to stand in faith

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Speaker 1: when every circumstance says it's never going to happen. What's

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Speaker 1: interesting is right before Hezeki got sick. He had just

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Speaker 1: seen the greatest victory of his life. The Assyrian army

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Speaker 1: was coming against him and the people of Judah. They

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Speaker 1: were much bigger, they had more resources. The night before

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Speaker 1: the Assyrians were going to attack, the Angel of the

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Speaker 1: Lord went into their camp and ki old one hundred

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Speaker 1: and eighty five thousand of their soldiers.

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Speaker 2: The others took off running.

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Speaker 1: Hezekiah and the people of Judah were spared. You would

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Speaker 1: think that Hezekiah wouldn't need a sign. He just saw

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Speaker 1: a supernatural victory. He just saw God show out. But

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Speaker 1: how many times do we forget what God has done?

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Speaker 1: Like Hezekiah, God has shown up and turned things around

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Speaker 1: for us. He's healed us, protected us, freed us.

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Speaker 2: Promoted us.

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Speaker 1: If you need a sign, look back at the goodness

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Speaker 1: of God in your life. Look back at how he

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Speaker 1: brought you through the pandemic, how he gave you strength

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Speaker 1: when you didn't think you could go on, how he

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Speaker 1: promoted you when you weren't next in line, how he

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Speaker 1: turned your child around, how he brought someone great into

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Speaker 1: your life to love, how that one good break caused

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Speaker 1: your business to take off. When you need evidence, look

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Speaker 1: back at the faithfulness of God.

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Speaker 2: This is what Elijah did.

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Speaker 1: There was a great famine in the land, and for

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Speaker 1: three and a half years it did not rain, no water,

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Speaker 1: no crops.

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Speaker 2: People were barely surviving.

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Speaker 1: When nothing looked any different in the middle of the drought,

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Speaker 1: Elijah showed up and said, I hear the.

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Speaker 2: Sound of the abundance of rain.

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Speaker 1: He was so bold he went and told King Ahab,

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Speaker 1: this drought is coming to an end. Rain is on

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Speaker 1: the way. When he said that, there wasn't a cloud

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Speaker 1: in the sky, no rain. God will put things in

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Speaker 1: your spirit that contradict what you see. He heard an

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Speaker 1: abundance of rain, he saw barn ground, dried up crops, drought, famine.

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Speaker 1: The key is don't let what you see override what

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Speaker 1: you've heard.

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Speaker 2: If you're always looking for a sign, you're going to

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Speaker 2: get discouraged.

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Speaker 1: I heard rain, but I see drought. I heard healing,

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Speaker 1: but I see sickness. I heard abundance, but Joel, I

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Speaker 1: heard freedom, but all I see is dysfunction, addictions, depression.

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Speaker 1: When I see something different, then I'll believe. When I

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Speaker 1: have some evidence, then I'll get my hopes up. Don't

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Speaker 1: be a heekiah being Elijah, you don't have to have

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Speaker 1: a sign. God doesn't have to prove to you he's

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Speaker 1: going to do what he's promised. You've seen his faithfulness,

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Speaker 1: you have a history with him. He's made things happen

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Speaker 1: all through your life that you could have never made happen.

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Speaker 1: Now do your part and believe without a sign. Stay

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Speaker 1: in faith when there's no evidence. Don't let what you

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Speaker 1: see talk you out of what you've heard. It's very

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Speaker 1: powerful when you can say I don't see any sign

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Speaker 1: of what I'm believing for, but that's okay. I don't

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Speaker 1: need a sign. I know God's on the throne. I

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Speaker 1: know he's in control. I know what he started he

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Speaker 1: will finish. Elijah went on top of Mount Carmel to pray,

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Speaker 1: and he bowed down and begin to thank God that

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Speaker 1: rain was coming, that what he heard in his spirit

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Speaker 1: was on the way. He asked his assistant to go

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Speaker 1: out and look on the other side of the mountain

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Speaker 1: see if there was any sign of rain. Now he

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Speaker 1: wasn't dependent on a sign. He was looking for God's goodness.

