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Speaker 1: Hi, this is Joel and Victoria. Thanks for listening to

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Speaker 1: our podcast and thanks for supporting the ministry. If you

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Speaker 1: enjoy today's message, why don't you be a blessing and

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Speaker 1: share it with a friend. We reappreciate you and pray

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Speaker 1: for God's very best in your life. Well, God bless you.

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Speaker 1: It's a joy to come into your homes, and if

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Speaker 1: you're ever in our area, please stop buy and be

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Speaker 1: a part of one of our services. I promise you

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Speaker 1: we'll make you feel right at home. But I like

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Speaker 1: to start with something funny, and I heard about this

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Speaker 1: man named Bubba. He lived way out in the country

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Speaker 1: and there was a stray dog that kept showing up

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Speaker 1: at his house. His wife said, Bubba, you have to

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Speaker 1: put the dog in the truck, take him out to

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Speaker 1: the woods and drop him off. That's where he lived.

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Speaker 1: Bubba drove him a mile down the road, dropped him off.

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Speaker 1: When he came home, the dog was walking up the

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Speaker 1: driveway practically beat him back. Happened again and again. His

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Speaker 1: wife said, Bubba, you have to take him way out,

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Speaker 1: drive him around in circles, get him mixed up. Bubba

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Speaker 1: drove an hour away, crisscross country. He had never driven before,

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Speaker 1: dropped him off. Two hours later, he called his wife

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Speaker 1: from the truck, said did the dog come back? She said, yeah,

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Speaker 1: he's walking up the driveway. He said, do me a favor.

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Speaker 1: Put him on the line. I need directions. Say it

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Speaker 1: like you mean it. This is my Bible. I am

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

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

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Speaker 1: Today I will be taught the word of God. I

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

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Speaker 1: I will never be the same. In Jesus' name, God

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Speaker 1: bless you. I want to talk to you today about

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Speaker 1: keep believing for your loved ones. We all have someone

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Speaker 1: that we're hoping will change, a family member this off course,

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Speaker 1: a child that's not making good decisions, or a friend

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Speaker 1: that's struggling with an addiction. We've been praying, believing, but

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Speaker 1: it doesn't look like it's making any difference. It's easy

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Speaker 1: to get frustrated and think that we're wasting our time.

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Speaker 1: But if they're going to reach their destiny, they need

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Speaker 1: someone who will wait on them, someone that will keep praying,

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Speaker 1: keep encouraging, keep speaking faith into their future, telling them

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Speaker 1: you may be off course, you may be compromising, but

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Speaker 1: I still believe in you. I know you have seeds

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Speaker 1: of greatness. The hand of God is on your life.

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Speaker 1: They need someone that will stand in the gap, that

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Speaker 1: will believe for them when they can't believe for themselves.

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Speaker 1: Someone that will cover them with mercy, not judge them,

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Speaker 1: not find fault, but that will help love them back

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Speaker 1: into wholeness. We write people off too easily. Where they

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Speaker 1: are now is not where they're going to end up.

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Speaker 1: Don't judge them by the present. Before the Apostle, Paul

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Speaker 1: was a follower of Christ. Before he wrote half of

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Speaker 1: the New Testament. His name was Saul, and he hated believers.

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Speaker 1: He was the biggest enemy of the church. He went

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Speaker 1: from city to city, having believers arrested and even killed.

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Speaker 1: If we would have seen him, we'd have thought, this

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Speaker 1: guy doesn't have a chance. He's a terrorist. He's against

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Speaker 1: everything we stand for. Yet God told Anonius, go pray

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Speaker 1: for Saul. He's a chosen vessel to bear my name.

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Speaker 1: Some of the people we're attempted to write off are

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Speaker 1: chosen vessels. They're going to advance the kingdom, They're going

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Speaker 1: to do great things. All they need is for someone

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Speaker 1: to wait on them, someone to say, yeah, they're off course.

