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Speaker 1: It's so great to have you with us today.

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Speaker 2: We love you, guys.

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Speaker 1: We're praying you're going to have a beautiful month of March,

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Speaker 1: and just speaking blessings in favor of each one of you.

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Speaker 3: This time of year is just new beginnings, new spring seasons,

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Speaker 3: and so if we are believing that this will be

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Speaker 3: a newness of joy in your heart, so no today

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Speaker 3: we are praying for you and we love you well.

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Speaker 2: God bless you. It is always a joy to come

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Speaker 2: into your homes.

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Speaker 1: We love you, and we know that God has good

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Speaker 1: things in store for you. The Bible says when you

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Speaker 1: draw night of God, he will draw night a you.

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Speaker 1: I believe you're doing that today. And when you do that,

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Speaker 1: God talks about when we obey him, his blessings will

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Speaker 1: chase us down and overtake us. And that's what we're

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Speaker 1: believing for each one of your lives. And we're so

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Speaker 1: glad to have you. If you're ever in our area,

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Speaker 1: please stop by. We'd love to have you at a service.

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Speaker 1: We'll make you feel right at home. I like to

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Speaker 1: get started each week with something kind of funny. And

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Speaker 1: of course these are not doctrinally correct, but I did

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Speaker 1: hear about this minister. He was standing in line at

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Speaker 1: the pearly gates, and in front of him was a

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Speaker 1: guy dressed in a loud T shirt, blue jeans, and sunglasses.

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Speaker 1: Peter came up and said, okay, who are you? He said,

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Speaker 1: I'm Joe Cohen, taxicab driver, New York City. Peter checked

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Speaker 1: his list and he then handed him a silk robe

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Speaker 1: and a golden staff and said, welcome to Heaven. The

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Speaker 1: minister stepped up next and he said, I'm Reverend Joseph Snow.

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Speaker 1: I'm the pastor of Saint Mary's Cathedral. Peter checked his

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Speaker 1: list and he handed him a cotton robe and a

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Speaker 1: wooden staff. He said, hey, wait a minute. The taxicab

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Speaker 1: driver got a silk robe and a gold staff.

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Speaker 2: How could this be?

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Speaker 1: Peter said, well, sir, up here we work by results,

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Speaker 1: and when you preached, people slept, but when he drove,

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Speaker 1: people prayed. Hold up your bibles and say it like

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Speaker 1: you mean it.

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Speaker 2: Are you ready?

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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 all will be

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Speaker 1: taught the word of God.

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Speaker 2: God.

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Speaker 1: I boldly confess my mind is alert, my heart is receptive.

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Speaker 2: I will never be the same. In Jesus's name, God

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Speaker 2: bless you.

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Speaker 1: I want to talk to you today about the importance

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Speaker 1: of staying in a healthy environment.

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Speaker 2: The environment that we choose to live in is.

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Speaker 1: Going to have a great impact on whether or not

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Speaker 1: we fulfill our God given destiny. And we have to

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Speaker 1: understand that God has created each one of us to

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Speaker 1: live a.

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Speaker 2: Life of victory.

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Speaker 1: He has preprogrammed us before the foundation of the world

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Speaker 1: to be successful, to be happy, to be fulfilled, to

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Speaker 1: be a blessing to others. But if this is going

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Speaker 1: to happen, we have to put ourselves in an environment

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Speaker 1: that's going to help release the productivity and release the

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Speaker 1: potential that's on the inside. You have seeds of greatness

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Speaker 1: put in you by the creator of the universe. But

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Speaker 1: the only way those seins are going to take root

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Speaker 1: and really begin to flourish is if you can stay

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Speaker 1: in a healthy environment. And by our environment, I'm talking

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Speaker 1: about the things that influence us, what we watch, what

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Speaker 1: we listen to, and more specifically, our friends, the people

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Speaker 1: we choose to spend our free time with. I think

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Speaker 1: we'd be amazed at how much these things affect us,

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Speaker 1: and the scripture says in Proverbs thirteen, verse twenty, if

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Speaker 1: you walk with wise men, you will become wise. In

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Speaker 1: other words, that's saying we are going to become exactly

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Speaker 1: like the people that we continually associate with.

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Speaker 2: If you want to.

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Speaker 1: See a picture of your future, just take a good

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Speaker 1: look at your friends. If you're hanging around people that

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Speaker 1: are negative, people that are selfish, people that compromise, people

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Speaker 1: that are loosing their morals, well, unfortunately, there's a good

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Speaker 1: chance you're going to become just like them. Our environment

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Speaker 1: is extremely important about Sampson. He hung around with the

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Speaker 1: wrong people, and he thought that he was strong enough

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Speaker 1: to overcome. He said, hey, I'm just having little fun,

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Speaker 1: it's not hurting anything.

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Speaker 2: Leave me alone.

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Speaker 1: And sure, he got away with it for a little while,

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Speaker 1: but eventually his environment caught up to him.

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Speaker 2: Eventually it destroyed him.

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Speaker 1: See, our environment can corrupt us, and our environment can

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Speaker 1: confuse us.

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Speaker 2: That happened to the prodigal Sun.