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Speaker 2: He was expecting rain.

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Speaker 1: That's different than I'm not going to believe unless I

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Speaker 1: have a sign. His attitude was I know God's at work.

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Speaker 1: He could happen anytime. I know rain is coming.

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Speaker 2: He had this confidence, this unshakable faith. This came back.

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Speaker 1: He said, sorry, Elijah, there are no clouds in the

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Speaker 1: sky as clear as can be checks the latest radar

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Speaker 1: super dooppler, nothing in sight. Elijah didn't get depressed. God,

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Speaker 1: I must have heard you wrong. He kept thanking God

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Speaker 1: that rain was coming. He didn't let the lack of

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Speaker 1: evidence convince him that it wasn't going to happen.

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Speaker 2: He kept looking for the rain.

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Speaker 1: He kept talking like it was going to happen. I

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Speaker 1: can hear King a kind of laughing saying, Elijah, where's

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Speaker 1: that rain you were talking about? Thought you said there's

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Speaker 1: going to be an abundance. I haven't felt one little drop.

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Speaker 1: Elijah said, Hey, I'm not worried. I don't need a

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Speaker 1: sign to believe. I'm not dependent on the evidence. I

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Speaker 1: know what God has spoken to me. Elijah sent the

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Speaker 1: assistant out again, ask him to look see if he

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Speaker 1: saw any sign of rain. He came back again and

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Speaker 1: again and again with the same report. Not a cloud

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Speaker 1: in the sky, perfectly clear, six times, no sign, six times,

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Speaker 1: nothing had changed. Six times. This negative report. It's not

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Speaker 1: going to happen. Elijah, just accept it. No rain is coming.

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Speaker 1: You may be where Elijah was. You know what God

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Speaker 1: has promised you health, freedom, abundance, a spouse, a child.

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Speaker 1: But you've been looking, standing in faith, thanking God, but

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Speaker 1: there's no evidence. Nothing is improving, no good breaks. You

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Speaker 1: still can't concede. This is when you have to dig

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Speaker 1: down deep and say, God, I'm not moved by what

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Speaker 1: I don't see. I know you're a faithful God. I'm

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Speaker 1: gonna keep looking, keep expecting, keep praising, keep declaring, keep

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Speaker 1: thinking that tis on the way. Don't let the clear

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Speaker 1: sky fool you. God can change things suddenly. He controls

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Speaker 1: the universe.

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Speaker 2: One touch of his favor and you'll see.

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Speaker 1: The abundance of rain.

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Speaker 2: You're not seeing any sign of it.

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Speaker 1: That's a test.

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Speaker 2: What are you made of?

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Speaker 1: Are you gonna give up, get discouraged, settle for mediocrity,

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Speaker 1: or you're gonna do like Elijah and keep believing despite

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Speaker 1: what you're seeing. On the seventh time, the assistant came

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Speaker 1: back and said, Elijah, this time I saw a small

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Speaker 1: cloud about the size of a man's hand. Was it

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Speaker 1: long after that that the heavens opened up. There was

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Speaker 1: a huge downpour. The three and a half year drought

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Speaker 1: came to an end. Like Elijah, many of you have

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Speaker 1: been faithful. You believed when every circumstance said it wasn't

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Speaker 1: going to happen. You didn't listen to the naysayers. You

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Speaker 1: didn't get talked out of it. You've been looking for

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Speaker 1: God's goodness. I believe you're about to come in to

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Speaker 1: your seventh time. You're about to see the open windows

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Speaker 1: of heaven, something better than you've imagined, more rewarding, more fulfilling.

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Speaker 1: The scripture says, there was a remarkable rainstorm. God is

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Speaker 1: going to do something remarkable in your life, out of

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Speaker 1: the ordinary, that will exceed your expectations. It's significant that

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Speaker 1: Elijah's assistant, someone close to him, kept.

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Speaker 2: Bringing him the news that is not going to happen.

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Speaker 1: There are no clouds. He didn't mean to be negative.