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Speaker 1: But I'm going to send them a text and let

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Speaker 1: them know that I'm praying for them. I'm going to

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Speaker 1: invite them to lunch, not to straighten them out, not

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Speaker 1: to judge them, but to let them know that I

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Speaker 1: love them, that I believe in them, that if they

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Speaker 1: need anything, all they have to do is ask, will

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Speaker 1: you wait on someone while God is changing them? John

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Speaker 1: chapter four. Jesus was in Samaria waiting by a well.

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Speaker 1: He'd sent the disciples into the city to get food.

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Speaker 1: While he was waiting, a Samaritan woman came out to

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Speaker 1: get some water. Back then, the Jews and Samaritans didn't

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Speaker 1: have anything to do with each other, but Jesus asked

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Speaker 1: her for a drink of water. She said, Sir, you're

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Speaker 1: a Jew. I'm a Samaritan. Why are you asking me

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Speaker 1: for something. Jesus said, if you knew who I am,

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Speaker 1: you would ask me and I would give you living water.

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Speaker 1: She said, Sir, please give me this water. Jesus asked

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Speaker 1: her to go call her husband. She told him that

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Speaker 1: she didn't have a husband. Jesus said, you're right, you've

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Speaker 1: had five and the man you're living with is not

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Speaker 1: your husband. She said, sir, you must be a prophet.

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Speaker 1: We know one day the Messiah will come. Jesus looked

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Speaker 1: at her and said, I am the Messiah. This woman

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Speaker 1: went back home told everyone what had happened. The scripture

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Speaker 1: says many Samaritans believed in Jesus because of her. What's

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Speaker 1: interesting is Jesus could have gone into the city to

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Speaker 1: get food with the disciples. He was hungry, but he

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Speaker 1: chose to wait at this well noticed who he was

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Speaker 1: waiting for. A woman that didn't have a good reputation.

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Speaker 1: He waited for a woman that had been married five times,

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Speaker 1: a woman that had blown it. I'm sure people had

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Speaker 1: written her off, thought this lady is messed up. When

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Speaker 1: she walked by, I can hear them whisper there she is,

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Speaker 1: wonder who she's married to this week. They had laughed, gossip.

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Speaker 1: We looked down on her because she was married so

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Speaker 1: many times. The truth is this woman had been rejected

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Speaker 1: by men. She'd been pushed down by life. Jesus waited

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Speaker 1: for a woman that he didn't feel valuable, a woman

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Speaker 1: that had very little self worth. You would have thought

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Speaker 1: he would waited for the mayor of the city for

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Speaker 1: someone with prominence and influence. After all, Jesus was busy.

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Speaker 1: He had a lot of demands, but he chose to

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Speaker 1: wait for a woman that didn't have it altogether. He

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Speaker 1: didn't judge her, he didn't condemn her. He spoke life

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Speaker 1: into her. He lifted her, he valued her. It's significant

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Speaker 1: that the Samaritans didn't worship Jehovah. They worshiped idols. They

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Speaker 1: had stone gods that they prayed to. Jesus waited for

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Speaker 1: a woman that came from a different faith, a woman

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Speaker 1: that didn't worship the god of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

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Speaker 1: The first person Jesus ever told he was the Messiah,

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Speaker 1: wasn't the religious leaders, wasn't the chief priest. When Jesus

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Speaker 1: wanted to announce one of the most important things he

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Speaker 1: would ever say, he announced it to this woman. Society said,

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Speaker 1: forget about her, she's done. She doesn't make good decisions.

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Speaker 1: God said, no, I'm not only going to wait on her.

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Speaker 1: I'm going to honor her by telling her who I am.

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Speaker 1: I think about how many times God has waited on us.

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Speaker 1: He waited when we were off course, He waited when

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Speaker 1: we wouldn't forgive. He waited when we were addicted, when

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Speaker 1: we were compromising, when we had a bad attitude. He

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Speaker 1: could have said that's it, I'm done with you. But

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Speaker 1: he waited. He showed us mercy. He picked us up

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Speaker 1: when we fell. He kept the addiction from taking our life.