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Speaker 1: He came from a good family, but he started making

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Speaker 1: poor choices and he ended up in the hog pen

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Speaker 1: feeding the hogs. And as he sat in that environment,

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Speaker 1: he got confused as to who he was so much

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Speaker 1: so that he started eating the hog food. It's because

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Speaker 1: he was in the wrong environment. Now, our environment can

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Speaker 1: restrict us. If we take a tree and plant it

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Speaker 1: in a pot, it can only grow as large as

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Speaker 1: the root system grows. It may be a huge oak tree,

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Speaker 1: but as long as it's being restricted that pot, it

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Speaker 1: will never become what God created it to be. And

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Speaker 1: some of you today you need to get out of

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Speaker 1: the pot that you're in. You're hanging around with small

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Speaker 1: minded people, people that are telling you what you can't

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Speaker 1: do and what you're not going to become. Listen, you've

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Speaker 1: got to get away from that junk or that's going

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Speaker 1: to restrict you.

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Speaker 2: Don't hang around with.

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Speaker 1: Sloppy people or you're gonna end up being sloppy. Don't

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Speaker 1: hang around with lazy people and people that take the

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Speaker 1: easy way out.

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Speaker 2: You'll end up doing the same thing. And on a regular.

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Speaker 1: Basis, we need to evaluate our friendships. And if you

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Speaker 1: find that you're associating with people that don't have any dreams,

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Speaker 1: people that are not going any place in life, please

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Speaker 1: recognize their influence can keep you from being all God's

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Speaker 1: created you to be. And they may be good people,

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Speaker 1: they may not even realize they're doing it. And I'm

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Speaker 1: not saying to be rude and just blow people off,

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Speaker 1: but I am saying that we shouldn't spend a lot

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Speaker 1: of time with them friends.

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Speaker 2: Life is too short to.

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Speaker 1: Be dragged down by other people, and we already have

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Speaker 1: enough battles to fight without.

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Speaker 2: Choosing the wrong friends.

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Speaker 1: We need to be very selective when it comes to

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Speaker 1: who we spend our time with. Be very careful with

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Speaker 1: whom you eat lunch with every day. Don't just take

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Speaker 1: that for granted. Ask yourself, does this person have the

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Speaker 1: qualities that I really want? Do they inspire me to

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Speaker 1: rise higher? Do they challenge me to do better? Are

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Speaker 1: they a person of excellence? Or do they just drag

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Speaker 1: me down and cause me to compromise, cause me to

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Speaker 1: be negative. No, Remember, they're gonna rub off on you.

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Speaker 1: And that means you shouldn't sit around at lunch every

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Speaker 1: day with a group of people that complain about the

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Speaker 1: company and gossip about the balls and talk about this

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Speaker 1: person and talk about that person. Know that junk is

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Speaker 1: going to poison you and if you stay there long enough,

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Speaker 1: you're gonna end.

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Speaker 2: Up just like them.

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Speaker 1: We have to understand our environment. It will change us

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Speaker 1: before we change it. That means we need to put

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Speaker 1: ourselves in a different environment. Now, you say, Joel, I

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Speaker 1: can't help what they say. I can't make them do

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Speaker 1: what's right. And I understand that. But you can choose

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Speaker 1: where you sit. You can choose to drive down to

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Speaker 1: the park and eat lunch. You say, Joel, If I

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Speaker 1: do that, I may not have any friends. I may

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Speaker 1: not have anybody to eat lunch with. Let me tell you,

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Speaker 1: I'd rather go through a season of being lonely in

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Speaker 1: my life than to allow somebody to poison me and

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Speaker 1: keep me from fulfilling my god given destiny. And the

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Speaker 1: Bible talks about one of the things that God dislikes

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Speaker 1: the very most is someone that sows discord, someone that's

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Speaker 1: always stirring something up, in other words, a troublemaker. They'll

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Speaker 1: take the smallest things, blow it way out of proportion,

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Speaker 1: and end up making a big deal about it.

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Speaker 2: That's a troublemaker.

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Speaker 1: If you're around somebody like that, or somebody that starts

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Speaker 1: to talk about a person, first thing you should do

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Speaker 1: is try to put a stop to it. Just say hey,

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Speaker 1: instead of talking about them, why don't we pray for see,

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Speaker 1: take up for them, believe the best in them, and

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Speaker 1: if they want to do that, if they continue to talk,

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Speaker 1: the next thing you should do is just find the

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Speaker 1: nearest exit, just walk away, and you can do it politely.

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Speaker 1: Just say, excuse me, something has come up that I

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Speaker 1: really need to take care of. Well, you say, Joel,

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Speaker 1: wouldn't that be lying? No, you do have something to

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Speaker 1: take care of. You need to take care of yourself.

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Speaker 2: You are a temple of the most igh God. Let

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Speaker 2: me tell you your ears are not garbage cans to fill

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Speaker 2: with all kinds of gossip?

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Speaker 1: And who did this? And can you believe that? No,

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Speaker 1: don't allow other people to contaminate you. Change your environment.