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Speaker 1: He was just reporting the facts. But sometimes the people

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Speaker 1: closest to you will try to talk you out of

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Speaker 1: what God put in your They may mean well, but

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Speaker 1: they didn't hear what God spoke to you. They'll keep

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Speaker 1: telling you what they saw. You can't let that drown

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Speaker 1: out what you've heard. Don't let their negative comments, their doubt.

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Speaker 2: You still think you're gonna get well.

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Speaker 1: Man, it's been a long battle. You really believe your

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Speaker 1: child's gonna get on course, he's doing worse than ever.

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Speaker 1: You think you're gonna have a bountiful year.

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Speaker 2: I don't see it, man.

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Speaker 1: The economy, the gas pricess, inflation, the pandemic. They're looking

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Speaker 1: at it in the natural, But we serve a supernatural God.

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Speaker 1: There will be seasons like Elijah that you're looking, expecting, believing,

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Speaker 1: but again and again there's no sign, no improvement. What

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Speaker 1: if on the fourth time Elijah would have said to

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Speaker 1: the assistant, I guess you're right, it's not gonna rain,

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Speaker 1: Or on the fifth time he got discouraged.

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Speaker 2: God, I know what I heard.

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Speaker 1: Surely it would have happened by now, at least I

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Speaker 1: would see some cloud, some win, a sign that things

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Speaker 1: were about to change. Maybe that's where you are on

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Speaker 1: your fourth time, no evidence, your fifth time, still no sign,

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Speaker 1: your sixth times, sky's still blue. Don't give up.

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Speaker 2: Now, those are tests. Yes, it'd be much easier.

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Speaker 1: If, like Hezekiah, we always got a sign, but we

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Speaker 1: never grow. We wouldn't reach our potential. Where God is

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Speaker 1: taking you is going to take unshakable faith, not move

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Speaker 1: by what you see, not discouraged because of a lack

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Speaker 1: of evidence. I know today I'm not looking at Thomas's Lord,

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Speaker 1: show me and I'll believe. I'm not looking at Hezekiah's God,

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Speaker 1: give me.

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Speaker 2: A sign and I'll trust you.

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Speaker 1: I'm looking at Elijahs God. We believe without a sign,

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Speaker 1: we keep looking for rain, even though the skies are clear.

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Speaker 1: We don't let people time delays, what's not happening talk

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Speaker 1: us out of what we've heard in our spirit. I'm

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Speaker 1: looking at people that are headed for an abundance of rain,

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Speaker 1: an abundance of joy, and abundance of favor, and abundance

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Speaker 1: of resources for something remarkable, uncommon that will take your

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Speaker 1: family to a new level. Right after we acquired this facility,

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Speaker 1: the former Compact Center, a company filed a lawsuit to

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Speaker 1: try to keep us from moving in. They were a

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Speaker 1: huge real estate company that owns all the property around

348
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Speaker 1: the building. And we just come off this great victory

349
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Speaker 1: only to find out that it was now tied up

350
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Speaker 1: in the.

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Speaker 2: Courts and we couldn't move forward.

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Speaker 1: Our attorneys told us it could take up to ten

353
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Speaker 1: years to settle. They'd met with the other side, but

354
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Speaker 1: they were in no hurry to do something. In fact,

355
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Speaker 1: the more they delayed, the more at a disadvantage we were.

356
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Speaker 1: Our main attorney called and said, Joel, they're playing hardball.

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Speaker 1: They don't want to talk, they don't want to negotiate.

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Speaker 2: They're stubborn.

359
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Speaker 1: A month went by, nothing happened, two months, nothing, three months,

360
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Speaker 1: four months, five months, Like Elijah, not a cloud in

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Speaker 1: the sky, no evidence that it was ever going to

362
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Speaker 1: work out. I had to do what I'm asking you

363
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Speaker 1: to do.

364
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Speaker 2: I just kept thanking god Father. I'm not moved by

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Speaker 2: what I don't see.

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Speaker 1: I don't need a sign. I'm not looking for evidence.