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Speaker 1: He protected us when we chose the wrong friends. He

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Speaker 1: kept that accident from taking us out. He waited when

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Speaker 1: we didn't believe. He waited when we ignored him. He

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Speaker 1: waited when we were better. Sometimes it's good to look

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Speaker 1: back and say, Lord, thank you waiting on me. Lord,

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Speaker 1: thank you for giving me another chance. Thank you for

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Speaker 1: cleaning up the mess I made. Thank you for covering

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Speaker 1: me when I didn't deserve it. God has waited on

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Speaker 1: all of us. Now he's asking, will you wait on

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Speaker 1: someone for me? Will you wait on that friend that's

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Speaker 1: not making good decisions? Will you call them, encourage them,

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Speaker 1: let them know that you care. Will you wait on

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Speaker 1: that neighbor that doesn't believe in me, that makes fun

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Speaker 1: of your faith? Will you stand in the gap, keep

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Speaker 1: letting your light shine? Or will you wait for that

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Speaker 1: family member that's been off course for years struggling with issues.

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Speaker 1: Seems like the more you pray. The worse they get,

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Speaker 1: you're ready to give up. God is saying, wait on them,

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Speaker 1: keep praying, keep loving, keep encouraging. My mother prayed for

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Speaker 1: a man named Bill Nash for many years. Bill was

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Speaker 1: a country Western singer. He grew up in church. His

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Speaker 1: parents were missionaries to Mexico, and he had a strong

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Speaker 1: foundation of faith. But in his teens he got off

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Speaker 1: course and started running with the wrong crowd, and he

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Speaker 1: ended up struggling with drugs and alcohol. Instead of singing

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Speaker 1: in church, he was singing in bars and clubs. Deep down,

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Speaker 1: he was unhappy. He knew he was running from God,

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Speaker 1: but he couldn't get out on his own. Driving down

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Speaker 1: the freeways, my mother would see his name on the

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Speaker 1: marquis at the clubs where he was playing. Every time

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Speaker 1: she would pray for him, Lord, bring Bill back home,

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Speaker 1: help him to fulfill his destiny. This went on for years.

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Speaker 1: Didn't look like anything was happening. But when you pray,

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Speaker 1: things are happening that you can't see. Your prayer may

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Speaker 1: be what's keeping them from sinking deeper because you're standing

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Speaker 1: in the gap. That's why the enemy can't take them out.

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Speaker 1: On Sunday warning, Bill was flipping through the channels, and

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Speaker 1: he came across my father on television. He was talking

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Speaker 1: about how God is full of mercy, how He's bigger

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Speaker 1: than any mistake. That Sunday, Bill showed up at Lakewood.

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Speaker 1: Hadn't been to church in many years, sat in the

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Speaker 1: very back. Someone noticed him and brought him down to

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Speaker 1: see my mother. He didn't know that she had been

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Speaker 1: praying all those years. That day Bill recommitted his life

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Speaker 1: to Christ. The faith that was planted in him as

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Speaker 1: a little boy came back to life. Several months later,

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Speaker 1: Bill gave his first Christian concert at Lakewood. Now he

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Speaker 1: and his wife Kim have an outreach to teenagers to

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Speaker 1: help them stay on track. Proverbs says, train up a

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Speaker 1: child in the way they should go, and when they

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Speaker 1: are old, they will not depart from it. You may

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Speaker 1: have a child this off course. The good news is

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Speaker 1: them up to know the Lord. That faith was deposited

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Speaker 1: in their spirit. The promise is in the end they

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Speaker 1: will not depart from it. Now, it doesn't say anything

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Speaker 1: about the middle. They may make some wrong terms, Like Bill,

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Speaker 1: there may be times you don't see how they're going

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Speaker 1: to get back on track. What are you supposed to do.

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Speaker 1: Wait on them, keep loving, keep encouraging, keep praying. Well, Joel,

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Speaker 1: they won't listen to me, they don't take my advice,

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Speaker 1: they won't return my call. Don't worry. God knows how

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Speaker 1: to get their attention. You keep praying, and things are happening.

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Speaker 1: In the end, they will not depart. They may be

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Speaker 1: off course now, but your declaration should be they're coming back.