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Speaker 1: You are controlling your own destiny. And let's not get

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Speaker 1: ourselves to think that we can just sit there like

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Speaker 1: old Sampson and think that it's not influencing us. We're

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Speaker 1: being influenced, whether we realize it or not. The scripture

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Speaker 1: says in first crin tens fifteen thirty three, bad company

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Speaker 1: corrupts good character. That means our good is not going

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Speaker 1: to necessarily rub off on them. They're bad is going

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Speaker 1: to rub off on us. And again, we can do

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Speaker 1: it politely. But we need to learn to distance ourselves

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Speaker 1: from that junk, distance yourself from contaminating influences. One thing

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Speaker 1: Victoria will tell you is I want to listen to junk.

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Speaker 1: If you know something bad about somebody, I don't want

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Speaker 1: to hear it.

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Speaker 2: Just tell me.

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Speaker 1: I need to pray, and that's enough. But I don't

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Speaker 1: want to be a part of gossip. And I'm asking

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Speaker 1: us today to put ourselves in an environment so that

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Speaker 1: we can grow. This may mean that you have to

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Speaker 1: eliminate a few friendships. It may mean that you can't

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Speaker 1: play on that ball team that's always partying after every

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Speaker 1: game and causing you to compromise. It may mean that

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Speaker 1: you can't ride with that car pool, that group that

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Speaker 1: poisons you.

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Speaker 2: To work every day anymore.

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Speaker 1: When you say, Joel, they're good Christian people. They go

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Speaker 1: to church every sun. Now you know what I found.

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Speaker 1: Some people don't want to go as high as I

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Speaker 1: want to go. Some people want to do just enough

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Speaker 1: to barely get by. And they're good people, but they'll

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Speaker 1: compromise left and right, take the easy way out.

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Speaker 2: And that's fine for them. But I'm talking.

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Speaker 1: About reaching your highest potential. I'm talking about experiencing God's

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Speaker 1: abundant life. And if this is gonna happen, if I

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Speaker 1: can be real honest with you, You're gonna have to

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Speaker 1: eliminate the toxic people from your life. Eliminate the people

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Speaker 1: that are poisoning you, Eliminate the people that are dragging

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Speaker 1: you down.

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Speaker 2: Listen, you are a child of the Most High God.

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Speaker 2: You have a destiny to fulfill, you have an assignment.

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Speaker 1: There's something God wants you to do. Your attitude should

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Speaker 1: be I'm on my way somewhere. Don't poison me with

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Speaker 1: that junk. Don't try to drag me down. I'm gonna

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Speaker 1: fulfill my God given destiny. Well you say, Joel, if

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Speaker 1: I do that, I'm afraid I may hurt some feelings.

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Speaker 1: I'm afraid I may get some people upset at me. Well,

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Speaker 1: you have to ask yourself, do you want to please

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Speaker 1: people or do you want to please God? And yes,

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Speaker 1: you may ruffle a few feathers and you may have

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Speaker 1: to spend a few months being lonely. But what if

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Speaker 1: they keep you in a lifetime of mediocrity? What if

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Speaker 1: they keep you from fulfilling your call? Friends, you cannot

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Speaker 1: soar with the eagles as long as you're pecking around

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Speaker 1: with the chickens and some of you today, if you

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Speaker 1: don't make some radical decisions to put yourself in a

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Speaker 1: better environment and to get rid of all these contaminating influences,

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Speaker 1: then you're never going to become all God's created you

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Speaker 1: to be. And what a shame that would be. That's

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Speaker 1: why I'm challenging us to take the necessary steps to

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Speaker 1: eliminate the negative influences.

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Speaker 2: In our lives.

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Speaker 1: Let's put ourselves in an environment so our seeds of

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Speaker 1: greatness can really begin to grow. And when we do this,

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Speaker 1: at first, you know it's kind of uncomfortable. But let

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Speaker 1: me tell you, God sees it. And I found you

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Speaker 1: never give up something for God without him giving you

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Speaker 1: so much more in return. And you may have to

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Speaker 1: give up a few friendships and you think, man, I'm

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Speaker 1: gonna be lonely. You know, listen, God will give you

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Speaker 1: new friends, He'll give you better friends, He'll give you

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Speaker 1: people that.

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Speaker 2: Inspire you to rise higher.

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Speaker 1: The one thing I've learned is you cannot help a

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Speaker 1: person that won't separate themselves from a toxic environment. And

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Speaker 1: I'm not saying that we shouldn't be friendly. I do

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Speaker 1: my best to be friendly. To every person I meet.

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Speaker 1: Doesn't matter who they are. They can have every bad

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Speaker 1: habit known to man. They can compromise left and right.

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Speaker 1: But you know that doesn't stop me from smiling, being friendly,

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Speaker 1: and challenging them to rise higher.

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Speaker 2: See.

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Speaker 1: I can be friendly, but when it comes to being friends,

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Speaker 1: when it comes to spending time together and coming over

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Speaker 1: to my house and interacting with my family, that's a

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Speaker 1: different story.

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Speaker 2: I can be friends from a distance all day long.

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Speaker 1: But if they run around on their spouse, let me

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Speaker 1: tell you, we're not gonna hang out together. If they're

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Speaker 1: not honest in their business dealings, we're not gonna pow

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Speaker 1: wow around. If they can't control their temper, they can't

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Speaker 1: control their mouth, you're not going to.

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Speaker 2: See me being buddy buddy with them.