367
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Speaker 1: I know when it's your time. All the forces of

368
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Speaker 1: darkness cannot s up what you ever dained for us.

369
00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:29,520
Speaker 1: Doubt would try to come, negative thoughts. People tried to

370
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Speaker 1: talk us out of it. Our main attorney asked me,

371
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Speaker 1: what if I got them to give you enough funds

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Speaker 1: to build a facility like this somewhere else. I told him,

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Speaker 1: we don't want somewhere else. This building is a landmark

374
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Speaker 1: in Houston. Two million Ustonians had come.

375
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Speaker 2: To this building every year for thirty years.

376
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Speaker 1: Don't let a lack of evidence cause you to water

377
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Speaker 1: down your dreams. Don't settle for mediocrity. What God has

378
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Speaker 1: for you is going to take resilience, determination, perseverance. You

379
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Speaker 1: have to have a made up mind. You can't be

380
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Speaker 1: talked out of it. You can't be moved by what

381
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Speaker 1: you see. What you see may contradict what God put

382
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Speaker 1: in your heart. You may not see anything improving. I

383
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Speaker 1: didn't see the other side letting up. I didn't see

384
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Speaker 1: any sign of progress.

385
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Speaker 2: Like Elijah.

386
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Speaker 1: We heard no three times, four times, five times, no evidence,

387
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Speaker 1: no budgeting, no movement. But if you'll stay in faith,

388
00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:34,000
Speaker 1: you're going to come into your seventh time, where things

389
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Speaker 1: suddenly change. Suddenly the door opens.

390
00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:39,240
Speaker 2: Suddenly, the wrong people are moved out.

391
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Speaker 1: Of the way, Suddenly your health begins to turn around.

392
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Speaker 1: One day, unexpectedly, almost two years later, our attorneys said

393
00:21:47,880 --> 00:21:50,040
Speaker 1: that the other side had called and they wanted to meet.

394
00:21:50,640 --> 00:21:52,840
Speaker 1: He said, Joe, don't get your hopes up. This is

395
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Speaker 1: probably just a ploy to distract us. He didn't realize

396
00:21:56,640 --> 00:21:59,720
Speaker 1: my hopes had already been up for two years. I'd

397
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Speaker 1: been thanking God, looking for his goodness, expecting his favor

398
00:22:04,359 --> 00:22:07,720
Speaker 1: When we met the CEO of the company, the first

399
00:22:07,760 --> 00:22:10,240
Speaker 1: thing he said was, Joel, I watch you on television

400
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Speaker 1: every week, and my son in law is a youth pastor.

401
00:22:14,040 --> 00:22:16,679
Speaker 1: God knows how to bring the right people at the

402
00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:20,320
Speaker 1: right time. Twenty four hours later he had agreed to

403
00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:23,720
Speaker 1: let us have the building and to lease us nine

404
00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:27,080
Speaker 1: thousand covered parking spaces so we didn't have to build

405
00:22:27,080 --> 00:22:30,719
Speaker 1: a garage. You may not see any sign of what

406
00:22:30,760 --> 00:22:34,360
Speaker 1: you're believing for you could get discouraged. Let the lack

407
00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:37,480
Speaker 1: of evidence talk you out of it. No, stay in faith.

408
00:22:37,880 --> 00:22:41,080
Speaker 1: God is working behind the scenes. Who knows you may

409
00:22:41,119 --> 00:22:44,080
Speaker 1: be on your fourth time, your fifth time. This is

410
00:22:44,119 --> 00:22:46,840
Speaker 1: not the time to give up. You are closer than

411
00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:50,440
Speaker 1: you think. Your seventh time is coming. It's going to

412
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Speaker 1: happen suddenly. It's going to be supernatural, something that you

413
00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:59,399
Speaker 1: couldn't make happen. The truth is that CEO could have

414
00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:02,440
Speaker 1: shown up to years earlier. He could have come three

415
00:23:02,480 --> 00:23:05,360
Speaker 1: months in. I wouldn't have had to pray and believe