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Speaker 1: As for me and my house, we will serve the

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Speaker 1: Lord now. You don't have to force people to change

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Speaker 1: when they're grown. You can't make them do what's right.

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Speaker 1: Don't always be trying to correct them, threatened them, teach

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Speaker 1: them a lesson. Sometimes you just need to love them.

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Speaker 1: The scripture says love never fails. You can love them

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Speaker 1: back on track, love them when they don't deserve it,

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Speaker 1: love them when they won't listen, love them when they're

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Speaker 1: making poor choices. It's easy to write them off. Think

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Speaker 1: you know better. I'm not going to have anything to

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Speaker 1: do with you. No, God waited on you, will you

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Speaker 1: wait on them. In the Story of the Prodigal Son,

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Speaker 1: the young man took his inheritance, left home and wasted

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Speaker 1: it all living wild, partying. He got so low he

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Speaker 1: ended up in a hogpen. Desperate, barely even surviving, he

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Speaker 1: decided to go back home and try to get a

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Speaker 1: job as a hired servant at his father's house. The

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Speaker 1: scripture says when the father saw the son coming a

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Speaker 1: long way off, he took off running toward him. Notice

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Speaker 1: the father was waiting. I can imagine several times a day.

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Speaker 1: He went out to the end of the driveway and looked, said, father,

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Speaker 1: thank you for bringing my son back home, thank you

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Speaker 1: for protecting him, thank you that he'll fulfill his destiny.

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Speaker 1: He ran out and gave his son a hug. He

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Speaker 1: told his staff, we're going to have a party and

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Speaker 1: celebrate the fact that my son has come back home.

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Speaker 1: Never once did the father bring up the son's past.

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Speaker 1: He never went into and I told you so speech.

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Speaker 1: You can live here, but you don't really deserve it.

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Speaker 1: He was full of mercy. I've learned everyone is on

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Speaker 1: a journey. Where they are now is not where they're

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Speaker 1: going to be in ten years. Give them room to change.

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Speaker 1: They may not believe like you, they may not have

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Speaker 1: your same views. It's okay. Just keep loving them. Sometimes

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Speaker 1: we think we're supposed to convict people. Tell them everything

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Speaker 1: they're doing wrong, straighten them out. But the Holy Spirit

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Speaker 1: is the one that convince. Our job is to just

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Speaker 1: plant the seeds. That seed may fall on hard soil,

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Speaker 1: their heart may not be open. The good news is

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Speaker 1: the seed never dies. I read where a seed was

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Speaker 1: found that was four thousand years old. It had been

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Speaker 1: in an airtight coffin. They planeted it and the seed blossomed.

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Speaker 1: It was still alive. All it needed was the right soil.

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Speaker 1: Those seeds you've been planning in people's hearts, they are

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Speaker 1: still alive. The soil may not be ready yet, but

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Speaker 1: at the right time, God will soften their hearts. Some

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Speaker 1: of the people that listen to me don't believe in God.

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Speaker 1: Some come from different faiths, but that never bothers me.

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Speaker 1: I'm just sowing seeds, telling people that God is for them,

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Speaker 1: that they're made in His image, that they have a

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Speaker 1: purpose and destiny to fulfill. I know at the right time,

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Speaker 1: the seeds will take root. What am I saying, don't

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Speaker 1: judge people by where they are now. They're in the

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Speaker 1: process of changing. I know a young lady that came

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Speaker 1: from a different faith. She was raised in another country

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Speaker 1: and brought up in a different religion. She'd been watching

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Speaker 1: US on television. The message had really helped her. Then

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Speaker 1: her work moved her to Houston. She started attending Lakewood.

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Speaker 1: She would sit up at the top. As you can imagine,

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Speaker 1: this was very new to her. She expected to hear

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Speaker 1: about how wrong her religion was, to be condemned for

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Speaker 1: how she was raised. She never heard any of that.

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Speaker 1: She heard about the goodness of God, about how her

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Speaker 1: sins had already been forgiven, about how she could live

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Speaker 1: a victorious, abundant life. She eventually gave her life to Christ.

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Speaker 1: She said, I came from a different faith and it

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Speaker 1: took me two years to make my journey to Jesus.