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Speaker 1: And it's not because I think I'm too good. It's

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Speaker 1: not because I'm just too self righteous. No, it's simply

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Speaker 1: because I understand this principle I understand. No matter how

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Speaker 1: strong I think I am, if I hang around with

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Speaker 1: them too closely, too often, they have the potential to

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Speaker 1: drag me down. They have the potential to pollute my life.

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Speaker 1: I don't even want to give that junk a chance

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Speaker 1: of rubbing off on me. I have a destiny to fulfill.

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Speaker 1: I have an assignment.

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Speaker 2: Each one of you do as well. And I'm not.

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Speaker 1: Saying that we should just isolate ourselves and not have

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Speaker 1: any contact with anyone that has a bad habit or

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Speaker 1: anyone that needs help.

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Speaker 2: Of course not.

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Speaker 1: The Bible talks about how Jesus was a friend of sinners.

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Speaker 1: He was always reaching out to help people in need.

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Speaker 1: He went to eat with some of the worst ones

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Speaker 1: of his day. But when it came to the ones

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Speaker 1: Jesus chose to live with day in and day out,

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Speaker 1: to eat with, to travel with, to sleep with, those

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Speaker 1: were his twelve disciples.

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Speaker 2: Those were his closest friends.

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Speaker 1: And sometimes I hear people say, well, I'm just hanging

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Speaker 1: around with him to try to help him, to try

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Speaker 1: to get his life on the right course.

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Speaker 2: And that's good.

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Speaker 1: We should mentor people, we should be good examples. But

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Speaker 1: please don't use that as an excuse to compromise. Well,

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Speaker 1: I'm just gonna go party with everybody after work because

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Speaker 1: I'm trying to be a good influence on this guy. No,

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Speaker 1: a better influence would be to take a strong stand

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Speaker 1: and say, you know what, I'm not going there with you.

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Speaker 1: I'll meet you some other time, but I'm not gonna

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Speaker 1: put myself in that kind of environment.

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Speaker 2: And a good rule is as long as.

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Speaker 1: You are affecting them and they're not infecting you, then

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Speaker 1: it's okay. But the moment you realize that you're compromising

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Speaker 1: and they're starting to rub off on.

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Speaker 2: You, you're gonna have to make some changes.

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Speaker 1: And I know some of these things we don't have

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Speaker 1: a choice. You may be married to somebody that's very

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Speaker 1: negative and somebody that's always dragging you down, and I'm

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Speaker 1: not saying to go get rid of that person.

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Speaker 2: Some of you I have never looked so happy. You

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Speaker 2: think you've got the word that you needed.

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Speaker 1: Today, Joel told me, I'm gonna go get rid of this.

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Speaker 2: Old goat man.

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Speaker 1: No, a marriage is a different situation. Or maybe you

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Speaker 1: work besides somebody that's a bad influence and you can't

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Speaker 1: help it.

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Speaker 2: Man, their desk is next to yours, and next thing

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Speaker 2: you can do about it.

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Speaker 1: Well, I believe in those cases that God will give

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Speaker 1: you the grace that you need. If you'll have the

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Speaker 1: right attitude, God will keep you protected, He'll keep.

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Speaker 2: That junk from rubbing off on you and if you

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Speaker 2: are married to.

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Speaker 1: Somebody that's negative and somebody that tends to pull you down,

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Speaker 1: one thing you need to do is every time you

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Speaker 1: can put yourself in an environment that will build you up.

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Speaker 1: When you have free time, find some friends that are happy,

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Speaker 1: find some people that will cheer you up.

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Speaker 2: You got to do.

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Speaker 1: Something to compensate for it. But don't you dare go

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Speaker 1: out and find five other depressed people and sit around,

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Speaker 1: and sit around and talk about how bad your marriage is.

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Speaker 1: No more than anybody to make especially sure every chance

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Speaker 1: you get to put yourself in a healthy.

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Speaker 2: Positive environment. I think about Abraham.

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Speaker 1: God made him a great promise there in Genesis twelve,

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Speaker 1: verse two. God said, Abraham, I'm gonna bless you and

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Speaker 1: prosper you. I'm gonna pour out an abundant increase of

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Speaker 1: my favor, and you're gonna be a blessing everywhere you go.

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Speaker 1: And I believe that's God's dream for every one of us.

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Speaker 1: But you notice Verse one tells us what Abraham had

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Speaker 1: to do in order for this to take place. God said, Abraham,

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Speaker 1: you've got to get up and go away from where

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Speaker 1: you are, leave your country, leave your relatives, leave your

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Speaker 1: father's house.

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Speaker 2: And go into the land where I'm showing you.

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Speaker 1: In other words, God would say in Abraham, if you

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Speaker 1: want this great promise to come to pass, then I'm

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Speaker 1: gonna have to get you in a different environment.

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Speaker 2: You're gonna have to make some changes. Why was that.

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Speaker 1: It's because Abraham's relatives and all the people around him

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Speaker 1: at that time were idle worshipers. Everywhere he looked there

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Speaker 1: were bad influences, and God knew as long as he

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Speaker 1: was in that type of environment, it would not permit

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Speaker 1: the growth that God had in mind. And I'm sure

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Speaker 1: at first Abraham thought, oh, God, just change my family.

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Speaker 1: Why don't you change my relatives, change the people around me.

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Speaker 1: But most of the time that's not the way it works.

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Speaker 1: God asked us to walk away from the bad influences.