416
00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:09,800
Speaker 1: and trust. But these times that we have to wait, believe,

417
00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:13,800
Speaker 1: not be moved by what we don't see. That's preparing

418
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Speaker 1: us for the new levels God has in store. Don't

419
00:23:17,320 --> 00:23:21,959
Speaker 1: get discouraged because it's not happening on your timetable. Everything

420
00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:26,719
Speaker 1: is serving God's plan. When you're waiting, staying in faith,

421
00:23:27,119 --> 00:23:31,520
Speaker 1: believing when there's no sign, you're growing. You're showing God

422
00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:34,760
Speaker 1: what you're made of. Instead of God proven to you

423
00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:37,920
Speaker 1: who he is, You're proven to Him who you are.

424
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Speaker 1: Anybody can get discouraged. Anybody can be a Thomas. I'm

425
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Speaker 1: not going to believe unless I see it. But God

426
00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:48,960
Speaker 1: is looking for Elijah's people that aren't moved by the

427
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Speaker 1: lack of evidence, people that don't water down their dreams,

428
00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:58,160
Speaker 1: people that believe without a sign. Seventeen years old, God

429
00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:01,120
Speaker 1: put a dream in my father's heart that one day

430
00:24:01,160 --> 00:24:03,720
Speaker 1: he would pastor a church with thousands of people.

431
00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:07,080
Speaker 2: He was raised very poor, but he got off the farm.

432
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Speaker 1: And in nineteen fifty nine he and my mother started

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00:24:09,800 --> 00:24:14,040
Speaker 1: Lakewood on Mother's Day with ninety people. He eventually named

434
00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:18,919
Speaker 1: the church Lakewood International Outreach Center. The fact is it

435
00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:22,480
Speaker 1: was a small neighborhood church, but he called it an

436
00:24:22,480 --> 00:24:27,200
Speaker 1: international outreach. That dream was still alive, but for thirteen

437
00:24:27,320 --> 00:24:31,600
Speaker 1: years Lakewood didn't really grow, had less than two hundred people.

438
00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:34,879
Speaker 1: My father knew what God had spoken to him a

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00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:38,639
Speaker 1: church with thousands, There was no evidence he could have

440
00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:42,119
Speaker 1: gotten discouraged. God, show me a sign, let me know

441
00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:43,199
Speaker 1: that it's going to happen.

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00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:45,680
Speaker 2: But year after year, my father, my.

443
00:24:45,680 --> 00:24:49,399
Speaker 1: Mother, they just kept being faithful, preaching to those ninety people,

444
00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:52,720
Speaker 1: thanking God that what he heard in his spirit was

445
00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:55,840
Speaker 1: on the way be so much easier. We saw a

446
00:24:55,840 --> 00:24:59,360
Speaker 1: good breaker, little growth there. The right person show up.

447
00:25:00,160 --> 00:25:04,360
Speaker 1: Sometimes God will withhold the evidence. He's seeing what we're

448
00:25:04,400 --> 00:25:06,840
Speaker 1: going to do. Are we going to be a Thomas?

449
00:25:07,240 --> 00:25:07,480
Speaker 2: God?

450
00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:08,120
Speaker 1: All believe.

451
00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:11,119
Speaker 2: I'll give you my best if you show me a sign.

452
00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:15,560
Speaker 1: God is giving you an opportunity to grow, to trust

453
00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:18,600
Speaker 1: him in a greater way, to prove to him that

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00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:21,680
Speaker 1: you will walk by faith and not by sight, so

455
00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:25,720
Speaker 1: he can entrust you with more. Nineteen seventy two, it

456
00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:29,080
Speaker 1: was like God opened up a fawcet. People started coming

457
00:25:29,119 --> 00:25:30,280
Speaker 1: to Lakewood from.

458
00:25:30,119 --> 00:25:31,080
Speaker 2: All over the city.

459
00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:34,959
Speaker 1: Lakewood grew from a couple hundred to a church of

460
00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:36,080
Speaker 1: many thousands.