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Speaker 1: You know why that happened. And we waited on her.

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Speaker 1: We didn't condemn her. We didn't say be like us,

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Speaker 1: or you're out. We gave her room to change. You

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Speaker 1: have to give people time to become who they were

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Speaker 1: created to be. Too often we want to cram things

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Speaker 1: down people's throats and make them believe, but some things

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Speaker 1: don't happen overnight. Will you wait on that friend, keep

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Speaker 1: encouraging them even though they're not changing as fast as

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Speaker 1: you would like. Would you wait on that neighbor that

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Speaker 1: doesn't believe, keep so in seeds of love, keep being

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Speaker 1: good to them. Jesus said, the way people will know

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Speaker 1: your his disciple is by your love one for another,

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Speaker 1: not by our doctrine, not by how many scriptures we

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Speaker 1: can quote, not by how right we are, but by

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Speaker 1: how much we love them. You don't judge people, You

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Speaker 1: don't look down because they don't believe like you. You

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Speaker 1: just keep loving them, being good to them. A lady

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Speaker 1: told me how she had been an atheist or whole life.

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Speaker 1: She didn't have any kind of faith and just wasn't

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Speaker 1: raised to believe in God at all. One day, her

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Speaker 1: daughter was in an automobile accident. She rushed up to

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Speaker 1: the hospital. Her daughter was injured, but she was fine.

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Speaker 1: It wasn't life threatening. Later that evening, the mother went

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Speaker 1: back home and she was so stressed and so overwhelmed

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Speaker 1: from such a difficult day. Sitting in her driveway, she

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Speaker 1: looked up and said, very frustrated, God, why did you

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Speaker 1: do this to me? She said. She heard the most

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Speaker 1: loving voice, not out loud, but in her heart. It said,

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Speaker 1: that was the first time You've ever spoken to me.

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Speaker 1: She felt a love like she had never felt a

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Speaker 1: peace that she had never experienced. That was the goodness

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Speaker 1: of God overwhelming her. The scripture says, if you'll draw

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Speaker 1: close to God, he'll draw clothes to you. We think

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Speaker 1: if someone doesn't have anything to do with God, God

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Speaker 1: will say, fine, see if I ever help you. God

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Speaker 1: is not like that. He's as close as the breath

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Speaker 1: you breathe. All you have to do is call out

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Speaker 1: to him. He is right there. He's not holding your

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Speaker 1: past against you. He's not upset because you ignored him.

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Speaker 1: He's not put off because you didn't believe in him.

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Speaker 1: He's waiting for you. He has his arms held open wide.

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Speaker 1: He's at the end of the driveway looking thinking, maybe

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Speaker 1: today you'll come back home. Maybe today will be the

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Speaker 1: turning point. Are you writing someone off because they don't believe?

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Speaker 1: They're not making good decisions, they're against what we stand for.

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Speaker 1: That's right where Saul was before he became the apostle. Paul,

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Speaker 1: why don't you start waiting on them, showing mercy instead

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Speaker 1: of judgment. It's easy to have a holdier than thou attitude.

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Speaker 1: I can't believe what they're doing. What are they thinking? Listen?

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Speaker 1: If it wasn't for the grace of God. You don't

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Speaker 1: know what you would be doing. The longer I live,

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Speaker 1: the less judgmental I am, I realize everyone didn't get

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Speaker 1: what I got. Everyone wasn't raised in a healthy environment,

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Speaker 1: in a home filled with faith and love, with parents

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Speaker 1: and friends and family that spoke victory into me. Some

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Speaker 1: people came out of dysfunction with people that were addicted, angry, depressed.

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Speaker 1: All they've seen is mediocrity, compromise. It's tempting to judge them,

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Speaker 1: look down on them, but if we were in their shoes,

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Speaker 1: we could be making the same decisions. Instead of finding

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Speaker 1: fault with them, condemning them, why don't you spend that

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Speaker 1: same time praying for them. They're in your life because

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Speaker 1: God is counting on you to help them. If you'll

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Speaker 1: start encouraging them, speaking faith into them, loving them, they'll

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Speaker 1: step into their destiny. Now, every seed you sow, we'll

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Speaker 1: come back to you. The mercy you show others is

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Speaker 1: the mercy people are going to show you. But sometimes

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Speaker 1: we're waiting for people to change, and then we'll accept them.