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Speaker 1: He asked us to leave the places where we're constantly

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Speaker 1: being tempted, and we need to put ourselves in a

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Speaker 1: new environment. And some of you today, if you don't

365
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Speaker 1: make these changes, you're not going to see the great

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Speaker 1: promises of God come to pass in your life. And

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Speaker 1: of course I'm not saying to just leave your family.

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Speaker 1: I'm not saying to not have anything to do with

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Speaker 1: your relatives. But you know as well as I do.

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Speaker 1: Sometimes the people that are closest to you can be

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Speaker 1: the ones that hinder you the most. Sometimes your own

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Speaker 1: relatives will be the first ones to try to talk

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Speaker 1: you out of your dreams. You mean you're gonna do what,

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Speaker 1: You're gonna be prosperous, You're gonna be successful.

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Speaker 2: You think you have God's favor. I don't think so.

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Speaker 2: We've never had it.

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Speaker 1: And if you listen, no wonder right, And if you

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Speaker 1: listen to that junk long enough, you know what, it'll take.

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Speaker 2: Root and it'll keep you from God's best.

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Speaker 1: And some of you today you know God has put

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Speaker 1: something bigger in you than the environment you're in. Everywhere

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Speaker 1: you look, there's negativity, there's bad influences, there's people with

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Speaker 1: small minded thinking.

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Speaker 2: And if you don't make some changes, if.

385
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Speaker 1: You don't put yourself in a different environment that will

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Speaker 1: permit this new growth, then unfortunately it's not.

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Speaker 2: Gonna come to pass.

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Speaker 1: The problem is you're being limited. You're being restricted by

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Speaker 1: your environment. And they may be good people, but sometimes

390
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Speaker 1: it's just a new season. It's just time to move on,

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Speaker 1: to make some changes. Something is bigger in.

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Speaker 2: You than the environment. That you're in.

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Speaker 1: This is just what happened to my father way back

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Speaker 1: in nineteen fifty eight, before I was born. Daddy was

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Speaker 1: pastor of a very successful church here in town. They

396
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Speaker 1: just built a brand new sanctuary. He was on the

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Speaker 1: state board for his denomination. Life was going very well.

398
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Speaker 1: But about that time, my sister Lisa was born with

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Speaker 1: a birth injury that was similar to cerebral palsy. The

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Speaker 1: doctors told my parents Lisa would never be normal, and

401
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Speaker 1: as you can imagine, it was a very dark day

402
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Speaker 1: in their life.

403
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Speaker 2: And so my father went away and he began to search.

404
00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:29,760
Speaker 1: The scriptures as never before, and he saw how Jesus

405
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Speaker 1: went about healing everybody everywhere he went.

406
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Speaker 2: He saw how God was a good God that he

407
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Speaker 2: wanted us to prosper and be in health.

408
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Speaker 1: He went back to his church and he began to

409
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Speaker 1: preach with a new fire, a new enthusiasm. He told him,

410
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Speaker 1: we're going to believe for miracles. We know God's a

411
00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:49,760
Speaker 1: supernatural god, and you can live a life of victory.

412
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Speaker 1: He thought everybody'd be excited. He thought they'd all be thrilled,

413
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Speaker 1: But do you know, most of them didn't like it.

414
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Speaker 1: They were offended.

415
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Speaker 2: By it.

416
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Speaker 1: They were very steeped in their tradition. It wasn't what

417
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Speaker 1: they were used to. He began to ruffle a few

418
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Speaker 1: feathers and make a long story short. You know how

419
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Speaker 1: God did heal my sister. She's perfectly normal today. But

420
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Speaker 1: Daddy knew one of them. Heymen, Daddy knew the best

421
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Speaker 1: thing he could do in order to keep the peace

422
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Speaker 1: in that church was to just walk away.

423
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Speaker 2: And so he left there and went down to an.

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Speaker 1: Abandoned feed store, and on Mother's Day in nineteen fifty nine,

425
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Speaker 1: they started at Lakewood Church.

426
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Speaker 2: See deep down in here.

427
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Speaker 1: Daddy knew God had put something bigger in him than

428
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Speaker 1: that environment could handle. And they were good people, but

429
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Speaker 1: he knew if he stayed there, just like planting an

430
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Speaker 1: oak tree in a pot, that was going to restrict

431
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Speaker 1: his growth. And don't get me wrong, it was hard

432
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Speaker 1: for my parents to leave. They had just built that

433
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Speaker 1: beautiful sanctuary and now they were meeting in a run down,

434
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Speaker 1: dirty feed store, a place where they actually had sold

435
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Speaker 1: hay and feed. My mother told how she was twenty

436
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Speaker 1: eight years old at the time, and she lost almost

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Speaker 1: every one of her friends. They wouldn't have anything to

438
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Speaker 1: do with her. They thought Daddy had gone off the

439
00:21:09,640 --> 00:21:12,560
Speaker 1: deep end, and here they were having to start from scratch,

440
00:21:13,119 --> 00:21:15,200
Speaker 1: and in the natural it looked like a big mistake.