461
00:25:36,200 --> 00:25:38,400
Speaker 2: He saw what God put in his spirit.

462
00:25:39,240 --> 00:25:41,840
Speaker 1: But God could have done that the first year or

463
00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:45,360
Speaker 1: the second year. But we have to pass these tests,

464
00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:50,919
Speaker 1: and we all go through silent seasons where We're believing, praying, but.

465
00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:51,880
Speaker 2: Nothing is changing.

466
00:25:52,359 --> 00:25:55,080
Speaker 1: You don't see any sign of what God promised is

467
00:25:55,119 --> 00:25:58,680
Speaker 1: going to happen. You'll be tempted to walk away from

468
00:25:58,680 --> 00:26:03,720
Speaker 1: a dream, give up on a child, a spouse, a breakthrough. God,

469
00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:06,480
Speaker 1: if you'll just do what you did for Hezekiah, prove

470
00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:09,200
Speaker 1: that you're going to do it, then I'll start believing again.

471
00:26:09,960 --> 00:26:13,400
Speaker 2: But most of the time it's going to be like Elijah.

472
00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:17,040
Speaker 1: No sign, people saying it's not going to happen, your

473
00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:19,200
Speaker 1: thoughts telling you it's never going to reign.

474
00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:22,680
Speaker 2: Do like he did. Don't be moved by what you see.

475
00:26:23,240 --> 00:26:26,400
Speaker 1: The skies may be clear right now, but your seventh

476
00:26:26,400 --> 00:26:30,439
Speaker 1: time is coming. God sees your faithfulness. He sees you

477
00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:34,439
Speaker 1: believing when there's no evidence. You are closer than you think.

478
00:26:34,800 --> 00:26:37,760
Speaker 1: The clouds are starting to form right now. Now. I

479
00:26:37,880 --> 00:26:41,600
Speaker 1: believe and declare your abundance of rain is on the way.

480
00:26:42,119 --> 00:26:46,560
Speaker 1: What you're believing for is going to happen suddenly, unexpectedly,

481
00:26:46,960 --> 00:26:53,080
Speaker 1: healing favor, breakthroughs, the fullness of your destiny in Jesus' name,

482
00:26:53,560 --> 00:26:53,960
Speaker 1: And if.

483
00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:55,479
Speaker 2: You receive it, can you say amen?

484
00:26:57,680 --> 00:27:00,600
Speaker 1: I'd like to give you an opportunity to make Jesus,

485
00:27:00,640 --> 00:27:01,639
Speaker 1: the Lord of your life.

486
00:27:02,160 --> 00:27:03,119
Speaker 2: Would you pray with me?

487
00:27:03,760 --> 00:27:09,240
Speaker 1: Just say, Lord, Jesus, I'll repent of my sins, Come

488
00:27:09,280 --> 00:27:13,040
Speaker 1: into my heart. I'll make you my Lord and savior.

489
00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:16,800
Speaker 1: If you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got

490
00:27:16,840 --> 00:27:17,520
Speaker 1: born again.

491
00:27:18,160 --> 00:27:20,600
Speaker 2: We'd love to give you some pree literature.

492
00:27:20,080 --> 00:27:22,320
Speaker 1: On your new walk with the Lord. If you just

493
00:27:22,400 --> 00:27:25,000
Speaker 1: text the number or go to the website. I hope

494
00:27:25,040 --> 00:27:28,200
Speaker 1: you'll get into a good Bible based church and keep

495
00:27:28,240 --> 00:27:29,280
Speaker 1: God first place.

496
00:27:31,080 --> 00:27:35,320
Speaker 3: What if what you imagine came to pass? What if

497
00:27:35,720 --> 00:27:38,800
Speaker 3: what you asked for turned out greater than what you

498
00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:43,000
Speaker 3: can see? What if you could plan for God's best

499
00:27:43,040 --> 00:27:43,760
Speaker 3: in your life.