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Speaker 1: When they start doing right, then I'll have a better opinion.

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Speaker 1: But God doesn't ask us to clean ourselves up and

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Speaker 1: then we can come to him. He says, come just

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Speaker 1: as you are, and I'll help you to get cleaned up. Now,

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Speaker 1: God waited on us when we were of course, he

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Speaker 1: showed us mercy when we weren't at our best. Let's

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Speaker 1: take that same mercy and show to someone else. One time,

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Speaker 1: Jesus was traveling through the city of Jericho. Word quickly

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Speaker 1: spread that he was there, and everyone came out to

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Speaker 1: see him. They had heard of the miracles and all

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Speaker 1: the amazing things Jesus had done. Now the streets were packed,

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Speaker 1: you could barely move. There was a man named Zachius.

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Speaker 1: He was the chief tax collector. They were known for

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Speaker 1: being dishonest, for cheating people, for taking advantage. Zachius wanted

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Speaker 1: to see Jesus, but he was so short he couldn't

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Speaker 1: see over everyone. So he climbed up in a tree

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Speaker 1: got in perfect position. Jesus came passing by. There were

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Speaker 1: thousands of people, shouting, waving, all kinds of commotion. Suddenly

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Speaker 1: Jesus stopped, looked up in the tree and said, Zachius,

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Speaker 1: come down. I want to go to your house and

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Speaker 1: have dinner. What's interesting is the name Zachias means pure one,

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Speaker 1: Jesus said in front of everyone, People that disliked Zachias,

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Speaker 1: people that knew he was a cheat, Yet Jesus called

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Speaker 1: him pure one. The principle is you have to call

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Speaker 1: people what they can become before they'll ever change. The

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Speaker 1: Scripture says call things that are not as if they were.

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Speaker 1: If you keep calling your child disrespectful, they'll stay disrespectful.

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Speaker 1: If you keep calling your loved one addicted, they'll stay addicted.

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Speaker 1: You're prophesying their future. Change what you're calling people. Call

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Speaker 1: your children blessed, call them respectful, call them successful. That

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Speaker 1: friend that's struggling with an addiction, start calling them free

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Speaker 1: hold victorious. Jesus could have said, does Zachius, hey you, hey?

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Speaker 1: God up in the tree, hey, tax collector? On purpose,

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Speaker 1: he called his name, not only so others could hear it,

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Speaker 1: but so he could hear it. Everything fell silent, You

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Speaker 1: could hear a pin drop. All the eyes turned up

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Speaker 1: towards Zachias. Can imagine he nearly passed out. He whispered,

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Speaker 1: did Jesus just call my name? Somebody nodded their heads. Yes.

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Speaker 1: He thought to himself, how does he know my name?

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Speaker 1: Sometimes we think people that are so far off course

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Speaker 1: making such bad decisions. God would have nothing to do

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Speaker 1: with them. The truth is, God knows their name. He's

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Speaker 1: coming after them. Jesus said, it's the sick who need

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Speaker 1: a doctor, not the healthy. There were city leaders in

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Speaker 1: the crowd, there were priests, elders in the synagogue. Jesus

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Speaker 1: five passed all of them and said, I want to

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Speaker 1: go to Zachias's house. He was saying, Zachius, I've been

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Speaker 1: waiting for you. I knew you would be here. He

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Speaker 1: had dinner with Zachias. He didn't condemn him, he didn't

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Speaker 1: tell him everything he was doing wrong. Jesus simply loved him,

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Speaker 1: showed him mercy. He became his friend. That day was

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Speaker 1: a turning point for Zachias. He said, from now on,

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Speaker 1: I'm not going to cheat people, not gonna be dishonest.