441
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Speaker 1: The easy thing was to just stay where it was

442
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Speaker 1: safe and comfortable. The easy thing was to just conform

443
00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:25,320
Speaker 1: to that environment. But no, they knew they had something

444
00:21:25,359 --> 00:21:28,040
Speaker 1: bigger in them than the environment they were in. And

445
00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:30,880
Speaker 1: they dared to take a step of faith. And had

446
00:21:30,920 --> 00:21:33,840
Speaker 1: they not been willing to walk away, had they not

447
00:21:33,960 --> 00:21:36,919
Speaker 1: been willing to make those tough choices, I'm sure I

448
00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:40,000
Speaker 1: wouldn't be standing here today. And some of you right now,

449
00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:42,840
Speaker 1: you know you have something bigger on the inside. You

450
00:21:42,920 --> 00:21:45,760
Speaker 1: know you're made for more than what you're doing. But

451
00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:48,280
Speaker 1: every voice all around you tells you to just stay

452
00:21:48,320 --> 00:21:50,960
Speaker 1: where you are. Man, this is all your parents had,

453
00:21:51,040 --> 00:21:52,400
Speaker 1: this is what your grandparents had.

454
00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:54,240
Speaker 2: You'd better just play it safe.

455
00:21:54,359 --> 00:21:56,640
Speaker 1: I No, Sometimes you've got to be willing to take

456
00:21:56,680 --> 00:21:59,320
Speaker 1: a risk. Sometimes you got to get out of your

457
00:21:59,359 --> 00:22:03,120
Speaker 1: comfort zone and put yourself in a new environment. If

458
00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:06,560
Speaker 1: you don't, it's going to limit your potential. If you don't,

459
00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:09,679
Speaker 1: it can restrict your growth. And I'm not saying to

460
00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:12,119
Speaker 1: be foolish and just leave a city or leave a job.

461
00:22:12,359 --> 00:22:14,440
Speaker 1: Of course, you've got to pray, and you've got to

462
00:22:14,560 --> 00:22:16,840
Speaker 1: use common sense and ask God to really show you.

463
00:22:17,560 --> 00:22:19,879
Speaker 1: But there are some things that we can do simply

464
00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:21,200
Speaker 1: to change.

465
00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:22,320
Speaker 2: The atmosphere around us.

466
00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:25,919
Speaker 1: I have these friends that pastor a church in another state,

467
00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:29,080
Speaker 1: and when they first started the church years and years ago,

468
00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:32,480
Speaker 1: they were totally broke. They didn't have any money. They

469
00:22:32,480 --> 00:22:35,560
Speaker 1: were living in a tiny apartment. The man would work

470
00:22:35,600 --> 00:22:38,160
Speaker 1: all week. On the weekends he would pastor the church

471
00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:40,080
Speaker 1: and they met right there in their apartment.

472
00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:41,240
Speaker 2: Only had about.

473
00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:43,919
Speaker 1: Fifteen or twenty people coming. This went on for years.

474
00:22:44,359 --> 00:22:47,239
Speaker 1: They were so tempted to get discouraged. They hardly had

475
00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:49,960
Speaker 1: any furniture, didn't have money to do anything extra.

476
00:22:50,440 --> 00:22:52,639
Speaker 2: I mean, their future didn't look very bright.

477
00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:56,960
Speaker 1: But deep down in here they knew God had put

478
00:22:57,000 --> 00:22:59,600
Speaker 1: something bigger in them than the environment they were in.

479
00:23:00,119 --> 00:23:03,240
Speaker 1: They knew one day they would be ministering to thousands

480
00:23:03,240 --> 00:23:05,679
Speaker 1: of people. And so instead of just sitting in their

481
00:23:05,720 --> 00:23:10,080
Speaker 1: little apartment every night complaining and feeling sorry for themselves, you.

482
00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:10,720
Speaker 2: Know what they did.

483
00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:13,399
Speaker 1: They would drive down to one of the big fancy

484
00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:14,600
Speaker 1: hotels down the road.

485
00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:16,880
Speaker 2: They didn't even have money for parking.

486
00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:19,359
Speaker 1: They'd have to park way down the street and walk

487
00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:21,600
Speaker 1: the rest of the way. But they would go there

488
00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:24,960
Speaker 1: night after night and just sit in the hotel lobby

489
00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:29,120
Speaker 1: and do nothing more than dream. They wanted to put

490
00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:33,800
Speaker 1: themselves in an atmosphere of success, an environment of victory.

491
00:23:34,280 --> 00:23:37,359
Speaker 1: As they looked around at all the beautiful surroundings, a

492
00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:41,080
Speaker 1: new image was taken root on the inside. Night after night,

493
00:23:41,119 --> 00:23:43,400
Speaker 1: they just sit there and thank God, one day you're

494
00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:45,760
Speaker 1: going to bring our dreams to pass. One day we

495
00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:49,400
Speaker 1: know we're gonna be ministering to thousands. See, they put

496
00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:54,160
Speaker 1: themselves in an environment that would inspire growth. They didn't

497
00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:56,880
Speaker 1: have too much, but now that new dream was really

498
00:23:56,960 --> 00:23:58,480
Speaker 1: taking root on the inside.

499
00:23:58,560 --> 00:23:59,960
Speaker 2: They were enlarging their vents.