500
00:27:44,600 --> 00:27:47,760
Speaker 1: We all have hopes and dreams and things we're believing for,

501
00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:50,800
Speaker 1: but what God has in store for you is more

502
00:27:50,840 --> 00:27:53,640
Speaker 1: than you can imagine. When you start the year off

503
00:27:53,680 --> 00:27:56,840
Speaker 1: in faith, believe in for greater things, that's when God

504
00:27:56,920 --> 00:28:00,320
Speaker 1: will exceed your expectations. We love to say send you

505
00:28:00,440 --> 00:28:03,920
Speaker 1: our twenty twenty five more to imagined planner. You can

506
00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:06,600
Speaker 1: write down your dreams and goals, plus use it for

507
00:28:06,640 --> 00:28:09,119
Speaker 1: your everyday activity and reminders.

508
00:28:09,200 --> 00:28:12,040
Speaker 4: It is so important to feed yourself out and faith

509
00:28:12,080 --> 00:28:15,480
Speaker 4: on a daily basis. This Planner is not only a calendar,

510
00:28:15,760 --> 00:28:18,520
Speaker 4: but it's filled with inspiration and scripture to help you

511
00:28:18,560 --> 00:28:21,600
Speaker 4: stay encouraged and keep believing for what God has put

512
00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:22,320
Speaker 4: in your heart.

513
00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:25,600
Speaker 1: He sees your faithfulness, how you being your best each day.

514
00:28:25,880 --> 00:28:28,040
Speaker 1: You're going to see the goodness of God in new

515
00:28:28,080 --> 00:28:29,720
Speaker 1: ways in twenty twenty five.

516
00:28:30,400 --> 00:28:33,000
Speaker 3: As you support the ministry this month with a special

517
00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:35,639
Speaker 3: year end gift of any amount, we would like to

518
00:28:35,640 --> 00:28:38,960
Speaker 3: bless you with the More to Imagine twenty twenty five Planner.

519
00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:42,160
Speaker 3: With the new Planner, you can start each day writing

520
00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:45,920
Speaker 3: down the fresh vision God gives you, whether it's appointments,

521
00:28:46,080 --> 00:28:49,880
Speaker 3: daily tasks, or long term desires in your heart. Let

522
00:28:49,920 --> 00:28:53,960
Speaker 3: each note be a testament to your faith. Included are

523
00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:58,200
Speaker 3: hand picked scriptures and uplifting reflections to empower you as

524
00:28:58,240 --> 00:29:01,600
Speaker 3: you walk this faith journey with Jesus one day at

525
00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:02,080
Speaker 3: a time.

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00:29:02,800 --> 00:29:04,760
Speaker 4: Joel and I are standing in faith with you that

527
00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:07,280
Speaker 4: twenty twenty five will be a year of far and

528
00:29:07,320 --> 00:29:09,200
Speaker 4: beyond favor for you and your family.

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00:29:09,320 --> 00:29:12,000
Speaker 1: We pray for you every day for God's very best,

530
00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:14,760
Speaker 1: and we want to thank you for your prayer and support,

531
00:29:15,200 --> 00:29:16,960
Speaker 1: especially your year end gifts.

532
00:29:17,120 --> 00:29:18,600
Speaker 2: You are impacting.

533
00:29:18,080 --> 00:29:21,080
Speaker 1: People all over the world. Remember, you can watch the

534
00:29:21,160 --> 00:29:25,880
Speaker 1: services online every Sunday morning, download our daily podcast, listen

535
00:29:25,920 --> 00:29:29,360
Speaker 1: on SERIOUSXM. We'll watch our YouTube channel and the new

536
00:29:29,520 --> 00:29:33,640
Speaker 1: joel Ostein streaming television network twenty four hours a day.

537
00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:37,440
Speaker 2: Until we see you next time. Have a very merry Christmas.

538
00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:40,280
Speaker 3: Be sure to request your copy of the More to

539
00:29:40,360 --> 00:29:45,160
Speaker 3: Imagine twenty twenty five planner today. Visit Joeloustein dot com

540
00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:59,800
Speaker 3: or call us toll free