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Speaker 1: I'm going to start helping others. Zachias changed his ways

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Speaker 1: not because he was shamed into it, but because he

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Speaker 1: was loved into it. The scripture says, it's the goodness

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Speaker 1: of God that leads people to repentance. God has people

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Speaker 1: in your life right now because he's counting on you

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Speaker 1: not to judge them, not to find fault but to

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Speaker 1: stand in the gap. And some of the people we

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Speaker 1: think are furthest off course, like zach Chias, like Saul,

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Speaker 1: they are chosen vessels. Don't give up on that child,

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Speaker 1: it's been years. Keep waiting. They're going to do something great.

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Speaker 1: Don't quit believing for that neighbor. They won't give you

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Speaker 1: the time of day. Keep waiting. God is in control.

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Speaker 1: A friend of mine has a neighbor that's an older gentleman.

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Speaker 1: For as long as he's known him, this neighbor has

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Speaker 1: been very skeptical, very cynical. Negative. It's a little boy.

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Speaker 1: He went to church, but now he wouldn't have anything

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Speaker 1: to do with God. He was bitter against the church

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Speaker 1: and all that it stands. For Year after year, my

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Speaker 1: friend just kept loving him, kept being good to him

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Speaker 1: as the neighbor grew older, seeing if there was anything

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Speaker 1: that he needed. One day, he found out that this

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Speaker 1: neighbor had been watching us on television and was going

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Speaker 1: to attend our Night of Hope. My friend couldn't believe it.

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Speaker 1: He didn't see that coming. But you don't know what

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Speaker 1: God is doing behind the scenes. Just coaks. You don't

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Speaker 1: see anything happening, doesn't mean God is not working. Those

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Speaker 1: seeds you've been planting are still alive. The morning after

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Speaker 1: the Night of Hope, my friend went to the neighbor's house.

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Speaker 1: His wife had big tears running down her cheeks. She said,

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Speaker 1: last night, when Joel asked people to stand to receive Christ,

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Speaker 1: my husband stood up. What's interesting is this man had

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Speaker 1: had a stroke for years, he had never stood on

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Speaker 1: his own, but that night, by himself, he was able

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Speaker 1: to stand up. Today he's like a different person. I'm

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Speaker 1: asking you to wait on someone. They're off cold, they're

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Speaker 1: not making good decisions. Neither was the prodigal son, but

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Speaker 1: the father waited on him. Well, they come from a

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Speaker 1: different faith. So was the woman at the well, but

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Speaker 1: Jesus waited on her. Well, I've been waiting a long

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Speaker 1: time for this friend. He's never going to change. No,

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Speaker 1: your prayers are working. Things are happening that you can't see.

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Speaker 1: Keep waiting, keep showing them mercy, keep standing in the gap.

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Speaker 1: If you'll do this, I believe and declare, you're going

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Speaker 1: to see all your loved ones come to know the Lord.

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Speaker 1: Those that are off course, children, friends, neighbors, right now

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Speaker 1: they're being drawn in. As for you and your house,

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Speaker 1: you will serve the Lord in Jesus's name. If you

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Speaker 1: receive it, can you say amen? Today? Well, I'd like

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00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:51,679
Speaker 1: to give you an opportunity to make Jesus the Lord

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Speaker 1: of your life. Would you pray with me? Just say,

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Speaker 1: Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins. Come in to

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Speaker 1: my heart. I'll make you my Lord and save you. Friends.

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Speaker 1: If you've prayed that simple prayer, we believe you got

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00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:11,520
Speaker 1: born again. Get in a good Bible based church, keep

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Speaker 1: God first place.

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Speaker 2: Fear can be a powerful force, and we'll try to

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Speaker 2: make you feel alone, stuck without hope. But fear doesn't

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Speaker 2: have to get the final say there is a way out.

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Speaker 1: Fear is a powerful force, but so is faith. What

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Speaker 1: we focus on shapes our reality. In my new book,

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Speaker 1: No More Fear, you have the mind of Christ, I'll

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00:27:35,320 --> 00:27:38,159
Speaker 1: show you how to silence fear and live boldly in

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Speaker 1: faith and confidence. Just like David said, though I walk

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Speaker 1: through the valley, I will not fear, you too can

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Speaker 1: walk through life's challenges without being paralyzed by fear. And

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Speaker 1: I can't promise you you'll never feel fear, but I can

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Speaker 1: teach you how to rise above it by dwelling on

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Speaker 1: what God says. Learning to replace the anxious thoughts with

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Speaker 1: faith filled you can live from a place of peace, power,

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Speaker 1: and purpose.