500
00:24:00,840 --> 00:24:04,920
Speaker 1: Today, many years later, they're seeing those dreams come to pass. Friends,

501
00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:08,560
Speaker 1: it's so important the environment we put ourselves in, from

502
00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:12,399
Speaker 1: the friends we choose to even our physical surroundings. And

503
00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:14,399
Speaker 1: you may be at a place that's not too hot,

504
00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:17,480
Speaker 1: but you can do something like this couple. Go find

505
00:24:17,560 --> 00:24:22,280
Speaker 1: somewhere you can dream, Find someplace that inspires. You don't

506
00:24:22,320 --> 00:24:25,320
Speaker 1: just sit around night after night focused on the negative

507
00:24:25,359 --> 00:24:27,639
Speaker 1: and focused on what you don't have. You got to

508
00:24:27,760 --> 00:24:31,359
Speaker 1: change your environment. You need to leave the place where

509
00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:34,480
Speaker 1: you are. It may not be physically. Some of you

510
00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:37,679
Speaker 1: just need to leave a bad attitude, leave a wrong mindset,

511
00:24:38,119 --> 00:24:39,800
Speaker 1: start dreaming bigger dreams.

512
00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:41,119
Speaker 2: Well, God told.

513
00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:44,680
Speaker 1: Abraham to leave his country, leave his relatives. And Abraham

514
00:24:44,720 --> 00:24:47,680
Speaker 1: did leave, but he made one big mistake. He took

515
00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:51,119
Speaker 1: his nephew Lot with him. God never told him to

516
00:24:51,119 --> 00:24:54,120
Speaker 1: take Lot. And do you know, Lot was the one

517
00:24:54,200 --> 00:24:58,119
Speaker 1: that ended up causing him problems. They got into strife

518
00:24:58,200 --> 00:25:01,760
Speaker 1: and eventually they had to separate. Right, And I believe

519
00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:05,520
Speaker 1: that Lot represents that one thing we try to hold onto.

520
00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:08,439
Speaker 1: Oh Joe, just this one friend. I know he's not

521
00:25:08,480 --> 00:25:10,840
Speaker 1: a good influence, but we've been friends a long time.

522
00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:15,240
Speaker 1: Just this one bad habit, just this one wrong mindset.

523
00:25:16,160 --> 00:25:19,680
Speaker 1: It's interesting when God told Abraham to leave, he didn't

524
00:25:19,680 --> 00:25:21,120
Speaker 1: speak to him again.

525
00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:24,160
Speaker 2: Until he got rid of Lot.

526
00:25:24,600 --> 00:25:28,720
Speaker 1: In other words, Lot was keeping Abraham from hearing God's voice.

527
00:25:29,119 --> 00:25:33,080
Speaker 1: Lot was keeping Abraham from fulfilling his destiny. We have

528
00:25:33,160 --> 00:25:36,800
Speaker 1: to understand God will not make us do anything. He

529
00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:40,560
Speaker 1: asked us to walk away from bad influences. He asked

530
00:25:40,640 --> 00:25:43,720
Speaker 1: us to stay in a healthy, positive environment. Then it's

531
00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:47,000
Speaker 1: up to us and some of you today, I believe

532
00:25:47,280 --> 00:25:50,399
Speaker 1: that you would get clear direction for your life. You

533
00:25:50,440 --> 00:25:53,840
Speaker 1: would see God open up new doors of opportunity if

534
00:25:53,840 --> 00:25:57,639
Speaker 1: you'd simply separate yourself from the things that you know

535
00:25:57,800 --> 00:25:58,720
Speaker 1: are holding you back.

536
00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:01,800
Speaker 2: It may be it may be something.

537
00:26:01,560 --> 00:26:05,080
Speaker 1: You're watching, may be a wrong mindset, whatever it is,

538
00:26:05,240 --> 00:26:08,080
Speaker 1: I really believe if you just make a clean break,

539
00:26:08,359 --> 00:26:11,199
Speaker 1: you would see God's favor in a much greater, in

540
00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:14,399
Speaker 1: a much newer way. So I challenge you again today

541
00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:18,160
Speaker 1: to evaluate your friendships. Who are you spending time with,

542
00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:21,879
Speaker 1: Who's influencing you? What kind of environment are you putting

543
00:26:21,880 --> 00:26:22,439
Speaker 1: yourself in?

544
00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:25,200
Speaker 2: Is it restricting you? Is it causing you to make

545
00:26:25,240 --> 00:26:28,600
Speaker 2: poor choices? If so, why don't you make some changes.

546
00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:32,840
Speaker 1: Do your best to stay in a healthy, positive environment. Remember,

547
00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:35,600
Speaker 1: our environment is going to change us before we change it.

548
00:26:36,320 --> 00:26:38,800
Speaker 1: That means we need to stay in the right culture

549
00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:42,560
Speaker 1: so those seeds of greatness can take root and really

550
00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:45,399
Speaker 1: become a reality in our lives. And I know if

551
00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:47,520
Speaker 1: you do this, God will do for you what he

552
00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:50,720
Speaker 1: did for Abraham. He will bless you and prosper you.

553
00:26:51,080 --> 00:26:53,960
Speaker 1: He'll pour out his goodness and you'll experience the life

554
00:26:53,960 --> 00:26:55,720
Speaker 1: of victory that he has in story.

555
00:26:55,760 --> 00:26:58,520
Speaker 2: Amen, do you receive it today? Well? I know you do.