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00:28:04,840 --> 00:28:07,280
Speaker 2: As our way of saying thank you for your gift

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00:28:07,320 --> 00:28:09,880
Speaker 2: of any amount this month, we would like to send

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Speaker 2: you a copy of Joel's book, No More Fear. You

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Speaker 2: have the mind of Christ. The Bible proclaims the Lord

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Speaker 2: is my Light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear?

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00:28:21,119 --> 00:28:24,680
Speaker 2: This powerful and practical book will help you silence out,

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00:28:25,040 --> 00:28:30,200
Speaker 2: overcome anxiety, and step boldly into God's overcoming power when

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00:28:30,280 --> 00:28:34,320
Speaker 2: fear whispers you can't. This devotional will stir your faith

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00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:38,400
Speaker 2: to declare God will. Each page reminds you that you

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00:28:38,560 --> 00:28:42,160
Speaker 2: weren't created to live in fear or despair. You were

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00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:46,600
Speaker 2: created to live with passion, purpose, and confidence in God's

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00:28:46,600 --> 00:28:50,240
Speaker 2: plans for your life. Let God's word equip you to

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00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:53,160
Speaker 2: rise above fear and walk in victory.

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00:28:54,360 --> 00:28:57,880
Speaker 1: Fear doesn't have the final say God does. Be bold,

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00:28:57,960 --> 00:29:00,600
Speaker 1: be strong, and step up to who He made you

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Speaker 1: to be. Vitorne, I want you to know we're praying

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00:29:03,560 --> 00:29:06,920
Speaker 1: for you and your family, believing for God's very best.

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Speaker 1: Thank you so much for your prayer and support. Your

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00:29:10,280 --> 00:29:14,240
Speaker 1: generosity is helping people around the world. As we finish

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Speaker 1: this year, I hope you'll consider making a special year

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00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:21,080
Speaker 1: in gift helps to keep the ministry strong. I always

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00:29:21,080 --> 00:29:23,560
Speaker 1: want to thank our Champion of Hope partners for your

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00:29:23,600 --> 00:29:26,400
Speaker 1: monthly gifts. If you're not a partner, I hope you'll

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00:29:26,440 --> 00:29:29,440
Speaker 1: consider becoming one, And until we see you next time,

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00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:31,680
Speaker 1: may the Lord bless you and keep you.

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Speaker 2: Be sure to request your copy of Joel's new book,

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00:29:35,800 --> 00:29:39,160
Speaker 2: No More Fear. You have the Mind of Christ. Visit

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00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:42,800
Speaker 2: joelostein dot com or call eight eight eight five six

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00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:46,760
Speaker 2: seven Joel, and for an additional gift. This month, we're

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00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:51,360
Speaker 2: also offering the God's Word Work study collection. This empowering

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00:29:51,400 --> 00:29:55,560
Speaker 2: set includes the NIV, the Message Parallel Bible, Joel's No

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00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:59,040
Speaker 2: More Fear Devotional, the classic How to Read Your Bible

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00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:03,160
Speaker 2: and Enjoy It, plus a beautifully crafted leather bookmark with pen.

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00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:07,760
Speaker 2: You can request these inspiring scripture discovery resources by calling

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00:30:08,000 --> 00:30:11,240
Speaker 2: eight eight eight five six seven Joel or logging on

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00:30:11,400 --> 00:30:16,120
Speaker 2: to Joelostein dot com today call or click anytime twenty

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00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:20,560
Speaker 2: four hours a day. Silence fear, strengthen your spirit. Let

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00:30:20,680 --> 00:30:24,120
Speaker 2: God's Word equip you to rise above fear, and walk

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00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:27,440
Speaker 2: in victory. Request these resources today,