556
00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:03,080
Speaker 1: We never like to close our broad test without giving

557
00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:06,040
Speaker 1: you an opportunity to make Jesus the lord of your life.

558
00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:07,240
Speaker 2: Would you pray with me?

559
00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:12,560
Speaker 1: Just say, Lord, Jesus, I repent of my sins.

560
00:27:13,119 --> 00:27:17,000
Speaker 2: Come into my heart. I make you my Lord and savior.

561
00:27:18,320 --> 00:27:20,720
Speaker 1: Friends, if you prayed that simple prayer, we believe you

562
00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:21,639
Speaker 1: got born again.

563
00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:25,000
Speaker 2: Get in a good Bible based church. Keep God first place.

564
00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:27,679
Speaker 2: He's going to take your places that you've never dreamed of.

565
00:27:29,359 --> 00:27:32,959
Speaker 4: It starts with just a tiny seed. From it tender

566
00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:36,920
Speaker 4: bud sprout. The miracle of new life blooms and thrives.

567
00:27:37,240 --> 00:27:40,800
Speaker 4: But how do you experience the same miraculous and extraordinary

568
00:27:40,840 --> 00:27:42,560
Speaker 4: growth in your own life?

569
00:27:42,600 --> 00:27:46,240
Speaker 1: Sometimes our life is limited because we're believing too small.

570
00:27:46,880 --> 00:27:50,520
Speaker 2: Faith is like a sea. When you believe all things.

571
00:27:50,320 --> 00:27:54,439
Speaker 1: Are possible, that's when you'll see new growth, opportunity, and healing.

572
00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:57,159
Speaker 3: We don't have to figure out how it's going to happen.

573
00:27:57,480 --> 00:27:59,160
Speaker 2: All we have to do is believe.

574
00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:02,160
Speaker 3: There may be away in the natural, but our God

575
00:28:02,320 --> 00:28:03,280
Speaker 3: is supernatural.

576
00:28:03,400 --> 00:28:06,680
Speaker 1: We'd like to send you this time next year. Believe

577
00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:09,679
Speaker 1: Big Journal. It will help you to enlarge your vision

578
00:28:09,760 --> 00:28:12,639
Speaker 1: and stretch your faith. Where would you like to be

579
00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:15,600
Speaker 1: a year from now? Who knows what God will do

580
00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:18,199
Speaker 1: in twenty twenty four if you'll take the limits off

581
00:28:18,240 --> 00:28:21,000
Speaker 1: of Him and believe for the great things He's placed

582
00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:21,639
Speaker 1: in your heart.

583
00:28:22,119 --> 00:28:24,639
Speaker 4: As our thank you for your gift of any amount

584
00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:27,200
Speaker 4: this month, we want to send you that this time

585
00:28:27,280 --> 00:28:31,040
Speaker 4: next year, Believe Big Journal along with our new Believe tea.

586
00:28:31,359 --> 00:28:34,480
Speaker 4: As you begin to Believe Big, you'll see God move

587
00:28:34,600 --> 00:28:40,120
Speaker 4: in powerful ways, the impossible made possible. Growth, provision, and

588
00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:43,680
Speaker 4: new opportunities will burst forth above and beyond which you

589
00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:47,360
Speaker 4: can ask or imagine. Also, for the first time ever,

590
00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:50,640
Speaker 4: we want to present you with our new Believe t shirt,

591
00:28:51,000 --> 00:28:54,680
Speaker 4: created exclusively by our friends at Copperfeit for the viewers

592
00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:58,560
Speaker 4: and partners of Jolstein. We invite you to wear and

593
00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:02,000
Speaker 4: declare which you are believe God or in twenty twenty four.

594
00:29:02,360 --> 00:29:05,440
Speaker 4: It's a gift from Copperfit as they extend their support

595
00:29:05,480 --> 00:29:06,880
Speaker 4: of the message of Hope.

596
00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:09,360
Speaker 1: Many of you have watched us a long time, but

597
00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:10,760
Speaker 1: you've never been to Lakewood.

598
00:29:11,040 --> 00:29:13,120
Speaker 2: We have a perfect time. We're calling it.

599
00:29:13,160 --> 00:29:17,320
Speaker 1: Homecoming weekend April thirteenth and fourteenth. We'd love to meet you.

600
00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:19,080
Speaker 2: I'll introduce you to my family.

601
00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:22,160
Speaker 1: You can see the facility and enjoy a service. We'd

602
00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:23,400
Speaker 1: be honored to have you.

603
00:29:23,600 --> 00:29:25,000
Speaker 2: We'll make you feel right at home.

604
00:29:25,320 --> 00:29:28,560
Speaker 1: Remember you can watch the services live online every Sunday.

605
00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:32,840
Speaker 1: Download our podcast watch on YouTube. We'll keep you inspired

606
00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:33,840
Speaker 1: and encouraged.

607
00:29:34,200 --> 00:29:37,280
Speaker 4: Be sure to request your copy of This Time next year.

608
00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:40,880
Speaker 4: Believe Big Journal and the Copperfit Believe T shirt as

609
00:29:40,920 --> 00:29:44,959
Speaker 4: our gift of thanks Today, visit Joelostein dot com or

610
00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:48,840
Speaker 4: call us tool free